It had been an unusual week for Daniel. This was the third week he had spent in the south of England in three months. He walked along the pavement in as brisk a manner as the hot day would allow him. He was dressed in a dark charcoal grey pin-stripe suit, with well-polished black leather shoes and silk handkerchief in his top pocket. This was all a bit heavyweight for the southern late summer which he was experiencing. Anyone who bothered to glance at him, as he passed by, might have taken him for a barrister or a banker or as a guy in any one of a number of city type jobs. The truth of it was that he was an academic in one of the northern universities and he was in Kent to give a series of lectures at a conference.
He was staying over with a mate of his, who owned a furniture business, for the week. It was now Thursday and he had come out of the conference early as he wanted to buy a new portable CD to use on the train home. Unaccountably, he had left his own on the train, on the way down. He wasn’t surprised. He was well-used to this journey up and down from the north to London. The quiet coach hadn’t been that quiet, but in his gathering up of papers and throwing the rubbish away on his table, he must have thrown away the slim CD player at the same time. Annoying as it was, Daniel understood that these things happen and that it’s usually best to be quite laid back when such events occur. He was often amused that to some people, the rather formal exterior they saw hid quite an inventive and relaxed interior.
So here he was, striding along the high street at about 4.45pm looking for the local Comet store. Well, why pay more than you need, thought Daniel, musing that only his intimate friends call him Dan. Once he reached Comet, he eventually found the portable CD players next to the carpet vacuum cleaners and opposite a row of washing machines. It seemed an odd place to find them but then again these places didn’t make money by using space to display items on their own. In order to swiftly run his eyes over the contents of the revolving glass display, he took a couple of paces back. He had been conscious of voices behind him, but he hadn’t taken any notice of their owners. He had been intent on buying the CD player, then going to buy a bottle of wine to take to his mate Steve’s house to add to the supper arrangements. A bottle of wine a day didn’t seem much to pay for his week long stay.
When Dan took his second step back, the ball and heel of his right foot, on which he was carrying most of his weight, caught against the front wheelchair castor of a guy about ten years younger than him. It gave them both a bit of a shock, as they had been intent on their own purchases. Dan nearly fell into his lap. Dan’s attention was immediately caught by this guy’s features. He had beautifully cool green eyes and light brown hair, the front of which lightly touched the guy’s forehead. The guy was sat next to the washing machine, with the rim of his left wheel about a foot away from the machine itself. The door of the machine was open and the guy’s feet were pointing just beyond the open door. He had been looking inside the machine itself, to see how big the drum was. He didn’t mind doing washing, but if he could do it once a week that would be good. In order to look inside, he had positioned himself strategically, so that he could steady himself by putting his outer-most hand on the right wheel and bend forward. Having looked inside, he had just been in the motion of lightly pushing himself back into position, noticing some slight spasm of his stomach muscles as he did so. His left hand was still on the rim of the washing machine, when Dan had almost fallen into his lap. Martin, as Dan later found he was called, was a fairly laid back guy who at least saw this was an honest accident. Martin gave Dan a smile (rather beautiful Dan thought) and a steadying hand which helped Dan regain his balance.
Dan was used to dealing with unusual situations. Was this unusual? Well he wasn’t known for sitting on a younger mans knee in public, or even in private for that matter. Unknown to many of his students, he had trained as a nurse some years before and had dealt with a lot of life and death situations and much in between. He had then left the health service and taught physiology for years. Most of his friends merely knew him as an established teacher in that subject. Some people knew that he was attracted to guys, not that he found women totally unattractive. Indeed the contrary was true, he had thought about marriage several times, but didn’t feel he was committed enough. Not much made him feel flustered.
