What a Peach - A Southern Story

By Chris James

Chapter 3

Charlie sat quietly at the table across from the boy. Brad was finally starting to make sense. Sometimes telling the truth was the hardest part of growing up and what he wanted to know would come out in time, there was no need to push.

"Danny and I grew up together," Brad finally began. "He's the closest thing to a brother I have." Brad was so breathless and excited that Charlie decided to believe him for the moment. Maybe this was the real story or at least as close to it as the boy was willing to tell him.

"Danny and I were skipping school about three months ago. We were fooling around in one of the old abandoned warehouses, breaking windows and stuff. We heard a gunshot and then it got real quiet. We lay low for a while and then Danny said we should go see what had happened.

"We snuck out of the warehouse and went down this alley between two buildings. At the end there was a car parked across the alley and we went down to look. When we got to the car a door on the side of the building suddenly opened and a guy came running out towards the car. He was followed by two men and one of them had a gun.

"Just as the first man reached the car the gun went off and the man dropped dead right in front of us. Danny and I hit the ground. The two men took us back into the warehouse and tied us up

"They threw the dead guy in the trunk and came back inside. The guy named Taylor grabbed Danny and said they were going to take him along as a hostage. He gave me that business card and said if he didn't hear or read about the shooting then he would assume I kept my mouth shut and let Danny go.

"After two months of waiting Danny didn't come back. I started thinking they weren't planning to let him go at all. I have to go to Miami, Charlie, I have to find Danny."

"So you just ran away from your family? Why didn't you go to the police?"

"I don't want them to kill him, Charlie."

"It doesn't look good, Brad."

"I know he's alive, he has to be," Brad said.

"Has he called you?"

"Yes, he called me two weeks ago and I ran."

"You didn't include that in your story. It's awful hard for me to figure out how to help you Brad. Your stories change back and forth. I don't think you want to tell me the truth, do you?"

"It's hard, Charlie, it really is."

"So tell me, who is this Taylor guy? Only the truth, Brad. I really need to know."

Brad was wringing his hands and really close to tears this time. Something has to give, Charlie thought.

"He's a small time gangster, prostitution mostly. Danny and I...uh, this is so hard to say, Charlie. I know you'll think I'm a real jerk but Danny and I did some films for him. Together, like...you know."

"Porno films, is that what you want to say?"

"Yeah. I'm sorry, Charlie, it was so stupid of me to come here."

"It's ok, Brad. I never judge a peach by the way the skin looks. I value honesty in my friends, that's why I have damn few of them."

`"Danny and I made four fuck films for Taylor," Brad said with a sigh. "He paid what we thought was pretty good money and my mom needed the cash real bad after my dad left us. Danny was pretty much in the same boat at his house. Ok, honesty. Danny and I have been fucking around since we were kids. Maybe I'm a fag because of it, I don't know about that. I'd do anything for Danny."

"And Taylor kidnapped him, is that it?"

"He's a year younger than me and he is a gay boy, or at least that's what he's been telling me the past two years. I wouldn't do another film because I think Taylor is a cheap hood and he's been using us. I mean two hundred bucks per film, does that seem fair?"

"Those illegal movies make thousands, Brad. Taylor was fucking you good."

"But Danny wanted to make another movie and Taylor took him to Miami where he was supposed to make the next film. Then Danny calls me on some guy's cell phone at two o'clock in the morning about two weeks ago and says they're holding him. He's been abused by several men and gets nothing for it. I want to kill Taylor."

"Then I'll go with you," Charlie said.

"You can't, Taylor will kill you. I never saw him kill that guy but he has a nasty reputation," Brad said.

"And I don't, is that it? Come on, Brad, let me show you something about me you don't know."

Brad followed Charlie through the house and up the stairs to the second floor. There were photographs lining the walls in the upstairs hallway. Charlie explained they were pictures of his family over the generations. Charlie came to a door at the end of the hall.

"This was the room I shared with my brother when we were younger," Charlie said, "But now I sleep in the master bedroom over there. This is just a room full of memories." He opened the door and walked in.

The first thing that caught Brad's eye was the Marine Corps emblem on the far wall. And next to it a folded American flag sealed in a case. Charlie saw the boy's eyes drawn to the flag. "I had an older brother once. He was killed in Vietnam during the last days of that war. They gave my mother the flag when he was buried. I was only eleven at the time"

"I'm sorry," Brad said.

