Meanwhile, Back in Westpoint - Heroes, 1

If you think this is confusing - you should see inside my head!

(For Lloyd).

Westpoint AD2045

Midnight in Westpoint. The town lay sleeping peacefully, it had been a busy day- the first day of the working week and of another school year. Almost of the people lay sleeping; almost, but not quite all. Several boys lay awake, reliving the events of the day.

Billy T lay in his bed high above the North Beach. His eyes looked out at the moon but, in his mind’s eye, he saw the smiling face of a beautiful boy. His name was JH Williamson, and he was the son of Jon Williamson, who was a friend of his granddads’.

There must be some way that he could use that, but how? Even if he got the granddads to get Jon around for a meal, and bring his son with him, he just knew what would happen then. They would get lost in the crowd, again. There was always so many people in and out of here it would be just as bad as it was at school and he wouldn’t get to talk to him, again.

It was a bugger to be shy and totally lacking in confidence, but that’s the way he was.

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His name was Billy T Carver. He was small for a teenager, but he must be one, he was in the Highschool, wasn’t he? He was a skinny little crippled kid in a wheelchair, and he was the most beautiful person that JH had seen in his life. The kid was flat-out gorgeous and he had the most incredible smile.

They hadn’t spoken more that 2 or 3 words, but JH had no doubt at all, he was in love with the boy. And that was just impossible. Wasn’t it? Yes, of course it was – impossible.

Loving a boy like that went against everything that JH had been raised to believe. His grandparents , who had raised him, were good, decent, Christian people and they knew, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that homosexuality was a sin and homosexuals were an abomination before the Lord.

The Lord hated queers and so too should every god-fearing person. What they did was disgusting and they were to be despised. And yet – he loved him. He couldn’t, but he did.

Even if he could overcome the beliefs and conditioning of a lifetime, (and having seen the boy’s smile, he knew he could), it was still impossible. He was a nothing and a nobody, living on the charity of his father and Billy T was rich – mega rich.

Billy’s Burgers were everywhere; there was hardly a town in the country that didn’t have a Billy’s Burgers in some shape of form. Hell, even the Gypsy Fair, the travelling village of housetrucks and caravans, had one. Billy T Carver was Billy’s Burgers, he owned the lot of them, or his family did, which amounted to the same thing.

One day, they all be all his and, as well as the burgers, there was all the other business interests that his family had – like the Adelphi Tower where they all lived. That included shops, restaurants, offices, a theatre, a high-class hotel and private apartments. His own father worked for the Reynolds family, they owned the complex that he managed.

No, the kid was rich. He’d never be interested in a nobody like JH. And yet – he smiled at him! Why did he smile at him? Was he gay? A lot of his family were, apparently.

That was another thing too, his family. There were dozens of them, hundreds of them – the Reynolds, the Carvers, Mathiesons, Sheridans, Duncans and O’Briens etc. Half of the town seemed to be related to them in some way. Maybe he even was himself; he was descended from James Hargreaves Williamson and, apparently, they all were too.

However, be that as it may, he was not one of them. He was an outsider and a stranger here in Westpoint. They were all a huge, close and supportive family. He’d seen that at school today where they all closed ranks around their cousin and escorted him wherever he went. No perverts would ever get their hands on that boy.

Hello? There was a new thought. Was he a pervert now? Probably. He was impossibly in love with the boy, but could a rich boy love a nobody?

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Actually, he could. Billy T had already decided that he loved the beautiful stranger, but he didn’t know how he was ever going to get to know him. Why would a dream like that ever be interested in a wreck like him? But – he smiled at him!

They had both smiled at each other. He wasn’t laughing at him, was he? The perfect young god didn’t think the cripple was funny did he? No, it couldn’t be like that, it wasn’t that sort of smile. It was a bright, friendly, happy-to-see-you kind of smile. He remembered it well, he’d never forget it.

‘Gorgeous Boy.’

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They met at the school that morning; it was the first day there for both of them. Billy T had just been enrolled by the Secretary, Mr. Tainui, and JH was waiting to do the same. They’d been left alone, in the reception area. They looked at each other, smiled, and fell in love with each other. But they hadn’t got to tell each other that. Well, how would you? ‘Hello, I love you’ won’t you tell me your name?’

They were only alone together for a few minutes and then they got swallowed up in the crowd. The adults came back, Mr. Tainui took JH into the office to enroll him in the school, Mr. Peters took Billy T to his first class, and Grandmother went home.

For the rest of the day, even though they both wanted to, they never got to speak again. Billy T was surrounded by his myriad cousins and JH also had his supporters and was gaining more. He was a good-looking boy, he was new and a novelty in their lives and, also, his name was intriguing. Everyone knew of James Hargreaves Williamson, he was one of the founding fathers of the town.

JH was looking with new eyes at his ‘cousin’ Anthony. He was there, of course, but there was no sign of the boy he’d seen him with. Anthony wasn’t very interested in JH, but everyone else was.

