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Dedication:  This story is dedicated to my special friend, Ry, who provided the inspiration for this, my first effort, and to Don Hanratty, the author of Working It Out, a beautiful piece of work (Nifty, college section), who encouraged me to post it here.

If you would like to comment or have suggestions, you may E-mail me at JETjt@aol.com. Please be kind!  I bruise easily!  “Ouch!  Stop that!” (grins)

RON AND BRYAN

Chapter Three

Ron showered, picked at his now-cold breakfast, poured himself a fresh cup of coffee, then retrieving the “Times”, moved to a comfortable armchair in the living area of the hotel.  The morning ‘acrobatics’ had been great, he admitted, but somehow there was something missing.  He thought again about his friends Bryan and Alan, and their obvious love for each other.  “Guess I’m gonna have to find myself somebody to love,” he admitted to himself. A half hour late, the phone rang as he was gathering Bryan’s tuxedo outfit for pick-up.  “Ron Turner,” he answered.

“ Hi handsome!”  It was Bryan. The mental image of his joking friend appeared in Ron’s mind as the young man continued.  “I was chatting with Alan about your invitation to have lunch or something with you near the airport on Monday, and Alan came up with a great idea, if you can do it.”

 “Shoot,” Ron replied.

 “Well Alan’s day off is Tuesday. If you could stay over another day, we’d love to have you over for dinner.  We make a wicked barbeque! You’d have to change your plane ticket though.”

Ron responded without any hesitation. “I’d love to come over.  The plane will be no problem, I’ll just tell my pilot to stand down for another day.  We can go home late Tuesday night.”

“You have a plane?” Bryan asked. “Wow!”

“Yeppers, my major indulgence. Anyway, my meetings here, with my broker and lawyers here was mostly a sham for tax purposes.  That way I could meet you at last, and write off the trip to my business!”

Bryan laughed, “You are way to clever for me. Here all this time I thought you were spending real money!”

 Ron responded, “Oh it’s real, alright, my G-V put-put, drinks $1500 an hour worth of fuel.  Not so much after taxes, though, but you still must earn the money first, before you can take the deduction!  That’s really no problem though, I couldn’t spend all my earnings, even if I wanted too. That green-stuff just keeps rolling in!  If I’m not careful I could be a Billionaire, within a month or two!  Damn, I’ll have to step out of the ‘filthy- rich,’ to the ‘mega-rich’ category--- and I love being filthy!” Ron giggled, uncharacteristically, at his own joke.

 “Don’t forget your friends, when you take out the change from your pockets, at night,” Ryan quipped.
 
Ron laughed.  He knew his friend too well to believe it was anything but a joke.  Alan, in particular, was extremely proud, as well he should be.  He had raised his son, by himself, and earned his Doctorate Degree at Columbia, a very expensive and prestigious university!  Now, he was providing, not only for Rich’s college education, but also a home and education for Bryan his partner.  Ron had nothing but respect for the man!

“We could have dinner here on Long Island, tomorrow if you want,” Bryan offered.  I don’t want to go anyplace too fancy, I still haven’t gotten over the ‘monkey suit!’!”

 Ron quickly commented on how ‘smashing’ Bryan had looked in the outfit on their ‘night out’, then apologetically continuing, “I know that the opera, was probably not your ‘thing’, but I thought you might enjoy broadening your horizons!”

 “Hey it was great!  Different, but great!  I kept looking for the Fat Lady, so I could tell when it was about to be over. I was disappointed. No Fat lady! I was starting to worry, cause I had to pee!”

 Ron laughed, reminded of the old opera adage, “It ain’t over ‘till the Fat Lady sings!”

 “Also, I was shocked to see that the part of Cherubino was sung by a lady!  Yikes!  What’s this world coming to!…. I mean!…. cross-dressing in front of all those people!” Ron rolled over at his friend’s witty commentary. “ As for ‘broadening my horizons’, my ‘horizons’ are already broad enough already!”

 “If you’re referring to your cute little butt, I’m sure that Alan would take that dish, anyway it was served up!” Ron kidded. “As for dinner, it’s a date, …uh, sort of…. Uh,….damn, you know what I mean! …. Hey,” he said with renewed composure, “ What do you think of this plan? How ‘bout we have dinner at the restaurant where your friend Lonny works!  You said that the food was good, and I want to see if he’s as cute as you told me! Yep, and I want to check out his desert selection techniques too!” Ron laughed.  He was reminding Bryan of the younger man’s story of his first visit to the restaurant, where Lonnie had displayed a subtle, but definite interest in Bryan, while displaying the desert selections.  Bryan had gone back the next night, to continue the discrete sparring.
Finally, Bryan had ‘confessed all’ to his mate, who insisted that Bryan return to the eating establishment, and apologize for leading the cute waiter on!  Bryan did just that, with some embarrassment, and a potential romance turned into ongoing friendship.

 “Cool,” Bryan replied, feeling a blush coming on, “I’ll see if he’s working that night.  If not, I could invite him to join us”

“Terrific!  He can bring his new boyfriend, Jerry, along for company too, if he wants.” Pausing, Ron feigning disappointment, exclaimed, “Drats, that would mean that I would have to keep my hands to myself all night.  Hmmm—Bad Idea!”

