Rainbow Road (8 page)

The crowd laughed and Nelson passed the stick to Kyle. “Um …” Kyle said. “Thanks for letting us stay with you.” He passed the stick to Jason, who merely said,

“Ditto. Thanks,” and quickly passed it on.

When the circle ended, Horn-Boy helped the boys unpack the car. He guided them by flashlight to a meadow behind the cluster of houses and helped them set up their tent. “You’l have a glorious view of the valey in the morning.” As he spoke, a drum began beating in the distance, quickly folowed by another.

“The fire circle’s starting. You guys want to come?”

“Of course!” Nelson said. He didn’t want to miss anything.

But Jason complained, “We should go to sleep.”

Kyle grabbed his hand. “Come on! I’d like to see it too.”

Once again Horn-Boy took Nelson’s hand, and Nelson wondered what had happened to Lady-Bugger. Was their relationship so open they parted ways that easily? Nelson appreciated how Horn-Boy had looked after them al evening and he definitely got Nelson horny, but Nelson couldn’t help worrying. Didn’t Lady-Bugger feel jealous and left out?

Horn-Boy led them along a forest path toward the slowly beating drums. Ahead in the darkness, Nelson began to make out silhouettes of men and women gathered around the flames of a blazing fire, like a primal tribe—some drumming, some swaying, some sitting on boulders.

As the boys stepped into a circle of several dozen Faeries, Nelson exclaimed, “This is so cool!”

“You mean weird,” Jason muttered.

A young woman welcomed them. “Hi. I’m Voluptuous Clorox. Want to sit?”

She was conspicuously topless, except for a silver ring on her left boob. Nelson tended to get woozy at the sight of female breasts, but not Jason.

“Thanks!” Jason told the girl, suddenly more enthused than he’d been al evening.

As they sat beside her, Kyle whispered to Nelson, “What’s that burnt smel?”

Nelson spotted a marijuana joint being passed around the circle. He’d tried pot before and liked how it made him laugh. It also made him even hornier, if such a thing was possible.

But when Horn-Boy passed Nelson the joint, Kyle nudged him in the ribs. “Don’t! I think it’s marijuana!”

“I hope so,” Nelson replied, taking the reefer.

“Nelson!” Kyle reached out, trying to block him.

“Kyle, you’re not my mom!” Nelson puled away. “Stop acting like her.”

He inhaled a toke. The smoke irritated his throat, but he held his breath anyway. His lungs burned like fire til he finaly exhaled, trying not to cough.

Kyle shook his head in disapproval and passed the joint at arm’s length past Jason, who was more preoccupied with seeing bare-breasted girls than with smoking weed.

Nelson’s brain began tingling. After taking a couple of more hits off the circling reefer, he turned to Horn-Boy and burst out in uncontrolable giggles. The horns on his head suddenly looked so funny—and sexy.
Really
sexy. And al of a sudden Horn-Boy’s relationship with Lady-Bugger seemed irrelevant.

“Hey.” Nelson raised his hand, fondling the horns and giggling. “You want to go walk in the woods?”

“Sure.” Horn-Boy grinned, standing up in his pelt.

“We’re going with you,” Kyle announced, yanking Jason away from Bare Boobs Girl.

The sight of it sent Nelson howling with laughter, til he finaly calmed down enough to ask Kyle, “Why are you folowing us?”

“Dude, because you’re totaly stoned,” Jason told him.

“You are both so controling!” Nelson protested, but he couldn’t stop laughing. He wrapped his arms around Kyle and whispered, “I’m so wicked horny.” He gestured toward Horn-Boy. “And he is
so
cute.”

Kyle leaned into Nelson’s ear. “Don’t! You’l end up doing something unsafe.”

“Oh, Kyle! You’re worse than my freaking mother!”

“Guys?” Horn-Boy stepped between them. “I’m going back to the fire.”

“Don’t go!” Nelson begged, and then cracked up again as he watched Horn-Boy stride away. “Kyle? Why are you ruining my life? You and Jason have each other. I don’t have anyone!” He colapsed onto the dewy ground, wanting to cry but instead giggling. “Al I want is what you have. Why won’t you let me?” Kyle sat beside him, wrapping an arm around his shoulder. “You’re stoned. I don’t want you to get hurt.” Nelson gazed up into Kyle’s eyes, wanting more than anything to kiss those cute thin lips. But he wasn’t so stoned as to have forgotten the time he’d tried kissing Kyle and gotten shoved away.

“I’m going back to the fire,” Nelson now announced, pushing himself off the ground.

And Kyle folowed him, with Jason in tow.

