Tales from the Ranch

Disclaimer: The following story is a work of fiction. If you are offended by descriptions of homosexual acts or man/man relations, please exit this page.

TALES FROM THE RANCH Copyrightc 2004 by Tulsa Driller. All rights reserved.

This is a story of men who have two common interests. You will see that they love the land where they live and work, but it is also the story of young men who love other men and their coming of age in a culture of prejudice and misunderstanding. It is a story, which deals with difficult and often disturbing issues but, nonetheless, issues which must be confronted in today's world.

This is a work of fiction and in no way draws on the lives of any specific person or persons. Any similarity to actual persons or events is entirely coincidental. This work is copyrightedc by the author and may not be reproduced in any form without the specific written permission of the author. It is assigned to the Nifty Archives under the terms of their submission agreement but it may not be copied or archived on any other site without the written permission of the author.

PLEASE: In a perfect world AIDS doesn't exist. My characters have unprotected sex. I hope you use proper precautions because I'd like you to be around to read the last chapter of this story.

Tales From the Ranch Book II, Chapter 1 Thanksgiving Day, November 22, 1990

". and Father, we thank you for this bountiful meal and for the opportunity for our family and friends to be together for this weekend. We ask your blessing on our lives and the new venture which we are embarking on. We give you all the praise in the name of your son, Jesus Christ. Amen."

"Amen," the group repeated as Frank ended his prayer before their Thanksgiving dinner.

Although Doris had prepared the meal with the help of Susan and Joey, they were eating at the condo shared by Dale, Craig and Joey, as the kitchen was much larger and better suited to preparing a meal for twelve people.

Gathered around two tables were Dale, Craig, Joey, Frank and Doris Bastian, Susan and Chuck, Becky and her newest boyfriend, Doug Oliver, Forrest Ross, Leland Stanton and David Perkins.

It had been a hectic three weeks, involving a lot of work on the part of everyone, but the new business, Saber Computers" was ready to launch the next morning. Leland, with Marty's help had secured the Governor of Texas, William P. Clements, to preside at the ribbon-cutting ceremony at 9 a.m. He was to give a short speech, as was the Mayor of Williamsport, Otis Armstrong.

After the ceremony the store would open for business with the first 100 customers receiving a coupon for ten-percent off any purchase of merchandise that would be honored only on that day. This morning the Austin American-Statesman newspaper had a full-page advertisement with pictures of the sales staff. There were individual pictures of the owners and management and a group picture of the others. Joey was especially proud that his picture was between Dale and Craig's in the ad. Frank, David and Dennis were pictured along with Earl Downey, who was head of the shop area.

So, it was a tired but elated group of people that sat down to eat the excellent meal that had been prepared and was being served buffet-style. The dining table was used to hold the serving dishes and the other two tables were borrowed from the store, along with folding chairs.

Leland stood up, holding up his wine glass. "I'd like to propose a toast to everyone here and to the employees who aren't with us today. All of you have done a tremendous job in getting the store ready to open. I know that it's been a lot of long hours for most of you, but the store is beautiful and I think that all of you have shared your knowledge and ideas with each of us. This is going to be a success and a well-deserved one at that."

Everyone raised their glass, making sounds of approval before taking a sip.

Leland sat down and David stood.

"I'd just like to say that all of you have made me feel very welcome here in Williamsport. Frank, you've done a great job in putting a staff together and hiring the temporary employees necessary set up shelving and to unpack merchandise and put it out on display. We've cleared the first hurdle in getting the store operational. The next challenge will be retaining the good and knowledgeable people working for us, along with getting our outside sales launched. Truly, we are going to be the supermarket of computers in this area. Thank you again."

Everyone applauded as David sat down.

The rest of the meal passed with great conversation, lots of joking around and, most importantly, good food. Someone was almost always going to the table for another helping of one food item or another.

After the meal, plates were taken to the kitchen by each of them. Joey scraped and rinsed them before loading them in the dishwasher. Craig helped Doris and Becky carry the desserts in and place them on the serving table. Chuck and Susan brought six bottles of champagne with them. As soon as everyone was back in the living room, Chuck, holding Susan's hand, asked for everyone's attention. It was quiet immediately.

"Susan and I want to make our engagement official today. She has agreed to marry me and I'm going to give her the ring that we picked out recently." With that Chuck pulled a ring box out of his pocket, opened it and handed it to Susan. He removed the ring and placed it on the third finger of her left hand and then they exchanged a kiss.

At that time everyone heard the pop of champagne corks as Frank and Craig opened two of the bottles of bubbly. Filled champagne flutes were handed around and the first of many toasts were made to the newly engaged couple. Everyone had to admire the ring and the men, with Chuck's approval, gave Susan a kiss on the cheek along with a hug.

Even David Perkins joined in. This warm, gregarious and loving family had certainly opened his eyes in the last three weeks that he had been working with them. He had never seen people who seemed to have so much love and respect for each other. Even the fact that Dale and Craig were gay didn't bother him after the first few days. They seemed like regular guys to him - and they were. He had nothing but more and more respect for them as he came to know them.

David had grown up in a staunch Southern Baptist family whose life centered on their church. Supposedly, you weren't supposed to have any kind of fun; no sex, no liquor, no tobacco. But, that was just a front for many of the families. In his own case, the parents were very strict and didn't shower any love and affection on their children and seldom with each other. You were not allowed to tell jokes or tease each other. Meal times were just that; a period of time to eat ones meal in silence except to ask to have something passed.

So, it was a great revelation to find out that it was okay to hug people; especially those who weren't afraid to show their appreciation for something you had done, or were just glad to see each other.

The first few times that any of this family had even put their arm around his shoulder, he immediately stiffened up and went into defense mode. Then he realized it was an outward display of genuine affection and not a sexual attraction. In the short space of time, he'd actually gotten to the point that he would initiate a hug; even surprising himself.

Forrest Ross was one of the first people Dale asked Frank to hire, not even sure what he could do to help them. Dale just felt sorry for him having to carry newspapers in all kinds of weather. Then, there was the problem with his grandmother and her poor health. She had been admitted to the hospital a couple of days before Forrest started working at the store. Her prognosis wasn't good, although she wasn't on life support. Her body had just given up, but her mind was still pretty sharp.

Craig had found out quite by accident that she had no will, so had prevailed on Leland to go see her and get that matter straightened out before Forrest found himself homeless. That wasn't Leland's area of expertise, but with a bit of help from the banks legal department the problem had been taken care of. The property would be put in trust for Forrest until he was of legal age. Old Mrs. Ross was very grateful for this act of kindness. She hadn't realized that the State of Texas could order everything sold instead of simply being passed on to Forrest.

So although saddened by the possibility that his grandmother didn't have long to live, he was grateful to Dale, Craig and Joey for giving him a good part-time job that paid much better money than his paper route.

Frank found that he was especially good at creating displays of merchandise and stocking shelves with boxes. He also had Forrest attend all of the sales training sessions that David and Dennis presented and starting the next day, he would be on the sales floor, helping customers and earning a commission in addition to his hourly wage.

Frank and Doris had driven to Arlington the previous Wednesday evening and were joined by Susan, Chuck and Becky for a marathon packing session that lasted 2 days. Frank picked up a U- Haul truck and he and Chuck spent Friday night and Saturday morning packing it up with things they thought they could use in the apartment they were renting. Doris had rented the bare necessities of furniture on a short-term contract. They were ready to return to Williamsport on Saturday after they had lunch.

Susan and Chuck had taken a week off from their jobs to go help Frank and Doris get packed, moved and settled and then do whatever they could to help get the store ready to open the following week.

