The wind off the lake shrieked around the corner of the abandoned storefront. Down in the basement, Allen huddled under the blanket next to the flattened cardboard boxes. He pulled the wind-up alarm clock out into the open and checked the time, fifteen until four. The old man told him four o’clock in one week on the corner of State and Second Street. Would he be out in this weather? Allen knew he had to show up. He’d made an easy hundred dollars last week. With it, he’d been able to buy food and a gas canister for the heater. He didn’t like the idea of the man clawing at him, his sweat and juices clinging to Allen’s skin. But it would be warm in the back of the truck.
Allen stood up and put on another layer of clothing. He wasn’t looking forward to the walk, but it was only two streets over. He put on his worn, thread-bare coat and stepped outside. The stairs leading up to the outside world were still covered with snow and ice. He made his way up the stairs and was immediately struck by the piercing wind. As if his clothing offered no protection from the elements, Allen struggled up Second Street. On an average day in the summer, anyone could easily see the intersection of State Street. On the northwest corner, Miller’s Drugstore had stood for over one hundred years. The opposite corner housed law offices for those who served the public in this county seat. A lone figure moved toward a vacant corner that was scheduled for a remodel for more offices. The department store that had dwelled within for over sixty years had succumbed to the change in people’s buying habits.
With tears that were frozen to his cheeks, Allen continued forward wondering whether he had made an error in judgement. No traffic had traveled by, and it appeared darker than the approaching four in the afternoon should be. He arrived at the corner and was able to barely read the clock above the drugstore sign. Not quite four. Allen stomped his feet. “Please hurry,” he pleaded within his head. He thought back to the previous week when he was waiting on the corner hoping that someone would throw a half-eaten bit of food into the trash can. If he was quick, he could recover it for his dinner.
It was about this time in the afternoon that Mr. M had shown up. He offered Allen a ride. Allen was appropriately cautious, and Mr. M finally relented that he wanted Allen to touch him in exchange for food. Allen agreed and soon discovered that Mr. M wanted more than a touch. The back of the blue blazer had a mattress, and Allen had to do no more than wear a condom and fuck Mr. M. It was easy work; it wasn’t even work, and Mr. M bought him a meal from McDonald’s and gave him a one hundred dollar bill. He could sure use another bit of money, and Mr. M had asked him to meet here today.
But there was no sign of the man or his truck, and Allen didn’t know it, but he was about to enter into the first stages of hypothermia. From just a few blocks away, Allen looked like an insignificant speck, and that’s how his mother had treated him. She was never sure who his father was. She was pretty sure it was one of the guys at one of three parties she had been to during August that year, not that she remembered any of their names. It could also have been the guy who took her home after the second party. He’d almost run her over when she fell into the street. As he helped her up, she brushed her hand over his cock and commented on how big it was and how she’d like to try it on for size. He fucked her once before driving her home, once again when they got there, and then again on the sofa after dragging her up the stairs. She loved to tell Allen the story. He had blond hair just like you, she’d say. Not that it mattered to Allen; men were of no use to him. That is until Mr. M. He’d never fucked anyone before, and he liked the feeling of it and the release at the end. Plus, he got some money. Right now, he’d settle for warmth.
Another speck arrived on the street from the office building. As soon as he stepped out into the wind, he screamed, “Fucking hell.” His words were lost in the wind. Ethan Burgess had been in the building trying to get a server rebooted. A bad surge protector had thwarted his progress, but now things were back online. He swore he was never coming out in this type of weather again in his life. He should never have answered that phone.
His walk to the parking lot where he’d left his car went right past Allen. As he approached the figure ahead of him, he was amazed at how poorly dressed the guy was. “What the hell are you doing out here? It’s fucking freezing, buddy.”
Allen looked up at him, eyes filled with desperation, mind filled with confusion. Ethan grabbed him by the arm and dragged him to his car; Allen did not refuse.
With the stranger in the car and the car turned on. Ethan contemplated heading away from home and toward the hospital. Home was a lot closer; he started.
Ethan remembered watching the “Voyage of the Mimi” when he was in school. There were two things he came away with from the experience. One was helping a hypothermic guy by taking all your clothes off and getting next to him so he could get your body heat, and the other was how he wanted to have a friend like the Ben Affleck character.
“The movie didn’t say how bad you’d smell.” Ethan grimaced his nose. ‘He’s a fellow human being’ kept repeating in his mind.
It took a bit of doing but Ethan was able to get Allen into a bathtub of warm water. Making sure it wasn’t too warm, Ethan removed the remainder of Allen's clothing and put a space heater into the room to keep the room temperature up. Allen became coherent rather quickly, which relieved Ethan.
Allen thanked Ethan for the warm tea and apologized for the dirty water that had been made from both his unbathed skin and his clothing.
“Don’t worry about it,” said Ethan. It’ll rinse away. In fact, if you’re ready for some shampoo.”
“I just as soon cut it all off, like yours. I think your buzz cut looks sexy.”
