by Andrew Grey
“I know. But this is wrong.”
“Is that what people told you?” He knew what he’d been told at church and stuff, but he didn’t always believe what the minister said. But he thought his mother did and believed his father had as well.
“Of course.”
“Well….” Foster sighed and scratched the back of his head. “Maybe we should stop listening to what others say and think for ourselves.” He turned toward Javi, pulling his leg up on the bed. “People used to say that the world was flat. Did that make the world flat? No. It just made the people who thought so wrong.” Foster shrugged. “So people say being gay is wrong. So what? Maybe that’s like the flat-world thing.”
“Yeah, but….”
“Do you want to be with girls?” Foster asked, and Javi shook his head. “Do you want to get married and spend the rest of your life with a woman?” Javi paled and shook his head one more time. “I didn’t choose to be gay. Did you?”
Javi smiled. “No.”
“Then maybe being gay is right for us. I’m no expert, and I wish I knew someone I could ask, but I don’t.”
Javi gasped. “You’d talk to someone about this? About us and what we did?” He sounded as though that was the most foreign thing in the world.
“If I thought they could help. Don’t you have like a million questions that you’d like answered? I know I do.” Foster got off the bed and went to the window. The yard was quiet. “I thought I heard something.”
Javi stood and began pulling on the dry clothes Foster had given him. “Maybe your mom will be back soon, and….” He raked his gaze over Foster, who felt the heat of it sliding up his legs and then over his belly and chest. “I need some time to think about this.”
“I don’t have any answers. I wish I did.” Foster stepped closer to Javi. “But there is one thing I know.” He cupped Javi’s cheeks in his hands and drew their lips together, kissing him hard, demanding, his body instantly reacting to Javi’s closeness. When Javi responded, placing his hands on Foster’s hips and then sliding them down to his ass, Foster was ready to go again. Heat surged through him, and he was already pressing Javi toward the bed before he could think about it. “I want…,” Foster mumbled, and when Javi sat down, Foster pressed him back, working his hand into Javi’s borrowed track pants. He pulled them down, freeing Javi’s cock, and stared at it before opening his mouth and sucking the glistening head between his lips.
“Oh God,” Javi groaned, falling back on the bed, stretching out like a cat in the sun.
Salt, sweet, and musk burst on his tongue. At first Foster wasn’t sure he liked it, but it was Javi, the taste of him, and as he sucked harder and Javi moaned softly, he couldn’t get enough. Foster bobbed his head, using his hands and mouth like he’d seen guys do on the Internet. Though right now he tried not to think about those kinds of things, because he wanted to concentrate on Javi.
“So good,” Javi groaned, placing his hands on Foster’s head. He began moving his hips upward, pressing deeper.
Foster did his best to take as much of Javi’s cock as he could. He snaked his hand up Javi’s belly and then to his chest and nipples, teasing the now hard buds between his fingers. There were so many things he wanted to explore, all at once, now. He wanted to learn all there was to know about Javi. What he liked, what made him make that swallowing, gasping sound other than when Foster ran his tongue along the underside of his cock while he sucked.
Javi’s whimpers became more insistent, and Foster backed away, wrapping his fingers around his length. He stroked hard and fast, the way he liked it himself, and Javi came, shaking and writhing while Foster watched the most amazing spectacle of his life.
Javi breathed deeply, his belly raising and lowering, abs quivering. “What do I say?” Javi opened his eyes and drew Foster into a kiss. “A minute and I’ll….”
Foster nodded and then groaned when he heard a car slowing outside. He stood and went to his dresser and pulled on some underwear and then a pair of jeans and a T-shirt while Javi adjusted his clothing. “I’m going to take the wet clothes down and put them in the dryer. It’s time for lunch, so we’ll eat and then I’ll take you to your family. I need to talk to them to make sure they’re ready to start on Monday.”
Javi nodded stiffly.
Foster picked up the wet clothes, giving Javi time to compose himself. “It’s okay.” He leaned close, kissing him gently. “Everything is going to be okay.”
