The Saturday Boy - 2. Secrets

Storm clouds gathered, buffeting the plane as we descended towards Gatwick airport. I was closest to the window and couldn't really see anything, apart from the odd glimpse of the wing when lightning lit up the sky. Shaun sat beside me, sound asleep, earphones in, resting his head on my shoulder. In contrast, Dean, who was next to Shaun, looked pale and ill, and I couldn't help but grin.

"Hey, are you okay?" I asked. He didn't respond, didn't even look at me. So I tried again, this time tapping his leg. "Hey, I said, are you okay?"

"Oh, sorry Joey, my ears are blocked. Do you think we're gonna land, okay?"

"Sure, Dean, we'll be fine."

"How can you be so sure? I’ve never been on a flight this bad before?"

"It will be okay; the pilots are trained to fly in this sort of weather," I said, trying to reassure him. It may have worked until another bolt of turbulence rocked the plane violently. It felt like we had just dropped a few hundred feet, Dean's worried look turning to petrification.

"Shaun…Shaun?" I said, gently shaking him. Finally, he opened his eyes and took out his left earphone.

"Everything okay?" he asked, yawning.

"Yeah, listen, Dean ain't doing so well. Can we swap places so I can sit with him? I'm sure you will go back to sleep anyway."

"Yeah, sure, no worries."

We quickly unbuckled our seatbelts, and he moved over my legs while I slid out of my seat into his. Due to us not being allocated seating, Dean's parents were right at the back of the plane and unable to see us. According to Vince, Dean had never been a good flyer, but his Dad had always been there to comfort him in the past. Today it would have to be my job, but I didn't mind. We all have our fears.

"I'm here mate, everything is going to be fine; just breathe, okay?" I said, looking him in the eyes. He looked green and was sweating. But, of course, it didn't help that we were now encountering frequent periods of severe turbulence.

I looked down and saw that his hands were firmly gripped to the ends of the seat arms, his knuckles white with the pressure being applied. I prized his left hand away from the seat arm and replaced it with my hand, smiling at him. He tried to smile back, but I knew it was forced.

It was strange seeing Dean so vulnerable. Out of the three of us, he was always the one miles ahead in the confidence department, but it was kind of a nice feeling being able to look out for him like he had done so many times with Shaun and me.

"We're going to die, aren't we?" he blurted out, breathing heavily. I tightened my grip on his hand, trying to reassure him again.

"Not long now pal, I think I can see land," I replied, looking out of the window. Shaun was just sitting there, his eyes closed. Like me, flying never bothered him, no matter how rough the flight.

The plane's hydraulics wined before there was a clunk, confirming to me the pilot had set down the landing gear. The aircraft was tipping from side to side, and I did wonder how hard the pilots were fighting the controls, but my main concern was keeping my friend as calm as possible until we landed.

"Just a few more minutes, mate. We’re almost on the ground." Dean didn't say anything; he just appeared to swallow hard and close his eyes, his head back. Again I looked out of the window and could see the ground was now coming up fast. I could see cars on the motorway, houses and trees. Then, moments later, I saw the first few lights of the runway as the plane glided in.

This was going to be rough!

Runway lights blinked passed and the plane was still not on the ground. It was the first time I felt a twinge of apprehension throughout the whole flight. I knew Gatwick, having flown from it and to it, and I knew roughly how long the runway was, and this was not ideal.

The rear wheels finally hit the tarmac before bouncing off again. There was another thud as the pilot desperately tried to get the plane down. We had come in fast, and everyone was starting to breathe a sigh of relief before the plane's engines suddenly roared into life again, the pilot slamming the aircraft's throttle to full power.

Dean looked like he was going to pass out as the plane began to ascend again.

"What…what's going on? This isn't good, is it?" Dean asked. I had no answer for him. Shaun was just about to say something to me as well when the intercom crackled.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen; this is the captain speaking. I apologise for the delay in landing. I just wanted to reassure you all that there is nothing to worry about. Before we came into land, we experienced a heavy gust of tailwind, bringing us in a little fast. I decided to abort the landing for safety. So, please do try and relax, and we'll have another go as soon as we have clearance."

"There you are then Dean; everything is going to be fine."

"He could be lying, to keep us all calm," He replied,

"I'm sure that's not the case, Dean. Hey, do what I do?"

"What?" he asked, fear in his eyes.

"I look at the cabin crew. If they're smiling, then you know things are fine, and look like they are having a laugh, and chatting, look."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. But, they do look okay don't they?"