Ethan felt a stirring in his groin at that remark. To deflect from those feelings, he rather flippantly said, “I’ve got clippers. I use a number 2.”
“Fucking do it,” exclaimed the man in the tub. “Cut it off; cut it all off.”
“You sure? It’s liberating.”
“Yeah, man, do it.”
“Tell me your name first. I’m Ethan.”
“I’m Allen.”
Ethan got the clippers from the cabinet. “And will Allen tell Ethan why he was standing on a street corner in a blizzard?”
“I wasn’t trying to off myself. A man promised me money if I’d screw him up the ass. And I could really use the money.”
“And you waited for him on that corner?”
“I only did it once, and he gave me one hundred dollars. He said if I wanted to make more money to meet him there today. I guess he wasn’t coming.”
“Guess not,” replied Ethan.
“It’s lucky for me you did,” said Allen.
“Yep.”
“Why the hell were you out in a blizzard? You don’t look like you need to fuck some old man for a hundred bucks.”
“Because my boss is an asshole and had to have the server back online so he could access his shit from Florida. Plus, I’m the idiot who answered his phone.”
Allen smiled for the first time that day. “Cut my hair off so I can get cleaned up and out of this tub.”
“Here goes.” Ethan left about a fourth of an inch of hair on Allen’s head. He showed him what a matted mess it looked like in the back, and Allen got teary-eyed as he thanked Ethan for saving him and giving him a haircut. They locked eyes and Allen smiled again.
Fuck, thought Ethan, he’s really sexy once he got rid of that matted mess.
Allen stood up. “I want to rinse off.” Allen’s erection curved slightly upward and measured not quite seven inches. His balls were round and held tightly to him.
Ethan had tried not to gawk, but he had been with men who were not nearly as handsome or sexy. He felt a stirring, but it could have been that it had been so long since he had shared his bed. He glanced again. No, it was definitely Allen.
“Sorry, man.”
“No problem,” said Ethan, but he was thinking that Allen’s face and body would fill his mind the next time he fucked his hand. “Let me drain the tub, and get you a towel.” Ethan pulled the shower curtain closed and took a breath. “There’s a towel for you here by the sink. I’ll get you some clean clothes.”
Ethan went to his bedroom and returned with some sweatpants, a t-shirt, and a pair of briefs he never wore. “I don’t suppose you’re hungry?”
“Me?” Allen laughed. “I could probably eat a little bit.”
Ethan wondered. A homeless man, poorly dressed, waiting in a blizzard to make some money. And he could probably eat ‘a little bit.’ Ethan shook his head. “I’ll be in the kitchen, Allen.”
Ethan had finished frying the pork chops, had the whipped potatoes ready, and had microwaved the frozen corn when Allen stepped into the kitchen. Ethan noticed his feet. “Ah, shit, Allen, I forgot to bring you some socks. Second drawer from the top, the dresser in the bedroom.”
Ethan plated the food and poured some hot tea into two big mugs and placed them on the small dining table he had in front of the sliding glass door. The snow was falling harder, and he wondered whether he should try putting a log in the fireplace to help remove the chill from the room.
Allen came in with the thick boot socks that Ethan had received last Christmas and had never worn. Tears filled Allen’s eyes. “You must never think bad of anyone, Ethan. You trust me to go into your bedroom and pick what I want, and you’re about to feed me, and you haven’t asked for anything in return. Are you an angel from heaven or something?”
“No. I’m just someone who saw someone who needed to be warm. I haven’t done anything that anyone else wouldn’t do.”
“You don’t even realize how special you are, do you? I’m no one; I’m a nobody that never mattered. If I had frozen to death on that street corner, no one would have missed me.”
“And if I had left the office ten minutes later, maybe even five minutes later, I would have found you, probably dead, and for the rest of my life, I would have mourned not coming out earlier. Sometimes, things work out the way they’re supposed to. This is one of them. Now, have a seat. I want to thank God for the blessing of having you here with me.”
Allen fought back tears as Ethan gave thanks to God. He praised Ethan for the taste of the food which he claimed to be the best he’d ever eaten. As they finished, the wind picked up, and they heard an increased howling. Visibility through the glass door decreased.
“I’m not sure where you were staying, Allen, but it looks like you’re spending the night here. I’m not going back out in that, and neither are you.”
Allen stared out into white. “I was staying in a basement a few blocks from where you found me.”
“A basement? In one of the abandoned buildings?” asked Ethan.
“Yeah, it wasn’t so bad. I had several boxes to help keep me warm, so I didn’t have to lay on the floor. It was a lot warmer than it was outside. Some people are outside in this, you know. There are a bunch of old guys who crawl up under the bridges. They’re the ones who have it bad.”
Ethan stood up and put his hand on Allen’s shoulder. “How did you end up alone and in a basement?”
“Single mother, she did drugs, sold them, too. She got caught, and I ran off before they could put me in foster care.”
“You didn’t trust that they would take care of you?”
