On Thursday, after signing a rental contract with Dr. Caldwell for their apartment for the coming academic year, Bryce and Damon decided to celebrate by having dinner at El Rincon Latino, the Mexican restaurant owned by the Sandoval family. Bryce called ahead to insure they would have Mike as their waiter. Isobel Sandoval informed him that she could seat the two of them in Mike’s section at 7:30, but not before. Therefore, they returned to plans for moving into their new quarters.
While they were at the Sigma Alpha Tau house, sitting in one of the lounge areas and going over lists of what needed to be moved, they were hailed by Beau Lyle. He had evidently been in the basement lounge having a beer or two, but was now on his way out. After initial greetings, Beau asked about the weekend.
“I mentioned the Shelbyville Horse Show the other day, and at least Bryce seemed interested,” he said with a grin. “How about it? Tonight, tomorrow, Saturday. Last night was opening night, and spectacular.”
“Oh, geez! I entirely forgot about that,” Bryce moaned. “I think I told you we were looking for a place off campus for the coming year. We spent all week visiting prospective apartments, and didn’t find squat until this afternoon.”
“I have a place off campus. It’s called my parents’ house,” Beau teased.
Bryce and Damon both booed him, but then Bryce added, “I’d love to take in part of the horse show, but we did find a place late this afternoon, and Damon and I were just making moving plans. Definitely nothing tonight or tomorrow. But Saturday is the big day anyway, right?”
“Right. Most of the championship classes are then. My folks have a box, but not everyone will be going. My grandparents, my sister Amy, and me, so there are two vacant seats if you’re interested,” Beau offered.
Damon spoke up. “I know how much Bryce loves his horses. When he’s around them, I get jealous. So, I insist that he go. I’ll go along if he wants, but if someone more interested in horse shows turns up, I won’t be all that unhappy to relinquish my seat.”
Bryce kissed Damon, which caused Beau to blush. “You are a true friend. Thank you! And I promise I will work like the devil to get us moved in before leaving for Shelbyville.”
“Shelbyville is on Interstate 64, and the fairgrounds are a little distance off exit 33, on US Highway 60. I’m leaving these tickets with you,” Beau said, pulling two tickets out of his backpack. “I’ve asked some others, but either they’re not interested or have already made other arrangements. I don’t think there will be any more interested takers, Damon. Just something you’ll have to suffer through for the sake of your boyfriend.”
“We won’t be required to actually ride horses, will we?” Damon apprehensively asked.
“No. Just watch them perform,” Beau assured him with a chuckle.
“That I can do,” Damon replied with some relief.
And so it was that Bryce and Damon set about planning their move in time to leave for Shelbyville on Saturday. The show began at 6:30, so they wanted to get to Shelbyville in time to get something to eat before that.
On their way to El Rincon Latino, they stopped at a hardware store and had copies made of the three keys given them by Dr. Caldwell, so each would have a set. Only then did they arrive at the Sandovals’ place on that Thursday evening.
As they entered the restaurant, they were greeted by the hostess, Isobel Sandoval, with the information that they would be seated immediately. They were not quite as busy as she expected. She seemed upset about something, which bothered the guys. Hence, when Miguel, a.k.a. Mike, appeared, they had some questions for him.
“Buenos tardes señores. Me se llama Miguel, and I will be your waiter this evening.” Mike said as he placed menus before them. “What can I get you to drink?”
“First of all, you can explain the change in your introduction,” Bryce said. “I’m so used to the previous version it shook me.”
“Oh, that’s just for the purpose of confusing you guys,” Mike told them. “Unless it’s another Hispanic table, no one would know what I said anyway.”
“Okay. Now, what’s up with your mother? She definitely seemed upset with something as she seated us?” Bryce continued his inquisition.
“We had ‘an incident’ earlier this evening,” Mike said, using his fingers to put quotation marks around the words ‘an incident.’ “But I’ll have to tell you the details later. Let’s just say we had a visit from some unsavory characters. Now, what about drinks?”
“Do you think you could spring for some wine? We got kind of used to that when we were in Europe,” Damon requested.
