Date: Sun, 26 Aug 2007 04:06:49 +0000
From: David Lee <dlee169@hotmail.com>
Subject: Tales from Bentonville, Ch. 77

Tales from Bentonville, Chapter 77
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  Please do not publish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 Tim, Tom, and David who edit for me so that
there are fewer mistakes!


dlee169@hotmail.com

Tales from Bentonville, Chapter 77

The whirlwind trip to New York, not only to see the Wild Boys in concert but
also to hang with them, had been the most exciting thing in the lives of the
six guys from Bentonville that spring.  Yet, it was somehow comfortable to
return to the more laidback life of small-town Iowa.  As Colton said to Dane
the following morning:

"I love waking up in my own bed with the sounds of the birds and feel of my
sexy boyfriend's arms around me."

Dane was going to dive headfirst under the covers to show Colt how great it
could be when he noticed what time it was.

"Would you take a rain check on what I was planning to do to you?  I've got
to be at the pool in about 45 minutes and I really need something more
filling than your protein shakes if I'm going to last until noon."

"Hey, if you're complaining about the volume, just remember who's been
keeping my balls emptied out." Colt pouted.

"No complaints, Babe.  I wish we had time..."

The boys took a quick shower together (exercising enough self-discipline to
stay on task) before eating a hasty breakfast.  Colt also needed to hurry to
the school to meet with the head custodian to see if there was any work for
him to do.  Greta had told him that there was a need for some part-time
workers to do cleaning and maintenance and that he and some other boys she
had recommended would likely get hired.

Colt and Dane exchanged a quick kiss in the open garage as they climbed on
their bikes to go their separate ways.  Since gas was expensive and the
exercise was good for them, they had decided to commute as much as possible
by leg power in nice weather.

Dane had worn his Speedo's under his shorts, so he had only to pull off a
couple of items of clothing in order to be ready to assume his duties.  The
pool didn't open for another hour, but he was expected to skim off any bugs
or leaves that had collected during the night and to make sure that the
temperature and chemical content of the water was acceptable.

As he was completing his tasks, the lady in charge came up to talk to him.
She asked him about his trip and also if he had someone to cover for him
when he went to DC later in the month.  They exchanged a few pleasantries
and then it was time to let the herd of kiddies in.

Most of the boys and girls who came at that hour were middle school age and
younger.  Lots of the high school students had summer jobs of one sort or
other.  Those who did not have employment usually slept in if possible and
would come to swim and sun later in the day.

Dane didn't like to have to play the "heavy" in disciplining kids, but he
blew his whistle to get the attention of some elementary school boys who
were running around the edge of the pool.  He knew it was best to be firm
from the start so that he built a kind of reputation that said he didn't put
up with breaking the safety rules.

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

When Colt arrived at school, he thought that he saw Jerry's moped chained up
at the bike racks.  Sure enough, as he headed toward the custodial room,
Jerry was there.  It was going to be fun to have a friend to work with --
assuming that they were both hired.

Ed Harkness, the main custodian, was pleased to see two young men awaiting
him.  He noticed that they were early for their appointment.  That was a
good indication that they would be able and willing workers.

A couple of minutes later, Trent came sprinting in.  He was still on time,
but just barely and he had obviously hurried.

"Mr. Harkness, I would have been earlier, but I had a flat tire on my bike
and had to get here on my own two feet.  I don't usually show up at the last
minute!"

The older man smiled.

"I'll forgive you for being only a minute early, but just this once," he
grinned.  "I know all of you, and your families, well enough to be sure that
you won't slack off."

After filling out some forms for withholding tax, etc, the boys were
assigned jobs.  For at least a part of the day, they would be working
together moving furniture out of rooms so that the tile floors could be
stripped of their wax and recoated the next day.  It was moderately hard
physical labor, but they were all up to it.

As the morning progressed, the heat and humidity increased.  The air
conditioning had been shut down for maintenance too, so the guys found
themselves sweating profusely and going through lots of water -- none of
which sent them to the urinals.

Ed made sure that the boys took enough breaks so that they would not suffer
from heat exhaustion.  He was pleased to find that they were working at a
good pace - faster than some of the regular district employees that he had
to deal with.  He might send them home a bit early but still pay them for
the full day.  He was certainly going to give them a long lunch hour.

Noon arrived quickly for Jerry, Trent, and Colt because they had kept too
busy to notice the clock.  Colt invited the other two to join Dane and him
at Pizza Hut for lunch.  Trent rode on the back of Jerry's moped.  It wasn't
exactly legal, but the local deputies usually turned a blind eye if it was
being done by kids that were not trouble-makers.

