This a story of gay fiction for a mature audience. It contains consenting sex between men. If this offends you, leave or is illegal where you live, leave now. If you enjoy the stories on the site, donate to Nifty to keep the site going. The events in this story take place in apartheid South Africa in the 1970s and 1980s.
Escaping Apartheid
Part 1: Told from David's perspective
When you drive through the Free State town of Harrismith today you will see rundown and abandoned buildings. Historic buildings are falling apart, and the roads are full of potholes and the glory days seem far away.
I went to school in this town in the 70s and 80s. I attended what they called the dual medium school in those days. This meant the English and Afrikaans children were taught in the same school, generally, this was not the case and there were separate schools for each language group. Not to mention, that under apartheid there were separate schools for each race group as well.
My mother was an optometrist in the town and cared for my sister and me. There weren't many English-speaking people in this predominantly agriculturally based town, nor were there many Catholics. Living in a town like Harrismith meant we mainly spoke Afrikaans and we were all fluent. I enjoyed my initial primary school years, but I was always teased and called a rooinek' or Engelsman'. I could live with the name-calling, but the physical bullying wasn't great. My mother enrolled my sister and me in judo classes and we made new friends at the dojo. Judo was also an antidote for my piano lessons.
Judo improved my coordination and speed, and the bullies soon left me alone. All my friends were Afrikaans-speaking, and Marius and I became best friends. His father was the Dutch Reformed minister at the central Church. They were an open family and always made my sister and I feel at home. We enjoyed spending time at their house and his mother always made us treats like pannekoek' and koeksusters'.
I loved my piano lessons and Mrs De Villiers said I was good and told my mother would need to find a better teacher sometime. Marius and I did everything together. We were inseparable. At school, we were in the same groups and tried to be on the same sports teams. After school we rode our bikes through the town, we stole peaches and plums in summer, and went to the park together. Some afternoons we would visit my mom at her office and when the heat got too much go to the public swimming pool. I couldn't imagine my life without Marius and my sister Mary.
Piano lessons were on every Tuesday afternoon and Judo was on a Thursday. Mrs de Villiers taught me the basics and helped me prepare pieces for exams. I used to cycle to her house and back home. Judo classes were held in Church Hall which wasn't far from our house. After a while, I persuaded Marius to join Judo too. He picked up the moves quickly and I liked going against him. Marius had blond hair, blue eyes, and some freckles. He had well-developed legs and a beautiful body. I know I got a thrill watching him at the pool. I loved the way he spoke, and I liked his gentle manner with people. To be honest I was in love with him.
I always found it funny hearing Marius speak English. He had a heavy accent and struggled to find the words, but he tried. In those days Afrikaans was a much more dominant language in South Africa. I never slept over at his house much growing up, but he would spend most Friday evenings at our place. Mom would get fish and chips at the local café and a couple of Cokes, and we would sit around the dining room table playing games. Sometimes we would listen to the radio as we never had TV in our country at the time.
We were about eleven when we had our first sexual encounter. Marius was sleeping over, and we were in bed and he asked about my penis and whether I got erections. I was aroused and my little dick was hard. He told me about masturbation, and how his cousin had shown him how to do it. I asked him to show me, and he jumped into bed with me. His dick was hard, and he lay next to me. Both of us only had pyjama tops on. He gently grabbed my dick and began to wank me. It was incredible having another person touching me. I leaned over and did the same to him. It was good to be so close to him. I kissed him on the cheek, and he turned and kissed me on the lips.
"This feels wonderful, "I said in Afrikaans.
And he said, "Wait, the best is still to come".
He wanked me a little faster and I felt a warm sensation in my body and my body jerked. I had a feeling that I had never had before. Marius' dick stiffened and a little fluid came out of his penis. He said this was sperm and that this is the stuff that makes babies. He then leaned over and kissed me deeply.
"Kan ons dit weer doen?" (Can we do this again?) he asked.
"Definitely", I replied.
The next morning Marius rode home after breakfast. I thought about what had happened and hoped that I would see him soon, and I realised that night that he too had feelings for me. I knew that I wanted to feel his body close to mine again and that I would like to touch his dick again. I couldn't get him out of my mind and before lunch I went into the toilet and wanked.
