Gibb River Road

by Damian Maher

  William couldn’t stand on his feet anymore and leaned against the table. Jacob was kissing him on the neck tenderly and soft as a breeze but with the power of a hurricane. William then felt Jacob’s strong hands squeezing him against his masculine chest. It felt unreal. Ever since they’d met, Jacob had seemed to him like a monument —unreachable and fascinating.

  “You don’t know how much you mean to me. You just don’t know,” Jacob whispered, his body trembling.

  “So it’s not just because there are healthy minerals in the water?” William whispered, kissing him.

  “It’s because of my heart. Can you feel how it beats for you?” Jacob said, taking William’s arm and putting it on his chest.

  Instead of answering, William kissed him on his lips. He clung to Jacob tenderly but couldn’t restrain himself.

  Swept away by their passion for each other, they lost the power to resist. William tore Jacob’s shirt like a hungry crocodile that had gotten to his food after an eternity of hunger. With one hand he then pulled it from Jacob’s body and started to caress him, squeezing him close.

  Jacob pulled William’s shirt over his head. Finally they stood naked in front of each other in the moonlit cabin, each putting a condom on the other’s cock. He has the kind of cock that I like the most. Big and hard, with a huge head and a lot of skin, William noticed.

  “I always wanted to cup your ass with my hands and—oh, God!” Jacob whispered behind William’s ear, finally getting a taste of it.

  “I always wanted to kneel in front of you and—” William admitted.

  “Show me!” Jacob said.

  William took Jacob’s huge cock into his hand and began licking and kissing his balls and the spot beneath them. Jacob moaned and writhed as William finally grabbed him by his ass and began sucking his cock. At first he couldn’t stop, but then he desired something else.

  “Fuck me, Jacob! I want you to fuck me so hard and so long and so mercilessly that I won’t even know who I am,” William said as Jacob’s moaning was getting louder. “I’m overdue. That’s why I’m begging you.”

  “How do you want me to . . . ” Jacob said, somewhat bewildered.

  William lay on his back and wrapped his legs around Jacob’s hips. He chose not to feel the pain as he guided Jacob into him. The more he opened his legs, the deeper Jacob thrusted, with William’s hands on his butt to encourage him. Soon William moaned loudly, rocking his hips, trying to feel as much of Jacob as he could.

  “You feel so good,” Jacob said.

  “I want you deep. I want you so much,” William said.

  He then put Jacob’s hand on his cock, and Jacob began jerking him off.

  “Oh, God,” William moaned, rocking his hips even harder, fucking himself with Jacob’s cock. They fucked each other into ecstasy. William came, shooting hard. Jacob cried out, thrusting deep into William, filling the condom, desperately gasping for air in the hot cabin.

  “That was wonderful!” Jacob said after he opened the window and got some air.

  “God! I wanted you so much!” William whispered, his heart pounding and his head spinning. “Was I too rough?” Jacob asked, tenderly kissing William on his lips.

  “No! You took good care of me,” William said. There’s more where this came from, judging by the sparkles in his eyes.

  They snuggled up on William’s big bed.

  “Can I sleep with you now? The bed below is so . . . small,” Jacob said.

  “I’d like to watch the stars with you through the huge window in the roof. There are so many stars here!” William said.

  “Can’t watch the stars!” Jacob said. “I only have eyes for you.”

  William drew Jacob to himself, caressed him, held his hand, and kissed his eyebrows.

  “But you know what I like most?” Jacob asked.

  “What?” “ Smelling your hair and feeling it with both of my hands and kissing you at the same time,” Jacob said. “I want you to be mine. I almost died from horniness and jealousy at the hot springs in Katherine.”

  “Let’s forget about that!” William said. I’ll have to get used to the clouds of guilt raining hail on me. Serves me

  right! “I’m so sorry. I was hurt and—”

  “—I pushed you into it. Let’s not waste our time looking back. We’re not going that way,” Jacob said.

  As they finally gave in to their passion, it appeared to both of them that it was meant to be forever.

