Date: Mon, 21 May 2007 07:39:32 -0700 (PDT)
From: T. Chase McPhee <survivalgame@yahoo.com>
Subject: Natures Trail 04

The story below is a work of fiction, set in the
format of reality. Any resemblances to real people,
alive or in the hereafter, is entirely coincidental in
nature. It is not meant to accurately reflect upon
persons, in towns, cities, countries, nor governmental
areas, which the story is staged. If a sexual scene
involving male-to-male relationships offends you, then
you should not read this story. Additionally, if you
are under 18 years of age, in most state and
countries, you are not allowed to read this story, by
law. Check with your local laws regarding such. %
Sexual safety matters. Remember guys, this is fiction.
In real life, use protection.

%

"Nature's Trail" 04
wriTten by T. Chase McPhee

%

"Hungry?"

"Ugh! Don't mention food," John says to Kevin, as they
leave by way of the back employees entrance to Barr's
& Bridges.

"If my stomach wasn't growling, I'd leave it alone,
too!"

Tom has really put the two teens through the mill,
having them stock shelves, bag, restock shelves,
straighten shelves and then because John Delano was
cashiering, they had to cover cleaning up three
different spills throughout the day, plus an area of
the store where a customer's child threw up!

"Yeah, I guess I'm hungry for a burger or something."

Kevin alerts him to, "The student center at WRCC makes
great burgers."

"Cool," John says as they approach Kevin's wheels, a
4x4. "Nice!"

"Thanks. Hop in."

All set, seatbelts intact, sunglasses affixed, Kevin
pulls out of the parking lot. John had something on
his mind that was bugging him.

"Kev?"

"Yeah?"

"I wanted to talk about that kiss you stole, in the
stockroom."

Kev smiled. John noticed.

"What?"

"I dunno," Kev answered, then continued, "just an
honest attempt at a little affection."

"Which means?"

Wanting to share more, Kev didn't know if this was the
right time. He didn't want to be pushy, nor scare John
away, so simply left it as, "A spur of the moment
thought."

"Oh," John replied, making it seem like he accepted
the explanation, but left it alone even though he
still didn't understand Kev's emotional burst of
energic affection. Instead, he changed the subject,
asking, "How long does it take for you to draw a guy?"

"I can get most of my ideas down in about ninety
minutes."

"Oh, I thought I would be sitting there for four
hours!"

"We don't have four hours. Kirk, my roommate will be
back from work in three."

"And he's straight?"

"Yeah and what a sin."

"Really?" John said, looking for details.

"Yeah. Beautiful bod, real smooth, built pecs, ripped
abs, on the football team."

"Sounds like a dream-guy."

Kev steals a glance at John, formulating his own
thoughts about the `real' definition of a dream-guy.
Then suddenly he's jarred out of his thoughts, making
the turn at the gate leading to WRCC.

"If I remember correctly, the dorms are `that' way?"

"Yup," Kev replies, turning the truck in the direction
John's finger points. "Tennyson Hall." Taking a left,
then right, the truck pulls into a student-designated
lane. Grabbing his bookbag from the seat between them,
Kev jumps out his side. "C'mon, let's get that burger
first."

%

Arriving home from work, Marco enters, via the
backdoor. Going to the back of the kitchen, the
newly-turned eighteen year old follows the small
hallway, to his room. Entering, he peels off his
sweaty tee shirt. He goes to the jon, to throw it in
the hamper, hearing a knock at his door.

"Marco? Are you home?"

"Yeah, I'm here Chad."

Walking to the door, Marco throws it open.

"What's up?"

It's the first time Chad's seen Marco barechested and
takes a quick scan.

"I know you just got home from work and you're
probably exhausted. After you've relaxed a little bit,
I'd like to talk with you."

Placing his hand up on the side of the door, his dark
hairy pit shown, Marco replies, "I think I know what
this is about."

"Oh?"

"I know I haven't been following through with the
duties of my job, as we discussed, before I came to
stay with you guys."

"Still, I'd like to talk with you, but get cleaned up
first."

