Part 12, YOU TURN LEFT AT LAKE WOBEGON
From Part 11,
This was the first time that I would be back with my family in
Minneapolis since the funeral almost three years ago. I frequently called Uncle
Trey and Aunt Betty and kept up correspondence with the grandparents. Last
year, I sent a soul-searching letter to grandma about my sexual orientation and
the love of my life. A month later, I received a beautiful reply from grandma
saying that mom had explained this ‘wrinkle’ in my life to her shortly after I
came out to the folks. After discussing the topic of homosexuality with their
Episcopal priest, she said in the letter, they understood that this wasn’t my
choice. The grandparents were most supportive. In fact, grandma joined the Des
Moines chapter of PFLAG. I looked forward to the reunion.
~~~~~~~
DAVE
“And so, Grandma, you and Gramps are
okay with my friendship?” I said, with a concerned expression. It was around
noon on Sunday in the living room of Uncle Trey and Aunt Betty’s house.
“According to our priest, and from your letters, this is more than
a friendship?” At 75, she was sharp as a tack. I was impressed that she would
bring up the subject with her Episcopal minister.
“Yeah, Mike and I are as committed as Mom and Dad were.”
“It took me a little while to understand exactly what kind of
relationship you were into, Dave. But with the guidance of Father Ryan and a
little research, we are more than happy to welcome your Mike into the family.”
“I couldn’t be happier, Grams.” I went over to her and gathered
this beautiful, wrinkled, small woman into my arms.
The entire weekend couldn’t have been better organized. Uncle Trey
and Aunt Betty were perfect hosts. Starting Saturday night, we dined at the
country club…the same club in which I grew up. By the time we finished a
cookout on Uncle Trey’s patio Monday night, Mike had grown very comfortable
with both sides of my family. Over those three days, all of my clan had adopted
Mike as a nephew and grandson.
*****
“That was a real overload of family, Dave,” Mike said, as we
navigated the freeway leading to the airport. Barring a scheduling screw-up,
all airplanes would be arriving within a half-hour of each other: Doug from
L.A.; Brent from New York; Russ from Chicago; and Trevor from Memphis, via
Chicago. I borrowed Uncle Trey’s Suburban to fit the entire crew and baggage
for the trip to the lake.
“It was important to have everyone meet, babe. These are my only
living relatives.”
“I loved them all. I’m glad it’s all out in the open. No one seems
to have a problem with our relationship?”
“Mike, we’re both lucky with family support. We’ve gotta get your
family and mine up at the lake, sometime.” I grinned at him, as we pulled into
short-term parking.
We planned on meeting the group in Northwest’s private, VIP
WorldClub at the airport, a fringe benefit I had maintained from inheriting
Dad’s old membership card. It was around noon, and grazing on the hors
d’oeuvres buffet seemed to be in order.
“Hey, Swenson and Cole, have you left food for anybody else?” I
recognized Brent’s voice. Our plates were piled with cold shrimp, snow crab
salad, cold roast filet of beef and pasta salad. Mike and I stood and turned in
time to receive a very warm, physical greeting from our friend. Dressed in a
dark blue polo shirt, tan slacks and tassel loafers, Brent projected the
casual, friendly, GQ celebrity image that I had seen in several magazines this
year. His rakishly long, blond hair was messed up in a subtly arranged fashion.
“Hey, Dave. Great to see you again. Mike, you too,” Brent said
warmly. We all hugged each other, in a manly fashion. I couldn’t help but
notice that several of the club members’ eyes were glued to the movements of
Brent. The receptionists of the club were beside themselves that a hot,
national TV personality was in their clubroom.
“Brent, you look fantastic. And now, you’re becoming known in
Hollywood and Broadway. Congrats, buddy.” We all sat down at a large table.
“How goes it?” I said with a look of brotherly concern and respect. A server
came over and offered coffee. We all accepted and sat down. Brent reached over,
grabbed a shrimp by the tail, popped it in his mouth and licked his lips with a
sheepish smile.
