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    Rigby Taylor
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Stories posted in this category are works of fiction. Names, places, characters, events, and incidents are created by the authors' imaginations or are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual persons (living or dead), organizations, companies, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.
Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you. 

Frankie Fey - 40. László

Ten minutes later Frankie’s tale was done. Brief it had been, but nothing important omitted. László sat in silence while Frankie hoped he hadn't shocked him. Why he cared was something to be thought about later. He only knew it had been essential to be honest. After the debacle with Clarence and Violet he’d promised himself never to trust first impressions again, yet here he was again becoming involved with someone about whom he knew nothing. But this felt different. Didn’t Lucien feel different?’ asked a little voice inside his head.

‘Let me summarise your life.’ László’s smile was more than a little bemused. You’ve been orphaned. Abducted. Disorphaned. Educated. Inherited millions. Killed someone. Educated again. Saved someone. Sought enlightenment. Abducted again. Killed again. Discovered religion. Saved someone. Abducted again. Killed again. Rescued me.’ He paused and gazed solemnly at Frankie for several seconds. ‘Have I missed anything?’

‘I don’t think there’s such a word as disorphaned.’

‘Poetic licence. Better than saying you discovered that someone you thought was your father wasn’t and someone you thought was an uncle was in fact your father and not dead, don’t you think?’

‘Absolutely. So… what do you think?’

‘I think I am a total wimp. A wee, sleekit, cowering, timorous beastie. I cringe before your godlike form and character.’

‘In fear?’

‘In homage,’

‘So you're not disgusted?’

‘With myself?’

‘With me, you great galah.’

‘Of course not. But there's no way I'm going to tell you my own pathetic history.’

‘Not even if I threaten to break your arms and legs and cut you up for dog meat?’

‘Not even for that.’

‘What if I promise not to laugh or sneer.’

‘That would do it.’

‘Ok, I promise.’

László sighed, lay back on the grass and gazed at the sky. ‘The air is different here than in New Zealand. Warm. Do you know the air never gets warm there; even in Auckland? As soon as you're out of the sun you feel a chill. I don’t think I ever really relaxed in that country, and yet here today in a new city with a total stranger I’m feeling completely relaxed for what seems like the first time in my life.’

‘Probably because you're not likely to meet anyone you know.’

‘Yes. Yes, that's it! There I always felt watched and evaluated. Always someone ready to tell me what I should be doing, how I should be behaving. “Oh László, you can’t think that. You can’t say that. When are you getting married? Please don’t tell me you're queer. Your hair need cutting. You're too skinny. Put on some weight. You must come to this concert. You can’t like opera, that's so gay. Why are you always alone?” He looked shamefacedly at Frankie. ‘I realise that every young – or in my case youngish - person gets more or less the same treatment, but it doesn't seem to worry them. They just laugh or say fuck off or ignore it. But I can’t. I have this insane urge; this self-destructive urge to be agreeable, to appease, to propitiate.’

‘Ok, that's your psychological history covered, what about the physical?’

‘Please try not to be so compassionately caring and concerned about my feelings, it’s embarrassing.’

‘Ok. But get on with it.’

‘Primary school; no problem. High school no problems apart from boredom and discovering I’m not a team player. I keep fit but don’t like organised sport. A few years ago my mother became infected with a severe case of Orthodox Catholic Bigotry and discarded me when she realised she wasn’t going to be a grandmother. Dad took off to his tangata whenua, ancestral lands near the Bay of Islands, to live with his relations who grow their own food, catch crayfish and think they're living like their ancestors before the Pakehas came and stuffed everything up. Got into the University Music Conservatory, but they concentrated on modern crap so I dropped out and managed a music store that was already on its last legs because of the Internet being an easier and cheaper source of CDs and DVDs. When that folded I was editor of a niche Press, publishing works of independent, off-centre authors. But eBooks and Indie Internet publishing sites like Smashwords and Amazon closed us down. So with no prospects and no friends I’d miss, I put my life’s savings into a suitcase and bought a one way ticket to Australia.’

‘Where we’re either drought struck or waterlogged, unemployment is ten percent, millions are homeless, violence, suicide and crime are rife, the climate has become the enemy, laws are increasingly repressive, minorities are constantly threatened with abuse, violence and injustice, and the gap between rich and poor has become an unbridgeable chasm?’

‘Don’t tell me… you work for the tourism board?’

‘How’d you guess.’

‘If Australia’s so bad, why did you return?’

‘Because the rest of the world’s the same. And I love Ingenio and want to be near him.’

‘Then why are you with me instead?’

