The morning of the Fourth of July, a day of excitement, of celebration ... all after the chores are done. Even the cows seemed to sense the mood of the humans working around them that morning, the milk flowed and the process was soon over.

The day before I had bid Tally goodbye and run back to my parent's house for a final load. I cleaned my room and the bathroom, helped my mother with a few other things and went off to Dr. Maitland's office. The receptionist smiled at me and told me it would be a few minutes.

Doc and I had this strange relationship. He knew I was a friend of Freddy's back in high school where I'd first met him at a wrestling match. Ever since his wife had gone ballistic about Freddy's sexual decisions he kept track of his son through me. I felt it was my duty to oblige him, more for Freddy's sake than any other reason.

After about ten minutes the door to his office opened and he welcomed me in. All our prior contacts had been random, the town wasn't that big. I took a seat and Doc smiled.

"What can I do for you, Evan?"

"I'm here about someone else, Doc ... she has a heart problem."

"Oh? Is this a friend of yours?" Doc asked.

"Yes, we're very close, her name is Dorothy Winslow. I'm going to be working on her farm for a while and she told me she's been diagnosed with a heart problem. I don't know what kind so I came to you. Right now all she's doing about it is taking pills."

"Hmm, OK. Do you see any signs of fatigue or weakness in her hands or legs?"

"She does get tired, but then she's on a working farm, everyone gets tired. She cooks every day for a large family and puts up a huge amount of canned goods. But she said her family doctor told her about the heart problem and gave her pills. I don't know if her regular doctor is doing the right thing or if there's more she ought to be doing. He told her she wouldn't have a long life."

"You want me to see her, is that it?"

"Yes sir, everyone knows what a good doctor you are," I said.

He smiled. "Well thank you for that, I do my best. How old is this woman?"

"Sixty-two she says. I'll bring her here if you set up an appointment, she's already agreed to that."

He leaned back in his chair and nodded. "I could have you bring her in, but I have a better idea. I have a friend who works over at the hospital; he's a heart and circulatory specialist. Dr. Todd and I have consulted on quite a few patients the past ten years or so, I think he's your man.

"Heart problems are tricky issues. She could have a new problem due to circulatory blockage or it could be systemic, something she's had all along, and as her age advances it's causing the problem. Dr. Todd has the means to test her and come up with a better diagnosis than I can."

"She's a tough lady, Doc. Her husband died of cancer less than ten years ago and she's been running that family ever since. We've become close; I don't want her to lose her health."

"I think you have a lot of compassion, Evan. If this is something recent then treatment now may prolong her life. Would you like me to get you an appointment with Dr. Todd?"

"Yes sir, please," I said.

Doc picked up his phone and dialed a number. "Billy Todd, please ... this is Doc Maitland." He waited a moment and smiled at me. "I'll see what he has open next week, will that work?" He asked, I nodded.

"Billy ... how are you? ... I'm fine, look I have a referral ... Sixty-two year old female, advancing heart problems ... no, she's not one of mine, I thought to send her to you straight away ... she's a friend of a friend ... OK, next Tuesday sounds fine, ten o'clock ... we'll get her there, Billy ... thank you, give my best to Louise ... yes, good-bye."

"You got the appointment? That was fast," I said.

"Yes, Tuesday the ninth, ten o'clock. The Heart Center is on the back side of the hospital; Dr. Todd is up on the second floor. Does that suit you?" Doc asked.

"Yes sir, it sure does," I said. "Thank you, I really appreciate this."

Doc nodded and I knew what was on his mind. "How's Freddy?" He asked.

"He's fine, same old Freddy ... " And I went on telling him how Freddy was doing at work, and then I dropped the bomb. "He's been accepted at Appalachian State ... so has Stan."

"Really? That's wonderful, but how can he afford the tuition?"

"Mr. Beale is paying for them both to attend I suppose, why don't you ask him?"

"Freddy won't talk to me ... I've tried ... "

"Doc, you know I've never stuck my nose in your business. I've always wanted to be nothing more than Freddy's friend and I can't solve this family problem you have. But at least talk to Stan's father, you go to the same church, I know you see him."

"I do ... but, I guess I'm ashamed of the way I handled all this, it's been embarrassing. Larry has always been a good father to Stan, and I guess I envy that. I suppose when Freddy told us he was gay I did all the wrong things, I sided with his mother.

"Lord knows, being a doctor I ought to know better, at least from a medical standpoint. But then I get pressure from the church and I feel caught in the middle here. This whole gay thing is just so strange to me; I don't know why Freddy feels that way."

