Brothers in Isolation
By: Kenneth Kirk
(© 2020 by the author)

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

kkirk@tickiestories.us

Chapter 11

Texarkana

Dad put a bunch of tools in the back of the Sierra while Mom packed our Coleman ice box with jugs of iced tea, a passel of sandwiches, bananas, Grandma’s peanut butter cookies, a frozen lasagna, a bag of pre-made salad, a jug of cold tea, orange juice, and some lemonade.  She also gave us some chips, assorted snacks, breakfast pastries, and an unopened bottle of salad dressing that didn’t require refrigeration.  We rolled out of our driveway a little after 8:30 that Saturday for the 3-hour drive to Texarkana, me at the wheel.

The drive east on Interstate 30 was uneventful except that there were 18-wheelers everywhere.  I guess all the packages everyone was ordering online had to be shipped somehow, so that explained the large number of trucks.  We noticed the number of passenger cars was way below a normal level and decided people just aren’t ready to leave home during the pandemic. 

Our plan was to get to Grandma’s before noon and spend the afternoon painting Grandma’s den.  Dad wanted to get that room painted while Grandma was not home so the paint fumes wouldn’t trigger her asthma. 

Our second major task for the weekend was to do all the yardwork that had been neglected for three weeks.  Dad figured we could get both chores done and drive back to Plano Sunday, hopefully arriving in time for supper.

We arrived at Grandma’s about 11:30, had a quick lunch of sandwiches, chips, and bananas and then set to work.  Blake and I moved all the furniture into the center of the den while Dad drove Grandma’s car around for half an hour, picked up paint supplies at Lowe’s, and checked over her mail.

The afternoon went quickly as we painted the ceiling and the walls, stopping once for a granola bar and some lemonade.  By the time we were done just after 5, the room was finished except for the molding along the ceiling.  Dad was pleased and decided it was time we called it a day. 

We took the spare room with its         queen bed while Dad took Grandma’s room.  We heard Dad’s shower start before we had gotten into the hall bath, so Blake and I stripped and kissed a little while Dad showered.  I found it quite pleasant to play lightly, knowing we were not going to have sex, at least not for a while.  We grabbed our toiletries and clean briefs and went into the hall bath as soon as the water was turned off in Dad’s room.  We decided to shower together and enjoyed washing each other’s sweaty muscles.  Of course, we both got erections, so we stroked each other off as we kissed deeply and the water pounded our backs and shoulders.  By maintaining a deep kiss as we came, our cries were muffled.  Being together sexually in a new place was hot!

We put on fresh shorts and tees and met Dad in the kitchen, where he had put the lasagna in the oven and was getting salads ready.  Blake made our drinks while I set the table.  When the salads were done, we all sat down to eat.  The lasagna still had about 15 minutes to cook when we had finished our salads, but Dad filled the time with conversation.

Dinner Conversation

In a serious but kind tone, he asked us, “How are you guys doing with the quarantine so far?”

“Good,” I answered with a nod.

“I’m having fun staying with Curt, Dad.”

“I can see you two seem closer than before.  I’m pleased about that.”

“I’m glad we had to share my old room,” I added.  “I think if I was stuck up there alone all the time I would get really lonely, but like Blake says, it’s been fun.”

He nodded and was quiet for a moment.  “There’s something I feel I need to talk to you about.”

Blake and I exchanged a concerned look at that ominous statement.  “Sure, Dad,” I said.

“You know I put the garbage out every night before I go to bed.”

The garbage containers are just below the stairs leading up to our room over the garage.  I got a very uncomfortable feeling.  “Yes?” I said quietly.

“The other night after Blake’s birthday party, I, uhm, heard some noises coming from your room as I was putting the garbage in the can.”

Uh-oh.  Blake and I looked at each other and I saw my fear mirrored in his eyes.  God only knows what he heard that night.  We stayed quiet.

“I want you both to know that I love you more than life itself.  Nothing can ever change how much I love you.  I hope you believe that.”

I looked across the table into Dad’s sincere face and saw his love there, raw and clear.  I smiled as much as I could manage and nodded.

“The sounds I heard made it pretty clear that you were having sex that night – together.”

My heart caught in my throat as I wondered what he was going to do about us.  I really couldn’t imagine.

“I make no judgment about that, boys.  You are two very strong and healthy teenage boys and I’m sure you have very strong sex drives.  Circumstance has put you together constantly and you even share the same bed.  Frankly, I wasn’t at all surprised to discover the nature of your relationship is a bit more than brotherly.  I might be a little worried about you if you weren’t helping each other out during this time.”

“Really?”  Blake’s tone of voice make it clear he was quite surprised at this.

“Absolutely.  Listen, guys, I honestly don’t care if you are straight, gay, bi-sexual, or fluid.  I don’t.  I only care that you are healthy, happy, successful, and safe.  I mean that.”

He had me convinced.  “Oh, Dad,” I cried out in a sort of release of the tension I had been feeling.  “Thank you!”

“Dad,” Blake interjected.  “It was so natural for us; we couldn’t really stop ourselves.”

Dad nodded.  “I understand, boys, better than you can imagine.”

“I never expected to be with a guy, Dad,” I said, “but, well, Blake and I make each other feel so incredibly good.  Life is just a whole lot better.”

“So, you are both involved because you want to be, right?  You are not being forced or pressured?”

He looked directly at Blake, which made me chuckle inside because he had definitely been the instigator of our sexual involvement.

Blake smiled at Dad.  “Oh, no, Dad, I want to be with Curt.  In fact, I went after him.”

Dad looked a bit surprised at that. 

“Blake might have initiated things the first time, but I was quite ready and willing.”