“You klutz, get out of my nose!”  “You’re too soft hearted to tread on someone else’s turf!”

“Yeah,” I’m gonna have to slap myself and get into my Darth Vader suit!”

  “Don’t you dare!” Bryan ordered.  “I like you just the way you are!”

  “Blush, dot, dot, dot, Well, thank you sir!” Ron acknowledged, emulating their Internet style of conversation.

 “Oh, one thing, though,”…. “I can’t stay out too late.  I have school in the morning, and, of course, I must be home, when ‘my man’ arrives from work!”

 “Your wish is my command, sweet thing,” Ron agreed. “You know I would never come between you and Alan.”

 “Not that you would have a chance, I know where my place is, and it’s with him!”

 “Hey, you’ll get no argument from me, after meeting him. I’d chase him for myself, if your cute ass wasn’t in the way!”  Ron joked.

 “No way are you getting close to him!  The invitation for Tuesday is off! Nobody is gonna steal my man!”--- there was a pause, then they broke out in laughter.  “K, ‘till, tomorrow night then…. grab a pencil and I’d give ya our address, or we can just meet there at the restaurant, if you want.”

“Not a chance,” “I’ve been trying to get your address for a year and a half.  Do you think I would pass up this golden opportunity?  Besides, I might even learn your last name!  I mean, my name for you, “Bryan Yikes’, is a little improbable!” Ron said, poking fun at his friend’s secretiveness.

  “Yikers!” Bryan exclaimed automatically, then, realizing what he had just said, continued, “I’m almost afraid to give it to you now! -----  Hmmmm, -----I guess it’s  O.K., Alan trusts you and he ain’t nobody’s fool!”  He paused, then added with an unseen grin, “except mine.”

“Man, was that a complement?”  Thanks, that’s the nicest thing any body’s said to me since you said, ’Hello’!”  They both giggled at the jibes!  Bryan gave Ron their home address, confirmed the time for 7 o’clock, and after a verbal “HUGs”, said goodbye.

 “God I love that guy,” Ron thought, “He is soooo funny.  I always feel better, after we’ve talked!”  Ron remembered so well the many, many hours that they had chatted on the Internet.  They were mostly hours of laughter and pleasure, but more than he expected, of hurt for his chat buddy, who had exposed his painful story of his ‘adventures’ to happiness. His friend was a wonderful person.  Ron felt grateful of the experience of being, at least in a small corner of Bryan’s life.  Bryan had a high moral code, much higher than 90% of straight people would think possible from a guy who had run the gamut of gay experiences, particularly for one still young.  His devotion to Alan was unwavering. His young friend had a ‘quality’ about his character, which transcended his youthfulness. He exuded love and caring.   “I guess that’s what I’m really looking for,” Ron admitted to himself. “Someone who really loves me, unconditionally, and someone I can love back with the same commitment. Bryan is the great role model,” he concluded.

 It was unlikely that Bryan really felt as close to Ron, as the slightly older young man felt toward Bryan. Bryan was careful not to ‘lead him on’ to anything beyond a friendly relationship, and it showed. Ron understood his young friend’s caution. It was far easier, while being single and ‘alone’ to exercise the freedom to ‘put out feelers’ for kinship, than when you are wholly dedicated to one person, with it’s self-imposed limitations on making friends, which if not exercised, could lead to misunderstandings and hurt.  Ron respected that Bryan couldn’t, and wouldn’t; reciprocate the same affection toward him that Ron willingly displayed toward Bryan. Bryan was smart, and loyal to Alan.  Bryan accepted that, but at the same time, longed for the same kind of affection that the younger man lavished on his partner.
 
 “Alan,” Ron visualized, bringing the handsome man’s image fresh into mind, “Now there is a truly great person!”  He thought of the man’s devotion to his family, to his mate and partner Bryan, and to the many people he helped on a daily basis. From observing the man, and his chats with Bryan, Ron concluded that there was an inner strength and piety to his ‘new’ friend that was not driven especially by religion, but by an inner goodness. That he was gay only seemed to broaden his acceptance of others who might be ‘different’ or who had troubled lives. He worked, every day, with the dregs of a society that, on the surface, appeared clean, prosperous and wholesome. Alan knew better. He saw the result of mans’ inhumanity to man, the abused, the derelicts, the substance abusers and the mentally deprived, as they tried to survive in the unforgiving City. He waded into this cesspool of despair with his workmates, to divert lives of the away from this vortex that pulled those caught in it, indiscriminately, into the degradation of hopelessness. Ron could understand the great admiration that led to Bryan’s love for this man, whose life was devoted to others
.
 Ron knew that sex was not the answer to his own loneliness.  He had plenty of that.  Even if he were ugly or disfigured, he knew he could buy all the sex he wanted till the day he passed away.  No, sex was not the answer. Love was the answer! He contemplated his perception of love.  In doing so, he thought again, about the relationship that Bryan shared with Alan. He could see that their love was based on respect, of giving and in sharing.  Knowing that he had to rethink his priorities, he promised himself that he would look at life from a different perspective in the future. “The future begins now!” he reminded himself, thinking of his expected call to Matt, his handsome lover from the morning.
 

Post script:  HUGs, more to come.    JET