Disclaimer: The following is a work of fiction and any resemblance to real people or events is purely coincidental. The story contains graphic descriptions of sex between men. Anyone who is forbidden by law to read such material must stop now. This story is being posted to the Nifty Archive solely for the enjoyment of its readers.
David's Initiation: The Recovery 11
The fall semester of Dave's senior year began without fanfare. At the end of the previous semester a few renters had graduated so Dave posted vacancy notices on several bulletin boards and in a few campus publications. Then in late summer several students seeking a place to live contacted Dave wanting to see the rooms. Because the price was right and the house was so close to the campus, the rooms went fast. Dave had each student read and sign contracts and gave each a copy. The entire time he had been living there and watching after Joe's investment he had never experienced any difficulty with any of the students who rented the rooms. Joe was really pleased. Dave could count on Joe popping in at least once a month for about ten or fifteen minutes just to check on things and make sure Dave had everything he needed. All in all, it had been a smooth operation, which satisfied Joe and Dave alike.
One October afternoon one of Dave's professors didn't show for class. After waiting fifteen minutes, the students left. Since it was Dave's last class for the day he went straight home. He no sooner walked into his room and placed his books on his desk when he heard a strange noise directly above him. He couldn't figure out what the sound was but it was not normal so he decided to go upstairs to the students' rooms to investigate.
As he walked up the steps the sound grew louder. Standing in the hallway he could tell that the sound was coming from the room directly above his bedroom. He walked to the door and listened. Now it was clear, he recognized the sound. It was the same sound he'd heard from the other side of his bedroom wall when Mike and Todd spent a couple of evenings together.
Dave stood quietly in the hallway debating what he should do. The rental contract clearly prohibited the kind of activity he was sure was happening behind the door. Still, was it proper for him to interfere? Finally he decided this was Joe's house and a contract is a contract. Stepping up to the door he grasped the handle and turned it, the door wasn't locked. Slowly he opened the door and peeked in.
Dave was shocked by what he saw. Instead of discovering a male/female couple having sex, he saw a young man with his hands and feet bound and secured to either side of the headboard in such a way that his ass lay open to assault. To top it off, the man's mouth was covered with what looked like duct tape. In-between the bound victim's legs was Brad Simpson, the renter, repeatedly pounding his body against the man, driving his prick deep into his victim.
The way the bed was positioned in the room, the young man on the receiving end of the assault could see Dave but Brad's back was to the door and he couldn't know that he was being watched. Dave could see the fear in the young man's eyes and Dave placed the index finger of his left hand over his lips as a signal to be quiet. Dave suspected that Brad might be nearing his climax and he was filled with a burning desire to interrupt it. When he felt he could wait no longer Dave stepped into the room and cleared his throat very loudly. Brad's head snapped toward the door.
"OH SHIT!" Brad exclaimed and he withdrew his prick from his victim just as his orgasm struck. His jiz sprayed all over his victim, himself, the bed, and onto the floor. "WHAT THE FUCH DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!" Brad screamed at Dave. "THIS IS MY ROOM!"
"Just what the fuck do you think you're doing?" Dave replied rather calmly. "Apparently you haven't read your contract."
"This is my room, get the fuck out!" Brad was obviously not very happy.
"I think you got that wrong, mister! Now get your clothes on and get the hell out of here. Come back in a couple of hours and your belongings will be out on the side porch. You're finished here."
"You can't do that," Brad stated with cum still dripping from the end of his deflated penis.
"The hell I can't, read the contract." Dave was standing his ground. He wondered what would happen if Brad decided to fight, would any of his Army self-defense training come back. Without realizing it, Dave's body had already instinctively assumed a defensive posture, something that Brad must have picked up on.
Brad stood motionless as if debating whether he should try to take Dave out. Although Dave was smaller than he was, Brad could sense that Dave was well prepared and able to enforce his position. Not only that, he could see that having a witness to his activities certainly changed his options. Finally, without saying one word Brad grabbed his clothes, hurriedly put them on and left the house.
