Date: Sat, 07 Apr 2007 17:39:48 -0400
From: Sequoyah <sequoyahs-place@charter.net>
Subject: Saga of the Elizabethton Tarheels--Chapter 15

Saga of the Elizabethton Tarheels

Chapter Fifteen

Warning!

The usual warning applies: This story contains erotic events involving
alternative sexualities. Do not read the contents if such will offend you.
If accessing this site causes you to break local laws (village, town, city,
county, province, state, or country, etc.), please leave now or accept the
consequences, should there be any.

By reading or downloading this file you implicitly declare that you accept
total responsibility for your actions in regard to material intended for
mature, responsible members of society capable of making decisions about
the content of documents they wish to read. You are accessing this site of
your own free volition. You have been warned!

Disclaimer

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either
are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously and
any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments,
events or locales is entirely coincidental and/or used fictionally.

Copyright Notice Reminder

This story is copyright by the author and the author retains all rights.
Expressly prohibited is the posting of the story to any sites not approved
by the author or charging for the story in any manner. Single copies may be
downloaded and printed for personal use provided the story remains
unchanged.

Chapter Fifteen

"So, you want to go to the Hemingway Museum first, I suppose," Antwon said
as we started out the estate drive.

"Unless you have another suggestion," Susan said.

"No, I think the museum is a good place to start. Mrs. Metzer said you had
scratched the beach for tonight and she had made reservations for us at a
waterfront restaurant Sharky and I really like. He'll be joining us, as
will the Captain if you don't mind."

"Would be delighted," Bobbie said. "I plan to squeeze every ounce of fun I
can out of this afternoon and evening, and both sound like a great addition
to dinner. I know Sharky is." Her reason was clear when she said, "I am
really angry at Adam for making such an ass of himself."

"If you don't mind my asking, what's his problem. I thought he must be sick
or something," Antwon said. "Oops, a lover's quarrel. Never mind."

"It didn't start as a lover's quarrel, but it's one now!" Bobbie said. "He
is all up tight about ... oops, never mind."

"He's got problems with my being gay? Wow! And he saw Sharky's and my house
and now he's thinking about Dry Tortugas and the fact he'll be on a boat
with two gays -- well, three but he doesn't know that yet. On target?"

"I'll not pretend so he won't look so much like a horse's ass," Bobbie
said. "On target."

"Well, it's his problem, not mine," Antwon said. "I learned a long time ago
that I was who I was and I liked who I had become and that included
admitting I am gay. If someone doesn't like who I am, there is nothing I
can do about it. I do not have a problem -- they have a problem. Anyway, I
take it the rest of you have no problem with my being gay?" He looked at me
in the rear view mirror and gave me a quick wink.

"None at all," John replied.

Bobbie added, "But I bet there are plenty of women who do, simply because
they know they are not going to get in your pants."

Antwon laughed, "Doesn't keep them from trying! You'd be surprised at how
many women take it as a personal challenge, women who'd never think about
trying to seduce a straight guy."

"Ah, but maybe they just like to flirt and know that you are safe," Bobbie
said.

"Could be. Who knows?" We rode in silence for several minutes and then
Antwon said, "Well, here we are. I have been through the museum an awful
lot of times so, if you don't mind, I'll sit this one out. Here's the
tickets and a cell phone.  Give me a call when you are finished and I'll be
back. You can walk around the town and then call if you like. I will need
to pick you up in time for dinner. Our reservations are for 8:00. Let me
know where you are and allow me thirty minutes pick you up and get us to
the restaurant. Ok?"

"Sounds good," Justin answered.

The Hemingway Museum was a very interesting place in its own right, but the
fact that Hemingway had actually lived and worked there made it very
special.  We had, of course, read works by him as well as done research on
the man and his work. In fact, we had done a detailed reading and in-depth
discussion of For Whom the Bell Tolls, which was written while Hemingway
lived in the very house in which we were standing.

Since there were five of us, we had a guide all to ourselves. His name was
Boston Blackie, a retired English teacher who, I'm sure, never had any
trouble keeping students awake. Or maybe he did, because I'm sure the
administration would not approve of some of his approaches to things.

After Adam's comment about Hemingway being gay, I was not surprised when
Bobbie asked, "Was he gay? Hemingway I mean."

