HARLEY
&
MUTT
By Waddie Greywolf
CHAPTER
6
“The
more things
a man has to be ashamed of the more respectable he is.” G.B. Shaw
Mutt's real
reason for leaving Tucson was to find Harley and Janice. He
certainly didn’t have any intentions of becoming a part of their
immediate, extended family. 'Immediate, extended family'? he
mused to himself. He had to think about that for a minute.
Then he laughed and thought, 'Every man should create at least one
oxymoron in his life. Maybe that’s why the old man created
me. Damn it, for some reason I need them right now.'
There’s times in a man’s life when he’s more comfortable being around
someone who seems to vibrate on his same frequency. Harley made
Mutt feel comfortable. It wasn’t anything he did overtly.
It was just a feeling that passed between the two men.
Harley felt it
but didn’t have a clue. He didn’t want to have a clue, but
he wasn't so insensitive he didn't understood there was something
special about his cowboy buddy. He enjoyed the blow job Mutt gave
him on that cold, dark, and stormy night, but other than a pleasant
memory, he really didn’t think much about it. His feelings for
Mutt were not sexual. Surprisingly, Mutt felt the same. He
simply accepted Harley as a straight man and wasn’t about to push,
especially since he was Janice’s mate. Mutt had the cowboy code
drilled into him over the years and he was as strong in his beliefs as
his brother Waddie was in his.
Shuck all the
words like love, buddies, extended family, friendship, or even
companionship. The feeling every man gets about someone, at least
once in his life, he never quite comes to grips with why he feels the
way he does, and yet, he knows, for some damn reason, he’s drawn to
them like a moth to a flame. They just seem to fit in your life like a
pair of old well worn boots. When you pull them on you know your
going to be comfortable. It’s an easy peaceful feeling. It
can be good or it can be bad. It can be the comfort of a personal
heaven or the portal to a door into a black pit. Others, with not
so good intentions can mimic that comfort like an insectivorous plant
imitates a good plant to catch its unsuspecting victims.
So it is with
people. That trust or comfort can be the doorway to the depths of
destructive addiction in which a human being, for what ever reason, can
find themselves lost, having their souls sucked from them by a
sociopath vampire. While seeking reassurance and acceptance they
find themselves becoming unwitting and unwilling slaves to a darker
side of humanity. They give and give thinking this is the real
thing, until, not unlike the poor captured insect, discovers it’s too
late.
They may protest
but the more they struggle the more they lose their will, their
strength of purpose, and ultimately accept their fate. All men
are vulnerable to human meat machines who have no conscience about
sucking a man’s soul dry and then, without compassion, leave him as an
empty shell for him to lift himself from the pit if he can, or simply
accept defeat, wither, and perish. Some become so disillusioned
they become meat machines themselves and wander through their lives
sucking other people's souls from them.
Harley wasn't a
meat machine. He was his own man, a strong personality, but not a
very well organized soul. The basic necessary good parts were
there, they just weren't arranged properly for maximum growth or
happiness. Harley held a bright light of compassion and goodness
within him he neither fully developed nor found a purpose for other
than simply trying to be a good man. Since Nam, Harlen Boone made
no plans and lived only from one minute to the next. The thought
of settling down with one woman and becoming a part of the nine to five
rat race was something he never allowed himself to think about.
It was not in him to be a family man within the traditional sense of
the word.
Like so many
Vietnam veterans, he was searching, running, and looking for something
they couldn't clearly define, but they hoped they would recognize it
when they came upon it. For many it never happened and they
perished in the search. Harley was just a bit different and that
small difference caused him to be one of the few who found their bliss,
but not before he was forced to rethink his role in life.
Somehow, maybe because of his upbringing, Mutt was able to pick up on
those things.
Among the biker
families, Harley Boone was, perhaps, one of a handful of men who could
be considered a truly handsome man. He was quite possibly every
man and woman’s ideal of what a macho ruggedly-handsome man should look
like. He billed himself as a straight man, but inside Harley had
conflicts. Sometimes he couldn't help himself if a good looking
young man wanted to suck his dick or give him some boy butt.
Harley never compromised. There were no gray areas in Harley’s
mind. He was the fucker and only got sucked. That doesn’t
mean he never tried it when he was younger and still wondered once in a
while what it might be like with a good buddy he could trust. He
decided for himself he wanted to be straight, and as available as
male/male sex was, he rarely crossed the line.
Harley’s
rationalization for fucking a man was simple. He only did it from
time to time when he couldn't find a cunt to fuck or he became bored
with the one he was riding on his bike. Once in a while he liked
to throw a good hard fuck into a man’s ass because he never met a woman
who could take a hard ride for very long. The way Harley understood
sex, even without love, had to do with his need to be a good man.
Harley tried hard to be a good man. Underneath his biker persona
exterior, he was understanding and compassionate. He was gentle,
considerate, and never rough with women. On the other hand, he
understood he was also being compassionate, understanding, and
certainly considerate to give a willing young man a good hard ass ride
for which he so desperately begged Harley. He never confronted
the reality of why he always feels so much more physically content and
emotionally fulfilled after one hard ride with a man than ten times
with a woman. He, did, however, accept the fact a good blow job
or some boy butt was something he needed now and then and had no
intention of ever giving up.
Harley was
almost the perfect lover for any woman. He was funny, charming,
listens to them, and made them his friend as well as a lover.
Most straight men don’t know how to make friends with a woman.
Women become sexual object for them to conquer, pollinate, then move on
to the next blossom. That’s why so many women fall in love with
gay men. Gay men know how to befriend a woman. Even though
rumors eventually got back to all his ladies Harley went with a man
from time to time he was so genuinely convincing and sincere a straight
lover none of them believed the stories. They passed them off as
jealous gossip. He was only confronted once by one of his old
ladies, but it wasn’t Janice. He smiled, laughed, and didn't
hesitate to tell her the truth. He told her he hoped she wasn’t
embarrassed by it, because if she rode with him it would happen once in
a while, but he would never do it to intentionally hurt her.
