Into the Rising Sun

The sun beat down on his back as he walked east, following the wheel rut along the dirt road. The road followed the terrain, sweeping over low hills, and cutting over narrow streams and dry creek beds. Where the road led in the east, Henry wasn’t sure, but he knew where it started. The place in the west that it originated, that was behind him now. It was in Colorado, a place he was fleeing.

He’d been walking for days. It took over nearly five days to get out of Colorado. Another three to get to Dodge City. He turned south, knowing Kansas was more wide-open than Oklahoma, and he feared too many days between towns or settlements. He pushed hard, walking through one night, for the days became brutally hot as he made his way into Oklahoma. He followed one road then the next, until he was on this narrow dirt road. He wasn’t sure where it was heading, but he knew it was in the right direction. East. He had to get east.

Why he looked back when he did was a coincidence, but he turned in time to see a vehicle approaching. It was moving pretty fast for the old dirt road. It crested the last rise, a huge dust cloud in its wake as it drew closer and closer.

Henry moved into the ditch, standing in the tall grass and weeds. A fence prevented him from moving further away. He shielded his eyes as he watched the vehicle approach. It was a silhouette in the bright low sun. As it drew near, he realized it was an old truck, its grill familiar. It was like his dad’s truck, a 39 or 40 Chevrolet. He could hear the motor revving to keep up its pace and the gravel striking the fenders as it raced toward him. The horn blew as it raced past, and a cloud of dust enveloped Henry, blinding him and making him cough.

When the dust finally settled and Henry could see, the truck was far into the distance, just its dust cloud visible on the horizon. He moved back on the road and began to walk again. His stomach growled, as it had all day, and he was thirsty. He had water, but knew he had to conserve it, make it last for as long as he could. Ahead of him, he saw no towns, no gas stations, not even a house or barn. Nothing but open land. It would be some time before he got to some place where he could buy food and get more water.

It was dark, with only moonlight illuminating the dark ribbon of asphalt. Henry stumbled his way along the still warm surface, keeping his eyes focused ahead, for to look back would be too difficult. When the dirt lane gave way to asphalt, he could not remember. Nor could he gauge the time, but knew it was getting late. Hunger pains were so strong and frequent, he wasn’t sure he could make the next town. The idea of just laying down somewhere and going to sleep had an appeal he fought to control.

The black ribbon rose to another crest and Henry stood on top looking ahead. He wasn’t sure what he was seeing at first then he realized it was lights. Off in the distance there was some settlement or roadside business. He stumbled as he began to walk again, feeling like he was hurling uncontrollably down the slope of the road. The light concrete of a bridge had a silvery glow in the light of the moon, showing him the bottom of the grade. It looked almost halfway to the lights. ‘Get the bottom and you’ll be halfway there’ he told himself as his pace increased for the first time in a long time.

He stumbled into the light of a streetlight positioned by the road. It seemed arbitrary, not really illuminating anything of importance, but it had giving him the encouragement he needed. Before him sat a service station, two pumps in front. On the far side a small motel. It was a nondescript building, low roofed and running parallel to the road. Behind it, a two-story house with lights on in the upper windows. Across the street was a small block building whose function he couldn’t discern, nor did he care. Only the motel was of interest. He could see outlines of vehicles parked in front of it. Four or five in total; not enough to fill it, but enough to show it was open for business.

Inside the small lobby, standing at a counter with a model of a covered wagon on one end and a stuffed buffalo on the other, he rang the bell sitting in its middle. He was reaching out to ring it again when he heard movement in back.

“Coming,” a gruff female voice called out.

The door swung open and the woman’s face changed from expectant of a guest to one of disgust. Henry knew he was filthy, getting sprayed with dust numerous times over the course of the day.

“What do you want?” she asked Henry.

“Do you have a room, and if so, how much would it be?”

“Ten dollars.”

It caught Henry up short the amount she quoted him. It was much higher than he anticipated, and far too much for him. He didn’t have a lot to begin with and spending that much for a room for one night was out the question. Without responding, knowing it was what she hoped he’d do, he turned and left the lobby.

Outside, the darkness now bearing down on him and stomach growling, he stood in the middle of the parking lot wondering what to do. He looked around for a safe place to sleep, some sheltered spot where he could lay on the ground. In the morning he could get something to eat at the service station and be on his way.

“Hey, are you lost?”

The voice was behind him, somewhere under the canopy that ran the length of the motel. He turned and scanned the dark shadows for the person who spoke. A silhouette, then a face coming into view in the dim security light.

“Not really.”

“That wet rag refuse you a room?”

“No...it’s just more than I should spend.”

“What did she ask from you?”

“Ten.”

“Ten dollars? She only charged me seven and I think that is too much for this dump.”

“Well, she didn’t want to rent to me.”

The guy closed the distance between them and stood a few feet away. Henry was too tired and hungry to try to judge his intentions. There was a long silence between them, and Henry saw the guy look toward the office then right along the canopy before turning back to him.

“Hey man, listen, I’m tight on money too. I’ll let you crash with me for three dollars.”

Henry sat in the only chair looking around the dingy room with its peeling paint, a bed made with a blanket that looked a hundred years old and a lamp with a bulb far too dim to properly light the room. He watched this stranger, a guy about his own age, struggling a small radio trying to find a station he liked. “Donna” by Ritchie Valens came through the small speaker and he stopped fiddling with the dial.

“I’m Kenneth, by the way. What’s your name?”

“Henry.”

“Where ya heading?”

“East…to Dothan, Alabama.”

“You got a job there or something?”

“Hopefully.”

“I’m heading east myself. Not sure where exactly, but anywhere that is as far away from Wyoming as I can get. Maybe Florida.”