Dave's attention immediately shifted to the young man who was bound to the bed and his first thought was to free him. Dave began untying the foot closest to him then he crawled onto the bed on his knees and reached across and untied the other foot allowing the man's legs to fall swiftly to the bed. Dave then straddled the man's hips while releasing his left hand followed quickly by his right hand. Immediately the young man wrapped his arms around Dave's waist and began mumbling something through the duct tape. After some struggle, Dave was able to get the young victim to release him so he could try to remove the duct tape covering his mouth.
Dave took hold of one corner of the tape and very carefully began pulling it from the young man's face, trying to be careful not to remove any skin from the man's lips in the process. As Dave slowly pulled the tape free he began to see that the young had an Oriental or Asian look about him. He had straight black hair that didn't seem to want to lay flat, a small nose and almond shaped eyes and his seemingly alabaster body was almost devoid of hair except for his pits and pubic area. When Dave had removed about two-thirds of the tape the young man took hold of it, pulled it completely off, and grabbed Dave tightly around the waist again.
"Tank you, tank you, tank you, tank you," the young man kept saying. Dave held the poor youth in his arms trying to comfort him.
"It's okay. You're okay now. It's over. It's all over." Dave was having a hard time understanding what he had just seen and at the same time was trying to give comfort to someone who needed it. Dave wasn't naïve, he knew there was a segment of the population that was into bondage and S&M. He found the idea rather demeaning and had no interest in it. Still, he didn't have the feeling that the young man in his arms was a willing participant in Brad's game.
Finally the young man calmed down but he didn't seem too eager to let go of Dave. Grabbing hold of the sheet, Dave pulled it up and tried to cover the young man. The poor guy seemed to understand and let Dave go so he could use the sheet to cover his nakedness. Dave moved over and sat down on the edge of the bed. The young Oriental, probably Chinese, seemed more stable but he wouldn't release Dave's hand.
"Are you feeling better?" Dave asked. The young man nodded his head while his eyes remained locked on Dave's eyes.
"Yes, tank you, I be O-K," he said hesitatingly.
"What's your name?"
"Wu... Wu Yee."
"Okay, Mr. Yee..."
"Mr. Wu, prease. Wu my famrey name. Yee my giben name."
Dave was caught off guard. The young man didn't speak very good English and that might make communicating with him difficult. What was he going to do? He knew he needed to move fast.
"Okay, Yee, there's a shower across the hall, would you like to take a shower?" Yee nodded that he would. Dave got off the bed and found one of Bra d's towels and a washcloth and handed it to Yee. "Here," Dave also picked up Brad's soap dish that was on the dresser and handed it to Yee, "you go take a shower and then we'll talk." Yee finally broke eye contact with Dave, took the towel and soap and went across the hall to the shower.
Dave felt like he was in shock. What the hell just happened?' he asked himself. Well, better get moving. Have to collect Brad's stuff and get it ready to throw out.' He began by removing all of Brad's clothes from his c loset and throwing them in the middle of the bed. Then he emptied all the drawers on top of the growing pile of stuff. It took Dave only a few minutes to place all of Brad's belongings in the middle of the bed then he took the corners of the bottom sheet, brought them together and tied them. About that time Yee returned from the bathroom with the towel wrapped around him. For the first time Dave noticed how good-looking he was, he was quite lean.
"I think those are your clothes over there," Dave said as he pointed to a chair. Yee just nodded, walked over to the chair and began dressing. `He sure doesn't talk much,' Dave thought. As Yee dressed, Dave took the wet towel and washcloth and the soap and shoved it inside the sheet bundle. "Can you help me carry this down stairs?" Dave asked. Again Yee just nodded and took hold of one side of the bundle. Together they managed to pull the large package down the stairs and leave it on the side porch where Dave told Brad he could find it. Then Dave took Yee into his downstairs apartment, into the kitchen.
"Please have a seat. Can I get you something to drink, a Coke maybe?"
"Yes, prease, that is good," Yee replied. Dave could see that Yee's hands were still shaking.
Dave was beginning to figure out that Yee was having trouble mixing his L's and R's. He decided to take a guess, "Are you Chinese?" Yee nodded his head. "Are you a student here?"
