Date: Fri, 29 Jun 2001 22:29:37 -0400 From: Ritch Christopher <ballmusic69@hotmail.com> Subject: just-beyond-that-hill-16 All rights reserved. Copyright held by the author. If you are underage or are offended by gay fiction, containing graphic sex and explicit language, please exit now. <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> For everything there is a season, or so the saying goes, a time to sow and a time to harvest. Well, we sowed, "growed", and hoed all summer and now it was time to reap the rewards of our labor. Harvest time in Tennessee,when everything, including the sky, takes on an amber hue. The good Lord had been generous, giving us just the right amount of sun and rain to fill the bushel barrels and baskets with corn, pole beans, tomatoes, peanuts and potatoes. The wheat was tall and high which promised a prosperous return of wheat for flour and hay for the livestock. Every Friday, Clay, Timmy, and Webb had taken turns accompanying me to the curb market in Chattanooga selling every item we had brought to be pinched, squeezed, and handled by every prospective buyer. The rich dirt and fresh manure had rendered us a healthy harvest. By the time everything was sold, we had cleared a little over $75,000 which in those days made us millionaires. The boys had been paid a fair salary. The taxes on the farm had been paid and we had saved just enough of the produce to dry out and store as seeds for next Spring. Eddie's walking had improved. He had enough strength in his legs to run the tractor. Little Hal had grown big enough to be crawling everywhere by himself. He could stand when one of us held him and had even taken a few steps. While you're busy as we had been all summer, you don't get a chance to feel lonely and you don't seem to miss going to town on the weekends to have a beer or see a movie. But now the work was over. There was very little for the boys to do until next Spring, so it became a question of whether or not they wanted to stay. I mean, after all, we hadn't provided heat for the living quarters in the barn and in the winter it sometimes could get below zero, especially out in a area of open farm land. There really wasn't enough room in the house for three strapping boys along with Cory, Eddie, Little Hal, and me, since there were only two bedrooms in the house. I talked it over with Eddie whether we should just pay the boys off and let them go or if we should investigate the prospect of putting a couple of stand up stokers in the barn to provide heat. Eddie said without any work for them to do, they'd probably want to leave any way, so why not ask them and let them decide. I mean, it wasn't like they had a home to go to. None of them had families or a homestead. Cory wanted to have a party on Saturday night to celebrate the success of the harvest. Eddie thought that would be the best time to discuss the future with the boys. Eddie and I had behaved all summer, never being unfaithful to each other a single time. However, every time Cory had felt a twitch of an itch between his legs, he had high-tailed it out to the barn to do God-knows-what with Clay, Webb, or Timmy. I remember asking Cory after he returned from one of his jaunts if he had a favorite among the three. He never would say much except he did lean toward a hankering he had for Timmy. It seems that most nights Clay and Webb seemed to pair off together, leaving Timmy to get off with Rosy Palms. So I imagined that Cory was supplying Timmy with what he needed in the way of sex and companionship. About mid-summer, Cory had shucked some corn and stored it away in a barrel to make some home-made corn liquor along with some well fermented fresh apple cider. Cory had taught Eddie how to cook and can, so we had a whole cellar full of Mason jars filled to the brim with every kind of fresh vegetable you could thing of, that we had grown. Life was good and we couldn't've been happier. Hell, it was about time things were looking up. We'd gone through two years of sorrow. I wanted Dad to come to the party, but the lady at the rest home where he lived said Dad wasn't acting like himself. His mind was slowly deteriorating from all the hard work and stress he'd gone through...with Momma's death and all. Dad had told the lady at the home that he expected to be seeing Momma very soon. He'd made up his mind he was going to die and there was no turning back. As uncanny as it might seem, he was right. Dad only lived two more months. Saturday night came and Cory had prepared the feast of feasts for supper. He had prepared about ten vegetables, roasted the extra rooster we had in the chicken lot. The main rooster was still cock of the walk and fought his rival every chance he got, so Cory thought we'd solve the old cock's problem by killing the red rooster for the banquet. The red one was a fat son of a gun and was big enough to feed all seven of us, including some ground up white meat for Little Hal. After we ate the main course, Cory brought out a huge peach cobbler from the oven and dabbed the top of it with fresh whipped cream. The peaches had fallen off the tree