“Can I take a shower?” Henry couldn’t hide his unease from his voice. He didn’t know how to handle this kindness from a stranger when those he thought he could rely on had been so unforgiving.

“Oh, yeah. It’s your room too. You paid for half, remember. There’s a questionably clean towel on that shelf,” Kenneth replied, pointing at a towel on a small shelf by the sink. There was a towel draped over the door to the bathroom, one Henry knew Kenneth had used earlier. He was clean and dressed in a white t-shirt and khaki work pants.

Henry lifted his knapsack from the floor, the small bag that held all of his belongings, and he went to the old dresser that sat on the wall opposite the bed. He took everything out. The metal canteen, two pair of socks, a pair of boxers, a pair of pants, two shirts, and a beat-up paperback, On the Road. He separated out a change of clothes and slipped everything else into the knapsack.

The shower didn’t spray properly, some holes in it clogged. The tile walls were cracked, and the tub had rust stains, but the warm water hitting his tired filthy body felt better than anything he had every felt before. It made his skin feel clean in a way he had forgotten after so many days on the road. And it soothed his tired muscles. When the water began to run cool, he finally shut it off and stepped out of the tub.

Dressed in clean clothes, Henry left the bathroom, and tucked his dirty clothes into the knapsack. Lying on the bed propped up on the two pillars, Kenneth was eating a candy bar, the wrapper pulled down revealing the chocolate bar. Henry’s stomach growled.

“Have you had anything to eat?” asked Kenneth.

Henry shook his head and started for the chair.

“Here,” said Kenneth, tossing a few candy bars across the bed. “I raided that service station before they closed. It’s not ideal, but when you’re hungry it’ll do.”

“How much?”

“Huh? Oh. They were a nickel a piece. You got fifteen cents on you? Otherwise, don’t worry about it.”

“No, I got it” Henry replied, pulling out the change in his pocket, counting out two nickels and five pennies. “Here’s the money.”

Henry in the chair and Kenneth stretched out on the bed, they were silent as they devoured one candy bar after the next.

“Did you see where Hawaii is now a state?”

“Yes,” Henry replied.

“I wonder which country will be fifty-one. Puerto Rico is my guess.”

“I wouldn’t know.”

When they finished, Kenneth stood up and pulled his t-shirt off and started undoing his pants.

“What are you doing?” asked Henry, the nervousness he felt making his voice quiver.

“Getting ready for bed. I want to get on the road early.”

“Oh. Can I have a pillow?”

“Of course,” Kenneth replied, flipping one over to the other side of the bed.

Henry went to the bed and picked it up. He started to bend down, with the intention of putting it on the floor.

“What are you doing?” asked Kenneth.

“I’m going to sleep on the floor.”

“Oh hell, man, get on the bed. It’s large enough for both of us,” Kenneth replied. As he pushed his pants down revealing the white boxers underneath, he mumbled to himself, “sleep on the floor…Jesus.”

Henry watched Kenneth pull back the covers and climb underneath them. He tried not to stare but found his eyes roaming over the muscular body. The bare torso, and the collar bone just visible across the upper chest and the biceps with just enough definition. He swallowed hard and diverted his eyes. He eased down next to him, still wearing his clothes, not trusting himself far more than any lack of trust toward Kenneth.

“You’re going to sleep in your clothes?” Kenneth uttered as he turned off the lamp.

“Yes,” Henry replied as the room went dark.

Henry woke to the sound of Kenneth stirring around in the room. A soft light filtered through the thin curtains and he knew it was early morning. Sitting up, arms outstretched, he twisted his back, then wiped the sleep from his eyes.

“Good morning. You sleep okay?” asked Kenneth as he zipped up a duffel bag.

“Yes. You about to hit the road?”

“Yes” Kenneth replied, as he stopped and looked down at Henry. “I was thinking since we’re both headed east and all…if you could help with gas…I could give you a ride.”

“Seriously? You’d give me ride?”

“Can you help with gas?”

“Yes. I can do that.”

“Well, get up and get ready.”

A few minutes later, Henry followed Kenneth from the room and down the canopy to a familiar Chevy truck. The 39 model that had blown past him the day before. Up close, he saw how it showed a hard-used life.

“Well, come on Henry. Let’s ride into the rising sun.”

Knapsack and duffel bag tossed in the bed against the cab, they were soon on the highway, heading into the bright sun rising above the horizon. A horizon that seemed to go on forever.

By noon they were coming into Oklahoma City, where Kenneth pulled into a gas station. Once fueled, they pulled over to a diner next door and had a simple lunch of ham sandwiches and fries, then hit the road, pulling onto the new I-40 interstate. Cars and large trucks passed them constantly and Kenneth cussed about the trucks lack of power compared to the newer cars and trucks.

“Let’s get off this thing,” he mumbled as he kept right, driving the truck hard to keep up with traffic as best it could. When an exit appeared, he eased off the road and down to the old two-lane highway. The sign indicated Oklahoma City to his right and Little Rock to his left. Turning left, Kenneth shifted through the gears getting up to cruising speed that was suitable for the narrow road and the truck.

They rode in silence for a long time, Kenneth focused on the road, the places along the side of it and the traffic they encountered. Henry leaned on his door and watched the scenery pass by, just enjoying not being on his feet. It’d been days since he left, and his legs trembled still from the fatigue and stress he’d put on them. They stopped in a small town for gas and something to drink, then continued on their way.

They left the low rolling terrain of central Oklahoma and came to low mountains with wide valleys. The road wound through the valleys as the sun dropped lower and lower in the western sky. The shadow of the truck stretched out in front of them further and further.

“Can I ask you something?” Kenneth asked breaking their long silence.

“Okay.”

“Why did you leave your home. What made you take off?’

