The very next year lightning hit their house, and it burned to the ground as they stood by helplessly and watched. Fortunately, no one was injured, but it meant that they would be starting life over from scratch, helped only by a sizeable insurance policy and many community donations to the much-loved and respected Rushton family, who had sustained more tragedy in a few months than most citizens of Tell City ever would.
They lived temporarily with Barbara’s sister and her family in Cannelton, a nearby town, before deciding to look for a new home in Evansville, where Max could get top-notch medical care and rehabilitation and Al could start a new electrical business in a much larger market. They hated to leave their Tell City roots, but opportunities were much better for them in Evansville.
They still returned to their hometown on occasion, but less and less often as the years went by. Bobby hadn’t been there since his high school days, and he was curious to see if and how Tell City had changed over the years. He thought it would be interesting for Grant and for Philip to see where he grew up, so that’s why the boys decided to take a drive over there on the Friday after Thanksgiving.
The first place they went was the site of their former home on Washington Street, which now was an empty lot. The neighbors had bought the property after the fire that destroyed the Rushton house and turned it into a large community flower and vegetable garden, which of course at this time of year was brown and barren.
Bobby pointed out the park where he and his brothers used to play, the school they went to, the church they attended with their mother, and the homes of some of his boyhood friends. They also went down by the riverside to see the mighty Ohio River floating by. From this vantage point they could see dark clouds, which soon started spitting freezing rain – a rarity in this part of the state in November.
“Bobby, maybe we’d better head home,” Grant said, looking a little worried.
“Not yet – I wanted to take us to a little lunch place we used to go to. We’ll be fine.”
Despite Grant’s prescient misgivings, they drove to the lunch spot and got a booth near the back. The place looked like it hadn’t changed in decades. It was filled with calendars from local businesses, sports schedules for the Tell City High School Marksmen, photos of local dignitaries, and a yellowed framed page from the local newspaper about an airliner crash that occurred in the area in 1960. Bobby had to comment on everything because it all brought back memories. He also ran into an old friend that he wanted the rest to meet, and they talked over the halcyon days of their youth in Tell City, which wasn’t really so long ago.
By the time they finished lunch and looked out, snow had started accumulating on the streets and sidewalks. On top of the freezing rain, it had turned the city into one large skating rink, and cars were finding it difficult to maneuver.
Despite Bobby’s optimism about getting home safely, it quickly became apparent that it would have been suicide to even try it. They made it as far as Troy, five miles northwest, before deciding to turn back and look for a motel in Tell City. By then, many cars were already in the ditch from the icy conditions, and sand trucks were out in force.
The first two motels they passed already showed “No Vacancy” signs, even though it was only 3 p.m., and they were getting quite worried. But at the Days Inn they got lucky and found two rooms available – one with a king-size bed and the other with a queen. Bobby had thought about getting one room with two beds to save money, but Grant talked him out of it. Kenny and Philip were secretly more than pleased that they would have their own room for the night. They called their now-worried parents with the news that they were safe but couldn’t return to Evansville until the roads were safe to drive on again.
Not having any toiletries or even a change of underwear was a bit of a problem, but they would manage. Toothbrushes and toothpaste were available in vending machines, and the motel’s restaurant/bar was still open for business. They found a deck of cards in the glove compartment of the car and got a table in the bar where they could wile away a few hours over cards, snacks, and drinks. Being a few months shy of his 21st birthday, Kenny had to settle for soft drinks, which didn’t please him at all, but he was just glad to be with the others, especially Philip. Bobby was glad that he had brought a credit card with him to cover it all, despite the fact that he and Grant – without full-time jobs of their own – were having to watch their pennies.
The boys watched the progress of the storm on the bar TV. It had largely abated by that evening, but the overnight temperatures would keep the highways ice-covered until at least tomorrow. The storm had materialized in southern Illinois and had barreled its way up the Ohio River valley quickly, leaving an unexpected but perilous coat of ice and snow over a wide area.
In deference to Kenny not being of legal age – and also because of their limited funds – the three older boys kept their alcohol consumption to a minimum. They were teaching Philip to play some games that he wasn’t familiar with. If they’d been playing for money, his clock would have been cleaned by 9 p.m. for certain, since he wasn’t much of a card player to begin with.
At 10, Bobby finally declared bedtime and suggested they draw straws to see who would sleep with whom. Of course he was kidding, but Kenny and Philip looked at each other in near excited panic, since all they could think about was picking up where they had left off the night before.
“Just pulling your leg, guys. No one gets to sleep with Grant but me. You two will just have to settle for each other,” he added, winking at Kenny and Philip. “Besides, you already had a little warm-up act last night in the living room, didn’t you?”
Kenny and Philip tried to look innocent, but their guilt was written all over their sheepish faces. Bobby and Grant broke out in gales of laughter.
“How the heck did you know about that?” Kenny finally asked his brother.
“I see all and I know all, little bro. You’d be surprised what I can see going by with the door partly open. Grant and I have been keeping it open so Philip can come in and use the bathroom without waking anyone.”
