Date: Wed, 29 Jun 2016 14:29:54 +0200
From: Nick Brady <y2kslacker@mail.com>
Subject: Brian Goes to College - Part 18 (Revised)

Brian Goes to College – Chapter 18

This is the third part of a story about Marco, Marty, their adopted sons
Samuel, Benjamin and foster son Brian in Tulsa Oklahoma.

Part 1 is  http://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/adult-youth/marco-in-the-park/
Part 2 is  http://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/young-friends/marco-marty-and-the-twins/

Please send feedback to y2kslacker@mail.com and support the Nifty archive
with contributions at http://donate.nifty.org/donate.html

Copyright 2015-2016 by Nick Brady, all rights reserved.

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

At breakfast in the morning, Marty told Brian that he and Marco had
discussed his plans for the gap semester and had agreed that it would be a
great experience for him but they wanted to see some sort of a plan to
include more details about lodging, meals and transportation for the trip,
with some estimates of expenses. They were willing to support this venture
but wanted some assurance that it was well thought out. They also expressed
a desire to meet his traveling companion. Brian willingly agreed to all the
conditions.

Brian was so excited by the prospect of joining Lanny on the great
adventure that it was difficult to concentrate on his classes the next
day. He gave Gunder a ride to class but scarcely paid attention to his sour
disposition. Apparently all was not well with the tall Dane, but that was
his problem and none of Brian's. They were assigned a formal research
paper. The research was minimal but the style was the thing.

Dr. Brown reminded them, "The presence of the internet should make the
background work on this very simple. What I want to see is the clarity with
which you present your facts and ideas. There should be a conclusion at the
end and also an executive summary which presents the thesis and conclusion
in a concise way. There are several examples in your text book and numerous
others online."

They were also forewarned that they were to bring a small blue exam booklet
on Thursday in which they would write an original essay in class to be
turned in at the end of the period. Gunder did not look happy.

The Biology lab that week would be used for a similar exam covering the
basic elements of the course. Things were winding down.

After the afternoon class Brian saw Gunder with his new friend. He was a
pretty young man, dressed in tight jeans and T-shirt - a fellow more to
Gunder's liking than Brian had been. To each his own.

Brian rushed over to the park to meet Lanny and waited impatiently for him
to arrive. He had good news.

"Hey Lanny, I talked to my folks about your trip and they thought it would
be a great idea if I joined you. They said it would be a fine part of my
education, especially since I am doing the Classics program."

"Cool! So does that mean you are coming with me?" Lanny brightened up.

"I think so. They want me to put together a plan, and they would like to
meet you. I guess they are being a little cautious."

"They are being good parents," Lanny smiled. "That's cool. I would like to
meet your family."

"Right, and I would like to meet yours. How should we do this?"

Lanny thought for a moment, "My family isn't much for entertaining. Maybe
we could have a picnic or something."

Sure, that would be simple and nobody has to fix a big meal. There are five
in my family and three in yours, unless your sister wants to come."

"I don't know, she might. I think she will be home for the summer. Let's
make this work."

"OK then, I'll try to put together a plan, or have you already done that?"
Brian asked.

"I have. Would you like to see it? That might satisfy your parents. Oh, I
hope this works out. It would be really neat if you could come with me."

"Sure. Let me see what you've put together. It might be all I need."

"I have it all on my computer. I'll put it on a thumb drive and give it to
you tomorrow," Lanny said, "that is, if you want to meet tomorrow for a
walk."

"Of course. I'm enjoying this. You're pretty good company."

"OK then - that's a plan. Want to walk some more? Let's go north today."

They started off on another long walk, with Lanny chattering about all the
things he hoped to do and see while on the trip. This was a much more
animated person than Brian saw when they first met. His initial reserve had
been set aside as he relaxed and began to feel comfortable around Brian. It
seemed that they were very compatible. Brian mostly asked questions and
Lanny obviously had done a lot of planning. This was going to work out.

The next day Lanny gave Brian a thumb drive with his planning information
on it and Brian promptly went home and looked it over. He added a few
things and printed it out for Marco and Marty to review. They were
impressed.

