-1-

When he was in his early thirties, Vincent Terrell purchased a home for him, his wife, and their three kids in a New York City suburb; Spring Valley in Rockland County, to be very precise.

Every weekday morning he walked two short streets to the bus stop on the corner.  The bus line was called The Red and Black Line, and it transported him to his job in New York City in about fifty minutes or so.

After he settled into suburban life, his every day activities became routine.  Two other men joined him at the bus stop.  They nodded at each other and wished each other a good morning, but that’s as far as it went.  They very rarely spoke to one another.  They boarded the bus near the end of the line before the bus got on the highway to New York.  As a result they were usually forced to take single odd seats.  Rarely did any of the three men sit together.

When the bus reached The Port Authority Building in Manhattan, none of them went in the same direction.  Vince headed for a subway train to take him downtown to the financial district of the city.  He was an investment advisor in a major brokerage firm.

About a year after Vince began his life as a commuter, another man showed up at the bus stop one morning.  He was about Vince’s age and build, and just as handsome.  Unlike the other commuters, he was very outgoing.  He immediately introduced himself, and held out his hand, forcing them all to shake it.

“My name’s Joshua Fielding,” he said.  “I just moved into the neighborhood a couple of days ago.”

None of the other’s offered their names, but Josh was not to be deterred.  He zeroed in on Vince.  “You look vaguely familiar,” he said.  “Do I know you?”

“I don’t think so,” Vince said, and he turned away.  He didn’t feel like talking.  He just wanted to get on the bus, sit down, and read his morning newspaper in peace, just as he always did, until this guy felt like talking so much.

“No.  I’m sure I’ve seen you somewhere,” Josh persisted.  “Where do you work in The City?”

Vince didn’t want to be rude so he gave in.  He faced Josh and said, “I’m at 55 Water Street on the fifth floor.  I work for Smith and Lindquist.  We’re investment advisors.”

“Voila,” Josh shouted out as the bus approached.  “I work in the same building, but I’m a lawyer with Fitzgerald and Steiner, just down the hall from you.  I’ll bet we’ve shared elevator rides from time to time.”

“What a coincidence, and welcome to the neighborhood.”

Vince smiled at his new neighbor, as they boarded the bus.  As usual they were forced to separate, and Vince was grateful.  His desire to be a hermit was short-lived.  After he left the bus, Josh caught up with him.  “Want some company on the train?” he asked.  Vince could hardly say no.

The subway car was standing room only, and Vince was shoved close to Josh.  At first they did not talk but finally Josh looked shyly at Vince.  I hear that the firm you work for is predominantly staffed by gays.  Is the rumor true?”

Vince was very uncomfortable.  It sounded like Josh might be gay and was trying to find out if he was.  “Well the bosses are not only business partners, but they are life partners.  Their sons and at least one other of my co-workers are also gay, but the rest of us are straight, as far as I know.  I have a wife and three kiddies.”  Vince was determined to get back at Josh so he asked, “And what about you?”

“Not as blessed as you,” Josh answered.  “I’ve got a wife all right, but I only have two kids, and we don’t want any more.”

Vince didn’t know what to say, so he muttered, “We’re done having kids also.”

Josh was determined to get better acquainted with his new neighbor, and fellow commuter.  “What time do you break for lunch?” he asked.

“I have no set routine,” Vince offered.  “It all depends on what’s going on in the office.”

“It’s the same way with me,” Josh said.  “How about we exchange business cards? I’ll call you just before noon, and we’ll see if we are both available for lunch.”

They shared an elevator ride until they got off on the fifth floor and went in opposite directions.  When he reached his desk, Vince berated himself for being so unfriendly.  After all, he and Josh were neighbors, and they worked in the same building.  They would be commuting together every day, even on the subway.  He realized that he didn’t mind the company after all, and vowed to be friendlier.

They had lunch together that day, but Vince had to work late so they didn’t take the same bus home.  Nevertheless, they began to have lunch together every day.  They even started to socialize with their wives on Friday or Saturday nights.  In addition, they started to refer clients to each other.

They had met in early September.  By mid-January, they could both admit that they were good friends, maybe even BFFs.  They also discovered that the back seats on the bus did not recline, and were usually available when they boarded, so almost every day they were able to sit together in the last row.  Their friendship made the nearly hour long trip feel like a moment in time.

Vince didn’t realize that he talked about Josh all the time at work.  One day Brett Smith, his boss’s gay son, asked him point blank if he was in love with Josh, and wanted to switch teams.  “Sven and I would be glad to give you instructions,” Brett laughed, as Vince turned fifty shades of red.

One blustery Friday morning in late January, Vince and Josh were shivering at the bus stop.  They were freezing and the bus was ten minutes late.  Once seated in the back row, they huddled close for warmth and comfort.  Halfway through the trip it started to snow lightly.  They picked up their subway ride in The Port Authority Building, and never went outdoors, so when they emerged from the subway, they were shocked.  The snow was falling heavily and the wind was blowing dangerously.  Fortunately, their building was only a half block from the subway exit.

