Community
On Monday at two o'clock, the high school swim team gathered at the quarry in the warm afternoon sun, all three of us - Austin, Andy and me. Coach and James were both there. At the entry was a sign that said, "Swim Team Practice In Progress" On the diving rock was a box containing our official swimwear. Coach formally outlined the situation.
"Welcome, swim team members. I am your coach, and James is my assistant, as designated by the school board. To reduce confusion, please call me 'Coach', and address James as 'Mr. West'. You three are the team, the first one for your school."
"Our use of the quarry pool is by permission of the owner. The waivers your parents signed reduce the risk to the school district, but the school board is stretching the rules by letting us use a non-standard pool for practice. So, during practice, there will be no activities other than instruction and drills. Is that clear?"
Three heads nodded.
"This week and next, we'll have a daily practice. Once school starts in two weeks, practice will be for two hours, beginning with your last school period, on Tuesday and Thursday. Officially, you will be taking physical education. The principal and school board are stretching the rules to make this happen. Please don't disappoint them or me in any way."
Three heads nodded again.
"As long as it's warm enough, we'll be using the quarry pool, and you are welcome to practice more here on your own. Once this pool is too cold, we'll be traveling forty miles to a YMCA pool. When school starts, all transportation, both to here and to the YMCA, will be in a school van driven by James or me. In all cases, we'll coordinate with your parents to see that you get home."
"Your speedos will be fine for today, but hereafter you'll need to use the team swimwear for all practices and swim meets. The swimwear the school is providing is maximum coverage, from just above the knee to just below the waist, just like what James and I are wearing. On cooler days, you'll welcome that requirement."
"Just for your information, this is not the smallest swim team ever in the state. The first year it existed, a school swim team in a small mining town well to the north of us consisted of one student. As you can guess, we won't be hosting any swim meets. If everything works out, we'll go to several invitationals within a reasonable distance. Qualifying for state will be a challenge, but let's have fun and do our best. Are there any questions?"
There were none.
One thing that Coach hadn't said was clear to all three of us on the team. Coach and James were devoting most of their spare time for the next two months to make this happen. I knew all three of us would make the most of the opportunity.
Practice and instruction lasted three hours. There was a difference between serious swimming and playing in the water. I went home tired.
I got into bed and was just about asleep when someone slipped into bed behind me. I smiled to myself. Rusty had done some original things, but sneaking into bed with me was new. But the hands that pulled me close weren't Rusty's. I leaped out of bed, ready to defend myself. But that wasn't necessary.
"Hey, Nuka, how was your day?"
"Fuck, Shago! Ya scared the shit out of me! What the hell do ya think yer doin'?"
Shago grinned at me. "It's called teepee creepin'. It's an old Native American tradition. Used to be only a flap on a teepee, but now you gotta look for a door that's been left unlocked, or an open window."
I crawled back into bed, and Shago gave me a gentle kiss.
"Tom figured you might be a little sore from swimming practice, and he thought you might want a massage. Not that he specifically suggested breaking in to do it."
I rolled onto my stomach. "Coach is right. Go for it."
Shago got a hand towel and lotion from the bathroom, straddled my legs, and went to work. The massage I was getting was nothing like the gentle ones Rusty sometimes gave me. Shago knew what he was doing.
"Mmmmmm. You can do that all night if ya wanna."
"I used to do this for Tom's swimmers near Portland when he was teaching there. They were straight, so they didn't get the internal massage you may want."
"You can give me an internal massage too, if ya wanna. But right now, I've got a couple of questions."
"Fire away."
"First, I wanna get a tattoo like yers, except it would be ravens like my armband, of course. Would it make you and Jace sad if I wasn't wearin' the armband any more?"
"We sort of figured you'd want to do that. No, it would please us that you made the armband permanent."
"Okay, I'll do that as soon as the swimming season ends."
"That was easy. Now was there something more?"
"Yeah. How did you know that my great-great-grandfather was a Native American?"
