Date: Sat, 18 Aug 2012 23:57:30 -0400 (EDT)
From: ErastesTouch@aol.com
Subject: A Throw Away Kid, chapter 15

Throw Away Kid - by Erastes
Copyright 2012 by Erastes
Chapter 15 – Life, How Fickle Are Thy Ways?

The next morning my alarm sounded, so I turned it off, got out of bed,
and went in to shower.  I took longer than usual in there, because I was
trying to get myself reenergized in the process, and when I finally came
back into my room, there was Bryce, lying naked on top of the covers.
He flashed me a grin and pointed to something on his belly.

"Look what I did," he announced.

"What?" I asked, moving toward him.

I was trying to see if he had cut himself.  If not, I wanted to find out
what he was talking about.  As I gazed down at the area he was pointing
to, I noticed a few clear drops of liquid on his skin and understood what
he meant.

 "Was that your first time?" I asked.

He nodded energetically.

"And I was thinking about you when I did it," he boasted, but I chose to
ignore that comment.

"Well, I guess you are definitely a little man now, aren't you?" I teased.

"Does that mean I'm old enough to make my own decisions?" he asked,
optimistically.

"For some things, yes," I told him.

I was trying to let him know that a few things had changed, but not
everything, without having to say it to him directly.  After I made that
comment, I got dressed and went off to work, but not before giving
Bryce a few more reminders before I left.

The rest of the week was pretty uneventful.  I would try to make it home
between 5:00 and 6:00 every evening, and then we'd go somewhere to
eat.  After that, we'd spend some time together doing different things
and then Bryce would go to bed with me.  I knew that I probably should
make him sleep in his own room, but I too had become addicted to
having him lying beside me.  If I did what I felt I should be doing, I
would also miss the loving embrace we exchanged as we slept.  I was,
however, fearful that not stopping this behavior would come back to
haunt me in the future, but for now the benefits just outweighed the
risks.

On Friday, I got a call from the lawyer, telling me he had some news,
but he couldn't meet with me that afternoon or over the weekend,
because he was going away.  I was disappointed when I heard this, but I
understood I wasn't his only client and he did have a life outside of the
office, so I made an appointment for us to get together on Monday.  I
certainly didn't want to wait that long, but it appeared I had no option.
I also decided not to mention this to Bryce or else he'd pester me about
every little thing he could think of concerning the meeting.

I had promised him that I'd come home early on Friday, so we could
enjoy another long weekend together, but I wasn't sure what we'd do
this time.  I kept thinking about it in the back of my mind while I
worked, until I came up with what I thought was a marvelous idea.  Not
only did I think Bryce would like it, but I was even more excited that it
would also be another surprise for him.  Now, I worked quickly, so I
could get everything finished before I left, and I was ready to head home
around noontime.  I checked in with my secretary to make sure I hadn't
missed anything important, but she urged me to run along and told me
she could take care of whatever else needed to be done.

Without a second thought, I flew out of there and got in my car.  I
didn't call and give Bryce any warning that I'd be home this soon,
because I knew he'd have a thousand questions to ask me before we got
off the phone.  I pulled in the driveway, got out of the car and headed
into the house, but I was surprised that Bryce hadn't come running out
to greet me.  I went inside and headed upstairs, but I didn't find him
there either.  I walked around the first floor again, wondering where he
might be, and then I happened to look out a window and saw him in the
pool.  I made my way to the door, so I could I could tell him to get
ready, but he didn't see me walking toward him.  He almost leapt out of
the water when I said his name, so I assumed he hadn't heard me
coming.  His eyes were bulging from their sockets as he whirled in my
direction, and then I could see him visibly relax when he discovered who
was there.

"Uncle Kyle, you scared the crap out of me," he admitted.  "I didn't
expect you home so early."

"Sorry, sport, I didn't mean to frighten you like that," I apologized.

"That's ok, I'm just glad you're home already," he admitted.