‘Good question. I’ve no idea what you think of me, or even if you think of me at all. But when I saw you peering myopically at the map on the wall at the airport, I was curious. Then as soon as I heard you speak I wanted to know you. But realised that if I didn’t leap right in and invite myself into your life I would lose the chance. But if I acted too precipitously and skipped the interview, I might arrive home with a gorgeous young man who didn’t like me, and who I would dislike after a couple of days.’

‘You want to know me.’ László pursed his lips as if considering the implications. ‘Biblically?’

‘That as well.’

‘Try before you buy?’

‘More or less.’

‘What makes you think I'm gay?’

‘I don’t.’

‘Then what do you think?’

‘I think you're an attractive individual with whom I’d like to spend the night in a hotel so we can both see how we feel in the morning. I’ve a desire deep inside me for a lover, a friend, one person to love and cherish to the exclusion of all others, and in a moment of madness I wondered if you were the one. Some Enchanted Evening and all that crap.’

‘It isn't crap and not yet evening, but mightn’t your hopes be a consequence of your traumatic experiences?’

‘Yes, but I've always felt like this, which is why I don’t have the sort of casual friends most people have, because they seem a waste of time – and they usually think I'm slightly mad.’

‘Did my answers to those questions you asked me at first, have any bearing on this?’

‘Indeed they did. Your responses indicated we are in accord; even liking Bogdan Mihai. I like him best in Aurelio in Palmira, what’s your favourite?’

‘The Prince in Cenerentola.’

‘Good choice. So… what are your thoughts on my proposal.’

‘If you don’t think I'm gay, why do you imagine I’d like to spend the night with you?’

‘Because you’ve put up with my nonsense and not been repelled or become irritated.’

‘Amused, actually.’

‘There you are! We’re men with similar ideas and ways of thinking.’

‘But individuals.’

‘Of course, and that means our choice of partner doesn't imply we have anything in common with other men who like men. And if you don’t tell me to shut up I’ll never stop.’

‘You can shut up for now. We’ll continue this engrossing discussion tonight in bed. Ok?’

Frankie literally glowed. ‘What about your aunt?’

‘There isn't one.’

‘Then why…?’

‘So you wouldn’t feel sorry for me and imagine I needed help.’

‘You're a danger to yourself.’

‘But constantly on the alert.’

 

They caught a bus to Bondi, then walked south along the coast ending up at Coogee Beach where they took a room in a private hotel right on the waterfront and deposited their valuables in the hotel safe. The waves looked just right, the air clean and the sea limpid. As neither had swimming togs they wore the two unused bikini briefs Frankie had bought in Chennai. They swam and body surfed and swam again and chased each other through the waves and made sand castles before showering the sand off, dressing and finding a restaurant where they lingered and laughed and chattered and discovered they'd both enjoy a walk along the beach back to their hotel. Once in their room with the door locked they stood calmly, searching each other’s face for confirmation.

‘What’ll we do, László?’

‘We will stand naked, facing each other, and honestly describe the other’s body so we know exactly what the other thinks of us, and… and I will know if I have to feel inadequate because you're stronger, more muscled, more attractive than me, and…’ he stopped. Nervous. Embarrassed. Shrugged and stared at his feet.

‘You're saying that physical attraction is as important as mental?’

‘Yes… at least at the beginning. At least until we’re both in our fifties and starting to decay.’

‘I don’t intend to decay until I'm at least seventy-five.’

‘That's a relief. The thought of settling down with a handsome hunk who then gets fat and jowly is totally off putting. As my Mother used to sing before Jesus made her stupid, Keep young and beautiful, if you want to be loved.’

‘She was right. We know we like each other’s minds, but do we like each other’s bodies? I agree it’s important. I've known several people I really like talking to and arguing with but couldn’t bear for them to touch me, nor me to touch them. We’ve been practically naked on the beach all afternoon, and I liked what I saw, but neither of us dared look too closely; so, off with the clothes!’

They took it in turns to inspect, starting at the toes and finishing with the scalp. It was a surprise to neither that they both needed to augment sight and touch with smell and taste, and obviously lips gave more information than anything else when it came to really sensitive areas.

For what seemed like five minutes but was more than an hour, they gazed into each other’s eyes, unable to look anywhere else being pressed tightly together from top to toe.

‘I can’t find any fault,’ Frankie said with a worried frown.

‘I’m myopic and wear glasses.’

‘Which make you look even more handsome and intelligent.’

‘You have a magnificent nose. I’m embarrassed at mine; it’s so wide.’

‘Put your glasses on, László. People have asked if they can use my nose as a billboard, whereas yours is mathematically and aesthetically perfectly in proportion to the rest of your face.’

