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Installment 4
by
Erastes
Copyright 2015 by Erastes
Chapter
7 – A Few Surprises.
"Tyler?" I asked somewhat groggily, as I felt an erection pressing against my outer thigh.
"Who else would it be?" he asked, while releasing a giggle.
"Well I wasn't expecting company," I countered, "so I wasn't sure who it was." He merely giggled again.
"I was lonely and thinking about you, so I came over so we could be together," he replied.
"Yeah, I can tell by the piece of wood jabbing me in the leg," I joked, which elicited more giggles from Tyler.
"I told you I'd been thinking about you," he offered, as he pressed his erection more firmly against me.
"I think we need to talk about this," I challenged, as I pulled away from him slightly, reached over to turn on the lamp on my nightstand and then rolled onto my side, so I could face him.
"What's the big deal? I've slept in here with you before and I was having trouble falling asleep again," he stated in response. "I slept really good both times I was in here before, so I figured it would help me fall asleep now."
"Why are you having trouble falling asleep tonight, since you didn't seem to have any problems before this?" I asked. It was my effort to get him to admit that it wasn't really the case and he was just using it as an excuse.
"Well it's um, because ah, that I was uh..." he stammered, so I finally cut him off.
"Is there a reason or is it that you need time to think one up?" I challenged, as I waited to see how he was going to respond.
"No! It's just because I'm worried you won't do what I asked you to earlier," he finally answered, after his initial hesitation.
I still wasn't convinced he was telling me the truth, but it did make me stop and think. What if he was telling me the truth? Could it possibly be so important to him that it prevented him from falling asleep? I was going to play it cool, but I'd give in to him partially, while laying a few ground rules.
"Ok, I'll let you sleep with me tonight, but absolutely no talking and no funny business," I warned him. "If you do either, I'll just send you back to your room."
"Ok, I promise," he agreed.
I then rolled away from him and turned off the lamp, before rolling onto my back and getting comfortable again. Once I was set, he sidled against me and placed his head on my shoulder.
"Goodnight, Uncle Blake. I love you," he whispered, as he closed his eyes.
"Goodnight, champ," I responded, without addressing the other half of his statement.
I then made sure Tyler fell asleep first, before I allowed myself to drift off as well. I felt this was the best way to make sure that he kept his promise.
When the alarm went off in the morning, I quickly reached over and turned it off, but Tyler woke up when I moved. He also spoke before I got out of bed.
"I slept really good after I came in here with you," he stated, as I stood up.
"That may be, but this can't become a nightly ritual," I advised him in my most serious tone.
"Just once in a while, if I'm having trouble getting to sleep," he countered, hopefully.
"Only in severe cases," I replied. "I don't want you to start using that as an excuse so you can keep coming over here or I won't let you do it at all."
"Dang! When did you become so mean?" he asked, while giving me a dirty look.
"When I was forced to become a parent," I answered, as I turned and walked away.
I went to the bathroom first and Tyler was still there when I came out, so I asked him to go wake his brothers. As soon as he left, I went downstairs and started fixing breakfast. The previous evening, the boys had all advised me they were going to buy their lunches today, so I had nothing extra to prepare. This allowed me to sit down and eat with them briefly first, before I ran upstairs to get showered and dressed. When I came down again, I told the boys to have a good day and reminded them to go to the Riordans' house when they got home later. They all groaned about having to do this, but then agreed they would before running outside to get on their buses.
I had been at work for a while when my boss came over to speak with me.
"I thought about what you asked yesterday and I've made my decision," he began, which immediately made me worry. From the way he'd started this conversation, I thought he was going to deny my request. "Since you didn't ask to get stuck with Matt's kids and you don't have anyone to help you, I'm willing to do what you asked on a temporary basis. If it works out and there are no problems, I will make it permanent. Hell, since you work in accounting and it doesn't really depend on you being here at specific times, except for meetings, I'll even let you come in and start working a half hour early too, if that will help. You can start doing this whenever you want, even today."
"Thanks, I really appreciate that, but I don't want to start early," I told him, sincerely. "I want to be there in the morning so I can see the boys off to school first, before I head in to work. I might be a few minutes early, but not a half hour. Doing this will make the boys very happy too, since they won't have to stay at the neighbor's house every afternoon. Once I find out what time I'll be getting home from now on, I may even let Tyler, the oldest; watch the other two until I get there, if it isn't for more than a half hour. It would certainly make him happier to do it this way."
