Hi everyone, Al here. Sorry I took so long to finish this part, but college can become overwhelming sometimes, especially for a freshman. I'd like to thank everyone who took the time to write me. It's your continuing encouragement and kind words that help me to continue my story. This fourth installment will cover day four of the 1999 convention-the last day. However, like I said earlier, there's a lot that has happened since then, and with your continued support I want to write all about it.
Oliver and I Installment #4:
Darkness. All around my body was darkness, and I shifted my eyes to he side of the bed. The bright red digits of the clock red 4:30 AM. I let out a soft sigh and brought a hand up to rub my tired eyes. When they finally adjusted to my surroundings I glanced down at Oliver's sleeping form. He still lay back in my arms, and I could feel the rise and fall of his warm body under the covers with each breath he took. I stroked his hair lightly as I kissed his forehead. He was so beautiful. After a few moments I carefully slid from behind him and out of the bed without waking him. After I put on some boxers I drew the covers up over him so that he wouldn't grow too cold. Now that I was up, I knew there was no chance of going back to sleep, so I walked over to the window (sliding glass doors actually) and stepped out onto the small balcony overlooking the side of the building. My legs gave way and I just slid down the side of the doorframe to the ground. I drew my knees up as I leaned back a little and took in the night sky. It wasn't all that impressive, but it gave me something to look at. I loved the night sky back in Ohio on the farm, where every little star was visible in the moonlit sky. Time seemed to dissipate as I fell deeper into my own clouded thoughts. I sat totally still with my eyes fixed on some distant point only my imagination could perceive. Thoughts and memories of my life flashed through my mind; especially those of the last few years. I remembered when my grandfather on my mom's side passed away freshman year. I remembered when my other grandfather passed away only a year later. I remembered when my mom left us, and when she took my sister away with her. I remembered the pain-the immense amount of pain I had felt all my life. I remembered the anger I had, much of which I still bear with me. Every death, tragedy, misfortune, betrayal, and obstacle that came my way I was able to conquer. But the cost was high. All of the hurt and hatred I kept bottled inside for all those hears had slowly eaten away at my spirit, my pride, and self-worth. I had been alone, with no one to trust or confide in. Sure there was my dad, but there were just some things that I couldn't discuss with him. After my mom left, my father was crushed. Not about what she had done to him, but about what she was doing to us kids in the process. Once again I had to be the strong one, and I did my best to keep what was left of our family together. I still do. It was a long time before I mourned deaths in the family, or my parents' divorce. I had spent so much time taking care of other people's needs that I neglected myself. The story of my life.
Then, just when I thought I was destined for loneliness for the rest of my life, Oliver appeared. 'Oliver'. I replayed the name over and over in my head. What a guy! He got me to open up when no one else could. He could see into my eyes and understand my every thought. I could lower my defenses around him and just be myself. No act, no masks-just me. When I cried, his shoulder was there, and his arms were open wide to receive me as a friend. The broken English of his voice soothed me, and the sparkle in his blue eyes lent me hope for the future. For the first time in years, I felt loved. My eyes shifted towards the east as I thought about the day Oliver would have to return home. Time was moving so fast and my head was spinning. There was so much to think about. Even though Oliver would be here for over a year, I knew it would pass quickly. I had to make the most of every opportunity I had to be with him. At that moment I couldn't possibly imagine being without him. We had gotten this far, and I would by no means give up on us now. I loved him-probably more than anything-and I didn't want to let him go even for a moment. Suddenly I felt a soft pressure on my shoulder, and turned my head to see the source. Oliver had put on some shorts and was now crouching behind me with his hand on my shoulder. The outside air was cold, believe it or not, and I welcomed his warm touch. I brought my hand up and placed it over his.
"Couldn't sleep?" he asked.
"No." I muttered softly.
"Are you alright?"
"I guess so. I just have a lot on my mind, that's all," I said as my gaze turned back to the night sky.
