Woodstock Gave Me You

by Walker, J. D. ;

  “Are you hungry?” Sullivan asked as he spread out the blanket. “I’ve heard rumors that there’s a free kitchen somewhere on the grounds.”

  How could he just…blurt out the fact that he was homosexual—and that he knew I was one, too—and then move on as if it hadn’t meant a thing? “Sullivan, what do you—”

  “Call me Sully,” he said with a cheeky grin that drew my eyes to the dimple in his chin.

  With difficulty, I focused on the issue at hand. “Fine. Sully, did you mean what you said back there, about you, you know…”

  “You betcha.”

  I swallowed. “Did you know right away that I was—”

  “Yup.”

  I closed my eyes. “Shit.” It wasn’t that I necessarily minded being known for what I was. I just didn’t want to get harassed for it, here, of all places.

  He touched me briefly on the shoulder. “It’s okay. It wasn’t that obvious, though I know all about stereotypes, and people might look at you and assume certain things because of your delicate, almost girlish features, curly blond hair and bright green eyes, along with your slender build.” Great.

  “But then, I’ve met men who’re twice my size and wear dresses so…” Sully continued, unaware of my dismay. “I try not to judge. I have a sixth sense for men like me, but it was the way you didn’t look at all the nude and semi-nude chicks that are all around us that finally clued me in. One babe was even trying to get you to dance with her last night, but you got this scared expression on your face.”

  I’d been terrified, actually. “Oh.”

  “Yeah, oh. We okay now?” he asked, his eyes soft on mine.

  “Totally. I just…well, you took me by surprise, you know?”

  “I do that to people. You’ll get used to it.” He gave me a confident grin. “So, you want food?”

  “I’ve got some fruit here. You go ahead.”

  He slapped me on the back, almost sending me to the ground. “See ya in a bit.”

  While Sullivan—Sully was gone, I sat on the ground and watched everyone around me in a daze. It was getting closer to show time on the second day of the festival, and the air was electric with excitement.

  I never thought I’d meet a kindred spirit of the male kind here, and I was overcome. Whether or not anything would happen between us, I wanted to get to know all I could about Sully Conyers in this brief moment in time.

  It took him a while to return to our spot, by which time I’d finished an apple and an orange. “The lines were pretty long,” he said. “Eventually, I got to eat some cold eggs and toast. Here you go.” He handed me a muffin. “I thought you might like that. It’s apple cinnamon.”

  Far out.

  “Thanks,” I said as I took it from him, letting my fingers linger for a second or two. Now that I knew he was like me, I felt free to make my interest known. I glanced at his chest. It was coated with perspiration from the heat of the day, making my mouth water.

  “Stop that,” he admonished quietly, as he sat next to me. I could tell he wasn’t really serious, though. “Time enough for playing around later, if that’s what you want.”

  Absolutely!

  “I definitely wouldn’t mind doing so…somewhere private.” I never shied away from an opportunity for getting to know a guy intimately. Had to start somewhere, I figured. My temporary spike of excitement dwindled as I took in our surroundings. “Might be hard to do.” I took a bite of my muffin. Mm, good.

  “Never fear. I have a plan.” He gave me a devious smile as he leaned back on his elbows.

  “I’ll take your word for it,” I replied between bites. “Hopefully the ‘flying, fickle finger of fate’ won’t get in our way.”

  Sully threw his head back and guffawed. “I love Laugh-In.” He calmed down a little and added “That Alan Sues, you know he’s a homo.”

  I finished my muffin and brushed the crumbs from my hands. “And you know this because…”

  His stare was incredulous. “The way he acts! I mean, what non-homo really behaves like that?”

  “He’s over-the-top, I’ll give you that, but just because he’s outrageous doesn’t make him ‘one of us,’“ I whispered.

  “Sure it does. But it’s because he’s outrageous that he gets away with it. People think it’s funny. It’s the perfect disguise.”

  Perhaps he had a point. “Maybe.” I sat forward and wrapped my arms around my knees. “I suppose we need to include Paul Lynde as Uncle Arthur in Bewitched.”