just outside the kitchen door. No one knew that Timmy could play the guitar, but he picked up the one Dad had hung up on the wall and started strumming and humming. The kid was good. He led us in a sing-along of every song he could remember from his school days. During this time, Cory poured each of us a cup of his corn liquor and it was strong enough to burn the hair off your tongue. We had put Little Hal to bed around 8:30 and now it was nearly 11:00 and none of us were feeling any pain, I bet if it had been legal to bottle and sell Cory's brew, he could have made a small fortune. It was hot but it was potent. While Timmy was playing, Webb got up and unashamedly asked Clay to dance. Their relationship was even more serious than I had suspected. These two kids were in love and they didn't care who knew it...no more so than Eddie and I were. That just left us to figure out what had been or was going on between Cory and Timmy...but two extra wheels on a wagon make a safer ride. No one knew whether it was love or the liquor that prompted Cory to walk over and plant a big kiss on Timmy. Timmy kissed him back while never missing a beat of the tune Governor Frank Clement had written..."The Tennessee Waltz". The music ended and the three of us couples were busy "making out" in the living room. All was quiet and it seemed like the wrong time to bring up a serious discussion, but on Eddie's insistence, I knew it had to be done. "Clay, Webb, Timmy..." I began. "I want to thank you guys for a wonderful summer and I hope you feel you were paid enough for your services. God knows, I couldn't have yielded such a crop without your help, but I think it's time we talked about the fall and the winter...what you guys want to do...if you've thought about it or made plans...but something needs to be decided soon...if you're gonna stay, then we have to put some kind of heat in the barn...and if you're not gonna stay, it would be nice to know what your plans are." "Judd," Webb replied."Me and Clay've been talking it over and I think we're going to join the service before we get drafted. We're both eighteen now and we're living on borrowed time as far as the Bradley County draft board is concerned." "You're WHAT??" Timmy exclaimed."You're planning to go to Korea and get your asses blown off?" "That's not our intention." replied Clay. "Hell, the two of you have spent the entire summer sucking on each other's dicks. You think they're gonna allow two Tennessee hillbilly faggots to join the infantry?" Timmy asked, still upset. "We were thinking about joining the navy. Hell, if you've heard anything at all about the military, you know that all those sailors on the ships do the same things we've been doing." Clay said. "That's just wishful thinking." Timmy said. "Why, if anyone ever caught a sailor sucking on another one's dick, they'd throw him overboard and let the sharks eat him." "We'll just be careful and not get caught." Webb answered. "Well, what kind of guarantee do either one of you have that they'll put you on the same ship. Shit, you might be in the South Seas and Clay could be freezing his ass off up in Alaska or the North Pole." "We went down to the recruiting stations, and since the army is getting most of the new recruits because of the draft, the navy has this deal where you and your best buddy can join together and be stationed in the same unit," Webb said. "Don't kid yourself," Timmy replied. "Sure, they'll tell you that now, but once you sign the dotted line, you belong to them and they'll send you wherever they want...and not necessarily together." "What the fuck do you plan to do about the draft, smart ass?" Clay asked Timmy, "Check the box and let everyone know you're a faggot?" "I just might!" Timmy said, defiantly. "That figures, you queer coward!" Clay yelled at Timmy. "Who's calling who a queer? You've sucked more dicks than I ever have, present company excluded." Timmy said, snapping back at Clay. "Who else, outside of this room, do you know about my sucking their dick?" Clay asked. "I could name names, if I wanted to?" Timmy said. smugly. "Go ahead, Timmy," Webb said. "I'd like to know, too, just who else's dick Clay has sucked." "You keep your fucking mouth shut, Timmy." Clay yelled, "That is, IF you know anyone." "About half the guys at Buchanan's, not to mention three guys on the staff there." Timmy said, smirking. "Is this true, Clay?" Webb asked, accusingly. "No, Webb, it's not true. Timmy's lying and you know it!" Webb replied. "It is SO true," Timmy said. "I seen you in the shower one night on your knees doing about five guys...each of 'em taking his turn cumming in your mouth." "Timmy, if you don't shut the fuck up, you won't have to worry about the draft after I break both of your legs." Clay shouted. "Clay, if Timmy is telling even one iota of the truth, I'm not sure I want to join the navy with you." Webb said. "Well, it's NOT true. NONE of it! He's just saying that to get even with me because I chose you over him." Clay said. Webb turned and looked at Timmy. "TIMMY! I want the truth. Are you lying or did Clay do what you