Date: Tue, 15 Jul 2003 09:06:34 -0700 (PDT)
From: JMH <trandar2002@yahoo.com>
Subject: Wedding Ring/Wedding Ring 9
Now the story s goin to take a turn. Jacob is now on his own trying
to find out what really went wrong. Darren and Will are now finally
together but there are still effects of the accident that have yet to be
delt with. But don't worry for while things might get weird for a while I
promise a happy ending before all is said and done. Enjoy!
Again, this is a story about gay relationships so 1. if you are
breaking the law, underage, or just hate gay stuff don't read any further.
The World Wide Web is a big place so you can find something else. 2. The
story is not based on any real person place thing, or another person's
idea. So any similarities are pure chance. 3. Since this story is of my
own creation, I have the copyright to it. No other postings, except at
nifty, are allowed. Nor is the selling of the story to others permitted.
Any questions about the above, please write.
JMH
trandar2002@yahoo.com
******************************************************************************
Jacob never thought he would go back home due to bad memories. Not
just of his beating, but also during the last two years in high school, the
family fortunes fell apart with the collapse of the real estate market.
The market had rebounded, but Jacob's parents never recovered. It was only
due to taking large student loans that he and his sister had been able to
stay in school. Jacob's father tried to get a new job, but the depression
and stress eventually killed him during Jacob's junior year in college.
Jacob's mother became a recluse, never leaving the now run down mansion
that the bank could not seize due to Florida's homestead laws. The last
time either he or Tara had gone back home was three years ago and it was
such a disaster neither of the children had the courage to go back. That
did not mean they didn't try to take care of their mother. Both of them,
each carrying a fortune in student loans, managed to send enough money to
pay the electric, water, food bills, and property taxes, but were unable to
do anything to repair the house. For several years the land value had been
dropping, but doubled last year, causing Tara to choke when she saw the
taxes due. Both kids wanted their mother to move into a retirement home,
but she was adamant in keeping the property. It would be the final
admission of defeat to her to give the place up.
Going back home, while one of the last places he wanted to be, seemed
the only place he could turn to after Darren made his choice. It wasn't
that Jacob thought that Darren didn't love him anymore; in fact he was sure
Darren was still crazy about him... why else did Darren let him fuck him?
No, what hurt was the knowledge that he would always be second place...
never the husband. Jacob would of taken half the love Darren had given him
if he could just be the greatest love in Darren's life, but that was not
the type of person Darren was. He loved very easily and gave it in large
quantities to everyone. A person could live off that love easily and not
know they were not Darren's true love. That is what had happened to him,
Jacob knew. After all the struggles trying to get over his jealously of
Will he found he just could not accept playing second fiddle and if he told
that to Darren, Jacob was sure that he would agree. Jacob need to find a
love just for himself, but to do that he needed to get over his old
fears... therefore the return home.
***************************************************************
Chris Lambert had fought hard for respectability and it had not easy.
First he had come from a poor family. Second the family reputation had
been ruined when his older brother Ted had been arrested for beating his
girlfriend's brother. Ted had been the one Chris had looked up to his big
brother. He tried to copy everything his brother did, the drinking, the
womanizing, and the sports. Things changed after Ted had gotten arrested.
His drinking had gotten worse and he picked up a drug addiction. Until
Chris had established himself as a major real-estate developer, his brother
had floated from job to job, never lasting more then a couple months.
After his employees begged Chris to get Ted out of their departments, Chris
resorted to giving his brother a job window watching. All Chris required
of his brother was to show up at least three times a week to his office and
spend a few hours there before going back on another drinking binge. Chris
still blamed Tara and Jacob Hiller for ruining their brother and now he was
going to get his chance at revenge. If all things went well, the Hiller
home would be bulldozed in a matter of weeks.
*****************************************************************
The house looked decayed; the white pillars were stained with mold,
two windows were broken, the yard was filled with weeds and the rusted
remains of an '82 Honda Prelude sat in front of the garage. Jacob parked
his car and walked up to the door pausing for several minutes trying to
figure out how to explain his presence to his mother. In the end he took a
deep breath and knocked on the door.
"Jake..." His mother's frail voice said as she opened the door only a
crack.
"It's Jacob, mom, and yes it's me."
