Doing Hard Time

[laguy85]

Wow...this is the best gay story I've every read!!! Please don't stop.

I'm enjoying the fact that this story actually has a storyline and isn't pure erotica. keep up the great work.

 

[smile86]

loving this story! really interesting and hot too

 

[DOMSnOC]

I'm Hooked and Booked, keep it cumming.

 

[arogersb]

Warning: This chapter contains minimal violence.

~ Chapter 5 ~​

From the Narrative of Caleb Fisher:

I awoke to find Harrison shaking my arm violently.

“Get up, you bastard! What the fuck are you playing at?” he yelled at me. Uh oh. This was not good. My glance went from his face, with wild rage in his eyes, to his hand, holding what I quickly recognized as the newspaper article about his conviction.

“You knew who I was all along, didn’t you?” He glared at me with undisguised suspicion. “Was this all some sick game to get me to sleep with you?”

Okay, I admit it – I didn’t need to ask him his name to know that he was Harrison Ridgeway. I even knew the details of the crime for which he’d been sentenced here. I’d intended to reveal everything to him, but not so soon.

But his last comment irked me. “Let’s get one thing straight. I didn’t make you sleep with me. You came on to me. Until then, I didn’t even know you had gay tendencies!” I retorted.

He fell silent, aware of the truth of my words. I’d never intended to let him give me a blowjob, but I’d been so caught up in the moment that I let my lust get the better of me. It wasn’t every day a beautiful young man offered to suck you off.

Harrison quickly recovered. “That doesn’t put you in the clear. You pretended not to know who I was. And I trusted you!” he shouted.

I took a deep breath. “Now calm down and keep your voice low. You don’t want to wake up the other inmates now, do you? I’ll explain everything. But first you need to look at the front page of the book in which you found that article.”

For a second it looked like he didn’t care if he woke up anyone else. Then begrudgingly he picked up the bible from where he’d tossed it on top of the cabinet. He opened the cover and stared at the name written on it.

“Caroline Spencer,” he read softly. He looked at me in disbelief. “Aunt Carol?” he asked.

I nodded. He sat down heavily on my bunk.

“How …” his voice cracked. “How is it you have her bible?”

“I was her brother. Her son gave it to me when she died,” I told him.

Harrison looked at me, stunned. “Her son … you mean Josh, don’t you?”

Again I nodded. “Joshua is my nephew.”


From the Narrative of Harrison Ridgeway IV:

I could have handled any explanation that Caleb might have given me, but not the one that he actually did. I suppose I should have realized it sooner. It wasn’t coincidental that I’d been reminded of Josh twice that day. There was a physical resemblance between Josh and his uncle. Well, Josh’s hair was curly and black, but that aside, their facial features were similar. And there was the fact that Caleb had called me by the nickname only Josh used, ‘Harry’. He’d even let slip that he knew he was exactly twice my age, which was impossible since I’d never told him mine and people generally assumed I was younger.

“When Joshua found out you’d be incarcerated in this prison, he asked me to protect you. He’s still in love with you, you know. Always has been, despite how you treated him the one time he tried to tell you. He doesn’t know that you aren’t completely straight.” Caleb gave me a piercing gaze.

I wished I could sink into the ground. If I’d felt guilty about how I’d treated Josh earlier, my guilt was now multiplied by a thousand times. I realized how stupid I’d been, shutting Josh out of my life and making friends with the wrong people instead.

“I didn’t know,” I whispered. It sounded like a lame excuse, even to me. “I didn’t want to know.”

Caleb looked at me in revulsion. “You know what I told him, when he asked me to protect you? I told him he was an idiot to still think the best of you, after what you’d done to get you in here in the first place. I didn’t even know then that you were so deep in the closet, you would beat up an innocent guy just to protect your secret.”

Caleb’s words served to make me feel worse about myself than I already did. He was right. It was my fault that an innocent guy was laying near death in some hospital. But he didn’t know the full story.

“Caleb, I know you’re disgusted with me …”

He cut in. “It’s not so much you I’m disgusted with. I’m also appalled with myself. I let myself get carried away with you.”

