A Meeting at the Community Centre - 1. Chapter 1

Long before smart phones, and before a time when everybody shopped on line, a department store in mid-town Manhattan was having a fantastic, super-sized Black Friday sale. In the late afternoon, on the day of the sale, a commuter bus was headed back to Spring Valley, NY, a lovely bedroom community. It was fully occupied with tired out suburban housewives returning home, and a few working husbands. Each passenger was loaded with packages, which they held on their laps. There seemed to be very little breathing space on the bus.

They left the Port Authority Bus Terminal, and headed north on Eighth Avenue. Their destination was The West Side Highway, The George Washington Bridge, The Palisades Parkway, and home. Traffic was moving nicely and the traffic light was green. Suddenly, the traffic came to a screeching halt. The driver found himself stopped in the middle of a busy intersection, and the light was turning to red. He had no idea what happened to cause traffic to stop moving.

Coming in the cross direction was a huge gasoline truck. The driver saw that he had the right of way, but he was busy trying to retrieve an eight track tape from his glove compartment. He wanted to replace the one already in the console, which he had been listening to over and over again. As a result, he failed to realize that traffic was stalled and the intersection was not clear. He ploughed into the bus.

In less than a nanosecond, the truck, the driver, the bus, its driver, and twenty-five commuters were blown to smithereens. There were even more casualties in the streets, but none were fatal.

Individually, or as a group of neighbours, each housewife had planned this shopping day for a long time. The housewives with younger children had arranged for baby sitters. As each of their husbands returned from work, they were not alarmed that their wives weren’t home yet. They paid the sitters, and dressed down to their casual clothes.

Thirty-one year old Curt Fletcher was just beginning to think that he would have to prepare dinner for himself and his six year old son, Jason. He was worried about his wife, who was pregnant with their second child. As his fright grew, he sat down to watch the evening news. He reckoned it would be a distraction. The news was centred totally on the devastating bus accident. Curt gasped in horror. He knew for a certainty that his wife was on that bus, and there were no survivors.

The reporters announced that the victims were burned beyond recognition, and anyone who thought he knew someone on the bus, was instructed to bring dental records to a location, which had been set up as a morgue. He couldn’t do anything about the dental records until Monday morning, unless he could reach his dentist at home the next day, which was a Saturday. Even then, there was nothing he could do until tomorrow. He hugged his son, and called his parents, who lived in Bergen County, New Jersey. They came running to him.

In another home, several streets away, Gerald Conti was staring at the news in total shock, horror and disbelief. He was clutching his seven year old son, Tyler, and weeping. He too, was certain that his wife was on that bus. Tyler was his only child. He and his wife had been unable to conceive another child, for whatever reason. Unlike Curt, he had nobody to call. He had no family, and the only family he knew about, on his wife’s side, was an aunt in San Diego, a continent away.

Somehow both husbands stayed strong and managed to get through the next couple of months. They didn’t know each other. If they did, they might have been a comfort to one another. Eventually, all the bodies were identified. Both woman were buried, and their husbands had to make a new life for themselves, with a completely different normalcy.

There were many decisions to be made those first few months. Both Curt and Gerry would have preferred to sell their homes, and rent a small apartment in The City. They would be near work, and could put the horrendous commute behind them. However, their sons had enough trauma in their young lives, and they decided not to disrupt their security any further.

They elected to stay in their homes for the foreseeable future, and not separate their sons from their friends.

They both hired nannies, who picked up the boys from after care when it let out. Their new normalcy was about to begin.

******

About a year later, both husbands were perusing the local Rockland County newspaper. They both subscribed to The New York Times, which they read on the commuter bus every morning. Their late wives had subscribed to the local paper so as not to miss any bargains and sales in their community. Neither husband had stopped the subscription.

Curt saw the announcement first. A local community centre was starting a support group for single parents. Age appropriate activities would be provided for the children. The group would meet for an hour on Saturday mornings. Refreshments would be provided.

Curt’s first reaction was to ignore the announcement, but then he had a thought. He was growing tired of listening to platitudes of condolences. He thought that if he heard another, “I’m sorry for your loss,” he would kill the person who said it. At least, in such a group, everyone would know that there were no adequate words to describe the grief. He decided to attend the inaugural meeting, and see what it was all about. As fate would have it, Gerry saw the announcement also, and reluctantly made the same decision to attend, so the two men would meet at last.

Only four single parents came to the first meeting. They were all men. The group leader thanked everyone for coming.

“This is just an introductory meeting,” he said. “Let’s get to know each other and chat for a bit. I’ll start. My name is Ben Lieberman. My wife died young, leaving me with two little children to raise; a boy and a girl. It was tough, but we made it. Both kids are professionals now, and doing very well. I retired a while ago, and I decided to start this group. I thought that maybe other single parents could learn from my experiences.”

