Date: Wed, 20 Oct 1999 20:40:47 -0700 (PDT)
From: D.Z. <ndman72@yahoo.com>
Subject: Boys in School 2

DAVID & TRISTAN-BOYS IN SCHOOL is a continuation of the story, Boys on the
Farm, about David and Tristan.  If sex between male teenagers is offensive
to you or if you are underage then you should move on to something else.
DAVID & TRISTAN- BOYS IN SCHOOL is a work of pure fiction -- the characters
and the events do not represent any person or situation.

Copyright 1999 by D.Z., all rights reserved. Please do not post in any
other forum, newsgroup, or publication.

Also, new to this series is the introduction of Jason and Chris, the main
characters in the series "After the Dance" by Eric J. Case.  "After the
Dance" is an outstanding story and you can find in the Gay Male -- High
School section of the Archive.  Eric and I thought it would be fun to have
each other's characters as supporting characters in our respective stories
and we hope you will enjoy seeing them interact.


DAVID & TRISTAN-BOYS IN SCHOOL.
by D.Z.

Chapter 2.

The locked door rattled noisily and woke Tristan and David from their sound
sleep.  As they rolled apart Tristan's dad was speaking through the closed door.
"Wake up you guys!  Time to get up and get moving so we can leave for the
airport in half an hour.  I'm done in the bathroom so you can shower and get
ready.  Are you up?"

"Yeah, dad.  We're up," Tristan replied doggedly while lying flat in bed and
staring at the ceiling.  Tristan was not a morning person first of all but today
was worse than usual.  Today was the day he had been dreading for over a week
and here it was, staring him in the face.  Tristan and his dad, Randy, were
flying to Lubbock, Texas since Randy was being promoted to general manager of a
manufacturing plant there.

David stirred then and blinked sleepily at Tristan a few times before rolling
partially onto Tristan and holding him tight.  ""Morning, Tris-dude.  Do I get a
kiss this early in the day?" David asked with a smile for his boyfriend because
David knew that Tristan had never been a morning person.

"What I'd really like is to wake up with you next to me and be able to kiss you
every morning for the rest of my life, babe," Tristan replied very seriously
before moving his head to press his lips to David's.  They lay there together,
absorbing the feelings of closeness and love for as long as possible before
Tristan's imminent departure for Lubbock.

"TRISTAN!  TIME TO GET MOVING!" Randy's voice shouted from outside the door.

Tristan gave David a bleak look and then just about squeezed David to death in a
bear hug for one last embrace before climbing out of bed.  "Babe, you're gonna
come in the bathroom with me while I get ready, aren't you?" Tristan pled as he
found his clothes they had strewn around the bed last night.  David feasted on
the view of Tristan's naked body and the view of his manly sex swinging around
heavily as Tristan moved around the bed.

"Sure, dude, if your dad won't mind."

When Tristan bent over facing away from David, David could see Tristan's balls
hanging low between his legs and the end of Tristan's cock was hanging down
below his balls...it only emphasized once more to David how sexy Tristan was.
The tantalizing view disappeared as Tristan pulled his jockeys up and turned
around.  "I don't care if he minds or not...I just want to be together, ok?"

"OK.  I'm coming. Just a sec."  David hopped out of bed, his semi-hard dick
waving around as David found his jockeys and pulled them on.  He followed
Tristan into the bathroom across the hall and closed the door before turning
around.  There was Tristan naked once more...he had already stripped off his
jockeys and was pulling towels out of the closet.

The first item of business was to take the kind of healthy piss young men take
and they stood there side by side, the two streams of piss creating a froth in
the water.  There was no self-consciousness left between the two of them; they
could stand there together and feel natural and just enjoy being together, even
if they were only taking a piss.  Tristan finished first and stood there
sleepily scratching his pubes and his balls while he waited for David, making
his cock bounce and sway.

David looked over to watch Tristan as he finished his piss and grinned before
saying, "You big tease!  If you would quit playing around and get into the
shower, I'll help ya do your hair."

"You know what I would rather have help with, Davey," Tristan grinned back
lecherously.

"No doubt in my mind, dude.  Get in and get the water started and I'll be right
behind you to help ya."

Once Tristan had the water temp adjusted David slipped into the shower with him.
Always true to his word, David diligently washed Tristan's thick hair for him
and then continued to clean his entire body with his only his hands and some
soap.  "This is so you won't forget about me while you are away," David said
huskily as he paid extra attention to Tristan's swelling dick.  He worked it
expertly and quickly as Tristan abandoned himself to the quick handjob David did
to him.  David worked Tristan's love tool with his right while cupping and
rolling Tristan's balls with his left.  It never ceased to amaze David how
something that felt so soft on the outside could be so hard on the
inside..Tristan's cock was a marvelous piece of male flesh!

"I'm getting close," Tristan hissed and began to actively fuck David's hand.
"Ahhhhhhh," Tristan groaned as he squirted his boy cream into the air in front
of him.  "I'd give my left nut if that's what it would take so I could stay here
with you," Tristan said as he leaned back into David's strong chest while
basking in the embrace David was holding him.  "What about you?  I can feel
something hard poking me back there."

"Well, now that you mention it, my buddy is a little lonely," David whispered
into Tristan's ear.  "So what do you think would make him happy?"

"Umm, we could switch places and then I could the same for you, only I think I
would wash your hair last....." Tristan replied with a question mark in his
voice.

"K, sounds good to me."  And that's what they did, their wet skin sliding past
each other as they turned around in the shower.

Then Tristan found David's rigid cock and gave it the attention it needed so
badly.  He used some soap to create a slippery lather and generously coated
David's cock with it before starting with deliciously slow strokes using both
hands, one after another.

David was squirming and gasping in pleasure only scant seconds since he was all
charged up and ready for some action!  "Mmmmmmmmm, that feels soooooo nice,
Tris," David moaned.  He was begging for more within a very short time.  "Come
on, dude, speed it up!  Get serious and go for it dude!"  David was
instinctively moving against Tristan's hand and then his orgasm built rapidly.
David gasped, his body went totally still for a brief second, and then his hips
bucked as he fired shot after shot of his male essence against the shower wall.
David twisted around in Tristan's arms and their bodies melded together in a
kiss charged with love and gratitude for each other.

"YOU BOYS HURRY UP IN THERE!" Randy shouted through the door.  "Ten more minutes
and we have to be leaving!"

"Shit.  Almost time to leave and I still need to brush my teeth and get dressed!
God, I don't want to go," Tristan complained bitterly.

"Quick, brush your teeth," David said as he hurriedly dried off and dressed.
"I'll get your stuff put together so all you have to do is finish here in the
bathroom."  First giving Tristan a hug from behind as he was drying himself,
David was out the door.