Right away, as he closes the door, Marco is thinking
about how he's about to be let go. He doesn't bother
showering, rather just puts on a clean tee shirt.
Leaving his room, he begins to fret, taking one last
look around. Up until now, he's had it good. Good job,
a roof over his head, decent employers at home and on
the job, nobody giving too hoots for the fact of his
gay sexuality. Weaving more and more of his thoughts
into the impending discussion with Chad, he even
frowned, cursing to himself about the strong
possibility of having to go home and live with his
family once more, especially with his father's
homophobic attitudes. He knew the first comment would
be about living and working for two guys whom resided
under the same roof, shared the same bed. It wasn't
any secret, at Barr's & Bridges, of their employer's
sexual preferences. Along the way, Marco's father,
distributor of baked goods, making the rounds twice
weekly, could catch on easy since neither Chad, nor
Matty kept their relationship a secret, not offering
it freely, but not hiding it. Marco did something he
hadn't done in a long time, bit a fingernail. To
himself, Marco states, `Well here goes the bitter end
of a sweet life!'

Chad is sitting at the kitchen table, drinking a Coke.
He has one set out for Marco.

"Thanks," Marco says, taking a seat.

A bit of silence prevails, before Chad says, "We're
not entirely unhappy with the job you're doing and we
realize it's not all your fault."

"I kept taking more and more hours at work. Than I
couldn't be around to cook the meals. Am I right?"

"A man's got to make a dollar," Chad replied.
"Besides, I understand."

"You do?"

"Yes and I think, for your own good, working full-time
at the store is more to your advantage."

"But not if you fire me. I'll be spending all my
paycheck on rent."

"Who said anything about firing you?"

"You're not?" Marco replied, allowing some of the pent
anxiety flow from his bod.

"Not totally. This is what Matty and I have talked
about. How about you stay on to do everything but the
cooking?"

"Who's going to do the cooking?"

"We'll hire someone that specifically cooks, leaving
the other household duties for you. How would you feel
about this arrangement?"

"I think I can work around it."

"Only thing is this, you'll have to vacate your room."

"But..."

Chad held up his hand for Marco to hold on. "We have
plenty of room upstairs. You can take the smaller
bedroom."

"It doesn't sound right, me doing that."

"Take it or leave it, it's my best offer!" Chad
replies.

"You leave me with not much choice. Though I'm
grateful."

Chad gets up to take his leave, clutching the Coke
bottle in his hand, "And Marco?"

"Yeah, Chad?" the eighteen year old responds.

"If the housework gets to be too much, please let us
know, instead of beating yourself into the ground?"

"Sure," he says, a reluctant tone in his voice. Given
the chance at cutting the purse-strings from home
life, being brought up with a single father, Marco has
been enjoying his independency. For sure he's going to
do everything to protect the lifestyle he's been
leading.

%

"Church tomorrow boys," Steve reminds the boys,
sitting in front of the Tv.

"Also, your brothers are due home tomorrow," Barry
says.

Their eyes don't sway from the picture box!

"So much for the popularity of Tom and Eric," Steve
says, giggling.

Smiling, Barry interjects, "I'm sure when they are
back in the house, they'll once again be recognized."

"It's been a long two weeks, but I wonder if they've
been missed at all?" Steve says a little louder to see
if he can catch an ear.

Denis says out loud, over the sound of the Tv, "Oh,
Mark and I have sure missed them, haven't we Mark?" He
gives Mark a knudge in the ribs.

"Oh sure," Mark replies, then tunes back in to the
James Bond rerun.

However, Denis, less interested, gets up and walks
over to his dad's chair, where they sit reading.

"What's up?" Barry asks.

"I was wondering something. Do you think Tom and Eric
can watch the `squirts' at the swimming pool, instead
of Mark and I?"

Steve ventures to say, "I thought you two would be
practicing on your dives and other swimming skills?"

"It's tough to do both at once," Denis informs them.

"I suppose," Barry agrees, "but can't one of you
practice and the other watch?"

Denis stands there, mulling it over.

Barry, the alpha male of the relationship, brings up,
"I suppose we could see about Tom and Eric getting
some CPR courses. Eric will be seventeen soon; old
enough."

"But still, you're have to watch the kids til this is
accomplished," Steve throws his two cents in.

"That sounds cool," Denis goes along with the idea.

"Have you also thought about a summer job?" Barry
inquires.

"Actually," seeming like Denis has a hidden agenda,
replies, "we thought we could start before the
summer."

"Oh?" Steve asks, "Did you have something in mind?"

By this time, Mark, showing an interest in the
conversation, since it's partly about him, leaves the
Tv and strays over.

"Are you talking about the job at the Army & Navy?"
Mark asks.

"Yeah," Denis picks up from where Mark leaves off,
"there's a sign in the window saying, `hiring'."

"Seems like you boys already have a full boat," Barry
tells them, "with the swim team and getting back to
school."

Steve, perhaps a bit ahead of the game, says, "It
would help pay for gas money."

