Date: Fri, 23 Aug 2002 10:03:53 EDT
From: Tulsadriller7@aol.com
Subject: Tales from the Ranch, Chapter 2/?

Disclaimer:  The following story is a work of fiction.  If you
are offended by descriptions of homosexual acts or man/man
relations, please exit this page.

TALES FROM THE RANCH
Copyright8 2002 by Tulsa Driller 7.  All rights reserved.

This is a story of men who have two common interests.  You will
see that they love the land they live on and work, but it is also
the story of young men who love other men and their coming of age
in a culture of prejudice and misunderstanding.  It is a story,
which deals with difficult and often disturbing issues but,
nonetheless, issues which must be confronted in today's world.

This is a work of fiction and in no ways draws on the lives of
any specific person or persons.  Any similarity to actual persons
or events is entirely coincidental.  This work is copyrighted 1
by the author and may not be reproduced in any form without the
specific written permission of the author.  It is assigned to the
Nifty Archives under the terms of their submission agreement but
it may not be copied or archived on any other site without the
written permission of the author.

There is not much in the way of sex in the first three chapters.
I felt it necessary to introduce the main characters and allow
you to get acquainted with them before getting them involved in
erotic activities.

PLEASE:  In a perfect world AIDS doesn't exist.  My characters
have unprotected sex.  I hope you use proper precautions because
I'd like you to be around the read the last chapter of this
story.


Tales from the Ranch
Chapter 2:  A New School Year
     Jason and Kevin continued to share one bed in their new
room, sometimes sleeping in Jason's bed and sometimes in Kevin's.
Marty and Christine weren't really happy about this, but decided
not to make an issue of it, figuring that they would grow out of
it soon.
     The boys continued to grow and each developed new friends at
school, which they were always bringing them home after school to
play.  Since they rode the school bus, Marty or Chris usually had
to provide "taxi service" to get the other kids home.  Once in a
while another parent would come to pick their boys up and take
the others home, too.
     The only rule was that kids couldn't stay for dinner or to
sleep over unless it was
Friday night.  The boys never questioned this rule.  That was
understood.
     * * * * *
     When Jason was 11, he was in the fifth grade and started
"middle school" that fall.  However, the lower school and the
middle school were on adjoining blocks and shared some of their
playground space as well as a cafeteria building.  Children from
the two schools were expected to eat in separate rooms.  There
were no school rules about this fact, just tradition.
     On the first day of school the boys discovered they had
almost the same lunch period.  The times were a little different
so kids could get through the serving line without a jam.  Kevin
got his tray and he and two of his friends, Terry and Jack
decided they were going to eat lunch with the big kids, Jason in
particular.  Jason was sitting at a table with Larry and Jerry
Riley, who were twin brothers.  They weren't friends; the twins
had sat down without asking Jason.  His back was to the room and
he didn't see the other three younger boys approach the table.
     As they started to sit down, both Larry and Jerry loudly
said, "You can't sit with us, you aren't even supposed to be in
this room."
     Kevin announced, just as loudly, "We're gonna sit with Jason
and you can't stop us."  Terry and Jack looked like they would
like to disappear, but were stuck with supporting their friend.
     Jason suddenly stood up, grabbed Kevin, giving him a big
hug.  "Hi, Kev, you guys sit down and eat so I can hear all about
your morning."  Then he turned to Larry and Jerry and simply
said, "They stay."
     With much complaining about the fact they shouldn't have to
"eat with the babies anymore" since they were in middle school,
they quickly finished their lunch and told Jason to meet them on
the playground in five minutes.  Larry said, "Be there!"
     Jason said, "I need to talk to my brother and his buds, so I
may not be out there."  He then turned to Kevin and his friends
and said, "Don't pay any attention to them, I can talk to them
between classes.
     He looked around the room and saw that nobody was paying any
attention to their table; however, Kev, Terry and Jack were the
only lower schoolboys in the cafeteria.  Kevin said, "Thanks for
letting us stay.  Is there really a stupid rule about where we
have to eat and who we can sit with?"
     Jason said, "I don't think so, but don't you want to sit
with all of your friends instead of just Terry, Jack and me?"
     Kev replied, "You are my brother and best friend and Terry
and Jack are my best buddies.  We'd rather talk to you."
     So the four sat and finished lunch.  Since Jason's lunch
hour was over 10 minutes before the other boys, he stood up to
take his tray out and told the others, "I'll see you guys on the
bus after school."
     * * * * *
     The school system was structured so there were three
schools, lower school that had Kindergarten through the 4th
grade; middle school was 5th through 8th grades and then a four-
year high school.
