Date: Wed, 1 May 2013 19:24:59 -0400
From: crazy4u <rnielsen47@gmail.com>
Subject: The Man From Swift Current Chapter 62, GM College, High School

Comments on the story are appreciated and may be addressed to the author,
Russ Nielsen (rnielsen47@gmail.com).  To read more of my stories, you can
find them at my story site - http://www.saskboystories.blogspot.com

All the usual disclaimers apply.  This is a work of pure fiction. Any
similarities to persons living or dead are coincidental.  If it is illegal
to read this where you live, don't read it. If you are under legal age
where you live, don't read it.

This story contains descriptions of consensual sexual contact between adult
males.  Passing through Nifty's main page to get here is your way of saying
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*** ***

Chapter Sixty Two – Rick On Active Duty

Rick lay awake in the barracks, listening to the measured breathing of his
fellow Marines. He'd been giving a lot of thought to his relationship with
Glenn since he'd left Atlanta. The weeks had flown by since he was kept so
busy during the day; but the nights had been very long and lonely. All of
the other guys showed off the photos of their families and girlfriends; but
he had kept silent when these exchanges began.  He often would walk away
from them to avoid the questions that inevitably come his way if he didn't
join the "show and tell" event.

He knew the guys were homesick and were trying to make themselves feel
better; but it only made it harder for him, because he didn't want to talk
about the relationship he had with Glenn.  It was quite by accident that
he'd shown Glenn's photo to his best buddy.  His thoughts went back to that
event.

*** ***

Rick's wallet had fallen out of his pocket onto the floor of the
barracks. His friend, Sam, had followed him inside to change into some
fresh fatigues before going to dinner at the mess hall. Sam bent down and
retrieved Rick's wallet from the floor. Before handing it back, Sam had
opened it and noticed Glenn's photo.

"Who's this?" Sam asked, glancing up at Rick.

Rick looked to see what Sam was talking about. "That's my roommate. We
share a condo in Atlanta where we go to school."  Rick tried to keep the
nervousness out of his voice.

Sam took the photo out of its protective cover and read the back. "To my
favorite guy," it said. "You two must be pretty good friends," Sam
commented.

Rick's mind raced as he tried to think of what to say in order to avoid
revealing just how close he and Glenn had become.  Then, he remembered that
he also had a photograph of Keith and Kerry.  "Yeah, he and his cousin,
Keith, are my best friends in the whole world. There's a photo of Keith and
his wife in my wallet as well."

Rick took the wallet from Sam's hand and pulled the photo of Keith and
Kerry out to show him.

Sam examined the photos. "Wow! They sure look a lot alike. They could be
twins!"

Rick laughed, "Yeah, they like playing tricks on Kerry. Sometimes, she's
not sure who is who. Of course, as soon as they start talking, you know
which one you've got."

"Why is that?" Sam asked.

"Their accents are so different because Glenn grew up in Canada and Keith's
from North Carolina." Seeing Sam's confused look, Rick further explained,
"Their moms' are sisters. Glenn's mom married a guy from Canada and moved
to Saskatchewan."

"Where in the heck is Sask...whatever you said?" Sam asked.

"It's a western province of Canada called Saskatchewan," Rick said
repeating Saskatchewan slowly so Sam could catch all of the
syllables. "Don't worry, Sam! I couldn't say it before Glenn educated me!"
Rick said, laughing.

"Good. I was beginning to feel pretty stupid," Sam said. Sam looked at Rick
for a moment. "You miss them a lot, don't you?"

"Yeah, I do," Rick replied, hoping Sam would drop the subject.

"What about your family? You haven't mentioned anything about them since we
got here," Sam said.

Rick's face contorted into a grimace that reflected his inner turmoil about
his family. He wanted so much to reach out to them; but after their attempt
to physically harm him and Glenn, he wasn't ready to open himself up to
being hurt again.  The silence in the room brought Rick back out of
himself, "I'm sorry, Sam. What did you ask me?"

Sam gave Rick a strange look, "I asked about your family. If I remember
correctly, you told me they live in Selma, North Carolina. See, I haven't
forgotten!" Sam smiled. "It's just that you haven't seemed like your normal
self since we deployed. You used to brag so much about your exploits with
women that we got tired of hearing about them. This time, we haven't heard
one word. In fact, we haven't heard much from you at all. It's like you've
become part of the furniture!"

