The Outdoorsman's Son

by Daniel Elijah Sanderfer

  I snatched a fry from his plate and shrugged, “Then it is.”

  SECOND CONFRONTATION

  After lunch, we proceeded back to my house. I had been having so much fun with Derrick, that the impending doom poised to rain down on me like a summer storm had momentarily slipped my mind.

  I watched Derrick as he surfed the wind with his hand from the window of my pickup. His shaggy brown hair blowing off to the side as he rested his head and closed his eyes to bask in the warmth of afternoon sun.

  My heart sighed; if this is what being in love was like, then I never wanted the feeling to end. We pulled in to the driveway of the house, and I noticed dad still wasn’t home yet from the shop. I took the opportunity to blow the spark that surfaced between us earlier, hoping to ignite a fire.

  I know playing with fire is dangerous, but I had already been burned by Mindy, and I had nothing left to lose as I took his hand and we sprinted down past the old hay barn. We stopped just outside of the meadow, and he stared at me inquisitively, with expectant eyes.

  I knew at that moment he was my boy, and he would have followed me to the ends of the earth if that’s where I led him. But for now, I only wanted to find the shade of an old willow so we could explore one another's body, and I could taste him for the first time.

  I took a step forward and glanced behind me. Our eyes met, and I winked at him to assure him everything was safe. He hesitantly stepped forward and whined, “What are you waiting for?”

  I turned to him and mumbled, “I was waiting for you…my whole life.”

  His lips formed a smile, and we took off into the waves of soft golden prairie grass. It swayed in the wind like dancers spinning around a ballroom floor as we traveled ever deeper in until we couldn’t see the house behind us any longer.

  We laughed as we spun around in circles until we collapsed. I scrambled to catch him as he landed on top of me in a fit of giggles. I could feel his tummy vibrate as he rested on me. Suddenly a silence fell between us. The only sound was the whispers of the wind through the grass and the trees. I met his gaze, and our mouths remained suspended open in wanton desire. This time I was ready. I had never been more ready in my life as I was to taste him.

  Our bodies edged closer and closer until I could feel his warm breath on my face. I slid my hands into the back pockets of his jeans as he pushed his hips inward to meet mine; closing out the last few wayward rays of sunshine that were separating us. Then, like sky diving into the ocean, our lips met, and all the world around us stood still. His body melted into mine, and my eyes rolled to the back of my head from the intense pleasure.

  His cinnamon seasoned lips felt like fire on mine from the gum he had been chewing before we took off running through the meadow, and from this day on the very smell of cinnamon would take me back to the day he and I shared our first kiss and became men.

  The rays of the setting sun casting shadows across my face had awakened us from our slumber. I opened my eyes to find Derrick resting peacefully in my arms. I smiled thinking of how nice it was to feel the warmth of his body next to mine. But, I was worried about the time. I knew his parents would worry if he wasn’t home by nightfall, and I had to make sure I was in the house before dad got home from the shop.

  I had to think of a way to wake him up without startling him, but to be honest with you; I could have laid in that meadow all night with him nestled safely in my arms. I kissed his forehead, and he opened his sleepy eyes. They peered up at me, and he whispered, “Hey.”

  I smiled and replied, “Hey.”

  He lifted from my body and stretched, with a yawn he said, “What time is it?”

  I checked my watch and mumbled, “Almost 5:30 pm.”

  He whimpered, “Oh crap, I need to get home.”

  I nodded and stood from the ground, offering my hand to help him up. We walked hand in hand back to my pickup. I escorted him to the passenger's side, holding the door open for him to get inside, and he grinned at me, “Thank you, kind sir.”

  I snickered, and he was seated. Our eyes remained locked for a minute before he broke the silence by whispering, “I had a great day with you, Timothy.”

  “Me too,” I said with a smile, before closing his door and making my way around to the driver's side. On the way home, he snuggled up to my chest. For a minute I was too nervous to make a move, and finally, as if instinct kicked in; I put my arm around him, and something about it felt so right, knowing he was mine.

