Date: Mon, 11 Jun 2007 17:10:27 -0700 (PDT)
From: T. Chase McPhee <survivalgame@yahoo.com>
Subject: Natures Trail 06

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" 06
wriTten by T. Chase McPhee

%

Getting ready for breakfast has it's advantages. When
Philip and Aidan arrived at the back door, letting
themselves in, they saw their dads, decked out in
their Sunday best, Denis and Mark in dress shirts,
minus the ties, both teens wearing nice neckchains,
Berk, in a shirt and tie, like their dads, all
relaxing as they chowed down.

"You boys better hurry up and get dressed," Steve told
them.

Barry quipped, "And don't forget to wash behind the
ears."

They both acknowledged their dads, hightailing it off,
to their bungalow, forgetting to tell about Freddie's
bacon and scrambled eggs breakfast.

"Did you get to talk with Aunt Bernice about Matty's
mustang?" Denis asked.

"Not yet," both dads replied, Barry picking up on it,
"Not yet. I'll mention it to her after church today."

Mark inquires, "I wonder if it needs any work?"

Steve says, "It's been sitting idle for about three
years, so I suspect the fluids need to be changed."

"Don't worry," Barry says, "we'll have it checked out
for you before you take off on the road in it."

Berk speaks up, "I could offer to change the oil and
make sure it is running good."

"You know about cars?" Denis asks.

Max butts in, "Does he know about cars? He got my
Kawasaki running after it stalled out and wouldn't
start."

"Cool!" Denis says.

Along the lines of teaching responsibility, Max comes
up with, directing to Steve and Barry, "I think Denis
and Mark might be able to learn something, helping
Berk check things out?"

"Good idea," Barry replies.

Mark asks, "Will we be getting our hands all greasy?"

Steve says, "Possibility, but they make special soap
for removing it!"

Smirking, Mark accepts his dad's answer. Denis,
reckons, "Yeah, I think it's a good idea."

Aidan and Philip report back to the dining room,
Philip saying, "We're ready!"

"That was quick!" Steve says.

"We didn't take showers," Aidan confesses.

Barry was ready to say it, but instead Max picks up on
it, spewing out, "Well you two boys better make sure
it's either a shower or a bath before bedtime!"

Philip says, "But we'll be swimming this-afternoon."

"Yeah," Aidan seconds it.

"Still," Barry reinforces the thought, "you need to
wash the chlorine `gunk' off your skin."

"Gunk?" Steve questions, "sounds like they'll corrode
if they don't get it off their skin!"

Light laughter fills the room.

Denis asks, "Can we go?"

"Anxious to get to church, eh?" Steve asks.

"Yeah," Mark reads into Denis' comment, "we don't like
getting there late. All the people stare at you
walking in late."

"Plus," Denis tells them, "we can get a place near the
back, so we can make a beeline for the door when it's
over!"

"What happened?" Barry inquires. "It used to be you
two loved to stay for coffee hour."

"Yeah," Steve adds, "and help chow down all those
goodies?"

Denis says, "We've gotta get Berk home and to work on
the mustang!"

Barry explains first, they have to deal with Bernice
over the transferring of papers.

%

Sitting at the table, eating breakfast, which will
soon turn into brunch, Maury interrogates the boys,
"Anything lined up for summer jobs?"

Connor responds, "We saw a sign in the window of the
Army & Navy, saying they're hiring."

"Yeah," Jim Faulkner tells him, "if they don't hire
both of us, one of us might have a chance of snagging
it."

"Still, you shouldn't rely on only one application,"
Maury tells them, stuffing a forkful of eggs in his
mouth.

"Oh, we know that," Jim says.

"We've already applied elsewhere," Connor says.

"Like?"

"We filled out applications to wait on tables at
Birdy's."

"Birdy's? It's a grill."

"Not from what the owner tells us," Jim tells him.

Rearranging the eggs on his plate, Connor says, "Yeah,
they're remodeling the diningroom. The owner, Michael
Byrd, says he hopes it to be a very successful dinner
club."

"Oh, I know Michael. Still, that's only one other
place," the thirty-two year old college professor
states.

"Oh, we still have to apply at a lot of other places,"
Connor tells him.

Jim asks, "Did you know there's a lot of new
businesses opening up near Birdy's?"

"Like?"

"There's an Italian restaurant called Balducci's and
Degaugue's French Cuisine?"

"Really? Anyone would wonder why Michael Byrd is going
to the expense of remodeling," Maury asks.

"We thought of it too," Jim says. "Michael tells us,
it's because of the competition, are the reasons for
the upgrade."

"I suppose that makes sense. Balducci's, eh? There
should be a lot of young, Italian studs running
around!"

"Only you'd think of that, Maury," Connor says, making
them all laugh.

Jim continues, "And there's a sports and fitness place
opening, DiVito's."

"More stud-meat!" Maury jokes.

"One track mind," Jim comments, looking to Connor, who
bobs his head up and down.

"Then there's a bakery," Jim adds, but Connor steals
the introduction, saying, "Yeah, owned by this hot guy
named Dean."