  Sully chuckled. “Definitely!” Right then, I heard music from the speakers. I strained my eyes to see dots moving around the stage. An announcer introduced a band called Quill.

  * * * *

  By the time Santana started up, Sully and I were on our feet again. Everyone around us was dancing, and it didn’t matter that the day was steaming hot, or the stage had broken down earlier.

  What mattered was that I had a new friend, with the potential for more. I kept thinking of a song by The Lovin’ Spoonful called “Summer in the City.” The lyrics—with the exception that we were on a farm and not in the city—seemed to mirror my feelings at this very moment. Sully grinned at me before taking the hand of the girl next to him and twirling her around.

  While she squealed and laughed up at him, he kept his eyes on me, letting me know that he wished it was me in his arms instead of her. My heart fluttered at this display of interest, but I kept my cool.

  By the time the Grateful Dead came on stage, I needed a shower. Sully had gone to get us some food earlier in the evening in addition to what we’d brought with us, so at least I wasn’t starving. I had water with me, which I drank liberally. But I felt gritty.

  “How were the lines at the facilities earlier?” I asked, my flashlight under my arm as I searched for my towel and a bar of soap.

  “Pretty damn long,” he said. “Some of the shower stands are out of order, too. The water seems to be running real slow. You might as well go dip in the lake.”

  “Well, that’s a pisser.” It was nighttime, and I didn’t feel like going there by myself, even with my flashlight.

  Sully probably picked up on my trepidation, because he said, “Don’t worry. We’ll leave our blankets here, get someone to keep an eye out, and I’ll go with you.”

  “But what if…”

  “No ‘buts.’“ Sully turned to his left. “Hey, Shelly,” he said to the girl he’d danced with most of the evening. “Can you watch our blankets, please? I’ll get you breakfast in the morning,” he offered with a sweet smile. That voice of his made me want things.

  I couldn’t see her expression, but she probably rolled her eyes. “Come on, Sully,” she said. “Breakfast is free. But I’ll do it anyway since you’re such a gas, sweetheart.”

  “Thanks, honey.” He turned back to me. “See? All taken care of. Let’s go!”

  I grabbed what I needed and followed him in the darkness with his flashlight leading the way.

  * * * *

  Sunday, August 17, 1969

  By the time we found the water, some chick name Joplin was wailing away at the microphone. But my mind was suddenly focused on the fact that we were alone here. Most folks were too busy doing other things—or afraid of creepy crawlies, like me—to hang out here too long. Which definitely worked in our favor.

  Sully and I stashed our stuff in the bushes again and stripped naked. He left his flashlight on the ground and I followed him into the lake. It was cool, and felt damn good on my overheated skin.

  “Want me to wash your back?” he asked in a low voice. There was very little ambient light, but I could hear the smile in his voice.

  “Only if you let me wash yours,” I replied, just as softly.

  “Deal.”

  I reached out to touch Sully, and he grabbed my hand to pull me into his arms. I almost lost my grip on the bar of soap as the water sloshed around us.

  “Relax, man. I’ve got you.” Sully took the soap from me and dipped his hand in the water. He lathered m
y upper body thoroughly, then washed between my ass cheeks. My hole fluttered, but he didn’t breach it. He left my penis for last, and it grew hard under his expert fondling.

  “Dip down into the water, honey,” he whispered to me, and I complied. I felt wonderfully clean, and my body adored his touch.

  Now it was his turn. “Give me the soap,” I said. Sully found my hand and closed my fist over it.

  I loved the feel of his hard muscles, firm thighs, and buttocks. I found his cock, already heavy in my hand and growing thicker by the second, as I ran the soap over his flesh.

  Once I cleaned everywhere I could reach, he dunked himself into the water, while I quickly got out, placing the soap beside the flashlight.

  “Wanna fool around?” I asked, once I returned. I ran a finger down the middle of his chest.

  “Try and stop me,” he replied. “Let’s go a little farther into the water, though, closer to the bushes. That way, we’ll have a little privacy in case someone else gets it in their head to go skinny dipping.”

