Date: Tue, 6 Jul 2010 16:32:10 -0400
From: Sequoyah Pendor <sequoyahs.place@gmail.com>
Subject: Saga of the Elizabethton Tarheels Chapter Sixty-four

Saga of the Elixabethton Tarheels
Chapter Sixty-four

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.

Thanks
Thanks to Scott and Jess for editing.

Contact
Contact Sequoyah at sequoyahs.place@gmail.com


Chapter Sixty-four



We were just getting out of the minibus at a beautiful old Victorian house
when Wolf and Derek came strolling up the street, slowly. A slow stroll was
about all they were capable of doing since they were clutching each other
by the waist and joined at the hips. As they approached, Adam asked, "You
two sure you can come unglued long enough to take a piss?"

"What makes you think we'd want to come unglued then?" Wolf asked and Derek
grinned.

"I take it, then, your days weren't wasted? Good time on your excursion?"
Susan asked.

"Good-time days and romantic, tropical nights," Wolf said. "I don't want it
to end."

"If that is what Antwon and Sharky call work, I'm ready for the eighty-hour
week," Derek laughed. "I mean, of course being with Wolf and our getting to
know each other was great, and would have been great regardless, but we
also had a grand group on board."

"Part of that means they were big tippers!" Wolf grinned. "Even I got a
generous tip, but even better was the fact that they kept talking about
'young love' and making sure Derek and I had some private time and we made
good use of it!" Wolf kissed Derek on the lips.

"You're in public!" Bobbie said, trying to sound horrified.

"And in Key West," Derek replied and returned Wolf's kiss, with tongue.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Mrs. Crandall said, appearing at the front door,
"it's tea time."

Inside, we were introduced to Mrs. Phillips-Williams, the owner and
mistress of the house. "Welcome to Phillips House," she said after we were
introduced. "Mrs. Crandall and I are old friends and she has spoken so
often of the remarkable young women and men from North Carolina that I
insisted she bring you here for tea."

"Thank you very much," Justin said, acting as our spokesman. "Thanks for
having us in your lovely home."

"Well, if you like, I am sure we can arrange a tour after tea but, first,
let's have tea and visit."

I fully expected dainty tea cups and small cakes and, indeed, those were
present, but Mrs. Phillips-Williams also offered lemonade and limeade and
generous slices of spice-and-chocolate cake. Mrs. Metzer and Mrs. Crandall
joined her for tea, but we younger ones went for the cold drinks and slices
of cake.

The tour of the house was great. The house was furnished in priceless
antiques, I suspect, much as it had been almost from day one. My favorite
room was the dark-wood-paneled library with a proper reading table,
complete with antique lamps. Justin loved the guest room with its huge bed
with elaborately carved posts supporting a canopy of lace. As we were
looking at all the antiques, Mrs. Phillips-Williams said, "Of course, there
is an office with the latest in computer equipment, the kitchen is as
modern as it can be and I do enjoy my flat-screen TV, especially during
baseball season."

"Arabella is a diehard Atlanta Braves fan," Mrs. Crandall laughed.

All the time we were enjoying our visit, Mrs. Phillips-Williams was asking
us about our lives and our dreams for the future. When it was time for us
to go, I learned she had not planned to go to the exhibition until the
following day and on the spur of the moment I said,
"Mrs. Phillips-Williams, we are attending a private showing of Mr. Nixson's
paintings and I'd love to have you join us."

Belatedly I realized I may have stepped over bounds and glanced at
Mrs. Crandall who looked chagrined and said, "How very rude of me for not
inviting you, Arabella. Thank you for being a gentleman, Marc. By all
means, Arabella, you must come with us and have dinner with us afterward."

"I would be delighted. I'll have the automobile brought around." While
Mrs. Phillips-Williams went to arrange for her car, Mrs. Crandall phoned
the restaurant and made arrangements for an extra guest.

