Date: Wed, 10 Apr 2013 12:57:02 -0400 (EDT)
From: ErastesTouch@aol.com
Subject: Different Points of View, chapter 27

Different Points of View - by Erastes
Copyright 2012 by Erastes
Chapter 27 – The Countdown.

I was furious when I saw what those guys were trying to do to Darren, but
fortunately neither of them had seen or heard me enter the shower area.  This
allowed me the opportunity to catch them completely by surprise, so I forcefully
grabbed the trusty behind Darren, pulled him away and slammed his body into
the shower wall.  This caused his back to hit the tiles with a great deal of force,
which knocked the air from his lungs and caused his head to make a dull thud, as
it snapped backward and collided with the hard surface, temporarily stunning
him.  This also made enough noise to alert his cohort that something was amiss.

As he began to turn, so he could see what had caused the noise, he spotted me
moving toward him.  Immediately, he jumped up to defend himself, or possibly to
attack me, but I was pissed and unloosed a good old-fashion roundhouse punch
before he had time to react.  My fist smashed into his face and knocked him
backward, against the other wall.

Just as this was happening, the CO finally arrived and observed what was going
on.  His first response was to grab his shoulder radio, snap it on and begin
shouting into it.  This let the front desk and other COs know there was a problem
in this wing and that he needed help.  The sound of the COs voice shouting for
help also alerted the other inmates in the wing that there was a problem, so they
began shouting and trying to discover what was going on.

Before the CO was able to enter the shower and intervene, the first guy had
recovered enough so that he was able to lunge at me.  As his body collided with
mine, the force knocked me off balance and caused me to lose my footing on the
wet shower floor.  I struggled to maintain my balance, but the floor was just too
slippery for me to do this, so I ended up falling backward.  After my back crashed
into the wall, my frame began to slide downward, until it came to rest on the floor.

I was naked, on my butt and somewhat dazed, but the trusty was undeterred and
quickly wrapped his hands around my throat.  I noticed a crazed look in his eyes,
as he attempted to squeeze the life from me, so I Instinctively struggled to break
his hold on my neck.  Over the next few seconds, I was able to shift around
enough to create a slight space between our bodies, and as soon as I'd done
that, I lifted my knee as quickly and forcefully as I could.  Luckily, it caught him
squarely in the groin and I heard a muffled 'ooffff,' as he reacted to the sudden
rush of pain and released his grip on my neck slightly.  When he did that, I lifted
my knee again, but this time I used my foot to push him away from me, so I could
get up.

When I looked up, I saw the CO was struggling with the other guy, the one that
I'd punched, since he had gotten up and tried to charge at me too.  I was still a
little light headed from having my head slam against the tiled wall and the lack of
air from when the trusty was trying to strangle me, so I wasn't able to move right
away.  While I was recovering, I realized the trusty I'd just kneed was preparing
to come at me again.

"You son of a bitch," he uttered, as he began to scramble toward me again.

Everything was moving in slow motion at this point, but he never reached me.  As
he was struggling on the slippery floor, out of the corner of my eye I saw another
guard enter the shower area and he struck the trusty with his nightstick.  This
caused the trusty to come to a sudden halt and crash onto the shower floor yet
again.

By this time, another CO had appeared as well, and then two more came rushing
in.  The guard that had brought me back from my meeting with Jack now directed
the other officers to restrain the two aggressors, as he and I went over to check
on Darren.  He was still lying motionless on the floor, which made me very
concerned about what had happened to him before I'd arrived.

What had they done to subdue him before I showed up?  Had they punched or
tackled him, and if so, had Darren hit his head on something and knocked him
out?  Was it possible that they had attempted to bash his skull in with some sort
of weapon, as they attempted to gain control over him, so they could do what
they wanted?  This thought caused me to start looking around to see if I could
locate the weapon they had used, but I didn't find anything.

As I glanced back at Darren, I noticed that he seemed to be conscious, although
somewhat unresponsive, but I didn't see any blood, so I was hopeful that he
wasn't injured too badly.  He was obviously slightly dazed, and possibly even in
some pain, but he was making no move to get up.  Even though the guard and I
both attempted to discover if he was hurt and tried to get him to tell us exactly
what had happened, he didn't immediately respond.

While we were trying to get these details from him, even more COs arrived on
the scene and soon four of them were taking the other two guys away.  I later
learned that Darren's second attacker was also a trusty, but we weren't sure if
they had merely stumbled upon Darren when he was alone or if they had actually
been stalking him and waiting for an opportunity to catch him unguarded.
However it happened, it looked as if they thought this might be their opportunity
to have a little fun, as well as a chance to get some sexual relief.