  We pulled up to his house, and his parents were waiting for him on the front porch. I hopped out and rushed to the passenger's side to hold the door open for him. I could see his mom smile at his dad with approval as Derrick stepped out and waved to them.

  Initially, I thought his dad looked kind of mad, but I realized he was just worried. I felt the need to address their concerns, so I shouted, “Hi Mr. and Mrs. Sowers sorry we’re late.”

  His dad nodded, “That’s alright Timothy; I can see he was in good hands.”

  Derrick lingered by the truck for a minute as I closed the door and started toward the driver’s side. He lifted his eyes from the ground, where he had been nervously tracing his foot through the dirt in anticipation of something. I knew what he wanted, but with his parents only a few feet away I was afraid.

  He sighed and started toward to porch before turning back to me and shouting, “See you tomorrow?”

  His mom quipped from the porch, “Oh for god sakes just kiss him goodnight already; his dinner is getting cold.”

  I felt a cheesy grin spread across my face as I promptly walked to where he was standing on the porch step. I leaned in and with a coy kiss on the cheek; his disappointed expression dispersed, and the smile I loved so much emerged.

  I tipped my baseball hat and muttered, “Good night,” as I made my way back to the pickup; I was so happy, genuinely happy. As I drove away, he stood there waving at me while his parents watched on cautiously.

  Even with the darkness that loomed ahead of me nothing could take me down from this high, and I as the sun drifted behind the corn fields I laughed, turned the music full blast in my truck and hit the gas leaving nothing but a dust trail behind me as I indulged in my own personal celebration. Now I knew how Derrick felt the day I asked him to come to the party.

  When I pulled up to the house, Dad had arrived and was making dinner as I entered the house. He turned to me and growled, “Where have you been?”

  I shrugged, “Nowhere just for a ride.”

  He arched his brow and sat his spatula down on the counter. “That’s not what I heard, Jeb Calloway said his daughter saw you fighting with Mindy, and that you left school earlier today after throwing your tray across the lunchroom.”

  I could feel the lump in my throat growing larger by the second as I searched for the words to reply. His tone changed, and he shouted, “You best be honest with me boy; I ain’t playing around. I want the truth, and I want it now. Bonnie Wiems husband said he saw you and Derrick making eyes over burgers at the Denny’s.”

  I could feel tears well up in my eyes, but I stiffened my upper lip and tried to hold them back as I replied, “We were just hanging out. I needed someone to talk to after fighting with Mindy.”

  He took a step toward me and growled, “Boys don’t go to lunch with other boys; there is something else going on here, and I know it.”

  I retorted, “We’re just friends dad.”

  He shouted again, “Bullshit, do you think I’m stupid?”

  I whimpered, “No sir!”

  I watched as his hand formed a fist and he continued, “So help me Timothy if I find out something is going on that's not right between you and that boy; you best hope Dan will let you stay with them because I didn’t raise no fag.”

  I erupted in tears as I shouted, “You don’t even know him.”

  He moved toward me, gripping the collar of my shirt in his hand and lifting me off the floor, “Tell me the truth right now, are you seeing this boy?”

  I struggled to
get away from him, but I just didn’t have the strength. His face moved in closer to mine as he shouted, “Answer me!”

  I whined, “Yes.”

  He sat me down on the floor, and before I could follow up with an explanation, I felt his fist catch my jaw. The blunt force of his iron fist sending me to the floor in pain. He stood over top of me shouting, “Get up, get up right now.”

  I coughed a few times, hoping I could muster up enough blood for him to have mercy on me, but instead he took the opportunity to kick me in the stomach. His voice boomed from anger, “I said get up!”

  I wept, my whole body convulsing as the force of tears streamed from my eyes. Before he could kick me again, I managed to grip the sides of the kitchen counter and pull myself up.

  I didn’t want to look him in the eye. All I could hear was the sound of his labored breathing. Finally, I shot him a defiant glare; blood dripping from the side of my mouth as I said, “No matter how hard you hit me, it will never change what I feel.”

  “Get out,” he said; his tone cold and distant as he stared at the wall.”