"Oh really?" Maury shows interest.

"Yeah," Jim agrees, "Dean's Bakery. We filled out
applications right away."

Right on, Connor says, "Then there's an art gallery,
Durufle's, which we didn't apply at."

"Right," Jim continues, "and there's always Barr's &
Bridges to fall back on, if we don't get any of
those."

"Nice new store they're opening," Maury tells them.

"Right. They're closing the old location and have a
grand opening on Saturday."

"Guess what's opening at the old location?" Jim asks.

"What?"

"Mr. Pinque's," Jim says.

"Yeah, they're tearing down the old building and
building a new gay night club on the spot," Connor
tells them.

Jim informs Maury, "But we didn't apply there."

"Why not?" their unofficial guardian asks, adding, "I
think you two would make cute cube-boys!"

"Cube-boys?" Jim inquires.

"Yeah, I could just picture you two guys, dressed up
in a g-strings and dancing your asses off!"

Getting a kick out of it, the two boys laugh, saying
it'd be the easiest job in the world, but inform Maury
the employer was looking for older young men, not guys
that would be fresh out of high school.

%

Right after the service, Denis and Mark were hounding
their dads, "Talk to her!"

Barry, looking to Steve, smiled, saying, "Bernice
isn't going anywhere."

"Yeah," Steve was inclined to agree, saying, "She
hasn't missed a coffee hour in years."

Still, the two, instead of trying to make a get-away,
stayed around, with greats hopes for a future of
riding their own wheels in the morning to school, work
and swimming practice at WRCC.

Straightaway, from another pew in the church, Tom and
Eric appeared.

"Where were you two hiding?" Barry asks, hugging Tom,
as Eric hugged Steve.

"Oh, we were over there," Tom points out, almost the
pew in the front of the sanctuary.

Steve asked Eric, "Did you guys have fun?"

"It wasn't all fun, but yeah, sometimes Pastor Jack
would say something that made us laugh."

"Yeah," Tom agrees with Eric, expanding, "Y'know,
Pastor Jack can be just like a regular guy?"

"Really?" Steve says facetiously, looking to his other
half, who smiles, giggling.

When Tom and Eric said hello to their brothers, Denis
and Eric, the dads knew what the utmost topic of
discussion entailed.

"I guess you better talk with Bernice before we get
pestered to death," Steve tells Barry.

"We'll talk to Bernice," Barry says.

"Oh yeah," Steve chimes in, "that's what I meant. You
and me talk to her."

Barry can't be fooled, but just laughs it off. Walking
into the banquet hall, Barry gets a tap on the
shoulder.

Denis says, "She's over there," pointing.

"What'd I say?" Steve asks his lover, regarding the
pestering.

As if a ping pong match, Denis and Mark look to their
father, Barry, as he chats with Bernice, then to her,
then back to their dad. Steve got torn away from the
conversation, by one of the elders, inquiring whether
or not he would like to serve as usher some Sunday
morning. At the same time, Sunday School lets out, a
wave of children streaming into the room, attacking
the food tables before even greeting their parents!

Off to the side, Justin was greeted by folks, admiring
the choir anthem for the morning. Several approached
Tony, the foreman handling Michael's renovations,
telling him how much they admired his operatic voice,
even though he was part of the tenor section. The
tenors were glad to have him, considering the section
was comprised of Christian, Antonio and two other men,
all four stating they felt inadequate with Tony's
professional timbre. Of course he was always the
object of their sarcasm, taking it good-naturedly as
joking.

"Feet still hurt?"

Christian tried to keep a smile affixed to his face,
moving from one foot to the other, replying, "A
little."

Justin thought, `What a saint!', then told Christian,
"There's Antonio. Why don't you go sit down with him?"

"Okay."

Taking a lemonade from the table, Christian dropped
his butt down on a folding chair.

"Eh Christian, I thought we sounded decent this
morning. At least that's what people are saying,"
first words out of Antonio's mouth.

"Right. I know, where I'm concerned, he's hiding all
my goofs!"

Antonio laughs, but then comments, "Whenever he sings,
I lean to the left and see if I can get the pitch from
him."

"Hmm... didn't think of that one," Christian says,
taking the last gulp of his lemonade.

"I thought him kind of nice looking for an older guy."

Christian smiles, saying, "I don't think Tony is very
old."

"I didn't mean like sixties, but older than us."

"He's gotta be in his early to midthirties. Kind of
old for you, Antonio, no?"

"I figure liking somebody can be ageless. I mean, I
figured before I hit twenty-two, I would know a guy,
kind of feel like settling down, like you and Justin."

"So," Christian begins to rub it in, "you've got the
hots for Tony?"

"Hey, I don't even know if he's gay!"

"If I find out about him before you, I'll let you
know. I gotta get up and walk around."

"But I thought your feet hurt from hiking?" Antonio
asks.

"Are, but my leg muscles are going berserk, so I need
to get up and walk around."

"You better get to the gym."