Now that the COs had taken the offenders away, those that remained tried to get
the other inmates in the wing under control again.  You see, when the inmates in
the nearby cellblocks first heard the guard shouting for help over his radio, they
realized something out of the ordinary was going on and wanted to discover what
was happening.  Therefore, it didn't take long for the typical jailhouse
communication system to kick into gear and begin passing along any of the
tidbits of information they'd overheard, imagined they'd heard or even
conjectured.  This meant that whatever stories were currently being passed along
weren't necessarily reliable, but this process was certainly loud and the news
spread very quickly.

The inmates were still shouting and demanding to know more, so the COs
attempted to restore order and would most likely have their hands full for quite a
while.  The guard who had brought me back from my visit with Jack stayed with
Darren and me, along with one of the other guards.  Eventually, we finally
discovered from Darren what had taken place.

After he had been led to the shower room, the CO who had brought him left to
investigate a disturbance that had begun in one of the adjoining cellblocks.
Shortly after he took off, those two guys suddenly appeared and grabbed him.
He hadn't seen it coming, since he had been facing the showerhead, but when
he realized what they wanted to do, he struggled to get away.  In an attempt to
control the situation, they began to pummel him and delivered several blows
each, which caused Darren to lose consciousness and fall to the floor.  Once he
was down, the one trusty kept him pinned down, just as I'd discovered him when
I entered.  Fortunately for Darren, however, the new trusty had barely had time to
lower his jumpsuit before I showed up, so neither of them had time to penetrate
Darren before I arrived.  I was thankful for that part, but now I began to feel that I
had let Darren down, by not being there for him when this first occurred.

Once that had been cleared up, the COs told us to finish our showers, but I think
they just wanted us to stay put for a little while longer, so the other guards would
have sufficient time to take the trusties back to their cells, collect their things and
then lock them up in one of the isolation cells.  Darren was still a little weak and
slightly shaky at this point, so I helped him to his feet.  After he assured me that
he was well enough to finish his shower, I watched him for another minute to be
sure, before I began to clean up as well.  When we finished up there, I helped
him as we walked back to our cellblock, since he wasn't exactly steady on his
feet, and then I helped him make it to his cell, so he could get dressed.

Before he left, the CO assured us the pair that had attacked Darren would no
longer be trusties and it was doubtful that they would even be allowed back into
the general population again.  We thanked him for his help and then he urged us
to hurry up and get dressed, because he'd be back in a few minutes to get us
again, after he had a chance to made arrangements for us to be transported for
medical treatment.  Once it was just the two of us again, I turned toward Darren
and spoke.

"Man, I'm so sorry I let you down by not being there to protect you," I began, but I
couldn't even look him in the eye after what he'd just gone through.

"Why should you be sorry?" he wanted to know.  "You didn't do anything wrong
and there was no way you could have known the CO would take me to shower
before you got back.  Besides, you were the one that kept them from doing what
they intended, so I owe you, not only for today, but also for convincing me not to
become a trusty too.  Just think of what they could have done if I'd been alone
with them in the area where the trusties are housed."

After saying this, he shuddered slightly, before he forced out a weak grin.

"Are you all right?" I asked him.

I was deeply and sincerely concerned about how he was handling this.

"Hell, yes.  Except for all of the punches I took, they didn't really get to do
anything else to me," he confessed.  "I think the trusty that wanted to know our
names barely got his dick out before you rushed in, so neither of them ever stuck
anything up my ass, if that's what you were wondering about."

He winked at me after saying this, which I think was to let me know that he was
all right and his worst fear hadn't come to pass.

"Darren, that's not what I meant.  I just wanted to make sure you're ok," I told
him.  "That must have been a very traumatic experience for you."

"Hey, I've been in fights before, so I can handle myself, just ask the bouncer," he
added, with an evil chuckle.  "I just never had someone try to rape me before."

This time he wasn't smiling or winking.

"I'll be fine, though," he continued.  "It takes more than those two assholes to put
me out of action."

"I'm glad to hear that, but I'll try to make sure nothing like this ever happens to
you again," I offered.

We didn't discuss this further, because the CO came back and told us to come
with him, so a doctor could check us out.  Even though I tried to convince him
that I was fine and didn't need to go, the CO insisted that I come along, since my
head had been slammed into the wall and one of the guys had tried to choke me,
so he wanted a doctor to examine me too.  Unfortunately, I wasn't in any position
to argue, so Darren and I were placed in handcuffs, put in a patrol car and then
driven to the hospital's emergency room to be looked at.  It was more than a little
embarrassing being in public wearing bright orange jumpsuits and having our
hands shackled behind our backs, but luckily we were taken in through the
ambulance entrance, so the only people that saw us were the hospital staff.

The doctor checked Darren over first and gave him a clean, but bruised, bill of
health.  Seeing we were in the same room, so one deputy could watch us both,
the doctor examined me next and found nothing seriously wrong, although he
gave my throat a thorough going over.  After we finished up there, the deputy
drove us back to the jail and a CO took us up to our cellblock.   Darren and I
stayed pretty close to each other for the rest of that day, probably because I still
felt guilty and was being overly protective, so we only separated after lights out
was announced.

