Date: Tue, 30 Sep 2008 04:40:21 -0400
From: chris james <drmeta4@gmail.com>
Subject: Gene, Chapters 3 & 4

  Dear Reader: this material is not meant to be viewed by minors under 18,
miners over 18 are most welcome and encouraged to read. The story
continues, much more to come...comments welcome.

	drmeta4@gmail.com


				Gene (M/B)

Chapter 3

      The song ended and Ben turned the sound down, letting the CD play on
in the background.

      Gene laughed and said, "Creed....you?"

      "Metallica too," Ben responded, laughing back at him.

      "Aerosmith."

      "Pink Floyd."

      "Rolling Stones."

      "Rush."

      "Um...Stevie Ray."

      "Eric Clapton...he's a god."

      "Oh you got that right....awesome," Gene said.

      Interesting...they had just traded musical interests and found
themselves compatible. It was ten seconds of the best communication they'd
had to this point and Ben felt elated. The boy was bright, maybe a little
naive about life in general, but he had a mind worthy of development.

      Not that it was his job to look after the boy but somehow Ben felt
the need. Gene had the desire to be different, to make changes. He was
young, malleable and oh so dangerous for an older gay guy. Ben wasn't quite
sure what he wanted from the boy, but he knew Gene wanted something from
him.

      Ben switched lanes and took the off ramp onto University Drive. His
office was only several minutes away in the business park behind the new
mall.

      "Oh, I was gonna get a job at the food court here when they opened
this past summer," Gene said as they passed the mall.

      "What happened to that?" Ben asked.

      "My mom wouldn't let me apply. She wanted me home all the time back
then."

      "Back then?"

      "Yeah, it was right after my dad left us; she was a mess over that."

      "And how did you feel....how do you feel about your dad leaving?" Ben
asked.

      Gene became very still at the question and Ben was about to pose
another when the boy answered.

      "I was mad...no, I felt cheated. He was the only person who would
listen to me, mom never did and it's worse now."

      The loss had devastated the boy. It was all there in his tone of
voice, and Ben was sure Gene never had the chance to talk to anyone about
it before. Ben heard a sniff as he pulled into the lot and parked the
car. There were tears in Gene's eyes.

      "I hate my life," Gene said, and the tears flowed down his cheeks.

      Ben unsnapped his seatbelt and then Gene's, putting a hand on the
boy's shoulder. A few sobs racked the kid's body and Ben slid a hand
across, pulling the kid into his arms. Gene seemed reluctant at first but
then laid his head against Ben's chest and cried.

      Ben's mind was wide open to the feelings he had at that moment. He
had never considered it would come to this, but he was feeling
parental. The boy needed a man in his life. The twin had the wrestling
coach, although that still sounded a little funny. But that wasn't his
concern, what did Gene have?

      Gene felt so thin, a real lightweight. He was Ben's height; their
eyes were at the same level. But he was fit and trim while Gene had to be
underweight for his age. Didn't she feed him? It wasn't part of the program
but Ben was concerned, very concerned.

      Gene sat up and wiped his face with the back of his hand.

      "I'm sorry...." he began.

      "Don't be," Ben interrupted. "Look, you miss your father...have you
seen him since he left?"

      Gene shook his head. "I don't know where he went...she won't tell
me."

      Oh that was not right, not right at all. What kind of bitch was she?

      "I can probably find out for you...if you want me to," he said.

      "That would be great, Mr. Bradshaw...I mean it." Again that puzzled
look and Ben could almost hear the words before they were spoken. "Why are
you being so nice to me?" Gene asked once again.

      Ben smiled and said the first thing that came to mind. "Because Eric
Clapton is a god."

      He didn't wait for Gene's reaction and popped the door open to get
out. But the boy reached out a hand and pulled on his arm. Ben stopped and
looked back. Their eyes met and there was something there, something he was
almost afraid to see.

      "I like you Mr. Bradshaw....thanks."

      "Thanks, Gene...I like you too."

      Florence was sitting at the front desk when Gene and Ben walked
through the glass doors. The boy looked around at all the artwork hanging
about the room. Ben had become a collector right out of college and still
wondered that no one had figured out he was gay. He had always thought this
was a dead giveaway.

      "Hi, Flo," Ben said. "Anything on top?"