Still wet in many places, Tristan brushed his teeth hurriedly.  His dad was well
aware of his progress since he updated Tristan on their timetable as he rejoined
David in his bedroom.  "FIVE MINUTES AND WE'RE LEAVING!" Randy hollered from the
kitchen where noises of cupboard doors opening and closing could be heard.

Quietly closing his bedroom door behind him as he came into his bedroom, Tristan
dressed quickly.  He grabbed a clean T-shirt and his favorite pair of baggy
pants from his closet and tossed them on.  He ran a brush through his hair and
then stuffed his feet into his Nikes.  There was only time for an all too brief
hug and kiss for the boys, before Randy was hollering that it was time to go.

"I'll be missing you so much, Davey," Tristan whispered with a quavering voice
while looking deep into David's vivid blue eyes after their heartfelt kiss
ended.

"Same here dude.  Hurry back and don't go finding any boyfriends while you are
in Texas!" David admonished.

"Same goes for you!" Tristan replied all too seriously past the pain of their
separation, this one to be measured in a few short days but potentially for
years if Tristan's dad took the job in Lubbock.  "I love you so much, babe."

"Love ya too, Tris."  With a final hug for each other it was time to go.  Those
final minutes at Tristan's home flew by like seconds.  In the space of an eye
blink it seemed Randy and Tristan were in their Bronco backing down the driveway
while David stood there and watched them leave.  The two boys maintained eye
contact as long as possible, and with a final wave for each other Tristan was on
his way to the airport, the first step of the detested journey to Lubbock.

David pedaled his bike home, feeling terribly alone for the first time in his
life.  Never before did he have an aching sense of loss and loneliness like he
did now.  His lips quivering from suppressed emotion and his guts twisted in
knots, he sped home.  Once there, he silently went to his room and climbed into
his bed, its familiar comforting feel doing little to diminish his pain.
Burying his head under his pillows and bringing his knees up to his aching
stomach, he tried in vain to go back to sleep.  The only thing he could think of
was Tristan and how they loved each other and worry about him leaving for good.
After what seemed to be hours he dozed, dreaming of Tristan.

Meanwhile, Tristan and Randy had driven to the airport, parked their Bronco and
were waiting to board the plane.  A wall of silence existed between father and
son, Tristan sullenly resisting all attempts at normal conversation with his
dad.  A multitude of emotions were battling for supremacy inside Tristan's--he
was so deeply in love with David and it hurt, really hurt bad to be going away
from him.  Then he was so very angry with his dad for this unexpected move that
would separate him from the love of his life.

"Tristan........Tristan, listen up here!" Randy tried to break through Tristan's
withdrawal.  "You didn't get any breakfast before we left, did you want to get
some in the food shop?"

"No.  I'm not hungry."

"I thought you would be excited to be taking a plane trip for the first time."

Tristan looked at his dad like he was from Mars.  "It's not exciting when you
don't want to go someplace.  Why can't we just stay here?"

Randy sighed a deep sigh.  "We already talked about that.  It's a promotion for
me that means that we can live better than we do now."

"There's nothing wrong with the way we live now."

"Maybe for you right now, but we can't afford things like new cars or
fashionable clothes you kids like to wear, and all the other things other
families have and we don't.  And then there is no money for you to go to
college."

"Then I'll get a job and buy my own clothes and buy my own car."

"Sure, and spend all of your spare time after high school working at a burger
joint and not being able to enjoy the best years of your life.  That's not what
I want for you, Tristan."

They were interrupted by the blare of an announcement.  "NOW BOARDING FLIGHT 472
DEPARTING FOR DALLAS/FORT WORTH."  The loudspeakers were obnoxiously loud this
time of the morning.

"That's our flight.  Let's go Son."

Tristan drug himself out of his seat and forced himself to follow his dad.  To
Tristan it felt as if he was going to the gas chamber, his life about to end by
boarding that plane to Dallas.  They cleared the last metal detector without
incident and entered the boarding ramp to the plane.  Tristan could only look
down and watch his feet carry him away from David, the boy he loved with every
fiber and cell in his body.

"May I take your bag, sir?" a sweet feminine voice intruded into Tristan's
misery.

"What?"

"Your bag, sir.  I can put it away for you if you would like," the stewardess in
the first class section explained.

"Uhhhhhh, no thanks.  I'd like to keep it with me if that's ok."

"That's fine.  If you would like to take your seat I could bring you something
to drink."

"A drink?  You mean like alcohol?" Tristan asked incredulously.

With a smile for Tristan's naivete', she clarified her offer.  "Not this early
in the morning.....we have coffee, orange juice, and soft drinks available this
morning...and some rolls if you are hungry."

"Oh.  Ummmm, just a Coke please."  There was no way Tristan could eat-his
stomach was too upset to even begin to think about eating.

Randy shot Tristan a puzzled look.  It just wasn't normal for Tristan to turn
down food and especially sweet rolls.  Normally Randy didn't want Tristan eating
the darn things because they meant his face would break out from them.  "Are you
sure you are the Tristan that I knew and who went to the Brandt farm just two
weeks ago?" Randy asked Tristan in amazement.  And after a moment's hesitation
he added, "The Tristan I used to know would never have turned down a sweet
roll."

"I'm not hungry."  With those words Tristan slid into the window seat and
buckled himself in rather awkwardly and then fumbled with the seat tray in front
of him.

The stewardess was back.  "Here's your Coke, young man".

"Uh, thanks."  With an answering smile, she turned her attention to Randy.
"Something to drink for you, sir?"

"Coffee please."

Almost magically she produced a hot cup of coffee and offered it to Randy with
all her charm to sweeten it.

Randy smiled back his thanks, but with no real interest.  The change in Tristan
had him confused and more than a little worried.  He couldn't help but suspect
that Tristan was into drugs, the change in Tristan's personality was just too
radical.....

Tristan stared out the window, lost in a world of abject misery.  The next thing
he knew the plane was moving and joined the queue of planes waiting for their
turn to take off.  Finally, after several starts and stops they were on the
runway and it was their turn to roar into the sky.  The stewardesses made their
check to see that everyone was buckled in and then took their seats and strapped
in as the plane began to roll down the runway.  The jet engines were opened to
full throttle by the pilot and now the plane was howling down the runway.  The
nose of the plane came up and Tristan was pressed back into his seat as they
climbed skyward at a 45-degree angle.  There were two thumps that came from
behind and below them as the landing gear retracted.

"What did you think of that, Tristan?  Isn't it cool the way a plane takes off?"
asked Randy next to him.