The next morning, we had another new trusty deliver our breakfast.  When he
came back later to pick up our trays, he stayed for a short time, so he could
share some information with us.

"I heard those two guys that attacked you had set the whole thing up after they
saw one of you were alone," he began.  "The guy I replaced knew who you were
and what you were in for, even though you gave him fake names.  He was
convinced you guys were getting it on, so he and his buddy were watching and
waiting for a chance to get you alone, because they wanted to get in on the
action too."

When he made his last comment, he looked directly at Darren, to let him know
whom he was referring to.

"When they saw the CO was taking you to the shower alone," he continued, "he
ran over and talked a couple of the guys in one of the nearby cellblocks into
starting a commotion, so it would pull the CO away and then they could do what
they planned.  They didn't tell the other guys why they wanted them to start a
ruckus, but they promised them extra food and some other stuff, if they agreed to
do it.

"Once the other pair said they would do it, the two trusties left there quickly,
before the other guys began shouting and fighting.  Seeing the CO with you was
the only one around at the time, he went over to investigate and left you alone.
As soon as he went to the other cellblock, the two trusties made their move.  The
CO shouldn't have left you alone and should have called down for help instead,
because it gave the trusties time to attack you, so he'll probably get in trouble for
doing that."

"I can't believe they were able to pull it off so quickly," I offered.  "It sounds as if it
was almost too easy."

I was still somewhat surprised they'd been able to get as far as they did, even
after we had been given these additional details.  Then, he shared some more
information with us.

"The COs not only put the two trusties in isolation cells, but they also put the two
inmates who faked the fight on administrative restriction," he added.  "That
means they've not only lost their good-time, but they also don't have the right to
have visitors any longer, except for their lawyers, and they can't go out to rec or
send and receive mail either.  I'm not sure how long that will last, but they've
been moved to a two-man cellblock, down at the far end of the cellblock they
were in before."

Several days later, I was informed that the jail administrators had also
investigated whether charges should be brought against me, for punching the
one trusty and shoving the other one into the wall and then kneeing him in the
nuts.  They even discussed whether I should lose any of my good behavior time
because of what I'd done too, but fortunately the CO who had been with me
backed me up completely.  He told them that I'd only acted in self-defense, to
protect both Darren and myself, and that I'd only used enough force to keep
Darren from being raped and preventing the one trusty from choking me.  The
panel finally accepted his explanation and recommendation, so I was
exonerated, but the other pair didn't make out quite as well.

Not only had they both lose their Trusty positions, they'd also lost all of their good
time credit and were being brought up on additional charges for aggravated
assault and sexual assault.  Since the D.A. was pushing for the maximum
penalty on both counts, the former trusties eventually agreed to plead guilty to a
lesser charge, although it wasn't reduced very much.  Rather than facing the
possibility of lengthy felony convictions, which could put them in prison for 10 to
15 years, by accepting the lesser charge they were only sentenced to 7 to 10
years in prison instead.  Ironically, they will both be required to register as sex
offenders when they get released as well.

Once that was behind us, things quieted down and there was very little
excitement during our remaining time in jail.  It also left us completely alone
during the period leading up to Easter, which turned out to be a very rough time
for me.  During the days preceding the holiday, Jared was constantly on my mind
and I couldn't shake the memory fragments of the things we had done together
before this incident had happened and that it had nearly been a year since he
first walked into my life.  By late in the afternoon each day, I had worked myself
into a very morose state, so I ended up spending time alone in my cell.  I think
Darren guessed what my mood was all about, so he sought me out, in an attempt
to make me feel better.

"Hey, Bob.  How about I give you a blowjob this time?" he offered.

I smiled weakly at him, while silently acknowledging what a generous gesture this
was from a straight guy.

"Thanks, Darren, and it's very nice of you to offer," I agreed, "but it's not
necessary."

He looked a little disappointed.

"I don't mind, really," he insisted, as he tried to convince me that I could accept
his help.  "I told you before, blowjobs are no big deal.  Even though I've never
given one before, I'm willing to do it for you, especially considering all you've
done for me.  Come on and let me help you out.  I have a feeling you could really
use one to get your mind off of other things."

After saying this, he suddenly began moving toward me.

"No, you don't need to do this," I repeated.

I figured he was only offering to be polite or maybe it was his effort to pull me out
of my funk, but I didn't want to make him do something he might regret later.

"I know I don't need to, but I want to do this for you," he insisted.  "I won't swallow
or do anything like that, but I really want to be able to help you out and pay you
back for doing so much for me."

"I told you before that I didn't expect any payback," I confirmed.  "I know you've
appreciated everything I've done for you, without you having to go to all of this
trouble."

"Bob, really.  It would make me feel better, knowing I was able to do something
for you too," he persisted.

