Wayne Gray

It's this little hand-made job, done locally. Kevin found this one at the thrift store.

It was a little wooden mug Kevin is seasoning with water and coffee grounds. He's creating a new little mug for his morning coffee, and I was holding it, admiring how the warmth affected the wood vs ceramic.

I just said this. "... There's a nice quality to warm wood in the hand." Only after did I realize how that could be taken. I need more coffee. Good morning, everyone!

I think "work" can encompass many things. Some people need an external force on their lives to steer and guide them. But I know, personally, if I didn't have to work, I'd make my own purpose.

Yeah, that's wrong. It's also against Nifty's terms for writers (as has been mentioned by multiple folks here). Definitely report it, even if you have to jump through a hoop or two.

Hi spyke. Thanks for commenting. The format was a challenge, though I'm certainly glad I tried something new. I despise using tactics like "... and ten years later ..." I know it's there, and it's a viable tool to simply state the passage of time. But I don't like it. I try to make it just flow. Of course, the challenge in that is to make sure the reader actually knows it happened. It was a bit subtle, I'll admit. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Hi, KellyONE. Thanks for the comment. You know, that's nice to hear. It means a lot for an author to know that people see and value our work. So, thanks for taking the time just now.

Petrichor! I'm a fan. Nicely done!

Thanks for commenting, Sunshine. The plotting really had to be careful! I didn't have much space to get it done, so there was a mind for efficiency here that I don't normally agonize over. Very interesting comment concerning the poem. I do think they both dovetail into each other well - that they add to one another. Thank you again. I'm happy you enjoyed the story.

Thank you for the comments, Danners. I tried so hard to strike a balance between Shawn's (shifting) perspective and Ian's actions. We're looking through Shawn's eyes. The struggle was how do I make the inner workings of Ian a mystery to oblivious Shawn, but hint enough that it's not a complete surprise to the reader when Ian confesses how he has felt? That ... was ... HARD. It probably looks really simplistic, but without the luxury of multiple chapters I had to think harder about every word than I typically would. I feel the same way as you. There wasn't really making up time happening for them. It was just adding a component to what they already had, and one that would enrich both of their lives. Yeah. They just grew into it, thanks to an incredibly patient Ian. Well, thanks for saying that about the poetry. After I finished it, I thought "This would make a good story." And so ... here we are. 🙂

Thank you, rick. It makes me happy to know you and others like it, so I appreciate the time you took to comment.

Thanks, jaysalmn! It really was both an exercise, and a fun story for me to write. I hope it felt natural to you as a reader, and not rushed. I wanted it to be just enough to know what is going on.

Hehe. Ian can be a bit of a prick when he wants to be. And nobody can get under our skin like someone who knows us well. Ian was the one person Shawn let close in any emotional way, and that's the trade. Thanks for the comments. I'm happy you enjoyed it!

We will. No doubt.

Inspiring one another is definitely a nice aspect to friendship. I mean, this is no Silverwolf, but I still like it. 😄 Thanks, tim. xo

Thanks, Tony. I think what goes unsaid here is just as important as what is there. Those unspoken depths between the snapshots can be imagined, and hopefully people do think about it. Thank you again. 🙂

Thanks, chris. I'm glad you liked the story and the format. I think it works. I'm happy others feel the same way.

Thanks for reading and commenting, droughtquake. You know ... Shawn's progression isn't unlike what I went through. I was really repressed until suddenly I wasn't. When that dam broke I was a PLAYER. I don't think I was ever as obliviously selfish, but nobody wants to believe that about themselves, so maybe I was. We're all different. Shawn's journey doesn't mirror anybody else's exactly, though some of us likely find some common ground there. And Ian. Patient, frustrated, Ian. 🙂 Well, he's not frustrated anymore.

Yep! Twenty years in the span of a short story. It was a really fun challenge. Thanks for reading. I'm glad you could feel what they did. 🙂

Thanks, Jaybee. Actually, I don't think it would. The goal was to show snap-shots in the life of a man, and string them together to show a progression in him. A longer story would become pretty repetitive: Shawn being his self-centered self, while Ian remains quietly frustrated. Which, the reader may or may not know at all ... because we're looking at everything through Shawn's self-adsorbed lens. It was hard to balance Ian's interest in Shawn vs Shawn's lack of awareness. That slowly shifted over the years for Shawn, and I hope it showed in the sections. I'm glad you took it for a spin. 🙂

Thanks, Parker. I tried hard to show this slow sort of waking up in Shawn. A shift away from selfishness, and his very limited perspective to one that included more details that were external to himself. He grew up. Yeah. He grew up, and was lucky enough to have someone love him through the entire process.

The Answer Daylight struggled to break through the mid-morning fog, but it had been enough to wake Shawn. He smiled against his chosen nightly partner’s warm neck. “Good morning.” He wriggled his pelvis, pressing into the shapely ass that had already performed so admirably the night before. The man patted Shawn’s hip. “Good morning, Shawn.” Rolling him onto his back, Shawn kissed him while reaching for his lube and a condom. Shawn worked a slippery finger inside and the guy grunt

In his youth, Shawn passes through life as if it's an amusement park ride. Men come and go, all while his slightly judgmental friend, Ian, looks on. This is the story of Shawn dealing with the repercussions of his choices, and then him growing into his own life.

Ah, this one was a fun write. I'm happy you enjoyed it, Bft. I love that song. It really does fit.

Hehe. A country boy that dresses up and is decent? He's gotta be gay! 😄 Thanks for reading, Bft.