"Me too. You want to talk about it?" If it had been any other person I would have shrugged them off and told them to leave me alone. Just like I had shunned every other person in my life that tried to get close to me. Oliver was different though. For some reason, I felt compelled to talk to him-like I knew I could trust him.
"Sure," I said as I pulled him down on the floor next to me. He sat so that he was facing me, even though my line of sight was elsewhere.
"So, what's on your mind?"
"A lot of stuff. I just got to thinking about my life, and what hell it's been up until this point." I paused. "Then I started thinking about us, and how happy I've been these last few days. I..." I choked as a lump grew in the back of my throat and I fell silent for a moment.
"It's okay," he whispered. I finally turned to face him and I looked deep into his eyes. I could see the love and sincerity within those blue spheres and I forced myself to continue.
"Oliver, I love you. I've never felt like this about anyone but you. I've been through hell my whole life, and somehow you were able to bring out the best in me. When I'm with you my defenses fall and I don't have a care in the world. I can be myself around you. It's a part of myself that hasn't seen daylight in a long time. I can talk to you about anything." As hard as I tried I couldn't stop the tears from streaking down my cheeks. I don't want to lose that-I don't want to lose you." Oliver's eyes began to water as he looked down once before finding my face again.
"Come here," he said as he lunged forward and hugged me with all of his strength. "You're not going to lose me. I love you too much," he said as he too began to cry on my shoulder. My arms were around him and I kept him close. "You know," he began, "those are the nicest things anyone has ever said to me. Thank you." Here I was the strong one, the person who didn't need anyone at all-crying like a baby. Now I was the one who needed comfort, and it was long overdue. The tears kept coming and I trembled in his loving grasp. "It's okay. Shhh, it's okay," he said to me as he held the back of my head and stroked my hair. "It's alright, everything will be fine." I didn't say a word. I just held on to him.
Eventually I was able to get a hold of myself and I loosened my hold on him enough to see his face. "I'm sorry," I said as I started to dry my eyes on my arm. "I must look pathetic."
"Your not pathetic. You have feelings, and there's nothing wrong with that. You've never been able to mourn, because you've always had to be the strong one. I can tell that you're the type of person who would bend over backwards for others, even if it meant ignoring your own needs. You've got a lot to think about. We've got a lot to think about." He smiled and turned my face to his. "You need to let go of the anger and hurt you've held for so long, before it kills you. And then what good does that do us?" He smiled again, and I returned the smile with a slight sniffle.
"Yeah, I guess you're right. Well, that's enough of that. How about we talk about something else."
"That's a good idea. What about?"
"Well, I was thinking that when you've finished your tour of the West that maybe you might be interested in spending some time over at my place. I mean, if you want. I know you've probably got a pretty busy schedule-there's a lot of America to see. It's up to you though," I said as I looked down at the floor.
"It's about time. I thought you were never going to ask me. I'd be happy to come over."
"Really?" I said, looking up wide-eyed.
"Sure. I don't know for how long though. I wouldn't want to impose on your family members."
"Where the hell were you planning on staying for all this time?"
"I don't know, hotels mostly. I was even thinking about getting a small apartment somewhere."
"The hell you are," I said with a serious tone in my voice. "You can come to my place and stay as long as you want. Besides, the rent is free."
"No, I couldn't do that. I don't think your father would appreciate me taking advantage of his hospitality for so long."
"Bullshit. Can you cook?"
"Yeah."
"Can you clean and do chores occasionally?"
"Yeah.
"Then my father will have no problem. As long as you help out with things around the house a little my father probably won't want you to leave."
"You're sure?"
"You get free room and board, and he gets free labor. It couldn't work out better."
"I don't know what to say."
"Say that you'll come and stay with me." I paused and there was a short silence as I waited for an answer.
"Alright buddy, you've got yourself a deal!" Oliver reached over and gave me a big hug and a kiss. At that moment I felt that we were the happiest guys in the world. I would discuss everything with my dad later and make all the arrangements. I looked down at my watch. It was 7:00 AM.
"Wow, look at the time," I said.