He promised he
would try to be more discrete the next time. No woman ever left
him because of it. They only thing that would signal the end of a
relationship for Harley was when his old lady began to get the nesting
urge and start talking about Harley selling his bike, settling down to
a rose covered cottage, and become a nine to fiver. Harley saw
visions of being trapped coming home every night, dead tired, to
tee-vee dinners and five screaming rug rats. The horror it
produced of being conjoined to any woman, doing the same damn thing,
day in and day out, year after year, was far worse to Harley’s mind
than prison. He was free on the road. Harley saw the rest
of the world as a set of traps and snares for him ride through.
Since Nam he’d managed to escape and outrun every one
Janice rode with
him the longest. She was a mousy little blond haired woman around
twenty-three. She was a little like Janice of the Muppets; the
blond, empty headed singer and sometime rock band groupie who surfed
reality like a collective hunch with a fixed smile and a limited
vocabulary of hip words. Harley's Janice was similar. She
wasn't a deep thinker, always had a vacant smile on her face, and lived
her life surfing reality; only her approach was more like
belly-boarding. She wasn’t the typical fast living, thrill
seeking, hard drinking, mouthy, brassy broads most of the men rode on
their bikes. Why she became a old lady to a biker eluded
her. She rode with a couple of other bikers before she met Harley.
She was riding
with her gay brother when they met. Janice was far from pretty
and many of the biker broads would make passes at Harley, openly
proposition him in front of Janice, but Harley was faithful to her when
they were riding together. The other biker-mommas referred to
Janice rather unkindly as ‘Ms. Minnie Mouse.’ Harley wasn’t a
womanizer. While her personality was only a couple of clicks
above dull normal, he genuinely liked Janice. She worked hard to
meet his needs and didn't bug him too much. Most of the time, he
was comfortable with her. They had an off and on relationship for
several years.
Harley told her
from the first how he lived his life and the rules if she wanted to
ride with him and be his old lady. Ever since he returned from
Nam he wasn’t able to sit still for long. The idea of confinement
of any kind was an anathema to him. He got uptight and paced a
lot when he and Janice would stay in a motel room. He preferred
being out in the open in a tent away from cities and towns. He
warned her twice about talking to him about settling down and getting
married, but the third time she found herself standing alone with a bus
ticket in her hand to anywhere she wanted to go. It happened four
or five times and each time Harley would have a new old lady on the
back of his bike within days. If he and Janice ran into each
other he would be polite but wouldn’t engage in heavy conversation with
her. Most of the time, he was with another woman. Then
something would happen, they would be alone at the same time and start
riding together again. Janice would keep her mouth shut for
another few months.
* * * * * * *
Mutt found the
Hot Dawgs and was welcomed by everyone. Rondo and Banger were
genuinely glad to see him again and told everyone about Mutt winning at
the Prescott rodeo. Beryl came back to ride with the Hot Dawgs
for a while and told them about Mutt and Waddie winning. They
knew what Spider did to Mutt before, and they were proud of him for his
accomplishment. They also heard Spider was at the Prescott rodeo
and watched Mutt and his brother walked away with the prize
money. Beryl related to Harley what the boy went through since he
left everyone in Phoenix. Harley came over to Mutt with a big
smile on his face, hugged, and kissed him on the cheek. “Damn,
it’s good to see you again, Son. Congratulations on winning in
Prescott. News travels fast in this small crowd,” Harley said.
“Thanks, Mr.
Harley," Mutt replied, "it’s good to see you again, too. Sorry I
ran out on everyone in Phoenix. Didn’t mean no disrespect, Mr.
Harley. I jus’ had to go. I had some things to take care of
I needed to do by myself.”
“We’s buddies
ain’t we, Mutt?” Harley asked.
“You bet, Mr.
Harley,” Mutt replied.
“Don’t never
need to apologize to your buddy for some'um like 'at. Ain’t a
biker here who ain’t had the feeling come over him one time or
another. You gotta’ go? Ya’ gotta go! S’all there is to it,
Son.”
“Thanks, Mr.
Harley. Where’s Ms. Janice?” Mutt realized maybe he shouldn’t
have asked. He just arrived and didn’t have time to catch up on
things. Then he quickly added, “Oh, I’m sorry, Mr. Harley, I
didn’t think. I just assumed she'd be with you. Ain't none
of my business no ways, sir, I’m sorry,” Mutt said embarrassed.
“Nothing to be
sorry for, bro. You couldn’t have known. I took Janice home
to her folks. She wouldn’t stop talking about settling down and
raising kids. I warned her a couple of times and told her the
third time she goes. I don't know about women. Sometimes I
wonder if I ever will. They gotta' push to see if you really mean
what you say. They just c'ain't get it through their heads, if a
man's happy and comfortable to have them ride with him, why it don't
necessarily mean he wants to settle down and play house with 'em.
She pushed and found out I mean it. I wasn’t mean to her. I
just took her home where she could find a nice young man, settle down,
and have a litter,” Harley said with disgust.
“I’m sorry to
hear it, Mr. Harley. I liked Ms. Janice. She was good to
me,” Mutt replied.
“Yeah, she was
and that’s part of why I liked her. She's simple, but good
hearted. She recognized the goodness in you. I ain’t saying
I might not see her again or wouldn’t consider having her ride with me
again, but I ain't ready to settle down with no woman. Certainly
not right now. I’m twenty-eight year old and I ain’t even gonna’
think about settling down ‘til I’m thirty-five or so. Plenty of
time to find some woman to settle down. Hell, who knows? By
that time, I may have the road too much in my blood and not want to
settle down a’ tall. So, tell me cowboy, you feel like ride’n by
your buddy’s side for a while?” Harley asked.
“Sure do, Mr.
Harley, that would be great,” Mutt replied trying not to sound overly
enthused.
“C’moan, then,
throw your gear in my tent,” Harley ordered and smiled. Mutt
looked at him kinda funny. “You heard me, Son--- I didn't stutter---
throw your shit in my tent,” Boone repeated.
A big smile came
across Mutt’s face. “Yes, sir, Mr. Harley!” Mutt did as he
was told and had a wonderful afternoon talking to folks and learning
what was new with whom. He found out Spider wasn't riding with
the Hot Dawgs at the time. He and his four cronies were riding
with another group.
Beryl and Big
Jim were glad to see Mutt again and hugged him. “Got a place to
stow your stuff, Son?” Beryl asked with a wry smile. He already
knew Harley was going to ask Mutt to stay with him.
