Mayfield Magic

 

 

CHAPTER 38

RIDING THE RAILS

 

FRIDAY, AUGUST 7

 

<Amtrak “Coast Starlight”>

 

Alex woke up a little after seven. He wondered why his bed seemed to be moving before he managed to orient himself. Because he was in the upper bunk, he had no way of seeing where the train was and what the weather was like.

 

He did know that he had to piss really bad. He pulled back the covers, sat up in the bed, and grabbed his lounge pants and t-shirt which were at the foot of the bed. He stepped down off the bed. As his right foot touched the floor he flinched when Jaden said, “Hey, good morning sleepyhead.”

 

“Who are you calling sleepyhead,” Alex retorted. “I was up before you.”

 

Jaden turned on the ceiling light. “If you look at me, you’ll see that I am dressed and soooooooooo ready for breakfast.”

 

“Damn. Now I have to change your name from sleepyhead to Mr. Ambitious. Okay, I gotta hop over to the bathroom to take a piss and then I’ll get dressed and we’ll head for breakfast.”

 

Alex stepped into his crocs, slid the door open, headed to the upper-level bathroom. When he returned, he quickly dressed. “I wonder if George has ever had to pull off cum stained sheets,” he mused.

 

“I’m guessing ours won’t be the first and won’t be the last.”

 

“And I’m guessing you have a one hundred percent chance of being right.”

 

“And I’m thinking we both had pretty awesome time leaving the strains,” Alex said.

 

“Judging by the way you were moaning and groaning and bouncing on your bed, I’d say you were right.”

 

They sought out George and found him removing the bedding in Room 7. They told him they were heading to the diner for breakfast and that he could take down their beds.

 

“Remember that you tell me if you go anywhere else,” George chided them.

 

“We were both good yesterday and exactly what everybody told us to do,” Alex responded. “And we’ll be just as good today, or we’ll hear from Jaden’s dad for sure.”

 

“Well, you did just leave a note that one time.”

 

“Yeah, because we couldn’t find you and leaving a note is okay if that happens.”

 

“Point made, but just don’t make a habit of it.”

 

Alex and Jaden nodded and then headed through the 32 car to the diner. Unlike lunch and dinner, which were by reservation. Sandy, the lead attendant, saw them enter and pointed to the second table to their right, which was empty. They were soon joined by Ralph and Cy, who they soon learned were a gay couple who had been married for six years.

 

“Wow, it’s cool that you’re sitting with us,” Alex said as they perused their menus. “We’ve both got gay friends and we know a couple of married couples. Both those couples got kids, too.”

 

“We don’t yet, but we’re thinking of adopting,” Ralph said. Both men elected not to inquire into the boys’ sexual identity thinking it would be presumptuous of them as gay men to ask young teenage boys.

 

Both boys debated coming out to the two men but didn’t want to say anything without the okay of the other, so they ended up saying nothing on the subject. They also learned that the train was about a half hour south of Klamath Falls, Oregon and that they would be spending a lot of time traveling through mountain, lake, and forest land.

 

“Keep your eyes out for Mt. Shasta, which is on the other side of us,” Cy told them. Jaden and Alex did and caught some glimpses.

 

After they finished their breakfasts of Railroad French Toast and bacon with orange juice, the boys excused themselves and went back to their roomette just as the train came into the Klamath Falls station. The stop was a crew change point and was scheduled for 15 minutes. They left the car to get some fresh air. As with the other fresh air stops, George told them to stay within a car length of the 31 car. They did as they were instructed and were ready to hop on the train when the engineer gave two long blasts of the horn to indicate it was time for the fresh air walkers to board the train. The boys quickly stepped past George as the conductor called out, “All Aboard!” to emphasize the point.

 

The boys boarded the car, went up the steps to the upper level, and headed for the Sightseer Lounge. They had received George’s permission to do so a couple of minutes before the blasts of the horn.