Both eighteen year olds look at dad-Steve, trying to
guess what he means by his remark.

"Your father has really jumped the gun, but we might
as well tell you. "Their attention changes in Barry's
direction. "Your Aunt Bernice is anxious to part with
Matty's old Mustang."

Right away, Mark says, "For us?"

"Cool!" Denis replies.

"But wait a minute. Before you go driving it, we need
to secure licenses and make sure you have a way to
keep the tank filled," Barry alludes to.

"We'll go right down there on Monday afternoon and
apply at the Army & Navy," Denis says, sure of
himself.

Steve brings up, "What if they are hiring only one?"

It's a dilemma neither of the boys thought about. Then
Mark says, "Birdy's is rebuilding their diningroom.
Maybe I can get a job there waitering."

Denis inserts, "Yeah, some of the guys at school say
that `Birdy'," referring to Michael Byrd, "is tripling
the size of his dining-room."

Completing the formula, Mark says, "Yeah and that
means they need to beef up on the waiters to cover
it."

The dads look at one another, seemingly in agreement,
smiling, figuring the boys are willing to work their
tails off to support the option of having their own
vehicle to run all over creation.

"One thing dad," Denis directs to Barry.

"What's that son?"

"Is the mustang in good condition or falling apart?"

"I assume, since Matty was likely the last one driving
it, you should talk to him?"

"Cool," Mark says.

Denis pats Mark on the back, saying, "C'mon. Let's get
Matty on the phone."

The two teens vacate the room, in search of the phone
in the den.

%

Coming down the mountain, Justin and Christian
approach the nature center.

"Ever been inside?" Justin asks Christian.

"I've never been anywhere near, period, until you
brought me up here."

"Let's check it out," Justin says, peeling the
backpack from his arms, leaving it outside, parking it
on a wooden bench.

Upon entering the building, called informally the
`nature center', but really named in honor of Bernice
Bridges, the two come upon the gift shop.

"Wow! Will ya look at all this stuff!" Christian
states, eyes moving around the shop, taking in the
view of the hundreds of items, in racks, on floor to
ceiling shelves, corraled behind glass and wooden
showcases.

Seeing a stuffed monkey, hanging from a rope attached
to the ceiling, the kind with velcro on it's paws,
Justin unfastens it, sneaks up behind Christian's back
and secures it around his neck, the body of the toy
animal hanging down his back, commenting, "Looks like
you've got a new friend!"

Christian smiles, looking down at the interlocking
paws, then over his shoulder, Justin lifting the soft
head so he can see it. Leaving the animal be, he
carries it around with him. Little kids, looking up,
tell their parents about the monkey on the man's back!
Christian picks up a book on trails. Flipping through
it, he stops where one trail crosses Bridges Lane. He
questions Justin, "Do you know where this is?"

"Sure. I know where Bridges Lane is. Right off Van
Dusen, where it turns from city to `country'."

"I meant the trail! Maybe we can go find it sometime?"
Christian states, still looking at the book.

Justin, standing there, looking over Christian's
shoulder, takes the back of the head of the monkey,
presses it's lips to Christian's cheek and makes a
kissing sound, in response.

"Sweet," Christian says softly, smiling at him.

Something Christian misses, is seeing Justin tear the
barcoded tag off the chimp and stray towards the
register. Pulling his wallet out, he makes his
purchase. The lady behind the register says to Justin,
"Just keep your receipt, honey." Justin smiles and
walks back to Christian, stuffing the receipt in his
wallet.

"It says the trail goes on almost ever, as it crosses
Van Dusen," Christian says out loud, thinking Justin
is still standing there. When he realises he's talking
to the air, he asks, "Where'd you go?"

"Here I am!" Justin says, all jovial, teeth smiling
away at him.

"What are you up to?"

"Nothing," Justin fibs, then reveals, "you're now the
proud father of Jocko, the monkey!"

Closing the book, Christian says, "You shouldn't be
spending your money on me!"

"Once in awhile it's okay. Especially for someone
special to me."

Christian smiles, his lips making the shape of a short
kiss. Justin smiles, acknowledging.

"I'm going to get this book so you can guide me all
around the area," Christian tells him.

"Good. I probably only know half of the trails around
here," Justin tells him.

Approaching the register, Christian pays for the book,
the lady smiling at the monkey, still attached around
his neck, draping down his back.

%

"What do you think, Zach?"

"He's so small, Neil. I thought he would be bigger."

"Look at the paws."

"Big."

