�Well, Lucy, I am honored that you would consider me for the position.� I said. I ran my fingers through my hair as I tried to decide what to say next. She looked at me with her big eyes that almost bugged out.

�You�ve done an excellent job since you started and you�ve had only 2 complaints from customers. I realize we were wrong in offering the shift leader positions to Lacey and Lisa before we promoted you. You were right. They were hired 8 months after you and they weren�t mature enough to handle the responsibility. Please consider taking this position.� She turned around a walked away. I puffed up with pride. It was true. Lacey and Lisa had been there 8 months less than I and they were promoted. It pissed me off. I wasn�t angry that they were promoted, just that I hadn�t been approached for any type of promotion. Also Lacey and Lisa combined had a total of 10 complaints, not to mention the numerous absences that I had to cover. I felt as if I had been over looked.

�Lucy, I accept the position.� She turned on her heels and smiled at me. Once again my life flashed before my eyes, but this time it was the future. I saw myself stuck at this Wendy�s as a manager for the rest of my life. I saw myself living in this same small ass town with the same small-minded bigots. Turlock is a great place to live when you�re raising a family or retiring, but at the age of 18; it�s a coffin. Turlock was in the Guinness Book of World Records for the highest teen pregnancy and the most churches per capita. So obviously, the only thing to do in Turlock is to go to church and get pregnant. That�s an exaggeration but not much of one. There�s also the high amount of underage drinking and drugs that a bored teenager can partake in.

�Wonderful Christopher!� Her smile exposed her huge, white teeth. �We�ll talk about it more when you come in tomorrow. Have a great night!� I smiled back at her and wished her a good night as well. I pulled the strings on my apron and it opened. I untucked my shirt and walked toward the door. My dark green 1988 Dodge Ram Charger was sitting in the parking lot, in my normal spot. My dad gave me this truck when I turned 16. He owned it originally and I remember the day he bought it. I crossed the drive-thru. I pulled the keys out of my pocket and unlocked the door to �Tank Girl�. I hoisted myself into the seat and closed the door. I put the key into the ignition and turned it. �Tank Girl� grumbled to life. Along with the car, the radio came to life. ABBA�s �Waterloo� blared through the speakers. I popped the automatic transmission into reverse and backed out of the space. I rolled down the windows and waved to Michelle, who was waving good-bye to me from the drive-thru window.

�Hey Chris!� She cupped her mouth, thinking I couldn�t hear her over the music. �Congratulations on the promotion.� I yelled my thanks back at her and drove out of the parking lot.

I took the long way home so that I could think. I drove on autopilot as my mind raced.

�What the fuck am I going to do now?� I thought. I wanted to leave Turlock and go to college. I didn�t apply for any scholarships during my senior year in high school because I believed that college is worth working for. I knew working at Wendy�s wasn�t going to get me into college. I had come to the conclusion that I would have to go to the military to make that dream a reality. My father had pressed upon me the possibility of going into the armed forces, but I didn�t truly listen to him until he stopped pushing so hard. My father was an ex-marine, who had joined as soon as he graduated in 1970. He was in the service for 22 years before he gladly retired. I guess war will do that. The only thing keeping me from joining the military was my secret. The secret that four others and I knew about.

I pulled into the dirt driveway of my family�s cattle ranch. My family had owned this land since 1903 when they came to Turlock from Sweden. My grandmother inherited it from her bachelor brother after he succumbed to cancer. She, in turn, signed it all over to my father. Eventually, I will own the land. This was part of the reason why I desperately needed to get out of this town.

The dogs barked at me from behind the chain link fence, that prevented them from running all over the neighborhood and killing the neighbor�s chickens, which were used for cock fighting. I parked the truck perpendicular to the fence. I turned off the headlights, as it was night by the time I made it home and turned off the engine. I opened the door and hopped out. The dogs increased the ferocity of their barking. Their barking wasn�t threatening however. They wanted to welcome me home and the fence hindered their goal. I opened the gate and the three dogs rushed out. Puddles sat at my feet whining for contact. Freja paced behind Puddles while Spike jumped up and placed his paws on my shoulders. Spike gave me a big wet kiss and I struggled to get him back on all fours.

�Ah, your home!� my dad�s voiced boomed. He was standing with the sliding glass door open.

�Well, I will be if I can get them out of my way.� I picked my way through the dogs, which were now circling me like sharks.

�Puddles, Freja, Spike, get in here!� he opened the door wider as the dogs ran inside the house. I smiled my thanks and headed towards the door.

�So how was work?� my father inquired. I took off my apron and hat as I entered the house.

�It was work.� I replied dryly. I pulled up a chair from the dining room table and sat down. I threw my hat and apron onto the table.

�Good, good. It gives you character.� My dad chuckled as he walked past me and into the living room. I could never tell if he were joking every time he said this or not. I unlaced and pulled off my grungy, greasy non-slip sole shoes. I walked to my bedroom with my shoes in my hands. Sitting on the couch and listening to the T.V., my mother worked on a new crochet project, most likely another bedspread. She looked up at me as I made my way to the bedroom. My mom knew that I didn�t like to talk much after work until I took a shower or bath to wash off the day. She just said hello and I returned the greeting. I opened my bedroom door and stepped inside. I put my work shoes in the closet. I flopped down on the bed and lied there for a moment. The events of the day started to fade into nothingness. Once I felt sufficiently relaxed I sat back up and started to undress. I surveyed the amount of dirt and grime on my clothes and decided that they were clean enough to wear one more shift. I pulled a hanger from the closet and hung up my Wendy�s uniform. In only my socks and my boxers, I opened my bedroom door and walked toward the far bathroom, which was on the other side of the kitchen and dining room.

I locked the bathroom door and removed my remaining clothes. I opened the shower door and turned on the water. Steam rose from the hot water and I stepped into the shower. I put my head underneath the spray and soaked my hair. The tension left my body. I grabbed the strawberry scented shower gel and the nylon loofa. I put a red quarter-sized circle on the loofa and returned the gel to the rack in the shower. I squeezed the loofa and lather formed. The scent of the soap comforted and relaxed me. I began to spread the foamy lather all over my body, starting with the neck and chest. As I worked my way down my body, an erection formed. This wasn�t an odd occurrence. The combination of water and the scent of strawberry aroused me. I pulled the shower gel from the rubber coated wire rack and squeezed out another quarter-sized portion. This time the soap was in my left hand. I dropped the loofa. I rubbed my hands together and placed them on my erect penis. I began to rub with both hands, slowly. My arousal increased. Heat pulsed from my hard cock. I began to rub harder. I began to think of the person that I wanted to fantasize about. This usually ranges between 3 people; Hudson, the first guy I slept with and my best friend; David, the second guy I slept with and another friend; or Danny, a hot Mormon boy that I worked with. For this particular session of self-pleasure, I decided to envision Danny in all his nakedness. I had never seen Danny naked, but I had seen him in swimming trunks. The boy had a gorgeous ass and a beautiful torso. Danny had a dusty-blonde happy trail that led down to his �Promise Land�. In my fantasy, Danny was sitting in an easy chair with dick erect and ready.