After saying this, he climbed out of the pool and stood there, stark
naked and dripping wet.  If only he knew the effect that was having on
me, seeing him like that, but I sat down at one of the patio sets, before
he could notice the bulge forming in my pants.

"Ok, sport.  Why don't you get dried off and changed," I suggested,
"and then I've got someplace for us to go."

"Really!  What should I wear?" he wanted to know.

"Something comfortable," I told him.  "Maybe a decent pair of shorts
and a polo shirt."

"Ok.  I won't be gone long," he stated, as he bolted off.

I watched him race past me, his dick bouncing around as he went, and
then I turned to watch his butt cheeks jiggling as he hurried into the
house.  Man, he was a sight to behold.

It wasn't long before he came running back out to fetch me, excited to
learn what I had planned for the day.

"Where are we going, Uncle Kyle?" he begged.

"It's a surprise, so just wait and see," I answered.

"Can't you tell me?" he whined.

"I can, but I'm not going to," I informed him.

"Please?" he pleaded again, showing me that expression which usually
made me give in to him.

"Not this time, little man," I replied.  "I want this to be a bit of a
surprise and it will be."

He looked disappointed that he hadn't succeeded in getting me to give
him this information, but I think not knowing also peaked his curiosity,
so he didn't know how to act now.  Using his momentary confusion, I
led him out to the car and made sure he buckled up before we drove off.
All the way to our destination, he teased me to tell him what I had
planned, but I kept mum.  He was beginning to get frustrated by the
time I parked the car, but he knew he was going to learn soon anyway.
When I led him into a bicycle shop, he began to ask more questions.

"Why are we going here?" he demanded.  "What do you have in mind?
Are you going to buy me a bike?"

He continued asking questions, one after the other, but I chose not to
respond to any of them.  Finally, he became totally exasperated and
stopped me.

"Uncle Kyle, are you going to buy me a bike or what?" he asked, loudly.

"If you need to know, I'm going to buy a bicycle for me.  Is that ok with
you?" I responded, trying to shut him up.

He looked disappointed and confused, but he stopped asking questions.
When the employee came over to help us, he asked what we needed.

"I'm looking for a bike for recreation," I declared.

I immediately noticed Bryce was beginning to lose interest in what I was
doing, when he thought this was my only intent.  After selecting a
suitable bicycle for myself, I told the employee that I wanted him to do
the same for my nephew.  Bryce's face lit up when the clerk walked over
and asked him what type of bicycle he'd like.

"One like Uncle Kyle's," he announced, proudly.

Once we both had our bikes, I also bought a bicycle rack for the car and
asked the guy if he could install it.  Since they weren't busy and there
was another employee to take care of the others in the shop, he carried
the rack outside, hooked it to my vehicle and attached our bikes to it.
We drove home, with Bryce playing twenty-one questions with me
again.

"Why did you buy us bikes, Uncle Kyle?  What are we going to do?
Where are we going to go?  Are we going riding today or tomorrow?"

His questions were coming fast and furiously, but I avoided answering
him, until he began to get very frustrated again.

"Uncle Kyle, answer me!  Please?" he demanded.

"All right.  What would you LIKE to do?" I offered.

"Can we go for a ride when we get home?" he wondered.

"Sure, that's kind of what I figured in the first place," I agreed.  "Any
place in particular you'd like to go?"

"I don't really know where to ride bikes around here," he confessed.
"Remember, I've only walked the part of the city down by the factory."

"Ah, yes.  I forgot," I admitted.  "You're not really from here, are you?"

"No, I'm not," he confirmed.

"Well then, how would you like to get the scenic tour of the suburbs?" I
offered.

"That sounds nice, Uncle Kyle," he answered, "but I'd go anywhere, as
long as it was with you."

After saying that, he flashed me another of his familiar smiles.

"You are so full of it," I told him, while trying to stifle a laugh.

"But I would!" he repeated.

He looked hurt that I didn't believe him.