"I guess.  I still don't want to be here."  Tristan listlessly answered.  He
turned his head to the window to hide the fact from his dad that tears were
pooling in his eyes and threatening to run down his face.  Looking out the
window but not seeing a thing, Tristan let the tears flow.  He couldn't remember
ever being so sad, so lonely, so depressed all at the same time.  The plane
climbed above the clouds and they were treated to the beauty of a sunrise
reflecting from the white mattress of clouds below them.  Tristan didn't see it
because his eyes were closed.  Images from the past two weeks of his boyfriend
David played through his mind's eye.  Mental videos of David eating, sleeping,
fishing, smiling, and yes, having sex with him were all replayed.  His Coke grew
warm in his hand, barely touched by his lips.

The drone of the jet engines went on and on.  When the noise changed it was
because they were beginning their return to the ground as the plane nosed down
into a landing approach.  The stewardess collected the warm Coke that Tristan
hadn't had but two swallows from just as the pilot reminded everyone to fasten
their seat belts.  Shortly thereafter the plane banked sharply and began to sink
in earnest.  A slight bump announced their safe return to the ground and the
jets revved up in reverse thrust, slowing the jetliner rapidly.  They were on
the ground at the Dallas/Fort Worth airport.  First class passengers were
allowed to exit immediately and they walked into the jet terminal.  It was
chaos!  There were people of all ages, sizes, and colors moving purposefully
down long halls lined with waiting areas full of other people trying to board
planes.

"Come on, Tristan, let's find a bathroom.  I've got to get rid of all the coffee
I drank," Randy guided Tristan by the back of his arm towards the men's room.
"Do you have to go?" he asked.

"Not really."

"You'd better go now if you can because it's no fun to have to pee in one of
those dinky cubicles they call a bathroom in an airplane.  Come on in here and
get your business taken care of--we have to get to another gate on the other
side of the terminal for our flight to Lubbock and we have to keep moving."

The two of them put their bags down inside the rest room where they could see
them and moved to the urinals, Randy more hastily than Tristan.  Randy fumbled
quickly to pull himself out and took a badly needed piss.  Tristan hadn't been
in a bathroom with his dad since he was in kindergarten and felt a little
strange about it.  He selected a urinal a couple slots away and dribbled out a
little stream.  In his peripheral vision he could see his dad finishing up and
shaking it off.  Was it his imagination or did he see that his old man sported a
hose larger than his own?  Come to think of it, did his dad ever have sex now
that he was divorced?  He never went out on dates-he was always home when
Tristan was there.  "Nawwwwwww, old people don't need sex," Tristan thought to
himself.  "The old man is going on 37, he probably doesn't care if he has a sex
life or not."  Tristan put himself back together and moved to catch up with the
old man at the sinks.  Grabbing their bags they moved rapidly to the gate where
their plane was waiting to take them to Lubbock.

This plane was barely big enough to hold 20 people and it had two propellers
instead of jet engines!  When they climbed in they were practically walking on
their knees and hunched over besides until they could find their seats.  In a
matter of minutes they found themselves once again seated towards the front of
the plane and in the sky; this time on a short hop to their final destination,
Lubbock.  Soon, there it was below them and the plane descended quickly and
pulled up to the terminal.  They deplaned and stood at the luggage carousel and
waited nervously until their bags appeared.

The next stop was at the car rental desk.  Randy rented a Taurus from the agency
and obtained a map and an explanation of how to find their motel.  It didn't
seem to be too hard to get there, just get on the bypass and then get off on the
100th street exit.  Upon exiting the terminal the Randy and Tristan were taken
aback at the change of the weather conditions compared to what they left that
morning at home.  When they left it was a beautiful morning of 66 degrees and
now they were in a brutally hot oven of 99 degrees and humidity flat sucked the
breath right out of your body.

Tristan forgot himself and said what came to mind.  "Son of a bitch!  Some great
place this is!  Hotter than hell and the humidity of a sauna to go with it."

"Tristan!  Watch your mouth!" Randy warned, but thinking almost exactly the same
thing.

They trudged across the parking lot, already the sweat was pouring off of them,
and found their rental car.  Both of them grabbed the black metal door handles
after Randy unlocked it.

"Ouch! This damn thing is HOT!" Randy hissed.  "I think I just burnt my
fingers!"

"God damn son of a BITCH!"  Tristan cussed as he burnt his fingers too.  He
growled to himself, "I didn't think I could hate this place any worse until
now!"

They put their bags in the back seat and got the air conditioning cranked up on
Maximum and let the car cool down a little before closing the doors.  Thankfully
they found their motel without too much trouble....they had to go around a
couple of blocks before they found the entrance to the place, but finally they
were parked under the overhang of the front door and parked by the sign that
said "Parking For Registering Guests Only".  The motel itself was a huge thing!
It covered about half a city block and was 10 stories high and the parking lot
took up the rest of the block.

Inside the car the temperature had just become bearable and they braced
themselves for the blast furnace heat they knew was waiting for them outside.
They breathed in the cool air, shut off the car, and opened the car doors to
walk through the hellish heat.  Entering the motel they were met with a blast of
cold, humid air.  Tristan shivered a little as they made their through the
humungous lobby of this place to the registration desk.  Oh sure, Tristan had
seen motels that big before but he never had stayed at one and where everything
was so fancy.  Obviously by the decor this was an expensive place to stay.

"Gentlemen.  Welcome to Quality Suites Inn.  Did you have a registration?" the
desk clerk inquired in a carefully neutral voice.

"Yes, we do," replied Randy.  I have a room with two beds in my name, Randall
Cochran for tonight and tomorrow night."

"Oh.  Here it is.  Yes sir, the room deposit has been paid in advance.  If you
would please register and also include the information on your vehicle."  The
clerk was being polite, but there was an underlying coolness to his Texas twang.
Randy quickly filled out the registration card and signed it.  The clerk "There
we are.  Your room number is 925 and the elevators are around the corner to the
right.  Would you care to have some assistance with your bags?"

"No thank you," Randy replied.  "We can handle them ourselves.  By the way,
where is the most convenient place to park my car?"

"One of our young men can park your car for you sir and bring your bags if you
wish.....or if you wish to do it yourself you should park on that side of the
building near door 'D'," the desk clerk informed him disdainfully.

"Thank you.  We're used to doing things for ourselves where I come from," Randy
answered, a little irritated by the superior attitude of the desk clerk and
speaking back to him as Randy turned to walk away.

"OK, Tristan, let's park the car and go up to our room."  Out into the heat they
went and parked out in a parking lot the size of which belonged to a supermarket
or a mall.  Then they trudged the distance to the outside door marked "D".  Once
inside they had to scout around a bit before discovering the elevator around the
corner to take them to their 9th floor room.  Pressing the buttons that ran the
elevator, Tristan was amazed by the feminine voice announcing the elevator's
actions--"9th Floor Selected....Closing Doors Now."  And then the sick kind of
feeling in their stomach as the elevator zoomed them upwards.