  Sully took my hand and we waded to the spot he had in mind. We were now waist deep in the lake. I could feel stones and something squishy under my feet, but that paled against the promise of the next few minutes.

  Once we stopped, I pulled Sully into me and ran my hands up his neck to grab his head. I brought it down and tasted his lips for the first time. I’d been kissed a few times before, but usually it was just a prelude to getting nailed.

  Sully made an art out of it, and my mouth tingled. I dropped my hands to his shoulders as I let him take over, his tongue playing with mine, his hands cradling my face. I had never felt so special. The darkness made it seem like we were in our own little world.

  “Sully,” I whispered against his lips. “I…”

  “Shh,” he said. “Let me make love to you. I’ve been dreaming about it since I first laid eyes on you.” So I did.

  The water moved gently around us as Sully ran a hand down my spine to grip my ass in one of his large hands.

  “Mm,” I said, letting my head fall back as he kissed down my neck. “That feels so good.”

  Sully hummed against my throat as he placed both hands on my butt and squeezed. He lifted me up, and I felt owned and possessed by him, even though he hadn’t even fucked me yet.

  “I want to touch your dick,” I said hoarsely, my mouth dry.

  “Go ahead.”

  I kept one hand on his shoulder and dipped the other one in the water to circle his cock.

  “Oh, that’s good,” he said on a moan when I pumped him slowly, keeping my hand tight as I moved up and down.

  “Shh,” I said and brought his head down again so I could keep his lips busy. I kept up a steady rhythm, the water a helpful lubricant as I felt him grow even harder under my ministrations.

  He began pushing into my fist in earnest, his breathing labored. I moved a little bit away to ask, “Do you want to finish like this, or inside me?”

  Sully didn’t lose his rhythm as he answered, “Like this. We’ll do more later, if you want.”

  Yes, I want.

  With that, he reached into the water and grabbed my cock and placed it next to his. Together, we jacked each other off, his hand over mine, and though spit would have been better, this was more than enough.

  I kissed him as I went over, muffling the ecstasy I felt. Sully was close behind me, and he moaned into my mouth as he came.

  It was too dark to see what our semen looked like as it was washed away in the water, but I was glad to know that something of our union was here in this lake.

  * * * *

  When we got back to our spot in the field, Shelly and some of her buddies were sitting on our blankets. I supposed that was one way to make sure our stuff didn’t disappear. We thanked her, and settled back into our space.

  Sully and I rolled out our sleeping bags to prepare for sleep. I noted the strong smell of weed and something else around us. Turned out that Shelly’s buddies were big time stoners. They offered us a joint. I declined, feeling high enough on life already. Sully took a hit.

  The music kept on going, and I lay down, staring up at the stars while zoning out on the bliss I’d experienced just now in the lake. Who knew I’d meet someone like Sully here at the festival?

  It was definitely an added bonus to find a friend, and maybe more. I wondered what he felt about the whole thing. I turned my head to see what my new, intimate buddy was doing. I could just make out his body as he moved to the rhythm of the music.

  I wanted to reach out and touch him, feel the muscles tense and release. Hopefully we’d have a chance at more than a hand job in the near future.

  While I was grooving to Sly and the Family Stone, my eyes drifted closed. I awoke a little while later to find the tarp covering us again, and Sully close by in his sleeping bag.

  “Sorry, buddy. Didn’t mean to wake you,” he whispered.

  “That’s okay.” I yawned wide enough to crack my face. “Did it start to rain, or something?”

  “Naw. I used the possibility of showers as an excuse to give us a little privacy.” I could hear the grin in his voice.

  “You dog, you.” I unzipped my bag a little so I could take out my hands. “I want to kiss you.”

  Sully obliged by leaning closer. His lips tasted as good as I remembered. We stayed like that for a while, another band on stage as we created our own little world in the middle of a field in Bethel.

  “You’re a good kisser, Laramie,” he whispered, right before he nipped at the tip of my nose.

  “You have the best lips I’ve ever savored.” And then I yawned again.