“You knew all this time, and you’re just now saying so? I thought you’d be pissed if you found out,” Kenny said.
“Concerned, maybe, but not pissed. I knew you two had the hots for each other. Just don’t do anything foolish, like forget your condoms or fall in love with each other. Philip lives in Boston, you know. And AIDS hasn’t exactly disappeared.”
“We’ll be good, big bro. Philip is teaching me a thing or two.”
“Well, Philip is good at that. In case you didn’t know, he taught me a trick or two also, when we were roommates last year.”
“He did?” Kenny looked at Philip and then back at his brother, disbelievingly.
“Well, you can see for yourself how cute and charming he is,” Bobby said coyly. “And when he wanted to get real friendly at Browland, I could hardly say no to him.”
Bobby was known to have loose lips after a couple of drinks, so Grant put his hand on his knee, suggesting that maybe he’d said enough. Philip squirmed in his seat and tried to avoid eye contact with the others.
“How very interesting, Bobby. Is it over now?” Kenny inquired, rather curtly.
“It’s been over since graduation, bro. We went our separate ways, and then I met Grant and the rest is history. The only reason I’m not angry is that I think you and Philip are both great guys and deserve a little fun. But I don’t want you to get hurt when he goes home, Kenny. I mean that, and I’ve already told Philip.”
“What? Just when did you have that discussion?” Kenny asked, now feeling a little betrayed.
“Yesterday afternoon before dinner. Even a blind man could tell that you two had goo-goo eyes for each other, and I made Philip promise not to make any more moves on you unless it was your idea, Kenny. He already admitted he’d made a pass at you during your little workout session in the basement.”
“Well, this is certainly all very interesting. I had no idea my sex life was the subjec
t of so much speculation and discussion. I’m 20 years old, Bobby, and I can make my own decisions about who I fuck around with, thank you very much.”
Grant had been silent throughout this exchange, but he felt the need to jump in before things got any more heated. He’d never heard any of the Rushton brothers raise his voice to another.
“Kenny, the only reason Bobby sat down with Philip before dinner yesterday is that he loves you more than you can even imagine. Or maybe you can imagine, because you two – as well as Max – are the closest, most loving brothers I’ve ever met. He knew that Philip was older and more experienced than you are, and he just wanted Philip to realize that. Philip would be a pretty easy guy to fall for, you know.”
He smiled at Philip, who smiled back with a surprised look on his face. Grant continued.
“Bobby and he still have a very tight bond, though no longer sexual, and I’ve come to love Philip in my own way as well. Bobby was afraid, and rightfully so, I think, that you could get your heart broken when Philip leaves on Sunday, and none of us wants that to happen. What you initiate with Philip is absolutely your own business, and Bobby and I will stay out of it now – won’t we, love? – but just keep in mind that we both want what’s best for you and what will build your confidence. We know that coming out isn’t easy.”
“I appreciate that, Grant, but it’s kind of embarrassing to know that you guys have all been talking about this behind my back. I guess it’s all out in the open now – unless there’s more to this than you’ve told me.”
“No, that’s the whole story, Kenny,” his brother assured him. “Now we can all go back to our respective rooms and do what comes naturally – or unnaturally, as some would have us believe!”
Kenny was starting to cool down, but he was still red-faced at this very frank discussion. He might have said something else, but he was distracted by the motel manager approaching their table.
“I’m sorry to interrupt, gentlemen, but I have a desperate situation on my hands – and a request to make of you. Which one of you is Bobby Rushton?”
Bobby held up his hand.
“Mr. Rushton, you registered for two rooms with us at $90 each. We have a very distraught older couple in the lobby who has absolutely nowhere to spend the night in this storm. We’ve already allowed a few people to sleep in the lobby and have turned away several potential guests, but this particular couple is in their 80’s and in fragile health. If you gentlemen would consider giving up one of your rooms for this couple, I’ll only charge you $60 for your room tonight and pick up your bar tab as well. You would be doing a great service to a very needy couple. Would that be possible?”
The boys all looked at each other. Kenny and Philip were extremely disappointed to give up their privacy, but they nodded their assent.
“Yes, sir, we’ll do it if we can keep the room with the king bed so we all have something to sleep on,” Bobby said.
“Oh, thank you so very much. It would just kill me to turn this couple away and risk having them freeze to death in their car. If you would be so kind as to vacate the smaller room now, they are very much in need of shelter and rest right away.”
“Well, we’ll just give you the key right now since we have no belongings and haven’t even gone in there. We weren’t expecting to spend the night on the road.”
“Neither were most of our guests tonight. The roads are quite hazardous. I sincerely thank you for your understanding.”
After buying some toothbrushes and toothpaste from the vending machine, the boys made their way to the room with the king-size bed.
“Tell you what, guys,” Bobby said, starting to strip down. “Let Grant and me take a quick shower together, and then you two can take the longest one you want together while we go to bed. Grant, take your clothes off. You and Philip can sleep on the outsides of the bed, and Kenny and I will sleep in the middle. That’ll keep the hanky-pank to a minimum.”
