Date: Sun, 28 Oct 2007 09:08:15 -0700 (PDT)
From: casper717@sbcglobal.net
Subject: Friends to the End chapter 7

Friends to the end
Chapter 6
Fun, Fun, Fun

This story is my first work of fiction. The characters mentioned in this
story are not real, they came from my imagination. If you not of legal age
to read this please go away. This story will contain sexual acts between
consenting men, if you are offended why are you here? Please email me at
casper717@sbcglobal.net with any ideas or suggestion. Also the names have
been changed.


I woke up Friday, very rested. It was about 7:15 in the morning and I was
determined to go and do some shopping this morning, before my afternoon out
on the ocean.  I wanted to really walk around Duval and go and explore some
of the sites in Key West.  I quickly got dressed and grabbed all my stuff.
I made sure I put my digital camera in my pockets, so I could take pictures
of this awesome island.  I left the resort, and headed toward duval.  It
was actually very quiet.  The walk only took 15 minutes and reached duval.
I turned to the right and decided I was going to go find the southernmost
point marker.  I slowly walked down duval, and was amazed at the number of
stores I saw. I found the flamingo restaurant, but it was not open until
8:30 so I kept walking.

As I made my way down duval I found the 700 block, the gay part of Duval.
I kept walking and cane to the end of Duval, and turned to the left.  I
followed a few other people and I saw this big red barrel sitting really
close to a fence.  I got closer and saw the writing on it, "Southernmost
point in the US, 90 miles to Cuba."  I looked out at the ocean, and just
try to imagine Cuba somewhere out there.  I took a few pictures.  A nice
woman came along and offered to take some pictures of me with the marker.
She snapped a few pictures of me, and I thanked her.  I looked off to left
side, and noticed about 6 satellites sitting on the ground, pointing in the
air.  I had never seen ground satellites before.  I walked back toward
duval and came upon this amazing painting on the ground.  It was a white
circle with different colored people and, "One human family" printed in the
middle.  I really liked this painting.  It was now about 8:15 and I decided
I wanted to go back the other way on Duval.  I noticed a lot of museums,
including Wyland gallery.

I got to Duval, and kept walking.  I walked passed the Wendy's I ate at and
kept walking.  I got to Caroline and Duval Street and saw sign for Mallory
square.  It was telling me to go up 3 blocks on Caroline, but I did not
want to go that way yet.  I continued walking on Duval and looked at all of
the shops that were there, mainly lots of T-shirt places.  I reached the
end of Duval, and I decided it was time for breakfast as I had now done a
good morning workout.  I walked back, starting to feel tired, and the
stores were now starting to open for business.
  I reached Flamingo Café in 15 minutes and I saw a sign on the door that
said, "Turn all cell phones off before entering."  I took my cell phone out
and turn it on vibrate.  I walked in and there were not that many people in
the café yet.  I sat down at the bar, and I really was impressed with the
atmosphere.  A really nice lady asked me what I wanted to drink.  "I would
like a Sprite please."  She went over and got me a drink, and brought me a
menu back.  She left and attended to other customers.  I really like the
music playing in the café, it was soft pop.  I looked at the menu and the
prices were very good.  I guess I was going to have to get used to cheap
prices.  She returned, and I ordered pancakes, bacon, and hash browns.  The
atmosphere is this restaurant made me feel at home.  I noticed about 12
flamingos sitting on top of the counter behind the counter.

One of the cooks came out carrying a bag of food.  He went over to the
computer and pushed some button and something printed.  He put it inside of
a pay book, and stepped outside.  He got on a bike and rode off.  I thought
this was really cool, as we did not have that type of delivery in Dallas.
The waitress brought out two plates, one with pancakes, and one with hash
browns and bacon.  She went below and came back with a bottle of syrup, and
butter.  Again these pancakes were huge, just like the ones I had
yesterday.  I put the smaller plate in front of the big plate of pancakes
and begun eating.  I had not even asked for another refill, but the
waitress came over and got me another Sprite.  I had eaten all of my bacon
and half of my pancakes.  I was really full.  The waitress came back and
asked if I was doing ok.  I nodded my head.  I finished my plate of hash
browns and I ate one last bite of pancakes.  I put my silver wear on the
plate and just sat there very full.  The waitress came back with a pay
book, and took my dishes away.  I reached into my wallet and took out my
visa.  I opened the book and took the slip out.  I was amazed that it only
cost 8.50.  I signed the slip, and she came by and I asked her if she could
refill my glass with sprite only ˝ way.  I put the book on the counter and
slowly finished my drink.  She came back and picked up the pay book.  She
went over to the machine and swiped my credit card.  She printed my receipt
and handed it to me.  Put it in my wallet.  I got up and left the Flamingo
Café.