"Doc, he's just a guy in love, very much in love. I've known Stan my whole life; he's one of the finest people I've ever met. They share something special ... I wish you could see it. Being gay is their way of life and not anyone else's business, there's nothing wrong with the way they love one another. I even think God would agree with me."

"Lord, Evan ... you're not a boy anymore, you have to understand that being gay isn't an acceptable choice for most people. I just don't want Freddy to get hurt."

"He won't, Freddy can take care of himself," I said. "I'm not sure you really get it, being gay isn't a choice, Doc ... Either you are or you aren't, it's only a matter of accepting yourself and the feelings you have. Being gay isn't hard; only other people make it hard."

"You sound pretty knowledgeable on the subject, Evan."

"I have to be, Doc ... I'm gay too."

The shock on his face was worth the revelation. Maybe it was dumb to out myself like this, but he needed to know I wasn't just fucking around. All I could think about was Freddy, and the pain his family had caused.

Slowly Doc nodded. "How long have you known?"

"For sure ... maybe a week. But I've been avoiding the issue for a long time. I understand what it will do to my parents when they find out, but I have to live my own life ... you won't tell them, will you?"

"No ... you have to decide when to do that. You will tell them, won't you?"

"I have to, I owe them the truth. That's what Freddy told me, he said he owed you the truth, Doc. I'm only sad that you couldn't deal with it."

Doc had tears in his eyes and I felt ashamed for bring back all the pain. I'm sure he'd had plenty of time to think about all this, now he needed to take a step forward.

"Look, it's not my place to say this ... but you need to talk to him, Doc. I don't know how he feels about college, but it's a scary time of life. At least tell him he's made the right choice in following through on his education. He needs to hear that from his father."

Doc nodded. "I need to ... I've wanted to for a long time. How did you get so smart, Evan? You're not the same person."

"I fell in love with a wonderful boy; he means the world to me. It's his Granny Dr. Todd will be treating," I said.

"They're both very lucky to have you, I mean that. I suppose Freddy will be home tonight, at the Beale's I mean."

"Probably so, that would be a good bet, Doc," I said.

And I left Doc's office with confidence that he would reach out to Freddy, maybe even this evening. Now it was time to say my good-byes over at Stan's house. Not that I could say anything about Doc showing up there, but maybe I could give them a hint.

They were both sitting on the back porch drinking beer when I showed up.

"Hey Stan, why's that cop car sitting out in front of your house?" I asked.

They scrambled with the beer bottles and I heard the clink of empties as they dropped them in the bag at their feet. I couldn't help it, I burst out laughing.

"Evan ... you little shit, I almost wasted a whole beer," Stan yelled.

"You mean you pissed yourself?" I said.

"Kill, Igor," Stan said, and Freddy got up and growled, then he laughed too.

"No killing today, it was pretty funny," Freddy said.

"You off to bonk your boy in the barn?" Stan asked.

"Yeah, tomorrow. I came in town to pack the rest of my stuff and say good bye to you two knuckleheads. I just left your father's office, Freddy ... you were right."

"Nothing right there, why did you visit?" Freddy asked.

"Tally's granny has a heart condition; your dad set us up with some specialist over at the hospital. Oh yeah ... and I told him I was gay."

"You what?" Stan screamed, and then he reached back in the bag for his beer.

"You told my father ... why?" Freddy asked.

"Oh we got to talkin about you and I told him he was a dumb shit because there was nothing wrong with being gay, and then I said I was too."

"Oh God, and how did he react?" Freddy asked.

"He cried."

The only sounds after that were the birds and the sounds of distant traffic, the silence spoke volumes about the hard feelings Freddy had endured. He looked stunned and Stan just stared at me in amazement.

"He ... he cried?" Freddy finally whispered.

"Yes, Freddy ... he's been in pain over this for a long time," I said. "This time when he reaches out to you just talk to him, OK?"

Freddy nodded, stood up and went in the house.

"God ... you're amazing," Stan said. "You think Doc will ... "

I nodded. "I know he will, probably after your father gets home. I mentioned your dad is paying Freddy's tuition, nothing like a little guilt to motivate someone."

Stan smiled. "Yeah, fucking amazing Evan. Wanna beer?"

"Nope, you guys started the party a little early, didn't you?"

"Third ... Fourth, who cares, we kicked some British ass," Stan said.

I laughed. "How did you ever graduate? The ass kicking didn't happen until at least five years after the Declaration was signed. Let me guess, you were too busy blowing Mr. Woods in the back room after history class for that A you got."

"Eww, he's like fifty, no way," Stan said. "I studied very hard when I was online."

