Date: Sun, 21 Aug 2011 11:41:07 -0700
From: Sapphire Tears Story <tbwcst@gemstoneeyes.com>
Subject: The Boy Who Cried Sapphire Tears - Chapter 11
To George and Meg, as always, thank you for your help with the
proofreading. You've found the mistakes that I missed and therefore, make
it a better story to read.
To the readers, thank you for your patients on waiting for the new
chapter to be out. A lot of work went into the first book, QBWTEE, and now
it is finally out, so I hope to have more time to write on TBWCST.
To all of you who ordered the new book while it was on sale, thank
you for giving me your support. It means a lot that you would do so. I
really do appreciate it more than you will know.
To those of you who didn't order the book, but wish to do so, please
go to www.GemstoneEyes.com and take a look around. There is the `Buy Now'
button on the home page for your convenience.
Also, don't forget about looking into joining the QBWTEE Fan Page.
Follow this link: http://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/QBWTEE/ or just do a
search for QBWTEE in the search bar.
As always, I hope you all enjoy chapter 11.
The Boy Who Cried Sapphire Tears – Part 11
That evening, when Blake arrived back at the ranch, Jackson wasn't
anywhere to be found. He asked Mama where Jackson was, but he didn't know.
After spending time in the common room, watching TV with his coworkers, he
finally gave in and called it a night. When Blake spotted Jackson at work
the next day, he asked Jackson where he was the night before.
"I went out with a friend," Jackson answered. It was a lie.
After Todd and Blake had left for the airport, Jackson went on his
computer and looked through some sex ads. He thought that, if he played
with someone else, maybe he could start to get over Blake. He then found a
promising ad and had sent an email, asking if the guy could play for a long
time. He had received a return email from the guy, which had said that he
didn't have to be at work until about ten the next morning and had asked
for pictures of Jackson.
Jackson had found the stock photos of himself that he kept hidden on
his computer and attached them. There was a face picture and then a body
picture from the neck down, wearing only underwear. Then one with a
flaccid cock, and one with a hard cock. A few moments later, he had
received another email asking when he wanted to come over. Jackson
responded that he wanted to come over as soon as possible. The return
email was one line: "548 Cotton St, Missoula."
The man had listed himself as Allen. He had described himself as
27, blond hair, brown eyes, 5'10", and weighing around 220 pounds. In his
ad, he had placed a picture of his chest and stomach. Like most people, he
was worried about posting a face picture, but didn't feel the need to post
a dick picture. Out of all the ads that Jackson had glanced through,
Allen's was the least offensive.
Allen had listed that he was just looking to have some fun tonight.
Dinner, a movie and if the mood was there, then sex. Jackson had thought
it might be nice to go out on a date, even if it ended in sex. He actually
felt his spirits lift, slightly, after he got the address. When he had
arrived, he felt them lift even more when he saw that Allen was attractive,
at least, to him. Allen wasn't a ten by any means, but Jackson liked what
he saw.
"Hey," Allen had said, opening the door.
"Hi," Jackson had replied, stepping onto the porch.
There was an awkward silence in the air for a moment before Allen
had broken it. "You know, when I asked for a picture, I didn't mean a dick
picture. Although, it was an amazing picture, I just meant your face
picture.
"Oh, sorry," Jackson had said.
"Please, don't be. I wasn't expecting it, but I liked it. A lot."
Allen had smiled in a sly sort of way.
"I'm glad," Jackson had said, grinning slightly.
"So..." Allen had restarted, hesitantly. "You still want to do
this?"
"Yeah," Jackson had been suddenly confused. "Why?"
"Well, you didn't ask for my picture, and now that you see me, I
just wanted to be sure. I usually don't get return emails after they see
my face picture," Allen had explained, with trepidation.
"I don't know why not. You're very handsome," Jackson had said,
smiling wider than before.
Allen then blushed for a moment and had stepped out and closed the
door. "You wanna get a bite to eat?"
"Yeah, I do."
"Great. Um, what's your name? You didn't list it in the emails."
"Oh, sorry about that. It's Jackson. Jackson Wright."
Allen had then reach out a hand. "Allen Thompson. Good to meet you,
Jackson."
Jackson had grabbed Allen's hand and said, "You, too, Allen."
They had gone to a Mexican restaurant and afterward, they did catch
a movie, during which, Jackson decided to be a little bolder than was his
norm. He had waited for the theater to get dark for a second, and when it
did, he reached over and grabbed Allen's hand. To his delight, Allen
hadn't pulled away. When it was over, they arrived back at Allen's house
and had talked over coffee for a couple of hours. And when Allen started
yawning, Jackson had tried to excuse himself, but Allen asked him to stay.
"Do you want to have sex?" Jackson had asked, bluntly.
"Actually, if you don't mind, no. Not tonight. But you're more
than welcome to stay over," Allen then offered.
"That'd be nice," Jackson had replied, smiling. He hoped it would
be enough to keep his mind off of Blake.
"I got the couch...or if you don't mind, you can share the bed with
me. My spare room is my office."
Jackson then beamed, and said, "I don't mind sleeping with you, if
you don't mind me being there."
Again, Allen had blushed. "I'd actually prefer it."
They had both stripped down to their underwear and got in the bed.
At first, they had been on opposite sides of the bed, but before long,
Allen had rolled over and placed his head on Jackson's shoulder, draping an
arm over Jackson's torso. Jackson had smiled and placed his right hand on
top of Allen's arm. "I like this," Jackson said.
"Good, `cause I'm comfortable," Allen had replied, giving a small
laugh. "Sleep well."
"You, too, Allen. Good night."
What time did you get in last night?" Blake quizzed.
"I didn't. I stayed over, and got here for work today," Jackson
answered. He had hoped that spending the night with someone else would
have worked. Unfortunately, it didn't. Maybe if he had sex with
Allen—maybe then it might work. Until then, however, Jackson was still
fighting his feelings on the inside.
"Oh," Blake said, disappointed. He felt as if Jackson was keeping
something from him, and it bothered him. "I just missed my sleeping buddy.
Didn't sleep all that well."
Jackson's insides turned to fire. He stopped what he was doing and
stared at Blake with angry eyes. "Yeah, well, I've missed my sleeping
buddy for the last month, so—deal with it." Jackson stormed away.
Blake called out for Jackson, and even started to follow, but Jackson
started to run. Blake stopped and stared, wondering what happened to make
him so angry. As Blake was moving one of the horses from the outside pen
to the stables, he looked up and saw Jackson leave the main house, get in
his car and drive away. Blake lowered his head and led the horse to its
clean stall.
That afternoon, after dinner was done, Blake stayed behind and helped
Mama clean the table. As he brought the food in, Mama was busy putting it
away. Before Blake left for a second run, he looked at Mama and asked,
"Why's Jackson upset at me?"
Mama stopped what he was doing and looked at Blake. "What do you
mean, Honey?"