"Gal, you give a definitive answer to that and you'll put a lot of graduate
school teachers and students out of business. Depends on who's being
questioned and who's giving answers. Unlike many in my own gay community, I
don't think so. I think he was just a mixed-up, sexually repressed
mid-westerner, but what do I know? Like a lot of other things, what you
read in his work is definitely colored by what you bring to it, namely, you
and your experience. Look at his life -- four wives and all -- and you
could conclude just about anything you want about his sexuality. So was he
gay? Don't know."

After we had been taken on the 'official' tour by Boston Blackie, we
wandered around for another hour with the guide close by to answer any
questions we had. Finally exhausting our questions about the house and
Hemingway, we left the museum.

Without any destination in mind, we just wandered around town, window
shopping. Bobbie and Susan were doing some actual shopping in some of the
really interesting shops, but the three fellows, being fellows, just
wandered around looking. Bobbie and Susan came out of a shop, both carrying
bags of gifts they had purchased. John, Justin, and I had purchased
nothing. "Ok, Jokers," Bobbie chided us, "I know you hate shopping, but you
better find some gifts for folks back home."

"You know she's right," John said. We were standing in front of yet another
gift shop, this one specializing in things nautical. We went inside and all
of us did some serious shopping there. We also did some in several other
shops, ending up with each of us carrying a load of parcels.

Walking down the street, I noticed several couples -- straight and gay --
walking hand-in-hand. "Wouldn't it be nice to be so open with who you are
and who you love?" Justin asked.

I was surprised when Bobbie answered before I could, "That's the way it
should be. So why aren't you two taking advantage of it?"

Needless to say, Justin and I were hardly prepared for that. "You know?" I
asked.

"I think the only people who haven't known for some time were you two,"
Bobbie laughed.

"Adam?" Justin asked.

"Why do you think he is so upset?" Bobbie responded. "After our visit with
Sharky and Antwon, he came back foaming at the mouth about 'god damn ass-
fucking queers.' After he had ranted and raved about Sharky and Antwon like
a complete idiot, he started on you two. Surprised me because he'd never
said anything about it before, but he started on 'I bet Justin and Marc are
queer, too.' I responded, 'I suspect they are gay, yes.' He started
shouting, 'Justin fucking Marc's ass. Makes me fucking sick. Yeah, they are
damn queers, bet my ass on it. You knew they're queer?' I told him I had
been pretty sure you two were gay for some time, but it didn't make any
difference to me. 'Adam, we're all good friends and who we sleep with
doesn't have anything to do with it.' He really went off then and I finally
said, 'Asshole, I've heard all of your rating and raving I can stand. Shut
up or leave.' He said he'd never have anything to do with cocksuckers even
if they had been his best friends." Bobbie laughed, "I asked him if that
included me, and that's when he went absolutely postal. He'll simmer down
or he'll have to take care of himself! He got all sweet and lovey- dovey
and promised to behave, but I don't think it's over."

"Sorry about that, Bobbie," Justin said. "You know we don't want to make a
problem for you."

"Antwon said it. Adam has a problem, I don't. You know he is as homophobic
as hell, sorta. If you're Mr. Universe you can be gay and still be ok. But
let's face it, you two guys, two of his best friends are not --
Mr. Universe, that is.  Although, Justin, lugging around furniture has
given you a bod not to be sneezed at. Afraid Adam envies the results, but
is unwilling to put his back into it -- literally and figuratively." John
was about to explode he was laughing so hard and trying to hide his glee
from Bobbie. "So why aren't you two taking advantage of the place you're in
and the person you're with?" Bobbie concluded.

I was trying to decide just exactly what I was going to do, when Justin
grabbed my hand and pulled me to himself, wrapped his package-laden arms
around me and planted a kiss on my lips. I could feel my face burning as I
blushed, then thought, 'What the hell!' and kissed him back.

"Now that's more like it," Bobbie said while Susan and John applauded. We
continued walking down the street, little fingers hooked since I, too, had
a load of bags, with Justin turning to look at me from time to time, a huge
grin on his face.

"Yes, that's more like it," Bobbie said. "Guess you need to be careful in
Elizabethton, since there are some there who would do you harm simply
because you love each other. Sad, and I don't think Adam is the worst of
the bunch, but here? Be free!"

It was great to walk down the street, holding hands -- fingers anyway --
with Justin, and enjoying the goofy grin on his face.

We gave Antwon a call at 5:30 and he arrived shortly after and suggested we
take in the southernmost point in the US. "No big deal," he laughed, "but
you come to Key West, you gotta do it." After we strolled around for half
an hour, Antwon took us to Fort Zachary and we had a grand time there,
leaving for the restaurant in time to meet Sharky and the Captain at the
seafood place.