 

A few miles after departing Klamath Falls, the “Coast Starlight” was traveling along Lake Klamath. Alex and Jaden were fortunate to get seats on the left side of the train, which was the water side. From the big windows of the lounge car, they ogled at the many species of birds they observed, the mountains across the lake, and in particular the views of Mt. Shasta. Depending on the angle of the train as it negotiated the curvy track along the lake, it appeared at times toward behind the train, partly shrouded by the foothills between Klamath Falls and the mountain.

 

After leaving the lake the train made a stop in the small town of Chemult. The town no longer had a train station and the stop consisted of a raised platform long enough to service the train. After the brief station stop the train headed down Willamette Pass through heavily forested lands. It was nice and green but, as Alex told Jaden, “I’ve seen enough trees to last us a lifetime going down this pass.”

 

“They look great to me,” Jaden said. “You know that we don’t see forest like this around East Harbor. Hell, we don’t even see forests at all, you know what I’m saying?”

 

“Having lived there awhile now, I can see your point. What I said doesn’t mean I don’t like them; it just means living in Mayfield a guy can ride his bike into a small forest in less than an hour and day trip has him up in the hills and a forest like what we’re seeing outside.”

 

What they could see was often interrupted by a tunnel since the line passed through 24 tunnels until it reached the town of Oakridge. After 45 minutes of trees, trees, and more trees, they returned to their roomette. To make things worse, they couldn’t even do anything on their phones since they couldn’t get a signal for almost two hours. They were able to make a lunch reservation, however, when Sandy came by taking reservations.

 

Their reservation time of 12:15 was called when they were out of the mountains and about a half hour out of Eugene. Once they left Eugene, the trip north to Portland would be through the Willamette Valley. The view mostly of farmland and even more boring than the forest, but at least they had phone service. The train arrived in Portland on time at 3:40.

 

The train came into Union Station on Track 3, which was on the station side of Platform 2. The “Empire Builder” was parked on Track 2, which was along Platform 1. What caught the boys’ attention wasn’t the Amtrak train, however, but the silver dome cars coupled behind it.

 

Alex read “California Zephyr” on the cars’ nameboard. “California?” he said to Jaden. “What’s a California train doing in Oregon? And it’s not even an Amtrak train.”

 

“I wonder if those are the private cars that Aiden and Nolan were supposed to be riding in?” Jaden asked.

 

“And they just happened to be here when we are? That’s a pretty big coincidence.”

 

“Maybe, but who knows.”

 

“This is a fresh air stop, so let’s go out on the platform and see if can find out anything.”

 

What they learned for George was the “California Zephyr” cars were private cars that would be going all the way to Chicago coupled to the “Empire Builder.”

 

“Whoa, from what Michael and them were saying, that just might be the train they’re riding,” Jaden said. “We can’t walk very far or I’d say let’s go into the station.”

 

“Let’s go anyway. We’re just a couple of hours from Centralia, so how much trouble can we get into?” Alex asked.

 

“I thought you were working to stay out of trouble and be trusted.”

 

Alex decided the chances were good that this was the train Aiden was on. ‘Fuck Jaden,’ he thought. ‘I don’t want to miss a chance to see my friend”. He turned toward the platform extension that the crossed Tracks 1 and 2 and led to the station doors. He stopped after a dozen steps and turned around. ‘Jaden’s right. I better listen to him instead of me.’

 

He turned around and walked back to Jaden who breathed a sigh of relief. Before either boy could say anything, George said, “It’s almost five minutes before departure time, so let’s get on board boys.” The conductor had announced as they came into the station that departure time was at 3:56 and passengers continuing north needed to board the train five minutes before departure time.

 

When they got to their roomette and sat in their facing seats. Alex looked Jaden in the eye and said, “Thanks for being honest with me and keeping me from being stupid.”

 

“Hey, it’s what friends are for. Besides, you turned yourself around,” Jaden responded.

