Rough Boys Ch. 24

This is a registered, copyrighted work of fiction. All rights reserved. Violators will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

****

Greensburo Penitentiary Officer John Kersek's eyes widened as he perused the data sheet of incoming convicts. "Uh-oh. This one's going to be trouble."

His co-worker, Corky, looked at him from where he was typing on his own computer. "What is it?"

"This one's an ex-cop. He'll be a target for sure. This is all we need—another inmate that we have to babysit."

"Bunk him in with Murphy. He'll make sure no one touches him—well, no one else." Corky smirked.

"Uh ... I don't think Murphy is a good choice," John said, perusing the details of the new inmate's case. "He's in for attempted murder of his son and his son's black, homosexual lover. Looks like he's quite the bigot."

"Put him in with Murphy. It'll be fine."

****

Three days later, the evening after the arrival of the new set of inmates, John and Corky strolled the corridors of the cellblock. It was just after lights out and they were making their rounds, ensuring that everyone was settling down for the night.

"You stay away from me, you fuckin' black monstrosity!" a voice snarled.

John and Corky paused to listen. It was one of the new inmates—the ex-cop.

"Oh, Dickie, you and I are gonna be good friends," a deep voice cooed. It was clearly Murphy.

"You stay away from me you fuckin' nigger!" The voice was high with apprehension.

"My, my Dickie. You have a foul mouth. I might have to wash it out for you with my special sauce."

"Fuck no! Don't touch me you fuckin' faggot!" The new inmate was now clearly panicked.

"Aw Dickie. You don't mean that. I see how you're looking at my big fat cock. I think you want it."

There was the sound of a brief scuffle and John looked to his more experienced coworker for guidance. Corky moved his hands in a downward motion, meaning "chill." Then he put a finger to his lips and they continued their silent walk down the corridor.

"Oh, yeah, Dickie," Murphy crooned. "Such a gorgeous white ass you have. It's going to look even better after you and I get some gym time together, but it's already beautiful. My big hard black cock is going to slide in there so fine!"

There was another sound of frantic protest, but it was muffled.

Once they had passed from the lock-up into the outer hallway, John questioned the older man, "You don't do anything about shit like that?"

"Nah. It'll all work out. You'll see. Let Murphy work his black magic."

****

Six months later...

John and Corky were once again doing the lights-out check when they heard a moan.

"Oh, yeah, Dickie. Such a sexy white ass."

"Oh Murph! Murph! I want your big black cock in me." The voice was breathless and needy.

John's eyes widened in shock.

"Oh yes, Murphy! Yes! Put it in! Fuck me! Please baby, make me your bitch."

They heard a loud moan followed by a steadily increasing pattern of bedspring squeaks and accompanying high-pitched squeals and grunts.

Murphy's deep voice crooned, "Oh, baby, baby, your sweet ass is so tight."

"Oh yeah, Murphy, yeah! You fuck so good! Harder baby!"

Corky smirked and whispered in John's ear. "Told ya it'd all work out!"

****

Cambridge, Massachusetts

Ty hit the send button to deliver his DiffiQ homework to his professor and then glanced at the time in the corner of his screen. Abe should be home soon.

He leaned back in his chair and stretched his arms behind his head, releasing his shoulders. He smiled as he took in his surroundings. He loved the bright apartment that he shared with Abe.

The afternoon sun beamed through the patio doors warming the hard wood floors. Snazzy was stretched out in the sunniest spot, looking languid and svelte as cats do so well. She seemed to have a smile on her little cat lips.

He sat at their new dining table, surrounded by books and papers. He noted that the butter they'd used with breakfast was still sitting on the far end of the table and it looked decidedly soft. I should probably put that away, he thought, but he didn't move. He was feeling exceptionally lazy this afternoon. Midterms were over, and other than the assignment he'd just turned in, he didn't have anything due for another week.

His second semester at MIT was proving to be a busy one. He was taking a full course load and was working part-time too. He'd been able to transfer with the same company; they sold point-of-sale software all over the country and were always on the lookout for talented staff. He'd even gotten a raise along with the transfer, which was good because Cambridge was expensive.

Abe had also easily found a job. Qualified nurses were in short supply and he came with several years of ICU experience and the highest recommendations. He had his choice of offers, but settled on a position at Children's Hospital Boston. He seemed to really like it.

