Young and Hungry - For Life - 24. Sleepover

When James asked his mother if he could stay overnight at the circus, she was at first surprised, until James explained it was no different to having a sleepover at any other friend’s place.

“I suppose you’re right, But I’ll have to clear it with his parents”

“He doesn’t have any parents and lives alone in his own caravan”

“Oh it’s going to be one of those sleepovers?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about”

“Of course you don’t” she replied with a wink and added “Do you have protection?”

“Y e s M u m”

“Good, then don’t do anything I wouldn’t do”

“Mum, that’s disgusting, but as long as we’re down that low, I can’t even image how I could do what you do”

Hannah laughed and asked “Is Alex driving you out there and how are you getting back if you stay overnight?”

“I’m going to try going on the train, bus, rickshaw and whatever else I need to get there”

“Well check out the 131500.com.au and it will give you all the rickshaw timetables. Now back to parental permission. You say he has no parents. Did he run away with the circus?”

“More like the circus ran away with him”

Hannah raised her eyebrows and James added “He’s lived all his life in the circus, his parents died when he was ten and he still lives with the circus”

“How old is he now?”

“Seventeen”

“Ok, but remember the laws of consent apply to all ages. While the age of consent in this state is sixteen, you both have to give consent. So don’t do anything you’re not comfortable with and always use protection. Is that clear?”

“Yes Mum”

“Do you know how to put on a condom properly?”

“Yes Mum, Alex and I practised together”

“Did you indeed. Any questions?”

“No I think we’ve covered it all”

“Well, have fun and be careful”.

***

When James got to the circus, it did not seem the happy place it was on his last visit. The first change he noticed were security guards patrolling the perimeter and the streets surrounding the lot. Fearing there may have been a robbery or even worse an escape by some wild animal, he asked the first circus person he saw, a tall solidly built middle-aged man, “Can you tell me why there is security here now?”

“Who are you? We don’t like strangers on the lot when there’s no performance” he replied gruffly.

“I’m a friend of Francesco’s, I’ve come to visit him”

“Well he’ll tell you what some low life has done”

“Ok, thanks...ah...I don’t think we’ve met before, I’m James”

“I am The Great Gunther” he replied with a new found accent.

“Pleased to meet you Gunther, what do you do?”

“I’m the handler of wild animals, specifically lions in this show”

James gulped and nervously said “Oh y y yes, I saw your act a few weeks ago”

“And what did you think of it?”

“Ah...it was...interesting?”

Gunther didn’t pick up on James’ manner and said “Good, now be on your way to Bendy Boy”

“Yes...of course...nice to have met you”

<>

James rushed off to the animal feed tent. In his rush he tripped over a tent cable, his yoga mat fell from his backpack and unrolled, exposing the hidden contents. He quickly rolled it all up and stuffed it back in the bag. Now he was really nervous. He knew he couldn’t put up any more posters without being caught, so he had to get rid of those in his backpack before he was caught with them.

He wondered about confiding in Francesco as he was young, was not involved in an animal act, so he might be supportive. Then again, he had lived his whole life in the circus and maybe knew no different. He grew up around these animals and although he would have witnessed the cruelty it was probably ingrained into him that this was normal behaviour by humans.

“Fuck” he said out loud, as he reached the entrance to the feed tent.

“What right now?” asked a voice from within the tent.

“Wwwhat?” stammered James.

“Did you say you wanted to fuck?” asked a hefty woman carrying a bale of hay on each shoulder.

“No, sorry...I tripped over, that’s all”

“You’re the other towner, aren’t you? The younger brother.”

“I’m James...yes...Alex’s brother. Do you know him?”

“The burly woman dropped one bale, put out her hand in a masculine manner and said “I’m Candy, Wanda’s mother”

“Oh, happy to meet you...Candy...I’ve met your husband Jack, he was very friendly when I first came to the circus”

“Yes, that’s my Jack, always the showman. If you’re looking for your mate, he’s over behind the other bales” she said as she grabbed the binding of the bale, picked it up with one hand and left the tent.

James went straight to Francesco and even before greeting him, said “That woman is the furthest thing from a Candy I’ve ever seen”

Francesco laughed and added “You’re not wrong there mate, but she’s really a sweetie when you get to know her. The name refers more to her nature than her looks”

“Is she the animal feeder?”

