As always, I first want to thank my proofreaders: Vann, Jarrod, and George. Without your help, then I probably wouldn't have a very grammatically correct story. Thank you guys so much.
Also, if you are on FaceBook, there is a new fan page for the group, and just to let you know, I didn't make it. A fan of my story, Dillon, asked if there was one and I told him no. He wanted to start a group so people could discuss the story. Also, post pictures of what you might think the characters would look like, all PG, of course. As of now, there are 26 members. He and I would like to see it grow. If you're interested, go to http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=142654375767439 or simply do a search for QBWTEE.
If you are a member, or will be joining, please make sure you look at the discussion tab. I have listed a challenge for the readers of the story. I need a name for the new book. I would like to see what suggestions you can come up with. If I choose your title, I will give you five advanced readings of the chapter before I post it, and also give you credit in the author's notes. The challenge will be open for at least a month, maybe longer. When I have a new title, I will be letting the group know and will announce the winner before I post the new chapter.
Lastly, to you, the reader: Without you guys, I know I wouldn't have gotten this far with this story. I give all the thanks I can imagine to all of you. Thank you for the encouraging emails you send to me. Thank you for suggesting what you think might happen in the story. Thank you for just giving me the motivation to keep this story going. Thank you, all.
I hope everyone enjoys the first chapter of the new book. Take care.
QBWTEE 2 Part 1
The golden-red glint off the metal structure penetrated the sheer curtains into the room and seemed to hit Blake square on the face. He opened his eyes and immediately blocked the light so he could see his surroundings. Having driven about twelve hours the day before, he found a small, cheap, and fairly clean hotel in East St. Louis, IL.
His trip out of Atlanta was a journey he was both dreading and excited to complete. The weight on his mind was Todd, his boyfriend, and because of this, his eyes didn't seem to run out of tears until he got near Nashville. Once he got near the city, he decided to go and explore a couple of landmarks he had heard about on T.V.: Music Row and the Grand Old Opry. It helped ease his mind while he was exploring the city and finally the Opry, but when he got back on the interstate, his mind went right back to worrying.
He could only imagine how much he was going to hurt Todd, and it killed him to think about it, but no matter what he did, he couldn't help but think about it. He almost turned back about ten times, but then thought about why he was on this journey to begin with. He needed some adventure. He was having a hard time in Atlanta, doing the same thing over and over every day. Todd, telling Blake of his adventures in New York, didn't seem to help Blake with his depression knowing he was going to do the same tired routine without any sense of accomplishment.
He knew there was a possibility that he may never see Todd again, and sometimes he wondered to himself if it was worth it. His stubbornness told him he needed to take the chance and see. If he did lose Todd over this, he knew that he had found the love of a lifetime and a love that others only wish to have. At least he had been loved. He only hopes that when he talks to Todd again, that love will still be there, waiting.
Turning over, he tried to go back to sleep, but it was no use. He turned over, laying on his back and immediately the light was back in his eyes. He moved his head to where the light was just behind the heavy curtain and started talking to himself.
"Breakfast, somewhere close, then back on the road. Maybe I can make it to Wyoming tonight. I gotta figure out how far it is, first, I guess. Another twelve hour day or so. But first, a shower is in order."
He threw the covers off the bed and walked to his overnight bag and got his Dopp kit and some clean underwear, then headed off to the bathroom. When he emerged, the shower seemed to wake him up, and his clean mouth was thanking him for the taste of the toothpaste instead of the stale air he had been breathing the night before. After putting his Dopp kit away, he walked to the window and pulled the sheer curtains aside and looked over to the arch that reflected the light that woke him up.
The sun was higher in the sky now, reflecting the light farther down. Seeing the Gateway Arch, he was amazed to find it was silvery. He had always assumed it was made of stone. His first thought was to grab his phone to get a picture, but he then realized he didn't have it. He made a mental note to make sure he got a new phone when he got to Missoula, Montana. That's where he was going.
Yesterday morning, before he left, he had received an email from his cousin, Mark, with his and Tripp's (his boyfriend) home address, and with instructions on how to get there from interstate 90. They had invited him to come and stay with them a while back, at their grandmother's birthday party, and luckily, the invitation was still open when Blake figured out that he needed to get away. He knew the trip was about 2200 miles, and figured if he could average at least 600 miles a day, he'd be there in a little over three days.
Still looking at the arch, Blake said to the room, "One day down, two and a half more to go."
He turned around, dressed, gathered his things, and then went down to get his bill. Down the street from the hotel was a Waffle House, so he decided that breakfast at a trusted establishment would probably be best. After breakfast, he headed back to the interstate and headed west.
The Blyths woke about five on Friday morning and were eager to get home. They only had a little over four hours left, and Todd was the first to be ready and waiting.
"Hurry up, guys. I wanna get home," he told his mom and dad.
"Oh, shut up," his mom, Christine, said playfully. "We'll be home soon. We're gonna get some breakfast first."
"Can we get it to go?" Todd asked, anxious to get home to see his boyfriend Blake.
"Not a chance," Don, his father said. "We're gonna find someplace to sit and eat. No rushing, like yesterday. I know your excited," he told Todd, "but if four and a half hours turns into five, then so be it."
Todd rolled his eyes, knowing he was out voted, so there was no reason to argue. After Don and Christine had their showers, they checked out of the hotel and found a nice mom and pop type restaurant that advertised home cooked southern breakfast. After taking the first bite of his breakfast, Todd secretly didn't care about the time anymore. He hadn't had a good home cooked tasting meal in a long time. He actually wanted to enjoy what was in front of him, not caring how long it took. Once they were done, they all piled back in the car, and left Charlotte, heading for their home in Atlanta.
Around eight thirty, Todd decided to call Blake at home, knowing his cell phone was ruined. He dialed the number, but the house phone only rang. He let it ring for about two minutes before he pulled the phone away from his face and hit the end button.
Maybe he's already out of the house,' he thought, or, he could be in the shower.'
No matter how many times he tried the house phone, there was no answer. He wasn't worried, but a little upset because he wasn't able to talk to Blake the night before. He figured as soon as he got home, he'd put his things in his room, and then head over to Brushstrokes to surprise him. Todd put the phone in his lap and turned his eyes to the scenery flashing before him as the car sped along interstate 85.
"Todd, wake up. We're home," he heard his mother say.
"Finally," Todd said, stretching and yawing.
As they pulled in the driveway, he saw, as he predicted, that Blake's car wasn't there. He smiled, knowing in about half an hour, he'd see the boy he fell in love with. Once the car was parked, Todd jumped out and went back to the trunk and waited for his father to pop it so he could grab some of his things.
Once opened, Todd grabbed two handfuls and started towards the front door, where his mom was just unlocking the dead bolt. Once it was opened, he sprinted inside and took the stairs two at a time.
"Be careful. At least don't fall and break your neck," she said, as her voice lowered, knowing she was yelling at a wall.
Walking to the island, Christine put down her purse and keys and noticed a note with `Mom and Dad' on the front. Instantly, she felt as if something wasn't right. She picked up the note and began to read. About half way through, Don walked in and asked where Todd was.
"I don't know. Upstairs, I guess," she said to her husband. "Don, you need to read this. It's from Blake."
She handed the note to Don and raised her eyes to the ceiling, knowing why Todd hadn't returned from upstairs.
When Todd got to his room, he threw opened the door and immediately threw everything in his arms down on the desk. When he was turning to go back and get another load, he noticed something on his bed. He walked over and noticed a ring and a piece of paper. He reached down and grabbed the ring and inspected it. On the inside band were the words `I'll Love You, Always.'