"I know what you were doin online, but I'm too polite to talk about it," I laughed.

"Was not."

"Was too."

"You'll never find out," Stan laughed.

"Until I run across your cam shots on some porn site," I said.

"Oops ... am not ... well maybe."

"Jeez, Stan, you better stop that shit."

"I have ... I have. Your boy Tally could make a fortune with his assets."

"You even suggest that to him and I'll wring your neck, OK?" I said.

"Got it ... just joking," Stan said.

"By the way, thanks for the use of your bed yesterday," I said.

"Most welcome, did everything come out all right?"

"Yeah, it came a lot. Jeez, Stanley, I didn't know I could perform like that, you never told me."

"All it takes is the right inspiration; you sure have that goin on. Wahoo, ride 'em farm boys."

"It goes both ways for us, I don't know what I'll do when he's fully grown," I said.

"You'd be surprised how easily you can adapt, practice makes perfect," Stan laughed.

"I don't now how you handle Freddy; getting fucked by something like that would kill me."

"Oh, I could barely breathe the first ten times or so, I swear the head of his cock was lodged in my throat, at least it felt that long. But you're looking at a size queen now, sweetie ... bigger is better."

"I'll stick with what Tally gives me," I said.

Stan smiled. "I know you will, lucky boy. He's a perfect little angel."

Yeah, I thought that too. I hugged and kissed them both, wishing them a happy Fourth and said I would be back in town next week. Then I went back to my parent's house for a quiet dinner and a restless night's sleep. It was hard, all I had was a pillow to hug ... and then there would be tomorrow.

And then it was here. The Fourth of July, The United States of America's birthday party. Today millions of Americans would kick back, drink a few beers and eat themselves silly before the fireworks displays. From what Tally said the Winslow's knew how to celebrate the day, I couldn't wait to find out how.

I rolled into the driveway about six, sneaking out of my parent's house before dawn just to get here. Instead of looking for Tally I walked up the kitchen steps and into Granny's domain. Breakfast was going to be a cold one, she was frying chicken.

"Evan ... good to see you," Granny said.

Without waiting I leaned over and kissed her cheek. "Missed you too, Granny. What can I do to help?"

"I have about eight more chickens to fry; you may cut them up for me if you want."

"Yes, ma'am," I said.

I took a sharp knife and set to work on the chickens soaking in the sink. "What else do you have to make?" I asked.

"Just a salad, I always make the chicken. Jenny does the veggies; Sally bakes and Miss Betty brings hams, yams and potatoes. After all these years we have a church picnic down to a science. Jim has some nice melons on ice out in the milk shed."

"Sounds like a plan. Oh, I got you an appointment next Tuesday morning at the heart doctor's office. You did say you'd go."

"If you drive me I will, I get lost too easily these days," Granny said.

"I just thought we'd say we're goin shopping and if Tally says anything I'll just say it's for his birthday present," I said.

"Smart thinkin, that ought to work." She pulled the latest batch of chicken from the deep fryer and I transferred it to the pile already in the oven. Then I added the new batch, we might be at this for another hour or two. I resumed cutting up chickens.

"So what are all these festivities Tally keeps talking about?" I asked.

"He's excited because it's his turn to fire the musket at noon, another one of our traditions. My husband had this silly darn musket, been passed down for generations, big as a cannon it seems. Each year we let a different boy fire the darn thing, scares the cows half to death it's so loud."

"A black powder gun? Wow, I've only seen those in museums," I said.

"Jim keeps it hid all year so the boys won't be tempted to play. Not like you can aim the thing, it's a mercy if you can stand up and fire it. Tally will have his hands full. They'll do some target shooting for a prize, you ought to get in on that."

I laughed. "This boy has never fired a gun in his life."

"Well today is all about makin noise it seems. Tally has a small rifle he'll let you use I'm sure, but he's real good with a shotgun or his daddy's rifle. Pays to teach a boy how to shoot, lots of small animals would love to be eating that chicken you have a hand on, and they don't ask politely either.

"Then later on we take the food down to the church yard for our picnic and make more noise. The Reverend brought us a new tradition a few years ago, more gunpowder games. You'll find us ladies hiding in the church when that one goes off."

"Who does the fireworks?" I asked.

"The county, mostly the sheriff and a few of his boys set things off over at the high school. I love good fireworks," Granny said.

"Yeah, me too. It all sounds like fun," I said.

"It is, I suppose you and Tally will run off and take a swim after he fires that dang musket, he better bathe somehow, it leaves you covered in soot."

"Uh, I didn't bring a bathing suit," I said.