“Same ole, same ole,” he replied. “I’m trying to get a handle on
this celebrity thing. I’m pretty new at this, ya know? It’s come to a point
where fans just jump out of the woodwork, but I’m not complaining ’cause it
goes with the job. It’s just something that I’m not used to yet. Dave, Mike, what a pleasure to see familiar
faces. That Doug and I will be with friends this week is more than great. And
to be at the lake…well, let’s just say I’m gonna love it. I’ve kinda OD’d on
New York, for a while. Maybe we’ll run into your buddies with the boat that we
met last year? They are neat guys.”
“Yep, Robbie and Roy from the university. I’ll give them a call
when we get to the lake,” I replied.
“Great. They’d be fun to hang with.”
“If everything goes well, Doug will get in from L.A. soon. And
Russ and Trevor will arrive about the same time. By the way, who is Trevor? I
don’t remember him from the base,” I asked.
“Trevor, or Trev as he likes to be called, was a student at the
University of Memphis when we knew him. I don’t think you ever met him. Trev’s
moving to Chicago to study for his MBA at the University of Chicago.” Brent had
one of those ‘I know something that you don’t’ smiles.
“He must be a smart dude?” Mike replied.
“Yep, he’s pretty cool. That’s a tough business school,” Brent
said.
“Great. I’m looking forward to meeting Trev. My best friend, who’s
joining us at the lake, can help him get acclimated to Chicago.”
“Acclimated? How?” asked Brent.
“Russ was my childhood buddy. You remember me mentioning him?
Good, old, straight Russ. He’s studying pre-med at Northwestern and has been in
Chicago for three years.”
“Oh, yeah. I do remember the guy. And your stories about the two
of you growing up were outstanding,” Brent said with a laugh, as I rolled my
eyes. “Seriously, he could really be helpful…Doug, over here,” Brent’s eyes
shifted to a new arrival.
“Hi, guys,” I heard from a distance. Looking up, I saw the
civilian version of Doug Di Marco walking toward us. He was absolutely hot in
his tight, black jeans, a white tee sculpted over his taut torso and black
cowboy boots. With his sunglasses propped up on his sun-tanned forehead, Doug
was the epitome of a Southern California dude.
“Let the party begin,” I heard Mike say. He stood and grabbed his
old friend in a hug. “Buddy, great to see you.” We all hugged and shook hands.
“The missing links will be here soon,” I said with a grin. It was
fantastic to see these guys again. The server, in awe of Brent, offered more
coffee. I pointed out the location of the buffet, and Doug followed Brent to
the food.
While the guys were gone, a handsome, blond guy was escorted over
to our table. “Pardon me, I’m looking for Doug and Brent?” he said with a
masculine, smooth, soft, Southern accent. A short brush-cut of his dark blond
hair matched a preppy ensemble of khakis, button-down blue shirt and loafers.
“You must be Trevor Winston?” Mike and I stood and extended our
hands. “I’m Brent’s friend, Dave Swenson, and this is Mike Cole.” I looked at
him with curiosity.
“Hi. Actually, most people call me Trev,” he said, returning the
handshakes. “Dave, I understand that you’re the host for this weekend, and you
two are a couple?” Trev said, tentatively.
“Yeah, definitely, on both counts. So, relax. Brent and Doug are
at the buffet. You want some chow? We’re still waiting for one more guy before
we drive north.”
“Yeah. Sure, I could use some food. I’ll just…”
“Dave, Mike. How are you?” Russ came forward with a big smile on
his youthful, confident face and the same cocky stride that he used when
walking onto a gym mat for the floor competition. His 501’s and polo shirt
signaled that Russ had not gained an ounce of body fat. We all fell into the
familiar, brotherly embraces.
“Russ, how fucking great. Say hello to Trev. He just arrived and
will be joining us,” I said.
“Weren’t we on the same plane?” Russ asked.
“Yeah, I visited Chicago this weekend. I’ll be moving there in
July,” said Trevor.
“From…?”
“Memphis. I’m going to business grad school at the University of
Chicago.”
“Well, when we get back from the lakes, I will show you around my
town,” Russ said with a broader grin.
“That would be terrific, Russ. I’d never been to Chicago before
this weekend. What a great, energetic town. I couldn’t believe Boystown and
everything going on around Halsted Street. Quite a scene.”
“I’m the token straight guy in the crowd, so I don’t know much
about Boystown. But I can show you the rest of the city. You’ll love it,” Russ
responded, as Brent and Doug returned with some food.