 I decided I wanted to go shopping for T-shirts.  I found a really neat
T-Shirt store three doors from Flamingo cafe.  I stepped inside and I
started looking at all the different designs.  I knew that I wanted to get
about 4 different shirts.  A guy came up to me and greeted me.

"How can I help you today?"

"I am not sure; I am looking for a few shirts for a friend and some small
kids."

"If you come to the back we can make t-shirts, and iron them on."

I followed him to the back and looked at the about 200 different designs,
that I could put on t-shirts.  I choose a blue design that had a fire burst
and said," Key West."  I choose another pink design with a sunset picture.
He took the two down and put them aside.  Now all I had to do is to pick
out a couple of shirts.  I decided I wanted a navy blue shirt to match the
blue design; and a white t-shirt for the sunset picture.  I went back to
the register and handed him the shirts.  He put the t-shirts on the iron
and pressed them.

I saw a white t-shirt that said, Key West with a US flag on it."  I looked
and found my size and grabbed it.  I saw a display of post cards and I got
2 of them.  I put the shirt and post cards on the counter.  The guy was
working at the iron.  He showed me the shirts, and I was really impressed.
He rang up my shirts; and I handed him my credit card.  He handed me the
slip and I signed it.  He put the receipts in the bag and I took the bag.

"Do you know of any stores that have kid's shirts, I have a niece and
nephew."

He walked over to the left side of the store.

"We carry small t-shirt sizes, and we can put any design on them that you
may want."

I nodded and told him I would probably be back.  I decided I wanted to go
back to the resort and drop off these shirts.  I walked back to the resort,
and went straight to my room.  I took the shirts out of the bag, and put
them in the dresser.  It was about 10AM.  I had nothing to do, for 3 hours.
I decided I wanted to take a nap, so I took my outer clothes off and set
them in the corner.  I turned on my CPAP machine and put the head gear on.
I thought of how annoying it is to wear this contraption, but having sleep
apnea kind of means I have no choice.  I cut off my light and took a nice
nap.   I woke up at 11:45 AM and decided I wanted to take a shower.  I
decided I wanted to use the personal shower, instead of the communal
shower, off the side of the gym.  I grabbed my keys, a towel, and wash
cloth.  I walked to the front desk and went into the locker room.  I took a
left and the shower door was open.  I locked the door, and stripped down.
I cut on the cold water and began to shower very slowly.  My back loved the
cold water.  I finished by shampooing my hair.  I cut the water off and
dried off with the towel I brought.  I got dressed in the same clothes that
I put on this morning.  I stepped out of the shower and looked and saw one
the staff cleaning the hot tub.  I turned the other way and walked back to
my room.

I unlocked my door, and stepped in.  I decided I wanted to change into one
of the new t-shirts that I had just purchased.  I opened the dresser, and
pulled out the white shirt with a US flag on it.  I put it on.  I decided
to cut on the TV and watch the Key West info channel.  I watched with
interest so I could learn about Key West.  I decided that tomorrow I would
try and do a tour of Key West, on a trolley.  I saw them going around town
when I was walking today, and it looked really cool.  I opened up the
fridge, and took out my snacks and started nibbling.  I looked and I now
had 4 bottles of water, so I took out one and drank it.  I decided I wanted
to call Jeremy, since I have not talked to him in a while.  I grabbed my
cell phone and punched his number.  I got his voicemail...

Hey it's me, and I have not talked to you in a while.  I am now showering
with cold water only, and my dick does not like it but my back does.  I am
going out on a dolphin/snorkeling excursion this afternoon.  Hope to talk
at you before the bad boy party.