He wondered to himself why Blake would leave his ring behind, and figured to answer the question, he'd need to read the note. Reaching down, he grabbed the paper, unfolded it, and began reading.
My dearest Todd,
Let me first start by saying that I never wanted to hurt you and that I will always love you. I know it's going to be hard to believe when you're done with this letter, but please know that it's true.
Todd didn't like how the note started, so he turned, sat on the edge of the bed, and continued to read.
I'm sorry to have to tell you this, this way, but I'm not at work. In fact, I've quit Brushstrokes and am probably somewhere in the middle of the country. I've left Atlanta on my way to go and stay with Mark and Tripp in Montana. I'm sorry I wasn't there to see you, mom and dad get home, but if I laid eyes on you, I would never have left, and this trip is something that I need to do.
I know you won't understand. It's hard to put into words what I need to say, but all I know is that I need a change. Not from you, please know that, but from my depression and routine and everything. Every time I talked to you, I got more and more depressed. You would tell me of the fun you were having in New York and I would get depressed because I wasn't having any fun here. I was doing the same thing over and over, and I needed a major change.
Back during Granny Sue's birthday party, Mark asked if I wanted to come up and stay with him and Tripp for a while, and I told him no, because you and I were just getting into a great place in our relationship and I wanted to work on that. When you went to college, we were great. There wasn't anything for either of us to worry about. Our relationship was perfect. Unfortunately, while you were away, I got depressed. My day consisted of school, work, gym, and then you.
Don't get me wrong, you were the best part of my day, but everything else was beginning to feel like a chore. I didn't have any purpose in my life. I started to feel like a machine, doing the same thing over and over, and finally, I started getting really depressed. The only thing I could think to do was to find some adventure in my life that I needed so that I could feel like I was doing something worthwhile and for me.
Again, I know you won't understand why I did what I did, but I hope you can support me in my decision. I need to feel alive again, and I think this will help. But I want you to know; you had nothing to do with my decision. You didn't drive me away, you didn't say anything wrong, you didn't do anything wrong. You are perfect, and I know that if I saw you, I'd never leave. That's why I left the way I did.
Now, let me explain about the ring, and why I left it behind. In all of my thinking about what to do, this was the hardest decision to make. I didn't feel it was right for me to take the ring you gave me, because, honestly, I didn't know, and don't know, if when you are through reading this, if you would want to have anything else to do with me. In fact, you might hate me now. If that is the case, then I don't deserve this ring. The man that wears your ring is that man that you love. If I've hurt you enough to where you don't love me anymore, then I shouldn't be the one wearing it.
I didn't leave it behind to say that I don't love you. I left it in case you stopped loving me. Even though, at this moment, I can't tell you what to do, I would hope that you continue to wear my ring, because I still do love you. With all of my heart, I love you.
I know you're going to be hurt and angry for a while, and I want to give you some time to deal with that. I'll call you after my birthday next month and we can talk. Knowing how much I probably hurt you is killing me and I'm going to need a little time as well...hoping and praying that one day you'll forgive me.
I don't know what else to say so I'll close by saying this. Please remember that I will love you no matter what you decide. If you still love me then I'll be the happiest man on Earth. If you've decided to let me go and never want to talk to me again, then I'll be sad, but I'll still love you. You are my first love, Todd. No matter what happens, I'll know that I was loved by the best. I was loved by you!
Please forgive me and know that I love you.
Blake.
Todd was dumbfounded, as he reached up and wiped a single tear from his eye. He read the note again, then once finished, stood up and walked over to the desk. He moved the note over the trash can and dropped it. Reaching up to his left hand, he took the ring off that Blake had giving him and put it with Blake's ring in his right hand and stared at them for a moment before dropping them in the trash as well. Two loud thunks rang out when the gold bands hit the metal trash can.
Turning towards the door, Todd said to the room, "Fuck you, Blake. Fuck you, forever."
Driving along the back roads in Nebraska, between interstates 29 and 80, Blake was singing along with a song on the radio when he suddenly felt a pain in his stomach and chest. It wasn't so sharp as to make him stop driving, but it made him take a couple of deep breaths. Once the pain in his chest subsided, his stomach felt queasy; nauseated.
He knew it wasn't the breakfast, because that would have hit him before now. He looked at the clock and saw that it was a little after eleven in Atlanta. He wondered if mom, dad, and Todd were home yet. Once he wondered that, the song faded from his ears and he started thinking about the letter he left on the bed.
He closed his eyes for a couple seconds and took a deep breath and told himself to not think about it anymore. He had to let it go if he was going to get over what he did. He reached over and turned up the radio and began singing again, hoping his stomach would be okay.
Coming down the stairs, Don and Christine were watching Todd as he walked through the living room and out the front door back to the car. A minute later, he was back with his hands full.
"Are you guys gonna help, or are you just gonna stand around and watch me?" he asked with a harsh attitude.
"Honey, do you wanna talk about it?" Christine asked, walking closer to her son.
"Nothing to talk about," he said, starting to walk towards the stairs again. "Blake's gone. End of story."
Before his mother could say anything else, he was bounding back up the stairs, two at a time, this time, out of anger, and not excitement.
That evening, Blake ended up getting as far as Nebraska. When he looked at the atlas, he realized that he wouldn't even have to stop in Wyoming. Nebraska, then somewhere near the border of Wyoming, but inside Montana. If things worked out, he would only have about a five hour drive on the last day of his trip.
Waking up on Saturday morning, he realized that if he were back in Atlanta, he would officially be graduating high school as salutatorian. He knew Kelly beat him with her GPA, but it wasn't by much. She ended up with a 4.6, while he got a 4.4. The extra math she took in her senior year is what gave her the two extra points. He was happy with the outcome, but sad he couldn't be there for his own graduation and to see his friends. And most of all, to see Todd.
Before he got too deep into his thoughts, he jumped up and got a shower and then wanted to get back on the road. Seeing his last Waffle House about 500 miles ago, he chanced a local establishment and was pleased with his choice of pancakes and bacon. After breakfast, it was back on the road for the last of his long days before he arrived at his destination.
About 11 a.m., Todd received a call at the house. It was Kelly.
"Hey," she said, trying to sound chipper.
"Hey," he said, as gloomy as ever.
"Well, I take it you know by now."
"Yeah, the note kinda tipped me off that the boyfriend that I thought loved me left me."
"Todd, you know Blake still loves you."
"Funny way of showing it."
"I know," she agreed. "I told him he shouldn't do it this way. I told him to wait for you and tell you, but he said..."
"...That if he saw me, he'd never leave. Yeah, yeah. He told me in the note. He's still an asshole, though."
"I'll agree to that," Kelly said.
"So, what's up with you?" Todd asked, changing the subject.
"Graduation's today. Just wanted to know if you're still coming."
"I completely forgot about that. No offense, Kelly, but would you mind if I pass?"
"No, it's fine. I didn't think you'd want to, but just thought I'd ask. Do you mind if I drop by after? I want to give you something. I won't be but a minute."
"Sure. Congratulations. Tell the big guy the same for me, will ya?"
"Yeah. He says hi."
"See you later, then," Todd said
"Okay. Bye."
"Bye," he said, and hung up.
On the other end of that conversation, Kelly turned to Howie and said, "He sounds awful."
"Well, you can't blame him,"
"I know, I just wish there was something I could do."
"Once you give him Blake's speech, it might make him feel better," Howie said, putting his arm across her back.
"I hope so," she said.