 

“I guess I could send him a friggen text. Sheesh, why do the simple thing when I get presented with a chance to get in trouble.” Alex’s text was simple. “hey aiden if ur on the train with all the dome thingies i’m next 2 u.” He pressed send and wondered what he’d hear in return.

 

The train left on time at 3:56. The boys had been given and early 4:15 dinner reservation since they would be arriving in Centralia at 5:15. They had their carryon bags packed and ready when their call to dinner came.

 

Just a couple of minutes after leaving the station, Alex received a text. He saw it was from Aiden and opened it. “Were on the dome train. Sorry we missed you. (heart) Aiden.”

 

“Holy crap, Aiden is on the that train,” Alex said. “Can you believe how close were to seeing each other? Looks like the big coincidence was real.”

 

“message received” he texted back. He decided to save saying more until they got to Mayfield. It was time to be ready for their call to dinner.

 

The boys had plenty of time enjoy steaks and mashed potatoes (they skipped the string beans) along with a piece of lemon cake for dessert. The service by Alan, their waiter, was fast and efficient and they were in their roomette ten minutes before the arrival time.

 

When they got off the train in Centralia, they saw Grant and his parents on the platform to meet them and take them to Mayfield. Hugs were exchanged all around (the three boys silently agreed that the kisses could wait until later). Alex and Jaden were starting the goal of their trip—the visit to Mayfield. Alex wished Aiden was there, but there were a lot of boys he knew he needed to see and make amends to. He was willing to talk to them. The question was, were they willing to talk to him?

 

“How was the trip?” Grant asked after all of the greetings were exchanged.

 

Jaden and Alex started talking over each other in their excitement to share their thoughts. “Whoa, hold on,” Carla Grant grinned. “We can only understand one of you at a time up here in the front.”

 

“Sorry, Aunt Carla” Jaden said. “You go ahead, Alex.”

 

“I’m sorry, too, Mrs. Foster,” Alex said. “But you go Jaden. I think your cousin, and your aunt, and your uncle should hear it from you. I’ll fill in the gaps after you’re done.”

 

Jaden and Alex did a great job of telling the story of their train adventure as well as answering the questions Grant and his parents had.

 

“I imagine you two behaved perfectly during your trip,” Carla said.

 

“Oh yeah, we had to,” Jaden responded. “Cuz if we didn’t they’d make sure my dad found out about it and I don’t know about Alex, but I know he would have killed me.”

 

That night the Alex and Jaden learned that they could share the queen bed in the guest room of one could have the bed and the other could sleep on the pullout sofa bed in the den. They elected to share the queen bed.

 

“It’s not like we haven’t slept with other boys before,” Jaden said matter-of-factly. Grant’s mom and dad looked at each other and smirked.

 

Jaden and Alex were in bed by nine-thirty. They slept in their underwear and t-shirts. They were too tired to be horny and since their relationship was one of good friends, they didn’t feel the need to get each other off because that’s what boyfriends did. Both of them wondered if they would be chaste for the entire visit.

 

SATURDAY, AUGUST 8

 

<The California Zephyr cars>

 

The alarm on Aiden’s phone sounded at precisely 6:15. Aiden groaned and tried to figure where he was and why he had set his fucking alarm. The movement of the train gently shook him to his senses. He had set his alarm so he, Nolan, and Landon could get up early and enjoy the early morning light in the mountains while sitting in the dome.

 

“Fuck, whose idea was this?” Nolan moaned following a long yawn.

 

“I think it was a unanimous idea from the three of us.”

 

“That it was,” came Landon’s voice from the other bed. “I’m just glad we went to bed before ten, cuz now I feel ready to get some morning mountain pics.”

 

“You two are certifiably crazy,” Nolan said.

 

“No, we’re not, we’re certifiable foamers.”

 

“Same difference. “You guys know I love trains, but I’m nowhere near your league.”

