Second Chances

Chapter 27

Alex hurried home from work on Friday. On Tuesday evening, he’d asked Cameron, Chase, and Josh if they’d like to go to The Ranch, once he’d verified that everyone was 21. He was happy when they all responded in the affirmative. ‘I knew Cam would have no problem, and I was pretty sure Josh would be fine with it, too. I guess I didn’t need to worry about Chase…he seemed the most excited of the three.’

They decided that Jesse would drive. Everyone knew things would be a bit cramped in Jesse’s Corolla, but no one seemed all that concerned that there’d be three college students packed into the back seat. That reminded Alex of a time when, as a freshman in college, he joined sixteen other students packed into a small sedan. There were people sitting on the laps of people sitting on laps, plus a few more squatting on the floor in the back seat. Alex couldn’t remember where they were all headed, but the ride was the highlight of the evening. ‘Good, clean fun,’ he thought to himself. ‘Kind of like a clown car at the circus.’ Alex also realized it was also a little dangerous and almost certainly illegal. ‘It’s a wonder that tired old car made it through the evening,’ Alex mused to himself.

Alex heard the front door open and shut, then glanced at his watch. He realized it was later than he thought. Jesse must’ve gotten tired of sitting in the car in the driveway. Alex poked his head out of the upstairs bathroom. “Hey, Jess, I’m just finishing up. I’ll be down in a sec.”

Jesse was sitting on the couch when Alex walked down the stairs, with Cameron and his two friends only a few steps behind. Alex made a quick detour into the kitchen, where he retrieved Jesse’s mobile phone. He walked back into the living room and handed it to Jesse. As he did so, he said, “Is that the second time you’ve forgotten your phone here, or the third?”

Jesse snatched the phone from Alex as he rose from the couch. “And you say your memory is bad,” he commented to Alex, smiling as he did so. He quickly gave Alex a peck on the cheek. “Are you ready?” he asked.

They were soon bound for dinner. As they pulled out of Alex’s driveway, Josh commented, “I’m a little nervous about tonight.”

“But you’re the gay one, Josh,” said Alex. “I would think Cameron and Chase have more reason to be nervous.”

“I know, it’s kind of stupid of me,” responded Josh. “What if someone hits on me? What if someone tries to pick me up?”

“Well, Josh,” said Jesse, “I guess do what I suggest your two straight comrades back there do if they get hit on. Take it as a compliment, then politely decline the offer.”

“Unless, of course, you’re interested,” added Chase. “Just make sure you’ve got protection and money for an Uber to get back to Cam’s house in the morning.”

Alex didn’t need to turn around to know that Josh was blushing. Cam, of course, sensed an opportunity to make his friend squirm. “Hey, maybe there’ll be a gang bang in the back room, Josh. What do you think, Chase? Do you think we might get a chance to tap Josh’s ass tonight, with an audience, no less?”

Chase decided to take Cam’s good-natured ribbing of Josh and run with it. “That’d be so cool, Cam. I’ve always wanted to do it with an audience. Do you think Josh will be tied up?”

“Tied up and gagged,” Cam replied with a laugh.

“I hope he won’t be gagged, Cam. If it’s a gang bang, he’s gonna need both holes ready and available.”

By now, both Cam and Chase were laughing, and Jesse was fighting to suppress a giggle. Alex shook his head, then glanced into the back, just in time to see Josh sink lower in his seat. “Guys, I think it’s time you stopped picking on Josh.” He then asked, “How do you straight guys know so much about gay gang bangs, anyway?”

“Just what we’ve heard,” Cam replied. “You know, word on the street and all.”

“For your information,” said Alex, “The Ranch is a reputable business. There are no back rooms, or sex dungeons, or anything like that.” Glancing at Jesse, he quickly added, “there aren’t any of those things there, right?”

As Cameron and Chase continued to laugh, Jesse glanced back at Alex and said, “Alex, do you mean to tell me you’ve never been to the basement sex rooms?”

“Stop it! Cameron’s turning out to be a bad influence on you,” Alex responded, before turning towards the back seat and adding, “I think a lot of those things are more urban legend than real. I’m sure you can go somewhere in New York or San Francisco or Amsterdam and find places like that, but not here in the fly-over states.”

“You might be surprised,” replied Jesse.

“Oh, come on, Jesse, like you’d know,” said Alex. “I’ve got more experience than you.”

