Saga of the Elizabethton Tarheels Chapter Sixty-seven
Usual admonitions, warns, etc. apply
Special thanks to Scoot for editing when he was swamped with real work
Chapter Sixty-seven
When the others headed for bed, Michael asked Justin if he would give him a shave. "I know you shave Marc, and Sandy will do it, but he's so on edge I'm not sure what he might cut off!" Justin agreed and we all hit the hot tub when the two decided a soak would make the job easier. Sandy and I watched as Justin shaved Michael's face. Sandy almost cried when Michael's carefully trimmed beard was shaved away. He couldn't watch when Justin shaved off his sideburns. When he had finished that, he told Michael he'd have to shave again in the morning because he did have a heavy, dark beard.
Once Justin had finished with Michael's face, he shaved his back, stopping halfway down his ass cheeks. He then shaved his sides and chest and stomach. "Don't you dare shave too low," Sandy said. "I want his pubes just as they are. Anyway, if anyone sees his pubes, there'll be more than cock hair telling them he ain't no woman!"
Justin nodded, shaved to the top of his pubes, then said, "His underarms have to be shaved," and proceeded to do so. After finishing with Michael's legs, Justin said, "You're smoother than you have been since you got three cock hairs, two chin hairs and a hair under each arm," and smacked Michael on the ass. "Shaving's fine, but it messed up some of your tattoos."
"No problem, I'll just finish removing them and put on new ones. Archie left me a stack. Might save some to give Elizabethton something to talk about when I get back."
"Don't think you'll have to worry about that!" I said, only half-joking.
"What's with Archie anyway? Why does he cross dress?" Justin asked, a question I had thought about, but would never have asked.
"He and Kim do an act in drag at some of the clubs here. He invited Sandy and me to take in one they're doing at a gay eighteen-and-over club next week. He'll take care of Sandy's ID."
"Well, I guess we are as ready for tomorrow as we'll ever be, except for getting some sleep. See you in the morning if we wake up before you leave," I said. Sandy wanted to see Michael off, but even he said that was unwise, maybe dangerous.
I heard Sandy and Michael's alarm go off at 5:00. Since Mrs. Crandall had said we could all sleep late except Michael and Wolf, I spooned against Justin's broad back and was soon asleep again. We had been told we could call the kitchen to have breakfast sent to the sunroom if we wanted it before 10:00 and Mavis would see that there was breakfast on the buffet at 10:00. Justin and I slept until 8:30 and both woke with an urgent need to piss. When we finished, we brushed our teeth and embraced for a deep, passionate kiss before returning to bed for some sweet loving.
We finally got out of bed at 9:45, had a quick shower, dressed and went down for breakfast where we found John and Sandy were already eating. Well, John was eating, Sandy was pushing food around on his plate. Susan and Bobbie joined us in a few minutes. "Adam still sacked out?" I asked.
"Just what do you think," Bobbie responded. "That boy could sleep twenty hours a day easily."
"Maybe you need to make sure being awake is better than sleeping," Sandy smiled.
"Yeah, maybe," Bobbie grinned.
About that time, Adam and Mrs. Crandall walked in, greeted us, filled a plate and sat down. Bobbie poured coffee for the two. We were all anxious about how things had gone and, after a sip of coffee, Mrs. Crandall said, "I just got off the phone with Mr. Duncan. He seemed pleased Michael made the earlier plane. I guess the gods are smiling on us because the later one was canceled. I know we are all just dying to know what is happening, but Wolf and Michael have to be very careful. They will keep us posted, but since we don't know who might be listening, they'll have to be careful and keep it short. By the way, I don't think you have met Queen LaKisha's sister who is traveling from Miami to Atlanta with Ms. Henderson -- Ms. Thompson-Powers. She's with a law firm in Atlanta." She passed around a picture of another woman dressed in immaculate business attire, but unlike Ms. Henderson, she carried a gym bag instead of a briefcase.
"I can tell it's Sis... Wolf," Sandy said, "because he's wearing earrings I gave him."
"I'd never know, first glance," Adam said. "Damn, he's one hot-looking woman."
"But with a definite hands-off attitude," Justin chuckled.
"Yeah, I'd not like to tangle with that babe," I said.
"I have and it's great," Derek said, and blushed.
At 10:30, Mrs. Crandall's phone rang. She talked briefly, closed the phone and said, "Ms. Henderson and Ms. Thompson-Powers are now in the boarding area for the flight to Atlanta. They had no trouble making the transformation, but separated before leaving the restroom. Ms. Thompson-Powers is traveling first class, Ms. Henderson in coach. Well, now we wait."
