Chapter 37

Ben

This year really flew by, it’s already well into September, but at least it’s still nice and mild. Even though the calendar says Fall begins in a few days, we’re still getting plenty of summer-like weather. It’s all good, the longer the warmth hangs around the better.

My job at the National Fruit Distribution Company is going well; I’ve been promoted to department manager in charge of blueberry shipments. Now I can afford to start looking at a better apartment and maybe even start saving up for a house.

It seems like just a couple of short weeks ago my younger brother Will was graduating high school. He’s been having quite a summer and started dating his first girlfriend, Daisy. I met her at our parent’s house; talk about cute-as-a-button, wow! She’s one of those girls you can tell has a white-hot fire burning under all that cuteness and is probably an unleashed wildling once you get her in the sack. And, then to find out she’s an escort! Sex is her profession. He’s one lucky son-of-a-bitch, that’s for sure. (I gotta watch affectionately using son-of-a-bitch when talking about Will, we’re from the same parents after all!)

Don’t get me wrong, I have the coolest little brother a guy could ask for, but damn, I would be lying if I didn’t feel pangs of jealousy when I think about how he met Daisy at a sex party with four hot women. Four! Having multiple women has been a fantasy of mine since I first started stroking myself. I was shaking my head in wonderment when he told me he couldn’t remember how many times he came that day. Lucky bastard!

My life is good and I have no room to complain, I have a great thing going with my girlfriend, Sandy. We met a few months ago and couldn’t be happier. A much better choice than my previous lover, Christy – well, we were more fuck buddies than true lovers.

Christy was an absolute trip, talk about super easy to get in bed, too easy actually, we did everything, and I mean everything, on our first date; but other than a lot of great sex, we just didn’t have much else in common. Over time we drifted apart, she started screwing other guys and I started looking elsewhere. I wasn’t broken up about it or anything, Christy just wasn’t the one for me, or me for her, that’s all.

Sandy and I connect on so many levels. We like the same music and movies, she loves roller coaster parks as much as I do, and we even enjoy the same kinds of foods. To top it off, she made me work for it. When sex with Sandy finally happened on the seventh date, the wait was well worth it. With our bond growing, it’s now a regular part of seeing each other.

We’re going to a nice dinner event tonight; it’s her company’s annual party. It’s semi-formal and she says I don’t need to wear a full suit, but a nice button shirt and dress pants will work.

Even though I have my apartment, I still come home to Mom and Dad’s to do my laundry. The machines at the complex suck big time, even when they aren’t needing repairs. Dammit, I forgot to bring my dress shirts to wash, and I don’t have time to run back. Will and I are basically the same size, I don’t think he’ll mind if I borrow one of his.

When I go looking for him, Mom says he’s out again with an eye roll. Apparently, Will has been spending a lot of time away, pretty much every weekend with Daisy. I wonder how that works, I would imagine weekend nights would be primetime working hours for her being an escort and all. I’m not sure how I would feel about my girl screwing other men even if it is for good money. Not my horse, not my race; in other words, to each, their own. It must not bother Will because the two of them have been together for a while now.

In Will’s closet, I search through his hanging clothes and - wait, what’s this? There are about half a dozen three-piece suits hidden in the back. Stephano Ricci, Indochino, Brooks Brothers, these are not cheap suits. What the hell does he need all these fancy clothes for? He’s a typical jeans, open flannel, and white t-shirt country kid. Finding a nice blue dress shirt, I pull it out; I’ll have to ask him about this buried treasure of fine attire next time I see him.

A couple of days later I’m having lunch with my buddy Owen at Lorna’s Bar and Grill; you might remember him from that party at Josh’s house when we helped make Heather’s fantasy with multiple guys come true. Owen is an assistant manager at Big Woody’s Lumber & Hardware, the same place my brother works. As we dive into our juicy burgers, I ask, “So, how’s Will doing at the store these days, everything good?”

“Oh, yeah, Will is super, one of our best. I just wish I could schedule him for more hours.”

“Are things slow right now?”

“No, it’s not that. He only wants to work one or two days a week. Usually a Monday or Wednesday, and no weekends when I could use him the most.”

“That’s odd. I figured he’d want all the hours he can get.”

“That’s what I would think too,” Owen shrugs.

After lunch, I’m perplexed with what’s going on with Will, things aren’t adding up. College tuition, car payments, auto insurance, about four to five thousand dollars’ worth of suits tucked away in his closet, gas to drive to and from Holland every weekend, how in the fuck is he affording all this and only working one or two days a week? Did he secretly win the lottery or something? I think it’s time for a little brotherly one-on-one chat.