The Road to Omar Noir: A Spice's Grandfather One-Shot (mm musc tf fant)
by Texzilla
Prologue
So Ah’m leaning back on the couch, trying not to get any ass prints on it since Ah’m only wearing a jock, which is flipped under my balls so ah can jag off to the only decent porn this 19 year old can get his hands on, that being the disc Tak secretly made of De’ and me fucking like horndogs when we were down in Florida, my nine incher’s slicked up, burning hot in my hand and actually feels like ah might be able to get it to ten Ah’m so fucking horny with De’ still in Africa… when the afore mentioned Tak unlocks my front door, says ‘Spicey, good you’re here’ walks over, drops his pants, shoves is shaved crotch into ma face and asks ‘You’re an artist, is that the right color?”
No seriously, that just happened.
“Git your crotch out of ma face and while you’re at it, git your ass out of ma apartment.”
“No come on, take a look, it’s blue right? That’s not black, it’s blue.”
“What does it look like Ah’m doing here Mastermind?”
“Oh yea look at that. EWWWWW, you’re jagging off to yourself on DVD?!?! How sad and pathetic. Can I join in?”
“Park your ass, Einstein.” I said patting the seat next to me.
One of Tak’s many charms, he fucks like a bunny when he wants and almost beat me to the shoot. Yea, it’s not what most friends do. Don’t get me wrong, we’re not ‘friends with benefits’ as the phrase goes, but the kiss we shared afterwards was more than a polite wrap up to a two man circle jerk.
“You’re a good kisser.” He said hiking his pants back up.
“And Ah dance like a panther. Wasn’t there something you wanted to show me?”
“Oh shit yea.” The pants went down again. “This new ink. He used blue didn’t he, not black?”
“OK Ah’m going to get a lot closer to your dick than that kiss we just had would suggest Ah’m comfortable with. Ummm, no, it’s black, but it’s been thinned out. That and the skin being just above your crotch, which thankfully, rarely sees the sun, it looks lighter. You can put that away now.”
“Damn it. After it heals I’ll get him to go over it again. You up to anything today other than getting your rocks off?”
“As a matter of fact Ah am. Ah’m off to the Field Museum to check out their display of traveling Wild West shows from 1890 to 1950, which is supposed to have some interesting Native American photographs. We can use our student IDs to get in for free.”
“Sound perfectly boring.”
“If you drive us Ah’ll pay for parking and Ah’ve got enough quarters from the ‘Spare Change For Laundry’ jar so we BOTH can get those wax dinosaurs from the vacu-form machines that make them while we watch.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
Again, when you know your audience, you know what buttons to push. The show at the Field encompassed the old traveling Wild West shows along with the circuses that started including them after the turn of the century, but that’s what I was mainly interested in. The Field’s a great place for shows like this, but given it as a Sunday and cold out, families were more than well represented. Way too many kids who didn’t want to be there making sure everyone didn’t want them there either. Eventually we settled in on looking at the displays and photos. I had been tipped off there was something I should look for and from the scream that came from across the room, I started guessing that Tak found it.
“HOLY SHIT SPICE, get over here!!!”
I mentioned there being a lot of kids in the place right? Well while they loved the crazy Japanese guy swearing his head off, dozens of pairs of parental eyes started lazering Tak into little bits. Or at least wishing they could. One of the security guards started sauntering over but, thankfully, I was able to wave them off with an ‘I’ll shut him up’ attitude.
“I can’t believe who’s in this picture!!!”
“Quite down. Guess you found him.” I said joining him staring at a fairly large group photo. Had to have been blown up some for the display, way too big to be a regular print from the 1930’s. Yep, this was the one. Along with a couple of people who looked like they were out of the circus’s freak show, a strongman, some acrobats, and a cowboy or two were some Native Americans. Including my Grandfather at 24 years old. “Can’t believe you spotted him. Gramps sure looks young in that shot.” I placed my finger over his face for a second. Sure Gramps floats on over from the Great Beyond whenever he wants, but to see him young, strong, before the family came along, before he made it his life’s mission to drive me crazy. He wore his hair really long, the lighting used for the photo reflecting of in streams that looked like lightning going across his head. He was shirtless but wore some necklaces as accents. Not from our tribe but probably looked good for the show. His years of bareback riding showed in the strong chest and thin hips. Everyone else in the photo looked real uncomfortable, like they didn’t trust the flash bulb not to explode and take them all out. Gramps though, he had that smirk/smile going that he always had. Like he was already 10 steps ahead of everyone in the room and knew all the answers before the questions were even thought up. Shit Gramps was a hottie. Should I be having thoughts like that?
“Your Grandfather’s here too? Oh shit look at that. UNREAL!!!” Tak said moving away from where he was looking at the photo to where Gramps was standing.
“Well… if you didn’t know that was Gramps, who did you see?”
“This guy!!” Tak said pointing to the 7’10” regal looking Asian man towering above everyone else while standing in the back of the group. “That’s my Great Grandfather!!”
“Holy Crap!!!”
At least two things worked right. They only threw us out of the exhibit, not the whole Museum, and Tak had taken film of the photo before they did that. The Museum had their own McD’s so I went for food while Tak brought the picture up on his DVD Camera.
“Did you get a good shot of it?” I asked joining him and our wax dinosaur toys at a corner table.
“Look at this guy’s bulge. Who wears bike shorts to a public place in a Chicago fall?”
“Very nice. The picture?”