 

 

“You can sleep in if you need to,” Aiden said as he got out of bed and pulled on his shorts. He had slept in his underwear, as had Nolan and Landon. The boys quickly dressed. Aiden, Landon, and Nolan grabbed their cameras and left the bedroom. Showers would wait until before lunch when they were out in the flat land of eastern Montana.

 

They passed the buffet which was being set up in the bar seating area which was under the dome. It didn’t open for breakfast until 6:30. When climbed the stairs up to the dome, they were pleased that only one table had been taken. Both of the front tables were empty. On the advice of William, they took the table on the left side because that was where the best mountain scenery would be.

 

Sunrise for the day was at 6:11 and the light from the early morning sun off the mountains was amazing. The cameras quickly came out.

 

“I didn’t even know you brought a camera,” Landon said to Nolan. “I mean, you didn’t use it yesterday.”

 

“I figured I’d eat dinner and let you two take the shots since you’re both better photographers than I am. If I’d know you’d be coming I wouldn’t have even brought my camera. I’d do what I did yesterday and be happy with a couple of shots in my phone.”

 

“No offense, Nolan, but that’s silly,” Landon said. “you take good pictures and good video.”

 

“I know, but you two take great pictures.”

 

“Speaking of silly, how about we look and the scenery and photograph it and forget who’s better than who,” Aiden said. “We’re all good at it and we’ll all get good pictures and like everybody who takes pictures we’ll have more than our share of clunkers, since you gotta take some of those to get the great ones.”

 

“As he does so often, my boyfriend speaks the truth,” Nolan said.

 

After the chatter ended the clicking of shutters took over. Pictures were taken not only out of the dome windows, but inside the dome as the boys took pictures of each other taking pictures. That stretch ended just after seven when Larry, Phil, and Michael sat at the table behind the boys.

 

“Proof our boys are true foamers—they’re up before ten, and taking pictures of it,” Larry chuckled.

 

“Pop, please,” Aiden responded.

 

“Well, if he insists on me being a foamer, then I gotta say that I’m doing more than foam,” Nolan said. “Not only am I foaming, but my stomach is grumbling.” Nolan and Landon went downstairs to get their breakfast, but Aiden stayed at the table to help the dad save the seats. The dome was starting to fill.

 

“Should we be arriving in Whitefish right now?” Michael asked.

 

“Yes, we should,” Larry answered. “We seem to be running a little late.”

 

Nolan returned with his breakfast. He had a plate with two pieces of French Toast, scrambled eggs, hash browns, bacon, a jelly donut, and a glass of orange juice that he balanced on a tray.

 

Landon was right behind him with a tray of his own. He had everything that Nolan had except for the potatoes and the donut. He conceded that it would simply be too much. “Burt said we’d be in Whitefish in about ten minutes,” he told everyone. Burt was one of the two Zephyr cars owners.

 

Aiden and Phil went downstairs next. Aiden soon returned with a tray of food matching Nolan’s. “I can see where a big boy like Nolan will put his food, but I have no clue how Aiden will get it all in,” Larry said.

 

While the boys started digging into their breakfasts, Larry and Michael went downstairs where they met Paul and Vivian in the buffet with their plates full. “We have two seats set aside in the observation lounge,” Vivian said. “We’ll eat and admire the scenery from there.”

 

“There are still seats up in the dome. Our table and the boys’ table each have an extra seat,” Larry told them.

 

“Don’t forget the surprise guest,” Paul reminded him.

 

“Whoops you’re right.”

 

 Burt then announced that they were entering Whitefish and William would be opening a door on the Silver Rapids for anybody wishing to take a quick fresh air break. “Since we’re running a little late, don’t wander far from the car because we’ll be on the way once the train has been serviced. We also have a passenger we’ll be taking on here. But do take advantage of seeing the Whitefish station and getting pictures. It is without a doubt the most beautiful station on Montana, and one of the most beautiful smalltown stations in America.”

