A Better Life

By Jim Vance

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One

My dad was in prison, and I hated my mother's latest boyfriend. That's how it started. Mom sent me to stay with her father who I had only met once, years ago. I got off the bus and thought about living on my own. I wasn't optimistic about life with my grandfather. I wanted to live on my own. But at fifteen, I had already found out I was too young for most places to hire and I didn't want to be homeless.

I looked around. There was a very good looking older man sitting drinking a soda. He had dark hair with a little gray on the sides and a black moustache. He was really hunky, and if he was a little younger, I would have loved to have sex with him. I thought of walking up. "Excuse me, sir. Would you mind taking my virginity? I'm through with it." I chuckled at the thought. I put my suitcase down and looked for my grandfather. The good looking man got up and walked over to me. He was wearing a tight t-shirt and his arms were covered with black hair—even his biceps were hairy. They were also huge. His chest was huge. He looked like a body builder. I gulped at the sight of him and decided he was the perfect age. He was absolutely the perfect age. I got very hard, so I picked up my suitcase and held it in front of me. I tried to think of something clever to say—something mature and sexy. I had no clue what that would be. If he tried to pick me up, and my grandfather showed up, what would I do? Maybe I could leave a note. I knew there was not much chance that this sexy man wanted to do that, but I could hope!

"Ricky?" he asked me.

"Yes."

"You've grown!"

"Are you Luis?"

He grinned. "That's me!"

"Come on!" he put his arm around my shoulder. That definitely didn't make my erection go away. He was my grandfather? I expected a man with white hair and wrinkles, not a hunk in tight jeans and a t-shirt.

We walked outside and he pointed out a truck. He put my suitcase in the back of the truck and we got inside. I arranged my dick in my jeans when he wasn't looking.

"Why do you hate PJ?"

I rolled my eyes. PJ was my mom's boyfriend. Seriously, who would want to be called PJ? Do you have your PJs PJ? Then I sighed. The reason was because he was homophobic and I was gay. I hadn't come out, so I couldn't exactly explain it.

"I would rather not say."

"That won't work, Ricky. I am willing to let you live with me only if you are not keeping secrets from me. I don't want you pulling the same kind of shit your father did. No secrets!"

"You will hate me."

"I am pretty tolerant. Probably not."

I closed my eyes and cringed. "I'm gay and he hates gays. He is always ranting about them. How horrible they are. He thinks gays should all be arrested."

"I guess your mom doesn't know."

"No. And how can I tell her when we live with him? What if he has convinced her that since I'm gay that I'm horrible? I tried to tell her before we moved, but she told me not to say anything bad about him!"

He looked at me and nodded. "I understand. You had a good reason."

"Are you disgusted?"

"Yes. I can't believe your mother took up with someone like that. Or maybe I can. She's only attracted to lowlifes."

"I meant that I'm gay."

"No. Not at all. Most of my friends are gay."

With that bombshell, he put the truck in reverse. We drove away from the bus station. We got on the highway.

"You don't look anything like I remember."

He grinned at me. "Neither do you. You are potty trained now, right?"

I laughed. "Mostly."

"Smile, will you?" he asked me.

I smiled.

"You have all your teeth!" he said.

I laughed. "Dentures."

"Oh," he said.

"You don't look anything like a grandfather."

He laughed. "Is that a compliment or an insult?"

"Definitely a compliment."

He grinned. He had dimples!

"Thank you."

"Are you sure you are a grandfather? Do you have your Grandfather's Card?"

He laughed. "It's at home. I forgot it."

"I was expecting a man with white hair and a cane."

"Santa?"

"A walking cane, not a candy cane."

He laughed.

"Mom said you never married."

"No."

"She said you refused to talk about `your women'."

He laughed. "That sounds like I should have a harem."

"It does! Do you?"

He laughed. "They are too expensive. Harems."

"I can imagine. Just the cold cream alone."

He laughed. "I wouldn't be able to afford to chill it for them."

"Are you married or living with anyone?"

He nodded. "You."

I laughed. "I meant besides me."

"No. I sold my women."

I laughed again.

"I'm glad. Women are noisy."