"It damn near killed my father when I graduated high school and joined the Marines myself. But Vietnam was history by then and my mother supported me. See, Brad, I just had to get away from this place for a while. I grew up with peaches and all I knew was this little backwoods town. But then I saw the world and all the shit going on out there and decided this wasn't such a bad place to live after all."

"You were a Marine?"

"Among other things," Charlie said.

Charlie opened the closet and pulled out his old uniform." I think the damn thing still fits," he chuckled. "I hated the Corps when I first went in. But somewhere along the line I decided what they wanted to teach me would be valuable someday. If I'd had a college degree they would probably have made me an officer, instead they taught me something else."

Charlie leaned down and pulled a locked chest out from under the bed. His fingers spun the combination on the huge padlock and it snapped open. "You can't tell anyone about this."

Charlie opened the trunk and Brad gasped as the row of well oiled automatic rifles and pistols gleamed in the overhead light. "Do you think I'm afraid of Taylor?"

"No, I guess not," Brad said. "What does all this make you, Rambo?"

"They taught me to kill, Brad. I became part of a special intelligence force that never officially existed. We did all kind of classified stuff, things I still can't talk about. But I was good, very good and yet I hated it. I would do it again to save the life of someone I cared about. Do you know where Danny is?"

"An apartment building, he gave me the name...Noble, yeah, that's it, the Noble in Miami. Some big fancy place where Taylor lives and makes his movies. I suppose if I had been really dumb I would be trapped there right now. Danny said that he only gets out when they take him to a party or let him go shopping but, he always has an armed guard with him."

"So all we have to do is wait until they go out and snatch him back. What were you planning to do all by yourself?" Charlie asked.

"I don't know, Charlie. I just felt like I had to get there and try something before Danny gets hurt."

"He's already hurt, Brad. I just don't want him to get killed," Charlie said.

"How come you want to do this, Charlie?"

"The crops in, what else is there to do?"

"This is crazy, isn't it?" Brad asked.

"If you love him then we'd be doing the right thing."

"I...I guess I love him."

"I envy you, Brad. I never had someone like Danny in my life."

"You never...you're gay?" Brad asked.

"Come to think of it, maybe I am. But it doesn't matter in this situation."

Brad was staring and Charlie knew the look. He'd seen it a few times in Atlanta when guys found it hard to believe a big strong guy like him was sitting in a gay bar. So he didn't fit the mold, it seemed like a good thing. He preferred the peach farmer image.

"We need to make a plan of attack," Charlie said, changing the subject.

They went back downstairs and sat down at the kitchen table with a yellow legal pad of paper. Charlie began doodling and ended up making a list of things he thought they might need.

The choice of weapons was easy. He would only take a knife or two. Guns made noise, noise attracted attention and that was a bad thing. If he needed a gun he would take it away from Danny's guard. Taking a blank sheet of paper he drew a square.

"Let's say this is a grocery store. Stands to reason there might be other armed men at the apartment so we have to do this away from there. If they drive to a store we have to follow. Any place we try to snatch Danny must have at least two exits or we abort the mission."

"Why?" Brad asked.

"Go in one way and out the other. There could be a backup for the guard and we can't go out the same way he comes in."

"Makes sense," Brad said.

"We won't know where they are going, a clothing store, a drugstore. Whatever, it has to have at least two exits. They walk in and we follow close behind. I want you to make contact with Danny first, he doesn't know me. You get his attention and let him know it's about to go down. I will make a quick scout around and find the exit point.

"We'll corner Danny and the guard. I take out the guard and you walk Danny to the exit and out of the building. I'll leave by the entrance to make sure we are not followed and the three of us meet at the car."

"How do you take out the guard?" Brad asked.

"Depends upon him. I don't want to kill the guy unless he gives me no choice. No sense in having the cops looking for a killer. We'll bring Danny back here and decide what to do."

"Will it work? It sounds so easy," Brad said.

"Nothing is that easy but we have to plan the flow of the mission so that we both know how it should work. How well it works is all based on good planning, good training and most of all good luck. I need a beer."

Brad fetched the beer from the refrigerator. "Charlie, really, why are you doing this?"

