Walking in Circles - 24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Ok, I’m awake, 6 am. Alright, I’ll grab my clothes and Kevin’s, here’s a grocery bag I’ll stuff everything thing in it, except our Jeans. Leaving Joseph a note; ‘Thanks for the party, was nice to forget about normal life for a little while. Let me know if you come up with anything for the cove and Jake.’

“Hey, Kev, shhh, put these on, we need to go. Got your money? Cell? I have everything else. Ready?” Kevin gave a thumbs up. “Hey, go lie down in back, I’ll be fine.” Luckily this driveway isn’t that difficult to back this truck up from. After getting it on the street, everything should be fine.

Hey, look there’s that young guys house. Looks even nicer in the early morning sun. I feel bad for skipping town, but I just want to get home. About a half hour to go till the rest stop, Kevin wakes up. “Hey Kev.”

“Hey Zach, so what happened back there? Why’d we sneak off at the butt crack of dawn?”

“I don’t know, all that shit was crazy. I felt out of place most of the time. Maybe, I just need to slow down for a while.”

“Actually, me too. I just hope I can act normal with Caira. Hey Zach, I really need to pee man.”

“Can you hold it for another 10 minutes?”

“Oooo, alright I’ll try.”

Kevin got up and went through our things. He made a bag for each of us. It had a change of clean clothes, a dop kit, and a towel each. “I figure we can get washed up a bit in the bathroom.” I just nodded.

As we were walking in from the truckers lot, we saw a sign for showers. I asked an old timer walking in the same direction. He said the showers are $5, but the blowjobs are free. “Kev, do you think he was offering, or warning us?”

“Ha, I don’t really care as long as I can take a shower.” I high fived him on that one.

We each got our own shower. This thing is actually really nice, I mean it’s not the Ritz, but it’s got my own sink, toilet and shower stall. I heard a knock, yep for sure that time. What does Kevin need, he can’t be finished already. I swung the door wide and now I’m regretting that. “Fuck!” I shut the door except for my face. “Can I help you?” A familiar-ish looking man smiled, but, I don’t think he works here.

“Sorry, I am actually scheduled for this room right after you. My son has already showered, and is waiting in the truck. If I didn’t need to get back on the road, I wouldn’t ask, but would you be willing to switch times?”

“Actually, I am on a tight schedule also. I have a friend getting his shower right now. And we need to leave right after.” The nervous disappointment, combined with the idea that I have seen him before somewhere, compelled me to do it, “Tell you what, you can share this one with me, but I won’t wait. Up to you, I’m fine either way.”

I thought he looked nervous before. Now he’s pale white. “No? Ok.” I closed the door and turned the shower back on. Really? After all that he’s knocking again? I just opened it and looked at him.

“Ok.”

I opened the door and shut it behind him. “I have the room for an hour and you’ve waisted 20 minutes of it. I’m getting in, I suggest you do the same.”

After I got in, I heard him undress, then the sink. I looked past the curtain right as he was coming in. He was shaking. Looking at his dick, I suddenly realized who he is. He’s Thumbs dad. “Thank you, I’ve never done anything like this before, so I am very nervous.”

“Anything like what? What are we doing?” He looks like a cornered rabbit. “Hey, slow down, take a deep breath.” I guided him into the hot water and got behind him under the spray. I reached up and rubbed his shoulders, and on the top of his back. “That’s better, if you give me some soap I can at least wash your back while I do this.” He didn’t say a word, he just offered up his soap he had in his hand. I worked the soap across the shoulders and used my soapy thumbs to do the neck. Against his better judgment, I am guessing, he let out a moan. “Feel good?”

“Umm humm.” I will take that as permission to continue, I’m trying to do his middle back but it’s getting difficult, I forcefully grab his shoulders and guide his front to the side wall, this way the spray can hit us both. He put his arms up high like I am an officer about to frisk him. Now I am clearly washing his sides and legs that technically he could do himself, but he isn’t stopping and neither am I. I washed around his upper thighs and right up into the golden area. I hurried and went to his back around his waist and up and down his abs.

“Do mine now.” I put the soap in his hand. Without another word we switched places, but I saw his giant cock responding to this new excitement. He was working the same pattern as I did. But, when he got to my ass, I pushed my soapy crack onto his bobbing cock. He started thrusting between my legs and I adjusted to make him press into the rim of my hole. That excited him more, so the next time I reached back and stroked his full shaft. His legs trembled as I stroked and turned around as I dropped to my knees. I rinsed his dick then swallowed as much as I could humanly plunge into my throat. I was really working it hard and getting him on the edge.

“Wait.” He pulled away from my face and he began to get on his knees. I stood and rinsed as he guided his mouth to my dick. He is doing a good job, he tries to get in his throat but eventually gives up. He does stroke suck me like I was doing to him. “I’m getting close…. If you don’t want it, you should stop.” If there was any hesitation, it didn’t last long, because he wasn’t stopping. Just as I shot a couple times he stood quickly stroking himself. I put my mouth on the head and sucked with his stroke. That did it for him and I took most of it.

