Way, way back in fifth grade, William Black’s favorite subject was Geography.  Every Friday, his teacher, Mrs. Parnell, showed her class a travelogue of a different country.  She brought her Super-Eight movie projector from home and showed the films on it.  Some of the films were commercially produced, but more than a few others were from Mrs. Parnell’s personal collection.  She had taken them on her own travels to that land. 

She did not restrict her instructions to the location of the country, but she also filled her lesson with stories of the culture of the people of that country.  Her children were kept fascinated and alert while they absorbed knowledge in a very pleasant manner.  Every week, Will was awestruck by what he saw, and he developed a real wanderlust. 

One Friday, the country of Turkey was the travelogue of the week.  The main focus was on The Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, the largest covered mall in the world.  Will marveled at the brightly colored fixtures in the lighting stores, at the vibrant colors of the carpets, at the sight of the delicious foods, and at the various items of beautiful jewelry.  The jewelry sparkled in the bright lights, producing a pallet of indescribable colors.  He vowed someday to visit Turkey and The Grand Bazaar. 

At forty-two years young, he finally made his wish come true, and he found himself steps away from entering The Bazaar.  He was so excited that he began to hyperventilate.

Just a few steps into The Bazaar, he stopped short.  The Bazaar was not dazzling bright at all.  It was, in fact, dimly lit.  Worse yet, it was damp and dank. He felt the dampness and dankness entering his body.  At forty-two he had begun to develop arthritis in his finger joints, and almost immediately he felt the pain that The Bazaar’s environment was causing him. 

In spite of everything, he walked on.  He wanted to see the wonders that the travelogue had promised him.  As he trudged on, he was bombarded on all sides by vendors and vendors’ representatives.  They were in his face, demanding that he examine their wares.  They were very persistent and exceptionally annoying.  If he ever thought he might buy something, the urge to purchase a souvenir of The Grand Bazaar completely left him.

He began to hate this place.  Worse yet, it frightened him.  He had crazy visions of being captured by a gang of Muslims and sold into white slavery.  He knew how irrational these thoughts were, but his fright had put him out of control.  He now regretted his actions earlier this day.  His tour guide was going to take his group to visit several mosques this morning.  Will had no desire to see a bunch of mosques, so he opted to go off on his own to The Grand Bazaar, which was the whole reason for this trip.

As his fear mounted he cried inwardly and silently.  “Oh Paul, why aren’t you here to protect me?”

**********

Will and Paul met in a Greenwich Village gay bar.  They were both there for the same reason.  They were celebrating their graduations from college.  Will went to Fordham and Paul went to NYU.  They were not alone in marking the occasion.  Three or four of their closest college buddies were celebrating with them even though some of them were straight.

It became obvious that there were two parties going on, so Will walked over to Paul’s group and asked what the festivities were for.  When the two men found out they were celebrating the same happy event, the two groups got together and made it into one raucous party.

Paul and Will hit it off immediately.  They monopolized each other during the entire evening.  They found out that they had both landed great jobs, and were intending on apartment hunting the very next day.  They were lost in a whirlwind, and neither of them questioned the decision to hunt for an apartment together, and move in together.  They did just that, and coupled blissfully for twenty years.  They were compatible in the bedroom as well as in life.

If something is too good to be true, it will most certainly come to an end.  One day Paul announced that he had accepted a promotion, which required a transfer to his firm’s L.A. office.  Will immediately said that he would quit his job and look for something out there.

“I don’t want you to come with me,” Paul announced rather coldly.  “You and I were too young when we took up housekeeping together.  We never sowed any wild oats, and that’s what I fully intend to do out west.”

There was no arguing with Paul, and so he moved, leaving Will behind with a very broken heart.  He also left behind a fully paid-up trip to Turkey.  Will had talked Paul into taking the excursion to celebrate their twentieth anniversary.  As an additional benefit, his travel fantasy would come true before he died.  The one thing he wanted most in the world was to cross the trip to Turkey off his bucket list.

Will thought about it long and hard, and decided to go alone.  He badly needed a diversion from the trauma Paul had inflicted on him.  He decided to go even if he lost the cost of Paul’s part of the trip.  Eventually, he was lucky enough to get a refund of most of the expenses, and he decided to use that money as spending money, and see Turkey first class.  Poor Will got so caught up in the excitement of the trip, that he was able to forget the hurt Paul had caused him … some of the time.

