Moon Over Manhattan

 by: Hankster

© 2020 by the author

The author retains all rights. No reproductions are allowed without the author's consent. Comments are appreciated at...

hankster@tickiestories.us

-1-

Sitting on his terrace, in his upscale condo on the upper east side of Manhattan, Alejandro (Alex) Ramirez was gazing at the nearly full moon.  As an account executive at one of Manhattan’s largest advertising agencies, his life was busy and hectic.  It was a rare and meditative moment for him to be sitting idly, and gazing at the moon.  He wondered if his cousin, and best friend, Raimondo (Ray) Ramirez, was looking at the same moon back in his home town of Florida City, FL.  He began to think about, and yearn for Ray. 

They had been lovers once.  He thought back to the first time they made love; not the boyhood fumbling type that they had indulged in early on, but the real love, the man to man love.   He could almost feel Ray’s body against his, and he began to cry.

Life had taken them so far apart.  Alex knew that they might never see each other again.  He was sad about that, of course, but sadder yet was the belief that he would never love again.  His depression deepened when he believed that he would have to depend on one-night stands, until his youth and beauty were gone.  What then?  A lonely old age.

Alex’s melancholy brought him to tears.

*****

Alex and Ray’s fathers were brothers.  As teen-agers, the brother’s stole a motorized boat one night in Havana Harbor, and they began the arduous and dangerous trek to the shores of Florida.  They didn’t tell their parents about their plans.  They knew they’d be furious.   They loaded several cans of gasoline aboard.  They also took nothing with them, but some food and water.  They began their journey in mid-winter when the seas in this part of the world were at the calmest, and storms least likely to occur.   

The distance to Florida was much greater than the two boys were aware of.  By the third day out, they had run out of food and water, and only had a half can of fuel left.

About five days out they were cold, thirsty, hungry and despairing.   They finally saw land ahead, but instead of elation, they were disheartened.  Carlos and Marco expected to see Miami skyscrapers, but all they saw was a sandy beach and palm trees.   They erroneously concluded that they had accidently landed on some Caribbean Island.  In truth, they had landed on one of the very many small Florida Keys.  They were at the upper end of the island chain.

They abandoned the boat and crossed the beach.  On the other side, they saw a paved highway, and began to walk north.  They were surprised at how busy the road was.  On the other hand, they were delighted to see that most of the autos bore Florida license plates, and there was a smattering of other state licenses as well. 

The heavy traffic forced them to hug the side of the highway.  They would have attempted to hitch-hike, but they spoke no English, and they were too insecure to thumb a ride.  About two miles up, they saw a road sign indicating that Miami was thirty miles ahead.  Although they didn’t know a word of English, the sign was self-evident in any language.  The two young men smiled at each other and hastened their pace.  They weren’t lost after all.  The only problem they had now was trying to figure out how many kilometers were in thirty miles.

They had no food and water, and they didn’t have a nickel between them.  Once they reached the southern tip of Miami-Dade County, they were happy to see many signs in Spanish, and many Spanish named businesses and bodegas.  They decided to enter one of the bodegas, hoping that the owner would be a countryman, who would take pity on them, and feed them.

They found the proprietor, and told him their story.  He was more than sympathetic.  Years earlier, he had arrived in the USA the same way they did.  He not only fed them, but he offered them shelter in the back room of the grocery.  In return they helped in the store.  The owner was very old and infirm, and he begged them to remain and help him out.  They couldn’t say no.  Not only were they doing a good deed, but they were fast learning the retail grocery business. As an added bonus, it gave them the time to learn the English language, at least, enough to get by.

They always intended on continuing on to Miami as soon as possible, but the days kept flying by, and before they knew it, they had been working for the old man for five years. They had both married, and had their own apartments now.  The first born of each of them was a boy.  Marco named his son, Alejandro and Carlos named his son, Raimondo.

