Someone to Bank on

by Carson Wescot

  “Max, I love this job. I want to keep coming back, but I do need next Saturday off. Ethan and I are going up to Vincennes to spend Thanksgiving and the weekend with our folks. But I’ll see you again in two weeks, okay?”

  “Sure thing. Here’s your money. You can come back any time you want to, even if it’s not a Saturday. I’ll certainly be here, and my brothers and Grant could always use a break.”

  “Cool, man. I’ll give you a call when I get back. Happy Thanksgiving.”

  “You, too, Eric. I’m sure glad you answered my ad.”

  “Me, too.

  Eric unlocked both doors and followed Max out into the living room. Thankfully, no one else was at home at the moment. Max was afraid his satisfaction with the morning’s “activities” would have been written all over his face.

  “See ya!” Eric said with a smile.

  “Bye” Max answered, silently thanking Bobby for encouraging him to run that ad.

  Ironically, Kenny had left the house that morning in pursuit of his own sexual gratification, but his luck had run counter to that of his oldest brother. He’d never thought too much about looking for someone on Craigslist until Max had been successful at finding Eric, although their ostensible reasons for using Craigslist were not the same.

  Unbeknownst to anyone in his family, Kenny had answered a personals ad placed by someone he thought was close to his age. He should have known better, but he agreed to meet the man at his apartment in downtown Evansville. The man had clearly misrepresented himself and appeared to be at least twice his age and not at all attractive. Kenny didn’t stay more than five minutes and then excused himself without going into any explanation. The man, who of course thought Kenny was the hunkiest young man he’d ever seen, was plenty pissed and called him every name in the book. Kenny was just glad to get out of there unscathed, except for his embarrassment and disappointment. He vowed never again to answer a personals ad without meeting the other guy on neutral turf. He had learned a good lesson in a hard way.

  When Kenny got home, Max was still alone but knew that something was wrong.

  “Kenny, you look like you lost your last friend. What’s up?”

  Kenny hadn’t planned to tell anyone about what happened, but as soon as he discovered that he and Max were alone, he sat down in front of him and burst into tears.

  “Max, I did something really stupid.”

  Between sobs, Kenny spilled his gut about what happened, as Max held him.

  As embarrassing as it was to disclose, it was cathartic to Kenny to come clean to his big brother about his misadventure. Max didn’t preach but rather just listened and tried to be reassuring to his youngest brother that his “prince” would come someday soon if he just started looking in the right places.

  “Thanks, Max. I’m really glad you were here alone when I got home. You’re just what I needed. Can we keep this between us? I don’t want everyone in the family to know what I did.”

  “You have my word on that. However, I don’t think it would hurt for you to have a talk with Bobby about what you’re looking for. You don’t have to tell him about the guy this morning, but maybe a more general talk with him would help.”

  “I guess so, bro, but it happened so easily for him. One minute he was minding his own business and the next minute Grant called him – and look what happened!”

  “You could get just as lucky. You’re still young. I just hope that when you do find someone that you’ll use protection to keep yourself healthy. AIDS hasn’t gone away, you know, and it only takes one slip-up for you to be exposed to it. And AIDS isn’t the only STD around.”

  “I’ll remember that. Look what I took with me this morning,” Kenny said, pulling a couple of condoms out of his pocket.

  “Good for you, kid – you’re smarter than you look.”

  “Hey, you’d better stay on my good side if you want me to keep washing you. Speaking of that, how did your shower with Eric go this morning?”

  Max knew better than to make Kenny feel bad by telling him the whole story.

  “It was good. I like him a lot – he’s going to be a big help to me – and to you and Bobby.”

  “Did he really get naked with you?”

  “Yeah, he did.”

  “Soooo? Is he as hot naked as he is with his clothes on?”

  “I’m sure you’d think so, little bro.”

  “Well, if he ever needs someone else to shower with, let me know. I’m available!”

  “You keep your hand off of Eric, you little twerp. He’s mine.”