“Caleb, please listen to me. What happened with Josh … you’re right about that. I lashed out at him, because I couldn’t face the truth myself. But about the other guy, Dean … that’s where you’re wrong. I never hurt him. Well, at least not enough to land him in hospital.”

I took a deep breath and began the story:

I was hanging out in a bar with my friends. By friends, I mean my girlfriend, that is, ex-girlfriend’s brother, Michael and his buddies. We were busy watching the basketball game on TV. But I noticed this guy, who kept looking at me. I didn’t know it then, but his name was Dean Winters. He was my age. I could tell he was attracted to me.

It was uncomfortable. I mean, he wasn’t bad-looking or anything, but I knew there was going to be trouble if my friends saw this going on. They were a bunch of homophobes, and the only reason they let me hang out with them was because I was the (straight) boyfriend of Michael’s younger sister, Melissa.

I tried to ignore Dean’s glances in my direction and concentrated on the game. My worst fears were realized when Michael nudged me. “See that guy over there – he’s been staring at you all night.”

“No, really?” I said weakly.

“You’d better teach him not to stare before he tries anything, eh?”

“C’mon Mike, I’m sure it’s nothing,” I said.

Michael looked at me condescendingly. “What’s wrong, Harrison? Scared of that gay bastard? I’m sure you don’t want me to tell Melissa her boyfriend’s a sissy.”

There was no way out of it. Damn them, I thought, looking around. I saw Dean heading towards the restroom at the back of the bar.

“Here’s your chance – go confront that SOB for staring at you,” said Michael, pushing me in front of him. I reluctantly walked to the restroom. Michael’s friends were following close behind. When the restroom door opened, Dean came out. He smiled to see me, but his smile faded when he saw Michael behind me.

“Outside,” said Michael, opening the back door that led out into the alley. Dean looked scared. Michael gave him a shove out the door. Dean stumbled over the steps and almost tripped.

“Look, guys,” he said in a shaky voice. “I don’t know what I did to piss you off but I’m sorry.”

“Our friend here doesn’t appreciate being ogled at by faggots,” said Michael, putting his hands on my shoulders. I was feeling more than a little worried now. “Harrison, tell him.”

“Um … yeah, I don’t like to be stared at,” I told Dean. He looked relieved, and as a matter of fact so was I. Now they’d let him go and forget all about this.

“Okay, I’m really sorry – I promise I won’t do it again.” He turned to go. Michael’s arm snaked out and grabbed his shoulder.

“Not so fast! Harrison here is going to teach you a lesson for staring.”

The fear returned to haunt his face. “Come on guys, I said I’m sorry.”

Michael looked at me. “You’re not letting this go like that, are you? Geez, assert your rights man.”

“It’s okay, I don’t really mind …” I let my voice trail off, realizing what I’d said.

“You don’t mind?” Michael wasn’t the only one staring at me; his friends were too. I realized I had to act fast to defuse this situation before they suspected me of being gay. I looked at Dean and apologized silently for having to do this.

“Of course I mind! Keep your eyes to yourself!” I said angrily, and threw a punch at Dean’s face. He reeled backwards and probably would have fallen if not for Michael’s grip on his shoulder. I saw the hurt look on his face and felt guilty when I saw that he had a split lip. Anyway they’d let him go now, so that would be the end of it. I was horribly wrong.

“You gays need to be taught a lesson,” said Michael. Suddenly, he punched the poor guy in the gut. As he doubled over, the other guys joined in the melee. Dean was crouched on the ground, trying to protect his face with his hands.

I didn’t know what to do. I wanted to tell them to stop, but was afraid they’d accuse me of sympathizing with gays. But the decision was taken out of my hands when they heard the distant wail of police sirens.

“Come on, let’s get out of here!” yelled Michael, dragging me with him.

“You can’t just leave him there like that!” I shouted at him. He stared at me in disbelief, and just shoved me aside before running for his car.

I wanted to follow after him, when I heard a choked cry. I looked back to see Dean’s motionless body lying on the ground. I couldn’t just leave him. I hurried to bend over his body. I winced when I saw the damage they’d done to him – five guys on one.