"Jeez, it's already 7:00? So much for a good night's sleep. What do you want to do now?"
"First we should go inside before people in the hotel across the street see us like this."
"Let 'em watch. Nothing can ruin my good mood today," Oliver said with a smile as he pushed me back and stuck his tongue in my mouth. I did the same and before I knew it we were making out on an 8th floor balcony. The sun came up slowly and splashed golden light over our half naked bodies. The warmth was incredible, and a little while later it became too much, so we stood up and retreated to the air conditioning of the room. The two of us flopped down on the bed side by side and held hands as we lay there looking at the ceiling.
"Well I know we don't have any duties today, but do you want to get into costume later and just roam around for the hell of it?" I asked.
"Yeah, that would be fun. Some of the other guys will probably be down there anyway." I tilted my head sideways and looked at the beautiful boy next to me. He turned as well and we just smiled at each other. God did I love his smile. He had the perfect face-especially when he smiled.
"So, what time do you leave today?"
"I don't leave until tomorrow actually. I catch the bus to San Diego. How about you?"
"I have to be at the airport by 9:00 PM tonight to get my flight home. I get back by early morning."
"Then to sleep, right?"
"Yeah, more than likely," I chuckled. "Oh, before I forget, I need to give you something." I reached for a pen and paper that were sitting on the end table off to my right.
"What's that?" I wrote something on the paper, tore it from the pad, and handed it to him.
"Here's my address, phone number, and e-mail."
"I'll probably need that, won't I?" he said with a lop-sided grin. "Well in that case," he said as he took the pen and paper, "here's my information. The number for my cell is on there too."
"Thanks," I said, and took the slip of paper from him. We both found our wallets and stuck the papers safely inside. "You hungry?"
"Uh huh."
"Then let's get dressed and get something to eat. I'm starving."
The two of us got dressed and headed for the elevator. We were in the lobby in no time at all, and made our way down a few levels as we tried to decide where we wanted to eat. It was about 8:00 AM, so the whole building was pretty dead, which was nice. There would be no shoving through hordes of people this morning. Oliver looked so cute. He wore a pair of cargo shorts and a blue T-shirt that was about a size or two too big. I smiled at that. He had explained to me earlier when I commented on it that he liked wearing baggy shirts because it made him to appear to be more 'filled out' than he actually was. He seemed to think he was too scrawny looking. I can't understand why, he looked fine to me. He had fairly broad shoulders, nice muscles, and that pretty face. And who could forget those eyes? I on the other hand was huge compared to him-but that's what happens when you have a great uncle who's 6'10". Oliver had mentioned a few times how envious he was of my height, and I couldn't help but laugh in his face. I tried to explain it wasn't all that great. I mean, just think of the amount of money I spend on clothes and shoes alone. Not pretty. I was wearing a black tank top and a pair of jean shorts that morning. It didn't take much for me to sweat, and Atlanta's present climate was killing me. As we were walking down the last set of stairs to the food court I made sure I was behind him so that I could see his tight little ass when he walked. What a sight to behold. When I caught up to him he smacked my arm lightly.
"Pervert," he grinned.
"Can you blame me?" I said, putting on the lopsided grin I was famous for.
"Where should we eat?"
"I don't know."
"You wanna go to the same place we've been going?"
"Sure, what the hell? Might as well, the food's good."
So we walked over to the place we had eaten breakfast at for the last two days. We weren't even half way there when the same lady running the counter spotted us.
"Well good mornin' to y'all!" she said as we approached.
"Good morning," Oliver and I said simultaneously.
"See that, they always come back fo mo of Mamma Agnes' good home cookin'." Her kind old smile and good humor was infectious, and Oliver and I found ourselves smiling as well. "Now, what can I get fo y'all?"
"Well I'll have sausage, eggs, a biscuit, and some coffee."
"I'll have bacon, eggs, a biscuit, and orange juice please," Oliver said.
"Sho thing honeys," she replied as she began getting our food. When she had our orders ready I stepped up quickly and paid the bill. Oliver shot me a frustrated glance as I did so.