Granny laughed. "None of the boys wear them, it ain't a fit sight for women to see. So who's this doctor you hooked me up with?"

But I never got to answer that as we heard steps approach the kitchen door. Rick and Barry came in with a mud splattered Tally between them, I could smell him from across the room.

"Talbot Winslow, you take one more step and I'll tan your bottom. Git back outside and hose yourself down, leave them overalls out there too," Granny commanded.

Tally grinned. "They threw me in the pig sty," He explained.

Rick shrugged. "He was throwing cow patties at us, we had to do something."

"Maybe you all need a hosing," Granny laughed. "No breakfast until I can't smell pig."

Tally ducked back outside and I followed. "Startin the day off right, huh?" I asked.

Tally laughed. "We were just messin around, I heard you drive up." He shucked his overalls by the edge of the porch and I turned on the hose. Even five feet away I could smell the mud on him as it washed off.

"Jeez, how can you stand the smell?" I asked.

"Aww, pigs are pretty clean animals, they just wallow in mud to cool off or keep the flies away. You helping Granny cook?"

"For a while, it sure looks like a lot of chicken."

"Not for forty or fifty people ... so how was it in town?" Tally asked.

"Good, I have to make a trip back on next Tuesday, but other than that I'm here for good."

"What's Tuesday?"

"Um, nothing ... you aren't supposed to know about that," I said.

"Oh, I get it," Tally laughed.

"You will on your birthday."

"Did Granny tell you about the musket?" Tally asked.

"Yeah, said you get to fire it this year and it will knock you on your ass."

"They all think that, but I got a trick all figured out ... you'll see."

I brought him a towel and he scurried through the kitchen to the whistles of his mother who then laughed. "Nice show, Tally." I watched him blush as he hurried up the stairs.

There was fruit, cereal and milk on the table so I helped myself. Jim and Brad joined us while the boys finished cleaning themselves upstairs.

"Paulo and Miguel should be here this weekend," Jim told me. "They're my two most experienced hands, show up like clockwork right after the Fourth. We take about two weeks to get the equipment in top shape and then we cut the first batch of hay. By September the second crop will be in ... you ready for all this?"

"Yes sir, looking forward to it," I said.

"Well I'll show you how the harvest works but I think Granny wants a bit more of your time, you can get both done, we all have long days comin up. Do you hunt?"

"No sir, never tried it. Of course I never had the chance to learn about guns either so why bother."

"City folk have grocery stores, but to a farmer meat is something we raise. Hunting for me is just for sport although we eat whatever we shoot. I got hams hanging out in the smokehouse but a little venison would be nice. Deer are just varmints that eat the crops and trample the garden; we have to rid ourselves of those pests."

The boys returned and we finished up breakfast. I went back to helping with the chicken and we finished up by late morning. About then Jim came back through the kitchen carrying this huge rifle which I assumed was the infamous musket.

The long blue barrel was clean and shiny, the stock looked worn and well oiled. Jim handed it to me and I damn near fell over from the unexpected weight.

"Yeah, she's a monster. I guess it's about a hundred and fifty years old, what might be called a buffalo gun. The barrel measures out to about four gauge if you compare it to a shotgun, but it takes a powder and ball load since it has a smooth bore," Jim explained.

He laughed. "I was twelve when I first fired the darn thing, threw me right back against the side of the barn it did, and that was with only a half load of powder."

Granny laughed. "You should have seen the expression on his face; he looked like he got kicked by a mule."

"And you expect Tally to fire this thing? It might break his collarbone," I said.

"Naw, I think he has it all figured out, he's a smart boy," Jim said.

Granny wiped her hands and we followed him out to the yard behind the house. Tally and his brothers were out there already, each with a rifle in hand. We all followed Jim down to the side of the barn where sitting on the work bench was a metal box. He opened the lid and inside was dozens of boxes of shells and several round tins which I assumed held the black powder.

The livestock were out at pasture or way over on the other side of the barn, here there was nothing but grass and brush with the green field of corn beyond. I saw the boys had stacked bales of bedding straw into two cubes over by the corn, on each was a white paper target.

"Rifles clean and unloaded?" Jim asked. The boys all nodded. "OK, take your shells and load up, Tally you come on over here."

I watched Tally and Jim measure out a dose of black powder on a sheet of paper. I remember reading that muzzle loaders were usually charged with a powder horn made of bone or animal horn. But today Jim laid out a sheet of paper with a circle drawn on it and Tally filled the circle with powder.