"I know you would.  I was merely teasing," I told him, trying to mend
his bruised feelings.  "I know you're being serious and I don't doubt you
at all.  I'm sorry if I led you to believe otherwise."

"I HOPE you believe me, cuz I do love you a lot," he stated, forcefully.

"You know, I'm even beginning to believe you," I teased, but this time
my jest brought a smile to his face.  "However, I also still believe in the
things I've told you before."

That same smile began to fade, slightly.

"Let's just get on our bikes and have some fun," I suggested next, to
bring him out of his temporary funk.

I had to run up to my room and change first and get out of my business
clothes, and then I told Bryce to follow me.  We got on our bikes and I
led him around the neighborhood first, to make sure of his bike skills
before we went farther.  Then, I took him out on a route that led away
from the city.  When we got to a place where the traffic was thinner, I
maneuvered so we could ride side by side, with me taking the position
closest to the traffic.  We talked, we joked, we laughed and we also
discussed things we passed along the way.  I knew he was enjoying this,
and I was too, so we kept going and made the most of this simple
pleasure.  As dinnertime approached, we stopped at a small country
diner to eat, and then we turned around and headed home.

On the way back Bryce kept thanking me.

"Uncle Kyle, thank you for doing things like this for me," he said, his
words dripping with sincerity.  "I've never had a bike before, although I
did ride a neighbor's bike a few times, and I've never had anyone who
wanted to do things for me like you do."

"Well, I'm glad you have your own bike now and I enjoy doing things
with you too," I confirmed.

"I know, but I don't think you'd probably do them if I weren't here," he
reasoned.  "At least not as much."

"Who knows?  That's hard to say," I countered.

"Maybe, but I think you do all these things just for me and I love you
for it," he added.  "Thank you for being so nice."

"Hey, don't say that too loud or you'll ruin me as a businessman," I
jested.  "I haven't got where I am by being nice, you know."

"I don't believe that," he objected.  "I think you do so well because
everyone likes and trusts you."

"Well, I've never heard that as one of the keys to success before," I
teased.

He looked at me, a little confused, but then I think he eventually caught
on to my little joke, because he began to smile.  After that we continued
to pedal on and finally reached home, tired and sweaty.  As soon as we
put our bikes away, Bryce asked me if we could take a shower together.
I hesitated; so he quickly promised that he wouldn't do anything that
would make me mad, which made me feel badly that I had given him
this impression.  Since I wanted to show him I trusted him, I agreed,
and once we were in the shower, he asked a favor of me.

"Uncle Kyle, I know you like to do things for me, and I love having you
do that stuff for me too," he began.  "So would you do something else
for me?"

"Well, I guess that depends on what it is," I told him, thinking he might
be trying to con me into having sex with him again.

"Even when I was young, I can't remember anyone ever giving me a
bath, so would you mind washing me?  Please?" he begged.

He looked very serious about this, and it sounded like a very special
request, so I considered it in depth.  I knew he had been neglected most
of his life, and I could understand how this could mean so much to him,
so I was very tempted to do it.  My only concern was that he was using
this as a ploy to get me aroused.  Finally, I made up my mind.

"Ok, sport.  I'll do it for you," I agreed, "but not below your waist."

"Can't you wash all of me, Uncle Kyle?" he pleaded.  "I promise I won't
ask you to do more than that."

"Are you sure?" I pressed, trying to make sure this wasn't some sort of
juvenile trick to get what he wanted from me.

"Yes, I promise," he added, his eyes begged me to do his bidding.  "This
would mean so much to me, Uncle Kyle.  So pretty please?"

"Ok, but any stunts and I stop," I warned.

"Don't worry, there won't be," he promised.

Since he wanted a bath, I had to take him to his bathroom.  Once the
water was drawn, I picked up a washcloth, soaped it up and then I
gently washed his face and neck.  He closed his eyes and held his lips
together tightly, just like a smaller child would do, and he just let me
clean his face.  After that I washed his chest and arms, I did give a little
extra attention to his budding nipples.  Then, I had him stand up, so I
could wash his back and butt.  When I reached his behind, I even ran
the washcloth along the crack of his ass and tenderly washed this area
too.  I thought I even heard him let out a couple of sighs as I did so.