"Thanks," I said. "Have a nice day."
"Sho will honey, you have a good one."
As we walked away Oliver took out his wallet and took out enough money to cover his breakfast.
"Here," he said.
"I don't want it."
"Take it."
"I said no, you're going to need that for the rest of your trip. It's my treat." I gave him a pat on the back and smiled.
"You're stubborn, you know that?" he said with a slight giggle.
"I prefer strong-willed." He laughed and we went to find a place to sit. The place was practically empty, just as it had been the previous morning, so we sat back in the same booth over in the corner of the room. We both sat down and eagerly began eating our breakfast. As I ate I could feel Oliver's socked foot rubbing up and down the length of my leg. He had slipped the sandal off of one of his feet. I just looked up and smiled at him. He grinned back and ate his food as he continued to rub his foot over my hairy legs. Now I was distracted, and couldn't help but stare at that gorgeous face of his. For being 18 he had little stubble on his face, and he kept it smooth as glass. His chiseled features took on the appearance of a marble statue. I on the other hand had to shave every morning because my face always seemed to be full of stubble. I envied him for that. He looked so smooth and perfect, and I looked like a roughed up son of a bitch who hadn't slept in a few days. 'What is it he sees in me?' I wondered.
"Are you gonna eat that or what?" he said, smiling at me. I snapped out of my momentary trance and looked down at my plate. "It's gonna get cold."
"Uh, yeah. You're gonna have to stop that though. You're making me anxious."
"I know. Sorry." He was still smiling.
"Smart ass," I joked. He chuckled and we continued our breakfast as we discussed what we were going to do for the day. When 9:00 AM came, we discarded our trash and made our way back up to the lobby of the hotel. A couple of troopers from our group were already standing in the lobby, so Oliver and I walked to the elevator as quickly as we could to get to our room. We were up there soon and I began gathering the components for my costume. And like before Oliver was changed in a flash and came over to assist me in putting on my stuff.
"I love a man bound in leather," he teased as I slipped into my body suit.
"Now who's the pervert?" I laughed as I gave him a light shove.
"I couldn't resist that one," he said smiling, revealing his perfect white teeth. Damn he was cute. After a few more minutes I was finally in costume and ready to go. Since I had no pockets Oliver kept the key card for the room. We both left the room and got on to the elevator. We descended eight floors back down to the lobby and got off. Even with my limited eyesight I noticed that there was a larger number of people walking around, and once the two of us were spotted the camera flashes went off like lightning. We quickly got into character and marched boldly over to the other handful of guys from our group. We stood there for about an hour posing for pictures before we decided to walk across to the dealers' building. Big mistake! There were ten of us now, and we were all sweating in the unbearable humidity of the scorching air. I learned later that the temperature had risen to a high of 98 degrees that day. I could see sweat beading over Oliver's smooth face, and he wasn't wearing anything nearly as "elaborate" as the rest of us. The two-block walk felt like walking across a two-mile stretch of desert with potholes. I definitely had to dry my costume out before I left for home. When we finally did get to the dealer's room I thought I could hear a sigh of relief from every man in the group as the cool air of the building slammed into us like a wall of ice. After that we just kind of walked up and down the rows of tables and booths, stopping occasionally to pose for pictures and stuff like that. We really had lots fun. It's what us sci-fi geeks live for. We were there until 2:00 PM before the gang decided to break up.
"What time is it?" I asked Oliver who looked a little tired.
"Uh, about 2:00."
"Jeez, already?" Oliver nodded and I shook my head. "Hey, you wanna go change so that maybe we can spend a little time together? Besides, I have to give my suit a chance to dry out before I pack it."
"Sure, I'd like that. But first let's get a picture of us in these contraptions." Oliver pulled out his camera. "Excuse me, miss. Would you take a picture of the two of us?"
"Certainly," the woman said. She took the camera and stood back to get a good shot. Oliver stood right next to me and I put an arm around his shoulder. The flash went off and Oliver stepped up to retrieve his camera.