  “Oooh – sounds like my big brother has a crush on his shower mate!”

  “No, but it’s nice to have someone I’m not related to washing my balls for a change.”

  “Well, enjoy it, but if you ever get tired of him, let me know. I’ll be glad to keep him entertained.”

  “Yeah, you and every other gay man in Evansville.”

  “All six of them, you mean? Where the heck are they? I’m practically wearing out my right hand waiting to find one.”

  “You will, Kenny. You will.”

  Bobby got a very unexpected call on his cell phone later that day. The display showed that it was from Massachusetts.

  “Hey, Bobby, it’s Philip – how’re ya doin’?”

  “Great, Philip. How are things in Boston?”

  “Well, not too bad. I’m still sending out resumes, but I do have some temp work to keep me busy. I’m still living at home, but I wish I weren’t.”

  “Why not?”

  “Mom and Dad thought they’d be empty nesters by now, and their 23-year-old kid is still hanging around the house. They’d scheduled a vacation for two in Bermuda for Thanksgiving months ago, thinking I’d be on my own by now. That’s kinda why I’m calling, Bobby. I was wondering what you and Grant were doing for the holiday and if I might be able to come back to Nashville for a little visit.”

  “Gee, Philip, that would be great, but I guess you haven’t heard that Grant and I pulled up stakes there. We’re now living with my parents and my brothers back in Evansville. My dad had a heart attack requiring open heart surgery in September, and he needed us to come and help run his business for a while. We just gave up our apartment in Nashville a few weeks ago, and we’re going to look for work here.”

  “That’s quite a surprise. I had no idea.”

  “I’m sorry I haven’t been in touch with you, but it’s just been ‘balls to the wall’ here for the past two months. Things are just now starting to return to normal, whatever that is. But why don’t you come here for Thanksgiving? My family would love to have you. Mom is used to cooking for a whole houseful of men anyway, and there’s always room for one more. You might have to sleep on the couch, however. All the bedrooms are full. How about it?”

  “Are you sure? It sounds like you’ve already got a crowd. How many brothers did you say you have?”

  “Just two – Kenny and Max. Max is the one I told you about who’s in a wheelchair. He’s 25, and Kenny is 20. You met him at graduation. We’re all working for Dad right now, but things are in transition.”

  “I’m not even sure where Evansville is, to be honest.”

  “Oh, come on, you East Coast snob! Evansville is the third largest city in Indiana, and it’s the only big one down here in the southwest part of the state. It even has an airport, although I’m sure there are no direct flights from Boston. See what you can work out, and let us know when to pick you up. You can stay for the whole weekend, or even longer. It’d be great to see you again.”

  “Well, thanks, Bobby. I think I will. It would sure beat hanging around this big empty house, and all my old friends here seem to have moved away or gotten married or something. I still remember how you and Grant took me in that night in Nashville. You have no idea how good that made me feel.”

  “Great – see you in a few days!”

  “Hey, Mom – guess what? They’ll be one more for Thanksgiving dinner.”

  “Who’s that, dear
?”

  “Philip Spencer, my senior year roommate at Browland, from Boston. You met him at my graduation. He needs a place to spend the weekend because his parents are going to Bermuda. Hope you don’t mind.”

  “That would be lovely, honey. We’d be happy to have him. But where would he stay?”

  “I told him he could sleep on our living room couch – is that all right?”

  “That’s fine, Bobby. Any friend of yours is welcome here. But he’d have to share the downstairs bathroom with you boys.”

  “We’ll make it work, Mom. I’ve gotta go tell Grant about this.”

  CHAPTER 20

  Philip’s Delta flight to Evansville on the day before Thanksgiving had a connection in Detroit, where it was very cold – even colder than Boston. He shivered as he looked out the plane window at all the snow on the ground and hoped it would be warmer in Evansville. He touched down in Evansville on time at 7:56 p.m., and Bobby and Grant were there to meet him in baggage claim. He hugged both of them tightly.

