Eventually they began to drift back to themselves, Mitch lay on Darrin’s chest as Darrin pulled a blanket around the two of them. As they enjoyed their post-orgasmic bliss, Darrin held Mitch tight against him as the two softly kissed, even playfully nipping at times. In their playful joy, the two’s love was evident. Their comfort with each other was something few couples are able to attain. With the flickering fireplace, in the dim room, they were, in that instant at least, the epitome of fidelity and love.
Trent stood at the side door, looking at the scene before him. He had arrived a few minutes earlier, on his secret late night raid of their fridge. He knew full well he was seeing the end of sex, but nothing like he had experienced. No one had ever held him with the tenderness that Darrin held Mitch. Nor had he ever had the look of contentment that he could see on Mitch’s face. Trent felt a tear rolling down his face, and fiercely scrubbed it away. He needed to leave here soon, or he would turn soft. He knew from experience, if you were soft, you died on the street. These people were softening him. He turned to go back to his house, thinking he had to begin his plans to leave this unreal place.
>
Josh walked over again, to show Trent something he had done wrong. So far as Trent could tell what he was doing was fine, it just wasn’t exactly what Josh wanted, and he was getting tired of it. In Trent’s opinion, Josh was treating him like he was stupid, and Trent didn’t let anyone treat him that way. He got through the latest lecture on how to nail a board to a post, correctly, and was glad when Josh went back to what he was working on and left Trent alone.
A few minutes of blissful quiet passed when Trent heard Josh correcting him again, this time from across the corral. Trent whirled, drew back and hurled the hammer in his hand at Josh’s head, just as Mitch walked around the corner.
Mitch had heard the two boys working, and had noticed that Josh was trying to micromanage Trent. He’d hoped the two of them could work it out. He had heard Josh’s last set of instructions, which Mitch thought were just for the sake of control. As he walked around the corner to talk to Josh, Mitch saw the hammer sail through the air, barely missing Josh’s head. Mitch immediately decided, enough was enough.
“Both of you, in the house. Now!” said Mitch with authority.
Motioning them ahead of him, Mitch marched both boys into the main house. As they walked through the door, Darrin looked up from his desk and cocked his eyebrow at Mitch. But instead of stepping in to help, he sat quietly in his chair while Mitch sat both young men down on the couch. Mitch glanced up at him, and Darrin shrugged. Mitch’s mouth formed a hard line as he turned back to the two. Turning to Trent he unloaded.
“What the fuck were you thinking, Trent? You could have killed Josh throwing that hammer at him,” he saw Josh open his mouth to speak, and turned on him, “and what the hell crawled up your butt today Josh and left you princess of corral building? Picky ass shit like you are pointing out is just being a snot nosed brat.”
“That’s it! That’s exactly fuck’n it!” shouted Trent. “He thinks he’s so much fuck’n better than everyone else, living up here and getting everything he fuck’n want. Josh is just a fuck’n rich kid with two sugar daddy’s!”
Josh pounced on what Trent said, “Rich kid! Rich kid! I only had one pair of jeans when I got here you little asshole! I work for my money and I spend it how I want. Mitch and Darrin have helped, but the goats are my business and I didn’t sell myself to get what I have!”
“Fuck you! Fuck you, you cock sucking little hypocritical faggot! I survived! I did what I had to but I survived you shitty condescend—”
“That’s enough!” snapped Mitch, “From both of you!” He paused for a few seconds, letting everyone cool down slightly. Then he turned to Josh, “Josh, why don’t you tell Trent how you ended up living here. I don’t think he knows.”
“It’s no body’s business how . . .” Josh trailed off when he saw the look on Mitch’s face. Knowing he really had no choice, not because anyone would force him, but because Mitch thought it would help. He took a deep breath and started.
“Sheriff White Cloud brought me. My parents had beaten me pretty badly, my mother had whipped me with the buckle end of a belt. I was about your age,” he looked over at Trent and then glanced away, “Anyway, the Sheriff says the Kiowa call gay people ‘two-spirits’, and they have powers for good. Or something like that. Anyway, he brought me here. All I had was the clothes on my back. My parents didn’t speak to me because they thought, well still think, that I’m Satan since I’m gay. So Mitch and Darrin have been helpful, more than helpful.” Josh stared at the ground, suddenly realizing how much he had been given and how fortunate he was.
Trent looked at Josh and asked without flinching. “Do you have sex with them?”
“Darrin and Mitch? God no! Oh my god! What a horrible thing to say!”
Mitch looked at Trent with a surprisingly understanding look on his face. “Trent, your turn. What’s your history?”
“Why the fuck do you care?” retorted Trent. “It’s none of your fuck’n business.”
“That’s two different things. Why don’t you tell Josh why you thought he was having sex with Darrin and me. If he understood some of your history maybe he’d stop doing some of the things that make you feel the need to brain him with a hammer.” Darrin looked at Mitch with a raised eyebrow and Mitch nodded almost imperceptibly.
Trent crossed his arms, looking from one to the other and then froze in position without emotion. Everyone in the room waited, wondering if Trent was going to share part of his story or not. Eventually he did start speaking, but it was without his customary bravado.
“Because a lot of the foster fathers made me have sex with them. That’s why.” He turned to Josh with a fierce and suddenly angry look on his face. “The first one would hold me down and make me suck him until he fuck’n got off. I ran away. They stuck me in a different home, the new foster fucker thought he could seduced me, because he liked sucking me off.”
Josh looked a little ill as Trent talked about his life. The connections were quickly made and Josh could see how he could have easily ended up in the same situation that Trent had been involved. He thought back to Mitch talking about his abuser, and he had to admire Trent for getting himself away.
“Sorry, I didn’t know. It sounds horrible,” said Josh quietly.
“You fuck’n stupid redneck! Horrible was my dad being killed when I was 6. Horrible was my fuck’n stepfather beating me, and my mom not stopping him. The rest is just sex, sex is easy. Give them what they want, and I get to eat. Easy,” said Trent with a hollow laugh.
“Trent, Darrin and I are monogamous,” interjected Mitch, “So that will never happen,” Mitch looked at Darrin, who nodded in agreement. “Anyone you’re intimate with is your business. But you can’t bring tricks here. I’d hope you’d give that up now that you have the STD’s cleared up. I’m not your parole officer, and I have no intentions of watching you every second to keep you out of trouble. Until you do something stupid, I’m going to give you the benefit of the doubt and think you’re doing the right thing.”