"Sure they do. You only have to worry if they look worried, and they don't, so chill."

The plane came round for another attempt, and sure enough, the pilot managed to get it down easier this time. With the engines in full reverse and speed flaps up, the plane slowed to taxi pace and veered off to the left. Everyone on board started clapping and cheering. I watched as Dean let out the most prolonged sigh in human history, even managing a smile. I gave his hand one last squeeze before letting go of it.

The plane came to a stop at the jetway and the seat belt sign finally went off. Then, the aircraft burst into activity as relieved and tired passengers started to organise themselves before being let out.

"Joey?" Dean shouted as I got up to stretch my legs.

"Yeah, pal?"

"Thanks, you know for…."

"Hey, don't mention it," I replied. I could see he felt a little embarrassed about being so scared, and I wasn't about to make a big deal about it. Shaun packed his earphones away in his hand luggage and got up.

"What time do you think we'll get home?" he asked.

"About an hour, Shaun, I'm guessing."

"Good, I'm beat. Dean, are you dropping Joey or me off first?"

"Dunno mate, you better ask my Dad, although you're nearer, I think, depending on what way he goes."

"It's okay, Shaun, we'll do you first; I can wait," I remarked, seeing Shaun did look tired still.

"Thanks, mate, too many late nights, I think. Mind you. I did stay up an extra two hours most evenings, I guess. I think I'm gonna need another holiday to get over this one."

"Baa, no stamina, you." I teased him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Having got through baggage reclaim and passport control, we headed out to the pick-up point where a bus would take us to our parking lot on the outskirts of the airport. We stood under a shelter as the rain harassed us; Vince lit up a cigarette and turned to Dean.

"Enjoy the flight then, Son?"

"Yeah, hilarious, Dad." His question was indeed funny as everyone apart from Dean laughed.

"Well, you survived probably the worst flight you will ever have, so you should be fine from now on," I added.

"Oh Dean, Honey, I really enjoyed the flight, if only your father could throw me around like that plane did," Sarah said lustfully, rubbing Vince's chest.

"God, Mum, trust you to turn a bad flight dirty." He rolled his eyes and leant against the shelter.

Moments later, a bus came into view before pulling up in front of us. "Lot six, that's us guys; get your cases ready," Vince said as the doors opened. We all clambered on hauling our cases onto the storage racks and found a seat. I sat next to Shaun down the front while Dean and his parents went to the back. The bus pulled away, and I just watched the rain pounded the windscreen as I reminisced about the hot sunny weather we had all just come from.

"I wanted to get you alone," Shaun said, causing a slightly worried look on my face.

"Shaun, that's not really how you should start a conversation with another guy." I burst out laughing.

"Yeah, maybe."

"So, what's up? You got some dirty gossip you wanna tell me?"

"No, not quite. I saw you stuff an envelope in your shorts just before we left the villa. It Look liked you had pulled it from the gate. You wanna tell me what it was?"

"Huh? I don't know what you're talking about."

"Joey, you're my best friend, don't insult me by lying to me. If you don't want to tell me what's in it, fine, but don't lie to me, man, that's not cool."

I sighed. "Shaun, I'm sorry, I just didn't want anyone to know about it. But the truth is I don't know what it is because I haven't opened it myself yet. Just please promise me you won't tell Dean. You know how he would react. I have a feeling I know what it is."

"That Spanish kid, by any chance?"

"I think so. I was gonna read it when I got home."

"But why, if it is from him, he's gay, why would you want to read anything from him? It’s probably just to ask you out or, worse still, some kind of love letter. You're not into all that, are you?"

"No! Of course not, listen, Shaun, I don't know why I kept it. I was just curious about it, that's all."

"Curious about a gay guy who writes love letters to unknown tourists."

"It might not be a love letter, and if it is, I'll just put it in the bin. For all I know, it might be a list of places we could visit if we ever go back."

"Oh please, Joey, I've known you for seven years, and out of all three of us, I never had you down as the naive type; that’s more Dean's territory.

"Okay, I get what you're saying. Look, I'll let you know what it says when I open it, okay, but please, as I said, please don't tell Dean anything.

"Yeah, don't worry; your little secret is safe with me, another one, I might add." He smirked

"It's not a little secret, Shaun, and don't say it like that, now I feel like I have committed an awful crime, and what do you mean another one?"

"You know what I'm talking about."

I thought for a moment before becoming very serious. "We do not talk about that, EVER!" I growled.