One day, the old man collapsed in the store, and died.  He had no heirs, and no family.  He had left them all behind in Cuba.  Not knowing what to do, the two immigrants gave him a good burial, and they just took over the store.  They found a suitable new location, and expanded the small market into a mini mart.  That was so successful, they opened a supermarket in an even larger location.  It mainly featured ethnic Latino food.  By the time their eldest sons were teen agers, the family owned several supermarkets in Miami-Dade County and one in Fort Lauderdale in neighboring Broward County.

Alex and Ray were very well off.  It seemed to everyone that they had the world by the tail, but they each harbored a secret.  They were both gay.  They knew about each other, but feared that their very strict religious parents would learn the truth about them.

Not only were Alex and Ray gay, but they were lovers.   They often had sleep overs when they were young boys, and they slept in the same bed.  They started out by fondling and masturbating each other.  As they got older and more sophisticated, they tried oral and anal sex.  They loved it, and they realized that they were gay.  They vowed someday, to have their own place, and live together for the rest of their lives.

The first test of their vows occurred when they were college seniors at Florida State University in Tallahassee.  They roomed together off campus, and made love almost every night.  Ray was looking forward to going home, and joining the family business.  Alex wanted none of it.  In spite of all their pledges to live their lives together, Alex got a job in a New York City ad agency.  Ray begged him not to go, but Alex was determined to explore life, and get away from his very provincial, suffocating roots. 

The night before Alex left for New York, the cousins made love all night.  They sucked each other back and forth, diligently delaying their orgasms, until finally, they came spontaneously.  After they recovered, they fucked each other twice.  They fell asleep, clinging together and crying.

They promised to visit each other often, but life got in the way, and they rarely saw each other.  Ray remained in the closet, but Alex came out.  He had a boyfriend, but they didn’t live together.  After he came out, he was no longer welcome at home, and didn’t even go home for Christmas.  The two cousins saw less and less of each other.

The supermarket chain was named Alray Markets, a combination of the names of the two eldest sons of the owners.  The corporate office of the chain was located in a Miami office building, complete with a large clerical staff. 

One day the unthinkable happened.  After the office was closed, Ray, who still lived with his parents, brought a trick to the office.  He entertained all his tricks there.  The doors were securely locked, and the two naked men were making out on a sofa in the reception room.

Ray’s father, Carlos, had forgotten some legal papers in the office.  He had to bring them to the company’s attorney in the morning, so he decided to pick them up this evening, instead of having to rush early the next day.  He entered the office, and caught his son about to be fucked by some stranger.  The overly religious man kicked Ray out of his house, and out of the business, that very night.

“Go live with your faggot cousin in New York,” were his final words to his son.  As if to emphasize, humiliate, and punish his son even further, he spat out those words in Spanish.

-2-

Two years earlier, Alex met Bill Thompson at his favorite gay bar in Greenwich village.  The minute he laid eyes on the handsome WASP he was stricken.  Bill was everything he was not.  He was blond and blue eyed.  His six feet, two-inch frame was toned and husky.   Alex had always wished he had been born as a tall, handsome WASP.  He was totally intimidated by the All-American hunk sitting next to him.

Alex was five feet, ten-inches.  He had dark brown hair and eyes, and a honey-toned complexion.  He wore his hair long, around his ears.  It gave him a more youthful appearance.  He spent a lot of time in the gym, and he was just as hunky as Bill, so he shouldn’t have been so intimidated.  Alex may have been smitten with Bill, but Bill was even more smitten by the handsome, young Latino.

It was fortunate that Bill made the first move.  Alex could not fathom that this handsome All-American boy would be interested in him.  He had no idea how desirable he was.  He had a terrible inferiority complex because of his ethnicity, and he wallowed in the desire to be the WASP that Bill was.

They were seated next to each other at the bar.  Bill turned to Alex.  He stuck out his hand for Alex to shake.  “How ya doin?” he asked.  “My name’s Bill.”

