In the following weeks CJ and Matt spent time putting together the details of a plan on paper. The trip they envisioned would be slow and easy, stopping along the way wherever they could find traces of Native American culture.

For his part, CJ was planning to buy them a large camper or even a bus that would provide some comfort out there on the road. Mat seemed a little hesitant at first when CJ suggested they might have to hire a driver or each of them get a commercial driver's license. But that was only a detail; there were so many other things that would have to be accomplished first.

Then it was time to go their separate ways, each spending the necessary hours settling up some loose ends or studying for the trip.

Matt quietly returned to D.C. and began to do some research work at the Library of Congress. His government ID card was good through the end of the year and besides, there were some cute congressional staffers he knew that hung around those basement stacks. His luck was still holding, the crazies hadn't caught up with him just yet.

He had just finished making copies of some items he thought would be useful and smiling at the young man who was fetching material for him. Looking at his watch, he noticed it was getting late and there were other things on his list for the day.

Stepping out into the late afternoon sunshine he felt tired and decided to indulge in a coffee from his favorite shop not too many blocks away. Strolling up Pennsylvania Avenue, he came to the door and found it locked and the place deserted, empty of furniture and equipment. There was an ever so tiny closed for business sign taped to the inside of the glass and Matt felt as if all the good things from his past were disappearing rapidly.

Feeling disheartened, he trudged up the street a few blocks and swung in to the Old Post Office Pavilion. Edging his way through the small crowd in the food court, he bought a decidedly inferior blend of coffee and seated himself at a small table next to one of the soaring marble columns.

The huge hall was filled with groups of people milling around and the distant rumble of traffic. Sounds echoed off the high ceiling rafters and blended into a constant background of noise. Matt found himself admiring the architecture of the place when he noticed a group of young people working their way down the long room.

Probably high school, he thought, just in town for a little history lesson. As they approached he noticed they were all carrying sketchpads and bags full of the artist supplies needed to make drawings and watercolors. The kids flocked around him and settled in to roost at the empty tables nearby, about ten girls and half as many boys, seniors he guessed. The nearest girl wore her school colors and the jacket said Richmond, Virginia on it.

As they sat preening their feathers and sharing snacks pulled from their backpacks, Matt noticed one boy in particular who sat with several girls and carried on an animated conversation. The lad was thin and raven haired, two points. As the boy spoke he flipped through the sketchbook until he came to the page he was seeking and turned it for the girls to observe. Matt's heart skipped a beat. The drawing was of a nude man, and the figure seemed to be quite well endowed. Now that certainly put the game in a different perspective.

The girls all tittered like a flock of birds, pointing and giggling so much that they drew the attention of their chaperone. The boy quickly flipped a page as the man approached and reprimanded them for all the noise. He also said something in an aside to the boy that made the kid frown and then the teacher smacked him slightly on the side of the head. The whole group became silent at this demonstration of force. The laughter died and was replaced by sullen looks.

What an asshole! The kids certainly didn't like the man, Matt concluded. He continued to watch the boy after the teacher resumed his seat across the way and was caught looking by the lad. Their eyes met and the boy smiled, green eyes and pearly white teeth. Game, set and match. They continued to glance at one another on and off over the next ten minutes or so. There was some conversation between the kid and one of the girls and the boy finally pointed in Matt's direction.

Matt watched the boy gracefully rise from his chair and glide across the short distance between them. The smile again and then the boy spoke.

"Hi, sorry to bother you. We just got here from Richmond today and we'll be here until Friday." The kid had imparted just the right amount of information, clever lad, Matt thought as his heart pounded in his chest.

"Can you suggest some interesting things for me to sketch? I'm an art student."

Matt almost blushed at the suggestive line, "Ahh, yes, there is a little known monument over behind the Smithsonian. Do you have a map?"

"Yes, I've got one in here somewhere," the boy replied.

As he fumbled in his pack, he placed several items on the table. The one on top was his room key with the name of a small hotel a few blocks away. Matt could not help but notice that the kid was certainly expecting him to note the name and location of the place.