“Wait, what?” asked Cameron.

“Nothing, nothing at all,” said Alex, his face suddenly redder than Josh’s.

-----

Alex’s turn to sing came about halfway through the list of karaoke singers for the evening. He trotted up the stairs to the stage to the microphone and launched into his song, now a regular occurrence for Alex on a Friday night. Tonight, he chose to sing a song about the Queen of Memphis.

Earlier, he’d told Rhys that his song had, at least potentially, an LGBTQ theme, but he’d refused to elaborate.

As Alex finished the song, he acknowledged the audience’s applause before returning to his seat. He thought the applause was more rambunctious than normal, though that may have been because he’d convinced Cam and his friends to join them that evening.

“Well, what did you think?”

“No better than last time, dad. I give it a solid five-and-a-half.”

“I wasn’t asking you, Cam. I was asking people who have opinions I’m instead…uh, interested in.”

Sitting back down, Alex took a pull from his bottle before commenting, Did ya figure it out, Rhys?”

Rhys grinned as he nodded his reply, amused at Alex’s slurred words and rather exaggerated gestures. Alex, it seemed, had had at least one too many. He turned to the others and said, “I thought that was an appropriate song for the type of establishment we’re in.” Several of the men looked at him quizzically as the next singer made his way to the stage.

“I never was sure of who the singer was singing about,” explained Alex. “Was the Queen of Memphis a woman, or was the Queen a man dressed as a woman? The band, Confederate Railroad, had a significant LGBTQ following when they were big in the ‘90s, so I think the song may be about the latter, even if the band only meant it tongue-in-cheek.”

As the music of the next singer’s song began, Cameron quickly replied, “I didn’t know you were into that sort of thing, dad.”

Alex gave his son a withering look but otherwise ignored the comment. He quickly added, “Course, the song could be about a riverboat. I guess you could even make the argument that the Queen of Memphis refers to the Mississippi River isself. I just wish they’d chosen a different name for the band. It may have been perfectly acceptable firty…I mean 30-some years ago, but the name hasn’t aged well.”

As the next karaoke singer launched into his song, Cam leaned over to his father and whispered in his ear, “you’re slurring your words, dad. How much have you had to drink?”

“Enough. The bottle I’m working on will be my last. Don’t worry, I’ll be switching to water for the rest of the evening.”

For some reason, there were fewer singers than normal for karaoke night. As usual, the crowd began to thin soon after the singing had ended. Alex and his friends remained, however, enjoying one another’s company.

Once one of the neighboring tables was vacated, Chase leaned over and said, “Did you see that one guy at that table? Have you ever seen a septum piercing that big?”

“No, I haven't,” responded Alex before asking, “have you ever heard my opinions on piercing?” When Chase and Josh shook their heads, Alex commented “well let me tell you then.”

Quickly, Jesse warned, “Oh, no, I think I feel a drunken rant coming on.”

“You are quite right, Jesse. Okay, where to start? Let’s start at the tarp…top and work our way down. Eyebrow piercings? On men, meh. On women, meh. Nose piercings. On women, you bet! I like ‘em. On men, absolutely – but no studs, men! Hoops only! And septum piercings should be illegal.”

As Alex continued with his rant, occasionally gesturing wildly, Cameron closed his eyes and shook his head, as his friends and most of the others at the table began to smile and giggle at the comments.

“Lip piercings? Meh for both women and men. Tongue piercings? On women, hot. On men, hotter than hell. But I guarantee any man with a pierced tongue is a total bottom.”

Josh, Chase, and several of Alex’s friends were now laughing. Despite shaking his head and rolling his eyes, Cameron was also having a difficult time keeping a straight face. Jesse quickly interjected, “you’re cut off, Alex.”

Alex interrupted his rant to respond, “Don’t worry, its water from here on out,” before continuing. “Pierced nipples on men? Hot as fuck. On women? That’s. Just. Wrong.”

Stopping long enough to breathe, Chase commented, “You forgot ears, you know.”

“Thank you, Chase. Pierced ears on women? Sure. On men? Sure. But listen up, men. No dangly earrings! Small studs or hoops only!”

As Alex once again stopped to breathe, Cameron quickly said, “My God, dad. I can’t take you anywhere.” Alex heard the comment but chose to ignore it as he continued.