I thought about this for a short time, while trying to read his expression, as I
considered what to do next.  It was apparent this was very important to Darren
and he was anxious to do something for me for a change, and it certainly
wouldn't hurt me any either.  After careful consideration, I finally responded.

"Ok, if you're sure this is what YOU want to do, then we'll do it," I agreed.

He shot me a grin, but I told him we'd have to wait until the CO made his next
tour by our cellblock.  He agreed, so we sat in the common area and waited for
that to happen.  Once the CO had passed by and we were certain he had left the
area, we went to my cell.

After I'd lowered my jumpsuit and boxer-briefs, I sat on the cot, with Darren
kneeling in front of me.  I quickly gave him a few basic pointers about how to do
this properly and what type of things he wanted to avoid.  Now that we were
ready to begin, he took my cock in his hand, brought his head slightly forward
and tentatively began to use his tongue to check out the taste and feel of my man
flesh.

After this brief exploratory effort, Daren began in earnest.  He was actually doing
a pretty decent job for a beginner, but he did gag a few times from trying to take
too much of my cock at once, even after I'd warned him.  He also let his teeth get
in the way a couple of times, which caused me some minor discomfort, but it
wasn't bad enough that I wanted him to stop.  Other than those problems, I was
enjoying this attention and was slowly building up to that pinnacle of sensation,
as my skin began to radiate enormous amounts of heat and my body started to
tingle.  Soon, I was telling Darren that he'd better pull off, if he didn't want me to
unload in his mouth, but he continued as before, until the contents of my nuts
exploded up my shaft.

Darren handled this like a trooper and didn't let the sudden blasts of hot fluids
interfere with what he was doing or slow him down.  He kept pumping on me until
I had given him all there was to give and then he eased up, as he released my
wilting dick from his lips.  He immediately got up, walked over to the toilet bowl
and spit the contents out of his mouth.  Then, he grabbed his cup, which he'd left
in here earlier, filled it with water and rinsed his mouth out as well.  When he
came back to where I was on my bunk, he looked pleased with himself.

"Well, how did I do?" he wanted to know.

"Terrific," I exaggerated, since I didn't want to hurt his feelings.  "I didn't realize
how badly I needed that."

Now, he seemed to swell with pride and was happy that he had been able to
repay me with a suitable performance.

"Ok, now it's my turn to help you," I instructed him.

"You don't have to," he insisted.

"Yes, I do," I countered.  "I know you need it as much, if not more, than I did."

At that moment, I happened to glance over and notice the clock on the wall
outside our cellblock.

"Well, maybe we should wait until after the CO makes his next round," I
suggested, "to reduce our chance of getting caught."

He agreed, so we sat down to play cards for a while.  It wasn't very much longer
before the guard passed by again and we finished our game, before we headed
back to my cell.  We took up our usual places and before long I was doing the old
nod and slurp on his fleshy tool.  Darren was really getting into it this time, even
more than usual, so he was working my mouth like a porn star on steroids.
Before he dropped his load, my jaw had even begun to ache a little, as the
muscles operating it started to twitch and spasm, but I was able to hold on until
he finally busted a nut.  Once I had drained him of his cream, we went back out
and watched some TV until lights out.

When Good Friday came, we almost failed to realize it, until the news came on
and pointed out how various people around the world were observing this holy
day.  It wasn't as if there was anything special we should be doing today, but it
did remind us that we'd totally lost track of the days.  It also meant Sunday was
Easter, so we wondered if the jail was going to do anything special to recognize
this holiday, as they had with Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Friday and Saturday were basically just two more normal days for us, except for
some of the shows on television, but Sunday quickly turned out to be more than
just another routine day.  It began with another very special and larger than
normal breakfast, and then we watched Easter services held on TV.   That was
followed by the movie, 'The Robe,' which I believe was a DVD that one of the
COs had brought in, because there were no commercials.  It was an older movie,
from the 1950s, about a Roman military tribune who took part in crucifying Jesus.
He happened to win Jesus' robe, when the soldiers cast lots for it, and this small
occurrence led to many unusual events taking place in his life afterward.

When the movie ended, I decided to write for a while and Darren worked on
some drawings until lunch was served.  This turned out to be another ham diner,
similar to the one we'd had at Christmas, and it was both tasty and filling.  We
then watched another movie after lunch, before we decided to go back to our
writing and drawing.

After dinner, I went into my cell, so I could lie down on my bunk for a while, and
almost immediately, thoughts of Jared began popping into my head.  I tried very
hard to push these images from my mind, but I wasn't exactly successful.
Frustrated, I gradually gave in to my subconscious and began to wonder how his
day had been and if he'd enjoyed it.  This caused me to slip into another mild
funk, since I'd missed out on another special holiday with him – one that I'd never
be able to have back again.  Dwelling on this thought only caused me to slide
even further into despair.