“As long as you behave yourselves,” Mike grinned. “We don’t need another incident.”
After Mike left, Bryce and Damon speculated fruitlessly over what kind of incident would have upset Isobel Sandoval so severely as to affect her hostessing duties. As they had no data, of course, they could come to no conclusions. When Mike returned with their drinks, he added to the mystery.
“I can’t spend a lot of time at your table. Mom is on a rampage this evening after being upset. We had a visit from some guys you know, and who you would not want to meet in a dark alley. Ready to order?”
Bewildered, Bryce and Damon gave their orders.
Mike then added. “Your former bedmate,” indicating Damon, “and your former mentor,” to Bryce.
“Oh shit! Lomax and Campbell,” Bryce erupted.
“Language. Language,” Mike chided him. “Consider the diners at nearby tables.” He looked over and smiled at a patron at the next table who looked anything but pleased at Bryce’s outburst. Then Mike disappeared again.
Finding Bick Lomax and Mack Campbell popping up in their vicinity was not a pleasant experience. As Mike indicated, Lomax attempted to rape Damon last fall. Campbell had done all he could to make Bryce’s pledge experience a miserable one. And both had attacked and beaten Damon, threatening to do the same to Bryce, before being arrested. The guys had expected them to be behind bars, but those ‘high priced lawyers’ the bartender at Pat’s mentioned evidently gave them the opportunity to make themselves obnoxious in public once again.
“Those two came in earlier, already drunk as a skunk,” Mike informed his table when he delivered their first course. “Started in before they were even seated about ‘spicks’ and ‘wetbacks.’ It did not take much more before Mom decided they had to leave. They were being rowdy and disturbing other diners. But when she informed them of this, they objected,” Mike said, then disappeared once again.
Bryce laughed.
“What are you laughing about?” Damon demanded. “This could be serious.”
“It’s Mike. Getting information in small snippets like this just reminded me of those old time serial thrillers. ‘Tune in for the next exciting episode. Same time, Same place.’ I’m not downplaying the possible seriousness of the reappearance of those two assholes,” Bryce explained.
Damon grinned. “When you put it that way, I guess there is a certain element of humor in the situation. And I think Mike is enjoying stringing us along entirely too much. What shall we do to set the boy straight?”
“Nothing obvious. We don’t want to upset Isobel any further,” Bryce cautioned.
When Mike returned with their main course, he continued the saga. “Mom didn’t know what to do when Lomax and Campbell refused to leave.”
“Awkward,” Bryce sympathized. “But here, taste this. It seems off or something.” he said, offering Mike a small bite of taco.
Mike bit into the offering, and immediately his eyes started to water and he made some very un-waiter-like noises.
“What’s the matter, Miguel?” Bryce innocently asked.
With a great effort, Mike swallowed. “I knew you were evil when you refused to join my fraternity,” he hissed, and stalked off to get some water.
Bryce and Damon were barely containing their laughter. “I guess that hot sauce is really hot,” Damon guffawed.
“Especially on jalapeños,” Bryce returned the joke.
When they had completed their main course, they waited. And waited. Mike was getting his revenge in his own way. Eventually, he turned up.
“Would the señores desire a dessert?” he asked in a cold voice.
“Now Mike, you know you were having a ball stringing us along. Don’t get huffy,” Bryce told him. “Yes, we would both like flan. And if there’s any hot sauce in either one, you will live to regret it.”
Mike grinned. “Had you panting for the next installment, didn’t I? Now you’re just going to have to wait until I’m ready to tell you how it all turned out.”
“Miguel …” Bryce threatened.
But their waiter had suddenly gone deaf. Only when he brought them their tab, after another prolonged wait, did he continue the story.
“Mom went to get Dad, who came out with three hefty men armed with knives and meat cleavers. Then the two miserable SOBs decided it was a good idea to go elsewhere.”
“Were you one of the hefty men with a meat cleaver?” Damon asked.
“No, of course not,” Mike pretended shock. Then he added with a grin, “I had a knife.”