“Oh yea. Ummm, here. Yea, see that’s Ishiro Ito, my Great Grandfather. Never met him, he died before I was born but, you know, family legends of having a giant Grandpa. When I came here to school my Dad told me the only other member of the family who ever lived in the US was Great Grandfather. But they never knew what he did here. He would never say. Just came back with lots of money. Guess I should have guessed considering the time and his size.”
“That’s so unreal. And he was the Lighting Caster in that generation?”
“No you’d think wouldn’t, you given the situation. They all though he would be, because it was so unusual him getting 6 feet tall by the time he was 7, and then kept on growing. But it was his brother. Wait a minute. What’s your Grandfather doing here?”
“That’s our family legend. Gramps needed to sow a few wild oats before settling down so he hooked up with a Wild West show. Left his brothers to take care of the farm. He did a little trick riding but was mainly taking care of the horses. And buffalos, this group had a few buffalos for the show. Came back shortly after the depression hit, so it was only a couple of years.”
“So he wasn’t the Shaman?”
“He had some knowledge and background but not fully, he took the mantle when he returned to New Mexico. But the date’s wrong on that picture. They have it a year before the Depression hit, and it’s after. Probably no more than a month before he went home … ”
“This is freaky shit even for us dude. How can you tell the date it wrong from just the picture?”
“Gramps told me a story on ma first trip back home after taking the casting stick. Wasn’t sure why he told me since, you know, it didn’t involve him using it. But this guy right here, he’s got to be the guy in the story.”
“Are we going into a flashback?”
“Part of being a Shaman is being a story teller.”
“Can the wax dinos come?”
“Only if they behave.”
Chicago – Early 1930s
It was one of those downpours that, even though it was already night, the heavy rain seemed to make it even darker out. Adam Talltrees had been running through the rain to his quarters when he saw the man thrown out of the boss’s caravan and hit the ground. Not the most unusual sight given the bosses of this circus, he thought at the time. But when running back he noticed the guy was still on the ground, sitting in the rain and staring at the door he had been booted out of. At first he was going to keep on running back to the stable but… .he did have his umbrella now…
“You need help or are you waiting till that puddle you’re sittin’ in fills up and drowns you?”
“Waiting to drown, thank you.”
“Now, now, on your feet. Come on.” Adam said helping the stranger to his feet. He was taller than the Native American, but they weighed about the same given Adam’s stockier build. And the 20 pounds of hair falling from his head didn’t hurt either. “Come with me, we’ll get you dried off and warmed up. No cure for being stupid but the cures for pneumonia don’t always work.”
Talltrees lead the man through the maze of trailers and mobile homes set up far back of the circus that most of the customers never got to see. Back through some of the tents set up for the animals to a smaller one, in comparison. They stepped through the opening, out of the rain, but into a strong animal smell.
“You can only bring in the stray if you’ve also got the stuff to freshen up this stank,” a small hairy man said across the room. No, the stranger thought, he wasn’t really small, no smaller than he himself was. It’s just that the man seated next to him at the makeshift table was gigantic.
“I got it. Don’t smell any worse in here than you do after you get out of the bath anyway. Oh wait, don’t remember seeing Remy ever take a bath,” Talltrees said jokingly as he walked the man across to the small group.
“A flea bath, perhaps?” the giant Asian man said in a soft low voice that sounded almost like a rumble of thunder in the distance.
“Great. The man knows 30 words of English, but they’re still enough to insult me.”
Talltrees walked over to the small contained fire that helped warm and light the room and tossed in a few things he had in his pocket. After a whiff of smoke emerged from the flames the room was filled with the scent of roses. “Why don’t you come over here, take your cloths off and get warm by the fire. You can hang them on the stall over there so they dry out. I’ll get you a blanket to cover yourself.”
“Now who’s going to need a flea bath?” the hairy man muttered while he shuffled some cards.
“My buffalo don’t have fleas, ya mutt.”
“I don’t know if I should stick around. It might not be safe. I mean I thank you for your hospitality and don’t get me wrong I certainly feel safe with you but it might not be safe for you to be with me and...” the stranger said catching the colorful blanket he was tossed.
“You were barely able to get that out, your teeth are rattling so much. Nothing’s going to harm you here. Nothing.”
It was the Indian who said this. His face was in the shadows, the light from the fire and lanterns blocked out when he turned his head to speak to him. It should have sounded threatening but for some reason, the stranger found it reassuring, even began to relax after hearing it said. He quickly took off his soaking cloths and hung them on the sides of the pen he was standing next too. With his eyes adjusting to the light he could now see that they were indeed inside a tent full of buffalos. Sleeping buffalos in pens thankfully. Along with the Indian, who looked to be young like he was, early 20s, there was this hairy man and the giant Asian.
The hairy guy just wasn’t hairy like some guys get. This was from head to foot. The hair on his head reached all the way down to his eyebrows, and started growing again just underneath his eyes. Even his nose was covered in long flowing brown hair. His sleeveless t-shirt showed that the hair continued to be incredible long and thick down his back and arms. Except for a slight peek through where the hair naturally parted, his skin was not visible to the world, just hair. The glasses sitting at the end of his nose added a touch of normalcy and humanity.
The Asian was just impossibly huge. Sitting on several bales of hay he had to be at least 8 feet tall. Maybe a little less. He looked much older than the rest of them, 40s maybe into his 50s. His arms moved strangely gracefully as he reached for the cards in front of him. Several fingers had long elaborately jeweled nails attached, which he was careful with. His hair had been shaved back and sides, making for a larger forehead than would normally show, with a small island of hair far in back that secured a long braided topknot of hair that hung down his back.