"What are you doing here?"
"I just felt like I needed to come back home. Glad to see me?"
"I'm always happy to see one of my children. Come on in." Jacob's
mother said as she stumbled back into the house.
Jacob sighed. It was only 2:00 in the afternoon and she was already
drunk. That was why he and Tara had avoided the place or three years.
"I'm sorry if the place is a mess. You know that all the servants
are gone and I've not had the energy to take care of things myself.
"Yes mom, I know." Jacob sighed. The servants had been gone now for
over ten years, as had the family fortunes.
Besides the smell of drink coming from his mother, there was the
musky smell of rot from the wood floors as he followed his mother to the
kitchen. There he found empty bottle after empty bottle of wine and hard
liquor. Ms. Hiller went right to the one bottle that seemed to still have
something in it and poured another drink into a well used glass.
"Mom I think you have had enough," Jacob said as he tried to take the
bottle away.
"Do you plan on staying the night here?" She asked seemingly
ignoring her son's comment.
"Yes."
"Then you will not tell me what to do."
"Yes mom," Jacob said knowing that after his mom passed out he would
try to hunt all the bottles down when he tried to put some order into the
kitchen. Seeing that the fridge was nearly empty and the house littered
with take out containers, Jacob excused himself to go shopping. To that,
his mom seemed happy and gave him a list of the things she felt she needed.
Jacob took one look at the list and knew that the only thing on it he would
buy was a bottle of extra strength Tylenol. He might get two... he felt he
would need it.
Wanting to make things special for the first few days, Jacob went to
the nearby gourmet grocery store. Jacob had learned a little about how to
cook while living on his own, but he wanted the first meal to be special,
so he bought prepared food items such as prime rib, asparagus with roasted
garlic, risotto, and a cheesecake for dessert. He also bought some
cleaning supplies, several 12 packs of soda, two bottles of Tylenol, and a
newspaper. He had to look for a job after all.
When Jacob arrived back home he was surprised to see two other cars
parked out front. One was a Mercedes, the other a Toyota Passport. Jacob
didn't know his mother had many guests... he just hoped they were not
planning to stay for dinner. When he walked near the front door, he knew
they were not staying for dinner because he could hear yelling from behind
the door.
"You can't take my house!" He heard his mother scream as he opened
the front door. Just inside were two men. One was dressed in an expensive
suit and looked to be around his age. The other was a balding middle-aged
man holding a clipboard in his hand.
"Miss Hiller... you don't have to lose the house but the new
community rules find your house below code. You have one month to have the
things listed fixed or else we will have no choice but to knock down the
house." The bald man said as he handed her several sheets of paper that
had been clipped to the board he had in his hands before heading for the
front door.
"My offer also still stands, Ms. Hiller, but if you make me wait till
after the bulldozers arrive I will not be so generous." The younger man
said as he too headed for the door only to run into Jacob. "And who are
you?"
"Jacob Hiller." He replied coldly.
"Jacob?" The man said a little taken aback before quickly
recovering. "Talk some sense into your mother and get her to sell this
dump," He said with a face that showed anger but eyes that still could not
hide his surprise. He then hurried out of the house to his car.
"Mom... what's going on?" Jacob asked as he put down his bags.
"It's that damned Chris Lambert. He got the city to pass new city
regulations. If a house is found to hurt the land values of the
surrounding properties, the other landowners can sue to have the house
bulldozed. Mr. Lambert now owns the land on both sides of us and has
gotten the courts to declare my home a public eye sore. I have to do the
things listed or else the city will evict me and destroy our home."
"Let me see the list," Jacob said as he took it from her. At first
it did not look too bad: new landscaping, fresh coat of paint, getting rid
of the wreck of a car, but then Jacob got to the more serious items. The
house needed a new roof. The wiring was found to be faulty and needed
replacing. The swimming pool, which was now stagnant and green, needed to
be filled in or repaired. These sorts of repairs on a house of this size
would cost in the tens of thousands of dollars. Also there was no way he
could get things all done in a month's time. Then something hit Jacob, the
name his mother had mentioned... Chris Lambert.
"Mom... is Chris Lambert Ted's younger brother?"
"Yes... all he wants is revenge... the bastard."