After graduation, Kelly and Howie headed over to Todd's house as promised. When they pulled up, Todd came out to meet them.
"Hey, bro," Howie said, closing the driver's door and walking to Todd to give him a hug.
Returning the hug, Todd congratulated him on his and Kelly's big day. After the hug, he went over to Kelly and did the same, kissing her cheek in addition.
"Listen, we won't stay long, but I wanted to give this to you," she said, handing him and envelope.
"What's this?" he asked, taking it from her.
"It's Blake's speech. It's what he would have said, had he been here today," Kelly explained. "It's not his original. He gave this to me the day before he left. His first speech simply said, `Be yourself'. But he called me and told me to check my email because he wanted to add something. This is what it was."
"Oh," he said, folding it and putting it in his back pocket.
"Just read it, okay?" she said, pleading with her eyes.
Taking a breath, he said, "Fine, okay, I will. I promise."
"Good. I hate to rush this, but we kinda got family celebrations to get to," Howie explained.
"It's cool. Go ahead. And congrats again."
Kelly stood on her tip toes and hugged Todd again and told him that if he needed to talk to give her a call. He promised to do so, even though he knew that if he did, it wouldn't be to talk about Blake.
Giving Howie a hand shake, Howie suggested they get together soon for a party or something. Todd agreed and actually cracked a smile for the first time in two days. He wished them well and watched them as they drove away.
Todd went back inside and up to his room and closed the door. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out the envelope and looked at it. He walked over to the desk and held out the paper over the can and dropped it in. Staring at it, he huffed and reached back in and pulled it out. He did, after all, make a promise to Kelly. He promised to read it but it didn't have to be now. He dropped the envelope on the desk and headed back downstairs to hang out with his parents.
That night, Blake made it as far as Billings before he called it quits. His eyes were getting cloudy on him and he figured if he didn't stop and rest, then he'd never get to his destination. Pulling into a small motel, he handed over his credit card and received a room key in return. When he got in the room, he dropped everything and fell on the bed. That's how he woke up in the morning, in the same position he fell on the bed.
He didn't feel all that rested, having slept in his clothes and with one leg hanging off the bed, but he did get some sleep and his eyes were clear. That's what mattered the most. He only had a little over five hours left, and if he needed to sleep again, he could do it after his trip was done. He decided to skip breakfast and just hit the road, but no matter what, he needed a shower.
At five hours and twenty minutes, he arrived at his destination. An apartment complex with a fancy gate providing security. He looked at the call box and saw that he had to scroll through the names and then punch the call button. Locating the correct Moore, he hit the call button and a moment later, a male voice answered.
"Mark?" Blake called.
"No, it's Tripp. So, you're finally here."
"Yup, exhausted and hungry, but here."
"Come on in. At the stop sign, take a left. We're the third building on the right. It has a big 800 on the side. We'll meet you out front."
"Sounds good. Thanks," Blake said, then heard a long beep, then the front gates started to swing open. Taking the left, a quarter mile up the road, he saw his cousin waiting for him. Pulling into the spot that Mark pointed to, he put the car in park and turned off the engine.
Opening the door, Mark reached in and pulled Blake out and took him in a big hug.
"It's so good to see you, cuz," Mark said with a big smile on his face.
"You, too," Blake said back.
Pulling out of the hug, Mark kissed him on the cheek, and then Blake opened his arms for Tripp. Tripped also kissed Blake on the cheek then took him in a hug.
"It's great to see you again," Tripp said.
"You, too," Blake said to Tripp.
"So," Mark said, clasping his hands together, "Let's go ahead and get this thing unloaded, then we can get some lunch."
"Sounds great," Blake said, walking to the trunk and opening it. "It's not a lot, but it's all mine," he said, looking at the half-packed trunk.
"No problem," Tripp said, reaching in and grabbing a backpack.
"Be careful with that one. That's my laptop."
"Cool, what kind?" Tripp asked, reaching in for more to grab.
"An Alienware area something or other," Blake said, not remembering what he was told.
"Alienware is supposed to be the best gaming computer on the market," Tripp said, taking more care with the backpack. "How much did it cost?" he asked.
"$7500 I think," Blake said.
"Holy shit, Blake. Where did you get the money for that?" Mark asked, impressed.
"I didn't. A friend gave it to me for my birthday."
"Someone bought you a laptop for $7500?" Mark asked, his jaw hanging open.
"Believe me when I say, he won't miss the money. He threatened me with a very expensive car or this."
"Are you telling us this friend is rich?" Tripp asked.
"Filthy," Blake said, handing a small bag to Mark.
"Wow," Tripp said. "I bet you can play World of Warcraft on this thing like it's nothing."
"I wouldn't know. I only use it to surf the net and check emails," Blake explained. "But if you want to play with it and see what it can do, please, be my guest."
A big smile crept across Tripp's face as he said, "Sweet!"
Emptying the car, they took everything to the second bedroom and put it on the bed, then gave Blake the tour of the apartment. It was a standard roommate apartment. The bedrooms were on either end of the space, separated by the living room, the kitchen, and the smaller bathroom.
They started the tour at the master bedroom and worked their way back and when they reached the smaller bathroom, Mark said, "Sorry it's not in the room with you. Not a whole lot of privacy between the bathroom and bedroom."
"It's okay, Mark. We've already seen each other naked. It's not a problem."
"I guess you're right," Mark said.
"Listen, why don't you go and set up your room, and I'll make us some sandwiches for lunch with chips," Tripp said.
"Sounds good," Blake said. "You got a Coke or something to drink? I've been thirsty for the last hundred miles."
Tripp walked into the kitchen and pulled out a twenty ounce Coke and handed it to Blake.
"Thanks," Blake said and opened the bottle and took a big gulp. "I'll be in here. Just let me know when lunch is ready," he said, turning and walking into his new bedroom.
Back in Atlanta, Todd decided to go to a movie to try and clear his head. He chose one of those stupid comedies, just something to get his mind off Blake. While he was gone, Christine busied herself gathering the trash from around the house, getting ready for trash day on Monday.
When she entered Todd's room, she noticed he still hadn't put everything away that he brought back from school, and she started picking up his dirty clothes, putting them in the basket, then organized his shoes, and put away his clean clothes for him. Finally, she got to the metal can she came to get.
As she lifted the can to pour the contents into the plastic bag, she heard the scraping of metal on metal, and put a quizzical look on her face. Dropping the plastic bag on the floor, she put the can on the desk and started looking through to the bottom to find the culprit. Pulling some paper out and dropping them on the floor, she finally saw the metal making the noise.
Reaching in, she pulled out two rings made of gold. Looking at the both of them, she knew instantly what they were. She closed them both in her hand, closed her eyes, and shook her head back and forth with an understanding of both boys. As she placed the rings on the desk, something in the can caught her eyes, and she reached in and grabbed the note that Blake had left for Todd. Seeing what it was, without reading too much, she folded the letter and placed it on the desk with the rings.
Looking through the can, she didn't see anything else that needed to be saved and emptied the can into the bag. Replacing the can, she grabbed the trash bag in one hand and the rings and letter in the other. Going back downstairs, she placed the rings and paper on the island while taking the bag to the outside trash receptacle.
A couple hours later, Todd's movie was over and he decided to take a ride to Midtown, just to look around and see if anything had changed while he was gone. Everything was just as he left it. No new shops that he saw, and nothing was gone. Everything was exactly the same. He finally made his way to the square where Blake used to work and decided to ride through. Passing Brushstrokes, he couldn't help but let his mind wander to the first time he walked in. Blake, playing a joke on his workmates, told Todd to act like they didn't know each other to get his colleagues reaction. Luckily, that didn't last too long, as Todd had wanted to kiss Blake the moment he saw him.