Early in the afternoon, Josh didn’t bother to call Vince.  He just walked over, and informed him that all bus service to Long Island, New Jersey and upstate New York had been suspended, and so he had booked a room for both of them at a hotel nearby.

Sven Lindquist was standing close by, and when he heard what Josh informed Vince, he said, “Brett and I have a spare bedroom in our condo, and we’re right next to a train station.  The subways are still running.  Why don’t you guys cancel the hotel, and stay with us?  It’ll be fun.  I’ll bet most restaurants will close early, but we have plenty of food in the house.”

Josh and Vince looked at each other and Vince said, “Gee, thanks, Sven.  That’s very generous of you.”

“Good.  Now get yourselves together.  The bosses are closing early today,” Sven said.

Vince and Josh, Brett and Sven, shared a subway ride uptown. Going to and from the subway, the four of them got soaking wet.  When they got into Sven and Brett’s apartment, Brett started to laugh.  “If we were alone, Sven and I would strip naked at this point, but we don’t want to make you straight boys uncomfortable, so let’s strip and we’ll give you warm-up suits.  We’ll hang up your clothes to dry.”

Brett showed them to the guest room, and they both stripped.  Of course, they checked each other out.  They could have been identical twins.  They were both cut, about four inches flaccid, and about the same width.  Theyput on the warm-up suits, and gave Brett their wet clothes.  The four men sat down in the living room, and got comfortable.  It was too early for dinner, but Sven told them that he had an assortment of frozen dinners, and they could choose later.

Brett asked out of the blue, “Have you guys called your wives to let them know what’s going on?”

Josh and Vince were both shocked to realize that they hadn’t thought of their wives once.  They got out their cell phones, and called home.  Their wives were upset, but figured it was better to be safe than sorry.  With that out of the way, the four men decided to have a blizzard party, much like a hurricane party.

“Vince,” Brett said.  “You know Ted from our office.  Well, he and his partner live in this building.  Let’s invite them to join in the fun.  Ted’s partner, Bill, is a lawyer, Josh, so you’ll be right at home.”

Brett called his neighbors and told them to bring some additional frozen dinners.  “I’ve got better than that,” Ted said.  “We have enough left over frozen Chinese to feed an army.  We’ll bring that over.”When Ted and Bill arrived,they were only wearing gym shorts

Before anybody thought of putting up dinner, Sven took out all kinds of booze and mixes from a cabinet, and the men began to consume the liquor.  It didn’t take long before all of them were many sheets to the wind.  After dinner they continued to drink.  Neither Josh nor Vince drank very much, and they didn’t know what was happening to them.  They were awake but they were completely blanked out.

-2-

Vince woke first.  He and Josh were asleep in the queen-sized bed in the guest room.  He had to pee badly, but Josh was wrapped all around him.  He risked waking his friend, but he unwrapped himself as best he could and headed for the bathroom.  On the way, he glanced out a window, and saw that the snow was still coming down heavily.

In the bathroom, he went to pull down his boxers, and realized that he was naked.  On the way back to the guest bedroom, he looked in on Sven and Brett.  Their door was open.  He got quite a shock.  Sven, Brett, Ted and Bill were all wrapped up together in a king-sized bed, and they were all naked.

When he got back to the bedroom, he could not bring himself to get into bed again with Vince and him naked.  Instead he sat down on a boudoir chair and wracked his brain trying to remember what happened last night.  He couldn’t remember a thing, but the evidence indicated that he and Josh might have had sex together.  If they did, he thought that he didn’t care at all.  In that moment he admitted to himself that he loved Josh.

He heard some noise coming from the kitchen.  He went to investigate.  Sven and Brett were there starting breakfast.  They were as naked as he was, and again, Vince shocked himself.  He wasn’t self-conscious at all.

“We planned on waking everybody up when breakfast was almost ready,” Sven said.“Why don’t you set the table, Vince?”  Nobody seemed to take notice, or be bothered by the fact, that they were all naked.

Vince couldn’t stand it any longer.  He had to ask.  “What the fuck happened last night.  I can’t remember a thing, but I woke up this morning with Josh wrapped all around me, and we were both naked.”

“You really don’t remember?” Brett asked.  “I’ll tell you what.  Sven is a Swede, and he holds his booze better than anyone I know.  I’ll bet he remembers everything.”

Sven nodded his head.  “Sure I do.  I’ll tell everyone what happened while we are all having breakfast.”  Vince could do nothing but be patient.

Brett gave him two new tooth brushes, and told him to wake Josh, and do their morning things.  “We’ll wake Ted and Bill,” he said.

The six of them, still naked, were seated at the kitchen table enjoying bacon and eggs, coffee and bagels, when Sven began his narrative.

“Look,” he said.  “What I am about to tell you, is going to be a shock to our two straight friends.  Before I begin, promise me you won’t freak out, guys.  We’ll all discuss it afterwards, and I know we can work through it.”

Josh and Vince looked at each other apprehensively, and nodded.

Sven began: “We were all pretty sloshed even before we started to eat dinner.  Sometime during the meal, Bill, you stood up and removed your gym shorts, so Ted did the same.  You started kissing and making out.  It didn’t take long before you went to our bedroom, and started making love.   That’s all Brett and I needed to see.  We got naked and we joined you in bed.