Dan regained his balance and stood up. But not before feeling a synergy within himself, something he hadn’t felt for a long time. It was as though his mind was working at a thousand miles an hour. It was like looking through a telescope the wrong way. You know, the way in which you can see the segments of each telescopic piece forming down the barrel. The first of these pieces seemed to be represented by the rim of the wheel of Martin’s chair, which he could feel through his trousers. The second was the round open space of the washing machine, which Martin still had his left hand on, giving himself a bit of support. Surveying the scene swiftly, Dan couldn’t help but notice the finely toned muscles of Martin’s arms. Not bulky in a gross way, but strong. God, they were as fine as any athletes you would want to meet, covered with beautiful light brown down. Dan could feel his cock stirring gently in his briefs. Hell, he hoped this slightly built beauty wouldn’t notice. It would be really embarrassing if he did, but the telescopic image wouldn’t leave Dan’s mind. He noticed through Martin’s tee-shirt, that he had a ring in his right nipple; fuck it he thought, how good it would be to suck this guy’s nipple and to gently massage his prick at the same time; the round lateral edge of which he could just see, within Martin’s fairly tight trousers.
Dan’s attention was brought up sharp when a shop assistant asked who was next. There was some polite exchange between Dan and Martin about who was here first. Dan insisted that Martin go ahead. Martin thought that there was something about this guy, something quite positive, which he couldn’t quite put his finger on. He accepted Dan’s gesture, hoping all the while that it wasn’t because he used a wheelchair to get around. He had had enough of people being excessively nice to him for no reason. Little did he know that it was just the excuse that Dan needed to admire Martin from close-up, under the relatively obscure guise of being the next awaiting customer. Dan tried to look as nonchalant as he could, glancing over the CD players in the glass display, but all the while catching sight of Martin in the mirror reflection of the glass.
Dan couldn’t help hearing what was going on either. Martin’s purchase seemed to be going quite straightforwardly. He was, so Dan heard, going to pay by debit card. No, he didn’t want additional insurance, commenting quite firmly that it was a waste of money. Dan noted that this was one hell of a guy who knew his own mind and what he wanted. The only thing needed to strike the deal was the arrangements for delivery. A card on top of the machine said, ‘next day delivery guaranteed’, and that is what Martin wanted. No problem said the pimply shop assistant and walked away with Martin’s debit card. He was back within two minutes holding the card voucher for Martin to sign. He was just about to sign the voucher, having adjusted the position of his chair to enable him to rest the paperwork on top of the machine, when the assistant said in a rather feeble voice, ‘Oh, and by the way, it will be next week I’m afraid, our delivery van has broken down’. Dan could see, even from a few feet away, that Martin wasn’t very pleased, in fact he looked damned angry. It wasn’t just that he had some clothing he needed to wash, his old machine having been out of action for a week or more. He was also aware that some folks thought they could say what they liked to someone in a chair as though they were half-witted as well as unable to walk. This infuriated him immensely.
Sizing up the situation and without stopping to think what he was saying, Dan heard himself saying to Martin, ‘Excuse me, I couldn’t help but overhear. I have a mate with a furniture van, he could deliver it tomorrow afternoon for you if you like, about four o’clock. No worries’. It was nearly time for the shop to close and Martin was in two minds about whether to tell the shop assistant to stuff his washing machine up his own back-side or to take up Dan’s offer. What the hell. He seemed a reasonable enough guy. If he could get it delivered tomorrow, why not? What’s life for if it’s not to take chances now and again. Funnily enough, that was what Dan was also thinking, but on a slightly different level. He didn’t think this guy was gay. Very few people are straight down the line, one way or the other. Dan knew that from school, though he wasn’t very good at reading such things, even in the most obvious situations, but Martin, seemed like the sort of guy it would be really nice to get to know, whatever.
Dan said all he needed was Martin’s name, address and telephone number just so that his mate could check that Martin was in before he set off with it. It struck Dan, as Martin was writing down the information on a scrap of paper, that he had no idea whether he could deliver this arrangement at all. Perhaps he had better buy Steve two bottles of wine on the way home and promise him a beer in the pub after the delivery.
