Date: Wed, 7 Jan 2015 15:23:10 +0100
From: Nick Brady <y2kslacker@mail.com>
Subject: Nicks Story - Chapter 14
Nick's Story -- Chapter 14
This story is about growing up in Tulsa. Part of the story involves sex
between boys so you should be 18 to read it. Please send comments to
y2kslacker@mail.com and make donations to Nifty.
Copyright 2014, Nick Brady, all rights reserved.
---------------------
I got home with enough time to wash up for supper without hurrying and sat
down at the kitchen table at the same time as Dad and Kevin. Dad was
asking Kevin about his 7th grade classes. Middle school was organized more
like high school than like elementary school and Kevin liked his classes.
He had been put in a couple of accelerated classes and thought they were
cool. Kevin was another sharpie.
I got asked about my day and talked a little about school, then mentioned
that I had stopped by Joseph's. I told them everything, about Alice and
how she had raised Joseph since he was a baby, about his music and need to
spend a lot of time practicing, how I could do my school work at the same
time and get that out of the way early, about some of the things we wanted
to do together like his choir and about riding his bike. I told them
almost everything.
"You had a busy afternoon." Mom observed.
"And I made home in plenty of time for supper." I grinned.
"What's this about the choir?" Mom asked. "I didn't know you liked
to sing."
I glanced around to see that everyone was looking at me with
interest. "Well, uh, Joseph thinks he can teach me."
Dad gave a deep chuckle. "If Joseph can get you singing in the
choir of Trinity Episcopal he will be a very gifted young man."
Kevin asked, "Don't you have to be a member of the church or
something?"
I hadn't thought about that. "I don't know. I guess I'm not
really going anywhere else, am I?"
Dad looked thoughtful, "We are members at First Methodist, but
other than Christmas, Easter, and a few Sundays in between, I'm afraid we
aren't too faithful –- Other than Kevin."
"I just like the Sunday school." Kevin explained.
"If you wish to participate in church services with your friend
Joseph I would have no problem with that at all," Dad said, and looked at
Mom.
"Are you sure that's what you want to do Nicky?" Mom asked. "That
kind of thing requires some commitment."
It was decision time. I took a deep breath and said, "I want to do
it and if I can sing well enough to be in the choir with Joseph I will suit
up and show up."
"Well OK then." Mom said with a smile. "Anything else while court
is in session?"
"Uh, actually there is." I said. "Riding my bike is working out a
lot better than riding the bus, but my old dirt bike is pretty slow.
Joseph has a 10 speed he isn't using that he is gonna see if he can loan to
me."
"You could keep up with the traffic on a faster bike and it would
be a lot safer." Kevin said quickly.
"Dad looked at Kevin and then at me, "That's true. But you would
have to be responsible for it. If you wreck it or if anything breaks you
will have to make it right."
"Oh, well sure. I'll be real careful with it. Joseph has a newer
bike and maybe we can go riding together on the weekends and stuff."
Mom looked at me pretty straight. "We'll see. You and Joseph may
get sick of each other after awhile."
I started to assure Mom that I would never get tired of Joseph but realized
that didn't sound quite right so said nothing. Things were going too well
to say too much and mess things up. Then I remembered one more thing that
I wanted to tell everybody.
"Hey guess what?" I said, "We all have birthdays in September.
Joseph is 15 on the 7th, I am 14 on the 15th, and Kevin is 12 on the 22nd.
Isn't that cool?"
"Really? That is quite a coincidence." Mom observed. We should do
something about that."
"Yeah, that's what I was thinking." I agreed.
"Hey, maybe we could have a pizza party or something." Kevin said.
Mom laughed, "Joseph may have other plans, but I guess anything is
possible."
Dad cleared his throat like he had been waiting to say something.
"Your friend Jack wants to talk with you Nick. Why don't you go up and
check with him after supper."
"Yes sir." I answered. I hadn't seen Jack for weeks, and now Dad
was sending me up to talk to him. Things were getting interesting.
------------
I ran up the stairs to Jack's apartment full of curiosity. What did Jack
want to talk to me about? I knocked on the door and after a moment it
opened
"Hey Nick!" Jack grinned, opening the door wide and motioning me
inside.
