Berto's Roses
By Ben
Part XXV
I awoke to the sound of hammering and, upon investigation, found Carlos and Berto hard at work already. I checked my watch and noted that their siesta had been a short one-only about one and one-half hours. Carlos had chalked out the lines for the sunroom and was busy putting in the framing on the flagstone floor.
I noticed that he used a crosscut saw to cut all of the lumber to the right length. I thought this a little unusual as I remembered seeing a really nice new circular saw in the tools that Ricky had brought. I asked Berto about it and he told me, in confidence, that Carlos was afraid of it. He did use an electric drill with a masonry bit to make the hole for the anchors he was using to screw the frames to the floor.
I offered to make the cut for him with the saw. All he would have to do is mark the board for me. Berto said, "Just watch him, Senior Ben. You will see how he works."
I watched for awhile and realized that Carlos didn't make any marks on the lumber. He cut it very quickly and, somehow, managed to get exactly the right cut every time. I found this amazing. I had heard of "old pros" doing this, but Carlos had to be under 30 years old. He truly was a craftsman and a joy to watch.
I was feeling a bit useless. Berto was helping him hold the boards in place and to hammer so there really wasn't anything for me to do. Things were quickly shaping up so I didn't interfere or ask a bunch of questions. As they finished putting the frame boards on the floor and began the headers, I had a thought.
I called Berto over while Carlos was sawing off a bunch of 2x4's. "Do you think Carlos would be offended if I worked on putting my studio together, while the worked on the sunroom? It's not at all complicated, and I'm sure I can handle it myself. Especially after watching Carlos do it the right way here."
"I will talk to him and tell him you want to do it. He will be fine, Senor, Ben."
I waited until they had finished their brief conversation, and had received a nod and a smile from them both, before I began my work. I measured and chalked out my lines on the hard driveway. Since Carlos was finished with the drill, I began putting down the bottom frames. This went rather quickly as the studio was relatively small, compared to the sunroom.
Of course, I did mark the wood and I did use the circular saw. No stiff shoulder for me from sawing all day. I realized I had to get the windows ordered for both the sunroom and studio, so I took a break and sat down at my computer.
I had bitten the bullet and gotten a less-than-ideal ISP. I hate dial up services and, in particular, AOL. I had a cable modem in Charleston and had been spoiled by the instant access and fast download times. I sat in front of my monitor gritting my teeth and growling, "C'mon. C'mon already..." Finally I found a distributor in San Diego who exactly what I wanted.
I double-checked my plans and figured out the exact number of windows I would need for both the studio and the sunroom. I ordered two sets of wide French doors for the sunroom and found a link for plumbing fixtures. I ordered shower stalls, toilets and basins for the three downstairs bathrooms, and the big communal bathroom for the second floor. I need to order the tile for the floors and the wall in the huge four-headed shower and the Jacuzzi as well.
Something that I had not thought about before was that the smaller existing bathroom was going to out of commission while it was being expanded. This meant that Manella would need to use one of the bathrooms on the first floor. Berto was not a problem, as he would be at school. I made a mental note to talk to her about it later in the day.
I followed up my on-line ordering with a phone call, to ensure the timely arrival of the items. I actually got to talk to somebody that seemed competent. He told me that everything would be delivered by the middle of following week. "Great," I thought. "Then I can line up the plumber to install the piping an the fixtures."
Bob and Mack wandered out the see the work as I got back out there. We all watched for awhile, then Mack announced that he was heading back to San Diego. He invited me to stop by his firm when I was in town on Tuesday and I told him I would certainly make the effort, but that it depended upon Jake's flight schedule.
Berto was busy and I knew he would rather not be around the little black lawyer, so I volunteered to carry hiss bags and computer to the Jaguar. I loaded it all in the immense trunk, shook his hand and he was off. I updated Bob on everything that had taken place with the remodeling process and he seemed quite pleased and surprised that things were progressing so rapidly.
I also talked over some ideas for advertising and grabbed a pad to sketch our brainstorming ideas. One thing we needed to decide upon was a name for the place. We tossed around a few ideas and finally hit upon "Casa del la Rosa".
Bob asked me if I could design a web site that we could link to gay resort sites on the Internet. I told him I could and would start to work on it when I got back from San Diego on Tuesday. I planned to take some photos and design a logo, also to draw up some renderings and simplified floor plans.
I was just beginning to realize the enormity of this undertaking. The remodeling was just the tip of the iceberg. We had to consider rates, and upgrading the laundry facilities to be able to handle everything. Also we talked of hiring additional people to help Manuella. She couldn't possibly do it all herself, though she would kill herself trying.