 

Having taken the “Empire Builder” to Whitefish the previous summer, Nolan and Aiden knew about the beautiful station. This time they had good cameras to shoot some pictures of the depot. As the train pulled into the station the three boys asked Larry and Phil to give them access to the front windows on the right-hand side. Larry and Phil got up, told the boys to be quick because their food was getting cold, and then patiently watched the trio take their photos. 

 

As soon as the train stopped, the boys returned at their own table and continued           their breakfasts.  They barely got a mouthful chewed when a white-haired Native American man sat in the empty seat next to Landon and set his breakfast on the table without so much as an “Excuse me”.  Landon was going to say something as soon as he finished swallowing when Aiden shouted out, “Espowyes! Oh my God, Espowyes!” he repeated. Landon thought Aiden was shouting out some kind of Native American cuss word.

 

Then Nolan looked up and shouted out the same ‘word’, “Espowyes! What are you doing here?”

 

“I believe I am doing the same as you and Young Master Aiden. I am eating breakfast in one of the most beautiful railcars in the world,” the elderly man replied. He looked over at Landon, who looked more confused than his two friends. “My name is Robert, but I go by my Native American name of Espowyes. And you would be?”

 

“Um…my name is Landon, and, I have no idea what’s going on, but it’s nice to meet you, Robert.” Espowyes held out his right hand and Landon shook it, embarrassed that he couldn’t remember the Native American name the elderly man had given him. It was obvious the man and Aiden and Nolan knew each other. Landon was eager to hear the story.

 

“The pleasure is mine, young man. Your must be a special young man to be friends with the two other boys at the table. I hold them in high regard.”

 

“I can’t believe you’re here on the train with us,” Aiden said. “How did you even know we were riding these cars?”

 

Espowyes pointed to Larry and Phil. “Some fathers have big mouths,” he grinned.

 

“I should have figured that seeing as he surprised us yesterday when Landon and his dad showed up at the Centralia station to ride the Zephyr cars.” Aiden looked across the aisle at his dads. “You guys are too much.”

 

“But you’ve gotta admit, the surprises were pretty special,” Larry said.

 

“Oh, heck yeah. I mean, they were even more than special, they were epic.”

 

“I am under the assumption that Aiden and Nolan were not expecting you on this trip,” Espowyes said to Landon.

 

“Nope. Even I didn’t know until it was close to time to go. We got dads who are good at keeping secrets, that’s for sure,” Landon said.

 

“Are going the rest of the way with us?” Aiden asked Espowyes.

 

“Since I was told you would be riding these cars to Los Angeles, my answer would be a very big no. I will be riding as far as Chicago. I will visit some old friends there and then return home on the ‘Empire Builder’.”

 

“I guess home must be Whitefish,” Landon said.

 

“You are right, my young friend.”

 

“So how did you get to know Aiden and Nolan?”

 

“I think I will let your friends answer that question.”

 

They heard two long blasts from the train’s horn, and the “Empire Builder” and its three extra cars started out of the station. The journey through Glacier National Park and over the Continental Divide was beginning.

 

“Marty met Espowyes back when he was in high school. Plus, Eric and Noah knew him,” Aiden said. “I don’t think you know Eric.”

 

“I know who Eric is because he works for BSNF as a signal maintenance man and sometimes as an engineer with the Centralia short line,” Landon said.

 

“I guess you would know a lot of peeps who work for the railroads. Anyway, long story short, last August Nolan and I were lost. I was in a dark place from shit that was bugging me, and we just weren’t hitting it off. Through Marty and my dads, we ended up riding the Builder to Whitefish where, well, Espowyes worked what Nolan and me and pulled off what we call a miracle. Right Nolan?”

 

“Absolutely,” Nolan said. “He is a very wise man.”

 

“If I may interject, there would be no miracle, as you two call it, if I hadn’t had willing ears for my teaching,” Espowyes said. “And my next bit of wisdom is, let’s finish our breakfasts so we can revel in God’s glory from this beautiful rooftop location.”