"That far back? I thought it might be closer."
"No. Mom knew, but only found out recently and hadn't said anything. She has a picture of my great-great-granddad when he was fourteen. I wanna show ya the picture. Let me go upstairs and get it."
Shago paused with the massage. I stood up and looked up the stairwell. Mom and Dad were in the office discussing home finances. I sneaked up to the living room and returned with the photo album.
"Check this out."
Shago looked at the photo and smiled. "A raven, too."
I grinned happily. "Yeah, isn't that great? I'm pretty sure this picture helped get the tattoo idea past my parents. They'll help me select an artist."
Shago thought for a moment. "I might have some ideas on that too. Let me check around for a good Native American tattoo artist. I would recommend the guy who did mine, but he's about five hundred miles away."
"I would appreciate that. But, back to my question. How did you know?"
Shago was silent for a few moments. "I'll tell you part of it. I'm what anthropologists incorrectly call a Native American 'Shaman'. I'm sensitive to the spirit world, and often I receive silent messages which allow me to know things other people don't. That's the simple explanation, and we'll stop there for now. Most people don't believe in that ability at all, and consider it lucky guesses. You'll have to decide for yourself."
I thought for a minute. "I don't understand completely, but I don't think it was a lucky guess. You told me something I knew nothin' about. You haven't met my parents, so ya couldn't have picked it up from them. And I doubt that you've been researching my family tree."
"I don't expect you to understand. I don't always understand it myself. I just know what I know, and so far I've never been wrong with those promptings."
"Well, thank you for tellin' me, 'cause I learned something I find very exciting. It makes 'Nuka' more real."
Shago chuckled. "Just so you know, I gave you that nickname before I was aware of your heritage. You just seemed like the perfect little bro. Now, do you want an internal massage?"
"That would be awesome."
"Better put this towel under you, otherwise you're gonna have a huge wet spot in your bed."
Shago gently eased himself in from behind, and slowly gave me an internal massage that matched the external one. My excitement grew so slowly that I barely even knew what was happening until I was shooting jizz into the towel. Shago stopped and carefully pulled out.
"Yer not gonna cum?"
"Not tonight. That was just for you."
I rolled over on my back and pulled Shago's head down and kissed him.
"Thanks, Shago. Are ya gonna stay for the night?"
"Just for a while. Your parents might be a little surprised if I showed up for breakfast."
I chuckled. "Yeah, it would be better if I could introduce you a little more formally first."
I rolled onto my side. Shago curled up behind me and put an arm over me. In an instant, I was asleep.
After I arrived home from swimming practice on Friday, I got a text from Rusty.
"Colton gave me a sex toy to play with. When do you wanna try it out?"
"How about tonight? Wanna come for dinner about six?"
"Yes to both."
"Okay - see you soon."
I texted Mom.
"I invited Rusty for dinner."
"No problem. Chinese take-out tonight. We'll just get a little more. We'll expect him for breakfast too."
I smiled to myself.
"Thanks Mom."
"Oh, fuck, that was good!" Rusty was lying on top of me, idly stroking my hair while he got his breath back. "Everything they say about cock rings is true."
It fit us both, and Rusty had generously let me use it on him first. "I agree completely. Yer still hard. Ya gonna try for a third time?"
He leaned up and kissed me. "Haven't got the energy to do it right now. Besides, yer not supposed to leave them on for more than twenty minutes."
He rolled over on his back beside me and carefully removed the silicone ring.
I rolled on my side and ran my fingers lovingly through his red hair.
"That's gonna make fuckin' even more fun. So how did Colton happen to give you a cock ring?"
Rusty looked a little guilty. "Well, I spent last night with him at the bunkhouse. After he used one on me, he gave me his spare to try out on you."
I laughed. "That's all cool. For yer information, Shago paid me a surprise visit here earlier in the week."
Rusty looked thoughtful. "I guess we're both turnin' into sluts for older guys."