I slipped inside and threw my arms around Jack as he shut the door
behind me. "Jack! I've missed you."
Jack hugged me close, "I've missed you too Nicky. I have been so
busy I haven't been around much." Disengaging himself he stepped to the
kitchenette and opened the refrigerator door. "Let me grab a soda for
you." and handed me a can of root beer.
Jack sat down on the sofa and motioned for me to sit on the chair
opposite. "How are you doing Nick?"
"I'm OK. Dad said you wanted to talk with me."
"That's right." Jack said. "Look around. Notice anything?"
I had been looking at Jack and had not really noticed his apartment. When
he moved in it had been trashed by some bad renters. Now it looked
completely different. The appliances were gleaming white, the walls were
painted, the wooden floor had been sanded and re-varnished, and there were
new blinds on the windows. It looked totally different and brand new.
"Wow, this looks great! You really fixed it up nice."
"It was a lot of work but it looks pretty good, don't you think?
At least your Dad thinks so. He is going to let me stay on and remodel
most of the other apartments in exchange for my rent. In fact, he is going
to pay me some extra."
"Great! That way you will be staying here for a long time."
"I hope so. I quit the Y and am working at the college now. It
pays better and I am learning something."
"Is that what you wanted to tell me?" I asked.
"Well yes, I wanted to tell you what I was doing, and I wanted to
see you and ask how things were going with you – and Joseph."
"Oh, you just wanted to see me?" I asked, pleased with that idea.
"I'm OK. I think I am going to go out for the baseball team in the spring
and Joseph is really neat Jack. I appreciate your introducing us very
much. I have never met anybody like him before."
Jack smiled, " I was hoping that things would work out for you
two."
I wasn't sure what Jack knew. "Joseph is, I mean we are both, uh,
you know...."
Jack smiled again. "I think maybe all three of us have something
in common. I wasn't sure of that, but I thought so."
I told Jack all about Joseph and me. How we had discovered each other and
come together. That I was riding my bike to school and stopping by
Joseph's house afterwards. Our plans to do things together and my concerns
about where things would go.
I confessed to Jack, "Joseph is so nice. He is so..., innocent."
Thinking about Carlos and Tony and the old man in the shower, I said, "I
have done some things that would seem really to Joseph. I'm afraid that if
he really knew me he wouldn't like me."
Jack shook his head. "I think Joseph knows you Nick. He knows
that you are good and kind, and full of enthusiasm for everything. He
knows that you are very interested in him and his music and that you want
to be his friend. He doesn't need to know any more than that and I doubt
that he really wants to know more than that.
"Remember Nick, Joseph needs a friend as much as you do. And don't
be too hard on yourself. You are young and curious and rather innocent
yourself if you want to know the truth. If you have a sin it is an
overabundance of excitement for living, and that is hardly a sin at all."
I just looked at Jack. "You make me feel so good about myself.
You are always so kind to me."
Jack sat back against the old sofa with his legs stretched out in front of
him. His left arm draped across his waist, holding his right elbow, his
right hand at his face tracing and pulling at his lower lip. He looked
thoughtful and I waited for him to speak.
"You're OK Nicky. There is nothing mean or hurtful about you. You
are a good person. Just keep being honest. Honest with yourself
especially. Joseph is a good person too. You two will be good for each
other."
I waited for a minute to see if Jack was going to say more. When
he didn't I asked, "Did you know that Joseph and Kevin and me have
birthdays right together?"
"No, I didn't know that." Jack said. "When are they?"
Joseph's is next week, then mine, then Kevin's. All about a week
apart. Maybe we can have a pizza party or something."
"Cool. Don't forget to invite me."
"What about you?" I asked. "Do you have any new friends?"
Jack rapped the knuckle of his first finger on his pursed lips and
smiled. "I have friends Nick. No one really special like you and Joseph,
but I have friends. I don't have time for much besides work and school."
"I'm your friend Jack." I said. "I'll always be your friend."
Jack's smile broadened. "I know Nicky. I love you too." Then he
stood and said, "I have things to do, kid. I have to run you off."
I stood up and slid my arms around Jack's waist. "I don't ever see
you any more."
Jack wrapped his long arms around me and hugged me close. "I know
Nicky. This is a busy time for me. I may have only one shot at college
and I have to make the most of it. I want to do things and I need an
education to do them."