"This looks very complete," Marty said. "I think we would like to meet your
friend."

"He suggested a picnic so we could meet his family and they could meet us,"
Brian told them. "I think the idea is to bring enough for ourselves and
maybe share some things."

"That's a great idea," Marco replied. "Let's do that as soon as possible."

The next week was the last of the summer session. On Thursday, Dr. Brown
advised them that were to write an original paper on the subject of what
most troubled them. It needed to be honest but need not contain any
personal revelation. The assignment resulted in an expression of distress
from several members of the class, not least of which was Gunder, who
grumbled under his breath.

Brian sat and thought for several minutes, searching for an idea, then he
began to write. Although he scratched through some false starts and poor
word choices, He finished it soon enough to be able to recopy it into a
more readable version, which followed the original draft. He filled up
several pages of his small blue essay book, and turned it in before he left
the class.

The Biology test was not a problem. It was simply a recitation of some of
the main principles covered in the class, and Brian completed it
quickly. This had not been bad at all. He walked out to his car with a
feeling of confidence.

He found Lanny waiting for him at the park.

"You're early today," he said with surprise.

"I got off a little early and came right over," Lanny told him. "I guess I
wanted to see you. How did your tests go?"

"They weren't bad at all. I think I did OK. We should know tomorrow on the
last day of classes."

"Did you say you were to write something in class for English?"

"Yes. It was kind of an odd topic. We were to write about the thing that
distresses us the most, without it getting too personal."

Lanny chuckled, "That's pretty open-ended. What did you come up with?"

"Well, I had to think about that for a few minutes. Maybe the real answer
is my confusion over my sexuality, but I didn't want to write about
that. So I sort of generalized the idea and wrote about not ever feeling
like I belonged somewhere. When I was with my birth parents, I always felt
like I was in the wrong place. I never felt accepted and it really bugged
me. But when I came to live where I am now, everything fell together and I
feel like I belong there."

Lanny raised his eyebrows, "That could get pretty personal."

"It could, but I tried to keep it general and talked more about the
feelings than the details. It came pretty naturally, but it might not work
for Dr. Brown. I should find out tomorrow."

"If it was honest, I'll bet it will be OK," Lanny assured him. "How about
your Biology class?"

Brian shrugged, "It was kind of pud. I took good notes and read all the
assignments. I think I did fine on that."

"Good," Lanny smiled. "So now you are through for the summer?"

"I am. I talked to Wayne at the bike shop and he said he was
short-handed. I can work there for the rest of the summer, right up until
we leave on the great adventure. That will let me save up some more cash."

"So are you really going to be able to come with me?"

"I wrote up the notes you gave me and added a few things. I gave it to the
parents this morning at breakfast. I think they will give me a yes or no
pretty soon. They think the picnic would be a good idea. Did you talk to
your folks about that?"

"Yes, and they are fine with the picnic," Lanny told him. 'They were a
little concerned about my going by myself and liked the idea of a traveling
companion and would like to meet you. Would this weekend be too soon? Like
Saturday afternoon?"

"I'll have to ask, but I think that will be fine. Will your sister be
there?"

"Yes, the whole family. How about your brothers?"

"Oh, if there's food, they'll be there. They're kind of fun. I think you'll
like them."

Lanny looked over at Brian as they walked along the trail. "This seems to
be working out. Maybe it is supposed to happen."

"It is," Brian agreed. "A few weeks ago we hardly knew each other. Now it
looks like we're going to Europe together. That's pretty quick."

"Well, we met at school last year, and sat together at the prom."

"That's true, but I wasn't sure you would even remember me."

"Oh yes," Lanny smiled, "I remembered you. We talked a little. I asked you
if you and Louisa were dating, remember?"

"Right, I do now," Brian recalled, "Was that more than just a casual
question?"

"Maybe," Lanny smiled. "I thought you were pretty cool, if you want to
know."

"Really? I didn't think about that. I thought you and Melissa were an
item."

"Nope, just friends. I guess like you and Louisa."