Shaking his head, he snapped his mind back to the present and continued to drive around the lot and back to the street. Taking a left on Piedmont, he headed to the lower level of Ansley Square and decided on Starbucks before heading back home. After parking, he walked up the sidewalk, just to see if there was anything worth going inside the shops for. Seeing nothing that caught his eye, he made it to the coffee shop and headed inside.
Receiving his caramel macchiato, he sat on one of the empty couches to enjoy his coffee. Someone had left that day's paper lying next to him, so he picked it up and began reading. About ten minutes later, he felt the cushion beneath him move. Looking to his left, he saw a guy, about his age, sit with his coffee and a book in his hand. Looking at Todd, the guy apologized for disturbing Todd, which Todd waved off like it was nothing.
A few more minutes passed and Todd heard the guy next to him start laughing. Todd looked over and saw the guy close the book on his finger and bring his other hand up to cover his mouth to try and stifle his laughter. Seeing Todd look over, the man apologized.
"I'm sorry, this book still makes me laugh out loud," he explained.
Smiling, Todd asked, "What is it?"
"Further Tales of the City, by Armistead Maupin. It's his third of six novels with the same characters."
"Never heard of it," Todd said. "I'd guess it's good, by your reaction."
"They're awesome. The books are easy to read but are filled with so much drama and comedy and everything else you can imagine. Before you know it, you're done with the first book and want to get to the second one as fast as possible."
"Sounds pretty good. I'll have to check them out," Todd said.
"Instead of getting six books, they do have two omnibus versions."
"What's an omnibus?"
"Well," the stranger started, "It's his first three books in one big book and the last three in a second book. All told, it's about 1500 pages."
"Holy shit," Todd said, shocked. "1500 pages?"
"You read it so quick, you won't even realize it."
"Damn," Todd said, and looked out the window.
Silence between the two boys fell for a few moments before the stranger extended his hand and introduced himself. "I'm Zack, by the way. Zack Phillips."
"Todd Blyth," Todd said, shaking Zack's hand.
"So, what brings you out today?" Zack asked.
"Just finished watching that stupid movie `Dorm Room'"
"Oh, yeah, that college movie where the guys try and get with the girls but everything goes wrong?"
"That's the one," Todd answered.
"Any good?"
"It sucked balls," Todd said, laughing.
"I'm not surprised," Zack said. "Most of those movies usually do."
Over the next hour, Todd and Zach talked about movies, music, school, and whatever came up. They were both having a good time and Todd actually forgot about Blake for a little while. That is until what happened at the end of the conversation.
Having just finished a laughing fit, Zack looked down at his watch and couldn't believe what time it was.
"Oh, shit. I'm gonna be late."
"You gotta go?" Todd asked, a little disappointed.
"Yeah, I gotta meet my sister. She's shopping for a wedding dress."
"Oh, well, congratulations to her, I guess."
"Yeah, she's all excited. Gotta good catch too. And handsome to boot."
"That's cool," Todd said, looking down at the newspaper he had folded and placed on the couch between them.
Seeing Todd, a smile crept across Zack's face and he reached for his cell phone and asked for Todd's number.
"Why do you want my number?"
"So when I finally get up the courage to ask you out, I'll have your number handy."
"Oh," was all Todd could say, as a big smile crept across his face. "Well, I..."
"Oh, God, you're straight," Zach said, horrified.
"No," Todd said, laughing.
"Oh, thank God. But, from the hesitation, you're probably already seeing someone."
"Right now, I really don't know."
"Oh, okay," Zack said, confused.
"How about dinner sometime soon, and I can tell you the story. If you want to hear it, that is. I just don't want you to be any later than you are."
"No, I do, I do want to hear it. I'm free tomorrow night."
"Tomorrow's good. Do you eat meat?" Todd asked.
"Is the Pope Catholic?"
Todd gave a chuckle, and then suggested Cowtippers. "It's pretty good and casual."
"Sounds great. What? Seven?" Zack offered.
"Yeah. Sounds good," Todd said, and stood. Reaching out his hand, again, Todd said, "It was good meeting you, Zack."
Shaking Todd's hand, Zack said, "You, too, Todd. See you Monday."
"Cool," Todd said, then out the door Zack ran, dialing his sister to let her know he's on his way.
Todd thought about Zack the whole way home. About how he had the courage to ask Todd out without finding out if he was single, or even gay. Todd wished he had that courage, but he never found out from the way Todd and Blake met. In thinking that, the small smile upon Todd's face, fell. It used to be that to think of Blake would make Todd smile so big. Now, it only makes him think of how angry he is with Blake.
Parking in the driveway at home, he entered the house and the smell of dinner filled the air. He knew from just the smell that his mom was cooking a roast with potatoes and vegetables. It was one of his favorite dishes.
Todd was just about to head upstairs when his mom came in from the back yard.
"Hold it, mister," she said, seeing Todd.
"What'd I do?" he asked, thinking he was in trouble.
"Well, for starters, you haven't cleaned your room yet, but that's not what I wanted to talk to you about," she said, rounding the stairs and walking to the island in the kitchen. Todd followed and sat on one of the bar stools.
Opening a drawer and reaching in, she pulled out the letter that Todd had thrown away with both rings on top. Placing everything in front of Todd, she said, "I thought you might regret this later, so I saved them for you."
Realizing what it was, he said, "Well, you could have just tossed it all. It doesn't mean anything anymore."
"You can be just as stubborn as your father," she said, walking to the stove.
"Mom, I'm not being stubborn, it's just...he's gone. It's obvious that he doesn't want to be with me."
"That's bull, and you know it," she said, turning and waving the wooden spoon in her hand at Todd. "I didn't read that letter, but as I was picking it up, I did see where he said that he loved you with all his heart."
Todd was about to interrupt, but his mom cut him off. "Granted, the way he left; without saying goodbye or calling you, well, he messed that up. I'll give you that, but Todd, I don't think that he intended this as a break up."
"He sure has a funny way of showing it," Todd said, almost inaudible to his mom.
Walking over to the same drawer, she pulled it open and pulled out the other letter that Blake had written to her and Don. "According to this letter," she said, opening it and putting it in front of Todd, "He needed to get away for a bit."
The room fell silent and Todd read the second letter that Blake wrote. When he was done, he said, "It still doesn't change anything. He's gone."
"And good for him," Christine said.
"What?" Todd asked, surprised.
"Todd, honey, think about it. You went off to college, but when you came home, you talked non-stop about how much fun you were having in New York. Both at Thanksgiving and at Christmas. I know you weren't rubbing it in, but when you go through the same boring routine everyday and then someone starts telling you about the fun their having with their own life, well, it can be a bit depressing."
"I only told because everyone was asking," Todd said in his defense.
"I know, and there's nothing wrong with that. But Todd, Blake needed his own adventure. You can't fault him for that."
"He could have waited until the fall when I went back to school," Todd said.
"So, he should arrange his schedule around you, then. Is that what you're saying?" Christine asked.
"Well,..." Todd started, then realized that that is exactly what he was saying, only he didn't mean for it to come out that way. "Well, he could have at least called me and told me how he was feeling. What he was planning."
"Would that have made you feel any better?" she asked. "`Hey, Todd, I love you, but I need to get away for a while?' You know, as well as I, that you would have talked him out of it, and so does Blake. That's probably why he left the way he did."
"I just wish he had told me," was all Todd could think to repeat.