Next, I washed his legs and feet, making sure to get them clean, and
Bryce turned back around, so that now his groin was right in front of
me.  I looked at it and hesitated, which led Bryce to open his eyes and
allowed me read the anxiety registered there.  I knew he was looking
forward to this, but I believed he was also concerned that I might not
tend to this area.  He was waiting to see what I was going to do.

Slowly, I reached out and began to bathe his groin and Bryce instantly
let his head tilt backward, as he enjoyed the feeling of my fingers
guiding that small piece of cloth over that sensitive areas.  First, I
washed his scrotum and then his pubic patch, with the newly sprouted
hairs, and then I began to clean his penis.  As I was doing that, it
suddenly sprang to life, which proved he was truly enjoying this.  This
made it easier to clean, but it also indicated that he was sexually
aroused, so I finished up quickly and left him standing there in that
stimulated state.

"Uncle Kyle, would you just make me shoot, please?" he begged.  "I
really need to do that."

"Well, you can do it for yourself," I answered.  "Remember, you
promised you wouldn't ask me to do anything else after I washed you."

"I know I did, but it just isn't the same when I do it to myself, Uncle
Kyle," he argued.  "It would be so much better if you'd do it for me.
Please!  Then I won't ask you for anything else.  I really, really promise
this time."

I studied his face and read his expression.  I knew what he meant about
it not being the same, but it would also mean that I'd be stepping over
that invisible line, past the point of no return, and I wasn't sure I was
ready to take that step yet.

"Please, Uncle Kyle?  I really promise.  Please believe me," he pleaded.

He was just was so sweet and innocent looking, plus his expression and
eyes were pleading with me to relent, so I soon discovered I just couldn't
deny him any longer, especially since it wasn't like I was having anal
intercourse with him.  Slowly, I began massaging that area with my
hand and Bryce smiled down at me, before he closed his eyes, spread his
legs a little farther apart and got ready to enjoy this.  I knew he was in
heaven now.

Tenderly, I began to stroke his penis, which was beginning its growth
spurt as he entered puberty, and I made certain to run my thumb
around and over his mushroom knob with each upstroke.  He moaned
each time I did this, which let me know he was really enjoying this.  At
one point, I thought his knees were going to buckle, so I helped to prop
him up and leaned him against my body.  As I stroked away at his rigid,
young dick, he began to pump his hips, as if some unseen puppeteer's
strings began to control his movements.  When I looked at his face, I
saw that his mouth was hanging open and he was breathing in shallow
and raspy breaths, which led me to believe he was about ready to spew
those few precious drops he'd just started to produce.  Suddenly, he
thrust his hips forward, his back arched and his breathing stopped
momentarily, as those thin clear strands of immature cum shot from the
slit.

I stuck my other hand out in front of him, so those drops of his nectar
would land there, and when he'd finished ejaculating his load, I held on
to him so he didn't fall.  While he was recuperating, I pulled the hand
with his cum on it and brought my fingers to my lips, to sample the tasty
treat.  It was as sweet as he was and as delicious as the nectar of the
gods should be, so I greedily devoured it all.

Bryce opened his eyes in time to catch me savoring the last of these
sweet droplets and smiled at me, to let me know he approved of what I
had done.  Not realizing it before, I became aware that I was hard too,
so I tried to concentrate on less erotic thoughts, so my little friend would
go down before Bryce noticed it.  I didn't quite make it, but it wasn't
that rigid when Bryce eventually saw the bulge in my pants, so he knew
that I had been sexually aroused from playing with his little package.
He thanked me sincerely and told me it was the best orgasm he'd ever
had, although in more childish terms, and then he hugged me and gave
me a big thank you kiss.

Now, I had a sudden attack of conscience, and I told him so.