"I exchange student."
`Finally, three words,' Dave thought. "Would you like to call someone?"
"No... tank you, I O-K now."
"Okay, I need to call someone. Is that okay" Again Yee just nodded. Dave went to his room, picked up his phone and called Joe Krug at work. While the phone was ringing Dave walked to where he could see into the kitchen and keep an eye on Yee. Mr. McCracken's secretary answered and he asked to speak to Joe without identifying himself.
"Hello?"
"Joe, it's David."
"Hi, David, this is a pleasant surprise."
"Well, a surprise probably, pleasant I'm not sure about. Listen, I just threw one of our renters out on the street."
"Oh, what happened?"
"When I got home from class I heard noises coming from upstairs so I went up to investigate. You remember Brad Simpson?"
"Yeah?"
"I tried his door and it wasn't locked so I looked in and... ah..." `Oh shit! How do I describe what I saw to a straight man? Oh shit! Okay, keep it clinical.' "Ah, Mr. Simpson had another young man tied to the bed and was committing sodomy on him." That comment was greeted with silence on the other end of the line. "And that's why I threw him out; that's behavior prohibited by the contract." The silence on the other end was deafening. "Joe, are you still there?"
"Yeah, David, I'm thinking. Where's the other young man now?"
"He's in the kitchen drinking a Coke."
"I'm going to call my lawyer and have him get over to your place as fast as he can. See if you can keep the kid there until the lawyer arrives. I'll leave immediately and should be there in just over an hour. Think you can do that?"
"I'll sure try," Dave replied.
"Okay, see you soon." The line went dead. Dave went back into the kitchen and sat down with Yee.
Yee, his head partially bowed, reached for Dave's hand and held it. "You nice man. Tank you." He was drinking his Coke slowly for which Dave was grateful; that would help him stall until Joe's lawyer could get there.
Dave poured himself a Coke and got some cookies his mother had made from the cookie jar she had given him to keep them in. Yee seemed to like them and that bought more time. Yee certainly wasn't offering any conversation so Dave decided to just sit quietly and let time pass.
When the doorbell rang, piercing the silence, both young men figuratively jumped out of their skin. Less than fifteen minutes had passed since Dave talked to Joe.
"Excuse me, please," Dave asked as he stood and went to see who was at the door. Yee showed no reaction.
"David Baker?" A man of about 35 to 40 years old dressed in a nice suit waited outside the door. Dave thought he looked familiar.
"Yes?"
"I'm Larry Jackson, Joe Krug told me I should get over here and talk to you." Larry cocked his head and looked at Dave questioningly. "Aren't you..." he hesitated, "have I seen you at Philos meetings?"
"Yes you have, now I know why you look familiar." Dave quickly deduced that Larry was gay. "Please come in."
"Joe told me a little about what happened, you want to fill me in some more? And is our young victim still here?" Larry said as he stepped into the house.
"Yes, he's in the kitchen having a Coke and a cookie. Would you like some?"
"Oh, no thanks, what happened?" Larry smiled but seemed to be all business.
Dave quickly described what he saw and what he did and he didn't beat around the bush with his description. He just assumed Larry could handle it.
"Why don't we go into the kitchen and you can introduce me and then I'd like to talk to him alone for a few minutes."
"Sure, follow me. By the way, I think he's Chinese or something and his English isn't very good."
"Thanks for the heads-up," Larry replied with a great deal of sincerity in his voice.
In the kitchen, Dave introduced Larry to Yee and then excused himself. He sat very quietly in the living room trying to catch some little bit of the conversation between Larry and Yee. Dave seemed to lose all track of time and was surprised when Joe let himself in the front door.
"Joe!" Dave said as he stood up and walked to greet his friend and `boss'. They shook hands.
"Hi, Dave, is Larry here?"
"Yeah, he and Yee have been talking for..." Dave looked at his watch, `almost an hour now." About that time Larry walked out of the kitchen and saw Joe.
"Dave, could you go in and stay with Yee, I think he'd like you to take him home." Larry stated. "I need to talk to Joe."
