Toledo's Turn

Chapter 1

"Hey, Tol, get your ass moving! I need to get home." Uncle Dan's voice boomed from behind me like an old-time radio baseball announcer. I could just imagine him lugging the giant cooler he brought his lunch and snacks in as he headed for his truck. He'd seen me and knowing that I was caught, even though there was nothing to catch me at, I felt a blush rise in my cheeks. I hoped it was hidden by my dusky skin and dark tan.

"See you later, my ride's going. I...," I stared at Cole Hansen and couldn't come up with a thing to say. I turned and held up a single finger to my uncle, telling him just a second. Cole was looking at me and smiling with a knowing grin. The knowing part pissed me off and I turned to walk away. He caught my shoulder and stopped me as he moved closer, close enough I could feel the heat from his body, smell the sweat he'd worked up during the day.

"I could give you a ride home, Tol." His breath brushed over my ear as he uttered the simple offer in a tone that meant anything but simple. Against my better judgment my prick wanted to accept. Three years ago I'd have already been in the cab of his pick-up, ready and waiting. I looked at my uncle who was turning red in agitation and shrugged Cole's hand off my shoulder.

"What would your wife think about that?" I said it over my shoulder without even looking at the guy. I picked up my own cooler, straightened my shoulders and walked away. I didn't really want to walk away but I knew I'd be kicking myself later if I didn't.

Uncle Dan didn't say a word until we were in his truck and on the highway. He somehow managed not to look at me until the buildings and shops of the greater-Boston area had slipped south to be replaced by trees and grass. I'd spread my legs and slumped in the seat, trying to ignore Dan and not think about Cole. I adjusted the vents for the AC for the twentieth time, couldn't get cool.

"What did that asshole want?" I'd known this was coming, just surprised it had taken him this long to finally let it out. Uncle Dan wasn't known for his patience. Not my biological uncle, Dan had been my Dad's friend since they were eight and they'd grown up together. I wondered what he knew about me and Cole, what my Dad might have told him.

"He was just saying hi, that's all. Can't even say hi to people?" I knew I sounded like a whiny, sullen brat but I couldn't help it. Curse of the youngest child.

Uncle Dan finally looked at me, a 'Don't give me that bullshit' kind of look. "I'm not a sucker, kid. I don't know what was going on back there or what happened in the past. What I do know is that he treated you like shit once upon a time, that he's married with two kids and you shouldn't be talking to him at work." Wow, the full on lecture, I hadn't seen that coming.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know, but it wasn't like that. Seriously, I ran into him and he just wanted to know how I've been doing." Sure, it was a lie, but only a little one. Uncle Dan, of all people, wouldn't want to know the details, I assured myself.

"Just be careful, Tol, that's all I ask. I don't want to see you get hurt again. I may not understand the whole gay thing, but I know an asshole when I see one." The last part struck me as hilariously funny. I started to say, "So do I," only managed to get out "So," before I busted up laughing. Uncle Dan finally caught up and he laughed too, dispelling the tension.

By the time we finished cracking up we were almost home. Dan dropped me off at the house with a parting word of advice. "Seriously, kid. Stay away from that guy, especially at work." I nodded and thanked him through the open window, shrugging off his words before he'd even driven away. It was Friday and work was done. I raced up the stairs by the old barn, up to my apartment and the shower I desperately needed.

With the hot water running over me I let my mind drift back to Cole and our unexpected meeting. Uncle Dan and I were working at a condo development in Brookline, one of the few jobs around. Dan and I happened to be at the top of the list at the union together and both got hired for the construction job, better money than maintenance work. It had been perfect because we could carpool and it would make the forty-five minute commute easier.

That day we'd been running more wire, double checking the plans to make sure we didn't mess anything up. Uncle Dan is a master electrician and, strictly speaking, my supervisor. The plumbers showed up and there was Cole. It was like a punch to the gut, I hadn't seen him except in passing since his marriage. I pushed the surprise to the back of my mind and concentrated on work, ignoring the other men working nearby.

I did take the time to notice that he was still hot. Six-two and built like a linebacker, with black hair and blue eyes. The firmness of his scruffy jaw and the tight fit of his white t-shirt proved he hadn't let himself go. If anything he looked leaner, more cut and defined. His hair curled at the nape of his neck in the same way I remembered, where I used to run my fingers through it. Hard to ignore, that was Cole, especially when he was working. His shirt would ride up as he squatted down, a hint of the crack of his hairy ass showing. I tried not to look.