We also need to decide on a "grand opening" date, and perhaps a theme or atmosphere for our new bed and breakfast. We both wanted it to be gay oriented, although straight couples, groups or individuals would certainly be welcome. As a gay resort with beach access and generally tropical weather, would we want a clothing optional policy (at least during certain times)?
What types of promotional events could we do? The idea, of course, was that we wanted to draw people from all over. We wanted to provide a relaxed atmosphere for people to enjoy the sun and the water and just be themselves for a few days. I decided to do some net surfing to see what similar places were doing. Stealing ideas from one source is plagiarism, stealing from many sources is research.
Manuella announce that supper would be ready shortly. Bob and I decided on a `working dinner" so we could continue our with plans. She set up a buffet of sorts on the big coffee table and we nibbled as we worked. I was thankful for Bob's business expertise, because he brought up many different details that I would never have dreamed of.
We actually made a pretty good team. I would say "What about..." and Bob would say, "Then we would need..." . He let my ideas soar but kept the practical side real. Some things were doable, some were not. Some were immediate goals, and some things would have to wait because of financial or logistical reasons.
We discussed the possibility of future expansion to facilitate more rooms, but both rejected the idea. We liked the size of the place as it was. We wanted it to be manageable and not become so big that we ended up hating it.
As the sky was beginning to darken, We had had enough. I walked out to the patio and was, again, truly amazed at how quickly Carlos had worked. At this pace, the framing would be done for the sunroom tomorrow. Then he could move on to the bathrooms.
I walked on to the garden, found Berto watering, and slapped myself in the forehead. We had everything me needed to create our sprinkler system, but I had been so busy with everything else that it had slipped my mind completely. I apologized to Berto and offered to carry the watering can for him, mainly to assuage my guilt.
"It is not important, Senor Ben. We can do it manana. Carlos needs little of my help now, so I will be able to work with you." We planned to start in the morning right after Berto picked up Carlos for the day. We worked in the garden until it was dark and the cicadas were making noise in the cooler night air.
The moon was full and the stars shone brightly in the sky. I suggested a walk on the beach to Berto and he was all for it. We told Manuella where we would be and headed for the water. Although the air temperature had cooled, the water felt warm as we waded in our bare feet. Berto and I talked easily as he showed many things to me in the close proximity of Bob's (and mine now) property.
I learned that there was only a few people that lived with in sight or hearing of the beach in front of the house. This was because it was situated on a narrow spit of land that slightly jutted out into the gulf. There were quite a few palms growing on either side that partially hid the wide, clean beach from the parts of the shore on both sides.
"Bob and I discussed the possibility of a clothing optional resort here." I said to Berto. "What do you think?" He looked at me with a puzzled expression. "I mean nude swimming and sun bathing."
"Oh swimming naked at the beach? I have done that for many years here. My friends and I always swim like that. It is a perfect place to do so without offending anybody, no?"
"Yes, it is." I said, while my mind was picturing Berto and several other young, Latin men slashing in the surf and running, naked, on the sand. Where the hell was I that I missed all that? I'd have been down here with my camera in a heartbeat.
"Would you like to go swimming now, Senor Ben?" Berto asked, unbuttoning his shirt.
"Um..." I hesitated. I wasn't sure I could trust myself to be alone and naked with somebody to whom I was so attracted. I was afraid that my body would betray me and he would become offended and me embarrassed.
"C'mon. You will love it. The water is warm and we have plenty of light from the moon." His shirt landed on the sand and his shorts followed right behind. I tried not to look at him as I turned and began pulling off my t-shirt.
I unzipped my shorts and put my clothes beside Berto's. I was standing in my briefs on a dark beach in Baja California, about to go skinny-dipping with the beautiful object of my desires. While still facing away from him, I slid my briefs off. No hard on yet.
"Uh, you go ahead, Berto. I'll be there in a minute."
Berto grabbed my hand and pulled hard, spinning me around. I nearly lost my balance, but he was propelling me toward the water, so I had to run to keep up with him. I could only see Berto from the side, as the moon was shining on the front side of our bodies. This left the back of him completely in shadow and the rest of him in silhouette. Nevertheless, it was an awesome sight.
Berto splashed into the surf at full speed dragging me with him. When he was deep enough that running was made difficult by the water resistance, he let go of my hand and dove headfirst into an oncoming wave. The moment lasted barely more than a second, but it will be etched in my mind forever. This beautiful young man with his moonlit body parallel to the water and then gradually disappearing into a translucent wave which was also lit by the moon. One of those experiences that you wanted to capture on film to watch over and over again. Alas it was gone save for my memory.
