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Blind Boy's Bluff!
TJ Ryder
http://www.sissytrain.com/
At Omega House, the mostly black fraternity on Bolus
west campus, the premiere, superjock, all-black male college in the
country, an odd meeting was scheduled for the conference room
on the first floor on Friday night!
One of the few white boys in the fraternity, Jan Williams,
looked at it while trying to write down his housework duties
and college schedule into his notebook.
"What the heck is this?" he wondered.
'Foreign Exchange Student Paid Volunteers Needed!'
He was always looking for
new ways to earn a buck since he was a perpetually broke
freshman on a scholarship, he read a little more closely.
Most were just looking for escorts on the huge campus
for exchange students or students taking courses who
took their primary course load at downtown university like
he did himself. Several of these students were 'special needs'
kids. All boys since Bolus was traditionally all male.
Many were white, all were handicapped in some way.
The compensation was pretty minimal, minimum wage, but
he sighed, better than nothing
Reading the list of needs, his eyes caught one,
another Obeah kid! Andlike him, exchange student from Africa.
Robin Lindstrom. 18 years old, blonde, slight and slim, and blind!
He was taking sociology courses at Bolus and needed
someone to help him get around.
"Well, he's not looking for me I bet!" He smiled,
thinking if he put Obeah on his description he's looking for
a big black bull. Still, it didn't sound like a bad gig
so he did go into the conference room, and a white middle
aged teacher from sociology was there, plus a guidance
counselor type he had met once, and half a dozen black
guys, not super jocks, nobody in fact from this fraternity.
While he thought sociology was a ridiculous unscientific
major, he did like Ms Hanson, who recognized him and smiled.
"What are you doing here, Jan?"
"Looking to make some extra money, what else?" he smiled.
"Sorry, I'm afraid your'e not a good fit for these
positions from what I can see. In fact, the program is quite
underfunded. Some of these boys need a full time assistant
and it only pays for time in class!"
"Well, a buck is still a buck!"
"And," she smiled, "frankly, you would not be a good
fit anyway!"
"Why not?" he asked.
"Well, look at John's paper, typical of Special Needs. Very
bright boy but he has cerebral palsy and a severe speech impairment
so it is difficult to even understand what he's saying. He has a
class on third floor of Davis Hall on Tuesday afternoon!"
Jan winced at his photo, seeing the uncontrollable body
and the smart penetrating glint in the eyes. 'But for the grace
of God go I' he was thinking!
"Well, I'm on campus then!"
"Yes, but can you get a 200 lb wheelchair plus John in it
up three flights of stairs?"
"Oh!" Jan knew his 5'5 140 lb body would never do that!
She smiled,"That's why! Frankly wer'e doing this
at Omega House because youv'e got so many jocks here who could
easily do that!"
"Okay I get it! Well, um," he said, looking over the Special Needs
requests on the conference table, "you know what caught my eye
was a kid from South AFrica, a blind guy!"
"Oooh, yes," she smiled, digging his file out. "Robin's
a freshman and is looking for someone to help him get around
also!"
"Well, he's just blind, I wouldn't have to carry him
around would I? Couldn't I just lead him?"
"Hmmmm, well, Robin's needs are more complicated. He's
gone through two volunteers already!"
"What is he, a real jerk?"
"No, not at all. Very Obeah, maybe a little too much so
if you know what I mean! But he does take his studies very
seriously. One volunteer wasn't willing to spend time
outside of work, and that just doesn't work all the time
because of the limited funding. The other wanted to socialize
and party a lot!"
"Is he doing well at school?"
"Yes, he was one of your competitors for Rhodes Scholar
in fact!"
"I'd like to talk to him anyway!"
"Jan," she said, looking over her shoulder, lowering
her voice, "I think he's looking for a boyfriend as well as a
volunteer!"
"Oh I know that much! Maybe I can help him there too cuz
I know pretty much everyone at Omega now!"
The women arched an eyebrow and nodded, "possible,
and a relationship is the only thing that would work here
until we get more funding. Here's his number. Ever work
with a blind person, Jan?"
"No, but how hard could it be?"