Marius and I got to know each other's bodies better, and we were soon giving each other blowjobs. Fortunately, in the days of no internet, there were cousins and friends to show you how to do things. I helped Marius with his judo, and he helped me play better rugby. But being a Catholic boy, I lived with so much guilt about the sexual stuff and prayed for God's help. I even asked for forgiveness in the confessional and the priest told me to say ten Hail Marys and not to masturbate. I'm sure that Marius with his Calvinistic upbringing had similar guilt, but we never spoke about it.
Mrs de Villiers finally found me a new piano teacher. He was the son of the other Dutch reformed Minister in the town and an excellent pianist. He had obtained a master's degree by twenty-three and had played a couple of concerts. Sadly, he had lost confidence and had broken down in concert at the Royal Albert Hall in London and returned to the Free State. Mrs de Villiers said that he would be perfect for me, and I would learn a lot from him (little did she know).
I met Herman Kleinhuis in a cottage behind the church house. I estimated that he was over six foot tall, he had brown hair, brown eyes, and very fine features. It didn't look as if he even needed to shave. His hands were elegant, and his fingers were thin. Herman was a little shy and only briefly made eye contact when I shook his hand, he was wearing a formal pair of trousers and a white shirt. He was on the thin side, but his body looked amazing to me. We sat down and he asked me about my piano experience and asked me to play my favourite piece. I played Row, Row the boat. He laughed, and then I switched to Moonlight Sonata.
Herman came and sat next to me on the piano stool and played Moonlight Sonata.
"We'll get there," he said smiling.
I liked him immediately, he related to me as a person and not a child. I wanted to get to know him better and spend more time with him. I thanked him for having me and planned for our first lesson.
I told Marius about Herman and asked him whether he knew him. He didn't know much, but only that his cousin knew him at school. He was always withdrawn and arty. He had been bullied a lot and was glad to leave Harrismith to do his studies. Marius told me that Herman sometimes played the organ in church and that I should come hear just how good he was.
That Sunday morning, I attended my first church service in the Dutch Reformed church. The music was terrific, and Herman was a superb organist. He was out of sight, and I had to find him afterward to speak to him. He was surprised to see me there and invited me to have a cup of tea. My mom was curious and wanted to know why I wanted to go to church with Marius. I told her about the piano teacher and how well he played the organ. I am sure she suspected something was up.
I attended my first piano lesson with Herman on Tuesday. He wore formal pants and a white shirt. I had my school khaki shorts on and a white shirt. He stood behind me and watched while I played at one point his hands rested gently on my shoulders. He then sat down and pointed out some things that I missed. My leg was against his as he demonstrated what he meant. His touch was electric, and I wished that he had shorts on so that his skin would be against mine. I learned so much and was determined to improve by next week. He shook my hand, and I couldn't wait to see him again.
On Friday night Marius came for his regular sleepover and as we were older, we slept in our undies and T-shirts. It was wonderful to be with him and kiss passionately and feel each other's bodies. We had learned how to 69 and we were soon sucking each other's dicks and playing foreskins in our saliva-filled mouths. I loved swallowing his cum and he said he enjoyed mine. Once we compared tastes and concluded that the tastes were similar. We also compared sizes and explored our balls and other parts. We knew that we had to keep our relationship quiet and not let on, especially in a conservative town like ours. Marius was also very aware that was the son of a Dutch Reformed minister.
Herman had been teaching me for a year already when he suggested that I enter a competition in Bloemfontein. He felt that I was ready and wanted to teach me a piece to enter. I was delighted and he said that I would have to come to practice twice a week. He put his hand on my thigh and told me how proud he was of me and that I was an excellent student. He invited me to enjoy some freshly made lemonade with him and we spoke about my family. I asked him why he left London and didn't pursue his concert career, and he told me that was complicated and that he would tell me the entire story one day.
School was going well for me, and my judo was also good. But I wasn't that good at rugby, and I begged my mom to ask the principal to excuse me. He reluctantly agreed on the condition that I play the piano at assembly while the teacher was on maternity leave. I was confident in myself and knew that the other children wouldn't call me a "moffie" anymore.
I practiced and practiced, and I got to know my piece very well. Herman was feeling confident and arranged for me to play the piece at church. It was well received, and Herman discussed the traveling arrangements with Mom. Mary, Marius, Herman, Mom, and I would travel to Bloemfontein and spend a night in a hotel. I was thrilled. The boys would share a room and the girls would too.
After a three-hour drive, we checked into the hotel. Marius and I would share the one double bed and Herman would have the other. We went down to the concert hall to sign in and arrange a time for me to practice on the concert piano. I was proud to be with Herman who was recognised by so many people there, and he seemed happy to be with his tribe again. Everyone wanted to know what he was up to and who I was.
