Goodbye
I woke before the alarm went off. I opened my eyes in the dark room to try to figure out what time it was. To my left, Walt slept soundly. I craned my head in his direction to try to see the hands of the electric clock on his nightstand. I could see the clock, but not what time it was. The room was too dark and the clockface didn’t glow like that of my old wind-up clock.
I turned to my right to find myself staring into David’s hairy armpit. At some point during the night, he’d raised his left arm to tuck his hand behind his head. This left his pit on tantalizing display. I found the opportunity irresistible. I craned my head to put my face as close as I could to the ripe, hairy flesh. I opened my mouth like I was a connoisseur of fine wine and huffed a deep breath through my nose.
David’s scent was earthy and pungent. I could smell the previous day on him as well as the exertions of our nightly activity. I breathed it in again. The aroma filled my head with arousal and sex. I felt my cock stir and start to inflate. I exhaled through my open mouth and drew another breath through my nose.
A voice in the dark startled me. “Law!” It whispered. “What are you doing?”
The voice was David’s. He’d either been awake or I’d accidently woken him with my lustful sniffing. Since there wasn’t a single thing I could say to explain away what I’d been doing, I told the unvarnished truth. “I’m smelling your armpit.”
“Why?” David asked.
“Because I love the smell of men.” I said. With this truth uttered, I abandoned my restraint and rubbed my face into David’s pit. I huffed his musk into my nose from the deepest part of the hollow under his arm. The scent was heady and raw and a little rank. I breathed it in again and again as my cock filled out and became solid. I remembered David’s sensitive nipples and searched for the closest one with my fingers. David gasped when I found it and breathed out a soft moan of pleasure.
A second after David’s moan, the bed shifted behind me. Another second later, the lamp on Walt’s nightstand came on. “Love?” Walt said as a question.
“Yes.” I answered into David’s armpit.
“Perhaps you could get David to shift to the middle of the bed so we can share him.” Walt suggested.
I was happy to oblige Walt’s request and so was David. I scrambled down the length of the bed and stood on the floor. I pulled the bedclothes down to get them out of the way and to reveal David’s impressive body. My old friend scooted to the middle of the mattress and split a curious gaze between Walt and me. Walt raised both his arms and clasped his hands behind his head. “Like this, David.” Walt explained to tell David what position we wanted him in.
David complied immediately. Both Walt and I fell upon him. Walt pressed his face into the pit I’d abandoned, and I pushed my face in the opposite one. David’s other pit was even better smelling than the first because he’d been sleeping with that arm down. The pit I worshipped was damp with nighttime sweat and rank with man scent. I loved it!
David gasped and moaned again. I guessed Walt had found David’s nipple on his side. I sought the one on my side and soon both my husband and I had David writhing from the stimulation of the sensitive nubs.
I turned my face a bit so I could cast one eye over David’s heaving chest to where Walt was having his fun. I caught Walt’s eye. He grinned at me and lapped his thick tongue over David’s armpit. David shivered between us from the strange sensation. I mimicked Walt’s action to elicit a similar reaction from David.
Walt jerked his head sideways and emphasized the action by letting his eyes crawl sideways in his head. The implication of Walt’s gesture was clear. He wanted to move as a team toward David’s huge cock. I took the initiative to show Walt that I understood. I lifted my face from the scent playground of David’s armpit and moved to wrap my lips around his hard nipple. I licked and suckled the sensitive flesh.
David gasped and tried to arch his body off the bed. Walt and I held him down. I didn’t let up on my sucking. Walt latched onto the nipple on his side and sucked as hard as he could. David cried out and tried to push us away from his chest. If Walt and I wanted to stay where we were, we likely could have overpowered David, but we both had a different goal in mind. We allowed ourselves to be pushed and licked our way down David’s hard body and flat stomach.
Walt made it to David’s cock first and lapped up the stringy clear fluid David had been leaking since we’d started. I tongue-fucked David’s belly button while Walt went to work on his cock.
Walt’s bedside alarm clock went off with a droning buzz. He swore mildly and went to silence the alarm. I seized the opportunity to take my turn on David’s throbbing member. I knelt between his spread legs and looked into his piercing hazel eyes while I deep-throated his huge cock. Walt came back and tapped my shoulder. I pulled David’s meat from my throat and split it with Walt. We kissed and licked up and down the shaft, teased the head, and kissed each other with sloppy mouths while David watched with lust-glazed eyes.