Famous last words he was thinking, and when he saw Ms
Hanson's amusement, he knew that was what she was about
to say.
"Well," she smiled, "I'm looking at his schedule here and
you can meet him tonight if you
like at Omega's Friday Night Social and he's coming.
Some of the other boys also!" Wer'e trying to get
clients and volunteers together and the fraternity president
likes the 'do gooder' image it adds to the house!"
Jan smiled, knowing how he thought.
"I wonder what I'm doing this for," he thought,
laying on his bunk at the House, wearing bikini panties.
"Boredom, guilt, wanting to connect with someone from my
homeland who is probably a lot like me except being blind?"
"Who cares," he thought. "A gig's a gig!"
**********************************************
Jumbo Roosevelt stretched his black 6'6", 270 lb muscled body
as he got a call from the assistant coach at the end of
football practice as he laid on the grass. Most of
the guys had gone home already, getting ready for date
night, mostly with women!
White girls, black, or brown or yellow and the famous
Bolus Bulls star athletes never
had any shortage of those. But some bulls, he thought
ruefully, never seem to have an easy time of it.
He wasn't doing anything special tonight, that's for
sure.
Vic came over with a clipboard. "Jumbo, your'e the
only one around with a car. I got a call from Omega!"
"Okay coach," the big black junior said, rising
and going to the office. He was an Omega brother but lived
off campus but when they called, well, why not!
"Sure," he smiled as he talked, "I got to meet a bus at Oakland
and Pacific? (pause) Why? (pause) They need muscle?" He laughed
and went to change.
He drove an old jeep he got for the head room and because he
only had some part time job income. Getting to Oakland, he saw
the bus in a parking lot and it was already getting dark now!
A fat middleaged bus driver was standing by it
in a parking lot near the downtown University parking
lot. It had a lot of kids in it, mostly white, and
he noticed, handicapped kids, all boys. The driver's eyes widened
at the huge shape of a black man walking up to him.
"Are you from Bolus?"
"From Omega, fraternity on Bolus. What's the trouble?"
When he got up close to the driver, as the man looked up at
his jet black muscled up body, his eyes opened wider.
"Wow, you got the muscle all right! I didn't
know who else to call on this one except maybe paramedics!
And I was afraid they would have to do a lot of damage to
the bus!"
"Someone hurt?"
"No, a wheelchair is jammed in the aisle. Damn fuckin heavy
thing and so awkward to move. Couldn't store it below!
My dispatcher says I can't ride with it blocking the aisle,
insurance rules or some crap!”
As he was standing
there, a blond blind white boy came down the steps and paused,
listening in and looking in Jumbo's direction.
"Cecil is needing insulin, driver! And we can't
get his stuff with the wheelchair there!"
"(Sigh) okay! Here's the guy they sent!"
"Good, hi," the blonde boy put out his hand, smiling,
his blank blue eyes in his direction. Jumbo looked at him,
never having shook a white boy's hand let alone a blind
one.
"Hey," he said gruffly, his huge black calloused hand
entirely covering the boy's, who surprisingly squeezed
his as much as he could.
"I'm Robin, listen, the chair is jammed on top of
Cecil's backpack with his meds! It has to be lifted slowly
straight up and then I think I can snake it out!"
Releasing his hand, Jumbo grunted.
"You don't say much but I can tell you can lift that
chair with one hand!"
"That's me,"his voice rumbled, "able to lift heavy objects!"
he added with a trace of self deprecation.
"Hey," the boy smiled, "a joke!" To Jumbo's surprise
he turned and went first back up the bus. The blind boy and not
the driver was in charge here! Wouldn't be surprised to find
it was his suggestion to call Bolus for some super stud muscle!
To the commotion inside the bus the boy raised his voice!
"Okay guys, settle down, we got the muscle now!
Cecil, just a moment, okay?" He got to his knees
near the jammed chair as Jumbo came up behind him
hunched down because of his height. He saw the
problem immediately because it wasn't a good position
to plant his legs correctly. It would be kind of
twisting and lifting. Robin felt around the chair,
knelt down, flipped over onto his back and reached under
it and then looked up at Jumbo's direction.