Interesting group of strangers to be made of welcome to on a cold rainy night when so much of his life was falling apart. After he finished wrapping himself in the warm blanket he joined them at the table and introduced himself. “I can’t thank you enough for you hospitality. I’m Mark Pertrolis by the way,” Mark said extending his hand to the Indian.
“Nice to meet you Mark, I’m Adam Talltrees, this here is Remy Cantrell, son of Rufus the Dog Faced Boy. You see where he gits his good looks. And while the sign over his head usually reads ‘Chang Lin: Giant of China’, this is Ishiro Ito from Japan.”
“Didn’t know there was a difference,” Mark said shaking the gigantic hand.
“Few in this country do.”
“So Mark, did you miss your ride home? How’d you get so wet?” Remy asked while tossing down a couple of cards.
“Got thrown out of your boss’s office”
“Welcome to the club,” Talltress said chuckling, with Remy joining in.
“I’ve never been thrown out of the Boss’s office,” Ito mumbled while continuing to check his cards.
“You don’t fit in the Boss’s office to get thrown out of. Their reaction the last time you broke one of those fingernails and lost the jewels on it counts as being thrown out of their offices.”
“…If that counts then I guess I have been. Why you?”
“Well, might as well tell you. Got nothing else to lose. I handled a lot of investments for your bosses. They lost most of them when the crash hit. Most of my clients did. But I’ve been able to stay one step ahead of them, juggling this, readjusting that to stay one step ahead of them finding out. Well, some of my more… questionable clients figured out what’s going on. They want their money and they want me dead, but I think they’ll settle for me dead. I was hoping your bosses might help out but...” A round of laughter circled the room from three men who already knew how slow their bosses were to requests for help. “Yea, so, not really sure where I go from here.”
“You still need to warm up, and dry off so no need to start worrying about that at the moment. Something will come up. Ain’t that right Lourdes?” Talltrees said directing the last comment behind him. From the darkness emerged a young woman dressed in black, a scarf covered her head but could not conceal the dark red hair that flowed out. Her skin was warm and rich like caramel. Eyes that at one moment looked green, the purple, then as red as her hair, never staying just one shade, but always piercing. Even though she walked closer to the group, her steps in the hay covering the floor were barely audible.
“How is it that you’re the only one who can tell she’s there when she does that?” Remy asked slamming down his cards.
“Cause I got the dog senses they tell the yokels your Daddy’s got. Besides, Lourdes and I work on a different level. Can you imagine the children we would have?”
“All signs are that it would be a Grandchild of ours who would be a force to be reckoned with…”
“HOLDITHOLDITHOLIT!!! That woman is NOT your Grandmother and she DID NOT say that!!!”
“Maybe she is, maybe she isn’t. Story for another time. Back to this one. Where was I... Oh yea…
“I’ve brought my poker boys a treat,” the woman Lourdes said holding out a small bundle. Talltrees took it and unwrapped the four muffins inside.
“Oh thank you. Your cranberry muffins are always welcome. Do I need to ask how you knew to bring four?”
“I thought Mister Henderson mentioned something that lead me to believe four would be the correct number.” She leaned forehead and kissed Talltrees on the forehead. “Have a good evening gentlemen. Adam.” She turned and walked off again into the darkness. Mark watched her this time and, while he was sure she was no longer in the tent with them, he never saw the tent opening move to show she left.
“Not washing my forehead for a week.”
“Why would Henderson say something that would let her know to bring four of these?” Remy asked brushing the crumbs out that fell into the hair that would have made up a beard on anyone else.
“Who’s Henderson, who was that… and why wasn’t she wet?” Mark asked as a clash of thunder hit overhead.
“That was Miss Lourdes, the sideshow’s fortune teller… and my honey. She isn’t wet because she’s very good at her job. And Henderson didn’t say anything, but she’s hinting he might be the answer to your immediate problems. Have one of these, you look like you could use a good meal.”
Mark took the muffin and started slowly eating it, but considering how long he had been without a good meal, it did not last long. Not even Ito with his gigantic mouth could match the speed Mark consumed his pastry.
“Better count the buffalos when we leave to make sure Mark don’t eat one of them too.” Remy said shuffling the cards again. “What’s this about Henderson?”
“Henderson’s the foreman of the circus set up crew. He’ll give you a job. It’ll be all physical and hard work, but you’ll have a place to stay, rotten pay, three square but best of all, we leave tomorrow and the circuit don’t bring us back here for months. Those guys looking for you will never find you.”
“That makes sense Mark. Noticed you look like you got an OK build, not like the regular crew but you’ll do OK. In a few days you’ll just blend in.”
“Do you often notice the physical attributes of naked men, Child?” Ito whispered, looking down at Remy from the corner of his eye.
“Shut up Ito,” Remy mumbled.
“But… your bosses wouldn’t possibly approve this. They want me dead as much as the other guys, just couldn’t do anything about it. How would…”
“Bosses will never know. They don’t pay no mind to the level of grunt work you’ll be doing. Henderson don’t report to them, and Henderson won’t care even if he found out. Show up for work, do a good job and you’re set.”