I decided I wanted something different. I tapped Walt’s shoulder to ask him to pause his licking for just a second. When he was out of the way, I pushed David’s legs up and made him hold his thighs with his legs spread as wide as possible. I laid almost flat on my stomach and sealed my mouth to David’s ass.
David watched in fascination while I ate and tongue fucked his pink hole. I expected Walt to go back to sucking David off, but he didn’t. Instead, Walt greased his hand with Mrs. Tuckers shortening and stroked David’s cock while I feasted on his ass. David seemed to appreciate the view of what I was doing. He started to tease his own nipples while I did it.
After a short session in David’s hole, I pulled my tongue back into my own mouth and offered David’s hole to my husband. Walt leapt at the chance. He knelt between David’s upraised legs, but he didn’t flatten himself to the bed.
Instead, Walt used his powerful arms to push the back of David’s thighs up and his knees closer to his head. He rolled David until the only part of David’s body which was still on the bed were his head and shoulders. Walt pushed until David’s ass was pointed straight up in the air. Walt held David like that and buried his face into David’s hole.
I moved around behind David’s head so I could watch my husband rim my friend. Walt really went to town on David’s hole. He spit in it, licked it, tongue fucked it, kissed and sucked it. I watched him work and explained things to David.
“I love morning-after sex.” I announced to the room. “So does Walt. Both of us love the scents and flavors after they’ve had a night to marinate. At Mitch’s, there were a ton of guys who liked seconds or morning-after sex. Mitch called that her ‘pig package,’ and charged extra. I used to laugh about it. I used to laugh that Mitch would charge extra for a whore NOT to clean up after his last client.
“That’s why I used to like the all-night orgies. I’d get there early and sink into the flesh. After a couple hours, and if I didn’t have to work the next day, I’d take a nap in one of the spare rooms, then go right back to the orgy when I woke up. I loved it. The room would reek of men, and they’d all be slick with sweat and spit and lube and cum.”
Walt pulled his tongue from David’s hole and spat in it. He used one arm to keep David propped up and teased David’s sensitive hole with the fingers of the other. Walt agreed with what I’d said. “I’m not as piggy as Law, but he taught me that fresh and clean isn’t always the best way to start an encounter.”
Walt spat in David’s hole again. “I’m going to fuck you now, David. May I?”
“Yes, please.” David agreed.
Walt lowered David’s body back to the bed. I tossed him a pillow to prop David’s hips on for a better angle, then sat back to watch. Walt eased his cock into David’s inexperienced hole and allowed him to get used to the violation. When David was ready, Walt pounded him mercilessly.
David took it like a professional. He used his leg muscles to keep his feet in the air and used his fingers to tease his nipples. His cock leaked steadily onto his stomach, but he didn’t touch it once. I didn’t participate at all. I merely watched while the love of my life fucked the man I was infatuated with. They put on a tremendous show. By the time Walt cried out as his climax took him, his furry body was lathered with the sweat of exertion.
Walt pulled out of David and flopped face-first on the bed. David hopped up off his back and eyed Walt’s meaty, hairy ass. “Walt, I’m going to fuck you now. May I?” David said to parrot the way Walt had asked permission earlier.
“Yes, please.” Walt said into the mattress.
I gave David the container of shortening to grease his cock with, then sat back to watch some more. My husband and my friend seemed to be having too much fun on their own for me to insert myself between them. Plus, if they enjoyed themselves with each other, they would be less likely to harbor hurt feelings later.
David guided his meat between Walt’s ass cheeks and eased himself inside. Once he was balls-deep, he laid his body on top of Walt’s and let his entire weight bear down on my husband. Walt turned his head to the side and asked me for a pillow. He pushed himself up enough for me to stuff the pillow under his chest, then he relaxed. “Feels good.” Walt said. “You’re so heavy, David. I like it. Fuck me just like that. Fuck me deep and hard. I can take it.”
David did as Walt asked. He fucked my husband as hard as he could. Walt loved every minute of it. Near the end, David looked toward where I sat to watch. “Can I finish inside him?” He asked.
