Queer Writing for a Queer World
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Ollie thinks that it is time to decide if he and his father can work together, or more specifically, if his Dad can work for him. But there is one obstacle to agreeing on a formal partnership: his Dad’s reluctance to be naked. Ollie takes his father to the Cockaigne Hotel, where they borrow a conference room, and he makes his father prove his commitment to the business.
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Louis and Ollie have an open and honest conversation about what happened that morning. Louis isn’t happy with what happened and feels guilty for not having better self-control. Ollie opens up to Louis about the time he lost his virginity.
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Authors Note: This story comes from my youth. In 1977, I was seventeen, an isolated gay boy in a straight man’s world, and painfully lonely. My only human connections came from older men I met at a popular cruising site in a nearby park; men who wanted something, just never anything personal.
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Ollie is called to the Cremaster Freedom Resort. He promised Louis that he could help him again, but Louis found himself distracted by the young twins who dragged him to the lake to play. Ollie watches as his brother enjoys himself. As the youngsters come to shore to rest, Ollie is surprised that his brother doesn’t reject the twins’ advances.
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Rob is let go from his bartending job when he turns 60. Feeling that there is no future ahead of him, he calls his friend and discovers life does not end at sixty and he has more talents that mixing cocktails.
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The court case nears. Ollie is not sleeping. One night, Louis wakes him up; Ollie is screaming in his sleep and sweating profusely. On the night before the trial, Ollie can’t settle and watches Louis as he sleeps. During the trial, Ollie finally sees the two men who tried to kill him.
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After working at ‘Vos de Vos’, Ollie meets up with Ewan. A passionate reunion ensues, and as they lie in bed together, Ollie opens up about his fears in giving evidence at the trial of the men who tried to murder him.
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Ollie is back on the job. He has a new van, and Louis is still helping out before he goes to college in the autumn. The brothers are called to the Cremaster Freedom Resort for an emergency repair. Arthur arrives just as they’ve completed the repair and sees the ‘Odd Job Brothers’. Louis is made to check the repair, while Arthur needs Ollie for something else.
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With the help of Louis, Ollie manages to have his first shower since the accident. It is also time for Ollie to get his cast removed, and he can move around normally, but he still needs to be careful not to put too much stress on his leg. But it is something else Louis does that makes him cry with gratitude.
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Louis visits Ollie in the hospital to tell him about what he’s been doing for Old Lady Lovecock and Arthur, but leaves out some details. But he tells Ollie that their Dad is having a hard time at Cockaigne Construction. But their Dad overheard a conversation between some of his colleagues, and he had to do something about it.