I hung up the phone and looked at the clock.  It was about 12:00 and I had
1 hour.  I decided I wanted to go to the gym and workout.  I grabbed my
keys and headed over to the gym, and decided to get on a bike.  I rode the
bike for 20 minutes and did 7 miles.  I stepped off the bike and started
working my way around the weight room.  I started with the chest press
machine.  I finished up my sets and moved over to the leg press.  I decided
I defiantly wanted to get my muscles loose, so I would not be so tired when
I snorkeled later today.  I started out with 90 pounds but that did was
very light for me, so I gradually moved the pin down to 130 and I finally
started feeling my muscles working.  I moved over to the bicep curl machine
and started lifting the bar up.  I really like this workout a lot.  I
thought about going up to the culture room, but after looking at the clock,
I did not have a lot of time.  I decided my muscles wanted to soak in the
hot tub, but my back did not want to hear it.  I decided to go to the
indoor hot tub and put my legs in the water.  It felt good after the
workout to soak my legs, but my back would not let me get in all the way.

I got of the hot tub and picked up a towel that was sitting on the bench.
I dried my legs, and decided to take it with me.  I went back to my room
and decided to pack up my backpack for the afternoon.  I put 2 towels
inside and my digital camera in.  I went into my notebook and looked for my
paperwork on the dolphin tour this afternoon.  I did not have a slip, but
according to the map it was right in front of the waterfront market and the
boat was called the coral reefer. I closed the backpack and looked at the
time.  It was 12:45 and I decided I would skip lunch as they would probably
have snacks on the boat.  I left Island House and it was very easy to get
back to Bight Seaport.  I walked along the wooden dock, looking for the
boat.  I started walking slowly and saw a sign that said, "Dolphin tour 9,
130, and 5" I looked at the boat and it was a speed boat.  No one was on
board yet, so I decided to go to get something to drink.  I walked into an
ice cream store, and started looking at all of the desserts.  I decided to
get me a water.  I opened my wallet and handed the lady a 5.  She gave me
my changed and I decided I better to go to the ATM machine as I had no cash
to tip.

 I walked around the dock and found a brail ATM machine.  I did not thank
much of it and put my visa inside.  Well I started entering my pin, but it
did nothing.  I tried to cancel the transaction, but it was basically
stuck.  I was now freaking out.  I was muttering cuss words under my breath
hitting any of the buttons to get my card ejected.  I looked at the name on
the ATM and was getting ready to call for help.  It had been about 3
minutes and my Visa was ejected.  I thank my heart skipped a couple of
beats.  I got my card back, and counted my blessings.  I started walking
around looking for an ATM machine to get some cash.  I saw a store right
across from the seaport. I walked in and saw the ATM right by the counter.
I walked up to the ATM machine a little worried that something may be wrong
with my card.  I swiped the card and it had no problems reading.  I pulled
out 60 dollars and figured I would have some money for food and fun
tomorrow.  I went up to the clerk and got a 20 turned into 2 10 dollar
bills.  I put the cash in my wallet and slowly walked back to the seaport.
I decided to approach it from a different entrance.  I walked to the
seaport, and I noticed a display the Yankee Freedom office.  It had a
little fish on it that said, "Dry Tortugas."  I remember hearing about it,
but I had not interest giving up an entire day.  I took out my digital
camera and decided to take a few pictures while walking around.  I walked
around and took pictures of different boats.  I was especially fascinated
with this boat at the end of the seaport.  It had 6 sails, and was used
back in the 1900s to lay telegraph cable across the Atlantic Ocean.  I had
never seen such a beautiful boat.  I walked back to the boat slits, and
there was a guy on board.

I sat down at the ramp and just relaxed.  A couple joined me.  The guy came
off the boat.

"My name is Mike and I will be your captain today.  We are waiting for a
few more people to come.  If you want to get some water, we can put it in
the cooler."

This kind of upset me a little bit as this excursion cost exactly the same
amount as the gay trip I took yesterday.  Well I got up, put my backpack on
my back, and went to the Waterfront Market.  I stepped inside and this
place was huge.  I did not have to go far, as the water was right at the
back of the store near the door I came from.  I opened the case and decided
I wanted to get 2 pints of bottled water.  I went to the cashier and paid
for my water.  I came back to the boat.

"Can you put this backpack on the boat?"