"Really? You have a nice ass, ok?" They looked at each other and Charlie started laughing. "If I wanted to fuck you at least I would ask first. Taylor didn't, did he?"

Brad gasped. "How...how did you know?"

"I didn't, I guessed," Charlie said. "But if someone took me without asking I'd want to kill him too."

"He hurt me, Charlie. Danny was the only person who had ever...but he was gentle. Taylor tried to hurt me."

"Maybe Taylor will be the guard on the day of our mission? That would make my job a lot easier."

"Would you really kill him?" Brad asked.

"Not unless I have to, it's up to him. So how did you and Danny get into making these films?"

"Danny met a guy who knew Taylor."

"And you thought it was all right to take off your clothes and screw in front of a camera? You're braver than I am," Charlie said.

"I didn't want to do it at first. I still can't believe I did. But Danny said it would be easy and with all the lights pointed at us it was hard to see anyone watching."

"Where did you make the films?" Charlie asked.

"The first two were in motel rooms. We carried in suitcases with cameras and lights. Taylor and his friend set things up and Danny and I just got down to business. The last two we made at a beach house."

"You remember where those places are? I would love to get some names of the guys involved."

"I got Taylor's card," Brad said.

"And my name is George Washington. The name is probably a fake and if we call the number we'll just get an answering service. So far the only solid piece of information we have is the name of the apartment building in Miami."

"So when do we leave, Charlie?"

"Today is Wednesday, we go Friday. I want to look around the area on Saturday and begin surveillance on Sunday. Fewer people moving around on Sunday. If they take Danny out for small purchases they might do it then."

"How we going to get there?" Brad asked.

"In style, boy, in style." Charlie said, slamming his hands on the table. He grabbed Brad's hand and urged him out the kitchen door to a shed beside the equipment barn. He threw open the large double doors and switched on the lights.

"She's a sweet road car," Charlie said of the deep blue Cadillac that shone under the overhead lights. "My Daddy bought her the year before he passed on. I've done a little work on her but otherwise there's only about forty thousand miles on the odometer. Car like this won't attract attention in Miami."

"Sweet," Brad said, looking at the leather interior.

"Ok, I think it's bed time for us both. We'll get an early start tomorrow. I'll have to pick at least twenty or thirty bushels for the pie ladies and you can help me sort them out. We'll go shopping too, lay in a few supplies and then take off Friday morning."

"I'm not really tired, Charlie, I took that nap this..."

"You don't have to sleep but you do have to be in bed. I'll get you something to read. If you want to do this then you'll have to accept that I'm in command. There is only room for one leader on a mission like this."

Brad stiffened and then nodded. "Yes, sir."

Charlie went back in the house and began turning off the downstairs lights.

"Don't you lock up?" Brad asked.

"Be a damn fool that tried to sneak up on me. I had a dog until she died of old age last year. Damn fool animal used to wake me up by snoring so I never got another."

They went up the stairs and Charlie opened the first door on the left. "This will be your room while you're here. It used to be my younger sister's room before she ran off to California so excuse the girlie decor. I sleep over there," Charlie said, pointing at the door to the master bedroom. "I leave my door open so I can hear things. If you plan to use the bathroom just go down the hall."

"I don't even have a toothbrush," Brad said.

"I noticed. We'll have to get you one tomorrow. Good night then. See you in the morning," Charlie said.

Brad went into the room, dropped the coveralls to the floor and lay on the bed in his boxers. Charlie went into his room and stripped down before crawling in under the sheets. It probably won't happen tonight but he knew that Brad would end up in his bed. The boy would come for comfort, for warmth or because he was just plain scared, but he would come.

Charlie was afraid of what might happen or what he might want to happen. The boy wasn't even seventeen; it couldn't happen, not legally anyway. Hell, what he did in bed with adults was still illegal in Georgia. He hoped that Brad was hung up on Danny and that would keep him in his own bed.

It wasn't even an hour later when the barely audible movement of the floorboards in the hallway brought Charlie's eyes open. With a slight turn of his head he saw Brad move into the doorframe.

"I'm awake," Charlie said. "Come on in."

Without a word, Brad crawled under the sheets and into Charlie's arms.

"Too many thoughts keeping you awake?"

"What we plan to do is scary, isn't it?" Brad asked.