Carefully Tally rolled the paper and allowed the powder to slide down the barrel of the musket. He crumpled the paper and stuffed it in the end of barrel, followed by a bit of cloth; he stood back while Jim tamped it all down with a wooden broomstick. The barrel looked huge and the musket was damn near tall as Tally. I sure hoped the boy knew what he was doing.

"Almost time, Pa," Brad said looking at his watch.

"Wait for the bells," Jim replied.

"OK, time for us to scoot and leave you men to your fun," Granny said, and Sam followed her back up to the house.

Jim hung a pair of ear protection muffs around Tally's neck and put a pair of safety glasses on him before allowing the boy to hoist the musket. They rested the barrel on the work bench as Jim primed the pan on the firing mechanism.

"One minute," Brad called out.

Tally gave me a grin and slid the muffs over his ears. He hefted the musket and carried it over to the corner of the barn.

"Just cover your ears when you hear those church bells start ringing, you won't have any trouble hearing that musket," Jim said.

Tally leaned the barrel away from his body and cocked the firing mechanism. He lifted the musket and stood back against the corner of the barn. Smart boy, the butt rested on the corner post, all he had to do was hold it when it fired. I heard bells begin to ring in the distance and we all threw our hands up against our ears ... it was noon.

I didn't hear the musket discharge as much as I felt it. I was looking right at Tally as he cringed and pulled the trigger. The priming powder flashed and then there was this huge blast that followed, spewing smoke and flaming cloth out the end of the musket. The sound wave washed over me and I felt the pressure, it did sound like a cannon.

Jim grabbed the musket from Tally and I had to laugh, the boy was covered in black soot. But Tally ripped the ear muffs of his head and whooped.

"Did you see that? Lord Almighty, that thing has a kick; it would have knocked me clean into town."

I couldn't stop laughing, with the safety glasses off Tally's face looked like that of a raccoon. His skin was gray except for where the glasses had kept the soot from his eyes, it was hysterical. Jim was laughing too until Granny and Sam came back out with the camera. Tally posed with the musket, still having no idea how funny he looked.

The brothers stood in a line and popped away at the targets with various results. Tally showed me how to load his .22 rifle and I managed a few shots, not even sure If I'd hit the target. But then Tally stepped up with a fresh clip of shells and snapped off seven rounds. By looking closely I could see that each of them had hit the bulls eye, the kid was awesome.

I could hear other guns going off in the distance, the neighbors having just as much fun and celebrating in their own way. Granny had gone back in the house and come back with something held behind her back; she walked up to Tally and smiled. Sam snapped another picture just as Tally looked at himself in Granny's mirror. His shock was priceless.

"Oh, Jeez," Tally said, and Sam captured that too. "I need a swim," He said and started towards the river. He grabbed my hand and started pulling me along so we ran together. Rick and Barry lay their now empty rifles down on the bench and took off after us. It was a four way race to the water.

It was a tight race too, Tally had all the energy but Rick and Barry had longer legs; I just kept pace with my boy until we reached the trees. Rick put on a burst of speed and Barry tripped over a tree root, but soon all four of us were standing by the river bank and stripping off our clothes.

Rich and Barry couldn't be modest around Tally; they had grown up together and probably seen everything by now. I wondered if they would have been so easy if they knew I was gay, probably not. Tally's body I knew by heart, the brothers was a different matter.

Young muscular bodies revealed themselves, and even being my age neither of them had much hair except in the crotch. I paid attention to their cocks as they were revealed. In my mind what Tally had now would soon grow to be like his brothers, and if they were huge ... I would be in a world of hurt.

But as our cocks started swinging I couldn't see much difference between any of us, Tally included ... that was a relief. Tally grabbed the rope off the tree and swung out over the water, dropping with a splash. I let Rick and Barry go before me and soon joined them in the water. Yeah, it was still cold, but not as bad as I remembered.

Tally was all over me while Rick and Barry matched muscles and found themselves pretty even. They were twins I'd learned, although Granny had told me they came two days apart. Rick had been first, Barry a surprise even for the doctor. In all they looked so much alike, they just weren't identical. But of the four boys, only Tally looked like his mother's son.

We played around for a while, tossing one another and laughing. Then we heard a loud explosion and Tally laughed. "That's Dad, he's testing out his new powder mix for the contest. Guess they want us back soon."

The day was heating up into the upper eighties and muggy, it would be hard to leave the river behind but we did. We all got out and dressed, Tally and I finishing last. Rick and Barry took off back towards the house at a run, we decided to walk.

I put my arm around Tally and he leaned into me. "Having fun," He asked. I stopped beside a tree and leaned into him for a kiss. There was never anything simple about kissing Tally, he threw himself into everything with passion. Soon he had me pressed against the tree and hard as a rock, even before his hand grasped at my cock through my jeans.