Lunch tasted good, but the guys agreed that they would probably pack
sandwiches in the future to save money and avoid the extra fat calories.
Colt was always conscious of his weight for wrestling.  He would rather
maintain it than suffer what some guys went through to get back down to
their weight class during the season.

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

At dinner that night, Dane and Colt wondered aloud if they should even go to
Washington with the rest of the family seeing how their absence would
disrupt their jobs.

"Mr. Harkness is really nice to work for; I hate to let him down." Colt
said.

"I'm going to have to scrounge to find someone to substitute for me at the
pool," Dane added.

"Well, they will simply have to do without you!" Greta exclaimed.  "I've
known Ed for years and I told him about our planned trip to DC when he asked
if you guys would like to work for him.  And I'm sure that someone can fill
in for Dane."

"I heard from Wade today," she continued.  "He and Roger have received the
okay to move part of their vacation time to coincide with our trip and have
already made tentative reservations at the hotel where we will be staying.
So, it's really important for you two to be there even if it means that you
would lose your summer jobs.  There is plenty of time to work in this life
and not nearly enough to spend with the ones you love!"

After Greta's impassioned speech, the guys decided that they would indeed go
as planned.

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

There's an old saying that it is an ill wind that blows no one good.  Of
course, some of the boys could make something naughty out of that, but for
Dave and Dustin, it proved to be true.  The tractor accident that nearly
killed Bob Manson led to full-time summer employment for the pair.

When they arrived at the farm that morning, they were greeted by a
fit-looking man who appeared to be about the age of DJ Johnson.  (As they
were to learn in later conversation, he had played football against DJ and
had great respect for him.)

The man was obviously having trouble walking and would not be able to do all
of the chores necessary to maintain his farm.  Neighbors had come to the
rescue by doing his spring planting for him, but they couldn't be expected
to continue through the summer.  Fortunately, he had insurance that would
defray the cost of hiring additional help.

Bob gave the boys a tour of the place in an old golf cart that he was using
to get around in while he was still in therapy.  His last stop was at a
small mobile home that was set a ways off from the main house.

"If you guys want to live here, it would save you some gas and time.  It has
two bedrooms so you can each have your space. I'll understand if you'd
rather commute, but it has an air conditioner and it's clean.  You wouldn't
have to get up quite as early in the morning.  We always feed the hands a
big meal at noon and you'd be free to fix breakfast and supper here."

Dustin and Dave gave the accommodations a quick survey and were well
impressed.  They told Mr. Manson that they would probably take him up on the
offer after they talked to their parents.

"We are pretty independent, but we still need to check in with our folks,"
Dustin said.

Bob suppressed a smile.  He liked having young guys in his employ who were
sensitive to the feelings of others.  He had known Dustin's dad, Gary for a
long time and was aware that there had been some problems in the family.  It
was good to see that Dustin was on good terms with his father.

At that moment, Jared Manson, 13, the eldest of Bob's children came down to
the trailer to find his father.

"Here's your cell.  There's some man that wants to talk to you about selling
the farm." Jared explained.

Bob took the phone with a frown.  The boys walked away several yards to give
him privacy, so they couldn't hear the conversation.  But the expression on
Bob's face led them to believe he was not happy with what was being said.
When he ended the call, he motioned them the join him.

"That parasite made an offer for this place that is so low it would be like
stealing it!  I love it here and I'm going to get back to running it myself.
  If you can help me hold it together while I'm recuperating, I will be much
obliged."

After that touching plea, Dave and Dustin knew that they would work their
butts off for this man.  They couldn't stand by and watch his dream get
trampled into the dust.

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

The boys had come prepared to work hard, but they had not realized how
taxing farm labor could be.  When noon came, they were starved and certainly
did justice to the meal that Christine Manson had prepared.  Jared had
worked alongside them and had proved to be stronger than his developing
frame would have suggested.  He was no wuss.

Dave told Bob and Christine how hard Jared had worked and both beamed.
Jared seemed to increase in stature as he sat up a little straighter in
response to the compliments of guys four years older than he.

It was at the noon meal that the guys met the other Manson children.  Ave
was 10, and Jason was 7.  Both were well-mannered, but extremely shy around
the "big" boys.

The afternoon passed rapidly.  Christine sent them back to the fields with a
huge canister of ice water.  Most of it was depleted by quitting time.

It was during one of the rare piss breaks, that Jared brought up the subject
that Dave and Dustin had anticipated possibly coming up.  Jared was shy
about showing his dick, but he stole quick glances at the other two guys'
equipment.  The older boys exchanged knowing glances remembering how they
felt at that age when in the presence of guys who were more developed.

"Is it true what they say about you?" he blurted out nervously.

"That all depends on who `they' are what they are saying," Dustin smiled.

"I mean are you, uh, you know what I mean," Jared replied.