      Florence was a god-send; she ran Ben's business life. He had hired
her away from a local bank where she was wasting her talents as the
assistant branch manager, and then he had quickly decided to give her full
command.

      "Nothing cooking you need to worry about, Ben," Flo replied. "And
who's this?"

      "Mr. Gene Carr...Gene come and meet Miss Lawson, she's the real boss
around here."

      "Hello, Gene," Flo said. "So very nice to meet you. Now aren't you
the handsome young man."

      Gene blushed and mumbled his, "Hello, nice to meet you too, Miss
Lawson."

      "Well isn't he the gentleman too. You can call me Flo, sweetie."

      Gene still had the blush on his face when Ben escorted the boy into
his private office.

      "I think she likes you," he said, winking at the boy.

      "I get along with black people...well most of the time," Gene said.

      Hmm, and here we go again, Ben thought. It had never occurred to him
that Gene might have negative feelings about black people. The civil rights
movement forced most southern states to rethink their prejudices, but that
wasn't always true about the locals. There were still some racial lines
drawn, but Ben hoped most of that was cultural by now.

      But Gene was a product of his environment and obviously not as
enlightened as he should be. Ben knew there was still racial tension in the
school system; it was part of his business to know about that. The county
had their share of gang activity and an unrealistic population of young
blacks in the penal system. It remained to be seen if Gene had any hard
prejudices against any of his fellow students.

      "Would you like something to drink?" Ben asked.

      "Sure, that would be nice," Gene replied.

      He fetched a couple of Coke cans from the small fridge and turned to
find Gene looking at his prize painting on the wall above the couch.

      "You sure got a thing for all this art stuff," the boy said. "But
this picture is painted all fuzzy like."

      "It's an impressionist piece. The artist is only representing the
shapes without the detail, at least that's what he said."

      "You know the guy who did this?"

      "Yes, he was my roommate in college. Joseph will be quite famous one
of these days, I assure you."

      "Well I like normal pictures. Least ways so I can figure out what I'm
looking at," Gene laughed.

      "That is still one of my favorites, and I understand what he was
trying to say so I bought it. How about we sit down, we need to talk about
some things."

      Gene chose a chair facing Ben's desk and so he took the seat behind
it.

      "You don't have a lot on your desk. You should see the one my
principal has, it's all piled up with papers."

      "Let's hope they're not all about you, but we do most of our work
electronically," Ben said, tapping the flat screen monitor of his
computer. "So when's your birthday?"

      "The week before Christmas I'll turn eighteen. We never have a party
or nothin. My mom...well she drinks."

      "Your mother drinks too much, is that what you're telling me?"

      Gene sighed. "She drinks and does pills too. I'm afraid I'm gonna
wake up some morning and she will have killed herself with all that crap."

      "You don't approve then. Have you ever done drugs?"

      Gene's face went blank but he nodded. "I smoked pot a little. Haven't
you?"

      Ben smiled. This wasn't about him, and normally he would have shut
down a client who asked questions like that, but this was Gene. He needed a
better influence in his life, or at least an honest one.

      "I did in school, probably much like you," Ben said. "But then I
started work and knew it would get in the way of what I wanted to
accomplish in life so I quit. Do you smoke pot with your friends or alone?"

      "Oh I can't buy no pot, its way too expensive. But I got a friend who
shares with me sometimes."

      "You have a lot of friends?" Ben asked.

      "No, not really."

      "No girlfriend?"

      "Um, no," Gene laughed. "They're even more expensive."

      "Never had a girlfriend?"

      Gene blushed; he knew what the question meant.

      "No."

      "I guess when your life is all upside down it's hard to get into a
relationship." Ben said. "The problems you have at home probably make it
more difficult. Besides, you're still young, some guys wait until they're
older."

      "I wanted to get with this Mexican girl who lives up the street,"
Gene said. "I'd sure like to...well, she's fine, but her brothers scare
me."

      "Yes, their culture is often hard to understand, but their men folk
are very protective. So I gather you haven't much experience with girls?"
There, he'd asked the first hard question.

      Gene looked at him with that 'why did you have to ask that' look on
his face. Ben backed off.

      "You don't have to answer me," he said.

      "No...I have to be honest; you said that before...I have to trust
you."

      "Do sexual questions upset you?" Ben asked.

      Gene blushed a bit; his hands rubbed the fabric of his jeans
nervously.

      "Yup...but they shouldn't, huh? I've never been with a girl."