"I'm sorry, Sam. My parents and I aren't on speaking terms anymore. My
father is in jail for attempting to kill me," Rick said with great
bitterness. His face hardened into an inscrutable mask. "I really don't
want to talk about it Sam. I've been deeply hurt by them and I don't ever
want to see them again."

The venom in his voice hit Sam like a bucket of ice water. He blinked and
said, "Wow! You've got some serious issues with them then. I'd say it
borders on hatred."

Rick responded, "Yes, Sam, it does border on hatred. How would you feel if
your parents not only tried to kill you; but rounded up a posse of
relatives to do their dirty work for them?"

"You can't be serious. That kind of stuff doesn't happen anymore," Sam
said.

Rick laughed, "Then you are totally out of touch with reality, Sam. There's
a lot of hatred out there and people aren't as nice as they seem. I've lost
faith in people. I don't trust them."

Rick thought to himself, "I can't even trust you Sam; because if you knew I
was in love with a guy, you'd turn me in a heartbeat, and I would end up in
the brig."

"Sam, can we talk about something else?" Rick asked, looking over at Sam as
he finished dressing and returned his wallet to the pocket of his pants.

Sam nodded, "Yeah, sure. Just remember, I'm still your friend. I'm here for
you if you ever want to talk about it, okay?"

Rick smiled, "Thanks." Rick put his fist out to be dapped. Sam did the
same. "Are we good?"

Sam replied, "Yeah, we're good!"

They left the barracks and headed across the compound to the mess hall.

Later that evening, Rick lay in his bunk, hoping that Glenn would send a
text message. After a while, Rick decided to send one instead of
waiting. He climbed out of his bottom bunk, pulled his pants on, and
stepped outside.  He sat down in one of the chairs that sat next to the
side of the building. He took out his phone just as it beeped showing that
a text message had arrived. He flipped open his cell and saw it was from
Glenn, "Can u talk?"

Rick hit the speed dial and waited for Glenn to pick up at the other
end. His pulse had quickened at the thought of talking to his lover.

"Rick, I'm glad you called. I need you so badly and I'm falling apart
here," I said.

"What's going on, Glenn?" Rick asked. Rick wondered what was so serious
that Glenn would say he was falling apart.

"I'm trying to decide whether to put all of our stuff in storage, or just
leave it where it is until we both get back. Rick, I feel like I'm
drowning. I've become so dependent on you to keep me going that I'm just
not coping; even with the little things. Ben says I'm a basket case," I
said, trying to lighten it up a bit, but not succeeding.

"Slow down just a bit, Glenn. Let's go back over what's bothering you
before we go any further," Rick said.

I took a deep breath before starting again, "I'm missing you so much I
can't function. Ben says we need to head north to Minnesota, because being
here without you is driving me crazy. When we first got back from our road
trip, I thought everything was going to be okay. I didn't feel so lost. But
today, everywhere I turn, I'm reminded that you're not here with me. Am I
going crazy?" I asked my guy.

Rick didn't answer for a few minutes, "No, you aren't going crazy. I'm
feeling that way myself. Today, Sam tried to get me to talk about my family
and why we aren't on speaking terms anymore. I'm trying not to offend him,
because he's a good friend. I know that if Sam knew, he'd turn me in to the
MPs in a heartbeat. I hate not being able to trust anyone, Glenn. These
guys are like family to me. You don't know how hard it's been these last
few weeks to hold back; always remembering one of them could be the one to
betray me. I didn't think it would be this hard."

"I'm sorry, Rick. I know I'm the one that's caused this mess," I said.

"Stop right there, Glenn. You are not the cause of anything! We've been
over this before so don't even go there. We are going to get through this
together, okay?" Rick asked.

"Okay," I replied.

"Now, as for the condo, leave everything where it is. I want you and Ben to
leave tomorrow for Minnesota. You will be much happier than staying there
at the condo. Promise me you'll do it," Rick said.

"I promise. I knew that talking to you would solve all my problems. I love
you so much," I said.

"I love you, too, Babe. I'll talk to you tomorrow if I can," Rick said.

"Okay, I'll text you and then you can call if you're able to do so," I
said.

"Good night, Babe," Rick said.

"Good night," I said.