None of us felt like doing anything, especially anything which would take us from the house and Mrs. Crandall's phone, but we needed to keep busy. Mrs. Crandall reminded us it would be a couple hours before the plane landed in Atlanta.
"In that case, I think I might try to do some sketching in the garden," Sandy said. "Care to be my model, Mrs. Crandall?"
"I'd be delighted," she said.
"Just be sure to bring your phone." Mrs. Crandall laughed.
John, Susan, Bobbie and Adam decided they'd go to the garden as well, taking a Scrabble set with them.
"Since everyone's headed for the garden," I said, "I guess we may as well join them. We can play 'Make Out,'" I laughed, and gave Justin a peck on the cheek. As I did, Justin motioned with his head and I turned and saw Derek alone. Yeah, us Tarheels just went off together as we were wont to do, without thinking about Derek and his relationship with one of us -- one of us who might be in danger. "Or we could tell Derek some Wolf tales. Come on, Derek," I called and he joined us. We went to a fish pond in a corner of the garden and sat watching the huge goldfish drift around in the water.
No-one said anything until Derek said, "Guys, you've known Wolf -- well, how long?"
"Since first grade,' I answered. "I mean we knew who he was since we all know everyone, Elizabethton's not that big, but really know him? Only since he joined us after the infamous prom. He's become a good and close friend."
"I noticed several times one of you have started to call him something other than Wolf and stopped. What's with that?"
"I'm not sure that's something I feel free talking about," I said.
"I agree," Justin said. "Have you asked him about it?"
"I have. He said I should ask one of you so that's what I'm doing."
"You sure?" Justin asked.
"Yeah. He said he didn't care if I knew about it, but he didn't want to waste the few minutes we had together talking about something that's not important."
"Makes sense," I said. "Well, Derek, you have latched onto a man who will surprise you a dozen times a day -- he has us. I mean look at what he's doing today. But to the name business, it started in elementary school. Wolf liked to play with the girls and, as you must have noticed, he's effeminate. He got called Sissy and the name stuck. To make a long story short, when he was introduced to Mrs. Crandall, she was having none of that. You know his real name?"
"Wolf Lancaster is what he told me."
"Well, his full name is Walter Stepphenwolf Lancaster. Mrs. Crandall gave him the choice of being Stepphen or Wolf, but she was not allowing Sissy." Then, between the two of us, we told Derek about Wolf; how he had decided being gay meant being a flamer and was pretty much accepted in spite of that. Wolf had told Derek he had dabbled in acting and radio, but not how important he was to both those Elizabethton institutions. "You also need to know that he could take you out before you knew what struck you," I said, and explained Wolf's accomplishments in the martial arts. We also talked about how he had put himself on the line, when he didn't have to, after the prom.
Finally, we talked about how he had changed since he became Wolf. I said, "As Michael observed, Wolf is and always will be effeminate. He's put together that way, but he's no longer flaming. And while we're talking about Wolf, Derek, I'm gonna be blunt. I don't know what your relationship with Wolf is or will develop into. I like you, we all do, and we'll do anything we can for you or Wolf just as he is doing all he can for one of us right now, but you intentionally hurt him or just lead him on and your ass is ours. Clear?"
"Clear and not to worry. I wouldn't hurt Wolf for anything in the world. We are working on a relationship, a real relationship. I don't know where it's going, but I think I'm falling for the guy, hell, I have fallen for him. Neither of us has used the L word and I don't think either of us is ready to use it just yet, but I won't be unhappy if we do one of these days. We're taking it easy," he laughed, "maybe one day we'll go at it like Michael and Sandy but, right now, we're both virgins, I guess -- well, technically."
I wasn't going there, so I said, "I'll tell you this, you'll never find a more honest, funny, warm, loving, caring, talented, smart guy than our Wolf."
"And he does make a damn sexy woman," Justin laughed.
"Yeah, but I like the damn sexy guy better," Derek said. "Thanks guys."
The warm sun and the quiet of the garden began to take its toll as we grew sleepy and all three lay on the grass beside the pond and were shortly sound asleep. We were awakened by a shout and all jumped up. "Hey, we got news," Sandy shouted. We all quickly converged on Sandy and Mrs. Crandall.
"Daniel called and said they were in a taxi headed for the airport. Seems they have a real story to tell, but wanted to tell it in person. They should be arriving in about three and a half to five hours. He did say Queen LaKisha and Baby Doll had pulled off the scheme with an added bonus," Mrs. Crandall said and added, "I guess we'll have 'Live report at 7:00,' but without film."