He was still conscious, but barely. He looked at me and the expression on his face was heart-wrenching. I realized he was choking and tried to raise his head. I stopped when I felt something wet and sticky. I slowly removed my palms from under his head and stared at them. They were stained with his blood.

I didn’t realize the police had arrived until I heard the officer order me to get away from the body.

“And that’s what really happened,” I concluded my story. I couldn’t face Caleb. I didn’t know if he believed me or not. After all, the jury hadn’t.

There was silence. Then Caleb said, “Harry.”

To be continued …​

Coming up next: Harrison gets his first visit in prison.

Feedback on this chapter is much needed, particularly because of the gay-bashing scene at the end. I don't support it, and the only reason it's in this story is to raise awareness that it is quite rampant even in our supposedly "civilized" society. Don't worry, Dean doesn't die. Further elaboration will come in the next chapter.

 

[mexamor]

Wow, a great story. I just love this story and the depth to it. Thank you so much for a multidimentional tale that draws my heart and emotions.

 

[harry113]

Thanks Justin .... a sad & sorry tale!! but unfortunately still too common.
As harrison said, five on one .... so very brave.. NOT!
Excellent chapter
Harry

 

[slutpaul]

i cannot wait for the rest of the story keep up the good writing mate

 

[Craiger]

Great chapter, Justin. When will society learn to be tolerant of others. The major thing that bothers me about the intolerance is the so much of it comes from those that tout their religious convictions. It seems "love thy neighbor" means love only those that you like and to hell with the rest. Hopefully, the day will come when this will change but I won't hold my breath.

Eagerly awaiting the next installment.

Craiger

 

[arogersb]

I'm glad that you all enjoyed Chapter 5 and didn't get any wrong impressions from it. The darkest part of this story is almost over; although there are still some serious notes in the forthcoming chapters.

I am currently busy writing Chapter 6 and hope to post it VERY soon. In the meantime though, I'd like to know how this revelation has affected your opinion of Harrison. Do you still see him as a conflicted character you can sympathize with? Unlike my previous story, where the protagonist was clearly the "good" guy, Harrison has some "gray" areas.

Also an important announcement: The next chapter or the one after that will be the conclusion of Part I of this story; but rest assured, I will return with Part II after a "short" hiatus. (By short, it could be any time from 2 days to a month!)

 

[badboybad]

Great story. Please write more story.

 

[harry113]

Craiger, you are so right ( How about 'Judge not lest ye be judged' and 'Take the beam from thine own eye to better see the mote in thy brother's eye' )
'Religion promotes evil' all over the world. I am afraid you are right, it won't change anytime soon.
I would say that Harrison's saving grace was that he stayed with the guy to help him; I hope the guy tells the police what happened when he is better
Please continue Justin !!!
I don't like hiatii, please make it 2days rather than 2 months!!
Hugs
Harry

 

[arogersb]

~ Chapter 6 ~​

From the Narrative of Caleb Fisher:

I didn’t know what to say when Harrison concluded his story. When I’d first laid eyes on him, I’d doubted that he could have committed the crime he was accused of. Even knowing that the jury had already convicted him, it was impossible to imagine Harrison brutalizing anyone.

I know I should have doubted his version of events. I wouldn’t have been the first. Yet for some reason I was drawn to believe him.

“Harry … I’m sorry I overreacted just now. It’s just that … I thought what if it had been Joshua in that guy’s position …”

Harrison looked up, horrified. “I would never have physically hurt Josh. I didn’t mean to hurt him at all … but I was scared, like you said.” He sniffed. “I deserve to be stuck in here.”

“No.” I said it so vehemently that he looked at me in surprise. “Harry, you don’t deserve to be in here for a crime you didn’t commit. Michael and his friends should be the ones in here.”

“I hit that guy too, Caleb. Not hard enough to cause any serious damage. But I stood by letting them beat him unconscious. I should’ve done something, and I didn’t.” He put his head in his hands and started crying.

“You stayed behind … to help him. Your friends just ran off. You could be proud of that.”