"I know, honey, but he said he'd call after his birthday. Just give him some time. And in the mean time, put the rings somewhere besides the trash. I'm sure one day you two will be together again."
"Don't be so sure," Todd said.
Christine smiled and said, "I am sure. Say what you want, but I know it'll happen."
"Actually, it might not," Todd said with confidence. "I was just asked out on a date this afternoon."
Christine looked at her son and gave a small smile and asked, "Oh yeah? And what did you say?"
Forgetting his answer when he made that statement to her, he lost his confidence and stood up. "That I don't know if I'm with someone or not."
"See," she said, smiling big. "You still love Blake and you guys will get back together."
Todd rolled his eyes, grabbed the note and the rings, and headed towards the stairs.
"Dinner will be ready in an hour," she said, as Todd started up the stairs to his room.
Over the next couple days, Blake was basically a bum. Mark and Tripp had made plans to go out and have a little fun and had invited Blake, but he declined. He wasn't in the mood for fun. Every time he was having fun, his mind flashed back to Todd and that put him in a funk. Instead, he made himself busy looking through the paper trying to find a job. Wednesday came around and instead of looking through the paper, he decided to hit the pavement, hoping it would give him the advantage on unadvertised work.
He covered most of the Missoula area, he picked up a few applications, but he wanted at least ten. He still needed six to meet his quota. From the map he bought that morning, he knew there was an adjacent town about ten miles east, so he headed up that way to see if Eureka Falls had any employment.
Once he arrived in the small town, he parked the car, on what he considered the main street, and got out and started his search for employment. A couple hours passed with him ducking into almost every shop lining the main street and the surrounding streets. He picked up four more applications and was just about to give up and head home, but something across the street caught his eye.
As he walked out of the dry cleaners, empty handed, he looked across the street and saw a small bookshop. He scanned the window and found the name `Chapters Await'. While scanning, he also noticed a rainbow, or so he thought, and decided to get a closer look. On the same sidewalk as the shop, he was right in seeing a rainbow. In the bottom left hand corner of the store window, he saw a rainbow sticker. To him it meant one of two things. Either gay-owned or gay-friendly, so he took the chance and walked in.
Walking in the front door, he was a bit surprised to see more than just books. There was a coffee counter, and items for sale other than books. Clothes, jewelry, stickers, cards, and even a small section of pre-viewed movies that were on sale for $9.99. He figured it is what Brushstrokes would look like with a coffee counter.
As he arrived at the movie display, a woman's voice called out to him asking him if he needed any help.
Turning, he saw the voice came from a middle-aged woman, with slight wrinkles on her forehead, wearing a sun dress with her hair up in a bun. Walking over, he said, "Actually, I noticed your rainbow sticker in the window and I wanted to come in a check it out."
"Oh, so you're gay?" the woman asked.
"Yes, ma'am," he answered. "I didn't expect a gay book store in this little town."
"Well, it's not gay, per-se," she answered, "but we do have a small section for gay authors and some gay movies. Not porn, mind you, but just movies."
"Still, it's pretty cool in this little town," he said, looking over to the section she pointed to.
"I run a bookstore. I want a little bit of everything for my customers. Don't like to leave anyone out, if I can help it."
"That's cool," Blake said, turning back to her.
"You're not from around here. My guess, with your accent, you're from the south somewhere."
"You're good," Blake said, and smiled. "Atlanta, Georgia. Actually, I worked in a bookstore very similar to this one, only we didn't sell coffee and we did sell porn."
The woman smiled, and then asked, "So, what brings a southern boy up to the big mountains of Montana?"
"Just needed to get away for a little while. I moved up to stay with my cousin for a bit. He's at the university in Missoula."
"Ahhh, beautiful little town, Missoula."
"From what I've seen so far, it is."
At that moment, the front door bells chimed to announce a new visitor. Looking at the young man entering, the woman announced, "It's about time. Your lunch ended twenty minutes ago."
"Have we been busy?" the young man asked.
"No, unfortunately, but I'm about to starve," the woman replied.
"Well, I'm back," the boy said.
"Well, young man, if you'll excuse me, I'll be off to lunch," the woman said to Blake, and grabbed her bag and walked out from behind the counter.
"Before you do," Blake said, "You wouldn't be hiring, or know of anyone who would, would you?"
"Surely not here. It's barely busy enough to pay the bills, but..." the woman said, then paused, looking Blake up and down. "I do know of someplace that is hiring. It's a horse ranch up the mountain. Norman West came down to visit the other day and told me of an opening he had. Cleaning the stalls, feeding the horses and such. There isn't anything else that I've heard of."
"I've never seen a horse before, except for TV, of course," Blake said to the woman.
"It's also kind of like a dude ranch. The horses are rented by the hour or day for tourists to enjoy, and they also board horses from some of the locals. Pretty place. He's got about a thousand acres."
"Wow, that's a lot of land," Blake said, not being able to imagine how big a thousand acres is.
"It's hard work, but if you're interested, I can give you directions," the woman offered.
"Yes, please," Blake said.
"At the end of the block, take a left to the next street over, and then take a right. Follow that road out about ten miles, and you'll see the ranch on the right. The sign says `Safire Fields'. You can't miss it. It's the only driveway up top."
Blake thanked the woman, gave a small wave to the boy and left. When Blake arrived back at his car, he looked at his clock on the radio and saw it was a little after three. He figured he still had time to head up to the ranch and at least get an application, so that's what he decided to do.
Fifteen minutes later, and a lot of twisting and turning on a road that was barely wide enough for two of his cars, with a cliff wall on one side and a very long drop on the other, he arrived at the wrought iron gate with an iron arch that had the words `Safire Fields' welded onto the iron. He drove under the arch and headed down a slightly wider driveway that turned only vaguely, while climbing even further upward. When he crested the hill, he was amazed with the layout before him.
Further up the way to the right was what he expected to be the main ranch house. It looked to be a southern style mansion, with huge white columns reaching from the earth to the roof. From what he could make out, it was only two stories, but it was a tall two stories. There were two porches, one on each level, and the front door looked to stretch from the porch to the ceiling; French doors, made entirely of glass. The front yard was carved out with patches of flowers and bushes, all expertly trimmed to look very neat.
Across the driveway, on the left, was another building, one story, and very long. About the length of two double wide trailers, put end to end, with a stone path leading from the front door. Blake didn't have a clue as to what it housed. `Maybe it was storage,' he thought to himself.
Behind both the main house and the mystery building, stood a huge red barn, where he assumed the horses were housed. It was a typical barn, with a second, smaller and more square top, almost like a walkway, is how Blake described the top of the barn to himself.
As he pulled up to the parking lot, he also spotted a smaller barn that disappeared behind the big barn, as he parked. All he saw was hay littered around and inside the open garage door. He, rightly, assumed that was where the hay for the horses was stored.
As he turned off the car and opened the door, a tall, older, lanky man approached from a side door of the main house. Stepping out and closing the door, Blake heard a warm welcome from the man that was walking toward him.
"Welcome to Safire Fields. My name is Oliver West," he said, introducing himself and reaching for Blake's hand to shake.
Reaching out, Blake took Oliver's hand and introduced himself. "Blake Moore. Very nice to meet you, Mr. West."
Releasing Blake's hand, Oliver asked, "So what brings you up the mountain today? Did you want to go riding?"
Blake smiled and said, "No, sir. I was just down at the bookstore in town and the nice woman working there told me there was a job available here. So, I wanted to come and apply."
"So, you spoke to Diane? Such a nice lady." Oliver looked Blake over then motioned, with his right hand and finger, for him to turn around. He didn't know what for, but he followed directions and slowly turned, until he was facing Oliver again.