Introductions were made, and the newest arrivals went to grab some
food. Everyone remarked about Brent’s new career and left it at that.
Friendships were at the initiation stage for the new arrivals. It would be a
fun, casual week of bonding and ‘roughing’ it at the lake.
*****
DOUG
Dave’s Suburban fit everyone and the baggage comfortably. After a
few awkward moments, all the guys relaxed and became comfortable with each
other. Within milliseconds, Brent, Mike, Dave and I picked up where we left
off, knowing that we would probably be great pals for life. I was curious about
the early friendship that appeared to be developing between Russ and Trev. The
‘odd couple’ didn’t appear to be all that odd. As we passed the McDonalds I
recognized from our earlier trip, I dozed off. It seemed like only minutes later
that Brent shook my leg.
“Hey, babe, we’re here,” Brent said quietly. I opened my eyes and
viewed the familiar scenery of a year ago. It was 6:30 p.m. and the early
summer sun would be setting shortly.
“Just as I remembered it,” Russ remarked. “Dave, it’s great to be
up here with friends again.” The SUV was parked in front of the cabin on the
crushed-gravel drive next to the front door steps. All the vegetation was in
full bloom.
“Russ, ‘friends’ is the key word. And we might see a few of the
guys from St. Paul,” Dave said. “Let’s go inside and get settled.” We all
grabbed our gear and followed Dave up the stairs to the front door. Dave used
his key and opened the door. Trev was the only one who had never been here.
“Wow, Dave. This is a fantastic place. A big ‘thanks’ for
including me,” said Trev, as he wandered from the entry into the great room.
“Why don’t we stow our gear, change into something comfortable and
meet by the fireplace in a hour for some beers before dinner?” Dave said with
friendly authority. “Mike and I will take the master bedroom,” he added with a
wink. This was clearly a different Dave. “Doug, you and Brent get my old room.
Russ, you and Trev will share the bedroom with the double beds. Okay?”
“Yes, mother,” replied Russ. We all laughed.
“Come on, Brent. As I remember, we’ve got to be careful with the
bed in Dave’s old room. Seems to me I heard lots of squeaks and groaning last
time.” I playfully punched Dave on the arm, as Brent and I went up the
stairway.
“Your bedroom and Russ and Trev’s connect to one shared bathroom.
Might be a good idea to develop a signal when you’re using the head,” Dave
shouted out.
“Got it,” I shouted from the top.
*****
RUSS
‘What a neat group of guys,’ I judged. ‘My old buddy has good
taste.’ Trev and I walked up the stairs and found our bedroom. “Trev, I’m not
choosy. Either bed is fine.”
“I’ll flop here, then.” He laid his bag on the bed and opened it.
Looking at the bureau of drawers, Trev continued, “You take the top two
drawers, and I’ll take the bottom two.” God, I loved his gentle, Southern
drawl. At the same time, I heard the shower running in the bathroom.
“Hey, guys. Save some hot water for Russ and me,” Trev shouted as
he knocked on the door.
“We’ll be brief.” It sounded like Doug was answering the request.
“Trev, why don’t you shower after the guys finish? I’ll do a fast
‘in n’ out’ afterwards. I’m used to cold showers at the dorms,” I suggested
with a smile.
“I appreciate that, Russ. You must have some Southern gentleman
blood in you.” He smiled as we both started stripping from our traveling
clothes.
“How do you know Dave?” ‘Hmmm,’ I thought, ‘Trev is a linear,
angular dude.’ As he took off his loose shirt and khakis after toeing off the
loafers, a trim man emerged.
“Just met Dave. I’m a friend of Doug and Brent. It’s a bonus that
I was in Chicago looking for housing. I gotta tell ya, this is a real treat. I
never imagined a cabin could be this nice. Down in Tennessee, a cabin is just
that. You wanna take a crap, the facility is out back,” he said with a laugh.
Trev had now removed all clothing except for a tight pair of white
briefs. They were filled out very well. I started getting out of my clothes.
‘That Southern boy is put together pretty well,’ I observed.
“You’re good friends with Dave?”
“Dave and I have known each other forever. He is a great friend to
have. Did the other guys tell you about Dave’s loss of his mom and dad?”