"I probably shouldn't have done that, Bryce," I advised him, "so please
don't ask me again.  Ok?"

"Don't say that, Uncle Kyle," he objected.  "It was sooooo nice, so don't
ruin it for me now."

"But it was wrong and I shouldn't have given in to you," I stated.

"No, don't say that.  It wasn't wrong!" he protested.  "It was wonderful
and lovely."

"Maybe for you, but the law says I should go to jail for doing that," I
pointed out.

"So, the law is dumb," he objected.  "It puts me into foster care to
protect me, but then I'm treated as bad or worse than before.  It also
put in a place where I had to do sex stuff with men I didn't know and
didn't like, and because the law said it was illegal didn't seem to bother
them.  Then, when someone really loves me, I have to worry about that
stupid law that says we can't do anything with each other.  I think the
law is dumb and doesn't work to protect me.  It only hurts me."

"Well, I guess you might see it that way and I understand your position,
but I have to follow the law as it is, if I don't want to end up in prison."

I continued to talk to Bryce, as I dried him off, because he had insisted
on that too.  Once I finished, I went back to my bathroom to shower.
Afterward, we both put on robes and went to the living room to watch
some TV and relax.

Bryce sat on my lap again, so I watched where I put my hands this time,
since he was only wearing a robe, which miraculously flopped open
from time to time.  I didn't say anything about that, but I knew it was
just another of his subtle hints to me.  Even though he did that, he was
pretty mellow, but very loving during this time.  He curled up against
my chest and occasionally lifted his head so he could kiss me on the
cheek, chin or neck.  He would also intersperse those actions with a
continual flow of 'thank you' for all the different things we had done.

That night I had to carry him up to my room, because he fell asleep on
my lap and I hated to wake him.  He did wake up momentarily, when I
went to put him in my bed.  I think it was a panicked reaction and he
merely wanted to make sure where he was.  I surmised he was also
afraid that I might have put him in his own room.  Seeing he was awake,
I urged him to quickly use the toilet and brush his teeth, which he did,
and then he slipped off his robe and hopped back into bed.  I was about
to say something to him about that, but then I thought he was too tired
to try anything tonight anyway, so I let it slide.  Instead, I went to turn
off the light, but he must have thought I was leaving him, so he shouted
at me.

"Please don't go, Uncle Kyle," he begged.

"I'm not, little man.  I'm only turning off the light," I assured him.

Once he understood that, he merely lay back on the bed and waited for
me to join him.  I did it in quick fashion, taking off my robe too, and we
spent the night naked and snuggled up against each other for the first
time since he had moved in with me.

The next morning when I awoke, I could see Bryce's form under the
bedding again, but I knew he wasn't touching me this time.  I waited for
a while, to see what he might be up to, but he just stayed like that.
Finally, I decided to discover what was going on, so I spoke to him.

"Good morning, sport.  What are you up to under there?" I asked.

He scrambled to get out from under the bedding and he had a scared
look on his face when he emerged.

"I wasn't doing anything, Uncle Kyle.  Really!" he exclaimed.

"Don't worry, sport, I believe you weren't doing anything sexual," I
agreed, "but why were you under the covers?"

He blushed before he answered.

"I was just checking you out," he admitted.  "You're so handsome that I
just wanted to look at your... you know, the parts I don't see very often.
You aren't mad at me, are you?"

"No, I guess there is no harm in that," I conceded.

"Uncle Kyle, are you sure we can't do something?" he asked, hopefully.
"I've got to do it soon or I'll have to go look up some of the guys who
used to pay me for it."

I think he might have been mildly serious about this, but I felt the
biggest reason he made his statement was primarily to put pressure on
me.  Possibly, he thought it might be the additional weight he needed
that would tip the balance scale in his favor.

"Bryce, we did do something yesterday, remember?" I pointed out.
"And that was more than I intended on doing with you, so you should
be happy."

"Oh, I am, but I need more," he insisted.  "It was good to get off, but I
want you to make love to me.  I need to feel that.  I need to feel you
inside me."