As expected, Susan and Chuck were quite taken with Joey, having met him for the first time. Susan, of course, thought he was adorable and that he looked like he was 21 instead of 14. Chuck was taken with the self-assuredness Joey presented. Joey seemed to be everywhere, not getting in anyone's way, but doing whatever needed to be done, whether it be lifting, carrying, unpacking or putting things away. His abilities were further revealed the next three days when Dale allowed him to take time off from school to help at the store after making sure that it was okay with each teacher and that lessons were completed ahead of time.

Susan stayed with Frank and Doris in their apartment and Chuck slept on the sofa bed at the condo with Dale, Craig and Joey. This gave the men a good chance to get acquainted with each other. Craig had known Chuck for over a year, shortly after he and Susan started dating. However, their time together had been limited to Craig spending weekends with his parents several times when Susan and Chuck had been there for a meal. Dale had only met him the one time at Craig's birthday dinner in September. Of course, Joey hadn't moved to Williamsport until a couple of weeks after that.

With five men and two women working on getting Frank and Doris moved into their apartment, everything was in place and unpacked so it soon looked like they had lived there for a long period of time.

The two extra hands at the store were a big help, too. Both Susan and Chuck refused to take any money for their help, so Dale and Craig had decided that they would get them something extra special in the way of a wedding gift when they got married.

Becky and her boyfriend, Doug Oliver, arrived at Frank and Doris' place about 8:30 on Wednesday evening. At first, after Becky told him that he would be staying with her brother and his partner, along with Joey and Chuck, he didn't want to go to Williamsport. Finally Becky convinced him that he had nothing to fear. However, he took his sleeping bag, as he wasn't going to sleep with another man.

Doug was the best of all of Becky's boyfriends that either Chuck or Craig had met. This fellow actually seemed like he was alive and had a brain. However, it soon became clear that Becky was the dominant person in whatever kind of relationship they had. He was friendly to the other men, but slow to warm up and joke with them. By the time he was ready to leave on Friday morning to go home, he was joining in on the family fun and teasing that went on all the time.

The family had attended the Thanksgiving Day mass at St. James that morning and had been joined by Forrest Ross and David Perkins.

Forrest hadn't been exposed to church on a regular basis and David Perkins had quit attending church as soon as he moved out of his parent's home.

To say that they were astounded at the ritual and ceremony would be an understatement. The church was well filled with those worshiping, including people from other Williamsport churches who came to St. James for special services like Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve.

Singing the processional hymn, "We Gather Together" in the middle of a congregation of 500 people with a 30-voice men and boys choir and Paul at the organ was indeed an experience to be remembered.

Both David and Forrest had many questions over the next few days as they remembered parts of the service and wondered about it.

The Friday morning after Thanksgiving dawned clear with a temperature of 50 degrees. Although Williamsport hadn't had any frost yet, trees were well along to being dressed in their fall colors. The shorter days and position of the sun triggered the change and it was beautiful with reds, yellows, orange, green and brown showing everywhere.

All employees were to be at the store at 7:45 a.m. for a breakfast catered by LeGourmet, owned by Tricia Sutton. Governor Clements arrived in his limousine, driven by a Texas Highway Patrolman. His car was escorted by two Highway patrol cars and followed by another with a total of 10 officers in the motorcade. As a courtesy, the governor had stopped at City Hall to pick up Mayor Otis Armstrong. That simple act was a good one as the two men could be seen arriving together.

Inside the store, the Governor and Mayor greeted everyone as they were introduced. Joey was almost beside himself when the Governor shook his hand and told him that he wished his family a lot of luck with this business enterprise.

A breakfast buffet table was set up in what would eventually be a large classroom for those wishing to learn more about how to use their computers. Although there were a few tables and chairs set up, most stood around to visit as they ate.

Governor Clements was very personable and Marty saw to it that everyone in the room was introduced to him. About 8:45 the Governor gave a short speech to the employees, thanking them for their dedication to a new business that would help the economy of Williamsport and the State of Texas.

Mayor Armstrong echoed his words, not being a person who was comfortable making a speech of any kind.

The first sign that there might be a problem was when a GMC Suburban and an old bus tried to park on the street in a no parking zone. Two of the Texas Highway Patrolmen approached the vehicles to direct them to the far side of the parking lot across the street, telling them they would have to park the bus on the far side of the lot.

A third Patrolmen recognized the driver of the Suburban. Fred Phelps from Topeka, Kansas was leading his merry band of "fag bashers".

"Oh shit!" said the first two Patrolmen as the third passed the word as to who the people were. One of the Patrolmen spoke into his radio to another officer inside the store, telling him what was going on. The other officers headed to the front of the store, awaiting further instructions from the leader of the Governors' Patrol.

Meanwhile, the Suburban and the bus moved around the block and did, indeed, find a place to park on the far side of the large parking lot. There were 28 people in the group and they got out of the vehicles to gather their standard banners and signs that stated "God Hates Fags" and other nonsense sayings, such as "Fags have AIDS" and "Die Fags".

The head of the Governors Patrol talked quietly to the officers outside, then approached the Governor.

"Sir, we have a problem," and proceeded to spell out what was taking place in the parking lot.

Governor Clements was not one to back down from a commitment and requested a conference with Leland, Marty, Dale, Craig and David. He explained the problem and both Dale and Craig felt their stomachs lurch. `How could something like this happen to them?' they each thought.

"What can we do?" Leland asked. He felt responsible, as he'd put this whole deal together.

"Ignore them," the Governor said. "Let them stage their protest. I think you'll find that the crowd outside will laugh them down and they will beat a hasty retreat and leave town.

"Why pick on us?" Dale asked to no one in particular. "We haven't done anything."

"I'm embarrassed," Craig replied. "Who let that fag basher know we were opening a computer store? And. what difference does it make? Why did he drive so far to harass us?"

David Perkins spoke up. "Hey, we can turn this incident to our favor. Let the media have a chance at all the publicity they want. It's not going to hurt business and it may help it as many gay people try to do business with `gay friendly' stores. Most people are only interested in a good price on what they are going to buy and if the price is right, they don't care who the owners sleep with."

That statement firmed the decision to ignore the "fag bashers" and continue with the opening ceremony. Dale unlocked the front door and everyone inside exited to the front for the speeches and the ribbon cutting ceremony. Seven of the Governor's Patrol moved to the street to keep the protesters from getting to the sidewalk in front of the store. They had also asked for support from the Sheriff's Department and Williamsport Police to discourage Fred Phelps and his group.

A surprising thing happened as Phelps and his lackeys moved up the street to the sidewalk in front of the store. The crowd, who had seen some of their other protests on TV, blocked them from getting close to the store. Several of Phelps' protesters found themselves separated from each other and under attack. People took their signs away from them, tore them up and then started pummeling them with their fists and even kicking them.

Fred Phelps yelled for police protection. By that time, several officers of the Williamsport Police Department had arrived. The requests fell on deaf ears as the various police officers were watching only to make sure no one in the Williamsport crowd got hurt. They weren't concerned about the protesters led by Fred Phelps. While the people from Topeka were not hurt and would never admit defeat, they did tuck their tails in and run back to their bus and Suburban, being chased by a few of the crowd.

Another thing that happened which wasn't apparent to the crowd. The "boys in blue" had managed to get under the hood of both the Suburban and bus to remove the distributor caps. That action left both vehicles stranded.