At the end of the day he'd caught me throwing trash into the large dumpster in the back, must've seen me through the framing of the building taking shape. He called my name, gave me fair warning he was coming, and approached me with a cocky grin. He must have been remembering the easy control he once had over me but I wasn't a nineteen-year-old kid anymore.

"What's up, Cole. How's the wife and kids?" I smirked at him and saw the twitch of his lip, a sneer that wanted to form. He played it cool.

"They're good. What've you been up to? I mean, besides keeping tabs on me?" Busted, I looked away from his eyes and found myself checking out the bulge in his worn jeans. He laughed and his hand passed over the denim encased ridge. Feeling like more of a fool I looked up at him, running over options of what to say in my head. That's when Uncle Dan caught me.

I let the water rinse the soap away and contemplated jerking off, thoughts of Cole making me half hard. I'd been a kid, a stupid boy with a crush, an obsession. The truth was that I'd let Cole use me, only to happy to service him whenever he had the time or need for me. I hadn't realized it was all one sided until he told me his girlfriend was pregnant and they were getting married. When I started crying he'd said I was just a nice mouth, a hot ass to use. Live and learn, I'd done both.

My family had thought I was suicidal, but I was just depressed and feeling sorry for myself. They watched me too close and I got over it. Vowed to never make the same mistake. Three years later, I was twenty-three and a grown man. I should have been mad but in my shower I admitted to myself that there was still some sick, oily part of my brain that still wanted Cole. Images of his naked body flashed through my mind. Remembering the time we'd fucked in the back of his truck while everyone was watching the fireworks on the Fourth.

Luckily my little water-heater snapped me out of it when the water turned cold. I shut it off and jumped out. My Mom probably had dinner on the table already. I dried off and got dressed, thinking that I was glad I hadn't given in to temptation even though it wasn't by my choice. I had to wonder if Cole kissed his wife the way he'd kissed me.

I jumped down the steps and crossed over to the main house to let myself in. My Mom was in the kitchen pulling a roast from the oven. I went through the hall to help her, pulled the heavy pan out and put it on the butcher block in the middle of the big kitchen with a smile. She'd made my favorite.

"Thanks, son." She hugged me and pushed the damp hair off my forehead. "How was work today?" She had on her funny little apron with the dancing cows on it, always made me smile.

"It was good. Thanks for the egg salad sandwiches, they were delicious." I rubbed my belly for her and licked my lips. She pulled dishes down from the cabinet and smiled as she handed them off to me.

"Is that Toledo? Tell him to come in here," my Dad yelled from the living room. Like I couldn't hear him myself. I put the dishes down and walked across the hall. He was watching the news with the phone pressed to his ear. When he saw me he stood up and handed me the phone. "It's your Uncle Dan, he needs to talk to you." I pressed the phone up to my ear, they must have been talking awhile because the plastic was warm from my Dad's ear.

"Hey, what's up?" I asked him.

"Tol, I got a side job tomorrow. Sorry it's kind of last minute. You want to make a little extra money?" I did, but damn it had been a long week and I had the farm chores to do besides.

"Uh, yeah, sure. What time and where?" I could always use more money and my Uncle Dan was more than generous with splitting it evenly when it came to side jobs.

"Okay, I'll pick you up at eight tomorrow. Just bring your tool belt. I have everything else we'll need. See you then."

"Cool, see you tomorrow. 'Bye."

"Have a good night. Don't stay up too late." I clicked off the phone, exasperated.

I wandered back into the kitchen where my Dad was setting the table and my Mom was putting the food out. My Grandma wandered in with a big basket of fresh vegetables from the garden that she put on the counter by the sink. She said something to my Mom in Portuguese that I didn't catch. I could speak it enough to get by, understood more, but my Grandma could lay it down so fast it was hard for me to keep up. I went to help set the table then took my seat, looked like it was just the four of us tonight. My brothers and sisters must all be busy.

"You going to do that job tomorrow with Dan?" My Dad asked me from the head of the table. I pulled some bread from the basket as my Mom and Grandma joined us.

"Yeah, he's picking me up at eight." I dug some butter out of the tub while my Dad carved the roast and passed it out. "He didn't say what it was, though. Did he tell you?"