**********

In The Bazaar, Will’s paranoia was reaching new heights.  He was certain that if one more carpet vendor stuck a rug in his face, or if one more jeweler stuck a necklace under his nose, he would definitely lose his hold on sanity, and start raving insanely.  He wanted desperately to run out of this madhouse, but his feet wouldn’t move. 

Suddenly he heard a voice say, “Don’t let these guys get to you.  Not one of them will lay a hand on you.  If it adds to your comfort, these women won’t come near you either.  They’re all Muslims.”

The voice came from the doorway of the carpet store nearest to Will.  He turned to see who was giving him this reassuring advice.  He saw a man in his late thirties, looking every bit the same as the other Turkish vendors, but speaking in an accent that was music to Will’s ears.  It was pure American.  In fact, it was pure New York. 

He allowed himself the luxury of breathing.  While he was getting his senses back, he wondered what the man meant when he said that he should be comforted by the fact that none of the women would come near to him.  Did this man somehow know that he was gay?  In a Muslim country that wee bit of intelligence was best kept secret.

At last Will’s feet began to move, and they propelled him toward the carpet vendor.  As he approached, the man held out his hand for Will to shake.  “My name’s Rehan,” he said.

Will returned the handshake.  “I’m Will, William,” he said.

“I’ve just put up a pot of American coffee to brew.  Why don’t you come inside?  I’ll give you a cup of coffee and that might calm you down.  I can see how nervous you are.”

“Thank you.  That’s very kind of you.” 

Will was still very unnerved and didn’t really trust Rehan’s sincerity.  He was sure Rehan would rob him as soon as he was inside the shop.  His paranoia was reaching new heights. Nevertheless, Will cautiously followed Rehan into his shop. 

“I don’t have any American goodies to go with the American coffee,” Rehan apologized, “but I have small marzipan cakes.  Have you ever eaten it?”

Will shook his head.

“It’s delicious.  You’ll love it.”

Rehan could still see the fear in Will’s face.

“Relax,” he said.  “I mean you no harm.  I’m just hungry for a little back-home American conversation.”

Will smiled at Rehan and at last he began to become his normal self.  While Rehan was preparing their little repast, Will took a good look at him.  The man was maybe two or three years younger than he, but no matter, he was drop dead gorgeous. His jet black hair was cut close to his head, but it wasn’t a crew cut by a longshot.  It was complemented by soft curls.  He had a beard and a mustache, which were trimmed very professionally.  His eyes were dark and sensual.  At the way those eyes were looking at Will, he felt that Rehan was seducing him.  His nose was small, and his chin was chiseled and firm.  His clothing was loose fitting, but Will could tell that he was very muscular.  Now that he got a good look at his host, he realized that he was very attracted to him.  He even compared how he felt to the first time he saw Paul.

“May I ask you something?” Will asked.  “Well, a couple of things.”

“Sure.”

“First, what’s an American doing here selling carpets, and second, why did you make a point of telling me that I shouldn’t worry because the women won’t come near me?  Do you think I’m gay or something?”

“I don’t think; I know.  My gaydar is impeccable.  I’m gay also.  Now let me tell you how I came to America at a young age, and why I’m here now.”

He poured the coffee and put out the marzipan cakes.  He did not offer Will any cream or sugar, and assumed that he would drink it black and unsweetened as coffee was meant to be consumed.  Then he sat down on a well-padded chair, closed his eyes, and began his narrative.

“My grandparents own this place, but my parents wanted no part of it.  They envisioned a better life for themselves.  It took them several nail-biting years, and they were able to obtain their green cards and move to America.  At the time, my sister was five and I was two.  Regretfully my grandparents chose to remain in Turkey so my folks left them behind.

“Recently my grandmother wrote to tell us that my grandfather had passed.  She’s in her late-eighties now.  She begged one of us to come here and help her liquidate the store and her apartment.  She just couldn’t handle it herself.  My dad works as a cutter in a clothing manufacturer’s shop.  My mom is a cashier in a Turkish restaurant, and my sister has little kids.  The job fell to me, especially since I was currently unemployed.

