Month: January 2025

Phil takes Martin on a second date. This time, Phil drives Martin to the countryside and takes him to a special spot where Phil went as a boy. They have a picnic, and Martin sketches the landscape. He thinks Phil is also drawing the view, but when Martin looks at the sketch, he is surprised to see his portrait.

Martin goes into town for his date with Phil. But Phil is late! Martin becomes even more nervous, hoping Phil hasn’t changed his mind. Finally, he arrives, and the two young men have a pleasant date in the pub.

James is left alone for the evening and receives a phone call from a new friend he met while on the ‘orientation day’ for the television programme. They live close to each other and have arranged to meet up.

Martin is both excited and nervous about his first date. He doesn’t know what to wear. When his brother, James, comes home from school, he helps his older brother dress and lend him some clothes to make him look good. The date is a big deal for Martin; his family is excited for him, and they don’t want to make too much fuss.

James meets the producers of the television programme he has been cast in. He meets some other teenagers who are participating; there are ‘getting to know you’ sessions and some team building. James takes some tests and has a medical. The doctor is a young and attractive man, and James is confused because he didn’t affect a part of his body that he thought he would.

Martin takes a leap and calls Phil, the nude model from his art class, but he doesn’t answer. Later that evening, he tried again. This time, Phil answers. Martin has a date, his first-ever date with another man.

Martin’s art teacher has found a model to pose nude. The class clamour to find a good spot to see him, which leaves Martin languishing at the back. The model is a slim young man called Phil. During a break, he looks at some of the students’ work. He is impressed by one student in particular, Martin.

At the end of the lesson, Phil approaches Martin. He invites him out for a drink, and Martin learns that Phil is also an art student and the teacher’s younger brother.

James has an opportunity to be cast in a new children’s reality show and goes to an audition. The producers want to see how the children interact with each other so they can choose the ones that will create the best television.

That evening, Martin wants to practice for his life drawing class at college and asks his brother for help. James has done some nude acting before, notably in the educational video that was shown to Tony’s class, and he readily agrees. James has no problem getting naked in front of his brother while he draws him, and the experience allows them some time to talk and be honest with each other.

Martin is studying art at college, and James is in his final year of secondary school. Their mother registered the brothers with a model and acting agency when they were very young; she was told they had a look photographers would want. While Martin didn’t enjoy being in front of the camera, James relished the experience and kept up his childhood modelling and acting.

However, an assignment James had a few years ago was shown at his school. A new teacher showed the class an educational video which starred his brother, James. And Tony had to sit through the awkward and embarrassing lesson.

Would you believe it has been twenty years since I started writing and posting my story ‘Three Tears’? It is a story about three brothers, Martin, James and Tony, as they navigate their adolescence and experience the awkward first flush of love. It was my first story of substance and one I was proud of at the time. I am still proud, as I never thought I could finish a novel-length story.

When I redesigned the website, I didn’t upload this story as I wanted to edit and tweak my stories to get rid of glaring typos and poor grammar.

Well, twenty years later, I started editing the story. For those who remember, it took me years to finish it, and it languished into that irrating zone of ‘unfinished stories’ for several years. I hate it when I get into a new story, and then it suddenly stops, and the writer doesn’t finish it. I vowed I would not be one of those writers. (Unfortunately, my website contains some unfinished stories from guest authors).

Tomorrow, I am going to start sharing the story again. Even if you read it the first time around, I hope you read again.