“Never done anything like this before. But heck, I’ve got nothing to go back to now. Nothing that wouldn’t get me killed. Except Helen, but I’m sure they’re watching her place. Best she forget about me anyway. What the hell, always wanted to run away and join the circus…”
One Week Later – Iowa
Mark quickly settled into his new job and his new life among the circus workers. He kept to himself still being a little wary of the men who were after him, but not a total outcast. Certainly the three whom he met that first night remained friends. The work, as they told him, was all manual. For a man who had spent his life working with numbers and figures, to suddenly change to a man who only worked with his hands and his back was a challenge at times. Mainly to stay sane he talked to himself. Mark was used to using his head more, and to be expected to use his head more. Lifting cargo, hammering stakes into the ground, carrying heavy trunks let his mind free to wander, but he could no longer wander down the financial paths he used to live for. Of course he could think about the pain. His muscles were responding to the physical change in his life, but they were responding loudly.
Mark was sitting on a stack of folded down wooden bleachers he’d have to get into position for the evening show when a shadow crossed over him. Thinking the time had come for him to get caught Mark jumped to his feet ready for an attack, but one was not coming...
“Oh, Mister Ito. I didn’t hear you come up behind me. How are you sir?”
“I am well young Mark,” Ito said removing the cigarette holder from his mouth and letting the ash flick away. “I trust you are the same, although I hear from Remy that you are experiencing some muscle pain? Is that true.”
“Yes sir, some, but I guess that’s normal. I’ve gone from sitting behind a desk 5 days a week to being on my feet 6 days plus with little break in-between. My arms and back are getting a bit sore at night.” Mark pumped his arm at the elbow, feeling his bicep with his other hand. It had grown nicely in the last week. There was a definite bulge there now, and the area just past his elbow to his hands were getting bigger, thicker. “Kind of hard to sleep some nights.”
“I see. Please accept this.” Ito said reaching into his long golden robe and pulled out a small canister. “It is an herbal remedy from my country. I use it myself quite often. While my body might have grown to this… size through nature, nature did not intend this form to be this size. I am no stranger to physical pain. Rub this in before you go to sleep. It should help.”
“Thank you sir but I don’t want to take any of your...”
“It’s quite my pleasure young man. I have a good supply for myself, and if you feel the need for more once you run out,” Ito said turning and walking off. He had noticed this was his ‘way’, brief encounters, though pleasant. Mark couldn’t help thinking if maybe Ito also wasn’t a bit uncomfortable outside of the sideshow area. For his size, he seemed to blend in more in that area that here near the main tent. Mark opened the jar and too a sniff of the balm. Not too bad he thought. He placed it in his pocket and went back to moving the bleachers, hoping in the back on his mind that using the stuff that night would give him his first decent night’s sleep since he joined the crew.
One Month Later: Montana
Remy was standing off far from the work crew, but waving like an idiot to get Mark’s attention. He could have just walked up to say hi, but the last time he got close enough to the work crew to see Mark the rest of the guys started barking. Mark shut them up quick enough. He was getting pretty big from all the hard work. Already had to get a new pair of work pants when his original split on him. Not split like his Dad’s pants split when he bent over fro being too much of a fat ass. Being covered in hair sure did hide the effects of a lot of beer and pastries. Giving up on waving Remy placed two fingers in his mouth and gave Mark a whistle. Like most people whistle for a dog, but he tried not to think about that.
“Hey… what’s up?” Mark said heading over to his buddy.
“Got something from my Mom in the mail, wanted to show you. Got time to head over to my camp?”
“Uhhh.” Mark said looking behind him at the crew. “Yea, I can use the break and they won’t miss me right away.”
As the two young men walked through the site to the side show area, they caught up with each other on what had happened in the last couple of weeks. While they traveled together and were part of the same company, the circus was like a small town at times, going days without seeing your neighbors. But the two were getting to be good friends. Each had lead something of a secluded life and now found themselves in an odd situation they weren’t totally ready for. Mark with his growing physical stature, no longer needing his college education and office/work experiences. And Remy, while the son of a famous circus ‘freak’, this was his first real exposure to the life his father lead. It wasn’t all flashbulbs and goofing on the locals. That people had preconceived notions about him was an understatement.
“Wow, never been inside your trailer before. You sure it’s OK?”
“Yea it’s fine. Dad’s in, but he’ll be OK with it. I told him I was bringing someone by.” Remy said opening the door to the trailer and leading Mark in. It was larger than it looked like it should be on the inside. Almost like a regular living room with a table for meals and a book case. Sitting at the table in his shirtsleeves was the world famous Rufus, the Dog Faced Boy, reading the morning papers.
“Hey Dad, brought Mark by to show him what Mom sent. Mark, this is my Dad.”
“Hello Mister…” Mark had stuck his hand out to shake the man’s hand but remembered, he didn’t know Remy’s last name and was pretty sure his Dad’s wasn’t really Rufus.
“Sanchez, nice to meet you, Son.”
“Sanchez? Your name is Remington Sanchez?”
“Remy’s Mother is quite British. And when one marries the Dog Faced Boy from South America, making sure the in-laws are happy by using a family name for the first male child does what it can to smooth the rough edges.” Remy’s father said with a smile.
“Forget how much I got my ass kicked by the other kids thanks to it. Let’s head to my room.”
“Leave the door open.”
“DAD, it’s not like I’m bringing a girl by...”
“Door open.”
The two men walked down the two foot hallway to a room almost too small to be called a bed room. There was a bed in it, some clothes and a light hanging from the ceiling.
“Ahh, the glamorous life of the traveling performer. Well, OK, it’s really a closet that Dad remade into a bed room when I said I wanted to tag along this summer to see what it was like. Have a seat on the bed.” Remy said while beginning to flip through some papers on the floor. “Here it is, ever hear of this guy.”