Jack peeled my arms from around his waist and stood me at arms
length from him. "I have this image of who I want to be Nick. I think I
know where I want to go and I am trying to get there. Joseph has a vision
that he is trying to follow too. What about you? At some point you will
need to set your sights on something. You might want to start thinking
about that." He cocked his head to one side a little and raised his
eyebrows as if to ask a question. Then he turned me around by my shoulders
so that I was pointed at the apartment door. "Now scoot."
"Ok, I can take a hint." I laughed. "I'll call you about that
birthday party."
"I'll make time for that." Jack said.
I tramped down the stairs with my head full of what Jack had said. Talking
to Jack made me feel like I had been picked up and pointed in the right
direction. I thought to myself that I was lucky to have so many people in
my corner cheering me on. My family, Joseph, and Jack. Having somebody
like Jack for a friend was amazing. I really didn't understand why Jack
thought so well of me but I was grateful for him.
--------------
The next day after school I waited for Joseph for a little while then
thought maybe I had missed him. I jumped on my bike and charged off to his
house. When I got there I knocked on the kitchen door but no one answered
it so I sat down on the back steps to wait. After about 15 minutes Alice
drove up in the Lincoln with Joseph inside. The garage door opened as she
drove up to it and she parked the car inside. I followed it into the
garage and stepped over to the passenger door as Joseph got out.
"Hey Joseph. I thought I had missed you." Then I said, "Hi
Alice."
Joseph opened the door and got out carrying his book bag. He didn't look
right. His hair was messed up and his shirt was rumpled and pulled out of
his pants in back. His face was kind of red and he looked upset.
"No, you didn't miss me," he mumbled, "I was late."
I glanced over at Alice who gave me a nod and a smile. "Hello
Nick" she said.
I looked back at Joseph. "What's up?"
Joseph ran his fingers through his hair and attempted to straighten
up his shirt. "Oh it's nothing really. I just had a little problem that
made me late."
"What happened?" I asked as I followed him into the house. "You
look like you have been in a fight."
"Oh hardly much of a fight." Joseph muttered, heading upstairs for
his room.
I followed him quietly until we got in his room. He went into the bathroom
and leaned over the sink to cup his hands and splash his face with cold
water. He wet a wash cloth and wrung it out to wipe his face and the back
of his neck. I could see that he was trembling a little. He opened his
mouth but nothing came out but a squeak and his eyes teared over. He
walked over to the sofa and sat down.
I sat down next to him and asked him again in a quiet voice, "What
happened Joseph?"
Joseph put his face in his hands and shook his head. "I just hate
this sort of thing. I just hate it!"
I waited while Joseph blew out his breath and composed himself. Finally he
straightened up and wiped his face with the wash cloth, then pulled a
handkerchief out of his hip pocket and blew his nose. He took a deep
breath and let it out.
"There is this guy in my 6th hour math class who is -- a smart
ass." Joseph began. "I don't know what his problem is but he doesn't like
me. He makes fun of me when I talk and bumps into me when class is over.
This afternoon he pushed me into a locker when he walked by me and made me
drop my books." Joseph paused and continued to look down at his hands. "I
said something to him and he called me a faggot. It made me really angry
Nick. I have done nothing to his guy and he hates me. Anyway, when he
said that he said it loud and some kids laughed at me. So... I shoved him.
And then he slammed me back against the lockers and made me look like a
fool." Joseph shook his head from side to side. "I'm a sissy Nick.
Sometimes I wave my hands around and talk like a girl. I know that. If I
think about it I can do better but if I don't think about it, well...." He
looked up at me. "That's just who I am Nick. I can't help it. Why does
this guy care? I'm not bothering him." Then he dropped his head back down
in his hands.
I took this all in and thought about what Joseph had said. He was
kind of effeminate sometimes, but why would that bother this guy? "So then
what happened? Is that why you were late?"
Joseph tossed his head and rolled his eyes. "I was late because
some teacher saw all this and took us to the office. We had to see one of
the counselors who chewed us out royally and made it clear that he would
not tolerate trouble makers like us at Edison High School. And all the
time this guy was just glaring at me like - wait until I get you again."
