Trials and Triumphs II
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...

Prologue:  PREVIOUSLY...

With few regrets, Eric Mathews walked away from a life of luxury and the opportunity of extensive world travel with Ted Connors, a wealthy middle-aged man and former business executive.  The comfort of opulent living and the adventure of visiting foreign lands had been a dramatic and welcomed change from his previous life with a physically abusive and alcoholic father, from inexplicable rejection by his boyhood friend, and from periods of homelessness and hunger.  Ted Connors had never shown any signs of genuine affection for the teen.  Rather, he USED the young man who was little more to him than a desirable male body with which to gratify insatiable lust.  Abnormally frequent sex with the fiftyish man had initially been exciting and satisfying but quickly became an obligation that was devoid of any emotional connection.  It was purely physical gratification for the man and little more than performance of duty for Eric.  He didn’t want to be a whore-boy.  His unhappiness increased each time he provided sex-for-hire services.  It had become a dreaded chore.  His discontent was magnified when he learned that his benefactor had deceived him by withholding news of his father’s death.

His dissatisfaction was further confounded upon learning that the lecherous man was his biological father.  It was not the idea of incest that triggered the teen’s rage; intergenerational intimacy did not upset him.  Rather, it was concealing the fact while using a vulnerable youth whom the man knew was his son.  It was, to Eric’s thinking, convincing evidence of manipulation and selfishness that would make any kind of emotional bond impossible.

Chapter 1
ANOTHER NEW LIFE BEGINS

It was a very long walk carrying a suitcase and pulling a rolling luggage bag from Ted’s estate into town.  The first few miles were along the side of a roadway with no sidewalks.  The temperature was climbing as it often does in that part of Texas and Eric wished he had the forethought to bring a bottle or two of water.  If it weren’t for his anger with Ted that continued to burn inside him he might have regretted his decision to leave the comfort and security of Ted’s home.  He still thought of the man as ‘Ted’.  He refused to bestow on a selfish, manipulative master the honor of being called Dad.

He stopped to rest by the side of the road, protected from the blazing sun by the shade of a large tree.  Sitting on his suitcase with his head hanging low, he wondered whether he might be able to find a stream to quench his thirst and, perhaps, to restore his energy.  He paid no attention to the dust-covered pickup truck that passed by until it stopped and backed up to where Eric sat.

“Runnin’ away from home, Sonny?” a craggy-faced old man in overalls called from the driver’s seat.

Eric had to think a few moments to fabricate an explanation.  “No, Sir.  I’m just on my way to visit a friend.”

“Whatcha doin’ with the luggage, then?”

“I’m going to stay with him for a few days.”

“How’s come yur walkin’?  It’s a fur piece into town.”

“My car wouldn’t start.  And my friend is expecting me so I decided to walk.”

The old man raised his bushy eyebrows in disbelief, paused, and said, “Throw yur stuff in the back.  Git inside.  I’ll give ya a ride.  Ya got no business bein’ out in this heat.”

If the old man, probably a rancher, were much younger, Eric would have been reluctant to accept a ride from a stranger and risk being robbed or raped but the old man didn’t fit the profile of a predator and was unlikely to have any malicious intent.  “Thank you, Sir.  That’s very kind of you.”

Less than a mile down the road the man said, “Ah don’t believe yur story, kid.  Ah jus’ don’t wanna see a young feller come to no harm.  Wanna tell me the truth?”

Eric didn’t.  How could he explain being homosexual and living with an older man as a sex partner?  How could he justify leaving a comfortable life for an uncertain future?  He decided to stick with his excuse of a story.  “It’s the truth, Sir.  I know it sounds stupid.  I should have known better than to walk all the way into town.  That was a huge mistake.”

“Have it yur way then, Sonny.  But jus’ to be sure, I’m gonna drop ya off at yur friend’s place ... and see that yur safe.  Where’s he live?”

Finally, Eric could tell the truth and gave the old man the address of Grant Kaiser’s house.  He had already decided to go there anyway.  He had lived there before, taking care of the handicapped man.  That was a while ago and before he agreed to be a boy toy, a live-in prostitute for a wealthy business executive.  He knew that leaving the security and comfort of his benefactor’s home, disillusioned and angry, would undoubtedly result in his former partner stopping the payment for a professional home care service.  Grant would therefore need him as much as he needed a place to stay.

The kindly Good Samaritan waited at the curb until he heard Eric call through the open door, “Grant, it’s me, Eric.  Can I come in?”  The rancher then drove away, still doubting the teen’s explanation but knowing at least that the young man was safe.

Grant was in his usual recliner with his walker nearby. “Good to see you again, Eric,” Grant said through a broad smile but then saw the suit case and asked, “What’s with the luggage?”

“It’s a long story, Grant.  The promotion I got at the company didn’t work out.  So I’m out of a job.  And I was hoping you’d let me stay here for a while.”

“OF COURSE!  I’m happy to have you.  I’ve missed you.  Come over here and let me give you a hug.”

The genuinely warm welcome, accentuated by the hug, was just what Eric needed.  Ted had given him plenty of sex and a comfortable life with exciting travel but Grant, who was uninterested in sex and probably incapable of it and who had very little money, gave him affection, something that he hadn’t enjoyed for too long.