"You're a good man for doing this, Blake, and I wish you the best," he told me. "It's not easy raising children, but you're starting out with one just about to become a teenager and another not far behind. I'm glad I'm not the one going through that again."
He released a little laugh after saying this and then he went back to his office. I was thrilled that he had decided in my favor, so today would be my trial run. I'd work through my lunch hour and then leave an hour early, so I should be able to beat the rush hour traffic too. It should also give me a reasonable indication of the time I'll be getting home from now on, so I'll be able to decide whether or not I'm going to let Tyler be in charge until I get there each day.
Just by leaving work an hour early, I got home an hour and a half earlier than usual, because it had also cut a half hour off my evening commute. After checking the clock and thinking about things for a few minutes more, I left to run an errand. When I got back, I went next door to get the boys.
"What are you doing home already," Tyler asked, once he saw me.
"My boss let me go home early today," I answered. "You boys head over to the house, while I speak with Mrs. Riordan. The door's unlocked."
I heard three cheers before they said goodbye to Brenda and headed home. Then I apprised her of my improved situation.
"What time do the boys usually get home?" I asked, and she told me. "I've worked out a deal with my employer, so I'll be getting home about this time every day from now on. In fact, I actually got home about a half hour ago, but then left to run an errand first before I came over to get the boys. I think I'm going to let Tyler watch the other two for the short time between when they get off the bus and I arrive home, which should only be for about a half hour each day. I'll make sure he has your phone number handy, in case he needs help, but I doubt he will."
"I think that would be a good idea though," she responded, and then I thanked her for everything she'd done so far.
"Oh, before I forget," she added as I was moving toward the door. "I spoke with my husband about what you asked the other day and he and I agree that we'll do it for you." I immediately thanked her again, because that took a big load of my mind.
When I got back to the house, the boys were nowhere to be seen. Curious I went looking for them. I eventually found Marcus and Ethan in the family room playing video games.
"Is your homework done?" I asked, and I heard Marcus groan.
"I don't got none," Ethan answered without hesitation.
"You don't have any," I corrected, although Ethan didn't catch on to what I was doing.
"That's what I said," he whined, while giving me a dirty look.
"I take it you do," I continued, while looking at Marcus. I did this rather than trying to explain my earlier remark to Ethan. "From the groan, I'd say maybe a lot of homework."
"Not a lot, but it's math," he responded, with a scowl. "You know I don't really like math."
"Go do it and then I'll check it over," I advised him. "If it looks as if you still need help, then I'll explain it to you again, so you'll understand it better. You have to try doing it on your own first though, before I help you."
"Ok," he agreed, before stomping off and leaving Ethan to play alone.
"Where's Tyler?" I asked Ethan, once Marcus had left the room.
"I think he went up to his room," he replied, so I thanked him and went upstairs to see what Tyler was up to.
His door was open, so I peeked inside to see what he was doing. It looked as if he was sitting at his desk working on a school assignment. Since I didn't want him to think I was spying on him, I pulled my head back and knocked on his door.
"Yeah," he snapped in return.
"It's just me and I came up to see what you were doing," I told him as I walked into his room.
"Oh, sorry. I thought it was Marcus," he advised me, once he realized his mistake. "I'm just doing my homework."
"That's good," I told him. "I'm glad I don't have to hound you to get it done, but I came up here for a couple of other reasons too."
Tyler suddenly looked up at me, with a hopeful expression on his face. I'm not sure what he thought this was going to be about, but I decided to clear the matter up quickly.
"First of all, I promised to tell you about something, just as soon as I knew what I was going to do," I began, which drew a puzzled look from him. "The Riordans have agreed to take care of you boys, if anything were to ever happen to me. I just have to go see the lawyer and have a will drawn up, so this will be legal."
"Ok, I guess my brothers and I will be ok with that," he replied. "They're pretty nice, but we'll be happier if nothing ever happens to you."
"I appreciate that and feel the same way, but at least now we're covered," I added. "The second thing is that yesterday I told my boss about how your mother worked things out so she could be home when you boys got here. Then, I asked him if I could do the same thing. He said he needed to think about it first, but today he told me he was willing to let me do it. You boys will still get home about a half hour before I do, but I've decided to let you keep an eye on your brothers until I arrive."
Tyler immediately leaped into the air and let out a whoop, even before I had finished speaking. I then attempted to get him to calm down, so I could finish.