“Uh, yes, sir,
Master Beryl. Mr. Harley, he done asked me to throw my gear in
his tent. Is that okay, sir?” Mutt asked like he was hoping to
get the big man's blessing.
“Of course it’s
okay, boy. Just ask’n in case you didn’t have no buddy to bunk it
in with for the evening,” Beryl replied, smiled, and winked at
him. Mutt realized Beryl was having a bit of fun with him.
Beryl knew how much Mutt thought of Harley. As it turned out
Beryl and Big Jim pitched their tents not far from Harley’s.
Early in the
evening Waddie, Beryl, Mutt, and Harley went to the campground showers
to clean up. They returned, rode into the small town near their
campground and got take-out and returned to camp. They spent the
evening together and enjoyed each others company. Finally,
everyone in camp was going to bed, because the family was going to be
up and on the road shortly after sun up. Their road captain gave
the order and he meant it. If you weren’t ready to ride when the
major part of the family was, you were left behind. Harley
climbed in his tent shucked off his clothes and got into his bed
roll. Mutt took his boots off but didn’t take his clothes off and
started to get into his bed roll.
“Mutt, w’duya
do’n, Son?” Harley asked like he was befuddled.
“Get’n in my
bedroll, Mr. Harley,” Mutt replied.
“Take your
clothes off, boy. That’s an order!” Harley commanded
quietly. Mutt knew his buddy well enough not to argue with
him. He wouldn’t anyway. If one could worship at the feet
of another, and some did, Mutt would build a sacred shrine at Harley’s
boots: our Lady of the Wescos.
“Yes, sir, Mr.
Harley,” Mutt replied, shucked off his clothes, and quickly got into
his bedroll. It was summer, and it was still warm. It was
really too warm for a full bedroll so Harley opened his to the
waist. After a while he didn’t have to ask Mutt to relax and get
comfortable. Mutt was suffering in the heat. He pushed his
down automatically and then turned away from Harley.
“Mutt?” Harley
rolled on his side and spooned Mutt. Mutt could feel Harley’s
dick hard as a rock poking him in his rear. Harley drew the young
man close. Mutt couldn’t help himself, he melted into his
handsome friend's arms.
“Yes, sir, Mr.
Harley?” Mutt replied softly.
“Do you remember
the wonderful blow job you gimme' that God-awful night we didn’t know
whether we's going to make it or not?” Harley asked quietly.
There was a long pause before Mutt answered. Harley wasn’t going
to press the issue.
“Ain’t thought
of much else since, Mr. Harley,” Mutt said in a shy whisper like
it was a sacred secret; the worst of sins he was whispering to a priest
in confession.
Harley held him
and waited almost an equally long time before his next question.
“If it was good for us under those conditions, think how much better it
might be, here and now, where we’re safe, warm clean and comfortable?”
Harley let the idea settle in an effort to make it as much Mutt’s
thought as his. Again there was a long silence. Mutt's mind
was racing trying to think of just the right words to say. Harley
felt his buddy's turmoil and secretly smiled to himself.
“For me it’ud be
a taste of heaven, Mr. Harley, and I’d do my dead level best to get you
as close to them pearly gates as I possibly could,” Mutt replied softly.
Harley chuckled
at Mutt's unbridled enthusiasm. “Should I say a prayer and let
St. Peter know we’re on our way?” Harley said and gently laughed
waiting for a reply he wasn’t ready for.
“Naw, sir, take
too long. He’ll see us a’ come’n,” Mutt replied, giggled, and
Harley burst out laughing. He laughed so hard he got Beryl and
Waddie laughing.
“He’ah!" Beryl
exclaimed, "Settle down over there!” Beryl barked and started half the
camp laughing.
Harley gently
kissed Mutt behind the ear and told him he’d settle for waving distance
to St. Peter. Mutt laughed until he had his buddy’s cock all the
way down his throat. Harley swore afterwards he was sure he waved
to St. Peter and thought he once saw the Old Man himself.
Harley tried not to be too vocal when he shot his load in Mutt’s hungry
mouth, but for all his might, he couldn’t help let out a deep throated
moan that emanated from the bottom of his soul only to hear his buddy
answer in kind as he sucked and swallow his friend’s come. They
lay together enjoying the afterglow of their love making. Mutt
gently cleaning Harley then taking his towel to gently dry him.
Then the applause and laughter started. It went all around the
camp. Harley and Mutt laughed, too. Harley pulled Mutt up
to him and for once kissed him gently on the mouth. Mutt didn’t
push but let his friend take all he needed. Mutt rolled on his
side, and Harley threw his arm around him again. “What about my
buddy?” Harley asked.
“I already come,
Mr. Harley, in my towel,” Mutt wasn’t lying. He was so engrossed
in his performance he shot in his towel he placed under him for just
such an emergency.
“Well, I’ll be
damned. To hell with the camp's reaction, Mutt, I appreciated it
and enjoyed the hell out of it,” Harley said as he gently kissed Mutt
on his neck, "You couldn’t a’ gotten me much closer to them gates
if you’d a’ used a wheel barrow and dumped my ass in front of them.”
“Next time, Mr.
Harley,” Mutt replied, giggled, and set Harley to laughing again.
The next morning
at breakfast and coffee around the campfire there were many grins and
Waddie kept poking Mutt and giggling like a little brother who was
kidding his older brother for having a school crush. There came a
lull in the conversation. Big Beryl took a deep breath.
"Fuck! Thought a couple of times I’s gonna’ hav’ta take my belt
out a’ my pants, come over there and quiet you two down. If’n I
hadn’t a’ been distracted by a hot buckaroo’s tongue finding my little
green snake I’d a probably done it, too,” Beryl said in mock
disgust. They all laughed. Then, Harley, with no shame,
proceeded to tell them the story of whether to pray to St. Peter or
not. Beryl and Waddie were in tears they laughed so hard.
* * * * * * *
It was the end
of summer. It was August, and while it was still hot, the
evenings were beautiful. Barton Tinker and Zane joined up with
the Hot Dawgs. A week later Booger Red and Cowboy joined up with
the group. The eight men became a group within a group.
They were great friends with the two leaders Rondo Cabasian and Banger
Deets. They became a central core of the family even though they
were all independent riders. Everyone wanted to share their
campfire. There was always so many outrageous stories to listen
to and there seemed to be a peaceful sense of camaraderie that was
relaxing and good fun for all.
