Cory was worried: VERY worried. randy was alive - he could tell that from his breathing, and the crying out he did in his sleep - but he woke up to use his chamber pot, and that was about it. Cory would clean it out as fast as he could, and replace it, because randy was using it a lot - like his stomach was sick, and he had to pass something . During the first day, Cory moped around the house, did what chores he needed to, cooked breakfast for two - he ate randy's breakfast cold, for lunch - and when night came around, he crawled back into bed, hugged Cory and whispered into his ear "Sleep all you want randy. You're a hero. I guess I knew you were, I just didn't realize it." Then he kissed him and said "I'll be here when you're ready." Maybe he was imagining things, but Cory thought he saw randy smile before he fell back into sleep. He thought he heard a very soft "thank you Sir," but it could've been his mind playing tricks on him.
The second day, after randy had gotten up and used his pot, he cleaned himself up, and looked around. "Sir, where are my clothes?" Cory looked at him. "You're not going back to bed?" "No Sir. There's work to be done around here. Including making decent coffee . Where're my clothes?" Cory had taken the bloody ones and thrown them out with Will's body. For all he knew, they were in some wolf lair now, keeping pups warm. "randy boy? Do you remember what happened?" "Yeah, Sir. Of course I do. Will tried to kill you, he fucked me, I killed him. I guess you got rid of the body. Now where are my clothes Sir? It's cold." "Let me get you some boy. You could use some new ones." Cory went to the side armoire where they kept extra clothes. He pulled out a set for randy. "I haven't worn these in months, Sir. Is that ok?" Cory smiled. "I'd rather have you naked, but it's a little too cold for that." randy looked at him. "Not for a little while Sir. I'm still trying to figure this all out. This and more." Cory watched him. Over the time they were together, he could tell when randy began to get a little, well, randy. He didn't see that. He saw a young man very busy - sometimes too busy - cleaning the stove, sweeping the floor, and sometimes, just staring off into the distance. One time, Cory came up behind him and put his hand on the small of his back. The old randy would've stepped back into him. The current one just stood straight up. "What do you see out there boy?" "Nothing Sir. I'm looking. I'm looking for Will's spirit. He may have been evil, but he had one." Cory said nothing. Then randy broke. He turned around and fell into Cory's arms, sobbing "I KILLED A MAN SIR. I KILLED A MAN..." he began to cry even harder as Cory held him. "randy, you're forgetting. You stabbed him I put the bullets into him. I killed him, not you. But you saw it. And that's horrible.
Do you forget, randy? No, you don't. You ask yourself: did I have any other choice? I don't think so" "DID I SIR? COULD I HAVE JUST LEFT WITH HIM?" "Well, you could've randy. But he would've killed me before you left. " "HE SAID HE WAS GONNA FUCK YOU AND BRAND YOU, SIR. HE DIDN'T SAY HE WAS GONNA KILL YOU." "randy, you have to trust me on this. Yeah, he would've branded me by shoving it up my ass. And you? Well, randy think about it: he'd take you. How long would it be before he realized: you knew what happened. You could tell. How long do you think you had to live?" "I DON'T KNOW SIR. I DON'T KNOW. WHAT I KNOW IS... I KILLED HIM." Cory held him as he sobbed. "I got an idea, randy boy. Can I trust you here tomorrow?" "Yes sir. Where could I go? I'm afraid to go out. His spirit." "Then you stay here. I'm gonna get Padre. You and he haven't talked in a while. I'll go riding if you want. Now, can you do something for me randy?" "I'll try Sir. I'll try." "I miss hearing you read. Read to me. Not just the Whitman. What's the other book Amanda gave you?" "The Emily Dickinson Sir?" "Yeah. Read me that. Amanda picked it for you. Maybe I'll like it.
Sic transit gloria mundi,
How doth the busy bee,"
began randy, starting with the first poem.
"Hey, is it English or Latin?" Cory asked "It's both Sir. 'Sic transit gloria mundi' means 'thus passes the glory of the world." Cory laughed. "Sorta think of Will when you tell me that boy.
randy read for about an hour. Cory commented "They're kind of odd. Funny, but sad. At the same time. " He paused, and walked around. "Figures Amanda would like her. Amanda's the same way. " He felt randy behind him. He folded his arms around Cory's waist, the book in front of him. "So are you Sir." Now it was randy's turn to whisper in an ear. "Thank you for taking care of me Sir. I'm ready." "You sure randy boy?" randy put Cory's hand on his crotch and said nothing. Cory kissed him. Then he kissed him again. "OH GOD SIR, I DREAMED ABOUT THIS," randy moaned, as Cory slid into him. "I dreamed: am I ever gonna have it again? Will I ever enjoy it?" "Well you got it again boy? " Cory smiled. "you enjoying it?" "OH YES SIR. MORE THAN EVER." "Me too boy." Instead of yelling, Cory covered randy's mouth with his lips as he shot into him. He heard the 'mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm' from randy, and then, while he was holding him, he heard the sound randy made when he slept. for the first time in a few days, Cory smiled.
