DJ - 16. Chapter 16

Thursday night Jamie, DJ and I all got off work at 9:00 PM, and drove back to our house for the night. DJ had told Jamie that Joe was cooking and would have supper ready for all of us. The kitchen had a very enticing aroma when we walked in together. Joe dished up side dishes of steamed broccoli, and placed the pot of his creation on a mat in the center of the table. Whatever it was sure smelled good.

I dished a good portion on my plate, but the boys both took only a small spoonful, at first. After tasting it, they both took a much larger portion.

“Joe,” DJ inquired, “what do you call this?”

“I don’t know if it really has a name. It’s ground beef, onions, slivered almonds, and mushrooms, then a quart of beef broth, and rotini cooked in it, absorbing the broth, and, of course, some seasonings. Do you like it?” DJ nodded.

“Joe,” Jamie replied, “it’s scrumptious!

“What time is your air flight, Monday?” Joe asked.

“I don’t know,” Jamie replied, “Dad’s got the tickets.”

“We need to know,” Joe responded, “Somebody’s got to take you scalawags to the airport Monday, and someone’s got to pick you up when you get back Friday night.”

“Carl’s at work right now,” I said, “Let me call Karen, she may know.” I placed a call to Karen.

“OK,” I said, “Karen’s going to have Carl call me in the morning after he gets up, and give me the info."

“I think I’m going to need to buy a suitcase,” DJ remarked.

“I don’t think so, DJ,” Joe said, “I’ve got one of those big ones, with wheels on the bottom. You guys are only going to be gone for 5 days, and I think it’s large enough to hold both of your clothes, you might want to take some carry-ons, like your back packs.”

“Baby,” Jamie said, “we share everything else, we can share a suitcase.” DJ nodded.

“I guess,” DJ added, “we’re going to need to pack, over the weekend. Joe, dinner was very tasty, and different. I could easily handle that meal again, in the near future.”

“Guys,” Joe replied, “there isn’t enough left to bother saving, can’t you guys finish it off?” The boys, both smiling, divided the remainder between their plates, and it soon disappeared down into their stomachs.

While Joe and I cleaned off the table and I assisted Joe with the dishes, Jamie and DJ sneaked off into the den and fired up the play station. None of us had to work early tomorrow, both boys were due at 3:00 and 4:00, DJ closing at 9:00 PM and Jamie at 11:00. Joe and I slipped off to bed, leaving the boys playing games.

Daryl was finished at his former store, and scheduled to work on New Years Day at 2:00 PM at the CVS store here in town. He was taking advantage of having the weekend off, and was hoping to get as much as possible done, getting things arranged in their new home. Randy was scheduled to open our store on Friday morning.

* * * * * *

Friday morning, December 29th, Randy and Daryl got up about 8:00 AM. Daryl had worked hard all day Thursday, trying to get at least some of their stuff organized. Randy said he was dying for a shower, and was prepared to take one right then. While Randy was showering, Daryl started a pot of coffee brewing, then joined Randy in that large shower stall, and they thoroughly enjoyed their first shower together in their new home.

Daryl had done a little grocery shopping Thursday evening while Randy was still working that double shift. He also had made some headway at the house, organizing most of the dishes, utensils and small appliances in the kitchen, as well as their toiletries and towels and wash cloths in the bathroom.

“Baby, shall we do the Bojangle’s thing again this morning?” Randy suggested.

“Nope,” Daryl responded, “I’m cooking breakfast this morning, for my love and I! We have coffee ready now.” Randy smiled.

The two men went into the bedroom, found their underwear in some boxes, and t-shirts, slipped on their slippers and headed to the kitchen. Daryl turned on the broiler-oven to heat, poured two mugs of coffee, then retrieved two thin breakfast rib-eyes from the fridge, seasoned them and placed them in the broiler.

Sipping coffee in between, Daryl proceeded to fry eggs and make some toast. A few minutes later, Daryl sat at the table with his lover and they enjoyed steak and eggs for their first home cooked meal in their new home.

Randy, a couple of tears escaping his eyes, “Baby, someday you’re going to make some man an awesome husband. I’m so glad I fell in love with you!”

Daryl, bending over to give Randy a loving kiss on his lips, “I hope that ‘someday’ isn’t too far away, I love you so much!

“Hun, if you’ll excuse me, it’s 9:15 and I really, really need to shave before I go in to open the store this morning, it’s been 3 days. You’ve done a terrific job here, getting things together.”

“I’m glad I had these few days off, or I wouldn’t have been able to do very much. There is still a lot of stuff still packed, we ain’t done yet. What time would you like lunch?”

“Why?”

“Because, like a good boyfriend, I’m going to bring it to you. I can’t do that often, when we’re both working,” Daryl replied.

“OK, sweetheart,” Randy answered, smiling, “how about between 1:00 and 2:00. Maybe I’d better marry you soon, before some other guy comes along and grabs you up!”

Daryl, laughing, “I don’t think I’m quite ready to do that! I’m just a little too attached to you, to give you up that easily.”

Randy shaved, got dressed, kissed his lover goodbye, and headed out the door about 9:45 AM.

Randy got to the store at about 2 minutes before 10:00, unlocked the door and was followed inside by Cindy and Lois. They were all prepared for a typically busy Friday. DJ and I are both scheduled to come in at 3:00 PM.

* * * * * *

About 10:30 AM, DJ, Joe and I were at the table having coffee, and Jamie was, typically, nursing a glass of apple juice. My phone rang, and it was Karen.

“Good Morning, Karen,” I answered.

Carl, chuckling, “Good Morning Doug, but it’s Carl, on Karen’s phone. I guess we need to discuss getting the boys to and from the airport. Their departing flight is scheduled at 5:00 AM on the 1st, and that means they need to be there to check in by 4:00 AM. It’s about a one and a half to two hour drive to the airport, so they really need to leave here around 2:00 AM.”

“Doug, I’m off on Sunday, and New Years Day, so I can take them up to the airport, but I’ll be working Friday, and I cannot pick them up Friday evening. Their inbound flight is scheduled to arrive here at 8:20 PM, Friday night.”

“Carl, it looks like I need to talk to Randy. He’s pretty accommodating, and I think he may be able to let me go Friday evening about 6:00 PM, maybe 6:30, and I can go from the store right to the airport, and I should get there by around 8:00 PM.”

“That sounds like a plan, Doug. As I said, I’m off both Sunday and Monday. If the boys can have everything packed that they need from your house, they can come here, finish packing, and spend the night, and I can make certain we can leave here by 2:00 AM on Monday morning.”

“Great, Carl, I’ll talk to Randy when we go in to work today, at 3:00 PM. If there is a problem, I’ll get back in touch, but I don’t see a problem. Have a nice Friday.” We both hung up.

“OK boys,” I stated, “here’s the plan. You guys need to pack everything you need from here before Sunday evening, then you can go out to Jamie’s house, and pack whatever you need from there. You’ll spend the night, well, the three or four hours, at Jamie’s, and Carl will take you guys to the airport. You need to be there by 4:00 AM, as your flight is at 5:00 AM.”

“Wow,” Jamie exclaimed, “we’re leaving like in the middle of the night! Who’s going to get us, when we return?”

“Unless Randy throws a monkey wrench into the plan, I’ll be coming to the airport to get you guys, when your plane gets in at 8:20 Friday evening. I’ll talk to Randy today, worst case scenario is that you guys may need to hang around the airport until I can get there, which could be as late as 11:00 PM.”

“I think Randy will let you go early,” DJ remarked, “he really tries to do his people right. Dad, did you know that Randy is giving me a promotion?”

“No, I didn’t,” I answered, “Is that what he wanted to talk to you about yesterday?”

DJ, nodding, and beaming, “He’s promoting me to a trainer, I’ll be training any new cashiers that he hires. It came with a pay raise too, another fifty cents an hour, but I’ll still be mostly working as a cashier. It’s effective January 1st.”

Jamie, smiling, “DJ, you usually work about 30 hours a week, so that’s about a $15.00 a week raise! Baby, I’m so happy for you.”

“Son,” I stated, “I am so utterly proud of you, you’ve developed so much, just over the last 9 months. In a way, I hate losing the boy in you, but I welcome your growth into an incredible young man.”

“I have a feeling,” Joe remarked, smiling, “that the boy in both of these guys is going to rise up when they’re released on Disney World next week!” We all laughed.

“DJ,” Jamie spoke softly, “It’s only 11:30, and we don’t have to be at work until 3:00 and 4:00. Can we slip back to bed for a while?”

“Sure baby,” DJ replied, smiling. The two boys went back to bed.

DJ commented, “Why do I have this feeling you wanted us back here for something other than a little more sleep?”

“DJ, you owe me one,” Jamie said, mischievously.