He looked at me. "I noticed that. Especially if you pull on their ears."

"Is that it? I wondered."

We both laughed.

"Do you miss your Dad?"

"No. I don't remember him very well. He went to prison when I was five."

"I'm real sorry about that, Ricky."

I shrugged.

"I've often wondered if he's getting, um, well, screwed in prison."

Luis laughed. "We can hope."

I nodded. Then I thought about it.

"Hmm. I'm a little jealous."

"Of what?"

"I'd rather not say."

"No secrets."

I put my face in my hands. "Of him getting screwed."

He laughed.

"You are only seven and a half years old Ricky!"

"No, I'm not!"

"That's what you told me."

I laughed. I guess I did, eight years ago.

"I got two years older every year since I saw you."

He laughed.

"Did you mean that about your friends?"

"Being gay?"

"Yes."

Luis sighed. "I suppose I will out myself."

I stared at him. "You are gay?"

"Yes. That's why there are no women."

"Mom must not know."

"No. You are the only relative who knows."

I smiled at him. "That is so great!"

"I guess it is."

"Are you dating anyone? Do you have a partner?"

"No to both of those."

"That's hard to believe. You are so attractive."

He grinned at me. "I haven't met the right person."

I closed my eyes. I wanted to be the right person for him. I knew it was hopeless, though. Not only were we related, but I was much, much younger.

"Is my living with you going to mess up your life?"

"An hour ago I would have said yes. Now, I don't think so. I thought I would have to hide everything from you. That's why I didn't agree the first time your mother asked me to take you."

"You don't have to hide anything." Especially your dick, I thought. "And if you have a date, I will stay out of the way."

"Thanks, Ricky. That reminds me. Was there anyone special you will miss?"

"No. You are the only person who knows I'm gay. Even my friends thought I was straight. Should I pretend to be straight around your friends?"

"Hmm. No, I don't see any reason for that."

"Good. I don't want to pretend anymore."

Luis smiled at me. "I know just how you feel. Have you—well, had sex yet?"

"No. I'm a virgin. It's terrible. I hate it."

"So that's why you were jealous!" He laughed for quite a while.

"If you don't mind my asking, how old were you when you had sex for the first time?"

"I was seventeen. I was with a girl and she got pregnant with your mother."

"Wow! How unlucky can you get?"

Luis laughed again. "If you are me, pretty damn unlucky!"

"Did you have sex with other women?"

"No. Just the one time."

"You must work out all the time. You look fabulous!"

He grinned at me. "Thanks."

"Do you live in a house or an apartment?"

"An apartment. We are almost there."

A couple minutes later, we pulled into an apartment complex. Luis parked and got my suitcase. We walked up a flight of stairs and he unlocked one of the doors. We walked into a nice room. I put my suitcase down and looked around. There was a staircase leading up. Everything was nice. It didn't look expensive, but it was nicer than PJ's place. PJ was a slob.

"Let you show you your room."

We walked into a small bedroom with bookshelves, a twin bed, and a recliner.

"This is nice!"

"Thanks. I used it as a study, before."

"I know I am imposing on you."

Luis put down his suitcase and took me in his arms. I hugged him.

"Ricky, I am excited about us living together. I stayed away from family because of the gay thing. But I've missed it. Now I finally have a family."

"Thank you!"

He kissed me on the forehead.

I looked up at him. "You can kiss me on the mouth. You can even use tongue."

He burst out laughing. "Your mother never felt that way!"

"Well, she likes people like Dad and Dwayne and PJ. Assholes. What do you expect?"

"Yeah. She sure can pick them. So you got all the good taste in the family."

"Right!" I hugged him again.

"You didn't bring much. Do you need to go shopping for anything?"

"No. Although I do need batteries for my mp3 player."

"I've got plenty.

"Do you want something to drink?"

"I will have a dry martini."

"Uh, right! You can only have wet drinks."

"A wet martini?"

"I'm out of martini powder."

I laughed. Was there martini powder?

"A coke would be great."

I followed him into the kitchen. He pulled a can out of the fridge. He reached for a glass.

"I can drink it out of a can. There's no use getting a glass dirty."