Harrison smiled bitterly. “My friends – that’s what I thought they were. But you know what Melissa told me, after I’d been arrested? I wouldn’t get a harsh sentence. My dad would be able to use his influence to get me a lighter one. So I should stick to her brother’s version of events. She never loved me – just my dad’s money and political clout. And her brother Michael was the same.”

I felt sorry for him. He’d made the wrong decision in friends and it had come back to stab him in the back in the worst possible way.

“Didn’t you tell all this in court? Surely they didn’t just believe whatever Michael said.”

Again he smiled a bitter smile. “It wasn’t just Michael. There were his four friends – they supported his version, of course. The bartender who reported the fight to the police only saw the beginning of it – me punching Dean in the face. And the patrol officer who responded to the call found me with blood on my hands. Even if Dean wasn’t in a coma, I’m not sure he would have helped exonerate me, after what I did.”

I saw the hopelessness of it. It was an open-and-shut case. Small wonder it had taken the jury such a short time to come up with a guilty verdict and a recommendation for the maximum sentence.
“Okay, but how come your father didn’t do anything? I mean, he is a congressman.”

Harrison laughed hollowly. “You didn’t read the statement his office made, did you?” I shook my head. Harrison quoted, “I am deeply saddened and shocked that a bigot could have been raised in my household. Somewhere along the line, something went wrong.”

He paused and added, “He effectively disowned me. He has a re-election coming up and couldn’t afford to lose his gay-friendly voters.”

I was shocked that a father could do such a thing to his own son. Did he really expect to win over votes that way? I wouldn’t have voted for him; but then, I knew something the voting populace didn’t – Harrison Ridgeway IV wasn’t the guilty one.

“What about your mother?” I asked.

Harrison’s face visibly brightened. “Mom’s always been a dear. She, and my sister Phoebe, were among the few people who refused to believe that I was guilty, even though I never told them the whole story.” Then his expression darkened. “They had to sedate her when she heard about the sentence. I brought that upon her. More than anything, I blame myself for putting her through the strain of the trial.”

I saw that he was upset. He was obviously very close to his mother. But I knew there was something I had to say. “Your mom and sister weren’t the only ones who believed in your innocence, Harry. Joshua did too. He told me there was no way you would have done that.”

He looked at me, his blue eyes glistening with tears. “Why does he, when so many others don’t? Especially after what I did to him.”

“He loves you,” I said simply. He told me that you were his first crush, and one that would stay with him forever, even if you can’t reciprocate his love.”

Harrison looked ashamed. “I can’t tell you how sorry I am that I treated Josh that way.”

“You’ll have the chance to tell him yourself,” I told him. “When you get out of here.”

Harrison said bitterly, “If I ever get out of here.”

I put my arm around his shoulders. “I won’t let anything happen to you – I promise. And you’ll be out of here sooner than you think. I suggest you get some sleep now. We’ll continue this tomorrow, or rather today.”

“Okay,” he said, and lay down on the bunk. Then he looked at me, shyly. I knew what he wanted. I lay down beside him. He put his head on my chest and snuggled next to me. He must have been tired out. Within a few minutes, he was fast asleep. I watched his chest rise and fall with his breathing. It was a beautiful sight.

It was with a heavy heart I extricated myself from under him and went to my own bunk to catch some sleep before morning arrived.


From the Narrative of Harrison Ridgeway IV:

When I awoke, the sunlight was just filtering through the tiny cell window.

“Rise and shine,” said Caleb, who was already awake and dressed.

“Good morning.” I smiled at him. For the first time since I’d come to prison, I had hope. I reached up to kiss him on the cheek. He looked surprised at first, but then he smiled.

The day passed in prison routine. I had little opportunity to talk to Caleb. There were various classes teaching living skills to the inmates. I was glad to see Mitch and the other inmates stayed their distance when they saw me with Caleb.

