Date: Wed, 17 Apr 2024 18:37:01 -0400 From: D Dragi Subject: Chapter 20 The Courage to Care If you are enjoying this story and the many others on this website please contribute to Nifty. Your support is needed and makes sure this site keeps going providing stories we can hardly find anywhere else. I greatly appreciate the comments and suggestions I receive from readers. You don't know how happy they make me. As you know I will answer all emails as soon as possible. My email address is tughill1383@yahoo.com. I look forward to hearing from you. Chapter 20: Cabin Preview When I woke up Sunday morning I was sore. My nose was still throbbing and sore to the touch. As I went downstairs to the kitchen to get some breakfast Bard had this horrified look on his face. "Is it that bad" I said. "Let's just say it doesn't look good" said Brad. Sit down and let get you some breakfast. I sat there at the table and Matt came in and when he looked at me he said "Whoa." "We have an appointment with the doctor at 11 today." I grabbed for the Sunday paper and sprawled all over the front page where pictures of the violence of the game with the headline screaming in big bold letters "BASKET BRAWL". The article went on to discuss the violence of the game and how Clover Plains school officials had no control over the situation. There was an editorial chastising the Clover Plains school officials. The sports section had a picture of me with the two mall rolls of cotton stuffed in my nose. The game filled the paper. The front page, the sports section, and even the editorial section. The articles praised Connor and I for being able to overcome the violent onslaught from Clover Plains. As I was reading the paper, Bard reminded me to bring my Valentine's gift over to Melanie since the family would be leaving for Florida for the week. I told him I would call her to see when I could come over. Brad was excited that Valentine's Day was approaching. He was a hopeless romantic and you could see how much he loved Matt. They were good for one another. Brad could read Matt and was always there for him. I thought to myself if that could ever be Connor and I. I can say that today I attribute my loving relationship with my husband to what I learned from Matt and Brad. But all I was thinking about was the upcoming days when Connor and I would be together in that cabin for three days. Just the thought of what we were going to do got me hard. What we were going to do to one another would be epic. Non-stop sex as each of us would be banging our brains out. I was so pent up the two day wait seemed an eternity. After breakfast, I sat in the living room watching television before we had to go to the doctor's. I decided to call Melanie and see when I would head over. When I spoke with her she was so concerned and thought that I was one tough guy. She asked me if it hurt, was I feeling alright, if I hurt anywhere else. I told her I would live and was heading to the doctor's at 11 and wanted to drop off her Valentine's gift before the family left at 12. She said how sweet I was and to come right over. I told Matt and Brad that I was heading to Melanie's and I would be home in time for the doctor's appointment. I grabbed the gift and my car keys and headed out the door. When I got to Melanie's her younger brother came running out and when he saw me he said "Oh, my God." I told him I was alright and that I would heal. The kid was shaken up and I had to tell him over and over I would be fine. He just kept on say he wanted to beat up those punks from Clover Plains. Melanie told her brother to get lost and leave us alone. As he left he looked at me and said "You're the best Jake." I looked at Melaine and said I have a big fan and laughed. Melanie and I went to the living room and I gave her the gift. When she opened it up she screeched. "It's beautiful" she said. "Help me put it on." She pulled her hair back and I attached the locket around her neck. She clasped the gold heart and told me she would never take it off. She then leaned over and kissed me passionately. Shen then ran to her mom to show her the locket. As I was sitting there alone her dad came in and when he saw me he said "Jesus." "You look like you were in the boxing ring." I told him I was sore but would heal and be ready for the state tournament. When Melanie came into the room she went over to show her dad the locket "Nice" he said. Melanie's dad said they needed to pack up the car and get going. I told Melanie to call me when she got home and to have a good time. She told me she would miss me terribly and jokingly said "don't go sleeping around with any of your bimbo fans." I promised I wouldn't We kissed one more time and I got in the car and drove off. As I was driving off I was just thinking about being in the cabin with Connor. At the time I didn't think I was using Melanie or taking advantage of her. I did love her in my own way but it was Connor who filled my thoughts. I loved when he was inside me. It felt so good and right. Kissing him and each of us sucking one another was the ultimate. I never thought I could feel this good. To be this fulfilled and