“Just for her horses. She trains the Lipizzan Stallions. You know she used to do a strongwoman act. She’s the only woman in this country who could carry a horse up twin ladders”

“I hope I don’t get on her wrong side. I should warn Alex”

“So what have you planned for today?” asked Francesco excitedly “I see you brought you yoga mat again”

“Oh that...yes...but I don’t think I’ll need it. I’ll just practice on the hay, like you”

“You’re becoming a real trouper”

“Is that good?”

“Yes, it means you’re one of us”

“Wow! I like the sound of that. I’ll tell my mum, I’m a trouper”

“In that case, I’ll teach you something special today”

Being with Francesco, not only relaxed James but he completely forgot about the contents of his bag once he started showing off his yoga skills.

“You’re doing well James, we’ll have you headlining under the big top before long”

“Am I really that good?”

“You don’t have the skills for an act, but I am impressed by your progress”

“Thank you, that means a lot from someone with your skills”

While James continued his stretching exercises, Francesco went to James’ backpack and as he pulled out the yoga mat, he asked “Can I have a look at this mat of yours, maybe it’s something I can use?”

In an attempt to get out of his pose and stop Francesco, James fell in a heap, but reached out to grab the yoga mat and yelled “NO! Stop”

“I just want to look at it” Francesco replied as James pulled the mat away from his grip.

As the two men struggled over the yoga mat, the strap keeping it rolled came off and it spontaneously unrolled to reveal the hidden contents.

“What are these?” asked Francesco

“They’re private, you have no right to interfere with my personal property”

“Personal property?” asked Francesco “In the circus we all share what we have”

“Well not in real life” James asserted as he tried to gather the posters, but his friend already had two opened and spread on the ground. He read out loud “Welcome To The Saddest Show on Earth. What does that mean?” he asked, but James did not answer so he read another “Say No to Circuses With Wild Animals. Why do you have these James?”

“Because I believe it is cruel to keep wild animals in cages and make them perform for human entertainment”

“But, that’s what the circus is all about, showing exotic animals and people doing tricks”

“But it’s not fair for the animals. Unlike you, they do don’t have a choice and some are kept in small cages”

“What have you got on the other posters?”

James tried to flatten out the crimpled paper to show Francesco.

“Stop Circus Cruelty, The Show Must NOT Go On. These are the same as the ones Jack removed from the front of the lot last week. Are you working with the vandals that put them up?”

“No, I’m not working with vandals”

“That’s good”

“I am the one who posted them”

“Why would you do such a thing to my circus? I thought you were my friend and a friend of the circus”

“I am your friend and I love the circus and some of the people here. But I can’t condone animal cruelty”

“But how is it cruel? They are fed well and have regular vet checkups to keep them healthy. The handlers love their animals and strive to keep them as healthy as possible or they don’t have an act”

“But wild animals should not be in cages when their natural habitat is roaming free in the jungle. And performing tricks is not natural to them. I suspect they only do it out of fear of being punished by the whips”

“You suspect, but have you proof of that?”

“I should have said, I believe; and yes there’s plenty of proof of cruel training practices on the internet”

“I don’t have a computer”

“You can get internet on your phone”

“I don’t have a phone either”

“What? How can that be. How do you communicate with the rest of the world?”

“I watch TV”

“But that’s only one way communication. When we go out later, I’ll take you to a phone shop and get you set up with a phone and a plan. Probably better to get prepaid as you are so mobile the phone company would need a home address, which you don’t have”

“Will they give me a phone and this prepaid thing?”

“No, you’ll need to pay for it”

“But I don’t have money”

“No problem we’ll get it from an ATM”

“What’s an ATM?”

James was stunned, thought for a moment and then asked “Do you have a debit card from your bank?”

“No, what’s that?”

“Do you have a bank account?”

“No”

“Then where to you keep your wages?”

“I don’t get wages. Everything is provided for me here and if I need anything, Jack gets it for me”

“Hang on, are you saying that as one of the headline acts of this circus, you don’t get paid?”

“I’m looked after well”

“Yeah, just like the animals. Oh my god, I’ve just realised you are treated the same as the wild animals, just not kept in a small cage. Fuck, what have I stumbled into here”

“I don’t understand James. Please don’t get angry. I don’t like angry people”

“I’m not angry, well not angry at you, but the circumstances and the people who keep you locked in by the invisible boundary of the circus lot. Maybe I need some different posters” James concluded.