"Yer not likin' that?"
"Well, actually I got no complaints about bein' fucked by Colton. It's a lot of fun. But Nate seems to be hookin' up with Aiden, and as much as you like the cock ring, it looks like yer gonna want equal time. My top opportunities are becomin' limited."
"Well, we just gotta fuck twice as much then."
That got a laugh out of him. He pushed me onto my back and rolled on top of me, kissing me gently while he rubbed his abs against my pole.
"You know what's gonna happen if ya keep that up."
Rusty rolled onto his back and handed me the cock ring. "Yer turn."
It had been a couple of weeks since Dad and I had fixed Saturday breakfast together, something that was becoming sort of a tradition. This time, Rusty helped out. It was fun having the three of us working together. Mom showed up just as we were ready to eat.
Mom got a cup of coffee and sat at the table. "It's nice to have my three favorite guys cooking breakfast for me."
Rusty grinned smugly. "Thanks for including Toby and Dad Two in that group, 'cause I know I'm really yer favorite."
Mom smiled. "You may be my favorite future son-in-law, but don't let your ego get too big."
Dad looked up at the kitchen clock. "Bob Mason wants the three of us to join him at the barn to talk about some details. I told him we'd be available. He'll be here in about thirty minutes. That should give us time to finish breakfast. Rusty, you're welcome to join us, of course."
We'd just finished eating when Bob knocked at the back door. The four of us joined him on the porch.
"Before we complete the barn, there are some things I want you to look at. Just some details about finishing up."
As we arrived at the barn, we were distracted by a group of about thirty people entering from the ranch road that Rusty always arrived on. Bob seemed to be expecting them.
"Some of your friends wanted to do something for you. When you planned your barn, they talked to me about an old-fashioned barn raising. That doesn't work well with modern construction, so we settled on a barn finishing. Your friends are here to help put on the roof and siding. A few will also put in the corral on the pasture side, as well as the wood fence that connects to the existing pasture fence. In addition, we brought some additional material so we can build the picnic shelter down by the creek. Thank you very much for all you've done for the community."
I poked Rusty in the ribs. "You knew, of course."
Rusty was smirking. "Of course. I don't tell ya everything I know. And I'm lookin' forward to helpin' finish the barn."
Mom and Dad were speechless. As our friends gathered around, we greeted them all. Mom and Dad knew almost everyone - most were Dad's clients and their parents. I knew most of them, but there were a few I was meeting for the first time.
All the members of the ranch boy club and their parents were there. Grams and Gramps had arrived with Colton. Shago had arrived on his own.
Grams gave Dad and me hugs, and then spoke with Mom. "Ellen, several of us will be preparing food at my house. We hope you'll join us. We'll be setting up tables and chairs in your backyard to serve the meals. The lunch menu is the same kind of portable food that we take to the workers in the field. For dinner, we would like to make use of your kitchen and outdoor grill for the final food preparation, if we may."
Mom had tears in her eyes as she hugged Grams. "Of course. Our kitchen is available, as are the bathrooms. And whatever else you need, let us know. Thanks so much for doing this for us."
Grams hugged Mom back. "It's our pleasure. You folks have become very special to all of us."
The division of labor had already been planned. Nate's dad was heading up the corral project. Pete and Aiden were managing the picnic shelter. And Bob and Ralph were overseeing the finishing of the barn.
The equipment had been staged at Gramps' ranch. A trailer with tools and material was pulled to the edge of the lawn near the creek. Everything would have to be hand-carried to the meadow area for the picnic shelter, which would be a six-pole roof-covered structure.
Pete had brought their tractor and auger to make the holes for the corral and connecting fence. Beyond that, it was a matter of carrying materials and putting wood fences together with hand and power tools.
Dad went to help with the picnic shelter, and Rusty and I stayed to help with the barn. The first phase was the roof. Most of us carried the roof panels and passed them up to knowledgeable ranchers who fastened them in place. Later in the day, the HardiPanels were carried over for the outer walls. For the most part, everything went into place without any further preparation. And finally, the trim, windows, and doors were put into place.