  *

  It was almost noon when they awoke to a beautiful day, both feeling excitement and anticipation.

  He looks so hot, still wet after his morning shower, wearing those damn shorts, Jacob thought to himself as he sipped his coffee, a gleam in his eyes.

  “We didn’t get much sleep last night, did we?” William said.

  “No, not until the first light of day,” Jacob said. “So our wakeup coffee goes with lunch!” “That’s what you get for messing with a naughty boy!” William said, winking.

  “Oh, you were naughty! Definitely!” Jacob said.

  “ It’s your fault! Everything you do . . . the way you look . . . you just make me crazy,” William said. “Come to the cabin for a moment,” Jacob asked William, taking his hand.

  “What?” William wondered, as they were in the cabin. He put his arms on Jacob’s shoulders and looked at him affectionately.

  Jacob hugged him and whispered in his ear, “Nothing. I just need to feel you. I can’t believe this is real.”

  William started kissing Jacob on his neck, passionately snuggling into him, trying to feel every inch of his body. It felt as if they could stay that way forever—until the boiling spaghetti started to dance on the gas cooker outside.

  After lunch they explored the creek and gorge further, floating down the pools, climbing the small falls, and stretching out in the shallow rapids. They were both very interested in the wildlife, and they observed nests of green ants, which the ants build on the branches by sticking long leaves together to create a sort of globular home.

  “Green ants don’t have good vision and circumnavigate their surroundings by scent. What is interesting is that there are sneaky spiders that do not look like green ants but instead chemically mimic them. The ants think the spider is just another ant and ignore its presence within the nest. In the meantime the spider feasts on their larvae,” William said .

  “On the subject of deceitful spiders . . . how do you feel about Marlon now?” Jacob asked.

  “I don’t hurt anymore. Mostly I’m now angry at myself for giving so much to a person who obviously didn’t deserve it,” William said.

  “It’s a lesson you needed to learn,” Jacob said.

  Along the creek they discovered some great views: magnificent red rocks; clean, greenish water; and fascinating plants. They swam and lazed in the shade on the rocks, listening to nature. While they were secretly hugging and kissing, Jacob spotted a huge water monitor sunning itself on a rock just near them and watching their every move.

  On their way back they came across the bluetongued lizard for the second time. This time they were able to observe him closely. He obviously felt threatened and opened his mouth wide, exposing his bright-blue tongue and mouth.

  “I love sharing this with you!” William said, looking into Jacob’s eyes.

  Enraptured, they finally decided to use what was left of the day to drive toward Derby. The seemingly endless road led them farther through the Australian wilderness and, apart from the huge road trains, they didn’t encounter other vehicles.

  Corrugations! Corrugations! Corrugations! they were singing together in a cheerful mood.

  “It’s almost surreal: we are together, in the wilderness, uncoupled from every shore, left to ourselves to create a new island,” Jacob said. “But after this trip, this island will have to live in the sea of reality.”

  “We won’t let it be swept away!” William said, taking Jacob’s hand.

  Corrugations
! Corrugations! Corrugations! they started to sing again, inebriated by their happiness on the bone-shaking road, trusting the future.

  As their day had started late, the shadows soon grew longer and longer, indicating the impending sunset. They decided to grab a quick bite. As they were putting their chairs in the shadow of a high eucalyptus tree just by the road, a large, tumultuous flock of red-tailed black cockatoos started crying raucously up in the high treetops. Jacob found some big black cockatoo feathers and started to gather them while William was inside preparing food.

  He thinks he’s gay? I’ll show him what gay is! From the glove box Jacob took adhesive tape. He cut a piece long enough to fit around his head and neatly glued the feathers onto it, one after another. Then he put another piece of tape over it, and, joining both ends, he made a crown of feathers. He then made another crown and went into the cabin of the camper to put on some techno music.

  “What’s that?” William asked as he brought tea and sandwiches out of the rear cabin.

  “Let’s dance our butts off!” Jacob said. “Take this hugely mega-hyper-faggot crown and put it on. See if it fits you!”

