Disclaimer: The following is a work of fiction and any resemblance to real people or events is coincidental. The story contains graphic descriptions of sex between persons of the same gender. Anyone who is forbidden by law to read such material must stop now. This story is being posted to the Nifty Archive solely for the enjoyment of its readers. No part of this story may be reproduced, cut, pasted, or otherwise transmitted or distributed without my expressed written permission. Copyright application has been filed.
The Umpire
In addition to the normal disclaimers, it is necessary for me to additionally fictionalize the ensuing events to protect all of us involved. ...
It was already getting hot. The temperature on the field was at least 100 and there was not even a hint of a breeze. Budge, our manager, was beginning to stew. It was already seven minutes to two and we only had one umpire. We'd already postponed this game from yesterday to today to accommodate the ump who had custody of his kid this weekend or something to that effect.
We'd already taken our infield and the visitors had done the same. We were just milling around in the dugout waiting... then, finally he comes, kid in tow and apologizing profusely to everyone who'd listen... something about getting a late start and having trouble finding the field. Jeezus, how stupid do you have to be not to be able to follow the main street out of town for three quarters of a mile and look to the left at the mile marker 195 to see a wire backstop and bleachers sitting on a dusty piece of ground?
Anyway, we were all gathered. There was bitchin' a-pleanty from the visiting team. Two of their players wouldn't be able to play in the second game of the double-header because they had jobs to get back to... the mood was foul.
Such is life in the Texas Bush Leagues, especially the semi-pro leagues. But it is a life, sort of. Baseball is part of my blood. My grand dad played pro ball, my dad played in the minors and I, well, I play college ball and any chance I get, even if it means $75.00 a week plus expenses, which means that they give me a living allowance, on the road,. and transport me from one little backwater town to another in a battered yellow school bus that is parked in the Boarding House lot.
Right now, we're `at home'... if you can call this little dump of a town home. One damn main street that runs due east and west as far as the eye can see to the horizon. A mill, a cotton gin, two beer halls, four churches a combination food and feed store, a drug store with soda fountain... yep, you heard me, a soda fountain! There's a barber shop, a guy who calls himself a doctor who's here three days a week, but lives in the next town over and a watchmaker who also doubles as a barber.
The Shell station sells condoms, not that there is much use for them out here... the girls are all jail bait and the few dames that are available... married or otherwise are... well, it isn't exactly where you'd come to find a wild night.
Parallel to the highway off on little side streets, half of which aren't even paved, there are other little shops, and of all things a funeral home, a liquor store that does a land office business, (we're sandwiched between two towns that are both dry, but we can consume on a byob basis... hence the liquor store. There's talk of a new Market coming in to town, but so far it has been just talk. There is the one boarding house where I live run by a motherly type called Ma, whose cooking is passable, but a whole lot better than what you'd get at the either the Dairy Queen or the Cafe at the other end of town.
The boarding house where I stay is a wood frame two-stiry fire trap on Second Street on the south side of Main Street. It is on the corner, one block off Main. The parking lot is in the back off the street. It's only convenience is that the little card shop that also serves as the Post Office is on the corner of Second and Main.
The one motel, or more correctly, tourist court, almost burned down this spring before the season started. Three of the little cottages went up before the local fire district could contain the fire. The Dew Drop In is, or was, a series of eight little cottages attached to what we now call a single car port, which is attached to the next cottage...
The office is a semi-free standing building at the end where the family that owns it lives. There is a laundry and a storage building which then L's into the line of cottages. It is an ugly thing... low, flat roofed, painted pink and an ugly bluish green... which thank God has faded sufficiently to allow you to look at it. The three burned units and their garages are still black and boarded up. Not a very inviting place to stay. A couple of the married guys live there. The others either live in the neighboring towns or have made arrangements to use the remaining tenant-farm houses that still dot some of the big farms that have been bought up by the conglomerates.
I'd hoped to go East and play with something like the Cape Cod Collegiate League, but for some reason when the chance came to join the Buzzards, I took the chance. I justify it to myself by telling myself I can look good and surely somebody will see my stats and against competition I'll stand out... it remains to be seen how that plays out. My college coach had suggested such a cockamamie plan and I ... well, it was easier.
My folks went along with it. My dad sends me a little for `extras' once a month, and being single, I get by... I'm in my Junior-Senior summer... I need to get noticed or plan on grad school...