So, seeking sanctuary in their vehicles, they couldn't go anywhere, nor could they get help because their pleas were ignored. A few from Williamsport engaged themselves in a counter- protest and in a short time signs appeared which said, "We don't like you" and "Dorothy this isn't Kansas". Of course, the NBC station in Austin, courtesy of Miles Truby who had uncovered and publicized the "Jimmy Bob Jones scandal", made some video.

It was after 4:30 p.m. when Fred Phelps and his cronies felt it was safe to leave the sanctuary of their vehicles. By that time, it was too late for any garage to undertake repairs that evening. At least that was their excuse. They just wanted to make the group feel truly unwelcome.

True to the headline produced after Rev. Jimmy Bob Jones confronted the "Dignity/Integrity group, the Saturday morning Austin American-Statesman had the story headline, "Gays Won, Fag Bashers Unwelcome."

As David Perkins predicted, Fred Phelps didn't hurt their opening day and probably helped business the next few days as a number of customers told the various sales staff that they were there because they wanted to do business in a gay friendly environment.

Governor Clements kept his remarks brief, as he really didn't have the attention of the crowd. However, the noise was now across the street instead of in front of the store. It was almost a party-like atmosphere as the Williamsport crowd was heckling and shouting down the Phelps people. Those who stayed in front of the store were more interested in getting their discount coupons rather than a speech the Governor made.

Otis Armstrong kept his remarks brief and to the point. He welcomed the new business to Williamsport and gave Dale, Craig and Joey keys to the city. That made Joey very proud.

Scissors were produced and with Dale, Governor Clements, Joey, Otis Armstrong and Craig cutting the ribbon, the store was officially open. Those men moved inside the door to allow people into the building and were shaking hands with everyone who offered their hand.

Several people made remarks to the effect that the protestors weren't welcome in Williamsport.

The crowd of shoppers didn't abate any and about 3:30 Dale discovered that he was hungry. He wondered if any of the employees even had time to go to the restroom, let alone take a coffee break or have lunch. He hadn't even seen Craig or Joey for a couple of hours. Wandering through the customers, shaking hands here and there, he found them in the warehouse, unpacking cases of merchandise so the three people stocking shelves didn't have to do it.

Dale was astounded; there wasn't a great deal of stock left on the shelves in the warehouse. Both Fed-Ex and UPS had unloaded into the inside loading dock that morning and now there was a Consolidated Freightways semi backed in, the driver unloading a large amount of merchandise.

Earl Downey was checking merchandise against the packing slip, as he needed two computer cases in his shop to assemble computers that customers had purchased earlier in the day.

"Earl, have you had lunch?" Dale asked.

"Never even thought about it. I've really been busy this morning and I finally told the salesmen that I couldn't do any more modifications or build computers for delivery before next Wednesday. Those orders just can't be rushed if they are to be assembled right and checked out."

"No, don't rush them. We want them to be right when the customer picks them up. Let me see what I can do about food so everyone can have something to eat. I really didn't think we would be this busy today."

"Both cashier lines have had people waiting to check out all day," Earl told him. There's always been at least four people in each line and most of the morning, it was up to a dozen people."

"I never dreamed that it would be like this. I hoped we'd be busy, but I thought it might just be a steady line of customers coming in to buy a few things."

"I'll be anxious to see what the sales for the first day are. My guess is that we've sold about a third of the inventory that was in the store," Earl told Dale.

"That will be interesting." Dale looked at his watch. "We still have five hours to go before closing. I'm going to see about food, I'll talk to you later."

Dale made his way to Frank's office. Frank was standing in the doorway, pleased at what he was seeing.

"I didn't think we'd be this busy and it's been like this ever since we opened the doors this morning," Frank told him.

"I know, it's fantastic and there are a lot of high dollar items being purchased without the salesmen having to work at a sale." Dale then asked Frank, "Have you had anything to eat since breakfast? I'm starved."

"I hadn't even thought about it. I'm hungry, too. Do you want to go get a bite to eat?" Frank asked.

"I was thinking about having some pizzas delivered, or maybe going to pick them up. I'm pretty sure that our people have been too busy to think about themselves, either. I'm going to call Greg over at Tony D's and see if they can deliver a dozen pizzas and a large tub of salad," Dale said as he walked into Frank's office.

"Sounds like a good idea. Find out if he will send us a bill later or if I need to have a check ready," Frank said.

Dale punched the numbers in on the phone and Greg answered, "Tony D's."

"Greg, it's Dale Richards."

"Hi Dale. I was in your store about an hour ago. You guys were really busy with customers," Greg told him.

"Yeah, too busy to even think about eating. Can you deliver some pizzas and a big tub of salad for our employees?"

"Sure, that's no problem. Our evening business won't start for at least an hour so the kitchen can get on that immediately. How many and what kind of pizzas do you need?"

Dale thought for a moment. "We've got about 30 employees and family members here today. I'm sure everybody is hungry. I certainly am. What do you think?"

Why don't we fix fifteen large ones with assorted toppings, but I'll make sure they load extra on each one. Salad isn't any problem, we've got a plastic tub we can use and I'll send over four kinds of salad dressing. I assume you need plates and forks?"

"Yeah. Send whatever you think we need and I'm sorry to give you short notice."

"Not a prob, we can handle it," Greg told him. "It'll be about 40 minutes before we're there."

"Good. Come to the loading dock in the back. We've got a training room that has tables we can put the boxes on and the employees can take turns eating," Dale told him.

Frank signaled Dale by acting like he was writing on his hand.

"Oh yes, Frank wants to know if you want him to cut a check or if you will bill us?"

"We'll send a bill. That's not a problem for us," Greg replied.

"Thanks, pal. You don't know how much we appreciate this," Dale told him before saying goodbye and hanging up.

"Let's circulate through the store and tell the employees that there will be food in the training room in about 45 minutes and that they need to take turns coming back to eat," Frank said.

Dale agreed. He knew that there were plenty of soft drinks in the large refrigerator in the back and that they also had an ample supply of plastic cups and ice.

Joey, Forrest and Daniel had all witnessed the protest group led by Fred Phelps, but they hadn't had a chance to discuss it among themselves. Joey had discussed it with Craig when they were working in the backroom, unpacking a shipment of computer software.

He asked Craig, "Dad, what do you think about the protest this morning?"

"Initially, I was highly incensed that this happened. That clown has no business trying to interfere with something that is two states away from where he lives. It isn't like we are doing something illegal or causing a problem with the environment.

"Then after Dale and I saw that it didn't faze the governor, although Mayor Armstrong seemed to be a little rattled, we could laugh about it. After all, it hasn't seemed to hurt our business any. Does Fred Phelps and his merry band of "fag bashers" really think that people would turn away and leave the store?"

"It didn't seem to bother David Perkins any, did it?" Joey asked.

"No, he thought it was an opportunity for some free publicity during the store opening. I think he's right, too, as a lot of people are just looking for a good deal on whatever they buy. A few do actually try to support a local business, or in our case, one which is very `gay-friendly'."

"Both checkout lines have been busy since a few minutes after we opened. I helped sack merchandise and carry packages to the parking lot for about an hour," Joey told him. "We've sold a lot of computers and printers, too."

"I know," Craig told him. "Leland told David to get more merchandise ordered and get it here PDQ."

"There are three big orders due in yet today. One is for 100 printers and the other two are for computers and monitors. I think there are five dozen monitors and the same number of computers," Joey proudly told him.

"What's the order that Consolidated is unloading now?" Craig asked.

"Various kinds of cases, keyboards, motherboards and miscellaneous cards for modems, drive controllers and port configurations."

Craig laughed. "You lost me right after you said keyboards."