randy was still sleeping when Cory snuck out of the cabin the next morning. It was snowing heavily, but it was nothing that Cory hadn't ridden through before. He made his way to the church, and knocked and knocked until Padre Romero came to the door in his long johns. "SENOR CORY. What is wrong? You look.. pale. " "Hi Padre. I hate to bother you. Can I come in for just a few minutes?" "My son, take all the time you want." An hour later, Padre was on his horse with Cory, with a few of his Latin books in his satchel. "He's awake. I can see the lantern. He's making breakfast. "HEY RANDY BOY. YOU GOT ENOUGH FOR THREE? WE GOT A GUEST." Cory walked through the door with Romero. "PADRE. OH, POR FAVOR, I didn't wash yet." Romero smiled. "I deal with people who are a LOT dirtier than this. RANDITO! I heard that you might need a little Latin to get your feet back on the ground. You wanna give a try?" randy looked at him. "Well, sure, but... I don't think medieval prayers are gonna help." Romero smiled. "Did I say they were medieval prayers, OH NO, randito. We got something better." He pulled out the poetry books. Catullus. Ovid. Martial. randy looked at them. "Padre, we weren't allowed to read these in school" "Well, you're not in school now. And I know which ones are the dirtiest ones. So let's get to it."
Twenty minutes later, Cory stifled a laugh when he heard randy ask: "That phrase in Catullus... does that mean.... blow job?" Romero smiled. "Maybe. No one really knows. What does it literally mean?" "Well, literally, it means 'face fuck'. He blushed as he said fuck in front of Romero, but the Padre shook his head yes. (randy, of course, had no idea that more than 150 years later, a distant relative would be having that same conversation in a classroom). "You're right. And we don't know what he meant, because Latin had a perfectly good word for a blowjob. "Uh..." randy blushed "fellatio?" "Well, yes and no. That means 'I suck,' so we SAY it means blowjob. But this phrase, that's not what it is. Cory had to interrupt. "Hey Padre. Let me tell you. Few people know as much about blowjobs as randy does so if he says that it means blowjob, it means blowjob." randy looked at Cory. "SIR. This isn't helping." "Oh yes it is randy boy. It's helping me. Seeing you blush, seeing you smile: best medicine I've had in years." Padre took his hand. "Listen randy. What happened yesterday: no, it doesn't happen in Boston. But this isn't Boston. Cory told me: you said your home is with him." "It is Padre. It is." "Well, then you know, you have to listen to him when he tells you how things are. You're new here. He's been here, oh, what, 38 years Cory? "39." "Well, ok, so he knows a little more about the customs and how things work than you do . " He paused. "Let me ask you this: do you think anyone is going to miss Will?" "No Padre" "You have any idea what happened to him?" "Uh, I imagine wolves, or coyotes or something hungry got him." Padre shook his head. "It's not a satisfactory answer randy, but think of it this way: you provided food for some very hungry animals. You and Cory did. Somehow, things work out." He got up. "Tell you what? You keep those books. Work on your Latin. Mail them back to me when you get your own copies. randy looked at him. "You mean it Padre?" He smiled. "I don't say what I don't mean. It's something Cory and I have in common. And Cory has something to say to you that he means. " randy looked at him and Cory smiled. "I can't see my living without you randy. And that means something I need you to think about. I was thinking that this life, it's too hard for a 39 year old. I'm gonna turn over the band when we meet again. Then you and I... maybe we can move into some house near Amanda and Julie." randy didn't expect that, and he needed a minute. He stuttered an answer. "Can we... can we still go out in the prairies?" "As often as you want randy boy?" He looked at Romero. "Can we visit?" "Damn right. We'll visit when the weather is good." randy paused. "I feel like Ruth. And you're Naomi." Cory looked at him puzzled. Then he smiled. "OH. That Bible story you read us. Romero smiled, and quoted it: ' Where you go, I will go; where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die, I will die--there will I be buried' "You mean that randy?" "Yes sir. I do. All of me." Romero got up. "I think that this room is getting a little crowded. I'm going to be on my way." He smiled at randy. "I hope we'll see you again at church randy. And I hope you'll join me for more medieval Latin. Now, I have other sheep to visit. Adios." "Padre. Momento." Cory went to where he kept their money. "For the church. For masses for Will. He'll need the help." Romero laughed. "Es verdad Cory . Es verdad."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
There were some very cold, very scary weeks ahead of them, and there were Sundays when they didn't make it to church. Cory and randy stayed bundled up in the cabin. Nearly ever day, randy felt Cory's arm around him: either his waist, or his shoulders, or sometimes, when he was especially ready to go, over his mouth. The restraints got used more, and Cory learned even more about how much fun it was to keep randy begging to shoot. There were days when randy's neck was rubbed raw from Cory's stubble, and days when his wrists were red from fighting against the leather straps Cory had used. At night, sometimes, Cory would pull him into him, face to face, draping his leg over randy's, pulling him tight.
