Tenement Funster

Out of This Place...

"I could get used to this!"  Roger commented as he laid in the bottom of the boat and watched Brian slowly maneuver the oars.  He was enjoying their lazy turn around the river in the row boat Mr. Reeves had mentioned.  It was late afternoon and it wasn't quite as hot today.  Roger gestured at Brian with a flick of his wrist.  "Take me to The Ritz young man!"  Roger joked in an affected accent.   Brian looked amused at his attempt to sound overtly posh.

"As you wish Lord Taylor!"  Brian responded in a subservient manner.  Roger grinned at him and lifted his leg up to poke Brian in the shin.  

"Have you ever been to The Ritz?"  Roger asked him.  Brian shook his head.

"No...have you?"  Brian responded. 

"No...though I might prefer The Savoy..."  Roger told him as if he had a preference of any high end hotel.  Brian was curious about something.

"Have you ever traveled?  Been abroad?"  Brian queried.  Roger's smile thinned.

"No...but I wish I had..."  Roger replied.  "I'd love to get on a plane and fly somewhere exotic..."  he confessed.   "I've been as far north as Liverpool...but that is the extent of my travels..."  Roger slid his sunglasses up his nose as he gazed at Brian.   "Have you traveled?"  he asked the tall man.

"I have actually..."  Brian answered.  "I've been to Edinburgh and Glasgow and had a family holiday in Ireland when I was about 12..."  he told him.  "When I finished school we took a trip to France as a graduation present..."  he revealed.  Roger was instantly envious.  

"I wish I'd got a holiday when I finished school..."  Roger whined.  "All I got was the boot from the house..."  he revealed.  Brian hadn't been aware that him getting kicked out of the family home was after he had finished school.  

"So you finished school then?"  Brian questioned.  Roger nodded as he reached over the side of the boat and pulled at some reeds sticking up in the water.  

"I did..."  he confirmed.  "It was a few weeks after the end of term when my Dad caught me..."  Roger clarified.   "I had just confirmed I passed my exams the day before actually..."  The blond looked weary as he recalled that fateful day.  "I had gone out celebrating with some friends and we all had too much to drink..."  he explained.  "A mate of mine came back home with me after and we got caught fooling around by my Dad..."  Roger stated.  Brian had a compassionate look on his face as he listened.   "So I packed what I could fit in two bags and was on the train for London by that afternoon..."  Roger divulged.

"Shit!"   Brian said with a sigh as he felt sorry about what had happened him.  "I couldn't imagine what that must have been like having your Dad catch you in the act..."  Brian remarked.  

"It wasn't pleasant..."  Roger confirmed.  "I'm just lucky all he did was throw me out..."  The men shared a look of acknowledgement at the possibilities of what could have happened to Roger.  Physically beaten for his actions or arrested even.  It was a scary consideration.

"It's hard keeping that part of yourself from your family..."  Brian commented as he pulled on the oars.  "I hate having to lie and worrying about them finding out anyway..."  he confessed.  

"You told me you were 18 when you first had sex..." Roger reminded him.  "A bit of a late bloomer..."  Roger said to him.  He had thought this when Brian first mentioned it but was not going to tease him about it then.  Now it was different.

"It wasn't from lack of desire...trust me!"  Brian told him emphatically.  "I never had the chance to be alone with a girl to get that far..."  he complained.  "When I moved to the dorms at University it became my top priority!"  Roger adored his ambition.