About that time Dale joined them in the warehouse area.

"Hi guys," Dale said. "I realized awhile ago that I was hungry so Frank and I decided to order pizza for everyone. Greg said that Tony D's would deliver 15 large pizzas and a tub of salad here in (he looked at his watch) about 30 minutes. They are supposed to come to the loading dock and I thought we could set up in the training room."

"Neat!" Joey replied. "I'm starved but we've been so busy I haven't even thought about eating."

"Me, too," Craig echoed. "I hoped that we would be busy today, but I never thought it would be like this and from what I've been told, a lot of customers don't even live here in Williamsport.'

"That's right," Joey told them. "There are cards at the counters for people to fill out to receive mailings from our store. I've heard several people say that this was worth driving to Williamsport for the grand opening."

"Well, they got a little unexpected entertainment we didn't count on, too," Dale smiled.

"Dad, what do you think about that?" Joey questioned.

"I think they found out that their protest was in vain. They can't get either of their vehicles started and the police and sheriff's officers are keeping them confined to their bus. They can't even go to the bathroom!" Dale was now laughing hard and the others joined him.

"Where did you get that information?" Craig questioned his lover.

"Oh, I have my sources," Dale smirked.

"That's too funny," Joey said. "I want to go see that."

"They are parked on the far side of the parking lot across the street. The officers are keeping people from getting too close, so go on if you want," Dale told him.

"Thanks Dads," Joey said as he headed for the loading dock.

As Joey was leaving the warehouse area, Dale and Craig gave each other a big hug.

"I wonder what our sales are going to be today?" Dale questioned. "David said that very few people were leaving without buying something, whether it be a box of floppy disks or a computer or printer."

"I know, it's just incredible," Craig replied.

"Well, we had some really good specials for today and tomorrow only," Dale agreed. "David has been giving `rain checks' on some items, but only those where the supplier gave us an extra discount so we could have some loss-leaders."

"Leland has been in and out of the store all morning. He finally told me that there wasn't any use in him staying at the bank today; he's too excited about what's going on here. He's been doing a little bit of everything from helping stock shelves to helping at the cashiers' desk, to greeting people," Craig said.

"He told me the same thing," Dale said.

About that time Joey came back. He was clearly bursting with news. "Guess what?" he exclaimed.

"Tell me," Dale asked.

"They can't start their vehicles because somebody removed their distributor caps," he said.

"How did you find that out?" Craig wanted to know.

"I heard one of the policemen tell someone else about it. They don't know how or when it happened."

"Yeah, I bet," Dale joked. "I doubt if that bunch is likely to come to Williamsport again."

About that time the driver for Consolidated Freightways came in, looking for someone to sign the delivery receipt. Dale made a quick count of the cartons and that agreed with the bill of lading, so he signed it. The driver thanked him and left.

He hadn't been gone more than five minutes when another delivery truck backed up to the dock. The driver approached the men. "I have 60 cartons of monitors for Saber Computers. We were supposed to deliver them on Monday, but somebody put the heat on my manager to get them here today. Where do you want them?"

"Along the wall here will be fine," Dale told him while pointing behind him.

At that time, a station wagon from Tony D's arrived and Greg and two other men got out, each carrying cartons of pizza and other things they would need. The men greeted Greg. Joey asked if he could help, so Greg directed him to get the tub of salad. Craig took them to the training room. Dale had already gotten soft drinks, ice, and cups and put them on the table, so they would soon be ready for the employees to eat.

Within five minutes four of the employees were helping themselves to pizza and salad. They were soon joined by three more. Most of them ate two or three slices of pizza, not wanting to deprive those coming later of their fair share.

David, Leland, Frank, Dale and Craig were talking to the various employees, asking them if they had any problems helping customers and generally trying to get a feel for what was going on in the store. No one had any unusual requests and all seemed to be surprised at the amount of merchandise for which they were writing tickets. Several told the men that they thought a lot of families were getting computers for Christmas.

Dale told Joey to help himself to the pizza. He figured that if there wasn't any left after the others had eaten, he and Craig would go somewhere on their own to get a sandwich or something else to eat. There was no need to have worried about that. With the exception of one person, the employees generally limited themselves to two or three large slices. However by the time the last person was through eating, there were only two slices left.

By now it was almost 5 p.m. and in checking the front of the store Dale thought he could only count about 20 customers. Most were helping themselves, but he thought there were several potential computer sales working. Joey, Forrest and Daniel had been helping customers by demonstrating several software packages all day. Like Forrest, Daniel was glad to have a good part-time job that paid well. They had each learned all they could about Lotus, WordPerfect and WordStar, as well as being knowledgeable about Dbase and Peachtree Accounting. There had been nobody asking about Basic, much to their amusement.

Forrest and Daniel had to go home as at their age they were restricted to the number of hours they could work each day. Both would have rather stayed at the store, but David wouldn't hear of it. "I'll see you tomorrow morning when we open at 9:30," he told them as he watched them clock out.

That left Joey and Dennis Masters to demonstrate computer programs for those customers who were interested in buying a computer. Joey was surprised to learn that many people were buying computers "because everyone else had them". They had no idea what a computer could do for them, or what software they might want to buy. It was a status symbol for many. For others it was the fact that they used one at the workplace and thought it would be neat to have one at home, too. Games were popular software packages that had sold well today. Another popular item were the various computer tables they stocked in their office furniture department.

There was a lull in business between 5:45 and 7 o'clock, then another flurry of customers between 7 and 8:30 p.m. when the store closed.

David and Leland had been waiting to "run the sales figures" all day, but had restrained from doing so. After the employees had left and it was just Dale, Craig, Joey, Frank, David, Dennis and Leland left in the store; Frank sat down at the terminal in his office and printed out the report for the first day. All were astounded - sales had far exceeded their expectations for the opening day.

First day sales were $275,749.24.

Leland was the first to speak. "I honestly thought we would be doing great to hit $225 thousand and I would have been happy with anything over $200,000."

"I can believe it," David spoke up. All you have to do is walk up and down each aisle and then look in the warehouse. Gentlemen, we have sold darn close to a third of the inventory we had in stock today and it's hard to tell what the missed sales are because we ran short on something."

"Do you have any idea as to the rain checks you handed out?" Dale asked David.

"Not really. There were only a few for computers or printers. Most of the others were for small things like diskettes, disk drives, cables and accessories. Maybe there was a couple for the one model of computer desk that was short- shipped to begin with."

There was much activity of patting each other on the back, high-fives and hugs.

Finally, Frank looked at his watch. "Gentlemen, it's 9 o'clock and I'm ready to go home." He had been keeping the cash drawers cleaned out all day so the receipts were already in the safe.

All of the men left by the front door. Since they had all parked on the far side of the parking lot, they were close to the Suburban and bus that Fred Phelps and his protestors were staying in. There was a patrol car parked where the two policemen could observe the vehicles.

Dale wanted to yell, "Thanks for helping us have a successful day," but didn't.

Leland, Dennis and David went their own way in their cars. Frank had driven his own car but since they were all going to Dale and Craig's condo, Joey rode with his grandpa.

It was after 6 o'clock when the women arrived back in Williamsport. Frank had left a message on their answering machine that all they'd had to eat since breakfast was some pizza and salad late in the afternoon and suggested that they would like to eat when they arrived home about 9:15 or so.

The women had been shopping since the middle of the morning and had ventured into Austin to check a couple of the malls there. Doris was glad Susan had volunteered to drive as heavy traffic bothered her, especially since she was unfamiliar with the street system. The women found a number of things needed to decorate the unit Doris and Frank had moved in to.