“I do?”

“Baby, remember what we did in the shower a few days ago?” Jamie reminded, “I told you that next time I want to ride you.” Jamie is fondling DJ penis, which is starting to get hard.

“So I guess we need to take a shower?” DJ mentioned.

“Not really,” Jamie stated, “We can do it here, and the bed is much more comfortable, and softer. If we use a condom, it won’t be nearly as messy. And we should have some, right next to the lube, here in the bed headboard storage place.”

“Do you know how to put them on, baby?” DJ asked.

“Well, I’ve never done it,” Jamie replied, “but they showed us in sex-ed class in school. If we both wear one, and we both get off, it won’t be messy at all, and our cum will be caught in the condoms.”

Jamie reached into the headboard storage area and picked up two condoms and a bottle of lube, and handed one of the condoms to DJ. They both opened them, Jamie showed DJ how to roll it down over his erection, and DJ followed suit.

Jamie lubed DJ’s condom covered erection well, then lubed his crack and boy pussy, using his finger to push some of the lube inside, and stretched his receptacle, preparing for a treat. Jamie then straddled his butt over DJ’s erect penis, a thigh on each side of DJ’s torso.

“I’m so ready for this baby, I can’t wait to feel you inside me. I’m new at this, but, well, here goes.”

Jamie started to push his anus onto the head of DJ’s cock, gradually letting his weight down until the head of DJ’s cock slipped through the sphincter ring, and let out a little cry.

“Are you OK Jamie?”

“Yeah—I think so, it just hurt a little more that I expected, I’m going to push down a little further. Oh, that’s feeling better, I want this so much.”

Gradually, Jamie started to slide his hole up and down over DJ’s cock, pushing a little further with each stroke. Finally there was no further to go as DJ’s cock was totally inside Jamie. Jamie then started a rhythmic up and down action on DJ’s cock. He then adjusted the angle of his orifice, causing the head of DJ’s cock to start hitting his sweet spot, and Jamie could feel his orgasm building.

“Oh, god, baby, this—feels—so—fucking—good! Are you—close?”

“Jamie, your pussy feels almost as good as your mouth. I’m not going to last very long.”

“DJ, I’m about to fill my condom, I’m—oh—fuck—I’m shooting.”

“Shiiiitttt—I’m right behind you, I’m cumming! I cummed!”

Jamie leaned down, DJ’s cock still in his ass, and mashed his lips onto DJ's’ and they shared a romantic kiss, as both boys started to deflate.

“I think,” DJ whispered, “it’s all over, did you cum?”

“Big time, I filled this condom. I need to slide it off, or this cum is gonna run out. I don’t want to get up off you, you feel so good inside me!”

Jamie slid the condom off from his deflating penis, and tied the end, as one might tie a balloon. He could feel that DJ was also becoming flaccid. When Jamie finally started to raise his body up, DJ’s cock slipped out of the condom and Jamie grabbed the end of the condom and pulled it out of his hole. He held it up, and it looked like a rather large amount of DJ’s ejaculate ran down to the head end of it. Jamie held the open end to his mouth and drained the tasty cum, then swallowed it, grinning.

DJ, his mouth falling open, “I don’t believe you did that!”

“Why not, baby,” Jamie replied, smirking, “I wasn’t licking off the outside of it, just draining the inside, I wouldn’t want your sweet tasty cream going to waste.”

As the boys had discussed earlier, there was very little mess when using the condoms. They both used their mouths to gather any remaining man juice that might have been lingering on either the inside or the outside of each other’s cocks, then proceeded to get dressed.

* * * * * *

Friday afternoon, when DJ and I clocked in, I told Randy I needed to discuss something with him, and he asked me if it could wait until after Gloria arrived at 4:00, as we were quite busy, and I told him it was not terribly urgent.

When Gloria arrived, she was ecstatic, and couldn’t wait to show everyone the beautiful diamond that Jerry had given her on Christmas Day. She was now comfortable, and so proud to wear it. Every one of us offered congratulations on her engagement, but, of course, she wasn’t able to give us a date yet, as the Wedding Day was not yet confirmed.

Randy, a few minutes past 4:00, “Doug, what did you want to discuss with me?”

“Randy, I need a favor. I know you’re aware that DJ is going on vacation next week. Carl, Jamie’s Dad, is taking the boys to the airport on New Years Day, but he cannot pick them up on Friday evening, when they return. Can you possibly let me off by around 6:00 PM Friday so I can pick the boys up when their flight comes in, at 8:20 PM?”

“Doug,” Randy said, “I can do you that favor, but I need a couple favors in return. DJ normally works a double with Gloria on Tuesdays and usually cover’s your delivery shift on Wednesdays. I’ll get one of the girls to close Tuesday evening, if you can come in and open at 10:00 AM, as a cashier, then at 3:00 do your deliveries, and cashier in between. Can you handle an 11 hour shift?”

“I’m also going to need you to cover your own delivery shift from 3-9 on Wednesday, as DJ won’t be here to cover it.”

“I can do that, Randy,” I replied, “since we’re closed New Years Day, so I won’t be working that Monday evening and I can be rested to do the 11 hours on Tuesday, and still do deliveries on Wednesday. I really appreciate your cooperation. DJ told us this morning that you gave him a promotion?”

Randy responded, “I may get some flack from a couple of the girls that have been here longer than DJ, but Gloria and I both feel that DJ is the most qualified person for the position. That young man is absolutely amazing! If DJ keeps his grades up, and manages to carry on to a four year college and get a pharmacist degree, he could eventually become a store manager.”

“As for next Friday evening,” Randy continued, “I’ll get you out of here at 6:00 PM, I wouldn’t want to see the boys stranded at the airport. I’m changing DJ’s schedule to an opener this Sunday, and out by 5:00 PM, as I’m sure he will have packing to do.”

* * * * * *

Jamie asked Anthony if he could be scheduled out early this Sunday, as he and DJ still needed to finish packing, and they would be leaving at 2:00 AM Monday morning for the airport.

“You know, Jamie,” Anthony stated, “you being gone for a week leaves us a little thin on servers, but it’s probably one of the best weeks to be short handed, as the first week of January is typically one of the slowest weeks of the year.”

Anthony continued, “I’ll let you out about 5:00 PM on Sunday, which is also New Years Eve. We tend to be quite busy on New Years Eve, but it’s mostly carry outs, for New Years Eve Parties, and not many eating in. You will be available to work on Saturday and Sunday, after you return, won’t you?”

“Yes, Boss,” Jamie replied, smiling, “I can close both nights, but I would appreciate not needing to come in too early on Saturday.”

“Jamie, call me Friday night after you land, and I will confirm your schedule for Saturday. We’re going to miss you next week, but we’re happy that you two are going to have some fun. I hope you guys don’t forget to come back home.” Anthony smiled.

Saturday, December 30th was pretty normal for everyone. Since Randy was letting DJ off early Sunday evening at 5:00 PM, he had asked DJ to do the opening shift Sunday at 10:00 AM. The boys were at our house both Friday and Saturday nights.

When Jamie got off at 11:00 PM on Saturday night, he brought an extra large pizza and fed the four of us. As DJ had to go in early on Sunday morning, the boys hit the sack shortly after.

We all got up early on Sunday morning, and had a pleasant breakfast together. DJ was to work at 10:00 AM and Jamie at 11:00. Joe and I both were scheduled to work at 3:00 on Sunday afternoon, and this would be the last time the four of us would be together until after the boys returned from Florida next Friday. Joe and I are really happy for the boys, but we know this next week is going to be pretty lonely for us, and likely for Carl and Karen too.

* * * * * *

Sunday, December 31st, while Joe and I were working, the boys got to our house about 5:30 PM and started their packing. About 7:00 PM they placed Joe’s big suitcase, and their backpacks, into Jamie’s car. Leaving the Tracker at our house, they went to the Seldon’s, arriving there a little before 7:30. They brought the luggage into the house, and Karen had an evening luncheon set up.

By 9:00 PM, the boys had finished up their packing. Jamie made certain that he packed DJ’s new sexy swim trunks as well as his own in the large suitcase. They laid out clean clothes to put on, and shared a shower, then slipped into bed to catch a couple hours sleep. Karen and Carl also went to bed about the same time.

Monday morning, January 1st, Carl and Karen’s alarm went off at 1:30 AM. Both jumped out of bed, Carl pulled on his briefs and Karen put on her robe, and she headed to the kitchen to turn on the coffee maker. Carl headed to the boy’s room, smiling as he looked down upon the two boys, cuddled and sleeping so peacefully. He reached down and quickly threw the covers off of them, exposing their naked bodies.

Carl, grinning, “OK guys, time to get moving, we gotta leave in half an hour!” Carl announced.