"Because Ted beat me?" Jacob said in disbelief.
"Because he blames us for his brother."
"Why... what happened to him?" The last thing Jacob had known was
that Ted was given probation and his parents sent him off to boarding
school.
"He failed out of boarding school and when they found drugs on him,
he spent two years in jail. After that he has gone from job to job until
his brother took him in. Chris has never forgiven us so when he saw a
chance to take my home away he took it."
"That bastard!" Jacob yelled.
"What are we going to do?" His mother wailed.
"Mom... how long has this been going on?"
"Since last year."
"And you didn't tell us."
"I didn't want to worry you and your sister."
"Ugh!" Why did his mom have to make things so difficult?
"The lawyer I found told me that I had nothing to worry about."
"He did?"
"Yes, but the judge we were assigned lives in one of Mr. Lambert
luxury condos. We didn't stand a chance."
"Can't you appeal?"
"We tried to but were turned down."
"Darn... I need to meet with this lawyer."
"He will be coming over tomorrow to discuss our options. He says
that as long as it looks like we are trying to do the repairs we can hold
Mr. Lambert off."
"Yes mom but the list is of some serious repairs costing serious
money."
"I know... that's why I did not call you about it. My lawyer has
found some volunteers to fix the yard and paint the house. I just hope
that it will give us a few more months to find the money."
Jacob didn't want to get into that argument. Dad's and mom's credit
ranking was toxic. There was no way she could take out a loan the size
needed and neither he nor his sister could afford to either. He needed to
find a job and she was trying to save enough for the baby. After dinner
and making sure his mother was asleep he called Tara up on her cell phone.
"Hey sis," He said nervously knowing his running off would get him
yelled at.
"Jacob, where are you. I almost filed a missing person's report on
you!" Even though he had lowered the volume of the phone her voice still
seemed to be yelling at him.
"I'm with mom... she's in trouble."
"Of course she's in trouble, but that is no excuse for you to run off
like you did. Darren is heart broken."
"I know sis. Please tell him I'm sorry, but I don't feel ready to
talk to him yet, but let him know I still love him."
"I already did. I've moved in with him so he's right next to me."
"You did?"
"Well I needed someone to help me with the baby. I'm sleeping in
Will's room and when Will comes back he will share with Darren."
"Where's the baby?"
"He's sleeping in a crib in my room."
"Ok." Jacob was surprised by the turn of events
"Jacob, I know you wanted more from Darren, but do not throw away his
friendship. You mean a great deal to him and I know he means a great deal
to you."
"Sis I know. As a number two he treated me better then anyone whom I
was number one, but I need to be number one even if it I don't love the guy
as much. I need to know that I'm the most important thing in his life."
"I understand that Jacob. I was mad at Darren when he picked Will
over me as well, but he was too good a friend for me to throw away. So
remember when you do find the guy who will treat you as the most important
thing in his life, that you still have a friend in Darren."
"I will try, sis."
"Ok... that's all I can ask. Now tell me what the problem with mom
is this time."
Jacob went over all that he had learned today about the upcoming
eviction and the needed repairs. Tara was shocked and angry that their
mother had let things get this bad without telling them. Money-wise there
was little she could do but she thought she could come up with something
and send it to him. Giving the money to mom would just be throwing it
away.
After the call, Jacob went to his old room and set up his laptop.
Having done the bars, dance clubs, and his sister's blind dates... Jacob
decided to turn to the Internet for help. He did a search and looked at
the different chat rooms available every thing from "anal lovers" to
"xenophiles". Jacob looked down the long list of names until he found one
that seemed to fit what he was looking for "Florida romance seekers." He
pushed to enter the room and was asked to pick a screen name. Jacob went
through several names in his mind before finally picking one that seemed to
fit his mood "hopeless". As soon as he entered the room he saw a list of
24 names and was suddenly barraged with questions.
<Dave> a/s/l... hopeless
<Hotguy> Hi hopeless
<Dude> want me to fuck you hopeless
<Randy> stats???? Hopeless
<Fatman> how long is your cock hopeless?
Jacob was scared by how forward the messages were and quickly closed
the screen. He was about to give up and turn off his computer when he
noticed he had been sent a private message from <HotGuy>. Out of five
messages he had been given, that one had been the only one that did not
disturb him. Thinking he had nothing to lose he accepted the message it
read....
