Ben loved camping, guns, dirt bikes, football, and beer, also being alone preferably outside. In the summer during high school, he lived in a tent at the back of our property. After graduation he took a job at the hardware store I own, and I made him the manager on weekends my days off.
Ben has had a bad week. It is spring here and has been raining a lot. That limits his time in his tent and forces him to talk to his mother. Sunday night when Ben got off work, he headed over to the pool hall. They make a pulled pork sandwich to die for. He sits at the bar orders one and a beer. It was his Friday and Ben was looking forward to two days off in the sunshine. Ben finished his sandwich, got his second beer, and went to find a pool game. It was the normal crowd of older vets, a dozen high school friends, and a dozen bikers. Everyone knew Ben as he knew everyone.
Ben puts his name on a board and finishes his second beer while waiting for a table. His name comes up and he is playing against David, a kid he went to high school with who was a year older. His dad owns a motorcycle shop, and he spends time with a bunch of bikers. Ben won the game and David argued for a rematch. Ben won the second game and David got a little pissed. A slight scuffle and Ben grabs David by the head and plants a kiss on his mouth that started a round of gasps. The issue being David was kissing him back.
They separate. David looks at everyone staring at him and throws a punch to Ben's jaw. He takes off towards the door. Ben yells after him, “I love you bro. He looks around at everyone staring at him. He apologizes to the crowd saying sorry that was me coming out as gay. It is no big deal.
As a dad convincing yourself son is gay was just too hard. Understanding how Ben my gay son in question felt was impossible. While Ben never dated girls, we assumed it was just a lack of applicants. Not too many girls want to spend time together in a tent. What we did not know was David had been visiting Ben’s tent by way of motorcycle since they were sophomores in high school. Ben had created the one safe space they could be gay and have a relationship. Outside of that tent they were both perfectly straight.
Upset Ben disappears to his tent, and I get the low down of what happened at the pool hall the night before when I opened the hardware store. I call Ben on his cell phone asking him what is up. He tells me he is sorry, and he will resign for his job so him coming out as gay will hurt the business. He explains David and him have been boyfriends for years. David’s dad found out and has hooked his gay son up with an abusive biker guy into abusing him. They are forcing him to say it is consensual, but it is not dad. David's dads say it is his punishment for being queer.
Wow. I took a deep breath. My son came out as gay to save the gay guy he loves. David's dad was the former mayor of our tiny town ten years ago. he sat on the board of the local Baptist church, and his divorced wife was on the school board. I called her first.
Ben called me about two hours later asking what I did. The good news is David's dad has kicked him out of his house for being gay. He is packing his stuff up right now. He asked if he could stay in my tent. Ben asks if that is okay with me. In the twenty years I have known my son he has never sounded so happy.
David's Mother and I purchased the largest tuff shed we sale Big enough for two cars and an office and have it installed with plumbing next to Ben's tent. The boys spent a year making it an apartment for the two of them. David gets a job serving beers at the pool hall. A bit weird but all these dirty minded old vets pay him generous tips to hear about his gay sex life with Ben. David’s dad moved his bike shop to Danville 50 miles north of here and the biker crowd left after that.
In Tent - Story Time Blog
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