Officers' Boy
By: Kenneth Kirk
(© 2022 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 16

Dear, sweet Rafael seemed to be very concerned about me.  Just knowing that gave me a little hope in a situation that had seemed hopeless a few hours earlier.  I had given him my letter and gotten his phone number, made him a Veranda blend and sent him on his way.  During the remainder of my shift, I considered whether I might actually be in some danger at home, with Dad so terribly angry.  He’d seemed much more mellow when we had finally spoken Monday evening, but that could change on a dime.

Of course, with Mr. and Mrs. Harrison, Randy’s parents, being good friends with Mom and Dad, I knew they would not take me in if I ran away from home.  I was 18, so I could legally leave and do as I please, but I knew if I did it would burn any bridge to return.  It would mean giving up Baylor and my escape plan regarding going away to college.  It would mean I would have no home, no medical care, no money for college, none of my stuff.

Rafael had invited me to stay with him, but I didn’t really feel ready for that.  He’d told me about his housemates and I wasn’t sure I could meet their expectations regarding sex.  What if I went there and they didn’t like me?  Or I didn’t want to be intimate with them?  Or, I blushed at the thought, my ass couldn’t take so much, uhm, use?

I was pretty sure Sylvia would let me crash at her place, but that couldn’t be a permanent solution.  What would happen later?  Where would I go?  How would I support myself?  My $150 a week job at Starbuck’s was good for a part-time gig when I was just a kid living with Mom and Dad, but I didn’t think it would go far if I was having to pay rent and feed myself.  And tuition, even at USF, would be impossible to meet.

There was no solution that I could see except to suck it up and endure my prison until August 1.  I’d be leaving a few weeks later anyhow.  But there was no joy in the thought of moving to Baylor as an escape.  Let’s face it, the culture there wouldn’t be much more relaxed and accepting that the culture at the Swenson house. 

And, dear God, I wanted to be with Rafael!  I’d just now discovered how incredible it is to be with a sweet man.  I thought I’d just die if I had to completely give that up so soon.  How would I make it two months without seeing him except a bit at the store?  How could I ever make it when I went off to Baylor?

By the time we locked our front door at 9:00, I was a basket case.  Sylvia loaned me her phone so I could call Rafael while I was cleaning the place up.  When he answered, all I could say was “Rafe” before I started crying.  When I had calmed down enough to actually talk, I shared with him all my dark thoughts about leaving home and how frightening the possibility was.  I told him I couldn’t go to college at all if I didn’t have Dad’s support.

“You can come here, Eric,” he reiterated.  “You’ll have a place to stay and food to eat.  We’ll work it out.”

I cried a little more and thanked him.  Then I shared my fears about the other guys at the house.

“You won’t have to do anything you don’t want to do, babe.  I think you’ll really like them.  They’re all really nice guys.  But if you don’t, you can still stay with us.  I’ll take care of you.”

“Oh, Rafe, I don’t know!  I don’t know what to do!”

“Then maybe you shouldn’t do anything right yet.  Make it work at home the best you can.  Take some of that solitary confinement to think about what you really want.  Not just right now but what kind of future you want.  Will Baylor work for you?  Should you try USF instead?  What about staying with Roger or Sylvia?”

I explained why staying with Roger was not an option, but said I’d talk with Sylvia.

“Thank you for listening, babe,” I said.  “I feel more peaceful now than I did when we started.  I can make it work okay at home until I can figure out what would be best for me.”

“Good.  I’ll stop by about closing on Thursday, okay?”

“Yes, please do!”

As I predicted, Sylvia offered me her couch for as long as I needed it but she too encouraged me to think it through because once I leave home I probably cannot go back. 

********* 

Things did get a little better at home after that, too.  Mom began speaking to me again and I was allowed the run of the house, but still no phone or computer privileges.  Eventually, when I pointed out that Baylor might be sending me emails, Dad relented and said I could use my computer for 30 minutes each day while Mom was cooking dinner, but only if I stayed in the kitchen.  Still, I was able to resume some slight connection with Roger and Donovan.  I was also able to do a little research into the engineering programs, applications, and tuition requirements at the University of South Florida.

The more I looked at the Biomedical Engineering program at USF, the better it looked.  The tuition was still well beyond my means without Dad’s support, but there was a lot of information about scholarships.  I had nearly enough in my savings to pay for two semesters, which would give me time to try to get some scholarships or a better-paying job.

Rafael even set up a special email account for me – Carla2879@gmail.com.  Once I had that, it helped me a lot because I could share what I was learning and how my thinking was progressing.

After the second week, Dad allowed me to go outside as long as I stayed in our yard.  I took the swing off its support structure in the backyard so I could use the crossbar to do chin-ups and I made a circle in the yard to use as a jogging track.  It was boring as hell, but still, doing anything physical felt really good.  I would run about 30 circles of our yard at least twice a day.  Thank God, we had a pool.  It wasn’t very big, but I could swim a couple of strokes before I got to the end and had to turn.  I spent more time in the pool that summer than I had when I was training during high school.

Sylvia got me additional hours, too, so I was working Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 2:00 to 9:30 and Monday from 6:00 a.m. to 2:00.  That kept me pretty busy and away from home a lot.  It allowed me to see Rafael and Roger and Donovan a few times each week, and it increased my pay by over $100 a week.  I love Syl!

