Date: Sat, 8 Dec 2007 05:39:42 EST
From: Djedoric58@aol.com
Subject: The Only Way To Fly Chapter 6

THE ONLY WAY TO FLY
By DJ

During the wake, the world turned white. Thankfully Mr Watson had advised
us to bring our vehicles round the back and into the back yard where Billy
helped him open up the equipment sheds. It was a tight squeeze but Mr
Watson got us all tucked in just as the first snow fell, just a gentle fall
to start with but enough for Mr Watson to ask us if we wouldn't mind
helping him round up the last few strays of his livestock and shepherd them
down to his farmstead. Indian. Rob and Todd volunteered, each having worked
or lived in a farming community some time or other.

With Billy, they donned their warmest clothes and some waterproofs Bill had
hanging on the kitchen door, and rode away in Mr Watson's all weather jeep,
but not before Mr Watson took a look at the roofs of all the buildings. He
declared them secure enough, Bill having had repairs done before the winter
set in.  We used the bus and my car to get the villagers home and then
helped Trilby and the others clear away the remains of the wake. Ken did
the least of all, which didn't surprise me, preferring to tinker about on
Bill's keyboard, a real beauty. He was still on it when Billy and the boys
arrived back. Billy went to the keyboard and pulled the plug out of the
wall socket and walked away.

Ken's face was a picture. "How rude can you get!"

"If he doesn't want his dad's stuff touched, that's his business." I said,
and dumped a bag of rubbish in his hands.

I started to walk away but he called me back. There were only the three of
us in the barn but Ken spoke loud enough for Billy to hear. "What is I with
you two? All that spiel about the kid being off limits, I think it's more
like you've got the hots for him yourself. Private territory is he?"

My blood boiling, I reached for him but Billy whistled me. He had a look of
disgust on his face as he stared at Ken and made like he was spitting. I
turned away to continue brushing the floor, feeling elated that Billy
should feel it necessary to come to my defence. I liked that. At least I
had learned how I stood with Ken.

That night a blizzard dumped a big load of the white stuff on us. We opened
the front door in the morning to a solid snowdrift. The back yard wasn't
too bad, so at least Billy could take Jake outside to do what's what. Jake
and Billy wee like a puppy and a little kid, charging around in the snow
and Jake trying to catch the snowballs Billy threw at him and getting
frustrated when they disintegrated in is mouth. It was fun to watch them as
Daley, Rob and I prepared breakfast for nine hungry mouths; I apologise,
make that ten hungry mouths. Using whatever seats we could find, we managed
to squeeze round that kitchen table, with Jake sitting between Billy and
me, his tongue hanging out and grinning. He wasn't allowed food from the
table, on Daley's orders, but Daley had carefully saved a few titbits from
the wake, which Billy dropped onto a dish on the floor from time to time
and getting a glare of disapproval from Ken.  His snout was level with
Billy's elbow, and shoved Billy's arm if a choice morsel didn't come in
time, once nearly spilling Billy's tea all over him. After a while he laid
his head on Billy's thigh and stared up at him with adoring eyes.  Billy
stared down at him with the same adoration as he scratched Jake's ears, and
I doubted Daley would be able to easily part these two when the time came
to leave. Likewise I didn't think Billy would be bothered by the likes of
Ken with Jake around. Jake was happy around Trilby and Daley, and was
growing to like me; he just about tolerated the others and had no time at
all for Ken. As we ate, the snow fell in large flakes till we couldn't see
the far side of the yard, making it impossible to give the guy his marching
orders.  By the afternoon the storm had grown into a blizzard with,
according to the TV weather forecast, guts up to fifty miles an and
increasing by nightfall. Like it or not, we were stuck with the guy.

With the house facing north, the front got the full weight of the storm and
by morning the drifts were half way up the windows, We got a call from Mr
Watson, at nine thirty warning us that some power lines were down, and as
he was speaking the phone went dead. Half an hour later the lights went out
but at least we had independent central heating and a good supply of logs
for the fire. Billy said not to worry. While the boys joked about the
situation, and Ken grouched about it, Billy and Daley put on waterproofs
and disappeared out into the back yard. Fifteen minutes later the power
came back on, Billy having turned on the emergency generator. I heard later
from Billy that his dad had installed it a few years ago after suffering
several blackouts. Even if we couldn't go anywhere till the weather broke
and we dug ourselves out we were definitely not going anywhere. Billy, ever
the good host, had a supply of videos, DVDs and books as well as various
table games and packs of cards which he put at our disposal. And, of
course, there was always plenty of room upstairs for more private
activities.

Trilby and Daley were old partners, of course, but their relationship was
an easy one that comes with maturity and familiarity, but the partnership,
which surprised me most, was between Todd, the tiny five foot shrimp of the
band, and the Scottish gorilla. Looking at the difference in size, I
thought "Ouch!"  Indian and Ashton weren't gay but tolerated the feelings
of the rest of the band. Thinking no one noticed, Ken eyed everyone as a
potential victim, and in my eyes that meant he was one to watch very
carefully. He made his move a week later.