      "Thank you for the trust," Ben said. "Maybe you'll get lucky with
that Mexican girl."

      "Naw, she's just something to think about when I...." Now he really
started blushing.

      "Masturbate?" Ben laughed. "Sorry, don't be so uncomfortable. You
don't see me writing any of this down, do you? I just want to know what you
think about things, that's all."

      "I guess all guys jerk off, so I do too. I bet even you do."

      "You got me with that one, of course all guys do. It's normal,
especially at your age when there are no other options. I bet you even did
it with your brother Dean."

      Gene's eyes got wider in shock, as if Ben had penetrated a wall of
secrecy and exposed a great truth.

      "Um...yeah, when we were younger, I suppose we did. Why is that
important?"

      "Ok, here's my line of thought. I'm not trying to be sneaky about any
of this. Twins do a lot of things alike, it's probably genetic. You guys
should have hit puberty at the same time and boys have questions at a
younger age. So it just seems likely that you explored sexuality at the
same time. Masturbation is the most likely activity you would share. Am I
making sense to you?"

      "Yes...I didn't think anyone knew about the stuff we did. Dean was
really interested in all that stuff, way more than I was..."

      And then it was like Gene threw up a brick wall in his head. His face
seemed to go blank again.

      "Has he ever had a girlfriend?" Ben asked.

      "Maybe, but he's been gone almost a year. I don't know for sure."

      Gene was being evasive, and that door had to be pried open.

      "Yes, you said he moved in with his wrestling coach. Why did he do
that?"

      It was as if Ben had hit the panic button in Gene's mind. The
distress on the boy's face was apparent and he only stared back silently.

      "Gene...is everything all right with your brother?"

      "No....he's...he's a faggot," Gene said.

      "He's in a relationship with his coach?" Ben asked softly.

      Gene was very upset now. They were getting closer to some real
discovery here. At the very least the coach was a criminal.

      "Yeah....I guess. Dean's a fag and so is that man."

      "They're both gay you mean?"

      "Yeah, they do shit I don't even want to think about."

      "But you were the best of friends when you were younger, I understand
how upset you are," Ben said.

      "No you don't, how could you? That man is fucking him up the ass and
I know it."

      "How do you know that?" Ben asked. "Did he ever try anything with
you?"

      "Yes...ok? He tried to get in my pants and I wouldn't let him but
Dean did. I hate that guy...he's a faggot mother-fucker."

      Gene was almost yelling now and Ben held up a hand to calm him
down. The boy was breathing harshly and his face was red. There was some
real anger here, but Ben didn't stop at that point, he pursued the matter
further.

      "Do your parents know about any of this?"

      Gene's fury turned towards his mother and maybe she deserved it.

      "Her? She let Dean move in with him. She knows...she knows damn well
what's goin on over there. I think he gives her money to keep quiet, I bet
he does."

      "And have you spoken to Dean about living with this guy?"

      "Yeah, he loves the fucker. His faggot boyfriend buys him all kinds
of shit. He's got a motorcycle and all these clothes..."

      "And you're a little bit jealous, aren't you? Because truthfully,
that's what I'm hearing," Ben said.

      "Jealous? Of that? Ain't no faggot gonna get up my butt no matter
what he buys me."

      "And Mr. Hanover? He hasn't tried anything with you, but you hate him
because of your brother and the coach."

      "Yeah, Hanover is an all right guy, but he's a fag too."

      "And so you took out your hatred for the coach on poor Mr. Hanover, a
guy who never did anything to you. Do you think that was fair? Was it
because he showed the class a picture of his partner?"

      Gene laughed nervously. Ben had hit the nail on the
head. "Yeah...yeah I did, just because he's gay."

      "So it's ok for you to think of Hanover as a gay person but your
brother is a faggot? Is that fair?"

      "I did wrong, didn't I?" Gene asked.

      "Yes, it was off base, an error in thinking. But it's all right to
have strong feelings about these things. Unfortunately for Mr. Hanover, you
directed your anger at the wrong person."

      "I'm sorry," Gene said.

      It was like a little boy apologizing for wetting his pants. He'd been
caught up in his feelings and now Ben had to set things right.

      "This coach approached you before your dad left, didn't he? Why
didn't you tell your dad that he tried to molest you?"

      "I did, but mom said I was lying. I think he had already started
things with Dean and she knew about it."