"At 9th Floor....Opening Doors Now" went the elevator voice again as the
elevator retrofired to a stop.  Randy and Tristan shook their heads in disbelief
to each other before disembarking and wandered down the hallway to find their
room.  After a false turn or two they found the correct sequence of room
numbers.....921, 923, there it was, 925!  Sliding the credit card type key into
the door slot, the locking mechanism clicked and they opened the door to their
room......wait a minute, it wasn't just room!  It was like they had walked into
the living room of somebody's house!  There was a couch and chairs and huge
television and a VCR and then there was a bar with a fridge and a little stove,
and a microwave oven even!

"What you look at this place!" Randy breathed.  "Those boys must really want me
bad to put us up in this kind of setup!"

"Where's the beds?  Are we supposed to sleep on the couch or something?" Tristan
asked with a sneer.

Randy had to smile at the dumb question.  "No, I think there must be a couple of
beds and a bathroom right behind this set of double doors.....ah ha!  Would you
look at this!"

Tristan walked over to his dad in front of the open doors and gaped at the
sumptuous bedroom...complete with two queen-sized beds and another huge
television set and VCR.  Off to one side was an obviously huge bathroom!  "I
hope we're not paying to stay in this place....must cost at least a hundred
bucks a night to stay here or something," Tristan said deprecatingly.

"No, I think two hundred a night would be more like it.....I can't believe they
would put us up in a suite like this--I'm only being looked at as a plant
manager.  This would be the treatment they would give to a company president!
Doesn't that make you feel wanted, Tristan?"

"Right.  Sure, dad.  This isn't the place I want to be and no fancy motel room
is going to make me change my mind."

"Well, I can tell....but why don't we change into some cooler clothes and drive
around a little and find a place to eat?  I'm pretty hungry since that little
snack on the plane didn't do much for me.  What do you want to eat, tacos,
chicken, or a place with steaks and a salad bar maybe?"

"Nah.  I'm not hungry.  You go and then bring me back a burger from Burger
King."

"No, that's not what I had planned.  I want you to come with and see the town
some and eat."

"I don't want to.  I hate the hot weather they have here, I don't want to see
this crappy town, I don't want sit someplace and eat, and I'm staying right here
and watching TV!" Tristan plopped his butt down on the bed.

"TRISTAN!  DON'T BE SUCH A PAIN IN THE ASS!  NOW LET'S GO!"

"NO!"

"YES YOU ARE!" and Randy tried pulling Tristan over to his luggage.

Tristan pulled back equally hard while protesting loudly, "YOU CAN'T MAKE ME GO
WHEN I DON'T WANT TO!  WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO, HIT ME UNTIL I DO WHAT YOU
WANT?"

That outburst put a halt to everything.  Randy stopped dead still and just
glared at Tristan.  "You seem bound and determined that you are going to ruin
what could have been a good time together exploring this town.  Well, since you
aren't going to allow that to happen, you can just stay here by yourself.  I
have to learn my way around the town and I'm hungry so I'm going.  Don't bother
calling for room service because I won't pay their prices for having food
delivered to the room.  I'll bring you your Burger King junk food when I come
back.  And don't leave the motel.  Got it?"

"Good.  I got it," was Tristan's sullen reply.

"I don't understand what has gotten into you, Tristan.  It's like you are a
different person than the son I used to have.  I thought this would be an
adventure we could do together and so far it's been no fun at all.  Think about
it. I'll be back in a couple of hours."  Having said that, Randy turned and left
the room after making sure Tristan had his own key for the room.

Tristan sat there in the room, hating everything and feeling hopelessly alone.
Man, could he and David have had fun if only he was there.  Bored out of his
mind besides, Tristan turned on the TV and started channel flipping.  There
wasn't anything on the boob tube that caught his interest and soon he was
ignoring the television.  The literature displayed tastefully on a small table
caught his eye next.  He leafed through promotional literature about Lubbock
(none of which interested him) and then found the motel guide which included a
map of the huge, plush motel.  It looked like the place had a swimming pool
complete with a water slide, a hot tub of gigantic proportions, and an exercise
room.

"Might as well check this place out," Tristan thought to himself.  "Got nothing
better to do in this beastly hot town--sure as hell don't want to go outside
until midnight at least!"  Tristan prepared to go exploring and thinking in the
back of his head that he might want to try out the pool, stripped off his
clothes to change into his swimsuit.  Standing there naked, it occurred to
Tristan this was the first time in over two weeks that he was by himself.  It
sent a stabbing pain into his heart to realize again how much he was missing
David, but he also thought about how good it was to have a little privacy again.

He thought about what his dad had said.  Was he a different person now?  Naked,
he walked into the bathroom and flipped on the lights to look at himself in the
mirror.  The face that looked back at him through sad brown eyes was certainly
his.  His curly dark brown hair was the same as always too.  But yet, he did
feel different.  The realization began to dawn on him that he wasn't the same
person who went to the Brandt farm two weeks ago.  He wasn't a boy unsure of his
sexuality anymore.  Instead, he now knew without a doubt that he was gay...and
that he had given his virginity to David, his boyfriend, his lover.  And to him,
David was the most handsome and beautiful example of the male species on this
planet.  Was it any wonder that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with
David and continue sharing the love they had?  And why did things have to get so
complicated all of a sudden with this damned move to Texas?  And his dad was
being so dense!  He would never understand why Tristan didn't want to move
unless Tristan admitted his feelings for David...but that meant he had to tell
his dad he was gay.  What would happen then?  That line of thought was too
scary, and Tristan abandoned it.  Instead, he wondered what David was doing at
that moment.

If only Tristan could have looked through the mirror and seen David looking into
his own mirror at home during that very same moment.  Was it ESP, the connection
of two people who had become bonded together, or was it plain old coincidence
that they were both searching in the mirror for something at the same time?

Whatever you believe was the cause, David was in fact standing in front of the
mirror in his bedroom, staring at his own reflection.  At that moment that
reflection looked nothing like the image of beauty Tristan visualized.  Totally
depressed and out of sorts, David looked like crap.  His hair was dirty and
sticking out in all directions, and his normally clear blue sparkling eyes were
red and shrouded with a despondent loneliness.  He couldn't believe how much he
was missing the warm sunshine of Tristan's love and enthusiasm for everything
they did together.  It didn't matter that the real sun had been shining all day
because the inner sunshine was missing from his life and his heart.

It had been the longest day of David's life, he was sure of it.  He had laid
around and watched TV for a while in the morning, but his favorite programs
didn't even interest him.  Then at lunchtime his dad told him that the grass
needed mowing and since David was home again he could tend to his usual chores.
David was glad to have something to do since for once in his life food was not
appealing....he picked at and nibbled on his lunch enough to satisfy his mother,
but it wasn't because he felt like eating.

Normally David enjoyed mowing the lawn, but today had been pure torture.  Even
though he knew Tristan wasn't there, he would turn the corner of the house and
expect Tristan to be there, mowing the lawn with him like they did at the farm
only a few days ago.  His guts would twist and hurt every time he realized anew
that Tristan was gone.