Darren happened to drop by to see how I was doing and noticed my unusual
behavior.  He could see that I was far from being all right, so he tried to find a
way to help pull me back from the depths of this dark abyss in which I now found
myself.

"Bob, come join me for a while," he urged, "because it's not good for you to stay
in here like this.  I know you're sad, but let me try to help you, like you've done for
me so many times."

I knew he was probably correct, but it didn't matter.  I couldn't even force myself
to get off my bunk and merely lay there, motionless and without looking at him.
Darren patiently sat down at the little desk in my cell.

"Tell me about him," he urged, in a soft and soothing voice.  "I know you care a
lot about him and I'm sure he's probably having the same problem thinking about
you – especially today.  Tell me what he's like, because I think it might help."

I didn't think this would work, but anything had to be better than the way I was
feeling now.  Possibly it would help, by not keeping this pain bottled up inside
me, so I rolled my head slightly to the side and studied Darren for a moment.  He
looked sincere, and possibly even interested, so what did I have lose?

"Those boys were like my sons," I began, "but Jared was more than that.  I know
you probably think I'm nuts, because he's only fifteen, but he was the one who
wanted it and came on to me.  It started out harmless enough, with him finding
ways to get naked in front of me, because I think he knew it would turn me on.
The first time he did it was after I'd let him take a shower at my place, and when
he finished, he came back downstairs and somehow his towel just accidentally
fell off while he was standing in front of me.  Sometimes he'd use the excuse that
he had to change his clothes for some reason and then just undress in front of
me, but he'd always change everything, so he could get totally naked in the
process.  He knew I was gay and would probably enjoy seeing him without any
clothes on, so he would find a way to put on these little shows for my enjoyment."

At that point, I actually sat up on my bunk, as these images of Jared came alive
in my memory.  Over the next hour, I told Darren stories about some of the things
Jared had done and how I spent time with him, his brother and mother.  Even
though I'd first suspected recalling these events would make me feel even
sadder, that's not what happened.  Instead, picturing the good times I'd had with
Jared was actually perking me up.  I continued doing this until we heard the
trusty call us down to get our nightly coffee and then we sat at one of the tables
in the common area, slowly sipping our drinks.

"Do you really believe he's thinking about me too?" I asked, even though I wasn't
totally convinced that I wanted to hear his answer.

"If you two were as close as you've indicated, then I'm positive he is," Darren
replied.  "Holidays are when you think about your family and the people who
mean the most to you, so even if he only cares half as much about you, as you
do for him, then he has to be going through a similar rough patch today."

In a way, this made me feel better, now that Darren had convinced me that Jared
was missing me as well, but then I felt badly when I realized Jared might be
enduring a pain similar to what I was feeling.  Was there a chance that he might
want to get together with me again when he came of age?  Of course he would!
You can't possibly care as much about someone as deeply as we did for each
other and then just forget about it.  I latched on to this morsel of hope and ran
with it, which suddenly gave me something positive to look forward to.

I'm not sure how Darren had accomplished it, but I was definitely no longer
depressed, as I had been just a short time ago.  I made sure to let him know
what he'd done, so he'd have a sense that he'd achieved his goal of doing
something for me, similar to how I'd been helping him.  I even went down to
watch a show on TV with him, although I was thinking about Jared and not
actually paying attention to what was on the tube.  Was it possible that Jared was
thinking about me at this moment too?

When lights out was announced, I went to my cell, took off my jumpsuit and
slipped between the sheets.  I feel asleep thinking about Jared, and I dreamed
about him as well, as I clung to the hope that I might still have a chance to one
day be with him again.

Over the next few weeks, I finished the story that was based on Jared, including
all of the corrections and rewrites.  Jack sent the revised copy to my publisher
and the book actually went to press before I was released from jail.  On one of
his return visits, Jack brought me two copies of the book and told me that he
thought I might find a use for them.   After they were inspected by one of the
COs, I kept one copy in my cell and the other I inscribed with a personal note,
before I gave it to Darren.  When I handed him the copy, he acted as if I had just
given him a bar of gold.  He lovingly caressed it to his chest and took it back to
his cell, which told me that he would always cherish my gift to him.  He confirmed
my suspicion later, when he told me that after he read it, he was planning to stick
it away for safekeeping.

With only the two of us in the cellblock, we continued to enjoy the freedom to do
nearly anything we wanted, without having to hassle with anyone else.  We'd
also been enjoying going to rec again, since the group we were taking it with now
didn't seem quite as judgmental, so we'd been able to get in some decent
exercise, while also enjoying the fresh air and sunshine.  Even after the guys in
our rec group learned what I was in for and what the two trusties had tried to do
with Darren, they still didn't act any differently toward us, which proved to be a
huge relief.  Seeing they didn't react badly or turn on us, it meant that Darren and
I didn't have to quit going out and hide out in our cellblock again, which was a
real blessing and left us feeling great.

