My long-range forecast -- chapter 7
Happy July 4th to all. I did not plan the timing of my chapters well, but trust me there will be a July 4th chapter coming up in the story.
I have more chapters written and I look forward to any suggestions, constructive criticms or positive feedback you have about the story. Please send information to cjwilson328@aol.com. For those if you who have already reached out to me - my thanks! I'm working your ideas into future storylines.
In this chapter, CJ reconnects with his college professor and his best friend. Wally also introduces everyone to the hot karaoke spot on the beach. Stay tuned for chapter 8 where Alex opens up more to CJ and their friendship blossoms.
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I did not get that much sleep as I still felt I was on an emotional high. Wally and I made passionate love. I know it was only our second time, but I cannot believe how wonderful he makes me feel. He's such a powerful man, but still handles me so gently with care, affection and the feeling of true love. I don't know what I did to deserve this man, but I want to keep him happy, fulfilled and content.
Wally set his alarm to get in an early morning workout. I got up with him and we went down to the exercise room. I love our workouts as I know they are beneficial for both of us. It's also a great way to start the day out with him. I know in a few weeks I'll have to adjust my schedule for work, but I hope he will agree to continue these early morning sessions on the weekends with me.
After the workout, we had our protein shake on the patio. He asked me "what do you have planned for today, CJ?" I replied "I'm going to finish some touch up work in the rooms in preparation for all of the deliveries next week. I'm also going to start looking for some different pictures and other knick-knack for the condo. I cannot stand any of the pictures in there now and want to get all of them moved out." Wally cracked up at me and said "you go Martha!" I continued on with "I'm also going to call James Thompson and a few friends from college to inform them of the openings at the station." Wally said "sounds good babe. Hopefully you can also get some pool time in today. You need to keep bronzing that tan for the television cameras."
Wally got ready for work and I made a pot of coffee. He walked out to the kitchen and I had a travel mug ready for him. He said "just what I need. A hot cup of coffee being given to me by my even hotter man." I cracked up at him and gave him a big kiss. I asked "anything special you want for dinner?". He replied "no, but how about karaoke tonight? I know a place that has Thursday karaoke and it's usually a great time." I said "sounds like fun, it's a date." He flashed that big smile at me, gave me a kiss, opened the door and said "love you babe and I'll see you tonight."
I got myself a glass of juice and a bowl of cereal. I turned on the tv to catch the morning news. I was able to watch Melissa's last broadcast of the morning. Right before the station switched back to the national morning show I saw it for the first time. The picture showed me in various shots, and the voice said "Join us as we welcome CJ Walters to our broadcasting family on June 26th. CJ will get you started every morning and at noon with the finest weather coverage in the bay area." The final shot switched to me in my semi-formal look with a beautiful smile. The voice over came back on saying "CJ Walters, your trusted source for reliable weather forecasts." I smiled and felt so energized with the ad I just saw.
I had the doors open to the patio and a nice breeze was coming in. I thought with the new tv coming, why not put one of the current tv's on the patio? I got my list and put an item on it to talk to Alex about splicing the cable and mounting a tv on the patio.
After my breakfast, I signed on to email and sent three notes out: one to James Thompson asking him to call me about current openings at the station; the second note went to my best friend Ronny Bradford who also was in broadcasting and still needed a job; the third note went to my friend Alecia who did weather broadcasting with me at the college. It wasn't even 10 minutes later that my phone chirped. I looked at the ID and said "I should have known, James Thompson always up at the crack of dawn."
I answered the call and said "good morning, Professor Thompson, how are you today?" He said "Hello CJ, and please call me James as I am no longer your professor!" I cracked up at him and said "do you have some time to talk now? I have very exciting news to share with you and I also want to inform you about a number of openings at the station in St Petersburg if you are aware of anyone still looking for a job?" He replied "I have nothing scheduled for this morning, so give me all of the scoop!"