satisfied. Connor took me to places I never knew but wanted to feel that way again and again. If we could just be able to come out and be a couple and not need to hide our lover for one another. It was so frustrating having to always suppress my feelings for Connor in public. When I look back on that time I realized all that we missed constantly hiding and keeping everything in secret. To stay firmly and deeply in the closet. It created such an internal turmoil. I didn't feel guilty or regret who I was at the time. But I was terribly afraid of losing my fame and popularity. At that time the cost of coming out in my mind was too high. I liked the attention and my status in the school and community. And if I wanted to keep that social standing I had to be seen as the straight jock with the gorgeous girlfriend. The mere thought that there was anything more between Connor and I had to be squelched. How different it is today. When I think of my life today in 2024 married to a loving man. Father of two boys. Living openly as who I am. Not ashamed to hold hands or kiss in public. But how many of us from that time of 1979 could not accept the fact we were gay and tried desperately to be heterosexual. Dated women. Even married women and had children. Living a lie. Sneaking off to adult book stores to the glory holes in the back. Cruising the local spots for an anonymous hookup. Driving to other towns to check out the gay bars. And afterward feeling guilty and full of remorse and promising to stop and do better. As I continued sitting in Matt's room listening to his labored breathing I would drift back to those early days and think about the decisions made, regrets, and sadness of what could have been. My two sons are age 14 and 16. One named Brad and the other named Matt. I can still remember how proud and pleased Brad was when my husband Jeffrey and I told him the name of our son. He burst into tears of joy and of course spoiled the kid rotten. Brad spoiled both boys and loved taking them out and showing them off. Brad was the epitome of the proud grandfather. There was such a beautiful bond between Brad and my sons. My two boys thought the world of Grandpa Brad. My boys were devastated when Brad passed away. The deep sadness that they felt had a profound impact on me. I realized how much they loved Brad. Brad has been gone for two years now and I miss him terribly. Matt has never been the same since Brad's passing and visits his grave daily placing fresh flowers on his grave. To have witnessed the deep love and affection between those two men left an indelible mark on me. My love for my own husband reflects the love I saw between Matt and Brad. I consider myself blessed and most fortunate that I had the best role models a man could have. This is why sitting here looking at Matt and watching him slowly slip away is killing me inside. I grasp his hand and hold it tight letting him know I am here. Tears come and go. How do I move on without Matt there guiding me, loving me, and chiding me. This thought is too much for me to bear now and I drift back to that fateful year of 1979 when it seemed anything and everything was possible. Little did I know back then that it would all come crashing down around me. When I got home from Melanie's I told Brad that Melanie loved the locket and thanked him for his help. He said we needed to get going to the doctor's. Matt, Brad, and I got in the car and headed to the medical complex. As we went in the lures looked at us and asked who we were. Matt went up to tell her and she had this look of disgust on her face. Brad knew the doctor because they worked at the hospital together. When we went into the doctor's office the doctor shook hands with Brad and Matt and asked Brad how as everything at the old hospital. Brad told him the same old politics and drama. The doctor asked me to sit down and he came over to look at my nose. After examining my nose he said that it is close to being broken and the swelling will be there for a few days. He told me to just keep ice on to reduce the swelling and gave me a prescription for the pain. We left the doctor's office and went to the drug store to pick up the prescription. When we got home I took one of the pain pills, put an ice pack over my nose and sat on the couch. The phone rang and Matt told me it was Connor. That immediately perked me up and I grabbed the phone. Connor told me that it was all set for the cabin. I told him I would be bringing some food and snacks for us. He said he was able to get some beer and would put it in the cabin refrigerator today. He also said he go a hold of some weed. I told him I couldn't wait until Tuesday. He said the same and joked that we wouldn't be getting much sleep. "No problem there" I told him. I asked him how he was feeling and he said he was sore but on the mend. I told him the same. He told me he went over to Ashley's to say goodbye and that she won't be back until Saturday. "Just the two of us." "No distractions" said Connor. As I was on the phone I was getting hard listening to his voice and thinking about Tuesday. I told him I'd see him at practice tomorrow and