Lovely gay story
Cory was driving his
2002 Toyota Avalon
on the I-10 freeway not far from Desert Center.
It was 4 pm on a Sunday in the middle of July, and the temperature outside had already reached searing 115 degrees Fahrenheit.
The highway stretched from horizon to horizon, and the endless desert had only cactuses and rare chaparral, scattered here and there with mountains far away to the right and left.
The sun was blinding white in a bleached blue sky without a single cloud. The heat haze looked like a lake a quarter of a mile ahead of the car.
The line "It never rains in Southern California" came to Cory's mind from the song, reminding him of his hopeless life but giving him a hint of chances.
The A/C in Cory's car was broken. The only way to avoid a heat stroke was to open all the windows allowing hot hurricane winds to blow through the vehicle at highway speed, and to drink plenty of water.
That wind reminded Cory of a giant hair dryer blowing directly at him with full power. His gallon water jug, purchased at the last stop forty minutes ago, was almost empty.
Cory was happy to see a sign, "Gas station 5 miles." So, he pressed the accelerator harder, trying to cover that distance as quickly as possible.
Cory was twenty-one. He graduated from high school a few years ago as a grade-C student, but he didn't have any plans for the future or any job as yet.
He still lived with his sister, her newborn daughter, a stepfather, and two younger stepbrothers in a three-bedroom apartment, sharing a bedroom with the boys.
Cory's mother had been hit and killed by a stoned SUV driver several years ago, just when pot was legalized in California.
All her legacy consisted of the old car, inherited by Cory, tons of oversized woman's clothes for his sister, and three hundred dollars on her checking account instantly spent on her funeral.
Their town was tiny, and Cory's stepfather worked as a
Motel-6
manager supporting the entire family.
The only job available for Cory was a part-time position as a maid at that motel, definitely not appealing for a young man.
So, Cory was still looking for a better position. However, with no big enthusiasm. Meanwhile, he was living on
Food Stamps
, rent-free in his stepfather's apartment.
More employment might be available in Blythe, a bigger city nearby where Cory had attended a high school. However, he didn't want to go back there after the incident at the graduation ceremony, which was still fresh in Cory's memory, giving him a lot of pain.
When the official part of the ceremony ended, a group of them stood outside the auditorium discussing their future plans. Their valedictorian Don bragged as he got the President's scholarship at UCLA and was going to study there for free.
Don had asked Cory about his plans.
Cory shrugged, saying, "None yet. But I'll be looking for a job."
Don's girlfriend Sarah glanced at Cory, giggled, and said, "You might want to drive to Hollywood and apply for a movie star position. They will be happy to hire you for the role of a new Terminator."
That sounded sarcastic as Cory was seriously overweight with small grayish eyes on his large fat face and didn't have a movie star appearance.
Large hips, small biceps, and folds of fat on his chest gave Cory a female appearance, with his vast belly reminding one of an eight-month pregnant woman.
Don laughed loud, pointing his index at Cory, and asked, "Sissy, who would hire such a gal like you?"
With his white, tender skin and dozens of extra pounds, Cory might not have a typical masculine appearance. However, he always felt manly, having nothing feminine about him.
Don's remark sounded very embarrassing. Especially when girls standing around giggled and whispered loudly, "sissy, sissy," to each other.
Cory was almost a foot taller than Don and more than fifty pounds heavier. So, he had never been bullied by Don before and by any other bullies at high school. They were afraid to deal with Cory.
The school was just over once and forever. So, Don, one of the worst bullies in their class, decided to take his last chance and abuse Cory at least verbally, making him miserable.
Being extremely upset, Cory punched Don with all his strength into the solar plexus. When Don bent in pain, Cory kicked Don's jaw with his knee, instantly crushing it.
Indeed, Cory was angry. But he didn't expect Don's jaw to be so brittle and easily break.
Don dropped on his butt, gasping for air with bulging eyes saying nothing for about five minutes and just wincing with excruciating pain holding his chin.
Don got up at his feet, pulled out his cell phone, and dialed 911. He mumbled through his broken jaw that he had just been severely assaulted and needed a police officer and ambulance.