“Are you going to put up these posters, I don’t think Jack will like it?”

“No, I won’t put them up now. Let’s stuff them into my backpack and I’ll get rid of them when we go out”

“Are we going off the lot?”

“Of course, is someone likely to stop you from going?”

“I don’t know, I’ve never tried”

“In that case, let’s go adventuring”

“Do I have to change my clothes?”

“Oh I’m glad you reminded me. I brought you some of Alex’s clothes, I think they’ll fit you”

Francesco changed into the jeans and T shirt James provided and he looked at himself in the mirror. “Do you like your new look?” James asked

“Yes, I look like some of the guys on TV”

“You look great, that’s how you look. They fit you better than Alex”

“Why do you say that?”

“Well, the jeans are tight enough to show off your butt and the shirt clings to your chest like it was painted on”

“Is that good?”

“I only have one word for you, HOT!”

Francesco gave James a smile, then a hug and followed that with a quick kiss on the lips.

James was thrilled, but before his dick started making decisions for him, he said “Let’s set off into town”

<>

As Francesco could not pay his way, James kept the expenses low by eating at a fast food outlet and walking in the park. But there was something niggling at him. He could not understand how a young man of seventeen years had not done normal things like going out for pizza, going to the movies or shopping for clothes. But the thing that bothered him the most was why Francesco had no money. He was an expert at his craft and should have been highly paid for his work. Yet he seemed to live in a bubble, not physically restrained but emotionally restrained as surely as if he was caged.

Francesco did not notice James’ distraction as he had very little experience at interpreting the body language of those around him because he had very few normal reactions to compare with.

James wanted to ask Francesco about his financial and emotional situation but decided against it until he had spoken to his mothers.

Francesco seemed to enjoy his outing, as simple as it was and asked questions like, ‘Do these people eat out all the time? Can you come to the park anytime you like?’ and ‘Can we do this again’.

They arrived back at the circus lot just in time for an early evening meal in the cook’s tent. Again they sat alone and no one took any notice of them or approached them for conversation. Some exchanged pleasantries as they passed by, but that was the extent of their interaction.

As it was a Saturday night, Francesco had to prepare for the evening performance. He spent thirty minutes stretching and warming up, then applied his make-up and dressed in snake skin patterned tights. James was delighted when asked to apply the glitter to his friends upper body. He did not think it needed embellishment, he was so beautiful already, but understood that glitz and glamour were part of showbiz.

“Well I’m almost ready”

“Haven’t you forgotten something, your protector?”

“I didn’t forget, I was about to ask you to fit it for me; for good luck”

James took his time inserting the protector into the tights and when finished gave it a pat and said “Break a leg, is that circus talk?”

“No, that’s theatre”

“In that case, don’t break anything, don’t even...that’s a bit silly. I was about to say, don’t even bend anything, but you wouldn’t have much of an act then would you?”

Francesco laughed, kissed James, took him by the hand and said “Let’s go do circus”

Francesco’s performance was flawless and got a standing ovation from the packed house. It made James feel very proud to be the close friend of such a talented and committed young man. The crowd loved him for what he could do with his body, some even gasped and cringed at some of his contortions. However, none of them understood how emotionally stunted this clever young man was.

James watched the performance from the performers ‘entrance and was waiting to give Francesco a big hug after he took his final bow and backed out of the big top.

“You were unbelievable and the crowd obviously loved your performance” James said as he hugged Francesco.

“Oh, it was just my usual act, nothing new”

“You must be proud of what you can do and the audience reaction”

“Of course, the applause is intoxicating and that is why we do what we do, for the applause”

“You are the only act that got a standing ovation so far”

“Yes, that’s normal, but the flyers will also get the same when they close the show”

Francesco had to stay in makeup and costume for the grand parade finale. While they were resting in his van, Francesco asked “Hey, would you like to be in the parade with me?”

“Me, what would I have to do?”

“Just walk along beside me”

“But they’ll know I’m not a performer”

“Not if we disguise you. Sit here in front of the mirror. Now, while I go and get you a costume, you spread this white make-up all over your face and neck”

James did as directed, but was a bit nervous about the whole idea. He was simultaneously thrilled and scared. Just as he completed applying the makeup, Francesco returned with a clown suit, a red curly wig and oversized shoes that James had to keep on with on with large rubber bands. When he was fully dressed, Francesco said “Take a look at yourself in the mirror”

“Wow, who is that?” asked James.