"This is only on a trial basis, but if it works out then I'll make it permanent," I continued. "I ran out earlier and had another house key made. This one's for you, so you'll be able to get in the house before I get here. I put it on a chain so you can wear it around your neck, which should reduce the chances of you losing it. I'll also post Mrs. Riordan's phone number by the phone in the kitchen, so you can call her if you need anything."
"I won't and thank you for trusting me," he agreed, as he raced over and wrapped me in an exuberant bear hug.
"I still want you to promise that you'll call Mrs. Riordan if you have any problems and I won't think any less of you if you have to do that," I warned. "In fact, it takes a grown up to realize when he's in over his head and needs help."
"Ok, I promise," he agreed, before he started hugging me again.
Once he went back to doing his homework, I headed downstairs to make dinner. While we were eating later, I told Marcus and Ethan everything as well. I also emphasized that staying at the house with their brother after school was only on a trial basis. I then warned them that I wanted to see how it worked out before I decided if I'd let it continue.
"Tyler better not get bossy then," Marcus scoffed, while giving his brother an evil glare.
"I'm sure he won't, because I'll punish anyone who misbehaves when I get home," I threatened. "You'll only be alone for about a half hour, but I'll be very hard on you if you don't listen to your brother. I will also be just as hard on him, if he tries to take advantage of the situation. If we start having problems, then you'll merely go back to staying at the Riordan's until I get home."
That seemed to be enough of an incentive to get them all to cooperate and do as I asked, at least in theory. However, I wanted to wait and see how this worked out for a while first, before I'd be convinced of their sincerity and willing to believe their vows of cooperation.
The boys were very good for the rest of the evening and told me many times that I could trust them and they'd be good. They also assured me repeatedly that they'd do everything I asked, so I didn't have to worry about a thing.
After I checked Tyler and Marcus' homework and made sure it was done and done well, I took Ethan upstairs for his bath and tucked him into bed. As soon as that had been accomplished, Marcus took care of himself and then I tucked him into bed too. Once the bathroom was free, Tyler went in to take his shower and then he stopped by my room when he had finished.
"When you stopped in my room earlier, I was hoping you were going to tell me that you had decided to do as I asked," he began. "But this is good too and I really appreciate that you are going to trust me to do this."
"I do trust you, so don't let me down," I replied.
"I won't and I'll stay in my room tonight, so you don't have to worry about that either," he added, while giving me a wink. However, he did manage to drop his towel before he left, so I got a good look at his goodies again. What a tease.
As soon as I felt he'd had time to slip on a pair of boxer briefs and get into bed, I went over to say goodnight. He was already lying on his bed waiting for me as I walked in. I slowly moved over to tuck him in, although I didn't have to do much, and then I kissed him on the forehead. He didn't try to grab my head this time so he could kiss me on the lips, or else I was planning to scold him. Instead, he merely looked at me and grinned.
"Fooled you, didn't I?" he asked in his smart-Alec fashion.
"Kind of," I concurred. "I wasn't sure what to expect, but I'm glad you didn't try anything again."
"I'm going to try to behave, since you're trusting me, but I still mean what I told you," he assured me. "You'll see that I'm old enough to watch my brothers and I'm also old enough to do stuff with you."
"Let's not ruin a good day by starting that again," I warned, as I kissed him on the forehead again. "Sweet dreams and I'll see you in the morning."
I then went downstairs to do a few things, before I went to my room to turn in for the night. It had been a long and exciting day, so I was more than ready to get some rest.
The alarm went off sooner than I wanted, but I got up anyway. I then went to use the bathroom and take a shower next, before I woke the boys. As they were getting up, I went downstairs and began making their breakfast. We all ate together before I went back upstairs to get dressed. When I came down again, I gave each of the boys his lunch money, since they all agreed to buy today, and then I turned to Tyler.
"Do you have your key?" I asked, just to make certain. I intentionally said 'your key' instead of 'the key' to personalize it and show him it was for him and no one else.
He smiled, nodded and then pulled it out from under his shirt to prove the point. I tousled his hair and watched as he went outside to get on the bus.
As soon as the boys were gone, I drove into work and got there about 15 minutes early, which had been my usual time to arrive. That didn't mean I'd be leaving 15 minutes earlier tonight, but it would let my boss know I was serious about getting all my work done, as my way of thanking him for allowing me to do this.
It was a fairly routine day and the hours seemed to fly by. Before I knew it, it was time to finish up and head home. During the drive, I wondered how the boys had done on their own and that continued until I was pulling into the driveway. After going inside, it seemed very quiet, so I began looking around. I found Marcus in the living room doing his homework, Ethan was playing video games in the family room again and Tyler was seated at the dining room table reading a textbook.