When we started to leave, Mrs. Philip-Williams said, "Ladies, would you
like to accompany Mrs. Crandall and me in the automobile?" Susan and Bobbie
thanked her and John and Adam offered their arms to Susan and Bobbie as
Justin and I offered ours to Mrs. Phillips-Williams and
Mrs. Crandall. Michael offered his to Mrs. Metzer even though she would be
riding in the minibus with us.

When we walked out the front door, I expected to see a long black
Cadillac. I had not expected to see a Rolls-Royce. Well, what I saw was an
antique Rolls-Royce, the kind with an open front for the chauffeur and an
enclosed back with two broad seats facing each other. I couldn't help it, I
said, "Wow!"

"Nice, isn't it?" Mrs. Phillips-Williams said. "My father had it built. I
generally drive myself in my 1957 MG Roadster, but I do love the old
Rolls." After we had helped the ladies into the automobile, the five of us
returned to the minibus. As we seated ourselves, Adam said, "Shit! Damn, I
sure would liked to have had a chance to ride in that machine!" We all
agreed.

When we reached the gallery, the Rolls was parked in front, waiting for
us. John, Justin, Adam and I rushed to the automobile, and assisted the
ladies. Offering them our arms, we walked into the gallery.

While I had seen it the day before, and in fact had helped hang it, I was
immediately captivated by 'Swamp Shack.' Mrs. Crandall, who was on my arm,
must've thought I'd gone insane. I stood before the painting,
mesmerized. What was different? Why had it not captivated me the day
before? Captivated? No, captivated was the wrong word. I don't know why,
but I was seized by a feeling of disquietude and unease bordering on fear
as I gazed at it for several minutes. It looked menacing, evil. Suddenly I
realized it looked as I had seen it in my dream. When I finally came to
myself, I started to apologize to Mrs. Crandall, but she seemed as
captivated as I had been, then she, too, appeared to come out of a
daze. "Very strange that a painting I saw yesterday, could evoke such
strange and strong emotions," she said. "I don't understand it."

"I have the same thought. I felt as though there was only the painting and
myself and nothing else."

"I guess it's just one of those things that we do not understand, but
enjoy," Mrs. Crandall said. Enjoy was definitely not the word I would have
chosen!

Nothing else in the show impacted on me the way 'Swamp Shack' did, but it
did seem to be a new exhibition. I mean, it was almost as though we had
never seen the gallery or the paintings before. Of course it was all new to
Wolf and Derek who, it appeared, were much more interested in each other
than the paintings and seemed well on the way to becoming boyfriends. I'm
sure we would all have to hear the full story sooner or later.

I was surprised that none of us were anxious to leave the exhibition and in
fact lingered longer than we had planned, making us a bit late for our
dinner reservation. When we were ready to leave, Justin and I offered our
arms to Mrs. Phillips-Williams and Mrs. Crandall. When we approached the
automobile Mrs. Phillips-Williams said, "Betsy, I think our escorts should
ride with us to the restaurant." After helping the two ladies into the car
Justin and I joined them and were to driven to a really upscale
restaurant. This time the maitre d' seemed delighted to see us.

We were ushered into a private room which had an all-glass wall overlooking
the Gulf. "I like this place very much," Mrs. Crandall said. "Another time
we could sit here and enjoy dinner while engaging in a favorite Key West
pastime -- watching the sunset." Moonrise was some time off, but by the
time we had finished our drinks and the first three courses, the moon has
risen high enough that it was reflected in the gentle waves washing
ashore. Dessert and coffee were served as we watched the moonlight on the
sea. "What a beautiful ending to a wonderful afternoon,"
Mrs. Phillips-Williams said, "but I'm afraid I must leave you."

"It's also time you all were on your way to La Casa," Mrs. Crandall
said. "I will be returning a bit later."

