Adam? Yes, Matty.

I really wasn't only into Matty for his body, you know. I really did like him. It was just a bonus that he was as hot as black vinyl car seats in August.

"He's certainly not shy about his body," I said.

"I brought him up that way," Susan said proudly. "I think it's ridiculous that kids should be taught that the one beautiful thing they bring into the world with them is something to be ashamed of. I've been a nurse for fourteen years and I've seen literally hundreds of people's so-called private parts. And guess what? They all look the same! Well, mostly. There was one guy who came into the ER with a groin injury and when we got his pants off I almost called Animal Control. I thought it was a goddamn anaconda! But ninety-nine percent of them are just the same. So we all go around hiding the exact same thing from each other, even though we all know what it is and what it looks like!"

Susan was getting a little worked up over the subject, and I too was warming to a discussion of childhood nudity.

"When I was a kid," I said, "all the boys changed and showered together in gym class and at the YMCA. Yes, everybody checked each other out, but it was normal and it let kids see that they aren't different or strange. I see kids in the locker room at the pool or wherever these days and they're scared to death that somebody's going to see their wiener, like it would be the worst thing in the world. What kind of attitude is that fostering?"

"I've taught Matty since he was old enough to know what pants are," she said, "that you dress for other people's modesty, not your own. You don't want to offend anyone, but it's not because your body is shameful or sinful. It's because some people hold, well, idiotic beliefs and are offended by the human body. That, and of course you dress for practical reasons. You wear shoes so you don't hurt your feet, and you wear a sweater when it's cold."

"Still," I said, "I'm very happy that he trusted me enough to invite me into the bathroom. Hell, an hour ago I didn't think he even liked me."

"Don't be too flattered," she said. "He bathes in front of Gina, too, though of course she babysits and has three younger brothers. She's seen plenty of little wieners in her young life."

"Do you let him see you naked?" I asked.

"Not on purpose," she said. "but if it happens I don't make a big deal. That's the whole point, that it's not a big deal. Just last week he came into my room when I was walking out of my bathroom after a shower, and I made no attempt to cover up. A shower is an appropriate time to be naked, and though he should have knocked before he came in, I didn't scold him. I usually dry my hair before putting anything on, to let my skin air-dry a little, and so I did. He and I talked for several minutes while I was buck naked."

"Would you ever go to a nudist resort?" I asked with a sly smile, mostly teasing and expecting her to be shocked.

"Been there, done that!" she said, grinning.

"Really?" I said, tantalized.

"Well, sort of," she said. "Right after graduating Nursing school I took a trip to celebrate with one of my fellow BSNs to Negril, Jamaica..."

"I'm sorry," I interrupted. "I'm familiar with BFFs, but I don't know BSNs."

"Bachelor of Science, Nursing," she explained. "It's a four-year Nursing degree instead of the usual two-year."

"Oh," I said. "Fancy-schmancy."

"A little schmancy," she said. "You can get a Masters, too, if you keep going, and a bunch of other advanced degrees. Maybe I'll get back to that someday."

"So what about Negril?"

"The resort had a special nude sunbathing area," she said. "Not on the actual beach, but a separate area surrounded by trees. Michelle and I went there three times that week."

"Wow," I said.

"Yeah, we..."

"No, no, don't talk," I said. "I'm trying to picture it. What does Michelle look like?"

"Oh, you!" she said, laughing and mock-slapping my shoulder.

"Seriously, though," I said, "was it strange, with, like, old pervs trying to get a look at you?"

"No, not at all," she said. "Part of it may be that a resort like that caters mainly to young people, but there were a few older couples and even two or three families with young kids."

I felt my interest rise, but didn't let it show on my face. "What, like toddlers?"

"No, like maybe six, seven," she said, "and one boy who must have been at least ten. And it wasn't their first time either, because they were already tan all over!"

I immediately flashed on an image of little Matty romping nude in the sun, his tasty buns a delicious golden brown. I tried to sound nonchalant when I asked, "Would you ever take Matty to a place like that?"