"I'm just pulling your chain, Joey, but look, if you do come out of the closet, I want you to know, you can come to me again." He said before bursting out into laughter.

"Oh shut up, Shaun. Can we just drop the envelope conversation? Like I said, it's probably nothing - just some guy who has a crush on me, and please don't bring up….that other thing."

"Okay, but I just think it's a bit strange you would keep it, that's all."

"I've already explained that," I hissed, getting frustrated.

"Yeah, I get it; you’re curious, the subject dropped."

I guess it was strange; I mean, I had no interest in guys whatsoever, so why would I keep the stupid envelope? All it's done is what I expected it to do if anyone found out, just cause problems. But there I was, curious as hell.

The bus pulled into a narrow road, and we passed a sign that told us we were entering parking lot number six. It travelled along slowly until coming to a stop at another shelter. The rain was still beating down hard, thunder clapping above, now and again, the sky lighting up.

We moved our luggage off the bus, and all made a mad dash to Vince and Sarah's Ford Galaxy, which was parked right at the other end. I cursed as water started to run down the back of my neck, causing a chill to run through my spine.

Vince got close enough to his car to press his key fob, and it flashed to life. We clambered to get our luggage in the boot and quickly got inside, drenched, a world away from the drenching the hot sunshine had given us. Vince pulled out and began the journey home, stopping at a McDonalds' Drive thru on the way.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Vince and Sarah had agreed that we would drop Shaun off first, and as we entered his road, he had to be woken up again. The thing you learn quickly about Shaun is that he can sleep anywhere, at any time. But strangely enough, he has the stamina to stay awake longer than any of us. I just didn't get it.

"Shaun, sweetheart, you're home; you wanna wake up?" Sarah asked, turning and shaking his knee from her seat in the front.

"Hmm, what? Oh right. Well, thanks guys, I had a fantastic time. Thanks for driving me home, Vince."

"No worries Son, you get on in now, let your Mum know your home."

"Yeah, will do, thanks again, everyone….Dean, call me tomorrow, okay, oh and Joey, good luck with your new slave."

"Yeah, thanks, Shaun, think of me when you two are out enjoying yourself while I'm keeping a load of fat office workers happy."

"Oh, we won't. Good night." Shaun got out of the car, and Vince unlocked the boot allowing him to retrieve his case. There was a thud, and we all watched as he disappeared through his front door into the darkness. Vince pulled away, and the next stop was my place.

As we drove across London, the rain was easing. Vince pulled up at a set of traffic lights and lit up a cigarette while we sat and waited.

"Any idea who your new employee is?" He asked, taking a long drag.

"Nope, sixteen and pretty strong, the words my Mum used. Funny, she never mentioned his name."

"Did you ask?" Vince asked.

"Nope," I replied, laughing.

"Someone from school, perhaps?" Sarah remarked.

"Well, let's hope he's brain washable," Dean said. "Then you can leave him to do all the work and hang out with your best pals for once."

"Yeah, maybe," I replied. Somehow I didn't think things were gonna work out like that. He would be the Saturday boy, and I was the 'Every Hour under the Sun' boy.

Vince took a shortcut through a couple of back streets, and somehow we came out just up the road from my parent's pub.

"How do you do that? I would have come the long way round," I said, impressed.

"Joys of being a Taxi driver Joey," Vince replied. "As sad as it sounds, I know almost every street in the city."

"Well, you got my respect, Vince."

He pulled up next to the pub, and I looked over, seeing the heads of a few people still left inside, through the windows.

"Looks quiet in there; maybe you'll be allowed to go straight up, Honey."

"Let's not count on that, Sarah, you know my Mum," I grinned, unbuckling my seatbelt. "Anyway, thank you so much for a great holiday. I had a really nice time."

"Hey, you're welcome Joey, you can come away with us any time. It was a pleasure to have you along," she said, blowing a kiss to me.

"See ya later, pal, good luck with your new Saturday chum."

"Yeah, thanks Dean, I'll call you, okay."

"Yeah, mate, do that." We tapped fists, and I got out, taking my case from the boot. I watched and waved as Vince pulled away into the distance, leaving me standing on the curbside. Turning my head, I looked at the pub. I was home, and I didn't want to be.

Tired, I dragged my case to the double doors and pushed one open. A couple of nosy regulars at the bar turned around on their stools, probably hoping I was one of their mates come to buy them a drink.

"Heeey Joey, How are you? We missed you." One of the regular's shouted, obviously drunk. I waved and smiled at him, feeling it better for business.

"Hey Tommy, good to see you," I lied.