Later that evening the final plans for moving into the Caldwell house were made over a couple of beers at the fraternity house. On Friday, they put their plans into action. There were several fairly large parcels which had been shipped from Rome, some of them via Lincoln. In them were the paintings they had acquired in Paris and books picked up all along their European journey. Bryce had also acquired a cuckoo clock while in the Black Forest region of southwestern Germany, which would find a new home in the “common area” of their apartment. There were some smaller packages, containing among other things the goblets purchased at Venice and Damon’s copy of Michelangelo’s David. Then, there were the things they had left in storage at Clay Hall at the end of spring semester, perhaps most importantly Bryce’s desktop computer with the large screen, and a computer desk. There were several boxes of books, and a couple of bookshelves as well. In addition, all their winter clothing from last year had also been stored away during their absence in a cubicle in the cellar of Clay Hall. They brought additional clothing and a variety of items with them from Lincoln at the insistence of Martha Winslow. The king size bed they shared last spring had been rented from a local firm, and sent back at the end of the spring term. Bryce also put in a call to his mother asking advice about additional items, but that would have to wait until they were more settled.
One thing definitely decided upon during all their planning was that both guys would share the larger of the two bedrooms in the apartment. The first trip there on Friday confirmed that the bed there was also a king size, although Damon thought it was smaller. It had simply been dwarfed by the size of the room. The second bedroom could be used as a guest bedroom, but they intended to push the bed into a corner, and basically use it as their study area or library. That, at least, was the initial plan. They did not know how Dr. Caldwell would react to this, or to the fact that they were gay partners, so they did not intend to tell him.
As they were moving their things in, Bryce encountered Dr. Caldwell when he had his hands full with a box of books. He had just come in the side door, and was on his way to the staircase when they met.
“Ah moving in, I see,” Dr. Caldwell said.
“Yes, Sir. Damon and I thought we might as well get everything done today and tomorrow. More than likely the guys at the fraternity house will not be in for another week, but it might be awkward if one of the guys whose rooms we’re using happened to come in early,” Bryce replied.
“Actually, that’s good. I like to have someone here, just in case.” Caldwell did not say in case what. But he continued, “The young couple on the third floor will not be back until about a week from now.”
Bryce was feeling the weight of the box of books in his arms, and shifted the load. Only then did Dr. Caldwell seem to realize the situation. “Oh, pardon me. You have something weighty there, don’t you?”
“Books,” Bryce tersely replied.
“My yes. Students always have books. Excellent. Very appropriate. Please continue.”
As Caldwell stepped aside, Bryce began to mount the stairs. He became aware that his landlord was following him, and hoped that nothing embarrassing was in evidence in the apartment. The door was wide open, this not being the first trip with arms laden. Bryce simply walked in, and set the books down on the floor in the “common area.” He called out, “Damon, Dr. Caldwell is with me.”
Damon emerged from the bedroom, where he had been hanging clothing in the wardrobe. “Oh, hello, Dr. Caldwell.”
“And a very good morning to you, Mr. Watson,” Caldwell replied. “I trust the two of you are getting settled without too much trouble.”
“As you see, we have things scattered all over the place, but we are making progress. Most of our stuff is here now,” Damon replied.
“There is something I would like to ask about,” Bryce said. “We took a trip to Europe this past summer, and acquired a couple of paintings in Paris. Would you object to us hanging those in place of the ones you have here in this room?”
“What kind of paintings?” Dr. Caldwell cautiously enquired.
“Here, let me show you,” Bryce said. He walked over to where several thin cardboard boxes were stacked against a wall. He began to open them, first showing the painting of Sacre Coeur, then one of the Seine with a bateau mouche, and finally the artists’ quick portraits of the two of them. They had been framed in Lincoln, and shipped on to Clifton.
When they were laid out, Dr. Caldwell admired the collection, then looked around the walls. The paintings currently hanging there were old ones, so dim in places it was impossible to tell what was there. “Your paintings and drawings are very appropriate. I did have to see, though. One never knows what young men will bring back from Paris. I have no objection to you substituting them for what is here. However, I crave your assistance in storing these works. Some of them have been in the family for quite some time.”
