Legal: Don't read this if it offends you, or there are laws in your area that prohibit reading/viewing homosexually explicit material. This story is mostly fiction, and the likeliness of a character to a real person is strictly coincidence.
Do not copy/reproduce without the author's permission.
The Lacrosse Player
Chap. VII
"We've got to go get the key at my parents," I reminded him as he turned onto the highway.
"It's on Sturnbeck Rd., isn't it?" He asked. I nodded. We neared the road and he turned on it, the asphalt highway being traded in for an old gravel road. "This is a great place." He said, looking at all the victorian cottages lining the road.
"It used to be a summer resort for Boston's upper class in the late 1890s, but it turned into a full-time resident community." I replied. "There it is." I pointed out my house, a two story with a broad view of the sea. He pulled into the driveway and we made the climb up the hill, parking in front of my garage. As we stepped out, the front door opened and my mom ran out, my dad trotting behind her. We walked over to her, the gravel in the driveway popping under our feet.
"Hi dear!" She gave me a big hug. She then turned to look at Trev, who was standing right beside me with his hands folded in front of him. "And Trevor, how are you, we've heard so much about you." she held out her hand, which he shook.
"I'm fine Mrs. Laurent."
Next, my dad walked to the drive.
"Hey kid," He said as he gave me a hug.
"Hey dad," I replied. "Dad, this is Trevor Corczynksi."
He sized him up, and then stuck his hand out. "Great to meet you Trev."
After we'd greeted, my mom slapped her hands together. "Why don't you boys come inside. Are you hungry for breakfast?"
"No, we ate back at the academy." I replied.
"Well, how about some juice?"
We nodded and headed inside the home, listening to its floors creak under us. My mom poured us some orange juice (which she makes herself) and we all sat on the covered porch, which overlooked the ocean.
"How's school been?" My dad asked, beginning a usual run-through of questions.
"Just fine..." I said, sipping from my glass.
"We were visited by a police officer on Wednesday." My mom said.
"Oh?"
"He told us about the escapade in the locker room." My mom continued. She glanced over at my dad. "Your father couldn't contain his excitement during the talk with Deputy Wimmer."
"That made my day, Evan." My dad said, laughing and slapping his newspaper on his knee. Trev even had a chuckle at my dad for that.
"So, what'd Wimmer say?" I asked.
"He just wanted us to sign a form, because you're a minor." My mom replied. "He hadn't bugged you before, had he?"
"No...he's always hounded me for not doing track, but nothing other than that."
"This was just an isolated incident?"
"I guess....like I've told a couple other people, the man has always been a little crazy."
"That could be." My mom said, leaning back in her chair.
"Oh," my dad said, reaching into his pocket, "here's the key." He threw the key across the table.
"Thanks. We'll be sure to leave the place spotless."
"You better." He said, opening his paper.
"You wanna see the upstairs?" I asked Trev, who was staring out at the ocean.
"Sure." He replied. We both jumped up, and I led him up the grand staircase in the front of the house.
"This is my room, when I'm around." I replied, and led him into a neatly pressed room, with a large window. He went over to the window and stared out.
"Nice..." I interrupted his sentence by tackling him from the side, and bringing him down on the bed. He gave up resisting and reached back and touched my face as we laid on the bed in an almost spooning position, with his leg thrown over mine. "...body." He finished his sentence as I began to kiss him on his neck, and slowly worked my way up over his chin to his mouth. His tongue thrusted into my mouth, and he flipped over, now on top of me, facing me.
"Sorry about that." I said. "Seeing you down on the deck..with the wind..and your eyes....I love you so much."
He smiled. "I would've done it first but you beat me to it." He reached under me and slipped his hands up my shirt, kneading my back and pulling my shirt up high as he did.
"Hey, Evan!" I heard my mom yell from downstairs.
Trev's weight fell on me and I strained to raise my head up as he nudged my neck. "Yeah mom?"
"Could you bring dad's meds down when you come?"
"Sure." I replied. Jake and I listened for the deck door to slam.
"Meds for what?" He asked.
"My dad's got MS." I replied.
"MS...Multiple sclerosis?" He arched an eyebrow.
"Yeah..he's had it for about 25 years.."
"That's a bummer." He replied.
"Yeah...but he looks at it as an obstacle to get over..and he doesn't let it get in his way."
"Sounds exactly like you." He said, kissing me on the forehead. "So, you ready to get out of here?"
"As soon as you are."
"Well...we should get going then..it's getting on 10:30."
We both jumped up and I grabbed my dad's med kit before heading down the stairs to find my parents, who happened to be right where we left them.
I threw my dad the case. "Don't you usually take them at night?" I asked.
"Yeah..but I got a new automatic needle gun." He whipped the mechanism out and a grin flashed across his face.
I shook my head. "He still thinks he's a little kid." I whispered to Trev. "Well...you have fun dad, we're going to take off."
My mom came out of the kitchen, drying her hands on a towel.