Henry had been expecting the question and he still didn’t know how to answer it. What should he say? He took a deep breath and stared at the tree covered mountain to his right. “I had a falling out with my parents and…couldn’t stay any longer.”

“Must have been some falling out. Mind if I ask what it was?”

“I can’t talk about it…not yet,” Henry replied, but the events of that night came back to him. The yelling and accusations. The police on their way over to investigate. How everything unraveled, and so quickly, still made his heart race to think of it. There had been the guy from the Air Force base. One that crossed his path at the library, his oasis from everything, then he began showing up at the small store his parents ran, especially when he was working the register. Larry was from Tennessee and although he looked older, more mature, especially in his uniform, Henry quickly realized they were in fact the same age. It seemed innocent enough at first. Just a walk in the park, then going to movies at the drive-in or hanging out at the diner. Henry knew how he felt, his feelings toward Larry, but he never could let himself think those feelings would be returned. But one night, parked in a secluded place, Larry had kissed him.

It had been the most important night of his life, this acknowledgment he wasn’t alone in the world. That there were other guys out there like him. They met more often, whenever Larry could get a leave off the base. There was the night in a motel out on the edge of town, the parking in secluded spots and the night his parents were away visiting relatives up in Denver, the two of them in his bed. It had been the most intimate of their nights together. How he loved all those nights he lay on his back or stomach and felt Larry inside him. Then a few nights ago, everything was ruined. They had gotten careless, messing around in Larry’s car behind the store. It was late, the store closed, and he had thought they would be safe. He didn’t count on his father coming back to check that he had locked the rear door.

“I get it. It had to be something bad.”

“Why are you heading east? What happened in Wyoming to make you leave?”

Kenneth laughed, shaking his head, “if only I could tell you. I wouldn’t know where to start.”

The truth was Kenneth didn’t think Henry could handle the truth of it. It was something he had to keep to himself, probably for the rest of his life.

They drove into the night, until Kenneth finally grew so fatigued, he struggled to keep his eyes open. He pulled off and down a dirt lane that led to an abandoned building. He turned around and pulled into an open spot.

“Why are you stopping here?” Henry asked.

“I doubt either of us have the money for a motel room every night, so on nights it is nice, we rough it. I’ve got blankets tucked down behind the seat. We’ll sleep in the bed of the truck and watch for one of those satellites circling overhead,” Kenneth replied, making light of their predicament.

“Sounds good. I’ve slept on the ground a few times, so this will be way better.”

Kenneth pulled out three blankets and went to the back of the truck, lowering the tailgate.

“You could sleep in the cab if you want, but I don’t recommend it. The seat is too narrow and too short. I tried to sleep on it and never could get relaxed, and you’re taller than I am,” said Kenneth as he laid one blanket over the bed of the truck.

“I’ll sleep back here,” Henry replied. He had grown somewhat accustomed to sleeping out in the open and the thought of being in the small cab, alone, didn’t appeal to him.

Henry used his knapsack and Kenneth the duffel bag for pillows as they covered themselves with the other two blankets. They settled down, staring up into the stars that filled the sky. A shooting star raced across it.

“Did you see that?” Henry asked.

“Yes. If you really watch the sky, you’ll see a lot of them.”

“Have you had the opportunities to do that? Watch the nighttime sky?”

“Yes” Kenneth replied, not elaborating.

With the stars growing more and more visible as their eyes adjusted, they keep looking upward at the sky. Henry was shocked at the shear number of stars, more than he had ever noticed before. Then he saw the Milky Way. “Jesus, just look at it,” he whispered.

“Henry.”

“Henry.”

Henry recognized his name, realized he was being called and eased his eyes open. At first the only thing he realized was it was daylight, a soft light that only exists in the very early hours of morning. Then he realized where he was at, and how he was resting on Kenneth’s chest, his whole body snuggled up against him. He jerked fully awake and pushed away, hearing Kenneth chuckle.

“Relax, relax, Henry, it’s okay. You did it in your sleep. It got colder than I anticipated. That’s all.”

“Yeah…okay,” Henry replied, painfully aware of his erection.

Kenneth pushed the blankets back and climbed to his feet, walking to the tailgate. He stood at its edge and Henry wondered what he was doing when he saw piss arc to the ground.

“Damn, I had to go. Thought you’d never wake up,” Kenneth chuckled as he relieved himself. Looking over his shoulder, “well, get a move on it. I want to get on the road. I think we can get to Little Rock in time for breakfast. I’m craving eggs and bacon and sausage and…come on Henry, get up.”

Henry eased to his feet, keeping one hand in front of his bulging crotch. He hopped over the side of the bed and walked off some distance to relieve himself. He had no intention of doing it next to Kenneth on the tailgate, where he would expose his erection, and worse, be tempted to look at Kenneth’s.

The old Chevy truck rolled into Little Rock at nine o’clock, falling in with the morning traffic heading toward downtown. At the first small restaurant surrounded by cars and trucks, Kenneth turned in and parked in the front where they could keep an eye on the truck.

Seated in a booth along the window, they sipped strong coffee and dug into plates of eggs, hash browns, bacon and sausage.

“Henry, why Dothan, Alabama? I mean, I don’t know anything about place. Is it a town of any size?”

“It’s a small town, but the reason I’m heading there is I have an uncle, mom’s youngest brother, lives there where he runs a shop.”

“Shop?”

“Car repair and some body work.”

“You think he’ll hire you?”

“I hope so. What about you?”

“I really don’t know. I thought about a job in a repair shop. I can do the work, but…sometimes I think about going to Ocala, Florida somewhere further south to one of the horse farms. In the end, I’ll do whatever it takes to survive.”