He smiled at me and handed me the can.

"I have a friend who would be horrified at that. `And he drank it right out of the can'!" Luis said, imitating the guy, I guessed.

Luis walked into the living room and sat on the sofa. I sat next to him.

"Should I call you granddad or grandfather or Luis?"

"Luis is fine, but you can call me Mr. Wonderful, if you prefer."

I laughed. "That's so formal. The Mister part."

He laughed.

I thought for a minute. "Calling you Won doesn't sound right. How about if I call you Fab?"

"For fabulous?"

"Exactly! It's a promotion, after all!"

We both laughed. "It is! I like it!"

"Do you know what school I will attend?"

"Yes. It's about three miles from here. I checked on all that yesterday."

I took his hand. "I don't know how to thank you enough. I was so unhappy."

He hugged me. "It's all right. I'm glad you are here. I mean that."

He bent down and kissed me very, very lightly on the lips.

"There! I did it!" he said.

"You did! Thank you! Do all the men you kiss thank you?"

He laughed. "About half. The other half are too stunned to speak."

We laughed a long time.

"Boy, you are going to break some hearts," Luis said.

"What do you mean?"

"You are very good-looking. I'm glad you don't act like you are."

"Well, you are gorgeous, and I'm your grandson. You should have expected it."

"You think I'm gorgeous? At my age?"

"Yes."

"I'll be right back."

Luis left to use the restroom, I guessed. I hoped he was getting undressed, but I wasn't that lucky.

The doorbell rang.

I wondered if I should answer it. I decided since I lived there, I should. A middle-aged man in an orange shirt was standing there.

"I told you that moisturizer worked wonders!" he said to me. I could tell he was gay.

I laughed. "I even feel younger! You should have warned me it would make me shorter, though. And it has given me amnesia. Who are you? Who am I?"

He laughed.

"You didn't apply it twice did you? That's so dangerous!"

"I was in a hurry to be youthier."

He laughed.

"Aren't we all!" he sort of pushed his way in. I stepped aside.

Luis walked up.

"Fab, a salmon has swum upstream to mate with you," I said.

They both laughed so hard, I thought they would choke.

Finally, the man wiped his eyes. "Fab?"

"That's what Ricky calls me. It's short for Fabulous."

"Well, I swam all this way, Fab! Let's mate!"

"No, Tim. Salmon die after they mate. I'm not ready."

I laughed.

"Damn!"

"This is my grandson, Ricky."

"I'm glad to meet you," Tim said.

"You, too."

"I found out why Ricky had to leave home. His mother's boyfriend is homophobic and Ricky is gay."

"Oh. I'm sorry to hear you had to deal with that."

I shrugged. "I'm glad I'm away from there. And Fab is fabulous, as you probably know."

"Personally, I wouldn't rate him that high, but you are his grandson. You are entitled to be an idiot. You inherited it from him, after all."

I laughed. "At least I'm a youthier idiot."

Tim laughed.

"Boy, you are nothing like I expected!" Tim said. "I was expecting a thug."

"Me? Are there gay thugs?"

They laughed.

"Yes. They are the well-dressed ones," Tim said.

"Have you decided if you are you going tonight?" Tim asked. "I'm not going if you aren't."

Luis looked worried.

"If you have somewhere to go, go. I can stay here," I told him.

"I know, but it's your first night here."

"I really don't mind, especially if you have porn."

Tim and Luis burst out laughing.

"He's a sensible boy!" Tim said.

"You're sure?" Luis asked me.

"I'm not trying to mess up your life, Fab. I'm sure your fans would miss you."

"Fans?" Tim asked, laughing.

"A man as drop-dead gorgeous as he is must have fans," I said to Tim.

"Oh, dear," he said, with a strange look in his eyes. "I need to speak to Ricky alone for a moment," Tim said to Luis.

We walked to my room. Tim shut the door.

"Um, Ricky." He stopped. "Do you have the hots for `Fab'?"

"Yes. Is it disgusting?"

"No. He's a very good-looking man." I nodded. "You didn't know him before, right?"

"No. I met him once when I was seven."

"So a good-looking man invited you to live with him."