“Dad,” Jamie remarked, “you didn’t have to pull the covers off of us!” The two boys jumped off the bed, grabbing for their boxer-briefs.

Carl, laughing, “I just had to prove a point, that you guys don’t wear pajamas to bed, or even underwear. It’s not like I’ve never seen naked male bodies before. Coffee should be ready.”

As Carl and the boys entered the kitchen, Karen already had three mugs of coffee poured, a glass of juice for Jamie, and a plate of pastries in the center of the table. Karen disappeared to the bedroom to dress, and Carl soon followed. As soon as they ate and drank, the boys went to their room and got dressed, and Carl went out and started the CRX to warm up.

Karen had decided to go along for the ride, mostly to keep Carl company, and awake, on the way back home. It was actually close to 2:15 AM when they actually got under way, Karen in the front passenger seat, and the boys in the back. They arrived at the airport at 3:55 AM, and Carl handed the boys a handful of tickets and receipts.

“These are all your reservations, airplane tickets, and everything you need for your vacation, except for meals,” Carl said, “Do you guys have enough money for food?”

“We should have,” Jamie replied, “we’ve both got a couple hundred in cash, and, if we run short, we have our debit cards.”

Carl dropped Karen and the boys off at the departure terminal, the boys got their suitcase and backpacks out of the CRX, and Carl went to park the car, soon returning to the terminal.

Karen accompanied the boys, as they checked in, and then checked their suitcase at the baggage counter. They planned to keep their backpacks as carry on luggage. Everything went smoothly. The four of them went to sit together and wait for the announcement for boarding. Karen started to cry.

“Baby, what’s wrong?” Carl asked.

“I just feel like—a huge part of our lives is leaving us,” Karen sniffed.

“Honey, they’re not little boys anymore, they’re adults, and it’s only for five days,” Carl consoled, “I’m confident they’ll be fine, and they’re going to have an awesome time together.”

“Our house is going to seem so empty, and I’m so used to having them around,” Karen lamented.

At 4:55 the announcement broke the silence, ‘Flight XXX for Orlando now boarding at gate 5’. The boys rose up, put on their backpacks, and started to walk toward gate 5, Karen and Carl right behind them. They stopped, just before they got to the turnstile, and hugged the parents, both boys kissing Karen on the lips and Carl on the cheek, then handed their tickets to the attendant, and went through the turnstile, and headed toward the waiting plane.

Karen and Carl watched, as the boys entered the plane, and then continued to watch the plane, as it taxied down the runway, lifted off the ground, and into the now lightening sky. They watched until the plane flew out of sight.

“Baby,” Carl said, “There’s nothing more we can do here, let’s go home.”

* * * * * *

A few minutes into the air, all signs of the earth below disappeared, DJ was looking out the window, as he had the window seat, and Jamie had the isle seat.

“Jamie,” DJ queried, “Have you been on an airplane before?”

“No, baby, this is my first time.”

“I can’t see anything anymore,” DJ commented, “Just clouds outside the window.”

Amy, approaching the boys, “Hi, I’m Amy, and I’m your stewardess for this flight, can I get you guys anything, like a drink or a snack, or maybe pillows?”

“Pillows might be nice,” Jamie answered, “DJ, we can maybe get some more sleep, we didn’t get much last night.”

Amy brought them both those small pillows that commercial aircraft usually carry. DJ and Jamie both placed the pillows behind their heads, and reclined their seats as far back as they would recline. They soon fell asleep, Jamie’s left arm around DJ’s shoulders, DJ’s head resting on Jamie’s shoulder, Jamie’s right hand holding DJ’s left hand resting on DJ’s thigh, and DJ’s right hand resting on Jamie’s thigh.

A few minutes later Amy walked down the isle, and, looking down on the two boys, she smiled. Seeing how they were sleeping, and how close they were together, she ‘knew’ they were a couple, and what a cute couple they were. She didn’t want to disturb their tranquility, until there was a reason to do so.

A couple hours later, DJ woke up, with pressure on his bladder, and was reluctant to disturb his sleeping boyfriend to go to the rest room. He decided he could hold it, for a while anyway. About half an hour later Amy, seeing that he was awake, told DJ that in a few minutes everyone would need to fasten their seatbelts, as the plane was soon to land.

“Amy,” DJ questioned, “how long before we land?”

“Less that a half hour, but you’ll need to secure your seatbelts before then. Are you ok?”

DJ, squeezing his legs together, “I need to use the restroom kind of bad, I don’t know if I can wait until we land.”

Amy replied, “If you need the restroom, you probably should go now, once the command to secure your seatbelts is given, you won’t be allowed to walk around until we land.”

DJ removed Jamie’s hand from his thigh, and tried his best to not wake Jamie, while he stepped over Jamie’s legs and into the isle. Jamie woke up.

“Where you going Baby?” Jamie asked.

“Gotta go pee, I’ll be right back.”

As soon as DJ returned from the restroom, the announcement came over the loudspeaker, for everyone to fasten their seatbelts. Whew, that was a close call, DJ was running out of time, but was high and dry. Jamie slid over into DJ’s seat and DJ took Jamie’s, and they fastened their seatbelts, then found each others hands as the plane landed, and taxied to the terminal.

DJ, once inside the terminal, “Now what, Jamie?”

“Well, I think the first thing is to get our suitcase, and then try to find a shuttle to take us to our hotel, and get checked in, I’m just going by instinct, I’m not a seasoned traveler, either.”

Getting outside the terminal, they noticed at least six shuttle busses, lined up out front. The boys, suitcase in tow, went to the first shuttle, the driver was standing outside the bus.

Jamie, asking the driver, “Do any of these shuttles go to Disney World?”

The driver, chuckling, “They all do, but what part of Disney World do you need to go?”

Jamie answered, “Our hotel, we need to check in.”

The driver, laughing, “There are about thirty hotels around DW, it would help to know which hotel you need to go to.”

“Is there one called Hyatt Place, Orlando/Lake Buena Vista?”

“There sure is,” the driver responded, “up there (pointing) is a shuttle that says ‘Lake Buena Vista’ and that will take you to any of the hotels in that area, including the Hyatt Place.”

“Thank you, sir,” DJ said, and they walked to that shuttle, and, confirming with the driver, got a seat.

About 30 minutes later, after three stops at other hotels, the shuttle pulled into the Hyatt Place. The boys grabbed their suitcase and walked into the lobby to register. The desk clerk was pleasant, he asked to see out driver’s licenses, to verify that we were over 18. We handed him our reservations, and he checked them against the computer.

“This is one of those 5 day vacation packages,” he said, “Check in time is supposed to be after 1:00 PM, and it’s only 10:30 AM. If I have a room available, I’ll break the rule, and let you check in now. Hold on a minute.” He disappeared, then returned.

“Your accommodation includes a free breakfast buffet, and it’s served from 7:00 AM until 11:00 AM. If you guys hustle, you can catch it now, and when you get back, I’ll try to have a room ready for you.”

DJ and Jamie smiled, they were both starved, and headed to the dining room, thanking the desk clerk on the way out. They enjoyed their first meal in Florida, then headed back to the front desk to finish registration.

The desk clerk, smiling, “I’ve got a good room for you guys, room 213, it’s on the second floor, poolside, so you can see what girls are around the pool, and can maybe make some dates. You’ll need to be checked out by 11:00 AM Friday morning. I assume you’re here to visit Disney World?”

“Yes, sir,” Jamie responded, “and we have a couple of concerns.”

“Ask away, and I’ll try to help you.”

Jamie asked, “How do we get to the park from here, it’s, I think, a few miles away.”

“Easy, we have a free shuttle, it leaves once every hour, on the hour, and returns from the park on the half hour, once each hour, it’s easy to find, as it says Hyatt Place on both sides.”

Jamie then asked, “We have to check out by 11:00 AM Friday, but our flight isn’t until 4:00 PM, so we need to be at the airport by 3:00 PM. How can we keep track of our luggage between 11:00 and the time we leave for the airport?”

“I can help you there,” he answered, “I know you will want to make the best of your time. You may consider checking out early, like maybe 7:30 or 8:00 AM, and we have a storage room where we can hold your suitcases and personal property until you leave for the airport. Just tell the desk clerk on duty that morning, and they can take care of you. OK? Anything else?”

“I think that’s about it,” DJ replied.

“Here are your key cards, for Room 213. Don’t forget to take them with you, when you leave your room. We secure all entrances to the hotel after 8:00 PM, but your card will work on them also. You guys may be interested in knowing that the pool is open until midnight, but there is no lifeguard on duty after 8:00 PM. Thank you for choosing the Hyatt Place, and I hope you enjoy your vacation, and your stay here.” He smiled.