“Okay, pierced belly buttons. Hot on men and women both, but only if they have absolutely no extra body fat. Otherwise, they look totally ridiculous.” As the laughter continued to grow in volume, so did Alex’s voice. And that brings us to, uh, you know. Anybody who pierces themselves down there, well, what the fuck is the matter with you? And doubly so, any guy who’d get a tattoo on his dick.”

Alex then added as his audience continued to laugh, “Speaking of tats, if you thought my piercing opinions were kind of sexist, my opinions on tats are very sexist. Men can get away with a lot. But guys, tattoos do not look good on thighs. Finger tattoos? Can you say, ‘trailer trash?’ And what the fuck are you thinking when you get a face tattoo? Women, however, should be allowed one, perhaps two, small and tasteful tattoos which are not visible while wearing normal business attire. There’s one exception to small and tasteful, however, ladies. Tramp stamps? I’m gay, and I still think those are fucking hot. Women or men, though, I have one request. Save up your money, and when you have enough, go to a good tattoo artist. People whose tattoos look like they were done in prison, what the hell were you thinking?”

“You know, Alex,” said Josh, “they may well have gotten their tattoos in prison.”

“I find it hard to believe that that many people have been to prison.”

As his rant and the accompanying laughter wound down, Alex pulled out his debit card. Handing it to Cameron, he said, “Please be a good son and get me a water. It’s time to start hydrating. And get you and your friends whatever you want.”

“A very wise choice indeed, dad,” commented Cam as he stood and snatched the debit card from his father.

“And,” added Alex, “if any of you have any piercings or tattoos that do not match my piercing and tattoo ideal, I apologize.”

Alex had consumed two bottles of water and was working on a third by the time they rose to leave. He was more sober than earlier, but still on the tipsy side. Alex rose from his seat, then leaned across the table to Josh and said, “watch this.” He turned and leaned over to Eli, who was still sitting, and kissed him on the cheek. He then went around the table, chastely kissing both Rhys and Ian on the lips. Once he’d circled the table, he kissed Jesse on the lips, still chastely, yet more than the peck the others received. He turned back to Josh and said, “Pretty cool, huh? It’s great to be in a place where you can do that. Even though there was nothing sexual in those kisses at all, they still would shock and horrify so many people. I just think it’s frickin’ awesome to be able to do that.”

Alex was thrown for a loop when Josh replied, “why didn’t you kiss me?”

Unsure of how to respond, Alex hesitated before speaking. “Well, Josh, you’re a friend of my son. I didn’t want you thinking Cam’s dad is a pervert.”

“You’re not a pervert, and I don’t think I’d care if you were. I’m asking for a chaste peck on the lips, not a full-blown make out session.”

Alex gave Josh a look that asked, “are you sure?”

Josh smiled and replied, “Yes, Alex. I’m sure.”

“Okay.” Alex walked around the table again as Josh stood. When he reached Josh, Alex stopped, then leaned in and kissed Josh briefly on the lips, before pulling away. He made sure no part of their bodies touched besides their lips.

Josh continued to smile. “Thank you. I will always remember my first kiss.”

Alex glanced from Josh to Cameron, who was shaking his head, his hands covering his face with embarrassment. “I have a feeling I’m going to remember your first, kiss, too,” said Alex.

Moments later, as the five made their way back to Jesse’s car, Alex asked, “So, Josh and Chase, what did you think of the place?”

“I don’t know about you all, but I had a great time,” replied Chase.

“So, you weren’t uncomfortable at all?” asked Alex.

“Not at all. I was clearly looked up and down a few times, but no one tried to hit on me. Like Jesse said, I took it simply as a compliment. What about you, Josh? What did you think?”

“Oh, I had a great time, too. It was fun to be open and free for a change. And, of course,” he added bashfully, “you already know about that one guy who bought me the drink. So, yeah, I know I got checked out, too. But that was part of the fun as well.”

“So, Josh,” Cam inquired, “why didn’t you go home with the drink guy?”

Josh’s face reddened. “Cam! I’m not like that! I didn’t know a thing about that guy. Not even his name!” After a brief silence, Josh added softly, “I’m new to all this, you know. Very new.”

“You need to stop picking on Josh, Cam,” said Alex.

“Jeez, dad! I’m only giving him a hard time. It’s all in good fun.”

“Giving him a hard time is one thing. You’re pushing just a little too far.”