Doris fixed a buffet consisting of thinly sliced ham and roast beef, along with the small amount of leftover turkey from the day before. There was potato salad and her own special macaroni and cheese dish that was hot. She had also made fruit salad and put out several kinds of bread and spreads. And, there was another carrot cake, everyone's favorite.

Doug Oliver had driven back to Dallas early that morning, as Becky would ride home with Chuck and Susan on Sunday afternoon. Craig had made arrangements for Chuck to join his partner, Don Albrecht, Don's father and another friend to play golf at the Lakeshore Country Club. Since the weather was so great, they had played 18 holes and Chuck was tired.

As soon as the men walked in the door, Chuck and Susan popped the corks on two bottles of champagne and poured full glasses for each of them. There were many hugs of congratulations and again, pats on backs, handshakes and high- fives.

Frank gave a report on the sales and everyone was most impressed. Chuck started to open another bottle of the bubbly, but Frank told him that he wanted a real drink. Craig and Dale agreed, so Craig became the bartender for those wanting scotch or gin to drink.

"May I have some more champagne?" Joey asked, hopefully.

"Go easy on it, bud," Dale told him. "That stuff can cause you a hell of a hangover and you want to be able to work tomorrow, don't you?"

"Yeah," Joey said with a grin, and then poured himself another half glass.

The hungry men made short work of their late evening meal. Everything tasted good and they were both tired and hungry.

Frank, Doris and Susan left for their apartment and the remaining men were ready for bed and sleep.

Dale was the first one awake on Saturday morning, so he pulled on his boxer shorts and made his way to the kitchen after relieving himself in the bathroom, brushing his teeth and washing his face. After turning on the coffee maker he decided to see if the newspaper was there. Mitsy heard the door open, so jumped off Joey's bed and made her way to the living room to be let out. Joey had awakened, but hadn't heard Dale open the front door. He grabbed his shorts and followed Mitsy to the door, sporting his morning wood and totally naked.

Dale was just turning around with the newspaper in his hand and grinned at Joey, who immediately started to redden, as he was embarrassed. "It's okay," he whispered, "it happens to me, too."

Chuck was sleeping on the sofa-bed in the living room and opened his eyes about that time. He had been dreaming about Susan and was also sporting a major hardon. The sheets and quilt were only pulled up to his waist and both Joey and Dale could see that he had plenty of dark reddish brown hair on his chest and stomach.

Chuck could see that Joey was larger than he was and his thought was to wonder how big it would be when he was a few years older.

Joey scrambled into his shorts, mumbling an apology to Dale

and Chuck.

"Don't be embarrassed," Chuck told him, "I have the same problem. We're all men." With that he swung his legs out from under the covers and stood up for them to see himself in all his glory. This time it was Dale who turned red and made a hasty retreat to his bedroom after handing the paper to Joey.

By this time both Joey and Chuck were laughing at their predicament. Mitsy scratched at the front door about that time. "Go ahead and use the bathroom, I need to feed Mitsy," Joey told him.

"Thanks," Chuck said. I'll only be a minute then you can have it. or is it okay if I go ahead and shave?"

"Sure, if you don't mind sharing the bathroom."

The two men went off in different directions, Mitsy leading the way to the kitchen.

Later the four men were in the kitchen having coffee, juice and rolls. Joey was reading the Austin American-Statesman. "Wow, Dads, we got our picture on the front page of the second section, along with the Governor and Mayor, too."

Dale leaned over to look at the picture, and then noticed another picture and article below. The headline read "Gays Won, Fag Bashers Unwelcome. There was a picture of several people chasing Fred Phelps and his gang down the sidewalk.

"Yeah, we certainly did make the paper," Dale said. "I'm not sure I like this."

Joey picked up the paper and started reading aloud:

"For the second time in as many months, gay people in Williamsport have had a confrontation with protestors. Rev. Jimmy Bob Jones led the first protest in September and the Rev. Fred Phelps of Topeka, Kansas, led the Friday morning protest outside the new Saber Computer Store. The late Rev. Jones was a self-styled zealot who claimed to hate homosexuals but was discovered molesting a 10-year old boy in his church office the day after the incident.

"Phelps is well-known for his stance against gay men and women and has taken his band of protestors from coast to coast. Generally they are laughed at and scoffed, but cause emotional damage when protesting funerals of gay people, many of who died of AIDS. When families are distraught already, this seems to be a very cruel way for Phelps' people to make their presence known.

"Friday mornings protest lasted only a few minutes as a number of people who were waiting for the new store to open took offense at Phelps' tactics and advanced on his group. Some took their signs away from them and after a brief scuffle, chased them back to their station wagon and bus parked about a block away. Neither vehicle could be started so the group of about 30 protestors was confined to their bus for the rest of the day. Williamsport police maintained surveillance during the day and Friday night.

"Governor Clements remarked in his speech, which was to welcome the new Saber Computer Company to Williamsport and Texas, that bigotry would not be tolerated by him and that there was already too much of it in Texas without importing it from Kansas. This brought a laugh from the crowd, which was in a holiday mood.

"It has not been ascertained that Saber Computers should have been the target of the protest led by Phelps, but it didn't seem to deter any of the shoppers from buying large quantities of computer equipment from the new store during the day."

"Well, that was an article that didn't seem to take sides," Craig said, very relieved at what Joey had read.

"I'll agree with that," Chuck said. "From what you told us last night, business was brisk all day and you didn't even have time to go on a break."

Dale replied, "We'll see what today brings. Maybe after people see the TV coverage and read the morning paper, they will stay away."

"Don't think that will happen," Chuck told the men. "People are more interested in what you are selling than being concerned with the lifestyle of the owners. And, this could help you a lot as people hear about yesterday and remember your ad from the Thanksgiving Day newspaper.

"One thing about it," Dale said, "The Austin American- Statesman" isn't going to trash us after we spent the money for a full-page ad. If they'd said anything bad in the article, that would have been the end of our advertising with them."

The men agreed with each other, Dale and Craig being relieved that an issue hadn't been made of the fact that he and Craig were a male couple.

"We need to get ready to go to the store," Craig said, looking at his watch. Joey rinsed the glasses, mugs and plates before putting them in the dishwasher. They left for the store just after 8 o'clock, as they wanted to help restock shelves before the store opened at 9:30.

Chuck was going to play golf with the same men he was with on Friday. They had an 8:45 tee time and Don and his father were to pick him up about 8:15. The weather promised to be perfect for their outing.

As Dale parked his Blazer on the far side of the parking lot, all of them noticed that the vehicles from Kansas were gone. They later found out that the police had given the two distributor caps to Fred Phelps about an hour before and told them to hit the road, adding that if they ever saw them in Williamsport again, they would be arrested and their stay wouldn't be for just one night.

The two patrolmen ignored the names Phelps and his gang called them: "Fag Lovers" and "Sodomites", among other things. They just moved their car to the front of the parking lot and continued to monitor the group until they got their vehicles running and out of the parking lot. They followed the group until they were well beyond the city limits, and then turned back to town.

David, Frank and Leland were already at the store when the other men arrived. David and Frank adjourned to Frank's office while the other men helped several of the employees restock shelving and straighten up displays. By the time 9:15 arrived, the store looked presentable and Frank had the deposit ready to go to the bank.

Today there was another crowd in front of the store as they were handing out $15 coupons that could be used on purchases of more than $100 - again on that day only. The customers shopping on Saturday wanted more information about computers than the ones the previous day. David decided that a good portion of the customers shopping today already owned computers and were interested in making an upgrade, or buying a faster computer than they presently owned.