I pulled off his mouth. "No Tally, we don't have time for this, they'll be waiting," I said.

His hand never stooped groping me. "Yeah, but one of us is gonna get off ... and I pick you."

There was no stopping him, Tally slid to his knees and unzipped my pants. His fingers fished my cock out through the slit in my boxers and his mouth took command. God, he was hot for it, and he slid it down his throat. I looked up the path towards the farm and saw only pasture; Tally didn't seem the least bit worried.

He sucked on me like a demon as his fingers undid the snap and my jeans fell open, He pulled off my cock only long enough to slide my boxers down and then he dove back on me. Now he had my balls to play with, my very sensitive balls. His fingers grasped and rolled the fleshy orbs as I moaned with the pleasure.

He was determined to get me off quickly, and that proved to be pretty easy with his talents. I had held out for two days, knowing there would be a moment like this. And as Tally felt my cock swell he rubbed the shaft to bring me over the edge.

"Oh God Tally ... oh ... ahh," I groaned, and he responded by sliding my cock down his throat until his nose rested in my pubes. Oh shit, it felt awesome and I let go. Tally pulled back to receive my blasts and he groaned as I sprayed it all in his mouth. My knees started to give and I reached back to hold onto the tree.

Tally stripped the length of my cock with his fingers and swiped at the remaining drops of cum with his tongue, and then he stood up and kissed me. I tasted myself on his lips and fell deeply in love with him all over again. I was shaking with the sudden rush of orgasm as Tally zipped me back up and restored my jeans.

"God, Tally ... you might have to carry me back ... that was incredible."

He grinned. "You can have yours later, OK?"

"Count on it," I replied. It had all taken less than five minutes; the boy knew how to drive me wild.

Granny had a pickup sitting in the back yard and the boys were loading her goodies, I felt a little guilty for not being there to help. She gave me a smile. "Have a good swim? At least Tally looks cleaner."

"Yes Ma'am, nothing like a nice cold bath," I said.

She laughed and I was glad to see her in such good spirits. We finished loading the truck so Granny and Sam could drive over to the church and set up with the other ladies. Jim and the brothers took off in the other pickup, Rick and Brad sitting in back with that precious metal box between their legs. Tally and I were alone, we had to change clothes ... and we were alone.

"Seems we could have waited," I said.

"No way, it had to be right then ... we can always do it again," He laughed.

I grabbed him and he squealed. "Remember, it's your turn now," I growled.

We climbed the stairs to our bedroom and I started to strip him. Tally giggled, standing with his arms raised over his head and allowing me the fun of removing his clothes. Once I had him naked he flopped on the bed and held his arms out to me.

There was no avoiding that hard cock standing up from his belly, I wanted to feel and taste it in my mouth. I stripped off my clothes and lay down beside him just to feel his skin against me. We kissed and I felt his tongue duel with mine. Yeah, he was hotter than a firecracker right now.

My fingers traced the curves of his body and Tally moaned into my mouth. My fingers reached his cock and I grasped him, feeling it pulse and grow harder. I pulled away and went for his nipples, another moan of pleasure, this time from us both.

His cock was calling me, and I slid my mouth down his stomach towards my prize.

"Fuck me, Evan."

"No, Tally ... we don't have time."

"I want ... " And we both heard the front door slam.

The bedroom door was wide open and we both heard footsteps on the stairs. I jumped up and went for my boxers; Tally was halfway through the bathroom door when Brad appeared in the hall.

I looked up and smiled. "Oops, sorry, I should have shut the door," I said, pulling my boxers in place.

"Mom forgot the camera as usual, you guys comin up?"

"Yeah, I wanted to change, and Tally is in the bathroom doin his business."

"OK, yeah, you have your Jeep here ... I'll see you at the church," Brad said.

He walked down the hall and was gone a minute, returning with the camera in hand. He waved and bounced down the stairs. I heard the door slam shut followed by the sound of his truck tires digging into the gravel in front as he headed out. I walked over and knocked on the bathroom door.

"He's gone, Tally."

The door slowly opened and I saw tears on Tally's face. "I'm sorry," He sobbed.

"Tally ... don't cry ... oh baby, please don't cry," I said.

He sniffled. "I almost got us caught, and if you had been fucking me ... Brad would have caught us and he'd tell Dad for sure."

OK, Tally was afraid, it was just as much my fault. "I'm sorry too, it was a wonderful moment ... but we did the right thing, no one found out. We'll just have to be more careful."