said he did?" "Well, maybe not all of it is true." Timmy said. reluctantly."Maybe I didn't see him with the staff, but I sure as hell saw him with five guys in the shower." "Oh, good God, Webb, if anything happened, it was way before you and I had any feelings toward each other...What difference does it make? It's YOU that I love...not any one of them!" Clay said. "How do I know you wouldn't go down on five sailors on our ship?" Webb asked, pointedly. "Because you would be there to see I was being faithful to you." Clay replied, sheepishly. "Look, I'll say it out loud for everyone in the room to hear. I love you. I love you the same way I would any girl. I want us to spend the rest of our lives together....Do you believe me?" "I want to. I love you, too, Clay. You're all I have in the world. Without you, I might as well get drafted and sent to Korea to be killed like everyone else," Webb responded. "If you mean that, come here and kiss me." Clay said. Webb paused for a moment then ran into Clay's arms and gave him a very passionate kiss for all of us to witness their love and affection toward each other. When they finally stopped kissing, Webb said, "Well, now that that's settled, no thanks to the trouble-maker sitting over there holding on to the guitar, Judd, we'll both be going down to the naval recruiting station on Monday and signing up!" I looked at Timmy. "Timmy, if that's their plan, what are you going to do?" Cory spoke up..."Judd, I'd like to help Timmy answer your question...You see, Timmy and I have both expressed our love for each other and he'd like to live with me, until such said time as he's drafted...and then we'll decide what to do then. I don't know if you'll let Timmy move into the bedroom with me...but I would like it. If not, we'll just have to go some place else to live because we want to be together." I turned and looked at Eddie, "What do you think about Timmy moving in with us?" "Judd, very frankly, for all he's done for us, I don't see how we could refuse Cory anything he wants." Eddie said to me, quietly. "Those were the same thoughts I had," I said, "I just wanted to hear you agree with me without being coaxed." I turned back. "Cory, it looks like you've got yourself a new roommate." "Thanks, Judd...Eddie. I'll see to it that he behaves." Cory said, putting his arm around Timmy. Eddie spoke up, again, "Now that our futures are mapped out, why don't we all have another cup of whatever that goddamned stuff was that Cory concocted and have a toast." Cory, once again, filled our cups and we toasted the future...everyone's! <><><><><><><><> Six months later, it was almost time to call Old Man Miller to come plow the fields for planting. Eddie and I stood on the porch looking at the fields while Hal toddled around in the dirt below the steps. "What do you think we should do?" I asked. "We can't plant with just the two of us." That's right...there was only Eddie, Little Hal, and me left. A month after the harvest party, Clay and Webb had joined the navy...and sure enough, they were assigned to the same ship...a destroyer, heading for the war in Korea, It was Christmas eve when we got the news that some fucking kamikaze pilot had crashed into their boat. Seventy-six crewmen were killed instantly. Among them were Clay Buttram and Webb Sawyer. From what I heard later by one of the survivors, the navy couldn't find enough left of their bodies to bury. It was on October 15th that Timmy got his draft notice and was told to report to Fort Benning in ten days. On the night of the sixth day, Cory and Timmy slipped off during the night to parts unknown. I had overheard them talking about the weather in Mexico a few nights before. Wherever they went, I never heard from them again. "Do you think you might go over to Buchanan's and find a couple or three guys to help us plant?" Eddie asked me. "I could try...if that's what you want...Eddie, what DO you want?" I asked. "You know, a year ago when you traipsed off to California and left me with Marie. I never knew what the word 'envy' meant until you left. I was so goddamned envious of you and so insanely jealous that you'd find someone out there and never come back to me...You see, I've never seen what's beyond that hill, either. I would like to know and I'd like for our son to know before he reaches our age. I don't ever want him to sit and wonder what's out there, I want him to see and know for himself." "You mean, you just want to pack up and move?" I asked. "Yes." "What about the farm?" "Sell it. Put it on the market and let Jeb Reynolds sell it for you at his real estate office. We both trust him and you know he'll get us the best price possible." Eddie said. "So you want to move to California?" I asked. "I didn't say that. There are forty-seven more states in this country besides Tennessee. We'll know the right one when we see it." "If I agree, where do you want to go?" I asked. "It doesn't matter as long as the three of us are together...and it's just beyond that hill." A month later, we packed up and moved...permanently. <><><><><><><><><><><> (No more chapters to follow).