It was only when we had some time alone in the yard that Caleb told me the rest of the story. Josh’s parents had died in a car crash almost two years ago. I hadn’t known that because I was in university across the country. I had to control myself from crying again. One part of me mourned Uncle John and Aunt Carol, as I’d called Josh’s parents. The other half felt strongly for Josh, who I knew would have been devastated by their deaths, especially since he had no siblings. I regretted not being there for Josh. And yet he was still there to help me out when I needed it most.

Caleb added that Josh had dropped out of college to run his father’s hardware store. I knew it must have been a difficult decision for him to give up his dreams of becoming an architect. Josh was extremely talented in art.

Caleb was less restricted around me now that everything was out in the open. Truth be told, I was relieved too. It was a great load off my chest to share it with someone.

That night, after lights out, Caleb was standing at the window when I approached him. Silently I knelt down and reached for his pants. I felt his hand on my shoulder.

“Are you sure you want to? I’m not sure we should.”

“Don’t you want it?” I asked him. I knew he did want it.

“It’s just that … I’m not sure.”

I grinned in spite of myself. “I’m the one who should be unsure, and I no longer am. Now don’t say another word.” I pulled down his pants and boxers in one swift motion. Just seeing his cock made me get a hard-on. That was the final incontrovertible proof that I was completely and utterly gay. For some reason, this revelation didn’t perturb me as much as it should have, considering I’d spent most of my life denying it. I opened my mouth and swallowed his cock whole.

This time around I could tell I was doing a better job. Caleb’s moans of pleasure told me as much. I didn’t know it was possible for the giver of a blowjob to derive as much enjoyment as I did. I liked making him moan. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a movement. Shit, it was Mitch, looking into our cell from across the passage. Could he see much, I wondered? It was quite dark. I couldn’t stop now. I looked up at Caleb. He’d noticed our silent spectator as well.

“Let’s give him a show, shall we?” he whispered. I nodded wordlessly as he increased the velocity of my face-fucking. He was close to an orgasm, I could tell. At the critical point, he pulled himself out of my mouth and sprayed my face with cum. There was an ample amount of it. Some of it streamed off my face and onto my bare chest.

I heard Mitch mutter, “Holy shit.” Caleb knelt down and trailed a finger in his own cum coating my face. “Lick this up, bitch,” he ordered, secretly winking at me. I was so turned on by this display for Mitch, that my cock was straining hard against my boxers.

“Enjoyed the show, Mitch?” asked Caleb. I was amazed to see a hardened criminal like Mitch blush with embarrassment.

“Damn Caleb, I didn’t know that bitch could do that. I almost regret giving him up to you.”

“This bitch is mine,” warned Caleb.

Mitch put up his hands in surrender. “You’ve pretty much proven that, man.”

“He’s gone back to sleep,” Caleb whispered to me. I knew I was a sight to behold, with cum dripping down my face. He noticed my hard-on. “You need some help with that?” he asked. Without waiting for an answer, he had me on the bed, with my boxers around my ankles and his hand firmly pumping away at my cock. No one had ever jerked me off before.

He didn’t have to do it for long; I was so horny by that time that I was cumming within minutes. Exhausted and spent, I lay on the bunk panting heavily. Caleb leaned over me to give me a kiss.

“You know, this isn’t just for Josh. I like having you as my bitch,” he grinned. Covered in cum as I was, I certainly felt like a bitch. But that didn’t matter, because for the first time I was actually enjoying myself in here.

***​

A week went by. There was little variation in our daily prison routine, or our nightly rituals. Mitch turned out to be a voyeur who enjoyed watching me bring Caleb to a climax. He never tried to lay a finger on me after that night. In private, Caleb would return the favor.

It was on my eighth day of incarceration that I got my first visit in prison. The guard led me to the room, warning me that there could be no physical contact between us. I knew that was going to be hard, when I saw the woman sitting at the opposite side.

Her perfectly-coiffed red hair and immaculate dress looked completely out of place in that grim setting. Her blue eyes, so like my own, filled with tears as soon as she saw me approach, dressed in prison-issue clothing.

I picked up the phone and tried to get past the lump in my throat.

“Hi, Mom.”

To be continued …​

Coming up next: Harrison has a chat with his mother. An unexpected piece of news rekindles hope, but will everything work out for Harrison? Stay tuned to find out, in the last chapter of Part I.