How ya doin? Alex thought.  Not only was Bill the ideal WASP he longed to be, he was a New Yorker, and Alex was a country hick.

“I’m doing fine, and my name’s Alex,” he got up the courage to respond.

“Do you come here often?” Bill asked.

“As often as time allows.”

“I hope you don’t mind my being so forward, but I just moved to New York from Minneapolis.  This is my first time in any New York bar,” Bill apologized unnecessarily.

“You could have fooled me.  When you introduced yourself, you sounded like a real New Yorker, which I am not,” Alex laughed.

Bill seemed more relaxed now.  “I was trying to sound very New York,” he said.  “I don’t know why.  If you aren’t from here, where do you hail from?”

“Suburban Miami,” Alex said simply. Then he added, “Florida City, specifically.  If you go south of that you’re in The Keys.”

“So,” Bill joked, “while I froze my ass off every winter, you were basking in the sunshine.”

Suddenly, Bill jumped up and grabbed Alex’s hand.  “A table just opened up.  Come with me,” he said.  He ran them to the table.

For the next three hours, they talked and talked.  Neither could tell you what they talked about, but in that short time, they knew all about each other.  Bill knew as much about Alex, as Ray did back in Miami.  They both knew something even more important.  They knew they would sleep together that night.  All during their conversation, they were groping each other under the table.

They ended up going to Alex’s apartment.  Bill had rented an apartment in Greenwich Village, but he couldn’t occupy it for another week.  He was staying at a motel near La Guardia Airport.  When he landed in New York, he didn’t know the first thing about the city, so he booked the first motel he saw from his rental car.  His belongings were in storage until he had an address to send them to.

When they entered Alex’s apartment, they gave each other their first kiss.  It wasn’t very passionate, but passion would come later.

“So, you’re moving to The Village,” Alex said.  “Real estate is very pricey there.  What do you do for a living?”

“I’m a lawyer.  After I came out, most of my friends didn’t want anything to do with me, and my folks said that I wasn’t welcome in their home anymore.  I knew I had to get out of Minneapolis, so I begged for a transfer to our New York office.  It took about a year, but voila, here I am.”

“For what it’s worth, I’m glad you’re here,” Alex said, and he laid his hand on Bill’s.

“What’s your story?” Bill asked.  “Why did you leave Florida City?”

“My family owns a chain of super markets in Miami-Dade County, and one in Ft Lauderdale.  My cousin Ray and I were the heirs apparent, but it wasn’t what I wanted to do.  After college, Ray went home to assume his duties, and I came to New York.  I lined up my job with my firm on the internet, even before I left Florida.  Now, I’m putting in ten-hour days and eking out a living, while Ray is probably basking in the sun, putting in five or six easy hours at the office, and living like a king.”

“Are you sorry you gave up your inheritance?”

“Not for one second.  I love my life, and I’m doing well.  I’m doing much better than most first generation Cuban-Americans that I know of.  Besides, I have no inheritance.  My folks disinherited me after I came out.  It’s no big deal.  I have three younger brothers they can leave the business to.”

“Let’s stop talking,” Bill said.  “You are the hottest guy I have ever laid my eyes on.  I can’t wait to see you naked.  Let’s make love.”

Alex would have expected Bill to say, “Let’s have sex, or let’s fuck.”  He was surprised that he said, “Let’s make love.”

They stripped rapidly, and examined themselves closely.  Neither man was cut.  Bill was about four inches flaccid, but as he stared at Alex, he grew to about seven very fat inches.  Alex was about three and a half inches flaccid.  He too was growing rapidly to about six and a half inches.  They were both strong, muscular men. 

“Let’s shower,” Alex urged, and he led Bill into his bathroom.  They soaped each other generously in all the important places.  Bill started to drop to his knees, but Alex stopped him.

“No,” he said, “not here, not in the shower.  Let’s make love in a dry bed.  It’ll be more comfortable and infinitely more enjoyable.”