Dad managed a smile about then.  “Okay.  As long as it stays mutually fulfilling, it’s a good thing.  Look, guys, I don’t want to put a damper on your fun and sexual expression.  I just want to caution you a little bit, okay?”

“Of course, Dad.”

“I just need to share a few concerns.  Then I will shut up and we won’t need to talk about it again unless you want to.”

Blake and I nodded and he extended his hand across the table toward me.  I guess we don’t need to worry about upsetting Dad, I thought, so I smiled at my brother and put my hand over his.  Looking at Dad I said, “What are your concerns, Dad?”

“In no particular order,” he started, “I want you to be safe and that means do not include another person during this quarantine.  It also means, eventually, when it’s okay to do so, if you are with anyone else, guy or gal, always use a condom.  No exceptions.  It would kill me if one of you got HIV and we don’t need an unexpected pregnancy.”

“Absolutely, Dad!” I said.  I didn’t mention Blake’s previous involvement with Brent.

“No matter how good it feels, don’t have so much sex either of you get sore.  Also, don’t ignore your family or your chores or your schoolwork or your friends to have constant sex.”

We chuckled and nodded.

“I suggest you guard this as a very private secret.  That’s not because it’s bad or something you should be ashamed about.  No!  But this information is dangerous.  Once a person knows about this, you will always be defined in their mind with labels that can be harmful and degrading and might lead to bullying or even violence.  Save yourself the loss of a few friends and a lot of trouble.  Keep it quiet at least until you’re away at college or living on your own.”

“Thanks, Dad.”

“I say all this just for your benefit, not to try to control you.”

“We know that.”

“Of course, keeping it quiet means not talking about it with anyone except yourselves or me.  It also means not giving people evidence they can use to decide what kind of relationship you two have.  It’s okay for you to hug quickly in front of others, but not to hug a long time or kiss.  It’s okay to walk for a minute with your arm around your brother, but not for too long or to hold hands.  Be careful how you look at each other and what you say to each other when others are around.  And, you might want to hold back just a bit on letting your passions out loudly when you are together.  Someone might be walking their dog on the street or walking down the alley or be in the Taylors’ backyard right behind our fence.”

“Of course,” Blake said.

“We will be more careful,” I promised.

“One more thing.  Always feel you can talk with me about anything, no matter how personal.  I was 16 once and 18 once.  I had similar feelings and urges that seemed overwhelmingly strong.”  Dad paused for several seconds and I wondered if he was finished.  “Just between us guys, I know first-hand what it’s like to explore male sexuality.  I know how good it can feel.  For most guys, it’s a very natural thing.”

“Wow,” Blake said. “You mean, you …?”

Dad nodded and gave us a very unusual smile, sort of proud, sort of humble, sort of nostalgic.

 “Thanks for sharing, Dad.”

“We’ll honor what you just shared, Dad.  No one will hear about it from us.”

“Thanks.  No one will hear about you from me either.”

“We love you, Dad,” Blake said as he went around the table to hug our father.

“Yes, we do,” I agreed and joined the hug.

I don’t think I tasted the lasagna at all because I was so distracted by my thoughts.  Our dinner conversation was relaxed and fast as we talked about the effect the virus is having on sports and whether schools will open in the fall and much more that was not so personal.

When the kitchen was clean, we watched an episode of Sherlock on Netflix before Dad suggested we turn in.  Pointedly, he said he would be calling Mom to chat for a while so we ought to stay pretty quiet.

We visited the hall bath for a moment and then went into our temporary room.  Silently, we stripped and climbed between the crisp sheets.  Instantly, we rolled together for a kiss and a cuddle.  We didn’t progress to sex, instead holding each other and whispering about the conversation with Dad.  We were both very relieved that he was not condemning of us at all and we found his concerns legitimate and based on his love for us.  We promised each other we would try harder to be discrete and be sure no one else learned about our relationship until such time as we were truly ready to share the details.

Dad’s admission that he had had sexual experiences with a man were very unexpected to us and, frankly, quite titillating.  We speculated about all the men we knew about from Dad’s youth and eventually decided the most like guys were his best friend during high school, Darren, and his college roommate Sandy.

Just to relax so we could sleep, we swapped perfunctory BJs with socks stuffed in our mouths to prevent screaming.

Finishing Our Chores

On Sunday, Dad painted the molding trim along the ceiling in Grandma’s den while Blake and I tackled an overgrown yard. 

Blake and I mowed, did the edging, and trimmed around the trees and shrubs.  Several times I caught myself staring at his legs, ass, or naked chest.  I might be over the edge in lust.  Dad finished the painting before we finished the yard, so he joined us for a while.  Even though it was a lot of work and it was nearing 100^o around noon, we managed to finish up without any cases of heat stroke.

Dad inspected the yard and complimented us.  “You guys did an excellent job on the yard.  I appreciate it and Grandma will, too.”

“No big deal, Dad,” Blake said.

“We’re actually glad to get out of town and do something a little different,” I added.

We settled on Grandma’s back porch and enjoyed the remaining tea, sandwiches, and chips.  Then Dad suggested we get a quick shower before we get back in the car to head home.  With a wicked grin, he said, “The two of you can share a shower, but make it a quickie.”  He laughed and began carrying the debris from lunch into the kitchen as Blake and I just stared at each other in shock.

“Fuck!” my sweet brother muttered.

When we had recovered from the shock, we marched into the spare room and stripped down, then climbed into the shower, where we did exactly as Dad had suggested.

Soon we were all dressed and in the car heading out of town toward home.  Later that night, when Blake and I were alone in our bed and I had enjoyed planting some of my seed deep in the furrow of his ass, we agreed it had been a very interesting trip and one we might never forget.  It certainly changed how we related to Dad.

To be continued...

Posted: 12/25/2020