"Well, you two have a good trip, and make sure the beach house is clean." She gave me a kiss and gave Trev a hug.
We waved goodbye and left them on the deck. "Evan..you're parents are kinda awesome." Trev said as we jumped into the car. He backed out of the driveway and we took off down Sturnbeck, back to the highway.
The sun rose higher in the sky as we drove up the coast, following old highways that wound along the coast, passing through towns dominated by mom-and-pop establishments.
"God man...I can't believe you listen to this guy." Trev said, turning the radio, making Mike Savage's fade into the 70s rock of the next station. "The only words that come out of his mouth are 'homo' and 'Kerry sucks'.
"Well I listen to no more than half of what he says." I replied.
As I spoke, an SUV went by us with a rainbow flag on the bumper. "You see that.." He pointed. "Someday we'll be able to display those and not get our asses kicked...well probably except you.." He smiled. "I don't think that the sounds of Rush Limbaugh and Michael Savage coming from the cab really jive with the rainbow flag on the bumper."
I laughed. "I'm a new breed man...they'll jive in ten years or so."
"Did you want to stop for lunch?" He asked, our hands atop one another on the center console.
"Only if you're hungry."
"I'm starving." He replied. "How about we stop at the next town?"
"At that little 'hometown' diner you were talking about?" I asked.
"Of course." He replied, turning off the highway. We pulled into a little restaurant parking lot just inside the Maine border.
The bell over the door chimed as we walked in, and we sat down by the window on the red vinyl seats. "Well..this is a happening place." We looked around..we were the only people in the restaurant.
"Anybody home?" I walked up to the bar.
"Yeah, hold on!" I heard a voice from the back, then a crash of pans. "Sorry fellas...I was back arranging some stuff."
"Slow morning?" I asked as I sat back down.
"You could say that." He replied. "I'm Sam, I'll be your bartender, waiter, and cook today. What'll you guys have to drink?
"Eh..I'll have a malt..you pick the flavor." I said.
"Well...strawberry's the best." He replied.
"Fine, I'll have that then."
"And for you?" He asked Trev.
"I'll have the same thing..sounds damn good."
He nodded and headed to the bar. Trev stretched out and grabbed the edge of the table on my side and pulled across. "Aah...that felt good." He said, leaning back. I stared at him, watching his eyes sparkle in the sunlight. "What?" He asked, noticing my prolonged glance.
"You're beautiful, you know that." I saw Sam glance over at us.
"You think he can figure it out?" Trev asked.
"Well...we're a hundred or so miles from home...who's going to care?"
"Very true...and if he hasn't figured it out, he will now." Trev reached across the table and gave me a soft kiss.
Just as he was pulling away, Sam came from the bar. "Here they are, boys." He slid two heaping malts across the table. "And what to eat?"
"Just a couple of cheeseburgers." I glanced at Trev, who was nodding.
"Ok." He paused, and it looked like he had a word on the tip of his tounge, but he smiled and turned around. He took two steps and stopped again. "The world has really loosened up." He said, facing away from us.
"What?" I asked.
He turned around. "Thirty years ago you would've probably been kicked out for that...and not only that..but just being you." Trev and I both sipped on our malts and stared at the tabletop. "I know I was..several times" He stared out the front of the restaurant.
"You too?!" Trev asked, almost choking on a mouthful of ice cream.
"Yeah..I've never would've had the guts to kiss another guy in public. Ever. Well..let me get these burgers out to you and we'll talk." He disappered into the kitchen.
"Are you sure that 10% figure is correct?" Trev asked, chuckling.
"You'd almost think it wouldn't be."
"I'm loving this feeling...this 'we're not alone' feeling."
"Me too." I replied.
We sat in silence for several seconds, watching the cars pass on the highway, and eyeing the seagulls swarming around the end of the fishing dock across the highway.
"You ever think about being a fisherman when you were younger?" Trev asked.
"I don't think so..I always thought I could be able to make more money doing something else. Besides, there weren't too many back in Michigan."
"True. I always wanted to be one. We'd watch them take off in their boats in the fall.. there was nothing I wanted more."
"And now?" I asked.
He scoffed. "I've got a much better appreciaton for the fact that dry land = money."
I laughed. "But the industry is getting better I'm sure."
Sam soon emerged from the kitchen, carrying two platters of cheeseburgers and fries. "Here, boys." He set them down, then slid down next to Trev on the bench seat. "I went into the army in 1971, feeling depressed through high school, hoping they'd send me to Vietnam to get my ass turned into VC fodder. I had several very unsuccessful relationships throughout high school, and couldn't figure out why. One day though, as I was watching TV, it hit me, and that's when I came to the stark realization that I was gay."
"It took me quite a bit longer than that." I said.
"Me too." Trevor tagged.