The group remained silent for the last few steps until they reached Jesse’s car. As they piled into the vehicle, Jesse asked, “Anybody up for Perkins?” A chorus of yeses erupted from the back seat.

“Jesse, you didn’t even need to ask,” Alex commented. “I already knew their answer.”

Jesse laughed, then added, “I’d have suggested Denny’s, but there’s only one over on the west side now, and it isn’t even open late. Have you ever heard of a Denny’s that isn’t open 24 hours?”

As Alex opened his mouth to respond, Cam quickly said, “I know what the next thing you’re going to say is, dad.”

Jesse quickly glanced at Alex. Alex smiled, then said, “There was a comedian Cam and I heard on the “clean” comedy station on Sirius XM a few years back, and she said something that struck me as absolutely true. She said, “No one goes to Denny’s. You only end up at Denny’s.”

Jesse, Josh, and Chase laughed, then Chase replied, “Oh my God, that is so true!”

As they pulled out of the parking lot, Cameron leaned forward between the front seats and asked, “So, how are you feeling, dad?”

“I’m still buzzed but coming down nicely.”

“What are the chances you wake up with a hangover?”

“Pretty minimal. I’ve discovered that you need to do your drinking early, because you don’t want to go to bed drunk. Hydrate and take a couple of Aleve, and you should be good to go.”

“Wow, Cam,” said Josh. “You’re pretty lucky you’ve got a father that gives you tips on avoiding hangovers. All my dad says is drinking is sinful and not to do it.”

“You know, Josh,” commented Alex, “he really is giving you similar advice.” When Josh didn’t respond, Alex added, “He’s just giving you a tip on avoiding a hangover, too, you know?”

“Touché,” Josh replied.

-----

Once they’d placed their orders at Perkins, Alex said, “This may not be the best time to bring it up, but I’m going to anyway. Josh, I know things at home aren’t very good at the moment. Maybe things will be settled down a bit by the time summer starts. Now, I’ve spoken to both Cam and Charlotte about this, and they both gave me their blessing. If things are still tense at home come summer, I wanted to invite you to spend the summer with us.”

“Thanks, Mr., I mean, Alex. But I do need to work during the summer. I was planning on working at the supermarket again, where I’ve worked the past two summers, regardless of how uncomfortable things are at home.”

“Well, that leads to my next suggestion. We usually have an intern over the summer where I work. I thought with your studies in business and real estate and the like it would be a good fit for you. I certainly can’t guarantee you’d get the position, but you’d have the inside track, so to speak. If you’re interested, I can talk to my boss about it on Monday.”

Josh’s eyes quickly lit up when he heard the suggestion, but his excitement rapidly tempered. “That sounds like a good experience, but is it a paid internship? Because, like I said, I definitely need to work during the summer.”

“Oh, sorry, Josh, I guess that wasn’t clear. It is a paid internship. I’m not sure what the pay has been in the past, so I don’t know what it’ll be this summer. You won’t get rich, by any means, but it’s most definitely more than minimum wage. I’m sure it’s at least as much as you’d make working at a grocery store. And it’s 40 hours per week, too. I don’t know if you get in 40 hours every week working at the supermarket.”

Josh’s eyes once again lit up and a smile crossed his face. “That sounds fantastic, Alex! You’d really do that for me?”

“It’s not a big deal, Josh. Heck, I’m just glad I’d thought of it. If things improve with your folks, you could live at home and commute. It’s probably an hour drive each way, but it would still be very do-able. I guess if you wanted, you could also stay at our house during the week and go home on weekends, too. I mean, that’s something that we can work out later. If you do get the internship, and I would be surprised if you didn’t, you can stay at home full-time and commute, you could stay with us, or you could do a hybrid and stay at home sometimes and with us other times. Now, if you stay with us full-time, I’ll charge you room and board, but really just to cover the cost of food so it wouldn’t be that much.”

“That really sounds awesome! Thanks!”

“I haven’t done anything yet, Josh. I will ask on Monday, though. I think they’ll want to see a resume with your work history and information on your major and College in general. They may want to do a phone interview, too, though I’m not sure about that. And, of course, if you work out, it could possibly turn into a full-time position once you’ve finished school.”

“No, I do need to thank you! I’ve been so worried about how I was going to survive a whole summer with my parents. Just knowing I have another option is so, well, let’s just say it’s a huge load off my mind.”

NEXT CHAPTER