Trials and Triumphs I
By: Morris Henderson
(Copyright 2012 by the author)

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

Chapter 7
AN UNEXPECTED DOOR OPENS

Eric had been living with Grant Kaiser for just over a year.  Grant (who insisted on being addressed by his first name because, having served the last two years of his Army career on the battlefields of Europe in World War II, hated the German surname) was in his late 70’s and was so tormented by his failing body that he had to use a walker and rarely got out of the house.  Eric, therefore, did all the shopping for groceries and medications (Vicodin and Oxycontin for pain among others).  Grant had never married and had no children.   Nor did he have any living relatives.  His only sibling, an older sister, had died years ago.   The old man subsisted on a small pension and Social Security.  Still, with all his health and financial problems, he maintained a cheerful attitude, complaining only rarely about not being able to live without constant help.

Eric’s duties were not difficult but they consumed most of his time.  After working a full shift at a food processing and packaging plant, he would fix meals for Grant and himself; do light housework, laundry, and yard work; and help Grant with tasks he couldn’t manage on his own.  One of those tasks was the Saturday night bath.  Grant was devoid of any false modesty; that was one of the adjustments he had to make because of being incapacitated by arthritis.  The first few times Eric helped his host bathe, he very discretely checked out the fat penis and low-hanging testicles but it was out of curiosity and admiration and without the slightest bit of arousal.  Very soon, Eric lost interest in the old man’s genitals and focused exclusively on making sure he did not fall getting in and out of the tub.  However, his fantasies did not diminish.  Although the memories of his first and only sexual encounter — with Brian — were gradually being suppressed along with other painful memories of his younger days, he yearned for finding a like-minded sexual partner ... and bemoaned the fact that his chances of finding one were slim at best.

Eric’s job at the food plant was monotonous but not at all strenuous and it paid well ... well enough that he could put much of his weekly paycheck into a savings account.  After all, he reasoned, there was nothing to spend money on except groceries for his own meals and, without Grant’s knowledge, to supplement the old man’s miniscule food budget.  He was extremely frugal by, for example, buying a few items of clothing at the Salvation Army retail store.  His savings account had grown considerably.  By far the biggest reason for banking most of his paycheck was his firm determination — almost an obsession — to never again face being penniless and hungry.

Eric was surprised one day when the foreman tapped him on the shoulder and said, “The boss wants to see you in his office at the end of your shift.”

“What about?” Eric asked.

“Don’t know,” the foreman grunted.  “I’m just passing along the message.”

Eric knew that “the boss” meant the owner of the company, Ted Connors.  But he had no idea why he was asked (ordered?) to report to the president’s office.  He spent the rest of his shift wondering — and worrying — about why the boss wanted to see him.  He hadn’t done anything wrong ... or at least nothing that he could remember.  By the time the work day ended, Eric was a nervous wreck.  He changed out of his white coveralls, hairnet, and latex gloves in the locker room and nervously walked to the front of the building to find the boss’s office.

“Come in, my boy!” Connors said cheerfully.  He stood, walked around his cluttered desk, and shook hands with the visitor.  “Have a seat,” he said, pointing to a sofa along the side wall of his office.

Ted Connors was a 50ish man with salt-and-pepper hair and Eric’s immediate impression was that the company president (whom he had seen only briefly and at a distance) was quite handsome. 

Eric was surprised when Connors sat next to him on the sofa and said, “Thanks for stopping by.  Do you have a few minutes to talk?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Good!  I don’t want to keep you too long so I’ll get right to the point.  First of all, let me say that I’ve been impressed with your ... work ... here at the plant.  I’ve been looking for somebody to fill a special position and you’re one of the candidates.  Before I make my selection, I’d like to find out more about you.  May I ask a few questions?”

“Of course.  But I have one first if you don’t mind.”

“And that is?”

“What kind of a job did you have in mind?”

“I’ll answer that question in a moment.  First, I have to tell you that this conversation never happened.  Can I trust you to keep it to yourself?”

Eric was now confused as well as nervous.  Why the secrecy?  What was the job?  Who are the other candidates?  Why am I being considered for the job?  Putting those concerns aside, Eric answered the question, “Yes, Sir.”

Connors smiled.  Eric thought he detected a twinkle in the eyes of the man, who said, “I must emphasize again, what I’m about to say is strictly confidential.  I’m not an old man but I’m considering retiring ... or at least leaving the company.  I don’t plan to spend the rest of my life tending a vegetable garden in the back yard or sitting around watching the boob tube.  There are things I want to do, things that I’ve never had time to do because I’ve never taken a vacation in more than ten years.  And that brings me back to the question you asked.  The job I want to fill is a sort of ... well ... personal assistant.  I’d rather leave the details of the duties until after I learn more about your interests.  My first question is: would you be willing to quit your current job, work for me, work odd hours but with plenty of free time and travel.”

Eric’s confusion only increased.  He thought for a moment and said, “It sounds interesting, Sir, but I can’t give a yes/no answer.  I suppose I’d have to know more about the duties — first, am I qualified and would I be interested — and second, the odd hours and travel might be a problem for me.  You see, I’m a sort of caretaker for an old man, an invalid.  He needs daily help for meals, housekeeping, and personal grooming.  I would hate to leave him alone because he can’t fend for himself without help.”

“I know,” Connors interrupted.  “I should confess that before talking to you, I hired a private investigator to find out whether you are the sort of person who I wanted.  Let me assure you, Mr. Kaiser will have the best of care if you’re offered the new job and are willing to accept the offer.”