“Certainly, Sir. Where would you like us to store them?” Bryce replied.
“Come with me,” their landlord replied. He went back into the hall, and up the stairs to the third floor, where neither Bryce nor Damon had yet been. “As I believe I mentioned, there is a couple who are renting the apartment up here. They will be directly over you. But in the rear, over the smaller apartment on your level, there are rooms which have not been fitted out as an apartment, and which are used only for storage. Let’s see where the best place would be.”
On the third floor, the stairs debouched into a small hallway similar to that on the floor below. To the right there was a door which Dr. Caldwell unlocked with a key from the ring he carried. This opened into a corridor with a window at the end, like that in the smaller apartment below. As it was late morning rather than late afternoon, when they had seen the one below, there was no dramatic sunlight streaming in, but the lighting was adequate. They proceeded down the corridor to a door on the right, which was not locked. Dr. Caldwell entered and flipped a light switch. They beheld a real jumble of furniture and other items, not in any arrangement to be used, but stacked up to take up as little space as possible. There were also boxes of various sizes piled in several places.
“I think this would be the most appropriate place to store the paintings you wish to remove,” he said. “Do be careful with them. As I said, they have been in the family for some time. I do not believe they are especially valuable, but I would be most distressed if they were damaged.”
“You may rest assured we will be very careful, Dr. Caldwell,” Bryce assured him.
Damon had been looking around the room. “Um, Dr. Caldwell, I take it the stuff in here is not in use.”
“That’s right.”
“Well, Bryce and I have acquired quite a few books, and, while we have some bookshelves, we don’t have enough shelf space for everything. I notice a couple of bookshelves over there,” he pointed. “Would it be okay if we took them down to our apartment?”
“Oh, yes. Certainly. You may make use of anything in this room. But please do make a list and let me know what you are using, just so nothing is misplaced.” The professor paused, then added, “I regret having to impose these restrictions on you. You seem very responsible young men. But I have had some unpleasant experiences in the past, with things damaged or missing.”
The guys suddenly realized just how vulnerable the old man was. “Not a problem,” Damon assured him. “That only makes sense.”
“I will leave you with the key to the hall door, but please return it to me when you have made whatever moves you wish,” Dr. Caldwell said, handing his ring of keys to Bryce, and indicating which one was for the door in question. “Do be careful,” he said, as he shuffled off, making his way down to the first floor.
The guys returned to their unit and removed the older paintings from the walls. There were lighter colored areas on the wallpaper where the paintings had hung, but fortunately the two larger paintings Bryce had purchased, that of Sacre Coeur and that of the Seine scene, were larger than those being removed, so that would not be noticeable. They hung their acquisitions, including the sketch portraits of the two of them. As they admired their work, Damon said, “I have another idea. Let’s just move that extra bed up to the storage room. I think I saw something there which would make a fine substitute.”
“You’re devious,” Bryce informed his lover. “Let’s see what you have in mind.”
They went back up to the third floor, carrying two of the paintings they had removed from the walls of their “common area.” In the storage room, Damon pointed out a piece of furniture in a corner. On closer inspection, as he thought, it was an old roll top desk. They cleared the area in front of it, and inspected the piece of furniture. It was made of fine wood and, although scarred in places, was basically in good shape. The key was in the lock, so they opened it, and found that it had been cleared of any papers or other items which had once filled its cubby holes. It would be a great place for doing homework that did not require the computer. But moving it down to the second floor might be a problem. After only a brief trial, they decided they could not move it without help.
After lunch Bryce called the SAT house. It happened that Keith Hamilton answered, and confirmed that the house had a dolly. Before he knew it, he was pressed into service. Bryce then called Beau Lyle, and convinced him to provide some muscle as well. While Damon disassembled the bed in the smaller bedroom in their unit, Bryce went outside to await the arrival of their friends. Fortunately, the two fraternity brothers arrived within a few minutes of each other, with Keith driving a pickup borrowed from a friend, with the dolly in the bed. They made their way up to the apartment Bryce and Damon were renting.
“Wow! It looks like you guys have a real gem here,” Keith commented. “I’ve seen student apartments which ought to be condemned by the health inspector.”
