A Lesson Learned

Gus was a good man and very affable but lonely without anyone to share his life.

Outwardly he appeared to be happy, mostly because he sampled the moonshine he made (best in four counties according to his customers). Schooled no further than the sixth grade, life had been his teacher and he survived nicely, just without anyone close to him that he could get comfort from. He had been unwilling to take the risk to love someone for fear that he would get his heart broken.

He was about to get a lesson in what love and sharing with another person was like when one day a stranger dressed in a suit, tie, and all the trappings of one of them revenuer fellas came to visit. Gus greeted him with two buckshot loaded barrels of a shotgun intending to run him off his property for snooping around but Gus was won over by the stranger’s friendly enough manner and the two got along well so eventually Gus invited him for dinner instead. The two men sat drinking Gus’ corn squeezings for a good part of the evening until Gus fell into a deep stupor.

Warmth on his face and the sound of waves gently breaking on the shore greeted him when he awoke in the morning. The waves lulled him back into a drowsy sleep until suddenly his mind snapped to attention. How in tarnation are there waves? I don’t live by any ocean. He bolted upright in the bed. He could only gape in awe at the beautiful but unfamiliar room with its floor to ceiling glass doors that opened onto a deck with a panoramic view of the ocean. How did I get here? This ain’t my shack or my bed. This is the room of some wealthy city slicker. I best be gettin’ on outta here fer the feller gets home. He flung the coverings off and swung his legs over the edge of the bed as he stood, finding himself buck naked and pushing hair out of his eyes without even realizing it. Sure do look a mighty long way down to the floor and… where did my belly go? I can still see my feet! Ceptin’ they don’t look nothin’ like my feet. And I ain’t got no hair anywhere on my body! Sure as shootin’ that ain’t my willy neither! Feels so good but what happened to me?

Confused and embarrassed at being naked, he started looking around for something to cover himself when he spotted a partially open door near the bed. Maybe I kin find me somethin’ to wear in there.

Well golly! This here place got itself indoor plummin’! And the lights come on by theirselves. Startled, he found himself face to face with another naked man. Bejeezes I’m starin’ into one of them fancy lookin’ glasses. That’s me! Shur as shootin’ I don’t look like me no more though. I’m a sexy young stud, one of them pretty boys with tanned skinned and blonde hair I heared tell about. I actually got me some hair now! And look at them muscles. No more gut for me. I got me some abs! He found himself a pair of swimming shorts that he quickly put on and turned back to the mirror, turning every which way to get a good look at the stranger he had become while feeling his hard muscles. I don’t know how this all happened but I ain’t gonna look a gift horse in the mouth. As long as no one else is here I might as well enjoy myself. He headed out to the deck, his muscles rippling as he made his way outside.

“It’s about time you got up Chad.” He quickly spun around at the sound of the unexpected voice. Where’d that good lookin’ young buck come from? Holy sheit! Why is my willy starting to get all hot and bothered? I ain’t one of them fairy boys. It just ain’t natural for a man to have a man that way. But as much as his mind protested about getting excited by another man, his body decided it was time for a little morning “would” and there was nothing he could do about it. To his utmost horror, not to mention the discomfort in his loins, he was lusting after some kid who only wore an open vest that revealed a sculpted torso, tight pants, and a “come hither” look in his eyes. He couldn’t take the sudden onslaught of feelings and rushed back into the house, completely ignoring the kid.

“What’d I do Chad? Did I say something wrong?” The obviously hurt and confused kid just stood there looking puzzled, thankfully not following him in. He ran into the bathroom and splashed cold water on himself, hoping he could calm down but that didn’t work. After a mighty big helpin’ of self-pleasurin’ he was able to git himself under control, at least for the time bein’. He went into the bedroom where he saw a picture of him and the kid in a deep embrace hanging on one of the walls. He took the picture from the frame, finding writing on the back: Chad and Jeremy – Our First Meeting 2013. Sure enough he looked like this Chad fella and the kid was Jeremy.

He wasn’t quite ready to face Jeremy again so he wandered through the other parts of the house. Room after well-appointed room all sported a view of the ocean. This is one mighty big place and there are lots of pictures of me and Jeremy hangin’ on the walls. I guess Chad here has a boyfriend. This ain’t my idea of a good time at all though. Course this here body does feel so great and I’m a young, strong, and good lookin’ fella…

One last exploration took him to the roof of the house. Never in all his born days had he ever seen a roof that was like another room complete with fancy furniture. As he stood there surveying his surroundings, listening to the beckoning sound of the waves, and watching Jeremy on the deck below, something changed within him. It hurt him to see the kid wondering why Chad had snubbed him. A seed had been planted in his heart, one that blossomed not into a carnal longing but a sentiment much deeper: love for another person, for Jeremy. He wanted to take care of Jeremy, protect him, and above all else love him. He longed for Jeremy to love him, for there to be a mutual trust that each would always be there for the other. It didn’t matter that Jeremy was a man. There was some connection between him and Jeremy that he couldn’t explain as if Jeremy somehow was the final piece in the puzzle that was his soul, the piece that made him whole. He needed, no more than that, he longed to be with Jeremy.

He made his way down to the deck, down to the man he was attached to in a way he could never have ever fathomed or imagined in his whole lifetime. And for the first time ever he hugged another person with genuine emotion filling his heart. “I love you…”

“…Jeremy.” Gus awoke from his stupor, not quite sure where he was. The revenuer feller was still sittin’ across from him, watching him with a knowing look on his face. I was only dreamin’ but what a dream. His love for the young man had been so strong and he yearned to always have that feeling, so real that what he feared the most happened: his heart was breaking from losing Jeremy. Now he understood true love knew no boundaries of any kind and sharing that love with someone else was wonderful. Nothing, not even gender, made any difference. It was worth any risk to find and hold.

“Welcome back, Gus. How did you like your dream?” How did the stranger know about my dream unless…

“I don’t know what y’all did to me or how, makin’ me fall for another man but it were one powerful strong dream.”

“I can do many things Gus. Your dream was just a means to let you experience the emotion you’ve never let yourself have before. You’re a good man. You deserve not to be alone. I don’t often alter reality but I think I’ll give you a choice, a chance to change your life. How would you like to actually live that other life Gus? You can live your life with Jeremy. Do you want that Gus?”

It didn’t take Gus more than a second to quickly answer: He didn’t care that he would be with another man. That prejudice had vanished, gone with the wind. He wanted only to have that strong love back, the one that brought him peace and contentment. “Yes’m. I want to be with Jeremy.”

“So be it.”

His surroundings changed and Gus was once again in the bathroom of his dream house looking in the mirror, but he wasn’t Chad. He started to turn away feeling disappointed and cheated until something began to happen. As he watched his body stretched until he stood at a respectable 6’2” height. Lean powerful muscle replaced years of accumulated fat. His hair grew in long and blonde as his beard receded to sexy stubble that graced his masculine jawline and accentuated his chiseled face and deep blue eyes. Soon he was staring at the twenty something impossibly handsome virile man of his dream.

Enjoy your life Chad. Gone was the hillbilly, replaced by a refined, well-educated and quite successful businessman who lived with his boyfriend in a beachside mansion.

“It’s about time you got up Chad.” He felt someone lovingly embrace him. A satisfied and happy man turned to kiss his love, his Jeremy.

“I just had the strangest dream about some guy named Gus. No matter. Let’s go get some breakfast. I love you Jeremy.”