I wiped the tears from his face and kissed him. The passion was gone, blown to hell by Brad's entrance. But there was always later, and a hundred tomorrows to prove how much I loved him.

"Come on, we better get going," I said.

We began to get dressed, Tally in his closet and me from a box by the wall. With so much going on I'd had little time to unpack my clothes. Tally had on some nice blue board shorts and he seemed to be looking for something.

"I can't find a decent shirt," He said.

"You can wear one of mine," I said, and I knew the very shirt I wanted to see on him. Stan had given it to me on my birthday last spring and it would look perfect on Tally. I found it in the box and pulled it out, hiding it behind my back.

"Close your eyes and raise your arms," I said, and Tally did.

I slid the shirt over his outstretched arms and pulled it down over his head. There was no doubt, it was his now, he looked so beautiful in it. "Open your eyes, Tally. God you're beautiful."

Tally gazed at his image in the dresser mirror. The shirt was one of a kind, hand painted and dyed with vivid imagination. The deep blue of the shoulders gave way to the lighter blue surrounding his chest and abdomen. And across it all were stars, gold on the shoulders and fading to white on the body of the shirt. My 'All Star' shirt Stan had called it, but it was made for Tally. He did look like an angel.

"Wow ... this is awesome," Tally said, admiring his image. "Where did you get it?"

"It was made for you, Tally ... I just didn't know that until now."

"Can I keep it?" Tally asked.

"Yes, it looks so much better on you."

He threw his arms around me and the kiss said it all, Tally was a happy boy once again ... my happy little angel of a boy.

We arrived at the church and had to park a ways off. Long tables had been set up under the trees along one side of the church yard and they were covered in dishes, bowls and pans of all sorts. Tally ran to show his mother and Granny the shirt, I wandered over to where the men were gathered.

On a tree stump, maybe three feet across, sat an anvil ... a huge heavy hunk of steel. Jim was there along with the Reverend and about twenty other men. Brad saw me and came over to explain the workings.

"Reverend Layne picked up this idea for a contest when he was out in the Mid-west," Brad said. "That big anvil has a socket in the middle so you can fit iron shoes or other shaped tools into it. But he's got a groove cut down the length from the socket out onto the horn of the anvil, can you see it?"

A shallow groove ran half the length of the anvil; I could plainly see it so I nodded.

"We'll most of the men around here load their own shells, store bought ammunition ain't cheap and everyone thinks they do it the best. This is a test to see who makes the best and strongest powder. I bet some of the formulas go back through families for a long time, Dad mixes his own for the shotgun shells he uses when hunting."

"But how does it work?" I asked.

"They're setting one up now, just watch," Brad said.

I watched this man pour an amount of powder in the socket, and then the Reverend scraped off the excess. The socket was full and then the Reverend pushed the excess into the groove, filling it all the way out onto the horn to the very tip. From behind the stump a second anvil was produced and this was set on top of the socket trapping the powder underneath.

"We better stand back, and you might cover your ears like you did earlier," Brad said.

Everyone backed off about thirty feet except the man who made the powder. He held a kitchen match in his hand and lit it on the side of the anvil.

"Fire in the hole," Someone yelled, and every one covered their ears including me. I felt a bump and looked down as Tally slid in beside me, hand over his ears.

The man touched the flaming match to the powder and took off running. The powder in the groove acted like a fuse, and three seconds later there was an explosion. The small anvil jumped in the air about four feet and fell to the ground. It was all very loud and I felt the shock wave after the bang. The assembled group applauded and walked back towards the stump.

"That's it?" I asked Tally.

"Yeah, they try out everyone's powder and the one that sends the small anvil highest wins, they call it 'bang the anvil,' pretty silly huh?"

I laughed. "Silly yeah, but still, it's a contest and everyone seems to enjoy the noise."

"All except the ladies, they'll be inside the church for a while," Tally said.

I saw Jerry running towards us, a huge grin in his face. "Evan," He yelled, and then he threw his arms around my waist in a hug. "Did you hear? My Daddy is comin home in two months."

God that made me happy, no wonder Jerry was smiling so big. "That's great news ... I know you're lookin forward to seeing him," I said.

"Yeah, and mom says we're goin down to Jacksonville to see him when he gets off the plane, how cool is that?"

"Very cool, Jerry ... I'm so happy for you," I said.

Another anvil shot went off and scared the hell out of all three of us, all we could do was laugh and move away. I watched the small kids running through the trees playing tag. Tally stood with his arm on Jerry's shoulder, sharing the happiness his young cousin felt.