I went through the exciting news I received yesterday. James was so happy for me and said "I think this puts you as the top graduate I have ever had landing a morning show in a top 15 market. Congratulations CJ, you have always worked so hard and you deserve this!" I said "thank you James, but had I not had your guidance, help and all those pep talks through college, I would not be here today."
I told James that the weekend position I originally received is now open and the station GM wants to fill it fast. I informed James that I sent Alecia a note to get in touch with me, but I said "if you are aware of anyone who may be a fit for a weather position to please contact them. I'll send you the GM's contact info via an email yet this morning." James said "perfect, are there any other openings you are aware of?" I said "yes, the GM is also in need of a sports anchor and there are openings in the production areas as well." James said "let's contact Ronny Bradford as I know he is still looking for a position." I replied "I have reached out to Ronny and asked him to contact me. I think a follow up from you though will definitely help nudge him." James laughed and said "yes, he needs so many more nudges than you ever did."
James and I talked for almost an hour. He asked "when do you start and does the station stream their local news shows?" I replied "my first show is Monday June 26th at 5:00 am, and that they do stream their broadcasts." James said "Great! I'll be watching you, and I'll bookmark the site. I want to see your continued progress and be a cheering fan from southwest Ohio for you!"
It was so good to talk to James. It reminded me of our early morning conversations at college. I went back into the kitchen and poured myself another cup of coffee. I grabbed my phone and went out to the patio. Just as I took my first sip of coffee the phone rang again. I looked at the ID and it was Ronny. I answered the call and said "Jesus, Ronny Bradford calling me before 9:00 am! What is up stud and how are you doing?" Ronny replied "I'm doing good CJ and back in central Indiana still looking for a job." I told him "That is why I reached out to you this morning. Do you have some time to talk now or are you busy finishing off a twink from last night?" Ronny said "you're still a smart ass I see!"
Ronny and I came out to each other during college, but never hit it off together sexually. We had a number of jo sessions during our college years, but he and I did not have the same taste in men. We spent a lot of time together at the television station and quickly became best friends. I always knew he had my back covered while I had his back covered as well. Ronny is a great swimmer and was on the college swim and dive team. He keeps his body shaved, and is built like the common `brick shithouse' phrase.
I proceeded to tell Ronny about my exciting news. Once I finished the highlights he said "damn dude! You did it. Congratulations!" I said "thanks big guy, it's all overwhelming to me now but I'm excited to get started."
I continued telling Ronny about the other openings, specifically the sports anchor. I said "with all of your sports broadcasting experience I think you are a great fit. The station GM is hot on hiring younger on-air talent as well." Ronny said "great, sign me up!" I replied "I'll send you his contact info via an email once we hang up. His name is Bailey Stauffer, and he is out until Monday. Get your resume and audition clips to him though. If he wants you to come down for an onsite interview, do it, you can stay here at my condo."
Before ending the call Ronny said "thanks for thinking about me CJ, you're a true friend!" I said "no problem at all. Imagine us on the air again together in central Florida versus southwest Ohio. We'll have a blast." I ended the call with Ronny and got my laptop. I sent out the emails to Roger and Ronny with Bailey's contact info. I do hope it works out for Ronny. I'd like to have him in the area. I can already see him hooking up with Alex. There I go planning another project for myself to coordinate!
I finished my coffee and decided to go take a shower. I missed Wally being in it with me this morning. I just stood under the shower head letting the warm water cascade down my body. My thoughts carried me away to just how much my life had changed over the last few weeks. A big smile came to my face when I envisioned Wally. I'm so glad he's with me so that I can share all of my new experiences with him. I realize it's been a short time with him, but I feel so fortunate to have him in my life and will do whatever it takes to ensure our relationship continues in a positive direction.
After my shower I dried myself off and changed into a pair of shorts and muscle shirt. I put some lotion on my arms, legs and face as I planned to take the top off the jeep and cruise around town today. I was about to leave the condo when my phone rang. It was Alecia, so I answered it and gave her all the scoop. She was also still looking for a job and I told her to send her resume and audition clips to the GM. I told her I'd forward his contact information to her and informed her that he was out of the office until next Monday. After my call with Alecia, I sent her an email with Bailey's contact information. My ultimate goal was to flood Bailey's email with resumes and audition clips so he can get some interviews set up next week if he desires.