Martin gave Dan the scrap of paper and said he would see him tomorrow at four o’clock, as he would give his mate Steve a lift with it into the house. It was the last day of the conference and it would be over by then. Dan reassured Martin that Steve was also good with technical things like plumbing, so fixing it up wouldn’t be a problem. The pimply faced shop assistant walked away, with a surly look on his face. His boss wouldn’t be pleased that he had lost the delivery fee.
Dan glanced at the details on the scrap of paper Martin had given him, smiled his most gracious smile, shook Martin’s hand and walked away to get the attention of a more helpful salesman who had just become free. Dan asked the salesman if he could show him a particular CD player. It was quite expensive, but he preferred to buy better quality equipment. He couldn’t help but notice the easy way in which Martin rolled himself out of the shop; the way his arms and hands, worked the wheels to get an easy motion going; a movement of pure grace, and the way that Martin’s legs began to give a fine spasmodic tremor as he wheeled himself through the door, gaining purchase on the abutting door which was closed. Dan looked at the new shop assistant. He wasn’t pimply faced like the previous one. This one was about six feet three inches tall, with dark black hair, a good rugged complexion and a square, not unattractive jaw – just the sort of guy you might meet on the rugby field. Dan couldn’t help comparing his attractiveness to Martin’s who has just gone out of the door. There was no competition, Martin had it all the way.
Martin’s car was parked opposite the window. Dan couldn’t see the fine detail as the opened car door obscured the view. In his mind he was remembering his physiology, the reasons why some parts of the body work and some don’t after a spinal cord injury - the variations between and within levels of injury; reminding himself that the results are not alike for any two people. Dan could imagine though, Martin lifting his foot from the footrest and placing it into the car, then doing the same with the other leg. He could see him lifting his trunk into the car, those beautiful arms making such purposeful assured movements. The sort of movement which comes with the practice of transferring from bed to chair, chair to lavatory, lavatory to chair, chair to car, car to chair etc. etc. day by day.
Dan was suddenly aware that the shop assistant was showing him the ‘unique’ features’ of this particular machine. He was aware that he had not heard a word that the assistant had said. But it didn’t matter. Dan said he would buy it. Well, he would need something to talk about tomorrow as Steve fitted-up Martin’s new washer to the plumbing. As he looked out of the shop he could see that Martin had loaded up his chair onto the back seat, had made himself comfortable and was about to drive off. He noticed Martin give him a brief wave and again, that beautiful smile. Open, honest, tantalising.
Steve bought two bottles of wine on the way back to his lodgings and when he got in, nonchalantly mentioned what he had co-opted Steve to do the following day. Steve was incredulous. This was totally out of character for Dan, but it clearly meant something to him to offer to do it, so Steve agreed, but not before he had ensured that Dan would bring back a case of wine the next night.
After their meal Steve and Dan watched a few banal television programmes to unwind from their respective days. Dan was dressed in a much more relaxed manner now. After a while, Steve and Dan went off to bed, each to their separate rooms. Dan had a shower and was pleased to get into bed. He had been speaking nearly all day to this one and that at this conference. It had been a busy week. He would be glad to get home on Saturday morning. On his bedside table, lay Martin’s address. He couldn’t help but put his hand on his own cock, gently feeling it, not in a way that would make him cum. But slowly, all the while thinking of this stunning guy he had met. What, he wondered made him so attractive? Was it that he had to use a wheelchair? No, what the hell does that matter? That’s just how it is for him? Was it that he sometimes has spasms in his legs? No, not on its own. Sure it is part of him, but that can’t be the only reason for being attracted to someone. What was it then? It came to Dan that it was Martin’s manliness, the way he moved, the way he spoke, the way he looked. Yes, that was it, it’s all of him, - so definitely manly, with a frame like a featherweight boxer. Would there be any possibility of them being good friends? When you meet someone like this, it’s the sort of thing that dreams are made of. Dreamily, he went off to sleep.