Mark took the booklet Remy was shoving in his face and started to look over it. “Charles Atlas, yea sort of. Some big muscle guy?”
“Right, yea. And this is the system he came up with ‘Dynamic Tension.’ See, it shows how you can use muscle against muscle to get big and muscular. Look, arms muscles against arm muscles, how to move your legs to get the most out of it.”
“Wow, looks pretty cool. You thinking of using it?”
“I already do, here feel.” Remy grabbed Mark’s hand and moved it to his chest, cupping his pec. “Feel that, solid under all that hair, huh?”
“Wow….wow, that’s something else. Never knew you have to going on under all that.”
“You want to borrow the booklet?”
“What, me? No, why for?”
“Why for... look at you!!! You’re getting huge just working the crew all day. You’re as bigger than any of the new guys already, and you even top some of the old timers. This work is really agreeing with you.”
“It is, isn’t it? I keep looking at myself and thinking… is that bigger? Am I getting stronger? You know my waist size has gone down but my legs don’t fit in the pants for the size. They’re too big. And my butt’s getting too big too, but hard big. It feels so great when I move now, I can lift things on my own that I needed help from two other guys before. And here, you feel this.” Mark said taking Remy’s hand and moving it to his bicep, giving it a good flex. “Is that unreal? Look at the vein!”
“That is so great.” Remy said letting his hand linger just a moment longer than normal, and giving a tighter squeeze than Mark would have expected. “I figure you’ve been trying to find someway to use your head while you’re working. Well… do THIS!! Study up and work his system into your job. Don’t just lift the bleachers into place, study this and find how to maximize the results. Use your head to start making your body grow even more.”
“But why?”
“…what else you got to do around here?”
“……………………………………………………….Yea?!”
Four Months Later: South Dakota
“Do this pose.” Remy said lying back on his father’s bed, playing with his semi furry hard dick and showing Mark a page from the well worn Charles Atlas booklet. Mark leaned forward to get a better look at it in the dim light, turned slightly sideways, lifted one arm higher than the other and flexed out. “Oh GOD that’s unreal” Remy moaned while increasing his pumping.
The naked muscleman crawled back into bed and started helping his furry fuck buddy with his cock. “You sure you’re Dad’s not coming back here any time..”
“Oh DON’T mention my Pa right now.”
They continued to make out for a few minutes, each taking turns playing with each others, then their own hard ons till a mutual explosion his the sheets. “Shit, we got to get these cleaned up.” Remy said without missing a beat.
“So much for your usual post fuck cuddling.”
“Dad’s not going to be back for a while. There’s a late viewing with the sideshow tonight so he’s got to be on stage for hours. But if he sees this spunk, I’m sunk. Get off we’ve got to get to the laundry.”
The two men scrambled to get the sheets off the bed, replace them with a clean set, get dressed and out the door to the circus laundry as quickly as they could. Not easy considering how much more room they both now took up in Remy’s father’s bedroom than when they started the new bend in their relationship. It had happened pretty slowly, but obviously from Remy soon after the results of Mark’s following Atlas’s tips started showing off. And show off they did. Just by moving a little here, holding a box a few moments longer there and slamming down a hammer or two extra hard, Mark’s body grew to not only incredible proportions, but gained definition too. Remy followed the same course but trailed behind given the nature of Mark’s jobs. Still, he made sure Mark knew how great he was looking. Heaped praise upon praise as his buddy grew and grew. Mark found himself liking the attention he was getting, and while he was getting it not just from Remy, for some reason, he liked hearing it from Remy more than anyone else. He never really had a relationship with another man before, might have thought about it, but he had left a girlfriend behind in Chicago. Mark had done so many things he had never done before on this journey that, well, he figured why not. Never looked back either. They were doing their best to keep their sex sessions as quite as possible. Freaks and Oddities were borderline accepted by some of the crew, queers all the less. Especially the crew Mark still had to work with. The guys just saw him as a hunk of beef that was ready for work each day which meant they had to do less, and still get paid the same. Unfortunately, with his growing body most of the crew, like the new guys they would hire for a day or two in each town, automatically lowered what they believed Mark’s IQ was. But that was OK for him. Playing dumb meant they left him alone.
But Mark was huge now. Shoulders that could now carry two beams at the same tie, with legs sturdy enough to lift them in one rise. The only problem keeping the beams steady was when Mark flexed a bicep, they tended to roll off. His back was wide and solid. Remy was more than entertained by how he could leave it normal, then flair it out to twice its normal size. It was Mark’s pecs that he really enjoyed the most though and Mark too. Hugh concrete pillows hanging from his shoulder blades. Once while waiting backstage while the “Harem Girls” were doing their thing, Mark flexed one pec then the other to the beat of the music, making Remy almost pass out from laughing.
They entered the large laundry area, threw the sheet into one of the wash tubs and started fetching hot water so it could soak. “Your Dad’s not going to wonder why you changed the linen on his bed tonight?”
“Just the opposite. It’s part of my chores that I’m behind on. He’s going to get off my case because of it. See, I was thinking ahead.” Remy reached foreword and started to play with one of Mark’s nipples through his very tight shirt.
“EVENING boys!” A voice called from across the tent. “What are two fine young men like yourselves doing in the laundry this late on a Saturday night?” The furry hand quickly moved away from the protruding nipple.
“It’s Saturday night in South Dakota, Talltrees, what else is there to do but laundry and try not to die of boredom.”