Although the store was busy all day, it wasn't the rush of the previous day. Employees were able to take time for breaks and lunch. There seemed to always be at least one customer at the check out desk. Joey, Daniel and Forrest spent a lot of time talking to customers about software and demonstrating various programs customers were interested in, selling more software packages than the opening day.

David's main project on Saturday was determining what merchandise needed to be restocked and in what quantity. Frank had printed a detailed inventory analysis so he could tell exactly what had sold and in what quantity. Certainly, business couldn't continue at the same sales volume they were having the first two days the store was open. Again, Leland couldn't stay away from the store and was a great help to David in reviewing inventory levels. They decided to risk the investment in extra inventory through the next month as they monitored the sales and number of customers in the store.

Dennis Masters was enjoying selling computers where he had an inventory to draw on instead of trying to sell the meager stock he'd had at the Electronic Home. The other salesmen who were consulting with customers with special needs called him to help them out where technical assistance was needed. He made appointments to talk to two customers in their offices about setting up a computer network for them. This, of course, would become Dennis' main job in the company.

Dale was looking forward to getting back to his duties at the Bar-W Ranch. Marty had suggested that Dale take some of his vacation time the two weeks before the store opened. Dale, being the loyal employee, was still spending a couple of hours a day in his office at the ranch. Marty marveled at his dedication to the ranch as well as Saber Computers.

It was somewhat the same way with Craig. He went to the office everyday to update plans for Don. The main thrust of business at that point was the shopping center that Warren Collins was building. Half the space was now leased and Warren was about ready to break ground so construction could start.

Craig had also been working on plans for a house for the three of them. It was coming along nicely, but they needed to get busy and find a site where they wanted to build as the size and shape of the lot would determine a lot of factors, along with any existing trees that would have to be considered.

About 11:45 Joey realized that he was hungry. The juice, coffee and cinnamon rolls he'd had for breakfast had been digested a long time ago. He was thinking about asking Daniel if he wanted to go someplace to have lunch when Craig walked up.

"Do you want to go with Dale and me for a bite to eat?" he questioned.

"Sure!" Joey didn't need a second to think about it. He was more than ready. "I'll meet you at the front door in about 3 minutes. Need to go to the restroom and then wash my hands."

As Craig walked off, Joey told Daniel and Forrest that he was going to lunch, then headed back to the employee's lounge and the restroom. As he walked away, both Forrest and Daniel had thoughts about how cool it was that Joey had both Dale and Craig for Dads. It was kind of like having an older brother to talk to and they both knew that Joey could ask them anything and get a straight answer.

Dale and Craig were waiting for Joey when he walked back to the front of the store. They walked across the street to the back of the parking lot, getting into the Bar-W Blazer that Dale drove.

"Where to?" Dale questioned as they were buckling themselves in. He turned the key and started to back out of the parking place.

"How about the Men's Grill at the Cattleman's Hotel?" Craig suggested.

"Cool," was Joey's reply from the backseat.

Dale turned the corner and they were on their way downtown. The grill usually wasn't too busy at noon on Saturday. They walked in to find Leland and Frank already there. Leland waved them over to their table and the waiter helped them shove two tables together so the five men could have plenty of room.

Frank and Leland were drinking Bloody Marys. Craig and Dale decided on their usual Beefeater's on the rocks and Joey ordered a Ginger Ale.

As soon as the waiter left, Leland spoke up.

"Shall I tell them the good news now?" he asked, looking a Frank.

"Hey, it's their store." Frank laughed at that statement.

Dale and Craig looked at them expectantly and Joey was wondering what they were talking about, too.

"We ran the sales figures for today about 15 minutes before we left for lunch," Frank told them. He had a big grin on his face.

"And." Craig asked.

"Guess," Leland replied.

"50,000?" Dale questioned. He didn't really have a clue.

Leland looked at Craig.

"$75,000?" Craig asked.

"Do you want to guess?" Frank asked Joey.

He was proud to be asked. With a big grin on his face, he said, "$68,357.36," laughing.

"Joey's the closest," Leland said, giving Joey a high-five.

"Actually it was just a few dollars short of being $68- thousand," Frank proudly said.

"And there were three computer sales in the works when we left, so you can probably add another seven or eight thousand to that for the morning sales," Leland told them.

About that time, their waiter set drinks in front of Dale, Craig and Joey. Leland told him to bring two more Bloody Marys.

"Frank raised his glass and the others followed. "To the successful start," Frank said.

They touched the rims of their glasses with each other.

"What do you think the sales will be for the day?" Dale asked. He was still amazed that the sales figures so far for the two days.

"I think we ought to do between $120,000 and $140-thousand today," Frank told the men.

To Joey, that sounded like really big money. "That's over $400 thousand dollars," he said. "Wow! That's a lot of computer stuff."

"I visited the two computer stores in Austin about 10 days ago. I had to go over there on business and had some extra time. Their operations don't even approach what we have here. I'm not even sure that if they were combined, they would be as large. And, they don't offer free classes, custom-built computers or system design," Leland told them.

The waiter arrived with second drinks for Frank and Leland. "Are you gentlemen ready to order?" he asked.

Dale realized that he hadn't looked at the menu yet. Their discussion was more important.

"Give us a few minutes," he asked, dismissing the young man.

"Do you think we'll get much business from Austin?" Craig asked, surprised.

"We've been asking for the customer's zip codes when they check out. The clerk keys it into the computer when the sales transaction is started. Yesterday, only about half the sales came from the Williamsport zip code and those immediately around it. About 30% came from Austin and the rest came from as far away as Temple and Fredericksburg, but generally within a 60 miles radius," Leland clarified. "So, yeah, you'll get a lot of business from Austin."

"You mean that we're not selling to just people who live here?" Joey asked.

"No, that's the reason we ran the full-page advertisement in the Austin American-Statesman on Thursday. We'll be running smaller ads with them starting tomorrow. The Sunday circulation of that newspaper is over 400,000 copies and they claim that two people generally share a copy, so we can reach a lot of readers pretty quickly. And we might even consider some TV advertising at some point, too. You ready to be a star, Joey?" Leland asked.

Joey's face turned into one big grin. "You mean it?" he asked Leland.

"Sure, we can show you working with a customer, demonstrating software. The others, too."

"Yeah, I'd like to do that," he answered. He thought, `This is so neat!'

The waiter was back to take their orders. By this time each of the men had scanned the menu looking for good things to eat. Joey ordered their chicken-fried steak, the large size that covered the plate. He was hungry.

The other men ordered the special Texas King Sesame double burgers, some with cottage fries and others with French fries or hash browns.

"Are you serious about TV commercials?" Dale asked.

"Sure, here's your chance to be a star, too," Leland said, half teasing him.

"Not sure I want to do that. Craig would be a good candidate, though," he replied.

"Hey, why me?" Craig spoke up.

"Because you're adorable," Dale teased, wiggling his eyebrows.

That provoked a big laugh from all of them.

"Seriously, TV ads with your employees appearing in them would be good. If we secure a good ad agency for future advertising, that's a consideration to ask if they will use some of your employees in commercials. That makes them all the more real to the viewer, instead of hiring suave, professional people who cost big bucks to make commercials," Leland explained.

The discussion went on after the food arrived. David had prepared the two newspaper ads, but it was a lot of work for him and it had taken several trips to Williamsport for the advertising salesman before David approved the ad for the grand opening and the follow-up ad that would be in tomorrow's newspaper.

After Joey returned to work, Daniel and Forrest went to the Burger King that was about a block away from the store.