Even though Darren and I had been able to go outside once a day for rec, we
also continued the exercise program that we had been doing in our old cellblock
as well.  Our routine consisted of several different types of exercises that I had
done as a kid, such as jumping jacks, push-ups, sit-ups and squat thrusts, but we
also did some running in place.  It seemed as if the closer I got to my release
date, the more I wanted to work out, so I'd be in the best shape possible when I
was released.  That way, if anyone decided to attack me for what they thought I
had done, I'd be in a better position to defend myself and fight them off.  As an
unexpected side effect of this process, I began to physically feel better than I had
in quite some time, so I knew this extra effort was paying off.

Now that the story based on Jared was behind me, I only had my latest story
about the kid in the gang to work on, so I put all of my effort into it.  I decided to
establish a very strict regiment and maintain it until I was released, in an effort to
make the days go by as quickly as possible.  Since rec time rotated on a weekly
basis, Darren and I agreed that once if was determined if we'd have rec in the
morning or afternoon, then we'd do our exercise routine at the opposite time, so
we'd workout once in the morning and then again in the afternoon.

I planned to work my writing around these workouts and Darren would work on
his artwork while I was doing that, so between the two, it should help to make the
time fly by.  Oh, the two of us still continued having our occasional sexual
encounters as well, since we both enjoyed that too, and we filled in the remaining
time however we saw fit at the moment.  We also continued our countdown to
freedom, which was another motivator for us, since there were now less than
thirty days to go.

On one of Jack's previous visits, I had asked him to go over to Darren's old
apartment and talk to his former roommates, to see if they were going to be able
to take him back when he got out.  Jack said he'd do that for me and I told
Darren what we were up to, so he wouldn't think I was doing this behind his back.
He said he was glad I had thought about doing this for him, but it also made him
slightly nervous, while at the same time mildly hopeful about the outcome.

The next time Jack visited though, the news didn't turn out to be good.  It wasn't
that Darren's former roommates didn't want him back, but it turned out that none
of his friends even lived there any longer.  When Jack knocked on the door, he
discovered that someone else had moved in and been living there for the past
couple of months, so that option was no longer available.  Jack even contacted
the college to see if he could locate any of these guys, since Darren had also
given him their first and last names, but it turned out that each of them had either
dropped out of school or transferred somewhere else.

I was afraid this information was going to devastate Darren, but he didn't take it
as badly as I'd feared.  He admitted that he didn't expect them to welcome him
back anyway, but now he was once again concerned about where he was going
to live and how he was going to survive when he got released, since he had no
friends he could turn to, no money and no means to support himself.  He even
began to envision himself living on the street and working a minimum wage job,
just to have enough money to buy food, so that's when I decided it was time for
me to step in and relieve his anxiety.

"You'll do no such thing," I informed him.  "You'll come live with me and you can
stay for as long as you want.  You can either leave once you get back on your
feet or you can decide to stay indefinitely, since I know that we're compatible and
enjoy each other's company.  I live alone, in a fairly big house, and other than for
you, there isn't much chance of that changing any time soon."

Darren stood open-mouthed, staring at me, after I made this offer, so I gave him
a few seconds to think it over, because I didn't want him to feel pressured.  When
I thought he'd had sufficient amount of time to reach a decision, I asked my next
question.

"So what do you think about doing that?  Would you like to stay with me?"

"Are you sure you want me to do that?  I mean... I could end up being there for a
pretty long time," he pointed out.

After saying this, he gave me a look that seemed to ask if I was just being nice or
if I was truly serious about my offer.  I thought I'd better reassure him this was an
honest and sincere offer, not one based on sympathy.

"Hey, we've lived together in here for how long now and we've gotten along really
well," I mentioned.  "Besides, I'd love the company, because it gets quite lonely
not having anyone to talk to.  So what do you say?"

He totally lit up after hearing my response.

"Are you kidding?  I'd love that," he confirmed.  "I just can't believe that you're
saving me yet again."

I'm not sure if he forgot where he was or if he no longer cared if anyone saw
what he was doing, meaning a CO or trusty, but he covered the short distance
between us and wrapped his arms around my upper body.  There was absolutely
no hesitation on his part, as he enthusiastically hugged me for all he was worth.
It wasn't difficult to see how relieved and grateful he was that his major concern
had now been settled, and to his satisfaction, but he could have just thanked me
or even shook my hand.  I was, however, very touched that he had chosen this
much more personal way of thanking me instead.  Now, all we had to do was to
hold out and survive our final few days in this place.

Since that problem had been solved, I took some time to tackle a few of the other
issues I'd need to deal with before we finished our sentences.  To begin with, on
Jack's next visit I informed him that I'd be out at 8:00 a.m. on the fifth, just to let
him know when his duties of taking care of everything for me would end.
However, he cut me off before I'd had a chance to finish what I was saying.