"Sure, Larry." Dave went into the kitchen and sat down at the table with Yee. "How do you feel?"
"I O-K now. Tank you. Meester Jak-son say you take me home now."
"Yes, let's go." Dave followed Yee's directions and dropped him off in front of an apartment house on the other side of the campus. When Dave returned home Joe was alone.
"How about I buy you dinner so we can talk, you hungry?" Joe asked. "Applebee's okay?"
"That'll be great. I forgot all about dinner."
Once they were seated in a booth, Dave waited for Joe to begin the conversation. "You handled that situation really well, Dave, I'm very proud of you. I'm just sorry it had to happen." At that moment their waiter appeared and took their order.
"Larry said your actions probably avoided any further problems with Mr. Simpson; he's very likely to keep on running. As for Mr. Yee..."
"Mr. Wu, that's his family name, Yee is his given name."
"Yee, Wu, whatever, he thinks you're the greatest. You demonstrated a great deal of maturity with the way you dealt with Simpson; most people I know would have sent him to the hospital... in an ambulance."
That comment seemed to shake Dave. Joe was right. A straight guy would probably have beaten Simpson to within an inch of his life and maybe Yee also. Dave realized his reaction to the situation was strongly influenced by the fact that he was gay; the fact that one guy was fucking another guy just didn't trigger any hostilities. He wondered if Joe suspected anything.
"Ya know, by keeping your argument centered on the contract Simpson signed, you avoided confronting his behavior. I really think Larry's right, we've seen the last of Simpson and you've saved me an even larger headache."
"Here we are, gentlemen," the waiter said as he placed their orders in front of them. "Will there be anything else?" Joe and Dave said no. "Enjoy," were the waiter's last words before whisking off toward another table.
Each man took a few bites of their meal before Dave spoke up. "I guess I ought to post a notice on the housing bulletin board in the Union Building tomorrow," Dave suggested. "We should at least give it a try."
"Okay, go ahead. We probably won't get any takers this late in the semester but you never know. It's just the cost of doing business, Dave."
"I sure would like to know how Yee wound up in Brad's room."
"Larry said that Wu and Simpson met in an Internet chat room. When they discovered they both went to the same school and were possibly only blocks away from each other they decided to meet."
"But why would Yee go to Brad's room?"
"According to what Yee told Larry, in China homosexuals have a tough time, is very dangerous. So when he got to the U.S. he decided to engage in a little research. When he agreed to meet Simpson he thought they were going to get acquainted and maybe do a little kissing and/or feeling. He wasn't ready for what happened. Yee was really happy to see your head poke through the door."
"Damn!" Dave exclaimed rather quietly. "That's a horrible way to find out if you are really gay."
Joe then changed the subject and began asking Dave about his classes, what he was taking, who his professors were, etc. When they were finished, Joe offered to drive Dave home but Dave declined, saying he wanted to stop in at the Subway and say hi to Mike and then he'd walk home. They said goodbye and Joe drove away. Dave walked to the other end of the strip mall where the Subway Shop was and went in. Mike had the evening off because he had been putting in so much overtime. Dave chatted with the other employees for a few minutes then walked home.
Back in the house, Dave went to his room and sat down at his desk with the intention of studying but his brain began replaying the events of the afternoon. He picked up a pencil to begin making some notes but his hand was trembling so much he couldn't write. Dave had never liked conflict. He wasn't afraid to stand his ground when necessary but he didn't like confrontation. Now that the event was over, Dave's nerves were setting in and he felt the need to talk to someone, be with someone; he didn't want to be alone. He reached for the phone and dialed Sam's home number.
"Hello?" Sam answered after the fourth ring, just before Dave was about to hang up.
"Sam, Dave. Can we talk?"
"Uhh... Dave, uh... this is... this is not a good time. Can we do it tomorrow?"
"Yeah, sure, Sam, I'll call you tomorrow." Dave hung up without listening for Sam's reply. Dave paused for a moment then dialed Mike's number.
"Mike and Todd's, which one do you want?" Mike must have been in one of his silly moods.
"It's Dave, you doofus, can I come over?"