“Yeah. This looks like something you might find at my grandparents’ place,” Beau added.
“We were very fortunate. We almost didn’t stop here. The way Dr. Dickinson described it, it sounded like just a couple of room, like dorm rooms, in the house of a friend of his. But we’re real pleased. But, enough for now. When we’re all moved in, we’ll have you over. For now, we just need your muscle power to move a few things,” Bryce proclaimed.
Naturally, Keith and Beau both had to make salacious comments about moving the bed out of the smaller bedroom, with sarcastic remarks about where poor Damon would have to sleep. They commented on him sleeping on the sofa in the “common area.” But they did the work they were called upon to do. The bed was moved up to the storage room, and the desk moved down to the newly christened study room. The extra bookcases Damon had first noted in storage were also moved into that room. Keith and Damon made a run to the Sigma Alpha Tau house in the pickup and retrieved the last of the items stored there and at Clay Hall.
Bryce sat at the desk for the first time, and drew up a list of the items moved from one place to another for Dr. Caldwell. He wasn’t sure how the landlord would react, but he decided that complete honesty was the only way to begin their relationship. It would be obvious from the removal of the bed that Bryce and Damon intended to sleep together. Once everything was moved, the door to the back portion of the third floor was locked. Then, all four guys clambered down to the first floor, after Bryce called ahead to alert Dr. Caldwell that they would be returning his keys.
He met them in the hall at the foot of the stairs. “Dr. Caldwell,” Bryce said, “this is Keith Hamilton, and this is Beau Lyle. They are also members of the same fraternity to which Damon and I belong, Sigma Alpha Tau. They came to help with the move. Here are your keys, and the list of changes we carried out, as you requested.”
“Sigma Alpha Tau, eh? Very well respected fraternity in my day.” Dr. Caldwell shook hands with Keith and Beau. “Lyle? Are you local?” he asked Beau.
“Yes, Sir.”
“I remember purchasing an automobile from the Lyle dealership many years ago. Of course, I no longer drive, but it was a very good vehicle. Very satisfactory,” Caldwell said.
“That might have been my grandfather, or possibly my great-grandfather if it were a very long time ago,” Beau said. “Granddad is still running the dealership.”
“As I recall, the man with whom I dealt had the interesting name of Gustavus Adolphus Lyle,” Dr. Caldwell said.
“That’s Granddad,” Beau replied, “although he usually has people call him Dolph.”
Dr. Caldwell chuckled. “Yes. I recall having quite a struggle getting his full name from him. Well, I’m glad to meet you, young man, and glad to know the Lyle dealership is still in business. Are you planning to go into the same business?”
“Yes, Sir. My father is there now, along with Granddad, and I’ll be following them. That will be four generations. It was my great-grandfather who established the dealership back in 1938,” Beau informed them.
“I am happy to find that some young people do not despise the occupations which their elders pursued,” Dr. Caldwell said. “There is so much arrogance among the young, who think they know so much more than their elders.”
This comment embarrassed the four young men, who consequently brought the conversation to a close and departed. Bryce noted that Dr. Caldwell had no opportunity to scrutinize the list he had prepared for him, so he had no chance to note what reaction there would be to the removal of the second bed.
Bryce insisted that Keith and Beau have a few drinks on him in gratitude for their help, so, after returning the pickup and the dolly to the SAT house, they all walked over to Pat’s for a few beers. They spent the remainder of the afternoon there, talking and enjoying the company of their fraternity brothers.
Later, Bryce and Damon spent their first night in their new quarters. They did not encounter Dr. Caldwell, and so still had no reaction to their arrangements.
Much of Saturday was spent settling in. Hanging clothes. Placing books in some order on the bookshelves. Hooking up the desk top computer on the computer desk Bryce had acquired. Making runs to the campus store for office supplies, and to the grocery to stock the refrigerator and kitchen cabinets. All this took up the morning and early afternoon. Even though not everything was complete, however, in mid afternoon they called a halt to such activity, cleaned up some, and set out for the Shelbyville Horse Show.