Kyle watched Nelson strip off his vest, toss it to the ground, and join the line of half-naked dancers circling the fire to the frenzied drumbeat.

For Kyle this whole Faerie experience seemed both over-the-top fascinating and also a little overwhelming—like coming upon a whole tribe of Nelsons. He’d always admired his best friend’s outrageous individuality, but he never imagined an entire community like him.

Adding to Kyle’s sense of being overwhelmed was the sight of female breasts for the first time in his life—live and in person.

Any doubts he’d ever had about his gayness were immediately dispeled as the bare boobs jiggled past, only inches away. Reflexively, he turned away. Yep, he was gay. No doubt about it.

In contrast, Jason grinned a ful show of pearly whites each time a pair of girl-boobs paraded by, causing Kyle to squirm nervously beside him. His boyfriend’s sexual feelings toward girls had always been a source of confusion for Kyle. And after picking Nelson’s vest off the ground, dusting it off, and folding it neatly on his lap, Kyle held tight to Jason as they waited for Nelson to tire out.

Around midnight the drumming reached a fever pitch. A guy with deer antlers strapped to his head, wearing only a bearskin cape and high-tops, leaped over the fire. Several young men in camouflage pants with ferns growing out of their pockets howled at the moon. And Voluptuous Clorox whirled bosomy circles around the flames.

Folowing that, the drumming and dancing waned as Faeries drifted off into the woods toward their houses.

“It’s time for bed,” Kyle told Nelson.

“But where’s Horn-Boy?” Nelson asked.

“Forget him, dude,” Jason said. “Let’s go to sleep.”

They stopped for water at the main house, then the three of them climbed inside their tent and crashed, exhausted.

A couple of times during the night, Kyle had to nudge Jason to rol over to stop his snoring. But other than that, he slept peacefuly, his arms encircling the boy he loved.

And that’s how he woke the next morning, watching the dawn’s soft light slowly iluminate Jason’s face. As birds cooed their morning songs, Kyle’s entire being yearned to make morning love. But unfortunately that wasn’t going to happen today, with Nelson there.

Kyle sat up and put on his glasses. Gazing out the door, he saw that their tent overlooked a seemingly endless valey, flanked by layer after layer of mountains.

When Jason stirred behind him, Kyle whispered, “Look! That’s like our life, stretching into the future.”

“Huh?” Jason sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. “That’s pretty.” He scratched his chest and pecked Kyle a kiss. “Hey, I wonder … You think maybe they’ve got a court here?”

They left Nelson sleeping and walked toward the houses. Along the way they came across a guy in an orange miniskirt chopping wood. Jason asked, “You guys got a hoop around here?”

Miniskirt Guy gave Jason a blank look. “You mean, like, for basketbal?” He shook his head. “Nah.”

“How can these guys not have a hoop?” Jason asked Kyle as they ambled on toward the bathhouse. After they showered and washed up, they continued on to the main house.

Breakfast consisted of yogurt, raisins, pomegranate juice, and applesauce pancakes made by Voluptuous Clorox, who—to Kyle’s relief—now wore a tie-dyed Tshirt.

After Jason and he had eaten, Kyle carried a covered plate of pancakes and some juice back to the tent for Nelson, hoping to rouse him. But Nelson wouldn’t budge.

“I’m not waiting for him,” Jason complained. He unzipped Nelson’s sleeping bag, grabbed his ankles, and dragged him out of the tent.

“What the hel!” Nelson woke up kicking and screaming. “Leave me alone!”

“Get your lazy butt up!” Jason dropped his ankles onto the ground. “I’m not waiting around for you every morning.”

“Screw you!” Nelson shouted, puling himself up.

“In your dreams.” Jason grinned.

“No, in my nightmares,” Nelson shot back.

To calm him down, Kyle handed Nelson the pancakes and juice. While Nelson sat beneath a tree to eat, Kyle roled up their sleeping bags. Jason folded up the tent and disassembled the poles.

Then Nelson cleaned up at the bathhouse and they carried their stuff to the car. Jason asked him, “You sure this time you have your cel?” Nelson quickly checked his pockets before grumbling, “Yeah.”

As they finished loading the car, Horn-Boy walked up, hornless now. He looked almost normal in jeans and a tank top—except for the daisy behind his ear.

“Hey, good morning.” He gently handed the daisy to Nelson. “How far are you guys going today?”

“Memphis,” Kyle replied. “Can you tel us where’s the nearest gas station?”

Horn-Boy gave them directions and explained how to get back to the interstate.

“Okay. Thanks, man,” Jason shook Horn-Boy’s hand.