"Who is this guy?" I asked.
I don't know, Jeff something." Joseph said. He is not quite as
tall as I am but a little stockier, maybe a little bigger than you. I'm
bigger than him, but I'm not rough Nick. That's not who I am."
"No, but you took up for yourself didn't you?"
"Not very effectively I'm afraid." Joseph nodded his head a
little, "I did try though."
'You're no sissy Joseph. A sissy would have run away. You fought
back." I smiled at him. "Way to be Joseph."
Joseph looked up at me for the first time and almost reluctantly
smiled back at me. "Thanks for that Nicky. You are a real friend."
I thought of Jack. "You are OK Joseph. You are a good person.
Don't take any shit off of this guy. If you stand up to a bully he will
usually back down."
"Thanks. I really appreciate your encouragement." Joseph
hesitated. "But I'm not very effective with that sort of thing."
"Where is your math class?" I asked.
"First floor, far East end. Why do you ask?"
"I just wondered. Now, am I going to your choir practice with you
tonight?"
"Oh. I had forgotten all about that. Yes, I hope so. Will you
come?"
I laughed. "I'm willing but I'm not sure I can carry a tune. You
were going to show me how."
Joseph leaned back and really smiled for the first time. "I think
I can do that."
--------------
We went back downstairs to the music room and the house smelled really
good. Like fresh baked cookie kind of good. Without saying anything
Joseph and I gravitated to the kitchen where Alice was taking big cookies
off of a baking sheet onto a platter. You might say that our nostrils
flared.
"Well now Alice, what do you have there?" Joseph asked.
"Oatmeal cookies with chocolate chips and pecans." Alice answered.
"Do you think that you and Mr. Nick might be interested?"
"Well," I responded, "Mr. Nick would grovel for those."
Alice laughed loudly. "You don't have to do that honey, I made
them for you." She glanced at Joseph. "You boys looked like you could use
some cookies."
Joseph smiled and reached over to tug at the edge of Alice's apron.
"What would I do without you, Alice?"
Alice didn't respond but took a pair of glasses to the refrigerator
and filled them with milk. She turned back to the kitchen table and set
them beside the cookies. "Here you are. By the time you have eaten these
you will feel right as rain."
"I feel much better already." Joseph said, taking a cookie and
smiling broadly.
They were good cookies, still hot, and washed down with cold milk. Very
good. After we each ate several of them we went back into the music room
and Joseph sat down at the piano.
He struck a key and held it. "Sing that note."
I gave him a blank look. "Do what?"
"Sing this note." he said. "Match that pitch."
I suddenly felt intensely embarrassed. I cleared my throat and
tried to sing the same note that he was playing. "Ahhhhh."
"That's about a third low." he said and struck a lower note. Joseph
struck the note he had played first. "Listen. This is higher. Sing this
note."
"Ahhhhh." I tried again. Now the note I was singing did sound the
same as the one he was playing. I started to get the idea. Now it was the
same -- I thought.
"Right, that's very good." Joseph said. Then he started on that
note and played a very simple tune that I recognized. "You have heard that
before. Sing it." he commanded.
"London bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down." I
sang in a rather wobbly voice as he played the same notes on the piano.
"Of course. You can sing just fine if only you are familiar with
the tune. Now let's see what your range is."
Joseph began to play notes higher and higher a half-step at a time. I
matched them as best as I could until I started to croak. Joseph laughed
then returned to the starting note and began to go down a half-step at a
time. I lowered my chin and followed him down but soon ran out of voice.
"With a little practice you will make a fine tenor." he said. "You
can do this Nick."
I felt very proud of myself. "Do you really think so?"
Joseph put his hands in his lap and laughed. "Yes, I really think
so Nick. You know, we really are good for each other."
"I don't know, singing in front of a bunch of people is pretty
scary."
"Oh you can do it Nicky. I really don't think that you will faint
from fright. That isn't your style is it?"
"No, I guess not." I sighed. "Where and when should I show up for
practice?"
"Go in the rear entrance of the church. Practice is at 7:00 but I
will be there a little early and will meet you inside."
"OK. It wouldn't hurt to be a little early the first time. That
way I can find my way around."
Joseph smiled and nodded his head. "You will do just fine Nick.