After they were dried off, Alex fell on his bed first.  Bill followed him in what was a sixty-nine position, and Alex stopped him again.

“I don’t want to play sixty-nine,” he said.  “When I’m down on you, I want to give you all my attention without distractions, and I want the same consideration.”

Bill smiled.  “You’re on.  I like your way better.”

They were up all-night making love.  At first, they just fondled each other and kissed.  The kisses got exceptionally passionate.  When they performed fellatio, they each gushed into each other’s mouths, and both men drank their cum as if it were champagne.  Finally, they fucked each other.  In fact, they fucked twice, once in the missionary position and once doggie style.

In the wee hours of the morning, they were finally satisfied.  Each man had cum three times.

In the weeks ahead, they dated often, but they were not exclusive at first.  One day, about six months after they met, Bill noted that they were being monogamous, and they were willing to admit to each other that they were in love.  This was a huge admission on Alex’s part.  He thought he would never love again.

It made sense for Bill to give up his rental, and move into Alex’s condo.  Unfortunately, neither man was willing to give up their homes and their independence just yet.  However, you can’t keep going back and forth between apartments every night; it’s too tiring and stressful.  Finally, after another few months passed, they agreed to live together, and decided that Bill would move into the condo.

On the very day Bill was due to move in with him, Alex got a call in his office from Ray.  He was surprised because he hadn’t heard from Ray in months.

“Hi, Cuz,” he answered cheerily.  How are things?”

“Not good,” Ray said, and he proceeded to tell Alex how his father had caught him with another man, and kicked him out of his house and his business.  He didn’t ask Alex, he just stated matter of factly, “I’m on my way to New York.  We’ll be together again.”

Alex was shocked, but he finally said, “You can stay with me, but you’ll have to camp out on my sleep sofa.  I only have one bedroom, and I have a partner.”

“You have a partner?” Ray asked in disbelief.

“What did you expect?  I didn’t think we’d ever see each other again,” Alex said defensively.  “And Ray, just so you know, Bill and I are very much in love.”

“Okay then, I’ll stay at the Y,” Ray said in resignation.

“Don’t be foolish.  You’ll stay with us, until you get a job and a place of your own.  Bill and I will help you get settled.”

Ray wanted to say, “thanks,” but he was too distraught.  He himself had plenty of sex.  Why was he so upset with Alex?   All he said was, “I’m driving up.  I’ll call you when I get close.”

“Sure,” Alex said, “I can’t wait for you to meet Bill,” but he didn’t mean a word of it.  His blood was boiling over with mixed emotions.

-3-

As soon as he hung up on Ray, Alex called Bill to give him a heads up.  “Where are you at?” he asked.

“I’ve just brought the last of my stuff into your apartment,” he said.

“Our apartment,” Alex corrected him.  “Look, something has come up.  Can you come over to my office this afternoon, and we’ll have dinner out?  I have something important to discuss with you.”

“You’re dumping me,” Bill said, and he wasn’t kidding.

“That stupid remark doesn’t even warrant an answer,” Alex said.  “Please meet me for dinner.”

“Sure.  I’ll meet you at your office at five, and we can have a drink before we eat.  Where do you want to go?”

“Someplace very quiet.”

It was early when they entered the restaurant for dinner, and they were able to get a table in a dark corner.

“So,” Bill asked, “what do you want to talk to me about?”

“I’m sorry, Bill, I know you just moved in today, but tomorrow or the day after, we’re getting a visitor.”

“Is it a guy?”

“Yes.”

“Where will he sleep?’

“On the sleep sofa,” Alex said with a deep sigh.

“Who is it?”

“It’s my cousin Ray, from back home.”

“Your cousin!  That’s terrific.  Why all the mystery?”

Alex took a deep breath.  “Because we used to be lovers,” he said, hardly above a whisper.

Bill looked shocked.  “Where does that leave us?” Bill asked.  “You said that you used to be lovers.  Is that statement definitely past tense?”