After mowing the grass his younger brother, James, wanted to play some
basketball so they did for a while.  Jimmy, which is what everyone called him,
was a younger version at age 12 of David.  He was a cute kid with the same blue
eyes and blonde hair as David, and he was a pretty good kid except that he was a
real pest sometimes.  Jimmy was forever wanting to hang out with David and do
whatever it was that David was doing.

They played basketball for a while and Jimmy's enthusiasm was unrestrained.
Jimmy had missed his older brother and hero figure and he had found an
opportunity for them to do something together.  But it wasn't long before Jimmy
could tell David's heart wasn't in it.  "What's wrong with you David?" Jimmy
questioned.  "You are such a wussy today, I can even beat you playing man to man
today.  Like are you sick or something?"

"Yeah, my stomach hurts today," David had replied truthfully while thinking that
it really sucked when his 12 year old younger brother could waste him playing
basketball.  Never before had that happened!

Jimmy got all concerned and told him, "You better go lay down or something cuz
you don't look like you're feeling so good."

"Guess you're right, maybe we can play basketball tomorrow or something, 'k
dude?" David turned and went into the house, his eyes brimming with tears.
"Damn," David thought to himself.  "I can't believe I'm missing Tristan so much
that I'm crying like a wuss.  Jimmy is right, I AM just a wuss today.  Why does
Tristan have to move, anyway!"  He ducked up the stairs to his room and shut the
door.  After locking the door he stood there in the middle of his room, not
knowing what he wanted to do.  His eyes burned from the tears which still
threatened, and he wondered if Jimmy could tell that he was crying so he checked
in the mirror.   As he stood there noting his red and swollen eyes and
disheveled appearance, David couldn't help but think of Tristan all those miles
away and wonder what his boyfriend was doing that very moment in Lubbock....

"But what does David see in me when he looks at me," Tristan wondered as he
continued to stand in front of the mirror. Tristan never wanted to really look
at himself in the mirror before but right now, today at this moment, he looked
at his reflection with an appraising eye.

He saw a nude guy standing there in the mirror, a teenager well on his way to
being a fully developed man.  There he was, all 6'1" and 175 pounds of him, with
the fresh and raw sex appeal only a teenager can have.  There wasn't a pound of
excess fat on his lean body, and some muscle definition was there, average for a
guy who hadn't been doing any weight training.   Tristan looked critically at
what he had had to offer...a very respectable 5-inch cut cock hanging there over
two good-sized balls.  As for body hair, there was just the right amount.  Of
course there was the hair crowning his family jewels and dangling cock, but it
also spread upwards to a trail of dark curly hair leading to his navel.  The
skinnydipping he and David did out at the farm had tanned his skin a nice shade
of brown...there wasn't a bit of pale skin anywhere.  Tristan thought all in all
that maybe he wasn't that bad looking.  David was gorgeous, but at least he
wasn't ugly or some such thing.

In the bright light of the bathroom he could see fine hairs growing on his
breastbone and spreading towards his dark nickel-sized nipples.  Then there was
the hair that was becoming visible on his face.  He needed to shave his
mustache, the darn thing was growing enough now so that he needed to shave it
along with the fuzz that was beginning to appear on his cheeks.  "Yup, I'm no
longer a boy, I am a man and I know how to use a man's tools," Tristan thought
to himself as he finished his appraisal of his nakedness. He swung his hips a
few times to make his dick sway, and then hefted it and thought, "Yup,
definitely a man's tool."

Tristan walked back into the bedroom to search in his luggage for his swimsuit.
It was the baggy style of swimsuit that hung down and effectively disguised his
assets.  He pulled his shorts over the swimsuit, stuffing all the extra
unnecessary cloth of the swimsuit into his shorts.  "Gotta find a swim suit that
isn't so damn bulky and makes me look good so I can show off for David," Tristan
thought to himself as he struggled to button the shorts.  "Maybe one of those
hot Speedo kind, wouldn't that make David's eye's pop open?"  Tristan kind of
giggled to himself at that thought.  Pulling a T-shirt over his head, he picked
up the card key to the room, jumped into his shoes and went to explore the
motel.

The place was huge!  Tristan went down the talking elevator again to the main
floor and wandered around some before he found the pool area.  The darn place
was huge!  No one was in the swimming pool area and Tristan kept exploring.
Next to the pool area was an exercise room with all the appropriate equipment.
There was a young man in there, a good-looking Latino guy working out on the
weight machine.  Tristan checked him out but just a little, since Tristan wasn't
really interested in anyone else except David.

Tristan wandered back over to the pool and decided he might as well try out the
water since he had nothing better to do.  He walked over to the nearest table
and shed the clothes he was wearing over his swimsuit.  Then he tested the water
temperature with his foot, and decided that it wasn't bad at all, in fact it was
about the only thing that felt good about the whole trip to Lubbock!

Tristan walked over to the deep end of the pool and gracefully dove into the
water, swimming under the surface as far as he could until he came up at the
shallow end.  He more or less sat up in the water, got up on his feet and shook
the water out of his eyes before seeing the Latino guy sitting in a chair nearby
watching him.

"Hey," the Latino guy said in a clear voice.  "You here by yourself?" he asked.

"Ooofff, you surprised me," Tristan responded in a rather startled tone.

"Sorry.  I saw you come into the exercise room and then go in here by yourself
so I was wondering if you were here by yourself."

Here was this complete stranger to him, only a couple of years older than he was
asking if he was here by himself.  Tristan wasn't sure how to handle it.
Despite the fact he was a stranger, the Latino was good looking and he sure
seemed to be friendly.  Tristan decided he would just have to play it safe, but
it was nice to have someone to talk to just the same.  He was so lonely there in
Lubbock without his David.

"I'm here with my dad...he's coming down later he said."

"So what brought you and your dad to Lubbock?" asked the guy in the liquid
accent of Spanish speaking Americans.

"My dad is taking a promotion to be the general manager of the Clark Equipment
Plant here."

"Oh.  And what's your name?"

"Tristan.  Tristan Cochran.  How about yours?"

"Manuel Cortez, but people I know call me Manny."

"Are you here with your family too?"

That question caused a grimace of pain to flash across Manny's face.  "Nada, I
mean no," he said with an undercurrent of emotion.  "I don't live my family
anymore.  I work here as a bellboy and when I'm off work I spend some time
working out.

"Your body shows it too!  You have a great looking body!" Tristan's appreciation
of Manny's body was quite evident before he caught himself maybe wondering about
Manny's physical attributes under those gym shorts maybe a little too much.  He
tore his gaze away from Manny and at the same time he felt guilty for even
thinking like that when he was so in love with David.  His mood plummeted back
into the abyss of despair once again.