‘I think yours is perfect. I don’t trust men with small noses. It gives you character. Makes you look even more distinguished.’

‘Your skin is flawless. A smooth velour the colour of golden syrup that seamlessly encloses the body I would have designed, were I a designer of bodies.’

‘Even though my hips are nearly as wide as my shoulders?’

‘That’s for stability and endurance. I don’t want a man who will compete with me, I want someone to complement me. I’m a sprinter; you're a long distance runner. Together we can do anything we choose.’

‘I give in,’ László said with a dispirited sniff, ‘I can’t find any faults in your body. Even your sticking out ears make me want to kiss them.’

‘I've a similar problem. I look at your bristly black hair and long fingers and cute bum and want to lick you all over to make sure you're real.’

‘Sounds reasonable. So, what'll we do now?’

‘Continue exploring until we get bored and fall asleep?’

‘Or have an orgasmic experience.’

‘Sounds even more fun.’

And so they did, waking when the sun streamed into their room, for another exploration before racing into the sea to wash off the debris deposited during their hours of orgasmic investigation.

 

After breakfast they paid their bill then lay on the sand to decide their future.

‘So, László Brooker, do you take me, Frankie Fey as your devoted lover for a long, long time?’

‘I do. And do you, Frankie Fey take me, László Brooker to be your devoted lover for just as long?’

‘I do.’

They checked that no one was watching and enjoyed a short, chaste but groin-tingling kiss to seal their vow.

*****

Ingenio answered the phone. ‘Yes?’

‘Ingenio, it’s Frankie. I’m in Sydney and will be home in a couple of hours.’

‘Frankie! That's wonderful! I mean really, really fantastically wonderful! We were starting to get worried. How are you?’

‘Never better. And I'll be bringing my partner, László.’

‘The news gets better and better.’

‘Are you guys Ok?’

‘Never better. Thought we were going to be burnt out yesterday, but the wind changed and for the time being we’re Ok.’

‘Looks as if I've come back in time.’

‘Indeed. Well, I’ll get the kettle on and…’ he sniffed. ‘Oh fuck, I'm crying, blubbing all over the phone. Frankie you’ve no idea how happy, relieved and crazily excited I am to hear you. I've felt amputated all the time you were away. I’ll hang up before salty water gets in the electronics. Be quick… and love to László.’

Frankie too was crying when he replaced the receiver. László grasped his arm, ‘Are you Ok? Is it bad news?’

‘No… the best. I just hadn't realised how much I love Ingenio and how much I was missing him. I'm a big baby inside.

 

*****

Thanks for staying with Frankie on his adventures; I’ve really enjoyed your company.
This is the last of my novels worth publishing.
A few years ago, I corresponded with Robert Gott, an Australian author who writes amusing and interesting novels. After I’d told him a few funny episodes from my youth as a callow colonial in Europe in the 1960s, he suggested I write a memoir. So I did. As I wasn’t famous I couldn’t attract a publisher, so I decided paper books were environmentally criminal and I’d self-publish as an eBook.
Over the next couple of days I’ll sort out the chapters of “Dancing Bare” and post them here on Gay Authors, because on this wonderful platform I’ve had the most pleasure from writing I've ever had, thanks to feedback from you readers.
[Warning} Reviewers of Dancing Bare have either loved it or hated it (and me) – nothing in between. So I’ll be curious to see what reaction, if any, it gets here.

And I simply have to add that G.A is an amazing site; I can’t fault it. So well organised, so many links, so many possibilities for reader/author communication, and so safe and positive. Long may it continue.

Copyright © 2018 Rigby Taylor; All Rights Reserved.
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Stories posted in this category are works of fiction. Names, places, characters, events, and incidents are created by the authors' imaginations or are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual persons (living or dead), organizations, companies, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.
Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you. 
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It is with great sadness and no few tears we bid Frankie  a fond adieu, or should we say a Shiva 😭 Our only consolation is the the promise of future offerings from The Literary Wizard of Oz.

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After all Frankie went through he found his soul mate just as he arrived home. And they would never had met if Shiva hadn't pushed him to the airport. :lol: I'm glad his first impressions were correct, and his later explorations satisfactory.

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Well, you didn't completely kill that little bit of optimist in me. The ending was better than i expected

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I’m a sucker for a happy ending.  I loved this story, and I’m so pleased that Frankie now has his life partner.  Beautiful ending to an incredible story.

 

I am looking forward to the next story!!!

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Great ending. Very sad that there is no more. I have sincere doubts about "other stories not worth publishing": i live with an artist who has many paintings "not worth showing" which is just plain wrong, so i suggest the author/artist is not the best judge of their work...