The waitress came to their table, refilling cups and dropping the check on the end of the table. “They can take your money at the front,” she said indicating the small counter at front with a line of people checking out.

“Thanks,” Henry and Kenneth replied simultaneously.

They paid at the counter and went out to the truck. “Let’s get some gas and back on the road,” said Kenneth as he climbed behind the wheel.

“How far away is Mississippi?”

“Three hours…maybe. The problem is we either have to go up to Memphis or down to a Greenville to cross.”

“Which are we going to do?”

“The one to the south. Then we’ll keep going in a southeast direction till we enter Alabama, which should be sometime tomorrow.”

“Sounds good,” Henry replied, sensing an end to his long trip.

They drove through the Arkansas countryside, watching the land flatten as they neared the Mississippi River.

It was late in the afternoon when they crossed the river and entered Mississippi. A light rain had begun to fall, forcing Kenneth to use the nearly useless wipers, the windshield streaked with every pass.

“We might as well stop for the night. These old wipers are shit and I can’t see.”

“Should we split a motel room?”

“It’d be more comfortable than the two of us in the truck,” Kenneth replied, smiling at Henry.

As they entered Greenville, Mississippi, they came upon a motel with a restaurant sitting in the center of the parking lot of the U-shaped building. Kenneth pulled in and parked in front of the office. Kenneth pulled out a few bills and handed them to Henry. “Get us a room and I’ll go get some food to bring back to the room. I’m beat and feel filthy. So, let’s eat in and get cleaned up.”

“Okay,” Henry replied, climbing out of the truck. He watched Kenneth stroll across the parking lot toward the restaurant, which filled the air with the smell of food being fried. Turning, he headed into the office. A man sat behind the counter watching a television program, looking up when he stepped through the door.

“You need a room?”

“Yes, sir. Do you have one with two beds?”

“Let me see…well…I’m afraid not. Rented it out a little while ago. I have singles; would that work?”

“It’ll have to do, thanks. How much?”

“Eight dollars.”

The room was only three doors down from the office, and Henry left the door open after he brought everything inside. He set the duffel bag and knapsack on the table and sat heavily on the end of the bed. When he pushed his hair from his face it felt greasy. His right arm was filthy from being on the windowsill while they drove, and he felt sweaty and dirty underneath his clothes. Looking out the door, he wondered if he had time to shower before Kenneth got back, thinking it could take a few minutes for how busy the restaurant appeared with all the cars and trucks parked around it. Then it hit him how all of his clothes were dirty. Grabbing up the knapsack, he fished out the dirty clothes and went to the bathroom to wash them in the tub. He knew by morning they should be dry.

Using the bar of soap provided by the motel, he rubbed the fabric together, dipping it frequently into the water. He was so focused on what he was doing, the presence of another didn’t register.

“You going to wash mine too?” Kenneth asked, making Henry jump, dropping the pants into the tub and the bar of soap fly out of his hands. “OH, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.”

“It’s okay. Where did the soap go; did you see?”

“Over there, near the cabinet. Why don’t you let everything soak and come out and eat while it’s still hot? I got fried chicken and creamed potatoes and slaw.”

“Sounds good. I’m starving.”

They sat in the middle of the bed, legs crossed, while they ate. There were comments of it being the best food they had had in days, in between bites. By the time they finished, the bones dropped back into the box, they were relaxing, a tension that existed seemed to release. Henry leaned against the wall and Kenneth lay across the foot of the bed.

“I should wash my clothes too. I think I’ve worn everything I have at least once,” said Kenneth.

“I only have one clean shirt and for pants, it’s the pair it the tub and this pair,” tugging on one pant leg, “is all I got.”

“You should wash that pair too while we’ve got this hotel room.”

“Yeah, I guess,” Henry replied, realizing it’d leave him in just his boxers. But they were two guys, no big deal, or so he tried to convince himself.

“If you’ll get your things washed, I’ll do mine next,” Kenneth replied, rolling off the bed and removing his shirt.

Henry tried not to watch, but he kept looking at Kenneth. The lean muscular body, how the biceps flexed with Kenneth’s movement as he undid his pants and worked them off. He slid off the bed, keeping his eyes turned away from the nearly naked Kenneth as he headed to the bathroom.

“I’ll get my clothes washed so you can do yours.”

Henry knew Kenneth was right about getting all his clothes clean, so he removed his shirt and pants, and dropped them in the tub. Down on his knees, he began to scrub.

“Henry, do your underwear too. Might as well get everything clean. I’m sick as shit of wearing dirty clothes,” came Kenneth’s voice from the room.

‘I’ll be naked,’ Henry thought, worrying about what it would mean. He would be exposed to Kenneth and any thoughts that made him get aroused could betray him. But he knew how it’d look if he didn’t wash everything. Like he was timid, not a real man. He straightened up on his knees and worked the boxers he wore down each thigh, and one leg at a time, slipped them off. In his nakedness, he felt an exposure that went far beyond his mere nudity. He pushed the door closed, giving himself some privacy and focused on getting his clothes clean.

Wet clothes wringed out as much as he could, he laid them on the small counter and stuck his head out. “I’m going to shower, then you can have the bathroom.”

“Okay,” came a muffled reply from around the corner.

Henry rushed through a shower, unable to relax and enjoy the feel of the warm water on his tired body. He dried off, wrapped the towel around his waist, and grabbed up his wet clothes to spread out somewhere in the room.

“You look all better,” said Kenneth, watching Henry cross the room. Henry felt Kenneth’s eyes on him, watching in a way that was familiar to him. It made his heart race, and he struggled to maintain his composure.

“Thanks. The bathroom is all yours.”