Each attendee gave his name, disclosed what he did for a living, and where he worked. The hard part came when they related to the group how they had become single parents. The other two husbands had lost their wives to cancer, but Curt and Gerry learned that both their wives had died in the same terrible bus accident. An immediate bond was forged between them.

They spoke to each other during the social hour. They were munching on donuts and drinking coffee, when Curt asked Gerry, “How are you managing?”

“I’m managing,” Gerry answered cryptically. “Better than I expected, in fact”

“Same here,” Curt said.

“Hey man,” Gerry said brightly. I’m taking my son to lunch after the meeting. Would you and your boy like to join us?”

“I’d love to join you.” They went to a diner on Route 59, and occupied a booth. The fathers sat facing each other, as did their sons. The boys became friends immediately. They went to the same elementary school, and had lots to talk about. They were in different grades, and had not met each other before this day.

The fathers had learned at the meeting that Curt was an investment manager, and Gerry was a management information systems technician. They worked close by to each other in the downtown financial district. Immediately, they made plans to take the same bus and commute together. That included the subway ride from The Port Authority to their offices.

The men liked each other, and had already established a common bond. This emboldened Curt to ask, “Do you know Hennessey’s Pub on Main Street?”

“Sure, what about it?” Gerry asked.

“My folks live in Paramus, and they baby sit for me every Saturday night. I usually go to Hennessey’s for a couple of beers and to socialize. It doesn’t erase the pain, but it helps me forget for a little while. How’d you like to join me?”

“I’d love to, but I don’t know if I can get a sitter at this late hour. Maybe next week.”

“Tell you what. I really don’t spend more than a couple of hours at the bar. My folks prefer to go home rather than sleep over. They’re more comfortable in their own bed, and then they can sleep in on Sunday morning. Why don’t you come to my place with Tyler. The boys can have a sleep over, and we can have a couple of beers together.”

“That sounds like a plan,” Gerry said.

“In fact, why don’t you stay over in my guest room?” Curt began to sob. “I’m so fucking lonely,” he mumbled.

“That sounds great,” Gerry said. “I’m just as lonely as you are. I’ll pack a bag for me and Tyler. What time should we get there?”

“Come for dinner. I’m a great cook. How about 5 PM?”

“You’re on,” Gerry said.

Curt gave Gerry his address, and they reluctantly left the diner. When they shook hands goodbye, there was no doubt in either of their minds that they had made a good friend that day.

While still holding hands, a strange thing happened. They were reluctant to let go. They smiled at each other. It was the first genuine smile either had elicited from himself since their wives died.

As soon as he got home, Curt alerted his parents, that there would be two little boys that evening. He told them how he had met a neighbour whose wife had perished with his.

“I’d like you to meet him, so come to dinner,”

“Sure,” his mother said, “no problem.”

Curt was enthusiastic about his little dinner party. At last, he showed an interest in something. He loaded Jason into his car, and drove to the nearest supermarket, where he bought the fixings for a gourmet dinner. He bought shrimp cocktail for an appetizer, and he made a standing rib roast with roast potatoes and asparagus for his main course. He baked a chocolate cake with lots of icing for dessert. He reckoned that children of all ages loved chocolate cake. He intended to serve the cake with milk for the kids, and coffee or tea for the adults.

His dinner party was a great success. Curt’s parents volunteered to clean up, but Curt and Gerry insisted on helping. By the time the kitchen was ready for Captain’s inspection, and the boys were tucked into bed, it was nearly 9 PM, and Curt and Gerry were ready to take off to Hennessey’s.

“We’ll be home no later than 11:30,” Curt alerted his parents.

“It’s fine,” his father said. “Just have fun.”

******

There was something about Hennessey’s that neither man knew. Since Spring Valley had no gay bars, gay men began to hang out at Hennessey’s on Saturday nights. It beat commuting into the city. On any given Saturday night more than half the patrons at the bar were gay. When Curt was there on Saturday evenings, he never noticed that he was being hit on. He was too naïve, and he just thought that everyone was being very friendly.

Curt was very handsome. He stood six feet, one inch tall. He had curly blond hair and clear blue eyes. Before his wife died, he worked out a lot, and he had a killer body. Recently, he began to work out again. Only he knew that he had a five inch, uncut cock which grew to seven inches when he was aroused.

Gerry was not so naïve. His college roommate was gay, and Gerry had gone with him to gay bars on more than one occasion. He had even experimented a few times with his roommate. He was not repulsed by the gay sex they enjoyed together. In fact, he found it very satisfying. The minute he walked into Hennessey’s he knew what was up. He was just as handsome as Curt, and men began to flirt with them immediately.

“I told you the guys here were super friendly,” Curt said, and Gerry began to laugh.