"This morning, I asked where he was, and then he got angry with me
and stormed away. A while later, I saw him get in his car and leave. Did
he say anything to you?"
"Just that he needed the day off. He was upset and needed to get
away for a while." Walking around the big table in the kitchen, Mama said,
"Blake, what happened? All of it?"
Blake gave a sigh and started. "I'm not sure if you know this or
not, but Todd does, so please, don't freak out. But, Jackson and I have
been sleeping together for a long time. Whenever Todd's not around,
Jackson holds me when we're asleep. We love each other's company, and
we're practically each other's best friend. But this morning, I asked
where he was. He said he was at a friend's house. I asked when he got in
last night and he said that he didn't. He only showed up this morning.
When I told him that I missed my sleeping buddy, he got pissed and said,
`I've missed my sleeping buddy for the last month, so, deal with it.'"
Mama thought about what Blake had explained, and asked, "Is it
sexual, too?"
Blake looked down and gave another sigh. "Yeah. Has been for a
while."
"Do you know how he feels about you?" Mama asked, remembering the
glances he took of Jackson when he looked depressed.
"He told me that we're just friends, nothing more," Blake answered.
"Honey, that boy is in love with you. How can you not see it?" Mama
said.
"He told me that he did fall in love with me, but he said he wasn't
anymore. He just loved me as a friend. I made that clear before we did
anything."
"That might have been the case when all this started, but it's not
anymore. I would steal glances at Jackson when you and Todd were together
and I could see the hurt in his eyes. I never really knew why, but now I
understand it.
"You and Jackson in the bed, every night for months at a time, and
then you push him aside when Todd shows up. I can understand why he's
angry. Please tell me you understand it, too."
Blake thought about Mama's words and instantly felt awful. He could
completely understand how Jackson felt. Like he was being used, in a way.
Used for Blake's satisfaction, only. Blake sat on one of the bar stools
and stared at the floor. In his mind, he was hoping that their
`arrangement' was going to benefit both of them, when in fact, it only
benefitted Blake. He could only imagine the hurt that Jackson was feeling.
Probably the same way that Blake felt after he saw Todd kiss Paige back at
school.
Blake looked up at Mama and asked, "What should I do?"
"Wait for Jackson and see what he says or does. Let him make the
first move. He might want to avoid you for a few days or longer. He might
not want to talk to you for a while. Or, he could come back tonight and
act like nothing's happened. Whatever he does, just wait for him.
"But my advice to you would be to end it. You can't have two
boyfriends, and then throw the other one away when your main boyfriend
comes to town. It's not fair to Jackson. Apologize to him and see where
things go from there."
Blake looked at Mama and took in his words and said, "Thanks. I'll
wait and see what happens."
"Good," Mama said. "Now, help me finish cleaning up, Honey."
After Blake helped Mama, he went and got his shower and put in a
movie before calling it a night.
In Missoula, Jackson had arrived at Allen's house and was knocking on
the door at 7:30. Allen stumbled out of bed, having never gotten up when
Jackson left, and came to the door.
"Hey," he said in a groggy voice.
"Hey," Jackson said. "I know we don't know each other that well, but
do you mind if I come in?"
"Sure," Allen said, opening the screen door.
"Thanks," Jackson said, walking in past Allen.
"Is everything okay?" Allen asked.
"No, not really," Jackson said, sitting on the sofa.
"Anything you want to talk about?" Allen asked, sitting next to him.
"I'm afraid that if I tell you, you'll tell me to leave," Jackson
said.
Allen looked him up and down and smiled. "Don't think that could
happen. But before you start this story, which I do want to hear, let me
get the coffee started," Allen said and headed to the kitchen.
Once the coffee was brewing, he came back to the living room and told
Jackson that he was going to get some clothes on.
"Don't do it because of me. I think you're sexy in your underwear."
"Me? Sexy? I got a belly on me that could double as a hot air
balloon."
"I like hot air balloons," Jackson said.
"And I'm hairy?"
"I love hair on a man," Jackson said, again.
Allen stared at him for a moment and asked, "You really think that my
body is sexy? There's not much muscle in here," he said, patting his
stomach with both hands. "It's all lazy fat. I sit behind a computer all
day, doing nothing."
"Well, I think it's sexy. I really do," Jackson said with all
sincerity.
Allen took in those words and felt himself start to get excited.
"You need to stop. You're giving me a boner." Jackson laughed and Allen
sat next to him. "So, why are you upset?"
Jackson told Allen everything, from how he felt about Blake the
moment he saw him and how they started sleeping together and then how sex
followed. And about how he felt when Todd came to town. Jackson held
nothing back, including how he found Allen.
"So, what, you were just going to use me?" Allen asked.
"Well, for all intense and purposes, we were going to use each other.
I mean, you were the one that posted the ad. I just answered it. But when
you didn't want to have sex, well that changed the game for me. Usually,
guys just want to fuck and be done with it. You didn't want that, but you
asked me to stay."
Allen thought about it a moment and then said, "Do you want coffee?"
"Yeah," Jackson said, and followed Allen to the kitchen.
"So, what are you saying?" Allen asked, as they walked.
"Well, I want to get over Blake. I don't want to use you to do it,
but I'm genuinely interested in you. Are you just looking to have sex?
Just go out on dates? Or are you looking for a relationship?" Jackson
asked.
"Well, I was looking to just have sex. It's been a while, but after
hanging out with you, and talking like we did, I was kinda hoping we could
do it again. I never really thought about what I was looking for, but..."
Allen thought about his words and his feelings. "I guess you can say that
I'm looking to see what happens. I'm open for anything—friendship or
more."
After receiving a cup of coffee, Jackson asked, "So, you wanna try
and give this a shot? See where it goes?"
Allen took a sip and said, "Why not? If nothing but a friendship
happens, then that's cool, too." Allen smiled wide.
"Well, there is one more thing I need to tell you. Something that
might make you change your mind," Jackson said.
"Doubtful," Allen said, taking another sip.
"My other name is Craig Longin."
"Other name? Why do you have another name? Were you an assassin
before and now in the witness protection program or something?"
Jackson let out a genuine laugh. "No. Nothing like that. I used to
be in porn."
"Porn? Are you serious?" Allen asked, excited.
"Yeah. I've done about thirty movies. I was based in San
Francisco."
"Really?" Asked Allen as he started back to the living room. Taking
a seat on the sofa, Jackson joined him.
"Yup."
"What all did you do?" Allen asked, clearly interested.
"Just the usual. I was pretty vanilla in the movies. Mainly sucked,
rimmed, fucked. But I never bottomed."
"Why not bottom?" Allen asked.
Jackson decided to hold out on that story for a while, and said,
"Just preferred to top."
"Tell me a set story. A crazy, sexy, movie set story," Allen asked.