"Good, now we can go," he said.
With that we took off out of the building and down the street to the Hyatt. We got there in about 10 minutes and made our way to the elevator. I was soaked now and ready for a shower. When we came up to our room Oliver dug the key card from his pocket and flung open the door. The second I was inside I began to tear away the heavy components of my costume. Oliver hurried over to give me a hand and I was out of it in no time. Like I said, I was soaked in sweat.
"I need a shower," I said as I looked down at myself. "I look like shit."
"You smell like it too," Oliver said giving me a push and a small giggle.
"Oh yeah?" I straightened up and moved towards him with my arms spread wide.
"Oh no don't." I continued my advance. "No, stop, don't!" he giggled. He backed up with his hands up in defense. I kept forcing him back until the back of his legs hit the bed and he lost his footing. I lunged forward and scooped him up in a big hug, letting us fall onto the bed. He was trapped.
"I got you now." I said triumphantly.
"You son of a bitch," he giggled. "Now I need a shower." I laughed and kissed his thin warm lips. He stopped struggling and returned the kiss.
"Shall we?" I asked, nodding to the bathroom. He nodded and I got up off of him. I shucked off the tank top and boxers I had on and went into the bathroom to start the water. Oliver came in a few minutes later and we both hopped into the shower. I stood there behind him with my arms around his torso as the steady flow of warm water cascaded over our skin. I brought my head down along side his and rested it on his shoulder. His hand came up around my head to hold it there as he turned his face to kiss me. His lips were warm to the touch, and I parted them with my tongue to taste his mouth. He pulled away and just nestled his head against mine. His eyes fell shut as he let himself lean back into me. I held him to me and slowly swayed side to side as if rocking him to sleep.
"This is nice," he sighed. "I feel like I'm in my own little world right now."
"Good," I whispered in his ear.
"Albert?"
"Yeah?"
"Tell me more about your home. Is it nice?"
"Sure," I said. "It's no mansion, but I like it. When I was born, the house was still being built. I spent the first three years of my life in the basement with my parents while the upstairs was under construction."
"Where did your parents live before then?" I could tell that he was trying to keep his mind off of other things so I continued.
"Same place. They had bought an old farmhouse there, and after one year a tornado hit the area and wiped it out. So after that my parents decided to rebuild. The place we have now is a little bigger than the old one, and took about five years to complete."
"Why so long?"
"Well, my family has never had much money. My mom and dad did what they could."
"You have a lot of respect for your family."
"Yeah, I do. They've been through a lot, especially my dad."
"Well I think his hard work paid off. He raised one hell of a guy." I blushed a little, and as if sensing it, Oliver kissed me lightly on the cheek and smiled.
"You have any animals?"
"Sure do. We've got chickens, rabbits, turkeys, and two dogs."
"Really?"
"Umm hmm."
"Cool. I can't wait to see that. So, when I come over, where are you guys gonna stick me?"
"In the barn of course." He let out a small chuckle.
"You're funny."
"Don't worry, we'll figure something out. There's plenty of room, although I doubt you'll be sleeping with me much."
"Bummer," he said with a smile on his face. "So much for that idea," he sighed.
"We'll make time. My brother hangs out with his friends a lot and my dad spends a lot of time running errands and working late at school. There's gonna be plenty of opportunities for us to have some private time, if you get my drift. I don't want anyone getting suspicious or anything."
"Yeah, you're probably right. At least we'll be together."
"We certainly will be," I said as I gave him a small peck on the cheek. "I'm thankful just for that. So, what about your place?" I asked quickly to change the subject again.
"My place?"
"Yeah. I intend to visit someday you know. It'll be my turn to eat you out of house and home."
"As giant as you are you'd probably accomplish just that," he added with a giggle. I couldn't help but laugh at that. My relatives always teased me that they had to restock every time I came over. What can I say, I'm a growing teen. Is there any worse combination?
"Really, what's it like?"