"Sure, just don't call me a doofus."
"Okay, Mike, see ya in a few." Dave hung up the phone.
When Mike opened the door he could see that Dave seemed upset. Mike offered him a beer, which Dave accepted. Mike and Todd each grabbed a beer and they sat down in the living area and listened as Dave practically relived for them his experience earlier that afternoon. Dave wasn't sure whether it was the beer or the conversation but when he finished he felt much more relaxed. Mike and Todd both agreed with him that he probably had a totally different reactio n to two guys fucking than your average straight guy would have. Then Mike started making jokes and they were practically rolling on the floor with laughter before Dave said goodbye and drove home.
Friday after class Dave arrived home to find a message on his answering machine. It was Sam inviting Dave to his condo Saturday afternoon for dinner. Dave called back immediately but the answering machine picked up so Dave left a message accepting Sam's invitation.
Dave arrived at Sam's at about 2:30 PM. Sam was glad to see him and handed him a Gin-and-tonic when he walked through the door then they sat down in the living room for a chat.
"I understand you had a little commotion over at your place this week," Sam began.
"Wha, how'd you hear about that?" Dave asked with surprise. The only people who knew were himself, Joe and Larry Jackson. Larry, being an attorney probably wouldn't say anything for ethical reasons. And Dave didn't think Sam and Joe knew each other.
"Remember that good friend I told you about, the one I'm able to get together with from time to time? Well, he was here that evening. In fact he had just arrived when you called. Forgive me but that's why I couldn't talk right then. Anyway, he gave me a blow by blow description." Sam was getting a lot of enjoyment out of watching the changing expressions on Dave's face.
"You got me, Sam, I have no idea who you're talking about. Give me a clue."
"Joe thinks the world of you, Dave."
"Joe?!" Dave was in shock. "Joe?! I... you... he..."
Sam began to laugh. "Joe and I talked it over and we decided it was time you knew so he told me I should tell you; he sure wanted to be here and see your reaction but he couldn't make it." Sam laughed again; he was getting a great deal of enjoyment out of watching Dave struggle with this latest surprise. Sam proceeded to explain a few things and take Dave into his confidence. As Dave thought back over a lot of events he began to see pieces of a puzzle fall into place. Sam finished his story and then turned to Dave.
"Something's been puzzling me, Dave."
"What?"
"In all the time I've known you I've never seen you with anyone or heard you talk about any important person in your life. I don't mean to pry and if it's too personal just tell me to piss up a rope but, are you alone? It just seems to me that a young man with your good looks and pleasing personality would have a long list of guys wanting your attention."
Dave looked a Sam for a few seconds than lowered his eyes to his hands, which he was holding in his lap. `Sam's right. After sharing his private life with me, it's only fair that I tell him about me.'
"Well... at the moment there isn't anyone." Dave paused while he collected his thoughts. "About three years ago I was in a wonderful relationship. But then he was involved in an automobile accident and died a few days later. Ever since then I seem to... I'm just not able to get close to anyone."
"Well, I can certainly understand that. I still have some painful memories of losing one of my friends. We were very close and after he was gone I was afraid to let anyone get that close to me again; I didn't want to get hurt again."
Sam's words were like a loud gong going off in Dave's brain and it resonated all the way to his toes. "I... I never thought of it that way. But you're right. How did you get over it?"
The two men than launched into an emotional discussion and shared some of their most hidden feelings. Sam finally suggested they continue their conversation at another time because he had some guests arriving for a meeting.
"Why don't you stay and join us?" Sam asked.
"I could, I don't have anything else on my schedule," Dave replied. "Do I know any of the people who will be here?"
"Yes, I think you do." Sam then explained that his guests were part of a group of men who helped guide the Philos Foundation, a governing counsel, if you will, but they chose not to call themselves that. The entire group consisted of fourteen men and two women but only ten men and one woman would be able to attend that afternoon.
The doorbell rang just after 4:30 and two men about Sam's age entered the condo. Sam introduced Dave and he had in fact already met a few of the men at Philos meetings; he made a point of talking to all the others he had not met.