<Hotguy> Why hopeless... hopeless? Email me at flhotguy1274639403@qtry.com
"Hmmmm" Jacob thought. The message showed that the person was
curious but was not intrusive... better then most of the pickup lines he
had gotten in life. Wondering how Hotguy would respond, Jacob began
writing his reply.
"I picked Hopeless because I feel hopeless. Things are bad at home.
I just lost someone I thought was my boyfriend, but I was just fooling
myself there. He loves me, but not in the way I need him to. So not only
my life is hopeless but I'm also a hopeless romantic who just wants to find
that one special guy. That's me. Tell me what you think."
Jacob had almost sent the email when he saw that the address was his
own name JacobHiller@med.com. Not wanting to use his real name Jacob went
to one of those free email companies and set up a new mailbox under then
name "Hopeless1". He then cut and pasted his message and sent it off
hoping he was making the right decision.
**************************************************
Chris was at his desk, the hooker his brother had got for him asleep
in bed. Sex had been all right... not great but all right. It had taken
him over a half an hour to shoot his load, which made him a favorite
amongst the women he pleased in bed. But now that he had once again let
his brother drag him into doing something he really didn't want, Chris was
spending some "me' time on the net. Sex chatting was his greatest pleasure
and greatest shame. It was so hard for Chris to be the kind of guy his
brother wanted him to be. Getting off when some guy talked dirty to him
embarrassed Chris and just reminded him how lonely he was. That was why
his eyes went right to "Hopeless" when he entered the room. The name
matched his feelings. He had already gotten off with "Randy" but he
remained online waiting to see if his message was returned. It only took
twenty minutes before his computer beeped, singling the arrival of a
message. He opened his mailbox and saw the
address...hopeless1. After he read the message Chris thought for a long
while. The message did not seem to be from the same sex crazed people he
met online. He could actually have a discussion of his feelings with this
guy. He wrote his reply as follows:
I guess I feel hopeless too. I feel trapped in the role of a
closeted gay man. My brother was my hero and I always wanted to be like
him. He just has had bad experience with homosexuals. I believe he knows
I'm gay but feels he can change me by throwing women at me. We just don't
talk about it. I guess what I'm asking you is: how can a gay man become
happy without having to "be gay". Is that even possible? Am I just
fooling myself?
Another hopeless romantic
Chris took a deep breath before he pushed the send button but when he
finally did he felt a weight lift off his shoulders.
**********************************************************************
Will could see the sadness in Darren's eyes when he was picked up at
the airport. Darren had told him about Jacob leaving, but until Will saw
his face he didn't know how hard it had been for him. Darren melted into
Will's arms as they hugged each other.
"Hold me," Darren said in a begging tone.
"It's ok, hon," Will said as he rocked him.
"I guess I've gotten used to having someone to hold. I could barely
handle sleeping alone in my bed."
"Well, I'm back now so neither of us will have to be alone. I missed
you too."
"Yes." Darren sighed as he let himself be comforted.
Will was the one that drove them home. When he arrived he could
smell his favorite dish, lasagna, baking in the oven but that did not
distract him from his goal. He took Darren's hand and took him right to
the bedroom where he fucked him until he was sure Darren knew he was not
alone.
***********************************************************
Jacob met with the lawyer, Thomas Garner, several times. He was a
young idealist who took the case on pro bono. He wanted to get back on
Mr. Lambert for tearing down a few old homes that Thomas had tried to get
listed as historic landmarks. Thomas had lost that fight, but he was going
to make sure he didn't lose this one. Except of the cost of paint and
equipment, Thomas had gathered some of his like-minded friends to try to
repair the mansion enough for it to avoid demolition. It was a long shot
but at least they had a better chance of an appeal if he could show some
progress. Jacob was for his part of doubtful that a few splashes of paint
and a lawnmower could save the house but he saw no better options. Thomas
did find Jacob a job though. It was at a public clinic and the pay was
real bad but at least the state paid for his liability insurance, which
would save him tens of thousands of dollars.