Time passed slowly, to say the least. At 6:00, we were all on the terrace having drinks when Alex showed up. He told us Jess and Dakota had wanted to come, but the gallery was still packed when he left and they said they'd just get by in the morning to see those of us leaving before we left. At 6:30, La Casa was buzzed by a low-flying plane. "Looks like Dakota's plane," Alex said.
"I'm sure it is," Mrs. Crandall said. "Daniel said they would be landing on the private strip a few miles away and I sent a car. They should be here in less than half an hour." Sure enough, twenty minutes later Queen LaKisha and Baby Doll walked out the door onto the terrace. Sandy and Derek grabbed Michael and Wolf and couldn't seem to get enough of them. Queen LaKisha and Baby Doll weren't exactly holding back.
When they were finally able to break apart and speak, Wolf said, "We need the TV on CNN. I think a disturbance at Hartsfield-Jackson airport may make the national news. Let's see and then we'll tell you all about it.
The news started shortly after we got to the library and, sure enough, there was the tease, "A major disturbance at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson airport today resulted in arrests and a pending investigation into an Alabama institution, but first the other news." Other news and weather were followed by commercials and more news and some sports, more commercials and then, "What appeared to be an attempted abduction at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson airport today ended with the arrest of two men on attempted kidnapping charges and an investigation of God's Conversion Clinic near Hooks Crossroads in southern Alabama. We have a live report from Sarah Ellis in Hooks Crossroads. What's going on Sarah?"
"Tony, I am standing, literally, in the middle of Hooks Crossroads. As you can see, there's a farmhouse in the field behind me and that's it. God's Conversion Clinic is three miles down the unpaved road you see to my left, but no-one is allowed beyond this point. I have learned from a spokesperson for the Alabama State Patrol that several staff members of the clinic are being held on various charges and Rev. John Fitzsimmons, better known as Brother Fitzsimmons -- owner of God's Conversion Clinic -- is being sought in eastern North Carolina where he was scheduled to begin a revival tonight. I have also been advised that twenty-four young men were taken from the facility to the Bullock County Hospital. All were treated and released into the custody of the country department of social services. This is Sarah Ellis reporting from Hooks Crossroads, Alabama."
"Thank you, Sarah. The clinic came to the attention of local, state and federal officials after an incident at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport today. David Samuel Rosenburg IV, twenty, and a student at Emory was returning to Emory for a summer program when he was grabbed by two male staff members of God's Conversion Clinic. As you can see in this surveillance tape obtained by CNN, Mr. Rosenburg walks out of the exit and is greeted by a young woman. When she greets him, she is shoved aside and Mr. Rosenburg is grabbed by the two men in God's Conversion Clinic uniforms. As you can see, Mr. Rosenburg puts up a fight, but is overpowered and his hands bound behind his back. The two men ignore the security guards shouting at them and drag the young man out the exit.
"Witnesses outside tell us that the two men were apprehended by armed Atlanta police as they attempted to force Mr. Rosenburg into the back seat of what appeared to be an unmarked police cruiser such as those used to transport dangerous felons.
"The men claimed they were ordered to pick up the young man by his father and to take him to the clinic where Brother Fitzsimmons and his staff would, and these are the words of the alleged kidnappers, 'turn him from his homosexual perversion, making him once again a god-fearing, woman-loving man.' The FBI, including FBI Special Agent Samuel Rosenburg III, the young man's father, was joined by Alabama state troopers in a raid on the clinic and further arrests are expected. In other news..."
"OK, you two, what happened?" Justin asked.
"Obviously we followed the plan and arrived in Atlanta where we quickly became Queen LaKisha and Baby Doll. That went very smoothly," Wolf said. "A woman even helped Baby Doll get her lipstick straight. When we emerged, we saw Daniel down the concourse. When he reached us, he slipped us IDs which we used to get drinks in a bar. Daniel was into his full, big Texas oilman act and we were playing easy to get."
"We practically made out in the bar," Daniel laughed, "and I made it pretty clear I wanted some female company, so when we left the bar, Queen LaKisha was clinging to one arm and Baby Doll the other."
"As we walked down the concourse," Michael said, "I saw a guy who could almost pass as my twin and was certain it was your friend's son, Mrs. Crandall, and got a warped idea. He had stopped to buy a drink and I said, 'We really need to get a move on,' and started half-running down the concourse. We had put some distance between my lookalike and the three of us and I told Wolf and Daniel what I had in mind. They were all for it!