The Blue brings the kid to our dugout... since we're the home team, we've got our backs to the sun and our dug out is in the shade. He tells the kid to take a chair on the home plate end of the dug out and tells him to stay put. The kid is remarkably well behaved ... he sits down with his red short pant suit and blue plastic batting helmet. He looks about 5... Cute kid. As the Home Team, we get to baby-sit....
Budge is out at home plate now with the two blues... The Blue with the kid is on bases for the first game. They are hustling to get the game underway. We don't have lights so we have to get this show on the road so we can complete both games before it gets too dark to play. The plate ump is a little guy... he can't be more than 5' 3" or 4"... He has a baby face, blonde, blue beady eyes and not one, but two earrings! The cup he's wearing makes him look like a young stallion. Of course, the chest protector and shoulder pads make him look like a mighty midget... His shin guards round out his legs and all that is natural to look at is his cute little bubble ass that round out his gray pants. He's not wearing spikes, but what appear to be steel-toed brogans... His hands are expressive, long fingered and fine...
"Play Ball" 2:10 p.m.
Manny leads off. He's our right fielder. The mighty midget. Same size, but appears slimmer than the Plate Blue... 5 pitches and he's on base with a walk. I'm next. I play second. Good arm. Accurate. Agile, quick enough for an infielder, able to harass most pitchers on base. Batting 357 in this league, but only 311 at school. I did have the second best stolen base average in the league, but the Bigs don't look at second best anythings...
First pitch is low, nothing much on it. "Ball"... Second pitch is supposed to be a curve ball, but the delivery puts it in the dirt between the catcher's legs. He's pretty hefty and by the time he finds it Manny is on second standing up.
Third pitch is way wide. Orville or third base coach signals a take. The ball is a perfect fast ball, if you can use the term fast for that pitch, but right over the plate belt high. Shit, even I could have hit that out into the weeds. He tries to jam me but gets too far inside. I could feel it graze my shirt... no matter, "Ball Four"....
And so it went. Final score was 15 zip! They used three pitchers and never got a ball out of the infield. Pully went the full 9 and got a shut-out. He only walked one batter and that was a gimmie in the top of the 7th... I think everyone was tired by then.
The managers had a pow wow after the game. It was agreed we'd take only 30 minutes exactly between games. There was concern about completing a 9 inning game before we needed the non-existant lights.
I had a bag of chips and sipped some Gatorade. Had to stave off dehydration. Daddy Blue took his kid to the bathroom and then to the concession stand for some food. Mini Blue stayed around and tried to make nice. He wasn't a bad ump, actually. Consistent strike zone and there were no real situation plays' to worry about... He's from up Austin way. Electrician when he's not officiating sports. He likes football, can't keep up with Basketball, and Baseball is his love'. He even offered he'd be taking the officiating course at UT next Spring. Hot Damn! His goal was the Bigs, but his chances were even less than mine... First off, you have to be able to see over the catcher...
He pulled off his blue jersey and took off his protector. Not a bad chest, but certainly no gym rat... He dropped his pants and took off his shin guards and I got a look at his package as he pulled his cup out. He was endowed.
We made small talk. He asked where he could stay the night. Since it was obvious the game wouldn't be over until about six or later... Everyone had a suggestion, most of which were to stay elsewhere than here... I don't know if he had caught me lookin' or what, but he asked where I stayed. I told him about Ma's and he asked if she took in transients.
Frankly, I didn't know. Charlie whose wife cleaned for her occasionally said, "Yeah, and her cookin' is about as good as you can get `round here." Charlie's our catcher and team captain.
"Tell him about it, Slick"... Jaime our third baseman chimed in. "Go `head, tell him. You been stayin' there now for four weeks, tell him."
I shrugged, "It's alright, I guess. The room's are clean, beds are OK and her cookin' is good."
"Mind if I follow you home?"
"I didn't know you guys fraternized", I jibed and smiled.
"Woo Woo, lissen' to dem college words, `fraternized'" came from Dolf our center fielder.
I take a little shit from the team now and again. I'm the only `college guy' on the team this year. Some of these guys have been playing in this league for three or four years. Dead end for most of them. Real wanna-bes. Nice guys, generally. Love the game, but they just don't have it and never will. They play for the love of the game... and the hope ...