I wandered around the other side of the bar and found my Mum hacking away inside the ice machine with some kind of screwdriver. She saw me out of the corner of her eye and stood up.

"Can you believe this thing is on the blink again?"

"Yeah, hey Joey, oh how was your holiday? Yeah, it was great, thanks, Mum," I said, rolling my eyes.

"Oh baby, I'm sorry, I was just so wrapped up in this thing. So did you have a good time? It's good to have you home; your father will be so pleased to see you."

"Looks like you are, too," I muttered and walked through the restaurant to the door that led to the living space above. She was already back with the ice machine, hardly noticing I had gone.

As I crawled the stairs with my case, I could hear my Dad snoring from the lounge. Getting to the top, I stopped there on the way to my bedroom, seeing him flat out, mouth wide open, as some western played on TV. I crept into the room and flicked it on to standby, leaving the snoring as the only remaining sound.

I went down the hall to my room and opened the door, a stuffy stale smell wafting in my face. Then, turning on the light, I threw my case onto the bed and opened the window, the sound of traffic outside filling the room.

Nothing had changed, not that I expected it would. My bed was still unmade from how I left it that morning, the corner of a porn mag still visible under my pillow, which I had used to jerk off to, before getting up.

I sat on my bed, put my head in my hands and sighed, suddenly feeling sorry for myself. It was that feeling you get when you have had seven days of fun and excitement only to be hit with the wall of everyday life after. Like that Monday morning, office workers must feel, after a weekend partying.

It was shit!

I was tired; that was probably the main reason for my mood. It had been a long day. The travelling had taken it out of me, not to mention the constant late nights previously. I got up and wandered over to my window, looking out. The rain was coming down hard again, with people rushing in every direction, no doubt on their way home from the various pubs and clubs in the area. I could hear the rumbling of a train going across the bridge nearby and the honking of horns as impatient taxi drivers tried to get as many jobs done as they could. Yep, it was a typical Friday night in South East London.

Thinking I had better start unpacking my case as it contained my toothbrush and spot cream, I left the window and went back over to my bed. I slowly unzipped it and flipped back the front. I pulled out a couple of garments before coming across the envelope I had hastily stuffed in there before we left the villa.

I picked it up, and stared at it for a moment—the boy with spikey brown hair.

A strange feeling came over me. It felt like apprehension, possibly fear. Did I really want to know what was in this? Would it just be better if I threw it away and got on with my life? It was from a gay guy who lived on an island, miles away. We didn't know each other, we probably never would, but I felt strangely close to him and could see his face in my mind as clear as day. But the other four guys we played with? Nope, I could not tell you what they looked like if you paid me.

I took my thumbnail and carefully pushed it under the seal, the envelope tearing open. Inside was a tiny plain white bit of paper. I gently pulled it out, my hands trembling with…..I don't know…perhaps anticipation. I treated it like something that could go off in my hands if I was too rough. It was folded in half.

I closed my eyes and unfolded the paper before opening them again and seeing a short line of words written in black ink.

Lo veo en tus ojos!

"Shit, it's in Spanish," I muttered to myself, feeling disappointed that three years ago, I had opted for French when given a choice. I knew the only friend I would have to help me was….the internet. I felt under my bed until my hand came across my laptop. Pulling it out, I flipped up the screen and turned it on, biting my nails like someone waiting for the sixth number on the lottery. Come on, you stupid thing, hurry! I thought as the annoying hourglass was holding up my pending revelation.

It finally let me load a webpage, and I immediately Googled a translation site I knew. But, unfortunately, the WiFi was acting up tonight, and I had to wait more time as the stupid page loaded, putting me even more on edge.

The page finally completed, and I switched the options, Spanish to English. I picked up the bit of paper again and carefully copied the words in, ensuring I had every letter correct. All I had to do now was press translate. That's all I had to do, just press a little button, and all the fuss would be over. Easy yeah? Well, you'd think so, but five minutes later, I was still standing there like a scared prick.

I paced my room, banging my head with the palm of my hand. Why the fuck was I so bothered? Maybe it was because it felt like it would be like a genie's bottle or Pandora's box by pressing the button. Yeah, I know that sounds fucking crazy, but I had worked myself up into such a state anything seemed rational right then.

Do it, just do it, press it, make it happen, get it over with…. Raaaaaarrrr!! My mind screamed.

I marched over and clicked the enter button, and the website flickered once, revealing my shiny new English word.

I see it in your eyes! It read.