Kenneth stood in his boxers, stripped them down his legs and stood naked in the middle of the room. The flaccid cock hung thickly over its sac, the head round and flared out with a small fan of hair over it all. Henry looked too long and saw Kenneth smile before turning toward the bathroom.

Their clothes hung over doors, on towel racks, from hangers in the small closet and over the chair.  The lights were out except for the lamp by the bed. Kenneth fiddled with the small radio till one of the new Motown songs was playing, and Kenneth turned the volume up just loud enough to hear.

“come to me…come to me…oh, I’m missing you baby…”

“Let’s turn in,” said Kenneth, slipping his towel off and tossing it on the dresser. He was naked and Henry felt flush, like he had a fever. “It’s going to be a long day tomorrow, but we should be in halfway across Alabama by tomorrow night.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, come on, let’s get some sleep.”

Kenneth eased down in bed and turned off the lamp, leaving the room dark, and it gave Henry the courage to drop the towel on the old dresser and feel his way to the bed. He eased down on it and pulled up the blanket covering his nakedness. He sensed Kenneth next to him and he rolled to his side facing away, afraid he would snuggle up next to him in his sleep.

“…merry-go-round…merry-go-around…tell me what…what is love…” played softly on the radio as Henry listened to Kenneth’s breathing. It was even, a slow steady pace, and he knew Kenneth lay awake next to him.

“Have you ever wondered what it would be like to do anything you wanted? To just not have other people tell you what to do…or judge you,” Kenneth whispered.

“Yes,” Henry replied.

Henry felt Kenneth moving behind him, an arm come around his body and soon Kenneth pressed up to his back. The warmth of another against his own was too good, played to his fantasies that he believed were impossible. He began to breath hard, so nervous he started to pull away when Kenneth tightened their embrace.

“Relax Henry. I think you want this as much as I. Am I right?”

Henry didn’t think he could answer that question, the admittance it would bring, but he turned to look over his shoulder at the dark silhouette of Kenneth’s head. “Yes.”

Kenneth’s lips touched his neck, then moved up the side of his face as a hand guided him to roll over on his back. He felt the weight of Kenneth moving on top. He grew aroused and felt Kenneth’s cock push against his own. They kissed, passionately, two desperate men alone in a world that shun them. Kenneth moved down his body, kissing different spots, dragging tongue over nipples and around his navel. The blankets were pushed back as Kenneth moved down the bed till between his legs and hot breath hit his cock. He lay exposed, the air of the room seemed to caress his bare skin as he closed his eyes to the sensation of his cock slipping into Kenneth’s mouth. Kenneth sucked him till he was so hard his cock ached for release, then pulled off.

“What would you like me to do?” Kenneth whispered.

“Put it in me,” Henry replied, confessing to his greatest desire.

Kenneth moved between his legs, then held them up. He felt them press against Kenneth’s chest as fingers toyed with his hole, rubbing it, then penetrating it, one finger, then two, and finally three working through his tightness, twisting and turning till he loosened to the manipulation. He felt Kenneth’s cock touch him, and memories of Larry came to him in a rush. Their nights together. The sex. He felt the penetration, the slow breach of his tightness. Kenneth eased into him, slowly, gently, pushing inch after inch into his hole. He grabbed at the bed and shivered with the penetration and when he felt Kenneth’s hips push against his ass, he cried out, knowing he had taken all of him.

Soon, the bed squeaked in rhythm with their fuck. Kenneth moved over him, pushed his legs over, and lifted his ass off the bed. He shivered while taking each thrust into its depths. Kenneth fucked with a slow pace, pushing inward all the way, giving him a sense of fullness, a connection between them that he didn’t want to end.

“Fuck me…fuck me harder…please…” Henry cried out, as he clung to the sweating body above him.

Kenneth increased his pace, fucked with the desire and lust that pushed him, drove him to want his release. His hips smacked against Henry’s ass and the bed protested beneath them. It’d been a long time since he felt like this, and he didn’t want it to end. But he couldn’t hold back either. He thrust into Henry’s depths over and over while hands rubbed his back, raked over his flexing ass cheeks and dug into his flesh. He kissed Henry, then nipped at the right earlobe while driving cock into the depths of Henry’s hole. It was too much. He pushed inward and jammed his hips against the upturned ass while ejaculating wad after wad, filling Henry with his load.

Kenneth kissed Henry while helping him ease legs back down. He moved over the prone body, felt hard cock press into his abdomen and he felt another yearning, a need for more. He rolled over bringing Henry on top.

“My turn…do me.”

Larry had never let Henry fuck him, always the one on top. So, he was nervous, this his first time and he moved cautiously between Kenneth’s legs. He felt a hand take his erection and guide it to its target. He pushed against the tightness, felt the resistance to let him in. Hands took each of his ass cheeks and pulled him forward and he felt his cock squeeze through that tightness, first the head then inch after inch of the shaft. He shuddered with the way it felt, how it milked his cock as he pushed inward.

“Fuck me, Henry…fuck me…” Kenneth begged and Henry, wide eyed in the dark room, rose on his hands and began to fuck. To drive with the strength of his hips, pushing inward all the way, then tugging his cock outward, feeling every inch squeeze through the tight opening. He increased his pace, drove with his hips harder till once again the bed protested beneath them.

Henry couldn’t last long, too aroused from their sex, his need for this moment so great it overwhelmed him. He moved inside Kenneth till muscles burned with his exertion and sweat trickled down his face and chest. He felt every touch between their bodies. The hotness of each. How their skin moved slickly against each other. He was heaving for breath, grunting with his exertion as Kenneth begged him to fuck harder, when he felt his release surge through him. He shuddered with it, every muscle flexed hard as rock, as he thrust into Kenneth’s depths and came.