He smiled, and pretty soon Bobby and Grant were making their way naked to the bathroom. Everyone had already seen all the others undressed, so Kenny and Philip stripped off as well and cuddled on the bed while the other two were in the shower. Of course, this led to immediate erections, but they decided not to worry about it.
Kenny was lying on his back being stroked by Philip, who was on his side, as the first two shower partners returned to the room looking a little more aroused than they had been on the way in.
“Whoa, you two! I’d say ‘Get a room,’ but I guess that would be black humor under the circumstances,” Bobby quipped.
“I think we should all save our underwear by sleeping naked,” Grant suggested. “We’re going to have to wear the same undies all day tomorrow, after all -- unless we change with each other,” he added with a grin.
“Oh, if we have to,” Philip said with a grin. He was already hard from stroking Kenny, so they both put on a bit of show as they got up off the bed for their turn in the shower.
“Don’t do anything in there that we wouldn’t do, boys,” Grant wisecracked.
“Yeah, and what would that be?” Kenny responded. “You’d better hope you left some hot water for us.”
Bobby and Grant took advantage of the opportunity to do a little of their own “play” while they had the room and the bed to themselves for a few minutes – probably longer than a few, they surmised.
Kenny and Philip stepped into the warm shower stall and enjoyed shampooing and soaping each other up, being sure to do a very “thorough” job of it. As much as they missed having their own room, they had to admit that playing in the shower together was not without its merits. They did as Bobby had suggested and took their time.
Kenny was the aggressor this time and pinned Philip’s arms over his head while he licked his body with passionate kisses. He lapped at Philip’s hard nipples and his freshly washed armpits, which still held a manly scent that drove Kenny wild. Philip continued to lean against the shower wall while Kenny dropped to his knees and took Philip’s rigid pole into his mouth, sucking for all he was worth. He was rewarded with several spurts of Bostonian love juice as Philip tried not to moan too loudly.
When he had recovered, Philip repeated on Kenny’s nubile body everything that had just been done to him, eliciting the very same tasty results. By then the hot water was turning tepid, so the boys got out and dried each other tenderly, enjoying a few more kisses in the process. It wasn’t like having their own room, but they agreed it was more than “quite okay.”
They brushed their teeth, turned off the lights, and made their way to their half of the king-size bed.
Grant was already soundly asleep, but Bobby whispered, “Did you two get good and clean in there? Took you long enough.”
“Cleaned out is more like it,” Kenny whispered back. He gave his brother a hug and a kiss on the cheek.
“No hard feelings, Kenny?”
“None, Bobby. Thanks for your concern for me. Sorry I got a little testy with you.”
“I understand, Kenny. I would have felt the same way if the tables had been turned. I think there’s a cute man on the other side of you wanting some more cuddle time. Good night. I love you, bro.”
“I love you, too. Good night.”
The brothers gave each other a pat on the butt and turned to cuddle with their primary bedmates. A day that could have turned disastrous had turned out pretty well in the end, and all four slept like logs while the cold early winter winds swirled around their safe haven.
CHAPTER 23
Barbara, Al, and Max had all kept a wary eye on the sky shortly after the boys left for Tell City. They hadn’t been gone for more than an hour when the sun disappeared under layers of ominous clouds. Turning on the TV news, they learned of the approaching storm but assumed that the boys would beat a hasty retreat to Evansville when they became aware of it.
By the time Bobby called her shortly after 3, Barbara was beside herself with worry. She was relieved to hear that they had found shelter for the night off the sli
ppery roads and told them not to try to come home until it was safe.
Not having his brothers and Grant around became a problem for Max, who relied on them to get him in and out of bed. At least with the bars on either side of the toilet he could manage there by himself, but it wasn’t easy, and his dad was in no shape to help him, being under strict orders not to do any heavy lifting yet. Fortunately, their next-door neighbor Pete was available to fill in, although he wasn’t really in shape like Max’s brothers and Grant.
The “population” of the Rushton home had suddenly shrunk by more than half, and with the storm going on outside it was downright eerie. Except for the sound of sleet hitting on the windows on the west side of the house for hours, it seemed strangely quiet with just three around the dinner table and watching TV together later.
When Grant woke the following morning, he looked up and saw Philip peering out between the blinds over the window, presumable to see what the weather was like. He got up and joined him, making the young man jump with surprise when he felt Grant’s arm around his bare shoulder.
“What’s it lookin’ like out there, buddy?” he whispered, not wanting to wake the others.
“Looks much better. The sun is out, so that should help melt the ice on the roads.”
“I see things are looking ‘up’ in here, too, kiddo,” Grant said with a smile, looking down at their morning wood.
Philip took a look and had to agree, with a broad smile. He thought Grant was pretty hot for an “old man” of 32 and was envious of the hunk that his former roommate had landed. But he had no complaints – the young hottie that he’d cuddled with all night was all he needed to satisfy his yearnings – for now at least. He didn’t want to think about leaving him in only a little more than 24 hours. There was no one to go back to in Boston except the faceless “wonders” he reluctantly gravitated to in the bars there – and then always regretted it the next day.
Someone to Bank on Page 21