I handed my back to Mike.  I then handed him my bag of drinks and he put
them in the cooler.  The other couple came back and we started talking.

"I am Matt, and I am very thrilled to be seeing dolphins today."

"I am Jennifer and this is my husband Ryan.  We live in Marathon, but we
thought we would drive down for a fun weekend."

I shook Ryan's hand.  "This is only my 2nd time snorkeling, and I am
nursing a sun burn from yesterday."

"We snorkel about 6 times a year, and we brought our own gear," Ryan said
handing Mike there backpack.  Another couple showed up and there were now 5
people.  Mike got off the boat and put the plank out.

"Let's get everyone aboard."  I stepped onto the plank and got aboard the
boat.  This was a speed boat.  I found me a seat on a bench in the back.
My backpack was right there.  Jennifer and Mike joined me and we sat down.
The other couple sat on the other side of the helm.  Mike untied the lines
from the boat, and we backed out of the slit.  He turned on the engines and
we started moving away from Bight at a slow speed.  Once we cleared the
buoys we sped up but we did not get too far as I could still see Key West
in the distance.  I looked up and saw 2 parasols in the air.  For some
reason one of the guys up in the air kind of looked familiar.  I waved.
Mike picked up the radio and called another boat.

"I am calling one of my friends to find out where the dolphins are."

After being on the radio for a few minutes he started the engines and we
made our way over toward a small island.  I noticed something popping out
of the water.

"That boat over there will be moving in about 5 minutes and will move
toward the dolphins."  I got my digital camera out from my backpack, and
decided to stand up.  The other boat passed bye and we moved closer to the
dolphins.  We came to a stop and Mike stood up and started looking.

"There are 5 dolphins over there about 500 feet," Mike said pointing them
out.  I stood up looking at sure enough they popped up and I saw them.

"Can we get in the water with them," I asked ready to get in the water.

"No Matt, it is against the marine protection act for any person to disturb
marine life," Mike said.

Jennifer and Ryan decided to go to the front of the boat and stand.  I was
snapping pictures every few seconds.  The dolphins actually started moving
away from us and Mike cut on the engines and we chased them.

"It looks like we have 3 adult males, 1 adult female, and 1 6 month old
male," Mike said.  The dolphins actually started getting close to the boat.
I was so shocked.  Two dolphins actually came right up to the boat and went
underneath.  They surfaced about 25 feet away from the boat.  I was really
fascinated, being so close to dolphins in the wild.  Another boat called us
on the radio, and Mike answered.

"Another boat would like to come in for a quick pass before heading back to
Key West," Mike said starting the engines and we moved away from the
Dolphins.  A rather large party catamaran came into view.  Everyone was
standing up taking pictures and point out the dolphins.  The boat called
the, "Sunny Days" moved around and then headed back to Key West.  We went
back, but we could not find the dolphins.  We searched for about 5 minutes;
finally Jennifer spotted them way off in the distance.  We decided that we
would stay put and see if they would come back.  Apparently the 5 did not.
But another dolphin came toward us.  Mike figures he was looking for food.
He went down and all this mud came up.

Mike said, "That is what happens when the dolphin's tail hits the bottom.
I thank it's time for us to move on to the snorkeling part of our trip."
Jennifer and Ryan had stepped down off the bow of the boat, and I sat down
right next to them.

Mike started the engines and we moved quickly moved away from Key West.  He
told everyone to hold on and mike turned the engines on full power and we
were speeding through the water.  We passed a coast guard cuter and I
decided to ask a question.

"Where are we snorkeling today, I was in the Pacific Reef yesterday."  Mike
turned toward me and answered me, "We are going to the Atlantic, to a reef
called Rock point."

That answered my question, and it took us about 40 minutes before Mike
slowed the engines down.  We continued traveling through the ocean for
about another 5 minutes before Mike turned off the engine.

"Who will need snorkeling gear?"  I raised my hand answering Mike.
Jennifer reached into there backpack and pulled out the snorkeling gear.
She also pulled out a small disposable camera.  I liked that idea quite a
bit.

Mike went to the side of the helm and pulled out a pair of goggles.  He
handed them to me.  He went into a small compartment and brought me some
fins, and set the red flag on the helm.  He went to the back of the boat
and put the ladder down.  I put my goggles on, and attached my fins
tightly.  The other couple decided they did not want to get in.