“I worked as a technician in a microchip manufacturing plant in Queens.  The economy, and the constant springing up of competitive companies, forced my company to cut back.  I was by no means the most junior employee, but I was the first to be let go.  I’m sure it was because of my religion.  If I could prove it, I’d sue the chips off them.

“While I was en route to Turkey, my grandmother passed away also.  I saw to her burial, and sold the store and her apartment.  The new owners take over the store next Monday, and I have to be out of her apartment a week from Saturday.  I can’t wait to get home.”

“I’m due to start for home a week from Saturday also.  Do you think we could see each other back in New York?” Will asked.

Rehan didn’t answer.  Instead he asked.  “When do you have to get back to your hotel?”

“Well, we leave for Ankara early tomorrow morning.  I have to put my bags outside my room before I go to bed so the driver can put them on the bus before we leave.  I’ll be back in Istanbul for two days at the end of the trip.” 

“Then before you leave I’ll give you my telephone number so we can get together when you return to Istanbul.  In the meantime, how would you feel about my closing the store and you going into the back room with me?”

“I’d feel pretty good about it.”

The moment they were alone in the back room, Rehan grabbed hold of Will and brought him in for a kiss.  The kiss was pretty passionate for two near strangers.

“We have too much clothes on,” Will observed.

They undressed quickly, and each was pleased to see that they were both circumcised, and about the same size and girth.  They were both erect, and Will thought that Rehan was the perfect size for his mouth and ass.

Rehan pulled Will onto the sofa, which was the only furniture in the room, except for a desk, a chair and a filing cabinet.  They immediately fell into a sixty-nine position.  They didn’t get very far when Rehan pulled away.

“I have no lube or condoms here, so all we can do is go down on each other this time.”

“In that case,” Will said, “let yourself go.  Don’t hold back.”  It didn’t take long for both of them to cum, but they were reluctant to separate.  They lay together on the sofa, crushing their cocks together.

“Since your shop is closed, will you do me a favor?” Will asked.  “Walk around The Bazaar with me.  As long as I’m here, I really do want to see it.”

“It’ll be my pleasure, and if you want to buy something, I’ll see to it that you don’t get gouged.”

When they tired of walking around The Bazaar, Rehan asked, “What are your plans for dinner?”

“Our tour guide is taking us out for an authentic Turkish dinner.  It’s included with my package.  He told us that the restaurant features belly dancers for entertainment.”

“I’m taking you out to dinner.  I have no doubt that your guide is taking you to a tourist trap where you’ll be bombarded again to purchase souvenirs of your visit.  The place I take you to will really be authentic, and nobody will bother us.

The two men enjoyed their company so much they were reluctant to part after dinner.  They exchanged addresses in New York and telephone numbers.  In addition, Rehan gave Will a number where he could reach him when he returned to Istanbul.  By that time, he would no longer be in the store.

Will gave Rehan his departure information as best he could recall it.  He remembered that Rehan was returning home about the same time as he was, and both men thought it would be a hoot if Rehan could book the same flight.

They did everything they could to delay separating, but finally Rehan got a taxi to take his new love back to the hotel.

As he put Will into the cab, Rehan said, “I’ll have lube when you return.”  Will noted that Rehan said nothing about condoms.

**********

Will thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the tour.  It was an eye opener.  He had no idea that the ancient city of Troy was in Turkey.  He saw the ruins and a replica of the horse.  He was equally surprised to learn that after the crucifixion Mary was whisked away to Turkey for her safety, and she lived out her life there.  He visited her shrine attended to by nuns.  Although it was forbidden, he retrieved a pebble from the shrine and dropped it discreetly in his pocket. 

He learned that Turkey had once been inhabited by Greeks and Romans in the hey-day of their greatness, and he saw many Greek and Roman ruins.  He was shocked to see the place where The Charge of the Light Brigade had occurred.  The skirmish was an attempt to prevent the Russian army from removing guns in overrun Turkey.  Most of the tour was taken up by Will muttering, “I didn’t know this was in Turkey.”

In spite of everything, he could not erase Rehan from his mind.  He couldn’t wait to get back to Istanbul.  Every time he thought about it, he tented his pants.  The time finally passed, and Will found himself settling into his hotel room in Turkey.  The first thing he did was to call Rehan at the number he had given him.  When Rehan answered the phone, he actually started to cry.

“Come to my hotel,” Will begged.  “Spend our last days in Turkey with me.”