Brian didn't make comment, but smiled broadly.

Saturday came and Marco fried up a big plate of chicken and made some
potato salad and a big blackberry cobbler. Sam and Ben were full of
questions as they drove to Woodward Park for the picnic.

"You will have to ask Lanny about all that," Brian told them. "He's the one
who has this all planned out."

"What's he like?" Ben wondered.

"He's a really nice guy. I think you'll all like him. I haven't met his
family, but I bet they're OK."

"They are probably curious about us too," Marco said. "Did you explain that
we are not the usual family?"

"I told him everything, and he was very cool about it. I think they will be
just fine with you guys. At least I hope so."

"We'll find out soon enough," Marty said. "Here we are."

They pulled into the parking lot and saw Lanny waving at them from a picnic
table.

"That's Lanny," Brian told them, "and that must be his family."

They carried their food over and introduced themselves. They were Frank and
Nancy Walker, and the daughter was Cindy. Nancy was a pretty lady, a little
plump with a calm manner about her. Cindy was a younger, slimmer version of
her mother. Frank was tall and lanky, with a short beard and close cropped
gray hair. It went well.

They laid out the food and laughed when they saw that the Walker's had
brought a plate of fried chicken and a pot of baked beans.

"I guess great minds think alike," Frank chuckled. "At least we'll have
plenty of chicken."

They sat around the table and tried to get acquainted. Sam and Ben devoted
themselves to the food and listened to the conversation. They liked Lanny
immediately. The Walkers were taken with the identical Indian boys and
wanted to know about the powwows. That was always a good ice-breaker.  They
were soon at ease with each other.

"Tell us about your trip?" Ben asked Lanny. "Where are you going to go?"

Lanny began to describe his plans and there were a lot of questions. It
sounded well thought out and Marco and Marty were reassured. The food
disappeared then the cobbler was appreciated.

The conversation turned to the necessary preparations. Lanny had that well
in mind. Brian would need some special sleep-sheets for the hostels,
basically two single sheets sewn together to form a sack, and a backpack to
carry all his gear. It might be good to have a lightweight tent but Lanny
said his was too heavy. Brian had a very lightweight nylon backpacking tent
and they agreed that camping might save them some money. Most of what they
needed they would already have, but they might need some extras. Marco and
Marty listened with interest.

As the conversation continued, Brian was watching closely to see if he
could guess what his parents' decision would be. They had questions and
Lanny seemed to have all the right answers. He had done his homework
well. Finally Marco and Marty looked at each other and nodded.

"I guess the first thing we need to do is get you a passport and an ETSA
document," Marty said. "That can take a few weeks, and then I guess we
should start helping you get things put together."

Lanny and Brian broke out in smiles. "So I can go?" Brian asked.

"I think you guys will be fine," Marco said. "You will have to look after
each other."

"Yes, that's the advantage of having a travel partner," Lanny said. "I'm
really glad Brian will be going with me."

"So are we," Nancy told them. "Lanny hasn't done that much camping and
hiking."

She turned to Brian. "What about you? Do you have any experience?"

"Yes Ma'am. I'm an Eagle Scout. We did a lot of that in scouts."

"Oh, wonderful. You didn't tell us that, Lanny. That makes me feel better
about this."

"Well, I think they will be fine," Marty said. "Both these boys have good
sense and that's probably as important as anything."

"Well then, it's agreed," Frank smiled. "You boys will need to get
yourselves organized."

"This is great," Lanny said. "If we are going together, then we can split
up some things to save weight. Both of us won't need to have duplicates of
the things we can share. I think this is going to be just fine."

"Me too," Brian smiled. "I'm ready to go."

They chatted a little longer then parted as friends.

As they drove home. Marty asked Brian, "You should look at what you need
for this trip. If you can use what you already have then that's great, but
if not, we need to get you some things. I want you to have what you need."

"I think my backpacking tent is worth carrying. Only one of us needs to
take a tent. If we do camp, it might be good to have a lightweight sleeping
bag. I can't use it in the hostel, but we can camp with it. My backpack has
an external frame and is kind of heavy. They make a different kind that is
recommended for hosteling. It has an internal frame and is lighter. I've
been reading up on this stuff."