  “Welcome to Indiana, Philip,” Bobby said.

  “Good to see you again, Philip,” Grant piped in.

  “It’s so great to see both of you again. It’s a good thing I didn’t fly to Nashville and try to surprise you, isn’t it?”

  “Yeah, the surprise would have been on you. Is this your first trip to Indiana?”

  “As far as I know, yes – unless I went through here on a car trip with my folks when I was a kid. I looked on a map to see where Evansville is. You’re right on the Ohio River, aren’t you?”

  “Yes, and this is just about as far south as you can get in the state. Are you hungry, buddy?”

  “No, I’m good. I had a long layover in Detroit and got something there.”

  “Well, I hope you saved room for dessert – Mom baked a chocolate cake.”

  “Cool. There’s always room for that!”

  Grant took the back seat of the car so Philip could see downtown Evansville en route to the family home on Archer Avenue. Philip was surprised at how big the city was.

  “What’s the population of Evansville, Bobby?”

  “About 120,000, but a lot more live in the surrounding area. It’s a great city actually, if you can put up with the heat and humidity in the summer and the cold in the winter.”

  “Sounds a lot like Boston in that regard.”

  “I suppose – I’ve never been there.”

  “Well, we should remedy that serious deficiency in your life sometime soon, Bobby – with Grant, of course. If you like American history, Boston is a must-see.”

  “Well, here we are at Chez Rushton,” Bobby said, pulling up in front of the family home. It was too dark to see much, but Philip thought it looked warm and inviting with its two stories, large illuminated windows, and wrap-around screened front porch.

  The whole Rushton family was there to greet the New England visitor.

  “Dad, Mom, Kenny, you remember Philip. Philip, this is my other brother Max.”

  “Good to see you again, Philip. We’re so glad you could join us for Thanksgiving,” Al said, shaking his hand firmly.

  “Handshakes are for men, Philip,” Barbara said, giving the young man a friendly hug.

  “Nice to meet you Philip,” Max added, shaking his hand.

  Philip then turned to Kenny for a handshake. He remembered him quite well from that brief encounter in Nashville last May. Kenny thought that their visitor was even better looking than he had remembered.

  “Kenny, you look just like Bobby when I first met him at Browland.”

  “Yeah, I’m his evil twin – only three years younger.” Everyone laughed.

  Ever the effervescent extrovert, Philip regaled Bobby’s family over a piece of the homemade dessert with embarrassing stories about Bobby in college – although, of course, not mentioning the one that would embarrass him the most.

  Bobby hadn’t said anything to his family about Philip being gay, but Kenny’s “gaydar” was going off big time as he watched and listened to this extremely good-looking young Bostonian talk about his brother. Philip was picking up some signals of his own from the young Bobby lookalike sitting across the room from him and tried not to stare too much.

  Before long, the folks were fading and excusing themselves to go upstairs.

  “Philip, I wish we could offer you a bedroom, but I’m afraid all we have is this couch. It pulls out into a fairly comfortable bed, and you can close the living room off with these French doors for a little privacy. I’ll get you some sheets and a blanket.”

  “That’ll be great, Mrs. Rushton.”

  “Oh, just call me Barbara. Bobby, you’ll have to explain the bathroom arrangements.”

  “Let me give you a little tour, Philip. There’s just the one bathroom on this level. You’ll have to walk through Grant’s and my bedroom to get to it, and we’ll leave our door slightly open for you. There’s a nightlight in the hallway and another one in the bathroom.

  “There’s another door on the other side of the bathroom, and it goes to Kenny and Max’s room. Lock it when you want some privacy, but don’t forget to unlock it when you leave so they can get in. Here are your towels. Did you bring a robe?”

  “Oh, I forgot to pack one. Is it okay if I come and go in my underwear?”

  “Well, that’s certainly more than you wore to bed when we were roommates, isn’t it?” Bobby teased. “Mom’s likely to be downstairs before you get up in the morning, so I’ll see if I can find you a spare robe to use. You can store your gear in our bedroom while you’re here.”