We all gathered around Mrs. Phillip-Williams, thanking her for tea, for the
tour of her home and for her company. She then excused herself and Justin I
escorted the two ladies to Mrs. Phillips-Williams' automobile. As she
entered, she looked at Justin and me and said, "You two young men are
certainly a handsome couple and are obviously in love. I wish the best for
you." Justin and I thanked her and one at a time, leaned into the car and
kissed her cheek.

I guess we were so used to Wolf not being around that we were well on the
way home when Susan asked, "Where's Wolf? How did we miss him? Did we leave
him stranded?"

"I doubt it very much," Sandy said, "I think he's riding home in a pumpkin
coach with Prince Charming."

Sure enough, when we got back, Wolf and Derek were standing at ease on
either side of Mrs.Metzer atop the front steps. As we stepped out of the
minibus, they snapped to attention and gave us a salute. Mrs. Metzer was
laughing, but really lost it when Wolf said in an impressive command voice,
"General Metzer hereby commands you to appear in the library at 2100 hours
to discuss your remaining time at La Casa. You are dismissed!"

There were no plans to gather before going down, so after Justin and I had
washed our faces, we snuggled on a loveseat in the common room. He had
noticed my reaction to 'Swamp Shack' and I told him what I had felt, but
neither of us could explain it.

When it was time to go down, Michael and Sandy came out of their
bedroom. Obviously they had started something they didn't get to finish as
both sported tents in the front of their shorts. "Later, guys," Justin
said, grinning at them. They grinned in return.

As the four of us entered the library we were greeted by Mrs. Metzer. Soon
the original Clan was all present, but Wolf had not yet appeared. As soon
as we were seated, Mrs. Metzer asked Sandy about his trip down and they
chatted a few minutes. Wolf still had not arrived when Mrs. Crandall joined
us, followed by Mavis pushing a cart. "Cool drinks anyone? There's iced
tea, lime and lemonade as well as iced coffee." Mavis was pouring our
drinks when Wolf and Derek walked in or floated in, since I think they were
obviously on cloud nine. The two got their drinks, managing to do so
without removing an arm from the other's waist.

"You two must really hate each other the way you keep pushing each other
away," Justin grinned.

Both blushed. "Well, I'm working on tolerating him, but given how ugly his
magnificent, warm chocolate, hard, muscular body is, and how unappealing
his beautiful, big, mysterious brown eyes are, it's hard, it's very hard!"
Wolf said, shaking his head.

Adam let out a whoop, John sprayed coffee from his mouth and the rest of
our reactions were of a similar nature. Before we could get calmed down,
Bobbie said quietly, but loud enough to be heard, "I'm sure it is. I'm sure
it is," which got things going again. Mrs. Crandall tried to act innocent.

As things started settling down, Justin whispered to me, "Wonder if Derek
is staying over?"

"If so, think they will both fit on a single bed?"

"There's always the floor and I doubt they'd know the difference." I
agreed.

When all was under control, Mrs. Crandall said, "Well, it seems our plans
for your holiday at La Casa got shoved aside by your working on the
gallery. While I appreciate it, as does Jess, I'm sorry you didn't have
more time to enjoy your stay."

"Please don't be," Susan responded for us. "I seriously doubt any one of us
would say we didn't enjoy our time here very much. It was good to be doing
something constructive together. In the long run, it will be I am sure,
much more memorable than playing would have been. And we did get in some
wonderful play time." There was agreement from all.

Mrs. Crandall said, "I am pleased you feel that way. As you know this is a
very important show for Jess and without your help, it would not have
happened. Thanks to you, the gallery and the exhibition look great. Unless
you want to go back, that's behind you and you have tomorrow free. Maybe
Sunday as well. I have a call in about the plane and if it can be
rescheduled, you can leave Monday. Just in case, you might want to clear
that with your parents tonight. Sandy, I talked with your dad and he told
me you would be in Sarasota at the Ringling School of Art and Design's
summer program starting a week from Sunday. Since your stay got cut short,
I'd love to have you stay over until you go to Sarasota. Give you time to
enjoy La Casa and all, as well as save a trip to and from North Carolina."