“Of course, it is, but I’m afraid of what might happen when I see him.”

Bill stood up.  He was more than upset by Alex’s last remark. 

“The biggest mistake I ever made in my life was moving in with you,” he said.  “My lease isn’t up for another two weeks, and the charity I donated my furniture to, hasn’t come for it yet.  Maybe I can get my apartment back.  I’ll stay in a hotel tonight, and start moving out tomorrow.  With luck, I’ll be gone before your cousin arrives.”

“Please, don’t do this.  I love you.  We can introduce Ray to some of our friends.  Maybe, he’ll find his Romeo.  I found mine.  Please, don’t leave me in anger.  You’re my whole life.  I won’t be able to live without you.  Bear with me.  If it doesn’t work out, I’ll ask him to leave.”  Alex kept ranting on, and pleading and pleading with Bill not to run off.

Bill was somewhat reassured and he sat back down.  “You told me that he was heir apparent to the super market chain.  How come he’s moving to New York?”

“It’s the old story.  His dad caught him with a man.  He not only divorced him from the family, but from the business as well.”

“Well, I guess I can be more compassionate for a man whose story is the same as ours.”

‘Thanks, Bill.  You’re a prince.  Now let’s have a nice meal.”

When they got home after dinner, they opened the sleep sofa, and put on linens, a blanket, and a pillow.  Then they went into their bedroom for the first night of their living together.  They made love all night, and they both called in sick the next day.

Ray arrived on a Saturday afternoon.  It was at least two days after he was expected.  He was lucky enough to find street parking, not far from the apartment building.  The three men unloaded the car rapidly.  Alex and bill had cleared space for Ray’s stuff in the front hall closet.  They also picked up a small dresser from Ikea.  Neither was handy, but they managed to put it together, and stand it in the living room near the sleep sofa.  They were pleased with their preparations, but Bill thought, I hope Ray doesn’t get the impression that he can stay forever.

When everything was in place the three men relaxed at the kitchen table.  “What took you so long to get here?” Alex asked.

“I ran into some very heavy rain.  I couldn’t even see the rear lights of the car in front of me, so at the first opportunity, I decided to pull into a motel.  As luck would have it the desk clerk was really hot, and I fucked him that night after he got off duty.  He was fantastic, and I decided to stay an extra day.”

Bill was feeling a lot better, and he stopped worrying about Alex and Ray’s former relationship.

“We’ll close the sleep sofa tomorrow morning, so we can sit in the living room,” Ray said.

“Are you tired or would you like to go out tonight, Ray?” Alex asked.  “It’s Saturday night.”

“I’m raring to go.  Rumor has it that New York has a fantastic gay night life.”

“Good,” Bill said,” we’ll take you to our favorite bar, and introduce you to our friends.”

Ray never slept on the sleep sofa that night.  He went home with a trick who was one of Bill’s friends.  His name was Jimmy.

“I didn’t know that your cousin was such a player,” Bill said.  “I guess I didn’t have to worry after all.”

“You didn’t have to worry even if he wasn’t a player.”

They also had no idea how resourceful Ray was.  By Tuesday morning, he had an interview with Gristedes Supermarkets in their corporate office.  “Boy,” Alex said, “he sure has changed, and for the better.”

Thanks to a hot, gay personnel director, Ray got the job.  The two of them slept together the very night of his interview, assuring complete job security.  He and his cousins found him a nice one-bedroom rental apartment nearby his office.  He moved out of Alex and Bill’s condo as soon as he could take occupancy of his apartment.

-4-

Once again, Ray had life by the balls.  He had an executive position, with a generous salary, an apartment of his own, and almost more sex than even he could handle.  After about two years of this hedonism, Ray begin to reconsider his life.  He was thirty-two years old, and single.  He saw how happy and content Alex and Bill were, and he began to envy them.  For some unexplained reason, he believed that if he hung out with them more, their contentment might rub off on him.