Waddie, Cowboy,
Mutt and Zane roped in any small country rodeo they came across and
usually a lot of money changed hands. The family knew what their
cowboys could do and bet heavily on them. They always won.
There was a good hearted rivalry going between the men as to what team
would take top money. Waddie and Mutt, or Waddie and Zane, or
Mutt and Cowboy. The four cowboys could’ve cared less what team
won. They were having too much fun roping. It went a long
way helping on the road expenses. Cowboy didn’t really need a lot
of money at the time and Mutt was still pretty flush from his Vegas and
Reno winnings. Several times they let Waddie and Zane take the
whole prize for their bankroll. They were brothers. They
didn’t care.
Mutt shared a
lot with his buddy Harley but Harley paid his way. He was a proud
man and wasn’t about to get the reputation of being a user.
He was there for every rodeo rooting for his buddy to win and the first
to console him when he didn’t. It became a magical time for Mutt
and later even Harley had to admit it was a pretty special time for
him. The end of summer came and the eight to twelve men were
still riding together. Sometimes they’d be joined by Bull and
Charlie, Big Jim and Master Jeb, Zack, Master Earl and Wes.
Waddie and Mutt learned to love and appreciate Wes as much as Cowboy
and Big Red. Wes didn’t say much, but when he did, you wanted to
listen because it was important.
The second week
in September there came a chill in the air and there was a large
departure of the ‘snow birds’ in the family to seek warmer
climes. They were the older mom and pop bikers who would ride
during the warmer months but disappear to their trailers as far South
as they could get for the winter. Many lived outside of San
Diego, El Paso, Harlingen, and even Del Rio, Texas. The family
lost over half their riders after the first cold snap. They said
their tearful 'goodbyes' and promised to see them again next May when
the weather got warmer.
Mutt was never
happier than riding with Harley. He knew he fell in love with the
handsome biker but no more so than when he first met Harley. He
wasn’t foolish enough to think Harley was going to consider anything
more than being good buddies with Mutt. It didn’t matter to
Mutt. He was getting what he needed from Harley and the rest of
the family. He was loved, admired for his abilities, and
appreciated for his willingness to help anyone in need. For once
he felt like he could offer to help someone and not have them wonder
what his motives were.
Around the
middle of October Janice showed up again riding with her gay
brother. It was an obvious ploy to get back together with Harley
and it worked. Janice was moved into Harley’s tent and began to
ride with him again. Surprisingly, Mutt wasn’t devastated.
He suffered a couple of sleepless, tearful nights in his big bubba
Waddie’s arms, but he recovered quickly. That’s one of the fringe
benefits of having your big brother ride with you. You can cry on
his shoulder and no one will ever know. His good friend Big Beryl
was a constant source of comfort for Mutt as well. He loved
Cowboy and Big Red, and they understood his feelings. Mutt’s
attitude was, in the spirit of the stoic cowboy, he knew it was too
good to last, but he sure as hell enjoyed Mr. Harley while he rode with
him.
Harley felt like
shit abandoning Mutt for Janice, but it was at Mutt’s magnanimous
insistence he and Janice got back together. He wanted to keep
seeing Mutt on the side for companionship and even sex, but it was too
much like a three way for Mutt. He would essentially become a
third wheel and it went against his cowboy sensibilities. He
politely told Harley it was different when he was apart from Janice and
riding solo, but now they were back together he lcared too much for
Janice to go with him behind her back. He wasn’t trying to force
Harley’s hand, he just didn’t care to hurt Janice. He explained
the cowboy code to Harley and so did Waddie, Cowboy, Red, and
Beryl. Harley wasn’t real happy about it, but he admired Mutt
even more for his strong stance.
As ugly as Mutt
was, Harley didn’t want to admit he got something from the young man he
couldn’t get from Janice or any woman for that matter.
Harley was neither insensitive nor unaware of the strength of male
bonding. He never experienced such strong feelings for any man as
he did for Mutt. As easy as love and companionship flowed between
them, Harley was becoming uneasy at his enjoyment and comfort in their
relationship. It was almost too easy and he seriously began to
question his sexuality and masculinity. In a way the comfort and
easiness became threats to him so when Janice came back around it was
his easy out, back to his old way of riding as a straight man; his
comfort blanket returned to him.
Throughout the
three months Harley rode with his buddy, Mutt never got the feeling
Harley was projecting anymore towards him emotionally than a good buddy
who would allow Mutt to take care of his sexual needs from time to
time. He wouldn’t let Mutt call him Master Harley. He
didn’t want anyone thinking they passed over that threshold and he
jumped the fence for a relationship with Mutt. However, while
they rode together and bunked it in together, Mutt treated Harley like
his personal God. Indeed, to everyone else, Mutt was Harley’s de
facto slave if not in name. Harley and Mutt both took some pretty
strong razzing from the other bikers but they were easy going and never
even considered talking about it between themselves. It was
easier for Boone to ignore the bear in the kitchen.
* * * * * * *
After a week or
two Harley talked to Beryl ,Waddie, Red, and Cowboy. He decided
for Mutt’s sake it might be better if he and Janice took off and rode
with another group for a while. They said their goodbyes and
promised to return to the group later. Mutt shook Harley’s hand
and wished him well. Harley pulled him into and embrace. He
didn’t say anything, but held the young man for a long moment.
Mutt didn’t say anything either but turned and left to join his
immediate family group. About eight of the bikers left the
group. Among them Booger Red, Cowboy, Beryl, Waddie, Bull, and
Charlie. Bart decided he and Zane would ride with Big Beryl and
Waddie wherever they were going. Big Jim, Master Jeb, Master Earl
and Wes left the second week in September to return to the Southern
California
area.
They left and
linked up with Beryl’s family group, the Clan McInnis. The family
didn't have their leader to ride with them in months, and it was a time
for celebration. It was a week before Halloween and there was a
festive party atmosphere in the air. The family was invited to
Las Vegas to be Ben’s guest for a Halloween party. During the
winter months the family dwindled down to about thirty men. Ben
would put them up for a week or more and pick up the tab for rooms, and
food. They were riding in a group and traveling pretty fast, but
even though they were doing well over the speed limit there’s always
some asshole who wants to get around. Most of the time the lead
riders will slow the group and the rear riders will wave the drivers
behind them around when safe.