 

Btw Robert Gott has a brother Ted? If so we knew him well in Melbourne when my partner worked at NGV!

 

Great stories, wonderfully written, haven't quite knocked the optimism out of me.😆

 

All the very best...

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Thank you for Frankie's story. I'm a sucker for a HEA and glad Frankie found his. 

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10 hours ago, Gandalf the Puce said:

It is with great sadness and no few tears we bid Frankie  a fond adieu, or should we say a Shiva 😭 Our only consolation is the the promise of future offerings from The Literary Wizard of Oz.

Thank you Gandalf - you are a Wizard of compliments. :yes::thankyou:

Edited by Rigby Taylor
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9 hours ago, Timothy M. said:

After all Frankie went through he found his soul mate just as he arrived home. And they would never had met if Shiva hadn't pushed him to the airport. :lol: I'm glad his first impressions were correct, and his later explorations satisfactory.

Thanks, Timothy.  Yes his explorations were indeed pivotal. I sometimes wonder if guys were less circumspect and leapt into genuine explorations earlier, when forming relationships, there might be fewer sad break-ups later on.  :rolleyes:

Edited by Rigby Taylor
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7 hours ago, Okiegrad said:

I’m a sucker for a happy ending.  I loved this story, and I’m so pleased that Frankie now has his life partner.  Beautiful ending to an incredible story.

 

I am looking forward to the next story!!!

:thankyou: Ah yes, happy endings. They're not as elusive as they seem - as long as we only want what's possible. As for the next story... I have severe doubts as to its suitability for young impressionable minds. But we'll see. :rofl:

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5 hours ago, Canuk said:

Great ending. Very sad that there is no more. I have sincere doubts about "other stories not worth publishing": i live with an artist who has many paintings "not worth showing" which is just plain wrong, so i suggest the author/artist is not the best judge of their work...

 

Btw Robert Gott has a brother Ted? If so we knew him well in Melbourne when my partner worked at NGV!

 

Great stories, wonderfully written, haven't quite knocked the optimism out of me.😆

 

All the very best...

:thankyou::kiss:Trust me, Canuk. My recent fiction is not readable because my brain's too clogged with self-righteous outrage about the way humans have allowed themselves to return to serfdom, after what seemed like the beginning of a new era - back in the 60s.:no: I've no idea if Ted is related to Robert - although if activity in the "Arts" is an indication, then it's probable. I'm so relieved you've retained your optimism - without it we are mere husks performing rituals. I'm optimistic that I'll kark it before the shit hits the fan. :lol:

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36 minutes ago, Gene63 said:

Thank you for Frankie's story. I'm a sucker for a HEA and glad Frankie found his. 

And thank you, Gene, for reading my stories. Yes, Frankie found his anchor, and deserved it. Without the dream of a happy ending, life would be empty indeed. :yes:

Edited by Rigby Taylor
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9 hours ago, Wesley8890 said:

Well, you didn't completely kill that little bit of optimist in me. The ending was better than i expected

Wow, that's a relief. Hang onto that optimism, Wesley. I'm pleased you approve of the ending. Thanks for reading and commenting, it is very appreciated. :kiss:

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I am saddened to bid adieu to Frankie and company. It has been a long, wonderfully convoluted ride! I love your sometimes snarky attitude toward society, and the way you get your characters to critique our civilization's current state of affairs while keeping it within the framework of the story. I will echo other comments by saying I hope you publish more. I enjoy reading your stories! My mind is neither young nor impressionable, so you have at least one reader who is safely able to read whatever you publish. Thanks for sharing this most enjoyable story!

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3 hours ago, JeffreyL said:

I am saddened to bid adieu to Frankie and company. It has been a long, wonderfully convoluted ride! I love your sometimes snarky attitude toward society, and the way you get your characters to critique our civilization's current state of affairs while keeping it within the framework of the story. I will echo other comments by saying I hope you publish more. I enjoy reading your stories! My mind is neither young nor impressionable, so you have at least one reader who is safely able to read whatever you publish. Thanks for sharing this most enjoyable story!

Thank you JeffreyL for this wonderful comment and for your magnificent review of Frankie. I am so relieved that you can 'safely read' my stuff - because my memoir that is about to appear, has ruffled a few feathers elsewhere. And thanks for reading all my stories, it does make writing an even greater pleasure when you know someone is actually reading what you write. :kiss:

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A very pleasant ending for Frankie and László. I trust they will all live happily at ‘85’ with no major disasters, no more bodies piling into the cave, no bush fires burning through their property, etc. 😉

At the very least, please give them a few weeks of honeymooning before adventure falls into their laps, as Frankie seems hard pressed to avoid such entanglements. 