As soon as school was over for the day, Billy T was whisked away, back to the New Adelphi, by his family. One of his granddads was outside the school waiting for him. Disappointed, JH went to the Square to play football with some of his new friends.

Now, late at night, they both lay awake, looking at the moon and ruing the gulf that separated them. They were not the only ones.

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A couple of floors below Billy T, Peter Reynolds lay awake in his bed and he too was feeling frustrated. It was about bloody time Carl stood up to his father and told him to butt-out of his business!

Carl Sheridan senior was being a dork and a dipshit. It was just plain ignorant that, in this day and age, he thought that he could decide that his son was not going to be gay.

If he was braver, he’d tell him himself. “Face it, Mr. Sheridan, Carl is gay, that’s just the way it is. He’s gay, he’s in love with me and I love him too.”

Damm! He wished he could do that; or that Carl would. Somebody had to! They couldn’t go on like they were – hiding in dark corners and stealing moments alone together. It was just madness.

They loved each other and what was wrong with that? Nothing! That’s what. Peter gritted his teeth. Someone was going to have to do something. He would, if he had to, but he’d prefer it was Carl – it was his Father who was the problem. Carl was going to have to do something.

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Carl was going to have to do something; if he didn’t then he might lose Peter and he didn’t want that! He’d never known a time when he didn’t know, and love, Peter. He simply could not imagine his life without him in it.

They started school together, on the same day, and, even before that, they’d always been best friends. At pre-school they were best friends together.

They’d always been physical, even as pre-schoolers they always greeted each other with a hug. They’d always hugged and touched each other and liked to sit close together, often in the same chair, but it was only lately that their relationship had become sexual.

They didn’t know why they’d waited so long, they were both 14 already and it was only natural that they were going to do things together. Carl couldn’t suck his own dick, but Peter could do it for him – and vice-versa.

He loved that boy. He really loved Peter. He didn’t think about it a lot, he just did. That’s the way it was and how it always had been. Peter loved him too, of course he did. He always had and always would too, if they were left alone.

That was the problem; they weren’t being left alone. Carl’s father, Carl senior, was saying that his son could not be gay and that he was to keep his hands off Peter.

Hah! Like that was going to happen! Holding Peter’s dick or having Peter hold his one was as natural as holding his own, and there was no way that he was going to stop doing it. Now that they’d started, having sex with Peter was as natural as, and way better than, doing it to himself. No way was he going to give that up.

Carl didn’t really think of himself as being gay, that was just a convenience, and neither did Peter. They weren’t really gay, they weren’t interested in sex with other boys. Why should they? They had each other, always had and always would. Or, they always would if other people would mind their own business and leave them alone.

Carl loved his father, of course he did. Even when he was being stupid, he loved him. And he was being stupid – totally! There was no way that he was going to stop seeing Peter. He couldn’t do that and he wouldn’t. Carl was going to have to do something.

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Even the longest night comes to an end. Next morning JH was stumbling around, wishing that the night was longer – now he could get some sleep. It was going to be a long day, but at least he’d get to see Billy T again, if only from a distance. That much he had to look forward to.

‘Must be nice in a way – being in a wheelchair. At least you’d get to sit down all day.’

He seriously could not face eating anything. Strong coffee was all he wanted for breakfast.

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Billy T had a good breakfast. His Granddad Billy was an excellent cook. He could see why Justin ran so much; if Billy fed him like this, it was a wonder that he wasn’t as big as a house. Running would deal to the calories.

Great breakfast though. He was going to have to watch the calories himself, cripples got way too fat sometimes. He did NOT want to do that. JH Williamson would never be interested in him if he was a blob. Not that he ever would anyway. Life was not that good.

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They went to school, JH on the bus from Carver’s Beach and Billy T in his chair and surrounded by cousins. They were taking Kathleen seriously – she’d told them all that they had to watch out for him, and so they would.

Billy T smiled to himself. Everyone thought that she was a martinet, but he knew better. She was an old sweetheart really. Anyway, what could she do to them? Chase them up the road?

He arrived at school and saw JH there, but only in the distance. He came off the bus and went straight into the locker room. Billy T sighed as he watched him go. Damm, he was beautiful.

“Hello, got your eye on someone have you, Billy T?”

He looked around at Carl’s smiling face. Maybe Carl would think that his crush was a joke, but it was not. He was in dead earnest here, but he didn’t know what, if anything, he could do about it.

Well, he decided, it wouldn’t hurt to have an ally. Carl was a good guy and he must know what it was like to love a boy, he’d seen him often enough, sneaking away to be with Peter. Plus, he was almost a cousin, wasn’t he? The Sheridan’s all caled Kathleen, ‘Grandmother’.

“Carl, umm, I think I’ve got a problem. Can I talk to you – about personal stuff, I mean?”