Some son of a
bitch in a Corvette decided he wasn’t going to wait and started around
the family. He misjudged the speed of the oncoming traffic and
rather than go for the left shoulder which was a sharp embankment he
knew he had a better chance of saving himself by turning into the line
of bikers. The bikers just ahead escaped the collision, and the
bikers just behind the pair he turned into saw what he was
planning. Booger Red was riding beside Cowboy and threw his
hand up for everyone behind to slow or scatter. Waddie was on the
inside and Mutt was by his side on the outside. Mutt headed for
the ditch and Waddie was right behind him. The two to suffer
being run off the road was Bart and Zane. Bart was riding on the
inside with Zane by his side.
When you’ve been
riding in a group of bikers for some time your reflexes become split
second and Zane could see out of the corner of his eye the blue
Corvette headed for his mate. He didn’t have time to yell a
warning but reacted as any good biker would by trying to make room for
his partner. The driver of the Corvette panicked and more than
nudged Bart over. He hit him at such a speed as to send him, bike
and all, twenty feet into the air, launching him over the heads of the
other bikers. Zane lost control of his bike and it skidded out
from under him leaving him rolling into the ditch landing on top of Red
and Cowboy.
The blue
Corvette rolled and up-righted itself. It had a roll bar that
protected the driver who had enough presence of mind to use his seat
belt. His passenger didn’t fair so well and went flying through
the air as well landing not far from Bart. When the smoke cleared
and everyone stopped to see if any assistance might be given, Bart
wasn’t moving. Neither was the passenger thrown from the
Corvette. The driver sustained only minor cuts and bruises.
Zane broke his right leg, his left ankle, four ribs and his left
shoulder. He suffered multiple cuts on his upper body and one
deep cut across his right leg. For all his hurts he tried to drag
and pull himself to his master and wouldn’t stop until Cowboy and Red
helped him. Bart was barely breathing but came to as Zane cradled
him in his arms.
“Master, Master,
I’m here. You’re gonna’ be all right. Hang on, Bart.
I can’t lose you. I couldn’t go on without you,” Zane cried
to his master. Bart pulled him close and whispered to his slave.
“I ain’t gonna’
make it, my sweet slave-boy. You gotta’ go on without me, but
there’s a man who loves you and will take care of you. He’ll be a
fine master for you. You know who I’m talking about,” Bart said.
“Oh, Master, I
don’t want any master but you. Please don’t leave me,” Zane
cried. Bart said no more as his life force left his body, and he
was gone.
The family was
almost to the city limits of Vegas when the accident occurred.
Ambulances appeared and took the injured to the hospital. Waddie
and Mutt were bruised with minor abrasions. Booger Red and Cowboy
were sore but okay. A couple of the other bikers behind them had
a couple of broken bones and some contusions but no one was
critical. Four bikers were admitted to the hospital and the
driver of the Blue Corvette. He was later arrested for reckless
driving and was charged with manslaughter, and reckless
endangerment. He was sentenced to three years but since it was a
first time offense, he wasn't drinking and had no previous
record, they let him off with probation.
It happened
Halloween eve and there were few in the family who felt like
partying. Ben was gracious to a fault. He picked up all the
medical bills for anyone who didn’t have insurance. Zane had
insurance but Ben made sure he had the best of care and called in his
own team of physicians to help. Zane was laid up for
several months but was only in the hospital for several days. Ben
got him a room at the hotel and with round the clock nursing
care. He wasn’t confined to a bed. He was up and around
with crutches.
They stored the
men’s bikes that were injured at Cal and Steve’s ranch. Three
left to be taken care of by relatives and it was suggested Zane go home
with Big Jim and Master Jeb so they could take care of him.
During the week or so he was at the hotel he had a lot of visitors from
a number of biker families. There were flowers everywhere. Ben
and Harry did everything they could for Zane and were wonderful to him,
but coming from the depths of his despair it was all a blur to
Zane. He was in a daze. He was in quite a bit of physical
pain and taking some strong medication. He was in the depths of
depression, and it seemed no one could console him. Beryl came
the closest and stayed near his little friend in his time of
need. He was the one who came up with the idea of taking Zane
back to Los Angeles to be cared for by Jim and Jeb. Zane loved
both men and thought that would be a great idea.
Cowboy and
Booger Red moved on with another group of riders after a visit with
Ben. Ben sent for Dan Yates to come and visit Zane to cheer him
up. Zane came to look upon Dan as a dad and cried his heart out
in Dan’s arms. He finally let the damn break of his pent up
emotions and allowed the healing waters of his tears to come
forth. Dan held him tight and comforted him. He knew what
loss was all about. Dan offered to have Zane come back to the
ranch with him, and he and Mrs. Russell would take care of him.
After all, he didn’t need nursing care, he just needed to heal.
Zane jumped at the chance to stay with Dan, and after a couple of days
visit, he and Dan left in Dan’s motor-coach to Tucson. Dan
and Mrs. Russell took Zane in as another son and Zane stayed with them
almost eight months. He completely healed physically but
was still in the woods as far as his loss was concerned. He and
Dan made another trip to Vegas to pickup Zane’s bike. Ben fixed
it for him, and it was perfect. Zane was overwhelmed by Ben’s
thoughtfulness and generosity.
Zane and Dan
took Zane’s bike to the ranch. They put it in the barn, covered
it with a tarp, and it didn’t come out for another four months.
The ranch, Dan, and Mrs. Russell were good for Zane. He enjoyed
many visits from the McInnis family including Mutt, Waddie, Harley,
Ben, and Big Beryl. As he got better the more he helped and
worked for Dan around the ranch to earn his keep. Zane had money
of his own. His master left him everything and Bart had
considerable. Zane offered to pay Dan for food and lodging but he
wouldn’t hear of it. So, when he got better, Zane began to make
himself useful to Dan around the ranch. Zane began to heal
quickly physically and with Dan and Mrs. Russell’s help he healed
emotionally. As far as anyone knew, Bart didn’t made arrangements
for his slave in the event of his death. Bart was such a young
robust man he didn’t allow himself to think about the
possibility. Therefore, Zane became a slave of his family, the
clan McInnis. Zane understood this but also knew his family
wasn’t going to push. They were sensitive, caring men who loved
Bart almost as much as he did. Bart was a great lost to many of
the McInnis family and to the leader, Big Beryl, he was like another
son. The family allowed Zane a year before Beryl set him down and
talked with him.