"When we reached the exit gate, I spotted the two from the clinic right away and thought I'd shake them up a bit. I was pretty confident my own mother wouldn't recognize me, so I dropped Daniel's arm, grabbed Wolf and walked over to the two. As soon as I started rubbing one of the joker's chest and pinched a nipple through his uniform, Wolf got the idea and started trying to nibble the other one's ear. Both started slapping at us and trying to push us away and one was practically shouting, 'You filthy sluts, get away from me.' The other one kept saying, 'Get lost bitch!' pretty quietly, but the one Wolf was working on really went ape when Wolf reached down and grabbed his cock and balls. When he gave Wolf a shove, I saw my 'twin' headed for luggage claim and shouted, 'Michael, Michael my man, come to Baby Doll.' The young man, of course, looked in my direction and when he did, the two jerks shoved me and Wolf to the floor and grabbed him. You saw what happened then. While they were struggling with the stranger, Daniel, Wolf and I casually walked outside, got in a taxi and here we are."
Mrs. Crandall's phone rang as Wolf was finishing the tale. "Hello... Mr. Duncan, I'm sure you are happy Michael made it to Atlanta... He didn't? I don't understand. I watched him board the commuter plane. Are you sure he never made it to Atlanta?" The two talked a while longer, then Mrs. Crandall said, "Sounds as though he ran into foul play. Maybe you better talk to the police... If I hear he's truly missing and see him, I'll give you a call... Goodbye."
We had stirred up a much larger hornet's nest than we thought. Almost the entire staff of the clinic had been arrested on charges ranging from kidnapping to practicing medicine without a license. There were additional charges arising out of drugs being used in the 'treatment' of victims since the facility did not have a license for use of any prescription drugs or anyone licensed to prescribe them. There were charges of child abuse, child endangerment, involuntary imprisonment and others. Brother Fitzsimmons was arrested in North Carolina on numerous charges and was in deep doo-doo over both state and federal tax violations.
Michael was outed, no doubt about that and although the Duncans saw the full story on God's Conversion Clinic, were still determined to get Michael cured and were looking at other 'treatment centers.' Fortunately, he had a week in Florida while Mr. Wilson worked on his case and Mom and Clarisa were quietly working to find a place for him to live.
Monday we were all up and packed by nine. We said goodbye to Michael and Sandy as a driver arrived to take them upriver to the hunting cabin where they would be spending the week. Mrs. Crandall said she would arrange to have meals delivered, but the two said they'd rather handle that themselves, so the van was loaded with groceries. More would be arriving Wednesday. Sunday the two would be off to Sarasota from where Michael would fly back to Elizabethton.
We said goodbye to Wolf and Derek who had planned to live together for the month. Justin and I, in full daddy mode, were concerned they were moving too fast. At eighteen and nineteen it's very easy for two horny guys to let sex interfere with the development of a sound relationship. Antwon and Sharky apparently felt the same way and had a long talk with the two young men which resulted in Wolf living with the two at La Casa while Derek remained at his place in town with occasional sleepovers. Of course, since the two were working for Antwon and Sharky, they spent most of the daylight hours together. I guess it slowed things a bit, but when Justin and I called Wolf later, he said he and Derek had agreed to take things slowly, and they had, "and damn do I love slow!"
Alex and Daniel showed up before we left and said they would would be back in Elizabethton around the first of July after their wedding and honeymoon. Justin and Daniel promised they'd make time for some serious talk then.
Dakota and Jess came out and Jess again was profuse in his thanks for our making the exhibition happen and promised he and Dakota would see us in Elizabethton soon. He also said he had talked with Sandy and expected to see his work from the summer as well as anything else he wanted to show him.
So in the end, it was the old, original Clan that boarded the plane Monday, headed for Elizabethton. The flight back was subdued as we all realized the next couple days would see half of us gone for the summer, not returning until August and then only for a farewell party before we entered the next phase of our lives. As we made our approach for landing, I realized we were, in a real sense, not returning to an Elizabethton we had known: high school was behind us and Post-Secondary School Visitation was over. No, we couldn't go home again.
This ends the Saga of the Elizabethton Tarheels. Hope you have enjoyed the ride. Loose ends? Of course, many. Will there be more? I hope, but can't promise. Something new? Could be, who knows? Right now, I feel a real need to give the Elizabethton Tarheels a rest or more likely, I need a break from them.
As some of you know, I have never kept a notification list. I am now making an exception and will keep one at least to notify you when and if something new is posted. Write sequoyahs.place@gmail.com with Notification List as the subject line.
BTW, Tar Heels is properly two words, but Tarheels was used in the beginning and kept for consistency.
Sequoyah