The boys found the elevator and took it to the second floor, then walked to room 213. DJ stuck his card into the slot, and the door unlocked, and they stepped inside. The room was beautiful. It contained two double beds, and had a door leading to a balcony, which had a perfect view of the pool. It was now a little past noon, and the boys were planning to catch the 1:00 PM shuttle out to the park.

“DJ, we need to call back home, and let them know we’re OK, and where we are.” DJ agreed, and Jamie made the call, and Karen answered.

“Hi Mom,” Jamie answered, “We just wanted to let you know, the flight was fine, we got a shuttle from the airport to the Hyatt Place, and we’re registered in room 213.”

“Did you have any problems along the way?” Karen asked.

Jamie, grinning, “Just one slight problem, DJ waited too long to use the restroom on the plane, and almost peed his pants, but he made it, high and dry.” DJ’s face is turning red.

Karen, snickering, “Well, I guess it could have been worse.”

“Mom, I don’t want to use up too much roaming time on my phone, can you get hold of DJ’s Dad’s and let them know were here, safe and happy. We need to change clothes, and we’re going to try and catch the 1:00 PM shuttle out to the park. We love you.”

“We love you guys too, have fun!” they both hung up.

“Jamie!” DJ blurted, “you didn’t have to tell her about my almost accident!”

“Baby,” Jamie replied, smiling, “I thought it was kind of funny. I still can’t believe we’re here, just outside of Disney World, this is a dream come true, and I’m so happy we can share this together.”

“We need to get changed, if we’re going to catch that 1:00 PM shuttle to the park. I’m so excited!”

* * * * * *

The boys both changed into cargo shorts and t-shirts, wrapped their arms around each other, and fell onto the bed, just kissing and hugging, for a few minutes. They then left the room and headed to the lobby to await the shuttle, they both had their park admission tickets, and their cell phones, just in case they got separated.

When the shuttle arrived, it was just DJ and Jamie, and a family of four, two parents and two small children in the shuttle. The boys would have liked to hold hands, but with that family on board they elected to just sit together. The mother wanted to strike up a conversation, asking them where they were from and how they managed to make this trip.

DJ and Jamie shared a little information with the family that was actually visiting from Canada. That they were the best of friends, and that DJ’s parents and Jamie’s parents chipped together and gave them this 5 day vacation for a Christmas Present.

Once inside the park, the boys let their hair fall down a little, holding each other’s hands most of the time. They enjoyed a few of the park’s offerings, and decided to catch the 6:30 shuttle back to the hotel, arriving about 6:50 PM. Both boys were getting hungry and they decided to see what Lake Buena Vista had to offer in the line of eateries. They left the hotel on foot, just to check out the scenery, and see what was around.

The boys decided to try out this Hispanic restaurant, but it was not Mexican. The host told them they could sit anywhere they wished, and they selected a booth, and both slid into one side of it. A rather mature gentleman informed them that he was Andre, and he would be their server tonight. He dropped menus in front of them and offered to take their beverage orders, which was Pepsi for both of them. He left to get their drinks, and before he returned two young ladies walked up to their booth.

“Hi guys,” one said, “Are you alone?”

“Not exactly,” DJ answered, “we’re with each other.”

“What I meant,” she replied, pointing to the empty side of the booth, “is anyone sitting here with you?” DJ shook his head.

“You guys look lonely, could you use some company?”

“I guess,” Jamie answered, “If you want to join us.” The girls slid into the other side of the booth, with no hesitation.

“I’m Gina,” the first girl said, “and this is my best friend, Lisa, and we’re from Chicago. Do you guys live here?”

“No, we’re just visitors, I’m Jamie, and this is my best friend, DJ, and we’re from North Carolina, we’re visiting Disney World.”

Andre brought the boys’ drinks, and took the girls’ beverage orders, leaving two more menus on the table.

“That’s cool,” Lisa remarked, “so are we, we’re both in college, and we’ve been saving our nickels and dimes for 2 years to make this trip. Where are you guys staying?”

“Hyatt Place,” DJ answered, “and you?”

Gina spoke, “Neat, we are too, room 117, right by the pool, how long are you guys staying here?”

“Until Friday,” Jamie responded, “we’ve got one of those 5 day vacation packages. We just arrived today.”

Lisa, smiling, “I think that’s the same package we got, round trip air fare, 4 nights, and entrance to the park, we all have something in common. What do you guys do?"

Jamie responded, “We’re both 1st year students at the community college, DJ works as a cashier at a drug store and I work for a pizzeria.”

Andre brought the girls’ drinks, and asked if they were all ready to order. Jamie told him that he thought they needed a few more minutes, and the girls agreed. After the four spent a few minutes studying the menu, they had made decisions. Andre came back.

“Are you ready now to order?” We nodded. Separate checks or together?”

DJ said, pointing at Jamie, “Ours can be together, I don’t know about them.”

Gina stated that theirs would each be separate.

They all gave Andre their orders, and Andre soon delivered their dinners. They all ate without much chat. The food was excellent and the service was also. Once their meals were eaten, Andre brought the checks and they paid him, some with cash and some with card. They all rose, and got ready to leave.

Gina, outside the door, “Do you guys have anything planned for this evening?”

“Kind of,” Jamie replied, “DJ and I were thinking about checking out the swimming pool, then maybe getting some sleep and get ready for another day at the park.”

The four young men and ladies strolled slowly back to the Hyatt Place. They all broke up at the hotel, the girls went to their room, and the boys climbed up the stairs to their room.

* * * * * *

Gina and Lisa were in their room, discussing their interaction with DJ and Jamie. They had come to an agreement, that both of the boys were really nice, and devising a plan to capture them.

“Gina,” Lisa asked, “which one would you want?”

“I damn sure wouldn’t kick either one of them out of my bed,” Gina replied, “the trick is, how to get them in our beds to begin with. Lisa, do you have any condoms?”

“Girl!” Lisa exclaimed, “you know I’m not going on a trip like this without being prepared, just in case something comes up, or gets up!” Gina giggled.

“Well,” Gina remarked with a devilish grin on her face, “Jamie did say they wanted to check out the pool tonight, I think we should too, and see what we can find.”

The two girls changed clothes, both put on very skimpy and sexy bikini bathing suits. Gina looked out their window.

“I guess we better give them a little time,” Gina said, “They aren’t out there yet.”

* * * * * *

Jamie, holding DJ’s new swimming trunks, “Come on, baby, put them on and we can check out the pool.”

DJ and Jamie finally stripped, and put on their respective swim trunks. Jamie’s trunks were blue and quite tight, slightly more than bikinis and very form fitting, sexy in their own style. DJ’s we’re red, and very sexy, and had one of those ‘pouches’ that really left nothing to the imagination. Jamie loved the way DJ looked in them, but he knew it would be hard for him to not want to fondle that ‘pouch’. If either of them were to grow an erection, there would be no hiding it.

Jamie removed the key card from his shorts pocket, both boys grabbed a bath towel and they left the room, and headed toward the pool. It was now about 8:30 and there was no lifeguard on duty. Jamie set the card key on a table by the pool, and stood by the deep end of the pool, where the diving board was, waiting for DJ.

Jamie, as soon as DJ was next to him, “Let’s go, baby!” and both boys jumped in. The water was warm and felt really nice. The two boys swam around, spraying each other with scoops of water from their hands, just having fun.

After a few minutes, both boys sat on the edge of the pool, next to each other, their thighs touching, and legs dangling in the water. Jamie wanted so much to fondle that pouch on DJ’s trunks, but he resisted. DJ reached for Jamie’s hand, and they sat there, holding each other’s hands resting on both of their knees. The sight was beautiful, love in full bloom between these two young men.

* * * * * *

“Let’s go, Lisa,” Gina blurted, “They’re out there now!”

The girls left their room, one grabbing a card key, and they crept up quietly, unobserved, behind Jamie and DJ. When they got right behind the boys, Gina behind DJ and Lisa behind Jamie, they both covered the boys’ eyes with their hands.

“SURPRISE!” the girls exclaimed, catching both boys completely off guard, and the boys jumped into the pool, turned around and started to laugh.

“That was most definitely a surprise!” Jamie exclaimed.

They all did some swimming, and playing around in the water, for close to an hour. DJ and Jamie both sat on the edge of the pool again, like they were earlier, but not quite so close to each other. The girls then got behind the boys, spread their legs and straddled the boys’ bodies, snuggling the front of their bodies, and their boobes, against the boys’ backs. Both girls wrapped their arms around the boys, hugging them from the back.

Gina was behind DJ, and her arm dropped down across DJ’s stomach and she attempted to ‘touch’ his pouch. DJ immediately removed her hand from his body. Lisa tried to slip her hand inside Jamie’s trunks, and it also was gripped by Jamie’s hand and pulled out before it got near anywhere near where she was aiming.