Marco laughed, "I can tell. You haven't talked about those things
before. Did you not want to get your hopes up?"

"I was afraid if I started hitting you up for new equipment I might scare
you off," Brian admitted. "I just can't believe I'm going to get to do
this. Wow, this will be so cool!"

Ben grumbled, "I just hope our time is coming like you said."

"Yeah, I wish we could do something like this," Sam added.

"How about Philmont later in the summer?" Marco suggested. "How would that
be?"

That would be just fine as far as Sam and Ben were concerned, and the topic
of conversation shifted to the Philmont scout camp.

On the Friday after their final exams, Brian and Gunder were together for
one last time in English Composition class. Brian's essay came back with a
good grade. Gunder was asked to stay after class. Brian lingered for a
moment before leaving.

"I must say," Dr. Brown told Gunder, "your essay was something of a
disappointment. In addition, I spent some time last night on Google looking
for key phrases from your previous papers and I'm afraid I found them
attributed to other authors. I don't believe what you handed in was
original."

Gunder turned pale, "I don't know what you mean."

"I think you do, young man. You have turned in slightly edited versions of
another person's work. I think we need to talk."

At that point Brian slipped out of the classroom. He was glad not to be in
Gunder's shoes. He ended up with an A in both classes and went off to
report the good news to his friend Lanny.

"Too bad about Gunder," Lanny said.

"He should have known better," Brian shrugged. "I guess he thought
Professor Brown was too stupid to catch him."

"That may be the end of his college here. I wonder what will happen to
him."

"I hate to think. I don't imagine he will be back at OU Tulsa."

"Cheater's never win," Lanny smiled.

"I guess not. I feel bad for him though. Gunder isn't a bad guy really,"
Brian observed. "I think maybe he's just kind of cocky."

"I guess. We all have to play by the rules. He should have known better."

"Well, goodbye Gunder. It's been nice to know you," Brian chuckled.

"I suppose. It's not your problem Brian. You tried to help him and he took
advantage of you, and tried to take advantage of the school." Lanny
said. "I can't feel too sorry for him."

"I don't know. He is pretty resourceful."

"But isn't he on a student visa? What will happen to that if he gets tossed
out?"

"I didn't think about that," Brian frowned. "He may be in deep doodoo."

The weeks ahead were filled with planning and more planning as the dream
became a reality. Brian was convinced that he was the luckiest person in
the world. He went through the list of things he would need to take and
compared it to what he already had. The major thing was a lightweight
sleeping bag and a travel backpack. The sleep-sheet was easy enough to
construct and he had a small rucksack to keep his personal items
separate. It really wasn't that much. He spent time with Lanny deciding
what he would need to have and what might be shared. It began to come
together.

"How do we carry money?" Brian wondered, "and what happens if one of us
gets sick or injured? Do we know what to do?"

"I'm not really sure, to tell the truth," Lanny admitted.

"Let's ask Marty. He knows about stuff like that.'

Marty agreed to sit down with them and tried to give them some good advice.

"I haven't done that much traveling, but I have had to advise employees who
were traveling and talked with them when they returned. Here is what I
know. I suggest you try and take some notes.

Be very careful with your passports. Under the best of circumstances,
replacing a lost passport is a disaster. You both need to get a travel belt
to keep your important things under your shirt. You'll need a Visa Gold
card to get cash from ATMs, or make an emergency purchase. That and your
passport you should protect with your life. Get some cash in the local
currency as soon as you arrive in a country. Your card won't be accepted
everywhere.

You can do email from anywhere in the world, so be sure to let us know
where you are and how long you plan to be there. We can be your backup if
you get in a jam. Your smartphones will serve as a computer, and will do
for a camera too. No need to carry around extra equipment.

Your best bet is to travel by train or bus. Don't use a taxi unless you
have to. They can be very expensive. If you aren't in a big hurry and the
distance is not great, hiking is the cheapest way to travel. Besides, you
can see a lot on foot.