"Hey gringo, is somethin' wrong with you?  You seem to be lower than a snake's
belly in the desert," Manny said in an affected Texan drawl.

Tristan couldn't help himself and laughed a little at that ridiculous line
before smiling crookedly back at Manny for a second.  "Yeah, something is big
time wrong.  My dad wants to move here and I'm leaving someone I love a whole
lot behind.  And we just found out we love each other this summer."  Tristan
heaved a huge sigh as if to underscore the soap opera moment.

"That's very sad.  That's a real nice chain and medallion you're wearing there.
Is it from this person you love so much that you are leaving behind?" Manny
asked seemingly innocently.  Manny was getting the feeling that maybe, just
maybe, Tristan was like him, a hoto, Spanish slang for a guy attracted to other
guys.  Why else would a guy wear a chain with a medallion of two boy's heads on
it?  Manny could see the design quite clearly from where he sat...

Tristan reached up and touched the medallion with the first two fingers of his
left hand.  "Yeah, David gave this to me," came out of his mouth automatically
and as soon as he finished saying the words he realized what he had just
admitted to this complete stranger.  Normally Tristan didn't blush very easily,
but right then his face was burning from the blush that flashed upwards towards
his face!  Panic-stricken, Tristan was at a complete loss for words at that
point.  He didn't know what he should say next and so he just stood there in the
water, looking at Manny and waiting for some kind of negative reaction, still
touching the medallion.

"Hey gringo, its kewl.  Don't get all freaked out on me here.  I already figured
you were gay and all you did was remove any doubt," Manny said with a big smile
on his face, his pearly white teeth gleaming against his darker complexioned
face.

"You gotta be kidding!  How could you tell....I mean like I just figured it out
for myself a couple of weeks ago," Tristan asked incredulously.

"It's like the little things, dude.  I noticed that you checked me out twice
now.....once when you walked past the exercise room and again here.  And then
you didn't say it was a girl that you loved and are leaving behind....and the
final tip off was that medallion of yours.   Which I really like, by the way,"
Manny explained.  "Usually I can spot another gay person in like ten seconds."

"Another gay person?  You mean you are too?" Tristan asked in a rush.  "Wow.  I
never would have thought it.  It's like so amazing who I have been finding out
is gay like one of my other friends at home, his name is Jason, and he's gay too
and I just found out about him yesterday."  Tristan was practically babbling as
the words just came bursting out.

"Whoa there, guy.  Slow down a little."  Manny was laughing at Tristan's
reaction to their mutual revelation of being gay.  "I've got a whole hour of
free time yet so we plenty of time here if you wanna talk or swim together or
whatever," Manny offered.  To Manny Tristan was an exotic Northerner and he was
intrigued by Tristan's reaction, Tristan obviously having been recently
initiated into gay life.

"Let's talk if that's ok with you." Tristan really needed someone to talk to
about all the feelings that were trapped inside of him.  And miraculously here
in the hotel at Lubbock was a guy about his age that accepted him and seemed to
be so friendly.  Tristan climbed out of the pool and grabbed a towel from the
stack provided by the hotel and dried himself off a little before pulling a
chair closely in front of Manny so they could talk.

In an amazingly short time Tristan had told Manny all about David and how they
had become lovers while they stayed on the farm.  Manny was very interested and
asked lots of questions and laughed and expressed his amazement over and over.
He whistled a low whistle when he heard how Tristan had shot David in the balls
with a BB gun.  "You are so lucky to have a boyfriend you can love," Manny told
Tristan enviously.

"Heck, with your looks you could have a boyfriend in no time," Tristan replied.

Manny sighed wearily.  "That's my problem.  I can have most men I want but none
of them want me to love me."

"How can you say that?  If I wasn't already in love with David I would take you
home and keep you all for myself!" Tristan said indignantly.

"You would?  No wonder you and David are so right for each other.  You have a
heart the size of Texas.  I hope it is big enough to still like me.....you see
Tristan, I am a paid slut.  Now you can hate me."

"What do mean?  And I don't hate you."

"I mean I work here as bellhop part of the time and then at night I usually
spent it with different men who want to have sex with me."

"No.  Really?   Is that what you want?"

"NO!  But is the way I can make enough money to take care of myself and to be
able to go to college some day.   I am going to be a somebody one day...instead
of Manny, the nobody slut."

"Manny, you are a great guy.  I mean I wouldn't have talked to you about my
secrets otherwise.  You are so easy to talk to.  If I have to move to Lubbock, I
would like to be your friend.  I can't be your boyfriend, but I will be your
friend."

"You mean it?  That is so terrifically cool, even if you are a gringo.  Yes,
from now on we are amigos."

"Amigos?  What's that?"

Manny smacked his hand against his forehead.  "I forget you don't know any
Spanish since you are a northern gringo.  Amigo means 'friend'-a real good
friend.  If you need anything at all while you are staying here, just ask me and
I will try my hardest to get it for you, Si?"

"No prob Manny.  Hey, I need to be getting back to my room cuz my dad is
probably worried.  Hope to see you later, Amigo!  If I don't and we move here,
I'll be sure I come and find you, OK?"

"OK.  That's a deal Amigo."

Tristan and Manny shook hands first and then gave each other a real quick hug to
cement the new bond of friendship.   And then Tristan had to go.

When Tristan made it back to the hotel room, his dad was already back.   A
Burger King sack was sitting on the counter of the kitchenette area and by the
sound of things his dad was just finishing taking a shower because the water
shut off right then.  The wet swimsuit was chaffing his legs and especially his
package so Tristan opened the door and went into the bedroom where he left his
suitcase and changed into some dry, comfortable clothes.  As he was pulling up
his shorts and fastening them the bathroom door opened and out came his dad.  It
was a shock for both them!  Tristan didn't expect to see his dad coming out of
the bathroom in the buff and obviously Randy didn't think Tristan would be in
the bedroom since the door was closed like it would have been if they were at
home.

Both of them froze, not knowing what to do for the space of a couple of seconds.
The image of his dad's nakedness burned itself into Tristan's consciousness.
Tristan had seen his dad bare from the waist up, and occasionally even when just
his boxers on, but Tristan didn't remember seeing his dad nude before.  For an
old guy, his dad wasn't too bad looking, Tristan thought.  There was only a hint
of love handles around his dad's waist and then there was the dark expanse of
chest hair spreading across his pecs and tapering down to his dad's sex, it too
generously framed by a dark bush.  His dad's sex.....wow!  Tristan realized
immediately from whom he had inherited his male equipment.  His dad was hung!
Large, low-hanging balls were matched with an impressive uncut cock, the tip of
which was barely showing under the foreskin.  The strong masculine image of his
dad standing there naked reminded Tristan of the magnificent maleness of the
bull and the stud horse he had seen in all their glory at the Brandt farm only a
few days ago!  Involuntarily Tristan's cock was reacting to the combined stimuli
of seeing his dad naked and remembering the animal's display of sexual prowess
he had seen at the farm.