I didn’t get a chance to answer. Walt cried out into the bed. “YES! CUM IN ME!”
David upped his efforts. To my surprise, Walt had another orgasm which pulled David over the edge into his own climax. David finished shaking and collapsed onto Walt’s back to catch his breath. Walt heaved and gasped under David’s weight as he tried to recover at the same time. When both men were breathing normally, David pushed himself up and pulled out. He playfully slapped Walt’s ass as he rocked back on his haunches.
I crawled across the bed and swallowed David’s greasy cock. David reacted with stunned surprise. I sucked and slurped at the still-hard meat, then sat back. “You want to fuck me?” I asked.
David nodded.
“Good.” I said. “I’m going to eat Walt’s ass. You fuck me anyway you want to.”
David shuffled back off the bed to give me room to kneel between Walt’s legs. Walt tried to object. “Love,” he said, “I’ve had enough.”
“To bad,” I said, “I haven’t.” I swatted Walt’s ass the way David had. “I just want to snack on you, Love. I don’t plan to do anything else.”
As a way of giving his permission, Walt reached back and pulled his meaty cheeks open. My mouth watered at the sight of his freshly fucked hole that wouldn’t even close all the way. I buried my face in it and feasted while David lined up to fuck my ass.
David was much more tender with me than he’d been with Walt. He fucked me slowly with long, toe-curling strokes. I ate Walt the entire time. David finished inside me and pulled out. I was getting ready to get up when David surprised me again. He gripped my ass with his huge hands and pushed me open. His tongue sank into my fucked hole, and he ate me the way I’d been eating Walt.
David’s right hand found its way between my legs and gripped my cock. He stroked me to completion while he rimmed me, and I rimmed Walt.
David pulled his slobbery face from my ass and climbed off the bed. I pulled my slobbery face from Walt’s ass and climbed off the bed. David tried to say something about what we’d done, but I filled his mouth with my tongue before he had the chance. I greedily sucked on the tongue which had just been in my ass and kissed it with the tongue which had just been in Walt’s ass. Walt got off the bed and joined David and I to kiss us both.
When we parted, David tried again to speak, but Walt wouldn’t let him. “It’s time to shower.” Walt said and led the way into the bathroom.
There wasn’t enough room for all three of us in the tub at once, so we took turns washing each other, with two in the tub and one either participating or watching from the outside. David had the most fun of any of us, and he had it with Walt. David seemed fascinated by Walt’s stocky, athletic physique and his thick fur. He stood behind Walt and lathered his front with great care. I sat on the on the lid of the toilet seat and played with my spent dick while I watched.
David soaped and scrubbed every inch of my husband’s body. Whenever the two were face to face, they kissed like long lost lovers. I enjoyed the erotic show.
When Walt was clean, he stepped out of the tub, and I got in. I washed David like he had washed Walt. He and I also kissed whenever we got the chance. When David was clean, he got out to dry off and Walt got back in. Walt washed me while David watched.
When all three of us were clean and the bathroom was a wet mess, we went to the bedroom to get dressed.
By then, the three of us had touched and tasted and played with every inch of the other two. We had enjoyed our late night and early morning to the point we didn’t want it to end, but it had to end. We dressed with little talking. Each of us watched the others to catch final glimpses at the flesh we’d taken such pleasure in.
I finished with my underthings and my first outer layer, then shrugged into my jacket. I got Larry’s quarter from my nightstand and put it in the inside pocket of my jacket so I wouldn’t forget to give it back to him. I’d done as David wanted me to. I’d saved Larry. Therefore, it was time for me to return the sacred quarter to him.
We descended the stairs as a group to move from the apartment into the restaurant. We didn’t have much time because Larry was supposed to arrive at seven to have his breakfast with us. I checked my wristwatch to see it was hard upon the hour. Despite the shortness of time, the three of us found we were reluctant to leave the lower landing of the stairwell. We knew that once we walked through the door onto the sidewalk, the magic of our incredible night would be over.
Once the door opened and we returned to the greater world, Walt and I would be a couple again and David would be a married man with nine children. Because we’d had such fun, we lingered behind the door with our arms around each other. Our mouths kissed and savored the combination of the three of us, a unique flavor we were unlikely to ever experience again.