Your meals will be a major expense, even more so than your lodging. Buy
food at a grocery store and fix your own meals. If you get tired of
sandwiches, try and find a good lunch. Noon meals are generally less
expensive than at night.

There are some great things to see in Europe, but many of them charge a
stiff fee. Not that they aren't worth the cost of admission, but they can
get expensive, so pick and choose.

Be on the alert and don't let yourself be hustled. 'No' is an acceptable
answer in almost all situations. A firm and determined response will let
you avoid most sticky situations. Besides, there are two of you, and
neither of you are wimps."

Marty took a deep breath. "What have I forgotten? Nothing important I
hope. Common sense and a firm grip on your valuables will be your best
defense against serious problems. Expect to get lost. Pick up a phrase book
wherever you are and spend a little time looking at it before you set
out. At least know how to say hello, goodbye, please, thank you and excuse
me. Your attempt to speak in the local language will earn you some good
will."

Marty shrugged, "That's all I can think of. I hope that helps."

Lanny and Brian had been scribbling furiously and looked up with glazed
eyes. "I thought you have never done much traveling," Brian said.

"That doesn't mean I don't know anything," Marty grinned.

"Thanks. Thanks a lot. I didn't find all that information online," Lanny
admitted. "That's a big help."

"I hope so. I want you guys to have a good time and stay out of trouble,"
Marty told them with a smile.

They had a lot to think about. This would not be quite as simple as they
thought. 'Be prepared' was the scout motto. Lanny worked and tried to
complete his restoration of his VW Bus, Brian worked at the bike shop and
shared his plans with Noah. After work their time was spent in long walks
and huddled conversations. They tried to leave as little to chance as
possible. As a result of this time spent in planning, Lanny and Brian began
to feel like they knew each other better, and developed some mutual
trust. The friendship was getting closer.

They got together with their group of friends and discussed their plans.

"Oh my God, that sounds so exciting!" Louisa exclaimed. "Please email us
and send photos from wherever you are."

"Wow, I'm jealous," Keith told them. "I bet you guys are going to have a
fantastic time over there."

Melissa smiled, "I'm so proud of both of you. I would be chicken to do
something like this."

"I think we'll be OK," Brian told her. "We plan to come back alive."

"We wish you both good luck," Francine told them.

"Prayers might be helpful too," Lanny laughed.

"Don't worry. We will send those too," Louisa smiled. "So where are you
going? What's the plan?"

Lanny smiled and outlined their very flexible itinerary, "Well, we will fly
in to Edinburgh Scotland and crash for a night, then we'll really begin. I
thought we would make our way down through Scotland and England for a week
or so and then take the ferry to France. I want to see Paris for sure, then
to Germany and up into Holland. I guess we'll just travel until our money
runs out."

"Wow, what an adventure," Keith shook his head.

At the end of the summer Lanny announced that he had sold the Bus for a
nice profit and hoped he had enough money for the trip. Brian had saved
almost every penny from his work at Wayne's, and it looked like they were
ready.

When the big day arrived, they were as prepared as they knew how to
be. Everything was stuffed into their travel packs. Some cash in Pounds and
Euros, debit cards and passports were secured in travel belts under their
clothes, and they dressed in layers of light clothing with sturdy hiking
boots on their feet. Clean underwear and sneakers were in their packs. They
were ready for this. They had tickets for economy air travel through
Chicago to Edinburgh with open return for the trip back. Both families
convened at the Tulsa airport at three in the afternoon to check them in
for the four o'clock flight see them off. Nancy cried a little, Frank,
Marty and Marco pounded them on the back, and Sam and Ben jumped up and
down with excitement.

"Bring us some souvenirs," Ben instructed.

"I want a real soccer ball," Sam requested.

"I want you back in one piece," Marco smiled. "Have a good time and be
careful." Hugs were exchanged all around.

They boarded the plane, fastened their seat belts and were off, giggling
like little kids.

"The only time I have ever flown before was when I went down to Austin for
my grandmother's funeral," Brian admitted.