While Tristan was still recovering from the shock of the moment and absorbing
the sight of his dad's nudity Randy reacted by speaking first.  "OH!  Ummmmm.
Well, this is a surprise Tristan.  I didn't expect you would be back and come in
here when I was showering."

For the second time within an hour Tristan's face grew hot and he forced his
eyes back to meet his dad's.  "Uhhhhh, yeah Dad.  I went swimming and wanted to
change out of my wet suit and my suitcase was in here and I didn't think you
would come out of the bathroom.......ahhhhh.....naked.

While Tristan was speaking Randy moved over to his open suitcase, his pendulous
cock swaying as he moved, and stood with his back to Tristan.  That hid his
dad's awesome sex tool, but then it gave Tristan the complete view of his rear.
Tristan noted how the hair on his dad's legs continued right up to his ass
checks and stopped, only to reappear in the small of his dad's back.  All of
this was too much for Tristan.  By this time he had thrown a full fledged boner
and he had to get out of there quick before his dad could notice.  "I'm go eat
my Burger King, Dad, so you can finish, OK?" Tristan blurted out and then zipped
out of the room, closing the door behind him.

"OK," Randy replied neutrally as Tristan was leaving.  "Thank God he left,"
Randy added mentally.  Unknown to Tristan, Randy was hiding his reaction to
being naked with his son, albeit unexpectedly.  It had been quite a long time
since he had had sex before his divorce with his ex-wife but he since then
quenched his urges by masturbating whenever they became too demanding.  That too
had been a while ago and to his chagrin his dick had started to fill as he stood
there with Tristan's eyes on him.  Trying to act naturally Randy headed for some
clothes to cover up his growing problem.  His own body's reaction disturbed
Randy and he breathed a huge sigh of relief after Tristan made his quick exit.

For the millionth time in his life, Randy wondered what sex with another man
would be like.  Hastily he abandoned that thought as it was only intensifying
his condition.   Being caught naked unexpectedly in a room with another male had
stirred him but why on God's earth did it have to happen to be his son instead
of some other guy, like maybe that accountant at the plant back home?  Oh no,
that wasn't good to think about either...not with Tristan around.  Randy
finished dressing quickly and straightened up everything before going out to
check on Tristan.  He didn't think Tristan had noticed anything, but he was on
the alert for any changes in Tristan's attitude towards him.  But, lately
Tristan had been acting so differently Randy wondered how he could tell
anyway....

Tristan had the TV on and had eaten the Burger King food except for some limp
looking french fries and was slurping out the last of the chocolate shake.

"Get enough to eat?" Randy asked.

"Yeah.  It was fine.  I wasn't all that hungry anyway."

They amused themselves the rest of the time by watching a couple of pay per view
movies in the room.  It was almost like they were home in their own front room
watching a video cuz they popped some microwave popcorn and had sodas and
watched the TV.

About 10 o'clock the second movie finished and they were tired of watching TV
and since tomorrow promised to be a very busy day Randy suggested they go to
bed.  Tristan had nothing better to do and was bored out of his mind...except
that he was really missing David.  The thought of sleeping alone without David
was like totally depressing and made him desperately wish they were together.

Tristan hesitantly looked over at his dad.  "Ummmmm.  Hey Dad, could I call
David just for a little bit and tell him about flying to Lubbock and this fancy
motel?  Could I pul-leeeze?"  Tristan was practically begging and it showed in
the tone of his voice.

That more than anything made Randy relent since his first instinct was to
refuse.  "OK, here's the telephone credit card but keep it short.  No more than
10 minutes.  Do you know how to make it work?"

"Yeah Dad.  Don't you remember you showed me last winter when I went on that
school trip?"

"OH yeah.  Well, I'll go get ready for bed.  When you finish your call then you
can jump into your own bed, ok?"

"ALLRIGHT!  Thanks a lot Dad!"

Randy got up and went into the bedroom, and he closed the door!  Tristan was so
excited and nervous his hands were shaking as he tried dialing the phone.  It
took him three tries before he completed the correct sequence of numbers for
both the credit card and David's home number.  Finally, finally David's phone
was ringing.  "Please God, let David be home so I can talk to him," Tristan
beseeched.

"Hello."  It was David's dad.

"Oh hi, Dan.  This is Tristan and I'm calling from Lubbock.  Can I talk to David
please?" Tristan asked in a breathless rush.

"Sure.  Just a minute.  DAVID, TRISTAN IS ON THE PHONE!  So how are things down
in Lubbock, Tristan?"  Dan continued after shouting for David.

"Hot.  REALLY hot.  I haven't seen much of the town yet--we do that tomorrow."

"Hey Tristan.  Dad, you can hang up now..."  An excited and impatient David had
joined them on the phone.  Click.  "Tris-dude, you still there?" David asked.

"Hey babe, how are ya?  I've been like missing you so bad today!  Dad said I
could call ya but we can only talk ten minutes."  Tristan was talking a mile a
minute, he was so anxious to talk to David as much as possible in the limited
amount of time they had to talk.

"Same here, dude.  I'm really, really glad you called.  I swear today has been
the longest day of my life!  So how was the airplane trip?  And where are you
at?"

"Oh David, it would have been so cool if you coulda been with me.  We had first
class seats and the stewardess asked me right away when we sat down if I wanted
something to drink and I thought she meant alcohol and so I asked her and she
got this funny look on her face...it was sooooo funny you woulda died laughing.
Then we changed planes in Dallas and got on this dinky little thing that you
couldn't stand up in to fly to Lubbock and when we got here it was like sooooooo
HOT I burned my fingers opening the car door."  Tristan paused to take a
breath...

"So where ya staying dude?" David reminded Tristan of his earlier question.

"We're at the Quality Suites Inn and David, you can't believe it either!  Like
right now I'm out in the front room....we're staying in a suite!  It has like a
living room and a kitchen all in one and dad is in the bedroom getting ready for
bed.  We each have our own huuuuge bed to sleep in...like me and you and my dad
could all sleep in one bed they are that big!  And this place has a really nice
pool that I went swimming in today....I was so bored without ya.  So what did
you do today?"

"Not much 'cept wish you were here.  I mowed the lawn and played a little
basketball with Jimmy.  Tris, he wasted me!  I couldn't play worth a crap cuz I
was missing you so bad!  And then tonight Jason came over and kept me company.
I called him and he came over."

"Awwwww Davey!  So you did really miss me!  How are we gonna be able to stay
apart?  I can't live without you babe..." Tristan barely got that last part out
cuz he was choking up.

"I know.  Same here.  Now don't start crying Tris or else I will too and I don't
want my family to see me do that.  Tris, if Jason hadn't have come over tonight
I would have gone crazy, I swear!"