A pounding knock on the door made us separate with a shared gasp. I unlocked the door and jerked it open to see Larry. He stood on the sidewalk with the handles of his and his father’s suitcases gripped in his catcher’s-mitt-sized fists.
Larry was concerned by the sight which greeted him. “What’s wrong?” He asked. “Did you argue?”
I didn’t like to feel that I’d been caught doing something I shouldn’t have. The feeling made me angry, and I reacted to Larry’s question with anger. “WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?” I blared at the boy.
Larry shrank from my shouting. He took a step back and tried to phrase his question a different way. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you, Mister Law, or any of you. You all…you’re faces are red. You look like you had a fight. Is everything OK?”
I had no answer for Larry’s question. I tried to dismiss it. “Everything is fine.” I said and stepped out into the early morning sunshine.
Walt stepped out behind me and unlocked the door to Walt’s Special. The four of us went inside and waited while Walt locked the door behind us. Larry left the suitcases in the entryway near the hostess’s station and joined us for the short walk to the kitchen. Once inside, Larry continued to press for an answer. The way he did it, he reminded me of his father.
“I’m not a child!” Larry said with a similar hot, angry look as the one his father had used when he said the same words to me the night before. Larry took a breath and squelched his anger. “I mean, Father, Mister Law, Mister Walt, I just want to know what happened. You’ve all done so much for me. Mister Law, you saved my life. Mister Walt, we’ve become friends. Father…Daddy, I couldn’t bear the thought of you being cross with me, not after everything we’ve been through. Please, if something happened, tell me what it is so I can help.”
I didn’t say a word. I didn’t plan to say a word, certainly not the first word. I looked to David to see what he would say. As I did, I noticed that Walt was doing the same thing. David looked at the floor. He kicked at the red quarry tile and reached to thumb the lapel of his suit jacket. I was glad to see that David found his lapel on the first try. I guessed he’d gotten used to the new style of jacket. I hoped for the sake of David’s appearance, that his old wedding suit would return to his closet at the farmhouse and never see the light of day again.
David pinched his lapel and heaved a breath to address his son. “Long ago, the Kingdom of Keystone was attacked by the greatest enemies it ever faced. These enemies were known as ‘Time’ and ‘Progress.’”
Larry interrupted David’s story. “FATHER!” He insisted. “This isn’t the time for one of your fairy tales.”
David reasoned against his son’s objection. “What did I tell you, Larry? I told you that all those fairy tales were true, didn’t I?”
“Yes.” Larry said with a careful voice which didn’t understand the point his father was trying to make.
“Then keep quiet and let me tell you another tale.” David said.
Larry held his tongue and remained silent. David continued with his story.
“Queen Madam and the Knights of Keystone fought valiantly against the enemies of Time and Progress, but they could not prevail. The Kingdom of Keystone was overrun and its knights and heroes scattered. Queen Madam was able to save only one magic relic from the ruins of her castle and kingdom. She saved a magic door which could transport the user into the Land of Memory.
“In gratitude for his long and faithful service, Queen Madam gifted the door to the only hero the enemies couldn’t drive away, the Errant Hero of Law and Order. Queen Madam attached a single condition to her gift. The condition was that the Errant Hero had to let the Queen use the door to escape into the Land of Memory. The Hero agreed, so Queen Madam packed up her fancy dresses, and all her pretty wigs and she fled to a place where time stands still. In return for the gift, the Hero has guarded the door all these many years.
“Last night, the Hero opened the door and the three of us went through it. Walt and Law and I went to the Land of Memory. In that magical place, the three of us were still young men with our whole lives ahead of us. In the Land of Memory, all the growing up that we did was erased and none of our adult choices had ever been made. None of us were married, and no one had children, and Law and I never parted, and the Kingdom of Keystone was just as real as it ever was.
“In the Land of Memory, I got to see Queen Madam again, and to thank her for the magic she shared with me. I also got to spend time with the Errant Hero and his friend. We got to play together, like we never had the chance to before. And for the shortest of moments, I was able to see what my life might have been like if I would have chosen to remain with the Hero instead of deciding to marry a woman and father children.” David stopped speaking. He kicked at the quarry tile floor again like he didn’t like its color.