      This was more like rational thought; Gene was working it out.

      "So your dad chose to believe her instead of you. I bet that hurt."

      "Yup, I was shocked. My dad and I were always close, closer then he
was with Dean most of the time. And I guess Dean said I was lying too, but
he was just covering for himself."

      "I bet it felt like your whole family had abandoned you, and then
your dad left?"

      "Yeah, he and mom started arguing more and she started slapping him
around. I don't know why he took it, he could have stopped her. And she
started drinking every night until he finally left. I guess I can't blame
him."

      There weren't any tears this time, Gene was thinking it through and
that was what he needed.

      "So how did you boys get involved with this coach?" Ben asked.

      "Dean was always the jock so he just signed up for the wrestling team
in ninth grade. He wanted me to join too, but I didn't. Seems he liked the
coach right away and started going over to this guy's house all the
time. I....I saw them doing stuff."

      "What kind of stuff?"

      "Uh...the guy had his hand down Dean's shorts and was rubbing
him. Dean saw me watching and said it was cool, that I should try it. It
was so weird, Dean wanted this guy to rub my dick. But when I felt myself
start to get hard I ran out of the house."

      "But Dean didn't, he stayed," Ben said.

      "Yeah, he did. When he got home later I asked him what was up with
this guy and he said the man made him feel sexy and that's all. A couple
days later he went back over there but I didn't go this time."

      "Did Dean ever try and tell you what they did together?"

      "No, but he showed me. Sorry....look, it's kinda hard to tell you
about it."

      "You don't have to," Ben said.

      "Dean sucked me off, that's what he showed me. I was afraid I was a
fag too like him cause I liked it. Oh man, I never told anyone that
before."

      "No Gene, you're not gay because your brother sucked on you, it
doesn't happen like that."

      "But I thought about it a lot. I even went back over to the coach's
house with Dean cause he said the man would suck me off. But I got scared
and didn't go in right away. I guess Dean was in there a while and I had to
use the bathroom real bad so I walked in the house. I heard noises coming
from the bedroom. And when I looked in the room I saw this guy fucking Dean
up the butt. It freaked me out and I ran home."

      "Did you tell your parents?"

      "No...but I asked Dean what they were doing. It sounded crazy but he
said the guy made him feel good. Like how could a dick up your ass feel
good?"

      "Are you asking me?" Ben said. He was the one blushing now.

      "No, why would you know about that. It was just....how do gay guys
get off on that shit?"

      At least the boy was saying gay guys instead of faggots, Ben
thought. Gene was learning something or was he wondering? If he thought I
was gay he sure wouldn't be calling me a faggot to my face. Did he wonder
about me? Didn't seem so.

      "Well the male anatomy is different than a woman's, but if big things
can come out your rear end I suppose big things can go in."

      "That's just nasty, isn't it?"

      "I guess that depends on if you are the top or the bottom."

      Gene laughed, he understood the meaning.

      "The thought of something up my butt scares me," Gene finally said.

      "Then choose your girlfriends carefully. Some of them like to put a
finger up your butt and massage your prostate."

      "Prostate? What's that?"

      "Oh, you want an anatomy lesson now I guess?"

      "Sorry, I just never heard that before."

      "Ok, Anatomy 101. The prostate gland is a little plum sized gland
that sits inside your body below your penis. It produces fluid, some of
which you already know about since you masturbate. Your sperm floats in
this stuff so it's very useful. Well the gland is partially exposed in your
anus. If you ever have a complete medical exam your doctor will examine the
gland to see if everything is normal."

      "Wow, so how's he gonna do that?"

      "Maybe you don't want to know, but he puts on rubber gloves, adds
some KY lube to a finger and slips it up your backside."

      "No way, you're kidding," Gene laughed.

      "I'm serious. He's testing to see if you might have prostate
problems, you can tell with a touch during the exam. But considering your
doctor is doing the fingering it probably won't feel very sexy."

      Gene looked at him closely. Ben almost laughed but thought it would
make the boy think it was all a lie.

      "Dude, where did you learn about that?" Gene asked.

      "So I'm 'Dude' now, huh. I learned it in school, silly."

      "I'm sorry, Mr. Bradshaw, I shouldn't have called you a dude."

      "You're right; would you rather call me Ben?"

      Gene smiled, "Can I?"