“You could always be a good son and get you father’s favorite briar for him.”
“Why would I do that?”
“Cause while I was walking out of the tent he said ‘Adam, if you see my son…”
“…get him to bring me my favorite briar’. Great. You know why he does that? Smoke for the crowd? So he can light it up and have everyone make ‘If that match hits all that hair it’ll be like a forest fire’ comments. He usually makes a wager with Peter Petunia the He/She as to how many they’ll hear in an hour. I’ll be back.”
The slightly uncomfortable silence that lingered as Mark wondered if he should ask Talltrees if he saw what he saw, and as Talltrees thought if he should tell ark he saw it, was broken by Talltrees fixing his eyes on Mark and leaning back slightly.
“Wellll doggies is this Mark Petrolis? Nahh it can’t be, he was just… is it? Is that Mark Petrolis taking up 5 times as much room as he did not too long ago on a rainy night in Chicago?”
“Knock it off, you’ve seen me enough times...”
“I know, I know. Just impressive boy, that’s all I’m saying. Seriously doubt the guys who were looking for you would even know it’s you if you were standing right next to them."
“How’s Miss Lourdes?”
“Let me give you some advice. Don’t know if you know this. Great love is a wonderful thing. Great passion is a wonderful thing. Great love and great passion at the same time is tiring and expensive."
“Is it now?” Mark said with a chuckle.
“Never confuse the two though. Just like the only thing worse than confusing a summer fling for true love it to confuse true love for just a summer fling. The first is just a waste. The second will haunt you for the rest of your life.”
“How do you know the difference?”
“Lourdes handles those types of signs. I can only tell you if the buffalo’s about to shit on your shoe. Let’s go see if her wagon is free…”
Month and a Half later: Chicago
“You called who? What are you thinking?!?!” Remy screamed not caring that his father was in the next room.
“Quite!” Mark said shutting the door on Remy’s small bedroom. “I called Helen my old girlfriend. Just to let her know I was still alive. I ducked out of here months ago so quickly that I wanted to make sure she knew I was OK and that she was OK. The mob knew about her.”
“Did you tell her where you were, what you’ve been doing?” Remy asked with no let up in the panic in his voice.
“No. Nothing. I did… I did agree to meet her tonight but don’t get upset!!!!”
“Don’t get upset but this is insane!!!!”
“Two hours, I swear to you that’s all I’ll be, two hours. There and back. Start the clock now, I’m leaving right away. I’ll be here before the second hand of poker. I promise.”
Three Hours Later
“You are playing the most pathetic poker on Earth. And for you Remy, that’s saying something.” Talltrees said putting his cards down.
“He said two hours tops.”
“And it’s been three. Maybe they got to taking. Maybe he couldn’t find the place. Been away from the city for a while and Chicago is a town on the move. And it’s raining again like crazy, roads are going to be a mess.”
“But he was sure he could do it in two hours.”
“Look, we’ll give it another hour and if he still not back we can borrow a truck and... blood....” With that Talltrees was up and out the tent into the rain and darkness without saying a word. After getting over the initial shock Remy ran after. Ito calmly stood, gathered their umbrellas and rain ponchos and followed.
Following more the scent of blood he picked up Talltrees ran through the lot, jumping over boxes or anything else in his way. Across the grounds to the parking lot where he found a body slumped over on the ground. He didn’t even have to guess it was Mark. It was dark out and the rain was a torrent, but the blood on the grass could not be ignored.
“Mark, Mark… still with us… wake up… speak to me…” He said raising the man’s head and firmly slapping his faced to get a reaction. After a second the eyes opened and focused on him.
“They were waiting. Silly bitch. Killed her too. She was dead when I got there….”
“OH MY GOD MARK!!!!” Remy yelled finding them.
“Not the time Remy!!” Talltrees yelled. “Well take him to Lourdes. She’s his only hope. Go tell her.” Remy was too hysterical to do anything but hold onto the man who had come to mean so much to him. “REMY, LOURDES, NOW!!!”
That broke the lock Remy had on his trance like hysterical worry over Mark, and snapped him back into knowing that Lourdes was indeed their only hope now. As he ran off, Talltrees checked the body and, seeing where the bullets went in, carefully lifted him and started to carry him off. Ito soon appeared with the umbrellas and without having to ask what was going on, or how the Indian was able to carry such a heavy load, held the umbrella over Talltrees head as he walked.
“Thank you Ishiro, perfect timing as always.”
An Hour Later
Lourdes moved the beaded curtain that separated her bedroom from the rest of the wagon, letting Mark sleep. Her hands were covered in blood, which she soon washed away from the small pump in the sink by the corner. Talltrees had come out of the area just minutes before and washed up too. There was no way that Ito could get into the small wagon she lived and worked out of, or anyway Remy could have remained calm enough to wait while they worked on Mark’s wounds. Talltrees had sent them out on a mission to check the grounds to make sure Mark wasn’t followed, or that anyone saw what had taken place that evening. Ito knowing it was mainly a ruse to keep Remy away while the delicate work on Mark’s body was being done.
“He’s lost lots of blood but I think he’ll be OK. Hard to believe that incredible physique kept some of the wounds from being worse by being too thick for some of the bullets. The Chicago Mob must be using inferior weapons these days.”
“We can’t let anyone know about this.” Talltrees said pouring them both a drink from the wine bottle she had in a cupboard. “They’re going to trace him back here, and I know our people well enough, they’ll never get anywhere near him.”
“True. But they know. They’ll keep looking.”