Larry thought his father’s story had reached its conclusion. He was devastated by what he inferred the moral of it was. “I didn’t mean to be a burden, Father.” He gasped.
David stared at his son as the boy tried to hide the fact that he was fighting back tears. David realized that Larry had misunderstood. He rushed to his son and wrapped the boy in his loving arms. “You didn’t let me finish.” David insisted.
Larry stifled his sobs the best he could and waited for his father to go on.
“What I didn’t get a chance to say, was the Land of Memory was a wonderous place, but it could never compare to the World of Today. The Land of Memory, with all its pleasures, could never replace the joy I feel on every new morning when I rise with the knowledge that I have a beautiful wife who loves me and nine perfect children. I had fun in the Land of Memory, but I told the Hero and his friend that they had to return me to the World of Today. I told them both that I needed to get on a train with my son and take him home to his mother and his brothers and his sisters who miss him terribly.”
Larry returned his father’s embrace as David uttered the final words of his story. David patted Larry’s broad back and spoke reassurance to the youth. “You have NEVER been a burden, son. When a man helps to bring a child into the world, the life of the child becomes the man’s responsibility. I accept that responsibility gladly and have never found it a burden.
“There have been times when that responsibility was heavier than others. There were times when I was so afraid I’d fail, so afraid that I wouldn’t measure up, but I’ve never, ever resented the work or the love that came with the responsibility. I love you, and I always have, and I always will. Do you believe me?”
“Yes, Daddy.” Larry said into his father’s shoulder. “I’m sorry I doubted you.”
David slapped his son’s back like they’d solved something major, which I guess they had. The two men parted, and David spoke to his son’s tear-streaked face. “I understand why you thought what you did. I understand why you might think I would regret the life I chose. You learned a lot about your old man over the last few days. Too much maybe.
“Maybe I shouldn’t have been as honest as I was. I wanted you to know that you’re not alone, and that anything you’ve felt, I probably felt before you. I wanted you to understand that I understand, and you can talk to me about anything. I’ll always be there to listen and not to judge.”
“Thank you, father.” Larry replied like the carefully raised boy that he was. “I want you to know that I appreciate the trust you gave me when you told me your secret. I’m sorry I jumped to the wrong conclusion before. I should know better.”
David hugged his son again and left his arm around the boy when he turned to face me and Walt. David opened his mouth to speak, but Larry beat him to it. “So, you three had sex last night?”
David snapped his mouth shut and stared at his boy with an expression like he’d accidentally swallowed a bug. Walt muttered ‘oh my,’ and I laughed myself silly. “Yes, Larry.” I said. “The three of us had sex last night, and again this morning, but that was in the Land of Memory. Now we’re in the World of Today, like your dad said, so we have to get both of you fed so you can catch your train.”
David tightened his arm around his son and shook his head at Walt and me. “We’re going to have breakfast at the station.” David announced. “I think Larry and me need some time alone.”
Walt and I both tried to argue David out of his decision, but David would have none of it. At length, we relented, and Walt checked his pockets. He muttered disappointment when he didn’t find what he wanted. “I’ll have to go back upstairs to get the car keys. I forgot to grab them.”
David shook his head. “We’ll walk. It’s a pretty morning and we could use the walk. There’s plenty of time.”
David broke away from his son and grabbed Walt in an enveloping hug. He squeezed my husband in his strong arms and thanked Walt for his hospitality. David released Walt, then seized me in his bone-crushing grip. “I’ll miss you, Hero.” He said. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
David loosened his grip, and I thought he was ready to release me from his embrace. To my surprise, he only moved his right arm and not his left. His right hand dropped from my shoulder blade and traveled down my back until it could grab a handful of my ass. David released me from the hug and the ass grab at the same time. He turned on his heels and strolled right past his flabbergasted son. “See you out front, Larry.” David said over his shoulder as he pushed through the swing door into the dining room.
Larry blinked his eyes hard like he needed to make sure what he’d seen wasn’t a figment of his imagination. “I’ve never seen him do anything like that.” Larry commented. “What did you two do to him last night?” He asked.
As soon as the words left his lips, Larry turned stop-light red. He held his hands up with the palms toward Walt and me. “NO! NOT WHAT I MEANT!” Larry exclaimed.