"It really helps to be able to talk with ya, even if it's only for 10 minutes.
Davey, do you think you could like maybe call me tomorrow night...I don't think
my dad will let me call you again tomorrow."

"I don't know if my folks will let me...but I'll try.  I need the phone number
though."

"Kay.  Ummmmm.  Here it is, 817-xxx-xxxx.  We're in room 925."

"Got it dude!  I wrote it on my hand.  I'll try to call you, say about this same
time tomorrow night?"

"Yeah, that would be perfect!  Hey babe, my dad just told me my time's up, I
gotta go.  Davey, I'm missing you so much but Wednesday I'll be back and then we
can like really get together, you know what I mean?"

"Can't be soon enough for me, Tris-dude.  Hey Tris," and David's voice dropped
down to a whisper here, " I....uh....just wanted to tell you how much I missed
you today....and uh.....you know."

"Know what babe?  I can't hardly hear ya," Tristan's heart was in his throat.
Was David really gonna say it?

"You know.  Tris, hurry home kay?"

Tristan's eyes filled with tears and his heart felt it was gonna bust right out
of his chest, it was so full of love for David!  Brokenly he answered back,
"Davey-babe, I love you so much I'd fly there right now if I had wings."

David was close to tears again himself and he was barely able to hang on to his
composure.  He had to get off the phone before he was crying.  "I would too.
Thanks a whole lot for calling, dude!"

"Anytime, babe.  Anytime.  Talk to ya tomorrow I hope!"

"Yeah.  Bye Tris."

"Bye Davey."  Tristan hung up the phone and just sat there staring at it for a
minute, trying to gather enough composure to be able to face his dad without the
tears in his eyes showing.  Wiping his eyes with his fingertips he took a deep
breath and went to bed after changing into his sleep shorts and T-shirt in the
bathroom.

He was tired!  It had been an emotionally draining day and he hoped he could
fall asleep without David's warm comforting presence next to him.  He smiled to
himself though as he replayed their phone conversation over and over as he
drifted off to sleep.  David almost actually did it!  Well, he almost said that
he loved Tristan without Tristan saying it first!  Yahoo!  That thought chased
him down to the depths of an exhausted slumber.

Tristan's was having the strangest dream...he could hear a siren, but like it
would come and go.  The noise of the siren would swell and then soften, swell
and then soften.  His sleep-fogged brain couldn't figure it out.  What jolted
him out of his sound sleep was the startling blare of the fire horn right
outside their room.  Tristan jerked up into a sitting position and fumbled for
the light switch.  He could hear his dad doing the same exact thing.  Finally
they got a light turned on and looked at each other, eyes wide open with
apprehension.

"Tristan, get some clothes on!" Randy yelled over the noise of the fire horn at
first and then it suddenly stopped, leaving Randy shouting against the silence
around them.

Just as soon as Tristan went to answer, "What for?" the fire horn began its
blare once more.  His dad motioned urgently for Tristan to get moving as he was
climbing into his clothes as quickly as possible.  Then the unbearable noise of
the fire horn stopped once more.

"Something really wrong is going on, could be a bad fire or something to make
the horn keep going on and off!" Randy exclaimed as he was stuffing himself into
his pants and hurriedly tucking his shirt in.  "A kid playing a prank wouldn't
cause it to turn on again after it was shut off.  Hurry up and get dressed,
Tristan, for God's sake!"

As Tristan was fumbling for his clothes, the speaker system in the hall went
silent...the elevator music was dead!  At any other time Tristan would have
rejoiced to have that boring old music stopped but now it frightened him even
more.  What was happening?  He didn't have long to wonder.  A voice began to
speak and the sound of it reverberated through the walls....sheesh, they must
have turned up the volume to the max!

"Attention everyone.  A tornado has been sighted on the ground and it heading
directly our way.  Those guests near the parking garage are encouraged to
proceed immediately to the underground level via the central hallway.  All other
guests on floors 4 through 10 are to go into their bathrooms and cover
themselves with their blankets and pillows.  Please do so immediately, the
tornado is nearby."  Then the same voice began to blare out the message in
Spanish.

Randy ripped open the curtains and looked outdoors.  What before was a brightly
lit cityscape was now darkness, with sheets of rain driven by the fury of the
wind beating against the window.  Not far very far away flashes of light like
explosions could be seen through the storm.  "Tristan, grab your pillows and get
your ass into that bathroom RIGHT NOW!  The tornado is only a couple of blocks
away!"

As Randy turned away from the windows a horrible noise began.  There were a few
tentative hail strikes against the wall and the window and then the full fury of
the hail was unleashed.   They could hear the windows being smashed out and the
roar of the hail intensified one hundredfold.  Hail the size of baseballs came
through the window opening and bounced madly around the room.

Tristan screamed, "Come on Dad!  The bathroom!"  Both of them ran for the
bathroom, grabbing as much bedding as they could on their way past the beds.
They dashed into the bathroom, turning on the light and closing the door, then
stood there staring towards the west, waiting for the tornado to pass by.  The
noise of the storm's fury grew and the wind turned from a whistling noise to a
low-pitched roar.  The next thing they knew they were in darkness--the
electricity was out!

And then, the tornado hit their building!  It was if a malicious giant grabbed
the hotel building and tried to wrench it out of the ground.  The building
twisted and moaned deep in its guts as the tornado's fury battered it.    The
bathroom door and the walls shook as if it was an earthquake.  Randy shoved
Tristan into the shower and covered him with the pillows and blankets before
squirming in next to him.  A terrible screech of ripping metal vibrated around
them!

Tristan was shaking and screaming his lungs out with terror, he was sure they
would die!  He could feel his dad's arms wrapped around him and holding him in a
bear hug, while his dad was gasping out moans of fright.

Then, the building quit shaking.  They had survived the tornado!  Just as they
found their way to the door and opened it the enraged thunderstorm threw its
next wave of devastation!  Torrents of rain gushed down in the inky darkness of
the night, unbroken by any man made light.  Only the lightening stabbing down
from the angry, roiling clouds illuminated the trashed cityscape.

The wind and the rain blasting through the broken windows was ice cold and
everything was dark...they couldn't see a thing.   Randy pushed Tristan back
into the bathroom behind him and closed the door again.  Randy said in a shaky
voice, "We're safe here, and we'll be able keep pretty dry so let's just wait
for things to die down a little."  He slid to the floor, sitting in the heap of
blankets and pillows lying there.

Tristan slowly lowered himself down next to his dad, still shaking and scared,
his throat sore from screaming.  Tristan verbalized what was in his head at that
very moment, "Oh God, I thought we were gonna die here....and I would never be
able to hold David again and tell him that I love him."

Randy twisted around where he sat and stared through the darkness at Tristan.
"What did you just say?" he demanded.