Wayne Gray

There had to be something wrong. Caleb groaned. His head pounded and he sat up in the sleeping bag, straw falling from him as he moved. Thursday dawned bright and clear. The happy sounds of birds singing around the barn announced the day, as did the rooster in the yard. Shafts of light, visible thanks to floating motes of dust slanted through the gaps in the old, weathered building and lit up the space. The cheerful birdsong was a sharp counterpoint to the thudding in Caleb's skull. He l

God, I'm such a kid. I'm happy about your glasses, Reader, but that emoticon makes me giggle.

Sleep well, tim.

Goodnight, Thorn!

Families come in all forms, folks. https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/15/us/bald-eagle-trio-mississippi-river-trnd/index.html

Thanks, Parker. Caleb is a catch, and he knows Wren feels that he is too. The way they kissed left them both with little doubt as to the feelings of one another, at least on the attracted front. Charles is a good man. He loves both Caleb and Wren. He's not only concerned for his brother, so just watch him, and how he and Tracy handle the situation. They might be hillbillies, but they're no bumpkins. 😉

Sleep well, tim.

I literally have ZERO idea why you brought this up? lol Oh, building codes, maybe?

Boy, this went dark quickly, didn't it!?

Thanks, Spyke! Mothers sure tend to figure things out, don't they?

@droughtquake oh, I don't doubt that it is difficult coming out all over. My husband has a lesbian mother, and he STILL didn't come out to her until he was caught in the act with a fellow sixteen-year-old in his bedroom. 😄 It's tough for us because of societial pressures. You had the added pressure of HIV, and the stigma of the times around gay men and the disease. We'll have to see what, if anything Rachel knows. More is coming for these guys, though. So, hang on. And thanks for reading/commenting.

I'm glad you like Charles. He gets a little more time in the next chapter. I hope you continue to find him engaging. And it's very likely Charles will play a big part in the lives of both of these guys. 🙂 Thanks for writing. I'm happy that you're enjoying the work done so far.

Thanks, Chris. It's not easy at all, particularly where these guys grew up. Charles has had a few years to get used to the idea of his best friend and brother both being gay. He's beyond processing that realization and has come through it still loving them. Now, he merely feels protective - just like a decent older brother should. There's still plenty to sort through. But that's coming. 🙂

Pretty much, yes. Charles knows Caleb hurts, and he wants Wren to step carefully with him, no matter what it is that he does. Charles was raised simply, without a lot of outside interaction. But, the love he has for both Caleb and Wren has forced him to really question what society taught him as truths. He and Tracy both are rare - they look beyond what they're expected to feel and instead follow their own hearts. "I love you, just as you are" is indeed their mantra. They are rare and beautiful, both. 🙂

It's pretty natural for a guy like Caleb to take some time. Somewhere deep he has probably recognized that he had been attracted to men before. But, a feller can push that down time and again, unless he's forced to deal with it. Well, now he's forced to deal with it, and we saw how well that went. Though, a supportive brother and sister-in-law help in ways that can't really be expressed. Caleb is surrounded by people who love and support him. It'll take time, but if allowed the space for it, he'll be able to grow into how he feels.

All of those lines, yes, they show something. Caleb is feeling something toward Wren that he can't truly define. He has never experienced what he feels, so how could he? I am still loathe to say Caleb's eyes have been opened. Maybe, he's peeking. But his reaction, in the end, goes to show that he's still not ready to accept how he feels. Man, I wish I could explain how AWESOME Charles's reaction actually is. That he's willing to talk to Wren, that he accepted Caleb, that they've known for years, and still treated Wren and Caleb the same. All of those are exceptional in this part of the country. It might feel unjust, how he's treating Wren right now. But... if Wren were a girl, and the same thing happened, Charles would STILL be down there on the farm, telling Wren to fix the mess they caused to make his brother so damn upset. FYI - I would have given anything to have a friend like Charles growing up. He's a good man. 🙂 Narration is funny. The voice between the dialogue and character thoughts is one that is mostly neutral. Mostly. But there are moments where I naturally tilt narration toward the viewpoint of whoever the scene follows. Do I really believe Wren is the only one to "blame" here? No. Not at all. Wren is willing to accept it, though. Which, actually, shows a bit of ownership we've not yet seen from him - even if it's not all deserved. Thanks for reading and commenting. This story is a fun one.

Thanks, tim. Definitely true. And those trials are often the most difficult.

They all returned from the bank, back to Rachel's house. She got out when the vehicle stopped and Wren glanced at Caleb in the driver's seat. "You mind going over to pap…" he caught himself, "err, going over to my place?" Caleb shook his head. "I don't mind." Wren smiled. "Mom, Caleb and I are headed over to the farm. We need to talk, and I want to do some more looking around. We need to check the house, see if it's going to work or not." Rachel leaned and gave Wren a kiss on the sid

Thanks, Fanlit. "Poetry" to me was something very specific growing up. It had to rhyme. Such is the way I was taught. So it has taken until... well, now, for me to move beyond that. I appreciate your thoughts. Thank you, again.

Hahaha. Tell them that they are very welcome!

Sleep well, tim.

Thanks, Parker. As I said, it's not deep, but that was purposeful. I wanted it to feel blunt, unambiguous, and inevitable. 🙂

Wow. Well, thank you, AC. I appreciate your comment. It means a lot coming from you. 🙂

Thank you, Mac. I wanted it to feel a bit clipped, rushed, without a lot of time spent thinking. I’m still surprised to like it.

Bigfoot is a THING here. 😋 http://bfro.net/GDB/show_county_reports.asp?state=CA&county=Humboldt