I chuckled. “I didn’t think you wanted the details.”
Larry chuckled and shook his head. “No, details would probably break my brain the rest of the way. I am glad, though.” Larry said. “When Dad told me…when he told me all about himself and you, Mister Law, I understood him a lot better. I’m glad Dad married Mom, because if he didn’t, I wouldn’t be here. At the same time, I can tell he really loves you. He must or he wouldn’t have named his sons after you.”
“It’s an honor,” I said, “to share a name with a fine young man like you. Good luck. Write us a letter once in a while and let us know how you are.”
“I will.” Larry promised.
Larry shook hands with Walt, then offered his hand to me. I shoved his hand aside and hugged the young man. He hugged me back with a grip even stronger than his father’s. “May I…may I come back here?” Larry asked.
We broke our embrace and stood facing each other while Larry explained his request. “I love my parents and all my brothers and sisters, but Grass Range is such a small place. I don’t think I could ever find someone like you and Mister Walt found each other. I made so many friends here. I liked my job, too. It’s easier to be who I am here in the city than it would be at home. Maybe, after the harvest in the fall, I can come back and try again.”
“Sure, Larry.” I agreed. “Let us know. We can help you find a place. We can also let Wiry know. I’m sure he’ll give you a job. He said he’d be thrilled to have you back anytime.”
Larry thanked Walt and me again. We said our final ‘goodbyes’ and he left.
“Did you have fun?” I asked Walt when Larry was gone.
“Oh my, yes.” Walt admitted. “David was amazing. So were you.”
“He seemed to enjoy you quite a bit.” I observed to my husband. “I think he liked how hairy you are.”
“He was a lot of fun.” Walt agreed. “Thank you for sharing him with me.”
“Thank you for having that idea. I think what we did was good for David. Now he doesn’t have to wonder. You’re the best.” I said and gave Walt a pec on his cheek.
“Yes I am.” Walt agreed. He changed the subject to the immediate situation. “If it’s just the two of us, we may as well have breakfast upstairs.”
I agreed. My husband and I moved back through the restaurant, turning off lights as we went. Walt locked up the restaurant and let us into the stairwell up to our apartment. We climbed the stairs and were almost at the top when the door buzzer sounded.
“Could they have forgotten something?” Walt asked from one step in front of me.
“I’ll check.” I said and went down the steps.
I unlocked the door and pulled it open. Instead of David or Larry, I saw a Western Union boy in his brown uniform and cap. He held out a telegram and a clipboard to sign. “Walter Stack?” The boy asked.
“Yeah.” I said. I didn’t bother to tell the kid that Walt was upstairs, and I’d take the telegram to him. Sometimes the delivery boys would insist that I call Walt down to receive the telegram directly. To avoid any potential aggravation, I said I was Walt.
I put the telegram in my inside pocket and found a quarter there to tip the kid with. I scribbled on the clipboard and handed over the quarter. The kid looked at the coin and handed it back. “This is Canadian, Mister.” He said.
I examined the coin and realized it was Larry’s quarter from the Kingdom of Keystone. I swore at the silver piece of money. “Shit, I forgot to give it back to him.”
I searched my pockets for another coin and handed the kid a fifty-cent piece. He thanked me and hurried away to make more deliveries.
I climbed the steps and took the telegram from my pocket to read on the way up. I tore the onion skin envelope and drew out the yellow form with the white tape pasted to the front. The telegram read: ‘TO: WALTER STACK, FROM: THE FIRESTONE RESTAURANT COMMISSION. DEAR SIR [STOP] IT IS OUR PLEASURE TO AWARD WALT’S SPECIAL TWO STARS [STOP] CONGRATULATIONS [END OF MESSAGE].’
“Walt!” I called from the steps.
“Yes, love.” He called back. “Was it David?”
“No,” I said as I entered the kitchen, “it was a telegram. You might want to sit down.”
THE END
_______________________________________________________________________________
United States Postal Service
Post Office #526
Prairie Grove Township, Lee County, Iowa
Lawrence Edwards
235 N Broad Street
Philadelphia, PA
April 10, 1953
Dear Mister Law,
Dad and I are waiting to catch the train out of Prairie Grove. Grandpa Samuel and Grandma Phyllis just dropped us off. We’ve got a few minutes because the train is late. The post office is right here in the station, so I figured I’d write you a quick letter.