      "Yes, you may," Ben said. "I have to tell you something, Gene, but I
don't want you to take this the wrong way. I like you, you're a smart
likeable guy and if anything I want to be your friend. You've been very
brave today...and honest as well. I respect you for that. I think you would
make a good friend."

      "Friends? You and me? Uh...I'd like that a whole lot...Ben."

      "Me too," Ben said. "So as my newest friend you be sure and tell me
if I get on your nerves, just tell me to fuck off if you want."

      "Oh, I could never do that," Gene said.

      "Maybe. You have been more than honest this morning, and that has
given me a lot to think about."

      "I need to apologize to Mr. Hanover, don't I?"

      "Yes, you do, but I'm going to speak with him first. In fact this
whole thing is going to be quite difficult, thanks a lot."

      "What's difficult?"

      "Well your brother is in a sexual relationship with an adult, that's
illegal. Your mom and maybe your dad know about it as well, that's
illegal. Hell, I suppose you wanting to bone that Mexican girl down the
street is illegal too. How old is she anyway?"

      "Uh, maybe thirteen," Gene said.

      "Illegal as hell, you horny young man. You're seventeen now, so you
better back off that girl and start using both hands on yourself. Practice
makes perfect."

      "I already got lots of practice...um, shit. Guess I'll just stay a
virgin for now."

      "Sorry, Gene, we have enough troubles as it is. I could end up
getting everyone except you and your brother thrown into jail for this
mess. I guess the first thing is for me to talk with Hanover and see if he
will drop the charges. That would solve the problem, but you'll have to
kiss his ass a little after that."

      "I'll apologize tomorrow...." Gene began.

      "No, don't say anything yet. Let me soften him up first. Hey, we make
a great team. What do you say...I'm hungry again, this has been hard work."

      Gene smiled, "You are some kind of crazy...Ben. I like that about
you."

      "Then wait until you really get to know me, I'll drive you fucking
bonkers."



Chapter 4

      Ben had no idea what the boy would eat for lunch so he drove over to
the Golden Corral and paid for the buffet. As expected, Gene avoided
anything green and went straight for the meat and potatoes food. He arrived
back at their table with a pile of mac and cheese, three hunks of meatloaf
and two dinner rolls on his plate.

      "Hmm, I gotta teach you to eat better," Ben said.

      "What's wrong with this? It's sure gonna fill me up."

      "Ok, what do you put in a Corvette's gas tank? Low octane or high
octane?"

      "That's easy, high octane. It burns hotter in a performance engine."

      "So if we put low octane in Gene's stomach the engine will run but it
might knock a bit when he really needs power. High octane food is lots of
veggies along with that meat and less of the mac and cheese variety."

      "But this is what I eat at home, I like it."

      Ben looked at the boy's face and saw the confusion. He resisted the
urge to brush that hair back from the boy's eyes; he wasn't ready to be
touched. I needed to reach out to him, Ben thought...just something to let
him know I care.

      "I guess you eat what you know about. But I am gonna have to take you
home with me some day and cook you a real good meal just to show you what
I'm talking about."

      "You cook?" Gene laughed.

      "You cook?" Ben mimicked and laughed. "Of course I do, I like to eat
don't I? You think guys can't learn to cook?"

      "I guess, but why do you?"

      "Well duh, I'm a single, hungry male. I can't be eating out all the
time, and fast food is off the radar. I learned to cook from my mother when
I was a teenager, and I might add, I'm pretty damn good at it."

      "Ok, Ben, you sold me," Gene laughed. "Uh, I cook too."

      "Really? What do you cook, cereal and milk?"

      "No...I can make bacon and eggs for breakfast."

      "Then you're on, if I do dinner you can make the breakfast," Ben
said.

      "Uh, you want me to spend the night?"

      "You may do that sometime. I do have more than one bedroom or you can
sleep on the porch if it's cool enough. I loved sleeping on the porch when
I was a kid; it felt wicked to be outside like that."

      "You have a big house then?"

      "Too big for me alone I guess. But my folks got it in their heads
that old people are supposed to move to Florida and so they did. Left me
all alone in the house where I grew up."

      "Oh that sounds so cool. We live in a trailer."

      Ouch, that hurt. Here he was rattling along about himself and giving
no thought to the boy's miserable lifestyle. Ben didn't want to hold his
wealth over the kid's head. But maybe he just wanted to share some of
it...if Gene would allow him to.