  “Tired, huh?” he asked.

  “A bit. Sorry to ruin the mood.”

  He chuckled. “Don’t you worry about that. We’ll find a way to be together later. You’re not getting away that easily.”

  With that, Sully nuzzled my forehead and tucked me back into my sleeping bag. “Sweet dreams.”

  I mumbled a response, but I couldn’t remember anything else after that.

  * * * *

  I awoke again just after another band—Jefferson Airplane, as I found out later—started its set at seven o’clock in the morning.

  “Hello, gorgeous,” Sully whispered to me, and I couldn’t help but smile. What a wonderful way to greet the day, though I was the furthest thing from a morning person.

  “Hey there, hot stuff.” I stretched a little and sat up, tenting the tarp with my head.

  “You ready to get some sunshine?” he asked, his grin devilish.

  No. “As if I could stop you.”

  “Here goes!” Sully sat up and yanked the tarp down. Ouch! My hand flew up to protect my eyes from the sun. It was bright.

  “Jesus.” I rubbed my face and tucked my hair behind my ears. I watched as Sully folded up the tarp, and then his bedroll.

  “You still got food?” he asked as he checked his own reserves.

  “My sandwiches are gone, but I still have some fruit, and water.”

  “Well, you need something a bit more substantial than that. Why don’t I get us both something?”

  “I’d appreciate that. And remember Shelly.”

  “Yeah, you promised me food!” I turned my head to see the girl in question doing yoga stretches next to us in her bikini.

  “Sure thing, honey.” Sully stood and placed his hands on hips as he looked back and forth between us. “Either of you vegan or vegetarian?”

  “Meat rules, man,” Shelly said right before she did a backbend.

  “Same here,” I added. I’d tried being a vegan one year. Failed to stick to it after a day.

  “Okay.”

  Right after Sully left to go get us food, the band stopped playing, and we were told there’d be a break until early afternoon.

  I decided to join Shelly as she contorted her body. It was something I also did in my apartment before heading out to work. It relaxed me, and, being naturally slender, I found it easy to get into some of the more adv
anced positions I’d learned from a book.

  After a few minutes, some of the other people around us joined in, and pretty soon, we had over fifty bodies stretching and straining together on this beautiful Sunday morning. There were still a fair number of people zonked out on the ground, but the scene had an eerie beauty to it. By the time Sully came back, Shelly and I were finishing up.

  “Breakfast is served,” Sully announced as he handed a paper plate to Shelly and one to me. He had great balance, apparently, since I knew I would have spilled everything on the ground had I tried to carry three plates at once.

  “Thanks, babe. We worked up an appetite, didn’t we, Laramie?” She winked at me and dug in.

  Sully lifted an eyebrow. “Did I miss something?”

  I rolled my eyes. “No, she’s just being silly. We did some yoga, and a bunch of people joined in.”

  “Man, I would have loved to have seen that.” He winked at me and munched his way through his food.

  I chuckled and nudged his leg. “Maybe tomorrow morning.” Then I whispered, “I can give you a private showing later, if you want.”

  “I’ll hold you to that,” he whispered back.

  * * * *

  As it was only ten o’clock in the morning once we were done, Sully and I sprawled on the blankets with our bedrolls as pillows. We were both shirtless because it was way too hot to do otherwise. Plus, I only had one clean shirt left, and I wanted to wear it home. We spent the time until the start of the next band getting to know each other better.

  “So you have two sisters?” I asked.

  He turned on his side to face me, propping his head on his hand. “Tammy and Patrice. They share an apartment back in Frisco. Our parents are pretty old, and they retired to Arizona. Not too far away to visit, at least. They also said something about ‘not understanding the ways of the younger generation.’ We’re all degenerates, didn’t ya know?”

  “Why yes, I did.” I glanced around me and noticed someone with a sign that read, Acid for $1.00. I chuckled. “You ever try LSD?”

  Sully scratched his chin. “Nah. One of my sisters did, though. She said it was a trip she wouldn’t mind repeating.”