Ty gathered his scattered papers into a neat pile, slid them into a folder, and stacked his books on top of that. I should see about fixing dinner, he thought. Still, he didn't feel like moving.

Instead he logged onto his personal email. He had been so busy with work and school, it had been several days since he'd checked. In addition to the usual barrage of junk mail he had several messages from friends and family. There was one from his sister, one from Dani, one from Tommy, and one from Bill. He read the one from Bill first and was just finishing up when he heard the lock on the front door being turned.

He jumped to his feet as Abe came striding in, jacket and mail in hand. He tossed them both on kitchen counter and turned to Ty.

"Hey, sweet thing!" he drawled, pulling Ty into his arms and swooping in for a kiss.

"Meow!"

Ty felt something rubbing against his legs. He and Abe broke apart from their kiss and Abe bent over to pick up Snazzy who was winding between their legs, obviously wanting some attention too.

"You fickle thing," Ty told her, scratching her under her chin. "I'm the one who feeds you, yet you ignore me all day but as soon as Abe gets home, you can't leave him alone." He smiled up at Abe. "Of course, I understand how she feels. You're irresistible."

Abe tossed the cat down gently and pulled Ty in for another deep kiss.

"Hey, sexy, how was your day?" Ty asked when they finally came up for air.

"It was good. The weather is perfect today—I didn't need a coat at all this afternoon." He hung his coat in the closet as Ty sat back down."

"I really like working with kids. They're so honest, you know? They say whatever comes into their little heads whether it's polite or not." Abe started laughing as went into the kitchen and poured himself a glass of water. "There was this one little girl, about five years old, who came in today with a broken arm—she fell out of a tree that she wasn't supposed to be climbing. So she's there with her mother waiting for the X-Ray results, and she's being all brave. Then Doctor Lee comes in to discuss the results with her mother and set her arm. She takes one look at him and whispers to her mom—loud enough for both Doctor Lee and me to hear, 'He looks like a monkey.'"

Abe started laughing so hard, he almost couldn't get the next couple of sentence out. "And he really kind of does—he's this little, skinny, seventy-year-old Asian guy, and he's got these big ears that stick out. All he really needs is a tail."

Ty was laughing too. "Did he say anything? Was he pissed?"

"No! Her mother turned six shades of red and I was trying so hard not to laugh, but not really managing it. Then Doctor Lee, bless his heart, starts making monkey noises and scratching himself in his armpit. Oh my god! The little girl was delighted. I think she forgot all about her broken arm. I have not laughed that hard in a long time."

"I'm glad you like your job, Abe."

"I really do. I'd love to become a pediatrician."

"You should!"

"But it's four more years of school and then residency. And the doctorate program requires a lot of math, which is not my best subject."

"I think your roommate could probably help you with that," Ty said with a wink. "You should think about it Abe. You'd make an awesome pediatrician."

"Well, med school is terribly expensive too."

"After I graduate and get my lucrative programming job, I can support you while you go to school. You're helping me out now—it's only fair." Abe had refused to split the bills fifty-fifty since he was working fulltime and making a lot more money than Ty. It had been a bone of contention between them.

"What is it with you and equality?" Abe asked.

Ty raised an eyebrow.

"Okay. I'll think about med school," Abe conceded.

"Dr. Abraham Williams," Ty teased.

"How about, Doctor and Mrs. Abraham Williams?"

"Hey! I'll never be a Mrs! I might agree to take your last name, but don't address me by your first. It would have to be Dr. and Mr. Williams. Or maybe I can get a PhD too, then we'd be Doctor and Doctor Williams." Ty grinned.

Abe had started going through the mail on the counter and now he froze, the smile on his face suddenly disappearing. He stared at the letter in his hand.

"What is it, Abe?"

"It's for you." Abe made no move to hand Ty the letter.

Ty stood up and went to stand in front of Abe. He didn't attempt to take the letter, he just looked at Abe's face trying to decipher his lover's emotions.

When Abe looked up, his eyes flashed with anger. He was clearly trying to control it.

Ty glanced down at the letter, attempting to read upside down.

"It's from your dad," Abe said shortly. "You don't have to read it. I can't imagine he has anything to say that would not be spiteful and mean-spirited. Let me just throw it away."

"From my dad?" Ty echoed in bewilderment. He hadn't seen or heard from his father since the trial where he'd testified against him. At the trial his father had, surprisingly, not been hostile. He had just seemed sad.