“Then we’re going to have to hide him again. Even more in plain sight.” Talltrees said with a weird smile on his face.
A Week And A Half Later
57 year old seamstress Kathleen Turner was sitting across from Miss Lourdes trying to concentrate on the news that while her daughter would never become an actress, it was her name that would one day be in up lights, which made no sense, when she saw the large man behind the beaded curtain shift in his bed, then sit up. She looked over the psychic’s shoulder to see his silhouette hesitantly move his hands to his side, like he was feeling something. The figure sat very still for a second, moved his hands to in front of his face and in an instant burst through the wall of beads. A gigantic muscle bound bald blackman wearing nothing more than a few bandages on his side stood screaming in the doorway
“REMY!!! Oh My God what’s going on!!???! What’s going on!!!! I’m colored!!!!”
Shocked beyond belief Mrs. Turner stumbled out of her chair and ran out the door. Followed by the black man who, in truth, was too panicked to actually know she was there. He didn’t see anyone taking in the free show till Remy Sanchez ran around the side of the building and started pushing him back into the psychic’s wagon.
“Remy, what’s happened to my hair, to my skin I’m colored, my voice….my voice is so much deeper what’s going on….”
“Calm down, calm down. Stop using that term and calm down.”
“What happened? OWWW Oh my GOD my side.”
“Mark lie down and relax. You’re going to pop a stitch. Lot’s been going on while you’ve been out. MARK, looks at me! Calm down!”
Letting Remy’s furry hand on his chest push him back softly but firmly onto the bedding. Seeing Remy again, seeing something that looked normal was a good trigger to get him to start claming down.
“Do you remember getting shot? Getting beat up?”
“Uhhhh, yea, seems like it was so long ago.” Mark said putting his hand to his throat, not being used to the deeper timber it now had.
Remy reached over, took his hand away and laid it to his side, but did not let go. “Lots of scary looking guys hanging around here in the days after that. They tracked you back here. Still see some now and then which means, there are still more around we don’t spot. We had to hide you but couldn’t move you. So Talltrees and Lourdes came up with this idea.”
“To turn me into a co… a negro?”
“Well, sort of, yea. They’re not looking for a big black mountain of muscle. They’re looking for Mark Petrolis, average white guy. Good chance they didn’t have time to see you all built up that night, am I right?”
“Probably, yea, had my coat on the whole time, even when they were kicking me after they shot me.”
“Oh God, I told you not to… sorry, not the time. Talltrees knew of some stuff that could darken the skin, which we’ve been giving to you in massive amounts. Didn’t change your hair color or texture, and since straight brown hair is uncommon for men from Africa, we found something to take your hair away. We weren’t sure your voice was going to change but, Ito had some stuff we thought might work. Just another layer to the disguise.”
“But it’s so black.”
“We might have overdone it but, kind of cool. Your nose was broken and while Lourdes and Talltrees were able to set it again, they’re not doctors. Don’t really look like what a black man would have, but it don’t look like your old one either. As for your lips, well, you always did have full lips.”
Remy leaned in for a long full kiss. He had more than blown their relationship cover over the last week sitting by Mark’s side and worrying over everything going on. It was clear to everyone this was more than just the concern of a friend for a buddy. But then, their relationship was clear to everyone before this all happened anyway.
‘You’re still running a fever but it’s better.” Remy reached over, took a small towel and started blotting Mark’s head.
“It’s this going to wash off?”
“Won’t wash off. Color came from the inside out.”
“So what’s the plan? I just heal up and rejoin the crew as a black guy?”
“Oh no. Going to have to hide you in plainer sight than that. Here’s my idea. What do you think of this?” Remy reached over to the side of the bed, pulled a mask off the floor and placed it over his face. For the second time in a half hour, Mark Pertrolis feel into a deep confusion.
Three Weeks Later: The Last Day In the Life Of Mark Pertrolis
Circus owners Crosby and Jakes were rarely at the same tie for the same business. But when the enchanting Miss Lourdes asked them, in her pleasant way, to view a new side show act she discovered, they felt they couldn’t refuse. Sure they could check their watch every five minutes waiting for the show to begin.
The lights lowered slightly and drums started beating off in the darkness. Suddenly in the middle of the small ring was the largest African native they’ve ever seen. Maybe not in height but in stature. The ebony black skin seemed to absorb the light show on it, not reflect it off. Only along the sides and edges of the sculpted muscles were the streams of light, making them stand out even more. He was dressed in leopard trunks that did little to hide what they were covering, several bone necklaces, with strange feather and bamboo cuffs at his wrists and ankles. He wore no shoes and gave the impression he never had. In his left hand he steadied a long spear the reached a foot and a half above his 6 foot frame. And in the left he carried a whip.
“I am Omar Noir!!!” He bellowed in a deep resonate voice that carried a heavy accent. “And this is my Temple Ape.”
From behind him the circus owners could hear a padding of footsteps as something was running up from behind him. In an instant a giant ape like creature shot over the tribesman’s head and landed at the feet of the astonished old men, snarling like the animal he was. The whip was let out and soon wrapped around the ape’s throat pulling him back, which he did not like. The master and his untamed pet, that’s all the owners could think. The figures in the ring went at each other, moves and counter moves. Like the lion tamer did with his lion as well as the acrobats did in their presentation. It was graceful and dangerous at the same time. Shortly this Omar Noir was able to tame his ape pet, led him to the feet of the owners and stood triumphantly.