Jackson told his story, trying to remember all the details and when
he was done, he saw Allen reach over and grab a pillow and place it on his
lap.
"What's the pillow for?" Jackson asked, chuckling.
"To hide the hard on you just gave me," Allen said, embarrassed.
"Oh, please," Jackson said, grabbing the pillow and throwing it in a
chair next to him. "If you got it, show it off."
Allen was a little taken aback, but soon, relaxed and Jackson could
see the tent in Allen's briefs. "From what I can see, it looks delicious,"
Jackson said.
"I got an idea," Allen said, hopeful.
"Okay, what?" Jackson asked.
"How about I call into work, and you and I fuck like rabbits all day
long?" Allen suggested.
Jackson paused. "Are you serious?"
"Well, look at it this way. If we are going to try and date, let's
go ahead and get the sex out of the way. I can feel major tension in the
room, and I've already seen what you look like naked, and I want it bad.
We can have sex today, then wait until the time is right for the next
time."
"Well, the only problem with that, that I see, is if it's good sex,
the next time might be tomorrow after I get off work. Allen, you're sexy
to me, and if we have sex, there won't be a way to wait, especially if
you're really good at it," Jackson explained.
Now it was Allen's turn to pause. "Okay, there's a dilemma on my
hands now. I want to have sex with you really bad, but I don't want this
possible relationship based on just sex. I feel the same way you do. If
the sex is that good, I'll want it tomorrow, too."
"Yeah," Jackson said, clearly torn.
They sat in silence for a few minutes before Jackson leaned over and
kissed Allen. When he pulled away, Allen said, "I won't base it on sex, I
promise," then pulled Jackson back for another kiss. They made out for
about twenty minutes before Jackson reached over and felt the hardness
under Allen's briefs. Allen grabbed Jackson's hand, pulled away from
Jackson's lips and said, "I need a shower first."
Jackson sat back on the couch and gave a breathy, "Okay," as he
watched Allen head back to his bedroom. After he was in the shower,
Jackson realized he needed a shower, too. He headed in the bedroom and
stripped down and went in the bathroom and asked, "Can I join you?"
Allen was startled, but pulled back the shower curtain and saw
Jackson naked. "Holy shit. This is going to be tough," he said, looking
him up and down. "C'mon, get in."
Jackson smiled and got in the shower with him. As they cleaned, they
made out more, and hands roamed over each other, exploring areas that were
previously covered with fabric. After the shower, they walked back to the
bedroom and Jackson grabbed Allen and pushed him down on the bed and
instantly went down on him. Allen's hand flew to Jackson's head and took a
deep gulp of air. Exhaling, he said, "Oh, my God, that's amazing."
After about ten minutes, they switched places and Allen started
pleasing Jackson. That didn't last as long before Jackson wanted Allen
back in his mouth. He maneuvered himself so that they were in a sixty-nine
position. All other sexual activities were left out as they seemed to be
happy with what they were doing. They didn't even want to go any further,
instead, they brought each other to climax, orally.
Seeing as how neither of them were virgins, they didn't cum in each
other's mouth. Instead, Jackson removed Allen from his mouth and jerked
him off over his chest and chin. When Jackson announced that he was about
to orgasm, Allen lifted off and finished him with his hand, having to shut
his eyes after he was hit in the face with Jackson's climax.
After their orgasms passed, Allen rolled over to lie beside Jackson
and they both got their breathing back under control. After a few minutes,
Jackson got up and turned so that he and Allen were face to face and
started kissing him.
"I'm glad we didn't go any further today," Allen said. "As much as I
wanted to, I knew it didn't feel right to go that far."
"I know, me, too," Jackson agreed. "We can save the rest for another
time. Maybe something special."
"Agreed, but I hope you come over often. You got a great cock. I
love it," Allen said.
Jackson laughed and said, "So do you. Fits just perfectly down the
throat."
Allen smiled and said, "One day, I'll get you down mine. I just
gotta get used to how big it is first."
Jackson smiled and leaned down for another kiss.
That evening, Jackson called Mama's cell phone and asked if he could
have Tuesday off as well.
Mama thought about it for a moment before answering, "Yeah, you can
have tomorrow off, just make sure you're back on Wednesday. If you're not,
I can't be responsible for Papa."
"Thanks, Mama, you're the greatest!" Jackson said.
Jackson returned to work on Wednesday, as promised. Papa didn't give
him any slack, and the rest of the crew didn't think anything of it.
Blake, on the other hand, was waiting for Jackson to start some sort of
conversation with him. It didn't happen.
A week passed, and every night, sometimes before and sometimes after
dinner, Jackson would get his shower and take off. He never told anyone
where he was going, and Blake didn't feel it was his place to ask. He kept
to himself, but was feeling depressed on how he treated Jackson.
Whenever he and Todd talked, that was Blake's main topic of
conversation. He felt guilty about the way he treated Jackson, but Jackson
was acting like he didn't care anymore. Not even as friends. More than
anything, that was what was upsetting him But he did notice that Jackson
was looking happier about things, so Blake let it go, supported by the
occasional pep talk from Todd when it was needed.
Another week passed and Jackson kept up his routine. Hardly talking
to anyone, especially Blake, but after work, he'd get his shower and head
over to Allen's. Blake started to become more depressed about the way
Jackson was treating him, but Todd gave him some news to actually succeeded
in cheering him up. Todd told him that he was going back to New York in a
week and that his mom and dad were flying over to Montana to look at a
property for Pax and that they were going to come up and visit for a few
days.
Blake felt some of his discomfort toward Jackson fade. He missed
Christine and Don and knowing that in a little more than a week, he'd be
seeing them. Now he had something to look forward to and he tried not to
let Jackson's actions bother him much more.
It took Don and Christine about a month before they finally told Pax
that they'd come and work for him. They gave a month notice to both of
their firms—Christine's law firm and Don's real estate firm. For the
month of March, Pax gave them leads on some buildings he had heard about
and sent them on their way. The jet he told them about at Christmas was
completely theirs, with a crew of three—two pilots and one attendant.
They traveled all over the country, hitting only the major cities for now.
From that first month's travels, Pax decided on one building in
Dallas. Since then, he's only purchased two other places. One in Chicago
and the other in Boston. After the purchases were final, he got his
construction manager on the renovations and Dallas was just a few more
months to completion. At first, Don was skeptical about his job with Pax,
but soon learned he knew exactly what Pax was looking for, which made his
job easier. He could see a building and instantly know if it was a
possibility or a complete dud. Out of the twenty or so cities they've
visited in the last few months, only three were what Pax had in mind.
Christine would wait for her husband and his team to discuss the
price and finally decide on a figure that Pax and the seller would be happy
with. Once Pax confirmed the price, Christine had her staff would write up
the contracts and get all the selling papers completed so that only
signatures of the seller(s) and Pax or Tristian had to sign. The first
three deals were done without any face to face meetings. Everything was
done through Christine or Don's communication with the two parties. After
everything was finalized, Pax would give them each a half a percent bonus
on the find and purchase. So far, they have each earned over twenty
thousand in bonuses alone.