“Yeah, Brent gave me the run-down. A real bummer.”
“He’s just coming out of the loss. Mike is really good for him.” I
slipped out of my shirt, tee and jeans and felt my dark boxer briefs moist from
perspiration. Noticing a stack of towels on a table, I self-consciously took
off my boxer briefs and walked over to grab a towel. Trev was trying not to look.
But, I caught his eyes traveling south as I wrapped the towel around my waist.
“That’s a great idea, Russ. I really feel all bunched up.” He
pulled down his briefs and kicked them over to the side. As he walked over to
the towels, I noticed some real ‘Southern comfort’ swinging between his legs
and confirmed that Trev was a natural blond. He wrapped the towel around his
mid-section and sat on the bed. “Russ, just for the record, I know you’re not
gay. But don’t fear that I’ll try something. Lusting over and converting
straight guys is not my thing.”
“Trev, I’ve been around gay guys all my life. As a gymnast, I had
pretty close contact with a lot of guys who batted for your team,” I answered
with a smile. “And Dave is my closest friend. So, I’m pretty cool. Morning wood
is pretty common with guys our age, so I won’t get embarrassed if you don’t.”
“Gymnast? That explains your build. I always tried to develop my
lats and bi-ceps, but haven’t had much success,” Trev said, looking at me
wistfully.
“You’re doing okay, buddy. What I’ve got came about from years of
practice and conditioning. I’m just trying to maintain my build before it all
goes to pot. Pre-med school doesn’t allow for a lot of time at the gym.”
“Well, I’m envious. How about you and I doing a little workout in
the mornings while we’re up here? You could probably show me a few things,”
Trev suggested.
“Hell, yes. I could do that.” Just then, there was a knock on the
bathroom door. “Go for it, Trev. If you don’t mind, I’ll brush my teeth while
you’re showering?”
“Modesty has never been a big deal with me. Plus, I think we’ve
already checked each other out?” Trev said with a laugh. “No surprises?”
“No surprises,” I answered, as I playfully swatted his firm butt.
He turned and winked. “Into rough sex, Dr. Bennett?”
“I’m not a doctor, yet. Just scrambling to finish pre-med. As far
as rough sex, I think it’s all in the eye of the beholder.” I playfully grabbed
Trev’s buns and squeezed. We were having a lot of fun.
“Ouch. Trying to establish a level of pain, Russ?”
“Naw. Just trying to get you to move into the shower. Maybe, with
luck, I’ll have some warm water left.” Trevor pulled off his towel and jumped
into the shower. I noticed that he was ‘growing and showing’ in his crotch.
‘The guy definitely has some assets for the right person,’ I thought, as he
closed the opaque shower door. As I looked at the door, his toned, male body
form stood out in blurred, fleshy detail. While he shampooed, I watched the
sudsy water move down his body. It was hard not to notice that his circumcised
cock and balls were in perfect proportion to a trim body.
Shaking myself from further fantasy, I put some toothpaste on my
brush and started cleaning the teeth. ‘Jeez, Bennett,’ I thought, ‘where are
these thoughts coming from?’
“I’m almost finished, Russ. And the water is still hot,” Trev said
a few moments later. “If you want, I’ll leave the water running?”
“Cool. I’m ready.” Trev stepped out as I entered the shower.
Little jolts of energy sparked my body as my cock accidentally dragged across
his buns as we changed positions. “Sorry, buddy,” I said, once I was in the
shower.
“Nothing to be sorry about, Russ.” He smiled and started drying
off. As I was finishing soaping myself, I heard him brushing his teeth. “What
should we wear tonight?” he asked, with a mouth full of toothpaste and water.
“I’m prolly going to wear jeans and a sweatshirt. It’s still
pretty cool up here in the evening. After dinner, we can take a stroll down to
the dock if you want?” I turned off the water, opened the door and reached for
the towel. Trev thoughtfully handed it to me.
“Thanks for clueing me in, Russ. Yeah, I’d like to check out the
lakeshore later. Minnesota is really special.”
“Great. It’s a deal,” I replied. Dave planned on cooking in. It
would be fun getting to know Trev better, later. ‘He’s a helluva nice guy,’ I
judged. ‘It would be good to have him as a friend in Chicago.’