“So what are you going to do now, Eric?” Grant asked.  “Without a job, I mean.”

“Look for a job,” Eric replied.  “I’m not desperate to find one.  I’ve got some money saved up.  Another thing I’m going to do is to help you around here.  Since I lost my job, the payments for the home care agency are probably going to stop.  Even if they don’t, I think you ought to tell them to stop coming by.  I may not be as professional as they are but I’m happy to do it.”

“They’re professional, all right,” the man groused.  “They do what’s required but to them it’s only a job and a paycheck.  But when you were here, you were a friend.  I missed that.”

The contrast between living with Grant and living with Ted was not lost on Eric.  With Ted he was performing a service — frequent sex for lavish pay.  But he was fond of Grant and helped him not because it was a place to live but because of their mutual regard for each other.

<><><><><> 

A month passed.  Eric worked in an auto parts store and saved most of his pay.  Grant’s neighbor, Stan, called in a favor and got him the job.  Grant gave him the use of his old Buick that had not been driven for years and Stan helped Eric get it running again.  A regular job and helping Grant evenings and weekends left him with little free time but he was happy.  Grant was also happy.  He appreciated Eric’s help but valued the companionship and their growing friendship.

Late one evening Eric helped Grant get ready for bed.  It was a task that had become more and more arduous for the disabled man.  When the man was finally in his pajamas and tucked into bed, he said, “Eric, my boy, I’ve got a question.  You’ve told me about living in a posh house and about your travels with your boss.  But you’ve never said what your job was ... or why you lost the job.  You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to but I’m curious.”

Painful memories of his duties and Ted’s deception were revived in Eric’s mind, memories that he had almost put to rest.  Something inside of him, perhaps a firmly held value, argued that he should reveal what he went through and not be as dishonest with Grant as Ted had been with him.  “It’s not a pleasant story, Grant, but I’ll tell you the truth.  The promotion was to be what Ted called a personal assistant.  He was very generous in raising my pay.  That and the promise of world travel convinced me to accept the job.”  Eric paused to reconsider divulging the nature of the relationship.  Did the need to be truthful trump the fear of alienating his friend?

The momentary silence was broken when Grant said, “Doesn’t sound unpleasant to me.”

“That part isn’t.  The next part is.  My only responsibility was to sleep in his bed.  And to be available to him whenever he wanted ... well ... when he wanted to do stuff with me.  I guess you know that that means.”

The man’s surprised expression was obvious when he asked, “You mean he was queer?  And wanted you to ... whatever queers do?”

“Yes, he’s gay.  And so am I.  I knew before accepting the job what he wanted and I was willing to give it to him.  Does it upset you that you’re living with a pervert?”

“Not at all,” Grant said emphatically.  “I never understood why a man preferred another man to having a woman.  But I know it happens.  Probably happens more than anybody knows about.”

Eric was relieved that his landlord — no, his friend — had not reacted with disgust.  And he was confident that Grant was not just being diplomatic because of the respect and trust each had for the other.

“Wait a minute!” the man blurted out.  “If he’s queer and you’re queer, what’s the problem?  You said your job ... and losing it ... wasn’t pleasant.  What’s not to like if you both got what you wanted?”

“First of all, there was no affection — from either of us — in what we did together.  I was just a live-in prostitute.  That’s not what I want to do with my life.  But there’s a bigger reason.  He knew that my dad died and he didn’t tell me.  That upset me a lot.  But what made me furious is that he told me how he got my mother pregnant so he’s my biological father.  He KNEW IT ALL THE TIME!  Even before he offered me the job!  And he didn’t tell me!  Damn it, Grant!  That’s dishonest!  I couldn’t live with a man who would hide something as important as that from me.  So I left.  I wasn’t fired or laid off, I quit.”

After considering what he heard, Grant said, “You did the right thing.  It took courage to give up a life of luxury and travel but it says a lot about your character.  And I thank heaven that you decided to come back here.”

There was a long period of silence in which Eric reflected on Grant’s understanding acceptance of homosexuality and Grant empathized with his young friend who had suffered so many trials in his life but triumphed over them all.

The silence was broken when Grant asked rhetorically, “You’ve kept your secret all this time?  I never suspected.  You helped me in and out of the bathtub ... when I was naked.  You never took advantage of that.  Why?”

Eric chuckled.  “Partly because I was afraid ... afraid of letting my dark secret out.  I was sure you would hate me if I tried to do anything and for being gay.  I didn’t want to lose your friendship.  And a home.”  Then he broke into a broad smile and said, “But also because you’re not the handsome, attractive man you used to be.”

They both laughed.

Eric went to bed thankful that he had revealed his secret to Grant.  It hadn’t destroyed their friendship but seemed to have strengthened their bond of friendship.  Before Grant fell asleep, his thoughts were admiration for a young man who had survived what could destroy a lesser person.  If I’d ever had a son, the man concluded, I’d want him to have the compassion, intelligence and integrity of Eric Mathews.

To be continued...

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

Posted:09/07/12