"Oh, you're staying at the Claremont. That place has quite a history of its own here in Washington. Um, to find the monument, you should walk down the street to the plaza about a block south of your hotel. Here let me show you on the map, lots of young people gather there at dusk."

Matt was committed now as he pointed at the spot on the map where many of the boy's peers congregated to talk and party in the evenings. He had been there many times on an evening stroll just to admire the beauty of the city and its tourists.

The boy responded to the information with that winning smile again, "Thanks, I'll be sure to check it out. My name is Justin by the way, you've been a big help."

"I'm Matt and you're welcome, have a good stay and enjoy the town."

"I think I'm just beginning to, hope to see you later, Matt," Justin replied.

By now, the group had gathered their belongings together and were moving along through the doors at the end of the hall. Matt sat stunned, his coffee growing cold and untouched on the table. Oh, CJ, wish you could see me now.

The tower clock showed four o'clock Matt noticed as he hurried uptown to his condo for a quick shower and a shave. The ride in the taxi was a blur as his mind raced through the things he needed to do. He had to call his sister and tell her to keep the cat. He would be busy the next several days at least, he hoped.

It was almost six o'clock when he emerged from his home and caught another cab back downtown, hopping out a short walk away from the plaza. He felt the breeze freshen with the approaching darkness and adjusted his collar to keep the wind off his neck.

Turning the corner he approached the plaza at a slow pace, noting the small group of kids hanging out. He had looked at a few of them before but never approached, it was too public a place for seduction. As he came into the plaza he saw Justin rise from a bench on the far side and walk away to the sidewalk on the near side.

It occurred to him that possibly the boy was being watched and did not want to be seen meeting someone in the center of the wide open plaza, what a smart lad. He followed Justin around the corner and caught up with him a block away.

"Hi Justin, were you expecting me?"

"Yes, I knew you'd be there, just not when."

The boy gave him a smile and Matt figured the kid had been sitting there for most of the afternoon and must be hungry.

"Did you have plans for dinner?" Matt asked.

"No," Justin said, "the group has a free night tonight. Mr. Patterson, our full time chaperone and all around asshole, was in the dining room when I left so I lost my appetite. But I'm hungry now...for anything."

He left that sentence hanging and Matt felt the boy already had plans made for their first evening together. The boy continued his rambling speech.

"I have to be back by ten o'clock but I think I could stay out later tomorrow if I can get Brad to cover for me. He's a good friend and I'm helping him learn some of the more difficult drawing techniques. Am I running off at the mouth again?"

"No, no, I think we're on the same wavelength," Matt replied. "You're an art student, and a very good artist too from what I was able to see. I happened to catch a glance at the nude you showed those girls this afternoon. Nice, ah, pose."

Justin blushed. The boy put his hand on Matt's arm as they reached the corner.

"I've been to Washington before with a few of my close friends. My gay friends."

Appreciating the candor, Matt replied, "Well, I hope you'll add me to the list of your...gay friends."

The boy moved closer, "I knew from the look in your eyes that we were both in the family. I think it was the long hair that made me want to get to know you. It's so unusual and I just wanted to touch it, may I?"

"Anytime you want, before or after dinner?" Matt said.

"Since I only have about four hours, can we go back to your place?"

Matt must have looked a little shocked at the abrupt suggestion, but as his face was composing itself the boy quickly responded.

"Maybe I'm pushing too hard, you might have a lover and I'm being too forward, sorry."

"No need to apologize," Matt said, "there is no one special in my life, yet. Let's do my place and I'll call for some Chinese take-out. Maybe we'll have time to eat."

Justin smiled up at him and Matt felt the boy squeezing his hand. Suddenly the kid spotted a cab and put two fingers in his mouth to let off a tremendous whistle. The taxi made an abrupt U-turn and stopped at the curb in front of them. As they were being whisked away uptown, Matt couldn't help wonder just what he had latched onto here. Nobody caught a cab that fast in this town.

