Date: Sat, 15 May 2010 08:51:40 -0700 (PDT)
From: Henry Brooks <hankster1430@bellsouth.net>
Subject: Long Time Companion Chapter One

Long Time Companion

Prologue

Evan Morrissey's obituary read as follows:

Morrisey, Evan, 88, passed quietly in his sleep, Sunday, May 8.  He is
survived by his long time companion, Adam Langston of Ft. Lauderdale, FL,
and a brother, Edward, of Long Island, NY.  He will be laid to rest at Holy
Cross Cemetery.  A memorial service will be held at Moore Funeral Home at
10 AM on Wednesday, May 11.

"That's it?" Adam thought.  "After a lifetime of love, service to his
community, and uncountable good deeds, his life is summed up in 50 short
words."  Adam turned his head into his pillow and wept silently.  His only
consolation lay in the sure certainty, that at 83, he would probably be
reunited with Evan very shortly.  Involuntarily his hand reached out to
touch Evan, only to be met by an empty, rather cold pillow.

Adam didn't know how he would survive the funeral or even get to the
funeral home.  He didn't feel capable of driving himself at the moment.
His only family, two younger brothers and Evan's brother, lived thousands
of miles away and had already informed him that they could not possibly
make the funeral.  He had thought of asking the executive director of the
assisted living facility for some help, but Steve Baron knew that Adam and
Evan were a gay couple and he detested them.  He did not hide his feelings,
and Adam was loathe to ask him for further assistance.

There was a gentle knock on the door.  Adam got out of bed and went to open
the door.  "Just a minute," he said when he realized that he was totally
naked.  He and Evan never wore anything in their cozy little apartment.  He
put on a bath robe and opened the door.  It was Jamie Gordon, his next door
neighbor.

Jamie was a mere boy as far as Adam and Evan were concerned.  He was only
67 when he took up residence at The Sunnydale House just a year ago.  His
wife had passed away two years before that.  They never had any children,
and Jamie had grown tired of living alone.  He was straight, and it didn't
bother him one iota that his next door neighbors were gay.  He took the
older men under his wing, and drove them to shopping and doctor
appointments so that they didn't have to wait for, and be slaves to, the
bus provided by the facility.  When they grew tired of eating every meal at
Sunnydale the three of them went to restaurants together.

"I just wanted to tell you that I'll drive Wednesday to the Funeral Home.
Just don't worry about a thing," Jamie said.  "I don't wish to get
personal, but if you need money or anything, I'd be glad to lend you some."

"Oh, Jamie.  You are so kind," Adam sobbed.  "We both pre arranged our
funerals so most of the costs are covered.  Thank you so much for
offering."

"You look so tired man.  I think you should really get some rest.  I'll
come and get you when it's time for dinner.  You get into bed," Jamie
advised, "and I'll see you later."  He left and closed the door softly
behind him.

Adam removed his robe, and climbed back into bed.  The sheets suddenly felt
cold and he pulled up the blanket that was at the foot of the bed.  He
covered himself and tried to rid his mind of his terrible grief, hoping
perhaps that he might be lucky and get a few hours of much needed sleep.
Try as he might, he could not erase his memories of the past and sleep was
a long time in coming.

Chapter One

The year was 1946.  The war had recently ended, and Adam Langston was
looking forward to his high school graduation.  He lived in New Brunswick,
NJ, about forty-five minutes to Newark and an hour to Manhattan by train,
slightly longer by bus.  He had just narrowly missed being conscripted for
the war, and now enjoyed a further student deferment.

All of his kin had attended Rutgers University, but Adam told his parents
that he wanted to go to New York University and get out of their home town
for a while.  They were totally opposed, but Adam was so adamant that they
finally consented.  With the help of a small scholarship, Adam was admitted
to NYU.  The University was giving priority to returning veterans and he
was one of the few non-veterans admitted that year.  Adam was unable to
tell his parents the real reason he so wanted to get out of his provincial
surroundings.

Adam was homosexual.  The word gay was not yet in his vocabulary.  Indeed,
it might not have been invented yet.  He felt that Manhattan's urban
setting and famed Greenwich Village might be more to his liking than
Rutgers sleepy campus.  NYU's downtown campus was located adjacent to
Greenwich Village.

He had first acted on his passions when he was a sixteen year old junior in
high school.  Actually he was seduced.  Early one Saturday morning his
parents had permitted him to visit his favorite uncle in Manhattan.  Uncle
Stan was only eight years older than Adam and Adam idolized him.  He had
been wounded in the war, and had received an early discharge from the army.
He had secured a good job in Manhattan just before he married.  Now he and
his bride lived on the upper west side, a short bus ride to his office.

After getting off the train at Pennsylvania Station, Adam had to take a
subway train uptown, and then back again to catch the return ride.  He had
lunch with his uncle and new aunt and left them about two o'clock.  He
entered the subway car, and sat down in an empty seat.  Even before the
train came to the first stop, a handsome young man in his early twenties
smiled at Adam and sat down next to him.  No sooner did he sit down (very
close to the young boy) he put his hand on Adam's knee.