Neil informs him, "Which means she'll grow to be a
nice size dog."

"I see what you mean when you say she's more retriever
than poodle."

Suddenly, the other pup, this one's sibling, bolts out
of the cage, the door left ajar. Wagging it's tail, it
sniffs around Zach's feet, trying to locate it's
sister.

"She's looking for sis!" Neil informs Zach.

"Oooooh, she's so adorable too."

"Yeah," Neil says, hinting, "it's a shame we have to
break them up."

Still squatting down, holding one puppy, Zach looks up
Neil. The expression on Neil's face is priceless. Well
knowing what his intentions are, the waiting as if for
a punch line, Zach mulls it over.

"How long have they been waiting to be adopted?"

"I've been holding them for a week now."

"Them?"

"Uh," Neil scratches his right sideburn with his index
finger, as if thinking, "I was saving both of them so
you could have your pick... yeah, that's it."

"It's kind of tough," Zach throws the hint back in
Neil's ballpark, "since they are both sooo cute."

"You think?" Neil says, face lit up, grinning, like
maybe all his hopes aren't dashed to bits.

"Would be kind of cool if we both had a dog to walk on
those late evenings."

"Sure," he says excitedly, adding, "and if you're busy
studying, I could handle both?"

Zach looks up at Neil, all sure of himself, like he's
got it `in the bag'.

"Though my Uncle Gary will probably throw me, you and
the two dogs out of the house!"

Zach's remark suddenly put a downer on Neil's
intentions. He replied, "Oh, stupid of me not to think
of that."

"Though, I know Mike has always talked about having a
dog, growing up and was all for it."

"But two?" Neil questions, solemnly.

Now, really wanting both, not leaving one behind, Zach
lightens the atmosphere by saying, "I'd say we take
our chances. After all, they're both so small."

"But they'll grow up and might even be big dogs."

"Um, we won't mention that to Uncle Gary, okay?"

"He's not stupid."

"Yeah, but for now, what we don't mention, won't hurt
him!"

Standing up, Zach picks up the other mutt, placing him
in Neil's arms.

As they approach the processing counter, Zach says,
"Just let me do all the talking when we get home."

"No complaints from me!" Neil says, with a smile.

%

"Sorry, but one of you guys will have to take Scruffy
out."

"But Max!" Philip scoffs.

Aidan joins the protest, with,  "You always take him
out."

"My point exactly. Your dads let you have Scruffy on
good faith you would be taking care of him. Up until
now I've been generous to the point of letting you
guys take advantage of me."

Aidan turns to Philip and asks, "What did he say?"

Philip shrugs his shoulders, saying, "Darned if I
know!"

Picking up on their remarks, the twenty-two year old
cook drives the point home, "What I'm saying here,
guys, is `responsibility'. I'm sure you know what it
means?"

"Dad-Steve says taking it upon ourselves to do stuff
that we're supposed to do," Philip says, stating it
almost word for word.

"Right. So who's going to take Scruffy out?"

Looking at Max, each point the finger at the other,
saying, "He will."

"With that kind of an attitude, I think your dads
should think about giving him away."

"Scruffy? You can't do that," the two squirts protest.

After Aidan voices his opinion, Philip says, "Yeah.
He's part of the family. We love him!"

"Fine way of showing it," Max shames the twelve and
thirteen year olds.

"I'll take him out," Philip says.

Aidan adds, "I'll help."

"Here's a plastic bag. Don't forget to pick up his
droppings or the next time you play tag football,
somebody will step in `it'." Neither volunteers to
take the bag, so Max elects the eldest, handing the
doo-doo bag to Aidan.

After the two boys make their exit, Steve enters,
summing up, "Well, you handled that rather well, I
thought!"

"Wha-at?" Max replies, with surprise.

"Yeah," Barry says, entering the kitchen, "Steve and I
heard the whole thing."

"Yup," Steve says wisely, "someday you're gonna make a
helluva father, Max!"

Standing there, Max closes his arms across his chest,
wondering why they didn't come in and exercise their
fatherly rights. "Well, thanks for extending your
fatherly wisdom!" Shaking his head, he turns and
continues to prepare dinner.

"What's on the stove?" Barry inquires.

"Oh, that's for the rest of the family," Max says,
taking the lid out of Steve's hand and placing it back
on the pot.

Steve and Barry exchange glances.

Max finally says, "Tonight you're joining Scruffy with
some canned vittles!"

%

Copyright 2007 T. Chase McPhee
This story may not be sold, nor made part of any
collection, without prior consent from the author.