Mike went to the helm and picked the flag up.  He attached it to the top of
the canopy covering the helm.  "The reef is on the left about 40 feet."  I
looked over at the water, and I could see it was darker. I took off my
glasses and put them in my backpack.  I took out my keys, wallet, and cell
phone and put them in the front pocket of my backpack.  I took of my shoes
and socks, and put them on the floor of the boat.  I decided to get in the
water first.  I put my snorkel in and started swimming around the boat.
Mike looked at me and pointed and the bopped his head.  I bopped my head,
signaling him that I was ok.  Jennifer and Ryan got into the water, and the
3 of us swam toward the reef.  I slowed down and let Jennifer lead and I
followed her.  Ryan was on the right side.  Jennifer started swimming to
the right, and decided to head straight.  Ryan followed Jennifer.  I looked
down and saw some of the most colorful fish.  This reef was a bit smaller
than the one I was in yesterday, but I am not going complain.  I decided to
swim over to Jennifer and follow her around.  I got over to her and started
slowly swimming.

"Matt I thank that is a nurse shark."  She and I put our heads back down
and sure enough there was a very long slim shark swimming at the bottom.  I
was so fascinated that I could be only 14 feet from a shark.  He just
continued swimming on the bottom and I decided to swim away.  Jennifer was
taking pictures under water.  I need to remember to get a set of them, I
thought.  I swam over to the left side and just looked under water, at the
different reef.  It was so neat to see them moving.  I decided that I had
enough snorkeling.  I swam over to Jennifer and tapped her lightly.

"I am going to head back over to the boat."  Jennifer nodded and I looked
for the boat.  I saw the boat way off in the distance.  I put my snorkel
back in my mouth, and started swimming back to the boat.  As I was leaving
the reef I saw something moving very fast on the bottom, and I then I
realized it was a sting ray.  I kept swimming and I got back into normal
water.  I continued swimming occasionally looking up for directions, until
I got to the side of the boat.  Mike met me at the back of the boat.  I
reached the ladder and took off my fins.  I climbed up and took off my
goggles/ snorkel.  Mike cut on a shower and handed me the hose.  I rinsed
my self off.  I went over to the cooler and took out 1 of my bottled
waters.  I was really thirsty and guzzled it down.  I opened up my pocket
and put my glasses back on.  I unzipped it and took out a towel and dried
myself off.  Jennifer and Ryan were still snorkeling.  I decided I wanted
to dry off so I went to the back of the boat and put the towel around my
back.  I sat on the bench and watched as Jennifer and Ryan started to swim
toward the boat.  It only took them about 5 minutes to swim from the reef
over to the boat.  They came aboard and went straight for the rinse shower.
They did as I did and went over to there backpack and dried off with
towels.  Mike started the engines and we turned around and moved away from
the reef at a very fast speed.  I moved back to the front bench and opened
up my front pocket and put everything back in my backpack.  The snorkeling
adventure was fun, really neat to have a whole reef to only 3 people.

"Jennifer is there any way I can get a set of those pictures on the
disposable camera, I would be glad to pay for them," I asked hoping I could
convince her.

"Matt, you don't have to pay us anything, just give us your address and we
will mail them out when we get them developed."  I was going to argue with
her, but Jeremy always said not to look a free gift in the mouth.  Mike
picked up the radio and called another boat.  I thought he was telling them
we were on our way back to Key West, but we went back to the dolphin spot
from before.  Only 1 dolphin was out, I was bummed the other 5 had not
returned.  We did a couple of circles around the dolphin and then Mike took
us back to Bight Seaport.

"I am going to need to get an imprint of your card Matt.  I have the credit
card payment for the rest of you."  I looked at him kind of strange as I
already gave him my Visa.

"I thought it was had already paid."

"We put a hold on the funds, but since we did not have anything signed the
funds were released."  Ok, that makes me feel a little better as that made
since.  I handed him my visa and he used a really only machine and
imprinted it.  He handed me the ticket. I signed it and gave it back to
him.  He took the top copy and gave me the bottom copy.  He put the plank
out and I was got up.