     In lower school each grade was divided into two classrooms
of about 30 kids each and everyone stayed in that classroom all
day except for recess and lunch periods.  The middle school was
structured more like high school where all of the kids had a 45-
minute "home room" every morning at 8:30, and then different
schedules for the remaining 5 periods of 50 minutes the rest of
the day.  There was a 30-minute recess in the morning and
afternoon and a 45-minute lunch period.  School was scheduled to
be out at 3:40 each afternoon.
     Some classes were shared between 5th and 6th grade and
between 7th and 8th grades, but it was unusual for students to
advance beyond their age level and have classes with older
children.
     The first semester Jason had homeroom where attendance was
taken, then the lessons varied from day to day to pickup classes
they should have.  Then math, English, history, science and
physical education was the rest of Jason's daily schedule.
     When he arrived for his third period history class he went
to Mr. Bryant's classroom and sat down on the front row. Jason's
parents had always told he and Kevin that they should sit on the
front row because they would learn more and there would be less
temptation to mess around and not pay any attention.  It was
probably because of this that they received high marks in every
class and were always on the honor roll.  Bad grades were not
tolerated and help with homework was there if it was needed.
     Larry and Jerry came in a minute later and sat in the back
of the room.  Both whispered, "Faggot Baby-sitter!" as they
passed Jason's seat.  This did not make Jason happy and he
couldn't understand why anyone couldn't know that he and Kevin
were brothers and were tight with each other.
     Tom Bryant was one of the better teachers in middle school
and loved history.  This class was Texas history, geared to 5th
and 6th grade level.  He knew that Jason Williamson's family had
their roots deep in Texas going back to when Texas was an
independent republic instead of the largest state in the United
States.  He also was aware of the fact that Williamsport was
named for the family, who still owned a number of buildings and
rental property in the city.
     Class passed quickly with Mr. Bryant talking about the early
Texas history going back to when the area was owned by Spain and
then passed to France, then Mexico to 1836, becoming the Republic
of Texas at that time, then a part of the United States for a
short time before the Confederate flag flew over the country.
After the Civil War, Texas returned to the United States.  It was
a lively discussion and everyone had lots of questions, which Mr.
Bryant was more than happy to answer for them.
     * * * * *
     The last period of the day was Phys Ed and this was the
first time that Jason had been exposed to this type of class.  He
and Kev were in good shape, being active boys, riding horses and
doing their farm chores.
     Eddie Thompson was the Phys Ed director for the middle
school and also coached the track team, basketball and junior
football for the older middle school boys and soccer and baseball
for all four middle school grades.  He loved teaching in
Williamsport because all of the boys were what he considered
"rural kids" who were in good physical shape and able to take
part in about any physical activity he assigned.  Before coming
to Williamsport, he had taught in the inner city schools in
Houston and generally found the kids to be weak and unable to do
any strenuous exercises.
     The class of 32 fifth and sixth grade boys gathered in the
locker room that first class and Mr. Thompson went over the
expected routines the boys were expected to follow.  First of all
he explained that starting the next day, they would be expected
to suit up for class and that each boy was to be assigned an
empty wire basket on the shelves, strip out of their street
clothes and put on their gym clothes.  Each of the boys were to
keep their uniforms in their own basket which was to be placed on
the shelf in its proper place and secured with a combination
lock.  This was to prevent anyone from being able to access
either his gym clothes or street clothes.
     After class, the boys were expected to take a shower and put
their street clothes back on.  Clean towels were kept just inside
the shower room in a towel locker.  The shower room had 20
showerheads and the boys were expected to share with each other.
     He explained that each boy was to have the following uniform
gear:  Green T-shirt, and green gym shorts, jock strap, athletic
cup, white socks and sport shoes.  In addition, they should have
a green nylon windbreaker and long nylon pants for when they were
outdoors on colder days.
     All the boys had their gear with them, so the remainder of
the period was assignment of wire baskets and giving out the
combinations to the locks.  The coach had a list and could unlock
a basket for any boy who forgot his lock combination.  However,
Mr. Thompson warned them about making it a habit to bother him
all the time.
     By the time everyone had put his gear away, it was almost
time for the period to be over.  Mr. Thompson told the boys that
beginning tomorrow, they would have 10 minutes to suit up in
their jocks, shorts, t-shirts, socks and sport shoes and prepare
to be tested as to their ability to do push-up, sit-ups and rope
climbing.  There was a general groan at this news.  He explained
that he needed to establish each boy's minimum standard so they
could be graded for improvement during the year.
     He showed the boys the bulletin board at the door and each
day the proper clothes the boys were to wear would be listed.
And... He stressed that the boys were to take their gym clothes
home every Friday to be washed -- no exceptions!!  The bell rang
and Ed Thompson announced, "All right, boys, see you tomorrow."