I grabbed the keys, locked up the condo and headed for the jeep. It is a beautiful morning and I am going to enjoy my travels this morning. I pulled the top off and headed out. I decided to go cruise Gulf Blvd and see if anything exciting was happening this morning. There were a number of people out already enjoying the morning rays. I went south on Gulf Blvd first into the neighborhoods. There were a few art shops which I stopped at and went into along the way. The second shop had a beautiful beach setting painting which I thought will look good in the dining room or a bedroom. The price seemed reasonable and I liked it. Five minutes later I had made my first purchase of the day and had it loaded in the jeep. I continued on my drive around the area. I pulled into a parking spot facing the gulf and decided to walk on the beach for a while. I pulled my shirt off and headed out in the sand. The beach was getting crowded as more families picked their spot for the day. I sat down for a while and breathed in the salt air. I was truly enjoying myself except for one thing, I missed my man sitting by me.
I continued my walk, and ended up back near where I parked the jeep. A beachside bar had opened up so I went and grabbed a beer. I sat on a beach wall and enjoyed the sun as well as the cold beer. I had a number of ladies admiring my muscular build. Little did they know that I was admiring the guys with them. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and took a selfie of me with my beer in hand. I sent it to Wally in a text saying "having a good morning and am at the beach. The only thing missing is you stud!" I also texted Ronny with the picture saying "you too can be here on the beach having a beer with me."
Wally returned the text saying "damn you look so sexy. How about if I take off early and meet you back at the condo around 2:30?" I replied with "some pool time?" He sent me one back saying "yeah happy hour at pool side, then we'll go karaoke." I sent him one final text saying "it's a plan, see you at 2:30."
I finished my beer and went to the jeep. I got in, turned on some music and headed back north on Gulf Blvd to uptown St Pete Beach. I parked the jeep and walked around looking into various stores. I found a couple more pictures and some nice trinkets to set around on end tables in the condo. My last stop was at the end of the block where I went into a small hardware store that had a gift section. I browsed around and came across a keychain display tree. I swung it around and one chain quickly caught my attention. The chain was a simple pewter heart and I took it to the check out. I asked the clerk "by any chance do you engrave here as well as make key copies?" She replied "yes, I can engrave two initials in this and copy you a key if you want." I said "please, and it's a sale. Will you engrave CJ on it and make a copy of this key for me?" She said "give me about 10 minutes and I'll have it done for you." How corny I thought, I'm giving him a heart key chain with my name on it and a key to my condo. Knowing Wally though, he will love it. The clerk returned with the chain and key attached to it. She asked "can I wrap this up in a small box for you?" I smiled and said "what a perfect touch! Yes, please that sounds great." I walked out of the store a few minutes later thinking `what great customer service, I'll be back.'
I picked up some beer before returning to the condo. Once I got back to my condo parking spot, I unloaded my purchases and went up to my front door. I got the door unlocked and my phone started ringing. I quickly placed everything on the dining room table and answered the call seeing it was Ronny. I said "yo, twice in one day. What can I do for you?" Ronny said "well your boss is answering emails today even though he is out of the office. He asked me to come down next Tuesday or Wednesday for an onsite interview." I said "you're shitting me dude! Can you make it down?" Ronny replied "hell yes, I am going to come down. Can you pick me up at the airport and can I crash at your place for a couple of days?" I said "mi casa es su casa, of course you can crash here. Once you get your flight details let me know." Ronny said "CJ if this works out, I owe you big time!" I told him "Don't worry about it I already have your repayment plan set up." Ronny cracked up saying "what color hair does he have?" I said "auburn and he's the property manager here at the condo complex." Ronny said "okay, what the hell. I'm up for it." I ended the call saying "thanks for letting me know Ronny, I've got good feelings about this. Bailey is a straight shooter and for him to contact you immediately, he sees something in you he likes. Text, call or email your flight info and I'll see you next week bro!"
