Although this story is fiction I am fairly sure that the experiences written about have a similarity with some readers. However, not in my experience and if any reader can relate to it in anyway, it is purely coincidental.
It contains matter of sexual activity between adults and is not suitable for persons not of legal age.
GARRY OF THE MEDICAL CORPS (1) ___________________
Colin was nearing Aldershot station and would soon have to get ready to get off the train. It was 11pm and the hours journey from Waterloo was a familiar one for him.
It was Sunday and he had spent yet another weekend with his good friends Peter and John, partners for 18 years and Seven and Simon, also partners, but for just 9 years.
Colin was single, but only because his partner, Freddy, had passed away a little over two years ago after being together for 5 years. Freddy was only 38 when he died of bowel cancer. Only time had lessened the grief, but the grief was still there. It was a matter of living with the situation, not a matter of getting over him.
It had been a lovely weekend, the boys, known to them all as "the gay gang", had made his 40th birthday a very nice day and he smiled to himself when recalling their kindness which was really an extention of the support for him during the past two years.
The four guys all had a great sense of humour and it was impossible not to be happy in their company regardless of Colin,s situation. They had taken him to see Mama Mia, the story of ABBA, for all of them the second time and once again thoughly enjoyed it.
He got off the train at the same time as Corporal Garry Henslow of the Royal Army Medical Corps was trying to stop the flow of blood coming out of his battered eye just outside the station.
Garry looked at himself in the mirror. He had just got out of the shower and was getting ready to go out into Aldershot with some mates.
"What the fucks the matter with me, three girl friends in four months and dumped by all of them"? He asked his reflection.
He thought, it,s not as though i,m not bad looking surely and i,m a fit guy. Christ at 22 I would hope so and lots of girls have come on to me at the clubs and a few poofters, bastards. Just a few dates, a few shags, then the fuckers are off!
So in this frame of his mind, Garry and his mates arrived in Aldershot, the Home of the somewhat deflated British Army, and began their pub crawl.
Being a Sunday night the pubs would close at 10 so therefore they all threw back the beers quicker, got drunk quicker and often found trouble quicker.
This was one of those nights that all three happened, to Garry anyway.
As often happened they got separated and Garry found himself on his own trying to find the others. He wandered round for a while turned a corner and came face to face with four of the locals who set about him. Without any proof of his sexuallity they deemed him to be a "queer" and on that basis beat the crap out of him.
It was all over in seconds and as the four of Aldershots finest run off after their combined efforts, Garry was left holding on to a bleeding left eye and a few bruises to his face, body and ego. He staggered around for a while, but with the combination of too much beer and his injuries finally sat on the kerb outside the station to try to decide what to do next.
Colin walked out of the station and saw Garry. Although there were a few people also leaving, non took any notice of the rather dishevelled guy sitting holding his head. Colin walked over to him.
"I wont ask you if you are ok because I can see your not. Can I help, do you need an Ambulance?"
"Fuck off, i,m ok".
"Look at least let me get you some tissues, I have some in the car".
"What don,t you understand when your told to fuck off".
Colin turned went to his car and came back with the tissues.
"Here, now I will fuck off". He dropped the tissues down at Gary and was about to go when a police patrol car drew up.
"Everything ok here sir?" One of them asked Colin.
"Not really, i,ve just found this young man here when I got off the train. I offered my help, but he seems to be in control and told me to leave him, so I have given him these tissues and thats it i,m afraid. I think he should go and get that seen to".
"I agree sir", said the officer. He looked down at Garry. "You need to do what this gentleman said and get to hospital, do you want me to call an Ambulance?"
"Yeah, I suppose so".
"Nice your so grateful", the officer said and grinned at Colin.
Colin offered to take him.
"It,s going to take time for an ambulance to get here and i,m sure they have more important things to do, I will drop him off if you like".
"Ok young man, this gentleman says he will take you"?
"Ok. ...thanks" Garry said somewhat grudgingly.
Colin put him into his car, the PC told him they would follow him to Frimley Park.
"Sorry we can,t take him ourselves. Thanks for what you doing sir".
Colin gave Garry a bag to put the blood stained tissues in and drove off. "Wont be long, just relax you will be in the best place. Sorry you had a fight, I assume it was anyway".
"Four of the bastards, they thought I was a fucking homo and just beat the shit out of me. I tell you what mate if I catch a queer i,m going to fuck him up big time. If there were none of them this would not have happened, fucking homo,s, kill the lot I say".
Despite Garry,s anger Colin could not help smile to himself. You don,t know who your driver is son, he thought. He said, "They would have found another reason i,m sure, don,t you think"?
"I don,t fucking care, THAT was the reason and thats all i,m interested in, fucking ass bandits, shirt lifters, hang the sodding lot".
Garry carried on telling Colin what he would do to any queer crossing his path vertually all the way to the hospital. As they were approaching Frimley Park, Garry suddenly changed and said.
"Look mate thanks for this and i,m sorry if I sounded off a bit, just pissed off thats all".
And pissed as well thought Colin.
"No worries, here we are, that will be a years salary plus tip". Despite his anger Garry laughed.
"Look do you live in Aldershot"? Garry asked.
"Yes".
"Well if your in the Goose sometime I would like to buy you a drink as a thanks".
Colin stopped the car outside the A and E and got out to help Garry.
"Actually i,m in there every Wednesday for my lunch, I have the steak then, but I don,t think you will be buying me any drink, you see i,m one of those homo,s you hate so much, but i,m sure I have not contaminated you in anyway, goodbye and hope you get better soon".