After dinner, we turned in for an early night. I had to rest well before the big day and Herman wanted to get to the concert hall early. I had neglected Marius a little that day and wanted to make it up to him in bed. Herman didn't know about us, and we had to be quiet. I kissed Marius in the dark and quietly wanked him while he wanked me, and we tried to breathe normally.
Next thing Herman asked: "Can I join you boys?"
I froze for a moment and Marius asked him to jump in with us. I couldn't believe that this tall skinny, beautiful man was in bed with us. I immediately kissed him, something I had wanted to do for ages. He was a good kisser and it felt wonderful. Marius grabbed his seven-inch dick and began to wank him while he played with Marius' dick. I ran my hands over his body and squeezed his arse cheeks. He stopped for a moment and asked us to keep this secret. Herman went down on me and sucked my dick and while Marius was rimming him. Marius moved in behind him and slowly stuck his cock into his arse and began to fuck him.
"Your cousin has taught you well Marius, keep pushing you're nearly in", Herman said.
I knew then that Marius was much more adventurous with his cousin than he ever spoke about. Herman groaned as Marius' dick touched his prostate. Herman continued to expertly suck me. There was so much sexual energy in the room that I shot off in Herman's mouth without warning. Next thing Marius was coming inside Herman. I moved down and sucked Herman's dick until he too came into my mouth.
We slept like logs that night and in the morning shared a shower and washed each other off. I dressed for the performance, and we packed our bags. We all enjoyed our breakfast together.
Playing in the competition was a whirlwind of emotions, nerves, and exhilaration. The air was filled with a mix of excitement and tension as fellow competitors warmed up.
There was a surge of adrenaline when I walked onto the stage. Sitting at the piano, my fingers hovered over the keys, ready to translate months of practice into sound. As the music began, everything else faded away. Me, the piano, and the music. Each note became an expression of my emotions.
Despite the pressure, there was incredible freedom in sharing this music. Every phrase felt like a story unfolding, each crescendo and diminuendo painting a vivid picture. But it wasn't without its challenges. Nerves sometimes threatened to disrupt my flow, and the awareness of being judged was in the back of my mind. I pushed past those uncertainties and allowed the music to dispel any doubts.
The applause was like a wave of validation, affirming the hours of preparation. I was grateful to my piano teacher.
Part two: Told from Herman's perspective
I am Herman Kleinhuis the son of a Dutch Reformed minister and music teacher in Harrismith. I have just returned from Bloemfontein, where my student won a prestigious music prize. The event brought back so many memories for me, and it's difficult adjusting to life in a small town again.
The encounter with my student and his friend has left me with conflicting emotions, as well as fears. Marius's Dad is a colleague of my father, and it would be incredibly difficult for everyone if he ever found out. My father was a devout conservative Christian and wouldn't be happy to find out that his son was homosexual and was fooling around with his colleague's son and his son's friend. David and Marius were only sixteen, and I was madly in love with David.
When David came for his music lesson after the competition we sat on the veranda and drank homemade lemonade. We chatted about his performance and how he felt about it. He was keen to prepare for another competition. We also spoke about what happened at the hotel and I asked him to keep it quiet. David told me how things had changed between Marius and him. Marius had found a girlfriend and said that he no longer wanted to sleep over on Friday nights. David knew that this might happen someday and was pleased that they were still friends.
David was a beautiful boy, and I admired his teen body, he was sitting close to me, and I longed to run my hand along his thigh. We went into the lounge and sat at the piano. David played a piano arrangement of Johann Pachelbel's Canon. It was one of my favourite pieces, and his performance was faultless. I got goosebumps and a warm sensation ran down my back, I felt tears welling in my eyes and my dick stirred. I couldn't help myself and leaned over and hugged him. I kissed his soft lips, even though I had told myself that I should not do this. His hand fell from the keyboard, and he massaged my hard dick.
"(Dit was pragtig..)That was beautiful David. Perfect. Very moving but we can't do this," I said as I walked away from him.
David, Mary and I hiked in the Platberg Nature Reserve on Saturday. I had made a picnic lunch and packed a blanket. We hiked up one of the many trails. The top of Platberg has an ecosystem all its own which absorbs rainfall like a sponge and allows it to slowly seep from its sheer cliffs and kloofs as waterfalls and streams. There is a historical blockhouse built to guard the man-made aqueducts, but it wasn't that easy to reach it as the path was overgrown. Herds of eland, blesbok, mountain reedbuck, and black wildebeest live in the reserve, as well as waterbuck and fallow deer.