I put the beer in the refrigerator and moved my purchases into the middle bedroom. I left the box with Wally's key on the dining room table. Just after 2:30, I heard a knock at my door. I yelled "it's open" and the love of my life walked in. He put his sunglasses on the breakfast bar, walked over to me and began kissing me hard. After a couple of minutes, I broke away said "wow all of that from sending you just one picture?" He said "yes, your text and picture came at the right time. I was thinking about you, and there you appear on my phone. I decided I wanted to be with you this afternoon so I took off work early. I replied "I'll have to remember that and send you a candid photo every day."
I was a little hungry and asked him "if he wanted to munch on any of the food leftover from last night?" He smiled and said "you read my mind once again, yeah I am a little hungry." I said "great, go change and we'll head out to the patio then." I pulled my shorts off, put my speedo on and pulled my shorts back over it. He returned as I was getting food out of the refrigerator. I asked him "ice tea, beer or something else?" He smiled and said "beer sounds good for happy hour today."
We took the food and beers out to the patio. I spoke up asking "how was your day at work?" Wally said "it was okay. I'm dealing with a plumbing issue at the one site which is becoming bigger than I thought it would be. How was the rest of your shopping? Did you find anything today? I replied "yes, I found five pictures to work in around here, some Knick knacks to sit on end tables and one more small thing at the hardware store downtown. Let me go get it as I want you to see it first." I got up, went to the dining table and retrieved the wrapped gift box. I returned to the patio and handed him the box. He looked at me and said "what's this?" I said "open it up big man and find out." He opened the box and cracked up laughing. I said "too corny for you giving you a heart key chain with my condo key on it?" Wally said "nope not at all." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a similar size box. He looked at me and said "I visited the hardware store this week too." He placed the box in my hand and I opened it up. I began laughing hard as I saw the same heart shaped key chain with AW engraved on it and a key attached. I leaned over and gave him a kiss. I said "I love this -- we are on the same telepathic waves". He replied "yes we are my love, ain't it great?"
We ate some food and finished our beer. He spoke up saying "the place we're going tonight for karaoke has fantastic shrimp and grouper tacos. They also have a large number of beers on tap." I said "that sounds great, what time do you want to head over there?" He replied "karaoke starts at 8:00 pm, so how about we get there at 7:30 to make sure we get a table." I said "sounds great Wally."
We went down to the pool and took a bucket of beer with us. Alex saw us entering the pool area and said "hey guys, how are you both doing?" We both yelled back "good Alex, how are you?" He said "fine, just cleaning up here after a few rugrats made a mess with fruit punch. Thank goodness it did not go into the pool."
Wally grabbed our table and I pulled down my shorts to reveal my speedo. I jumped in and began swimming around. Wally pulled his shorts down also, and headed into the pool doing a huge cannon ball. The resulting splash soaked Alex. He was a good sport about it, but looked at Wally and said "some guys need to grow up!"
We swam around for about a half-hour. I got out of the pool first and Wally followed me to the table. He and I both opened a beer and clanked them together. He looked at me and said "doesn't get any better than this, does it kiddo?" I winked at him and said "I am getting used to happy hour, think of how many different variations we can have!" He smiled and said "way too many variations CJ, but I'm willing to try them all with you."
Alex came over and asked "mind if I join you two?" I pushed a chair to him and said "sure Alex, I need to talk to you anyway about a couple of things. He smiled and said "ask away CJ."
I opened another beer and handed it to Alex. I said "how hard is it to splice the television cable and route it to the patio? I want to mount a television on the patio wall in one of my seating areas." Alex replied "not hard at all, you just need to show me where you want it mounted and how high up you want it on the wall. Do you want to tackle it next week?" I said "yeah, that will be good." I looked over to Wally and said "does that sound good to you babe?" He replied "yep, perfect for Sunday afternoon golf matches or football season. I don't know why I never did that on my patio."