 

He got no argument from the boys. Within ten minutes they had finished their meals and Marshawn cleared their tables. The cameras came out and took pictures of the Glacier Park mountains that landed in their memory cards. Nolan and Landon also took video, but Aiden stayed with his still photography.

 

“You do not do video?” Espowyes asked him.

 

“I like still pictures better,” Aiden replied. “I can tell a story with the pics better than I can with the vids.” Aiden loved writing stories and had learned he could tell them with his camera just like he could with his keyboard.  

 

“I have read the stories you sent to me. I found them to be interesting and well-written. You are a fine storyteller.”

 

Larry, who could overhear the conversation, realized that what Espowyes didn’t say was as informative as what he did say. What he said was that Aiden was a fine storyteller. What he didn’t say was that he was a fine storyteller for his age. That pleased Larry, because felt the same way; he felt that his son was an excellent storyteller for any age. There was a good reason that Aiden had won awards at creative writing contests, and that good reason was that he simply was a fine storyteller.

 

The last stop before the railroad crossed the Continental Divide was Essex, whose main feature was a beautiful log lodge. “That lodge was built by the Great Northern Railway,” Landon said. “In fact, they founded Glacier Park before it became a National Park and built all of the log lodges in the park.

 

“James J. Hill, who built the Great Northern and was the railway’s first president, wasn’t a fan of running passenger trains since there was more money in freight trains. But Hill’s son, Luis, was a force behind the railroad crossing the Rockies and going to Washington. He was behind the idea of creating a park as a way to get more people to ride their trains by giving them a place in the mountains to ride to. James Hill may not have been a fan of passenger trains, but he was never one to turn down a chance to make more money. Luis succeeded his father as president of the railway.

 

“Anyway, Essex used to be a crew change point and the lodge was for the crews getting their rest. Since diesels took over trains moved faster over the mountains and the G-N no longer needed to change crews there.”

 

“And see that blue Great Northern locomotive and the caboose over there?” Aiden said as the train stopped at the platform that constituted the Essex station. “Those are now expensive rooms. You can spend a small fortune and spend a night in the locomotive. Everything was taken out and a first-class hotel room replaced the interior.”

 

“Except for the locomotive cab,” Landon reminded him.

 

“Oh yeah, the locomotive cab still has all the dials and controls, except none of them work, of course.”

 

“My, oh, my, you boys should go down to the lounge and become paid lecturers or something,” came a woman’s voice from the second table on the left. The woman was Lois.

 

Marias Pass was a disappointment to the boys. The pass marked the crossing of the Continental Divide. At 5,213 feet it is the lowest crossing of the Continental Divide in the Rockies. The boys were hoping to be in a box canyon through the mountains, or way above the surrounding scenery, but it ended up being a slight rise changing to a slight decline. Still, the scenery to the north was one of spectacular mountains which were a good distance off but were much higher than the pass. The tracks were running along the southern border of Glacier National Park.

 

“Old Jim Hill knew what he was doing when he had the Great Northern cross this pass,” Phil noted.

 

“Yep, the Northern Pacific had a much more difficult trip through the Rockies,” Landon said. “They built over Homestake Pass which is over 6,000 feet. But remember, the NP kind of followed the route of Lewis & Clark when they surveyed their route.”

 

“Your knowledge is impressive,” Espowyes said.

 

“Learning all I can about trains and railways, means knowing their history and their geography,” Landon responded modestly.

 

The trip down Marias Pass soon turned from mountains, to foothills, to the high prairie. After the Shelby stop, which allowed for a quick fresh air break, the three boys settled back into their seats at the left front table. Lois, who had taken a smoke break the specified distance from the train, sat behind the boys. She turned her head and said she had a question for them. Aiden could smell the smoke on her breath, which disgusted him. He was tempted to go to his room and bring his can of Altoids so she could pop a mint. He had always hated the smell and was eternally grateful his dads didn’t smoke.

