Twenty-Eight
Keith
The rest of the week dragged by, and every freaking day Bart was on my mind.
He’d shown me in just a small amount of time that he wasn’t shy, and he was more than eager to speak his mind and tell me and anyone else exactly how he felt.
We’d planned to go to the mountains on Saturday, but they were right in the middle of calving season, and all the little ones were keeping them busy.
“Hey, babe, are we still on for Saturday?” Bart asked.
I’d been trying to be better at reaching out to him, and even though it had only been about a week I found myself looking at my phone more and loving the excitement of every message.
Even if it was a video about a dog getting startled by a fart, or a donkey squeezing a rubber chicken.
It was all good fun and made my life way less boring.
“Yes, looking forward to it.”
“Liar, but don’t worry. I swear we’ll have fun. Are you driving your truck?”
“No, I have an old beater I keep at a friend’s property that we’ll take. It’s dependable but it’s been through it.”
“What does that mean?” Bart asked.
“It’s been rolled a couple of times while we were out playing around, but like I said it’s perfectly safe. I would never put you in danger.” I knew how it sounded, but I was actually very careful when I went off-road, but sometimes things happened that I couldn’t control.
“I trust you, and I have friends who used to go drive the Rubicon each year, so I know how it goes. I’m not worried, and I can’t wait to see that swimming hole.”
“I’ve been all around that area and I’ve never seen that place. I’ve heard of it, but it must be more hidden than they make it sound.” Every person in town over fifty had been to that swimming hole, and every person in town who had been there was very vague about exactly where it was.
“We’ll ask Asa,” he said with confidence.
“If he’s not any help then we’ll just wing it. It’ll be fun to go for a ride.”
“I agree, and thanks again for driving.”
“Well, when you mentioned riding bikes there, I considered it, but I also considered that I wouldn’t be able to sit for a few days afterward and thought this was a better idea.”
“I knew you didn’t really want to ride. That’s okay though, we’ll get you a bike eventually. Hey, I’ve got to go, there’s cows to milk and shit to shovel.”
“Have a good day.”
“You too, babe, talk to you later.” He hung up and left me on cloud nine. Happy to have someone who made me want to get off work in time to spend a little time together.
Saturday morning bright and early I picked up Bart, and we drove in the direction of the mountains.
I still wasn’t sure exactly where we were going but having him in the passenger seat made it all seem more exciting.
“I talked to Asa and he still wouldn’t tell me exactly where this swimming hole is. Why is it such a secret?” he asked.
“Small town shit. I guess there’s just some things the townsfolk like to keep for themselves, but if you happen to find it, they’re happy to share. It’s like a little hidden gem.”
“It’s okay if we don’t find it. I’m just excited to spend some time with you,” he said and slid his hand over to rest on my leg.
“What all did you bring?” He’d thrown a small ice chest and a backpack behind the seat of the truck when he got in and I felt bad I hadn’t thought of bringing us something to eat or at least something to drink.
“I made sandwiches and brought some bottles of water and Gatorade just in case we needed it.”
“You’re very prepared.”
“I try to be. There were a few times I went out biking and got stuck with very little water or my energy level just hit bottom and luckily, I did have enough water, and I always pack snacks just in case.”
“How far do you ride?” I asked and really tried to remember the last time I rode a bike. I had tried to make it sound like it hadn’t been that long ago when it first came up, but it had been years, and it was just around town not out on a trail.
“The trail behind my house is seven miles each way and for a while I was doing that every day after work. But I’ve gone as far as thirty miles in a day. I try not to go on any trails that are too remote or untraveled that I can’t get help if I need it,” he explained.
“Thirty miles on a bike? I wouldn’t be able to walk for a week,” I said and was completely serious.
“Nah, you get used to it after a while. I’d love for you to try it sometime, but maybe on one of the dirt roads around the fields. They’re flat and you can decide if you like it or not.”
“That’s a great idea. I never considered riding out there.”
“I’ll have to bring my bike back next time I go back to Auburn.”
“When will that be?”
“I’m not sure. I haven’t really been in any hurry to go back.”
“Good, because I’m not in any hurry for you to go back either,” I said and he turned to me with a grin.
“There is still so much I need to learn about the dairy, and really the whole town, but it’s been fun and I really love it here.”
“Was there anyone you were seeing in Auburn?” I asked, not just for conversation but also out of curiosity.
“There were a few the past few years, but nothing that was ever more than scratching an itch. There were a few of us that wanted nothing more than to get off. It seems a little weird now, but none of us were looking for a relationship and I guess our hormones took over.”
“There’re a few people here that do the same thing, they think no one knows. But a few of us pay attention.” I could name at least five of them, mostly gay men who didn’t want to go out of town and were still trying to decide how public they wanted to be. “I’ve never been very good at the hookup.”
“Did you get too attached?”
“No, I guess I always wanted someone to go do things like this with,” I said. He stared at me longer than I could take my eyes off the road. The more time I spent with Bart, the more time I wanted to spend with him.
“How much farther?”
“Not much, just past that big rock face.” His eyes lit up, and I hoped he didn’t change his mind when he saw where we were headed.