  I wanted to cry again, but instead, I ran toward the door, the screen door slamming hard enough behind me to crack the glass in the door. I started my pickup and shifted into gear, the screeching of my tires echoing throughout the empty holler as I sped from the driveway and into the night. I didn’t know where to go from here. I knew this confrontation was coming, but I didn’t expect it to come so soon; especially after such a fantastic day with Derrick.

  I glanced next to me, and in the passenger’s seat of my pickup was Derrick’s hoodie; The perfect tourniquet for my bleeding heart. I pulled to the side of the road and desperately reached to grab it, like an addict shooting up his drug of choice. I held the soft fabric to my face, and breathed in; his sweet essence still lingering within its fibers and I wept, longing for his body to be nestled to mine again.

  BACK TO DERRICK

  As we ate dinner, mom and dad bombarded me with questions on how my dad went with Timothy. I was still reeling in joy myself, so I didn’t mind talking about it, but dad looked at me with a half-hearted smile that said he was really uncomfortable.

  Mom wasn’t helping because the next thing she asked was, “So, did you have a first kiss?”

  Dad jumped up from the table with his plate and said, “Okay, that’s my cue to go watch TV and finish dinner in the living room.”

  Mom waved in dismissal at him, “Aw, suit yourself.”

  I hesitated for a moment before replying a humble, “Yes.”

  She squealed with glee, and I grinned from ear to ear. “That is wonderful baby; I am so happy you found someone.”

  I smiled again, “Thanks, mom.”

  Just as we were about to hug, a knock at the door interrupted our moment. I heard dad grumble as he made his way to answer it, “Who the heck could that be this late?”

  I glanced at mom, and she met my gaze. From the living room, I could hear dad say, “Hi Timothy, what brings you out here this late?”

  There was a deafening silence, and I immediately knew something was wrong. Mom and I stood and made our way to the door to see Timothy’s bruised and bloody lip. I pushed mom to the side as I shouted, “Timmy, what happened?”

  His lip quivered before mumbling, “Dad found out and kicked me out of the house.”

  My dad turned to mom and quipped, “Get the boy some ice honey.”

  Mom nodded and rushed back into the kitchen while dad stood there observing the way Timothy was standing; holding his ribs. My dad growled, “Did he literally kick you?”

  Timothy glanced at me confused for a moment before nodding yes. I was too emotional at this point to worry about what anyone thought. I needed to comfort my boyfriend. I buried my face in his chest and whined, “Are you okay?”

  His swollen lip formed a smile as I met his gaze and he replied, “I am now.”

  My dad shook his head, and my mom emerged beside him with the ice. He sighed as he turned to her, “Dale beat him up and kicked him out.”

  I glanced at mom from the safety of Tim’s arms. I could tell she was livid by how red her face was. Finally, she shouted, “Dan, I’m going down there and kicking his ass; he always was a bully even back in school.”

  Dad held up his hand in protest, “Nobody elses ass is getting kicked tonight. I will call him in the morning and let him know Tim is here.”

  Timothy shouted, “No, I don’t ever want to see that bastard again.”

  Dad sighed again, “Listen bud, we have to let him know where you are. I’ll tell you what, when I call him tomorrow if he blows me off then we won’t talk to him anymore. In the meantime, you can stay here; but I expect the same of you as I do Derrick. Home before nightfall, dinner at the table and no hanky panky.”

  Timothy shook his head and replied, “Yes sir.”

  I grinned at him, and he shot me a scornful glance, prompting me to separate from him and regain my composure. My mom took his hand and led him to the kitchen, “Let’s go get you cleaned up baby, and put some ice on that knot.”

  I attempted to follow them, but dad grabbed my arm and wagged his finger, “Listen here lover boy; I know you’re excited about Timothy staying here with us, but give the man some space. He is going through a lot right now, and you need to be supportive. A bunch of tongue swapping isn’t the answer.”

  I frowned at him, my signature wit wanted to reply, but I knew when my dad was being serious. So, I nodded respectively and then made my way to the kitchen to help mom. When I entered, Mom was gently patting his lip with a washcloth. As she did, he hissed from the sting of pain.