hung up the phone. After I hung up the phone I went upstairs to my bedroom and told Brad and Matt I was going to lie down and rest. Brad said he would come get me when dinner was ready. I went upstairs closed the door and grabbed the gel. I started stroking my dick until it got good and hard. I started moving up and down the shaft faster until I shot three waves of cum all over myself. I was thinking of Connor and I together in the cabin and all I wanted to do to him. I was so horny. The time was finally near when we would be alone together. I had a big smile on my face thinking about it. I couldn't believe how much I wanted Connor and how I couldn't get him out of my mind. It's all I could think about. I dozed off for awhile until I heard Brad call me down to dinner. The rest of the day was just spent resting and watching television. I went up to bed and Monday arrived. It was Valentine's Day. Both Matt and Brad went off to work and I was alone in the house. I had practice at 11 and I called Connor after Matt and Brad left and asked if he wanted to come over after practice. I told him we would have the whole house to ourselves. He said it sounded good and he would be over. I showered, got dressed, and headed to school. I changed into my gym gear in the locker room and Connor was already there getting ready. He shot me a smile and said he couldn't wait for practice to be over. I said neither could I. We ran through some drills and found out our game would be at 3 pm on Friday at the Civic Center. Coach told us we would be heading to our hotel on Thursday and are scheduled to stay until Sunday. The semi-final game was Friday and the finals were Saturday. After showering and getting dressed, Connor and I drove to my house. We got out of our cars and I escorted him upstairs to my bedroom. We were kissing each other passionately and I grabbed his tight bubble butt and gave a good squeeze to his cheeks. We quickly ditched our clothes and were on the bed. We maneuvered ourselves into a 69 and began sucking each other's dicks. We were going in motion together moving up and down our stiffening dicks. The joy of feeling him on my dick and returning the favor to him was so satisfying. I was in a state of pure joy. We kept pleasuring one another and it wasn't long before we shot our loads. The tase of his hot cum on my tongue, coating my throat, going down inside me was pure euphoria for me. We got up to be close to one another and began kissing and holding each other tight. We held each other continuing kissing when Connor stopped and said he wanted to ask me something. The tone of his voice was serious and I thought something was wrong. Connor looked me in the eyes and said to me in a shaky voice "I want you inside me." I was surprisingly stunned by his request and then told him I would like nothing more. Connor then went down on me and it didn't take long for me to get hard. Once I was good and hard I grabbed the gel and generously coated my dick and put some on Connor's ass. He gasped when I was putting the gel on his ass and told me it was cold. I told him not to worry because I would be warming it up real soon. Connor laid on his stomach with that tight beautiful butt staring at me. I put the head of my dick next to his hole and told him I would go slow and to tell me if it was too much and I would stop. When I put the head of my dick in Connor he let out a gasp. I then slowly started to put more and more of my dick inside of him and I heard Connor let out little moans. I held my dick inside of him and told him that I was all the way in. He told me it felt good. I then began to thrust back and forth slowly stretching his tight virgin ass and opening him up. He began panting as I continued to penetrate him. He was so tight and it felt so good pumping my dick inside of him. I started to pick up the pace and was thrusting faster and faster. I pulled all the way out and pounded my dick back in and Connor let out a loud deep moan. I kept going in and out of Connor and his moans grew louder and deeper. I asked him if he was alright and with an out of breath voice he said "don't stop." "It feels good." I then began to jack hammer his ass with my balls and thighs slapping against his ass. It felt so good and I could feel myself getting close. After a few more thrusts I yelled out "I'm cumming." Violent waves of my cum filled his ass and I continued to keep thrusting pushing my cum deep inside of Connor. I then just laid there totally spent on top and inside of Connor as my dick started to go down. After my dick went soft I pulled out of Connor and I asked him how was it. He told me it was totally awesome and he loved every minute of it. He then grabbed me by the head and began kissing me. Connor was still sprouting a hard on and I went down on him and it wasn't long before his hot cum was filling my mouth again. As I turned I looked over at the clock and told Connor we needed to get showered and dressed before Matt and Brad came home. We got up and went to the shower. While in the shower we soaped each other up and the touch of his soapy hands moving up and down my back made me hard