“The next thing I knew Josh and Vince were naked and came into the bedroom.  They joined us in a wonderful orgy.  We all came orally and anally, including the two straight boys.  Then Vince told Josh that he wanted to be alone with him, and the two of them went into the guest room.  The next thing I know it was morning, and Brett and I were in bed with Bill and Ted, and the straight boys were in bed together.”

The room became deadly silent.  Everyone looked at Josh and Vincent.  Both of them had stone faces, until Josh started to smile.  “I’m glad it happened,” Josh said.  “I’ve been in love with you, Vince, since we met, but I just now realized it.  I just wish I could remember our brief encounter.  I must confess, I’m not a stranger to gay sex.  My college roommate and I indulged often.”

Vince laughed.  “I’m no stranger either, but for me it was with a friend in high school.”

“Well, since neither of you can remember last night,” Brett said, “why don’t you go back in the bedroom and make new memories?  It doesn’t look like you’ll be leaving here anytime soon, and since it’s Saturday we can continue the party all day.Josh grabbed Vince’s hand and they ran back to the bedroom.

“I’ve wanted to touch you and taste you ever since we met at the bus stop,” Josh confessed.

“It took me a little longer.  I think my awakening was on our third trip on The Red and Black,” Vince admitted.  “Let’s make up for lost time.”

They fell into each other’s arms.  Their hard cocks rubbed together and they began to kiss with plenty of tongue.  Vince looked over Josh’s shoulder, and said, “Look what’s on the dresser.  Does it give you any ideas?”  Josh looked, and he spotted a tube of KY Jelly.  The two men smiled at each other, grabbed the tube, and fell on the bed.  They didn’t leave the room until four in the afternoon.

Ted and Bill had gone back to their apartment, but they found Sven and Brett smooching on the sofa. They were still naked also.   “I called The Port Authority,” Brett said. “The snow is letting up, and they expect to start moving busses late tonight.”

“If you won’t mind our company,” Vince said, “we can call our wives and tell them we’ll take the first bus out tomorrow morning.”

It’s a deal,” Brett said, “but I think that by this evening we should be able to have dinner in a fine restaurant.”

-3-

Vince and Josh sat in the last row of the commuter bus, which was taking them home.  They were holding hands.  Neither of them said a word, but finally Josh asked, “What are we going to do?  I love you.  I don’t think I could get it up for my wife anymore.”

“Same fear here,” Vince echoed.

“As I see it,” Josh said, “we have two choices.  We can lead double lives or we can be honest and divorce our wives.  We both earn enough money to take good care of them and our kids.”

“I prefer the honesty alternative,” Vince whimpered, but I’m scared shitless.”

“I am too.  Here’s what I think we should do.  Let’s take them out to dinner next weekend, and tell them simply that we are gay, that we love each other, and want divorces.  We’ll promise to take good care of them.”

I agree that’s the best way, but I’m afraid that I won’t have the guts,” Vince continued whimpering.

“We’ll do it together,” Josh said.  “That will give us the strength.”

**********

“You can’t be gay,” both wives said in unison. 

“Not the way you make love to me,” Vince’s wife sobbed.

“I know it’s hard to believe,” Josh said.  “We had an awakening when we were stranded together in the city last weekend.”  They neglected to give their wives, the full narrative of their ‘awakening.’

“We can’t help loving each other, any more than Romeo and Juliet could,” Vince added.

Both wives agreed, as did the husbands, that they get out of their houses as soon as possible.  As soon as they got home, they packed some suit cases with clothes and needful toiletries, hailed a cab, and headed to the bus stop.  While waiting for the bus, they called Sven and Bret and told them what happened.  They asked if they could stay with them until they found an apartment of their own.  If that would be inconvenient, they said that they would go to a hotel.

“Come right here,” Brett said.  “We’ll discuss what you should do from here on out.”

**********

They stayed with Brett and Sven for about six weeks until they were able to move into a two-bedroom condo in the same building.  It had come on the market, the very day they left their wives.

They were determined to make up for lost time.  Except when they were at work or socializing with their new friends, they were naked in bed together, and having wild and kinky sex.  They had only had missionary sex with their wives, and they loved their new life.

About eighteen months after they moved into their apartment, both their divorces became final.  They celebrated at a gay bar in Greenwich Village with Brett, Sven, Bill and Ted.  They were joined by Bill’s business partner, Joey Carson.  Joey’s life partner, Ricky, was a famous pop star, and was currently on the road, so he couldn’t join them.  Josh and Vince had met them many times before.  The other six men were like a band of brothers, and Vince and Josh had been welcomed into their brotherhood.

Sometime during the evening, Josh raised his glass to make a toast.  Here’s to friendship,” he said, “and to the end of commuting on The Red and Black.”

Author’s note: Sven and Brett are main characters in a short story I wrote called ‘Summer Romances.  Sven, Brett, Ted, Bill, Joey, and Ricky are principal characters in a novel I wrote called ‘Another Ordinary Guy.’  Both the short story and the novel can be found on this website.
 

Posted: 03/02/18