 

“Ask away,” Landon said. He was eager to display more of his railroading knowledge.

 

“Why is the Amtrak train called the ‘Empire Builder’? What does it mean? What empire and who is the builder?”

 

Aiden knew the answer, but he also knew that Landon loved talking about railroading more than anything. He gave his new friend a nod, signaling him to answer away.

 

“Well, like I said earlier, James J. Hill founded the Great Northern Railway. The railway opened up the northern tier to settlement and it grew in a hurry. So, in a way, he created an empire in the west and became known as the Empire Builder. The Great Northern’s best train was called the ‘Oriental Limited’. But in, I think it was 1929, a new train became the best train on the railway, and it was named for James J. Hill, the Empire Builder.”

 

“Thank you again, Landon. Sitting with you has been a real education,” Lois said.

 

“Well, I kinda hogged the show. Aiden knows just as much or more about trains and railroad history as I do. He was nice enough to let me blabber, which is why he’s become one of my best friends,” Landon said.

 

“Well, I’m going to back to the observation lounge to sit with my husband.” Lois rose from her seat, stepped down into the aisle, and walked to the back of the dome and down the stairs.

 

A half hour after Shelby, the dome was prepared for lunch. The boys once again claimed the front left table, not that it made that much difference since the Rockies were now behind them. They would be spending the rest of the day traversing the great plains.

 

“Is that Robert Espowyes dude gonna sit with us?” Landon asked. “I like him—he’s really interesting and fun to talk to.”

 

“Then let’s make sure he does by inviting him over,” Aiden said. “And Espowyes is his Native American name and the one he goes by.

 

Espowyes was sitting at the middle-left table with Larry, Paul, Phil, and Michael. Vivian was sitting in the observation area with a couple of the women she had befriended.

 

Nolan invited Espowyes to sit with them at their table. Espowyes gladly accepted the invitation and joined the boys. Lunch was beef salad and bread with sugar cookies and sorbet for dessert. The boys enjoyed talking with Espowyes as he discussed the history and culture of Native American tribes of the region they had travelled through. The way the boys saw it, Espowyes knew how to communicate by making his topics interesting and relevant. As Aiden had told Nolan after they first met him, he didn’t talk over their heads, nor did he talk beneath them. Instead, he spoke to them on their level which appeased to the three well-read and educated boys.

 

Landon asked how the coming of the railroads affected the indigenous people. All three boys were engrossed in Espowyes’ history lesson, one he kept the boys involved in by asking them frequent questions and inviting them to ask questions of their own. He had a PhD from Stanford and had enjoyed a long career as a college professor. (NOTE TO LARRY: Since I don’t have all of the trilogy chapters is there a way you can looks up what his degree was in and where and what he taught?)

 

While the scenery wasn’t at all spectacular, it was interesting. The boys learned that Burt, one of the two owners of the Zephyr cars and the one making the trip, was another interesting person to listen to. He was a great storyteller, and all his stories dealt with his experience with railroads, trains, and most of all, his beloved Zephyr cars.

 

Dinner was a delicious three course meal. “At least this time, we don’t have to interrupt our eating to take pictures,” Landon joked.

 

“Except to take pictures of all of us eating,” Nolan grinned. “But, I’m gonna use my phone instead of my camera.”

 

“Exactly. Save the camera for the important stuff like trains and the view from the trains,” Aiden said. “Just treat your friends like they’re chopped liver.” He looked down at his plate. “Thank heavens the dinner isn’t chopped liver.”

 

“In some cases the phone is better for stuff like people sitting at a table. I mean, it has a good camera, just not as good as a camera, camera.”

 

“A camera, camera? I like it,” Landon said.

 

The evening was taken up by talking, listening, and playing cards until the train reached Minot a 10:08, which was right on time. It was a forty-five-minute strop for a crew change stop, watering the cars, getting bags of garbage off the train, and simply having some padding in the schedule. The boys went outside for fresh air. They boarded the Silver Solarium at 10:30, prepared for bed, and were sound asleep by 10:45.