Dave seemed to fit in perfectly. He was completely unaware of how his experiences with the AANCF in Dallas and Alex Roehl's guiding hand had prepared him to function with such grace and skill in social situations. Sam noticed it and was slightly taken aback by what he observed. Of course, Sam had absolutely no knowledge of Dave's other life.
Dave never saw Brad Simpson again, for which he was very thankful. Wu Yee was another matter. After dinner the Monday after the incident, Dave was studying in his room when he heard the doorbell ring. He got up from his desk and walked to the door.
"Yee!" he exclaimed. "Are you okay? What brings you here?"
"You have room to rent?" Yee asked and held up the 3X5 card Dave had posted on the housing bulletin board.
"Yes I do, but are you sure you would want to stay there? I mean, it's the same room where you..." Dave hesitated, he didn't really want to remind Yee of his rape -- that's what Dave finally called it.
"That O-K, room O-K, other man not O-K; he gone. I safe with you." Yee smiled brightly.
"Well, okay, c'mon in and we'll get started." Dave was still hesitant and hoped to find out Yee's reasons for wanting to live there.
So Wu Yee took up residence in Brad Simpson's old room and was very happy about it. He made a point of seeing Dave as often as he could, practically once each day. One evening Dave heard a knock on the interior door that opened to the stairway leading to the second floor. When Dave opened the door, Yee stood smiling back at him.
"Hi, Yee, can I help you with something?"
"Hi" Yee said rather crisply, "Yes, prease. I no speak good Engrish. You help me prease?"
Dave raised his right hand to his head and began to scratch it. "Gosh, Yee, I'm not an English teacher, I'm not sure I would do it right."
"You help, prease." Yee seemed insistent and Dave found it difficult to refuse a sincere request for help from such a cute, likable guy.
"Well, okay. But we have to agree on some time limits. I need to study too. Is there something in particular you want help with?"
"Prease, teach me to say words better."
Dave thought for a moment. "Okay, come with me." He led Yee into the kitchen and they sat across the table from each other. "Let's try this 15 minutes at a time. We'll pick a word and work on it until you get it. Okay?" Yee just nodded. "Good. Let's start with the word please', okay?" Yee got a big grin on his face and nodded. Maybe when we're done,' Dave thought, I'll get more than a head nod.' "Now, say please'."
"Prease."
No, he's having trouble with the L. Is there a word with an L that he can probably say?' Dave thought for moment. "Say Lee'."
"Lee."
As best as he could, Dave closely observed how Yee positioned his tongue -- it looked correct. That meant he could do it so Dave tried another approach.
"Say `pa'."
"Pa."
"That's good. Now say `leese'."
"Leese."
"Very good. Now say `Pa -- leese'."
"Pa -- leese."
"Excellent! We're making progress here. Now put it together and try `Please'."
"Prease."
Dave was stumped. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He thought he had some success but it wasn't to be. Whatever he did, Dave didn't want to show an emotion that might insult Yee or make him feel ridiculed.
"Okay, let's start over. Watch where I put my tongue when I say the word. My tongue will be on the roof of my mouth just behind my teeth. Here we go. Pallllleeease." Dave drug out the word hoping Yee could see how he used his tongue to form the sounds. "Now you try it."
Yee nodded. "Pallllrease."
"That was better." Dave tried to encourage Yee. "Now try it again and see if you can say the word without any R sound. Remember where to put your tongue to say the L sound. Ready, pallllease."
"Paalllllllllease." When Yee realized he'd said it correctly, he broke out in a big grin of pride.
"Yea!" Dave exclaimed. "That's it! Do it again."
"Paalllllease." Yee was practically bouncing up and down in his chair. "Palllease." He said again. "Pallease." He didn't want to stop. "Prease." Yee's smile disappeared instantly.
"NO! Don't give up; keep on trying. Palllease." Dave said in an attempt to get Yee to press on and not get discouraged by one small failure.
"Palllease." Yee smiled again.
"That's good. Just keep saying that. Eventually it'll become more natural. Let's stop here and you go practice. Okay?"
"Hi, yes," Yee agreed.