One Sunday, very early in the morning, Ray called his cousins.  He didn’t ask them, he told them, that he was coming over to take them out to brunch, and then he was going to hang out with them the rest of the day.  Alex and bill had planned on staying home and making love all day.  What could they do?  They showered, got dressed, and waited for Ray. 

This became a habit with Ray.  At the expense of his own social life, he spent all his free time hanging out with Bill and Alex.  They didn’t notice or mind at first.  After all, he was a close relative.  About two months after this miraculous change in Ray, his cousins began to get annoyed with him.  He was giving them very little private time of their own.  Neither wanted to hurt his feelings, so they plotted to find him a boyfriend.  Given his fear of commitment, they knew it would be a formidable task.

They brainstormed who among their available single friends might be ready to settle down.  They were aware that Ray knew everyone on the list, and nothing had happened between them so far.  They concluded that they would have to find someone outside their pool of acquaintances.  After that, instead of hanging out in their home, Alex and Bill insisted on socializing at their favorite gay bar.  They reckoned that would be the only way to meet a new man.

Alex believed that it was best to be honest with Ray, so he decided to tell Ray just what they had in mind.  Alex had no idea that Ray was ready to settle down, and it turned out that he had no hesitation to join them in their plan.

The next Friday evening, the three men went to a gay bar in Greenwich Village.  It used to be Alex and Bill’s favorite hangout, but they hardly ever went to bars anymore.

“Look around,” Alex said to Ray.  “Does anyone grab your fancy?”

Ray looked around and saw a handsome man giving him the eye.  The man did indeed grab Ray’s fancy.  The good-looking guy started to walk rapidly toward Ray.

“Ray, Ray Ramirez?” the young man asked.

“You know me?” Ray looked astonished.

“Ray,” Bill said, “this is my friend, Jimmy Ramone.  You spent your first night in New York with him.”

“Oh yes,” Ray mumbled, slightly embarrassed.  He didn’t really remember Jimmy, but he liked what he saw.

“What happened?” Jimmy asked.  “You promised to call me as soon as you got an apartment and got settled in New York.”

“The only way I can answer your question is to say that I must have been some kind of an idiot, not to have called you.  Let’s start fresh.”  Ray stuck out his hand, “My name’s Ray Ramirez.  It’s a pleasure to meet you, Jimmy.”

Ray and Jimmy were inseparable all evening.  Bill and Alex kept smiling at each other.  Things were looking good, but they couldn’t be sure.  They certainly didn’t expect to achieve success so soon.

As it grew late, Bill offered Ray and Jimmy an invitation.  “There’s an all-night diner near our apartment.  Alex and I are going there for a late-night snack.  Would you guys like to join us?”

“No thanks,” Jimmy said.  “Ray and I have better things to do.” 

This time Jimmy went home with Ray.

*****

A year later, Ray and Jimmy gave up their apartments, and moved into a larger apartment together.

Alex and Bill sort of got their wish to get Ray off their backs.  But in an ironic twist of fate, the four cousins grew so close to each other that they did everything together anyway.  One evening, they were gathered at Alex and Bill’s apartment.  Bill and Jimmy were preparing dinner, and Alex and Ray were seated on the terrace.  They were both very quiet.  They were gazing at a beautiful crescent moon, and they were enjoying the peaceful moment.

“The moon is exceptionally beautiful tonight,” Ray said.

“It certainly is,” Alex agreed. 

“You know, I consider us to be very lucky,” Ray pointed out.

“Amen to that,” Alex said.  “We have good jobs, good friends, a close-knit family, and a beautiful moon shining over us and giving us its blessing.  Who could ask for more?”

It is safe to say, that Ray and Alex loved their lives, and didn’t mind giving up their ‘inheritance’ at all.  That was a very good thing, because they weren’t welcome to visit back in Florida, not even at their fathers’ funerals.

Posted: 09/11/2020