After they got their orders and sat well away from the others who were eating, Daniel got up the nerve to ask Forrest what he thought about the protest group the previous morning and the story in the morning paper. Neither had seen the brief TV report.

"Can I ask you something?" Daniel asked.

"Sure, I may not know the answers, but ask away." Forrest replied.

"What do you think about that Rev. Phelps and the people with him that tried to march up to the store and spoil the grand opening?"

"Well, they certainly found out they weren't welcome." Forrest didn't want to give his personal opinion, as he wasn't sure what Daniel was digging for. He didn't want to reveal very much about himself.

"Boy, that's true," Daniel replied. He then asked, "Do you think they were right?"

"Right?" questioned Forrest.

"Yeah, right about Dale and Craig and maybe Joey, too."

"What, being fags?" Forrest wanted to know. He wasn't sure he liked the way the questioning was going.

"Well, I think the proper term is `gay' but I guess you know what I'm talking about.

"None of them act that way," Forrest said, not really knowing what he was saying. He didn't know how guys like those men could be gay. They certainly seemed to be masculine enough to him and he really didn't have any thoughts about that. Then he thought about himself. He was pretty sure he might be gay, but hadn't had a chance to act on it, he was too afraid that he would be found out and that could cause trouble at school.

I've read that not everyone who is gay `acts that way'. Some of them don't seem any different than you and me," Daniel said, almost wishing he hadn't started the discussion, but Forrest seemed to be willing to at least talk around the subject. He didn't seem to be offended that Daniel had asked some questions.

"I've been to the condo where Joey lives, along with Dale and Craig. They invited me to eat Thanksgiving dinner with them because my grandma's in the hospital. There was never anything said that would lead me to believe they are. gay. Their whole family was there, too. Do you think they would be there if that was true?" Forrest asked.

Forrest, of course, had seen Joey completely naked one morning as he was delivering the paper and Joey opened the door to let his dog out. Joey was embarrassed, but Forrest liked what he saw. For a period of about two weeks he tried to schedule his newspaper delivery about the time Joey's alarm rang. He was successful on several mornings. He had been invited in one morning to have a glass of juice and cinnamon roll and was rewarded by seeing Dale and Craig in just their boxer shorts, too. He'd never really thought much about any of the men who lived there being gay, he just knew he liked what he saw and that Joey and Dale had a lot of hair on their chests and stomachs. Craig didn't appear to have much except right above his navel. They had provided Forrest with a jackoff fantasy on more than one occasion.

Daniel had his own thoughts. Joey had been to his house several times after school. Daniel had taken his shirt off, claiming it was hot in the house and hoping Joey would do the same. Bryce had mentioned that Joey had a lot of hair on his chest. Daniel wasn't sure Bryce was telling the truth, so wanted to see for himself. Joey had kept his shirt on. However, Daniel had seen Dale and could see a lot of hair in the vee of his polo shirt. He also liked what he saw.

Daniel had also been to the condo. As soon as the first computers came in David Perkins had helped Joey choose the best model for him to have at home. Daniel had been invited over to help unpack it and set it up and helped Joey install several of the software packages he wanted to learn. Daniel had eaten a couple of meals with the men and although Joey was his friend, he couldn't help but stare at Dale when he thought he wasn't looking. Although Daniel didn't know the term, he thought Dale was a "hunk". Again, Daniel hadn't detected anything "different" about Dale and Craig. They seemed to be a happy family, although with two "Dads" instead of a husband and wife. The men just didn't act "that way" as many people perceived gay people acted. There were only two bedrooms in the condo, but Daniel hadn't seen the inside of the one Dale and Craig shared. For all he knew, they had moved into that room together when Joey came to live with them. He didn't know that there was one queen-sized bed and they shared it. Perhaps that knowledge might have helped him come to a different conclusion about Dale and Craig.

They didn't probe each other's thoughts any further about that subject; it was time to go back to the store.

Michael and Pat had moved into the new house for the crew and were enjoying the quietness of living at the Bar-W Ranch by themselves. They still saw John on a regular basis as they frequently met him for a burger or to go to a movie. He was still going with Nolan Nichols but they weren't seeing as much of each other because Nolan had allowed his grades to slip. He had to spend most of his free time hitting the books to pull up his grade average and get ready for finals.

John was excited about his new job. He really enjoyed working for Ray Evans and his partners and they seemed to be pleased that he was learning the business so quickly. The foremen seemed to respect him and were willing to answer John's questions, even the ones he thought might be dumb and show off his ignorance. The men realized that John was trying to learn quickly and that if he did his job right, it would make their jobs easier by having someone looking after needed materials and getting them to the job sites as required.

John found a large one-bedroom apartment at River Park and was set to move at the end of November. He was buying necessary furniture and was glad that he had saved most of his wages while working at the Bar-W Ranch. He needed that money to furnish the apartment and complete his move.

He went out to eat with Ray at least twice a week, but they had finally agreed that each would pay for their own meals. John really enjoyed these times together with Ray as he could get a lot of questions answered and also keep Ray informed as to what was going on at each job site.

Neither of the men knew of the frustration the other was causing them. Both thought the other was a hunk and would have loved to initiate something, but restrained themselves.

The long day at the store ended at 8:30. The store was scheduled to be open from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. the following Sundays until Christmas. This would be a "test" to see how much business was generated on Sunday. Dale and Craig weren't supportive of the store being open on Sunday, but David was of the opinion that they had to try it.

The prediction that sales would be around $140-thousand for the day wasn't far off the mark. They actually came in at $147,362.46. Again, everyone was stunned - and elated! It was too good to be true. One would have thought that the store belonged to Leland the way he had been there the last two days, seemingly keeping track of every detail.

This evening the gathering was at Frank and Doris' apartment, with David Perkins and Leland joining them. Doris had fixed a pot of chili and everyone helped themselves after a drink of their choice.

• • • • • Sunday, November 25, 1990

With the calendar falling the way it did, there were five Thursdays in November and today was the Feast of Christ the King, the last Sunday before Advent started. Craig's parents, along with Chuck, Susan and Becky accompanied them to church.

The processional hymn was "Alleluia, Sing to Jesus" (hymn tune "Hyfrydol") and Paul outdid himself on the organ improvisation before the last verse as there was a dialogue between the Trompette Harmonique in the bombarde division above the chancel and the horizontal fanfare trompette on the back wall. He took the key up one step and the boys in the choir sang the descant, their voices floating above the rest of the choir and congregation. Chuck and Susan quit singing, standing there listening as they experienced the wonderful sound.

Joey sang the solo part of the offertory anthem, which was another of Paul's arrangements. The hymn tune was "Diademata" (Crown Him with Many Crowns) and had been re-harmonized by Paul into a more contemporary sound. Needless to say, there was a row of very proud people listening to Joey.

Paul was thrilled to have Joey in the choir. He had also gained the voices of Bret Jenkins, Jr. and Matt Rhodes about the same time. Each of the boys had exceptional voices that needed to be helped along. It seemed that the entire choir had gained more confidence with those new voices among them.

Fr. George touched on the subject of bigotry in his homily, an illusion to the protest on Friday morning. He also said that there was enough bigotry in Williamsport without importing it from out of state by a crackpot, calling Fred Phelps a "false witness". Dale thought it was great how he had worked that into his short sermon.

During coffee hour, a number of people told Dale and Craig, both individually and together that they were sorry they had been a target of Fred Phelps misaligned protest and thought that the people of Williamsport had responded well to the intrusion during their grand opening. Those words made both men feel good. At least people had expressed their support without being judgmental.