Dad and me spent a whole week on the Ploughman farm. Dad started to call Grandpa’s family ‘the Iowa Ploughmans’ like we’re rich or something. He calls us ‘the Montana Ploughmans.’
When we left Philly, I asked Dad if we were going to stop in Iowa. At first, he said we weren’t. Then he said we would, but just to take a look. Then he said we wouldn’t, because he wanted to get home to help Uncle Robert with the planting. I stood up to him when we were having dinner in the dining car. I said, “Daddy, if you don’t do this now, you never will.”
He said I was right, but he worried about what to tell Mom. I had to tell him what he should have already known. I said, “Mom loves you and nothing will change that.”
Dad agreed and we stopped. We got off the train in Prairie Grove. We had to hitch a ride and walk a long way because there were no taxis. When we got to the farm, poor Dad was so nervous. I had to knock on the door for us. Dad couldn’t do it because his hand shook so bad. Grandma Phyllis opened the door. As soon as she saw Dad, she hugged him and started to cry. She cried and cried and cried fit to beat the band.
Grandpa Samuel was in the house working on the accounts. He came out to see what Grandma Phyllis was on about. Grandma Phyllis said that ‘David has come home at last.’ All heck broke loose after that. Grandma Phyllis kept right on crying. Grandpa Samuel started to cry. He hugged Dad and apologized over and over. Dad cried. All three of ‘em hugged on the porch for what felt like forever.
When they finally stopped crying, Dad introduced me, and they all started up again!
We spent the whole week there. Dad and me stayed in the bedroom that Dad shared with his brothers growing up. I met aunts and uncles and cousins and second cousins and third cousins removed a couple times. I had to start writing their names down because there were so many. I didn’t have a chance of keeping them straight.
Dad was honest about what happened all those years ago. He was honest about being queer. So was I. Dad told about how he met mom and fell in love and all that. I could tell Grandma and Grandpa were confused by the whole thing, but they were so happy to have Dad back, none of it seemed to matter.
While we were here, we worked on the farm every day. Dad got to work with his brothers again. A lot of them have their own places, but they’re all close by and they help each other. Dad’s brothers were super happy to have him back. So were his sisters.
I worked with Dad some, but I spent a lot of time with my cousins. They still use draft horses on Grandpa Samuel’s farm. I got to learn to drive them and look after them. Farming with horses is HARD WORK! It’s fun though. The horses are HUGE!
Uncle Peter, Dad’s brother, uses tractors like Dad does. Dad prefers McCormick and Uncle Peter swears by Farmall. They argued about which was better the whole time. Me and Uncle Peter’s oldest son, Davy, just laughed at them.
Last night, Dad and me and Grandma and Grandpa stayed up late. We sat in the parlor by the fireplace. Grandpa Samuel smoked a pipe and Grandma Phyllis worked on her needlepoint. Dad said he was still worried about what to tell Mom. He didn’t know how he could explain.
Grandpa Samuel wrote Mom a letter to explain what happened between him and Dad. He didn’t lie, but he didn’t tell exactly the whole truth. He never said why he threw Dad off the farm. He just said they had a heated disagreement. Grandpa took all the blame for making Dad leave. In the letter, he begged Mom not to be angry with Dad over his telling her that his folks were dead. Grandpa said he understood why Dad would say that. ‘For all practical purposes,’ Grandpa wrote, ‘we were dead to each other.’
Grandpa said he’d leave it up to Dad to figure a way to explain about his benefactor. I guess that means you, Mister Law. Dad and me are going to figure that out on the train.
Oh! The train just pulled into the station, so I got to run along.
Thanks again for everything, Mister Law. Say ‘hi’ to Mister Walt for me.
Yours,
Larry Ploughman
PS: Dad says to tell you ‘hello.’
PPS: Dad says you forgot to give me my quarter. I think you should keep it. I can’t ever thank you enough for what you did for me and for my Dad. Keep it to remind you how much difference you made in our lives. If you ever get to the ‘Land of Memory’ again, tell Queen Madam that Dad and me say hello.