Thanks for sharing and commenting! It was a fun, if somewhat anxiety ridden journey. I’ll now go take a relaxing swim in our polluted river and stop thinking about why the world is falling apart, until I can relax the protective knot of muscles in my shoulders and chest and the intense pressure in my head subsides.😅

Edited by sef
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On 8/4/2018 at 5:07 AM, sef said:

A very pleasant ending for Frankie and László. I trust they will all live happily at ‘85’ with no major disasters, no more bodies piling into the cave, no bush fires burning through their property, etc. 😉

At the very least, please give them a few weeks of honeymooning before adventure falls into their laps, as Frankie seems hard pressed to avoid such entanglements. 

Thanks for sharing and commenting! It was a fun, if somewhat anxiety ridden journey. I’ll now go take a relaxing swim in our polluted river and stop thinking about why the world is falling apart, until I can relax the protective knot of muscles in my shoulders and chest and the intense pressure in my head subsides.😅

Thanks for this and your wondrous review. You think about what you're reading and comment with great perspicacity and wit. You write so well I am surprised you haven't posted a story.

As you realise, I share your dismay at the parlous state of the planet. I hope your polluted river keeps flowing. Here, I used to soak away stress in our large pond - but drought has dried up half this state and looks like worsening. How to stop thinking? I don't think we can - but we can distract ourselves.  :kiss:

Edited by Rigby Taylor
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17 hours ago, Rigby Taylor said:

Thanks for this and your wondrous review. You think about what you're reading and comment with great perspicacity and wit. You write so well I am surprised you haven't posted a story.

As you realise, I share your dismay at the parlous state of the planet. I hope your polluted river keeps flowing. Here, I used to soak away stress in our large pond - but drought has dried up half this state and looks like worsening. How to stop thinking? I don't think we can - but we can distract ourselves.  :kiss:

Thank you for your kind words, it’s a pleasure to read your writing. It saddens me to hear about your vanishing pond. One can hope humanity will correct it’s coarse, but little evidence of that appears in contemporary politics. Certainly not in the current state of the USA. At least, I have six or seven more of your works available to distract myself.😊😘

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Perhaps I had been too quick to judge this story. Well, I realise my mistake. Frankie fey will make you laugh till your stomach hurts and tears rolling out of your eyes. But, it will also sadden you up and make you perhaps want to change yourself. Reading this story actually inspired me to think about the zero waste lifestyle. But I worry my actions don't amount to that much honestly. And it's a fact that it's the big corporations that pollute most of our planet. I really liked this story and I hope you write some other good stories as well! I still hold by the fact that the monologues of the sins of humanity actually made me want to put down this story three or four times but I guess these things need to be put up somewhere - my life is as hard as it is (I'm a gay guy living in a conservative Muslim country) and I don't want to deal with the sad stuff honestly 😢 I came here because I saw the light-hearted tag. But whatever, this was an amazing story and I'm so glad I didn't put it down!

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4 minutes ago, WireBomb said:

Perhaps I had been too quick to judge this story. Well, I realise my mistake. Frankie fey will make you laugh till your stomach hurts and tears rolling out of your eyes. But, it will also sadden you up and make you perhaps want to change yourself. Reading this story actually inspired me to think about the zero waste lifestyle. But I worry my actions don't amount to that much honestly. And it's a fact that it's the big corporations that pollute most of our planet. I really liked this story and I hope you write some other good stories as well! I still hold by the fact that the monologues of the sins of humanity actually made me want to put down this story three or four times but I guess these things need to be put up somewhere - my life is as hard as it is (I'm a gay guy living in a conservative Muslim country) and I don't want to deal with the sad stuff honestly 😢 I came here because I saw the light-hearted tag. But whatever, this was an amazing story and I'm so glad I didn't put it down!

Thank you, WireBomb for your  perceptive and complimentary comments. I've written ten novels,  each of which are about the search for love and contentment, but also about other things  that I deem to be important.  I have the impression that too many young men allow themselves to be pushed around by circumstances, instead of taking charge of their own lives. All my 'Heroes" are fine, decent young men who confront difficulties instead of complaining about life's unfairness.. If they see a guy they like, they say so to him to clear the air. they don't race to a female friend and ask what to do.... To be at peace with ourselves we have to face the devil within... all that stuff. But they're also very human -- definitely not supermen.   I understand your comments about my 'lecturing';  I try to keep them as short as possible. I hope you will read my other stories I think you will find them more exciting and uplifting  than sad -- at least that's my intention, your honest opinion is very welcome. :thankyou:

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