“Yeah, thanks,” Kyle shook hands too and folowed Jason into the car, leaving Nelson to say good-bye privately. Yet Kyle and Jason couldn’t help watching in the rearview as Horn-Boy rested his hand on Nelson’s chest.

“What’s he doing that for?” Jason asked.

“I don’t know. He’s saying something.”

They both watched, curious, as Horn-Boy left his hand on Nelson’s chest a moment before removing it. Then Nelson grinned and wrapped his arms around Horn-Boy, and they kissed … and kissed … til Jason punched the horn and shouted out the window, “We don’t have al day!” Nelson held up his middle finger at Jason, kissed Horn-Boy one last time, and climbed into the backseat of the car.

As they waved good-bye and began bouncing down the dirt entrance road, Kyle asked, “What was he doing with his hand?”

“He was praying for my heart.” Nelson gave a wistful smile. “He wished me peace, joy, love, and lots of hot, groovy sex!” Bringing the daisy to his nose, Nelson gazed out the rear window. “That place was so freaking amazing!”

“Weird,” Jason corrected.

“No!” Nelson countered. “It’s the rest of the world that’s weird. Why shouldn’t you be able to dress how you want, act how you want, and love who you want? If you’re so straight-acting, then why don’t you have the guts to just let yourself go and be who you are?” Jason was quiet after that and Kyle said, “The place was definitely interesting.” At the gas station Jason filed up the tank and Kyle went inside to pay. Behind the register sat a woman with a long, thin face, puled-back hair, and a gray T-shirt.

Though she smiled a little, she seemed so plain compared with the people at the sanctuary. Kyle recaled Nelson’s comment from the night before about
The
Wizard of Oz
and Technicolor. It now felt like they’d stepped back into black-and-white.

An hour later they arrived in Nashvile to see the sights. As they drove through downtown, Nelson stuck his head out the window, pink hair waving in the wind, shouting “Woo-hoo! Nashvile!” as people on the sidewalk stared.

Kyle squirmed, but he knew there was no stopping Nelson.

“I want to go to the Grand Ole Opry first,” Nelson announced as they parked the car. He’d been on a country music kick ever since Jeremy had taught him to two-step.

“You guys go,” Jason said, grabbing his basketbal. “I want to find a court.”

Kyle suddenly got a holow feeling in his stomach. “Don’t you want to see the Opry and stuff? Isn’t that the whole point of this trip? To experience things together?”

“I’ve got to keep up my practice,” Jason said, looking away. “I promised Coach.”

“I know, but …” Kyle struggled for words, wanting to be supportive but also eager for Jason to see the sights with them.

Nevertheless, Jason insisted on finding a court. A parking lot attendant pointed him toward a school down the street. The boys agreed to meet back at the car in two hours. And Kyle watched in frustration as Jason dribbled his bal down the sidewalk.

Nelson chattered excitedly while he and Kyle toured the big red brick building that had been home to the original Grand Ole Opry, hosting performers ranging from Minnie Pearl to Patsy Cline to Bruce Springsteen. He insisted they get their souvenir picture taken on stage, paying for it himself. He grabbed the prop banjo and told Kyle, “Open your mouth like you’re realy singing!”

Kyle grabbed the guitar and they posed behind the stage mike while the tour attendant took their photo.

The picture came out great, except for the fact that Jason wasn’t in it.

After the Opry the boys wandered along the honky-tonk shops and clubs on Broadway. Nelson took a camera phone photo of a cute cowboy playing his guitar on the sidewalk. After that he asked Kyle, “Why’d you stop me from getting laid with Horn-Boy last night?” The question didn’t surprise Kyle. He’d figured Nelson would bring it up eventualy. “First of al,” he explained, “because you’d just met the guy. You can’t sleep with someone you just met.”

“Why not? It’s just sex.”

“It’s
not
just sex,” Kyle said in a low voice, embarrassed that other tourists walking by might hear them. “It’s
never
just sex. You’re trusting a guy with one of the most special parts of you—and you need to know him first.”

“Oh, Kyle!” Nelson swung his arm around him. “You’re so old-fashioned.”

“Plus,” Kyle added, “you were stoned, giggling al nutty-like. First it’s rum, then it’s pot, what’s it going to be next? Crack?”

“Yeah, boy crack.” Nelson gave a sly grin. “You’re overreacting, Kyle.”

“No, I’m not! Drugs screw up your judgment. You could’ve done something unsafe.”

“I would’ve been safe.” Nelson reached into his pocket and puled out a condom. “See?”

“Would you put that away?” Kyle felt the color rushing into his face. “Even with a condom, he might’ve had some disease besides HIV. Every day the news reports some new drug-resistant STD.”