The four of them played around in the pool for a few more minutes, then they got out of the water, and sat on some lounges. The boys each selected one to lay on, and within seconds each had a girl sitting with them.

Gina, breaking the ice, “Would you guys like to trade rooms for a while? One of us can go to your room, and one of you can come to our room, and we can have some fun. In case you’re worried, we have condoms, and we’re both clean.”

“It’s not that.” Jamie tried to explain, “We’ve enjoyed having dinner with you two, and you’re both a lot of fun to be with, but there is something you need to know.”

DJ picked up, “Gina, Lisa, Jamie and I are a couple. We’ve been in a relationship for about 9 months, and we’re just not into girls.”

“So,” Lisa said, “you’re telling us that you’re both gay?”

“We didn’t intend to tell you that,” Jamie explained, “but when you started to push the bedroom thing, and you both were trying to feel us up, well—you didn’t leave us much choice. We can be friends, but not sex partners. I’m sorry.”

“Why is it,” Gina commented, “that all the really good looking studs we run across, turn out to be gay. You two are so fucking hot! Shit!”

“Hey, look,” DJ said, “all may not be lost. We’ve gotten to know each other a little, and we’ve got four more days here before we fly back home. I think I can speak for both of us, we don’t mind having some chums, some friends to share our Disney experience with. If you ladies want to hang out with us, as platonic friends, we’ll be your friends, just not sex partners. The ball is in your court, and we’ll be around.”

Jamie added, “We’ll probably be in the dining room around 8:00 tomorrow morning for breakfast buffet, if you want to get together, and do the park with us tomorrow, we would welcome that, and our room number is 213, if you want to connect. OK?”

“We’ll consider that,” Lisa commented, “I think we’re just a little, no, a lot disappointed. We were kind of hoping to have some sexual fun, but that isn’t to be, but friends just might be doable. Let us think about it, and we’ll likely see you tomorrow. What are you guys going to do now?”

Jamie replied, smiling, “probably go to bed, and do what gay lovers sometimes do, Goodnight Ladies.”

“Goodnight, guys.” They both replied.

The girls went to their room, and DJ and Jamie went to theirs. It was nearly 10:30, the boys removed their swimming trunks, and hung them on the shower rod to dry out, then crawled into one of the beds, and cuddled up. It had been a long day, and neither of them even considered having any sex.

“Jamie, do you think we’ll see any more of Gina and Lisa?”

“I don’t know, baby, we left the ball in their court, and it’s their decision, maybe we will, maybe we won’t. I love you baby!”

“I love you too, Jamie, sleep tight and dream of me, and I’ll do the same.”

The boys drifted off to sleep within a few minutes.

* * * * * *

Gina and Lisa, being straight girls, are utilizing both of the double beds that are in their room, as they would be uncomfortable sleeping together. They have gone to bed, and are discussing the events of the day.

“Gina, what are your thoughts, about hooking up with Jamie and DJ tomorrow?”

“I don’t know, Lisa, you have to admit, they’re both real gentlemen, and they’re so likeable, and DJ has that killer smile that is so captivating. I wish they weren’t gay, but then, we didn’t come here to look for boyfriends anyway. I kind of think they could be decent companions to hang around with while we’re here, if they still want to hang with us.”

“Yeah, and that’s an if, we might have scared them off. I think I’d rather hang out with a couple of cool gay guys, than to just hang out with each other. I think we should call them in the morning and see if they want to meet us for breakfast, and maybe we could all go to the park together and have some fun.”

“I think, Lisa, that they were pretty uncomfortable coming out to us the way they did. I feel like they didn’t want to hurt us, but they couldn’t agree to have sex. We put them in a bad position, and I feel really bad about that. Let’s call them in the morning, and see how this plays out, I really don’t want to just forget them, actually, I don’t think I can. They’re really sweet guys.”

* * * * * *

About 7:30 Tuesday morning, Jamie and DJ were just waking up. The hotel phone rang, and DJ swung out of bed to answer it, believing it was probably one of the girls, since no one else would have their room number.

“Hello?” DJ answered.

“DJ, please don’t hang up, I know you guys probably hate us….

“Whoa, whoa,” DJ interrupted, “we don’t hate you, but, wait, talk to Jamie, if I don’t go to the bathroom I’m gonna start leaking on the floor, Jamie, talk to Gina” DJ handed the phone to Jamie and headed to the toilet.

“Good morning Gina, what’s up?”

“Jamie, I know you and DJ are probably mad at us, but can we have breakfast together? We want to talk with you, please?”

“Gina! Calm down, to begin with, we’re not mad at either one of you, and didn’t we tell you last night that we’d be open to having breakfast with you this morning? We even gave you our room number, so you could call us. Can you two meet us in the dining room in say, about 15 minutes?”

“It might take us 20, but we’ll be there, Thank you, Jamie.” Jamie hung the phone up.

DJ, smiling, “The girls want to get together?”

“Yeah, I think they’re having some second thoughts, about last night, they want to talk, let’s get dressed and join them for breakfast.”

The four of them selected a table in the corner, away from most of the other people in the dining room. The girls explained to Jamie and DJ, about how their vaginas took control, and they were just trying to get some fast sex. Now they want Jamie and DJ’s friendship more than they want sex.

They finished breakfast and caught the 9:00 AM shuttle to the park, and the four of them stuck like glue to each other all day and into the evening. Sometimes the guys paired up with the girls, and sometimes Jamie and DJ paired with each other. They all had a good time together, and went out to another restaurant and ate dinner together that night. Tuesday night found them all sleeping well in their appropriate rooms and beds.

Wednesday was almost a duplicate of Tuesday. On Wednesday they made a group decision to go to Sea World on Thursday, and then spend their last few hours together on Friday, again at the Disney World park. DJ and Jamie checked out at 8:00 AM Friday morning, and left their luggage with the desk clerk at the Hyatt Place. They were informed that they needed to catch the shuttle to the airport at 2:00 PM if they needed to check in at the airport by 3:00 PM.

The girls had to catch the airport shuttle earlier, as their flight to Chicago was to depart at 12:30 PM, whereas the boys’ flight wasn’t until 4:00 PM. They all shared the breakfast buffet, finishing up at just about 11:00 AM. Right after breakfast, while the girls were waiting for the airport shuttle, the four of them gathered together and shared a tearful goodbye. During those last few days, the four of them became very close, and they all were shedding tears, while they shared hugs and kisses with each other.

It was rare, but both DJ and Jamie kissed both girls on the lips, while tears were rolling down all of their faces. DJ and Jamie watched the girls board the shuttle, and waved goodbye to them as the shuttle left the hotel. After the shuttle left, both boys had a strange empty feeling. They all had elected not to try and keep in touch, and the boys knew they would never see Gina or Lisa again.

After the girls left, the boys had a couple of hours to kill before they needed to board their shuttle to the airport. They walked around the area, and visited some little souvenir shops, and picked up a couple of souvenirs to take back with them. They bought three Disney World calendars, and also three Sea World calendars, which they planned to stash inside their large suitcase before they went to the airport.

All of a sudden they realized it was almost 2:00 PM, and they nearly ran back to the hotel, arriving just as the shuttle was pulling up. They told the driver they needed to board, and asked him to give them about five minutes to grab their luggage, he said he would wait for them, and he did. While in the shuttle, en route to the airport, they opened the big suitcase and put the calendars inside of it, so they wouldn’t get wrinkled.

They arrived at the airport just a little past 2:30 PM, in plenty of time to check in and get their suitcase checked in. The boys then sat in the passenger waiting area, waiting for their flight boarding to be announced.

“Baby,” DJ mentioned, “I’m going to the restroom, and maybe I won’t need to go on the plane.”

“I’m going with you, for the same reason.”

Five minutes later they were back in their seats. About 3:45 PM came the announcement. ‘Flight XXX for Charlotte and Washington, DC now boarding at gate 2’. The boy’s rose up, put on their backpacks, and headed to the gate, tickets in hand. Security ran their backpacks through an x-ray machine, and handed them back. The attendant took their tickets and allowed them through the turnstile and they walked out and onto the plane.

Their seats, as on the previous flight, were together, and near the tail of the plane. They secured their seatbelts when instructed, and were soon starting to lift off the ground and into the air. It was broad daylight, and they were able to see the ground below for a while, until they were above the clouds. Neither of them were concerned about anyone seeing that they were holding hands, but somehow they both felt more secure when they did.

The steward, approaching them, “Hi, I’m Sean, and I am your steward for this flight, can I get you boys anything?”

DJ questioned, “I thought airline stewardesses were always females.”