Most of the two
families, the clan McInnis and the Tallismen were at Dan’s for spring
roundup that year. Zane was working his butt off to help Dan and
Mrs. Russell prepare. He was working from sunup to sundown and
then some to help around the place. Nothing makes you get over
sorrow and loss quicker than hard work and doing your best to help
someone else. Dan fell in love with Zane, his goodness, and
willingness to help. He still had his heart set on being with
Cowboy and nothing major ever transpired between the two of them, but
they became a comfort to each other.
Beryl got Zane
off to one side during the roundup to talk to him. “How ya’
doing, Son?” Beryl asked in a fatherly manner.
“Better, Master
Beryl. It’s been hard, but then I’ve been so fortunate to have
Master Dan and Mrs. Russell to help me. They’ve been like
saints. I try not to burden them with endless whining, but they
know when I’m at my lowest and they reach out to me. I look upon
Mr. Yates like he’s my own dad. After I finally got over the idea
I couldn’t have sex with another person I gave myself to him one
evening and he’s been gracious enough to give me some love from time to
time. His love, more than anything has helped me heal. He’s
shown me I can give and receive love from someone else without feeling
like I’m betraying the memory of my master. I know how devoted
and how much in love with Cowboy he is, yet he has enough love in him
to share with me to get me on my feet again. There’s no place for
me here on a long term basis, but I thank God Master Dan took me
in. I owe him and Mrs. Russell my life. Sometimes, in the
past, I hurt so bad I was sure I was gonna’ die.”
“S’been my
experience you never completely get over the hurt and pain. You
just learn to live with it until one day you realize it’s always there
but you make it a part of you. You make it a part of your life
experience and surprisingly, you find it makes you a stronger
person. You’ll always have your master walking by your side,
Son. He’s there anytime you want to talk to him. He’ll hear
you. Lean on the living, like you’ve done with Dan, Mrs. Russell,
and the rest of the family, but you need to consider taking on another
master. I want you to talk with Jeb or Jim. Since they
handle all the slaves in the family it’s time you considered becoming a
slave to another good master. You’re too good a slave and still
have a lot of love in you to give to a good man. You know in your
heart you won't completely heal until you have another master to
serve. You been a slave too long, Son, to try living another life
now. You will never be complete or happy without a master.”
Zane cried in
Big Beryl’s arms. He grew close to the big man and worshiped
him. All the family treated him with such love and care he
couldn’t imagine having gone through something like losing his master
without their love. Zane, of course, told Beryl he knew the time
was near. The family had been good enough to give him time to
fully recover and while he was still unsure of himself he understood he
would have to take a new master. He talked to both Master Jeb and
Big Jim.
“Have you
considered who you might like for a master within our three families?”
Jeb asked him.
“Not really,
sir, other than Master Dan, there’s only one man I’d love to serve and
be his slave but he don’t even know I’m alive. Before he died, my
master and I talked about who he wanted me to be with should anything
happen to him, and as he was dying in my arms he told me again who he
wanted to leave me to,” Zane replied.
Jeb smiled at
Zane and then looked at Jim who smiled back at him. “You wouldn’t
be talking about the big cowboy who ropes with you every time he comes
to the ranch?" Master Jeb asked him with a grin.
“Yes, sir, it’ud
be Master Waddie. He’s good and kind to me. He ropes with
me and always makes me feel really great when we make a good run, but
beyond that, he won’t never talk to me. I try, but he stammers
and seems to get frustrated because he can’t talk to me. He just
turns and walks away. He breaks my heart sometimes because I want
him to like me. I guess because I don’t have a dick between my
legs he sees me as a freak.” Zane looked down at his boots and
shuffled them in the dirt.
“Have you
approached any other of the single masters to take you on as their
slave?” Jeb asked.
“Yes, Master
Jeb. I’ve asked fifteen or twenty if they might be interested in
me being their slave, but after they find out about my plumbing, they
shy away and seem to lose interest. I assume that must be Master
Waddie’s problem, too,” Zane replied sounding really sad.
Jeb and Jim
chuckled and winked at each other. “Well, we’ve decided to give
you another thirty days to seek your own master to make a claim for
you. If you ain’t found one who will make a claim for you in that
month, then we have to put you on the market and sell you. We
would rather not do it, but we got rules we must abide by. As you
know, we’re flexible. A lot of times we require a slave to find
another master within a couple of months of losing his master but in
your case we made exceptions. We felt it was as good for Dan, you
being here with him, as it was for you. Now, it’s time to look to
the future,” Jeb said.
“I appreciate
everything the family’s done for me Master Jeb. I appreciate your
help, too, Master Jim. If I ain’t found a master in thirty days I
will expect to be sold. It’s only right as I agreed to when my
master took me for his slave,” Zane replied.
“Have you asked
Waddie if he would be your master? After all it's what your
master wanted for you. Within our family, last wishes from a
dying man are considered binding. We know you're telling us the
truth, 'cause we done heard it from several men who were there and
heard him. I know how much Waddie loved your master. Well,
you know, he and Bart were inseparable. I’m surprised you didn’t
talk to him more with Bart,” Jeb said.
“Naw, sir, I
tried to talk to him about other things, and he just won’t
respond. He laughed and talked with my master all day long, but
if I came around he just shut up. My master told me to go to
Waddie. He would be a good master for me, but how can I when he
won’t even talk to me,” Jeb looked at Zane sympathetically.
“You’ll never
know, Son, unless you ask him. . . now will you?” Jeb said and smiled
at Zane.
“Naw, sir.
You're right, I’ll try, Master Jeb. Thanks, Master Jim.
What the Hell, he can say 'no' or just walk away. By now I'm used
to it," Zane lamented. Zane tried during the roundup to find a
master. He put feelers out and asked five or ten more men who
weren’t known to be masters but were solo riders if they were in the
market for a good slave. By that time Zane’s sexual anomaly got
around the family groups and it seemed no one was interested.
* * * * * * *
Zane rode the
spring roundup at Dan’s ranch with Mutt, Waddie, Beryl, Bull, Charlie,
and many of the other family members. Everyday he grew more aware
at what a good hard working cowboy Waddie and his brother was.