Blake knew that after Don and Christine dropped off Todd in New York,
they would be heading over to see him. He hoped they could stay for a few
days, but he'd have to talk to them soon to find out the details. Blake
asked Mama and Papa if Don and Christine could stay at the ranch or if they
would need to stay at the small hotel in Eureka Falls. Once Mama realized
who exactly Don and Christine were, he insisted they stay in the main
house. Blake made a note to tell Mom and Dad next time he talked with
them.
The week finally passed and Blake got a call from Todd telling him
that Mom and Dad would be coming in to visit in two more days. They were
stopping in Billings first to look at a property and possibly start the
discussions. To Blake's surprise, they arrived the next day, about an hour
after calling him and informing him of such. He told Mama about the change
in plans and Mama gave him the rest of the day off. He quickly got a
shower and headed down to the airport to greet his family.
Upon seeing Don and Christine, he ran up and grabbed Christine in a
hug and almost wouldn't let go. When he saw that Don was waiting for his
hug, he let Christine go and attacked Don.
"It's so great to see you guys," Blake said, pulling back and looking
between the two of them. "You've lost some weight, Mom."
"You noticed!" Christine said, delighted.
"Looking good, as always," Blake replied.
"Wow! You really are a cowboy," Don said, looking at Blake in his
plaid shirt, tight jeans, cowboy boots and cowboy hat.
"Eh, it agrees with me," Blake said, smiling.
Blake took Christine's bag from her and led them to the car. After
packing and getting settled, they caught up with what was going on while
driving back to the ranch. When they arrived, Mama was just finishing up
placing dinner on the table and was about to call everyone in. Seeing
Blake drive up, he put off calling in the crew for a few more minutes.
Blake told Christine and Don that he would help them with their bags
after dinner and walked them over to introduce them to Mama.
"Mama, I'd like to introduce you to Todd's parents: Christine and Don
Blyth. Mom, Dad, this is Oliver West, but we just call him Mama."
"Great to finally meet you," Christine said, walking up and extending
her hand. "Blake's told us so much about you.
Mama shook Christine's hand and then Don's and said, "He's told me so
much about you two as well. It's a pleasure to meet you both. Welcome to
Sapphire Fields."
"Thank you for allowing us to stay with you," Don said.
"I wouldn't have it any other way," Mama responded. "I hope y'all
are hungry. I just finished supper."
"It looks wonderful," Christine said.
"Excuse me. Let me call the boys and girls up to eat." Mama walked
over to a brass bell and rang it a few times. Within a minute, the first
of many workers started on their way up to the house.
One by one, as they appeared, Blake introduced everyone to Christine
and Don. As he did, he said they were his parents, completely forgetting
about Todd. He laughed about that later. When Jackson finally came up,
Blake got his attention and introduced them. Jackson was pleasant and
shook their hands, but said as little as possible to Blake. Blake vowed
that he wasn't going to let Jackson ruin his mood and walked Christine and
Don over to the table.
Before taking a seat, Papa walked out and Mama grabbed his arm and
pulled him over to the Blyth's. "This big brute of a man is my partner,
Norman West. Papa, these are Todd's parents, Christine and Don Blyth."
Papa grabbed for Christine's hand first, and then Don's. "You got
two fine boys! Both hard workers. Couldn't have asked for better
additions to the staff."
"Thank you, Norman," Don said.
"Believe me, it's my pleasure. With Todd's help over the summer, he
keeps the ranch running smoothly. And Blake, here, well, he's an excellent
addition. Glad he made his way to Montana and found us."
Blake actually blushed a bit. Papa would always tell him he was
doing a good job, but would also let him know if he was falling behind a
bit, too. But he had never heard Papa speak so highly of him, or anyone,
and it embarrassed him just a bit in front of everyone else.
"Well, Todd, we can take credit for. As for Blake," Christine
started, "well, he's gets all the credit."
"Nonsense! You and Don picked up where his parents quit on him. You
also deserve the credit. You took him in and cared and loved him. That
says a lot for a boy his age. You should be very proud and take credit for
him turning out like he has," Papa finished.
"Thank you, Norman. That means a great deal to hear that," Christine
said, feeling proud.
"I agree," Don said, and grabbing Papa's hand to shake again. "Thank
you."
"Why don't we all get a seat. Looks like everyone got started
already," Mama said.
They took their seats and began to eat. Mama and Papa had everyone
move down a bit and let Don and Christine sit next to them so they could
talk and get to know each other a bit better. Blake sat in his usual spot,
though, Jackson had moved to his new usual spot, three spots down. Blake
would glance up to the head of the table and see the four of them in great
conversations, laughing or smiling and nodding heads.
When the hands were done with their dinner, Jackson being the first,
they walked up and told Mama how much they enjoyed it and then headed off
for their showers. Twenty minutes after Jackson got up from the table,
Blake saw him leave the ranch, heading into town. When it was just the
five of them remaining, Mama, Papa, Christine, Don and Blake, Mama took
advantage of a lull in the conversation, saying he needed to start the
cleaning.
"Please, Oliver, let me help you," Christine said, standing with
Mama.
"I wouldn't dream of it, Christine. Why don't you and Don go and get
settled in your room? I'll show you where it is," Mama said.
"I'll get the bags," Blake said, jumping up and running to the car.
Mama led Don and Christine in the house and up the stairs. The
second door on the right hand side of the hall is where Mama placed
Christine and Don for their visit. It was a nice room, looking over the
front field and the entrance to the ranch. In the distance was the
mountain range that Blake had told them about. In the back left hand corner
of the room was a private bath.
"Oh, Oliver, it's beautiful," Christine said, taking in the room and
the view.
"I'm glad you like it. I hope y'all will be comfortable," Mama said.
"I'm sure we will," Don said.
Behind them was Blake, bumping into the doorway with the bags in
hand. "Did you pack for a month?" he asked.
"Just two weeks," Christine said.
"Well, I'll leave you two alone to get settled," Mama said, and then
slipped out the door, back to the kitchen.
Christine grabbed her bag and put it on the bed and began to unpack
and put things up. Mama had offered them the use of the chest-of-drawers,
and Christine promptly filled it. Don, on the other hand, left his clothes
in his bag and slid it under the bed.
When Christine was done, she excused herself and headed down to help
Mama finish cleaning up. Mama insisted that she sit and talk, but
Christine wouldn't hear if it. Mama finally gave in and allowed Christine
to help.
"Whadda think?" Blake asked Don.
"It's nice. Now I can see why you love it here so much. The fresh
air, the beautiful surroundings. And everyone is very nice," Don
commented.
"Yeah, everyone's pretty great," Blake said.
"What about that one guy? Jack, I think," Don asked.