"Maybe. See you at choir practice."

While Christian sat with Antonio, Justin found himself
a place at a table, where the kids sat.

Philip asked him, "Know why Noah didn't do a lot of
fishing while he was on the ark?"

It seemed to Justin he's heard this one, but there's
nothing like hearing a kid say the punchline.

"Why?"

"Because he only had two worms," Aidan told him.

As if the first time, told in Sunday School, by their
teacher, the children laughed out loudly, along with
Justin.

"Cute joke."

"Our Sunday School teacher, Mr. Gannon, told us it,"
one of the other kids said.

Now, since a lull occured, kids leaving, coming back
with more cookies, or a doughnut, Justin thought it
time to spring his idea on them.

Meanwhile, across the room, Denis, Mark and Barry
still chatted with Bernice. From a distance, an
observer would wonder about the bright smiles crossing
their faces. Also joining them, after awhile, Berk
became the main talker, asking her questions about the
mechanics of the mustang, of which she would only
answer, "I don't know a piston from a spark plug.
You'll have to take'r for a spin." Of course, as Steve
had imagined, she wasn't asking anything for the
mustang, which too made the teens happy, anxious to
acquire the vehicle.

Soon the hall started to empty out, so Barry gathered
up the clan for the trip home. When they got home, it
wasn't the dads getting pestered about the car, but
Berk, Denis' and Mark's new mechanical consultant. Of
course it was alright with Bernice that they come over
and take a look, so after lunch, that's where they
headed. Aidan and Philip wanted to go swimming,
inviting Diego and Seth over, along with a phone call
to Jeremy. Chad and Matty had no objections. While
they visited, they slipped away next door, when they
heard Denis, Mark and Berk were checking out the
Mustang. Tom and Eric, fresh home from their labors at
removing mud from the high school, with Pastor Jack
and the youth group figured they would be relaxing,
but got elected to lifeguard duty. In a way, it was a
way to relax for the day.

"So, is she calling you?" Eric asks Tom.

"I told Penny, I'd call her tonight," Tom said of one
of the girls from the church youth group. He watched,
as Eric sat their, looking down into the water. "What
are you thinking about?"

Smiling, he turned briefly towards Tom, then said,
"I'm remembering the stuff we did. I was almost
positive you were gay."

"You're not jealous are you?"

"Of Penny? Nah. I'm just glad that I was the one you
played around with, while making up your mind."

"That's nice of you to say Eric and I'm glad it was
you, too. I'm just sorry I put you through all that
anxiety."

"It was nothing. It was like... like we were on a
date."

Though, Eric couldn't get it out of his mind. The
first guy to give him a blow job, was Tom and still
retained thoughts Tom couldn't be totally
heterosexual. But he kept his opinions to himself,
saying to himself, `there's plenty of other fish in
the sea!'

%

While Barry headed over to check out how far they got
with the mustang, Steve spent some quality time at the
Barn, swimming with the kids. He had the opportunity
to spend time with the older, as well as the
`squirts'.

"Hey, dad, you know what Mr. Beanhacker asked us?"

"What?"

Aidan breaks in, "First tell dad the joke."

"Oh yeah," Philip says, asking, "Ya know why Noah
didn't spend much time fishing?"

"Why?"

"Because he only had two worms!"

As with this morning, Philip, Aidan and the other boys
howled, as if the first time telling it. Steve joined
in, being a good sport, even though he's heard it
before. In fact, he mentions, "I think they were
telling that joke around when I was in Sunday School!
Some good jokes never die. So, what's this about Mr.
Beanhacker?"

"Oh yeah," Philip says, "He asked us to be in the
choir!"

"With the adults?"

"No, dah," Aidan sets him straight, "He's starting up
a kid's choir and asked if we wanted to join."

"So, do you?"

Instead of answering for themselves, Seth makes his
input, "Sure. All us kids are joining!"

Steve asks, "When are you all getting together?"

"Mr. Beanhacker isn't sure."

Diego says, "He wanted to meet after the service, but
us kids didn't like that."

"Oh? Why not?" Steve asks.

"Because then we'll miss out on all the brownies,
cookies and stuff!" Seth tells him.

"Oh," Steve replies, with a smile, "Good reason!"

"Then Mr. Beanhacker says he's not sure. Maybe after
school or on a weeknight," Aidan tells his dad.

"Well, I'm sure he'll work it out."

"But he says we have to get out parent's permission,"
Philip states.

"You have mine, as long as it's not too late on a week
night."

Diego clues him in, "It could be on Thursdays, before
the adult choir rehearses."

"And dad?" Philip asks.

"What?"

"Mr. Beanhacker says the choir needs `choir parents'.
Do you think you could be one?"

"Sure. As long as it's alternating."

"What's that?" Seth asks.

"Sometimes it's me and other times it could be another
parent."

Seth then says, volunteering, "I think our dads could
help out!"

"I think it's a good idea. Now, who wants to race to
the end of the pool and back?"

Steve holds back his stride, letting the five boys
race ahead of him.

%

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