Sean, snickering, “Stewardesses are, but stewards are male. Airlines hire both, there are just more females than males. Can I guess that you guys have been to Disney World?”

“You batted a hundred on that one,” Jamie replied.

“Sean, suspiciously, “Honeymoon?”

“No, just a fantabulous vacation,” Jamie answered, “you thought we might be married?”

“Well, you’d make a cute couple,” Sean smiled.

“What made you think we were gay?”

“Have you heard of Gaydar? And you are holding hands.”

DJ looked down at their joined hands, and grinned, then removed his hand from Jamie’s

“Most of us gay folks have Gaydar, and we can sense others around us that are gay, I hope I didn’t offend you.”

“Not at all,” Jamie replied, “I guess we’re pretty open sometimes, we’ve been together for about 9 months now, but I didn’t sense that about you.”

“Well, being a Steward is one of those occupations that gay men seem to choose, like being hairdressers or waiters. Enjoy your flight and call me if you need anything.” Sean smiled warmly, and placed DJ’s hand back onto Jamie’s, like it belonged there. DJ and Jamie grinned at each other.

The boys stayed awake on the flight back, just chatting about anything. They discussed how, as much as they enjoyed their vacation, it was going to be good to be back home again.

“DJ,” Jamie remarked, “Anthony wants me to call him when we land, so he can give me my schedule for Saturday and Sunday.”

“I have a feeling I’m going to be working too, maybe Dad has my schedule.”

It seemed like almost no time before the announcement came over the loudspeaker, telling everyone to fasten their seatbelts as they were about to land.

Jamie looked at his phone and it was 8:00 PM already, and they already had their seatbelts secured. Only a few more minutes and they would be landing.

About 15 minutes later the stairway rolled up to the plane, and the passengers coming to Charlotte were walking off the plane and into the terminal. Jamie and DJ were looking around, wondering where I was, and I was looking for them. We spotted each other and DJ ran up to me, wrapping his arms around me, with Jamie by his side. The boys seemed very happy to be almost home, as we still had an hour and a half drive ahead of us.

We had to wait a few minutes for the boys to get their luggage. While we were waiting, Jamie made a call to Anthony, and was asked if he could be at work at 3:00 Saturday, to close and Jamie said he would be there. The boys got their luggage, and we headed to my car in the parking lot, and soon we were on our way home. DJ sat in front with me, and Jamie occupied the back seat.

“Dad,” DJ asked, “Do you know when Randy wants me to work?”

“I do, Son,” I answered, “3 to 9 tomorrow, and I’m not sure about Sunday but I think he wants you in early.”

It was about 10:00 PM when we arrived at our house, the boys carried the luggage and their backpacks to their room and I started to make a pot of hot cocoa. Neither of the boys were very hungry, and they both made a cold cut sandwich. We were all waiting for Joe to get home, and Jamie made a call to his Mom and let her know that we were all safe at home now, and that he was needed at work at 3:00 PM Saturday.

Joe got home at 11:00 PM, we enjoyed the hot cocoa together and we all soon went to bed.

Joe, as we crawled into bed, “Doug, time is moving so fast, do you realize it’s only 9 days to our wedding day?”

“Holy fuck!” I exclaimed, “where did the time go? It seems like only a couple weeks ago that it was still 2 months away!”

“Mom is coming, she is arriving on Wednesday. I arranged her arrival to be on my day off, so I can pick her up at the airport. I need to talk to Karen, and see if she would want to put Mom up for a few days.”

“I know Karen pretty well,” I said, “I think she would love to have your Mom stay there for a few days, and your Mom would be safe there. Joe, I can’t wait to meet your Mom! You have Karen’s phone number, don’t you?”

“I don’t think I do,” Joe replied, “I’ll get it from you tomorrow, and then I can call her. Goodnight, baby, I love you.”

* * * * * *

Saturday morning January 6th Joe and I got up fairly early for us, about 8:00 AM and sat at the table having coffee.

“Joe,” I asked, “did you order the invitations?”

“Yes, baby, I ordered them about 2 weeks ago, I only ordered 25, do you think that will be enough?”

“Probably more than we really need, how many do you plan to send?”

“I actually don’t plan to send out more than 2 or 3, I probably should have involved you in the selection of them,” Joe continued, “they’re special, on the front it shows two men, standing at the alter and holding hands in front of the minister, and the details and a very nice message is on the inside. I need to pick them up this morning because the print shop closes at noon today and is closed tomorrow, we need to mail them by Monday.”

“Most of the ones I want to send are going to people that I feel are friends to both of us, like Anthony, Justin, Annie Gill, I don’t know a lot of people, outside of our circle, that I would wish to invite. Gloria actually asked me for an invitation, and that surprised me. I suppose I should invite all the people that work at my store.”

“My chief told me a long time ago that he wanted one, and I’m going to post one on the bullitin board for the rest of the department. Several of my fellow officers have told me they want to attend. My previous partner, Jeff Strobel, is standing with me, and I need to give him a heads up so he can get that afternoon off.”

“Doug, can you give me Karen’s phone number so I can call her?”

“Sure, baby,” I answered, “just give me your phone and I’ll put it in for you.” Joe opened his phone and selected ‘Add contact’ and I inserted the number. Joe called Karen immediately afterwards and she answered.

“Karen, Joe Reynolds here, do you have a few minutes?”

“Sure, Joe, these dishes can wait, what’s up?”

“Karen, I’d like to ask a huge favor. In case you’re not aware, our wedding is in eight days, a week from tomorrow. I’m picking up my 83 years old Mom at the airport this Wednesday, and Doug and I are uncomfortable putting her up at the Shady Inn, and we don’t have a spare bedroom. Would you consider having a house guest for a few days?”

“Joe, that doesn’t require consideration at all, you know we have two spare bedrooms, and it would be our pleasure to have her here. Does she require any special care?”

“Not really, she has her own senior apartment in California, and she still does everything for herself, even cooking. She doesn’t drive anymore but she lives quite close to my sister, and she takes her shopping, and to her Doctor appointments, about once a month. She is pretty active, for her age.”

“Joe, I’m already looking forward to having her here. Has she met Doug yet?”

“No Karen, but she has been waiting for years to see me marry the man of my dreams, and she is so anxious to meet her only grandson, and his boyfriend! For an old lady, she is extremely open-minded. I think you will like her.”

“Joe, I think I already do, and I haven’t even met her yet. What time are you picking her up?”

“Her flight is scheduled to arrive at, I think, about 11:30 AM. If it’s on schedule, we should be back in town around 1:30.”

“Great!” Karen exclaimed, “I’ll plan dinner for about 2:00 PM, and Carl can meet her before he leaves for work. Of course I’m thinking dinner for you and Doug also, since you and he are both off on Wednesdays. Hard to tell where the boys will be, it would be nice if they were here too. I’ll see if they can be.”

“Karen, you have no idea how much this means to me, you’re a true friend of our family, and I appreciate you and Carl very much, thank you.”

“No, Joe, thank you! I’m so looking forward to this! Catch you later, and have a good day.” Joe and Karen hung up.

“Joe,” I remarked, “it sounded like Karen came to the rescue?”

“Baby, she is an awesome lady, she’s actually anxious to have my Mom as a house guest. When I pick Mom up at the airport, Karen wants all of us to have dinner together, so you need to plan to go to the Seldon’s at 2:00 PM for dinner. Carl needs to leave for work by 3:30 that day, and the boys are also invited”

“DJ has to work that day at 3:00 PM because he does delivery, to replace me. He can likely go in a little late, and I have no idea what Jamie’s schedule is. Wow, everything is moving so fast!”

“Doug! I almost forgot to tell you! I found a minister, she’s a female and ministers at Universal Life, and she said she has no problem with same sex marriage. So we won’t need that JP, I guess I’d better let him know that we won’t need his services.”

“Joe,” I replied, tears in my eyes, “it’s incredible how everything seems to be working out in our family. I can’t help thinking that maybe we have a higher power on our side!”

“I think, after I pick up the invitations today, I’ll go by the Jewelers and pick up the rings, one more thing out of the way.”

The boys finally decided to make a showing, wandering into the kitchen about 10:00 AM, beautifully naked, as were Joe and myself. Joe stood up and gave them a hug.

Joe, still hugging both boys, “It’s good to have you home, we missed you guys an awful lot.”

The boys both said that they had an incredible vacation, but that it was good to be back home again, and that they missed us too. I had cooked breakfast for Joe and myself, but not for the boys, as we had no idea when they might emerge from hibernation.

Joe excused himself to get dressed, as he had some errands to take care of, and told the boys that I could catch them up on the latest.

DJ drained the last of the coffee and sat down with Jamie, nursing his glass of juice. Joe left to take care of his business.