"Such a strong looking handsome fella. Looks like you have the muscle for the job, but there are a few things you should know before getting too interested." Smiling at Blake, Oliver waved for him to follow. "Let's go inside and get something to drink and a snack and I'll tell you what you need to know."
Blake followed Oliver up the little stone path that lead to the side door Oliver came from. Opening the screen door, Blake grabbed it from Oliver and allowed the older gentleman to enter first, after Oliver motioned for Blake to go first.
Walking into the kitchen, after Oliver, it immediately reminded him of his grandmother's house. Old cabinets lined the walls, pots and pans hung on nails along the wall, as well. The feeling engulfed him and he instantly felt comfortable in this kitchen. The only difference between this kitchen and his grandmother's was that it was about twice as big, had four ovens, two double stacked, a huge side-by-side refrigerator and in the middle of the floor, was a big, heavy looking table, made of solid wood with six bar stools; two for each side, except for the side that faced the sink.
"Well, Mr. Blake Moore, why don't you take a seat," Oliver said, waving at one of the bar stools, "And I'll get us something to drink. Is sweet tea okay with you?"
"You have sweet tea up here? I haven't had sweet tea in over a week."
"Well, like you, I'm from the South, too. Sweet tea has been a staple in my house ever since I was a boy."
"Thanks, sweet tea would be wonderful, but how did you know I'm from the South?" Blake asked, puzzled.
"Only a true Southern gentleman would allow the host to go first and himself last through a door." Looking at Blake, he smiled and added, "At least, that's what my mama always told me."
"Oh," Blake said.
"Plus, your accent kinda gave you away, too." Oliver gave a little chuckle as he reached for two tall glasses and filled them with ice. Placing one in front of Blake and the other at the adjacent barstool, he went back to the fridge and grabbed the pitcher of tea and came back to the table and began to pour.
After Oliver placed the pitcher on the table, Blake grabbed his glass and took a swig and instantly closed his eyes. Replacing the glass on the table, he smiled and said, "That's some of the best sweet tea I've had in a long time."
"I'm glad," Oliver said. Looking on the table and then on the counter, he said, "Where are my manners? I do have lemon, as well. Would you like a slice?" he asked, standing and walking to the fridge, again.
"Oh, no thank you. This is perfect for me," Blake said, and picked up the glass again.
Reaching in the fridge, Oliver grabbed a slice of lemon for himself and came back and sat at the table. Squeezing the lemon into his tea, he dropped the slice in the liquid and took a sip. "Ahhh, like you said, perfect." Oliver gave a smile.
"Well, Blake, I guess you want to hear about the job?" Oliver said, looking at Blake for an answer.
"Yes, please," Blake said.
"Well, we house about twenty five horses. Fifteen of which are ours, and the other ten belong to some of the local folk around here. Every morning the stalls are cleaned, while the horses are let out in the pen to run and roam. Once the stalls are cleaned, we bring in hay for them to eat, as well as fill the oats bag.
"Speaking of which, would you like some homemade cookies?" Oliver asked and stood and went to the counter. "Took them out of the oven about ten minutes ago," he said, bringing over a plate of sugar and chocolate chip cookies.
Blake said thank you and grabbed a chocolate chip, his favorite.
Placing the plate next to the tea pitcher, Oliver continued. "Once the stalls are completed, we bring each horse down and give them a good grooming. Brush their mane, wash them if needed. We also do the same thing after each rider. The horses love it. Sometimes they get a massage twice a day.
"We do rent them to any tourists on an hourly basis or even daily, which is eight hours. If they need some lessons, Thomas, our stable manager, will help them with that. Do you know how to saddle a horse?" Oliver asked.
"No, sir. I've never seen a horse in person before."
"No worries. Thomas will help you out with that and teach you. Work starts every morning at 5:30, breakfast is at 8:00, lunch is from noon to one, and then dinner is at five. We rent the horses from 8:30 to three. We like them all to be back by four thirty so they can relax, and we can end our day by five, if possible."
"Wow," Blake said. "5:30. That's really early."
"True, but we start our day around 8:30, at least the business part does. The stalls and the grooming should be done at 8:30."
"How many people work here?" Blake asked.
"Let's see," Oliver said, looking up to the ceiling, thinking while he talked. "We have Thomas, our stable manager. Lindsey, the assistant stable manager, and the ranch hands are Amy, Joan, Dwight, Bruce, Jackson, Charles, and Miguel."
"So, ten people, fully staffed?" Blake asked.
"Yes, plus Norman and myself. He runs the ranch and I take care of the cooking. Oh, we also have Julie. She does the books, so she's in the office most of the day. She's also human resources manager, so you might be talking to her later," Oliver said with a wink.
"It all sounds so great," Blake said. "If I may ask," Blake started, but Oliver said, "Ask away, m'boy."
"How big is the ranch?" Blake asked.
"We have 1500 acres, five hundred of which are fenced in to keep the public out. There's a little stream fed pond there that's just for us and the workers to use. Everything else is also fenced in for the tourists. The locals who board their horses here can take them off the farm if they wish, but most stay within the fenced in acreage."
"Well, it sounds great. Do I need to fill out an application for consideration?" Blake asked, picking up his tea glass.
"Well, there's one more thing you should know before you do that." Oliver gave a sigh and said, "Norman, the other owner of the ranch, is my partner. Not my business partner."
Blake took a second to think about what Oliver just said, then clarified for himself, "You mean, like your husband?"
Smiling, Oliver said, "Yes. I hope that doesn't upset you."
"Well, I kinda figured." Seeing the look on Oliver's face, Blake quickly recovered, "What I meant was, you both share the same last name...Ms. Diane said Norman West and you introduced yourself as Oliver West. At first, I thought brothers, but when I looked through the kitchen to that other room, I saw the picture on the mantle of you two. That's what made me think otherwise."
"You sure are very observant," Oliver said, giving a small smile. "It doesn't bother you, does it?"
"Mr. West," Blake started, "I'm gay, myself."
"Wow. We've been trying to fill this spot for a month now, and every time I got to Norman being my partner, that's when the applicants lost interest in the job. Blake, you're gonna fit right in. Also, seven of the nine other workers are gay, too."
"Excuse me for asking, but how is it that there are so many gay people on this ranch, but I couldn't spot any in Missoula or Eureka Falls?"
"All but three aren't from around here. We, Norman and I, kinda recruited them when we went on vacations. Told them that if they ever needed to get away, that we could help them out with a job and a place to live. Thomas and Julie are married and live down the mountain in Eureka Falls. And Joan is from Missoula. The rest are from San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Seattle. Oh, and Amy's from Salt Lake City.
"Amy and Joan have been together for about three years now. Bruce and Dwight have been together for over six. And Charles and Miguel have been dating for about a year, this September. Jackson and Lindsey are the only singles one we have on the ranch." Oliver paused for a moment, and then asked, "So, what about you? Are you seeing anyone?"
"As of right now, I really don't know," Blake said.
"Just starting out and not sure how it's going?" Oliver asked.
"Not really. It's just a long story," Blake said.
"Well, Papa, won't be back for about half an hour. That's what we call Norman. So, we've got some time, if you want to talk about it.
Blake felt comfortable with Oliver and told of the last three years and his decision to leave Atlanta. When Blake was done, Oliver put his hand on his chin and looked into Blake's eyes and said, "It seems you made a very hard decision. Leave the one you love and go looking for adventure. I don't think I could ever do that."