"You love him, don't you? Love makes people do scary things sometimes."

"Danny is the only guy I even cared about until now."

"I appreciate the sentiment, Brad, I really do. But you're sixteen and I'm thirty-one. I love the affection but don't you see this as a problem?"

"I care about you Charlie. You've done so much...you're doing so much for me. I want to give you something in return."

"But should I accept the offer, Brad? Didn't you say that Taylor hurt you?"

"He tied me up, put a condom on his cock, and smeared my ass with mentholated jelly. It burned for a week; I could barely walk the whole time. But that was a while ago, it doesn't bother me now."

"All the more reason to castrate the bastard," Charlie said. "Come on, Brad, you're safe here, try and sleep."

The room became silent and soon Charlie heard the boy's even breathing as he succumbed to a much needed sleep. He lay staring up at the ceiling, feeling Brad's warmth against his skin. It felt good to be in bed with someone who wanted him, someone who cared for him.

Sure, sex with the boy would feel great but the thought of helping the kid felt even better. As for Danny, he wondered what the boy had gotten himself into. It was obvious that Brad cared a lot about the younger boy. Five days on the road like that, and at his age. Charlie hoped this would all work out. He didn't like the idea of killing another human being and he'd sworn it would never happen again. What would that make? Eighteen, nineteen?

That mission in Lebanon had almost cost him dearly. No one told them they would have a reception committee waiting for his squad. Bad intelligence, probably CIA, had almost killed them all before they even found the target. Charlie Tuna they had called him back then. The sound of bullets whizzing past his head as Charlie covered the target they had rescued with his own body. The feel of hot shrapnel ricocheting off the wall behind him after the explosion that took out half the squad.

But Charlie Tuna had succeeded in dragging the target into the water, slipping a breather in the man's mouth and taking them both out to the submarine hidden in the shallow water. Five good men lost, mission accomplished he'd been told. No medals, no commendation, a typical black operation that would never be mentioned again. The target lived, Charlie thought. He hoped the guy appreciated the sacrifice it took, but he probably didn't.

Would he kill Taylor? If Danny had been hurt he would probably find it easy to forget his oath... The thought of Taylor raping Brad would be enough for him to slice the man's spinal cord in half. But he wouldn't kill, Charlie was sure. There was no need to add to the faces of the dead he sometimes saw at night in his dreams. There would be no bad dreams this night, not with a beautiful boy in his arms.

Charlie awoke with the rising sun, knowing it would be another hot day. Brad lay on his side, mouth slightly open and a sliver of drool running down to the pillow. Charlie could feel the hardness between the boy's legs pressing against his thigh. He remembered when everyday began with an erection, but that was a long time ago.

Sliding out of bed, Charlie slipped downstairs and went into the kitchen to put on a pot of coffee. He took a quick shower in the humid morning air, keeping the water as cold as he could stand. Somewhere in the distance he heard a cock crow and understood the feeling the bird must have.

Declaring his manhood would have been easy last night but he didn't want to take advantage of Brad's moment of weakness. Charlie wasn't sure he could only do it once and let Brad go. He had felt an urge arising in himself these past few months. The need to find a partner he could love for a long time. Brad had Danny and for that he was lucky.

Walking back in the kitchen he poured himself some coffee and climbed back up the stairs to his bedroom. Looking down at the sleeping boy he wondered what it would be like to do this every morning. Putting his coffee down on the dresser, Charlie slipped on a clean pair of boxers before waking the boy.

"Good morning," Charlie said as Brad stared up at him with half open eyes. "Want to go pick some peaches?"

Brad groaned. "Do we have to?"

"Yes we do, they aren't going to pick themselves."

"What time is it?" Brad asked.

"Early," Charlie said. He used to have this same conversation with his father. "Best get at it before it gets too hot. If we work until lunch time then we can knock off for the afternoon and go into town."

Brad groaned again and Charlie pulled off the covers. The boy was laying there naked, his erection standing straight up in the air.

"You like?" Brad said with a sleepy smile.

"Yes, I do, but I've got a cure for it too," Charlie laughed. With that he seized the boy in a bear hug and lifted him out of bed. Brad struggled playfully as Charlie carried him downstairs and out into the back yard. He didn't start yelling until Charlie forced him under the showerhead and turned on the cold water. Brad screamed but his morning erection quickly disappeared.

