It only took two weeks for Justin to know he had made the best decision of his life the day he decided to run away with the circus. Of course he only used that term jokingly when talking with his new friends or during his several calls to best friend, Daphne. That was exactly how she had referred to his joining the circus company when she got his hastily-typed letter after returning home and then received her first long distance call from Justin. Of course it was simply a matter of him taking on a new job, but there was a grain of truth in the phrase. By leaving home and joining the circus company, he had escaped the misery his life had become. Now he was enjoying every day that passed.

The first week on the job had been rather loosely organized, with Justin helping out all over the place. He literally became the go-to man when anyone had some little chore they needed taken care of that everyone else was too busy to handle. It was an excellent way to get acquainted with the inner workings of circus life. Justin met the entire troupe over this period of time and found nearly all of them to be extremely friendly and thoughtful. When Debbie had called her employees 'a family' she hadn't been kidding. 

Justin was particularly fond of his roommates. Emmett was a real character with an outgoing personality that made Justin smile every time they were together. The guy was obviously deeply in love with the ultra-masculine roustabout that he shared his bed with, but that didn't keep Emmett from being a real flirt. He would have all the roommates in stitches at the end of the day as they sat around the tiny table in their trailer and talked about this guy or that guy that they had spotted in the audience, speculating as to whether he batted for their team or not. Drew, his boyfriend, never seemed a bit bothered by Em's open admiration of other men. He was obviously confident in their relationship. It sometimes brought back unhappy memories of how possessive and insecure Ethan was with Justin, but every time his ex would pop into his head Justin would force the thought out just as quickly. He was not about to let Ethan spoil his newfound contentment. 

Keeping thoughts of Ethan at bay was even easier thanks to one certain circus performer...the beautiful and ultra-sexy trapeze artist, Brian Kinney. Brian had obviously been serious when he told Debbie he would mentor the newest employee. He frequently checked up on Justin and spent a little more time at the trailer Justin lived in than he had done in the past, although it had always been one of his favorite places to relax in his spare time. Folks were also beginning to notice that Brian invited Justin to his private trailer quite a number of times. They took note of it because Brian had never made it a habit to invite folks into his place that often. He liked his privacy, although he certainly wasn't standoffish or actually anti-social as a rule. 

Of course, the rumors began to spread that the two were probably messing with each other all those times that Justin spent in Brian's trailer. Actually they did have a number of sexual encounters, but their friends and co-workers would have been surprised to discover that Brian often had Justin visiting with him just to talk. It was the first time that Brian had found someone he actually enjoyed carrying on a long conversation with. The two men talked about a wide variety of subjects, especially the growing movement of gays and lesbians who were tired of the bigotry they encountered and were beginning to stand up for themselves with Pride Parades and protests throughout the Country. They speculated as to whether men like themselves would ever feel safe in being totally open about themselves no matter where they went. They wondered if people of influence, notoriety, and wealth who remained closeted for whatever reasons they deemed necessary would ever burst open the closet door and stand proudly with their less notable brothers and sisters. 

Brian and Justin also enjoyed talking about the dreams they had for their futures. The conversations included those dreams they had once had that never came true. Justin was surprised to hear that Brian hadn't been raised in the circus...he was such a talented performer. He listened sympathetically to Brian's story of his lost chances for Olympic glory and how meeting Michael had changed the course of his future. Justin had become aware of Michael's feelings for Brian thanks to the gossip of his trailer mates...not that Michael's attitude towards him hadn't been a big clue. He was never openly rude to Justin, but he had not made any attempt to be openly welcoming as most of the others in the circus had done. He was particularly cool to Justin whenever he spotted the young man leaving Brian's trailer after many hours inside. 

Justin didn't really care what Michael thought of his friendship with Brian. He had never had a friend like Brian before and he treasured their relationship. He enjoyed spending time with the older man and matching wits with him. It was just a bonus that they seemed to be very compatible sexually too. Justin was far from ready to admit that having sex with Brian was more than a delightful way to pass the time, but each time they had sex he did find himself feeling more connected to Brian than ever. If anyone had suggested that he might be falling in love, he would have protested with extreme vigor, followed closely by Brian's adamant agreement that they were simply two guys who liked fucking each other. 

The two men seemed to be the only folks with the circus who hadn't noticed how they both sought each other out before, during, and after performances and how they spent a great deal of time with their heads together talking about something or other whenever they weren't on the job. It was during one of those long talks that Brian sat for Justin as the young man painted a portrait of the aerialist in his favorite costume. That was during the second week Justin was with the company. Brian took the painting to Debbie and reminded her of the idea that had come up when hiring Justin concerning setting him up in his own booth to draw sketches of customers. As Debbie stared in awe at the beautiful, yet simple drawing she also thought back to what Justin had said about the less than artistic programs they were now using for the show. Both the programs and the advertising flyers could be improved a great deal by a truly artistic eye. Justin certainly had that eye. 

By the end of Justin's second week, and third city with the circus, he had his own small booth set up in a prime spot to the side of the main tent. During the day when there were no performances, Justin could usually be found visiting with one performer or another and sketching them in costume. His goal was to create a flyer that would please Debbie and convince her even more that she had been right to take a chance on him. During the second half of his first month with the circus, Justin more than proved that he was an asset to the circus. 