      "Hey," Gene said, "I could come mow your lawn or something. I need to
pay you back for all this stuff you're doing for me."

      "Hmm, a personal gardener, that's a thought. But the school board is
paying for my services already," Ben said. Besides, he thought, the lawn
service might get pissed if Gene butchered the yard.

      "No, not for the court thing, for all this," Gene said, gesturing at
the food on the table. "I mean it, I owe you big time."

      "Gene, you're my friend now, you don't owe me anything, I like to
share with my friends."

      "But what can I share with you, I don't have anything?"

      "You want to do something for me? You really mean that? Then stay in
school, graduate and become the best young man you possibly can. Then
you'll be better than a friend, you'll be a great friend."

      Gene put his fork down and looked across the table.

      "Is that all you want from me?"

      Ben smiled back at him... no, Gene was right, it wasn't all he
wanted.

      "I never had a little brother...and I may never have a son. But if I
did I could only hope they would be as nice as you, my friend." What was he
saying? The thoughts in his head seemed to overwhelm his sensibilities.

	"Look, Gene, I don't understand myself sometimes, so forgive me if
this comes out wrong. But I need someone like you in my life right now,
someone I can spoil and play games with. I understand what it means to be
lonely, even when there are lots of people around who say they like me.

      "From a professional standpoint what I am asking of you is all wrong,
I'm not supposed to become so attached to one of my clients. But I've only
known you for six hours and it seems like I've wanted to know you my whole
life.

	"I don't know what you'll think of me now, maybe you'll think I'm a
bit like your brother's coach, but I'm not. I don't think it's in me to
ever hurt someone like that. I'm sorry, maybe I've said too much already."

      The expression on Gene's face had flashed through many phases as Ben
spoke, but now the boy looked at him with a longing in his eyes. He wanted
to believe those words; he wanted someone to care about him. And to prove
that, one lone tear rolled down his right cheek. Gene sniffed, and wiped it
away, giving back that silly little grin Ben so adored by now.

      "You do care about me, don't you?" he said quietly. "I just never
thought I could be so lucky...I'm not sure what I can say about how I
feel."

      And then Ben reached across the table and brushed the hair back from
Gene's eyes. It was a loving gesture and the boy didn't flinch in the least
from his touch.

      "Just give me time...I need a chance to prove myself to you. There
have been so many lies in your life...it must be hard to trust anyone right
now."

      "I wanna be your friend so bad it hurts," Gene said, his voice almost
a whisper. "But I don't understand myself and these feelings."

      "We both need time to work on this, Gene. Just promise me you'll work
on this with me, ok?"

      "I promise."

      They finished the meal in silence, but both kept looking at one
another and smiling. Ben drove the boy towards home after the meal. He
could tell Gene hated the idea of anyone seeing where he lived and how
pathetic his life really was. But Ben needed to know where he lived because
he wanted to meet the mother. Not today, but he had asked Gene to arrange
it for tomorrow, after he got home from school.

      His approach to the woman would be strictly professional unless she
played dirty. This would allow him to get Gene involved in other activities
outside of the home, if that's what her trailer could be considered. The
boy made it sound more like a prison.

      The last thing he wanted to do was present himself as another goof
ball like Dean's coach. Ben knew the minute he saw dollar signs appear in
her eyes he would get her busted for child abuse. Gene was seventeen and in
this state that meant he was allowed to choose where he lived. Ben just
hoped it wouldn't come to that.

      There were still a lot of feelings he had to contend with. How could
he have fallen so completely for this kid in half a day? Was he that
vulnerable to a pretty face? Maybe he was the one that needed a shrink. Did
he really want the kid living with him? Was that the objective?

      They arrived at this long gravel driveway leading into a cluster of
trailers in the distance and Gene told Ben to stop there.

      "You can't be takin this car up that road, it will tear out your
pipes," he said.

      "Ok, I'll bring the truck tomorrow then," Ben replied.

      "You have a truck too? Awesome."

      "Raised in the country, gotta have a truck. Will you be ok walking up
there?"

      "Sure, I walk down here for the bus every morning. I'll tell mom
you'll be here around four o'clock, right?"

      "Yup, four it is. You have a good day at school tomorrow, and be
polite to Mr. Hanover, no matter what goes on. And thanks, Gene"

      "For what? I was about to thank you for the food and all."