"Believe me, Bryce, I'm sure you think you do, but I'm not ready for
that yet," I admitted.

"But I need it," he insisted, more forcefully this time.  "It can feel so
good, especially with the right person, so if you won't do it for me, I'm
going to have to go find one of those other guys to help me."

"Bryce, I certainly can't stop you from doing something like that, but if
you do, I'd have to ask you to leave my home," I informed him.  "It's
not that I'd want you to leave, but I couldn't take the chance of you
getting caught and then have the police trace you back to me.  It that
happened, I'm certain they would try to charge me as your pimp and
then lock me away for a very long time."

Having listened to me say this, his eyes were bugging out of his head in
total shock.

"Would you really make me leave?" he asked, not believing his ears.

"Only if you start turning tricks again," I answered, trying to convince
him it would only be for that reason, while also trying to reassure him at
the same time.  "Otherwise I want you to stay."

"But, Uncle Kyle, I need that kind of love.  Can't you understand that?"
he pleaded.  "Maybe if I'd never done it and it hadn't been for Maury
or being placed at the farm, maybe then I wouldn't feel this way, but
now that I have done it, I do feel that I need it now.  I just have to do it,
to scratch the itch that I feel down there."

"I know what I'm asking you is not easy, but please try to understand,"
I stated, trying to reason with him.  "I do love you, and maybe some day
I will feel differently, but just not yet."

"You really think we can someday?"  A glimmer of hope ignited in his
eyes.

"I'm sure of it, it's just that I'm not sure how soon that will be," I
confessed.  "I do have to admit that I also love you, and I now accept
that you love me too, so we're making some progress."

I gave him a wink this time, hoping that would be enough.

"Yeah, I know, but I need more than that," Bryce continued to insist.

"Well, have patience, little man.  Your day will come," I told him.

"I sure hope so," he stated, mildly frustrated.

That's how this conversation ended, but I knew it was only for now.  I
was positive that we'd revisit this issue many times in the future,
although I was silently praying that somehow it would resolve itself,
without my participation.

Saturday was a lousy day, at least weather-wise.  It rained all day long,
and it was also cooler out.  I wasn't sure what type of things we could do
under these circumstances, or what Bryce might like to do, but I did see
that one of the local high schools would be performing a musical later
that evening.  As it turned out, it was one of my personal favorites,
'Camelot.'  This gave me an idea, so I made a plan.  I suggested that we
could go shopping after lunch and pick up an X-Box and some games
for it, to help keep Bryce occupied when I wasn't home, and then we
could go out to dinner, before going to see the musical.  Bryce thought
that sounded good to him, so that's what we did.

When we looked at the games available, I let him pick out several, so
he'd have a variety and wouldn't get bored as easily.  I also bought
some educational software for the computer, to make up for his lack of
formal schooling.  I would start making up a curriculum for him to
follow during the day, so he didn't find himself at a disadvantage when
he returned to the classroom in the future.  Bryce tried to talk me out of
buying so many things for him and complained that it was costing way
too much, but I did it over his protestations.  I really think his concern
was genuine about the expense, and not because he wanted to avoid
doing anything resembling schoolwork.

"Uncle Kyle, you can't keep spending so much money on me," he
declared.

"Why not?  It's my money and I love buying you things," I replied.

"I know, but I don't want you to go broke," he countered.

"Oh, don't worry about that.  It won't happen anytime soon," I assured
him.  "Trust me on that one."

"Are you sure?" he asked, doubtfully.

"Yes, Bryce.  I'm positive," I answered.

After we finished doing this, we loaded everything into the trunk and
then we went out to dinner.  I took him to a restaurant we hadn't been
to yet and we had a nice meal.  Bryce and I talked nearly the entire time
we were dining, as we discussed our bike ride, his new game system, the
educational software, about living with me and about his future.  After
that he wanted to know what the musical was going to be about, so I
filled him in a little about Arthurian legend.  It just happened to be a
fascination of mine and I'd read nearly every book and story written on
the topic.  He seemed fascinated by it too and was now anxious to see the
show, so we left and went to buy our tickets.  We got there early enough
so we could get decent seats.