"Sometimes, I think I made the wrong decision," Blake admitted.
"Don't ever think you made a mistake. If this is what your heart was telling you to do, then you did the right thing. If he loves you half as much as the way you described loving him, things will work out. Even if he doesn't understand right away, he will eventually. Blake, I think you did the right thing. You're very brave to even take the chance."
"I hope you're right," Blake said, taking another drink from his tea.
Looking over at the clock, Oliver led Blake over to the ranch office to get the application to fill out. Julie was out of the office at that moment, so Oliver opened a desk drawer and grabbed an application and handed it to Blake. "Papa will be back in about ten minutes. That should be enough time to fill this out."
Blake pulled up the chair on the opposite side of the desk and grabbed a pen and started filling out the application. Right when he was done, the door to the office opened and he heard the booming voice of a man who didn't seem happy, then saw the man to whom the voice belonged.
"...I don't give a damn what he said about raising his rates. Fuel is more expensive this year. Horseshit. He's been giving that same ole excuse every year, and he's always come back down to the agreed upon rate."
"That's what I told him, Papa, but he said this year he couldn't do any better," a nice, petite, blonde headed woman said to the older man.
"You get that son-of-a-bitch back on the phone and tell him if he doesn't agree to the original price, then I'll take the business elsewhere." Turning his attention to the open office, he added, "Thirty years of business, and he wants to rip me off." Finally letting his eyes adjust, and seeing Blake for the first time, he looked over and boomed, "Who the hell are you?"
Blake stood and was about to introduce himself, but Oliver returned from the kitchen and cut in. "Papa, this is Blake Moore. He's here about the farm hand position."
"Is that right?" he asked, looking at Blake.
"Yes, sir," Blake said, nervously.
Getting to know a little about Oliver, it took Blake a little by surprise to see his partner seemed to be completely opposite. Norman, Papa, was a tall man; about six foot five, with a big frame and a big belly. He had grey hair sitting on top of a very pudgy face with a moustache sitting squarely in the middle. Between his lips was a half smoked cigar that moved with expert quality and balance whenever the man moved his mouth. He made Blake think of Boss Hogg from the Dukes of Hazzard reruns that he'd seen. Only taller and with hair.
"How long's he been here?" Papa said to Oliver.
"'Bout thirty minutes. I already told him about the job and everything else he needed to know," Oliver explained.
"Didn't get scared off, did ya?" Papa asked of Blake.
"No, sir. No need to be scared," Blake explained.
"Wish those other applicants could say the same. They find out `bout Oli and me, they start runnin' for the hills."
"Papa, he's part of the `family'," Oliver said, emphasizing the word family.
"I'll be," Papa said, looking at Blake. "You new around here?"
"Yes, sir. Just moved from Atlanta, sir."
"Atlanta, Georgia. Wow, it's been years since we been there," Papa said, looking at Oliver. "Remember that old jazz club on Peachtree Street we used to go to?" Oliver shook his head in the affirmative. "Wonder if it's still there."
"Papa, that was over thirty years ago. I'm sure it's long gone, by now."
"Yeah, you're probably right. What a shame. Some of the best jazz in Atlanta." Papa seem to get lost in his thoughts for a moment, then shook his head and looked back at Blake. "You fill out an application yet?"
Reaching to the desk, where the young lady was sitting, he grabbed the paper and handed it to Papa. "Yes, sir."
"Good. Come with me to my office and let's talk."
Papa didn't wait for a reply, but instead, left the room and rounded the corner. Blake had to jog to keep up and not lose the man. As he left the room, Oliver gave Blake a smile and a thumbs-up signal. Before turning the corner, he heard Julie ask, "Mama, you got the grocery receipts?"
Once in Papa's office, the man plopped himself down behind his desk and put out a hand for Blake to sit in one of the other chairs in front of the desk. Silence engulfed the room for about five minutes then Papa started asking Blake questions. First, personal questions, like why he left Atlanta, what brought him to Montana, and what his parents thought of him leaving.
After being given short, but thoughtful, answers, Papa moved on to the application.
"Say's here, you'll be 19 next month. That right?"
"Yes, sir."
"Looks like you got some good muscle there. What did you do to get it?"
"Well, um," Blake started, "my, um, boyfriend, at the time," he added quickly, "used to work out a lot, and he kinda got me into it. We started off running, then he took me to the gym and he showed me his routine. After he left for college, I had a lot of time on my hands and so I used to go to the gym five days a week, just to get my mind off him not being there."
"You young'ens and your bodies. All you little ones like to work out and look good." Looking at Blake's arms, Papa asked, "Were you fat before?"
"No, sir. Just very skinny. No muscle. Six foot one and a hundred and forty pounds."
"Watcha weigh now?"
"About 230," Blake answered.
"Well, you got the muscle for the job, thanks to the gym," Papa said, looking back at the paper in his hands. "Only one job?"
"Yes, sir."
"Where is this Brushstrokes located?" Papa asked.
"It's in Ansley Square Mall, in Midtown. It's on Piedmont Avenue."
"A book store?"
"Yes, sir. We also sold clothes, jewelry, movies, and cards."
"No farm experience?"
"No, sir."
Looking back at the paper, he dropped it on the desk and then leaned over and folded his hands together and said, "Blake, I'm not gonna lie. This is a tough, demanding job. I don't like slackers. Thomas, my manager, has been with me for twenty years now. Jackson, he's only been with me four years. Everyone else has been with me for more than four years. I don't like temps, and I don't like part-timers.
"I need a full-time hand to help out. It's a permanent job, five days a week, and every other weekend. Pay is $350 a week, plus medical and dental after three months. Meals and room is included."
"Excuse me, sir. Room?" Blake asked.
"Yeah. The longer building next to the house, that's where the hands live. You can choose to live off property, if you want. Pay goes to $400 a week, if you decide to, but we start pretty early round here. All the hands live here, cept for Thomas. He and Julie live right down the mountain. In the twenty years he's been with me, he's only been late once, and that was by five minutes.
"We start every day at 5:30. Now, you can live somewhere else, but I expect you to be here on time every morning. Where do you live?"
"Over in Missoula, with my cousin," Blake answered.
"Missoula's bout thirty minutes away from here, which means, you need to leave about five, and get up round 4:30 or so. You can do it, if you want, or you can move in here and sleep in a little later. But that's your decision. Either way, I don't like lateness," he said.
"Got it, sir," Blake said.
Looking Blake over, once more, Papa asked, "So, you want this job?"
"Yes, sir," Blake answered without hesitation.
"Good," Papa said, standing, and reaching out his hand. "You start Monday. I give you guys a little break the first week, `cause I'm nice like that. Be here at 6am."
Blake took Papa's hand in his own and thanked him for the opportunity.
Walking around the desk, Papa grabbed Blake by the shoulder and said, "I'm parched. How `bout we go and get some tea from Mama?"
Blake agreed, but wondered who Mama was.
Monday evening arrived and Todd was just about to head out when his dad caught a glimpse of him from the kitchen.
"Where're you off to?" he asked.
"Meeting a friend in Midtown for dinner," Todd answered.
"Oh, yeah? Who's the friend?"
"You haven't met him, dad. His name's Zack. I met him at Starbucks a few days ago."
"So, what? Is this a date?" his dad asked, a little crestfallen.
"No, it's just a friend I made and would like to get to know him a little better. That's all."
Putting his glass of tea on the island, Don took a few steps closer to Todd and said, "Have you thought much about Blake..."
Todd cut his dad off and said, "Only enough to want to kill him. Can you please drop it, dad? You know I don't want to talk about him anymore."