Views from the top of Platberg are breathtaking. There are farmlands to the north, and it is very hilly. The Drakensberg and Maluti Mountains can be seen on clear days. The town of Harrismith is laid out below and you can see the highway running between Johannesburg and Durban. I was very at ease with Mary and David, and we got on well. David wanted to know more about my life in London where I completed a Master's degree. I told them how difficult it was for me to get used to the cold wet weather and how I missed the South African sun.
"My English was terrible, and it took me a couple of months to become more fluent. I studied at the Royal Academy of Music and lived at one of the university halls. I had never been overseas before,
and it was all new for me. Living in one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world was mind-blowing. Mixing with people from all over the world was very different from apartheid South Africa. I wasn't used to seeing mixed couples or seeing people from different races interacting together.
I watched television for the first time and read books and magazines that were banned in our country. My teachers at the academy were excellent and very open. It was at the academy where I first met openly gay people. I also met Anthony there, but that's another story."
David and Mary listened to my story and wanted to hear more, and Mary told me more about their mother. She was more than just an optometrist. She was involved in the local parish and worked with the local priest helping political prisoners. Harrismith wasn't too far from Lesotho and some freedom fighters escaped there, David interjected and asked me not to share any of this information.
I dropped David and Mary at their house in the late afternoon. Mrs Green thanked me for taking the children on the hike, and invited me to have Sunday lunch with them. I was pleased that I would see David again so soon.
David and Mary asked me to tell them more about London and I told them about places like Kew Gardens, Tower Bridge, and the British Museum. I also told them about the underground and Convent Gardens. They wanted to know more about the Royal Academy, and I told them that it was the UK's longest-standing conservatoire and the second oldest in the world. As I spoke, I realised again how cut off from the rest of the world we were in South Africa. After lunch, Mrs Green spoke about the political situation in South Africa, and how many children were detained in prison. She made me aware of the injustices of the government and at the time I didn't even know that people in the local township were detained.
I had the music out for Chopin's Nocturn No 20 when David came for his lesson. I talked him through the history of the piece as he sat next to me on the couch. He had his hand on my leg and rubbed my thigh. When I finished my explanation, he leaned in and kissed me deeply. I was hard and could have made love to him on the couch at that moment.
I played the piece for David, stopping to explain along the way. I stood behind him as he played. My erection pressed against his back and my hands rested lightly on his shoulders. He was gifted, and I imagined him making love to me through the music.
I locked the door and went down on my knees in front of David who was sitting on the piano stool. I pulled his shorts down and took his dick into my mouth, his dick was sweaty, and the smell was musky. I pulled his foreskin back and sucked him. He squirmed with delight and filled my mouth. I stood up and he took my erect dick, which was oozing precum, and played with my mushroom-shaped head. He then swallowed my dick, and I was in heaven and shot off in his mouth in minutes. We kissed and shared the remains of our cum with each other.
We moved back to the couch and held each other, and I wondered what would happen to us. We were interrupted by Mary knocking at the door. She was crying and told us that their mother had been arrested by the police. We got into the car and went to the police station and found out that the security police had arrested her and the parish priest., under the Internal Security Act. David and Mary asked me to come and stay with them, as they didn't know when Mrs Green would be released.
My father didn't want me to get involved with "those communists" and instructed me not to go. I told him that I was twenty-five and that I could make my own decisions and I left. I made sure that there were enough groceries and helped David and Mary to make sense of things. David got hold of the detainee's support group who said they would send someone to help. David and Mary were very worried about their mother and stayed away from school and we went to the police station every day. But the police wouldn't allow them to see their mother.
A Human Rights lawyer eventually came from Johannesburg and saw my mom and Father Buti. They were both doing well. My Mom's business was forced to close, and David called his uncle and asked him to try to find a locum.
I shared David's room, and we slept together on some nights. Mary was an observant young woman and knew that David and I were close. I eventually persuaded David and Mary to return to school, but they felt very isolated as news of their mother's arrest had spread quickly in this conservative community.
Mrs Green was released from prison after ten days and she immediately made plans to leave Harrismith after she was tipped off about further police action. She sold her practice to a colleague in the town and found people to rent the house. Father Buti came and moved all the furniture to his house the day before the new tenants moved in. I got the news that military police visited my parents' house looking for me, as I had not reported to do my two years of national service.