There were times that evening when Matt considered the type of relationship that he could possibly have with an eighteen-year-old gay boy. The complications he would be taking on, especially right now with the trip planned out. It just didn't add up to anything long term. Just go with the flow, he told himself. His commitment to the project with CJ was a convenient escape from this entanglement if he needed one. But not just now, he thought, or even tomorrow for that matter.

Justin was an experienced lover, pleasing Matt with predictable results. They were both exhausted and barely able to eat the Chinese food that was delivered to the door. After they showered, Justin wanted to talk in the little bit of time they had left.

"It seems like a long time ago but it really wasn't," Justin said. "But I was just fourteen and still very naive about sexual matters when I met John."

"He was so closeted that no one had any idea he was gay. But he was seventeen and desperate for some kind of relationship, even with a boy my age. John hung out at the park and we all knew him. Then one day I was alone and he followed me up into the woods. He walked right up and grabbed me, scaring the shit out of me. But then he hugged me and started crying. I broke loose and started to run away but he just fell to the ground.

"He wanted to kill himself, Matt, and I tried to talk him out of it. I asked him what had made him so miserable and he told me he was gay and that was a bad thing. Imagine that, here was an adorable boy telling me about something I had known about myself for years. I asked him to be my boyfriend.

"We used to pitch this tent up in those woods every weekend and would spend Saturday morning inside those canvas walls, stark naked and having glorious sex. I fell deeply in love with him. It lasted three months and then John was busted for having sex in the bathroom of the department store with some kid my age. I couldn't believe it, it tore me apart but it almost killed him. He's still in prison down in Richmond. He won't be out until he's twenty five. That's three years away and I don't know how he'll feel about me then.

"He went to jail on my fifteenth birthday, Matt. My mother knew about my relationship with him but she never said a word to anyone. She's the only one in my family that knows about me. I haven't been in love, well…since John. Hell, I haven't had sex with anyone since John…can you believe it Matt, it's been three years of agony. The nude drawing you saw yesterday was of him, I did it from memory, and that's all I have left of him."

"You poor dear," Matt said.

"Look," Justin said, "I know we're too far apart in age for a serious relationship. But you've given me a perspective on things and I will always love you for that, can we just grow as friends?"

"Justin, that's just about the nicest offer of friendship I've ever had and I accept. If you want I'll help you find a good art school, I'll even pay your tuition."

Justin sat up with a start, "Oh, I don't want your money, it wouldn't be right."

"Now don't get defensive," Matt cautioned. "I know you're too independent to take my money but can't I offer you a future? Call it a loan or a scholarship, but use it to get what you need. The right school could mean everything to you and I have the means to get you there. It's what friends do for each other."

"I would always be in your debt for the school, is that what you want?"

"No, silly boy, it's just my way of getting you to send me presents at Christmas. Guilt is how us older folks prey upon the young."

Justin laughed and hugged him closely, "You're a crazy man."

"Damn right and proud of it. My thanks to you for a lovely evening, sweet cheeks."

"I want to go to California, Matt. I want to study art in L.A., but it's expensive."

"So you apply to the school, get accepted and all will be taken care of, you just have to get in and become the best. That's all I want for my money," Matt said, "I want you to be the very best."

After several days of bliss together, Matt reported back to CJ that he was about to leave Washington but had to make a stop in Richmond first. They would meet the following Tuesday and there was quite a story to tell.

He saw Justin off at the hotel. The big dumb Patterson fellow was having a hard time keeping the group together until the bus pulled up. Justin excused himself to make one last bathroom stop. Matt was in the lobby and both of them both ducked into the men's room. A kiss, a hug and the boy had to go.

Matt watched through the plate glass windows of the hotel as the boy swung onto the bus and waved good bye. All the windows of the bus were down and suddenly a dozen girlish faces were leaning out and waving at him. Justin was in the last window, a huge smile on his face.

My God, Matt thought, what did he tell them?


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