Kenneth sat up against the headboard, Henry laying against him, as they cooled down and calmed themselves. He twirled fingers in Henry’s hair, kissed the top of his head, then began to talk. A soft quiet voice that was serious in tone. It was going to be his confessional, the telling of what he thought he never could.

“You want to know why I’m on the road, heading as far away from Wyoming as I can get?” Kenneth asked but he didn’t wait for an answer as he continued to talk. “I was on a ranch, tending cattle for this rich fuck that claimed to have ten thousand head, but I’m sure it was more like seven or eight thousand, which was still a lot. I had been there since I was fifteen, working my ass off. The rancher had five children, four boys and one girl. The girl was the oldest and probably should have been the one to run the place, but…the four boys were 28, 26, 23 and the youngest, William, was nineteen, just a year older than me. William was no rancher or a hunter like his brothers. He was the nicest guy you’d ever meet. But his father controlled him. A year ago, we started messing around. He told me he loved me and that we’d leave one day. Maybe head to San Francisco. He told me things I’d thought I would never hear from another.

A few days ago, we were in my quarters, a room over the horse stables. They had a few thoroughbred horses that the old man loved to brag about. We were in my bed when one of his brothers, James, walked in on us. He had been suspecting something for a while, it turns out, and…all hell broke loose. You should have seen William beg his brother not to say anything, that it was nothing, just us experimenting. I saw where things were going. William was more worried about loosing face with his father than with any commitment toward me. James made a mistake of leaving me alone while he dragged William back to their father’s house. I threw my things together and high tailed it out of there. I knew the only way I was going to be safe was to get out of the state as fast as possible, and since we talked about San Francisco, I figured William would tell his father, so I headed east.”

Kenneth fell silent when he finished, and Henry kissed his hand, then lay back, wondering if he should make his own confession.

“Henry, what happened back in Colorado?” Kenneth asked.

“Something similar.”

“You want to tell me?”

Henry nodded his head, then began. He told of meeting Larry, their friendship that transitioned into a relationship. He told of their happier times, then about the worst thing that could happen. The discovery, his father calling the police having Larry arrested. He knew it was going to be bad for Larry. His parents locked him in his room, then in the middle of the night, dragged him out, gave him the knapsack and pushed him out the door. He ran for a long time, till his lungs burned and his legs wouldn’t carry him another step. He slept in a small barn the next day, then the next night he set off in earnest, determined to get to Alabama.

Kenneth chuckled, but not with humor, then hugged Henry tightly.

“We’re both just outcasts.”

They sat in the dark for a long time, till Henry rolled to his stomach pulling Kenneth with him. They moved with each other. Hands roaming over the other, lips on the back of a neck, along shoulders. Kenneth eased into Henry and moved within him slowly. They were unhurried, unafraid. No one was going to barge in on them. No one was going to pull them apart.

“Henry. Henry? Wake up. It’s almost ten. We need to get going.”

Henry rolled over, letting the blanket pull away, unashamed at his nudity for the first time. Unafraid of how he looked. He saw Kenneth check his clothes. First a pair boxers, then pants and a shirt. Henry watched him dress, the concealment of the muscular body memory gave him a physical sense, even when across the room.

“You just going to watch me get dressed or are you going to get up?” Kenneth asked, amusement in his voice.

“Okay…I’m up, I’m up,” Henry replied rolling out of bed. “Are our clothes dry?”

“Yes, get dressed. I’m starving and I think we should eat breakfast, so hurry before they stop serving.”

Their appetites sated and the old truck fueled up, they headed east, then south. They drove along two-lane highways with stands of pine on each side the road. The trees towered over everything, majestic with their long straight trunks and at their tops, limbs that snaked outward horizontally.

“Have you ever seen such tall trees?” Henry asked as he leaned out to look up at the tops far above him.

“The redwoods in California are taller, but no, these are the tallest I’ve seen.”

They gassed up outside Jackson and grabbed a sandwich from a sandwich shop next door. They drove south to Laurel then headed due east. The sun was behind them, dropping in the sky when the sign for the state of Alabama came into view. Henry looked over at Kenneth, smiling, feeling like their journey was almost to an end. Then he lost the smile and turned to look out at the passing scenery, realizing the journey’s end would also mean the end of his time with Kenneth.

It was nearly dark when they pulled into a motel outside Monroeville. A drive-thru was across the street and Henry watched as the area’s young people cruise around it. Kenneth came back with a key.

“Henry; let’s get our things inside then we can go over for something to eat,” said Kenneth.

Henry heard the sad tone and knew Kenneth was also thinking about this being their last night together. He felt it too.

Their bags stowed in the room, they crossed the street and sat at a picnic table positioned along a walk that separated the parking lot in front. They had burgers, fries and drinks and ate silently while watching the boys of Monroeville cruise around in old coupes and trucks, racing the engines and hollering back and forth to each other. Everyone seemed so carefree, and it made Henry smile, despite how he was feeling.

Back in the room, Kenneth removed Henry’s clothes, then his own. He led them into the small bathroom and into the tub. They bathed each other, kissed and caressed skin, and touched without shame. They made each other aroused, cocks hard as rock. Henry turned to the wall, hands pressed against it and looked over his shoulder.

“Kenneth; do me.”

Kenneth moved up behind Henry, hugged the lean body against his own, kissing the back of the neck. He felt hands on his thighs, fingers digging in and he pushed his hardening cock against him. Pulling back, he put it against the tight opening and pushed through it, penetrating Henry. Henry shuddered as he bore into his depths. He fucked slowly at first, savoring the feel on every inch of his cock as he pushed and tugged it through Henry’s tight opening. But instincts took over, this need for release building. His pace increased till hips smacked against ass and Henry was begging him to fuck harder.