The anti-apartheid movement in London made accommodation arrangements for the Green family in London, and Mrs Green suggested that I leave the country and join them. I was thrilled and used my savings to buy a return air ticket (to avoid any suspicion). The Green family moved out of Harrismith very quickly and left the country within days, even though David and Mary hadn't yet completed the school year.
I left Harrismith a week later to join them in London. It was a tiny apartment owned by the Quakers, located close to the British Museum. It was furnished with beautiful old furniture and had quaint paintings on the walls. It was relatively quiet, but you had to bear with traffic noise at peak times. A local Catholic school admitted David and Mary at no charge, and Mrs Green found a practice to work in. I contacted friends at the Royal Academy and got a job accompanying young opera singers.
As it was a temporary arrangement, I shared a room with David and Mary shared with her mother. The lounge-dining room area was spacious, and it even had a piano in it. David has already told his mother about us, and she wasn't too fussed about our relationship. David and Mary were both caught up in schoolwork and David was preparing to write his final exams the next year. They were both so much happier at school and felt much more accepted and valued. David played piano at all the assemblies and also studied music. I continued to teach him piano twice a week.
David and I had single beds, but we often ended up sleeping in one. I enjoyed having his body against mine and massaging his back. He loved the intimacy; he enjoyed me nibbling his ears and playing with his nipples. One night I asked David to fuck me, and he was a little hesitant. I got some lube, and he massaged my hole, and I smeared the lube over his dick. I lifted my legs, and he approached me on his knees. His dick bounced around and he pushed his mushroom head into my arse. It felt good having this toned young man's dick in me. He soon found his rhythm and shot off inside me. He returned the favour and sucked my dick until I came into his mouth.
I enjoyed my work as an accompanist because it was far less pressured than playing solo. I earned good money and felt the need to move out and give the Greens more space.
We watched the news regularly and saw that the violence in South Africa was intense and that the liberation struggle continued back home. There were still many bombings and detentions back home, but it all seemed so far away. Mrs Green kept us all up to date with happenings through the anti-apartheid movement.
I discussed the possibility of moving out, and David was distraught. He said that I was like an older brother to him and that he needed me close. I fitted in well with the family and everyone seemed to get on well with each other. Mrs Green suggested that I go away for the weekend to see how things are with me gone.
I took a bus to Oxford where I booked into a B&B for a night. My first destination was Blackwell's Bookshop. I always wanted to see the Norrington room which had 5km of shelves and is the largest single room in the world selling books. I was amazed that you could find just about any book there. I bought two books. I got to see the Bodleian Library and some of the other famous places at the university. I had lunch in a pub and then went for a walk along the river. The next day I met a South African friend who I had met at the Royal Academy when I was studying there. Wouter had switched from music and was studying history. We ate brunch and he took me to see the sights that I missed. I enjoyed seeing Wouter, and it was great to speak Afrikaans again.
The mood at the apartment was sombre when I returned on Sunday evening. I asked David what was going on and he told Mrs Green to fill me in.
"I got a call from South Africa today. Fr Buti was assassinated in an ambush on his way to Lesotho. My friends think that it was a security police hit. I worked with Buti for six years in Harrismith and he supported me during difficult times. I can't believe he's gone," she struggled to hold back her tears as she spoke.
I hugged Mrs Green and told her how sorry I was. At that moment I realised again just how evil the apartheid government was. I hugged Mary and David and we then made toasted sandwiches. We were in the lounge watching the news when Mrs Green told me that they had missed me over the weekend and that I was welcome to continue to stay with them until we found another place. The Quaker apartment was very central, and it was an easy walk to most places. I agreed to stay if I could contribute to the rent.
David and I lay on his bed and kissed, I took off his shirt and he took off mine. He lay on top of me, and I told him how much I enjoyed this feeling. He went down and sucked me until I came in his mouth. I did the same for him. As we lay catching our breath, I told him that I had arranged for one of my former teachers at the Royal Academy to listen to him play. I suggested that he play Chopin's Nocturn No. 20.
A week later David was in front of a Bechstein grand piano. Professor Martin and I sat in the small chamber hall and heard an almost perfect performance. We both clapped afterward and congratulated David. Professor Martin asked David to audition when the auditions opened. David and I were alone in the hall, and I gave him a long kiss. I was so proud of him.