One day, after they had gotten up, they saw there was no snow in the air, and the light was bright. "Sir, I can see sky! BLUE SKIES!" Cory came and looked. "Yep, randy boy. Spring is right around the corner. Two weeks maybe. "Two weeks? It feels like..." "It's fake spring randy. It's Mother Nature's way of taking out the careless. Give it two more weeks. But..." He kissed randy. "The stream is probably not frozen, but it's gonna be cold as a bitch. You wanna jump in, it's up to you, but be careful. "FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK" randy yelled as he jumped in and jumped back out again. Cory was grinning as randy looked for his clothes. "WAIT. WHERE DID YOU PUT THEM. DAMN IT SIR, I'M FUCKING FREEZING." "If it falls off, I don't have to cut it off, randy boi." "IF IT FALLS OFF I'M GONNA CUT YOURS OFF FURTHER." "HA HA. You'll have to. But mine will grow back. " " JUST GIVE ME SOME CLOTHES SIR. PLEASE." Cory took off his coat and wrapped randy in it. "Let's go. " He sniffed randy. "Didn't do so well." "I bet it's good enough for you not to avoid me." "Well, you're right about that. A good fucking'll get you warm. " It did. So did the half hour of nipple play.
Then there was a series of three days when it was plenty sunny and plenty warm. randy saw a change in Cory. He began cleaning things up, collecting things in piles. "Wagon train is probably gonna come by soon, randy. Gotta be ready."
And then, four days later, they heard the footsteps. "HEY GUYS. COOKY. You didn't lose any weight!" "And you guys didn't kill each other. Good to see ya. How much time you need to get ready?" "About as much time as you'll need to drink randy's last pot of coffee. Get in here. Grab tins from the wagon. We ain't set up for company."
The guys drank in teams, helping to load up Cory and randy's gear. At one point, randy heard a bit of a discussion Cory was having with Lucius. He heard election. "LOAD UP BOYS. TIME TO GO. " Three sets of hands helped randy into the wagon, and then Cory jumped in, next to him, their legs touching. As the wagon passed Jose's cabin, Cory asked them to stop. He got out and knocked. Marina came to the door, and randy saw Cory hand her their key, and another small bag of gold coins. Marina gave him a big hug, and then he was back in the wagon.
The rest of the crew was already there, waiting for them. "WOO HOO. GREETING FANDANGO TONIGHT! Jackson yelled. He smiled at randy. "You survived . And you look good. Did you tame him?" randy laughed. "Is that possible." He felt a hand on his shoulder . It was Cory. "If anyone could do it, it's this boy. Jackson, walk with me. We need to talk." Jackson saw the serious look in Cory's face, and just fell back into old right pocket talk. "Yes sir. Right away Sir." They were gone for nearly half an hour, while randy hung out with Cooky. He was getting his station ready to make supper. randy tried to help, but Cooky wouldn't let him. "Nah, Nah. Gonna have to be doing this on my own for a while?" randy looked at him "What are you talking about? I'm gonna be here." Cooky looked at him puzzled. "You don't know do you?" "Know, know what Cooky?" Cooky went back to his work. "I guess you'll find out with the rest. " There was a cowbell that any member of the crew could ring when there was something important to discuss , and when Jackson and Cory came back, Jackson rang it. "EVERYBODY. PLEASE GATHER. CORY'S GOT SOMETHING TO SAY." Cory looked at randy. "Come over here boy. I need to lean on you for this." When everyone had gathered, Cory made his announcement. "Well guys, it's been fun, hasn't it?" "WOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOO" one of the newer guys yelled out. "And it's gonna keep on being fun. Y'all are just gonna have your fun without randy boy and I" There was silence. "You know, this winter convinced me, guys, it's time to put up my feet. I'm tired. At 39 "40" Jackson interjected. "At 39, I can't believe I've been doing this for 24 years. It's time. I'll miss you guys. You come and visit us when you're in town." "You settling down with Amanda cory?" Someone yelled. "Well, no, not really but yeah. I'm settling down with randy." There was applause at that. "But we're gonna settle down in Amanda's town. Gonna head out tomorrow. One last night with you guys." Cory began to cry. randy stepped up. "I wanna thank all of you for helping me become a man. You took a chance. I hope I didn't disappoint any of you." "LETS HEAR IT FOR RANDY. HIP HIP.... HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORAY. " "DAMN BEST RIGHT POCKET THAT EVER DANCED A FANDANGO" someone yelled. Then they came forward, one at a time. No handshakes. Hugs. An especially deep one from Jackson. "You DID tame him you bastard." He laughed. "You must be as tough as bison jerky." Cory had gotten his composure and continued. "I'd like to nominate Jackson to lead you. How does that sound?" "LET'S HEAR IT FOR JACKSON.. HIP HIP.... HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORAY." And with that, the band became the first one in the West to be led by a right pocket.