Allen scoffed. “Too many people had ‘taken care’ of my mother, but she let them treat her that way. And as for me, I did not need the guys who used my mother and tried to use me.” He looked up at Ethan.
Ethan wondered whether Allen was like an abused puppy, seemingly harmless and needy until you got your hand too close. He had already proven that he was willing to prostitute himself. Ethan felt the need to hug him and reassure him that his home was a safe place. He decided words were a better choice. “I want you to know that you’re safe here.”
Allen nodded. “Can I help you put these dishes away?”
“Sure.”
Allen stood up; his face was inches from Ethan’s, and he had the urge to kiss him. He’d never wanted to kiss anyone before. He looked down at Ethan’s chin, then his lips. Would Ethan want to kiss him back?
Ethan took a step away; he felt a strong physical attraction to Allen, one he wanted to ignore. He knew that Allen was emotionally fragile as well as physically fragile, Ethan was sure of it.
“You stepped away from me. I’ve had a lot of my mother’s boyfriends who forced kisses on me. Now that I’ve met someone I want to kiss…”
“Allen, we’ve just met. Believe me when I say this, I do want to kiss you, but I think it’s too soon. We need to get to know each other better. People do kiss and make out and have sex with no real feelings between them, and I have a feeling that’s what you’re talking about.”
“But I do have feelings for you,” said Allen.
Ethan hugged Allen. “And I have feelings for you, but they are feelings of friendship. I like you, Allen. In the past few hours, I’ve discovered a man who is resilient, resourceful, appreciative. Those are qualities that I admire.”
“You admire me?”
“Yeah,” said Ethan. “Look at what you’ve faced, and you’ve been able to come through it.” Ethan touched the side of Allen’s face. “You’re a special guy.”
“You’re a special guy, Ethan. Plus, you’ve treated me fairly. My mother said that when you meet someone special you should fuck him, so he’ll want to stay around, and he’ll know you think he’s special.”
“So, Allen, let’s put these dishes in the dishwasher so I can think about how to respond to that.” The two of them cleared the table in silence. Allen wiped the tabletop while Ethan finished cleaning in the kitchen. When they’d finished, Ethan still wasn’t sure of the correct things to say. They sat next to each other on the couch, Allen made sure his leg was up against Ethan’s with his hand on Ethan’s knee.
“Sitting close to you like this makes me feel safe, Ethan.”
“You’re not making this easy for me, Allen.”
“I’m sorry. I don’t really want to make things difficult for you.”
“I know.”
“People fuck all the time, Ethan. It’s not always about love. Sometimes people do it because they can; they’re mean and nasty and they piss inside you just because they want you to feel little.”
“Who did that to you?”
“One of my mother’s boyfriends. I think his name was Fred or Frank. They would drink, and she would pass out. I could hear him fucking her in the other room, and when he was done, he would push me down on the bed, stick his dick in me, and pee. I would hurt like hell, but I wouldn’t scream. He’d pull out and make me sit on the bed. He would slap me until I couldn’t hold it and then he would spank my bottom with a belt for peeing in the bed. I used to wish he would die.”
Tears ran down Ethan’s face at the horror of what he’d just heard.
“Another one of her boyfriends would tell me that she wasn’t tight enough for him. He’d bring food, and he’d tell me that if I let him, he’d leave the food. So I let him. I didn’t love him either. And I didn’t love Mr. M., but I fucked him. And he told me he wanted me to do it again.”
Ethan pulled Allen to him and kissed his temple. “How did you survive all that?”
“I’m resilient,” laughed Allen.
That made Ethan smile. “You sure as fuck are.”
“Tell me, Ethan. If we’d met somewhere, and you didn’t know much about me, and we had a date, like a fucking awesome fried pork chop dinner, would you have let me kiss you? Would you have let those kisses turn into more even if it was our first date? Would you have fucked me if I had wanted you to?”
Ethan looked down at his hands. The answer to all those questions was yes. Was he making assumptions here that were unfair?
A strong gust of wind blew against the building, and the howling became a shriek. Allen looked up at Ethan and moved forward to kiss him. The kiss was pleasant, soft. “Hold me, Ethan.”
Ethan pulled Allen close to him and ran his hand over Allen’s close-cropped scalp.
“When you do that,” Allen whispered, it makes my dick throb. Allen spun between Ethan’s legs, allowing Ethan to bring one leg onto the couch and to lie on his back with Allen above him with Ethan’s right leg between his. Allen nestled his head under Ethan’s chin and moved his hand down to Ethan’s inner thigh.
Ethan was sure he could feel Allen’s heartbeat; he certainly felt his erection. Ethan closed his eyes; his own penis was responding to the sensations. With his hand resting in the small of Allen’s back, Ethan wondered why this felt so natural. He barely knew the man, yet this felt as though they had been doing it all their lives. He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.
In Part Two
Ethan and Allen are snowed in, and the city closes down. What will they do when they are trapped together for three days?