     * * * * *
     On the bus, Jason quickly found a seat toward the middle and
saved the window seat for Kevin, who came bounding in just as he
got settled.  About that time the Riley brothers, Larry and Jerry
got on the bus and made two smaller boys move so they could sit
in front of Jason and Kevin.  They both turned around and Larry
said, "Well, if it isn't the little faggot babysitter and his
baby brother."
     Jerry taunted, "Does the baby have to suck his faggot
brother's cock like a bottle every night before he'll go to
sleep?"
     Jason tried to ignore the boys, but Larry grabbed his shirt
and said, "Hey, fag... I'm talking to you."
     About that time Mr. Harris, the bus driver came walking down
the aisle, counting people and announced that everyone was on the
bus and they were ready to leave, telling them to sit down and be
quiet.
     He looked at Larry and said; "I suggest you keep your voice
down and your hands to yourself, because if I have to come back
here again, you are going to sit on the front row where I can
watch you."  This brought peals of laughter from the other kids,
as Larry and Jerry really weren't very well liked.  Most of the
kids thought they were too obnoxious and not well behaved.  They
were older than the other kids in their class because they had to
repeat the 3rd grade.
     Kevin reached over, taking Jason's left hand in his and held
them between them, out of sight of the other kids.
     * * * * *
     The Riley brothers got off at the second stop the bus made.
As they got out of their seats, Jerry leaned in to whisper to
Jason and Kevin.  "Bye faggots... go fuck each other!!!"  Both
Larry and Jerry thought that was funny and were still laughing
when the bus pulled away.  Larry gave Jerry a high-5 and said,
"That's a good one."
     After the bus started up, John Clark leaned across the aisle
to Jason, saying, "Someday those boys are going to find out that
they aren't funny.  They've been bullies ever since kindergarten
and nobody ever doesn't anything about it.
     Jason told him, "The worst part is that they have two older
brothers, one in the seventh grade and the other in high school
who are just like them and get by with it, too."
     One of the other boys, Tim, said, "If I were you guys, I'd
avoid a fight with them because the older boys will step in and
take their side.  They don't care that they are older than us; if
they hurt us it doesn't bother them a bit.  Larry and Jerry will
never start a fight because they know Donald and Pete will do it
for them."
     Kevin said, "I know Pete.  He's in high school and he's
mean."
     About this time, the bus stopped again and seven kids got
off, a couple of which got in cars driven by their parents to
take them the rest of the way home.  The next stop was where
Jason and Kevin got off.  They were lucky in that their house was
less than a half-mile up an asphalt driveway.  The only time
their parents got them was if the weather was bad and then they
generally drove the 6 miles to Williamsport and picked them up at
school.
     As the bus stopped, John said, "You guys have a nice evening
and I'll see you on the bus in the morning."
     Jason said, "Thanks guys.  We're gonna avoid the Riley boys
-- if we can."
     Kevin replied simply, "Bye."
     As they got to the door, Mr. Harris said, "Just don't pay
any attention to the Riley boys.  They can't stand to be ignored
- all of 'um always have to be center of attention and all they
are is bullies.  I won't allow any of their smart-mouthed remarks
on my bus."
     "Thanks," replied both Jason and Kevin.
     * * * * *
     The bus pulled away and the boys started up their driveway.
They were both quiet for a little bit and finally Kevin spoke up.
"Jase, what's a faggot?"
     "I'm not sure, but I think it's a guy who likes another
guy."
     "Like us?" Kevin asked.
     "Well... no..."
     "But we like each other, don't you like me?"
     "It's not the same thing," Jason said.
     "What did he mean by 'go fuck each other'?"
     "I don't know.  I've heard guys yell 'Fuck you' before, but
I really don't know what it means.  They are usually joking."
     "But... Jerry wasn't joking... was he?"
     Jason replied, "No, but I still don't know what he meant."
     Kevin asked, "Jason, do you think the Riley boys will hurt
us?"
     "No, I really don't think we have anything to be afraid of."
     By this time they had reached the end of the driveway and
noticed that both their parents cars were gone.  As they went in
the kitchen, Mrs. Wood told them to help themselves to chocolate
chip cookies that had just come out of the oven and a glass of
milk or juice if they would rather have that.
     Kevin said, "I'll have a glass of cold milk.  Our milk is
nothing like that watery blue-looking stuff they serve in the
cafeteria."
     Jason agreed and said, "Yeah, but they sell it in the
grocery stores, too."
     Mrs. Wood agreed.  "I think the milk Star gives us is better
for us, too." [Star being the name of the boys Jersey milk cow.]
