They had rolled through Tennessee that day and were looking forward to their first glimpse of the Mississippi River. Matt was studying the map and looking for a place to pull over for the night, while at the wheel CJ was still remembering the warmth of Jackie's farewell. He had finally gotten around to telling Matt about that day on the mountain.

"I knew it, you both looked different when you came back," Matt said. "Ah, what a fine boy. I don't know how these things happen for you?"

"Oh, come on," CJ said, "I recall Justin just fell in your lap not too long ago."

"Sure, but there we were in the remote mountains and this cutie just happens to be gay, it's weird I tell you."

"I recall we are out here trying to find kids like Jackie," CJ said. "I wish he could have come with us. Every family should be made up of diverse people, just like ours is starting to be. It's our greatest strength."

"Hey, I found us another camp ground," Matt said.

"I think we should pass. I need to soak in a bathtub," CJ said, "my muscles are still sore from that climb."

"If you settle for a motel tonight we could stop at one of the hot springs in Arkansas tomorrow. My foot would sure appreciate a hot soaking. How does that sound?"

"Oh yeah, that sounds real good. I suppose we can find a place close to the river."

But it was another night on the bus in a small Tennessee truck stop. The motels were full of displaced people who had been driven from their homes by floodwaters from the giant river.

The mighty Mississippi proved to be disappointing when they finally sped across the bridge. The swollen river had carved out a good piece of the land up north and swirled it into the swiftly flowing waters. Tragically, it looked like a large channel of mud flowing beneath the highway, not like the romantic vision of steamboats and barges plying their trade while Clark Gable gambled in the saloon.

They had decided to keep going towards Little Rock until Matt spied a spot in their travel book that listed a hot springs nearby. CJ headed into the little town past the gates of a small college covered in a forest of crosses.

"Uh oh, a religious school," CJ said. "This really is the Bible Belt. Guess we won't find any gay friendly natives around here so we better mind our manners."

The hot springs resort was only a few miles down the road and they pulled in to find a few other buses already parked in the lot. CJ went to pay the admission fee and book rooms for the night at the nearby motel. Matt hobbled off to check on the restaurant situation and they finally met back at the entrance to the baths.

"The food must be good, lots of elderly folks in there," Matt said.

"Good. Got us both rooms for the night and tickets to the bath, I can't wait."

Matt was off the crutches now but he was still limping a bit as they entered the locker room and stopped dead in their tracks. The place was full of boys. College boys, all in various stages of undress. A knowing look passed between them.

Matt chose a locker between two healthy looking types and struck up a conversation with the lad on his left.

"So, what are you guys, a sports team?"

"Yeah, wrestling," was the short reply.

This guy, proving to be a no brainer in the conversation department, slammed his locker and walked off. Matt stripped to his boxers and fumbled in his locker as the smaller, more attractive boy on his right slowly undressed. Matt once again tried his hand at conversation.

"You guys use this hot bath thing like in training?"

"Yes sir, got to loosen up to keep my muscles from cramping," the college boy replied, pulling off his shorts. "We had a hard practice today for the big meet tomorrow and I need all the relaxation I can get."

"I'll bet you do," Matt said, trying to keep his eyes off the boy's enormous cock.

CJ, having observed the whole scene from across the aisle, chuckled to himself as the college boy wrapped a towel around his waist and walked towards the pool entrance.

Matt looked at CJ. "I have been stunned, did you see that?"

"And I'm sure you want a closer look," CJ laughed.

The pool of hot, sulfurous smelling water was surrounded by cubicles for private washing and Matt chose a booth over in the corner while CJ decided to take one in the fairly populated middle section. The bath attendants were rather nice looking college boys and they handed out washcloths and soap.

After a cleansing shower, they each entered the smaller pool that was mildly hot, working their way up mentally and physically to the challenge of the real hot stuff in the larger pool that most of the wrestling team occupied. CJ could see several massage tables set up in the adjoining room and decided he would head there after a long soak.

Nakedness in the Bible Belt did not seem conducive to social interaction, especially among wrestlers. CJ imagined they were mulling over either the women's bath next door full of sinful nakedness or mentally reciting Bible verses to perish such wicked thoughts. Matt, on the other hand, was attempting to nonchalantly corner the cute college boy for a further chat. The kid seemed to accept conversation and opened right up.

"Where you from?" the boy asked.

"Delaware, little town near the coast."

"Oh, just out on vacation?"

"Yeah, and a little work thrown in." Matt just couldn't resist the thought of playing games. Why not, this guy didn't know him. They were sitting on the stone ledge built in around the sides of the pool, basking in the heat.