But now I need to practice for some time and maybe you have some school
work?"
I did and pulled some books out of my bag and began to work through my
studies.
Joseph began to play. First he did some exercises, running up and down the
keys with both hands in unison, first slowly then much faster. Then some
more with each hand doing different things but repeating the pattern over
and over going up and then down the keys. When he finished warming up he
played a piece he seemed to know. It sounded very confident and was really
nice to listen to. After that he began to work on something new. He would
play part of it, stop, work through something slowly then repeat it more
rapidly.
When he was satisfied he would work on the next part in the same way. Then
he would go through the whole thing until he came to a new part, work it
out, and start over. It was like he not only had to get all the pieces
right but had to be able to connect them properly.
I really didn't know what he was doing and was very curious about some
things. I wanted to ask him questions but didn't want to interrupt him.
We would have time to talk about a lot of things as time went by. Besides,
I had to do my homework and became absorbed in that. By 5:30 I was about
finished except for some reading in English.
I stood up and said. "I need to go."
Joseph stopped and looked at me as if he had forgotten that I was
in the room. "Oh yes, of course." he said. "I'll walk you out." When we
got out to where my old BMX bike was parked he asked, "Would you like to
have my old 10-speed?"
I looked at my old one speed dirt bike. "Sure. It's OK with my
Dad. What about your parents?"
"Absolutely, they are happy you can use it. I really think it was
headed for Goodwill although it is in good condition. I didn't ride it
much." He shrugged. "Let's have a look at it."
We went into the garage where it was standing off to one side with his nice
new one. It was in good shape although the tires were low. Joseph
produced a tire pump and we aired them up tight. He held it off the floor
while I turned the crank and took it though all the gears. The brakes were
tight and it was dusty but looked good.
"Wow, this is great. What will I do with my old one?"
"Oh, just leave it here. We can get it over to your place later
I'm sure. Jack has a truck," he laughed.
"OK then, Cool." I made an adjustment to the seat. "You ride these
different than a dirt bike. You sit up higher on them. I know that much."
I slipped on my ruck sack filled with books and took a practice turn around
his driveway. I decided that everything worked fine, waved goodbye and
pedaled off at full speed. It took a few tries to get the hang of the
gears. I finally left the front derailleur in high and just adjusted the
rear one as I worked through streets and traffic. When I came to a hill I
could drop the front gear down, work the rear up and get more power to
climb. On the down side I could gear up and really fly. This would be a
lot better. I was home in nearly half the time.
I wanted to clean it up later so pushed it inside and into the apartment.
Kevin was in his usual spot on the sofa. "Whoa! Where did you get
that?" he asked.
"It's Joseph's." I said. "He is loaning it to me -- giving it to
me really. I can fly on this thing."
Kevin got off the sofa and joined me to check it out, examining the
derailleurs, the brake levers, seeing that everything was tight. "All you
have to do is clean it up a little and it's like new."
"Yeah, that's right. It's really neat isn't it?" I said, enjoying
Kevin's enthusiasm.
My mother heard us from the kitchen and came in the living room.
"Well well, what have we here?"
"It's Joseph's old bike. Isn't it cool?" I exclaimed.
"We'll be calling you Speed Racer." Mom laughed. It really
doesn't belong in the house though."
"I just brought it in to clean it up. I'll put it back in the shed
before I go to bed."
"OK, but you better put it out of sight before your father sees
it."
"Uh, I am going to choir practice with Joseph after supper." I
said.
"Oh really?" Mom raised her eyebrows. "Did he convince you that
you could sing?"
"Sure. It's really easy, if you know the tune." I said, with more
confidence that I felt.
"How are you going to get there?" she asked.
"It's not that far over to Trinity, and there are street lights all
the way. I will ride my new bike!" I rolled the bike into the bedroom
leaving Mom looking kind of surprised.
By the time I had the bike shined up with an old ratty pair of undershorts,
Mom called for dinner. As soon as I ate it was time to go. This would be
a new adventure.
.......................to be continued.
(Remember that comments from the reader are the writer's only paycheck, and
Nifty needs contributions to continue to publish the stories you enjoy.
Email comments to y2kslacker@mail.com, and please donate to Nifty.org)