 

<Gordy’s House>

 

 As Gordy and his friends dug into the birthday cake and ice cream, he looked around him and felt a surge of happiness. He thought his birthday party was a big success. He had worried all morning about who would come and then he worried that whoever came wouldn’t have any fun as his lack of social confidence played with mind. Despite his popularity at school and with his teammates in sports, he often worried that nobody really liked him, even though the evidence said otherwise.

 

Almost everybody he invited to his birthday party came. Even Calvin came all the way from Clark Pass. It was like the little party at Michael’s house in East Harbor only a hundred times better. The only Goats who didn’t attend were Aiden and Nolan because they were on their train trip, Mason because of his recording gig in East Harbor, and Max. Gordy didn’t think Max was going to come. Gordy wasn’t alone in thinking that Max never seemed to be a true Goat.

 

Kalie came, of course, along with her cousin, Gretchen, who was visiting from Eugene. Heather and Christy were the only other girls Gordy had invited, and they showed hoping to see Aiden and Nolan. Nobody had told them that the two of them were away traveling. They both sighed and set their eyes on Trent and Mack, both of whom eagerly accepted their not very subtle advances. Before the party ended, Mack and Trent invited Heather and Christy to Trent’s house on Monday. Both girls giggled nervously and accepted.

 

Scott’s cousin, Ronnie, came with Scott. Gordy had sent Ronnie an invitation since he had become friends with many of the Goats at the Brawl. Ronnie eagerly accepted and then set to work getting his parents to drive him to Mayfield, which they had no problem doing. They figured they could enjoy a visit with Scott’s parents while the boys were at the party.

 

The menu had been barbecued hamburgers and brats, potato salad, with lettuce, tomatoes, and onions along with usual condiments. Birthday cake and ice cream were the dessert.

 

When dessert time came, the party goers sang Happy Birthday to Gordy, who blew out all 13 candles in one long breath. It was his second birthday party. ‘Life is truly good’, Gordy thought as he surveyed a room full of friends.

 

Alex was surprised that he ended up having a good time at the party. He worked the room, talking to the Goat players. He felt comfortable with them after being worried they would reject him. But he had worked hard to mend fences during the Brawl. Plus, his cookies had endeared him to the Goats. They saw them as a highlight of their days at the athletic park. Even the girls were nice to him, with Heather virtually hanging on to him. Alex couldn’t decide whether that was a good thing.

 

That night things loosened up a bit between Alex and Jaden. After getting to bed, they talked about who at the party was sexy, the girls not counting. They both liked Trent and Mack’s mature good looks, as well as the blatant sexiness of Lenny and Lance. But they ended up agreeing that there was a tie for the cutest, sexiest boy at the party between Gordy, the host, and Calvin, the out-of-town Goat.

 

They both were hard and playing with their cocks. It didn’t take long for them to detect each other’s movement under the covers. Alex wordlessly flipped the covers off his body and quickly pulled down his boxers, revealing his hard cock. Jaden followed suit and the two went to work jerking off. They pretended they weren’t looking at each other even though they couldn’t take their eyes off their bedmate’s ministrations.

 

Alex spit on his hands went at his cock full speed, wishing he had some lube. Jaden followed his friend’s lead. As Alex got close to orgasm, he pulled the hem of his t-shirt up, exposing his hard abdomen. He soon was squirting his light teen cum over his belly after shooting the first drop onto his t-shirt. Twenty seconds Jaden covered his belly with his own emissions.

 

“Fuck, I needed that,” Alex said.

 

“Ditto,” Jaden agreed.

 

The two friends rose from the bed and cleaned up the mess they had made on themselves. Soon they were back in bed, the lights out, and their young teen bodies snugly covered. Within a couple of minutes, they were both asleep.

 

Next: The Windy City