We didn’t say anything else, it was time to finish up and get dressed. This guy threw on his clothes, and ran before I even finished drying. Probably never see him again. It isn’t taking me long to get dressed and fix myself, so I get my things and head out. Kevin is in the hall talking on his phone. He hung up before he even saw me. “What’s up?”

“Caira hasn’t been answering, I’m wondering if she’s mad or something like that.”

“About what?”

“Zach I don’t know. I’m just wondering.”

“I want coffee, do you?” I don’t know if he heard me. “Earth to Kevin.”

“Huh, coffee? Sure. Sorry, but what if she knows?”

“How in the world would she know? I’m sure everything is fine.” Damn dude, chill out.

I think I am just going to stay quiet at least until we’re in the truck. Seems Kevin is on the same page. The parking lot seems bigger than it was. “Zach, there’s that kid, I turned around to see a dark blue Freightliner going past, Thumbs is in the passenger window holding his thumbs up. That kid is funny.

“He cracks me up.” I elbow Kevin to stop staring.

“Did you see those things they’re hauling?” I didn’t pay any attention, so I followed the truck heading back on the road.

“I think those are big steel coils. I would hate to be behind them if one broke loose.”

The rest of the ride home was largely uneventful, I took Kevin home first, then got the Ram and was home. “Hello, Bed!”

************

It’s Doc’s funeral today, I don’t even want to open my eyes. Last night seems like a blur, so many people came to the wake. I left as people were still coming, but I had no energy left for them. I came home and went straight to bed. Steve barely said hi last night. I saw Travis for a couple seconds, I was to tired to deal with any of it. Robert had put a gorgeous black suit in my closet, with a long wool overcoat. It’s raining, a steady light rain. Bringing a chill to my body, and a dreariness I wouldn’t be able to shake, even if the sun comes out.

I didn’t even know he had children, a boy and a girl. Although they’re fully grown and in their late 30’s early forties, it just hadn’t occurred to me to ask him about his family. I drove in the precession to the graveyard.

We walked to the tent, everyone with umbrellas, not saying a word. That’s when I saw the tombstone showing his wife had gone first, some years ago. As I was walking between the stones, I saw me as a 10 year old boy. I see two caskets with the preacher between them. I am feeling dizzy, it’s hard to walk. I would give everything to not face this. Just before people started heading to their cars, Linda came up and gave me a nice hug. I felt the need to walk away from the direction of the cars. I looked over the expanse of all the people who’ve gone before.

Unconsciously, wandering through the stones, until I was frozen, slammed into my psyche like a bat to the head. My Parents Stone. This is where they are. I remember this place. Suddenly, I see their caskets on a rainy day like today, but, there, there’s a third. I dropped to my knees I absolutely cannot hold the umbrella or even look up. So many memories I didn’t even know I had, they are flashing in my soul. Next to my parents head stone is a smaller stone. Son, Zayden Holland, my twin died in that crash. “I’m so sorry I forgot you Zay. I didn’t mean to.” I grab onto his stone for support, I want him to hold me up.

“Zach, I love you, but you need to clean up your act. I don’t care if you love a woman or a man, but what your doing is wrong.” I do, I hear Zay, I can feel him holding me as I cry with all my might. All those years, I blocked out the pain.

“Zay, help me, I can’t do this without you!” I feel him wrap around me tighter.

“It’s alright Zach, you can get through this, and you will. Just look into your heart to guide you, that’s where we are.” I don’t think I can let go to stand, I am stuck here in my sorrow.

“He’s right Zach, you can do this, and I will help you too.” I looked up into Steve’s beautiful face. He held me so tight as I wept. Zay brought him to me.

“I love you so much, Steve. I am so sorry I’ve been ignoring you.”

“No Zach, it’s my fault, I shouldn’t have been with anyone but you, I can see that now. I only love you.” He is weeping with me, he helps me stand. That’s when I realized he wasn’t alone. Travis and Robert were helping us stand in front of my parents and my brother. “He was my twin, guys. I forgot about him because I couldn’t live without him.”

“We will be here for you, Zach. We promise.” I felt Travis holding me tighter.

“We love you, Zach. We’re not going to leave you.” Robert held me tight.

These guys who I love, they’ll help me with everything, I know it now. I just have to let them. As we were walking away, I looked back to see my 10 year old brother smiling.

*************

I had spent a couple months working on this, handing out fliers posting them on the U.S. and Canadian side of the lake. I’ve invited so many people to stay at the cabin resort we built. I told them they could see the wolf reserve we’ve created.

But, mostly, come and join us to celebrate the lives of all those we’ve loved and lost. As Steve and I walk out to the beach of the cove, we’re surrounded by all of our friends. I didn’t know he had one request from everyone who’ll participate, and somehow they pulled it off.

After I light my lantern and let it fly up into the night sky, he suggested then everyone else will let there’s go. Thousands of lanterns are filling the sky, as mine flies high. They’re joined by music from ‘Enya, Shepherds Moon.’ Radio’s all around the lake played the enchanting sounds to lift the words as high as the lanterns. It was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.