"Matt, don't forget you have bottled water in the cooler.  I reached in and
took it out.  I reached into my wallet and took out a 10 dollar bill.  I
stepped off the boat and handed it to him.  I decided I wanted to go back
to Island House and get ready for the party tonight.  I decided I needed to
go to the bathroom, so I went to the public restroom located right beside
the ice cream parlor.  I took care of my business and I felt a lot better.
I walked back to Island House and 10 minutes later pulled up to the front
door.  There was no 1 at the front desk, so I pulled out my keys and opened
up the door.  I went to my room and put my backpack on the floor.  My
stomach was rumbling.  I decided I wanted to change, so I took off my wet
board short and put them in a pile of dirty clothes on the floor.  "Dam I
am going to have to do clothes at some point this weekend."  I opened the
dresser, and pulled out clean boxers and shorts. I put on a polo shirt.  I
put my socks and shoes on and put my keys around my neck.  I grabbed my
wallet and cell phone.

I left the room and walked over to the café.  It was kind of packed with
happy hour.  I sat down and the end.  I picked up a menu and started
looking.  A waiter came over, and I decided to order a cherry coke.  I
skimmed the menu and decided I wanted a hamburger and some waffle fries.
The waiter came back and I gave him my order: a black-angus burger well
done, no tomato and no onion, and an order of waffle fries.  The waiter
wrote down my order and walked away.  I was wandering where Paul and Dave
where?

"May I sit here," I nodded as this cute guy sat down.

"I am Matt."  I said hoping to start a conversation.  Ben had black hair,
blue eyes.  He was wearing a black polo shirt and white shorts.

"I am Ben. I just flew in from DFW."  Hearing that, I nearly chocked.

"Are you ok Matt?"  I nodded my head and drunk more of my cherry coke.  The
waiter came back and Ben ordered a beer.

"I live and work in Dallas too.  I flew in Tuesday all though it was hell
trying to get hear." I described all the trouble I went through getting to
Key West and Ben laughed at me.

"I do feel sorry for you Matt, but that is dam funny.  I have been
rerouted, and delayed, but fuck I have never been bumped 3 times in a row
for a flight.  Ben opened up the menu and started looking for something to
eat.

"What do you recommend, Matt?"  Ben slowly loved down the menu

"I just ordered a burger, and some fries, but I have eaten more in town,
than here."

Ben looked over the menu and set it down.

"So Matt what are your plans for the weekend?"  Ben asked drink his beer
and looking at me.

"Well I have been playing on the ocean the past 2 days, tomorrow I am going
to do a lot of exploring museums and meandering around town, and shopping
for friends.  How about you, Ben?"

"I saw a poster for Blue-Q on the bulletin board and I am thanking of
snorkeling."  I new I could not let this opportunity pass me by.  The
waiter came back and Ben ordered a plain chicken breast sandwich and a
garden salad.  The waiter wrote everything down and went and punched his
order in on the computer just like mine.

"I went out with the Blue-Q yesterday and it was so amazing.  They treated
me like I was a prince and they actually served lunch and drinks.  I was so
disappointed today when I went out on a dolphin tour.  You may want to have
the guys at the front desk make your reservation first thing tomorrow, and
make sure they have room for you."

"Well I want to be back in time for the parade.  Are you going to watch the
parade?"

"Yes I am Ben, I am not sure where I am going to be as of yet.  This is my
first pride so I am going to take it all in very slowly and enjoy myself."
I started wanting to meet Ben and we could watch the parade together, but I
had to thank of how to do it.

"Well I am going to hang around tonight for the party, but I have nothing
planned until it starts at 8, what are you going to do Matt?"

What am I going to, thank Matt, thank.  "I am not sure yet Ben, it is only
5:30.  I may just wander around here, maybe watch a little TV then see what
is up with the party."

The waiter brought a serving tray out and sat it down at the table beside
us.  He served me and Ben our food.  We started eating, and I was trying to
figure out how to keep us talking.

"So when are you leaving Key West?" I asked and realized I had ketchup on
my mouth.

"I fly back Monday afternoon, and you."  Ben asked handing me a napkin.

I took the napkin and whipped my mouth.  "I fly out early Tuesday morning.
This is my only vacation this year."  The waiter returned and I asked for
another cherry coke.  Ben ordered a sprite.