Alex looked at me and said "what's next?" I picked up my phone and scrolled through my pictures to locate Ronny. Once I found it, I expanded it and passed the phone to Alex. I said "does this turn you on at all?" Alex replied and said "hell yeah, is this a college friend of yours?" I nodded yes and said "he's coming down next week for an interview at the station. I'm going to pick him up at the airport and he's going to stay for a few days. His name is Ronny and he is a swimmer. He shaves his body and is built extremely well." Alex looked up and said "I can tell. He looks good." I said "perfect, the four of us will go out sometime next week while he is here. I think you two will hit it off well." Alex just blushed and said "he won't go for a guy like me." I smiled and winked at Alex saying "trust me you're his type. I already gave him your stats and he's looking forward to meeting you." Wally reached over and grabbed my phone. He pulled up Ronny's picture and said "nice. You will make a nice twink for him Alex!"
We all had a hearty laugh and continued talking on. Wally said "how long is Ronny going to stay?" I said "I'm not sure. I called him this morning to tell him about the openings. He sent his resume and audition clips to the GM. The GM is on vacation today, but called Ronny asking him if he can come down next Tuesday or Wednesday for an onsite interview." Wally said "look at you, lining up jobs for all your friends at the station. Pretty soon we'll have all of the tri-state area down here, won't we? "I said "not quite, but if it works out for Ronny, I'll be very happy. He's a good guy and it will be great to be back on the air together here." Wally winked at me and said "did you tell him about us yet?" I said "not yet, but I will once I get his travel plans."
Our conversation continued and soon we finished the beers we brought down with us. Wally turned to Alex and said "okay Alex, next happy hour is on you!" I laughed and winked at Alex saying "don't worry, I have you covered." Wally then said "what are you doing tonight, Alex?" Alex replied "I have no plans so I'll probably just watch some tv and hit the sack early." Wally said "nope, you're coming out for shrimp and grouper tacos with us, followed by karaoke!" Alex said "you going to Mel's on the beach"? Wally nodded his head yes. Alex said "you sure you want me to come along, I don't want to be a third wheel?" Wally just shook his head and said "would I have invited you there if I did not want you to come along?" Alex looked over at me and I was sporting a big ass grin. He then said "sure guys, it sounds like fun."
Wally said "great. Meet us in the parking lot at 6:30. We'll get over there early, grab some tacos and beer and get ready for 8:00 karaoke." Alex said "okay Wally. I have a few things to take care of before leaving. I'll see you two at 6:30 pm."
Wally looked at me and said "sorry babe, I should have checked with you before inviting him." I smiled at Wally and said "are you kidding, this sounds great. He's a good guy and I'm anxious to see if he and Ronny will hit it off next week." Wally said "are you sure Alex is Ronny's type?" I said "trust me, Ronny will be all over him next week."
We met at the jeep at 6:30 and headed out to Mel's. The crowd was not too bad yet. We went in, grabbed a table and our waiter appeared to take our food and drink order.
Soon we were all chowing down on tacos and enjoying various draft beers. I went for my usual IPA; Wally ordered a pilsner and Alex had a pale ale. I love draft beer and it gave me an idea. I looked at Alex and said "do any residents have a keg installed on their patio?" Alex replied "yeah there are two. One is on the second floor and the other is on the third floor." I looked at Wally and said "what do you think about a keg on the patio as well?" Wally smiled and said "yes, with your larger patio we can put a television, a keg and still have plenty of room for various sitting areas." I looked back at Alex and said "do I need to do anything special with the condo association to get one installed?" He said "no, I'll get you into Ken Blakes place on two and show you his. He made it very simple, and it looks very nice. He took a small refrigerator and retrofitted it with the keg tap on top of it. I believe he got the whole unit from Amazon. He built a small cabinet around it and it fits into the patio quite well."
I gave Alex a high five and said "awesome -- beer and poker night at CJ and Wally's place!" Wally looked at me, winked and said "I'm up for its babe!" Alex said "I'll only help if I'm a standing poker player." I looked at him and said "you'll be only included if you start smoking cigars with us!" Alex shook his head and said "does Ronny smoke them as well?" I nodded my head yes, and Alex replied "we'll see." I then broke out in a hearty laugh and said "see I told you I was going to have you smoking them down to the nub by the end of summer!"
