Joey and Eli both jumped when they heard me speak. Joey was pushing his hair out of his eyes and Eli was wiping the water from his, as they both looked in my direction. They saw me and Dylan standing in the corner of the pool watching them.
Eli said, “damn it, I wanted to be the first one to take a swim.” He chuckled, “at least I’m still the first one to skinny dip.”
I took Dylan’s hand and walked to the steps and left the pool, our bare asses coming into view.
I laughed, “wrong again Eli, I was first.”
I looked over my shoulder as Dylan and I walked into the house, Joey and Eli were just staring at us with their mouths hanging open.
We went to my bedroom to dry off and get dressed. Dylan’s cheeks were starting to return to their normal color as the embarrassment of being seen naked by Eli and Joey faded.
He said, “wow, I wish I would have known Joey was gay when we were in high school, he’s kind of hot.”
I chuckled, “yeah, but so are you.”
His cheeks blushed again.
Dylan said, “can I ask you a question?”
I smiled, “sure, anything.”
He asked, “what is your relationship with Eli?”
I sighed as I explained everything.
He said, “so, he and Joey are…”
I chuckled, “yes, they are together.”
Dylan asked, “and that doesn’t bother you?”
I shook my head, “not at all, we have both been supportive of each other when the either of us is dating other people.”
He thought for a minute and asked, “so Eli wouldn’t be upset if we…”
I asked, “if we what?”
Dylan’s eyes were once again looking at the floor, he said in almost a whisper, “if we were seeing each other.”
I put my hand under his chin to make him look at me, I asked, “is that something you want, Dylan?”
He shrugged, “kind of, if you do.”
I smiled, “I would like that too. I really would like to get to know you better.”
He exhaled, “really?”
I said, “yes, really.”
He smiled, “thanks.”
I gave him a kiss and said, “come on, I’ll make us some coffee.”
As we walked to the kitchen, Eli and Joey came out Eli’s room, Eli said, “I can’t believe you skinny dipped before I did.”
I laughed, “I know, it surprised me too. Do you guys want to join us for a cup of coffee?”
Eli said, “sure.”
It was a bit awkward for a bit as we waited for the coffee to brew. Eli and Joey were still a bit suspicious of Dylan. Joey and Dylan soon started to talk about a few of their old classmates, easing the tension.
After a few sips of his coffee, Dylan said, “I better get going, I have to be at dads by 10.”
I said, “ok, give me a call or stop by when you can.”
I walked him to the door and gave him a kiss, goodbye.
As I walked back into the kitchen, Eli asked, “so, are you guys…?”
I sighed, “we are going to take things slow and see what happens.”
Eli said, “I hope you know what you are doing.”
I sighed, “we had a long talk last night, I trust him, and we agreed to not talk about beer.”
Joey laughed, “well, he does have a cute ass.”
I chuckled, “he had only good things to say about seeing you naked too, Joey. He even said he wished he knew you were gay in high school, he might have asked you out.”
Joey smiled, “hmm… I might have accepted.”
Eli said, “careful redneck.”
Joey said, “oh, your ass is much cuter, city boy.”
Eli raised an eyebrow and grinned, “I guess I can let it slide… this time.”
They shared a kiss, and I asked, “so, what are your plans for today?”
Joey said, “we are meeting a few of my buddies down at the park, probably shoot hoops for a while and then head to Sidelines for a couple of beers. You’re welcome to join us if you want.”
I smiled, “thanks, but I want to crunch a few more numbers, I have lots of things to work out if we’re going to have enough beer for BoroFest.”
After we ate an early lunch, Eli and Joey left for their afternoon out. I pulled my laptop out and went to work. After about an hour or so, I needed to pee, as I came back out of my bedroom to walk back to the kitchen, I walked past my grandpa’s home office. I had always just used the kitchen table when I worked at home, I decided maybe I should start using the office. I turned on the light and looked around the room. The desk was on the far side of the room, a credenza was sitting right behind it. The wall to the right had a couple of big windows that looked out into the backyard, to the left was a big bookcase. There were a couple of chairs in the center of the room, I guess in case grandpa ever had a guest visit to discuss business. I walked to the desk, it had some papers and magazines scattered across the top. The papers were mostly just old utility and phone bills that were marked paid in grandpa’s handwriting. The magazines pertained to the brewing business as well as a three-month-old Time Magazine. I sat in the big leather chair and the smell of grandpa filled my nostrils. I don’t know what cologne he wore, but it was the same scent that I remember since the day I was born.