"Well it usually takes most people a long time..but I had known for a long time and didn't know what to make of it..once the information was placed in front of me on TV..I knew it. Anyway, I went through boot camp, and then onto helicopter training, flying Hueys. Just as I was assigned to the 1st Cav, and was about to be sent off to Nam, a couple of my buddies found a friend and I together in one of the choppers..."
"Did they discharge you?"
"You bet they did. Dishonorable discharge. Before it went through, someone tried to pin a section 8 insanity charge on me too."
"Insanity??" Trev's eyes went wide.
"Well until the late 70s, the military considered homosexuality to be one of the 6 mental illnesses to watch for in soldiers."
"That's more bullshit than I've ever heard." Trev said, stirring his malt.
"Exactly what I thought. So, they sent me back home..I figured I couldn't lie about being dishonorably discharged, so I used this as a spring board to come out to my family."
"What'd your parents think?" I asked.
"My mom didn't say a damn word...she asked about the weather after I told her...it pissed me off a little to hear so little caring..but it was better than anything else. My dad was a little different...he felt betrayed, raising a son, expecting grandchildren someday, but never getting them. He eventually came down to the sentence, 'if that's how you want to be, don't ever let me hear about it'. He died 10 years ago...he never heard a word about it since that day. My mom accepted me quick...she always wanted to hear if I was dating anybody, and always invited me and whoever I was with at the moment over for dinner. Either of you out yet?"
We both shook our heads. "No."
"Originally...I thought I'd keep it simple and only tell my family...and this continued for about 5 years. I moved to San Francisco and bought an apartment just off Castro St. This was originally before I'd decided to come out to everybody..and I thought buying an apartment near the gay district would give me some confidence. Just about that time, a man named Harvey Milk appeared on the scene."
"Milk...I've heard of him, we read that article on Dan White in government." Trev said.
"He was a great man...when he won his city supervisor seat, the whole area went wild. I wasn't quite ready to join the celebrations though..I guess I was still hurt from the discharge. Anyway, in November of 1978, I returned from Maine after celebrating Thanksgiving with my family. A couple days after I returned, I turned on the radio to hear that Harvey Milk, and the mayor, George Moscone, had been killed by Dan White, a disgruntled, anti-gay supervisor. I couldn't believe it..my life collapsed. This man was the first homosexual to be elected into city office...and he was gone. I remember sitting in my apartment and crying...for hours. A couple days later, tapes were released with his voice on them..they were meant to be released 'upon the event of his assassination'.
"Audio tapes?" I asked.
"Yeah...they were hours of his voice, giving us all hope. One quote stood out to me....it's something I'll never forget.."If a bullet should enter my brain, let that bullet destroy every closet door." Trev and I stared at each other..slowly realizing the impact of that quote. "It tore down mine....the next day I came out to my co-workers and friends, and the next week, I moved out of my apartment and into central Castro St."
"That's quite a rush in such little time." I said.
"Well...it needed to be done. A months later, after White had been convicted of 'manslaughter'..one of the most bullshit outcomes I've ever heard...the gays turned San Francisco upside-down. We rioted all night..'The White Night Riot' they called it. I managed to get myself arrested...but was released the next day. God...there was so much anger in the air. Neither of you boys could ever understand the betrayal we felt."
"What happened after that?" I asked.
"I lived there until my dad died in 1994..then I moved back here to take care of my mom, who died 3 years ago."
"Are you going to stay here?" Trev asked.
"I don't know..I've been thinking about moving back..but the original owner of this restaurant left me it after he died..so I'm the only one in charge. I'm thinking I might stay here...sure the winters are shitty..but there's nothing like waking up to the sight of the ocean, and feeling the breezes."
"We know what you mean." Trev said.
"Where are you two from?" Sam asked.
"Massachusetts..we go to a Catholic School down there."
"So you know exactly what I mean with the sunsets. A Catholic school? That's got to be brutal."
"It's not bad...in fact; it's getting better, minus a few rough spots in the road." I replied. Trev suppressed a chuckle.
Suddenly, another car pulled into the lot, and a family of four jumped out.
"Well fellas, it's been great talking to you." He reached out and shook both our hands.
"Hold on, let me pay you here..." I reached for my wallet.
"Oh no, lunch and the malts are on me." He said, waving my wallet off.
"You sure?" Trev asked.
"Of course, don't worry about it."
"Well, thanks, and thanks for the story...it's given me some hope."
"To borrow another quote from the great Mr. Milk...'You can't live on hope alone, but without it, life isn't worth living'. Remember that, it always holds true."
With that, he turned around and greeted the incoming customers. I flipped my wallet out and left him $5. "A tip for the story." I whispered.
We walked out to the car, and Trev started it. "I feel like a new person now." He replied.
"Me too." I said. "Maybe we'll have to stay a bit longer at my parent's house on the way back.."
Trev grinned. "You thinking what I think you're thinking?"
"I might just be." I replied.
Trev backed out and we headed north, following the vast shoreline.
To be continued
How's the story going? Comments, opinions and suggestions needed. eastcoastkid_11@ hotmail.com