“I wish I had your confidence.”
“Foster, we’re back.” His mother’s voice drifted through the house.
He let Javi go down the stairs first and motioned for him to sit down while he continued through to the laundry room, shoved the clothes in the dryer, and turned it on high. When he turned around, he saw his mother standing in the doorway. “We got a little wet so I’m drying Javi’s clothes while we eat.”
“Why do I think you two got more than a little wet,” his mother teased. “Go on and take a rest for a while. We’re going to make lunch.” She patted his shoulder and left the laundry room, and Foster joined Javi in the living room. He turned on the television and found a rerun of NCIS.
“Have you watched this before?” Foster asked.
Javi shook his head. “We don’t have a television,” he said very softly, like he was ashamed or something. Foster turned to see if he could get any additional information from his expression, but Javi was watching the show and Foster got nothing. Maybe it was just a simple statement of fact.
“I don’t watch very much. The best shows are on while I’m usually out milking.” He shrugged and sat back, enjoying a few minutes of rest. His eyes drifted closed as he remembered what he and Javi had done upstairs. He was more relaxed and content than usual. Maybe it was the sex, because he couldn’t wipe the smile from his face. Or maybe it was having a friend here with him. He realized he hadn’t spent time with any friends in a while. Not that he had a large circle of friends to begin with. “Do you have friends?” he asked.
Javi shook his head. “Just my brother and sister. We don’t stay in one place long enough to make real friends. The kids play with other kids sometimes, but then everyone moves on….”
Foster thought he might be starting to understand how tough Javi’s life was. “I don’t have friends either.”
Javi leaned forward in the chair. “But you’ve lived here your entire life.” Disbelief was clear in his voice.
“Yeah. But even when I went to school, I got up early, helped with milking, got on the bus, went to school for the day, came home, and had a snack before helping my dad with the evening milking. We did things together, and some nights I’d go to Scouts, but sports was out—it took too much time. I didn’t do a lot of activities after school, and it wasn’t like the people I knew in school wanted to come to my house to milk cows with me.” He shrugged and turned to Javi. “How did you go to school if you moved all the time?”
“When it isn’t summer, we have a lady—she’s the daughter of a migrant worker, like us, and she went to college to be a teacher, so she travels with the group we work with and teaches us. With her help I was able to take a test to graduate high school a year ago. I work with the kids as best I can because education is their one chance to have a better life.”
Grandma Katie came into the room and sat down on the sofa. “I didn’t mean to listen in, but I applaud you for that.”
“Daniela is so smart. Much smarter than me. She soaks up everything like a sponge. Ricky has so much energy and needs a way to channel it. He likes to build things and figure out how they work.”
“It sounds like you care for them very much,” his grandmother said. “That’s very admirable.”
“They’re all I have, ma’am. Everyone else, except my mom and dad, of course, comes and goes. The five of us are it.” There was no regret or “poor me” tone in his voice. Javi was merely stating a fact that he seemed to have accepted. Not that it was so different from his own life in some ways. Foster did
n’t move from place to place, but his life had always revolved around the farm.
His grandmother nodded. “This life, one tied to the land, requires dedication, and it can be a harsh master. Whether you own the land or work it, nature is a hard taskmaster.”
“Not as hard as my father,” Javi said, and Foster shared a brief look of concern with his grandmother. He remembered the marks on Javi’s back and wondered just how Javi’s father treated his family. He wanted to ask Javi about it, but this wasn’t the time, and it was likely Javi wouldn’t want to talk about it, judging by the way he’d folded his arms over his chest.
“I’ve been living on this farm for most of my adult life,” Grandma Katie continued. “I married when I was seventeen and have been here ever since. It’s a hard life, but a good one.”
“Ours is a hard life too, but I don’t know how good it is,” Javi said, and Foster’s grandmother nodded. “I didn’t mean to—” He faltered.