"What could he want?" Ty wondered aloud.

"Probably just bored in jail and decided to harass you via the US mail," Abe grumbled. "Let me throw it away."

"No. I'll read it." Ty put his hand out for the envelope.

"Babe." Abe hesitated, holding the letter a little closer to his chest. "I just don't want to see you get hurt again."

"It'll be okay, Abe. I don't think there's much more he can do to hurt me. And if it is a meanie-gram, then I won't open any more from him. It's probably not even personal—likely just a form he needs me to fill out or something."

Abe let Ty take the letter from him and followed him over to the couch, sitting down next to him so he could offer his support.

Abe slid an arm around Ty's shoulders while the slight redhead slit the envelope open. Ty pulled out two sheets of paper that were covered with a messy scrawl. He took a deep breath.

"It's a letter."

With more than a little trepidation he began to read, but the first few sentences had him gasping in surprise and by the fourth paragraph his mouth was hanging open in shock. It read:

"Dear Son,

Words cannot express how sorry I am for what I have done, but I at least have to try. I will never forgive myself for the pain I have caused your and your partner. It is beyond comprehension to me now that I could have done something so horrible. I do not expect that you will ever forgive me, but I do want you to know that I'm truly sorry, and that I still love you very much.

A lot has changed for me since I've become incarcerated—and believe it or not, the changes have been for the better. I am happier and more at peace now than I have been in many, many years.

I have been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and am being treated for such. With the help of a wonderful young counselor here, Jeremy, and the support of my cellmate, Murphy, I have come to understand why I harbored so much hatred for you as you became an adolescent.

I turns out I am gay. I have always been gay. Because of my upbringing and the social stigma attached to being a homosexual, I buried those feelings deep inside me."

"Holy shit!" Abe breathed. His eyes were huge. Ty was sure he looked the same.

"Yeah! Like a lightening bolt out of the blue!" Ty went back to reading.

"When I watched you change and mature into a beautiful young man, I was sure you were gay as well. This put me face to face with my own homosexual feelings and I could not reconcile them. There was too much cognitive dissonance for me (that's a term I learned from Jeremy), and I went off the deep-end, as they say.

I am now learning to cope with my feelings and accept myself for who I am. My cellmate, Murphy, is also my lover. He is serving a fifty-year sentence for killing a man during a convenience store robbery that he committed at the age of nineteen. It's hard for me to believe that Murph could have done something like that because he's the sweetest man I've ever met, but I certainly am not going to judge him for it. My crime was far worse. So we are in here together for the next thirty or so years, and I suspect they'll be happy ones. I've enclosed a photo of us.

I know this letter will come as a shock. I wanted to let you know that I fully respect you and your life choices. Your mother tells me that Abe is a wonderful man and is taking good care of you. I am very happy that you've found love and wish you all the best.

I'll say again I'm sorry for all of the pain I put you through over the years. I don't expect you to ever forgive me or understand my reasons, convoluted as they were. I don't understand myself, nor will I ever forgive myself, so I won't expect that of you either.

I wrote to you on paper because it seems more personal than an email, but if you're willing to stay in touch, you can email me at riverson at greensburopen dot gov.

Son, I am so proud of you. I love you very much.

All my best,

Dad"

Ty swallowed. "Wow! I don't know what to think of that. I just don't know what to think."

"Do you think he's serious or do think it's a trick?" Abe asked.

"Oh, I think he's serious. He was crazy and cruel, but he was never been devious. He was always upfront with his displeasure. I don't think he's lying, but I'm not sure he's not still crazy."

"Let's see the pic," Abe said.

Ty pulled it out of the envelope. "Oh my god! Look at that!"

The picture had been taken outside in the prison yard. It showed his dad within the embrace of a huge black man who was standing behind him. Ty's dad was leaning back against the other man's chest and their hands were clasped tightly together. There was no doubt that they were lovers. And they were both grinning at the camera as if they were the happiest men on earth.

"Damn!" Abe said. "Just ... damn!"

"That man's bigger than you are!"

"Oh yeah! He's like pushing seven feet. He's got to be. Look at how much taller he is than your dad and your dad's what?"

"Six-one."

"Damn. I never would have believed it if I hadn't seen it."

"Dad's lost weight. He looks really good. He looks happy, doesn't he?"

