Tim hurried out from the house, he wanted Kelvin and now! However he slowed his pace as he walked up the yard. It was not just personal histories that had changed; the yard was different to how he remembered it this morning.
He distinctly remembered Hank saying ‘If ya keep a tidy yard then folks will always come back ta the place they could find the stuff they wanted’ When he’d taken it over from Hank he’d had to let that one go, there had been stuff everywhere, now though…..Tim wandered round neatly piled batches of stuff. He remembered piling it all up, those metal bathtubs, the broken fridges- most of it he’d piled with his own muscles too, like Hank had taught him. Tim shook his shaggy head. That pile of bathtubs he remembered shifting with the JCB, the fridges had been dumped right from the truck as a huge pile of crap. This memory thing was going to be a pain!
As he walked Tim tried to sort out who was who from his memories. Tim Dane remembered his Dad’s face when he’d caught him with Jerry, he remembered being disowned; he remembered fooling around with Saul after a few beers. But Tim Orff remembered his father handing him his first set of overalls at age 8 and telling him how to strip an engine down; he remembered playing ball with his big brother before ‘Nam; he remembered choosing to stay at the yard rather than do college; and he remembered Hank giving him his blessing when he’d told him he was gay.
Tim stopped walking. He knew where he was yet his two memories conflicted. Tim Dane remembered this spot as the only place in the entire yard with trees, he liked to sit under them and sip beers in the summer. Yet Tim Orff remembered it as a revered place- it was the small grove Hank had planted round Joe’s grave, the same place he and Hank had buried mom, and where he’d buried Hank. Tim stood and stared at the 3 headstones; he leaned over and brushed the dirt from Hank’s.
“I miss you” he whispered to the stone and sighed deeply. Both Tim’s agreed on that.
After a couple of minuets Tim resumed walking. He was conflicted now, he wanted to be Hank’s son, he wanted to be a Bear, all his life he’d wanted to be a Bear! Yet somehow it all felt wrong, maybe he simply needed some answers to why and how? He mused.
Tim could see Richard and the other crew members lifting a 2CV shell from the flatbed. Simon was manhandling the hulk while Angus manned the crane. Richard was speaking to the driver. Tim had to smile, there was a Richard in both their memories and he had remained the same in both- 6’ 6” built like the competition bodybuilder he was, and totally straight. Tim just loved watching him work, especially on hot days when he stripped down to expose that huge upper body of his. Tim Dane had always fancied him, even if he was smooth bodied; Tim Orff had arm wrestled him a good few times sometimes winning sometimes losing. Richard knew Tim was gay but it didn’t bother him in either memory.
Saul came out of the Office to talk to Richard. Saul was the supervisor. Slender, wiry, and cute; Tim Orff had always liked him but never touched him preferring the big Bears he found in the bars; Tim Dane had played around with him, but never gone all the way. Tim shook his head again, all these double memories! Saul saw him approaching and shouted over in his surprisingly strong, clear voice
“Tim, can you see to the dogs, they won’t clam down today” Tim opened his mouth to ask what dogs then remembered he had some.
“Sure” he rumbled back to Saul and changed direction. As he went he picked through Tim Orff’s memories, he distinctly remembered mom bringing home the first two as pups, she’d got it from a friend who had too many to cope with. He also remembered Hank finding the stray in the yard and adding him to the pack. Richard had brought a young pup to the yard too when his own bitch had had too many. And damm it he remembered picking up the last 2 dogs from the rescue home. A pack of 6, all German Shepard, all trained as guard dogs, all of them soft as anything with him.
Tim grabbed a pack of dried dog feed from the store and rounded the corner of the yard to the pen, all six dogs went crazy he as walked up. Normally he’d expect a greeting of wagging tails and licking tongues, today he got growls and raised hackles. Butch the Alpha was at the front, teeth bared.
“Wooo, calm down” Tim said. Butch stopped baring his fangs but continued growling. Tim opened the door to the pen, Butch started barking. Tim stopped
“Damm it, what’s wrong with you?” he said. Tim opened the bag he was carrying. Butch sniffed the air but came no closer, the rest of the pack did not move. Tim poured some out into his hand and offered it out like he’d done at meal times for years. Butch did not move but stopped barking. Tim took a step closer and the growling started from 6 throats. Tim sighed.
“What is the matter?” he exclaimed. Suddenly the dogs went quiet and sat on their haunches their anger gone; they were looking out of the pen. Tim followed their gaze.
“They smell the beast in you, you simply have to let them know you’re still Alpha”
Tim stared at the stranger. A tanned 5’ 10” man stood next to the pen. He had a broad nose, solid square jaw, sharp grey eyes with long black hair. The man had a thick solid build with a flat belly covered in jeans and a black pullover. Tim felt like he knew him. Felt like he owed him respect- there was an aura, a scent of something………
“Do I know you……sir?” he said in a quiet voice. The stranger smiled.
“No you don’t, but we are linked” he said in an accent less voice. “I think you have my box” Tim’s eyes grew wide.
“I….urm….yeah…..we do” he said suddenly nervous
“Nothing to be afraid of. I am not some Ogre here to eat you for playing with it. I am here to explain and take it home”
“Do you….urm…want to see it now?” the stranger smiled again
“Yes, I would”. He held out a hand “my name is Tal” Tim wiped the feed from his hands and stepped out of the pen. He took the hand surprised by how warm the hand was
“Tim” he said shaking. “Tim….Dane…urm….Orff” he corrected himself.
“Ah, double memories” Tal said with a grin. “a common response to the box” Tal let Tim’s hand go
“I was just going to let the guys go for the day so Kelvin and I could….er…..”
“Play?” finished Tal with a short laugh. “Please don’t let me stop you”
“The box is at the house” Tim pointed out the roof just viable over the junk piles “I’ll be right there”
“No problem” Tal took off in the direction Tim had pointed.
Tim’s head ran with the questions he wanted to ask. He fed the now passive dogs and locked the pen. He walked back round to the front of the yard. The 2CV had been dumped and the truck was gone. The crew were stripping the arrivals pile of the re-useables. Saul came straight over
“Pack sorted?” he asked.
“Er….yeah” Tim to the smaller man. “I was thinking of shutting up early for the day, give the guys the day off on pay”
“Anything to do with that hunky Construction manager who rode the Harley up to the house?” Saul asked. Tim grinned he couldn’t keep anything from these guys
“Course it’s not” Richard called over in his deep voice “Tim wants to take a quiet afternoon catching up with the paperwork. Right Tim?” the crew all laughed.
“OK. Day off boys. Full pay” Saul said when they quieted down.
Tim watched the crew pack up. Saul closed down the office and Tim locked the gates behind them. There was some good natured rib tickling about Tim’s ‘visitor’ but the lads were happy to get out early, especially for a full day’s pay. Tim walked back to the house quickly, there was a big Harley outside, Tim’s dick tiwched as he thought of Kelvin.
To his surprise Tal was waiting outside the house.
“You could have gone in” said Tim
“Not without your permission” Tal said. Tim was puzzled at this but nodded and opened the door and invited Tal in.
“Kelvin, I have someone here you’ll want to meet” Tim said loudly as he went in. Tim could here the big man moving about in the lounge as he went in “I think its time for those answers we wanted”