  “Thanks, Bobby. I’m pretty wiped. Would it be okay if I took a quick shower and hit the hay?”

  “Sure, go ahead. I’ll see if the others need to use the bathroom first.”

  Philip stripped to his briefs in Bobby and Grant’s bedroom and took over the bathroom when it became available. He took a relaxing shower, dried himself, used the toilet, and pulled on some clean briefs. Before he started brushing his teeth, he unlocked the door to Kenny and Max’s room, hoping that Kenny might appear dressed in similar fashion. His ploy worked as he had hoped, and Kenny took in the sight of the handsome, near-nude visitor. It was more than an unexpected visual treat.

  “Oh, sorry, Philip. I thought the coast was clear – the door wasn’t locked. I still need to brush my teeth. Just knock on the door when you’re done.”

  Seeing Kenny in just his underwear almost took Philip’s breath away – and brought back the pleasant memories of his old roommate Bobby when they first started sharing a dorm room. Their resemblance to each other was uncanny.

  “No, it’s okay, Kenny. There are two sinks here. Come on in.”

  “Well, thanks, if you don’t mind.”

  The two brushed their teeth simultaneously, using their peripheral vision and the large mirror over the basins to check each other out.

  When Kenny was finished, he turned and faced Philip’s inviting profile. His own equipment had plumped up a bit at the unexpected sight of Philip nearly naked, and he wanted to see if the same thing had happened to Philip. He was pleased to see that it had, and his heart beat rapidly as he tried to think of any excuse to prolong this little “meeting.”

  “Philip, if you don’t mind my saying so, you’re pretty well built. Do you work out?”

  “I’ve started to recently, since I have so much time on my hands now. I joined a health club in September. Does it show?” He struck a mock Charles Atlas pose, eliciting a broad smile and chuckle from Kenny.

  “Yeah, you look great. I mean your arms and chest. Your legs, too, for that matter.” Kenny knew he was fumbling for words and turned red.

  Both young men were eyeing each other openly now. With both bathroom doors closed, the room was filled with obvious sexual tension. Philip adjusted his underwear as he became noticeably erect.

  “Thanks, Kenny. You’re lookin’ in fine shape yourself.”

  “I have some weights down in the basement. We could work out together tomorrow if you
want to. That is, unless you’re busy or something.”

  “That sounds great, but I didn’t bring any workout clothes. I didn’t think I’d need them here.”

  “I can loan you some. I’ve got plenty – even a new jock I haven’t worn yet.”

  “Too bad…I like ’em broken in,” Philip said with a wink.

  Omigod, Kenny thought. He was practically beside himself with what was going on. Noticing the visitor’s apparent erection, he had a similar reaction.

  “Er, that could be arranged, too…if you like. Whatever. Just tell me when.”

  “How about in the afternoon – before dinner, so we can work up an…uh… appetite.”

  “Uh, sure. That works for me. Good night. Sleep tight.”

  “Good night, Kenny,” he said, looking the young hottie up and down one last time. Kenny’s throat was dry, and he noticed his pulse had about doubled. Back in his room, he took several deep breaths to calm himself but was too wound up to sleep for quite a while.

  “Who were you talking to in there, Philip? Was that Kenny?” Bobby inquired from under the sheets, where he and Grant had already gone for the night. Normally, they slept nude, but because of the need to leave their door open for Philip to use the bathroom, they had kept their underwear on.

  “Yes, it was Kenny. I forgot to lock the doors, and he thought I was done. We were just brushing our teeth together and chatting. He invited me to work out with him tomorrow in the basement. Would that be okay?”

  “Uh, sure, Philip. Looks like we’re just gonna hang around here most of the day, unless you want a tour of the city in the daylight. There won’t be much traffic on the holiday. I found you a spare robe there on the end of the bed.”

  “Thanks, Bobby,” he said, putting it on and tying it. “Good night, you two.”