"Yeah. His lover looks happy too."

"Yeah. He really does." Ty's mind reeled. How could his father possibly have a homosexual lover? The concept would take some getting used to.

"So are you going to email him?"

"Maybe. Probably. Not right away."

Abe squeezed Ty's hand. "Whatever you're comfortable with babe. Do you think the rest of your family knows?"

"I don't know. I got an email from Jeanie today." Ty jumped to his feet. "Maybe she says something about it." Ty sat down at the table and opened his laptop again.

He quickly scanned Jeanie's email. "She doesn't say anything about dad. Her and mom are settled into their new condo. She likes it 'cause it has a view of the lake and is walking distance from downtown. Mom's selling the house. Jeanie has a boyfriend.

"If I was there, I'd have to give her boyfriend the third degree," he added. "Although she's got a good head on her shoulders. I don't think she'd date a douche.

"I also got an email from Bill. He and Shellie are foster parents for a twelve-year old runaway. Tommy found him at the bus station and he was too young to live at Sally's. Sounds like Shellie has her hands full, but she's lovin' it."

"That's nice," Abe said. He opened wide the French doors that led out to their porch. Snazzy followed him out with an appreciative meow. "Don't you go pissing in my flowers," Abe warned her.

Ty smiled. Abe had their entire porch covered with potted plants. He didn't complain though. The flowers were beautiful and he was also growing a variety of herbs for Ty's culinary endeavors.

"Now that the weather's getting nicer we should get a grill," Abe said as he pulled up a few tiny weeds.

"We'd have to get rid of some of your plants."

"No way. I'll figure it out."

Ty smiled as he opened Tommy's email. "Oh wow! Tommy and Sven are now officially going steady."

"I thought they already were."

"Well, they've been on and off for some time now. Sven didn't like Tommy's job. Now that Tommy's not on the market anymore, Sven is willing to make a commitment. I always liked Sven.

"Tommy says that the boys are still talking about the speech I gave at Christmas. Sally wants me to come talk to them again the next time I'm in town."

"That's great, babe," Abe said, going to the sink to wash his hands. "You gave a very powerful presentation."

"Yeah, I was scared shitless though." Ty shuddered. "I hate public speaking."

"It's just to a room full of teenagers. And it's for a good cause. If you can keep even a few kids from living on the streets and going down the path of drugs, it's worth it."

"Yes, I suppose it is. I felt good afterwards. It seemed kind of cleansing to talk about it."

Abe wiped his hands on a dishtowel and came around the counter to stand behind Ty. "You're amazing, babe. You're so strong and brave." Abe kissed Ty on the back of his neck.

"I am not!" Ty protested, blushing.

"Don't argue with your better half," Abe murmured into his neck. "You are incredibly strong to have survived all that and come through like you did."

"I couldn't have done it without you, Abe." Ty stood up and slid his arms around his lover's waist.

"I wish you hadn't had to go through so much pain." Abe looked Ty in the eye as he smoothed a strand of his auburn hair out of his face.

"Yeah. Living on the street sucked. Drugs sucked. Luckily, I was so out of it I don't remember the worst of it. After Trish disappeared, I went downhill pretty fast. I wish I knew what happened to her."

Abe hugged Ty tightly. Maybe it's best that you don't know, he thought, but he kept that thought to himself. The streets were a pretty ugly place. Anything could have happened to her.

"What do you say I take you out to dinner tonight, babe?" he asked instead. "I've discovered a barbeque place a few blocks away. I'd love to try it out."

Ty pursed his lips. Abe could tell he was about to protest. Ty liked to assert his independence and that meant he didn't like Abe buying things for him. The big man put a finger over Ty's lips before he could protest.

"For me, please babe? It's been a long time since you've let me take you out."

Ty couldn't say no. Abe loved lavishing him with generosity and sometimes it made Ty uncomfortable, but his expression was so hopeful, he seemed almost like a puppy.

"Okay. That sounds good."

A smile lit up Abe's face and Ty fell in love all over again, for the ten-thousandths' time.

He stretched up and licked Abe's bottom lip playfully.

That was all it took. Abe pulled him into a warm embrace as Ty snaked his arms around his lover's neck. Their lips met in a crushing kiss. Abe's tongue sought entrance and Ty's mouth granted it. Their tongues engaged in the now familiar dance.