“I’ve got good news, sweetheart,” Rehan said.  When he called Will, sweetheart, it was Will who started to sob.  “I was able to book a seat on the very plane you’re flying home on.  Once I get to your hotel, we’ll never be separated again.”

When Rehan knocked on the door, Will answered it so fast he was a blur.  Rehan had his luggage with him, and they smiled at each other.  Finally, they fell into each other’s arms and began a long kissing marathon.  When they separated, Rehan reached into his suitcase and retrieved a tube of lube.

“Later, darling,” Will said.  “First I want to have dinner at that wonderful, charming restaurant you took me to when I was here last.  My group is eating in the hotel for the remainder of our stay, and I don’t mind skipping those meals.

When they were finished ordering their meals, Will told Rehan that if they were going to live together, they should have no secrets.  For the first time, he told Rehan about his twenty year relationship with Paul, and how Paul had broken his heart.  He concluded by telling Rehan that he didn’t think it was possible, but he loved him more, and he was grateful that Paul had dumped him.

“I have a confession also,” Rehan said.  “I’ve never been in a relationship.  I had lots of chances, but my religion always got in the way.  Since I met you I don’t care anymore.  I don’t even care if my parents want to kill me.  I love you and that’s the bottom line.  I still live with my folks.  I know it’s shocking, but I guess it’s old world mentality.  When I tell them I’m moving out, they might even be delighted.”

“I can’t wait to meet them and thank them for having had you,” Will said.  “Do you think they’ll want to kill both of us?”

“We’ll find out because I fully intend to introduce you.”

They ate rather quickly in their anxiety to get back to the hotel.  They didn’t neglect to give each other oral sex to get themselves really hard.  Finally, they fucked each other.  Both men could not stop crying, and reassuring each other of their love, as their juices spurted high up their lover’s guts.

They couldn’t sit together on the plane so they spent most of the trip in the aisle at the rear of the aircraft.  After landing they took a taxi to Will’s apartment.  A strange thing happened that night.  They took a shower together, and they went to bed wrapped up in each other’s arms.  They rubbed their cocks together and they both came.  They didn’t bother to clean up.  They merely fell asleep, hugging each other as hard as they could.

The next day was Sunday.  Rehan took Will to meet his folks and to get his needful things.  Rehan slowly explained his relationship with Will to his parents.  They sat stoically, without any expression.  Finally his father asked, “Did you think we didn’t know?”  Then he got up and embraced his son.  After a long embrace, he walked over to Will and shook his hand.

Rehan’s father said, “If we were back in a Muslim land, I would probably have to chop your head off, Rehan, and there would be no consequences.  But we are American citizens now.  I don’t have to approve of your lifestyle, but I can accept it.”  Rehan began to cry and once again he embraced his father.

Until now, Rehan’s mother had remained silent.  Finally she spoke.  “I hope you two aren’t going to run off somewhere.  I want you to stay for dinner.  I made enough for three people.  That means I can easily feed six people and have leftovers.”

Will and Rehan began to laugh and they both gave her a great big hug.  Their lives as a couple, was launched.

**********

About a month after he returned from Turkey, Will got an E Mail from Paul.  It was the first contact either had made with each other since Paul ran off to L.A. to “sow his wild oats,” as he had put it.

Hi Buddy: 

I have a confession to make.  I miss you too much.  I’ve had many of those one-night stands I craved.  They’re lots of fun, and more than satisfy my sexual needs, but they do nothing for my emotional needs.

Can you see it in your heart to forgive me?  If you are still willing to quit your job and move to L.A., I would welcome you with open arms (and an open fly).  You’ll love it here.  We can start over, and make a new life, better than the old one.  There will be no more harsh winter, just days filled with love.

I swear.  I still love you.

Paul

Will sat at his computer and cried.  He couldn’t wait for Rehan to come home from his brand new job.  When he thought about Rehan, he was overcome with an emotion he had never felt before.  He knew, without a doubt, that he loved Rehan to the exclusion of all others.  Not only did Rehan fill his sexual needs, as Paul put it, but he filled every spiritual and emotional need a man requires in his life.  Will heard a voice in his head.  He distinctly heard the words he had first heard in a recent sermon at his church … The past is the past, and the future has infinite possibilities.

Will had no problem making a decision.  He deleted Paul’s letter from his “in file.”