Susan didn't hesitate. "I wouldn't be opposed to it," she said. "If he wanted to go, of course."

"To a place like what?" came Matty's high voice. He was standing just outside the door, pulling on the tops of his light blue shorty pajamas. He looked astoundingly cute with his still-damp uncombed hair, and though I'd seen lots of boys wear briefs underneath, the clingy, sheer fabric of these summer PJs clearly showed that Matty did not.

"To a nudist resort," Susan said matter-of-factly. "Do you know what the word nudist means?"

"I know what nude means," he said.

"Yes, and nude-ist refers to people who believe that it's healthy and natural for people to go without clothes on," she said.

"Go where without clothes on?" he asked.

"Well," she said, "In most public places it's against the law to not have clothes on. So these nudist people have special private resorts where it's OK to be nude."

Matty thought for a moment. "And kids go there, too?" he asked.

"Sure," I piped in. "Whole families go together, on vacation. They swim, and play volleyball and have picnics... You know, vacation."

"Hmm," Matty mused. "Don't they get sunburned?"

Susan smiled. "They wear sun screen," she said.

"Yeah, SPF forty-two thousand," I joked, and they both laughed, but from the look in Matty's eyes I knew he didn't actually understand. I was gratified, though, that he forced a laugh, because I knew he did it to please me. It was genuine progress.

"Everybody runs around outside with no clothes on?" he asked.

"Yes they do," Susan said. "That's the whole point."

"Sounds like fun to me! I'll go there, Mom," he said, "If you guys want to."

Us guys? So now I'm included in family vacations? Jesus, I went from "Who cares?" to part of the family unit in half an hour. Talk about progress!

"We're not talking about actually going," Susan said. "We were just discussing the concept."

"Well, if you ever want to go I'll come with," he said. "Are you coming down to watch TV?"

We said we were and Matty hurried out and down the stairs. His bedtime was normally nine o'clock but because of my late arrival Susan had granted him an additional hour, and he apparently wanted every second of screen time. We let him pick the show, some lame sitcom featuring very young teenagers on the Disney Channel. You know the kind of show, where the kids are much smarter than the adults, and even though the kids make bad decisions and get into trouble, they learn their lesson and everything is candy canes and roses by the end. I had to admit, though, that those thirteen-year-old actors looked mighty delicious.

Matty started out lying on his stomach on the floor, but being a ten-year-old he soon began to fidget and changed positions so many times he was practically break-dancing.

"Matty, come on," Susan said. "Sit up here on the couch like a normal person." She scooted away from my side about a foot. "Here, slide in right between us."

Matty seemed very pleased to do so, and in a second I had major body contact with a warm, soft boy wearing only the world's sheerest shorty pajamas that left nothing to the imagination. He leaned his sweet head on his Mom's shoulder, and in Sir Isaac Newton's famous equal and opposite reaction, it forced his scantily-clad butt firmly against my side. My pulse was beginning to pound as his heat came through the shorts like they didn't exist, but Susan's proximity kept my penis from pounding in rhythm, which was definitely a saving grace. After a while I even felt emboldened enough to let the back of my hand fall carelessly against his fresh, smooth, bare thigh, and I enjoyed this simple touch for what felt like a long time, but was really only a minute before I chickened out and retreated. But boy, it was one exquisite minute!

Presently the Disney credits rolled and Matty was packed off to bed. "Goodnight Mom," he said as he craned his neck up for one of those full-on mouth kisses, and then he turned to me and hesitated with something like indecision in his eyes. Then suddenly the moment was over and Matty scrambled off the couch and called over his shoulder as he ran to the stairs, "G'night Adam!"

He didn't look back when I said, "Good night, Matty," feeling as warm toward him as I ever had to any kid. One could do worse than this sort of domestic bliss.

Susan and I watched another hour of television, though it could be more accurately described as making out by the light of the TV, and then we were up the stairs for the promised very, very quiet lovemaking. I found it a little disconcerting that Matty kept intruding into my thoughts as I thrust into her, but at least I managed not to blurt out his name when I came.

Adam gets a whole lot more Matty in his life.