"Thank you, ma'am, but...."

"And I'm inviting Michael as well if he can stay."

"I'll have to check, but I am almost sure I can as I don't start my summer
job for another week. Thank you!" Michael said. The two looked as if
Christmas had suddenly come in May and Sandy laid a good one on Michael,
who turned deep red.

Wolf cleared his throat, looked at Derek and said, "Well, I'll not be going
back just yet either. I talked with my mom and dad and I will be spending
the next three weeks with Derek."

"You're boyfriends?" Sandy asked, all excited.

"Not yet, we are just getting to know each other, maybe on the road to
becoming boyfriends," Derek said. I wasn't sure Wolf would have placed that
limit on their relationship.

"So there will be just six of you returning?" Mrs. Crandall asked.

"Would appear so," John answered.

"Then get things clear with your parents about leaving Monday as with only
six I am sure there will be a plane available. Now I'll leave you to
Mrs. Metzer."

"Well, any suggestions for tomorrow? What would you like for me to do for
you?" Mrs. Metzer asked.

We talked about what we might do and the general consensus was we'd like to
do different things. Justin, Michael, Sandy, Derek and Wolf all expressed a
desire to go sailing. After some debate, Justin and I decided we could
handle the catamaran which was large enough for all six of us. Susan and
Bobbie wanted to go shopping and were told a car could take them in. "It
only holds two passengers, right?" Adam asked Mrs. Metzer.

She laughed, "Of course, only two passengers and they have to be women."

"Good!" Adam said. "I'd like to explore the bike trails if that's
possible," he added.

"Sounds good," John said.

"Fine," Mrs. Metzer said. "Do you know where the bikes are?"

"I can show them," Justin said.

"Then we're set. Late breakfast?"

"How about having stuff set out and we can do our own as we are ready?" I
asked, hoping to sleep in.

"Fine. Mavis will have it waiting in the sunroom. Can we have a 10:00
deadline?" We all agreed. "So the ladies will have lunch in town. I'll have
box lunches for the sailors. What about you cyclists?"

"Box lunch?" John asked Adam and Adam nodded.

"Box lunch it is. We'll have snacks available in the sunroom at 4:00 and
dinner will be at 8:00. We are having a cookout."

"Thank you again, Mrs. Metzer," I said.

"Marc speaks for all of us," Susan added.

As we started upstairs, I noticed Derek was still with us. "Staying over,
Derek?" I asked.

"Thought I would since Wolf and I are going sailing with you in the
morning. New adventure for me."

"Glad to have you, but be careful tonight. Wolf's bed is kinda small and
you don't want to get carried away and fall out of bed. Could do serious
damage to both."

"No problem if you start on the floor," Adam laughed, "Just watch for rug
burns. Those can be really painful." Bobbie gave him 'the look.'

Once we reached our room, Justin and I undressed each other and crawled
into bed. We talked briefly about Michael and Sandy and how the two
complemented each other. We also talked about Michael's situation knowing
that sooner or later his parents would discover he was gay. There was no
doubt in either of our minds that even if he could conceal that for some
time, his attending ESU would precipitate real trouble for him. We also
talked about the developing relationship between Wolf and Derek. Clearly it
could be no more than a growing friendship, but it looked like more and, as
Justin pointed out, next year the two would be less than an hour and a half
apart. "Hell, if we were just that far apart, I'd commute," Justin said as
he gave me a quick kiss. A few passionate kisses followed, then Justin
chuckled and asked, "Marc, do you ever get the feeling we're parents to a
bunch of late teens?"

"Yeah, and they have at least one good daddy."

"They got two good daddies and you know it!" he replied.

We gave each other butterfly kisses then, secure in our love, wrapped our
arms about each other and drifted off to sleep.