"I don't know about inviting. Mom kept after him for three weeks trying to convince him."

Tim frowned.

"Why didn't your mom tell him?"

"She doesn't know I'm gay. She just knows I hate the man—her boyfriend. I couldn't come out while I was living with her boyfriend. It was his house. I had no idea what he would do. I didn't know how Mom would take it, because she lives with the man. Maybe he has her brainwashed."

"Good. Not good that you went through that, good that Luis tried to find out why." Tim paused. "You know that is the reason I thought you might be a thug—acting badly when you had no reason."

"No. I had a reason."

Tim nodded.

"Tim, I think I love him. I don't want to make him unhappy, though. I realize how unrealistic it is. I guess I should just keep it to myself. I really don't want to go back to live with Mom."

Tim frowned.

"Can I ask you something?" I asked.

"Sure."

"What kind of men does he like?"

Tim chuckled. "Are you hoping he likes guys exactly like you?"

I think I blushed. Tim laughed. "You are adorable."

"My mother would agree with you."

Tim laughed.

He looked thoughtful. "Do you really want to keep everything a secret for the rest of Luis' life?"

"What do you mean?"

"If the two of you were lovers, you couldn't tell anyone. You would have to hide it completely from everyone, except me, I guess—forever."

"I didn't think of that."

I was really grateful to him that I could talk about it to someone. I had no one I could confide in, unless it was Luis. After all, Luis and Tim were the only people in the world who knew I was gay. And I needed to talk about this with someone besides Lois.

I guess Tim was thinking, too. "I need to tell him not to introduce you to people as his grandson."

"Why?"

"People will think you are just lovers. They will be shocked that he is so much older, but he's used to that."

"You are speaking like we could actually have a relationship."

"I think it's very possible. Luis likes very young men. And you really are adorable. In other words, you are exactly his type."

I stared at Tim.

"Close your mouth."

I did.

"Is that what you meant by he's used to that?"

"Yes. He went out with a seventeen year old last month."

"You are joking!"

"No. Luis is what's known as a chicken hawk He likes young men. I'm the same way."

I looked at Tim. He wasn't bad looking. If Luis wouldn't have sex with me, I wondered if Tim would.

Tim grinned. "Do you know what Luis is doing right now?"

"Wondering what we are talking about?"

"He is doing that, but he is also making sure all his porn is very well hidden."

"Why?"

"So you won't know he likes teenage boys. Teenage boys who aren't nearly as cute as you."

I grinned and Tim chuckled.

"We could make him jealous, Ricky. Force him to claim you or lose you."

"How?"

"You could pretend to like me—"

"I wouldn't have to pretend."

"Thank you! I can ask you out on a date."

"I want to! I do! It will be my first date!"

Tim groaned. "You aren't a virgin, are you?"

"Yes."

Tim groaned, again.

"Does that bother you?"

Tim laughed. "Only in the sense that my underwear is getting soaked, and I want to bend you over that bed to help you with that little problem."

I looked down at his crotch and gasped.

"Boy—and I mean that literally—are you good for my ego! I love it when people gasp when they look at it!"

"It's huge!" I looked like a beer can in his pants.

Tim laughed. "It isn't. You are just a virgin. You probably haven't seen that many erect cocks."

"No. I haven't."

"Not that I'm small. It's about seven inches, but that doesn't quite qualify as huge."

"How big is Luis?"

"I'll buy you a ruler for a wedding present."

We both laughed.

"Don't get metric. I want inches."

"Honey, we all want as many inches as we can get!"

We both laughed.

"But seriously, I've never seen Fab's shriveled-up weenie. He is much too old for me. I'm much too old for him," Tim said.

I thought for a minute.

"If the two of you are chicken hawks, am I the chicken?"

He grinned at me. "Yes. And you look delicious."

I laughed.

"Play along with me. Just agree with what I say to Luis."

"I will. And thank you, Tim. I'm sorry about the salmon joke."

"I don't wear a shirt this color hoping no one will notice. Luis despises it, so naturally I wear it every time I come here. I bought it for a Halloween party and Luis hates it so much, I wear it all the time. At least around him."

I laughed.

"Come on."