"What about him?" Blake asked, nervously.
"He seemed to kinda ignore you. Is everything okay?"
"Oh, yeah. We kinda had a small falling out recently. Things'll be
fine, soon, I'm sure."
"What kind of falling out?" Don asked, taking a seat on the bed.
Blake gave a silent sigh and fudged the truth, just a little, to hide
some of the details. "Before he knew about Todd, he kinda fell in love
with me. When he found out Todd was real, he got depressed. When Todd
leaves, he gets happy again. Well, Todd just left, but he's acting a
little different. I don't know if he still loves me or not, but I guess he
might still be a little jealous that he can't be with me."
"Did you ever give him a reason to think there could be more?" Don
asked.
"No," Blake lied.
Don gave Blake a look and then turned his head. "You know the only
thing this place is missing?"
"What's that?" Blake asked, thankful for the change of subject.
"A pool. Can't get my exercises in tonight."
"We got a pond. Todd and I swim in it all the time." Blake looked
out the window and said, "We probably still got an hour or so left of
sunlight. Wanna go?"
Don thought about it for a moment, and finally answered, "Sure."
"I got some towels in my room. C'mon," Blake said, heading out of
the room.
As they passed through the kitchen, Blake announced his and Don's
plans. Both, Christine and Mama told them to have a good time. Blake went
over to his room and as he grabbed the towels, Don poked his head inside
and looked around.
"It's not much, but it's a room," Blake said.
"Looks quite cozy to me," Don said.
Closing his door, he walked outside and went straight to one of the
four-wheelers. He told Don to hop on the back and down the path they went
to the pond. As usual, they stripped down and went skinny dipping. Don
wasn't used to having such a large body of water to swim in. Instead of
his usual thirty laps, he did only five in the large pond. He figured it
equaled about his usual thirty. After his exercises, he and Blake talked
some more and ended up in a splashing fight. With just a sliver of light
left in the sky, they got out and dried off and redressed. Ten minutes
later, they were back at the ranch.
Blake walked Don back in the kitchen and told him and Christine
goodnight. He was going to leave them to get settled and enjoy their
evening. Before he left, he turned back around and reached in his pocket
and grabbed his keys. Handing them to Don, he said, "Exit 109 is our exit.
Take main street up the mountain and you can't miss the ranch. If you get
lost in Eureka Falls, just ask anyone how to get to Sapphire Fields."
"Thanks," Don said with a smile.
"If you really want to get a taste for the Rockies, go over to Idaho.
It's only 100 miles west," Blake said.
"How far is it to Spokane?" Don asked.
"Little over three hours," Mama answered.
"There's a property over there we might go see while we're here," Don
answered.
"Don, this is a small vacation, remember?" Christine said.
"You can do some shopping," Don retorted.
"Okay, maybe one small trip, then," Christine said. Everyone else
laughed.
"Night, Mom and Dad," Blake said, giving each of them a hug, then he
walked to his room.
When he arrived, he saw that he had about twenty minutes before Todd
was to call him, so he decided on a quick shower. As he walked back in his
room, his phone was ringing. Running to answer it, he fell on the bed and
said, "Hey, sexy."
"Hey, baby." Blake could hear the smile in Todd's voice. "Whatcha
doin'?"
"Just got out of the shower. Dad and I just got done swimming in the
pond. They came in today, by the way."
"I know. I was calling to see if they made it okay. Mom forgot to
call me."
"Yeah, things are good. Got them settled in their room, upstairs.
Mama gave them a room with a great view of the mountains. Mom loves it!"
"I knew she would," Todd said, chuckling. "Did they meet everyone?"
"Yeah. Dad saw something wasn't right between me and Jackson. I
told him a version of the truth, but not everything. He asked if I gave
Jackson a reason to believe there could be more and I think I said `no'
just a little too fast. He changed the subject after that."
"So, he's still not talking to you?" Todd asked.
"Nope. I'll start the conversation after Mom and Dad leave. I don't
want to ruin anyone's time while they're here," Blake explained.
"Good idea," Todd agreed.
"So, what are you up to?" Blake asked.
"Not a whole lot. Just sippin' on a Starbucks. Lucky and I just got
back from playing b-ball in the park. Now, just gonna get things ready to
start back classes tomorrow."
"How is Robert? How was his summer?" Blake asked.
"Not too bad. He said he had a good time and even decided to be a
bit brave and come out to one of his cousins in France," Todd explained.
"Oh, my God. Did they freak out?" Blake asked, apprehensive.
"Nope. He said she was cool with it."
"Why did he decide to do it with only her?" Blake wondered.
"Well, he said that out of all his cousins, he and she were the
closest. He figured she probably wouldn't have a problem with it, and if
she did, she was across the ocean, so he figured he'd give it a try. Made
up a hypothetical situation about being mistreated by someone—" Todd
said, emphasizing the word `someone,' "—he likes. After he finished the
story, she said, `You need to dump her. I've known girls like her and
she's not worth it.' After she was done explaining, he said, `Well, it's
not a "her"...'
"He said it only took her about three seconds to register what he was
saying, and her response was, `I don't care who it is, he doesn't deserve
you,' then in a much calmer voice, asked, `Really? I had no idea.' He
explained that he was bisexual, even though I still think he's holding onto
the bisexuality title to please his parents if it gets really bad. Anyway,
they talked and she told him that if he even needed someone to talk to
about it, she'd be there for him...at least through email and phone."
"That's pretty awesome. At least he has someone in the family to
confide in, if he needs to," Blake said. "Any plans on telling his parents
yet?"
"Not anytime soon, from what I gather. I think distant family that
he's closer with first, to test the waters, then maybe in the next fifty
years, he might get around to telling his mom and dad," Todd assumed.
"Tell my mom and dad what?" Robert said behind Todd. Blake heard
Robert's voice and smiled.
"I was just telling Blake about your cousin. He asked if you plan on
telling your parents soon, and I said, probably not for another fifty
years," Todd repeated, plainly.
"No point in telling them until I find the right guy. Who knows, I
might still end up with a girl," he said, then a second later, he called
out to the room, "Hey, Blake. I miss you!"
Blake gave a chuckle and told Todd to tell Robert hello and that he
missed him too. Blake and Todd talked for another twenty minutes before
Todd said he had to get ready for bed. After saying their I love you's,
they hung up the phone. Within ten minutes, Blake was asleep.
The rest of the week was very pleasant for Don and Christine. Their
first couple of days, they would take a walk around the pasture and see
Mother Nature at her finest with the mountain ranges in the distance. Once
they would return, they would walk around the stables and talk to the
workers. Don and Christine would ask them questions about their job, and
then move on to find out a little about them and what brought them to
Sapphire Fields.