I started to sort through the papers, keeping those that I thought may be important, throwing the rest in the trash. I did the same with the magazines. I went back out to the kitchen and brought my laptop and papers into the office setting them on the desk. I got things arranged to my satisfaction and again took a seat behind the desk. I looked at the drawers and decided I should clean them out as well. The left side had two lager drawers that appeared to have all of grandpa’s files in them, I could go through them out later. The top drawer on the right had all the standard office supplies, pens, paper clips, etc. The middle drawer just had some more papers and notepads. The bottom drawer had more papers and a few files and envelopes. I pulled them out and laid them on the desk. I looked through the file folders first, stuffing them into left side drawers with all the other files. I looked in the envelopes, most were letters that grandpa had received over the years, mostly from old friends and distant relatives. I put those in a box to save, I’m not sure why, but they were interesting to read. I got to the bottom of pile, it was a large manilla envelope and it had my dad’s name written on it. I opened it up and dumped the contents on the desk. It was a stack of letters that were held together with a rubber band. I turned the stack over and there was a note on top of the envelopes. I pulled it out, unfolded it and began to read.
Mike,
I have told you to stop this. There is no way it can happen. I am returning all your letters, I trust you will do the right thing and destroy them.
Scott
What the hell is this? I took the rubber band off the letters and fanned through them. They were all addressed to Scott Patefield in my dad’s handwriting with our old house as the return address. From the postmarks, they were all sent over a two-week period. Just as I was going to read the first one, I heard the doorbell ring. I quickly shoved everything back into the drawer and went to answer the door.
Dylan was standing there holding a six-pack of Malloy Beer. He smiled, “hey, can I interest you in a beer?”
I chuckled, “if you twist my arm, ok, that’s enough, I’ll take a beer.”
As I closed the door, I noticed that Dylan’s car was not in my driveway. I asked, “where is your car, did you walk here?”
Dylan hung head and said, “I parked it down the street, just in case Dawson or dad drives by.”
We each opened our beer and sat on the couch. I said, “so, they don’t know you are here?”
He shook his head, “no.”
I took a big drink of my beer, I asked, “do they know you are gay, Dylan?”
Again, he hung head, “no, dad would freak out if I ever told him. He and Dawson are always making comments about fags and queers.”
I said, “what are you going to do, just stay in the closet for the rest of your life?”
Dylan shrugged, “even if I did tell dad, he probably wouldn’t hear my anyway. He is always trying to set me up with Russ Swanson’s daughter, or the daughter of the guy that owns the trucking company that hauls his beer. Anyone that could possibly help his business.”
I said, “I still don’t understand why you don’t just quit working for your dad. It’s obvious that you aren’t happy.”
He sighed, “if I quit, I have nothing. He made me quit college in my second year, I have no skills. It was his way of keeping me working at his fucking brewery.”
I asked, “what is your job at the brewery?”
Dylan rolled his eyes, “my title is Assistant Plant Manager, Dawson is of course the Plant Manager. I spend all my time following him and dad around and do whatever they tell me to do.”
I said, “Dylan, this morning you said to wanted to see me, as in us having a romantic relationship.”
He nodded, “yeah.”
I sighed, “how can we do that, if you won’t tell your dad about us.”
He shook his head, “you just don’t understand Caleb. If I tell dad that I am gay, he might cut me off and never want to see me again. I could probably deal with that. But if I told him I was gay, and I was seeing you, he would probably kill me.”
I asked, “would it help if went with you when to tell him?”
He laughed, “oh God no. He wouldn’t even let you in the house. I heard him and Dawson talking about you not even looking at the offer he made on your brewery this week. Then when you were able to get your beer into BoroFest this year, let’s just say he is a little bit pissed at you.”
I sighed, “Dylan, I like you and I really want to see you to see where things go with us. But I don’t want to hide it. Look, I have already been down this road, with the first guy that I dated. He wouldn’t tell anyone that he was gay either, so I moved on. I want to be able to go out for dinner or go to a bar for a drink without looking over my shoulder. Until you are ready to do that, I’m not sure we have much of future.”
Dylan looked like I just told there was no Easter Bunny, he said, “I wish I was as strong as you are. I’m sorry Caleb, I knew it was a bad idea to come see you last week. I guess I better go.”
I said, “I want to keep seeing you Dylan, and I will always be here if you want to talk. I think you have some things to work out. My offer still stands, if you want me to go with you when you talk to your dad, I will.”
He said, “thanks Caleb, I guess you’re right.” He set his empty beer bottle on the table and stood to leave.
I asked, “are you alright?”
He appeared to be fighting back a tear, he nodded, “yeah, I’ll be fine.” He quickly walked out the front door.