“Honesty is to be treasured, young man,” Grandma Katie said. “But if you want your life to get better, then you have to make it better.” She stared hard at Javi. “No one is going to hand anything to you. My husband bought this land and started the farm. He worked hard for years and years. I raised the children and took care of the house. I also learned how to make something out of nothing, especially the year the garden failed because it got washed away.”
“But how do I do that?” Javi asked. “It seems so hard.”
Grandma Katie sat back and shrugged. “If I had all the answers, I’d be rich and living the high life in New York. I don’t, but I can tell you that we had a plan. We started the farm with a few cows, hoping to raise enough to feed ourselves and get through from one year to the next. Then we built it up, bought more land, and put it to work. We did that again and again. Kids today want it all, and they want everything now.” She smiled and leaned closer to Javi, crooking her finger. “The secret that I can tell you is to start somewhere—start small, and build. That’s how Walmart started, Meijer, and every other big business you see. They didn’t start big—someone built them. And if you put your mind to it, that could be you.” Having said her piece, she sat back.
“It’s time for lunch,” his mother called.
Foster got up and noticed Javi waited for Grandma Katie and took her by the arm. Foster thought it sweet, and he wondered if she’d made an impression.
“What are your plans for the afternoon?” his mother asked once they’d all sat down and passed the sandwiches and salad.
“I’m going to check that the herd has food and water, then I’m going to take Javi back and make sure we can start cutting asparagus on Monday.” If the truth were told, he wasn’t in a hurry. He liked having Javi there and hoped they were becoming friends as well as… whatever their activities in the bedroom earlier meant. He hoped Javi liked him and that their being together wasn’t just sex for Javi. It was special for him, more than just sex. But they hadn’t had a chance to talk about it, and at the moment Foster wasn’t too sure he wanted to.
They ate their lunch, talking a little as they did. As soon as he was done, Foster excused himself. “I’ll meet you out in the yard when you’re done.” Javi stood. “Just finish eating and don’t be in a hurry. I’m going to check the girls, and then I’ll be right back. Then we can go.”
FOSTER MET Javi in the yard half an hour later, and they got in the truck. “You seem nervous.”
“I am, honestly. Sometimes when I come back, I don’t know what I’m going to find. Sometimes my father will be gone, other times he’ll be sitting around drinking. If he’s doing that, the kids will stay out of the way.” He turned to look out the side window.
“About earlier,” Foster said, getting up his courage. “That was really special.” He took one hand off the wheel, and Javi looked at it, smiled, and then slipped his hand into Foster’s.
“It was for me too.” Javi squeezed, but as Foster slowed, he pulled his hand away. Foster made the turn and pulled into the drive, then parked near a standalone awning. The van was gone, and Maria sat under the awning with Daniela and Ricky. Once he parked and they got out, the two kids surged over to them at a run, surrounding Javi, jumping and grinning.
“Do you remember Mr. Foster? I’ve been working with him, and on Monday we’re all going to start picking.” The kids were clearly less excited about that, and Javi went over to where his mother sat, working dough near a stove. They spoke softly in Spanish. Foster didn’t understand what they were saying, so he used that time to wander out into the field to look around.
He saw a number of stalks poking out of the ground—some ready to pick and others right behind them. By Monday they’d be ready for a first picking, and the second cutting a week later should work as well, as long as the weather cooperated.
“Is everything okay for Monday?” Javi asked.
“Looks perfect,” Foster said, looking around, and then turning back to Javi, where his gaze stopped.
“My mother asked about the clothes,” Javi said.
“I’ll bring yours back a little later.” Foster remembered that he’d forgotten to pay Javi for his work and pulled out his wallet.
“Just add it to what my family makes,” Javi said. He leaned closer. “Make sure you give the money to my mother. Dad won’t have the guts to ask for it that way.”