The only good thing that Jacob looked forward to was his daily email
from <Hotguy>. His letters were always so emotional that Jacob wished he
could run to him and comfort him in his arms. He was like the high school
student Jacob had been... hiding deep in the closet. Jacob could tell that
<Hotguy> was much older then a high school student but was still struggling
with the same feelings. <Hotguy> talked about how his brother had caught
him looking at gay porn when he was a kid... how his brother had beaten him
and gotten him to promise never to do that again. Jacob, who had been
beaten by Ted Lambert, could relate to it and told <Hotguy> of his own
experiences in coming out and his own beating. Jacob could tell by the
letters that both of them wanted to meet to see if a relationship could be
had but each seemed to be afraid. Jacob was afraid of pushing <Hotguy> too
much while Jacob was sure that<Hotguy> was afraid of what it would mean to
fall in love with another guy.
So the two circled each other, giving only the smallest hints that they
were falling for the other guy.
The day had been going well... Jacob had woken to another email and
this time <Hotguy> had told him he really LIKED him. These baby steps felt
like a slow seduction and it tickled Jacob endlessly. Unfortunately his
day was ruined when one of the painters came to tell him that Chris Lambert
was here to talk to him. Jacob sighed... looked at his paint-covered hands
and face and told the volunteer he would be out as soon as he cleaned
himself up.
Jacob took his time. Chris had not called in advance and while he
had not been the one to beat him, Jacob still had a grudge against the
whole family. After his shower, he put on a suit, as he wanted there to be
no mistake that he meant business. When he arrived in the main hall though
he was taken aback on how dressed down Chris was. He was dressed in a pair
of red running shorts and a white tank top that showed off his tanned,
broad, and hairy chest. Chris gave Jacob a smirk in seeing him in a suit
and tie.
"Been painting in those cloths or are you trying to dye your hair
white?" Chris laughed as he pulled at a few strands of his hair.
Jacob reached for the same spot and felt a clump of hair stuck
together. "Darn it." Jacob sighed. "Why are you here?"
"Oh I was running through the neighborhood. You DO know that my
family lives here now... no longer in that white trash neighborhood you and
your sister looked down on."
"Hey I never looked down on you and the others. Most of my friends
came from your old neighborhood."
"Yeah... you were the one rich friend all us slum kids looked up to
or should I say you looked down on. It was easy to be nice to us poor kids
when you lived in your castle."
'I don't have a clue what you are talking about. I hung around my
friends because that was what they were...my friends."
"Whatever..." Chris said dismissively.
"Yes, that all in the past now. You are the rich kid now and we are
the poor ones, but unlike then, you are not my friend.
"Yes, but I can help you with your mother's situation."
"From how my mom reacted I don't think she liked what you had to
offer."
"Yes, but I hope to find you a more reasonable person to work with."
"Alright," Jacob agreed. He knew if he asked his mother what Chris
had offered her he would only get half truths. Better to hear it from the
horse's mouth or in this case the jackass's. "Would you like to sit will
we discuss what you have to say?"
"Sure...lead the way." Chris said as he followed Jacob to the dining
room, fighting his urge to stare at Jacobs round ass.
Jacob could feel Chris eyes on him but he took them to be the eyes of
hatred. "Would you like anything to drink?" He offered, hoping Chris
would say yes so he could escape what he took to be an angry glare.
"Sure... a glass of water would be nice." Chris said in his hope to
see more of Jacob's rear. He knew it was his duty to hate Jacob for what
happened to his brother but the blond slim man was just too cute. He found
the nervous manner by which Jacob carried himself to be endearing. Chris
found himself wanting to hug the man to make both their worries go away.
But then Chris remembered the last time he had let himself show attraction
to another guy... an attraction that had led him deeper into the closet and
his brother down his self-destructive path.
Chris was in the middle of mentally berating himself when Jacob
returned with his water. Chris took a sip from it immediately to help get
rid of the lump building in his throat. As soon as the lukewarm water
touch his lips he was pulled out of his feeling of attraction and guilt and
became instantly annoyed. Here was another snub... giving him the same
warm water he had when his family was too poor to repair the fridge. "No
ice?" Chris smirked.
"No thank you?" Jacob returned. He was sure that Chris had to know
that the ice machine had been broken for years.