"I'll tell you about it later," he said. It was kind of odd but I shrugged it off and served myself some carrots and potatoes.

"Oh, wow, Mom, this is so good." I moaned around a mouthful of food. She smiled at me with that look, don't talk with your mouth full.

"Dan says," my Dad said as he looked at me and paused. "That boy is working there in Brookline. The one you met at that office building job." Oh shit, I thought. My Grandma cursed in Portuguese, looked like she wanted to spit on the floor.

"Um, yeah, I ran into Cole today." I should never have told them about him. If they hadn't been hiding my shaving razors I probably wouldn't have. "Listen, it's no big deal. That all happened a long time ago." I put my fork down on the plate. "I'm over it, there's nothing to worry about. Besides he's married now, has two babies. Can we just eat?" I dug into my food and stared at my plate, listening to the silence. "What's going on with Lisa?" My sister and her pending divorce were always good for changing the subject.

The rest of the meal passed in a heated discussion about my sister and her problems, Grandma throwing her comments in like grenades to rile everyone up. After we'd eaten my Dad and I went out to see to the cows. My parents had bought the little farm back in the seventies when it was in the middle of nowhere, a little south of the New Hampshire state border. It had always been more of a hobby than a working farm. At right around seven acres it was just enough land to support the cows we had for milk. Uncle Dan and Aunt Erma had two acres next door.

"So what's the deal with the job tomorrow?" I asked my Dad as we worked.

"Oh, you remember Tom Johnson? He used to come around when you were little for poker night and barbeques? Had a boy that was, I think, five years older than you?" I only vaguely remembered a kid with blond hair who'd stopped coming over when I was around seven. Somewhere between my age and the eight years that separated me from my youngest sibling, he'd always ended up playing with me like I was the consolation prize.

"I kind of remember the son. Whatever happened to them? I just remember they stopped coming around."

"Tom's wife died and he had a really hard time of it. He went a little crazy. Anyway, he died in October and his son took over his business. Now he's renovating the place and called Dan for some help with the electrical." We finished with the cows and left the "new" barn, still called that though it was at least ten years old.

"So why the secrecy?" We'd stopped by the little flower garden between the house and the old barn.

"Well, it's a porn shop. You know that one right off the highway? By the second exit?" I knew the place, had never been inside. I shrugged and nodded. "Your Mom and Grandma wouldn't approve but the kid needs the help and Dan won't cheat him. We owe it to Tom, in a way. I appreciate you helping out. Just don't mention where it is, okay?"

"Sure, no problem." My Dad placed his hand on my shoulder and squeezed.

"You're a good man, Son. I can't help it if I still worry about you."

"I know. Thanks, Dad." I pulled him to me and gave him a hug. We said goodnight and I made for my apartment. My Dad and I had renovated the old loft when I was in high school. I had a bedroom, bathroom and a living room/kitchen area. It was almost more than I needed since I ate most meals with my family. I watched TV for an hour and went to bed.

Saturday morning I was up early as usual. I took care of some chores, fed the chickens and had breakfast before Uncle Dan showed up. My Mom had packed me a lunch and I threw the cooler on the back seat in the extended cab as I climbed into the truck.

"Morning, Uncle Dan. How you doing?"

"Good. Thanks for helping me out with this. Had a message from the guy yesterday when I got home. He wants the work done ASAP." He was wearing the typical white t-shirt and jeans, almost the same as me.

"Cool, thanks for ratting me out, by the way." I grinned to let him know I was just teasing. I should've expected it anyway. We laughed and joked as we made our way to the highway and crossed over to New Hampshire. There was the little porn shop, just like I remembered. I'd never been inside and I wondered who did go and hadn't they heard of the internet?

"So, what are we doing?" I asked.

"He just wants a lighted display case built into one of the walls. He's doing most of the work himself. He was saying that it's mostly just paint and finishing stuff, but this is beyond his skill level." He pulled up and parked, the only car in the lot. I noticed the big "Closed for Renovation" sign on the blacked-out window.

"Easy money," I laughed. We climbed out of the truck and grabbed our tools. We had to go inside and see what we were up against to determine what else we'd need. Uncle Dan approached the door and knocked. A guy opened the door, took us and our tools in with a look of confusion that slowly cleared.

