Date: Wed, 9 Jul 2008 22:06:55 +0000
From: David Lee <dlee169@hotmail.com>
Subject: Tales from Bentonville, Chapter 101

Tales from Bentonville, Chapter 101

By David Lee

Warning:

This story contains scenes of love and sexual interaction.  Much of this
involves males with other males.  If the reading or possessing of such
material as this is illegal in your country, state, province, county,
municipality, etc., please leave this site immediately and do not proceed
further.  If you are under the legal age to read this, please do not do so.
It is not my intention to offend anyone or to get you in trouble.

The author retains all rights to this original story.  Please do not
publish without explicit authorization from me.

Disclaimer:

This story is completely fictional.  Most of the places mentioned, and none
of the characters exist in real life.  Some may possess physical or
personality characteristics of people I know or have known.  But if you see
yourself in this story, your imagination is better than mine!

"Tales from Bentonville" is a romantic story centering on the lives of high
school kids.  Lovers of other ages may appear, but not normally in a
cross-generational sense.  References to sex with under-age kids may be
made for the sake of the story line.  However, I feel that child
molestation is a crime and should not be glorified or tolerated.

This is my fifth attempt at writing fiction.  My other stories on Nifty
include: "Zeke" (August 29, 2005), "Always and Forever" (March 25, 2004)
under High School, "Brad and Alan's Canoe Trip" (April 23, 2004) under
Camping, and "Jacob and Jacques" (May 30, 2004) under High School.  Some
characters from previous stories may have cameo roles in this one.
However, you need not read them first.

Our only reward for contributing to Nifty is your e-mails.  Please write if
you like the story.  Please include the name of the story in the title of
your e-mail.  I get a lot of spam!

Finally, thanks and hugs to Tom and David who edit for me so that there are
fewer mistakes!  They not only proof-read, but make other valuable
suggestions.



dlee169@hotmail.com

Tales from Bentonville, Chapter 101

Darrin and John were making preliminary plans for Thanksgiving.  They were
hoping to include everyone who was a part of their extended family if
possible.  They weren't sure if Brent would be going to Mike's, staying
with them, or if his mother and grandmother would plan something by way of
a reconciliation.  Where ever he went, his absence would be felt somewhere
else.  Perhaps they could coordinate with the other families and have a
huge dinner in their big house.

Cory's family was another consideration.  Dan would doubtless want to host
them because he would want to be with Cory, but also with his own brother,
John.  It would be tricky to balance it all.  Maybe they could do a
trade-offs with one family hosting Thanksgiving and another Christmas.

Darrin began by calling Cory's mom, Nancy on Sunday afternoon.  She
explained that her plans were completely up in the air.  Her deceased
husband's parents wanted Jamie and her to fly to California for the
holiday.  Cory was not invited and Nancy was very upset.  She hadn't broken
the news to Cory yet because he wasn't home.  In fact, he was at Darrin's
house at that moment since he'd stayed over with Dan.

Darrin suggested that Nancy bring Jamie over and that they all sit down
together to work things out.  He suspected that Cory would want Dan with
him when he got the news that he was a person non grata.

When Nancy and Jamie arrived, Darrin ushered them into the less formal back
parlor where he had set out cookies and soft drinks.  John was on duty and
Brent was at Mikes, so it was only Cory and Dan who needed to be summoned
to join them.

Once they were all present, Nancy shared what had happened.  Originally,
she had invited her in-laws to come to Iowa for Thanksgiving.  They had
made reservations and seemed to be happy to come.  But, yesterday when Cory
had talked to his grandparents, he felt that he should let them know about
his orientation before they came so that he wouldn't be worrying about how
to tell them during the time they were at his house.

Cory's grandparents had become quite upset and had gotten off the phone
quickly.  This morning, right after church, they had called with the
alternative plans.  Nancy had told them that it wasn't acceptable to
exclude either one of her children.

"Here's the kicker," she continued. "They are quite wealthy and they're
going Monday to have their wills changed to cut Cory out.  If Jamie refuses
to go to California, he'll be cut out too.  I know that they aren't as
flushed at the moment as they were a year ago before the `downturn' in the
economy, but I'm betting that their net worth is at least a million
dollars."