Dave and Yee got together about three times a week, agreed upon a word to practice pronouncing, and at the end of each session Yee would say all the words they had worked on in previous sessions. Yee was eventually welcomed into Dave's circle of friends and he occasionally joined Dave, Mike, and Todd for dinner, especially when they had Chinese. Dave couldn't help notice the impact the group's association was having on Yee; some of their slang began to creep into his vocabulary. Dave had served spaghetti at his place and they had been to Mike and Todd's for salmon and baked chicken breasts. One day Yee offered to prepare a Chinese dinner for the group and they all accepted. They couldn't very well decline because that would have been an insult.
Yee decided to fix dinner on Saturday so he went to the store and bought some chicken breasts that he planned on cutting into bite-sized pieces. When he carried the sack of groceries into the kitchen and tried to set it down on the counter, the bottom of the sack burst and the groceries went all over the floor.
"Oh puck!" Yee exclaimed. It was an expression he'd heard his three American friends say many times and just like a child he had added it to his working vocabulary.
"What did you say?" Dave asked. He had just poured himself a Coke and was sitting at the table leafing through his latest copy of Men's Health Magazine.
"I say `Puck'." Yee was obviously pissed at the mess on the floor.
It took Dave a few seconds to filter the word through his mental computer before he realized what Yee was trying to say.
"Do you mean `fuck'?" Dave asked, trying to suppress a giggle.
"Yes, puck."
"Oh, this is great," Dave exclaimed, almost with glee. "Okay, that's our word for the day." Yee wasn't going to get to vote on this one, Dave had decided. "Make the sound `ffffff'."
"Ffffff."
"Good. Now say ffffuuuu."
"Ffffuuuu." By now Dave and Yee had a well-polished routine for learning how to pronounce specific sounds that were difficult for Yee.
"Now, ffffuuuuk."
"Ffffuuuuk."
"Fuck."
"Puck."
Dave folded his arms on top of the table, laid his head on them and began to laugh in resignation. At first Yee was puzzled; Dave had never reacted this way before. When he realized Dave was laughing instead of crying he began to laugh too. With his head resting on his folded arms, Dave was trying to think of some word that might help him break the P vs. F barrier. He lifted his head and looked at Yee. Yee looked back at Dave not knowing whether to laugh of get serious.
"Okay, Yee, do you know Fung Shue?" Dave read an article once about how the Chinese believe that orienting buildings, and even the furniture inside a certain way you could achieve some sort of harmony.
"Ah yes, Fung Shue. I know."
"Say fuuunng."
"Fuuunng."
"Now think `fung and say fuck."
"Fuck."
"YES!!!" Dave exclaimed. "Say it again."
"Fuck." Yee was grinning from ear to ear. "Fuck." He said it again.
Dave jumped to his feet and Yee did the same. Dave put his hand up in the air with his palm toward Yee. "Give me five!" Dave almost shouted and Yee raised his right hand and smacked his palm against Dave's.
"Fuck." He repeated the word. "FUCK!" Yee shouted with pride. Both men were now laughing loudly at Yee's conquest of the word. "Fuck." Yee continued.
"Okay, Yee, give it a rest, you don't have to wear it out," Dave laughed.
"Fuck you!" Yee exclaimed with laughter and a smile. He was really proud of himself and so was Dave.
That evening when Mike and Todd were in the kitchen with Dave watching Yee cook, Mike made some comment questioning whether Yee really knew what he was doing.
"Fuck you," Yee shot back with a smile on his face.
At first Mike wasn't sure how to react but when he saw Dave doubled over with laughter it was clear that he should be laughing too. After some sense of order was restored, Dave explained that Yee had just learned how to say `fuck' earlier that afternoon. The evening meal had a twist; Yee had removed all the knives, forks and spoons and made everyone eat with chopsticks. Yee's three Megwa (American) friends, out of desperation eventually succeeded in getting enough food into their mouths to avoid starvation. The evening was a roaring success and Yee showed he was learning to hold his own against his three new friends.
