When Tom Newman first saw the young man nervously enter the campus Ratskeller where the mixer was being held, at first he was certain that someone had spiked the rum punch he had been sipping with something far more potent because that couldn't be who he thought it was.
It had been a couple of years seen they had shared a gym class back at Colonie High School, and the brown curly hair was now almost shoulder length in the style of the era, but other than that whomever it was the doppelganger of Ron Elmendorf and just the sight of his classmate was enough to set Tom's heart racing.
Ron Elmendorf was just about the cutest guy in his school back then and happened to be the first boy Tom had fell in love with, even though it was a love affair that only existed in Tom's mind. It wasn't until after graduating from high school that Tom came to grips with who he was.
But Ron Elmendorf? What was he doing at a the inaugural mixer of the newly formed Gay and Lesbian Alliance on the campus of Hobart College, almost 200 miles from where they went to high school? The college choice wasn't all that unusual, but Ronnie Elmendorf at a gay social event? He had to be lost.
Ronnie had the girls wrapped around his finger back at high school, what with his dimples and boyish good looks that always reminded Tom of Beaver Cleaver's older brother, only with curly dark hair, and his slim 5'9" frame didn't carry an extra ounce of fat, unlike Tom's had back then.
All during his teen years Tom had been battling his weight and always losing, with his 6' frame carrying anywhere from 30 to 100 pounds extra. That, along with his red hair and his last name made him a frequent target of ridicule, even if he didn't look all that much like the Mad Magazine icon Alfred E. Newman whose moniker they pinned on him.
Then Tom had decided that enough was enough, and the summer after graduating embarked on a vigorous exercise and diet program. There was nothing new about that because Tom Newman had been there and done that more than once, but the difference this time was that Tom stuck to it.
Now a sophomore at Hobart, Tom had dropped 115 pounds and was a changed man. He regretted wasting his high school years but was determined to change things. Seeing what looked so much like Ron Elmendorf across the room brought back many memories to Tom.
Unlike most people, especially the popular ones, Ronnie had been nice to him, always saying hello and trying to be friendly. That had been a challenge, Tom knew, because he was often sullen and reserved, but Tom recognized and appreciated his efforts.
It was the gym class they shared that really got Tom interested in Ronnie. Watching him run around in his gym shirt and shorts always gave Tom a hard-on, even though Ronnie wasn't a great athlete he looked so cute to him. After gym class activities ended and they had to go shower and change, Ron looked even better.
The locker room had become Tom's favorite part of the school day, and while he kept his pudgy body hidden as best he could, Tom developed a talent for observing others. After he saw Ronnie naked he had lost interest in most of the other guys.
Ronnie was beautiful. He had the most flawless body Tom had ever seen, and Tom had seen quite a few by then. It wasn't that Ronnie was muscular, because while he was fairly well toned he wasn't a bodybuilder by any stretch of the imagination and if anything had the look of a waif.
It wasn't that Ron was exceptionally well endowed either. The opposite was far closer to the truth, and Tom remembered cringing when he heard another guy tease Ronnie about the size his penis, even though Ron himself had laughed it off.
Tom was tempted to take a swing at the wise guy because even though Ron wasn't well hung, he had the most perfect penis he had even seen. Even two years removed, Tom could still see it clearly in his mind; the pale beige tube resting underneath the little patch of brown curls, free of veins and marks, and the luscious pinkish bell-shaped helmet was perfectly shaped. As for the wrinkled hairless pouch below, it held a pair of jawbreaker-sized balls that looked to be just begging to be sucked.
The rest of Ron was equally exciting to Tom. No scars or tattoos, just flawless beige skin that probably never had a pimple. Smooth too, except for a light dusting of fur on the insides of his calves and faint wisps of hair in his armpits that Tom found sexy. He recalled being on the opposite side of the volleyball net in gym and spending most of the time waiting for Ron to lift his arms, nearly getting drilled by a shot in the process of gawking.
Silly teenage crush, Tom though to himself as he looked back at his unrequited love, although the way his heart was skipping now he wondered whether he was any more mature at 20 than he had been at 18.
Then the presumed stranger's eyes met his across the room, and the shocked look they shared told Tom that it was no doppelganger. It was Ron in the flesh, and as they moved towards each other Tom saw the trepidation in Ronnie's eyes and he knew what his old classmate was thinking. He knows I know him and now I know him and his secret.
"Tom?" Ronnie said cautiously as he extended his hand, and after Tom nodded the handshake turned into an awkward hug.
"What are you doing here?" Tom asked and quickly added, "I mean at Hobart. I thought you were going to Syracuse."
"Didn't work out there for me. This will work out better I think, but you? I hardly recognized you. You look incredible."
"Thanks," Tom beamed, feeling like he was going to cry because while many people had noticed and commented favorably on his transformation, this meant more to him than all the other compliments combined. "I just have to keep it off this time. Let's go over here where it's quieter."
Tom herded his old classmate to a less noisy part of the room, and when they got there Tom decided not to be subtle.
"I have to admit that seeing you here at Hobart was a shock, but even more surprising is seeing you here - that is of course unless you're doing the catering or just got lost. You do know where you are and what this is I hope," Tom suggested.
"Maybe I was lost before," Ron mused aloud. "No, I know what this is alright. I was nervous coming in here but seeing you here..."
"I have to admit that out of all the kids back at school, you are the most unlikely guy I pictured - you know? King of the Prom and all?" Tom suggested.
"Guess I fooled a lot of people. Myself most of all. Guys would tell me how lucky I was dating these cute girls and I wanted to scream at them and tell some of them that I would rather be with them. I was just doing what everybody - my folks and all - expected of me. When my folks found out about who I really am, well it didn't go over well. Still doesn't."
"My mother still doesn't know," Tom chuckled. "If my old man wasn't dead he probably would have keeled over if he knew, so I can appreciate what you're going through. It's not easy."
"I didn't know about you," Ron offered. "I just thought you were..."
"Fat? Slow? Awkward? Alfred E. Newman?" Tom interjected. "I was."
"I never said that."
"I know, and I appreciated that."
"I just thought you were just shy," Ron finished.
"That too, and I have to admit that I had a serious crush on you back then."
"Why didn't you say something?" Ron said with a laugh. "Just kidding. 1970 in Colonie is like 1950 in the real world so that would have been dangerous."
"What would you have done if I flirt with you?" Tom wondered aloud.