"We flew out to Denver for my mom's high school reunion one time. That's as
far away as I've ever been from home," Lanny shared.

Brian smiled at him. "This is going to be the adventure of a lifetime. I'm
so glad we are doing this together."

"Me too," Lanny agreed. "We are going to come back from this either the
best of friends, or mortal enemies. If we don't know each other now, we
will when this is over."

"You're right," Brian smiled and took Lanny's hand. "I think we will come
back friends."

Lanny squeezed his hand, "I think we'll be friends. I have a good feeling
about this."

They looked out the window as the plane rose above the clouds. It was a
beautiful afternoon in early September and the game was afoot.

The flight to Chicago only took an hour and a half. They were offered a
soft drink and a bag of pretzels but nothing else back in the cheap seats.

They scrambled off the flight with their small rucksacks containing what
few valuables they possessed along with their priceless travel documents
and went to look for their travel packs at baggage claim, rechecked them
for Edinburgh and proceeded to the gate for their connecting flight to
Scotland.

Prior to boarding the international flight they had to go through security
again and provide their passports, ETSA documents and proof of required
vaccinations. Everything was in order. They sat in the boarding lounge and
waited to be boarded, their excitement growing by the minute.

When their names were called they got in line to climb aboard the wide body
aircraft and found their seats well back in the coach section. The plane
looked enormous with a wide row of seats down the center and smaller pairs
of seats down each side. They were pleased to find that they were assigned
to seats on the side which provided them with access to a window.

"This thing is huge!" Brian told Lanny. "How can something this big get off
the ground?"

"Well it flew here. I guess it can fly to Scotland," Lanny grinned.

As it grew near the departure time, the big airplane began to fill with
passengers. They were a diverse mix of people of all ages and
nationalities. They could hear chatter in a variety of accents and
languages. It was very exciting for these two boys from Tulsa. The doors
closed, the flight attendants demonstrated the seat belts and oxygen masks
and wished them a pleasant flight as the aircraft began to move into
position for takeoff.

Finally the big engines began to whine and they started moving forward,
gaining tremendous speed by the moment, and shoving them back in their
seats. The front of the aircraft lifted up and the ground dropped
away. They were off.

They banked to the east and headed for Edinburgh. It would be a long flight
across half the United States and the Atlantic Ocean. With a six hour time
change it would be morning when they arrived. They found their hands
clasped as they strained to look out the little window. The lights of
cities and towns appeared through breaks in the clouds. When they reached
their cruising altitude the ground below was obscured by cloud cover and
they sat back to look around the plane and chatter to each other.

They watched as a cart made its way slowly back to them. They were handed a
tray with what look much like a TV dinner. Certainly not the parade of fine
cuisine being served to the passengers up front, but it was food and they
were hungry. When the trays were cleared, a movie started and they watched
it until they began to fall asleep, lulled by the drone of the great
engines. The flight attendant gave them a blanket which they spread across
themselves, still clutching hands as they slept.

When they awoke, the gray light of dawn appeared out of their window. They
roused themselves to the sensation of bursting bladders.

"I have to go pee," Brian confided to his friend.

"Me too. You go first and I'll watch our packs," Lanny told him.

They took turns queuing up to visit the tiny toilets and rejoined feeling
much relieved.

"I wonder where we are?" Brian asked as the looked out at the landscape of
clouds.

"I don't know, but I think we're getting close to somewhere," Lanny
replied.

They were served a light breakfast of bagels and coffee then were ready to
land. Before long they felt the big aircraft start to descend through the
clouds and into dense fog. Lights dimly appeared and the plane swung around
for the landing.

"I hope the pilot knows what he's doing," Brian fretted.

"I imagine he's done this before," Lanny assured him.

They were instructed to return their seats to the upright position and
fasten their seat belts. Rows of bright lights appeared and they felt the
wheels of the plane touch the runway – a gentle bounce and a rush of
noise from the engines as they decelerated rapidly.

"We're here," Brian exclaimed. "We're in Scotland!"


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


The adventures of Brian and Lanny in Europe will be continued at a later
time.

Please email comments to y2kslacker@mail.com