He tried hard not to look at Waddie, but every now and then, he
couldn’t be sure, he thought he saw Waddie watching him. He
worked hard, but made it a point to stay out of Waddie and Mutt’s
way. It was becoming a noticeable thing the other men were
talking about behind the two of them’s back. Mutt listened to the
chatter and laughter and admitted he knew about the problem. His
brother was so taken with Zane, he couldn’t talk to him. He was
like a teenage kid in love for his first time. Waddie didn’t want
Zane to think he was trying to take his master’s place. He didn’t
want anyone to think he was trying to take advantage of a bad situation
or gain from his brother’s bad fortune. Waddie was also afraid
Zane might not want him for a master so much as a substitute for Bart.
It came time for
the Prescott Fourth of July rodeo again and Dan was no less enthused
about entering with his boys. Mutt and Waddie were primed and
ready and so was Dan. This year would be a little
different. Dan decided he and Mutt would rope together and
Waddie and Zane would rope together. No one made any objections
and Waddie, Zane, and Mutt set in to practice. The family
gathered the week before the rodeo to help and watch some good quality
professional roping. Almost everyday there would be ten to
fifteen pickups with horse trailers come to the Broken Arrow ranch to
rope with the men. Waddie spent a lot of time roping with
Zane. They didn’t talk much, and it was about to drive Zane crazy
until Cowboy’s dad, Big Gunn, said something to Zane. Zane fell
in love with Big Gunn the first time he met him and found it difficult
to leave his side. He was warm, giving, and funny as any man
could make a claim to be. He was comfortable for Zane to talk
with.
“That’s a fine
looking cowboy you been riding with, and my money’s on the two of you
winning the whole damn thing in Prescott,” Big Gunn said.
“How ‘bout you
and your partner, Mr. Gunn?” Zane asked.
“Joe? Ah,
Hell, him and me are getting better the longer we lay off the booze,
but we ain’t there yet. Don’t mean we won’t enter and
compete. That’s the only way you get better is by going up
against the best. You learn what chore' doing wrong by watching
the pros and asking them questions. You ask ‘em real polite-like
and more'n likely they’ll tell you what chore' doing wrong.
Now if my boy was here roping with Dan, you’d have some
competition. As it is, Waddie’s brother roping with Dan may beat
the pants off the two of you. When their on, there’s no team what
can beat ’em. Dan, Mutt, and Waddie came to our small town
rodeo last year and won every damn roping event.”
“I wish I had
more communication with Master Waddie. He tells me what he wants
me to do. I do it, we win, and he’s generous with his
praise. He acts like I did it by myself. All he done was
help a little but beyond that he don’t say ‘shit’ to me,” Zane said
like he was frustrated and disgusted.
Big Gunn
laughed. “Son, lemme' tell you some'um, out of all them men out
there in that arena--- excluding Dan Yates--- there’s maybe two genuine
cowboys. Can you pick ‘em out?" Gunn challenged Zane.
“Yes, sir, I
think so. My partner, Master Waddie, and his brother Mutt,” Zane
replied.
“You got
it. Them two ole boys was born and raised cowboys. They’s
quiet, unassuming, and generous to a fault. They’s a bit shy
until they get to know you, and they won’t push themselves off on
nobody. I seen the way he looks at you when you don’t know.
You want my opinion I think the big cowboy’s in love with you and don’t
know how to tell you. Have you ever confronted him? Have
you ever told him the way you feel about him? I see the way you
look at him. It’s obvious to me you’d have no problem licking the
cow flop off’n the man’s boots,” Gunn declared and grinned.
“No
problem? I say ‘grace’ to the Almighty before I done it, Master
Gunn, and beg for a second help'n,” Zane said, winked at Big Gunn and
they broke up laughing together.
* * * * * * *
Everyone
traveled to the Prescott rodeo in Dan’s motor-coach and pickup.
The rest took their own trucks and horse trailers. Everybody was
in a rodeo mood again. It just so happened the Hot Dawgs rode to
the rodeo, and Spider and his three buddies were riding with
them. Harley and Janice were riding with them as well.
Everyone watched and after practice runs determined the teams to beat
were the two teams from the Broken Arrow ranch South of Tucson.
It came time for the first team to rope and it was Zane and
Waddie. The two men were in the arena adjusting their ropes and
Zane was riding close to Waddie for any last minute instructions.
“Let’s do something a little different today, Pardner,” Waddie
said. Zane looked him in the eye and waited, “You got ever' thing
down pat. Ain’t much more I can teach you. You got chore'
own style, it’s damn good, but there’s one thing missing in your
throw’n.” Waddie said seriously and looked Zane in the eye. He
smiled and continued to adjust his rope.
“What’s ‘zat,
Master Waddie?” Zane asked.
“Love,” Waddie
replied quietly, “love and joy in what chore' doing.”
“S’a little
hard, Master Waddie after..." Zane tried to reply.
”No, no!
Don't go there. Ain't got nothing to do with it. It has to
do with your love for the sport and the love you got for the cowboy
what’s giving his all to make you look good; to see to it you
win. Even when Bart was with us, did I ever fail to show you my
love when we's roping together?” Zane was stunned. This was more
than Waddie said to him since Bart was killed, but the man was
right. He always showed Zane the utmost love and respect when
they were roping together. Waddie went out of his way to make
Zane the hero. Zane didn’t know what to say.
“Naw, sir, it’s
the only time you show me your love, but I appreciated it every time,
Master Waddie. I drink it in like a fine wine,” Zane said.
“Okay then,
throw everything out the window I done told you, and show me how much
love you got in you. Show me how much you love me,
slave-boy. Think you can do that, boy?” Waddie asked.
Zane thought for
a moment, smiled real big at Waddie and replied, “Oh, yeah, Master
Waddie. No problem,” he replied. Waddie smiled back at his
response and winked at his partner. Zane knew nothing more would
be said. Waddie gave him his ‘all-set’ with his fingers to the
brim of his hat and Zane was ready. The moment the barrier
dropped, Zane felt the love he held in his heart burst forth from the
chute as his partner already had the critter roped and was turning
after no more than two large leaps on his horse. Zane threw his
rope with the biggest smile on his face, caught the steer, dallied his
rope, his pony backed up and was set. The crowd in the stands
went nuts. They were on their feet. They knew it was going
to be the catch to beat.