  Jacob put on his own crown. He then started dancing in the soft, red sand. As he moved, a red cloud started to appear, and the wind was spreading dust all around. William enthusiastically joined him, and soon they were in a trance, performing a ritualistic dance.

  “Fuck!” William screamed, grinning. “Yeah!”

  “Fucking yeah!” Jacob shouted as loud as he could.

  “Yeah!” William screamed.

  They danced to the beat, screaming their souls free, with mega-faggot crowns on their heads, scaring off the cockatoos.

  “Damn!” William shouted as he stumbled and fell onto the soft red sand. A cloud of red sand, pierced by the last sunbeams, surrounded him like a disco aura.

  “That’s my dancing faggot, with cockatoo feathers on his head, rolling in the red sand!” Jacob started to laugh.

  “What’s to laugh about here? I’ll show you!” William playfully threw a fistful of red sand at Jacob.

  “Is that what you want?” Jacob asked, throwing his crown high into the air. “This means war!”

  “War it is!” William said. He also threw his crown high toward the sky.

  They started to throw the red sand at each other and into the air, walking in a circle, dancing like lunatics, and soon they didn’t know whether they were coughing or laughing more.

  Exhausted, they finally embraced and lay on the red sand, their eyes meeting.

  “Do I have to say it?” Jacob asked, holding William by his shoulder.

  “No.” William said. “I know.”

  “Good!” Jacob said.

  They nestled up against each other, each feeling the other’s beating heart and the heat of his body. The energy of their dance and music transferred to the remaining cockatoos. They suddenly had so much to do, so much to say, as they looked curiously at what was happening below them.

  It was almost dark when they continued driving toward Derby after a shower. They were quiet, but each had a smile on his face. Jacob was driving, and William put a hand on his leg. It’s pleasant with William, even when we don’t talk, Jacob thought. Even the frightening darkness of the unknown wilderness couldn’t diminish the special lightness in the air.

  “So many stars! There’s not a cloud in the sky!” William said.

  After they drove for another hour, they found a place to sleep under a baobab tree somewhere before Derby. In that magical night, nothing but the truth between them mattered. They had both had their share of rainy seasons. But, just like in the Outback, those seemed to be behind them, and the floods in their lives were drying out. As Jacob was looking at the stars, and William was sleeping on his chest, he actually become aware that a second chance for happiness was possible for him. In fact, it’s here already, he thought as he drifted into a deep sleep.

  *

  Each morning they woke up to seemed more and more beautiful. The redness of the land became a part of them. When they had first arrived in Australia, they were only able to notice big, obvious things, such as trees, kangaroos, or the landscape—and all the roadkill. They had wondered whether that many dead animals on the road indicated an abundance of wildlife. In fact, the more time they spent in the Outback, the more detailed their perceptions became. They counted the different ant species they’d come upon; they’d observed that there were many different species of kangaroos; they’d marveled at how many different flowers they were able to see in the unfriendly wilderness; and they’d distinguished many variations of the Australian red soil, from glowing red to orange to gray and brownish red.

  “Stop the car!” William screamed as they were driving toward Derby. “A herd of wild donkeys!”

  “Yeah, it looks like an idyllic picture from the Bible. Even from afar you can see that they’re happy . . . the way they move playfully . . . and the sounds they make . . .” Jacob said, enraptured by the scene. “Here’s a kiss for you, my wild donkey named Yesbut!”

  “ Let’s consciously decide that we will live free, like these donkeys. Let’s never settle for the safety of the fence!” William said.

  “Do you know what my favorite quote is ever? It’s by Hermann Hesse. In Demian he wrote: ‘I wanted only to live in accord with the promptings which came from my true self. Why was that so very difficult?’”

  “That says it all,” William said.

  “I’m out from behind the fence. I’m not the prisoner of fear and desperation anymore,” Jacob said. “And it’s all because you have helped me. Without you . . .”