"Wait just one minute," he objected.

I was not only stunned and confused that he had said this, because I wasn't sure
what he was objecting to.  When he saw my puzzled expression, he quickly
clarified his statement.

"Look, I've learned from Bruno that prisoners are eligible to be released one
minute after midnight, if they have someone to pick them up, so I'll be here
before midnight to get you," he pointed out.  "I'm not going to let you spend one
minute extra in this place than is absolutely necessary, so I'll meet you in the
administrative section that night, so those in charge will know that I'm here for
you."

Hey, what could I say?

"Jack, that's really nice of you to offer, but there are other things that come into
play with this as well," I mentioned, so he wouldn't be surprised.

"Like what?" he asked, looking confused.

"I told Darren that he could stay with me until he got back on his feet, so it won't
just be me getting out at that time," I clarified.

"So what?  I can accept responsibility for two of you, just as easily as I can for
one, so it won't be a problem," he insisted.

"Are you absolutely certain?" I followed, just to make sure.

I looked him straight in the eye when I asked this, because if the eyes are the
windows to the soul, then I figured this would let me know if he really meant what
he'd just said.  He never blinked and remained motionless, while looking me
squarely in the eye as well.  It was almost as if he knew exactly what I was doing.

"I'm positive," he finally responded, to emphasize the point.

I thanked him and then followed the CO back to the cellblock.  As soon as I got
there, I told Darren the good news, so now he was even more excited than
before.  It was a huge relief for both of us that we were now able to see the light
at the end of this long and depressing tunnel.

Unfortunately, the euphoria didn't last for long.  It seemed that no matter how
much we did or how busy we tried to keep ourselves, those last couple of weeks
seemed to drag on.  I guess it was probably due to the fact that we were
anxiously looking forward to finally being free of this place, and the only analogy I
come up with was that this was similar to when I was a kid.  Back then, the time
always seemed to drag just before I had a birthday or when I was waiting for
Christmas to arrive, and this was no different.  I knew time would continue to
drag on, until the big day arrived.

Our final chance to buy from the inmate store came along on Day 2 of our
countdown, so there was still an entire day to go before we got out.  I used this
opportunity to place a special order, so we could throw a little going away party
and mentally begin to celebrate the end of our incarceration.  Since the weather
was gradually getting warmer and it was getting closer to summer temperatures,
the guards had added ice cream cones, ice cream sandwiches and Popsicles to
the order form and those items caught my attention.  I ordered one ice cream
cone and one ice cream sandwich for each of us, along with a six-pack of soda.
We still had a few snacks left over, along with some cookies, so I didn't need to
order anything else.

Once my order was delivered, Darren and I pigged out before we left the
common area to go back to our cells, so we could pack up whatever belongings
we were going to take with us.  We had to remember to leave the things out that
we would need for the following day, but we were also separating out the other
items we either planned to leave or throw away, since we didn't want to keep any
additional reminders about our time here.  We were both getting extremely
excited now, so it was very difficult to concentrate on much of anything, except
our impeding release.

We spent most of our final hours in jail playing cards, watching TV and working
out.  In fact, we were almost working ourselves into frenzy, sort of like sharks do
when they smell the scent of blood in the water.  However, what WE smelled was
our freedom and the aroma was driving us wild.  I just hoped I didn't get too
excited and pop a blood vessel before I got released.

When I looked back at our time after we had moved into this cellblock, I was
mildly surprised that the jail administrators had never found it necessary to put
anyone else in with us.  It was possible that the incident with Sid and then with
the two trusties had influenced their judgment, but I also wondered if it was their
way of rewarding us for staying out of trouble, since they'd left the two of us
alone since Thanksgiving.  No matter the reason, it had worked out well for
Darren and me.

On our final evening in jail, the time between dinner and lights out seemed to
drag on forever.  We tried to keep busy, by filling the trashcan with the items we
no longer wanted or needed, and then we double-checked that we had packed
everything we were planning to take with us.  We also decided to leave our flip-
flops and the deck of cards that Fred had given us on the table for the next
residents in this hellhole, rather than throw them in the garbage.  Hopefully,
finding those simple gifts might be enough to help take the edge off their
loneliness and despair, while possibly making their stay there a little more
bearable.

Doing all of those things took less than an hour, so there was still a huge block of
time left over and nothing we did, including watching TV, seemed to make it go
by any more quickly.  Every time I glanced up at the clock that hung on the outer
wall, it seemed as though the hands had barely moved since I'd last looked at it.
Darren and I were quickly becoming as jittery as two virgins at a porno festival or
as excited as a couple of kids in a toy store, as we waited for our release time to
arrive.  Our prize was currently just beyond our grasp, but we knew we'd
eventually get out of this place in one piece.