“Okay.” There was so much he wanted to ask, but now was not the time. “There’s a park just outside of town, and I was wondering if you’d like to go tomorrow. There are hiking trails and a creek that runs through it with bridges and things like that. Although it’s Saturday, I still have to milk and all, but we could go after that.” Foster hadn’t taken any time away from the farm since his father passed, and he deserved some time to himself.
“Are you sure there isn’t someone else you’d rather spend time with?” Javi asked.
“I think we’d have fun. But if you need to stay here, I’ll understand.”
Javi thought for a minute. “No. I’ll walk up to the farm and meet you at eight?” Javi asked.
“Good.” Foster grinned and bent to examine the shoots.
“Something wrong?” Javi asked when Foster seemed intent.
“No. But if someone is watching, they’ll think we’re talking crops.” He grinned and stood, excited that Javi had agreed to meet him.
“I’ll have to make sure it’s okay with my parents if I go with you,” Javi said, biting his lower lip and turning back to where his mother worked, his expression shifting to worry. “My mother doesn’t know where my father is.” He turned back to Foster. “He left this morning with the van, and she says he didn’t have work. She’s worried he’s drinking and then will drive back. Meanwhile, the awning is the only shelter they have. If it rains or gets windy….”
Jesus. What kind of man leaves his family alone with nothing but a flimsy bit of canvas? The kids seemed okay, but they stayed close in the shade for the most part. What really struck Foster was that there was almost nothing, just a couple of flimsy chairs and small tables. The kids didn’t have anything to occupy their time. They seemed completely at odds with everything around them, like they’d been stranded in the middle of the ocean. They were surrounded by fields instead of water, but still just as alone.
“They can come back to the farm,” Foster offered.
Javi hesitated, and Foster was about to repeat his offer when he saw the red van on the road. It slowed and made the turn into the field, then came to a stop near the awning. Ricky and Daniela greeted their father cautiously, and Foster followed Javi as he approached as well. Foster assumed they weren’t sure if he was drunk and were being cautious, but he wasn’t sure. The dynamic in the family seemed… off… somehow.
“Mr. Ramos,” Foster said as they approached. They shook hands. “I brought Javi back and wanted to check on the crop. Will you be ready to go on Monday?”
“Yes. We’ll be ready,” he answered. Foster didn’t smell anything on his breath, which he took as a good
sign. “What are these?” Mr. Ramos snapped, pointing to what Javi was wearing.
Foster answered before Javi got a chance. “He was working with me and got wet. I lent him some clothes while his dry.” Mr. Ramos’s expression softened, but his gaze still held an intense skepticism, and he kept watching Javi. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ll let you all have your lunch.” He wasn’t sure what was going on, but he knew he needed to get away.
Foster said good-bye to Javi as well as Mrs. Ramos before heading to his truck. He opened the door, leaning on it as he watched Mr. Ramos talking to his wife. He could hear the tone, which was firm, but didn’t seem angry, thank goodness, though the words in Spanish escaped him.
He got in the truck, turned it around, and drove out to the road. Maybe this whole thing with Javi was a bad idea. It seemed relations within his family were strained at best right now, and Foster was concerned that Javi having any sort of relationship with him would add to that strain. He could hear his father’s voice in the back of his head telling him that he was the boss and they were hired hands, and that he should keep his distance and not get involved. But the thought of staying away from Javi made his chest ache and his pulse race, and not in a good way.
Chapter 5
THE FOLLOWING morning, Foster got up early and finished his morning chores, grateful that the dairy came to take delivery of the milk first thing. His mother could oversee it, but Foster was glad that it was done. The herd was out in the pasture and they were content. The weather was nice enough right now, and things seemed to be going well. To his relief, the price of milk had gone up a little, so they were making a little more at the moment. That was a financial help, but it could change, or an unexpected expense could wipe out the gain at any time.
“Why do you keep looking out the window?” his grandmother asked after he turned for the tenth time to see if Javi was there.
“No reason,” he answered and went back to his breakfast, but he saw the way his mother and grandmother shared a look. He was really beginning to think Javi wasn’t coming. “It doesn’t matter.”