Most of them are married or have been, two or three times over... Only one has kids, Coach Budge... As far as the team is concerned, they are a pretty good bunch of guys. They look after you, even though they razz your ass in the process. The camaraderie is genuine. But they are all super straight, and I mean super... The only time I ever saw a flare up was when Cory our bean pole pitcher left his hand or Rico's ass a little bit too long. Words like faggot and fucking queer were hurled. But, it was hot and we were losing... I kept my own counsel. I didn't engage in a lot of the hell-raisin' or the booze bouts. My excuse was, I had to stay in tip-top condition because I was going back for my senior year, my last chance to be seen by whom I had to be seen by... They accepted it as such and the fact that those college kids are, ya know, ...different.
If they only knew. I was deeply closeted. This would be the driest summer in my recent memory. Mary Five Fingers saw lots of action. Not a morning shower didn't have it's dose of freshly manufactured sperm. Pekker tracks were not even a consideration. I did my own personal laundry, but Ma did all the sheet laundry and this was a damn small town. To everyone here, I was just one of those loners you come by every so often... I was friendly, circumspect and kept politely to myself. And to some, `a college student, ya know, bettern' everyone else'.
I don't consider myself Gay. I don't march in parades. I don't approve of public displays of affection... by either the gays or the straights. That is stuff best left to the privacy of your own closet, so to speak. But I do prefer... that's pretty tame... men to women. Truth be told, I have never had an even satisfactory experience with a woman. Oh, I can function, if you mean deposit the seed when I work hard enough at it and she arouses me with enough suction or has a good hand technique, but vaginal intercourse leaves me, well... unsatisfied. At best it is a cover when such cover is necessary.
The sight of beautifully bubbled butts, low hangin' balls a cut schlong. and I am in heaven. Even a nicely filled pair of tighty-whities can stir me up, like Mini-Blue... He's small, but he packs a nice `piece'...
The second game was a drudge. Our guys were tired. Their guys were exhausted. One of the players that had to leave after the first game was one of their pitchers. Now they have one fresh starter and three guys that have already shot their wad. The game was slow. Thankfully, none of the three errors were mine. I hit like a sonofabitch... I even bounced one over the fence... ground rule double, but it made me feel like Barry Bonds.
But we didn't play well either. We got to the bottom of the fifth We were leading by three... 8 to 5. There was a huddle at the plate. Mini-Blue was gesturing at a pocket watch... Budge came back and said we can't start a new inning after 2 1/2 hours of elapsed play or something... had to due with lights, umiring and stuff. We had to let them bat. If we hold them, we win and that's that.
Hold `em we did, but it was a struggle. They scored twice. Our pitcher just lost his control. Walked one in, and another catcher's error scored another. Pedro was gripping the ball with the kind of intensity that left his fingers impressed on the horsehide.. "Strike".... "Two".... "You're outta there". ... Well, Daddy Blue was probably tired too and his kid had long since fallen asleep using one of our catcher's mits for a pillow. It could have been a strike... Anyway it was over.
We made our perfunctory handshakes, lied about what a good game it was and peeled off to gather up the bases We picked up our gear. Mini Blue actually helped us load our stuff in Budge's dilapidated pickup. Practice tomorrow evening at six until dark, then rest up for Tuesday's game with the Pelicans and we were off.
Mini Blue drove a blue Olds Cutlass. He followed me back into town and I turned left at second and went to the end of the block and doubled into the alley parking lot. Mini Blue followed, but couldn't find a place to park. I told him he'd probably have to park on the street by the entrance. I told him I'd tell Ma he was coming and to see if she'd saved any dinner.
Once inside I went up the the front. Ma came out from the back and started scolding me for walking on her new linoleum with my cleats on... I quickly took them off and told her about Mini Blue. She had a stern look and shook her head. "There ain't nuthin' but that small room down at the end we use to put kids in."
I just shrugged. I wanted to say something about it wouldn't matter all that much because he wasn't much bigger than a kid, but thankfully didn't as he appeared and smilingly introduced himself.