"Well, like I said before it's not that big since I live in the suburbs. It's nice though. There's a bedroom for my parents and a bedroom for me. My father has his shop in a shed around the back. He likes to spend a lot of time tinkering with stuff and building things like furniture-which is what he really does for a living. We're pretty far north, so it's cold most of the time. I'm definitely not used to this heat." By this time I had taken up the bar of soap and was rubbing it over Oliver's soft skin as he spoke. "The skiing is definitely nice though." Then he was silent, and only his soft breathing could be heard as I washed the lower regions of his body.
"Well, you'll like Ohio then," I began, trying to fill the conversation gap. "The climate is pretty much the same."
"That's good." Silence fell again after that, so I finished washing him down. When I was done he took the soap from me and turned me around as he began to lather up my back. His hands felt so good gliding in smooth movements over my skin.
"That feels good," I sighed as his slender fingers massaged the tension from my back muscles.
"I'm glad you like it."
"Where did you learn to give a massage? You're like a pro."
"My mom used to be a masseuse. Some of her talent rubbed off I guess."
"Remind me to thank your mother when I meet her," I said, grinning. Oliver let out a small giggle and turned me around to finish the job at hand. When he finished washing me we both stood under the warm, gushing water to rinse ourselves off. With our shower now out of the way, I turned off the water and we stepped out. After we toweled off Oliver was standing in the mirror running his fingers through his hair to straighten it out. I smiled as I watched him. His hair always had to be just right, so I took my hand and deliberately ruffled it up.
"Awe man, don't do that," he whined.
"I think it looks cute that way," I said. He turned and tried to muster up his most serious face but he broke down and laughed instead. "You know you like it," I said, teasing him.
"Fine, smart ass," he said under his breath, as he blushed a little.
"See? Told you." I walked over and began to fix up his hair for him. At first he backed away, thinking I was going to mess it up again, but he relaxed and let me finish. "There, all done."
"Not bad," he commented, as he looked himself over in the mirror. "You should be a hair dresser."
"Fat chance," I said, rolling my eyes.
"What's wrong with that?" he said with a big grin on his face.
"It's not my kind of work." I got a little cold from the air conditioner being on so I slipped on a pair of boxers. Oliver did the same and followed me over to the bed. The two of us plopped down on the mattress beside each other and huddled close. I brought an arm around him as he lay his head against my shoulder. I could feel his warm breath against my skin with each exhale. I drew him closer and kissed him softly on the forehead. He looked up and smiled at me, and I smiled back. He had the most adorable smile, and my heart melted. I was with whom in my eyes was the most gorgeous guy alive-It felt like I was in heaven. Oliver let his fingers play teasingly over the light patch of hair on my chest.
"I could lay like this forever," he said, breaking the silence.
"So could I," I whispered. "Oliver?"
"Yes?"
"When you decided you were gay, how did you deal with it?"
"Not too well actually. At first I had a really hard time accepting who I was. I mean, I knew I was gay, but I really didn't want to believe it. I was just so frightened about what might happen if someone found out about it. The last year has been tough because there was no one there that I could talk to about my feelings. There was no one I could trust, so I just kept to myself. I just graduated from high school, and my whole senior year I felt like a loner. My parents knew something was making me stressed out, so they became a little more open about my wanting to come here. I didn't think it would help much, but at least I would be able to keep my mind off of things for a while. And then I met you." Oliver turned his head up to look at me and he continued. "At first I wasn't too keen on sharing a room with someone, but when I saw your face for the first time something happened. Maybe it was your warm smile, or your icy blue eyes...all I know is that I was drawn to you. I didn't know anyone around here, and my English isn't all that great, but you made me feel welcome. And later that night when we kissed, I didn't feel afraid anymore. There was finally someone from common ground that I could trust. Not to mention that I think you're cute as hell." He smiled with that last remark.