     As the boys were having their snack, Mrs. Wood asked if they
had any homework.  The answer was negative since it was only the
first day of school and had really been an orientation session in
all classes.
     They put their dirty glasses in the sink and threw their
napkins in the trash under the counter.
     "Come on, Jase, let's get our clothes changed and do our
chores.  I'll feed the animals and gather the eggs if you'll milk
Star and feed her."
     "Sounds like a deal to me," replied Jason as they ran up to
their room.
     As they were changing clothes Kev asked Jason about his
classes and Jason gave him a brief run-down of each, ending with
the gym class and what they were expected to do the next day.  He
told him about push-ups, sit-ups and rope climbing.  Both knew
what sit-up and push-ups were, but had never seen anyone climb a
rope before and wondered what the purpose could be for that.
     "Maybe I should practice push-ups and sit-ups before we go
to bed tonight, Jason said."
     "Ok, I'll help.  Hey, there's some gym equipment in the loft
of the barn.  I know Dale works out with it, maybe he can help
us."
     "Hey, great idea."  Jason thought to himself that Dale was
just about the best looking guy he had ever seen, next to his
Dad, of course.  "Sure, I'll bet he'd be glad to tell us what we
need to do."
     Dale was the foreman of the field crew and generally was
responsible for the crops as well as maintenance of the farm
equipment and helped with repairs around the house and farm
buildings.
     About this time the two had stripped out of their school
clothes, put on Levis, t-shirts and cowboy boots, then headed
down the stairs and outside.  Sandy wagged her tail and was ready
to go outside, too.
     As Kevin headed to the building where the poultry stayed, he
got grain and feed pellets out to feed the chickens, ducks and
geese.  While they made a mad dash to eat, he went inside to
gather the eggs.  They had about 30 chickens so there were
usually about 2 dozen big brown eggs most of the time.  Mrs. Wood
used a lot of eggs and milk and cream when she cooked.
     The ducks and geese nested various places around the
grounds.  The family didn't eat their eggs, so didn't gather
them, but the ducks and geese always seemed to have new little
ones all the time, so he guessed that they hatched most of what
they produced.
     Jason went into the area of the barn where he milked Star.
As he walked through the shop area, Dale was working on cleaning
the repairing the hay baler.  Since it was a warm day, he was
wearing only Levis and western boots.  Dale was about 24 years
old and had worked for the "Bar-W Ranch" for 5 years.  He was
close to 6' tall, probably weighed about 185 and had a very hairy
chest.  When Jason saw him, he felt a little tingle in his groin.
That was the first time he'd ever had that feeling.  What was it?
     "Hey, Dale, what's going on?  Getting ready to bale some
more hay?"
     "Hi, Jase.  Yeah, need some repairs on the baler.  We must
be about the only farm around that still uses square bales
instead of the big round ones.  Your family likes to store hay
bales inside a barn instead of in the field.  I agree, there's
less spoilage, but a lot more work to bring in the crop and store
it."
     "Dad thinks it's dangerous to try to move the big round
bales.  Some guy over in Carroll County was moving one and had
the forks on the tractor up too high.  Something snapped and the
bale fell back on the tractor, pinned him and left him paralyzed.
He doesn't want something like that happening here."
     "Your Dad's a smart guy.  Always watching out for those of
us who work here and helping us, if necessary.  He's not afraid
of hard work.  A lot of guys in his position won't go near a
hayfield.  I've seen him helping us several times and he can
outwork most of us."
     "Dale, don't you have weights and stuff in the loft?"
     "Yeah, why... do you wanna work out with me?" he smiled.
     "No, not really."  Jason then told him about the strength
test they were to have in gym class the next day.  He told Dale,
"I think I know how to do sit-ups and push-ups, but why do we
have to be able to climb a rope?"
     "Well, in the first place it comes in very handy on a ranch.
There are times we have to go over a cliff into a ravine to
rescue livestock that has wandered to the wrong place or maybe
fallen in a pit and can't get out.  If we can't use a rope that's
been anchored so we can climb up and down, we'll probably lose
the animal."
     "Can you show me how it's done?" asked Jason.
     "Sure, sport, be glad to."
     "Okay, let me feed and milk Star.  By that time Kevin should
be through with his chores and you can show both of us.  Deal?"
     "You got it, partner."
     Jason got several scoops of corn and cattle feed and put it
in Star's trough.  She was ready to eat and went into her milking
stall with no encouragement.  Jason snapped the stanchion shut so
she couldn't back out and, getting a clean pail, went to work.
Star gave about six quarts of milk and Jason took it to the
cooler and poured it in a new can.  He would have to remember to
see if Mrs. Wood needed more milk when he went back to the house.
It always fascinated him as to the amount of cream that rose to
the top of the milk can as it cooled.  It sure made for good
fresh cream and sweet butter that Mrs. Wood turned out.