"Not for warm water." Chris said in disgust but continued to drink
as his run had made him thirsty. By the time he had drained the glass,
Jacob was on the opposite end of the long dinning room table staring at
him.
"Well?" Jacob finally asked.
"Well what?" Chris wanted to play hardball.
"What are you offering?"
"Oh... its very simple really. You get your mom to sell me the house
and I will set up a trust to pay for her nursing home care."
"Oh really." Jacob said in disbelief. Sending his mom to a nursing
home had been on both his and Tara's mind but each time they had brought it
up their mother had gone on a rampage. Jacob doubted that Chris got much
better of a response.
"Yes." Chris snickered. "Your mother's response was colorful shall
we say."
"I bet. May I ask why you want this land so much?"
"Of course. I will tell you the logical reasons as well as the
personal so you will know where we stand."
"Alright."
"The houses on this street are grand but very old. Most of them were
built in the 1920's. Some of them have gone under renovation but the
results have been houses that look like patchwork quilts. I have bought
nearly all the houses here on the belief I can build new homes that I can
sell for more then the price of the old and the cost of building combined.
I did something similar when I torn down servant-ville."
"Servant-ville... was that not where you grew up."
"Yes... it was the cheap housing you developers built for the maids,
gardeners, and divers to live so they could be within walking distance of
their jobs. It was a slum and now a mix of houses and luxury apartments."
"But what happened to the people who lived there." Jacob said
concerned about he old friends.
"They moved out of course. When I made an offer to you snobs to sell
their household staff out they jumped at the chance. You rich folk have no
loyalty."
"Neither do you. You are also to blame or did you never care about
your old friends?"
"I did them a favor. They now live with their own kind. Do you know
how it is to be poor going to a rich kid's school. Everyone treating you
like dirt or less."
"You and your brother were pretty popular." Jacob said.
'Yeah... you rich kids liked us but only because we were good at
sports. They never really accepted us."
"I'm sorry you felt that way."
"So am I, but now I have a chance to change things. I'm no longer
the poor kid and tearing down ya'll home is my way of proving it."
"Is that why you also tore down servant-ville? You wanted to erase
your past."
"Yes... I guess I did. But my past will not be fully gone unless I
tear down this community and especially your house."
"Why our house."
"Don't you know? It was your great grandfather who built this
community and your house. Tearing it down therefore has special symbolism
as it has been your family that has caused mine the greatest pain."
"Is this about your brother?"
"Yes of course it is. When my brother was arrested your family
friends fired my mother and father both from their jobs. We had to move
out of servant-ville. My brother was sent away and I became a nobody at my
new school. All because you couldn't keep your dick in your pants."
"Me... I did nothing of the sort."
"That's not what Ted told me. He said you made a pass at him."
"That is a lie."
"Well you may say so, but whom do you think I'm going to believe; you
or my brother."
Jacob bit his lip on that.
"Regardless... if my brother had not gotten into that fight with you.
I would not have had to move and lose all my friends."
"I didn't know you lost your friends."
"I did. You rich kids shunned me after my brother was arrested and
all my poor friends gave me the same treatment. One of them told me that
it was their parents who, afraid of being fired, told them to avoid me. I
lost everything and it was all your fault."
For the first time Jacob felt guilt over what had happened with Ted.
He never knew that the community took its revenge on Chris as much as they
had Ted. That feeling of guilt remained until he noticed he was picking
his scar again.
"Do you see this?" Jacob said, pointing to his lip. "Your brother
gave me this scar. You feel that what happened hurt you... well it hurt me
too. It made me afraid that no one would love me so when love did find me,
I didn't know how to handle it. I had a wonderful friendship with a
wonderful guy, but I've thrown it away because I'm a hopeless romantic. If
I could not have all of him I was foolish in believing I had none of him."
On hearing the word...hopeless, Chris began to put the pieces
together... the lost boyfriend... the beating from Ted... the troubles with
his mother, it all fit what Chris had read in his emails. He didn't know
if he wanted to accuse Jacob of tricking him or to run up and hug him.
What he did know was that he had to get out of there. He could not think
with Jacob standing right in front of him. "I'm leaving," Chris quickly
declared as he jumped up from his seat. "Get your mom to sell to me." He
called back to Jacob who remained stunned by the sudden departure.