When lights out was announced, we reluctantly walked into our cells for the final
time.  Everything was in order and we were both ready to leave, but we still had
one more hour to endure, before we got to use our 'get out of jail free' cards and
were able to finally pass Go.  That last hour was the longest one of all, since
there was absolutely nothing to do and no one to distract us from thinking about
our imminent departure.  It was almost as if we were watching the clock counting
off all sixty seconds for each of the sixty minutes that still remained in our
sentence.  This was worse than being tortured.

Finally, we heard the CO coming and he eventually summoned us from our cells.
We grabbed our pillows, towels, bedding and personal items, and then we
followed him down to an area where we'd turn in everything belonging to the jail
and swap our lovely orange jumpsuits for the clothes we'd been wearing when
we were brought here.  After changing into those garments, I was a little
surprised at how roomy they were on me now, which drove home the fact about
how much weight I had lost during my stay here.  I was happy about slimming
down, although I wouldn't recommend this health club or diet plan to anyone.

As we were led out to the front desk, I immediately spotted Jack waiting for us,
with a big, silly grin plastered across his face.  He was one special guy.  Once
the paperwork had been completed and signed, we picked up our paper bags
filled with the items we were taking with us and followed Jack to his car.  Darren
and I each let out a little cheer of relief as we shut his car doors, which made
Jack laugh out loud.

After I'd introduced Darren and Jack to each other, since they hadn't actually met
before, Jack drove to my place and came inside with us, so he could show me
where he'd placed the items I had left in his custody and the things he had
moved from Darren's apartment.  He also told me that he'd hired someone to
come in to clean and make the beds for us, so we wouldn't have to bother with
those details right away.  Once he'd finished explaining this, Darren and I both
shook his hand and thanked him for everything he had done on our behalf.  I
owed him big time, so now I just had to think of a way I could repay his
friendship.

After Jack left to go back to his place, I gave Darren a quick tour of the house,
and then I showed him to the room he'd be using, which was at the other end of
the hall from mine.  After that, I dug a towel out of the linen closet and handed it
to him and pointed out the guest bathroom, since neither of us had been able to
shower for the past couple of days.  I then sent him in to clean up before he
turned in, while emphasizing that he could take as long as he wanted.

I intentionally hadn't given him the room Jared and Josh had used when they
stayed over, because my heart just wouldn't let me do that yet.  I was still hopeful
that some day they'd be back in my life again.

While Darren was showering, I did the same, but in the master bath, and it felt
good to be able to take as long as I wanted, using real bath products and an
actual bottle of shampoo.  When I completed this simple luxury, I dried off,
slipped into some clean underwear and then went out to make certain Darren
didn't need anything else, before I crawled between those nice clean sheets on
that very comfortable bed.

I slept like a baby that first night home, but when I woke up the following morning,
I almost forgot where I was.  After I got my bearings, I slid out of bed, used the
toilet and then walked down to check on Darren.  I discovered he was still
sleeping, so I decided to go downstairs, put on a pot of coffee and get things
ready so I could make breakfast for us, as soon as Darren joined me.  Jack had
been kind enough to also stock my fridge, so there was actually food in the
house that I could prepare, and I quickly looked over what was there.

About an hour later, Darren came stumbling down the steps, clad only in his
boxer-briefs and looking as if he should have stayed in bed for a few more hours.

"Good morning," I greeted him, as he joined me in the dining room.  "Did you
sleep well?"

"Sleep well?  It was absolutely fantastic," he replied.  "I almost forgot what it was
like to sleep on a real bed.  It also took me a few minutes to remember where I
was, since everything looks so different in the daylight."

He smiled dreamily after saying this.

"I had the same problem," I confessed.  "Are you hungry?"

"Yeah, I'm starved," he confirmed.

"What would you like?  I can whip up some pancakes, French toast, an omelet,
eggs of any style, toast, English muffins, bagels... you name it and I've got it.  It
appears that Jack either went shopping for me or had the company I use do it
instead."

"I'm impressed with the choices, but an omelet sounds nice," he hinted.  "Would
you happen to have ham and cheese to put in it?"

"I think I saw some sliced ham and a package of cheese in the fridge and that
sounds good to me too, so I'll whip one up for each of us," I agreed.  "How about
a bagel to go with that, toasted and with cream cheese?"

"Yeah, ok.  Sounds good," he conceded.

After I fixed the omelets and put the pans over the fire to cook, I put the bagels in
the toaster and quickly poured each of us a cup of coffee.  When everything was
ready, we took our time enjoying every leisurely bite.  Once we'd finished our first
repast together as free men again, we rinsed off the dishes and put them in the
dishwasher, before I gave Darren the complete tour of my home.  I could tell he
was impressed, especially when he saw the pool, so I knew he was going to fit in
well here.  However, I wondered how I was going to be able to handle things now
that I was here, since everything around this place only served to remind me of
Jared.



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