Eric was surprised that Connors knew about his living arrangements.  His surprise quickly became irritation about the intrusion into his privacy.  Thoughtlessly, he asked assertively, “And what else have you found out about me?”

Connors laughed and said, “I do hope you’re not offended by my research methods.  But please understand that I have to be very sure about the qualifications and interests of whomever I decide to interview for the new job.  The reason will become clear later.  In the meantime, may we continue?  If you want to walk out of here now, there will be no repercussions to your job at the plant.  If, however, you want to hear more about the opportunity that may be yours, we’ll continue.”

“I’m listening,” Eric replied, irritation and confusion mingling in his mind.

“Good.  Let me assure you that everything I’ve learned about your background I regard as strictly confidential.  Nobody will hear anything from me!  Now, about the job.  For the first few years, it will be mostly travel ... Europe, Asia, possibly Antarctica.  I’m a wealthy man.  I can afford it.  And I think I’ve earned it after years of building up the company.  I want to travel but I don’t want to do it alone.  You would be my companion.  And let me add that to avoid any suspicions, you will be playing the role of my son when we travel together.”

“Suspicions?” Eric asked.

“Yes.  Unfortunately, there are narrow-minded bigots who think a middle-aged man traveling with a younger man is suspicious.  I think the term used is boy toy.  I don’t want to create that impression.  Nor, I’m sure, do you.  Do you catch my meaning?”

“Yes, Sir.  People might think we’re a gay couple.”

“I knew you would deduce that.  Now tell me about why you ran away from a comfortable home with the Winstons.”

Panic forced its way into Eric’s consciousness.  It was clear that the investigator had uncovered more about his past than he thought possible.  More significantly, he faced a dilemma.  How could he explain the reason he walked out on Brian, his long-time friend?  He pondered the problem and tried to think of an innocent lie that would explain his leaving.  Connors detected Eric’s discomfort.

“I’ve been honest with you,” the man said.  “I’ve told you that I hired a private investigator to look into your background.  Will you be honest with me?  Why did you run away?”

Eric succumbed to the man’s charm and said, “I didn’t run away, Sir.  I was told to leave.  I’d rather not say why.”

“Ah,” Connors replied.  “But I know the reason.  Forgive me, but I was testing your honesty.  You see, if you’re offered and accept the new job, I must be absolutely certain that you’ll be honest with me in the future.  I’m told that you made unwelcomed sexual advances on your friend, Brian Winston.  Is that true?”

Eric was shocked by the distorted version of the incident.  Very quickly, however, he recognized that it was a story that Brian made up to explain to his parents why he left.  It angered him that he had been portrayed as a deviant predator when it was Brian who initiated the sex.  That anger persuaded Eric to correct the misinformation.  “That’s not the reason.  Brian and I had sex ... once ... but HE initiated it.  Immediately after that he became sullen.  More than sullen.  He was rude and unkind to me.  I tried to find out why but he refused to talk about it.  We ended up arguing.  He told me to leave and never come back.  The story you got from the investigator must be Brian’s way of telling his parents what happened ... so they wouldn’t suspect that he is homosexual.”

“Interesting,” Connors mused.  “It tells me a lot about your friend’s character.  And, more importantly, yours.  You said that you and he had sex.  Does that mean that you’re homosexual?”

Eric knew he had been caught in a trap he had set by his angry description of what happened.  He also knew that no lie would free him from the trap.  Reluctantly, he said, “Yes, Sir.  I suppose that takes me out of the running for the new job.”

“Not at all,” Connors beamed.  “Quite the contrary.  Your honest admission of your sexual preference convinces me that you have the one qualification I wasn’t sure about.  Now here’s my offer.  How would you like to work for me — at twice the pay you’re getting here in the plant?  You would live in my house.  Your only duty will be to be my companion and to travel the world with me for about three years.”

Eric thought he knew the answer but asked anyway, “Companion?  What does that mean?”

Connors laughed.  “I think you know.  But to be perfectly clear, you will not only live with me, you will share my bed ... and provide services that we’re both sure to enjoy thoroughly.”

Eric was torn.  On the one hand, he was being offered a life of luxury and the adventure of seeing the world.  One the other hand, he would be nothing more than a sexual partner without the underlying foundation of love and commitment.  Could he refuse the chance of a lifetime to live in comfort?  Could he swallow his pride and become a whore-boy for hire?  No ready answers came to mind.

The anticipation of having sex with a virile and strikingly handsome young man made Connors impatient with Eric’s delay in responding.  “Well, what’s your decision?  Will you accept my offer?”

Eric groped for a reply.  He needed time to weigh his options.  Finally, he asked, “Don’t you want to interview the other candidates?”

The man grew quite serious for the first time in what had been a largely congenial conversation.  “I’ve considered others.  But you’re my first choice.  If you decline, I’ll have to go down the short list and settle for second best ... and a distant second at that.  If you accept, you’ll make me very happy.  And I promise that you will be happy as well.  What’ll it be, Eric?”

“I appreciate your offer, Sir ... more than I can say.  And I’m flattered that you think I have the ... ah ... qualifications you want.  But it’s a decision I need to think through.  Can I give you my answer tomorrow?

Connors masked his disappointment and said, “Of course.  I respect and admire your desire to make a decision that’s right for you.  And let me add: if you accept my offer, I will do whatever I can so you’ll never regret it.”

To be continued...

My thanks to Iatia for his consistently meticulous editing and for his continuing encouragement.
 

Posted:08/03/12