      "Well I'm thanking you for the other part, the part about being my
friend."

      "You're the coolest person I ever met, Ben. See you tomorrow."

      Ben watched the boy walk a ways up the road and then Gene turned to
wave. He had to do it, just to thrill the kid. He laid about ten feet of
rubber on the road as he took off.

      Ben got back on the main highway into town maybe five minutes later
and then pulled into the first large parking lot he could find. He shut
down the engine, locked the doors and had a good cry.

      He believed in tears as good solid medicine for the soul. In a matter
of hours Gene had stood his silly little life on end and it scared
him. What was wrong, why was he acting this way? The boy filled a void in
his life, he had meant every word of that little confession, but why tell
him that at all?

      Hanover would buckle and drop the charges when Ben put his special
spin on things. Court would be cancelled and Gene wouldn't be a client any
longer. Then they could be friends without his conscience feeling
guilty. But why? What were his motives?

      OK, he was a sexy, attractive boy with gorgeous eyes and a slender
body. But the attraction wasn't completely physical; he didn't want to tear
the boy's clothes off. Gene seemed emotionally too young for sex even if he
wanted it to happen. And after evaluating those feelings Ben was sure that
some of the jealousy towards his brother was sexual in nature.

      But he wanted a companion and Gene was tailor made for that role. The
boy wanted a man in his life and would be more than happy if Ben took on
that position. He was almost twice the boy's age and yet emotionally he
wasn't feeling that difference. It was fine to envy youth, everyone did
it. Ben still held onto his own adolescence in many ways and it had never
bothered him before.

      The more he thought about it the more he realized how accepting he
was of this feeling towards Gene. They weren't going to do anything
illegal; it was just going to be pals. But what if Gene was the one that
wanted it to become sexual? Could they wait out the year until that all
important eighteenth birthday?

      The hypocrisy of the law regarding males reaching the age of consent
at eighteen and girls at only sixteen had never affected him before. It
discriminated but there was nothing that could be done about it. Men had
written the law to legalize their dalliances with young girls,
homosexuality wasn't even a consideration.

      This wrestling coach had his head in a noose and he had to be aware
of the consequences. It was probably why he chose Dean in the first
place. The kid was a willing gay boy and mom was an easily bought off drug
addict. Gene was the victim of them both. But Ben knew he couldn't touch
either of them without hurting his boy.

      His boy....he sure was. Gene wanted something to happen between them
so badly it was scary. Ben knew he just wanted to bring comfort and joy to
this young man's life.

      He'd been home for maybe an hour when his cell phone rang. He grabbed
it out of the charger and looked at the caller ID. The number was
unfamiliar but on impulse he answered it.

      "Hello....Ben?"

      "Hey, Gene...is everything OK?"

      "Yeah, I guess. I told mom you would be here tomorrow, she said OK."

      "Good, she is going to give me some answers tomorrow," Ben said.

      "About what?"

      "Why you of course. I want you to be free to hang out with me when
you want. I might even get her to agree to let you stay with me and go to
school from here; it's actually closer from my house. But only if you want
that to happen, Gene. I don't want you to worry about living here."

      "You mean that? You want me to live with you?"

      "Yes, yes I do. And I promise, no strings attached, Gene. I would
never ask you to do anything you don't agree to, I'm not like that."

      "I know, Ben, and I know you keep your promises. Oh God, that would
be so cool. But I don't know if she will agree."

      "You leave that up to me, all you have to do is say yes."

      "Oh I do, that would be awesome. I would work so hard for you...I
mean that."

      "I know you do, Gene. I'm glad you called."

      "Me too. Have a good night, Ben. See you tomorrow."

      "Count on it, dude."

      "Who you callin a dude?"

      "You, my friend....good night, Gene."

      "Night, Ben....I...hmm, well bye then."

      "Good bye," Ben said and hung up.

      Ben knew it was all right between them. But what was he feeling
towards Gene? Can two people come together in a relationship with less than
twenty-four hours shared between them?  Guess it could, because Gene had
almost been brave enough to say what Ben had just begun to understand. He
was in love with the kid, it was that simple.

      There was no duplicity in Gene. The boy was open and honest. They
cared for one another...isn't that what love meant? Maybe it wasn't a deep
abiding kind of love, guess that left puppy love. It was an adolescent
feeling and Ben could still identify with that. Oh God...