I continued to ungainly make my way through the mild surf. Breaking waves merely whispering onto the sand. I looked at the water's surface but could not see Berto anywhere, nor had I heard him come up for air. As the seconds ticked away, I grew concerned. I knew I could not have held my breath that long.
Thoughts and fears raced through my mind. How was I going to tell Manuella that I had allowed her son to drown as we were swimming naked at night? I frantically searched to area where he had gone in and rapidly made my way there. I dove beneath the surface and swam as hard as I could in the direction I thought he had gone.
Immediately I ran into and over his firm, slippery body. He Moved! He wasn't gone yet. I grabbed him as best I could and lifted him up, making my way back to shore. I was begging God to make him okay. I was scared shitless. As the water level receded to my waist Berto felt heavier and I brought his head up in order to perform rescue breathing on him.
His eyes were wide open and a look of total surprise was on his moonlit face. I placed my mouth on his and he coughed. I backed off to let him catch his breath and he coughed a mouthful of water straight into my face and took a deep breath. I held him tight so he wouldn't fall back into the water.
Berto opened his moth and said, "Senior Ben, what are you doing. You nearly killed me out there jumping on me like that and dragging me around. You scared me. You should be more careful."
"I...I thought you were in trouble...drowning... you were under water for so long...I got scared...are you alright?" I was almost sobbing with relief. He was okay! He thought I was playing. Oh God, he was okay!
"Si. Senor Ben, I am fine. You just scared me. See I found this for you." He stood up right and held up something round and white, shining in the moonlight. In his hands was the biggest sand dollar I had ever seen. It was at least six inches in diameter and over a half-inch thick. Perfectly intact, it was heavier than I expected it to be when he placed it in my hands.
"You got this for me? That's why you were under water for all that time?"
Berto nodded. " I saw it as soon as I dove into the water, but then I lost it. I had to search for it with my hands. I found it again and that is when you hit me. I almost dropped it when you were dragging me, but I held on tight. "
"Oh, Berto, it's wonderful, thank you, but I thought you were drowning and when I found you I couldn't think of anything but saving your life. I even started to do rescue breathing on you, but then you coughed. Are you sure you are alright?"
Berto nodded again. "Then you were not trying to kiss me when you put your mouth on mine?"
My eyes flew open wide and I shook my head. "No! Not at all!
Berto's expression changed to one of what? Disappointment? He turned away from me and walked slowly up to the beach. The moon enhanced every contour of his wet body. He seemed sad, or was it just the aftermath of what had happened. He walked to his clothes, spread out his shirt and sat down on it. His knees were up and his arms rested upon them. He was looking down at his feet as I approached and sat next to him on my own shirt.
"Had enough for one night?" I asked him.
He looked up and out at the gulf. "Si. It will be getting cool soon. Perhaps we should go back to the casa." With that he stood up, grabbed the other clothes from the sand, and shook them out. He then held out my hand to help pull me to my feet.
I shook the sand from my shirt and walked with beside him toward the garden. I put my hand on his shoulder and said. "Berto." He turned to look me fully in the face. His eyes found mine. "Please don't ever scare me like that again. I was afraid I lost you back there."
I pulled him into a hug and he held me tightly. "I am sorry, Senior Ben. I did not mean to scare you. I only wanted you to have the shell." He said into my chest. I released him but kept my arm across his shoulders as we continued walking toward the house.
"Thank you for the sand dollar. I will treasure it."
I had completely forgotten that we were both naked until we got to the adobe wall at the edge of the garden. We had left the watering can, half full, just inside and we used it to rinse the sand from each other's body. It was unpleasantly cold and Berto tortured me by taking forever to finish rinsing me off, laughing the whole time.
We put on out shorts and made our way into the house. The lights in Bob's suite were still on, but we could hear Manuella snoring loudly. "Good night, Berto" I said at the foot of the stairs. Buenos noches, Senor Ben. Thank you for going to the water with me. It will be better next time, no?" I smiled at him and gave him another hug.
I threw all of my clothes in the hamper and placed the huge sand dollar on the night stand next to the ever present jug of white roses. Naked once again, I crawled between the cool sheets and lay my head down on one of the pillows. The other pillow I held in my arms against my chest, wishing for all the world that it was the smooth firm body of a young man.
Much more on the way. Please keep reading and send me your comments. I Haven't had any fan mail since last year! Lol ben_sc@hotmail.com. If you haven't read any of my other stories, check them out under the "Authors" link. Look for "Lyle Benton".