The performance was a typical high school production, but the lead
actors were quite talented.  The show was done fairly well and Bryce
had many questions for me when it was over.  Most of them were the
typical questions that anyone not knowing much about the legend would
ask, but others were quite insightful and proved to me that he had an
interest in the topic.  I indulged his interrogation and did my best to sate
his curiosity, and then I told him that we'd rent both the movie version
of 'Camelot' and the Disney film 'The Sword in the Stone,' so he could
get other perspectives on it.  He seemed excited about doing this, so we
stopped to pick them up on the way home.  I figured we could watch
both on Sunday.

Shortly after we returned home, we went to bed.  I informed Bryce that
we would be going to church in the morning, and if the weather was
nice, for a bike ride after that.  For that reason, I wanted to make sure
Bryce got enough rest.  Bryce took everything off again, before he got
into bed, and I questioned him about doing that.

"I just like sleeping this way better," he told me.

I thought about it for a minute or so and listened to his unsolicited
promises that nothing would happen, before I decided to let him do it.
I, however, still wore MY undershorts to bed.  True to his word, Bryce
was good that night, just like he had promised, so I began to trust him
more and more after each of these occurrences.  The biggest thing he
wanted to do when he slept with me was to cuddle and I had no problem
with that.  In fact, I probably enjoyed it as much as he did.

Sunday morning, I took him to church again and then we came home
and grabbed a quick lunch, before changing our clothes and heading
out on another bike ride.  This time we went a different route, so he
could see another area in the suburbs, and we rode for nearly four
hours to complete the round-trip.  When we got back, we showered
together, and once again he wanted me to wash him.  I did, and it was
much the same as what happened two days before, except this time we
showered and I didn't masturbate him.  It's not that he didn't want me
to or didn't ask, but I resisted his efforts this time, telling him that it
was not something we were going to continue doing.  He was visibly
disappointed this time, probably because he had his hopes up and was
convinced that since he'd talked me into it once, he could do it again,
but it didn't work the way he wanted.  He didn't put up a fuss when he
didn't get his way, but he did make it obvious he wasn't happy about it.

After we dried and dressed, I took him out to eat, and then we came
back to watch the two videos we'd rented the night before.  He wanted
to see the Disney video first, which we did, and we both had a few good
laughs watching that interpretation of the legend.  We immediately
followed it up by watching the movie version of the musical and Bryce
commented on all the differences that he noticed.  He really was quite
observant, but I suppose some of that came from living on the street.  If
you're not observant there, you can end up dead or in trouble.
Fortunately, he'd survived that ordeal.

After the videos ended, I took the education software and the daytime
cable listing from the Sunday newspaper and outlined a 'class schedule'
for Bryce to follow during the week.  I interspersed some educational
television programs and his working with the software and made a list
of the things I expected from him each day.  I had anticipated a protest
from Bryce over this, but he seemed excited by the prospect, since it
would make his days pass by more quickly while I was gone.  I also
think he saw this as a way for us to spend more time together, when I
went over what he had done when I got home each evening.  I told him
we'd take care of the Phys\Ed requirements of his educational program
on the weekend and he smiled about that, knowing it meant we'd play
ball, go bowling, swim or ride our bikes for exercise

When we went to sleep that night, Bryce just did his thing and crawled
into bed with me, while I considered how I had survived before he had
arrived.  The room across the hall might technically be his, especially
for appearance sake, but I don't know if I could get used to sleeping
without him any longer.  By this time, I definitely knew I was head over
heels in love with this kid and I had admitted that fact to him as well,
but I was glad he stopped being so aggressive about having sex with me.
To be honest, I don't know how much longer I could have resisted his
efforts.