When they would end up with Blake, they would keep catching up on
things in Atlanta, and with Pax and Tristian, and anything else newsworthy
to share. When they asked how he groomed the horses, Blake got Christine
involved and let her help him out. She was apprehensive at first, with the
magnificent beast intimidating her, but after she worked on grooming the
horse in front of her for about ten minutes, she seemed to relax, and
eventually started to enjoy it.
On their third day, they started out early for Spokane and enjoyed
the ride through the Rockies, while Blake was left on the ranch. The
building they went to look at was a no. It wasn't what Pax was looking
for, so they spent a few hours doing some shopping. When they returned
home, about an hour before dinner, the car was packed. Christine got a few
new outfits and even got Don a new suit, as well as some new jeans, slacks,
sweaters for the winter, and shirts for everyday wear.
That evening, after everyone had gotten settled, Blake was in his
room and was flipping through the TV. There wasn't anything on so he
turned it off. When he did, he heard laughter. Getting out of bed, he
went to the window and bent one of the blinds down and saw Mama, Papa, Don
and Christine sitting on the porch, talking. He decided to walk over, at
least to say goodnight. Though, when he arrived, he sat and listened to
the stories Mama and Papa were telling.
Mama had just finished a story and the others were laughing, when he
saw Blake walk up to the dimly lit porch.
"Evening, lil man. You aren't asleep yet?" Mama asked.
"Nah. I was about to go when I heard y'all laughing. Thought I'd
walk over and see what was going on before bed."
"Not a lot. Just drinking a glass of wine and talking," Christine
said. "Mama's been telling us some really funny stories from their past."
"Yeah, some things he knows he shouldn't talk about `cause they
embarrass me," Papa said.
"Papa, you know good and well there isn't a thing to be embarrassed
by. It happened in our past and we've learned and matured. Stop being
embarrassed by stupid little things," Mama said.
Before Papa could respond, Don cut in, asking, "How long have you two
been together?"
As Papa was thinking about it, Mama looked over and gave a playful
slap on Papa's chest. "Fifty three years in September," Mama said without
thinking.
"I was getting there," Papa said, grabbing Mama's hand and holding
it.
"How did y'all meet?" Christine asked.
Blake had always wanted to ask that very question, so he decided to
hold his goodnight's for a bit longer to hear the answer. He scooted back
in his rocking chair and listened.
"Oh, wow," Mama exclaimed. "I haven't told this story in such a long
time. I hope I remember all the details. Papa, why don't you tell them
your side of the story first, before you met me."
"About six months after my mother died, I sold the family business
and, afterward, I felt guilty about it. I felt as if I let my father down.
I figured that I needed to do something to make him proud of me and decided
to join the military. I joined the Navy and sailed all around the world.
Saw so much of the planet and knew that I made the right choice.
"September, 1959, we had just spent about four months at sea, when we
made it to port in Savannah, GA. They gave us five days off, and I spent
the first day in the city, but had seen everything in about four hours. So
I found this guy who had three extra cars he rented to military guys. $20
a day was all he asked. So, I grabbed one up and headed straight for the
big city of Atlanta. I didn't have any change of clothes with me, but I
didn't care. I just wanted to get away from the water and meet some new
people.
"When I arrived, I drove around, being my first time in the city, and
did all the sightseeing things. That night, I chose a small little
restaurant, and, over dinner, I heard one guy talking to another guy about
a club. It didn't sound too interesting until I heard them mention the
word character. Then my ears listened a bit closer. Back in those days,
it wasn't good to be gay. Even worse if you were in the military. All the
gay clubs were underground, hidden away. Mind you, Stonewall won't happen
for another ten years, so secrecy was very important, if you didn't want
any trouble with the police.
"Anyway, one of the guys asked the other when he was going to get
into character. I remember his answer so clearly. He responded, `Rudy
will become Ruby once we're in that club.' I knew exactly what they were
talking about, so I finished up my dinner, and sat around and waited for
them to leave. After ordering coffees to go, they finally got up and each
grabbed a bag. I let them leave and about thirty seconds after, I got up
to follow.
"Ten minutes of walking, and I saw them disappear down an alley.
When I turned the corner, they had vanished. I walked down the alleyway
and noticed a few doors. No signs, notes, nothing. I was about to knock
on a random door, when behind me, down some stairs, I saw light. I moved
to the other side of the alleyway and up against the wall. A second later,
two men came up the stairs and turned the opposite way down the alley. If
it wasn't for one of them walking the way he did, I wouldn't have known it
was the club."
"How was he walking?" Blake asked, enraptured.
"Boy, he was swinging his hips farther than a pendulum in a
Grandfather clock. Yeah, I knew that was the club. I took a few deep
breaths and decided to head downstairs and go in. When I got to the door,
it was locked. At first, I thought maybe I was trying to get into
someone's apartment, but then a little window door opened and a guy inside
saw me and asked me the password.
"`I don't know it,' I said to him. `Sorry, can't come in, then,' he
responded to me. Finally, I explained my situation to him, showed him my
military ID and he took pity on me and let me in. When I got inside, I was
as nervous as could be. I saw guys all over the place. Some were talking,
others were touching or kissing. I really felt out of place, and decided
that maybe a drink would calm my nerves.
"I got me a gin and tonic and sat there. A few guys came up to me,
but I was scared. I was still in my uniform and I knew that if I did
anything to make anyone angry, they might tell someone about me being
there, so I kept to myself. The guys in the bar finally gave up trying to
talk to me, which made me feel a little better, but looking around, I
started to feel lonely. In Atlanta, if only in the safety of that bar or
their homes, they could be who they really were. I, living on a ship with
a thousand other men, had to hide who I was. I hated it, but I believed in
what I was doing with my service.
"Well, about an hour later, they had announced that the show was
about to start. I knew, from the talk at the restaurant between those two
guys, it was going to be a drag show or something like that. Anyway, I
ordered another drink and as I was waiting for it, the first performer had
already started. When I turned around, I was frozen. There on the stage
was the most beautiful man in a costume I had ever seen. I watched him
perform, and at one point, he looked directly into my eyes and actually
faltered a moment. He forgot the words to his song and almost lost his
balance because his left ankle fell over in his heel, and he had to catch
himself. There on the stage, was none other than Sapphire Skyy."
Blake had connected the dots faster than Don and Christine. Sapphire
Skyy—Sapphire Fields. "You?" Blake asked, looking at Mama.
"Me," Mama said, smiling. "When I looked up and saw this sailor
sitting at the bar, I couldn't catch my breath. The music stopped playing,
and I forgot I was in heels. Only after someone waved some money in front
of me, did my surroundings come back. I regained my footing and the words,
but I couldn't stop looking at Norman. When my act was over, I went
directly backstage, dropped off my money, fixed up my face and headed
straight for the front of the house. Right there at the dressing room
door, Norman was waiting for me.
"We talked for a good fifteen minutes before I excused myself and
went backstage and told the girls to go on without me. I told them about
this handsome sailor and that I wasn't going to let this chance pass me up.