again. Connor reach over with his soapy hands and began stroking my dick. I shot cum against the shower wall. I then turned around and grabbed Connor's stiff dick and returned the favor. He started bucking and then his cum was splashing against the tile wall. We rinsed ourselves off, dried off and got dressed. We went downstairs to the living room, turned on the television and waited for Brad and Matt to get home. We sat next to one another snuggled on the couch. The feel of him next to me put me in a most relaxed state. It felt so natural. Brad came in the house and when he saw us he said hello and asked about our day. I said in a straight voice it was a great day and looked over at Connor and smiled. Connor smiled back and I just wanted to jump him right there on the couch. Brad asked if Connor wanted to stay for dinner. Connor said he needed to call his mother but said he would stay. What a great start to the vacation. Connor and I together at last, spending time alone together and now having him stay for dinner. This was just the first full day of vacation and I just couldn't wait for the three days and two nights alone in the cabin. It was Valentine's Day and Brad made Matt's favorite Shepherd Pie. He had the table decked out in red and white with red candles on the table. When Matt came he had a dozen red roses and went into the kitchen and gave them to Brad. He gently kissed him on the cheek and said "Happy Valentine's Day baby." Brad swooned when he saw the flowers and gave Matt a big kiss on the lips. "This is so sweet of you" said Brad. When we all sat down for dinner Matt asked Connor how he was feeling. Connor said he was still sore but it was getting better. We then started talking about the game on Friday and what if anything we knew about the opposition. Connor and I knew nothing about the team we would be facing. We did know that they were from the western part of the state and had an impressive record. I told Matt that coach will go over the competition at practice tomorrow. The state tournament was a two day ordeal. Semi-finals on Friday and finals on Saturday. A whirlwind of basketball to claim the state crown. It seemed unreal to me and I just couldn't believe it was happening. The thought of becoming state champions was something Watson High never experienced. As we ate dinner I was rubbing my foot up and down Connor's leg. He shot me a look to knock it off and I enjoyed teasing him. When dinner was over we all went into the living room and Brad said it was showtime. I just rolled my eyes and was shaking my head. We all sat down on the couch and Brad went over to the stereo. He put a cassette tape in and said this is for you Matt. The music started and is was "My Guy" by Mary Wells. Connor and I looked at Brad and laughed as he sang the song to Matt. The line that stood out was when Brad sang "He may not be a movie star but when it comes to be happy we are." "There's not a man today who can take me away from my guy." I sat there looking at Brad and was wondering if this could be Connor and I someday. When Brad finished we all gave him a round of applause and Brad went over to Matt kissed him on the lips and said Happy Valentine's Day. "That was beautiful babe" said Matt. Then Matt handed Brad a box. Brad sat there and opened it. When Brad saw the gift he gasped. He took it out of the box and held it up for all of us to see. It was a Rolex watch. Brad stood there holding up the watch saying "it's beautiful." Matt told him to look on the back. Brad looked on the back and there was an inscription. Brad read it out loud. "Forever in my heart." "Til death do us part." I thought Brad was going to lose it. You could see he was physically moved by the inscription. Brad then gave Matt his gift. Matt opened the box and when he saw the cuff links he had a look of sheer delight on his face. Matt turned to Brad and said "they're beautiful babe." "I'll wear them everyday as a reminded of your love for me." That pushed Brad over the edge and tears began to fall from his eyes. They hugged and kissed one another wishing each other a Happy Valentine's Day. They sat back down next to one another on the couch. The four of us spent the rest of the evening watching television and as I looked over at Connor I was dreaming of our future together. After college, moving to San Francisco, live in the Castro district, and living together. At the time I truly believed that Connor and I would live out our lives together. Those youthful romantic dreams would come crashing down and I would be left devastated and alone. When it all catastrophically ended I thought I would never recover and went into a deep seated depression that took months to overcome. As it was getting late Connor got up to say goodbye and thanked Brad for the wonderful dinner. I walked Connor out to his car when he was inside I leaned over and kissed him right there in the driveway. Connor was shocked and asked if I was crazy. "What if someone saw what you did" he asked. Then he looked at me and said save it for the cabin babe. As he drove off all I could think of was getting to that cabin tomorrow after practice.