After coffee hour, the family went to the Cattleman's Hotel for their wonderful Sunday Brunch. Dale and Craig insisted on treating everyone, partially in thanks for all the help they had received from Chuck and Susan.

As for Frank and Doris, they were excited to be settled in their apartment and being able to entertain their children and significant others, but dreading having to look for a house and the move ahead of them. Both Frank and Doris had agreed that Frank would continue on in his present job as Business Manager for Saber Computers. Frank had talked to the senior partners at his law firm and encouraged them to promote his assistant. He kept no secrets from them about what was going on and they were grateful, but understanding that Frank wanted to be able to help his family.

Chuck had driven his car to the brunch so that he could change clothes at Frank and Doris' place and not have to make another stop to do that and get his luggage from the other condo. When the group was finished with brunch, there was much hugging and kissing, as Dale, Craig and Joey wouldn't see Chuck, Susan and Becky again until Christmas.

Arriving back at their condo, Dale, Craig and Joey realized that they were tired. The stress of the last three weeks was over, the grand opening was a success and business was off to a roaring start.

Joey followed Mitsy downstairs so she could take care of her needs.

As they entered their bedroom to change clothes, Dale whispered to Craig, "Hey stud, wanna take a nap with a cowboy?" Then he wiggled his eyebrows.

"Just the idea makes me hard," Craig told him, as he turned toward Dale for a kiss. Their kisses turned passionate, very quickly, as they helped each other shed clothes. Lips and tongues explored every new square inch of skin as it was revealed. Clothes fell in a heap on the floor and finally the two men fell on the bed together.

Dale rolled Craig onto his back, crawling on top of him, putting themselves chest-to-chest, groin-to-groin and cock-to- cock. Craig loved the feeling of Dale's hairy body rubbing against him. Soon they were both producing precum in quantity and began to rub themselves together, their dicks sliding in their public hair, aided by their sticky-smooth lubrication. Kisses got even more passionate as it had become a contest as to who could clean the other's tonsils. Hands found ears, jaws, and nipples, slid up and down arms and around to their backs, hugging each other tightly.

Finally, gasping for breath Craig said, "I don't want to cum this way and if we keep this up it won't take me long."

"Me too," Dale managed to say. "I have other plans for you, my hunky little stud."

"Ohooo, sounds wonderful," Craig said, his sparkling blue eyes looking up at his lover.

With that statement, the kisses resumed and Dale worked himself around to where he could lightly tickle Craig's balls and on down below to his perineum. Then his fingers went further south, grazing his lover's pucker. Dale could actually feel the muscles opening and closing as he stimulated the sphincter opening.

"Come on, cowboy. I wanna ride your saddle horn," Craig panted.

That gave Dale an idea. He lubed his fingers with his saliva and precum, adding a generous amount from what Craig was producing. He was planning to fuck Craig front-to-front and face- to-face, but he happened to glance at the ottoman in front of the two chairs in their bedroom. He had an inspired thought.

"Come on, stud, I'll let you ride my saddle horn."

With that he eased himself off Craig's body, took him by the hand and they moved toward the ottoman. It took Craig a minute or so to realize what they were probably going to do.

Dale sat on the ottoman, spread his legs slightly and leaned back. Craig sat on his lap, so their abdomens were touching as well as their chests. They could continue to kiss with passion, swabbing each other's tonsils.

Craig rose up, reached behind him and guided Dale's big cock to the threshold of his inner being. He gathered the precum from each of them and rubbed it up and down Dale's shaft. Working quickly, his hand took aim with his fingers holding his cock; and he slowly sank himself on the object of their passion.

Dale was embedded completely inside Craig, who was going to give him the ride of his life. Craig started moving his ass out and back in, up and down Dale's tool as they clung to each other, hands caressing skin and body parts, tongues exchanging swabs. Craig didn't think it could ever get better than this.

Dale thought that Craig had a very talented asshole, but then decided that he already knew that. Together they drove the other to the height of ecstasy, Craig squeezing his ass muscles as he rose up, then relaxing as he rode back down the steel shaft.

Tongues entwined, they worked toward release of their pent- up desire for each other. Sex was more fun in the afternoon.

Joey returned to the living room after following Mitsy back up the stairs. His Dads' bedroom was shut. Although he knew he shouldn't, he walked to the door and put his ear against the wood. All he could hear was what he thought to be moans of passion. His dick became hard - quickly.

Joey had to honor the agreement that had been made before he moved to Williamsport to live with his two new Dads. Something like, "Don't bother us if the door is shut and we'll respect your privacy, too."

Privacy or not, Joey was rock-hard. He wondered exactly what was taking place on the other side of the door.

Well, for himself, all he could do was to "take matters into his own hand". He retreated to his bedroom, shut the door, pulled his clothes off and crawled onto his bed. His thoughts ranged from seeing both Dale and Craig without under shorts, to seeing Chuck naked and with a hardon the morning before. Although Chuck had joked about having a woody like Joey, he wondered if it really was a joke.

While Joey wasn't sure of his sexual preference, he thought that women's sexual organs were a big mystery and he wasn't sure he wanted to know more about them. He'd heard about "the smell" some women generated, while others talked about the sweet honey their girlfriends produced. Certainly, male cocks were a lot less complicated. The movies that his real Dad had, and Joey had watched a few of them, made sex with another man seem a lot less complicated than with a woman. Technically, a woman had three holes while a man had only one, plus a cock to play with. A lot less complicated, in his mind.

Craig was riding the "saddle horn" with vigor. They had almost reached a climax twice before, easing up to make it last a little longer. Now they had reached the point of no return. He thought that each were nearing a climax, so he redoubled his efforts, rubbing up and down, and fucking himself on his lover's saddle horn.

As Dale reached his climax, he forced himself a little deeper. Soon he was firing hot jets of cum into his lover's ass. That triggered Craig. Working equally hard, he drew back as his first volley shot between them. Dale also pulled back, only to have a bullet of Craig's cum lodge in his hair. Their mouths attacked each other with renewed passion. Craig's cum was painting their chests.

Joey had a quick release. Although the stimulation leading up to and including his climax was great, he couldn't help but wonder what Dale and Craig were doing - and what results they had achieved. After all, his only sexual experience was with boys his own age in the Boy Scott troop he had belonged to in Houston. Experience? Well, if masturbation could be truly called a sexual experience. They hadn't touched each other, just watched.

Later, all three of them were back in the living room. Yes, all three of them had slept for a period of time and all three had to have a shower to clean the product of their effort off themselves.

"Did you have a good nap, too?" Joey asked with a big grin on his face.

Craig's face turned red. Dale replied, "A really good one, bud." Then he blushed, too.

Author's Note: Thanks for the overwhelming response to previous chapters. I have received positive replies from all over the world. My special thanks for proofreading help to Paul Daventon, who has taken time to help me catch obvious errors. Also, thanks to two other "on-line pals", Joey Tuvok and Thomas from Dallas/Austin who have been giving me encouragement and their friendship the last few months. Thanks for being such loyal readers.

Since the release of the last chapter of Book 1 of "Tales", I have had cataract surgery and lens implants in both eyes and am doing really well. It's wonderful to be able to see again. Also, more or less with one eye, I played an organ recital between the surgeries. I still haven't listened to the recording - I need to let it age a bit before I hear the results.

Consider this a "Thanksgiving Gift" to all of my readers and especially those of you who have contacted me, and wishing me well with a lot of apparent love. You people are the best!

Any comments are appreciated and you can reach me at TulsaAuthor@aol.com. Thanks, David.