"Thanks," I said, returning the smile as I blushed. "I'm glad we met each other. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me, and I want to be able to share my life with you." I looked deep into his eyes as I stroked his hair and we held our gaze. Then, as if sensing my sincerity, he smiled again and kissed me. I closed my eyes to savor the brief moment, and then smiled back. Oliver let his head rest once again on my chest. After a while I looked over at the clock. It was nearly 3:00 PM. I let out a sigh as I remembered that my flight home was scheduled to leave at 9:00 PM-which meant I had to leave by eight. Oliver and I had five more hours left before I had to leave. I knew Oliver must have also noticed the time when he spoke up again.
"Not much time left," he said in almost a soft whisper.
"I know."
"Come on," he started, "I'll help you pack your things so you're ready to go later," he said as he crawled out of bed.
"Yeah, I guess I should get my stuff together." We both wore expressions of pure sadness and disappointment on our faces as we scrambled around the room to get my things in order-two boxes and a duffel. It didn't take us long-probably about 15 minutes or so-and we were left standing only a few feet away from each other, staring. There was silence for a moment, and then Oliver came over and put his arms around me.
"What now?"
"Here," I said as I handed him some money. "Why don't you go get us some dinner while I make a phone call. I've got a few things to discuss with my dad." I hugged him, kissed his forehead, and gave him a big smile. "Then when you come back we'll talk. Okay?"
"Alright, I'll be back in a flash," he replied, trying his best to muster up a smile. I waited until he closed the door behind him before walking over and picking up the phone. I dialed the # for my dad's room and waited.
"Hello," my dad's voice sounded over the phone.
"Hi, dad."
"Oh Albert, how's it going?"
"Good."
"Are you getting your stuff together? The plane leaves at nine."
"Yeah, I know. It's all here. The reason I'm calling is that there was something I wanted to talk to you about."
"Sure, what's on your mind son?"
"Well, you remember Oliver from yesterday...right?"
"Yeah."
"Well he's going to tour the states for a while, probably for the rest of the summer, and I was wondering if it would be okay if he visited for a while after that. You know, come stay at our place for a while."
"Gee, I don't know. How long? Do you know?"
"Well not exactly. I mean, he's all the way from Germany an he'll be in the US until close to next fall."
"So he needs a place to stay a while. He doesn't know anyone here?"
"Just me, and we've really become good friends. I trust him. I'm the one that made the offer, but I wanted to ask you if it was okay." There was a short pause and I waited anxiously for an answer.
"I don't know how you're brother would feel about this." Another pause. "I'll tell you what," he started, "He can stay for a little while, and if I think he's deserving of it, he can stay as long as he wants."
"Wow, thanks dad! I really appreciate it."
"He's got to do his share around the house though. If he's going to stay with us he's going to be treated like family."
"No problem, you won't be disappointed. I promise."
"Alright, your brother and I will pick you up around 7:30 PM. And don't say anything to Oliver either. I want to talk to him personally." My father could be so cruel sometimes, but if I had to keep this quiet for the next four hours to make this work, I would.
"Okay, see you later." I was overcome with joy as I fumbled the receiver around a couple of times before hanging it up correctly. I felt like I wanted to burst, but I was going to try and not say anything until my dad arrived. About 10-15 minutes later the door opened and Oliver walked in with two carryout boxes of food and some drinks. I stood up from the bed and took the stuff from him before he dropped it.
"I found a Chinese place down there, so I thought we'd try something different."
"That's cool," I said.
"I hope you like it, cause I had to fight my way through a mob to get this stuff." He smiled at me and I smiled back as we dug into our food.
"Good stuff," I said with a mouthful of rice. Oliver smiled again.
"Then my trip was worth it. So, did you talk to your dad?" he asked with deep interest.
"Yeah."
"So what happened?"
"Later," I said as I kept a straight face. "Let's eat now."
"Awe come on," he whined. The suspense was killing him.
"We'll talk about it later," I said.
"No fair. This had better be one hell of a surprise," he muttered. I just shot him a sidelong glance and grinned.
"It'll be worth it. I promise."
"If you say so."
As we continued to eat our dinner we talked about all of the different things we had done this weekend. Both of us had a blast, and we were already talking about next year's convention. There were a lot of neat things that we had never seen before, and the other guys from our group said that it got better every year. That was something the two of us looked forward too. When we finally finished our food I pitched our garbage into the trash and sat back down on the bed.