Before karaoke started the host distributed song lists to each table. Wally said "there's a $100 prize for the top individual and a $100 prize for the top duo or group." I said "cool" and started looking through the list. My favorite Greenday song was on the list, and I went up to the host table to get it scheduled. Since Wally said I nailed it on our Sarasota drive, I thought I'd do it again for him. Alex found a song and went up to schedule it. Wally was still looking and I asked him "anything look good to you big guy? "He said "yeah" and pointed to a Righteous Brother song. He asked me "will you do it with me?" I said "sure -- we'll knock it out of the park!" Wally went up and scheduled our song then. While he was gone, I ordered another round of beers in advance of getting rowdy with the crowd!
The host kicked off the contest and the crowd had grown significantly. I looked at Wally and asked "is this the hangout on Thursday nights?" He said "yes, it's probably the most popular place on the beach." I liked the atmosphere and took a big gulp of my beer. The host then said "kicking off tonight, let's welcome CJ to the stage!" I did not think I'd be first up, but decided "what the hell -- get up there and go for it!"
I nailed the song and had the crowd going wild. At this point, I think they'll go wild though for anything. A couple more singers were called up and then it came to Alex. He went up to the stage, grabbed the microphone and belted out a Billy Joel favorite. By the end of the song, he had the entire restaurant and bar singing along with him. I thought he was going to be carried off the stage in a wave due to his excellent version of the song. He got back to the table and Wally and I gave him high fives. He was smiling bigger than I'd seen him yet to this point. He looked at me and said "that was awesome! Did I do okay?" I replied "Dude, do you hear the crowd? You kicked ass! See what happens when you let your hair down and relax?" With that, he ordered another round of beers for us.
Towards the end of the show the host said "now give it up for a classic performed by CJ and Wally. I want everyone singing along with this." Wally grabbed my hand and we jumped on the stage. We took the microphones and started in on the classic. The crowd went nuts and were soon matching us word for word. We ended up with a standing ovation and gave each other a hug before leaving the stage.
The contest ended and the host said "I'll be back with tonight's winners in about 10 minutes. Until then, tip your waiters and bartenders!"
We all were having a great time. Alex looked at Wally and said "thanks for inviting me tonight, I'm having a great time." Wally cracked up and said "stick with us Alex, we'll take you on the ride of your life!" Alex busted out laughing and said "does Ronny karaoke, and can we bring him here next week?" I smiled and said "hell yes, he does karaoke. I'm sure he will join us next week and you two can wow the crowd with something."
The host got back up on the stage and said "okay it's time to announce the winners! First a thank you to all of our contestants and a reminder to keep coming back each Thursday for more karaoke fun. The top individual tonight goes to "Alex Billy Joel". Alex jumped up and gave Wally and I each a high five. He went up to the stage, shook the host's hand, took his $100 prize and bowed to the audience. The host then said "and now for the duo or group winner. It's a duo tonight. Please join me in congratulating CJ and Wally making their debut here before they head to Nashville. Guys, come on up and get your prize!" Wally and I went up on stage, took our prize money and thanked everyone in the crowd.
The crowd settled down and music began to play in the background. I looked at Wally and Alex and said "that was a kick ass time". They both agreed with me and we ordered one more round of beer.
About an hour later we made it back to the condo. Hugs were exchanged and Alex said "guys thank you; I had a great time tonight." The $200 bucks covered our bill and we had funds left over. Alex spoke up saying "how about if I take the remainder and cover happy hour for you two tomorrow?" Wally and I both grinned and I said "sounds good Alex, bring us some top shelf drinks tomorrow at the pool." He said "I will gents and I'll see you tomorrow."
Wally and I went up to the condo. He opened the door with his new key, looked at me and said "I don't know how much more I will fall in love with you but I hope I never will be filled up with it." I put my arms around him and said "take me to bed stud".