     As he went back to let Star out of her stall, Kevin came in
with 22 eggs and put them in the cooler, too.  Between their
family and his grandparents, they never had dairy products or
eggs go to waste.  The boy's grandfather generally took care of
milking Star of a morning and if he was gone on a trip, Dale or
one of the other three guys filled in.
     "Hey, Kev, Dale's gonna show us about sit-ups and rope
climbing.  Are you through with your chores?"
     "Sure am.  Let me wash my hands and I'll be right in."
     Both boys went into the little bathroom in the barn/shop.
There was a washbasin, toilet and shower where you could clean
up, if necessary.
     As they were coming out of the bathroom, Dale went in,
telling the guys that he needed to take a leak before any
physical exercise.  "Go on into the shop, I put a thick pad on
the floor for us to use."
     Dale came back and told the guys, "I'll demonstrate how to
do sit-ups and push-ups, then we'll do the rope bit.  Ok?"
     Jason and Kevin agreed.
     Dale told the boys, "It's a lot more comfortable if you have
on workout clothes when you do this, but I'm just going to
demonstrate, not do a full workout.  I'm going to do sit-ups
first.  Then I'll have each of you do a few.  Lay flat on your
back and bring your legs up to about a 45-degree angle with your
feet flat on the floor, like this."
     He lay on his back and brought his legs up.  "Or at least as
flat as you can get your feet when wearing cowboy boots," he
remarked.  "Now there are two ways you can do this.  You can
either put your arms across your chest, like this; or you can put
your hands behind your head and clasp your fingers together.
Like this.  Now, Jason, I want you to kneel in front of my feet
and hold them on the floor.  This gives the maximum crunch to
your abdominal muscles as your feet stay on the floor.
Otherwise, your feet come up and you don't get the pull."
     Dale did about five sit-ups using each of the positions.  "I
like to do it better with my hands behind my head because I think
it strengthens my upper back and tightens my abs.
     "Kevin spoke up.  "What are abs and abdominal muscles?"
     Dale said, "They are the same thing.  It's the muscles just
below and above the belly button.  I have what's called a 'six-
pack' although you can only see four because the other two are
covered up by my Levis.  Here, you can feel them."
     With that he moved his hands over the muscles and told the
boys to do the same.
     Kevin felt him and said, "Cool, they feel tight and not
soft."
     Dale replied, "That's the result of a lot of hard work, most
of which is gotten from everyday farm work, not the workout
bench.
     Jason couldn't wait to get his hands on Dale's body.  He
laid one hand just above his belly button.  The skin felt hot and
tight and the hair felt like silk strands.  A big tingle started
in his groin and he felt his cock twitch.  Wow! That felt great.
He put the other hand on Dale's abs and lightly rubbed up and
down.  His cock twitched again - twice - and he felt it start to
get hard.  What was happening?
     At the same time, Dale felt a warm feeling in his groin and
his cock started to grow.  Was he having sexual feelings for an
11-year old?
     A little embarrassed, he sat up and said, "See what a lot of
hard work will do for you?"
     Jason spoke up and asked, "How long will it take me to get a
'six-pack' like yours?"
     Dale said, "It depends on how much work you put in on
working out.  I'd recommend that you not overdo it because you're
still growing.  But keep your body tight by doing a little.  I'm
sure your gym teacher and help you better than I can because he's
learned that in school.  I don't want to tell you to do something
and have it cause damage by accident."
     "Are you guys ready to try this?"
     "Sure," they both said, almost in unison.
     "Ok, Jason, you go first.  Lay flat on your back.  That's
it, now bring your legs up to where your feet are flat on the
floor."  Kevin, you kneel in front of him and hold his feet down.
Okay, Jason, either put your arms across your chest or hands
clasped together behind your head."
     "Can I try it both ways?"
     "Sure."
     Jason put his hands behind his head like Dale had done.
     "Ok, now try to sit up."
     Jason did and found out that it was not as easy as it
looked.  However, he managed to get five before Dale told him to
stop.  "That's enough for now.  Put your arms across your chest
and try that."
     Jason did as instructed and found that it was a little
easier, but he could quickly tell that it was going to make his
stomach muscles sore.  He was also sweating and removed his t-
shirt.  Kevin did the same.
     "Ok, Kevin, your turn.  Jason, you hold his feet down.
     Kevin lay on the floor, got into position and Jason held his
feet.  Kevin put his hands behind his head and sat up.  "Hey,
that's easy."
     Dale told him, "Do four more, then put your arms across your
chest."
     Kevin did, but both Dale and Jason could tell that the ten
was about all Kevin was going to be able to do.