(Please continue to give feedback. Thank you.)

 

[harry113]

Thanks Justin.
Very well told!!
I hope things work out, and he links up with Josh!! But what about Caleb??
Hugs
Harry

 

[Craiger]

Hey Justin,

You are now one of the elite Master Storytellers on JUB. We can see now the real Harrison, even with his errors from the past, which, in reality we all have, and how he is becoming a more mature person. Thanks to Caleb he will survive this portion of his life. Thanks for that chapter and look forward to the last installment of Part I.

Craiger

 

[GrayFox]

You have me hooked! Your writing is very believable!

 

[Ohiospeedo]

Justin - I was just curious. I thought I had read this story on nifty a while ago. Did you post this story there?

 

[arogersb]

Justin - I was just curious. I thought I had read this story on nifty a while ago. Did you post this story there?

No, this is the only place I've posted this story so far. I've never been to Nifty before, so I don't know the story you're talking about. You mean there's one that combines all the different elements of my story the same way I have? I mean, it's possible that some of the common elements will repeat themselves, but surely not in the same composition that I have written. If you could point out the story you're referring to, I'd like to check it out.

And please, don't suspect me of plagiarism!!! I'm only 19, I don't want to go to prison, in a case of life imitating art, lol.

Justin

 

[arogersb]

~ Chapter 7 ~​

From the Narrative of Harrison Ridgeway IV:

“Harrison.” Mom said my name sadly. For a moment we both didn’t say anything.

Then I smiled and told her, “You look beautiful, mom.” For a woman about to celebrate her fiftieth birthday, Marcia Ridgeway certainly didn’t look her age.

But far from being reassuring, my words made Mom burst into tears.
Worried, I tried to reassure her. “Mom, it’s okay. I’m fine. See, I’m not hurt in any way.” I mustered a smile.

Mom looked at me in disbelief. “How can you talk like that, Harrison? I have to talk to my son from the other side of a thick glass window, as if you were some criminal. Even though I know you could never do anything to hurt anyone.”

I looked down. Mom always believed the best of me. Even when Dad complained my grades weren’t up to scratch, Mom would always stick up for me. It was hard to meet my father’s expectations, not for lack of trying. And I know she’d taught me to stand up for what’s right. I’d failed her when I punched that guy and stood by while the others beat him up.

“I’m sorry, Mom,” I said hoarsely. “I’m sorry I made you come here. You shouldn’t have.”

Mom looked at me, blinking back her tears. “Harrison, you’re my youngest child. I would come to see you no matter what.”

“You … you didn’t come alone?” I asked.

Mom knew what I meant by that question. “Phoebe said she’d come and visit you soon. What with the baby and the hospital, she couldn’t make it. Your father …” Mom paused. Then smiling brightly, she added, “You know he’s busy with his campaign. He said he’ll try to make it here soon as well.”

She was lying, I knew that. Dad couldn’t afford to be seen visiting his gay-bashing son in prison. It wasn’t a matter of principle to him; he certainly didn’t sympathize with “those fucking queers”, as he called them. He was more concerned the effect it would have on his re-election campaign. Had I really spent my whole life trying to please a man who could toss me aside so easily? It would be worse if he knew I was also gay.

Mom brought my thoughts back down to earth. “Harrison, can you hear me?”

Looking at her, I thought how Mom was the innocent one in all of this. Phoebe and I doted on our mother, and made every effort to keep her happy. We’d both found out that Dad had been having an affair with his secretary for years, but we decided not to tell Mom at the risk of her suffering another anxiety attack. I wanted to hate Dad for cheating on Mom, and also for pushing me too hard, yet as hard as I tried, I couldn’t.

“I can, Mom. Please tell …” My voice cracked. I started again. “Tell Phoebe I asked about her, and Alan, and the baby. And give my regards to Dad. I’m sorry he couldn’t come.”

Tears flowed down my mother’s cheeks. “Oh Harrison, I wish you could tell them yourself. Why have they put you in here? Why can’t they see my baby would never harm anyone?” She was starting to hyperventilate and I could see the warning signs of an impending attack. I hastened to calm her down.

