The Man from Swift Current Chapter Eighteen - Decisions, Decisions, Decisions!

Chapter Eighteen – Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

I managed to make it back to the house without tripping over my own feet.   Ruth Ann had noticed I was deep in thought and hadn’t broken my silence.   She continued to hold my hand.   We put the beach stuff in the garage and showered off the sand on the back deck before entering the house.

Katie called out from the living room, “Dinner will be ready soon so get cleaned up and come right back down.”

Keith stripped down and stepped into the shower.  He poked his head out and said, “Glenn, hurry and get in here.   We can shower together.   You don’t have anything I haven’t seen before, so don’t be shy!”

“Okay, but no fun and games in the shower, cousin!” I said, as I stripped out of my shorts and swimsuit and jumped in the shower with Keith.

The shower was a large one and there were three shower heads plus a couple of nozzles about half-way up the wall.   Keith had turned them all on, so there was water spraying everywhere you looked.

“Man, this is pretty amazing!   I’ve never seen a shower like this before in a private home,” I said.

“It is pretty cool.   That’s why I told you to get in here and get showered with me.   I like the water spraying on me from all directions.”

“I have to admit it does feel pretty good,” I responded.

We quickly soaped up and washed all of the sand out of our hair.   It didn’t take long for us to finish up.   We pulled out fresh shorts and t-shirts.   We decided to wear matching t-shirts and shorts just to see if Kerry could tell who was who.   We went downstairs in our bare feet since our shoes would have us given away.   We put our sun glasses on so she couldn’t see our eyes and wrote a note asking her to tell us which one of us was Keith and which one was Glenn.   We didn’t say anything because that would have given us away, too.   Our voices are very similar but the way we speak is very different.

As we entered the living room, Katie looked up and exclaimed, “What are you two up to now?”

“We want Kerry to guess who we are so don’t give us away,” Keith explained.   “We won’t talk and we are wearing sun glasses so Ruth Ann won’t be able to guess either.”

Keith handed our note to Kerry and Ruth Ann as they entered the living room.   Kerry smiled and said, “Of course, I can pick out which one is Keith.” 

She stepped over to me first and wrapped her arms around me and proceeded to French kiss with me.   Then she did the same to Keith.   She turned to me and said, “This is Keith!”

Keith and I couldn’t help laughing and we took off our sun glasses and Keith wrapped his arms around Kerry and kissed her.

“After all the kissing we did on the beach, I would have thought you would have been able to identify me pretty easily,” Keith teased her, trying to look angry but not quite succeeding.   Kerry blushed three shades of red and hid her face in Keith’s chest.   “It’s okay, sweetheart.   We were just trying to have some fun with you.”

Katie and Ruth Ann were trying not to laugh but finally couldn’t contain themselves,  It wasn’t long before Kerry was laughing with us and promising to get even with us.

Katie ushered us into the dining room and called to Joe to come and join us for dinner.   We had a nice time visiting with the Mitchells.   After dinner, the four of us retired to the game room and played Pictionary.   Keith and Kerry were a team and I and Ruth Ann were on the other.   We played for hours.   Ruth Ann and I managed to beat Keith and Kerry a couple of times before they called it quits for the night.  Ruth Ann was all smiles.   She rarely beat her sister at anything and it made her day to be able to win not once but twice.   Ruth Ann pulled me into a tight embrace and thanked me for being her partner.   We kissed good night and headed to our rooms.

Keith and I stripped down to our boxers and jumped into bed after brushing our teeth, etc.   Keith asked, “So what do you think of Ruth Ann?   It seems she couldn’t keep her hands off of you tonight!”   Keith had a big grin on his face.   “I told you that you just needed to find the right girl for you!  You don’t need to be with a guy to be happy!”

“I did enjoy being with Ruth Ann, today.   I’m still confused as to what I’m feeling right now,” I said.

“How can you be confused about such a beautiful girl who wants your body?   Just go with the flow, Glenn.   Stop trying to over analyze every little detail!” Keith exclaimed, with just a hint of frustration.

“I have never been with a girl before and I’m not sure about what to do,” I said.   Even I could hear the whining in my voice as the words left my mouth.   Keith just stared at me in disbelief.  “Okay, I do know what to do but I’m not sure I’m ready for that kind of relationship with a girl.”

“Glenn, just let go a little bit.   You are so tight right now and you need to loosen up!  If you give Ruth Ann half a chance, she will fall for you and you will fall for her.   She is very sweet and obviously likes you a lot.  Promise me you’ll at least give her chance?” Keith pleaded with me.

“Okay, I will try.   There are you happy now?” I said feeling like I had just been forced into something I didn’t want right now.

“No, I’m not happy because you said you’d try.   Don’t just try, Glenn.   Just do it, okay!   You have got to get your head together and move on with your life.   You have a bright future ahead of you.   Don’t waste time mooning over what could have been with Ian.  Yes, I know you are hurt and very angry.  But move past those feelings and look at bright side of things.   You have met Ruth Ann and you are free to be with her, if that is what you want.   Ian let you go so you can choose the better part!  Just think about it, okay, cousin.”

I nodded my head in the affirmative, even though I couldn’t get thoughts of Rick out of my head.   Yes, maybe Ian had moved on so I could choose the better part but could that be with another guy….maybe even with Rick?   Just thinking about Rick holding me and comforting me made me feel warm inside.   Rick was so gentle with me.   His reaction to the way Ian treated me had surprised me.   Even though I knew that Keith and Rick were good friends, I didn’t expect that those feelings would apply to me.   Rick and I barely knew each other.   And then there was Ruth Ann.   We had only met earlier today.   I felt close to her, too.  She seemed so open and honest with me.   I had never felt close to a girl before.   I had friends who were girls but no one I really trusted with my secrets.   When I told Ruth Ann about Ian, she was kind and understanding.  That was the first time I’d ever shared something so personal with a girl.   The only thing that kept bothering me was the thought that she was trying to save me from being gay.   It was a small little thought but it was still one that wouldn’t go away.   But then, again, maybe she really was attracted to me and wanted to be with me!      

There are so many possibilities and so many unanswered questions.   My mind just wouldn’t shut down for the night.   I don’t know how long I lay there pondering what I was going to do.   I knew that I didn’t want to be alone.   I hated feeling that nobody cared.  It ate at my insides and made me feel very vulnerable.   I knew mentally my family loved me but that kind of love isn’t what I needed the most right now!   I must have fallen asleep at some point because Keith was shaking me awake and the sun was shining in the window.