Dan gave a low whistle on hearing the figure.  A hundred thousand dollars
seemed like a huge fortune to him.

"I'm not going without my brother!" Jamie exclaimed.  "He means more to me
than a hundred million dollars."

"Jamie, you must go!" Cory insisted.  "You can do a lot with that money and
you won't be hurting me.  I'm giving my consent with no strings attached."

"I suppose that I could inherit it and split it with you after the fact,"
Jamie said thoughtfully.  "I guess I'll call and see how it plays out."

Nancy handed Jamie her cell phone and he punched in the number.  It was
only possible to hear his side of the conversation, but the rest could
pretty nearly figure out what was being said on the other end.

"Yeah, we've talked it over. --- He knows that he won't get anything from
you because he's gay.  --- I don't understand how you can treat him like
that.  It's not like he's evil! --- What do you mean `dead hand rules?'
--- What?  I'm not allowed to give him anything or even talk to him?  I
can't agree to that!" --- I know it's a lot of money, but I love my brother
more than that.  --- I'm sure that the San Francisco Philharmonic can make
good use of it.  --- As far as I'm concerned you can stuff it up your
butt!"

With his final comment, Jamie shut the phone off.

"Bravo!" Nancy shouted.  "I should probably reprimand you for being rude,
but I'd have been tempted to say `tight ass' instead of your milder
suggestion."

"Well, Darrin," she continued, "What may I bring for dinner since it looks
like we'll be joining you?  If you're doing the turkey, I could at least
bake yams and fixed mashed potatoes.  Tell me what else you would like."

"Isn't anyone going to cry over losing all that money?" Dan asked
wide-eyed.

"You can't lose what you never had," Jamie responded.  "I have a brother.
If I lost him, THAT would be a reason to cry."

Cory was crying.  He hugged his little bro so tightly that the latter was
feeling like he might be in danger of being crushed.  At the same time, his
chest swelled with pride that he had done the right thing.

---------------------------------

A few blocks away, Greta was also coordinating things for the holiday.
This year, Wade and Roger wanted everyone to come north to their house.  It
was finally completely remodeled and there was adequate space to handle a
large gathering.  Ellen was concerned that a household without children
would not be ready for the invasion of her twins, but had been assured that
it was.

Roger had `child-proofed' the whole place because he and Wade were going to
become foster parents in the beginning of the next year.  They had spent
lots of time and money in preparation and had attended many parenting
classes, but it was going to be worth it.  They were receiving and infant
boy around January 5th.  And, if all went well, they would be able to adopt
him within a year.  They were ecstatic.

"Wow!  I'll have another baby brother." Colton exclaimed when he heard the
news.  "We'll have someone else to spoil rotten."

---------------------------------

Jane Masterson and Lori Albers were planning Thanksgiving dinner together.
The lake cottage would be the ideal spot for everyone to congregate.  Both
wanted to include the Nissen's, Abby's family, because it was becoming more
and more apparent that Abby and Allen were headed for the altar –
probably before they finished college.  Neither one was comfortable about
moving in together without any commitment, and both were ready to
consummate their relationship completely.  Allen was especially ready!  He
said that he would be willing to jump over a broom handle or anything Abby
wanted him to do if he could spend the night making love to her.

It was also likely that Alicia and Caleb would be happy to see each other
again.  Both had agreed that they should date other people while in high
school because it wasn't practical to try to go to each other's school
functions when they lived rather far apart.  However, they e-mailed and
spent time sending instant messages nearly every day and often several
times a day.

Greta had offered the use of her cottage for the overflow of people since
she wouldn't need it.  Jane graciously accepted, saying that she would
happily return the favor whenever Greta had a larger crowd than she could
handle at Camelot.

---------------------------------

It was obvious that Nancy and her family had had a stressful day.  Darrin
didn't want them to go home without having a chance to unwind.  And he felt
that they should eat together.

"Nancy, may I mix you a drink to help you relax while we wait for John to
get home?"

"Oh, I'd better not."

"Go ahead, Mom.  You can handle it and I won't be adversely influenced by
your evil ways," Cory giggled.  "Seriously, you're entitled to it.  I think
that Jamie is too, but I wouldn't want to send him down the road I was on
awhile back."