Monday morning I got ready for work, but I looked at him sleeping so
peacefully in my bed and I just wanted to stay there with him.  If I
hadn't had the meeting scheduled with the lawyer, I just might have
done it too.  Instead, I lightly kissed his forehead and moved toward the
door, only to hear a sleepy little voice.

"Bye, Uncle Kyle.  I love you," came his familiar response.

I worked about two hours, before I left to meet with the attorney and
then I was in with him for nearly another hour.  We discussed many
things and he told me what he had learned from his contacts.

"I'm afraid that most of what he told me was not good," he began.  "It
seems DSS wants to closely supervise all of the boys who were in Bryce's
last foster home, not only because they ran away, but because of what
went on there.  Those boys were already labeled as being sexual
predators, but then it was discovered they'd all been prostituting
themselves there, so DSS wants these boys placed in group homes or
with strong couples, with plenty of supervision."

"Those boys only prostituted themselves because they were forced into
it by their 'approved' foster parent!" I pointed out.

"DSS admits that and they recognize they made another error when
certifying that individual, but they blame it on the fact that they'd relied
on the recommendation of a local judge, who turned out to be one of the
best customers there," he stated.  "DSS also claims they had no way of
knowing he was corrupt before he made that recommendation and went
solely on his reputation, so they felt blameless on this point.  They also
pointed out the boys were sexual predators before that, so they won't
back down on their demands concerning their new placement."

"So they are going to punish the boys for their mistakes?" I objected.

"That's not how they see it," he countered.  "They claim they are trying
to protect others from their sexual proclivities, regardless of who's at
fault."

"So the boys still suffer," I pointed out.

"Unfortunately that may be true," he agreed.

"What are the chances I could become his legal guardian and possibly
adopt him?" I followed.

"Not good," he advised me.  "I've already run that by my friend in the
department and he told me they are excluding ALL single people as
candidates to look after those boys."

"That can't be constitutional," I argued.

"Possibly not, but that would require a court decision and could take
years to settle this legally," he explained.  "By the time you got that
question resolved, Bryce would be old enough to be on his own."

"So what are my alternatives?" I wondered.  "Should I help to hide the
kid until he comes of age?"

"No, and DSS is pulling out all the stops in looking for the missing boys
too," he added.  "They have all law enforcement agencies watching for
them, along with a few private investigators."

"So my best choice is to smuggle him to someplace safer?" I challenged.
"This sucks and there must be something you can do to help us."

"Well, I won't give up trying to discover another option," he offered, "if
you don't want me too, but I'm telling you up front that this could be a
long and expensive process."

"I don't care.  This kid has been screwed enough and I mean that any
way you want to take it," I answered.  "He's a good kid who's had more
bad breaks than anyone deserves, so I want to make sure that he catches
at least one decent break and I don't care how much it costs me to give
it to him."

"Well, that's very admirable of you, but it could also turn out to be very
foolish and extremely costly proposition."

He looked at me a little longer, to see if I said anything else.  When I
didn't respond, he asked one additional question.

"Are you sure you still want to do this?" he pressed.

"Absolutely," I confirmed.

"Hey, it's your money, so who am I to complain," he replied.

He merely looked at me again, so I thought I'd get in a shot of my own.

"I know, so I want to feel like I'm getting my money's worth too," I
stated, and I think he took the comment personally.

"I told you, I'll do my best, but I think we'll need a minor miracle to
pull this one out," he advised me.

"Then buy me one," I told him.

I'm not sure what he thought I meant by this, or if he thought I was
making a joke, but he didn't say anything else.

By the time we parted, my mind was reeling.  What was I going to tell
Bryce?  I had innocently let it slip that I was meeting with the lawyer
today, so I was sure he would have tons of questions for me when I got
home, if not before.  I knew I couldn't lie to him and be convincing,
because there was no way I believed it myself.  It would be almost
impossible for me to tell him everything was going to be fine, when I
knew that it probably wouldn't, and I was sure he'd be able to see
through such a ruse.  What was I going to do?