"I'm from Texas, just up here to study at the college and get my divinity degree. I'll probably be the only wrestling preacher from Amarillo," the boy said.

"That will probably make your folks real proud."

"Hope so, be the first thing I ever did that my daddy approved of. But, what's your profession?"

"Umm, I'm into research, genetics and the like," Matt said.

"Interesting, what are you researching?"

Matt smiled; this was the opening he had been waiting for. He enjoyed a good joke, especially one guaranteed to shock his listener. This ought to do the trick.

"Male sexual deviancy," Matt said with a straight face.

The boy was shocked, and Matt felt like he had scored a point. But the boy seemed to think about it for a while before replying.

"That's a bit too weird for me to understand," the boy said, "you mean like queers and perverts?"

Matt could feel his ire rising so he said, "Not exactly. Everything we have studied so far seems to indicate that homosexuals are born with a genetic disposition to their chosen sexual preference. But heterosexuals are different. There is a definitive period of homosexual vulnerability in a heterosexual man's life and we have discovered that this seems to be due to some chemical imbalances."

Proud of himself, Matt smiled and waited for the fish to bite down on the hook. And the boy didn't disappoint him. He was still shocked but continued to stumble forward.

"So you can predict if a guy is queer?"

Matt's smile froze, this kid's really going to piss me off, he thought. Time for another layer of crap, something to make this kid lose a little sleep.

"It's more complicated than that. Take a young man like yourself. You're having a whole series of chemical changes in your body, say from puberty, athletic competition and exercise. In my research we look for markers that predict if there are going to be any possible imbalances in your DNA that would lead to deviant behavior so we can correct them."

The boy looked around the pool and realized that all of his teammates were out of earshot, he leaned a little closer towards Matt.

"Can you cure queers?"

Oh brother, Matt thought, why are the cute ones so hung up on queers? For that matter, why is this kid so very interested in what I do and how it applies to queers, I mean gays?

"Well, maybe some day. Changes to genetic material are still in the trial study phase. But I predict that someday we'll be able to make major alterations to the DNA strand. Right now all we do is see if a heterosexual male is predisposed to homosexual behavior. There are warning signs you know."

"There are, I don't know anything about this? You mean I could become queer and not even see it coming? Sweet Lord, that's terrible, what can we do about it?"

"Relax, there are the warning signs to look for and I am sure you would recognize the dangers if they occurred." Matt was really enjoying this now.

"Tell me Doc, what are the signs....do you see any of them on me?"

Matt smiled. Divinity students, what are they most afraid of?

"Yes, well here are a few," Matt said. "An excessive urge to masturbate, followed by extreme guilt if you do. A swelling of the penis producing major amounts of clear fluid during sleep. And probably the most telling sign, an inching sensation in the crotch area followed by a terrible rash." Yes, the boy would certainly have had an experience with jock itch.

"Oh My God....Oh My God....I have it.....I have it," the boy moaned. He leapt from the water and rushed across the tile floor towards the locker room. Matt watched him leave and thought what a shame; the boy had a killer ass too.

After a pleasant dinner with CJ, and an abbreviated version of the last two hours, they retired to their separate rooms for a quiet wind down from the day's travel. Matt had just put out the light when there was a tapping at the door. He opened it to a most distraught face. The college boy was back and he was a wreck.

"I had to talk with you, Doc. I'm so sorry I know it's late and Lord, what am I going to do?"

"Hold on there," Matt said, "sit down and tell me what you mean. What is your name by the way?"

"Martin...see, I went to the chapel to pray and review my sins," Martin said, "I know that you don't think I'm a sinner, Doc, but I have these feelings."

"Tell me," Matt said.

"I remembered how it was, you know, my first sexual encounter. And right there in chapel I became aroused. This cursed thing between my legs just seems to rule my life. I have tried to leave it be but the urges are so strong.

"See Doc, I started having sex when I was just a boy. Frank used to encourage me to play with myself cause it was so big, even when I was young. He told me how good it would feel and that it would make me a man. He said that men did things together too and he showed me how that could happen. And for years he did things to me...and heaven help me, I loved every moment. But now he says Pa would never forgive us if he knew and so I have kept these feelings inside until it seems like I am gonna lose my mind over it."

"Frank was your brother?" Matt asked.

"Yes, he hates me now. That's why I had to leave Amarillo and come here."

"What is it you want me to do Martin?"

The boy stood and began pacing the room. This was going to be a hard bump in his lifetime road. He turned and knelt on the floor by Matt's feet.

"Show me, Doc. Am I a man born to preach or am I a queer? I don't know anymore, I may have to kill myself either way."

"No you don't. But I think you should stop using the word queer. Men who love men are gay, that's what they prefer to be called."