"Needless to say, I'm not into serving minors," Darrin smiled.  "But I will
mix a couple of Bloody Mary's for us older folk and get more sodas for the
rest.  I'm going to place an order for pizza for all of us.  I'll time it
to be delivered right after John gets off of work.  What does everyone like
for toppings?"

After making their choices known, the boys went up to Dan's room to battle
it out on video games while Darrin and Nancy sat with their drinks.  Darrin
was enjoying having an excuse to partake because he rarely drank in front
of John and the other boys.  He didn't want to be a stumbling block for
young men who were trying to stay clean and sober.

John came home an hour later and the pizza delivery man arrived within 10
minutes after that.  The guys and Nancy filled John in on what had
transpired in his absence.

He too, hugged Jamie.  The young man had shown remarkable loyalty.
Obviously, he loved his brother as much as Dan and John loved each other.

---------------------------------

Later, when Nancy was attempting to round up both of her boys for the drive
home, her cell rang.  She frowned at the number displayed on her phone
because it wasn't one she recognized.

"Hello. --- This is Nancy Fordham. --- Really? --- How?  --- When?  ---
But, my son was just talking to them a few hours ago. --- Yes, I know.  ---
Yes, I'll call you back when I figure out what I should do.  --- Thank
you."

Nancy had a somber look on her face when she turned to the others.

"I got called because I'm the emergency contact.  They're both dead.  Your
grandmother thought that your grandfather was having a heart attack and
tried to get him to the hospital.  She evidently drove like a maniac down
that winding road they live on.  The rain had made it slippery and she
missed one of the curves."

"Damn!  I've killed them," Jamie exclaimed.  "I wish I hadn't ended the
call like that.  I'm sure I must have given him the heart attack.

"No, son, they're responsible for their actions and their reactions.  All
you did was to stand up for your brother.  You are blameless!  Your
grandmother's poor judgment and weather conditions are the cause of this
accident.  Your grandparents weren't wearing their seatbelts and evidently
your grandfather didn't have a heart attack at all."

Darrin and John agreed with Nancy that adults were accountable for their
own actions.  No one made them do what they did.  Jamie was somewhat
relieved, but still felt partially responsible.  Nancy made a mental note
to get counseling for him.  There was no need for him to carry that kind of
burden.

While Dan took Nancy's sons to the kitchen for more Cokes to calm their
nerves, Nancy quietly told Darrin and John the rest of the details.  Her
mother-in-law had not been killed outright in the crash, but had died in
the hospital.  She had been thrown several yards from the car.  It was a
miracle that she lived long enough to give the police an accurate account
of the accident.  Preliminary examination suggested that the boys'
grandfather had died of blunt force trauma from being thrown into the
windshield.  An autopsy would be performed to prove that theory one way or
the other.  The airbag on his side of the car hadn't deployed.  Nancy
didn't want the boys to hear all of the gory details.



--------------------------------

Brent came home from his weekend with Mike in high spirits.  He had two
invitations for Thanksgiving!  That was exciting and unexpected, but the
down side was that he was going to have to figure out how to juggle them.

His uncle Winston, Carrie's father, had invited Brent, Jodie, and Grandma
Banes to share the holiday dinner with them.  Winston seemed to have no
problem with his nephew's orientation and was hoping to convince his
sister, Jodie to welcome her son back home.

Mike's parents had also extended an invitation and Brent wanted very much
to spend the day with him.  And, Brent didn't want to abandon the guys who
his "adopted" family at Miss Charlotte's old house.  He was afraid that he
would hurt someone's feelings no matter what choice he made.

On entering kitchen, he immediately sensed that the mood was solemn. So, he
held back sharing his news.

"What's wrong?"  he asked.

"I upset my grandparents so much that they ended up getting killed in an
accident," Jamie said.

"No, I got them killed because I'm gay.  It's really my fault, not
Jamie's," Cory gulped.

"Wait a minute.  You feel like you've caused this because of who you are?"
Brent questioned.

Cory nodded sadly.

"Okay, we're going up to my room for a few minutes and I'm going to explain
a few things to you.  I may be younger than you, but I've had some life
experience that you need to hear about.  Dan and Jamie need to come along
too."