Charlie turned on a warm mixture and allowed the boy to enjoy the spray. Watching Brad turn under the shower Charlie again felt the desire inside rise up. Yeah, it would be good to do this every morning too.

"Ok, Brad, enough showering, we have work to do."

"What about breakfast?" Brad asked.

"No food until you work. We'll stop and eat in a few hours after we work up an appetite."

They picked peaches for several hours until the sweat ran down their arms. Charlie showed the boy how to pinch the stems just above the fruit and how to carefully clip the peach off the tree. They stacked baskets on the electric cart until it was full. Charlie let Brad drive the machine back to the shed where they unloaded the fruit into the shade.

"Why did you buy an electric machine? Brad asked.

"Why waste gas? Besides the cart is quiet and I enjoy the peace it gives me when I ride around the orchard. Electricity is cheap so all I have to do is plug it in. Here put that last bushel over here by the door."

"Don't you wash the peaches?" Brad asked.

"Nope. Don't want them to get wet, creates mold if they sit too long. I keep them dry and let the shed air them out. The pie ladies wash and peel the fruit themselves. The less you handle the fruit the fewer bruises you get. No one likes damaged fruit."

"I'm a damaged fruit," Brad said with a laugh.

"Then maybe I ought to peel and cook you right now," Charlie said, sweeping the boy up in his arms.

Brad looked down into his face and then kissed Charlie right between the eyes.

"What was that about?" Charlie asked.

"Just felt like it," Brad said, "You deserved it."

"Then thank you, thank you very much," Charlie said, doing his best Elvis impression.

"I'm hungry, aren't you?" Brad asked.

"I have a beautiful boy in my arms and, yes, I could eat every bit of you."

"Oh, Charlie. What am I going to do with you?"

"Nothing, that's what," Charlie said putting the boy down. "Let's feed ourselves and go into town. I need to gas up the car and get a few things, we hit the road tomorrow."

One of the first stops they made was the drugstore where Charlie made a few purchases in the pharmacy. He needed a few chemicals for what he told Brad was a defensive weapon. The boy had no idea what he was talking about.

"What's this all for?" Brad asked, looking in the bottom of their shopping bag.

"I'm going to make a weapon that won't kill but will stun anyone within five feet when it goes off. We called them flash-bangs; all noise but no damage unless you count someone's ears. I'm going to mix in a few chemicals that will create smoke when heated by the explosion. I'll show you how it works."

"Me? Why are you going to show me?" Brad asked.

"Because it's a weapon for you to use, just in case," Charlie said.

He said no more but could tell that Brad was worried. Good, he needed to be. Nowhere along the line did Charlie think this was going to be a cake walk. This Taylor, or whatever his name, was playing a dangerous game. Kidnapping kids was a federal offense, maybe even the death penalty when it was coupled with prostituting minors and making films. Brad might not realize the whole danger but Charlie planned to teach him a little about what they were up against.

A final stop at the grocery for some stake out supplies and drinks, it might be a while before Danny showed up on the street. Charlie left beer off the menu on purpose; he needed to think clearly from here on in. To compensate he bought them a couple of thick expensive steaks.

The sense of mission preparation crept back into his bones. The psychological preparation to achieve focus would come later. Right now his mind was turning the objectives over, analyzing things from varying points of view. The usual "what if" games soldiers often used to boost themselves up before they bogged down in nasty details. He would have to focus Brad a little more. The kid was smart and flexible, and he had such a killer ass. Now where did that come from, Charlie asked himself?

Charlie stopped off at Bobby Lee's to gas up and check the oil in the Caddy.

"Where you goin, Charlie?" Bobby Lee asked.

"South a ways," Charlie replied. "Going to drop my cousin here off in Ft. Lauderdale. Drop by the house and check on things, will you? I'll probably be back on Tuesday or Wednesday next week."

"What cousin you talkin about?" Bobby Lee asked.

"Brad? Oh he's a Barnsley, on dad's side, you never met that bunch before and you better be glad too."

"All right, if'n you say so," Bobby Lee replied. "You just be careful down there. I hear them Cubans are taking over the state."