As I was standing there, all the girls ran to the door to get a peek
through the little window. As they did, I reapplied my lipstick, powered
my face and checked my hair one more time. I had to actually fight my way
back through them to get back to the bar. And believe me, I would've
thrown down a bitch if I needed to."
Everyone listening gave a good, hearty laugh.
"When I returned, I grabbed Norman's hand and told Jonny, the
bartender, we were moving to a little table in the corner. After we were
settled, we talked for hours. We couldn't stop getting to know each other.
It was like magic had taken over and pushed us together. When there was
only about thirty minutes left before the club closed, I told Norman that I
had to go and change and get out of my costume and I asked if he would wait
for me. He said he would, and I started getting more nervous.
"He had only seen me as Sapphire Skyy, I was afraid he might not like
Oliver Smith. But, when I returned, without makeup, without my dress, and
without my wig, he said the most wonderful thing he could have said at that
moment."
Mama paused and looked at Papa in memory. "Well?" Blake asked,
impatient.
Looking into Mama's eyes, Papa answered, "You're even more stunning
as Oliver."
"That's so romantic," Christine said, smiling. Blake could have
sworn he saw pools of tears in her eyes.
"Well, I took him to an all night diner and we got coffee and stayed
up all night and talked. When the morning traffic started to get moving, I
started yawning, and Norman said that we better get heading on out."
"I apologized for keeping him out all night, but I didn't want to let
him go," Papa said. "I could see in his eyes that he didn't want to say
goodbye, either. But I knew we both needed sleep. I asked if he was going
to be at the club again that night and he assured me that he was. He also
told me the password. It was Pumpernickel. Right before we said our
goodbyes, I asked him if he knew where the closest YMCA was."
"When he did, I wasn't going to allow him to have to spend any money
on a place to stay if he didn't need to, so I invited him to my place.
When he looked into my eyes, I saw a bit of relief there. Neither one of
us wanted to say goodbye, yet, so he thanked me for the invite, and we
walked to my place. When we got there, I put my things away and grabbed
some sheets and a blanket and pillow. He insisted on sleeping on the
couch, so I made him up a bed."
Papa picked up the story. "I was, and still am a gentleman. I
didn't want him thinking I was trying to or going to take advantage of him.
Nope, the couch was the closest to his bedroom I was going to get, at least
in my skivvies. Well, after he made up the bed, we talked for about three
more hours over coffee until he eventually fell asleep on the couch. I let
him sleep for about ten minutes while watching him. Then I took our coffee
mugs to the kitchen, picked him up and carried him to his bed. I removed
his shoes and shirt and threw a blanket over him and let him sleep as I
went to the couch."
"When I finally woke up," Mama said, taking over, "I looked down and
saw that I still had my pants on. I thought about what happened and
realized that I must have fallen asleep in the living room. I smiled at
how much of a gentleman he was. I got up and got my shower, and then
dressed and came out, and he was still sleeping. The blanket was thrown to
the floor and the sheet was barely covering his unmentionables, in his
underwear, of course."
"Oli," Papa groaned. "Do you have to say it like that?"
"Well, that's what happened." Blake, Christine and Don were all
smiling at Papa's small bit of embarrassment. "Anyway, I leaned against
the doorframe and couldn't take my eyes off of him. He was the most
beautiful man I had ever laid eyes on. Tall, handsome, six pack stomach
like an old wash board. Strong, hairy, powerful legs. I watched his chest
heave up and down with every breath. I was completely mesmerized. As I
was standing there, he started to stir and I started to panic. I didn't
want him knowing I was watching him, but he only turned over. I calmed
down and then I saw his butt."
"Oli," Papa groaned again.
"The most perfectly shaped, round butt in tight white briefs. Uh, I
was in heaven," Mama said. Christine gave a chuckle and Blake smiled,
wide. "After watching him for a few more minutes, I decided to go and make
coffee and to start some breakfast, even though it was like seven in the
evening. I was halfway through making the bacon, when in he walked. He
came right up to me, put his right hand on my right hip and stood so close
to me, I almost fainted. `Smells wonderful,' he said to me.
"In order to regain my composure and balance, I told him the coffee
was ready and when he pulled his hand away, I took a few deep breaths to
get my head back on straight. Without knowing it, he teased me into what I
wished the rest of my days could be like with him. For two whole days, the
only time we parted from each other was when we slept. But on that third
night, I told him he was going to sleep in a proper bed, and I made him
sleep in the bed with me."
"Okay, Oli, that's enough information. It's getting late," Papa
interjected.
"Papa, there is nothing to be ashamed of. Nothing happened, so I'm
finishing the story."
"But Blake's here and we don't need to be telling anymore private
things in front of a worker," Papa said, making his case.
Mama turned and said, "He and Todd love each other just as much as
you and I do. There is nothing to be ashamed of. Stop getting
embarrassed." Turning his attention back to his audience, Oliver continued.
"That night, as I said, nothing happened except that he held me all through
the night. When I woke, I was still in his arms. I woke up from the most
satisfying sleep of my life in the arms of the man I had always dreamed
about."
Blake could see, even in the dim light, that Papa blushed, slightly,
and added, "Yeah, it was one of the best night sleeps in my life too."
Papa continued and took over the story. "Well, that afternoon, I had to be
getting back. I didn't want to, and even thought about going AWOL just to
stay with him, but he insisted that I go back. He asked for my address and
told me that he was going to write to me under the name Olivia Smith. It
angered me that he couldn't use Oliver, but I knew that if I wanted to hear
from him, this was the way it had to be.
"We just laid in the bed and talked for a few more hours and then he
finally got up and made us some lunch. After lunch, I got a quick shower,
got dressed and told him I had to leave. Oliver, here, lowered his head
and said that he knew. At that point, I knew I was falling hard for him.
And I knew that if I didn't take that opportunity to kiss him, I wouldn't
get a chance to for many more months. I walked up to him, put my finger on
his chin, lifted his face and kissed him."
"He kissed me so good, my knees buckled," Mama added. All five of
them laughed. "We stared into each other's eyes for a few more minutes
before I finally had to push him away and tell him to leave. When he got
to the door, he grabbed the knob, and I ran back up to him and kissed him
again. A minute later, he was gone."
"What happened next?" Don asked, just as enraptured as Blake and
Christine.
"Well, I couldn't wait, and I wrote a letter ten minutes after he
left and on my way to the club that night, I mailed it. He told me that he
received the letter before the ship left port, but he couldn't reply fast
enough before the ship set sail. About a week later, I got his letter, and
I couldn't stop smiling. I carried it with me everywhere. I showed the
girls at work and they couldn't believe how lucky I was."
"Anyway," Papa said, "we wrote to each other for two more years. Me
telling of my adventures on the water and him telling me of his everyday
life. It never got boring. And finally, when I was able to leave the
military, I told him where I was going to be and what date. Sure enough,
he was. Over those two years, our love for each other had grown so much,
that we knew this was going to be a relationship to last a long time."