"Are you trying to ask if we're gay?" Dave questioned.

"Uh, yeah, I guess.  I'm sorry," Jared said looking at the ground.

"Would it matter to you if we are?" Dustin asked.

"Well, uh, our youth leader says we have to be careful so that homos don't
try to make us like them and my cousin Todd says you belong to a queer club
in high school."

"Let me explain a couple of things," a red-faced Dustin began.  "First, we
don't like the terms "homo" and "queer" and secondly, we are not going to
try to change you from whatever you are!  It's no secret at school that
we're gay.  We came out in the spring to the Gay/Straight Alliance, which by
the way, is not a gay club, but a group of kids that want to be accepting
and understanding of everyone regardless of their sexual orientation."

"Okay, don't be mad at me!  I think you guys are okay and I promise I won't
tell my dad that you're gay."

"Do you think it would matter to him?" Dave interjected.  "If it does, we
can be out of here by the end of the day."

"I don't think so; he's never said anything bad about quee -- uh gays.  I've
never even heard him tell a gay joke."

Conversation among the three virtually dried up for the rest of the
afternoon.  Jared remained silent, responding only when he was spoken to
directly.  He seemed lost in thought most of that time.  Dave and Dustin
smiled at each other and bantered back and forth on occasion.  They had long
since made up their minds that incidents like this would not ruin their
lives, much less a sunny day.

Christine drove Bob out to the field to check on the progress about half way
through the afternoon.  He was impressed at how much the boys were
accomplishing.  The fence that kept the cattle out of the corn was nearly
mended and would easily be completed by the end of the day.

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

When it was time to head back to town, Bob told Dustin and Dave how pleased
he was to have them working for him.

"We're going to have good crops this year if the weather holds.  I'm going
to keep this place for Jared and Jace if they want it."

"Uh, Mr. Manson, I think that we need to clear the air to see if you want us
back in the morning." Dustin stated.

Jared cringed.  He suspected what Dustin was going to say and didn't want to
stick around.  His father noticed his reaction and asked him to stay.

"Dave and I want to be perfectly open and honest with you.  We don't want
Jared or you to be worried about having us here.  We are boyfriends and we
don't hide it.  If our sexual orientation is a problem, we won't be back.
We don't try to recruit young boys to be like us.  We were born this way and
we've come to accept it.  We understand that not everyone is comfortable
with that.  We will go quietly and you don't have to pay us for today;
consider it a get-well gift."

"Guys, we live in a small community.  Even us old people know what's going
on some of the time," Bob grinned.  "I was aware of the fact that you are
gay when I asked Gary if you would like to work for me.  If that orientation
affects the quality of what you do, I would say that we could use a lot more
gays in the workforce!"

Then, Bob shook both boys' hands while looking them directly in the eye.  He
could see that both were tearing up a bit in response.

Jared watched the scene feeling shaken inside.  He had not intended to have
this come up in front of his dad.  But, it seemed that he was the only one
who seemed to feel uncomfortable about it.  The other boys had spoken openly
and his dad had too.  He couldn't figure out how his father could be that
casual talking about what he had been taught was a terrible sin.  He was
jolted from his pondering as his dad spoke again.

"You guys are brave.  If I were gay, I'm not sure I would be able to be as
upfront as that.  I hope that my boys will grow up to have that kind of
character whether they are gay or straight!"

Dave and Dustin thanked their new employer and turned toward Dustin's
pickup.  They needed to leave before they showed any more emotion.  Bob may
have thought that they were brave and composed, but they didn't feel that
way inside.  They felt the affects of the shot of adrenalin that had entered
their blood streams.  Both had tears of relief flowing over their smiles as
they drove away.

Jared was on the verge of tears too.  He felt overwhelmed by the internal
conflict in his mind.  His world had always seemed very black and white.
Things were either right or wrong.  There were no shades of gray.  His only
security at the moment was his father's hand on his shoulder as the two
mounted the back steps to the porch.

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

Author's note:  My laptop is back!  But, it has a new hard drive and so my
word program is wiped.  I am trying to find the discs that I used to put it
on in the first place.  In the mean time, I'm stuck with the desktop which
makes it more difficult to get things done.

Thanks to all who wrote: Jim C, Roddy M, Luiz, Gary McC, Joe, Jack G,
Stephen P, James H, Carroll, David R, Walter S, Vann, Jim We, Paul R (new),
Paul W, Rad, Tim P, David S, Tim E, and Tom H.

Thanks again Tom H and David S for your patient editing and proofing.  If
anyone needs an editor, I would recommend these guys if you can get them!
But I have dibs!

I'm nearly back to feeling like I did a year ago!!!  Thanks for all of your
thoughts and prayers.

David