I told Mini he was in good hands and started up the stairs to my room. The rooms here are just that. Rooms. Bed, Sink, Toilet and Shower next to the Closet. Dresser. Threadbare rug in front of the dresser. Table two chairs, neither match each other or the table. I had my dorm fridge... I paid $3.00 a month more on the rent for the electricity. She didn't know or never said anything about my mini-crock pot, which I occasionally cooked soup or some other canned stuff in when I was hungry.
I began to strip out of my uniform. God I was sweaty. I had mud under my eyes, my arms looked like I had picked grapes all afternoon. I had sand in my jock from that headlong slide into third in the fourth inning. I was a grimy mess.
A doorbell or something rang... no, that was the intercom... Mmmmm, I'd never had it used before. I went over, took the receiver off the hook and said, "Yes".
"I saved some pot roast, your favorite and I'm makin' some fresh corn bread. You and that Ump feller can have dinner after you've bathed."
"Thanks, Ma. That was awful nice of you. " I'll be down in about 30 minutes."
"Well, least I could do." Heard ya played real good today... Minnie Larsen said she and Chet'd been out at the game. They said you were the star, but then Minnie'd say that since Charlene ain't married...."
"Ah, thanks..."
"Tain't nuthin'... call me `fore ya come down. I got the thing fixed. Clifford charged me 28 dollars ta fix it so now by damn we're gonna use it."
"OK, Ma. I can do that."
"By the way, go by that Umpire Feller's room at the end of the hall and tell him too. Ya know he ain't got no bathroom up there, but I tole him if he's nice you'd prob'ly let him use yours. I'll take it off the rent. You won't have to pay for yer ice box this month."
"OK, Ma. I'll do that right away and I'll call ya before we come down."
"Ain't no hurry. Take yer time. I sort of skimped on the roast tonight `cause I knew you'd be hungry and you like it so much... so'd probly be better if there warn't nobody in the dinin' room when you do eat... if ya know what I mean."
"Yeah, thanks Ma."
There I was in my pants, still had my socks on, buckle open face like a painted mask... should I just go down and invite him now, or take my bath first? I didn't get a chance to decide... Knock, knock... I went to the door. "Who's there?" "Terry Baughn... your umpire from this afternoon." I opened the door. He stood there with a towel, his dopp kit a clean pair of Fruit of the Loom briefs, white socks, a folded golf shirt, a pair of Docker Shorts in a clean pair of white Addidis low cuts. He had a new unopened bar of Irish Spring balanced on top of the whole pile. "Come in". "Thanks. The lady downstairs said I could borrow your shower and she'd reimburse you or something. She also said something about calling her on the intercom before we came down so she could have everything set up. She really likes you. I hope you don't mind." "Sure, no problem." He came in, gave the room a once over and put his stuff on the end of my bed. He was wearing a kimono kind of thing...loosely wrapped around his frame. When he sat, it of course opened leaving his schlong. well exposed. He kept his eyes on my face. I tried to be nonchalant about it and didn't even look ... too much.... "I really appreciate your doing this..." The leer on his face was giving me another message. "Well, do you want to shower first, or shall I? I brought all my stuff, so we can just leave from here... whatever is good for you." "No, you go ahead. I haven't even gotten undressed as you can see." "Well, I can't see, (the way he said `see' gave me a double take).... "Ah, ...." "Cut the coy shit. I saw you lookin' in the dug out... You liked what you saw. I liked what I saw. Do you really think I am staying in a dump like this because I don't want to drive back to Austin tonight?" "Ah, I don't know what I think, I mean, ... do you think we can get away with something like this? I mean, it'd be bad enough that we are.... "Fraternizing?: "Yeah, I mean...." "Jeezus! You frat boys are naive... we may fuck, but we won't be fraternizing after tonight..." "Ah, ... You mean...? I'm not a frat boy." "What the hell difference does it make? Frat Boy, College Boy... you're all the same... Give it a rest. Here we are in Bum Fuck Nowhere and you are worrying about whether we are fraternizing or not... Man, get a life." By now the back of his kimono had slid down and was being held only by his bent arms. His knees were splayed and his dick was about half mast... With a flick he opened the front of the kimono and pulled the tie away... he was fully exposed... and it was a sight to behold. My own dingus had begun to come alive in my dirty jock. It strained against the unlocked zipper of my undone uniform pants. The zipper moved magically as the pressure of a struggling to be free corona moved against the sweaty jock. "I think I'll take my shower now..." Quickly