Adam was shocked and thought he should run, but he was afraid to.  The
handsome young man's hand crept up Adam's thigh and reached its target.  He
squeezed gently on Adam's growing cock.  Adam did not know what to do and
simply stared into space.  This was as close to his fantasies as reality
had ever taken him.  Adam allowed the man to fondle him, more out of fear
than desire.

Conquering his fears, Adam placed his hand on the young man's knee, but
went no further.  The man leaned over and whispered in Adam's ear, "I live
in The Village.  Why don't you come for a visit and I'll see to it that we
both have a good time?"

The Village: Greenwich Village.  Adam knew that area of Manhattan was a
Mecca for homosexuals.  He was now torn between desire and fear.  He feared
that desire was going to win.

"Do you have a phone?" he asked.  That was a legitimate question.  The war
had not yet ended.  Telephones were a top priority and difficult to obtain.
There were long waiting lists.  Pregnant women and households with babies
had first priority.  A healthy young, single man might not yet have gotten
a phone.

"Yes," the man answered.  "Why do you ask?

"I'll have to call my folks, and let them know that I'll be late.  I don't
want them to worry."

"Sure.  That'll be fine," he answered.

"It's a long distance call," Adam informed him.

"Still not a problem.  What's your name kid?"

"Adam.  What's yours?"

"Just call me Eve!"

That afternoon Eve introduced Adam to the joys of gay sex.  Adam could not
get enough.  Eve went down on him immediately after they undressed.  The
moment Adam felt Eve's tongue caressing his cock, he nearly swooned and
frightened his host.  He came quickly and told Eve he wanted to
reciprocate.  Eve came almost as quickly as Adam. Adam never lost his
erection and Eve instructed him in how to fuck.  Adam entered Eve easily,
and Eve informed him that he was a bottom.  That was the first time Adam
had heard that expression.  Notwithstanding his preference, Eve fucked Adam
to give him the experience.  He was delighted to have snared a virgin.
That afternoon Adam came three times to Eve's twice.  No matter, both men
knew that they would never see each other again.  It was Adam's only
homosexual encounter until the day he met Evan.

Evan Morrissey was a hardened foot soldier, a veteran of the Battle of the
Bulge.  He had not had good grades in high school, but his military status
helped him gain admission to NYU.  At orientation, he sat right behind
Adam, and his dorm room was five doors down from Adam's.  They were
actually in the same English Lit class.  The professor assigned his
students alphabetically to help him learn their names quickly.  He seated
Adam Langston at the end of one row, then Lindstrom, Logan, Mancuso,
Markowitz, and finally Morrissey.  They were in the third row at opposite
ends of the room and never spoke to each other.  They were hardly aware of
each other's existence.  After two weeks, they happened to pass each other
in the hallway and nodded to each other in slight recognition.

Four weeks into the semester, Adam finally worked up the courage to make
the long anticipated voyage to Greenwich Village.  He was actually walking
distance from what he perceived would be Nirvana.  He hoped that he could
stop jacking off and have real sex.  He thought back to Eve and desired
what he could now barely remember.  He had been too scared at the time to
note where the man lived or to get his real name or he would most certainly
have tried to contact him.

It was a late September Friday evening.  The temperature was hovering in
the high sixties.  It was a good evening for a walk.  Adam put on a light
cardigan sweater over his shirt, took a deep breath and started out to The
Village.  Upon entering the heart of The Village, he was at a loss where to
go.  He wandered up and down the streets with their quaint stores, sex
shops and restaurants.  He passed several bars, but they were all occupied
by men and women.  In many of them he found mixed couples being somewhat
intimate and he passed those by.  Finally he came upon a likely looking
bar.  It was called The Male Room, and that removed all doubt.  Adam walked
right by it.  He was afraid to go in.  His knees were literally shaking.

As had happened to him once before, his desire overcame his fear.  He
returned to the bar and went in.  The place was dimly lit.  Soft music was
playing and he could see men dancing together, holding tight, and rubbing
their bodies together.  This was a sight he had never seen before except at
Greek and Jewish weddings, but those were always circle dances.  There was
no real contact like he was witnessing right now.

Looking around he spotted the bar.  There was an empty seat at one end and
he quickly occupied it.  New York State required that one be 21 years old
to drink.  In order to accommodate its patrons, many of whom were under the
age limit, the bar stocked non-alcoholic beverages.  However if someone
ordered a hard drink, the bartender never asked for ID.

"A coke please," Adam nervously ordered as he looked around.  Everyone
seemed to be with someone, and he was disappointed.  He reasoned that he
couldn't be expected to make out the very first time.  If he became a
regular and a familiar face, he might meet some like minded men.  That
thought helped relieve some of his stress, and he relaxed somewhat.  He
even got into a conversation with the bartender when the man had a short
break.