When Don finished talking to the operator, he turned to Cory and said with hatred hissing through his teeth and spitting blood, "Fucken Sissy, you'll rot in jail. My father is a lawyer and will book you there for your entire life."
Cory was scared of Don's threat and said, "I'm sorry. Can you forgive me? Please don't press charges?"
Don said, struggling with pain but giggling, "I see, you already wet your pants, Sissy. Ok, I'll forgive you if you kneel before me, admit you are a sissy, and kiss my feet."
Cory was very afraid of jail. He knew how abusive that place was and what other inmates could do with a young man.
So, he did what Don ordered him to do: kneeling, kissing Don's shoes, and begging, "Don, please forgive me."
With his jaw hurting as hell, Don laughed and lisped, "You didn't say you are a stupid sissy, and you must call me your master."
Cory kneeled again, saying, "Master Don, please forgive your stupid sissy and don't send me to jail," kissing Don's feet one more time.
Don said, slightly kicking Cory's forehead, "Ok. I'll tell a police officer that I will not press charges on you. And now fuck off out of here."
Cory drove from school to his hometown with a sense of shame and hatred and intended to never see his former classmates again. They all were witnesses of his humiliation.
Those memories were still fresh in Cory's mind giving him a lot of pain.
He snapped back to the present as he pulled into the gas station parking in front of the convenience store and went inside. His T-shirt and running shorts instantly got wet, soaked with his sweat in the fierce heat.
Cory filled the biggest cup with Coke at the soda fountain and drank half of it. Then refilled again and went to the register for checkout. He was fourth in line and looked around, waiting for his turn.
The store had nothing remarkable in it. It had a grill with hotdogs and coffee pots close to the soda fountain. Then a few coolers with soda bottles, juices, and beers and several racks with bread, groceries, automotive stuff, and over-the-counter medications.
The freezer with ice cream, pizza slices, and other frozen stuff was near the counter with a single register at the front door. There was a large microwave on the counter next to the freezer.
The cashier was a tall man looking between fifty and sixty with a trim grey beard and wearing a black shirt. His head was almost bald, with his remaining hair having a grey color. He was chatting with a customer buying cigarettes, trying to upsell him a few lottery tickets and some small California souvenirs.
"Hi. How are you?" asked the cashier when Cory came to him and handed over a five-dollar bill to pay for his soda. "Do you need some gas?"
"Thank you. I don't need anything besides this soda. My name is Cory, and I'm your new coworker. Today I was interviewed by Jessica, the store owner, and was instantly offered this job."
"Glad to see you, Cory. Welcome to your new job. My name is Bill, and by the way, you can have that soda free," he said.
"Free soda, coffee, and hotdogs are benefits of this job. After the store closes at ten, you can take any leftover pastries, fruits, and other perishables."
"Thank you, Bill. I'm not hungry. Will you start my training now? Jessica told me I'll have my first work shift tomorrow morning at six."
"Oh, don't worry about that. We'll work together tomorrow, and I'll show you everything. In an hour or two, you will be working like a Pro," said Bill smiling.
Cory had gotten the job totally out of the blue. He was taking out the trash in the morning, and one paper from the junk mail accidentally fell to his feet.
Amid tons of ads from GEICO insurance, DUI lawyers, grocery stores, pizzerias, and other local businesses, Cory saw the following:
Gas station attendant FT+OT
Health insurance and accommodation
Must be 21+ for alcohol sales
Tel. (760) 055-1255
As Cory was searching for a job, he looked at the date on that paper and found it was three weeks old.
Nevertheless, without much hope, Cory called the number and listened to the recorded voice message. It described a position of a CSR at the convenience store on I-10 in the middle of nowhere, about sixty miles away from Cory's hometown.
The work schedule included six days a week, Monday to Saturday, with eight hours shifts switching with another employee. A private room on site was provided to each employee for free.
The message ended with the suggestion, "If you are interested, please leave your name and phone number, and we'll call you back."
Cory left a message with his phone, hung up, and went to the kitchen to grab a snack. He got a call back in less than a minute.
"Hi, Cory. My name is Jessica," said a pleasant female voice. "I'm the store owner. Are you interested in working there? The place is remote with nothing interesting around it. But we offer good pay and benefits."