During the morning, Coach, Jason, Shago, and Colton, using Gramps' truck, brought tables and chairs borrowed from the fairgrounds, and set them up in the backyard. James had been shown the layout of the house, and was in charge of helping people find what they needed with respect to bathrooms and the kitchen area.
At noon, lunch was spread out on the tables, and everyone gathered around to socialize for an hour. It was a group of old friends and new, but by the end of the hour, it seemed that we were all old friends.
After lunch, Nate came over and gave me a hug. "I spent a couple of days learning about construction from Aiden. He had a roof repair project at Austin and Andy's cabin. He and his dad did the roof work, but they had me fetch things for them and do the cleanup, puttin' the old roof material in a dumpster..."
I knew there was more. "And?"
He grinned. "And Aiden and I spent the night at the cabin..."
I grinned back. "And?"
Tears came to his eyes as he put his head on my shoulder and whispered.
"It was wonderful."
I looked at him with tears in my eyes, too. "That's the best news I've heard in weeks, bro. I'm so happy for ya."
"I don't know if we'll be boyfriends yet, but except for Rusty and you, Aiden is the best friend I ever had. Thank you for getting both of us to the point where that could happen."
I gave Nate a lingering kiss. "Yer both welcome. And thank you for givin' me the opportunity to help ya. You just made my day."
By the end of the day, all three projects were done except for a few finishing touches. Mason Construction would be back on Monday to take care of that. I checked out the corral and then went to the creek to check out the picnic shelter. I wanted to add a partial wall on three sides. It would make a great place for summer sleep-overs.
Dad spent some time with Bob looking at the barn interior. On Monday, Bob would put in a partition at one end, a temporary stall for Oreo. A concrete floor, with appropriate drainage, would follow in the near future.
Dinner was a replay of lunch, with the addition of meat coming off the grill. I noticed Nate was eating hamburgers again.
Dad asked Nate and his parents to stick around when everyone else left. Mom and I joined them to walk up to the barn. Dad showed Nate where the stall would be constructed, and asked for advice on getting it prepared for Oreo.
"With the pasture fence completed, and the work done today, we're ready for animals. The water system will be in as far as the barn by next weekend. Perhaps Toby and I could come over sometime this week and see what you have set up for Oreo right now. We can pick up the necessary materials at the ranch supply store. If you could come over next Saturday and help us prepare the stall properly, we would appreciate it."
Nate smiled happily and gave Dad a hug. "I would be glad to do that, Mr. Collins. Just let me know when ya want to come over. I'll be happy to show you around. And I'll be available next weekend whenever ya need me."
After everyone had gone home, my parents and I walked around taking another look at what had been done that day. All of the work was professional - ranchers know how to do many things well.
The tables and chairs were gone, and everything was cleaned up. Except for a few piles of scrap materials and a certain amount of tidying up to be done in the kitchen, one would never know an event had occurred.
I stood between my parents, our arms around each other, looking at the barn. It had been a summer of incredible change for me - location, friends, relationships, experiences of all kinds - almost a lifetime of experiences in three months. My relationship with my parents had changed completely from a young boy to a responsible... well, semi-responsible teenager. I'd gone from being a city kid to being a knowledgeable ranch boy. And I had encountered love in more forms than I could ever have imagined. In the end, it was all good, and I was looking forward to more good times to come.
*** This ends the story of Toby's first summer in the country. I hope you all enjoyed it. Thanks to all of you who emailed your encouragement and thoughts; I appreciated all of your input. I'm considering a sequel, but right now I'm taking a break from writing to pursue other hobbies. ***
*** A special thanks to my content editor, Brayon, for his helpful suggestions which added so much to the story. Brayon also writes for Nifty, and a Nifty search on "Brayon" will lead you to his own stories. ***
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