Adam was faced away from the bar, observing the gyrating, dancing bodies.
He could clearly see that some of the men were sporting erections and he
got one himself so he turned back to the bar when he heard a voice behind
him.

"Hi," the voice said.  "I think I know you from school."  Adam's heart
skipped a beat.  He turned around to see who had spoken.  Yes, the guy did
look familiar, but Adam could not quite place where he knew him from in the
over crowded University.

"Yeah," he said to the good looking older man facing him.  "I know you from
somewhere."  Adam faced the man and tried to place him as he studied him.
The guy was about 5'11" inches tall.  He was dark and swarthy and drop dead
gorgeous (Adam thought).  His dark brown eyes were almost black and were
quietly seducing Adam.  It was clear that the man's body was muscular and
mature. Adam was now feeling very inferior.  He was 5'9" and very thin.  He
had blue eyes, sandy blonde hair and his ears protruded from his face, not
helped by his buzz cut which was fashionable at the time.

"I know," the man said.  "English Lit.  You're in my English Lit class."
He extended his hand and said.  My name's Evan.  There's an empty table
over there.  Why don't you bring your drink over there and we'll get better
acquainted."

"Great," Adam said.  "My name's Adam."  He could hardly contain his
excitement.  He actually had made a possible friend in his first hour in a
queer bar.

The table sat four and Adam expected Evan to sit across from him, but he
sat down on Adam's right so that they both faced the dance floor.  Adam
continued to sip his coke, but Evan was drinking something much stronger.

"You're under twenty-one," Evan observed.  "Would you like me to get you
something stronger?"

"I tasted a whiskey sour once, at a graduation party.  I kinda liked it,
and it was pretty mild."

"I'll be right back," Evan said.  He went to the bar and came back with a
whiskey sour.

"What do I owe you?" Adam asked.

"It's on me," Evan said, "but if you insist on payment, I'll charge you a
smile.  I saw you when I came in and I haven't seen you smile yet.  You
look scared silly.  First time, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Adam nodded shyly.

"Relax, babe," Evan said.  "I won't bite, but I will admit that I am
cruising you.  I figure that you don't recognize the signs.  Frankly, I
think you're hot.  Do you live on campus?  I'm living there now, but when I
find the right room mate, I want to get a place off campus next year, but I
don't want a houseful of slobs.  I'd like to be able to swing it with one
room mate.  Hey do you wanna dance?"

Adam couldn't believe how fast Evan talked and how many questions he asked
without waiting for an answer.  Adam had never danced with a man before,
but he didn't mind the thought of being held in Evan's muscular arms.

"Yeah," he muttered grinning, "but I don't know how to follow."

"No need to follow or lead.  Just put both your arms around my waist and
I'll do the same."

On the dance floor, Evan pulled Adam tightly into him and made sure that
their crotches were touching.  Adam almost swooned when he felt Evan's
hardness against him.  He pushed even harder so that Evan could feel his
erection also.  He rested his head on Evan's shoulder and closed his eyes,
letting Evan steer him smoothly across the dance floor.  It felt so good,
so right.  He wished it could last all night, however the music stopped,
and the two men stopped dancing.  They continued to hold tightly to each
other.  They gazed longingly into each other's eyes and let their lips
touch.  Neither had taken the initiative.  It just happened mutually
between them.

"Are we going to make love tonight," Evan asked, "or are you against making
love on the first date?"

"I didn't think we were on a date."

"Really?  Well I did buy you a drink so that makes it an official date,"
Evan laughed.

"I'm a technical virgin," Adam informed Evan as they headed back to their
table.

"What does that mean?" Evan wanted to know, so Adam told him about his
seduction by a gentleman called Eve.

"It was my only time so I consider myself a technical virgin.  I was too
scared to really participate.  I just went through the motions." Adam
explained.  "Tell me about your first time."

"It was during basic training.  I got an overnight pass and my buddy and I
went into the nearest town.  I wasn't looking for any action and it didn't
strike me at the time, but my buddy wasn't looking either.  We ended up in
a cheap hotel and he took my cherry.  It was the greatest day of my life
until then, and that's when I realized that sex with a man was what I
really wanted.  Now that the war is over, I want much more.  I want someone
to really love me and I want to love him back."  Evan leaned over the table
and kissed Adam on the lips.  It was a mother/son kiss, but Adam kissed
back harder.

"Are we starting something?" Evan asked in all innocence.

"I sure hope so," Adam replied.

"My room mate went home for the weekend.  Let's dump this place and go back
to my room," Evan pleaded.

"But I never answered if I would do it on a first date," Adam said and
burst out laughing.

They left in a big hurry, and when they reached Evan's room, Adam said in
alarm, "My room is a few doors down the hall.  We'll have to be careful
that nobody sees us."  The hall was deserted and they rushed into Evan's
room and locked the door.