After four weeks, Dad allowed me to have Roger and Donovan over two times a week for a total of four hours.  Of course, we had to stay in the living room or the yard and Mom had to be at home.  The first time, I was practically giddy to spend time with these two old friends.  We hugged like we’d been separated for years.

When Mom was involved teaching one of those God-awful sopranos, I had the opportunity to come out to Donovan.  He laughed and said he’d been having sex with his two older brothers since he was 14!  I was more shocked about his revelation than he had been about mine.  I had Roger take a photo of Donovan and me just to commemorate the occasion.

Most of the time, the three of us spent our precious time in the pool or the backyard where we could speak in private.   I was able to fill them in on my thoughts about going to USF rather than Baylor.  They both thought it was a very practical solution to my dilemma about the future.

I also saw Roger at church on Sundays, so had that opportunity to communicate with him a bit.  On the Sunday after Donovan’s announcement, we laughed at how you can never tell who’s doing what behind closed doors.  I’ve known Duke and Drake (Donovan’s older brothers) for years, but had no idea they were interested in guys.  Roger asked me if that information made me feel better and I had to agree it did.  Just knowing you aren’t the only one does reduce the feeling of isolation.  And, frankly, all the Cooper boys are pretty damned cute! 

********* 

A couple of days before the end of June, I finally decided I really wanted to go to USF rather than Baylor.  I know that will mean I can’t escape from home as quickly as I wanted, but I figure classes and projects and stuff along with work will give me lots of time away.  And maybe fake Carla and I can start “dating” a bit so I can go out with Rafael.  If I can convince Dad, maybe he’ll go ahead and pay the tuition and enjoy the fact it’s less than half what Baylor would charge.

So, one night as we were finishing supper, I asked if we could talk about my college plans.  Over iced tea and cherry cobbler, Mom and Dad heard me out about why I thought I would get a better education at half the price at USF.

“I thought you wanted to go to Baylor,” Mom said.

“Well,” I said nervously, “it seemed the best option to be able to go to a Baptist school and major in engineering.  But I’ve been using a lot of my computer time to learn about the engineering programs at USF and have discovered they are a lot bigger and have more options.  I’m really pretty excited about Biomedical Engineering and the program at USF is a lot stronger than Baylor’s.  I wasn’t so glad to go to Baylor itself, but to get that type of degree.  Now that I know I prefer the program at USF, why spend all that money to go to Baylor?”

“Well, son,” Dad said, “I always dreamed you’d get the wonderful experience of going to a Church school, but you have made a good case.  I know the director of the Baptist Student Union and I can get you hooked up there so you can meet some quality people on campus.”

Inside, I smirked at the thought but knew acquiescence to anything he suggested would help grease the skids so he would support my desire to stay in Tampa for college.  “I’m sure I’ll be quite busy with school and work but, yeah, it would be good to be involved with the BSU.”

“Well, son, I think you should apply to USF – it’s very late – to see if you get accepted.  Meanwhile your mother and I will discuss it and get back to you in a few days.”

Wow, I thought, that went better than I expected.

“Sure, Dad.  Thanks.”

I began working on my application and exchanged some emails with Professor Allen Jacobi regarding my credentials and USF’s entrance requirements.  My grades and test scores were well above the entrance standards, so Professor Jacobi assured me I would be admitted if I applied. 

********* 

Dr. Jacobi was very encouraging.  He asked me to have my high school transcript sent to the Registrar with a copy to him and made an appointment with me for the following Wednesday afternoon.  He said it would be fine if I wanted to bring my parents but also cautioned me that it was my future, not theirs, and that he hoped I would make the final decision based on my own desires about my career.  I was surprised by how he treated me like a responsible adult capable of making a major decision such as where to go to college and what degree to pursue.

Mom and Dad did go with me to meet with Dr. Jacobi, the Advisor for Biomedical Engineering.  He turned out to be very knowledgeable about the requirements for the degree and about the opportunities for employment after graduation.  Dad was impressed by Dr. Jacobi’s description of the whole field of biomedical engineering and how it could contribute directly to the betterment of the lives of thousands of people.  That point appealed to Dad’s Christian ethics, I think.

Dr. Jacobi had already received my transcript from Hillsborough High and assured me there would be no problem with my acceptance.  In fact, he showed me what courses I should take in my first semester and told me to go immediately to the Registrar’s Office to register for a spot in Fall Orientation.

After our meeting with the handsome professor, I was more excited about life than I had been in weeks – since my weekend with Rafael, I’m sure.

 *******

Dad took us out to a nearby Longhorn Steakhouse for lunch afterward.  He complimented me on my research and on making a decision that he thought would lead me to a good career where “God can use you to make many positive contributions to the world.”

“I’d always dreamed of you going to Baylor,” Mom commented.  “But I agree with your father that you have made a good choice to stay here.”

The next evening Rafael visited me at Starbuck’s just before closing time.  He was thrilled with the decision I had made and with my parents’ acceptance of it.  After I locked up, he helped me clean up the store so we could spend a few minutes in the restroom together.  It was terribly exciting to get on my knees before him, release his lovely cock from his skivvies, and swallow it down my throat!  As we didn’t have long, he allowed me to suck him straight through until he blessed me with a substantial dose of his tasty semen.  I felt like I had received manna from heaven, which, of course, is probably a thought that could send me straight to a fiery eternity!

That night as I peddled home, I felt better about my life than I had in weeks.  And I savored the residual flavor of Rafael in my mouth.

To be continued...

Posted: 07/15/2022