Garry stood and stared at Colin, Colin raised a hand to the police car, got in his and went home.
Garry was seen quickly, there is some advantage in that he worked there on the military wards. He was stitched up, five of them and kept in one of his wards. One of the nurses came in and asked him what had happened.
"Oh four local hero,s thought there was enough of them to have a go".
For some reason he did not mention gays etc.
"Did you come by meat waggon"?
"No a guy gave me a lift. Really good of him".
Garry got into bed and thought about Colin, not that he knew his name. Before he drifted off to sleep he made up his mind he would get to the Goose one Wednesday.
Colin had got a text from Peter asking if he was ok. There were also four miscalls on the home phone, all from Peter. Colin always called them when he got back home and in any case wanted to thank them for his birthday weekend. It was too late to call, it was past midnight, so he sent a text to say he had been delayed and would phone tomorrow.
His phone rang straight after. It was Peter.
"We were getting a bit worried, thought you had an accident or loss of memory, you are getting on a bit"!
Colin told him all about his angry young man and what had happened to him and his hate for gays.
"It was almost funny really when you think it was a gay who helped him out". Colin said and added, "I hope he will start to like everyone even though he does not understand that some people are different to him".
"Oh Colin, he understands very well I should think, I bet there is some history there, still it,s not likely you will ever find out, you have put him right off buying you a pint" Peter said.
"Not to worry Peter. Anyway we must all get to bed, early start tomorrow. Thanks so much for a lovely weekend, give my love to all, goodnight Peter."
"Goodnight Colin, love to Freddy". They always sent their love to Freddy and Colin found that a great comfort. He kissed Freddy,s photo, said goodnight and went to bed.
The next two weeks were very busy for Colin. He had a contract to make a model of a new shopping complex in Camberley and needed to start on it. He was a model maker and had a lot of work to complete various projects for companies and local planning authorities. He even did some for the London Olympic Committee a year back. He had work from all over the country and had even thought of employing a couple of others, but had resisted it. He had his workshop in town and he was happy with that, for the time being anyway.
He always took Wednesdays off, it was the middle of the week and seemed to be a good time for a break. He would amble to the pub about 1 o,clock sit and have a beer while reading the paper, then with another beer have his meal. After that go home and do the weeks wash and cleaning. Later he went to his gym for a workout and swim. Evenings was spent on phone calls to the gay gang, an hour or so on his book, "Freddy" and then to bed.
This Wednesday was no different, nor the following one, but the next Wednesday he decided to work to catch up on the Camberley job as he was getting a bit behind. As he left the shop he decided to go to the Goose for a pint. Forget the gym and just have an early night.
He ordered his pint and was waiting for it to arrive and a voice behind him said, "May I buy that please"? It was Garry.
Garry looked at him. Colin for once was taken back a bit.
"Oh it,s you, hello, how are you"? To be honest Colin had forgotten the guy. "You certainly look a lot better than when I saw you last". He looked good and was nearly back to whatever normal was.
"I,m fine thanks, much better and back to work got a bit of stick for getting myself beaten up, but all ok now, can I sit with you"?
They found a seat, it was hardly ever busy on a Wednesday evening unless football was on.
"Cheers". Colin said.
"Cheers, I came in this afternoon looking for you, but you did not come in", he said.
"No, i have a job to do and needed to catch up a bit. All done now. Have you been in all day then"? Colin asked.
"Yes, but not pissed this time, just been sipping. I stayed in case you showed up". he looked at Colin.
"Must have been bloody boring and a waist of time if I had not decided to pop in before going home. It was only on the spur of the moment as I was locking up to come here".
"I,m glad you did". This was no longer the angry young man I first met, Colin thought.
"Look I just want to say i,m very sorry I sounded off like that and to thankyou for helping me, I appreciated it even though it may not have seemed like it".
"I did,nt and don,t have a problem. We all sound off at times when we get angry and you had every reason to be angry". Colin let him off the hook.
"I,m Garry". He held out his hand, "I,m Colin" and shook Garry,s hand.
Colin looked at him. Could Peter be right about this lad, he often was, certainly was about Freddy when he first met him.
"A fine guy Colin, you two will be good together". How right he was.
They talked about themselves and what they did. When Colin told him he was a model maker Gerry laughed out load, "What Airfix stuff"? Colin smiled and explained. Garry became interested.
"So they send you plans and you make models of whatever and scale them down and make them up"?
"Thats about it. When you put it like that it does,nt sound very interesting does it"? Colin smiled again.
"No not at all, it sounds cool in fact. I will look differently next time it see anything like that in the papers or on telly".
Garry asked more. "So what do you do in your spare time, any other interests"?
Colin thought, why do you want to know?
He said. "I,m writing a book and I go to the gym and go to London to see friends" Thats about it really. Colin thought he would try and see if he has a sense of humour.
"Oh and I have drinks sometimes with homophobics"! He waited for the reaction. Garry threw his head back and laughed,
"Christ I deserved that, nice one".
Colin asked, "One more drink"?
"Yes please that would be nice", came the reply. "Ok I will ware gloves when I get them". Again more laughter from Garry.
Colin had to admit to himself that he was enjoying talking to him.
They talked more, but eventually it was time for both to go.
"Can we do this again sometime"? Garry asked.
"You know when i,m here and we can have a drink again sure". Garry gave Colin a smile and said "Thanks, I would like that".
They left the pub soon afterwards, shook hands and said their goodbyes.
All the way home both were in deep thought, but both thinking much different thoughts.