  “You helped me, too. We were meant to travel together through the wilderness, each fighting his own personal crocodiles and snakes and spiders and irukandjis. Funny . . . we found safety in one of the most dangerous places,” William said.

  When they approached Derby, it was almost noon. First they decided to visit the Boab Prison Tree south of Derby. It’s 1,500 years old and is very rare because, unlike other boab trees, the inside of this particular tree is hollow, with a naturally formed opening or doorway leading into its center.

  In the small town they quickly discovered that there was not so much to see, apart from some historical buildings, such as Derby Cathedral. After a short stop in the city center and a quick drive-around sightseeing, they decided to take a break in the first nice parking area.

  “Where should we go next?” William asked. “Middle Lagoon! Roberta said it was the most magical and the most beautiful place. And it’s supposed to be reasonably safe to swim in the lagoon,” Jacob said.

  “Middle Lagoon it is, then,” William agreed. “This sounds like a splendid gift for my birthday!”

  “Oh, is it your birthday?” Jacob asked as if his mind were on something else.

  “It’s tomorrow,” William said.

  Riing, riing, riing— at the sound of William’s phone, Jacob raised an eyebrow. Not this Marlon creature again? he was thinking.

  William picked up the phone and stepped away from Jacob.

  “Hi! I didn’t expect you to call me,” Jacob heard William saying. He didn’t want to appear curious, but he tried hard to hear what William was saying. “Oh? I can’t believe that. Yes . . . sure . . . we’re at the parking lot just near . . . let me see . . . it’s at the intersection of Johnson Street and Loch Street. Loch Street. The baobab-lined road. Okay. See you in five minutes.”

  “Alex is here. He’s coming to see us,” William said, returning to Jacob.

  “You mean to see you !” Jacob said uneasily.

  “Well . . . yes . . .” William said.

  “How did he find us?” Jacob asked.

  “ He sent me a message earlier saying hi and asked me where we were. I told him we were in Derby. Then he called and said that he is also in Derby. And he’s on his way to meet us here now,” William said.

  What is that? Is he still around? Is he following us? All kinds of thought
s were going through Jacob’s mind.

  They were quiet for some moments, and then they noticed Alex’s beat-up, dusty car approaching along the baobab alley. Alex parked his car next to theirs.

  “Hi,” he said as he stepped out of the car. He offered his hand to Jacob first, obviously very intimidated by his presence.

  “Hi,” Jacob said, shaking Alex’s a hand. He didn’t know what else to say. He took a knife from his pocket and started to sharpen a branch he’d already broken off a tree.

  “I know you don’t exactly like me, but . . .” Alex said, trying to mend the situation.

  Jacob didn’t say anything. He wanted to, but he just couldn’t. He went behind the car.

  William followed him.

  “Don’t you know how much I love you?” William said quietly.

  Jacob looked down at first, but then he nodded.

  “So let me talk to Alex for the last time. He is in distress. He fell in love with me, and now he came to see me. Can’t you understand that?” William asked.

  “ I do understand that. But I don’t like him near you,” Jacob said.

  “He is hurting, and you know how that feels,” William said, hugging Jacob.

  “Okay. Go talk to him,” Jacob agreed.

  “So?” William said, as he and Alex walked away to the baobab shadow.

  “I’m not here to harass you or anything. I just had to see you one more time,” Alex said.

  “I’ve been thinking about you. I hope so much that you’ll find someone,” William said.

  “You know that that someone is you. But I realize that you love Jacob. I just needed closure,” Alex said, sadness in his eyes.

  “I understand that,” William said. “The last farewell wasn’t enough to say goodbye forever.”

  “Exactly! So two days ago I took a holiday. I drove fast from Katherine toward Derby, at first hoping to spot you on the way. Then I figured that you’d eventually turn up in Derby—in a phone signal area. I sent you a message and waited for you here. God! Look at me! I sound like a stalker!” Alex said, bowing his head.

  “No, you don’t,” William said, hugging him. “You’re a wonderful person. I’m certain you’ll soon be telling me that you’ve found someone.”