“Why are you laughing?” Curt asked.

“Because this place is loaded with gay guys, and they’re hitting on us. Hasn’t a gay man ever flirted with you?”

All Curt could say was, “What? Let’s get out of here”

“Relax. I’ll bet they think we’re a gay couple. A little innocent flirting won’t hurt you. It never hurt me. In fact, it’s flattering. Now let’s order a beer. The first one’s on me.”

“You’ve been hit on by gay men before?” Curt asked incredulously.

“Sure. My college roommate was gay, and his buddies flirted with me all the time?”

“Did you ever…?” Curt let his question hang in the air.

“A couple of times, with my roommate. It was great.”

Curt was disturbed, and he decided to drop the topic of conversation. He concentrated on their beer glasses, which they set about sipping. They found an empty table, and sat down. It was a table for four, and in a short while, two other men asked if they could join them. They could hardly say no.

The four men introduced themselves. The two strangers were Harvey and Richie. They chatted for a while, and then Harvey asked, “Are you two monogamous?”

Curt choked on his beer, and Gerry laughed. “Sorry guys,” he said, “we’re straight.”

Harvey couldn’t apologize enough. “You guys make such a great looking couple, I just assumed. Sorry,” he said for the umpteenth time. He and Richie left the table.

“I’m not comfortable here,” Curt said. “I’d like to go home. We can socialize there, one on one.”

“That sounds great,” Gerry said.

Curt’s parents remarked that they didn’t expect them home so early.

“It was too noisy,” Curt lied.

The Fletchers left shortly after that, and Curt and Gerry were alone. They talked for hours, but they also kept sipping beer. The beer made them sleepy, and they finally decided to go to bed.

Gerry couldn’t sleep. Because of their experience at the bar, he began to think of his college roommate, and the sex they enjoyed together. He got very horny. He took his cock out of his boxer’s fly. It was cut, and about the same size as Curt’s. He began to stroke it.

He was wide awake now, and he heard strange noises coming from Curt’s bedroom. It sounded like Curt was crying. Gerry believed he was crying because of what happened at the bar. He decided to go in and reassure him. He would have knocked but Curt’s door was wide opened.

Curt was sitting at the side of his bed, with his head buried in his hands. Gerry sat down next to him. He took Curt’s hands away from his face.

“Please don’t cry,” Gerry said. “Nothing bad happened at the bar. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“That’s not why I’m crying. All that sex talk at Hennessey’s made me so horny, and I miss my wife so much.”

“I know,” Gerry said. “I had the same reaction, and I was starting to whack off, when I heard you crying.” That wasn’t quite the truth. It was remembering the gay sex he had enjoyed in college which started him whacking off.

“Good idea,” Curt agreed. “I think I’ll whack off also. Join me in bed. We’ll do it together.”

He scooted over, and Gerry discarded his boxers. He jumped into Curt’s bed. When Curt saw what Gerry had done, he discarded his boxers also. For a moment, Gerry actually believed that Curt was trying to seduce him. He was correct. Curt was so starved for sex that at that moment he didn’t care if his fuck buddy was a man or a woman.

The two men were lying side by side. Their bodies were touching. They were fondling their erect cocks, but not actually stroking. Finally, Gerry, who had some experience decided to make a move.

“I’m so glad we met,” he said. “I feel like we’re brothers, and best friends, in so short a time.”

Curt took up the gauntlet. “I’m glad you feel that we’re as close as brothers,” he said. “I know two brothers who are straight, but they told me that they whack each other off all the time. Want to do that?” Curt asked shyly.

Finally, Gerry dropped all pretence. “You know I do, and I’d like to do a lot more than that, things I did with my roommate.”

“I’m so horny right now, there’s nothing I wouldn’t do. Tell me what you did with him” Curt requested.

“I can’t tell you,” Gerry said.

“Why not. I thought we had reached an understanding.”

“I can’t tell you, but I’d sure like to show you.”

He reached over and placed his lips chastely on Curt’s. Little by little, he pressed harder, and finally, he started to force Curt’s mouth open with his tongue. In no time at all, they were kissing so passionately that Curt was sure that he and his wife had never been that passionate.

“Let the lessons begin,” Gerry said.

He rolled over on top of Curt, and they continued kissing. Eventually Gerry started to descend Curt’s body. He swabbed Curt’s ears, his nipples, his thighs and all his toes. He avoided Curt’s cock and balls, but he did fondle his balls occasionally. Curt was making the weirdest noises Gerry had ever heard. Finally, he turned Curt over and gave his backside equal treatment. He had no problem rimming Curt’s bubbly ass. Curt was so naïve he had no idea what Gerry was doing. It didn’t matter. He was floating in the stratosphere.