     Jason asked Dale, "How many sit-ups should we do each time?"
     Dale told him, "Ask your coach.  He'll probably tell you to
start slow and build up.  Don't overdo to begin with because you
will make your muscles sore and then you won't be able to do any
for a few days.  If you feel too sore, drop back; you'll build up
soon enough.
     Jason asked him, "How many do you do a day, or when you
workout?"
     Dale said, "Usually about 75, sometimes a hundred.  It
depends on how much exercise I've already gotten during the day.
     Both boys were stunned.  They thought the five was a lot of
work.
     "Now, do you want to see about push-ups?"
     "Yeah," Jason answered with Kevin echoing.
     "Okay, here's what I do.  Lay flat on the floor on your
stomach.  Put your hands flat on the floor beside your chest,
lower arms almost vertical.  Push your chest away from the floor,
keeping your back as straight as possible.  Then lower yourself
back down until just your nose is touching the floor.  Establish
an up-down rhythm, like this."
     Dale started to move up and his feet started to slip.
"Since I'm wearing boots with leather soles, Jason needs to help
keep my feet from slipping."
     Jason moved behind him and Dale did 5 push-ups.
     "Okay, now it's your turn, Jason.  Kevin, you may have to
help hold his feet."  Jason got into position and Kevin helped
anchor his feet.  Dale showed Jason how to line up his hand and
arms and showed both of the about how to gauge the distance
between their chests and hands.  "Okay, Jason, whenever you are
ready."
     Jason pushed up and Dale showed him about not moving up too
far and keeping his back straight.  "Okay, now lower yourself to
where only your nose touches the floor."
Jason did and Dale told him to do four more.
     Jason found that the push-ups were actually easier to do
than the sit-ups and Dale agreed.  Of course the question was,
"How many push-ups do you do?" and Dale answered, "At least 100
and sometimes as many as 150, depending on how hard of a workout
I'm trying to accomplish."
     "Now, Kevin, your turn."
     Kevin got into position and Dale adjusted his form, and then
told him to go ahead.  He easily did 5 push-ups when Dale stopped
him.  "No need to overdo on your first time.  If you guys try
this again tonight, don't do more than five of either sit-ups or
push-ups without resting for a few minutes.  Your coach may not
agree with what I've shown you, but it seems to work for me."
     "Now," Dale said laughing, "are you ready for the rope
trick?"
     "Sure, they echoed each other."
     "Okay, I've got to run up to the loft and drop a rope down.
Be right back," Dale said.  He ran up the stairs and in a couple
of minutes dropped a thick rope down to the floor.  As he was
coming back down the stairs, he told the boys, "I anchored it to
the vertical post that goes to the roof.  Should be as solid as
can be."
     "Now the first thing you have to do is wear leather gloves.
I've climbed rope at school before and they either have gloves or
let you use rosin powder.  I like gloves better because if your
hands sweat, it doesn't make any difference.  Rosin doesn't work
well with sweaty palms."
     There were plenty of gloves in the shop and each found a
pair that would fit their hands.
     Dale moved to the rope and told them, "When you do this at
school you will be wearing sport shoes and they actually help you
grip the rope better with your feet.  Boots are okay, but they
will slip on the rope because they are hard leather."
     Kevin spoke up.  "Why are we going to wear gloves, then?"
     Dale replied, "Because gloves are made of soft leather and
have better grip.  Your boot soles are hard leather."
     "This is easier demonstrated than I can tell you, but
basically you are reaching above your head to grip the rope and
pull yourself up.  You wrap your legs and feet around the rope to
keep yourself from sliding back down until you are ready."
     With that, he reached above his head, grabbed the rope and
pulled himself up about 2 feet above the floor.  It appeared that
he was gripping the rope with his feet, the rope between the arch
on one foot and the ball of the foot on the other and Dale
confirmed what he was doing as they were getting ready to asked
the question.  He pulled himself up another foot and a half or
so, then readjusted his feet.  In a few pulls he was at the point
where the rope came through from above.
     "Now to come back down, just allow the weight of your body
to lower you.  You can control the speed by how tightly you grip
the rope with your hands and feet."  Dale started to lower
himself, dropping in short distances, then about the last six
feet with more speed.
     Dale stepped away from the rope and told Jason to give it a
try.  Jason moved up to the rope.  Dale told him to put his feet
on either side of the rope, and then reach almost as high as he
could with one hand then put the other right below it.
     Jason started to pull himself up when Dale said, "Wait a
minute," and moved behind him to adjust his hands.  The thick
hair on Dale's chest tickled Jason's back.  Again, he felt a
tingle in his groin and another rush in his cock, which started
to get hard immediately.  'What's going on here?' Jason wondered.