Henry had his eyes closed, focused only on the sensations of their fuck. He pushed against the tile wall and took every inch. The way it penetrated his depths made him feel a fullness, some connection with Kenneth he didn’t want to end. He leaned forward, forehead on the wall and rocked with their fuck. “Fuck,” he uttered, the word coming out in a guttural strangled sound.

Kenneth held Henry’s waist and fucked with a hard, physical pace. His cock grew so sensitive he couldn’t take it. Hips smacking against ass, he drove into Henry’s depths, ejaculating with every push.

Under the shower, they kissed, then stepped out drying each other. Kenneth led Henry to the bed, pulled the blanket back and lay back on it. He motioned Henry close, putting a leg on each of his shoulders. Nothing needed to be said. They both knew what was wanted, and Henry moved over Kenneth, folding him over until his cock pressed against his opening. He breached its tightness and penetrated Kenneth, sinking every inch into him. Then he fucked. Slowly at first, working his cock through the tight opening until he was too aroused to keep the slow pace. He held Kenneth’s wrists down as he shifted over him. Got in a position he could fuck harder, faster, driving his cock into Kenneth’s depths. He fucked to cum; fucked to fill Kenneth with his load.

And below Henry, Kenneth begged for it, pleaded with him to fuck even harder.

Henry cried out, shuddering with release as he filled Kenneth’s hole with his load. Then kept fucking, feeling the slickness envelop his cock until he grew so sensitive, he had to stop.

It as the middle of the night when Henry felt Kenneth slip from the bed and ease into the bathroom. The toilet flushed, water ran, then the door eased back open. He saw the dark silhouette come back to the bed and slip in next to him.

“You’re awake,” Kenneth said, not a question but a statement of fact.

“Yes.”

“You ready to get to Dothan?”

“Yes…and no.”

Kenneth didn’t respond for a long time. Instead he snuggled up next to Henry, spooned up to his back. There was a kiss to a shoulder, then a soft whisper, “me neither.”

Henry woke to Kenneth on top of him, riding his cock. It was a rough fast pace, desperate in every aspect. Henry watched Kenneth, the muscular body straining with its exertion. The hard cock flopping up and down, then in Kenneth’s fist, stroking it roughly, in rhythm to their fuck. Kenneth came first, cum hitting Henry on the chin then ropes of it landing across his chest. It was too much, and Henry pushed upward and came. He shuddered and jerked with each ejaculation until spent.

“Come on, shower with me?” Kenneth asked, and it sounded like he expected Henry to deny him this one last request. Henry climbed from the bed and followed him to the bathroom. They bathed each other under the warm water, soaped up skin and wiped it away while kissing lips, necks, sternums and nipples.

Dried off and back in the room, they dressed and packed up.

“Are you hungry?” asked Kenneth.

“Not really. I can wait till lunch.”

“The same here. Let’s hit the road. We’ll be in Dothan around noon or shortly after.”

Kenneth drove slower than usual, not that the old truck was particularly fast to begin with. They eased along narrow highways that snaked along rivers and creeks, rose to plateaus and cut through pine stands that extended for as long as the eye could see. They drove through Evergreen, Andalusia, Opp,  and Enterprise. It was nearly one o’clock when they rolled into Dothan.

It was larger than Henry imaged after passing through all the other small towns. They drove through downtown, marveling at the businesses and activity on the sidewalks.

“Henry, before we find your uncle, would you like to grab lunch somewhere?”

“Sure. I’ve got a few dollars on me.”

Kenneth pulled into a parking space a block past a diner they saw on the main street, and they walked back to it. They sat in the back of the dining room, along one wall and ate in silence, neither knowing what to say. When the waitress brought the check, Henry grabbed it up, “let me.”

“But..”

“I owe you far more and…” Henry interrupted, stopping himself from trying to say what he felt. “Are you really going to south Florida?”

“It’s a destination. Besides, you need to see if your uncle will help you. Right?”

Henry nodded his head, the stood up, “let’s go,” unable to sit any longer, afraid where their conversation would take them.

On the sidewalk, Henry went into to a phone booth and lifted the phone book up. He flipped to the yellow pages to Automobile Repair and scanned the listings until he came to the one in which he was searching.

“It’s on South Oates Street,” said Henry, looking around at Kenneth.

“We passed it coming into town. It’s a block over.”

Kenneth pulled into the gravel lot of the shop, an older building with four garage bays and a two-story office building connected to its right side. Pulling up to the office, he shut off the engine and looked over at Henry who appeared white as a ghost. He saw Henry’s hand shaking uncontrollably as he reached for the door handle.

“Go on, Henry, you’re here now and you have to find out if he’ll take you in.”

“Mom always said David was a heathen, a wild boy growing up and worse in the Navy and they rarely speak, so…” Henry was rambling, expressing his scattered thoughts as he tried to make his uncle someone who would take him in. “He lived with Aunt Mary for a couple years before they married, which was a scandal to the rest of the family.”

“Henry, you made long trip for a reason. You feel like he is someone who’ll help you. Go on; it’s time to find out.”

Henry nodded his head, opened the door and climbed out. When he stood in the sun, he saw the front door open and his uncle, a man he had not seen in three years, come out.

“Henry!”

Henry watched his uncle come to him quickly, hugging him tightly.

“You scared us. You mom called wanting to know if I’d heard from you. She said your father made you leave and started on about being…Henry, you okay?”

“Yes, sir.”

“What do you need Henry?”

“A place to stay…a job.”

David pulled back and looked at Henry then over at Kenneth standing on the other side of the truck.

“That’s Kenneth,” said Henry, wanting to say more. To tell his uncle how Kenneth saved him, gave him a ride and so much more.