I finished up my burger and started thanking about what I wanted to do this
afternoon until the party.  I still had not heard from Jeremy, but that
could wait.

"Ben, is this your first time in Key West?"  I decided to see how well he
new Key West.

"No, I was here about 3 years ago, but it was in November, although I
stayed at a Best Western."  Ben finished his food and pushed his plate
forward.  I still had a few fries left but I could not eat them all.  I
offered them to Ben, but he politely refused.  I pushed my plate forward,
and decided to try and figure out how to meet Ben tomorrow for the parade
as well as tonight.

"I am staying in room 128 close to the outdoor hot tub, if you want, we
could hang out before the party."  I realized that my room was really tiny
and I should have thought of something else.

"Cool, I am in room 215 over by the cultural room.  Maybe we can get a
movie from the front desk and watch it together before the party tonight."
Ben said looking at me with a smile that could melt any ones heart.  Who
was I to disagree.

"Well I am going to go back to my room and jump online for a little bit.
Why not give me a call in about 20 minutes," I said.  The waiter came back
and set down the two books in front of me and Ben.  I picked mine up, and
looked at it.  I signed it and put it in the middle of the table.  Ben did
the same thing.  I got up and extended my hand to Ben.

"It was nice chatting with you, and hope to hear from you in little while,"
Ben said and walked upstairs.  I walked around the corner to my room.  I
picked up my laptop and hoped to hear from Jeremy.  I logged into AIM but
he was not on.  I checked my email, but there was nothing there.  I grabbed
my cell phone and punched in his number, but I got a recording,

"This is Jeremy; I am away leave me a message."

"Jeremy this is your best friend, I have not heard from you in a while.  I
wanted to let you know that my back still hurts, but the aloe cream is
helping.  Call me later."

I hung up the cell phone and decided I wanted to clean up a little bit.  I
grabbed my shaving stuff and deodorant.  I put my key around my neck and
went over to the communal bathroom next door.  I turned on the water and
had a nice little shave.  I put on some deodorant.  I grabbed my stuff and
went back to my room.  I put my shaving gear on the dresser.  I sat down on
the bed and cut on the TV.  I was flipping through the channels and stopped
on ESPN.  I decided to listen to the scores on sports hoping to find out
anything about the Spurs. I was extremely happy to hear that the spurs were
doing well in the playoffs.  My phone in my room rang and I gladly
answered.

"Hello."

"Hi honey, did you have a good day," I sat there stunned as Jeremy was on
the other end.

"What the fuck you doing calling my room, and not the cell phone?"  I
really wanted to get him off the room phone and onto my cell phone.

"Well I do believe that you have a surprise that I promised you.  It is
waiting for you at the front desk. "With that Jeremy hung up the phone.  I
decided to wait until Ben called before I left my room.  I had not thought
about what the surprise could be, but now my mind was racing.  I put the
phone back on the night stand and tried to clear my mind.  There was a
knock on the door.  I got off the bed and answered the door.

"Hey I called but your phone was busy."  I invited Ben into my room.

"My friend decided to call the room, instead of the cell, and he has a
surprise for me at the front desk."  Ben's eyes perked up when I said
surprise.  "I really am not looking forward to it as I thank it will be
very embarrassing."

"Well we have to go to the front desk and get a movie, so we might as well
pick up your surprise."  Ben opened the door and I grabbed my wallet and
keys.  I shut the door and Ben and me Ben took off to the front desk.  A
few guys were checking in so we got in line.  We got to the desk and I
asked for the movie list.  He got the notebook out and Ben and I scooted
over to the side.

"There is something here for me, my name is Matt Taylor" Nathan, or so who
name tag said, opened a cabinet and pulled out an envelope.  I put it aside
and turned my attention to the movie list that Ben was looking at.

We both were very interested in executive decision.  I looked up at the
clock and saw it was 6:10 so we had plenty of time to chill before the bad
boy party started.

"I would not mind watching this movie, even though its old, I like it
tremendously."

Ben agreed and we waited for the guy at the front desk to help us.  Ben
decided to speak for us.  "We would like Executive Decision."

"We will put a 20 deposit until this movie is returned.  Which one of you
would like to sign for it?"  I raised my hand but Ben had pulled out his
key and handed it to Nathan.  Nathan pushed some button on the computer and
went and got the movie.  He handed it to Ben.  Nathan then handed Ben his
room key back.