“So Dad,” DJ inquired, “what is the latest?”

I took a few minutes, explaining about our wedding in eight more days, and that Joe’s Mom is arriving Wednesday, and is going to be staying at Jamie’s parents house.

DJ, jumping up and hugging Jamie, while tears are starting to run down his face, “Baby! We’re finally going to meet my Granny! I’ve never had a grandma before that I actually knew.”

“Dad,” DJ asked, concern on his face, “does she know—about us?”

“Yes, Son, she knows, and she wants to meet her grandson’s boyfriend too. For an old lady, she’s very open-minded.” Jamie is smiling.

“When Joe picks her up Wednesday, he’s bringing her to Jamie’s house, and Karen is planning a family dinner for 2:00 PM, and she wants all of us there. You guys might want to give Anthony and Randy a heads up—this is important.”

* * * * * *

Saturday afternoon everyone in the house was scheduled at 3:00 PM, and all but Joe had to travel to work and so we all left shortly after 2:30, Mike would pick Joe up about 3:00.

Randy, as DJ and I started to clock in, “Doug, there are deliveries ready, and DJ, welcome back! I want to guide you today DJ, when you clock in. Go ahead and put in your code, now note that you have three choices, cashier, cashier trainer, and delivery driver. The system will accept any of them, but if you clock in as a cashier, you’ll cheat yourself out of 50 cents an hour, so you want to clock in as cashier trainer from now on.”

DJ clocked in as ‘trainer’ for the first time, and Randy gave him a draw and told him to go on station 3.

“Randy,” I stated, “are you aware that I will not be here on the 14th or the week of the 15th?”

“I am,” Randy replied, smiling, “What time is your wedding scheduled on the 14th?”

“2:00 PM.”

“Did you plan to invite your coworkers?”

“I’d like to, but some of them will be working and cannot attend. DJ will need to be off, at least for that afternoon, as he is giving me away.”

“Doug, I’m going to do something a little unorthodox. It’s a very special day for you, and, if you wish to invite all the employees I will close the store from 1:00 to 5:00, for a ‘special event’ and you and DJ will both be scheduled off for that whole day.”

“Randy,” I responded, with wet eyes, “you’re awesome! I’ll bring the invitations in tomorrow.” Randy smiled warmly.

Gloria came in at 4:00 PM to manage the evening shift, and relieve Randy.

Randy, on his way out, “DJ, can you do an OC tomorrow?”

“What’s an OC?”

“Open to Close, 10:00 AM to 9:00 PM, I’m trying to get you a few more hours so your check won’t be quite so short. You lost quite a few hours this week while you were having fun in the sun!”

“Sure, Randy, I can do that, see you tomorrow.”

DJ is thinking, Justin said Randy promised to take care of me, and he seems to be keeping that promise. He is convinced that Randy really likes him, sometimes Randy actually favors him.

* * * * * *

Sunday morning DJ had set his phone alarm for 8:00 AM as he was due to work at 10:00, and work an 11-hour shift. Anthony had also asked Jamie to come in early, so both boys had a reason to rise early, and both were gone by the time Joe and I got up. Joe had picked up the invitations Saturday, and we had plans to address them today, and get the few that required mailing in the post office Monday.

DJ was ready to enter the store and a Notice on the front door grabbed his attention, it read: NOTICE! Store will be Closed Next Sunday January 14 from 1 PM to 5 PM for a Special Event.

Randy already had the doors unlocked. DJ entered then went back to the pharmacy to clock in. He clocked in as a trainer, and smiled.

“Randy,” DJ inquired, “what’s with that notice on the front door?”

“DJ,” Randy replied, “what happens next Sunday, the 14th?”

“Well, it’s the day of my Dad’s wedding, but….”

“It’s likely the most important day of your Dad’s adult life, and he told me he wanted to invite all his coworkers. I don’t want any of the employees here to not be able to attend his wedding because they have to work, so I’m closing the store for 4 hours.”

“Randy,” DJ remarked, pulling Randy close in a hug, “you’ve got a beautiful big heart!”

“I try, kid,” Randy replied, “I really try. I think you may realize that I have an especially soft spot for our brothers and sisters.”

* * * * * *

After Joe and I had some breakfast, I wiped the table off, and Joe placed the stack of invitations on the table. I had previously not seen them and looked at one of them. I was impressed, I never realized that they even made same sex wedding invitations. The front showed two men at an altar, and the minister doing the marriage ceremony. Pretty neat, then I looked inside and my tear ducts let loose.

Joseph V. Reynolds
And
Douglas R. Kendall

Request your attendance
to help us celebrate
the commitment of our love
and our lives to each other on

January 14th at 2:00 PM

At Anthony’s Pizzeria
In the town square
Reception to follow ceremony

We are asking for NO GIFTS as
We already have the greatest gift
We have each other!

“Joe, is this a stock card?”

“Nope, I wrote the whole thing.”

“It’s beautiful,” I commented.

There were really only a few cards that needed to be mailed. My list was short, one to Justin and Sherry, and one to Matt and his Mom, most of the rest would be hand delivered. I am hoping that Randy can help me get Justin’s mailing address.

Joe and I spent the next 45 minutes putting names on envelopes and enclosing the invitations. His list was even shorter than mine, he had only one that needed mailing. He set three aside, one for his Captain, one for Mike, and one to post on the bulletin board at headquarters. He did address one to his sister and her husband, mostly out of courtesy. They’re in California.

About 2:00 PM I started to get ready for work, and kissed Joe goodbye and left for the store about 2:30, taking three of the invitations with me. I arrived at 2:50 and saw the notice on the door when I entered. I walked back to clock in, and Randy was right there in the pharmacy.

“Randy, you were serious about closing the store, weren’t you?”

“I am, Doug, do you have something for me?” I handed Randy the envelope with his and Daryl Cartwrights names on it.

Randy, looking at the invitation, “That’s outstanding, Doug, and the inside is so touching. I hope Daryl can get that afternoon off, I know he would want to attend. I’m kind of hoping, that if Daryl sees you two lovers tie the knot, it might give him some inclination to think in that direction. I’ll definitely be there, what are those?” he asked, pointing to the two that were still in my hand.

“One for Gloria and Jerry, and one to post for the rest of the crew.”

Randy taped the one for the crew next to the printed schedule, where everyone would see it. I can give the one to Gloria when she comes in, any minute now, in fact, she’s walking in now. Right after Gloria clocked in, I approached her.

“Gloria,” I said, “I believe you requested this.” and handed her the invitation. Gloria opened it, read it and smiled, then stashed it in her purse.

“I’m not sure if Jerry will come, it’s a Sunday and he won’t be working, but we’d probably be the only straight couple there. I will definitely be there.”

“I’m certain there will be a few more straight people there, many of Joe’s fellow police officers plan to attend, and most of them are straight and some may bring their spouses,” I replied.

“I wonder if it’s coincidence,” Gloria commented, grinning, “that Randy is closing the store for four hours at the same time as your ceremony. Have you made arrangements for a cake?”

“I think Joe is getting a sheet cake from the market deli, with generic wedding decorations on it.”

“Doug,” Gloria stated, “I have a close friend, Marla, up in the city, and she specializes in making wedding cakes, out of her home. I know she has done at least 2 or 3 for same sex weddings. Would you like me to get a price from her?”

“Gloria!” I exclaimed, “Please do, that would be so much nicer than just a generic sheet cake! Please let me know, ASAP, We really appreciate you.”

That night at about 8:00 PM when I returned from some deliveries, Gloria asked me to come to the back of the store.

“Doug, I have the information for you. Marla will do a two tier cake for $125, a three tier for $150, and $180 for a four tier, and that is a delivered price. She normally only delivers within 25 miles, but as a favor to me, she will deliver it down here.”

“Wow, that’s a little more than I expected,” I replied.

“Doug!” Gloria exclaimed, “this is not exactly the kind of thing you can pick up at Wal-Mart, and it’s a once-in-a-lifetime event! Don’t cheat yourself over a few dollars. Let me know, as soon as you can make a decision.”

At 8:45 PM, Gloria, Cindy, DJ and I were all back by the main computer getting ready to clock out at 9:00 PM.

“Doug,” Cindy asked, “are we welcome to bring our spouse?”

“Of course,” I replied, “or boyfriend, girlfriend, or best friend.”

Gloria grabbed a fine point marker and wrote on the invitation, ‘Please feel free to bring your S. O.’ (Significant Other) and I smiled, approvingly.

“Cindy, DJ,” Gloria requested, “go run your tally’s and get your tills straight, so we can get out of here. Doug, hold up a minute.”

“Gloria,” I said, “I’m not very familiar with wedding cakes, and I really don’t know how big of a one we need. I am realizing that there could be as many as 60 to 80 guests, so maybe your friend would have a better idea as to the proper size of the cake, and I would accept her judgement.”

