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The Wall (chapter 42, added 12/26).


Maxum

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The Wall, Chapter 36 “That Four Letter Word”

The next morning came, but John was a no-show. Ernie called over and said that John appreciated our offer but was so ashamed of his current physical condition that he thought the whole endeavor would be more humiliating than bolstering. 

I hung up the phone and turned to Pup. “He’s not coming.”

“What? Why not?”

“I think he’s embarrassed. He’s so deconditioned. Ernie thinks he’s depressed.”

Pup crossed his arms in defiance. “Well, sitting at home and moping about it won’t get him over the hump. John is one of our very best friends. We have to make him come over. He’ll feel much better once he gets started.” 

“Pup, we can’t force him to work out with us, but I agree with you 100 percent. I think once he gets over his reluctance, he might really enjoy it. It’s a chance to get out of the house and do something good for his health and himself.”

Pup replied, “Well, I’m not going to wait for him to come to that conclusion himself. I know how to make him come over. Don’t go anywhere. I’ll be right back.” Pup marched out of the room, and I heard the door to the breezeway open and close. 

Two minutes later, Pup returned with  a struggling John draped over his shoulder.

Pup broke into a smile and pronounced with a wink, “John changed his mind and decided to join us.”

“PUT ME DOWN, YOU BIG OAF!” John waled, beating on Pup’s back in vain, his fists thudding against Pup’s tremendous relief map, Pup seemingly unaware. 

I raised an eyebrow, “Pup, it doesn’t sound to me like John wants to be here…”

John continued to struggle and curse. Pup replied with a chuckle, “Oh, he wants to be here, alright He just doesn’t know how to show it. He’s still holding onto his ego.”

John’s face reddened with anger. “My ego? My EGO! MY ego! That’s ridiculous! You’re doing all of this for yourself. You want to feel like a good boy scout. I do not want this. I do not want to be here! This is not about me!” John cried, continuing to beat his fists into Pup’s muscled back. “If you think this looks like an act, then you’ve got biceps for brains! Put me down, you… you, you… Neanderthal!” cried John.

All at once, Pup’s countenance changed. The smile disappeared from his face, and his usual jovial, uplifting demeanor was replaced by a look of most tragic sadness. It was as if John had slapped him, and it hurt. Without a word, Pup gently lowered John from his shoulder and set his feet on the ground. 

“We’re doing this because we love you,” Pup said, looking John straight in the face, tears welling up in his eyes.
But John was not ready to hear him. He was still in a rage. Still too traumatized by all he had been through. Still too afraid and too proud to let us give him what he really needed. “No you don’t! You don’t love me! Nobody loves me! Look at me. I’m pathetic!” John’s head dropped, his shoulders heaved, and the floodgates opened. Grief, loss, shame, fear and a complete lack of self-worth came out in sobs, and the protective barriers he had set up his whole life to protect himself from the rest of the world crumbled before us. I had never seen a person this vulnerable before. In a way it was shocking. John’s loneliness and his sadness sent a chill through the room, and it scared me.

But Pup was not afraid, and he knew just what to say and to do. “John, I love you,” Pup said, stepping forward and laying a big, meaty paw on his shoulder. “You are not pathetic to me. You are one of the best things in the world, and I am so lucky that you are one of my very best friends. I love you. I think of you with my heart. I feel you deep in my chest.” He pulled John into a hug and kissed the top of his head. John stiffened at first, and then I saw him relax. The depth of Pup’s words and their meaning began to sink in. John leaned into Pup, catching his breath, his sobs slowly subsiding. Sunlight streamed into the room, and the previous chill that had threatened retreated.

I stepped forward and put my arms around both men. “I love you, too, John. You know that.” I said. Then I caught Pup’s eye, “I love you, Pup. You never cease to amaze me.” He winked back, and I melted. God, I did love him, and to top it all off, he was the sexiest, most handsome man on the planet. He offered a smile, and my stomach tied into knots. I then understood the term “gut-wrenchingly handsome.”

Thankfully, Ernie appeared at that moment, dressed in the most outlandish gym attire one could ever imagine, replete with lavender gym shorts, shearling leg warmers, a bedazzled Dame Edna sweatshirt and a sequined headband that reflected the rays of the sun into shimmering light that danced on the walls as if a disco ball had just walked into the room. He put his hands on his hips and delivered his line, “Hellooooo, Possums. Is this where we make muscles? I am here for my workout.” He ripped off his cat eye sunglasses. “Mr. DeMille, I’m ready for my closeup.” 

We all burst out laughing and Ernie joined in our group hug. “Mmmmm,” he said. “This is nice. If I had known there would be orgiastic bonding before exercise, I would have arrived sooner. Which one of you is Spartacus?”

John rolled his eyes. He was accustomed to Ernie’s impeccable timing. Truth be told, no one could deliver a line like his husband.

“Ernie, dear, really why are you here? You said you’d never be caught dead working out.”

“Well, I figured that if you’re going to get all hunky and muscly, I might as well, too. Besides, there’s really nothing to do during this pandemic lockdown, and I had a little scare last night when I couldn’t get the lid off the jar of cocktail olives. You know I like my martinis like I like my men, and you can’t make a dirty martini without cocktail olives.” Everyone groaned. Ernie continued, “Besides, Max’s gymnasium isn’t in some dank basement dungeon; it’s in this beautiful room in the pool house with a view of the garden and that gorgeous new stonework.”

“Well, there’s no time like the present,” said Pup as he unrolled some foam mats on the floor. “Okay. Let’s get started. We’ll meet here three days per week. Max and I will serve as your trainers until you feel you no longer need us. Today we’ll concentrate on stretching and some of the basic movements with light weights to establish balance and form. Next time we’ll dive into the business of increasing strength and building up muscle mass…”

Pup kept talking, but I was no longer paying attention. I just basked in the warmth of the room, in my deep admiration for the men in my life, and in my renewed appreciation for the friendships we had. 

And so it began -- John’s physical and emotional recovery, Ernie’s foray into physical fitness, and the strengthening of bonds of friendships between us. Of course, we already had the right foundation. It’s the four letter word that usually goes without saying. I felt it deep in my heart, and I thought to myself what a fortunate man I was. 

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Thanks, Ro20316. The last two chapters have established the pivot. Look for a return to muscle worship in Chapter 37. I started writing this morning, and it's a real cum generator. 

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@Maxum  What pushed you to write 36 chapters? Right now I'm stuck at the first chapter of my own story, so I'm kind of baffled at how you pushed through. 

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On 3/4/2021 at 5:10 AM, DawnFire98 said:

@Maxum  What pushed you to write 36 chapters? Right now I'm stuck at the first chapter of my own story, so I'm kind of baffled at how you pushed through. 

I write for my own pleasure. Busy life pulling me in a too many directions these days. I MAY be able to finish chap 37 this weekend. Will do my best.

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