“Mom, please relax. Take deep breaths. Believe me when I tell you that everything’s fine with me. The only thing that’ll make me feel worse if you to have another attack caused by me.”

I knew Mom would listen to me. True enough she obeyed my instruction to take deep breaths and started to calm down.

“Mom, listen to me. I don’t want you to come down here in the future if you feel you’re going to be …” I struggled for a suitable word.

“Hysterical?” suggested Mom, managing a small smile.

“Please, Mom - I don’t want to have to find out that you had another attack while I’m in here. I won’t even get a chance to come and see you.”

“I promise I’ll be careful.”

“Thanks, Mom.” Then I remembered something and decided to ask her. “Mom, you know Aunt Carol and Uncle John, Josh Spencer’s parents?”

Mom looked perplexed. “Of course I knew them.” I noted her use of the past tense.

“So you know they died?”

Mom raised her eyebrows. “Harrison, I went to their funeral. Josh was inconsolable.”

“But Mom, you never told me.”

“I thought you didn’t want anything to do with Josh after you had your falling-out. You got very upset when Carol and I tried to patch things up between the two of you.”

I knew Mom was right. I looked down in shame. “I should have gone to their funeral. At least for Josh’s sake.”

I could tell Mom was surprised by my sudden change of heart about Josh and wanted to find out more. But she realized that this wasn’t the right time.

“You were in the midst of your second-year exams. I didn’t want to disturb you. Josh understood when I told him.”

I knew he would have understood. Josh always did. I was the one who hadn’t understood him. I felt even less worthy of Josh’s love.


From the Narrative of Caleb Fisher:

Harrison’s mother’s visit gave me some time alone in my cell, to think over the events of the past week. In particular, what was going on in between the two of us. Damn it, Harrison was only 22. He was the right age to hook up with my gay nephew, not with a twice-married guy old enough to be his father!

He was also incredibly good-looking and boyishly earnest. Whenever I was around him, I found it hard to resist his charm. Yet I felt like I was betraying Joshua and doing Harrison a disservice. The problem was, I couldn’t tell if Harrison was in love with me, or whether he was just experimenting on his repressed sexuality. I knew I had to talk to him about this, yet every time he didn’t let me speak and distracted me by pulling down my pants.

When Harrison came back into the cell after his mother’s visit, I waited for the guard to leave before I talked to him.

“So how did it go?”

Harrison smiled sadly. “Mom’s finding it hard to cope with me being in prison. I wish I hadn’t put her in this spot.”

“It’s not your fault, Harry.”

He didn’t seem to hear me. “I asked her about Josh. She didn’t tell me about his parents’ deaths because she thought I wouldn’t want to face Josh again. And she was right. I’m a terrible person for Josh to love.”

This was the opening I’d waited for. “But do you love him?”

He looked confused. “I … I don’t know. It’s … complicated. I thought I loved Melissa, but she turned out to be a bitch. I don’t know if I’m ready to pursue another relationship, especially, well, you know – a gay one. I know Josh isn’t anything like Melissa, but … this whole thing’s new to me. Not the feelings of course, but the experience itself.”

“But you had feelings for Josh?” I asked.

“I don’t know if you could call it that. I did feel something at the time – something that scared me. But … I can’t be sure.” He looked straight at me with those brilliant blue eyes. “You’re trying to break off what’s going on between us, aren’t you?”

I was thrown for a moment by the directness of his question. Then I confessed, “Yes. I just don’t think we should, well, go into love. I mean, I’m a lot older than you. You shouldn't have your first time with me. And then there’s Josh.”

“So you want sex without the romance?” I winced when he said that. Then I realized he was grinning. I couldn’t believe he was pulling my leg. He must be feeling more cheerful.

“I know what you mean, Caleb. If you’re uncomfortable, then it’s okay with me. I’ve spent my life having things my way. This,” – he gestured to the walls of the cell – “is the first time things aren’t going my way. I needed to learn that.”