"So much in fact, that when I picked him up, we found the closest
motel to make up for lost time," Mama added.
"Oliver!" Papa said, blushing hard this time.
Christine gave a little laugh as Blake and Don continued to smile.
"And we haven't parted ever since that day," Mama finished up,
squeezing Papa's hand.
"Where did y'all go after you were discharged?" Don asked.
"Well, I moved to Atlanta with Oli, and with all the money I got from
the sale of the land back home, I didn't have to work. I'd get odd jobs
here and there, but nothing permanent. Didn't have a reason to. Every
night he performed, I was right there, in the front row at a little table,
waiting for Sapphire Skyy to come out on stage. In the meantime, while I
waited, I had to sit through some horrendous acts—Ruby Monroe being the
worst."
"No way!" Blake said. Looking at both of them, he asked, "You knew
Ruby Monroe?"
"You're thinking of Marilyn Monroe, sweetie," Mama said. "This is
Ruby Monroe. Another drag queen at the club."
"I know. I've met her...um, him," Blake said, correcting himself.
"Really?" Mama asked. "When and where?"
"Todd and I went camping a few years back and ran into him at the
camp ground. He lives there."
"Really? How's he look these days?" Mama asked.
Blake didn't want to be rude, but decided less rude was better and
said, "You look twenty years younger than he does, let's just put it that
way."
"Yesss!" Mama said, smiling big.
"Are we missing something?" Christine asked.
"He's actually four years younger than me," Mama said, keeping his
smile wide.
"I can't believe that old bat is still alive. Was sure he would have
been killed, eventually," Papa said.
"Why's that?" Don asked.
"He used to like to leave the club in costume and try and trick
straight men into taking him on a date with the promise of a good time
after. Got beat up pretty bad a few times. Kept telling him he needed to
cut it out, but he just wouldn't listen. Well, after one good beating that
broke his arm in two places, he packed up and left town. That was the last
I heard of him," Papa said.
"I heard he went to Nashville, then Dallas, Houston, then New
Orleans, but I lost track of him after that. Haven't seen him in, God,
over forty five years," Mama finished up.
"So, how did y'all end up here, in Montana?" Don asked, anxious to
finish the story.
"We stayed in Atlanta for another two years or so, before moving on
to a new adventure in Nashville, but that only lasted a few months. I
wanted to go back and see my family, but they weren't too happy to see me
AND Norman. They always knew, but since I was always single, they didn't
have much of a problem with it. When I brought Norman home to meet the
family, they were about as civil as a pack of wild coyotes. My daddy would
give me hell every time I went over to visit about having a man as a
partner. The only ones in the family who actually met and loved Norman,
were my three sisters. My two brothers acted like my dad.
"Well, we moved into a small apartment, and I tried to get my mama
and daddy to come around in their thinking, but they wouldn't have anything
to do with Norman. Even told me not to bring him around anymore. That was
the straw that broke my back. I stopped visiting, and if I wanted to see
my sisters, I would send them letters. We were only a five minute drive
away, but I wasn't going to call them or show up at the house because my
parents hated Norman so much."
"Well, after about four months, this man came through town talking
about real estate being sold in the west. I got him in a conversation, and
asked him what parts. He told me that everything from New Mexico up to
Montana. As soon as he said Montana, I knew I had to get more information.
I'd only seen pictures and such of this state, but from what I saw, I loved
it. Said they had parcels of land for as little as ten dollars an acre. I
couldn't pass it up. I had to go and check it out, so I talked it over
with Mama and took off on a little journey," Papa said.
"While he was gone, I was working the clubs, they had two hidden
clubs in Nashville, and I did pretty good for myself. But I was lonely
without Papa around. He called me every night on his journey and then
every night while he was here. Took a few weeks of looking around before
he finally came across the land that he knew he had to have. When he did,
he found the owner and made an offer," Mama said.
"Fifteen hundred acres for fifteen thousand dollars. I couldn't
believe it. I called Oli and told him about it and he told me to go ahead
and get it if I wanted to. After the land traded hands, I went home, and
to my amazement, Mama said, `So, when are we moving?'"
"I'd never been anywhere outside of the South, so I was excited about
the move," Mama said. "I wanted to see what was so spectacular about this
land he bought, so two weeks later, we packed up what we could take and
took off. From your reaction when you arrived and looked out your window,
that's the reason I fell in love with it too," Mama said.
"We rented a little house over in Missoula, and then I had someone
draw up the plans for the house. After I had Mama's approval, we started
building."
"Yup," Mama said, interrupting Papa. Turning in his chair, he
pointed down and said, "That first brick on the corner is what started it
all and I put it there."
"Well, that's about all he did, until the house was complete," Papa
said, giving a sly smile.
"Hey, now, I helped a little bit along the way." Turning his
attention back to Christine and Don, he continued, "Every time I tried, he
told me to get out of the way."
"When he was around, there was a mess to be made. "He'd knock over
lumber, but he just wanted a place to sit. He tried hammering once, and
the hammer slipped out of his hand on the upswing. Almost got one of my
workers in the head. Lucky it only landed on his foot. I asked him for a
box of nails one time—a perfectly good box of nails, mind you—he
grabs it, the bottom falls out. No, nothing but disaster when he was
around, so I told him to stand back and if he came up in the car, not to
leave it. I'd come to him," Papa explained.
"Well, six months later, it was my turn to tell Papa to back off.
The house was complete and I went wild shopping to fill it. Of course,
Papa had to agree, didn't want anything flowery or too girly—his words,
not mine. Anyway, after we decided on everything, within two weeks, the
house was furnished and we were able to finally, and officially, move in."
Papa finished up the story. "Been here ever since. `Bout twenty
three years ago is when we decided to start the horse farm. We fell in
love with the creatures, having had some friends who owned some, and that's
how our journey went."
"Is it just as good today as when y'all first met?" Christine asked.
Mama and Papa looked each other in the eye, and in unison, answered,
"Even better."
Blake gave a big yawn and was immediately looked at by Mama.
"Mister, you better get to bed. Five o'clock comes early."
"I am. But I wanted to hear that story. I've always been curious.
Thanks for sharing it with me," Blake said, standing.
"Anytime, Blake. You sleep well," Mama said.
Blake walked over and kissed Christine on the cheek and told her
goodnight and then gave Don a hug. When he started down the few steps to
the ground, he called back over his shoulder a final goodnight to everyone.
Back in his room, he picked up his phone and noticed that he missed Todd's
call. He also noticed a text message and opened it. Todd had said that he
was going to sleep, but just wanted to tell Blake how much he loved him.
Blake stripped down and crawled under the covers and called out to the
room, "I love you, too, Puppy," then turned over and fell asleep.