I sat back and let out a deep breath. Damn it, I wish he would let me help him. He is really afraid of his dad, his life must be hell.
I threw our empty bottles in the recycling bin, grabbed another beer and went back to my office. I opened the bottom drawer of the desk and pulled the stack of letters out and opened the first one. I unfolded it and started to read.
Dear Scott,
I just have to tell you how much I enjoyed our weekend in Atlanta. When you walked out of the bathroom in just your underwear, it took my breath away. I am sorry that I couldn’t control myself any longer. You can imagine my relief when you kissed me back when I kissed you that night. I know it shouldn’t have, but it felt so natural, and I was tired of fighting it. I had wanted to run my hands over your muscular chest for so long. I loved the way you did the same thing to me and I nearly fainted when you gave my nipples a pinch. When you let me put my hands inside your underwear and caress your hard cock, I felt as if all my dreams were coming true. It felt so good when you stroked my dick, causing it to leak all over my shorts. When I broke our kiss and looked into your eyes, I knew I had never felt like this before. That was when I knew I wanted to taste your manhood, thankfully you didn’t stop me when I went to my knees and pulled your underwear down. My first taste of you was intoxicating and I know I will crave it every day for the rest of my life. I was disappointed when you pulled me to my feet, but only momentarily, until you pulled me in for another kiss. When you suggested we move to bed, I thought my heart was going to burst out of my chest. My expectations were again surpassed when you removed my underwear, and we soon had each other’s manhoods in our mouths. I am sorry that I didn’t last longer, but my senses were in overdrive, and I lost all control. I sensed yours were too, as soon as I received a mouthful of your sweet nectar. The taste still lingers on my tongue, and I long for it again.
I anxiously await our next time together.
Mike
What the hell did I just read? Did my dad and Scott just have sex? This makes no sense at all, by the date of the postmark on this letter, mom and dad were still married. I quickly reread the letter, just to be sure I read it right. I folded it back up to return it to its envelope when I noticed another piece of paper in that envelope. I pulled it out to read it.
Mike,
I too enjoyed our time together, but please remember our agreement. We have to keep this secret between us. You know how my father can be, he would certainly never understand. We are both married and have to think about Jackie and Kristi, not to mention our boys. For the sake of our families and our business, we must be very careful.
Scott
Jesus Christ, Scott sounded like he was just as into this as dad was, but he seemed more worried about what others would think. Why would he not support Dylan if he knew he was gay?
I folded the letters up and stuffed them back into their envelope and pulled out the next envelope, again it had two letters, one from dad and a reply from Scott. I read dad’s first.
Scott,
Our second night together was just as magical as our first. I loved our kisses and blow jobs even more than the first time. The rest of the night only improved when we took things further and I felt your tongue in my ass. I nearly jumped out of my skin when you pushed it inside me. I thought it could never get any better, that was until you pushed your cock into my tunnel. I had no idea I ever wanted that, but now, it’s all I ever want. When you let me taste your hole and then fuck you, it was as if all my dreams had come true.
I can’t tell you when I started to feel attracted to you, I guess it must have been in high school in the locker room after football practice. I know there were a lot of hot guys on our team, but you were by far the hottest. I want us to be together forever, please tell me you feel the same way.
Mike
I let out a deep breath, man, dad had it bad for Scott. I opened the second letter, just like last time, it was a reply from Scott.
Mike,
I would be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy our time together, but we have to stop this. I love Jackie and my boys, and I can’t leave her. You know how our dads can be, they would never approve. Well, maybe yours would, but I know mine would disown me the second the words left my mouth.
Please, let’s just forget that any of this ever happened, and never speak of it again. It’s the right thing to do.
Scott
Shit, Scott just dumped dad, I guess I know where Dylan got his idea to stay deep in the closet. I returned those letters to their envelopes and moved to the next one. It was unopened, I flipped through the rest, they had not been opened either, Scott never read them. He wrote that note I read first and sent them all back to dad. Why did dad keep the letters, and why grandpa save them after dad died?
I quickly opened the letters, I had to read them. They were all the same, dad pleading with Scott to reconsider. Obviously, he never did.
I sat back in my chair, trying to understand what I had just found out. I immediately grabbed my phone and called mom.
She answered, “hey Caleb, what’s going on?”
I said, “hey mom, I just found something in grandpa’s desk that I want to ask you about.”
She said, “oh, what did you find?”
I paused, “a stack of letters from dad to Scott Patefield.”
I couldn’t hear a sound on the phone, I think mom quit breathing.
I asked, “mom, are you still there?”