“You start tomorrow. Base salary. Main Side Show tent. Do that every two hours in the middle of the attraction.”
“Base salary plus two percent of the gross.” The ape said without moving his lips.
“What the hell?”
“Hey Mister Jakes. Mister Crosby.” Remy said standing up and taking off the basic ape mask that covered the human part of his face. “Two percent of the gross.” His left foot was tapped slightly by the spear. “NET gross, Net gross. Plus we get our own trailer.”
“Wha… you’re Sanchez’s kid right? We thought you’d take over for your Dad one day.”
“Well, I COULD do that, one day. Or I will be making you a lot of money starting tomorrow. No one else has anything like this and you know it. There might be some Wild Men of Borneos out there and other African natives…. But this is better. No one’s got anyone as big as Omar here. And with me as the ape creature, it’s like letting the lion attack the audience every night, but perfectly safe.”
“Sure had me fooled. Let’s see that mask. Yea, that’s just enough to cover and make people think they’re seeing more than they are. But what about your… thing.”
“Oh I’m wearing a little codpiece made up of hair I found at the bottom of Dad’s tub one day. See, pulls out and…”
“Yea, that’s fine for today but you’ve got to come up with a small costume or something. Go see Shirley at the costuming tent. He look good as he is but have her make a few extra trunks for him. Uh, does he speak English?”
“I speak for him.”
“Smart kid. Goes from a hanger on pest for the summer to a new headliner in the sideshow as well as his own manager. You’ll have to tell me where you learned terms like one percent of the net gross.”
“Two percent.”
“Yea right. Two. Welcome to the Circus boys.”
The Next Day: The End of the First Full Day in the Life of Omar Noir
“You wouldn’t believe the crowds we had tonight? Oh my lord Dad looked so pleased and pissed off at the same time. We took SO much business away from him. And once they get the photos taken and the brochures made… the money is just going to be rolling in….”
“How does your Dad stand this? How do you ALL stand this” Omar asked as he put his playing cards down on the table. The buffalos snorted in the background but for once the tent was quite.
“Stand what?” Talltrees asked
“It’s like… like they don’t… I’m standing there and they’re looking at me but they don’t see ME. Like there’s glass between us or something and I don’t hear what they’re saying, or the looks on their faces. We’re there to amuse the sire, but some are disgusted…. Some MORE than a little aroused. This one woman flashed me her… breast. Some say things that I can’t believe they wouldn’t expect me to react to, and I CAN’T since I have to pretend not to know English. But not knowing English doesn’t mean I’m stupid…”
“Do you remember what you said the first time we met?” Ito said placing his hand on Omar’s shoulder to comfort him. “That you didn’t know there was a difference between China and Japan? It goes deeper than a misunderstanding of world geography. People believe as much as they want to believe in this business, as much as they’re conditioned to believe what they’re told. In the world today, it’s far too easy to assume the worst about a person, take the easy path to condescend.”
“Plus it’s showbiz!!!! They WANT to believe there are people in the world like us to spice up their lives. They pay a nickel to get in not to just ogle the freaks, but to see there is a life outside of their lousy walk up flat. You don’t go see a Douglas Fairbanks movie and get disappointed that we all don’t learn he’s not really a pirate or thief...”
“It’s just that I used to do so much more with my life. I used to have a job in an office, talk to people about investments and banking. Even the guys I used to work with on the crew who used to ask me how I was adding all this muscle and could I show them how….they act like they’re afraid of me. Or like I’m not even there. I mean, I know they don’t know who I really am… but… before… Now I stand there. I used to be called “Sir” Now, when someone even talks to be directly, it’s ‘You’ or ‘Boy’. And when the drums beat, I throw my boyfriend around a sawdust ring.”
“True. But you have a job. You have friends. You have the hairiest man on the face of the earth as a boyfriend….”
“Hey…”
“Second hairiest man on the face of the Earth. Right now might not be the life you always wanted, but it’s not a bad one. And if there ever comes a day you no longer need to be Omar Noir the only thing stopping you would be yourself and the second hairiest man on the face of the earth.”
"You're almost as good a kisser as you are a storyteller."
"Uhhhh, thanks? I guess."
“Did you ever look these guys up?” Tak asked as we tossed our lunches into the garbage can and headed out of the McDs.
“Ya’ll didn’t just throw the tray away did you?”
“Maybe. And it’s on it’s own cause I’m not going in for it.”
“Yea Ah did look them up. Ah found several listings for Omar Noir. Him and his ‘Temple Ape’ worked in circuses for years. There’s even a web site devoted to discovering what the Temple Ape was. What breed of ape or if it was a human.”
“You going to send them a note telling them?”
“Nah, and ruin their day?
“Any idea what happened to them?”
“All listings and stories stopped when WW2 broke out. Don’t know if they quit to join up, or to do work in support of the war. The times being what they were, still not the most open place for a black man no matter his size and a an man dealing with hypertrichosis..”
“Oh big words..."
“Yes, sorry to use them but once in a while. Maybe they just quit and settled down somewhere. Maybe they’re….IN THIS VERY MUSEUM AS WE SPEAK!!!!! But probably not.”
“Where to now?”
“Thought maybe Ah’d try to get Gramps to come down and tell us some more stories. You got some questions about your great grandpappy?”
“That and if someone has a certain hot gypsy granny in his past.”
“No rules saying Ah can’t have a hot granny. Thought Gramps looked pretty hot in the photo..”
“Ewwwww, there is no way I’m letting my wax dinos play with your wax dinos…”
END