As Dale worked with the placement of Jason's hands, he rubbed
across his back again.  By the time Dale was through Jason was
almost completely hard.  This had never happened before.  His
cock was bunched up in his briefs and was very uncomfortable.
     Satisfied that he was ready to climb, Dale stepped back and
told Jason to "go to it."
     Jason must have had a rush of adrenalin hit about that time,
because he easily pulled himself up about a foot, then another,
and again until he was at the top.  He took a big gulp of air and
Dale told him to come back down when ready.  He did as instructed
and made several short drops, a long drop and two more short ones
before standing on the floor once again.
     Jason was really sweating, but he couldn't tell if it was
from the effort of climbing the rope, the fact that his cock was
hard, or remembering how Dale's hairy chest felt scratching his
back.  He'd like to feel that again.
     Dale was really pleased with his student and gave him a hug,
actually a squeeze but since he was standing slightly behind
Jason, he got to feel Dale's hairy chest again.  This caused
another twitch or two in his cock.
     "Okay, Kevin, your turn."
     While they were moving around, Jason quickly turned around,
reached inside his Levi's and adjusted his cock.
     Kevin got in position and Dale helped him locate his hands.
He had to give Kevin a small boost to get him going, but from
there on, Kevin caught on quickly.  He only went up about six
feet, and then came back down.
     When his feet were back on the floor, he announced, "That's
easier than I thought it might be."
     Dale replied, "I think you can now see why the ability to
use a rope for many things is something you need to know if you
are going to live on a ranch.  A good horse, a rope and lots of
common sense will get you out of a lot of jams you might find
yourself in."
     Jason found his t-shirt, picked it up, but didn't put it on.
He turned around to adjust his cock again.
     "Hey, Dale, thanks for showing us this stuff about gym this
afternoon," Jason said, with Kevin echoing.
     "Glad to help out guys.  I needed a break from working on
the baler and am glad I could help you."
     Kevin was pulling on his t-shirt and said, "I need to call
Jack about our Cub Scout meeting tomorrow.  We're supposed to
work on our Wolf badge after school and I need to know what to
take to his house. Bye, Dale.  See you in a few, Jase."
     Jason, being curious about everything a boy should know had
what he thought was a brilliant idea.  He couldn't very well ask
his father about being taunted at school and on the bus, but
maybe Dale would answer his questions.
     Dale... un.. do you... are you my... friend?"
     "Well, sure little buddy.  What's on your mind?"
     "Unmm... well... a... cou... couple of... guys at... school
were either teasing me or making fun of me and I... don't...
understand what it's... about.
     Dale, sensing that this might be a question about things
boys tease each other about, realized that Jason needed help and
he had to be careful, but at the same time honestly answer
whatever questions Jason might have.  "Sure, I'll see if I can
answer your question.  What's this all about?"
     "Well, Kevin and his friends, Jack and Terry, sat with me in
the cafeteria today at lunch.  They were the only kids from lower
school in that part of the cafeteria where we older kids eat.
The Riley brothers, Larry and Jerry were sitting at my table and
didn't like it because some little kids were there.  I stuck up
for Kev, Jack and Ter and they didn't like it.  Later, when I
went to history class, they both called me a "Faggot Baby-sitter"
when they went past my desk.
     Dale stood there, thinking.  Pete Riley was 19 years old and
a junior in High School.  When he had been in high school, the
older Riley brothers were the town terrors and seemed to get by
with anything they want to do, because everyone was afraid of
their Dad and Mom who were drunks and let the four boys raise
themselves.
     "Dale, I need to ask you, "What's a faggot?"
     A bell went off in Dale's head.  He hated the term "faggot"
but how to explain this?  He was gay, had known it ever since he
was about 13 and it had never been a problem because he had never
told anyone.  He played football and every kid in school looked
up to him.
     "Jason, I'll explain this the best way I can, but it's a
tough question to answer.  To begin with, it's a derogatory term,
as I'm sure you've figured out.  It's a very nasty way to refer
to homosexual men; those are men who like other men.  Some people
call them queers, but I think the proper term is 'gay' and that
doesn't mean happy.  I'm sorry that you were exposed to this at
11 years old, but guess I'm surprised that you haven't heard it
before."
     "I have, Dale, but nobody ever called me that before.  I've
heard other kids called that, but never knew what it meant.  Does
that mean they think I'm queer?"  Tears started to form.
     Dale took Jason in his arms, hugged him to himself and said,
"No, no, I don't think they really mean anything by it.  It's
just that these guys don't get along very well with anyone and a
chance to put somebody down is the way they operate, to cover up
for their insecurities."