"That was good," I said.
"Yeah, not bad," Oliver said, nodding his head in agreement. With a yawn I stretched out and lay flat on the bed. Oliver slid right next to me and put his head next to mine on the pillow. We turned to face one another and hugged. We kept our arms tight around each other as we lay in total silence. It was moments like this that I liked the most. Nothing had to be said, or done. That was something very important to the both of us. A relationship, whether it be heterosexual or homosexual, shouldn't be built around sex. Sure it's nice, but the love for one another as people has to be there for it to have any meaning. We were content just to be in each other's presence, and that was enough. As we lay there time seemed to slow down and we drifted off to sleep.
My eyes opened and I jumped as loud knocking resounded from behind the door to the room. Oliver awoke just as quickly and rubbed his eyes.
"Coming!" I said aloud as I looked over at the clock. It was 7:30 PM-my dad was here. "Be right there." A puzzled look came over Oliver's face as I walked over to answer the door. Sure enough my father was standing in the doorway.
"Hey Albert."
"Hi dad. Where's Thomas at?" I asked, looking around for my younger brother.
"He'll be up soon so can I come in?"
"Sure."
"So, did you guys have a good time this weekend?" he asked as he looked at the both of us.
"Yes sir," Oliver said.
"We sure did," I answered.
"So Oliver, I understand you'll be here for a while."
"Yes...till about next fall. Then I go back home." Oliver looked over at me with a pleading glance. I could tell he was a little nervous talking to my dad, but a quick wink from me seemed to give him a little reassurance.
"Well, do have any place to stay?" Despite the fact that he already knew the answers to most of his questions, my dad went on. He's a teacher. Making kids nervous is something he's perfected.
"Not really. I was planning on staying in hotels or maybe getting a small apartment.
"Well, Albert and I talked, and if you'd like you can stay with us for a while."
"Really? You don't mind?" Oliver's expression softened a little as he relaxed. "I don't want to impose."
"Nonsense!" my dad said. "We'd love to have you over, and I'm sure you two would enjoy the company."
"Thanks a lot. I really appreciate this."
"You're more than welcome. As long as you stay out of trouble there should be no problem at all."
"I'll be on my best behavior." Oliver and my dad shook hands.
"Good. I take it you two will stay in contact to make the arrangements?"
"You bet," we said together, barely containing our excitement.
"Alright, I'm going to take some of your stuff down to the lobby. I'll meet you down there."
"Be right there," I said, and waited for the door to close again so that Oliver and I were alone. "Surprised?"
"I sure am. You're dad's one heck of a guy."
"Yeah, he's a piece of work." Now we were facing each other again as a brief moment of silence fell over us.
"You have everything?" he asked as he glanced at my duffel on the floor.
"Not everything." With that I moved in and kissed his thin, warm lips. Our arms locked. "I love you Oliver," I whispered.
"I love you too Albert. Thanks again for everything. I had a great time."
"Me too. Talk to ya soon?"
"Definitely."
With that we embraced one last time and then I picked up my duffel and left. Yesterday I thought I would be crying now, but knowing I would see him very soon gave me something to smile about. I reached the lobby, saying goodbye to the rest of the gang before Bob took us to the airport. When we got there Bob helped check in our things.
"You keep in touch buddy. I want to see you here next year." Bob said as he shook my hand.
"You can count on that. It was nice meeting you in person finally."
"It was a pleasure meeting you too. Have a safe trip."
"Thanks Bob. Talk to ya soon."
Shortly after we were on the plane, and as it took off, I pulled my wallet out from its place in my rear pocket. I opened it up and stared at the small picture within. I let out a small sigh as I drifted off with thoughts of Oliver...
I hope you enjoyed this 4th installment. Please make comments at vader5@gateway.net. Even if you just want to talk, I'd be happy to hear from you. The rest will come as quickly as I can write it!