Sharky and the Captain were in the bar having a beer while they waited for
us.  After we were all introduced to the Captain and had shaken hands, we
were shown to a table on 'the upper deck,' a second floor outdoor area
overlooking the waterfront.

"All of you drive, I assume?" Antwon asked. When we said we did, he said,
"In that case I will join my business partners in a beer. Sure I'll not
drink enough to be over the legal limit, but I just as soon one of you
drive home and then there sure won't be a problem." Our server brought him
a beer and the rest of us a tropical punch the Captain recommended.

"So, where's Adam?" Sharky asked. "Hope he's not sick or something."

I suspect we would all have beaten about the bush, but Bobbie really must
have been put out with him because she jumped right in. "He's back at the
manor feeling self-righteous and superior because he's not gay and two of
his best friends are."

"The rest of your friends know, I take it," Sharky said, looking at me. I
merely nodded.

"He's pissed because you and Antwon are gay and going to be handling our
tour to Dry Tortugas," Bobbie said. "Then he found out -- actually, he must
have known all along, all the rest of us knew except Justin and Marc --
that Justin and Marc are gay and he came unglued."

"Guess he doesn't need to know I'm gay even if partnerless," the Captain
laughed. "He'll get over it."

"Or he won't," Bobbie said. "If he's going to be around me, he'll get over
it, no question about that!"

The waiter brought our food and we settled down to eat after traipsing
around all afternoon. After we had kinda dulled the hunger, the Captain
started telling tall tales about his seafaring days, which kept us all in
stitches.

John drove the van back to the estate although Antwon had only two beers.
When we arrived and told Antwon goodnight, he climbed into the driver's
seat and headed for the village.

As we walked upstairs, John said, "Crew, I think we need to have a sit down
and then haul Adam's ass in for a 'Come to Jesus' talk."

"An end to a perfect afternoon, NOT!" Bobbie said, "but I agree it needs to
be done."

"Our place?" I asked.

"By all means," John responded.

When we reached our suite, we all sat down and waited for someone to say
something. "Well?" Justin asked.

"Yeah, well," John responded. "Look, the way I see it we could just ignore
Adam and hope he goes away or comes around. I mean, like we really don't
care."

"Except I really do care," I said. "I really care. Adam has been my best
friend since forever, until he and Bobbie got together. He was -- is --
still a friend and I cannot just ignore that and pretend it doesn't
matter. It does."

"Same here," Justin said. "Saying it doesn't matter doesn't make it
so. Nothing will make it so."

"Exactly," John said. "So the option I proposed is, in fact, not an option
at all.  We all knew that, but it needed to be made clear. So we really do
care about whether or not Adam accepts your new relationship."

"But," Susan said, "we can't determine how Adam is going to deal with the
situation. Sure, this afternoon he was carrying on like an idiot, and the
truth of the matter is that may not change regardless of whether or not we
care."

"Right, and in that case we'll just have to ignore him as much as it might
hurt," Bobbie said. She was obviously really and truly put out with Adam's
behavior.

"So do we want a confrontation now or do we let it ride and see what
develops?" Susan asked.

"I don't see letting it ride as an option either," Bobbie said. "This is
Saturday.  Wednesday we get on a boat -- which may be a big boat so far as
what we are used to is concerned, but it will be a small boat if some of us
are trying to avoid others of us -- and we are, more or less, going to be
on that boat for two days. I say we have it out here and now. If Adam
insists on being an asshole, I say we all chip in and buy him a ticket to
Elizabethton."

We talked for another half-hour, but essentially said nothing new, when
John finally said, "I think it's time to call Adam in. We are just spinning
our wheels."

"I'll do it," Bobbie said. "If one of you did it he'd start thinking you
had chosen Marc and Justin over him."

"Good idea," Susan said.

"Give me half an hour and if I'm not back, send out a search party," Bobbie
said with a very weak smile.

As soon as she was gone, John said, "So Bobbie is worried Adam will think
we have ganged up on him. What's he going to think about Bobbie? You know
he thinks she should be toeing the line he dictates. We've all seen that
before.  Could be interesting."

" So now we just wait," Justin said with a sigh.

"Yeah, and I know how the condemned man feels," I responded. "So we wait."

Contact Sequoyah at sequoyahsplace@charter.net