I turned away from him and pulled my pants off, exposing my ass to him clad only in the straps of the jock and my outer and sweat socks. He chortled. I pulled off the last leg, pulled the belt out of the pants threw them into the hamper by the closet keeping my eyes from straying to the Buddha-like beauty on my bed. I stripped off my socks, put the darks in the darks, whites in the whites and then turned and went in the shower room I pulled the rubber curtain and started my shower.... my dick straining for its anticipated work out... I heard him enter the bathroom. He sat on the closed commode and asked, "How's the water?" "Ah, fine," I gasped. "Want some company? I could scrub your back and help get all that sand off." And with that he stepped into the shower. Holy shit! He took the soap out of the dish by my shoulder... and began to rub my back and neck. It was almost like a soothing massage, until he got down to my buns... then it got... sensuous. He put the soap between my legs and I gave a bit of a start and instinctively spread my legs giving him total access to my scrotum from the back. He was beautifully gentle. He knelt down and lathered my legs both back and front, occasionally touching my now hardened member with the back of his hand. He ran the Dove bar, curved side to my leg between my scrotum and my leg... I was in heaven. He did both legs. All he did was kiss my slit. I almost ejaculated. He continued to lave my pubic area, stomach, chest and neck. I held my face into the streaming water to keep from spontaneously erupting. When he was done, he slapped the soap into my hand, and said, "Your turn." I returned the favor. I tried to match his finesse, but that was a joke. He was patient. Thankfully, his smaller frame made it an easy task. I was as gentle as my trembling hands would allow me to be. I almost came when I knelt down to wash his very adequate member... He was shaven.... Oh shit, the sight of it drove me over and as I washed it, so very gently, I couldn't help but flick my tongue and then buzz his head... by that time I'd shot my load into the drain and my cum mingled with the the soapy water swirling into the drain. I finished him off, but not until we held in a very, very long, deeply passionate kiss. Again, I thought I would shoot a load. We disengaged and moved out into the bathroom to dry. The damn intercom was ringing off the hook. I ran over to answer. Ma at the other end whined, "You're usin' up all the hot water. You guys can't be that dirty. I ain't waitin' all night to git this dinner on the table." "Ma, ah, he just finished. I'm ready but he is getting dressed. We'll be right down." She hung up with a `harumph'.... I dressed quickly. Air conditioning dried me off sufficiently for me to slip into a pair of jockeys and shorts and throw on a polo shirt. I didn't bother with socks and slipped into my thongs, but then remembered Ma's edict... shoes at least. Loafers it was. I grabbed my brush and straightened my hair passably, not bothering to dry it. We went down to a feast. The corn bread had just come out of the oven. Real Butter. I don't know where she'd gotten such crisp lettuce in this town... generally it looks like some kid kicked it all the way home... we had snap beans that had been cooked until they were almost mushy with thick pieces of heavily smoked bacon ends. Dessert was home made strawberry short cake with real cream that was so thick you wouldn't bother to whip it, but just plopped it out of the dish... It was a feast. We ate in silence. Ma stood back and watched us eat. At the appropriate time I took my dishes to the kitchen and kissed her on the cheek and thanked her for keeping me fit. Mini Ump brought his dirties and thanked her. Ma said, "Dinner's $5.00 extra, but from the looks of the way you ate, you won't mind." and walked into the kitchen to get ready for breakfast. No sooner than we we got upstairs and the intercom was ringing...go down and tell your friend that breakfast is from 6:30 till 8:00 and you know what's left by 8. We got a full house. Oh, and tell him it's $2.00 extra!" I muttered, "I'll surely do that, Ma..." trying to contain myself and not burst into laughter. Mini Ump just shook his head and tried, unsuccessfully to keep the tears from streaming down his face before he burst into laughter.We talked for a few minutes and then Terry said, "given your Sainthood, maybe we'd better sleep in my room tonight..."
The pekker tracks were confined to Terry's bed, but we didn't sleep' all that much. We got up around 5 or ... at least it wasn't quite light yet outside. Every time we moved our skin tore from the paste of dried cum... We showered and Mini Ump got an early start after a hearty breakfast of Ham, Eggs, Grits, Cantaloupe, Coffee, Milk and Homemade Kolaches... And all that after the breakfast' in my room before the second shower...
I may learn to like the Bush Leagues...