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
So, what happened next? Well, for the first time that Cory could remember, he couldn't keep his erection. randy did his best to jerk him off, but it wasn't "there," he was too nervous. He and randy just cuddled under the moon. The next day, they packed up their stuff and started the three day ride to Amanda's town. When they got there, Amanda didn't look very surprised. "Welcome home Cory. " She smiled at randy. "You stuck around. Brave man." "Miss Amanda, randy is the bravest man in the west. I'll tell you about it. "HI RANDY.... " Julie seemed to come out of nowhere. She was prettier than randy remembered. Cory took a look and "knew." "Let's go talk to Mr Weinweiss. I know he has a house for rent. With running water and everything. And I know that one of the blacksmiths needs someone good. " She looked at randy. "Randy, if you're interested, I think the school can probably use a teacher. But first, we're going to talk, you and I, about Emily Dickinson." "YES MA'AM. Cory might want to join us." Amanda looked at him skeptically. "You got Cory to listen to Emily Dickinson?" "Yes ma'am. He especially liked "this is my letter to the world." She laughed. "That makes sense. Incidentally randy, no more of this ma'am stuff. Amanda is my name. Use it. " "yes ma'am. I mean Amanda."
So they settled in. Cory did leave early every morning to work at the blacksmith shop, and randy headed out to teach at the school house. There were only 15 students, but they were at different levels, and very soon, every one of the six girls in the school had a crush on him and every one of the boys had challenged him, and lost. Even Rufus, the big 6 food plus 14 year old.
Cory and randy shared a bed every night. Except for a few. One day, Cory sat down with randy. "Now boy, I know I'm your man." "Well, yes sir. Did someone tell you something to the contrary?" "Ha ha. Hell no. I'd know anyway. Just like I know you have an eye on Julie." randy blushed. "She's pretty Sir." "She's also too young. Give her three years. And then, if you want to move in with her.." Well, randy didn't move in with her, but he gave sleeping with a woman a try. It wasn't comical, but it wasn't for him. Julie was the one who told him it wasn't going to happen. But.... something did happen. See, one day, Amanda came to Cory and randy to say "One of you is gonna be a daddy and the one of you who is , is younger and cuter than the other. randy blushed. "Uh... Julie." "Yes, my daughter, young man. And you're gonna do the right thing and marry her." "Well, I guess you're gonna do that randy, cause we can't. But you ain't moving out." "No Sir, I'm not. " Everything was pretty much open at the time, and no one looked askance at their arrangement. Julie gave birth to a beautifully healthy baby boy in her time. Cory smiled when randy suggested they name him Jackson.
And after he and Cory had been together in that town for five years, and Jackson baby was getting ready for school, Cory came back from the post office one day. "randy boy, a letter here from you. From Boston." randy looked at it. He saw the return address. It was his home address in Boston. He didn't open it. He moved over to the stove, lit the oven, and tossed the letter in. "Shall I start dinner, Sir? There's some rabbit." "Know what rabbits like to do randy man? They like to FUCK. " They ate later.
So there we are folks. Everyone lived happily ever after, which is what y'all wanted isn't it? I hope you enjoyed this. The man who suggested I write a Western has asked that I not give his information, but if you wanna praise Dave for making the suggestion, let me know. I'll make sure that he knows. Thanks for reading. Keep reading and give what you can to keep NIFTY alive.
RT