Charlie laughed as they pulled out of the station. "Bobby Lee is all right," he explained to Brad. "Not too bright, but hell of a nice guy." And then feeling he needed to explain a little more, Charlie said," He never got out of Stony Creek. Didn't finish high school and doesn't care. Too much of one place can't be good for a man's sense of himself. Unless you travel over that next hill just to see what's there, how can you say your life is what it's supposed to be?"

"I suppose you've seen a lot," Brad said.

"Yes, I have. And you know what? Sometimes I envy Bobby Lee because he's never seen the bad side of the world like I have."

"You want to tell me about it?" Brad asked.

"I will...maybe someday I will. Life is always easier when you learn from someone else's mistakes instead of screwing up on your own."

Things were pretty quiet on the way back to the house, each of them lost in their past. Once they got there Charlie realized that the afternoon was going fast. He went in the hall closet and took down a box of .410 gauge shotgun shells. Sitting down at the kitchen table he began to dismantle the plastic tubes. Brad sat by and watched expectantly.

"First I have to take out the buckshot. Shells this size don't have much of a punch. I take out the load and then have to pry out the cap and alter it. Once I do that if you drop one of these things it will go off so you'll have to be careful.

"I'm mixing the powder charge with these two chemicals and you see nothing happens." Charlie refilled the shells, replaced the wadding and re-crimped the end. "Now come outside and watch the fun.

Brad followed him out onto the back porch where Charlie picked up a brick and took it out into the yard. He set the brick down in the grass about ten feet from the house.

"This will make a loud noise and a lot of smelly smoke. Ready?"

Brad nodded and Charlie dropped the shell from about five feet above the brick.

Wham! The bang reverberated off the house and echoed into the trees of the orchard. A bunch of startled birds took off from their resting places. White smoke surrounded Charlie and Brad lost sight of him for a few seconds before the smoke drifted off.

"Wow, that was loud," Brad said.

"Try that in an enclosed space and it will create great confusion. Loud sounds have the effect of disorienting people. Loud enough and you can knock them out. Just remember you're going to be close to this thing if you have to drop one. Be prepared to use the confusion. Don't get yourself caught up in it."

Charlie went back in the kitchen and made ten more of the devices. He stored seven of them in a cigar box filled with cotton padding to protect the firing mechanisms, the other three he handed to Brad. The boy held them in his trembling hand like they were about to explode.

"Now you practice," Charlie said.

Back into the yard, only this time Brad had to set one off.

"Remember, you'll do this only if it becomes necessary to create confusion. That means you can't stand there and cringe like that before they go off. If Danny's guard is nearby ands sees you afraid of something it will alert him to danger. Think of yourself as holding an ice cream cone. The guy walks up and you just drop the cone. The moment you let go you can start moving away from it. If you're facing away when it goes off it won't be as confusing to you."

Brad stood above the brick and looked down. He held one of the shells out to his side and moved until it was above the brick. Smiling at Charlie he dropped the shell and turned his body away from the explosion. The shell dropped into the grass and didn't go off.

Charlie laughed. "I suppose there is that risk as well. But if you're inside a store the floors will be tile over concrete and you won't miss."

"Right," Brad said and resumed his position.

He dropped the shell and turned. The wham of the explosion caused him to jump but Brad was almost four feet away when it happened.

"Damn, that's loud," he yelped as the smoke cleared. Twice more he dropped shells and each time he managed to turn away before it went off. "I can do this, "he yelled.

"The loud noise has affected your hearing, I believe," Charlie said.

"Huh?" Brad replied.

"I said your ass is amazing," Charlie laughed.

"That's what I thought you said," Brad smiled.

"Let's just hope you won't have to use one of these things. I'm hoping we can pull this off without attracting too much attention. Remember, we're going to grab Danny and run for it. To someone watching us from a distance it might seem like we're the kidnappers."

"How about if I get Danny to hug and kiss us?" Brad suggested.

"Now there's an idea," Charlie said. He picked up the expended shells and dropped them in the trash behind the house. The boy had done well; he would be an asset if it came down to it.

Charlie dragged the grill out of the shed and started up the charcoal. Brad offered to cook the steaks so Charlie grabbed one of the few remaining beers in the refrigerator and sat on the porch to watch the coals burn down. This all had such a nice homey feel about it. He wondered what would happen after they got Danny back. Would the boys take off and head back north?