"When you return the movie the deposit will be cleared from your account."
Ben and I turned around.

"So Ben, I guess we will watch this in your room."  Ben nodded.  We walked
upstairs, and around the corner.  Ben's room was kind of above mine.  He
opened the door and it was actually very similar to mine.  I could not tell
the difference between our rooms to tell you the truth.  He patted the bed
and I sat down.  He opened up the case and put the DVD in.

"I wish we had some popcorn," Ben said pointing the remote at the TV. I
thought for a second.

"You want me to go across the street and get some microwaveable popcorn," I
asked feeling my pockets and making sure that I had my wallet.  Ben shook
his head, and I decided to open the envelope that I got from the desk.  I
pulled out a letter and read it..

Well if you want your surprise you are going to have to work at it.  This
will take 2 people and is to be done Friday evening, and not before
then. So this will be scavenger hunt and you will like end result greatly.


Clue #1: I am place where many enter, people feel better afterwards.  You
can't see out, but you can see in this room.

I folded up the paper and put it back in the envelope so I could watch the
movie with Ben.  We were half way through the movie and we were both very
rapped up in it.  I was jolted awake and I must have startled Ben.

"I must have dozed off there Ben I am sorry if I scared you."  I looked
around for the envelope and saw it on the night stand.  Wow I wander how
long I had been asleep.  I still had my clothes on.  I sat up and smiled at
Ben.  He had this goofy smile on his face.  I was a bit thirsty.  I told
him I was a bit thirsty and I was going to go get me a water from my
fridge.  But he actually must have been thanking the same thing, as he
opened up his little fridge and threw me a bottle of water.  "Thank Ben; I
have a ton of them in my fridge, so I will replace it."

Don't worry about it Matt, its all good."

I drunk my water and we continued watching the movie.  The movie ended at
about 7:45 and I got up.  Ben was a little sad.

"I am going to go to my room and change into my Speedo.  I might as well
save it, and maybe you can help me figure out what the hell my friend is
doing to me"

Ben smiled after hearing that I would change into a Speedo.

"Ben I will come right back up to your room, I am just going to put
everything up in my room."  I walked over to him and I hugged him and he
pulled me into a kiss.  I backed away slowly.

"Hurry back, Matt, and we can see what kind of surprise you have waiting on
you."  I opened the door to his room and walked out.  I practically ran to
my room, but I walked fast.  I opened the door, and put my keys on the bed.
I removed all my clothes. I took my wallet and cell phone out.  I decided I
would not need either of them this evening.  I opened my dresser drawer and
pulled out my blue Speedo and put it on.  I put my key around my neck.  I
decided to put on the same shirt I had on before.

I walked back up stairs and knocked on Ben's door.

"All I can say is wow you are hot."  Ben said making cat calls. I turned
beet red and he invited me in.  Ben invited me back into his room.

I went over to the night stand and picked up the envelope and started
thanking about the clue.  "So basically the place I can thank of is either
the cultural room or the gym.

"I was thanking the same thing, but you can't go in the gym as you do not
have shoes on.  I can put my flip flops on and I will go in and check. "

I liked that plan quite a bit.  We left his room, and headed to the front
desk.  We stepped into the locker room and Ben went inside.  I was very
anxious, so I stood at the entrance to the gym.  I could see Ben looking
all over and finally found an envelope.  HE quickly came back out and we
decided to sit down in the lobby and read it.

You are quite smart if you found this by 7:15, if you have then you are
right on schedule if not you suck.  Your last clue will have you getting
wet, so listen carefully.  The chemicals are strong, but you will be quite
shocked when you see your surprise.

I showed the letter to Ben and he read it.  We both thought for a second
and then we said, "Indoor hot tub."  Ben and I stood up and we walked into
the locker room.  We turned left and went through the communal showers. I
was the first one to enter the hot tub room.  What I saw was shocking to
say the least.  It felt like someone kicked me in the chest.

"Matt, Matt are you all right, you look like you are going to pass out."




Hahahaha I am meany and yes we will learn what the surprise is in the next
chapter.  Stay tuned next week to find out what surprise Matt has waiting
for him in the hot tub.