She said, “yeah, I’m here honey.”
I asked, "did you know about these letters?”
She sighed, “yes Caleb, I know what happened between your dad and Scott.”
I asked, “is that why you left him?”
Mom said, “no, well, not directly.”
“What does that mean, mom?” I asked.
She asked, “do you really want to hear this, Caleb?”
I said, “yes, yes I do.”
Mom took a deep breath, “first of all, I have always loved your dad, I still do. It all started when your dad and Scott went to a brewer’s convention in Atlanta. When he came home, your dad was acting a little differently. I asked him if anything was wrong, he just smiled and said everything was fine, but I knew something was bothering him. Well, a week later, your dad worked late one night, and I opened the mail. I didn’t look at who the letters were addressed to, I just ripped them all open and then started to read them. One of those letters was from Scott, telling your dad that they had to stop, he couldn’t leave Jackie.”
I said, “yeah, I saw that one too, it was the last time Scott relied to dad’s letters.”
She said, “well, I didn’t know what it meant, I thought maybe your dad was helping him cover up an affair Scott was having. When your dad got home, I showed him the letter and all of the color drained from his face. He broke down and told me everything, he said that he was the one that Scott was having an affair with. He told me he was in love with Scott, he was heartbroken when he read that letter.”
I sighed, “yeah, I kind of got that from the next six letters that Scott never opened.”
She asked, “there were more letters?”
I said, “yeah, there were 8 altogether, the last 6 were dad begging Scott to take him back.”
Mom said, “I didn’t know there were more letters, but knowing your dad, I guess it doesn’t really surprise me.”
I asked, “so, dad didn’t say anything more to you about it?”
She said, “we had a lot of long talks about it and even went to counseling. I forgave him and I really tried to make things work. At first so did your dad, but that was when his drinking started to spiral out of control. After he got his first DUI, I told him the drinking had to stop. It did for a while, at least I thought it did. He was good at hiding it, but when he got the second DUI, I filed for divorce.”
I sighed, “why didn’t you tell me any of this, mom?”
She said, “I thought you knew about the drinking.”
I said, “yeah, I guess I did.”
Mom continued, “I thought it would be best for your dad to tell you anything else, I guess I figured he would tell you when you were old enough to understand. After he died, I figured it really didn’t matter, I didn’t want to you to think any less of him.”
I thought a moment, “I would never have thought bad about him, mom.”
She said, “I know that now Caleb, and when you told me that you were gay, I almost told you everything then. I just thought it really didn’t matter at that point.”
I sighed, “I guess I get that, and for the record, this doesn’t change how I feel about dad. If anything, I feel like we may be closer now.”
Mom said, “I’m sure he would have been very supportive and proud of you as you became a man.”
I said, “thanks mom, do you know if grandma and grandpa know what happened between dad and Scott.”
Mom chuckled, “well, your grandpa surely did, he had those letters, I assume he read them. I’m not sure about your grandma, she never said anything if she did. I never told them what I knew.”
After we talked about dad for a bit more, I told her about the progress we were making at the brewery and about being able to sell at BoroFest. I almost told her about me and Dylan, but I wasn’t sure if were still together, after our last conversation, so I decided against it. After I ended the call, I sat back in my chair and rubbed my eyes. Should I tell Dylan about this? Would it help him decide to tell his dad about us? How would Scott react if he knew that I knew about what had happened between him and dad? I put all the letters back into the big envelope and shoved them back into the drawer.
I went out to the kitchen and grabbed another beer just as Joey and Eli came home. I handed them each a beer and we sat around the table.
Eli asked, “so did you get a lot of work done today?”
I chuckled, “not really, I kind of got sidetracked.”
He asked, “doing what?”
I said, “I decided to start using grandpa’s old office, I spent the last couple of hours cleaning it up a bit.”
Eli took a drink of his beer, “really, did you find anything interesting?”
I wasn’t ready to share my new information just yet, I said, “well, I didn’t find a secret safe with a million dollars hidden in it, if that’s what you mean.”
I asked, “so what about you guys, how was the park?”
Joey said, “well. we divided into teams, and let’s just say that my team kicked the shit out of city boy’s team.”
Eli scoffed, “yeah, yeah, just wait until next time, now that I know the redneck rules.”
They continued to laugh and tease each other, recapping the game. Eli grabbed each of us a second beer as I heard a loud pounding at the front door.
Eli asked, “who could that be?”
I shrugged, “I don’t know.” I went to answer the door
My eyes went wide when I saw Dylan standing there, his right eye turning black and blue and blood running from the cut on his lip.
To be Continued…