Rick flipped his cell shut. He started to get up when he heard someone
approaching. He waited to see who it was and relaxed when he saw it was
Sam. Sam sat down next to him.

"Rick, you've got to stop trying to hide from me. I know that you're not
happy in the Marines, anymore. Your heart is not in it like it used to
be. I need you to talk to me. I'm really worried about you," Sam said.

Rick looked at Sam, thinking, `can I really trust this guy or is he like
every other guy here.' He had heard so much homophobic talk from his fellow
Marines; it made him almost physically ill. It seemed that the entire
Marine Corps was filled with the same kind of people as his parents. He
hadn't seen it that way until his parents turned on him and tried to do him
in because he didn't fit their neat little mold. All the gay bashing going
on in the barracks set his teeth on edge.

"Sam, I'm very disillusioned with the Marine Corps. It seems to me that
many of my fellow Marines are just like my parents and can't be trusted,"
Rick said.

Sam asked, "What do you mean?"

"Sam, I can't trust them anymore. I feel like I'm in the middle of an enemy
encampment; surrounded on all sides by people who will do me in," Rick
said.

"That's some pretty serious stuff you're laying on me, dude. I knew you had
changed; but I didn't think you considered us your enemies," Sam said, his
amazement showing in his voice.

"I don't consider you my enemy, Sam. It's just that I don't know who I can
trust anymore," Rick said.

"Well, let's start with who you DO trust," Sam said, waiting for Rick to
answer.

"I trust my roommate, Glenn, and most of his family," Rick replied.

"Okay, why do you trust them?" Sam asked.

"I trust them because they have stood by me in good times and bad. They are
paying for my college education.  They are always there for me, and they
have embraced me as one of their own. When my parents disowned me, they
were there to keep me from completely falling apart," Rick said, looking
intently at Sam.

Sam reached over and patted Rick on the shoulder, "You've had a rough time
since we last took time to chat. I'm sorry that your family has treated you
so shabbily. Who else do you trust?"

"That's about everyone," Rick said.

"I'm sorry you don't trust me, Rick," Sam said with sadness in his voice.

"It's not that I don't trust you. It's just that I don't know if I can
trust you," Rick said.

Sam said, "Well, I think I can put your mind at ease on that account. I've
already put two and two together. I don't want you to confirm anything or
say anything. I'm just going to say what I think is bothering you, and you
can decide whether you can trust me or not."

Sam paused for a moment and then continued, "Rick, I know that you're in
love with Glenn. You don't have to confirm or deny it. In fact, it's better
that you don't. It's okay with me, and I won't turn you in; but you need to
be much more careful than you have been. If I figured it out, there are
others who will, as well. You need to come out of your self-imposed
exile. The guys are beginning to wonder what's going on."  He put his arm
around Rick's shoulders.  "Rick, I want to help you, okay?"

Rick sat stunned at Sam's statements. He had been so careful; or at least
thought he had been. He knew Sam was right. He needed to try to return to a
sense of normalcy, in order to stave off any further speculation about the
subject.

"Okay, I guess I can trust you. Thank you for being there for me, Sam,"
Rick replied.

Sam responded, "Join us tomorrow for a game of poker and a few beers. It
will be like old times, and the guys will be put at ease about you. Your
mental state is what has all of us worried. We don't want you to snap at a
critical moment. We've got to be able to count on you. Will you come
tomorrow night?"

"Yes, I'll come. Thanks, Sam," Rick said.

"No problem. That's what friends do for friends. Now stop trying to hide
things from me and let me help you. My brother is gay and has a life
partner. My brother is all I have since my parents were killed in a car
accident last year. I've changed my position on gays since I've gotten to
know them better. Our parents' death really shook us both; so we agreed to
stop feuding over his lifestyle, and we've begun to put away a lot of the
hate that had arisen between us. I'm not totally there, yet, but I'm making
an effort," Sam explained.

Rick smiled for the first time during the whole conversation, "Sam, thank
you for talking to me tonight. It helps to know that I'm not completely
alone here."

Sam pulled Rick to his feet, "Let's get some shut eye. We've got a lot of
things to do tomorrow."

Rick followed Sam back into the barracks. He was grateful for Sam. Some of
the pressure he'd been feeling had lessened. Maybe things would work out
after all.

*** ***