"Hey, you must be Dan." He stuck out his hand and opened the door wider. "I'm Bobby. Vin said you'd be coming by. He went to Home Depot, should be back soon." Uncle Dan shook the guy's hand and stepped inside. My hands were full so Bobby didn't offer to shake with me but we nodded at each other. He was young, probably in his mid-twenties, with cut-off denim shorts and a paint-splattered tank top. He was in good shape, attractive in a way but came off as trying too hard. Maybe it was the plucked eyebrows and too-blonde hair but something about the guy turned me off.

I walked into the shop, expecting all kinds of crazy naked pictures of female porn stars but the place was practically empty. There were a bunch of wood shelving units pushed together in the middle of a huge open space. The walls had been lined with pegboard, some of it painted white. The few support beams were square and obviously in mid-repair. No nude women with giant breasts anywhere. The back wall was completely bare in the middle and that's where we were headed. There was just a hint of old cigarette smell, fresh paint and something like plastic or rubber.

Bobby knocked against the wall and said, "This is it. Vin wants a recessed display case right here to showcase new or interesting products. I'm just here to help out painting and cleaning up today since I don't really know anything about this." He waved around the big room like it was the most perplexing thing he'd ever seen. I wasn't one to make assumptions but he was setting off my gaydar big time.

"We'll get to work but we'll have to talk to Vin about what he wants first. This is Tol, he's helping me out today. Let's start bringing stuff in, Tol." I put down my tools by the wall and the short sledgehammer I'd brought in. I shook Bobby's hand and he held mine for a little longer than necessary. I smiled at him and pulled away to follow Dan back to the truck.

"Tol, let's just wait here until Vin gets back. We can't really do anything until we know more about what he wants."

"It's all good. My Mom packed some cinnamon rolls for me, you want one?"

"Ugh," he groaned. "That would be perfect. I got a thermos of coffee, too. Shit, I guess we'll start by taking a break." He lowered the tailgate and we got the food and drink out of the cab. I passed over one of my rolls and got a Styrofoam cup of milky coffee in return. We ate and talked about work, what we'd have to do on Monday.

An old Mustang pulled into the parking lot and parked next to Dan's truck. I hopped off the tailgate and threw my empty cup into the pile of trash littering the bed of the truck. The owner of the Mustang got out like he was unfolding himself from the driver's side.

He was tall with brown hair streaked lighter by the sun. He had on the coolest sunglasses I'd ever seen, something I'd break within a day of owning them. He was wearing a washed out, blue t-shirt with the sleeves and neck cut out and faded brown cargo pants. The outfit showed off his lean body and nice arms without overdoing it. I had to wonder about the spiky black tattoos that ran out of the holes of his shirt and down onto his pumped biceps, what was hidden underneath on the skin of his back and shoulders.

He walked over to us with his hand extended to Uncle Dan but I could feel his eyes on me. "Hey, Dan, it's been a long time." He smiled wide, showing off lots of white teeth, and pumped Uncle Dan's hand with both of his. Uncle Dan grinned back.

"No shit, huh? It's good to see you, kid." Uncle Dan said and let go of Vin's hand to pat my shoulder. "This is Tol, John's son. Not sure if you remember him?" Vin turned to me and pushed his glasses up onto his head.

"Holy shit! Toledo Pereira? I remember you, wow, we were just kids. You used to follow me around like a little puppy when I'd come to your house. How you doing, man?" He gave me the double-grip handshake and our eyes met. I recognized him now, the bright blue eyes bringing it back for me. My first crush on a boy, even though I'd never realized it until that moment. I felt him focus more on me and a different kind of recognition rocked through me. I knew he wanted me and saw that I wanted him. We continued to shake hands, eyes locked, until Uncle Dan cleared his throat. We disconnected and Vin turned to Dan.

"I gotta thank you guys for coming out. I'm almost done and I decided to get this display thing put in at the last minute. I want to start putting out products and setting up this week, so I really appreciate this."

"No problem," Dan replied. "Just let us know what you want and we can get to work."

"Okay, come on in. You met Bobby?" Uncle Dan said we had as we followed him into the shop. "Hey, Bobby, the paint's in the back of the car." Vin called out. We followed him to the back wall and Bobby emerged from a back room. Vin tossed the keys to Bobby, who fumbled them but managed to get them before they hit the ground.