“We’ll call you Jolly James”

“I like that. Hey take a pic of me” he said as he passed his phone to Francesco.

“But how...?”

“Just press here”

Photographic proof now safely stored, they stepped out of the van. Well, Francesco stepped out, James fell out when he tripped over his own shoes.

“Bugger, what if I do that during the parade? No I don’t want to do it”

“You will be fine and if you do trip, just get up, give a wave and exaggeratedly dust yourself off and it will be seen as all part of the show”

“So all I have to do is walk beside you?”

“I usually do a few flips and handstands, so when I do that you hold out you hand pointing at me and then encourage the crowd to applaud, they’ll love it”

“Ok, lead me to it” James said confidently.

***

The parade went well and at the end James was so high on adrenalin, Francesco thought he might have to tie him down to prevent him floating away.

“OMG that has got to be the biggest thrill I’ve ever experienced. I did it, I participated in a REAL..” he emphasised “...circus parade, me Jolly James”

He looked at Francesco and asked “Does that mean I’m not a towner or outsider anymore?”

“Looks like you are a real trouper” Francesco said with a big grin and a feeling of pride, that his new friend had pulled it off. “Hey, and you only fell over twice, not bad for a first attempt, but you’ll get it right next time”

“What! Not fall over and spoil my act; I’m more professional than that”

“Do you mean...?”

“Yes, did it go over well?”

“It fooled me”

“Good then I’ll keep it in the act” James concluded.

<>

After a busy day, a perfect performance by Francesco and a debut by James, they were both exhausted. They climbed into bed about mid-night, cuddled up their naked bodies and slept in each other’s arms.

***

James woke first, just after sunrise. He sat on the side of the bed and looked out the window at the silent motionless lot. He had never seen a circus at this time of the morning and wondered what would happen as the circus people woke and started going about their daily duties.

So much had happened in one day that his head was buzzing as the memories all flooded into his mind at once. There were pleasant thoughts, sad thoughts and confusing thoughts, but the most warming thought was ‘I’ve found someone who likes me and I really, really like him too’.

He turned around and looked at the handsome young man sleeping beside him and suddenly remembered, Francesco said, every night he sleeps in contorted positions, but last night he didn’t. ‘Have I brought about this change?’

He rose from the bed and went to his backpack to get clean undies. Riffling through his bag he found the crumpled posters and remembered he and Francesco had not finished their conversation about them. He found his undies then pushed the posters to the bottom of the bag. As he lifted one leg to put on his boxers, from behind him heard “Don’t, not yet, I want to look at you. This is the first time I’ve seen you completely naked. You have a beautifully rounded butt. Now turn around and show me the rest”

As James turned, Francesco said “Wow, pecs and abs. You must work out regularly”

“Yes I do. My cousin is a body builder and when he used to live with us he taught Alex and me how to work out without weights. I still do it every day and now I know why”

“Why is that?”

“To impress you”

“But....oh I see. Thank you” concluded Francesco

“So what time is breakfast around here?”

“Between seven and eight, but I usually do an hour’s stretching before breakfast, to warm up my muscles that have rested overnight. Are you going to join me?”

“What exercises does a clown need to do?”

“Ah, I’m glad you asked, they are very specialised. You need to stretch the muscles in your face around your mouth”

“Really?”

“Of course, you need to be able to give the broadest smile possible, even broader than the average person and then instantly turn that smile upside down into an exaggerated frown when you take the pratfall”

James jokingly did some strange facial contortions and asked “Like this?”

“Precisely, you’ve got it. You’re a natural”

They started to dress, Francesco only in his tights and James in shorts. When he attempted to pull on a T shirt, Francesco asked “What’s that for?”

“I usually wear a shirt, why?”

“Not in the circus, we show off our assets, it reinforces the ego”

“Do I need an ego?”

“All performers need a huge ego, it gets you out there doing your thing, even on days you don’t otherwise feel like performing”

“Ok”

“And besides, I want everyone to see my handsome boyfriend at his best”

James swallowed deeply and wasn’t sure which parts of Francesco’s statement felt the best. Was it the invitation to show off his body or the word boyfriend?

“Maybe I should get you some tights, so you can show off more of your assets”

“Um...shorts will be fine, thanks”

*****