The last semester of Dave's senior year was very relaxed. He had taken such a heavy course load along the way that he now had a light schedule. He filled his time by working at the architectural firm as an intern. Dave was really happy working there and hoped they would offer him a job upon graduation. Howard Hastings, the Managing Partner called Dave into his office early in the semester and told Dave not to worry about a job offer, he would have one. However, he wanted Dave to go through the campus recruiting interview process, not only for the experience but to also see what kind of offers he might get. Dave didn't want to wait, he wanted a job offer and he wanted it NOW. Never the less, he subjected himself to the recruiting scene and was surprised to get offers from four of the six largest architectural firms in the country, and they were very impressive offers too. Still, Dave hadn't received an offer from Mr. Hastings and he was getting nervous. Arriving at the office late one morning, Dave found a note on his desk to see Mr. Hastings. Suddenly he became nervous; would this be the day? Dave went to the restroom to check his appearance and practice various facial expressions. Then gathering his nerves he walked down the hall and knocked at Hastings' open door.
"Come in, Dave, have a seat," Hastings stated very cordially. Dave sat down in one of the soft leather armchairs and felt like he was going to sink through to the floor. In his imagination the chair seemed to swallow him and make him feel like a little boy again.
"So you've been through all your interviews and you have some job offers, do you?"
"Yes, Sir," Dave's reply reminded him of when, as an Army Private, he was first confronted by a real officer.
"Well, congratulations, I'm sure you've earned each one of those offers and would be very happy with those firms." Dave wanted to jump out of his chair and scream, `Where's your fucking offer?' but he didn't. Hastings picked up a leather-bound folder and handed it to Dave. "I'd like to invite you to take a look at this offer and see if it is one you accept." Hastings' demeanor was much more formal than usual and, try as Dave might he couldn't read Hastings.
Dave took the folder in his hand, settled back in the chair and began reading. He didn't have to read very far to realize that this offer far out-distanced all the others. Dave was trying very hard to control his breathing and his nerves. He wanted to jump into the air and shout `YES! YES! YES!' but he didn't. On the exterior Dave was very calm but he could feel the sweat from his armpits running down his sides. He finished examining the package, slowly closed the folder and looked up at Hastings.
"Sir, that is a very fine offer. I am honored to accept it."
"I hoped you'd see things my way, Dave, welcome to the firm." Hastings reached out, took Dave's hand and pulled him, extracted him from that awful leather chair and they shook hands. Dave was ecstatic. He wanted to hug Hastings but thought that might go over like a fart in church. He went to his desk and called Sam to thank him. When he hung up the phone several of the other architects and staff members approached him to offer their congratulations. Dave was amazed at how fast word travels in such a large corporation.
Later that evening he called everyone who mattered to him, Kate and John, Joe, Alex and Steve, Art, and Mike and Todd. He dearly wanted to call his parents but couldn't bring himself to do it. If his father answered the phone he'd have to hang up and he just didn't want to go through that. He left it up to Kate to tell his mother and then he could give her more details later when she came to visit. David didn't like avoiding his father but that was his father's choice.
David's mother, Nancy and sister Kate attended his graduation as did Mike. John stayed home with the boys. Todd also graduated at the end of the semester and accepted a better paying position at the Westin. They were two very happy guys. A few weeks after graduation David turned 23 and one week later he was back in Dallas for a weekend with the Roehl's and the Radfords before attending the quarterly meeting of the AANCF. Upon returning home Dave started hunting for a nice condo near his down town office so he could cut down of some driving. Joe wasn't very eager for Dave to leave as his apartment manager but that sort of thing happened every two or three years, so he was used to it. Joe told himself that he'd probably never have it so good as when Dave was in charge, and he wouldn't.
(To be continued.)
******* Authors Note: A couple of points. First, one of Dave's learned' fans caught me on the spelling of Phylos'; it should be `Philos', and I have made the change. Second, this chapter was a big challenge for me to write. It is my first attempt at writing broken English dialogue and I have to confess that I am writing from actual experience. This is not meant to ridicule any nationality or poke fun at anybody's difficulty with the English language. I have great admiration for non-English speakers who bravely try to speak English (King's or American) for I believe it is the most difficult language to learn.