Cindy and DJ brought back the draws and set them on the table. Gloria said we could all go ahead and clock out. Cindy left and DJ locked the front doors behind her and returned to the back.

Gloria spoke, “Doug, I also learned something from Marla today that I didn’t previously know, her husband does wedding photography, and he'll do a wedding package for an extra $100.”

“Oh, I don’t know, Gloria, I think just the cake will be fine.”

“Gloria,” DJ spoke up, “we’ll opt for the photo package, Dad, we need this, for our memories. I’ll pay for it!” Gloria smiled.

“It’s only 9:00, let me see if I can get Marla on the phone,” Gloria remarked, making the call. She got an answer.

“Marla, Gloria here, I hope it’s not too late to call you. Doug expects they will have between 60 and 80 guests, and needs to know what size cake they should get.”

Marla, on the phone, “A three tier should be fine for 60 to 80 people, and that would be $150. I always keep a couple of figures on hand, and I do have one of two grooms. I need to have a confirmation ASAP, as I currently have no others for the 14th, and it’s first come, first serve.”

“Hold on a minute, Marla.”

“Doug, Marla says a three tier should do it, and she has no weddings scheduled for that date, do you want to commit now?” Gloria is nodding her head.

“Yeah, go ahead, I’ll commit,” I answered.

Gloria, to Marla, “A three tier it is, and Doug’s wonderful Son, DJ has opted for the photo package, and is paying for that separately.” Gloria, referring to DJ as Doug’s son caused DJ to beam.

Marla is talking.

Gloria, “The wedding and reception are at Anthony’s Pizzeria, right here in the Town Square shopping center. The ceremony is scheduled for 2:00 PM, next Sunday, the 14th. Thank you very much, I’ll see you then, girlfriend.” They hung up.

“Well guys,” Gloria stated, “It’s all taken care of, I’ve never attended a gay wedding before, and I’m so exited. You guys have both grown on me, and I like both of you, a lot.”

“Gloria,” DJ commented, smiling, “my Dad is gaining a wonderful husband, and I’m gaining a terrific step-dad, our family will be complete! It’s a beautiful dream coming true.”

We all left the store, Gloria locking the doors behind us. I noticed that Jamie’s car was parked next to DJ’s Tracker in the parking lot and was running.

“Dad,” DJ stated, “Jamie and I haven’t seen Matt since we got back, and he wants us to come out, and spend the night, since Jamie and I are both off tomorrow. I hope you don’t mind.”

“You know that Joe and I miss you guys, when you’re not there, but you also have your own lives to live, and you and Matt are also best of friends. Of course I don’t mind, you guys have fun.”

Jamie, getting out of his car and giving me a hug, “Hi Dad, did DJ tell you we are spending the night at Matt’s?”

I answered, chuckling, “Yeah, just now he told me! You know, you guys have a job to do, back at the house?”

“We do?” DJ asked.

“Yes, there’s a matter of some Christmas Decorations that need to be stored away, and the tree is losing its needles. Do you think you guys can take care of that tomorrow, sometime?”

“Sure, Dad,” DJ answered, “we can do that when we come back from Matt’s, where should we store the stuff?”

“I think you can find room on the top shelf of that walk-in closet at the end of the hall. The tree can go out by the trash container, and they will pick it up, along with the trash.”

“Dad,” Jamie remarked, “by the time you get home tomorrow night, you’ll never know that tree was ever there.”

“Do you want to bet?” I said, “I have pictures, and I’ll never forget DJ’s first Christmas Tree.”

“Second one, Dad, “Jamie said, smiling, “his first one was helping me decorate the one at Mom and Dads. DJ, I’ve already got my car warmed up, why don’t you leave yours here, and we can pick it up tomorrow. Let’s get to Matt’s house.”

“Goodnight, boys, and say ‘Hi’ to Matt and Annie for me.” Both boys said they would.

* * * * * *

I went home alone, fixed some supper for Joe and myself, and waited on his return from work at 11:00 PM. We went to bed soon after we ate, and I explained the rather eventful evening at work, and how Gloria had come up with the friend that made wedding cakes, and I had ordered a real wedding cake for us. And also that DJ had opted for the cake bakers’ husband to photograph our wedding for posterity.

“That’s wonderful, baby, I really wanted for us to have a real wedding cake, and I had checked with three bakery’s and none of them were willing to make a cake with just groom figurines on top. It will also be great to have photographs of our special day. I’ve not met Gloria, but I think I like her a lot, sight unseen.”

“Joe, there was a notice on the door when I went in to work, saying that the store was going to be closed from 1:00 PM until 5:00 PM next Sunday, for a ‘Special Event’, Randy is closing the store, so that the employees can attend our wedding! What do you think of that?”

“I think that Randy is an exceptional manager, one of a kind, and I can’t wait to meet him, and Gloria! I wonder how many of the workers will actually attend? Baby, let’s hold each other while we go to sleep.”

* * * * * *

While Jamie drove to Matt’s house, DJ texted Matt to let him know they would be there in about 10 minutes. Matt was watching for them.

Matt, swinging the door open, “Come on in guys!” in his new, lower voice.

DJ, chuckling, “I love your new voice, but it’s going to take some getting used to.” The three boys hugged and kissed on the cheeks.

“MOM!” Matt hollered, “DJ and Jamie are here!” Annie appeared.

“Welcome, boys, did you bring your pajamas?” Annie asked.

“No,” DJ replied, “We both usually sleep nak—just in our underwear.”

Annie, grinning, “Let me show you to your rooms, one of you can have this room, and the other can have this one.”

“Annie,” Jamie spoke, “we both really sleep better, when we sleep together, and were used to sharing a bed.”

“Well, maybe this one would be the best, it has its own bathroom. Make yourselves at home, I’m preparing some snacks for you guys.” Annie returned to the kitchen, and the boys all sat at the table in the dining room.

Jamie spoke, “I see you got rid of the bandage, Matt.”

“Yeah, the doc took it off Friday, all I have now is this (pointing) small incision, if I wear a high collar shirt or a turtle neck, I can pretty well hide it. Doc says in a year or so it will hardly be noticeable at all.

Jamie, smiling, “I still can’t get over your voice, Matt.”

“You! I’ve been talking now for over 2 weeks, and it still surprises me, every time I open my mouth to speak!” Matt grinned.

Annie brought in some small plates, glasses, and a big pitcher of fruit punch, then brought in a big platter of chicken strips, fried mushrooms, buffalo wings, jalapino poppers, and cheese sticks and then brought small bowls of ranch, blue cheese and honey mustard dressings for dipping.

“Wow, Annie, “ Jamie stated, “This is just a good as Applebee’s.”

“Hey,” Annie replied, “I gotta take care of my boys, don’t I?”

“You’re a terrific host, Annie,” DJ complemented.

“So,” Annie asked, sitting down while the boys all dug in. “are you going to tell us about your Disney experience?”

DJ and Jamie spent the next hour telling Matt and Annie about their vacation. Matt cracked up when they told about the girls chasing them, and trying to get them into their beds, which didn’t work.

Matt, DJ and Jamie were up chatting until nearly 2:00 AM and finally went to bed. Matt said that DJ and Jamie would have been welcome to share his bed, but his Mom would never allow that.

DJ and Jamie went to their assigned bedroom, and stripped to their boxer-briefs and cuddled together for sleep, and Matt knocked on their door, and was invited in. Matt sat on their bed, and the three boys chatted for another half an hour, until DJ and Jamie started to doze off, then went to his own room and went to bed. Matt loves having these guys around.

* * * * * *

Monday morning Annie was up about 10:00 but none of the boys got up until about 11:30. She fed them a nice breakfast, and DJ spent quite a lot of time explaining the wedding, and how his step-granny was coming from California, and how anxious DJ was to meet her.

The boys finally left Annie and Matt’s house, and headed towards home about 3:00 PM. I was already at work when they picked up the Tracker and went to our house, and they did as they said they would. They undecorated the tree, and packed up the decorations, including the inflated snowman, and stored everything away.

When I got home from work about 9:20 I noticed that Jamie’s car was there, and the Tracker was gone. There was a note on the table that they had gone to WAWA to pick up subs for all of us, and they would be back shortly. It amazes me, for 20 year olds, how thoughtful they always are.

The boys returned with the subs, and I ate mine with the boys, saving half of a giant sub for Joe when he gets home. DJ has to open with Gloria Tuesday morning, and usually works 10-9 on Tuesdays, so they went to bed right after we ate. I waited up for Joe, knowing he should be home about 11:00.

Joe and I headed to bed about 11:30 PM, and fell asleep shortly.

(to be continued)