Taking the boy by the hand, Matt began to unbutton his shirt. Martin stood and trembled as his clothes were removed, but not a word of protest.

"Now I think it is time for you to learn not to be afraid, Martin. To see what it means to be taken in a loving way, it will free the spirit inside of you."

It was the first time the boy had allowed himself to be loved, Matt knew. He was terrified that Martin might want to impale him on that enormous cock, but all he wanted was to receive sex, to drown his fears and discover his feelings. Matt rode the boy's back, thrusting deep and Martin soon learned he was meant for better things than divinity school.

The best part was the fifteen minutes of rub down Martin gave him afterwards. Got to admire these athletes, Matt thought, they sure know how to relax after a match. They were up half the night as Martin explored and finally found his inner gay self. It was to CJ's great surprise when he knocked on Matt's door the following morning and found Martin asleep in his friend's bed.

"Damn, brother, what have you done to Mr. Enormous Cock?"

"His name's Martin," Matt said," I wore him out, physically and mentally. He won't be much of a preacher after this so I offered him a ride to Oklahoma City to visit his uncle's ranch. Maybe he'll find a nice cowboy there to take care of him."

"That's cool. Well then, suppose I'll meet you two on the bus, say an hour or so?"

"Thank you, my dear. And, CJ, I take back what I said on the bus. Things do just seem to happen to us, don't they?"

"Absolutely partner, we both have a lot of whatever it is that's going around."

Matt returned to the boy in his bed and lay gently beside him as he slept. Like CJ he wondered how long he could keep running into these guys unexpectedly before he found one that might last in a relationship. The silence was shattered by the bedside alarm he'd forgotten to turn off and Martin stirred.

Matt laid an arm across the muscular shoulders and looked the boy in the face as he came back into the world from his dreams.

"Good morning," Matt said.

"Oh, wow," Martin replied, "I had the wildest dreams last night."

"Want to tell me about it?"

Martin lay there with his eyes half open and smiled as Matt began to rub his back.

"I was riding this bronco in the rodeo and he kept slamming me against the saddle, my ass is sore. But I guess you know how that happened," Martin chuckled.

Good, Matt thought, he's still smiling. Martin rolled over on his back and spread his arms as an enormous yawn stretched his face.

"I feel better now, Matt. Thanks for last night. I know I was a bit crazy there for a while."

"I just saw a fellow human being in trouble, dear boy. Couldn't let you be foolish about something that's beyond your control. Some higher power gave us each only one life and you seemed about to give up on yours," Matt said quietly. "I couldn't let that happen."

"No, I see you couldn't, thanks again," Martin replied. "Will you tell me something?"

"Sure, if I can."

"I've heard so many conflicting stories about queers, I mean gay people. The church says gays are doomed to hellfire, doesn't that scare you?"

"I don't put much faith in the religions of the world. They all seem to ignore the fact that if we were all created by a single God, she made homosexuals for some good reason. Human beings are only one single factor in the creation of the world and all the other creatures outnumber us many times over.

"There is homosexual behavior in almost every species in nature, why condemn homosexual humans? We seem to feel the need to point a finger at one group or another, it makes a weak mind feel superior and I find that intolerable, don't you?"

"You said God was a she, why do you believe that?"

"Just look at nature around you, Martin. Which came first, the chicken or the egg? And males don't lay eggs."

"Oh Lord, we'll never know, don't you think?"

"No, we're not meant to know. God has to be a female. All life comes forth from the female of the species. Just like we'll never know why that higher power created homosexuals, it's just part of the grand scheme of things. It should give us comfort to know that we're planned and not some aberration in nature like some of those preachers would like us to believe. Do you believe in predestination?"

"Yes, God has everything set forth in a certain order."

"Good, then she already knows what we're about to do and approves."

Matt leaned over and kissed Martin who moaned in delight and kissed back. Last night had been a revealing look at the boy's sexual appetite but there was a great need to relieve stress in their lovemaking. This morning it was so much different. Today Matt felt the boy needed to leave behind a whole ocean of misery and come to grips with himself.

They finally got up and dressed for the ride, but before they opened the door to leave Martin grabbed Matt and gave him a bone-crunching squeeze. Eyeball to eyeball they stood.

"I can't say enough about what you've done for me," Martin said. "You've saved my life, how can I ever repay you?"

"Just give thanks to all of the gays you ever meet, dear boy. Use your strength for the good of us all and receive the love you deserve. There are millions of us out there, and we all deserve to know someone just like you. Thank you, and can you please let go, you're breaking my ribs."

It was a laughing twosome that joined CJ on the bus, and a happy trio that set off towards the Great American West.


On to Chapter Six

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