In the back of my mind I figured l was curious about gay and at the most Bisexual. But, in an age when it was dangerous to one's health to come out I kept it to myself. Plus, I was in the military and would lose my career.
Add into it that I grew up in a small conservative town that still is far from much going on so, no examples to see.
And to be honest I didn't even know what all the fag and queer stuff meant. I always thought queer meant odd.
I just sometimes had thoughts about guys and besides I was interested in girls too.
I joined the military out of high school and often the military put me in remote places were it was impossible to meet guys. No gay scene that I knew of anyway.
I still chased and had affairs with women but, to be honest I wasn't very good at it.
Lot of times I had the same problem finding women as I did men; small towns and remote places.
I heard all the queer jokes, guys being called Fag in joking manners. Once two guys in the enlisted club were giving each other a hard time. One asked the other a question but, he didn't answer.
The first guy said "hey, you going to give me an answer."
Second guy said "Get on your knees Faggot, I got the answers in my pants."
Everyone laughed of course.
I got turned on at that. I had a mental picture of the first guy getting on his knees and opening the guy's fly and taking out a stiff cock and start sucking on it.
But, later that night I was in my bed and thought of me being on my knees, nude, and sucking the man's cock and he would be nude too.
That sort of became a regular jerk off thing fantasy for awhile, me nude and sucking a nude man's cock.
But, I thought a lot about getting with another man. Sometimes in some cities I would see signs on men's room's walls "be here at 11 and I will suck your dick" and I would go and no one would show.
Some of us were having a conversation about gays with a civilian when I was in Lubbock Texas. There was a civilian in the group and someone asked where the gays went there.
He replied he didn't know but heard that the bathroom by the J.C. Penny's at the mall guys had been approached.
One weekend it got the best of me when I was at the mall so, I went to that bathroom and no one there, hung out for awhile outside on a bench in the main part of the mall but, nobody ever came.
A few times I had a chance but, chickened out when I was in big cities with gay bars or clubs and couldn't get the nerve to go but, to be fair to me I usually didn't know where to go.
I really didn't have a lot of friends on this base. I was getting up there in military years; I was 28. I was an old man by military standards.
Lot of the people that worked for me were still in their teens and most people my age were married. Plus they didn't want to be hanging with the old boss.
I had one really good friend but, he met a woman and they were hot and heavy and soon he had no time for me. You know the story. I was pretty lonely and pretty horny.
The town we were stationed in wasn't much. I think the whole country only had eighty thousand people and pretty scattered out. So many married, so many old, so many to young. Really cut down my odds of finding anyone.
Social opportunities were not numerous. Lot of the bars were not open on Mondays and Tuesdays due to the lack of business. There seemed to be a lot of bars in town but, most when open were full of middle aged or old people.
This was when the drinking age was 18 and there were basically two places that were popular. A disco and a country bar.
Often when I went out it was pretty much the same crowd from the Air Base. Some bar would close in town and new one open and it would be the hot spot for a time but, when we would go there it would be the same people.
Different interior but the hot guys got the girls.
I was hoping like my friend I would meet a local woman and get something going.
One Monday some of the guys came in talking about Saturday night. At the end of evening about 2 a.m. they were leaving the disco and a commotion got started outside.
They told of how some big guy was beating up a little man and calling his queer, faggot and all that. The bouncers came out of the club and pulled the man off.
He was yelling "Don't you ever ask me to go home with you, Faggot."
They said a few people ushered the little guy away while the bouncers calmed down the big man.
Yet another reason for me to keep my Bi and gay side quiet.
A few of the other guys had been there too and confirmed the story.
Well, I guess a year went by and a coworker was going overseas and we were having a party and decided to go to the disco. I really didn't want to go.
Guess I was an old man because the music was to loud and not to my liking, to much smoke, and I probably wouldn't meet anyone and would leave early.
My group managed to get a section away from the big crowd. It was up a few stairs. There were other people not with us there off to the side but, we had the section to ourselves.
It was better than I thought. I found several women to dance with and was having a good time with the party and ended up staying late. The closer to closing the crowd began to thin out, including the women I had been dancing with.
I was at our table alone and nursing a coke instead of booze when something very shiny caught my eye. I looked towards it and it was the watch face on a guy's watch from a thin man standing at a bar table. The light managed to hit me in the eye and was rather bothersome.
The thin guy seemed to pick up on it and dropped his arm and he came over and apologized and I told him it really wasn't a problem, just a bit annoying.
He offered to buy me a drink to make up for it.
Well, the music was so damn loud we really couldn't talk very well. But, I managed to get through to him I was leaving and smiled.
I went and screamed the final good bye to the guy being shipped out and went outside.
This was back in the days when people could smoke inside, the place had been sweltering too so managed to sweat it up a lot.
I got outside in the cool air and took a few deep breaths in the fresh air.
I turned to see the thin man coming out the door a few seconds later. I told him, now that we didn't have to scream that I appreciated the offer of the drink but, I was driving.
He said he was concerned he had offended me and was a bit worried that I might kick his ass.
I asked why he thought that and he replied "well, that has happened to me here before. If it wasn't for the bouncers in the door the guy might of killed me."
In that moment I recalled the guys talking about how some big guy was beating up a small thin guy because he asked him to come back to his place.
I wondered if it was him.
Now I'm no bad ass or tough guy or a muscled up body builder and only six foot at 170 pounds but, it wouldn't of taken a lot to whip him.
He was about five foot four inches and I was guessing he weighed in at 90 pounds and I think that is being generous. I think if one of the fans (if they ever turned them on), in the club had been turned on he would of been blown across the floor like a napkin.
Anyway, the guy said while rubbing an ear "I don't know why I come here because it stinks, it is hot, and the music is to damn loud."
I agreed and told him the only reason I was there was for a goodbye to a coworker I liked but, wouldn't be coming back no matter what the excuse.
He laughed and agreed with me.
I started walking towards the parking lot and he was going along. I assumed his car was probably there too.
But even when we got to the parking lot we just stood there talking. Nothing special just things. But, for some reason I took an instant liking to him.
He told me his name was Don. He was only 19 (this back in the day when people that were 18 could get into bars and drink.)
He had been in college trying to become an Electrical Engineer but, ran into money issues and had to stop after his first year.
People were starting to come out of the disco and passing us. It was a rather narrow sidewalk so we stepped more into the parking lot to get out of the way and we were in a rather dark corner.
I noticed a few guys from my shop walked by but they didn't see us.
Then Don and I didn't say anything, we just looked at each other.
I liked the guy but, wasn't sure what to say to him. But, my gay side was really talking to me.
Like I said I am not good at this sort of thing. In fact I suck at picking people up. In all my years not only did I not pick up a woman or man for the night I never even got a phone number.
But, suddenly to my own shock I asked "Are you the gay guy that got worked over about a year back in the street here for asking a guy to go home with you, some of my coworkers told me about it."
His demeanor changed suddenly and I could feel it. I decided to try and put him at ease and said "I don't care if a guy is gay or not."
That eased him a bit but, he still backed up from me, several good feet in fact.
I was thinking maybe he was straight and was a bit offended that I asked.
When he was more than a few feet he carefully said "Yeah, that was me and I'm gay if that bothers you I will leave and not bother you again."
I said "no, no, it is cool, it is cool. I have no problem with it, really."
It didn't appear to relax him all that much but, his body language changed a bit.