"Okay, um, what's your name?"
"Jumbo, um, Jonas!"
"Jumbo for sure!" he smiled, "Okay, Iv'e got my
hand on the backpack, now can you lift it?"
"Yeah, okay," but it stopped, trapped
by the seat headrest!
"Hey chief," Jumbo said, "can you take this
headrest off?"
"Sorry, built in, can't do it!"
"I'm gonna have to break it then!"
"Go ahead, we got an emergency, but that's
a steel frame underneath...!" he stopped
as Jumbo twisted the frame and the whole bus
shuddered as he ripped part of the headrest sideways.
The boys gasped and cheered!
"Who's this, a black Superman?" a kid asked.
Jumbo was panting now, beginning to sweat in the
awkward position as he bent it further out of the
way to get the chair out.
"it wan't steel, just aluminum!" he grunted.
"All right now, this bastard's coming up!" he
grunted, planting his leg, and the heavy chair came up,
Robin announced he had the bag, and Jumbo lifted the whole chair
up and then collapsed the frame so it folded up. Robin
heard that.
"Wow, you knew how to do that?"
Jumbo was catching his breath, wondering how the boy
knew what he did but realized it was by the clicking.
"I had a handicapped, um, aunt!" he was going to say
foster parent but absurdly felt self conscious about
admitting he was a foster child, be like a typical nigger
to this pretty white boy he thought.
"Great, well, Cecil, there you go!" he handed the
thin boy his meds.
The bus driver was anxious to get going
"Okay, thanks a lot chief," the driver said, "now I
wonder what we'll do when we get there? Who's going to
carry that chair out? I mean I can't carry it even with
it folded, bad back you know!"
"Are you coming back here!" Jumbo sighed
"Yes, around 11!"
"Could you ride with us, Jumbo?" Robin asked.
"Might as well, I don't live too far anyway, was
going to Bolus anyway!"
"That's where wer'e going, Omega House!"
"Me too!"
"So, your'e a superjock, obviously!"
Jumbo didn't say anything and there was nowhere to sit.
Cecil called that he needed some help, and Robin
went to sit besides him, and Jumbo watched him go,
at ease with the confined surroundings even though
blind. Several times while he sat near the driver
up front he looked back at the boy, whose sightless
eyes always seemed to raise in his direction when
he did so.
******************************************************
Jan was doing some pledge maid service when the bus
pulled up, and with all the visitors and bulls coming
in, he still picked Robin out right away, not the only
blonde but the only blonde with that odd way of moving
plus he had a cane, and there was something about him, so he
stopped, asked Peter if he could take a break cleaning
in the kitchen, and went over to him.
Robin was bending over a boy in a wheelchair
and laughing when he came up to his back, and he was s
urprised to see him pause and turn, sensing his presence.
"Wow, I didn't know you had a brother," the
wheelchair boy joked.
"That's because I ...!" Robin paused as Jan looked
closely at him.
"Your'e there, I can feel you!" Robin said.
"Um, hi, I'm Jan Williams, a pledge at Omega!"
"Your'e a white boy at Omega?" Jan knew he could tell
by his accent.
"Some of us are I guess!" Robin listened close!
"And from Africa? South Africa? And you look like me?"
"Yes, well, except your eyes are blue and mine are green!"
The boy cocked an ear.
"And you also have a tongue stud, I can hear it!"
This boy is sharp, Jan realized, 'oh yeah, gotta
watch my scholarship with him around!'
"Does he really look like me, Cecil?"
"You'd be looking in a mirror, Robin!"
"Wow," the boy put out his hand, and Jan took it,
exactly his size, "you know we might even be related!"
"I was thinking that myself, I'm beginning to feel
like we already know each other!"
"Well, maybe tonight we can exchange notes. You see
I'm part of...!"
"I know, I saw it on the bulletin board!"
"Wer'e finishing each other's sentences!" They
both laughed.
"I'm going to look into the family history to see
of the Lindstrom's and Williams's have intermarried!"
"My name is, well you know, and yours again is?"
"Jan!"
"Jan, yeah, your'e the one got that Rhodes?"
"Yes!"