After the boys told Nancy that they needed to stay a bit longer, she turned
toward Darrin obviously wanting to ask a question.  Darrin wasn't sure how
much he should say because he didn't want to mess up his relationship with
his foster son.

"Brent has been through a lot because of his father's death.  I think
what's going on up there will be good for all concerned.  He'll probably
share at least some of it with you."

Nancy nodded.  She was satisfied with his answer and didn't probe further.

The four boys were gone from the room for around a half hour.  When they
returned, it was evident that they had sorted some things out.  The grim
looks on their faces had been replaced by calm expressions.

"Uh, I shared about the guilt I felt after my dad's death," Brent stated.
"I told them some of the things that Dr. Lori told me that helped me get
better."

"What you said really helped," Cory said as he squeezed Brent's shoulder in
a brotherly fashion.  "Mom, do you think we can afford to have a few
appointments with her?"

"Of course we can, son.  You and Jamie can go separately or together –
whichever you choose, assuming that she has an open spot in her schedule."

Then Brent turned to Nancy.

"Ms. Fordham, I'm gay too and when my father found out, he beat me nearly
to death.  As you probably heard, he got killed off in St. Thomas and Mom
blames me for his death.  That's why I'm living here.  I've been working
with Ms. Evans to help me realize that I'm okay."

"Of course you're okay!  You're a sweet and thoughtful boy.  I think that I
may stick my nose in and have a talk with your mother.  She needs to know
that it's not your fault."

"Won't that out Cory?" Brent asked.

"If it does, it does," Cory answered.  I'm willing to take the risk if it
helps you.  I hope that you agree, too, Dan."

Dan said that he would take his chances also.

Everyone slept better than they had anticipated that night.  They all felt
like one big family.  Life had its tragedies and hardships, but with the
help of friends, those could be overcome.  A new day would bring hope of a
better future.

---------------------------------

On Monday night, Darrin and John came up with a holiday plan that looked
like a winner.

"Brent, can you be as thankful on a Tuesday or Wednesday as a Thursday?"

"Well, sure.  Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well then, we'll plan to have our dinner on one of those days so that you
can invite Mike here and then you can go to your uncle's on Thursday.  That
will solve several problems.  There are two guys we work with who really
want Thanksgiving Day off because of family situations.  One is the guy who
threatened to turn me in if I let Dustin ride in the ambulance when Dave
got beaten up.  The other has made a few unpleasant asides about gays.
John and I can volunteer to take their shift and give them the day off."

"If you'll pardon me for saying this, why the Hell would you want to do
them a favor?"  Brent frowned.

"Have you ever heard of turning the other cheek?  The Good Book says that
if you treat enemies with kindness, you may shame them into changing their
ways.  That's not verbatim, but that's what it means."

"Wow!  What if everyone did that?  There could actually be peace on earth."
Brent exclaimed.

"You're getting the picture.  I'm really thankful for having a great kid
like you living here with us.  In a way, I would be happy if your mother
didn't want to make up with you.  That's selfish of me and I sincerely hope
that she does.  But, you are a great addition to this household."

Brent had a couple of tears in his eyes and a broad grin on his face as he
hugged Darrin.  He did feel comfortable there.  There was an aura of
happiness in that whole house.  Life was going to be okay.  He was loved.

Author's notes: Thanks to the big bunch of you who wrote since last
posting.  These include: Chuck, RC, Paul W, Bob, Rad, Jace, Tim P, Jim C,
Tom A, Tim E, Mel K, Daniel F, Bill B (about Zeke), Smokr, Craig, Vann,
Paul R, Ron M, Carroll, and Mark H (David).  Special congratulations to
this last guy who came out to his family recently and got nothing but a
loving response!!!  I wish it could be so for everyone.

I can't forget to thank my editors, Tom and David for their hard work.
They've saved my butt more than once or twice!

I've been reading a story in the High school section: "Improbable Love"
that I think most of you will want to read if you haven't already.  There
is also one called: "Zach and Jay" under College that I think you'll enjoy.

Flood cleanup continues.  We're about ready to see who will be allowed to
rebuild and who won't.  It is going to be a LONG time before some sort of
normality comes to this city.  Keep us in your thoughts and prayers,
please!

David