DAVE
I smiled, as Mike and I showered together. Dad knew exactly what
he was doing when he built this fantastic shower. There were many things that
I’d have to piece together about my recent past. It would have been great to
know the folks when we were all adults. ‘One thing fer sure,’ I thought. ‘Mom
and Dad loved each other. And, they both worked hard to make that feeling
last.’
“Penny for your thoughts, Dave?” We were both taking a pretty
orthodox approach to showering.
“I’m thinking how lucky we are to have each other.”
“I’ll second that, lover,” Mike said, as he leaned in for a light
kiss.
“And that this master bedroom is ours. Somehow, the folks have
spiritually given it to us.” I looked at Mike and moved in for a tight hug and
passionate kiss.
“I like the sound of that, Dave. I feel that way, too. God, I love
you.” Mike re-affirmed the hug and ground his crotch into mine. “After dinner,
I want to make love to you, Mr. Swenson.”
“After dinner, we’re doing dishes. However, later on…” I laughed
and grabbed his dick.
“Hey, don’t start something you can’t finish,” Mike replied, as he
got a hand full of my Minnesota-bred testicles.
“Gently, babe. These puppies have got to last me a long time.”
“I know. I’ll be around making sure they work,” Mike said, as he
kneeled down. Holding my balls gently, he kissed each one, before wrapping his
lips around my glans. My cock started to salute as Mike moved it further into
his mouth.
“Oh, shit.” I started a slow motion fucking of his face. I placed
my hands on his head and sped up the motion. I felt Mike’s tongue swirling
around my dickhead as he opened his throat to take me completely. Looking down,
I noticed that Mike had started a vigorous jerking action with his hard member.
“Hmmm,” was all he could utter. However, the vibration of his
baritone rumblings added to the ecstasy of the afternoon, as I started making
movements to facilitate a face fucking.
“Oh, Cole, this definitely is…ahhh…man…lover…ummm,” I uttered, as
we coordinated our actions. I reached down and tweaked his nipples.
“Urghh, hmmm.” The deep vibrations continued from Mike’s
diaphragm.
“Mike, I’m…going…to…cum,” I yelled, as I tensed my glutes and
drove my dick in to announce an orgasm. I shot several streams of semen into
Mike’s welcoming mouth. I felt his load hitting my leg. As we wound down, Mike
rose and brought his lips to mine. I greedily accepted my warm jizz deposits in
his mouth. We stood together for a few minutes, and I felt the water getting
cold.
“Feels like we better finish our shower before the icicles start
forming,” Mike suggested.
“Babe, icicles wouldn’t dare interrupt our shower. But I think
that you’ve got a point…in addition to what’s between your legs.” We both
laughed and finished our shower.
*****
I came down early and busied myself in the kitchen. Tonight would
be a simple spaghetti dinner. The management company had provided a meat sauce
from a local restaurant. Adding a package of pre-mixed greens, I had everything
staged in a short time. Seeing that the water was hot and the sauce was in a
crock-pot on hold, I went to the great room.
With the gas-assisted jets, I started a fire in the fireplace and
sat back in the sofa. It was just after 7:30 p.m., and the sun had definitely
gone down beyond the ‘yardarm’. In the background, my CD selection of Mariah
Carey’s “Daydream” was playing. While I sipped on a longneck bottle of Grain
Belt beer, I was feeling content and confident that this was going to be a
great vacation.
“Hey, buddy.” I turned and saw my partner come into the great
room.
“Grab a beer and join me.” I pointed to a table supporting a
large, iced bucket containing a dozen bottles of Grain Belt.
“Did I hear the word, beer?” Doug shouted from the stairway.
“You’ve got four thirsty dudes coming down.”
“The beer’s over by Mike,” I answered, gesturing to the table. The
remainder of the crew waved and gathered around Mike. Everyone had dressed down
to the comfort and casualness of the north woods. As they joked while
retrieving their beers, I looked this hot group of young men and marveled at my
good fortune in developing friendships. Starting with Russ years ago, later
with Mike and the Memphis Navy crew and, now, the addition of Trev. I had a gut
reaction that Russ and Trev would become a permanent part of the gang.
TO BE CONTINUED