“Kenneth, thanks for helping Henry. It means a lot to me,” said David, stepping back and looking at the old 39 Chevrolet truck. “Damn, you boys came from Colorado in this old thing?”

“Actually, Kenneth started in Wyoming,” Henry replied.

“Amazing. Come on in boys and let’s get out of this heat.”

Inside the office, open for most of the first floor of the building, sat a row of desks, the last one David’s. The room was lined with shelves stacked with manuals, models and miscellaneous parts. On David’s desk, a piston laid amongst piles of paper. David took his chair behind it. Henry eased down in one chair and Kenneth stood behind him, unsure he should be there.

“Kenneth…sit,” said David pointing at the other chair.

“Henry, before I say the wrong thing, what does Kenneth know about your leaving home?”

“He knows everything.”

“I see. Well, your mom wants me to call if I hear from you. She’s…my sister…I don’t know what she wants. She wants to have you return and apologize. She said they would forget what happened if you apologize and promise not to do it again.”

“Too late for that,” Kenneth whispered, causing David and Henry to look at him. “Damn, did I say that out loud.”

David smiled, shaking his head. “You boys know this is not something people are going to accept. This is something that is not discussed. I know it happens. I saw it in the Navy and when we were on shore leave in Bangkok. So, what are you going to do?” asked David, looking at Kenneth.

“I was going to keep going to south Florida.”

“Okay. Henry, we can put you up until you get a place of your own, and I can use some help here in the shop. It won’t pay much, and you’ll probably want to find something better later on, but it’ll get you on your feet.”

“What about mom? Are you going to call her?”

“That Henry is up to you. My sister has been a sanctimonious b…let’s say a bit high and mighty, and I know she is your mother, but…to toss you out like that? It’s unforgiveable in my book. So, if you want me to keep it a secret, then…”

“Yes!” Henry interrupted.

David smiled, “okay, we’ll keep it a secret. It’ll be up to you to tell her.”

Henry looked around the room, seeing the stair that went up to the next floor. “What’s upstairs?”

“Upstairs?” David repeated, turning to where the stair went up. “Nothing. I was going to use it for my office, but I hated going up and down those stairs. I thought about renting it out, but the only access is in here and I didn’t want someone I didn’t know in my shop.”

“Does it have a bathroom?”

“Yep, a small toilet room in back and…what are you thinking?”

“Can I live up there?”

“It’s pretty rough, Henry, and there is no shower or tub, and…”

“But would you let me live up there? I could fix it up.”

David leaned back, looking at Henry, just a boy still in his eyes, but he saw something else. A boy on the cusp of becoming a man who was searching of his own path.

“Okay, we can get it set up for you. I’ll get a bed set over from Mr. Hastings store and maybe a few other items to get you started.”

“Really?” Henry replied, leaning forward.

“Really. Let me make a call.”

As David looked up the number then dialed it, Henry followed Kenneth out to the truck. Kenneth opened the driver’s door and started to climb in.

“You take care of yourself” said Kenneth.

“Kenneth?”

“I should go,” Kenneth replied, climbing in. He closed the door and started the engine. There was nothing to do but put the truck in gear and drive. He’d drive through the night, get as far away as he could, for if anything stopped him, he didn’t know if he would have the strength to leave. He slipped the truck in reverse and eased off the clutch.

“KENNETH…please don’t go,” Henry exclaimed, moving up to the cab and putting his hand on the sill. “Stay.”

Three Months Later

David arrived at the shop early, as he always did, wanting to get a head start on the day’s workload. There was Mrs. Simpson’s Buick that needed brakes and a new radiator hose, Mr. Clark’s 57 Chevy that needed a water pump and there was the 48 Ford truck that belonged to some farmer that he had to do a rebuild of the motor, something that would take him into the next day, if he got his usual drive-ins for small repairs.

He went to his desk and smelled coffee from upstairs. Before he could get settled, footsteps came down the stair and he saw it was Henry, carrying two mugs.

“I saw you come in and assume you could use another cup,” said Henry crossing the room.

“Thanks. Did you get finished with Mr. Jones Ford yesterday?”

“Yep, and Mrs. Simpson’s Buick. We just need to call her this morning to come pick it up.”

“Really? Great. That’ll let me get to that truck quicker.”

“I can do Mr. Clark’s car after I finish with replacing that radiator.”

“Okay.”

Footsteps came down the stair and they looked up to see Kenneth coming down dressed in a blue shirt and khaki pants, the uniform of the vet’s office where he worked. He crossed the room and moved up next to Henry.

“Good morning,” Kenneth addressed David, “you guys going to be busy today?” he asked as he drank the last of his coffee.

“Yes,” Henry replied.

“Well, I’ll leave you to it. I’ll be home a bit late. We’re boarding a few dogs this week,” said Kenneth, who leaned over and kissed Henry on the cheek, handed him his empty mug, then headed toward the door.

It still embarrassed Henry, the public displays of affection, something only done in front of David. David smiled at how it effected Henry.

“Did he get that tub installed?” asked David, referring to an old claw tub Kenneth found at the salvage yard when they went for parts for the truck. They had put in a shower when they first moved in, but Kenneth said he wanted to be able to take a bath too.

“Almost. Just need to get a faucet for it.”

“Where did you put it? That bathroom is so small.”

“In the bedroom, by the window.”

David laughed for he knew the two of them would bath together. “Well, don’t let the neighbors see you.”

They heard the old truck start up and pull around the shop, and out to the street. There was a sound that was distinct to that old truck. One Henry recognized way before he saw it. He watched it ease away with that distinct mechanical sound clear to him, even inside the office. It headed north with the early morning sun shining on it, and he wondered how long they could keep driving it, Kenneth swearing he’s never giving it up.