  She quipped, “You got to stay still sweetie.”

  He squirmed and protested, “But it hurts.”

  Mom sighed, “I know baby.”

  I watched their exchange from the kitchen table; staring at him with my head in my hands, and he met my gaze. His eyes were tired and sad; from the way he was looking at me, I realized he needed me just as much as I needed him.

  Once mom had finished doctoring his wounded face she turned to wash her hands and shouted, “Go ahead and take off that shirt so we can wrap those ribs.”

  He arched his brow at me, and I could feel a tinge of blush highlight my cheeks. I hadn’t seen him shirtless before, and I could tell he was nervous about me seeing him.

  She turned back to us with a roll of bandages in her hand and sighed again, “Now listen here Timmy; I can’t get you wrapped up if you don’t take off your shirt.”

  He poised his hands at the bottom; and glanced at me nervously, prompting me to ask, “What’s wrong?”

  He hesitated for a moment before replying, “I didn’t want your first time seeing my body all messed up.”

  Mom grinned and shook her head, “For goodness sakes, he doesn’t care about a few bruises.”

  He turned away and slowly lifted his shirt to reveal his beautiful torso. His perfectly defined abs were clouded with hues of black and blue from where his dad kicked him.

  Mom scanned the area, and carefully ran her hand across its surface to access the damage, “Well, it’s not as bad as it could have been, but you're still going to be sore for a while.”

  As she started to wrap him; I gazed upon his beautiful body with wonder. It was everything I dreamed it would be, and more. He met my gaze and flashed a coy smile, “What?”

  I shook my head and looked away with a grin, “Nothing.”

  Mom chuckled, “You two are just adorable.”

  He arched his brow at her and quipped, “Adorable?”

  She nodded in reply, “Yes, but all couples are when they are young.”

  Once she had finished wrapping him up, Timothy put his shirt back on, and she turned to put away the remainder of the bandage roll before taking a seat at the table. Dad entered with his plate, and she asked, “Did you get enough to eat dad?”

  Dad nodded, “Yep.”

  He turned to Timothy and asked, “Did you eat son?”

  Timo
thy diverted his eyes, “Didn’t get the chance to before dad threw me out.”

  Dad shook his head and turned his attention to mom, “Honey fix the boy something before we go to bed.”

  She stood, and made her way to the refrigerator where she had stored away leftovers of fried chicken and green beans she had made earlier. She shouted from the fridge, “Would you like a Coke Timmy?”

  He replied, “Yes please,” as she placed the Tupperware in the microwave and turned back to the fridge to grab one. She sat it on the table and kissed me, “We’re headed to bed, don’t stay up too late. Your father is going to need your help around the garage tomorrow.”

  I nodded with a smile, “Yes ma’am.”

  She turned to Timothy, “I’m sure Derrick had some PJ’s you can borrow. Dan will call your dad in the morning to at least let him know where you are.”

  Timothy huffed, “Like he cares.”

  Mom shook her head and turned the corner with a disdained, “Goodnight boys.”

  Dad lingered behind for a moment. He leaned against the kitchen sink and wagged his finger at me, “Remember what I said, son.”

  I nodded, but inside my mind, I was thinking that if Timothy made a move, I wasn’t about to keep my promise of abstaining, and when mom and dad were both gone we sat in awkward silence while we waited for his dinner to finish heating up.

  I stared numbly at the table, occasionally glancing at him to see what he was doing. He was staring toward the direction of the window deep in thought. I couldn’t resist asking, “What are you thinking about?”

  He met my gaze and took a ragged breath, “Just life, where do I go from here? What are my friends going to think when they find out about us?”

  I shrugged, “What do you care?”

  He arched his brow, “I’ll let that one slip by since you aren’t from around here.”

  I was slightly frustrated with his reply and responded, “What does it matter what anyone else thinks about you. They can’t live your life for you Timothy; you are the only person that can, and at the end of the day you have to be happy with the decisions you make. No one else can make them for you.”