The two cowboys
looked across at each other, the crowd, and their personal friends
swore there was a glowing aura surrounding them. Zane took off
his
hat and sailed into the stands, and his partner followed suit.
The audience loved it. They got their ropes undone and slowly
rode over to the stands to pick up their hats. The audience was
still cheering and gladly handed the men their hats. The
announcer then gave the time for their run and it was a new arena
record for the Prescott rodeo. The crowd was on their feet again
and Waddie and Zane rode together around the arena tipping their hats
to the crowd.
“Did I show you
enough love that time, Master Waddie?” Zane asked.
“I’ll say you
did, Son. Hope I did for you, too,” he replied.
“You know, I
really do love you, Master Waddie. I have for a long time,” Zane
said.
“Why, the hell,
do you
think I can’t talk to you about nothing 'cept rope’n, boy?" Waddie
tried to hide his desire by sounding rough.
“You love me
that much, Master Waddie?” Zane asked.
“Yeah, Son, I
do. I can’t talk to you, ‘cause my old dick hurts so much ever'
time I’m around you it don't allow my brain to think a' nothing else,”
Waddie replied.
“If’n you feel
that way, would you consider being my master, sir?” Zane asked.
“Hey, hey!
Hold on there a second, cowboy. I wouldn’t never buy a pair of
boots less’n I tried ‘em on first,” Waddie replied and grinned real big.
“I’d be honored
and downright proud for you to try this slave on for size, Master
Waddie.
In fact, you’d make me about the happiest cowboy at this rodeo,” Zane
said as they rode toward the exit with the crowd still applauding.
“Can you imagine
what them folks would think if’n they could hear our conversation right
now?” Waddie asked and chuckled. Zane pushed his hat back on his
head and laughed. Waddie put his big arm around his little buddy
and the two cowboys rode out of the arena together to more cheers.
The rodeo
continued but no one came close to Waddie and Zane’s toss. They
won first place. Dan and Mutt won second. For the second
time in two years the cowboys from the Broken Arrow ranch took all the
prize money for team roping. Dan was thrilled and pleased.
It gave the ranch a certain respectability that made him feel like a
king. It ultimately brought him some of the best hands in the
Southwest. Good cowboys were hard to find. Most real
working cowboys wanted to be a part of an outfit recognized as being a
working ranch; one they could be proud to ride for. In effect, a
family they could became a part of.
That evening
everyone knew there was something different going on. Only a
handful of the men knew some kind of break through between Waddie and
Zane took place. Zane was by Waddie’s side all evening.
Mutt knew without a doubt what happened, so did Beryl, Dan, Jeb, and
Big Jim. Harley was no dummy either. They weren’t talking
much but they still had a noticeable glow about them. Waddie
didn’t take his arm from around Zane all evening and Zane set as near
his hero as he could. Dan Yates leaned over to Waddie. “You
wanna' use the back bedroom of the coach tonight, Son, so’s you two
won’t be bothered if we come in later?”
“That would be
mighty nice of you, Boss. Don’t wanna' take yore' bed away from
you but this is kind of an important evening for us,” Waddie replied.
“You both
deserve it, cowboy, you won the rodeo. Now, we’s all hope’n
you’re gonna’ win another one tonight,” Dad said and laughed.
“Don’t think
ya’ll have to worry none to much about that, Dan. We shore' 'nuff
appreciate your generosity,” Waddie thanked him.
Waddie and Zane
left earlier than the rest amid whistles and cat calls. The
entire bar stood up and applauded for them as the winning team at the
rodeo that day. It was like a dream walking back to the rodeo
grounds in the warm summer night. Zane didn’t say anything.
He wanted Waddie to take the lead. He wasn’t disappointed.
“Dan told me for us to take the back bedroom in his coach," Waddie said.
“He’s a good
man, Master Waddie, I love him a lot,” Zane replied.
“So do I, Son,”
Waddie agreed.
They got back to
the motor coach and let themselves in. They went to the back
bedroom and Waddie allowed Zane to be his slave for the evening.
Zane took his time and obviously enjoyed undressing his master for the
evening. He didn’t hesitate to pay homage to Waddie’s
dusty, dirty boots and cleaned them well. Waddie watched Zane
undress and had to catch his breath when the young man turned to
him. He was perfect in every respect. Waddie pulled
Zane to him and kissed him. His dick got roaring hard and Zane
laughed at him. “You weren’t lying to me,” Zane laughed, “give me
a minute to clean myself, and I’ll try to do my best to offer you some
comfort, Master,” Zane said.
Waddie smiled
but didn’t comment. He lay there having another drink Zane fixed
him and watched the local evening news on the TV. He
watched Zane and himself make their prize winning catch earlier in the
day. Waddie mused to himself and wondered if Zane was the other
love God sent him to spend the rest of his life with. It didn’t
take him long to figure out Zane was, indeed, that person. Waddie
had a hard time, because it was as a result of Bart’s death he and Zane
were together, but he loved Bart with all his heart and never coveted
his partner. If anything, he ran the other way until finally
there was nowhere to run. He knew Zane couldn't find a master and
Waddie wanted him with all his heart. Zane needed Waddie and the
big cowboy needed Zane. It somehow just seemed meet and right for
them so to do.
The cowboys made
love that night and Zane made sure every opening on his body fit the
big cowboy so Waddie could make his decision whether he would make a
claim for his roping partner. Fortunately, for Zane, every part
of his body fit the cowboy like a comfortable pair of old boots.
They made love all through the night and fell asleep with Waddie way up
inside his partner. The next day, it was never discussed between
them, they just knew. So did everyone else. There was much
laughter and gentle kidding at the breakfast table the next
morning. Waddie and his new slave didn’t care, they were very
much in love. Waddie made a claim for his new slave through
Master Jeb and Big Jim that day. After that night in Prescott the
two men never spent a night apart in thirty years. They always
had something to talk about and Zane made sure Waddie never crawled
back to the bottom of his closet again.
End Chapter 6 ~
Harley & Mutt
Copyright ©
2003 ~ 2011 ~ Waddie Greywolf
All rights
reserved
Mail to:
waddiebear@yahoo.com
Proofed:
04/11/2011
WC 10439