My forehead creased up as I stood there staring at the new words I now had. I was confused; what was it, a riddle or something? What does he see in my eyes? My eyes, my eyes, my eyes, what does he see?

I sat on my bed and tried to think back to the game of volleyball we played. Was he looking at me, was he looking in my eyes. I know I wasn't looking in his; In fact, I tried to make myself invisible when he kept brushing his naked torso against me.

This was crap, I was so tired, but I knew that the chances of getting a decent night's sleep were going to be impossible now.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Evidently, I must have fallen asleep as I woke up to the sound of a knock on my door. I rubbed my eyes and sat up slightly, resting on my elbows.

"Yeah?"

"Oh honey, it's me; just to let you know, it’s seven-thirty, the new guy will be here in an hour. Are you okay to get up and show him around?" My Mum called through the closed door. I sighed, just wanting to close my eyes again.

"Yeah, okay, no worries."

I felt like shit! Still fully clothed, lying next to my half emptied suitcase, I got up and went to the bathroom, trying not to think of the day ahead. Turning on the shower, I went and stood in front of the toilet and emptied my bladder.

I got into the cubical and let the steamy water run over my golden torso. Clamping my eyes shut, I rubbed some shower gel over my face, neck and armpits, feeling fresher as the spray washed away the sleepiness. I started on the rest of my body, paying particular attention to my private area. It had been ages, but I had made a bet with myself I could go a week without masturbating. That bet was made because I had done it four times in one afternoon the previous week, causing a blister to form on my foreskin….yeah, I know, gross. Let me tell you, it was going to be hard going at my age, but I was determined.

Doing one final rinse, I tried to ignore my pulsating dick, which was pleading for me to release it. Feeling around the side of the shower screen for a towel, I grabbed it and turned off the taps. I fluffed up my hair and got out, drying off the rest of my body, then wrapped the towel around my waist.

I went to the sink and brushed my teeth, looking in the mirror, pleased with how much clearer my face looked after the holiday. With my body clean and mouth tasting good, I left the bathroom, headed back to my room, and shut the door. Pulling on a pair of white trunks, I went to my closet and got out my pub gear, which was a black polo T-shirt, with the pub's logo on it and a pair of old jeans.

It was now eight o'clock, and I wandered downstairs into the main bar, dispensing some lemonade into a glass, and sat at the bar.

"Alright, Joey, how are you? Sorry I didn't see you last night. I was beaten." My Dad, Andy, said, walking into the bar.

"Morning, Dad, and no worries, you looked kind of out of it when I came up."

"So, how was it?"

"The holiday?"

"Of course, the holiday…did you have a good time?"

"Oh yeah, a perfect Dad, it was so hot, and the villa was awesome."

"Did you get to go to the beach?"

"Yeah, we were right on top of it, just a walk through an alleyway."

"Sounds nice. So….how many hot babes did you chat up?"

"Dad! It was a lad's holiday, and we were with Dean's parents. Besides, we never really left the villa."

"Why not? I would have been out on the town at your age trying to sow as many seeds as possible."

"Well, for a start, we were nowhere near anything, we would have had to get a bus or taxi into town, but to be honest, we never really looked at doing that. Don't tell Mum, but we had plenty of booze at the villa."

"Good for you, and don't worry, my lips are sealed. You know, when I was at Ford's, We used to go on lad's holidays, but it was always at some holiday camp in England, none of the fancy trips abroad you boys can go on. In fact, until I was twenty-four, the furthest I had been was Jersey."

It was one of my Dad's classics, 'I never had what you had' talks, but I listened intently as a good son should, wishing he would give it a rest. We continued to chat when I saw a figure appear at the main double doors before there was a knock.

"Must be your new apprentice," Said my Dad, grinning.

"Can't wait," I replied, a hint of sarcasm in my voice.

My Dad went over to the door and pulled down the latch, and greeted the boy. Unfortunately, I couldn't get a good look at him immediately because my Dad was busy chatting to him just outside, blocking my view.

"So, why don't you come in, and I'll introduce you to my son," I heard my Dad say as he turned round to face me. "Joey, this is…."

"Jack Stanton," I said, finishing for him.

"Oh, you two know each other?"

"Something like that," I remarked, "How are you, Jack?"

"Fine, thank you, Joey, I never knew you lived here."

"Well…uh, will you excuse me? I. I just need to get something from my room."

I walked through the restaurant at a normal pace until I was out of sight, then ran as fast as I could to my room, scrambling for my cell phone on my head. I had to call Shaun….this was terrible!