He had a small booth that was set up with three sides. He had samples of his work displayed all over the booth with a stool set up in front of the open booth, his artist tools right at hand. As customers arrived early for the show, they would check the rows of displays, games, and souvenirs available. Many of them stopped to check out the vividly colored and beautifully-rendered drawings of the animals and circus performers that the cute young man with the blond hair and brilliant smile had on display. When they saw the reasonable price he had posted to create a drawing of them or a circus act of their choice, quite a number of them accepted the offer and chose a painting already completed or had a sketch made of themselves or a loved one attending the show with them. Justin particularly enjoyed drawing the kids, when they would stay still long enough for him to get a good outline. He never made them pay until he had completed the work, either by the time the show was over or before the circus left town. Remarkably, no one ever stiffed him. He would then turn over the money to Debbie who would add his share to Justin's weekly salary. 

Justin was finding his new job more profitable than he had expected. His savings were slowly, but steadily growing during the rest of the Summer. At this rate, by the time the next school year rolled around a year later he would have all he needed to complete his education. It gave Justin a sense of pride in himself. Not all of his time was spent with work, of course. Several weeks after joining the circus, Justin found himself in a teasing match with Brian who dared him to try and fly through the air. Naturally Justin was reluctant until Brian showed him the safety equipment that was used for training. The safety harnesses looked safe enough and the challenging twinkle in Brian's eye prompted Justin to take the dare. With assurances from Brian that he would take it slow and easy, Justin let Brian begin to train him in how to use the aerial equipment. 

For over a month, Brian spent many hours of his spare time teaching Justin how to fly. Surprisingly, the young man seemed to have a knack for it. He didn't have the skills yet to replace one of the flyers in case one was needed, but he certainly enjoyed learning the new skill. He was always particularly excited to be caught in Brian's strong hands once he had made his first bar release and was plucked from the air by a swinging Brian. He felt completely safe with the skilled trapeze artist.

The other members of Brian's act took an instant liking to Justin. It was while he was hanging around with them that he heard the name of an ex-member of their troupe....Kip Thompson. When Justin asked Brian about the man, he dismissed him as a fool who could have gotten someone seriously hurt if not killed because of his carelessness and overblown ego. He told him that he had actually had the guy fired on the very day he met Justin for the first time. He had heard rumors that Kip had joined another small circus, but he didn't care one way or the other. He wanted the subject dropped and so it was. He didn't bother to mention that Kip had threatened to get even with Brian after Debbie chose not to find any other work for Kip within the company. He decided it was nothing but an empty threat, just like Kip's so-called talent.

After a month and a half, Justin finally completed all the work he had been doing on the advertising flyers and programs for Debbie's circus. The work was amazing. The finished product included renderings of the circus acts that nearly jumped off the pages of the program...they were so unbelievably realistic. The details and information that accompanied the drawings were thorough and exciting. Any customer scanning the program would probably hold on to it tight and keep it for a souvenir for years to come. 

Usually, with the old programs, the clean-up crews would find them all over the circus grounds after a show. They would be swept up and discarded. When Debbie saw Justin's work, she suspected that not nearly as many programs would end up in the trash bins as they had before. The flyers were less detailed but just as dramatic as the programs. They were always put up all over town by an advance scout a week or more before the show arrived in town. They were also submitted to local newspapers for advertising and to draw in more customers. Debbie could hardly wait to have the new flyers printed and posted. If she was right, there was a good chance the new flyers would attract an even larger audience. 

This work and the tidy sum of money that Justin's artist's booth brought in convinced Debbie that hiring Justin had been a really smart move on her part. The fact that her son couldn't seem to warm up to the guy, something no one else had a problem doing, didn't change her mind. She knew what Michael's problem with Justin stemmed from. It was the green-eyed monster and nothing less. Debbie didn't blame Brian. She knew for a fact that Brian never encouraged Mikey's desire for him. She could even understand where her son was coming from. Mikey was a romantic who longed for a serious relationship, but before Brian stepped into the picture he had never found anyone who suited him. It was just his misfortune to fall for someone who only saw him as a friend. Debbie prayed that Michael would find someone of his own...and soon so he could relax around Justin more easily. She had developed a great affection for the always open and friendly young blond.

One month turned into two....two turned into three. Summer was coming to a close. Schools were back in session. The circus would only be on the road for a couple more months and then return to home base for a period of rest and relaxation as well as the chance to work on new changes for the next Season. The weather was turning cooler with the shorter days. Brian and Justin's relationship had matured. The couple spent more and more time together and Brian continued to train Justin in the art of flying. They often went out to local gay clubs together in whatever town they were in, many times with their friends and co-workers in tow. Once in a while one or the other would leave with some stranger, but it was the exception....not the rule.

One day in early September a stranger appeared at Debbie's office. Right away she noticed how extremely good looking the young man was. He had a proposition for Debbie. He explained that his name was Professor Ben Bruckner and that he had taken a sabbatical from his teaching post in order to write a book about the vanishing world of small independent circuses. The book actually covered all the forms of entertainment that were once life savers for hard-working folks who needed a break from their everyday lives. It included traveling shows, vaudeville shows, burlesque shows, and circuses....all the fun things to do that movies and television had and still were slowly killing off. He wanted permission to stay with Deb's circus for a couple of months to get an honest feel for the business and its inhabitants. He would pay for the privilege, of course. Debbie, never one for passing up an honest dollar or free advertising, readily agreed.

The addition of Ben to the traveling company was only one of the changes that Autumn would bring to Debbie's circus. By the time the circus had finished the 1975 tour, there would be changes and adventures of all kinds. Some would be most welcome, some far from that. The wheels were already turning in two different parts of the country that would threaten to create havoc and misery for certain members of Debbie's extended family, not to mention her beloved circus itself. But there would also be some joyous moments that would never be forgotten. In the meantime, the show always went on and just got better every day for the young man who had wisely decided to run away with the circus one day and still didn't regret it for a moment. 

To be continued............................