Harry was growing up, I realized. He was putting other people ahead of his own needs. It brought tears to my eyes. He noticed.

“Caleb, are you okay?” he asked, looking concerned.

“I was just thinking … you’re not the kid you were when you first came here,” I said huskily. Harry blushed; his face turned a delightful shade of pink.

“Prison does that to people, I guess,” he said. “I have you to thank. You rescued me from Mitch, you showed me the ropes around here, and what you told me has changed my life.” Unexpectedly, he put his arms around me and hugged me, burying his face in my chest.

“Thanks, Papa Bear,” he told me, his voice muffled by my chest. That’s a new one, I thought – Papa Bear. I decided that I liked it, not that I was going to show it.

“Hey!” I playfully grabbed him by the scruff of his neck. He looked up at me adoringly, as if I was his hero. My heart melted.

What the hell, one last kiss wouldn’t hurt, I thought, and pressed my lips against his.


From the Narrative of Harrison Ridgeway IV:

More time went by. Since that last kiss, Caleb and I didn’t do anything sexual. He still slept with me on my bunk at nights, always getting off when I’d fallen asleep. His presence was comforting, but I realized that he was right when he said what we had between us wasn’t love.

Mom and Phoebe visited as often as they could. Dad, however, didn’t come at all. Mom made his excuses, but even she knew I no longer believed them.

I received the unanticipated news almost exactly seven weeks after I’d been incarcerated. When I was informed there was someone to see me, I’d assumed it was either Mom or Phoebe, although it was rather soon after their last visit. So it was a surprise to find my attorney seated in the waiting room instead.

“Oh hi, Jack. I didn’t expect to see you here.” I noticed he was smiling.

“Harrison, I’m delighted to be the bearer of this good news. Dean Winters came out of his coma two days ago. The police got a statement from him and, well, let me just skip to the best part. He exonerated you and said that when you punched him, you were only defending yourself because you thought he was coming onto you. He said the other guys were the ones who seriously beat him up.”

I was speechless. I silently thanked Dean Winters for not holding any grudges against me and telling the truth. It was all I could do to keep back my tears from spilling forth. I managed to unstick my throat to say, “What does this mean?”

“Well, there’s still a case against you, but Mr. Winters doesn’t want to pursue it. In light of the fact that you’ve already served two months in maximum-security, and Mr. Winter’s testimony that you stayed behind to help him rather than try to ‘finish him off’ as the police thought, the judge could be persuaded to be lenient on you. It’s very likely that you’ll be released as soon as the retrial is over.”

This time I was really struck dumb. I was going to be free. This wasn’t the end, I knew – there were still plenty of things for me to face in the world outside the prison, but at the moment all that seemed far away. All I could think of was the sweet word that was resonating in my mind: freedom.

~ END OF PART I ~​

Coming up in Part II …
Harrison may have gotten his freedom, but that’s only the beginning of his story. It isn’t a smooth journey as Harrison transitions from being the closeted son of a wealthy congressman to an independent young man who has to choose his own path in life. Stay tuned for Part II of ‘Doing Hard Time’.

I have to share some good news and some bad. The good news first: It won’t be a long wait for Part II; I hope to have Chapter 8 (I am continuing with the chapter numbering from Part I for convenience) posted by this weekend.

The bad news is: I don’t see an end in sight for this story! I’ve been plotting and plotting, and the story seems to have a life of its own. Hopefully it won’t become a never-ending soap (lol), because I have another new story “Junctions” planned as well.

Thank you for all your support and encouragement. As always, your feedback is welcomed and greatly appreciated.

~ Justin

 

[harry113]

Justin, Thank you. This is just wonderful writing.
Stories do take over when you get into them !!!
It may be that at some point you will have to end 'Doing hard Time' & then continue Harrison's story under a different title, possibly bringing Caleb into it if he gets released on parole ??
Hugs
Harry

 

[Craiger]

Justin,

I am sorry, but I don't think it is good news/bad news... I think it is great news. The end of the story will come when it is ready. Until then, we all anticipate the new chapters.

Also, it's nice to hear that you have another story lined up.

Craiger