Robin lowered his voice and moved closer,
"maybe you can clue me in on the scene here, you know?"
"I think so, you got time?"
"Um, yeah?"
"Going to the dance later?"
"I didn't know there was a dance!"
"Okay," Jan smiled, "Iv'e got a great feeling about
this already! Come on up to my room and we'll talk!"
As he walked away he realized Robin hadn't moved and
he blushed.
"I'm sorry," he said, holding out his hand.
"No, it's all right, everyone does it. No, I take YOUR
elbow!"
Jan felt his light grip on his elbow.
"Okay guys, see you later!" over his shoulder.
"Wer'e going to your room?"
"Yeah, have to tell Peter, the pledgemaster!"
***********************************************
While laying over the bunks in his small room, having a cup of tea,
the two boys chatted about their similar histories,
how they ended up at Bolus, and finally, Jan took
a sip, cleared his throat.
"Gotta tell you, Ms Hanson told me you were looking
for a boyfriend as well as a helper!"
Robin smiled, "I wouldn't mind, to be honest! I'm kind
of envious of you, Jan, not only being able to see because you
can always make the first move, but living here at Omega!"
"Well," Jan laughed, "if you ask my advisor he'll tell
you Iv'e had some rough moments here! Almost got kicked
out cus of a relationship gone wrong!"
"Hear that, happened to me last year in school!
I was looking for a fresh start this year!"
"Right away," Jan laughed, "when I saw you, I thought of
swapping, see if the guys here would notice, like a joke!"
"Okayyy, I can see why you get in trouble!" Jan laughed
as they paused.
"Why not? Think about it! Let's do it!"
"Well, first you told me your eyes are green and you
have a tongue stud!"
"I'll take the stud out and I have colored contact lenses.
I had a little need once to change my image," he added with
a laugh.
"This might be fun. Problem is I don't know much
about dancing and how would I even approach a man and ask him
if I can't even see him?"
"Actually from what I see you operate pretty well, but in
here, that isn't the problem at all. You just stand there and
accept dances!" Robin cocked his head and frowned.
"I don't get it, sorry!"
"The white boys here at Omega, well, we wear dresses for
the dances!"
Robin gasped, "You guys are in drag!"
"Not now but later, yes. Well actually I'm wearing panties
like we all do! Nobody ever told you what a great girl you'd
make with your bone structure?"
"Um, image isn't a big part of my social life, Jan. I don't
see anything, blind since birth!"
"Jeez I guess I'm stupid!"
"No, not at all, but this is interesting isn't it? If we do
this, I'd be acting like I can see! I mean people would interact
with me as if I wasn't blind, wouldn't they?"
"Well sure, yeah!"
"Hmmm, I don't think you realize how big that is for me, cuz
it might be my only chance." He decided then.
"Let's do it! I want to do it!"
"You do know, if, let's be realistic; WHEN we get caught there might
be repercussions!" Jan warned.
"So what? I'm probably not going to get a volunteer anyway,
and for sure I'm not going to meet anyone the way I am!"
Jan didn't know why that was.
"Um, are you interested in someone in particular at Omega?"
Robin sighed. "I didn't know anyone, yesterday, but did you happen
to notice a big black guy named Jumbo come in with us?"
"You like Jumbo? I didn't see him but I know him! He is in
Omega!"
"Yes, I know. We only spent a few minutes together, but...!"
"You think there's something there?"
Robin frowned, shaking his head, "I don't know, that's the
problem. You see I don't get second chances; they just go away,
I don't know how to find them or even to see if theyr'e around!
Is he, well, what's he like?"
"Well, he's a football jock, huge, which you probably know!"
He didn't want to tell him he's not particularly handsome.
"Yes, is he well, going with anyone?"
"Nope! I mean he wouldn't be in Omega if he wasn't well,
gay bi or bi friendly, you know, but...Iv'e never, um, well!"
"Odd isn't it, here we are almost identical twins from
what people say and even by the way we look at the world, and
you have so much experience. Hunks seek you out and you
do the same. But me, well...!"
"Let's change that tonight!" Jan smiled.
Continued in illustrated upcoming story!
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