As if sensing Charlie's mood, Brad came and sat down on the steps beside him.

"You worried about doing this?" he asked.

"A little, it pays to be cautious. What are you guys going to do when it's over?" Charlie asked.

"I don't know," Brad said.

"Don't you think your mother is worried about you? And what about Danny? He's been gone a long time."

"Truth? I didn't want to tell you, Charlie. My mother hasn't cared what I do for years. All she cares about is if she has enough money to buy herself another bottle. But Danny is in worse shape. He's been living on the street for the past three years. His folks just up and left, then the child welfare people took Danny and his older brother to a foster home. I found him on the street after he ran away. He's been living with me for almost two years."

"What about school?"

"Oh, I've been going to school and then teaching Danny from my books. He mostly stays in my room during the day and watches television. My mom doesn't seem to mind him there. Sometimes I don't think she even knows what's going on around her."

"I'm sorry. No kid should have to live such a miserable life."

"It's been ok. Danny and I have each other."

And what if you lose him, Charlie wanted to ask? Things don't always go the way you planned. He watched Brad lay the steaks on the grill and then went in to fix a salad. If things didn't work out for the boys they could always stay here, Charlie thought. How would he handle two young lovebirds making it in the other room? Not well, he was bound to become jealous. Jealous of what? He had never done a thing with Brad other than covet the boy's body.

Dinner was fairly quiet but oh so good. Brad had done up his steak so nice and juicy. Charlie wanted to hug the boy and tell him everything was going to be all right, but why do that and take the blame later if it went wrong?

They packed a couple of small duffel bags with clothes for the trip and left them on the kitchen table. Charlie filled a box with non-perishable items and then placed an empty cooler beside the refrigerator. Brad was in watching television and so Charlie joined him on the couch.

The show was a mindless serial comedy. Perfect since both of them wanted some silly distraction from their thoughts. Brad leaned against him and then finally lay down with his head in Charlie's lap. A certain warmth filled Charlie, a feeling much like he'd felt that morning watching the boy sleep. He ran his fingers through Brad's hair.

"Do you want me to stay here when we come back?" Brad asked quietly. Obviously the boy had been thinking about the future of their relationship.

"If you want to," Charlie said," I'd like that. But what about Danny?"

"It would be nice if he could stay too...but I don't know if he will. He has friends up north, gay friends. I always believed that when he got older he would move right into the gay scene."

"There's a gay scene in New Hampshire?"

"I guess so but we're actually from New York," Brad said.

Charlie started to laugh, quietly at first and then letting it out in a real belly laugh that bounced Brad's head in his lap.

"What's so funny?" Brad demanded.

"Is that the last lie you have to clear up or is there more?" Charlie asked as he let out one last burst of laughter. "You're amazing, Brad, or is your name really Brad?"

"Bradley Morris, at your service."

"Well, I'm glad we got that cleared up," Charlie said, wiping tears from his eyes.

"I want to have sex with you, Charlie."

"I know you do but I don't think you know why. Casual sex is something strangers do, Brad. I don't think we're strangers anymore."

"But I'm beginning to have feelings for you, Charlie."

"I'm not surprised at that. Maybe I'm the first man who's ever treated you like a son. I come across as the fatherly type but I'd be a lousy father, Brad."

"I don't think so."

"So you want to have sex with your father? I think you need to see a doctor about that," Charlie said.

"It's no joke, really. You care about me, Charlie, I know it."

"And if you were older then maybe things would be different," Charlie said.

"I am not a little boy," Brad said, suddenly sitting up. "I left childhood behind a long time ago. I'm sick of people treating me like a kid."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I just think if we give into our desires so easily then what will we have tomorrow? I know your relationship with Danny is confusing. Does he want to stay with you or not? You're a very needy young man and you see sex as a fulfillment of those needs when there are so many other things that should happen first."

"What does that mean?" Brad asked.

"I would love for you to live here with me, I enjoy your companionship. But if you do then you'll have to attend school and work with me in the orchard. This is my life and I'm willing to share it with you only if you accept the responsibility that goes with the deal."

"You do want me to stay?"

"Absolutely. I love looking at your sweet ass and the rest of you ain't so bad either," Charlie said with a straight face.

Brad smiled. "I could live with that."