“Sure you can. You can talk to me about anything you like, but not now, we’re out of time. I’ll meet you at recess, by the water-fountains out the back. Okay?”

“Thanks. That’ll be great. I’ll see you then.”

“Okay. Laters, Billy T.”

Billy T went to class with another of his cousins – Doris Carver. For some reason, he identified more with his Carver cousins, and there was a lot of them! Of course, the fact that Doris’ hair was exactly the same colour as his own probably helped.

At recess, he went eagerly to the fountains. Carl was already there, waiting for him. There were a couple of others there, but not for long. Carl told them to ‘flake off’; he and Billy T needed to be alone for a bit. Billy T was impressed. He wished that he could be that assertive.

“Okay, alone at last.” Carl sat down on a planter-box, next to him. “What are we talking about?”

“Carl, do you believe in love at first sight?”

“Dunno really. It’s not something I’ve ever experienced.”

“But you do know what it’s like to be in love?”

“Oh yes! I know that all right.”

“I thought you did. You’re in love with Peter.”

“Okay, hold it right there, Sunshine. Peter and I is our business and I’m not talking about it when he’s not here.”

“Okay, okay. Settle. I’m not prying, I’m just saying what I see.”

“What’ve you seen?”

“A lot. I know that you’re a couple, but that’s not what I want to talk about.”

“Cool. What is it then? It must be serious.”

“It is – real serious, for me. Look, Carl, I think I need help. I know you’re not really my cousin, but . .”

“Hold it again. We are cousins, Billy T, real cousins. Realer than a lot of them. Your Granddad Billy and my Gran are brother and sister, didn’t you know that?”

“No, I missed that Relationships are all so damm complicated! Everyone seems to be related around here.”

“Yeah, they are. A lot of them are anyway. You should ask Uncle Marty, he did a family tree a while ago – ask him, he’ll show you.”

“Okay, I just might do that. But anyway, the thing is, there’s this boy. I really, really like him and I’d like to get to know him but I don’t know how to go about it.”

“Are you gay, Billy T?”

“Yes, I’m gay.”

“Cool, me too, I think.”

“I know. Carl, how did you get together with Peter?”

“Well, I’m not much help there either. I’ve always known Peter – always!”

“And you’ve always loved him?”

“Yes, of course. But we’re not talking about Peter. Who are we talking about anyway?”

“You won’t tell anyone?”

“Of course I won’t. Who?”

“Well, JH Williamson actually.”

“JH Williamson? Whoah! Sorry, Kid, but you can do so much better than that. He’s a homophobic prick.”

“Really?”

“Yes really. Anthony said so and he’d know.”

“Anthony?”

“Anthony Lyons. He’s in year 11 and Williamson is his cousin. Actually, he’s your cousin too, and mine. It’s distant but he is related.”

“He’s another cousin?”

“He is. You really need to see that family tree. Ask Marty he’ll send it to you. Email him at canned-heat@hotmail.com. Anyway, he’s a cousin, he’s descended from James Hargreaves Williamson and so are you. So am I, like half the town is.”

“He must’ve been a busy boy then.”

“He only had about four kids, I think, but they had kids and they had kids and on it goes. Anyway, forget JH, he’s a lost cause.”

“But I don’t want to. I can’t! Okay, maybe he’s not gay, but there’s something there, I’m sure there is. Yesterday, I was sitting near him and he smiled at me.”

“You sure he wasn’t laughing at you?”

“I’m sure, it wasn’t like that. I’d be happy to be his friend, but I don’t know how to.”

“I wouldn’t want the prick for a friend, but, okay, you’re not me. I don’t know what to say, Billy T. Look, leave it with me, I’ll talk to Peter and see what he thinks.”

“Thanks, Carl.”

“Not a problem. We’ll do what we can, Cousin.”

Carl went and talked to Peter. He didn’t know what to do either. However, later in the morning he saw JH looking at Billy T, and he thought, ‘Hmm.’

He met Carl at lunchtime, in their usual place. “Carl, you know, maybe it’s not so hopeless, with Billy T and JH Williamson I mean.”

“You think?”

“Yes I do. I just saw JH looking at him and, well, maybe there is a chance. I’m gonna find out – I’ll ask him.”

“Do you think you should? Anthony said that JH is a homophobe.”

“I do think we should. Billy T is family and he’s stuck. JH doesn’t look like he’s anti-gay to me. He was looking at Billy T like he adored him or something. I’m going to ask him, are you coming with me?”

“Peter, I don’t know if we should go sticking our noses in. It’s none of our business.”

“Damm, Carl! It is our business. It’s family and Billy T asked you for help, didn’t he?”

“He was just asking for advice, Peter, and I haven’t got any.”

“No, neither have I, but we can do this. Don’t worry, I’ll be intelligent about it, but I am going to ask him.”

Carl opened his laptop, he was going nowhere. Peter got up and left him. “Later, Carl.”