I had never felt this attached to a bunch of people in my life. Here they shared the simple pleasure of each others company. All worked equally hard and had to focus their good times on days like this. There was no excess, no outrageous display of wealth or finery, these people were real and I felt privileged to be here among them.

"Fire in the hole," I heard, and turned as the explosion went off. The small anvil seemed to float upwards, nearly ten feet off the ground and the men all cheered. The Reverend Layne held up his hands and the group fell silent.

"I think we all agree, first place goes to ... Everett Hobbs." Lots of applause followed that pronouncement. "Second place goes to ... Jim Winslow." More applause. "And third place goes to ... Andy Bennett." A great deal more applause. "Thank you all, a contest well met for another year. And now if the ladies can be coaxed out of the bomb shelter." Laughter. "Let's eat."

The spread of food was enough to satisfy the hungriest person there. Everyone stood patiently in line and helped themselves, and then we all went to sit on blankets under the trees.

"Chicken turned out great," I told Granny, and she smiled.

"I'll have to teach you the secret," She said.

"Secret? It's only chicken," Tally said.

"Talbot Winslow, you tired of eating my friend chicken?" Granny asked.

"No Ma'am," Tally said.

I laughed. "That boy lives to eat, you really got him by the ... uh, family jewels, Granny."

Everyone on the blanket laughed, including Granny. "Be careful, big boys wash floors too," She said. And turning to Rick she smiled while he blushed. I gathered that he was the last offender to scrub her linoleum.

The picnic ended by six and we helped pack up the tables and leftover food. I had the opportunity to be introduced to the Reverend and thanked him for the wonderful day. He seemed like a kind man, someone the farm families in his congregation could relate to. I would be seeing more of him on Sundays.

We drove back to the house, cleaned off our messy pans and sat down to relax. For two hours we played cards and watched the news, and then it was time to get over to the high school. Two vehicles were required, I followed Jim.

The line of cars stretched down the road away from the school and we hiked in, finding ourselves a place on the bleachers facing the football field. Away in the distance across the field we could see the fireworks set up, and then the sun disappeared and the sky grew dark. I had Tally on one side and Granny on the other, the rest of the family spread out down the row.

"Ladies and gents, boys and girls ... please stand for our National Anthem." And then from the speakers on either side of the bleachers came the familiar strains. Tally and I stood with the rest, right hands on our chest. And then I heard the sound of voices ... the crowd was singing and I looked over at Tally who was mouthing the words as well.

I had mixed feelings about my country, feelings I couldn't yet share with this boy. Stan and I had talked long and hard about the various facets of American life over the years, and it had all begun when Stan came out as gay.

He didn't hate the people that hated gays, he just felt sorry for them. His point was that they were missing out on the quest for freedom and the promise held within the Declaration of Independence. Equal rights didn't apply to gay people, he'd said, maybe it never would.

I tried to find an argument against what he was saying but I couldn't. Fear and mistrust was breaking down the American dream for all the people to be equal. The years of discrimination against black people had taught us nothing as a nation about treating people badly. Gay was the new black; discrimination flourished, and in many cases was upheld by state laws.

No, that was not my ideal of America ... land of the brave and home of the free. For even gay soldiers fought and died for a country that didn't believe in them. That was brave beyond any concept I might have of service to my country ... they didn't want us only because we were gay.

Freedom was a bitter word for people that not too many years ago were deemed mentally ill because of their homosexuality. That time was past but the pain lingered on, fueled by indifference and hate. Stan was adamant, gays would never be accepted as true Americans, we would always be second class. I didn't believe that.

What I saw was hope, and Tally personified that feeling. Guys like us would grow up and change the face of America, we already were ... Granny was proof of that. Twenty years ago she would have held forth against love between men because she never questioned the fact that it might happen in her own family. And now it had.

In her eyes Tally could do no wrong, and love is the strongest emotion in the human catalog, even more so than hate. For to love someone you have to let them grow, nurture them and allow them to choose just as she had with Tally.

If God was an excuse to persecute others as godless then Granny had stood religion on its head. She had seen through the wall of hate and beyond into the very words that God was supposed to have given mankind. Love was the answer; it had always been God's finest commandment. Granny knew the way; she was determined to show us her understanding.

The Anthem ended with a cheer and a lone rocket took to the air, bursting in the clear night sky. Everyone sat and I felt Granny take my left hand in hers. For some reason I always felt she knew my thoughts, now was no different. It gave me joy.

And then the rockets soared, the faces of the crowd turning upwards to view the display, the sudden burst of color. And Tally took my right hand in his and I felt the energy pass between the three of us. I felt peacefully at home here, I loved these people.

On to Chapter Nine

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