"I know, but..."
"He left me, remember?" Todd said, again cutting his dad off.
"Fine," Don said, raising his hands in defeat. "Just don't go too fast with this new guy."
"Dad, I told you, we're just friends. I'm not dating him."
Don smiled and said, "Well, have fun," then turned towards the sofa.
Todd shook his head, thinking his father had no idea what he was going through and that he really should be more supportive, and then went out to his car.
At that moment, Christine came down the stairs and looked around. "Did Todd just leave?"
"Yeah," Don said, looking back over his shoulder at his wife. "Says he's going to meet a friend for dinner. I'm thinking it's a date," Don admitted.
"If it's the new guy he told me about, don't worry. He's still in love with Blake."
"Every time I mention Blake's name, he practically jumps down my throat. How do you know he still loves him?"
"Because when he told me about this guy asking him out, his response to him was that he didn't know if he was with someone or not. He still loves Blake. He's probably still hurting, but he still loves him." As she told him this, she grabbed Don's tea glass and took a swig, then brought it over to her husband.
"So, you think they'll get back together?" Don asked, taking a sip of his tea.
"Positive," Christine said, smiling and turning towards the kitchen.
Turning back to the TV, Don whispered, "God, I hope so."
Todd arrived at the restaurant about ten minutes early, only to find Zack waiting for him. He was about to check in with the host, but heard his name called from the patio. Looking up, he saw Zack wave him over.
On his way over to Zack, he actually noticed how cute Zack was and wondered if he thought they were on a date. Joining Zack at the table, he said hello and sat down.
"So, how ya been?" Zack asked.
"About the same," Todd answered, but needed to ask his next question immediately. "Listen, can I ask you a question?"
Zack looked a little puzzled, but said, "Sure."
"I don't mean to sound conceited or anything, but do you think we're on a date?" Todd asked.
"What? No. We're just friends getting to know each other. Or at least, I hope we're friends, getting to know each other."
"Ahhh, great. My dad asked if I was going out on a date and I told him no. I don't think he believed me, so I wanted to be sure that we were on the same page."
"Yup, just two friends, getting to know each other, that's all," Zack said.
"Great," Todd said.
"I hope you don't mind, but I ordered us an appetizer. I got some fried cheese coming."
Todd looked at him and smiled and said, "I think this is going to be a good friendship."
Seeing the other patron, the waitress walked up and took their drink order.
"Um, yeah, I'll take a bottle of Bud, please," Zack said.
"I'll take sweet tea," Todd said.
The waitress left and Zack asked Todd if he drank or not.
"Well, not yet. I'm only 19."
"Holy shit," Zack exclaimed. "Gotta go," he said and slid his chair out from under him.
"Wait, what?" Todd asked, confused.
"Just kidding," Zack said, pulling his chair back underneath himself. "I would've sworn you were at least 21."
"Still gotta year and three months before that happens," Todd said. "So, how old are you?"
"22," Zack answered. "I know, I still look like a teenager. Everybody says so."
"To be honest, you do, actually. But, I mean it in a good way."
"Oh, it's okay. I just hope when I'm 40, I'll look 33."
"Maybe so," Todd said, as the waitress arrived with their drinks.
"Have you guys decided yet?" she asked.
Zack motioned for Todd to order first. "I'll have my usual. Rib-eye with a baked potato, butter and sour cream and a side of corn, please."
Getting the temperature for the steak and finishing Todd's order, she turned her attention to Zack.
"Actually, make that a double. Exactly the same way."
The waitress grabbed their menus and left the two alone. Picking up his beer, Zack said, "So, you said you had a story to tell," then took a swig of his beer.
The appetizers arrived and Todd continued with his story. By the time their dinner arrived, he had just finished up.
"So, when I came home, all I had was a note and his ring. No phone call, no email. Nothing."
Cutting his steak, Zack contemplated on what to say. "Now, if I was a shallow man and wanted to try and date you, I would tell you to leave him. Forget him, because he obviously doesn't care for you anymore. But, alas, because I can see how much it hurt you, and we're just friends, I'd have to say, honestly, I can't blame him."
"What do you mean, you can't blame him?" Todd asked, not liking the sound of that answer.
"Todd, you're mom is right. It sounds like he was having a boring life. An opportunity came up and he jumped on it. Just because he left, doesn't mean he doesn't love you. Well, we both know he still loves you. He left you a note telling you so.
"He could have handled the leaving better. Yeah, he could have waited for the fall when you went back to school, but then he'd be working around your schedule, now wouldn't he?"
"How do you know exactly what my mother said?" Todd asked.
"Because anyone outside of the relationship can see it. Because it affected you, you can't see outside the box. You're just thinking about you, which is fine. But in order to understand Blake, you need to see it from the outside to comprehend what he was going through. In fact, Blake's solution probably would have saved my last relationship."
"How?" Todd asked.
"My last boyfriend was four years older than me, and his job made him do a lot of traveling. Well, in the meantime, I sat at home and waited for him. I did my school, did my job, went out with my friends, but I was always waiting. When he would finally come home, it would only be for visits, and he would tell me of the great times he was having.
"Anyway, he finally got a promotion and was back in Atlanta full time and he just went back to `us' as usual. He was never interested in what I did all that time he was away, and when he got home, he didn't care much about my feelings anymore. He would just talk about how much he missed the traveling. Well, I grew to resent him and so I left."
"But, how could you leaving before you guys broke up might have fixed the problem?"
"If I had left," Zack started, "before he got home, maybe he would have actually cared for me just a little more. Not being there waiting on him might have given him some perspective on our relationship, or at least how he felt about me."
Todd continued to eat his dinner, but was looking more confused than before. Zack decided he needed to add a little more to help Todd understand.
"Listen, I'm not saying that our situations are alike, but in a way, they are. Think about it. Jonny, my ex, and you went away. You both come back and talk about the fun you're having. You, unlike Jonny, probably cared enough to ask about Blake's feelings and things. Then you both leave again, leaving me and Blake to our normal routine. Finally you both come back and I'm sitting around waiting with no respect to me from Jonny, and you come home to an empty house.
"Maybe Blake left because of adventure, yes, but maybe, just maybe, he might have felt taken advantage of. You come home for a few months and then it's off to repeat the cycle again and leave him behind."
"But I never took advantage of him. He told me to go to New York. He said he'd leave me if I didn't. What was I supposed to do?"
"Maybe it was harder for him than he thought it would be." Putting down his fork, he reached over and placed his hand on top of Todd's and said, "Todd, I know you still love him. It's in your eyes. It shows on your face. Don't throw it away just because he fucked up the way he did it. Wait for that phone call. Talk to him. Tell him how you feel. Give him another chance. It'd be a shame to throw it away because he messed up one time."
"I don't know if I can do it," Todd said.
"Of course, you can," Zack said, hitting Todd hand. "Just have to believe you can and you will."
Todd thought about it for a minute and took another bite of his steak and then asked, "What do I do in the meantime?"
"Have fun. Go to the movies, read a book, which, by the way," he said, and leaned over to get something off the ground. "I brought this for you," he said, handing over a huge book to Todd. "It's the first three books in the Tales of the City series."
"Holy shit, it is big," he said, taking it from Zack and flipping through the pages.
"Yeah, and the second one's just a bit thicker. You let me know when you've finished that one, and I'll get you the other one."
Todd set the book down on the table and smiled and said, "Thanks. Not just for the book, but for everything. You've given me something to think about."
"Hey, what are friends for?" Zack asked and smiled.
To Be Continued. . . . . . . . . .