     Again, the feel of Dale's hairy chest.  A tickle in his
groin and a couple of twitches in his cock, which started to get
hard again.  This time, it wasn't tangled up in his jockey
shorts, so didn't cause any pain.  Should he be embarrassed?
What was this all about?  Dale felt good and smelled of masculine
scent.  Sweat mixed with something he couldn't place.
     "Dale, the other remark they made was something like, 'Do
you let your baby brother suck your faggot cock like a baby
bottle before he'll go to sleep?'"  They're kidding, right?"
     Dale's thoughts turned to blinking lights.  He wanted to
say, 'Jason, if you only knew,' but couldn't say that.  Oh boy,
that's a tough one.
     He took a deep breath before answering.  "Jason that's
another derogatory remark.  Yes, it's true that some men do that
with other men they love, but I don't think he means anything
other than just being mean to you."
     More tears.
     "But Dale, I love Kevin.  I protect him.  I don't know what
I'd do without him.  He belongs to me."  More tears.  "What if
they find out I love my brother?"
     Dale almost went into sensory overload at that question.
"Jason, you should love your brother.  That's what brothers are
supposed to - is love each other.  Many don't, but I know that
you really care a lot about Kevin.  I realized that from when I
first started working here."
     "Dale, can I tell you something?  Kevin and I sleep together
in the same bed.  Sometimes it's his bed and sometimes it's mine,
but we curl up in each other's arms and sleep that way every
night.  I don't think I could sleep by myself - and I know he
wouldn't.  Dad and Mom tried to stop it a long time ago, but
finally gave up."
     "Jason, that doesn't mean that you are a homosexual, or
whatever name you want to call it.  You aren't old enough to know
what you want and may not for a few more years."
     Dale thought to himself.  'Yeah, I was 13 when I figured it
out and I'll bet that Jason is closer to that fact of life now at
eleven than I was at thirteen.'
     "Dale, I have to tell you something else and... Please don't
get mad at me, but I don't know who else to talk to."
     Dale hesitated.  "Okay, what?"
     "I think I may already be that way... homosexual or gay or
queer... I don't know what to call it.  I like to look at older
men.  This afternoon when you were helping Kevin and I with the
gym exercises... I got a strange feeling in my middle when I
rubbed the hair on your stomach.  Then when you stood behind me
and the hair on your chest tickled my back... the same thing
happened again, except my cock got hard, too."
     "Jason, I think this is just a matter of you growing up.
You are about to start... if you haven't already... puberty...
when you start becoming a man.  You are starting to become aware
of feelings you haven't experienced before.  One is how other men
look, how women look.  You begin to notice things like men with
muscles, hairy chests, how they smell; women's shapes, how soft
they are, how they smell.  Since you are going to be in gym class
and taking showers with all the other boys, you will see that
some boys already have larger cocks and some of the are starting
to grow hair under their arms and around their cocks.  Some boys
hit puberty at your age and others may not hit it until they are
out of junior high school.
     "I hit it early.  I was the only kid in my freshman class
who had hair on his chest.  By the time I was a junior, I was
covered.  My cock started to grow when I was in the 5th grade and
I had hair around it when I was in the 6th grade.  Others didn't
until the end of junior high or even in high school.
     "You may have noticed that some girls in your class are
already starting to develop breasts, some may not for several
years.  They start growing hair, too.  It would be nice if these
things happened to everyone at the same time, but it doesn't.  It
just makes for everyone being confused.
     "So don't worry too much about your feelings.  They may
change tomorrow, or next week or next year.  Just don't get
overly concerned about it and if you can't talk to your parents
about it, I'll be glad to answer any questions I can."
     About this time they heard a car come up the driveway and
Dale said, "Sounds like one of your parents has come home.  Go in
the bathroom and wash your face, put on your t-shirt and go have
a good time."
     "Thanks, Dale, you're the best."  Jason rubbed his hands
through the hair on Dale's chest once more, gave him a big hug,
then stood on his tip-toes and kissed Dale on the cheek.  "I love
you, Dale," was Jason's goodbye.

* * * * *
Author's Note:  This is my first attempt at gay fiction, and the
only way I can learn whether or not I should continue is from my
readers' feedback.  I would appreciate your comments, criticism,
suggestions, and anything else that you would care to say.  All
Email will be answered.  If you wish to receive e-mail
notification of subsequent posting, please let me know by sending
your request to the e-mail address below.  Contact me at:
tulsadriller7@aol.com.

Thanks for the overwhelming response to Chapter 1.  I received
positive replies from all over the world.  My special thanks to
RW, whom I've known for many years and value his suggestions.
Also for the proofreading help of Paul Daventon, author of
"Turning the Page" found in the "Adult-Friends" section of Nifty.
This story is now complete.  Please read it.