At long last Gerry turned Curt over, and began to swab and lick the underside of his cock, as he fondled Curt’s balls. In a mere second or two, he felt his new friend’s balls shrinking and hardening, so he took Curt’s precious instrument into his mouth. Gerry swore that he could feel the pulsating blood running through Curt’s cock, but he wasn’t sure. He was sure, however, that he felt the flow of Curt’s cum, as he spurted spasm after spasm into Gerry’s mouth. Gerry hungrily drank it all.

Afterward, the two men lay side by side, holding hands and sighing. When Curt recovered, he said, “Thanks for the lesson. Now it’s my turn. He turned over and laid his body on top of Jerry’s. He did his best to emulate Gerry’s love making. He knew he was successful from the way Gerry was squirming, moaning and groaning. He too swallowed everything Gerry spurted into him.

While they were recovering from their second round of love making, they turned toward each other and crushed their bodies together. Suddenly, Curt began to sob, heavy, breath restricting, sobs. Gerry became alarmed.

“Please don’t cry,” he said. “I don’t believe we did anything wrong. I enjoyed every minute, and I don’t feel guilty.”

“That’s not why I’m crying. I have no guilt either. Remember how those two guys at Hennessey’s thought we were a couple? Well, I feel the same way now. I don’t want us ever to be apart, but it’s going to be a messy situation for us.”

“Let’s sleep now,” Gerry said. “We’ll talk about it in the morning, and work out a plan.”

He leaned over and kissed Curt. It was only a closed mouth peck on his lips, but after the kiss, he said, “I love you, Curt. I don’t want to lose you either.”

******

Tyler had been put to bed in Jason’s standard sized bed. The two boys were wearing jockey shorts. With no sexual innuendos intended, they woke up hugging each other. They jumped out of bed and peed together in the bathroom. Jason saw that his father’s bedroom door was open. The two boys peeked in, and were not surprised to see their fathers in the same bed. After all, this was a sleepover, wasn’t it? Their fathers were wrapped around each other even closer than Tyler and Jason had been.

“Should we wake them up to make us breakfast?” Tyler asked.

“Yes, but on Sundays my dad always takes me out for brunch. Let’s see if we can do that this morning also.”

It was Jason’s house, so he saw nothing wrong in walking into his dad’s bedroom, and shaking him awake. When Curt was fully aware of his surroundings, he asked, “What’s up, buddy?”

“Tyler and I were wondering if you guys would take us to brunch this morning.”

“Absolutely,” both father’s said together.

“You guys go get dressed,” Curt said. “Gerry and I have to shower and then we’ll go out.”

The two youngsters grabbed each other’s hands, and Jason said, “This is going to be so much fun.”

After that, Curt, Gerry, and their sons were inseparable. They did everything together. The fathers took the boys ice skating, out to dinners, sporting events, movies, and even to Broadway musicals. The only thing that they did separately was that Curt and Gerry continued to go to Hennessey’s on Saturday nights, but now they socialized freely with the other gay men.

One evening, about two years after they met, they returned to Curt’s house from the bar. When Curt’s parents left, Curt made them both a cup of coffee. They had enough to drink at the bar, and now they wanted to be sober when they made love.

“I’ve got a proposition for you,” Gerry said.

“Okay, talk.”

“We’ve both agreed that we’d like to move back to the city, but we didn’t want to separate the boys from their friends. Well, you must have noticed that Jason and Tyler have become best friends. They never play or socialize with other boys.”

“Yes, go on,” Curt said.

“What do you say, we sell our houses and move in together to a large three bedroom apartment in New York. We could have the master bedroom, and the boys can share one of the other bedrooms. The third bedroom would be a guest room for your folks should they care to visit.”

“There’s nothing I want more,” Curt agreed, “but the boys would find out about us.”

“So, what. They’re getting older, and even now, I believe they’ve begun to suspect. I don’t want to hide us from anyone any more, especially our sons.”

Curt remained silent.

“Say something,” Gerry begged.

Curt was incapable of speech. Instead, he planted a sloppy kiss on Gerry’s mouth.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Gerry said.

******

A year later both houses were sold, and the four men were living together in Battery Park City, close to work. The boys were now ten and eleven years old. They had a very liberal schoolyard education in Manhattan, and were fully aware of the relationship between their fathers. It didn’t seem to faze them at all, even though they were both straight, and always would be.

Curt and Gerry were now free to make love freely and often. One night as they were lying in bed and fondling each other, Curt said, “I almost didn’t go to that meeting at the community centre If I hadn’t, we might never have met.”

“I hesitated and hesitated,” Gerry said, “but finally I forced myself to go.”

They both began to cry, and they turned toward each other.

“Not meeting each other would have been the worst thing that could ever have happened to us, except losing our wives.”

They cried harder at that thought, and held each other closer.