"Wow! I'm both amazed and pleased," I commented, as I walked up behind him.
"See, I told you I could do this," he countered, when he finally glanced up.
"Yes, you did," I concurred. "Did you have to threaten Marcus to get him to do his homework?"
"Nah, he did that on his own," he replied. "He said he wanted to prove to you that 'we didn't need no babysitters'."
I had to chuckle at that comment, because of his use of the double-negative. If only he realized that it meant he DID need a babysitter. If this was how they were going to react to my giving them a little freedom, however, then I was all for it. I made sure to thank and praise each one before I started to fix dinner.
The boys were on their best behavior all evening, and since they'd already finished their homework and I'd checked it over, they said they wanted to spend some time with me. After discussing our options, they decided we'd watch something on TV together. Before we did, however, Tyler and Marcus asked a question. They wanted to know if they did the same thing the following night and had their homework done early, if I'd start working with them on pitching. I agreed I would and then told Ethan that whichever brother was not working with me at the time would play catch with him. I even promised to have them throw him a few flies and grounders too, so everyone was happy.
Once that had been cleared up, I sat down on the sofa to watch television. Tyler hurried over and sat down beside me and Ethan climbed onto my lap, so Marcus took a seat on my other side. We then watched a couple of shows like that, until it was time for me to take Ethan upstairs for his bath.
"I like sitting with you like we did downstairs," Ethan announced while I was giving him his bath. "I used to do that with Mommy sometimes, so I'm glad you let me do it with you too."
"Of course I will, kiddo," I assured him. "I probably enjoy it just as much as you do."
"Nah," he challenged. "You're just being nice."
"I might be nice, but I meant it too," I reiterated. "I like being able to cuddle with my boys and make them feel loved."
Ethan just grinned at me and whispered, "Yeah!"
I finished bathing Ethan and then tucked him into bed, before checking on Marcus and tucking him in too. I then went downstairs to finish a couple of other things, while Tyler was taking his shower. It took longer than expected for me to complete what I needed to finish, so I wasn't sure if Tyler would still be awake when I went to make my nightly round to say goodnight. His door was open and the light was on, so I went inside to see if he was still awake.
I was shocked when I turned the corner and saw what he was up to. He was laying on top of the covers with one hand between his legs and the other furiously pumping up and down. The boy was masturbating! He merely glanced over and smiled at me when he realized I was there.
"I'm sure you must have figured out that I jerk off sometimes," he stated, without stopping.
"Just holler at me when you're finished," I advised him, as I turned around to leave.
"You don't have to go!" he shouted. "You've seen me naked before, so this is no big deal."
"Tyler, things like this are personal and should be done in private," I reasoned. "It's not a spectator sport, so I'll leave you alone."
"Please stay! I don't mind," he pleaded. "I even waited until I heard you coming upstairs to do this, so you could see that I'm not a little boy any longer. I can make sperms just like you do."
"That may be true, but I don't do it in public," I countered, "and neither should you."
"This isn't doing it in public," he reasoned, defiantly. "You're like my father now, so why shouldn't you see what I can do?"
"Tell me the truth," I responded, in an effort to bring something to his attention. "If your dad was still alive, would you be doing this in front of him, like you're doing with me."
Suddenly, Tyler looked down and began to blush. "I don't know. Maybe," he answered, once he realized this was a test of his sincerity. "I just wanted you to see though, so you knew I was old enough to do lots of other stuff too."
He had continued to masturbate while we were talking and suddenly his body stiffened, as thin ropes of semen leapt from the tip of his penis. They landed on his chest and abdomen and pooled there. When he finished ejaculating, he looked over at me and grinned.
"See, I told you," he stated, proudly. That's when I felt I had to talk to him about this.
"Tyler, producing sperm is not the only thing that makes a guy a man," I began. "It also includes knowing there is a time and a place for everything and being able to control your impulses. Being a grown up means that you know you can't do whatever you want whenever you want to do it. When you learn that, maybe we can finish this discussion."
I then walked over and kissed him on the head. On the way over to do this, I noticed that his ejaculate was thin and watery, which meant he hadn't been able to do this for very long and was still in the very early stages of puberty. Now that I had kissed him, I left him to wipe up the mess.
"Goodnight and get some sleep," I told him before leaving the room. "Clean yourself off and then you can tuck yourself in tonight," I added, before shutting the door.
I didn't turn to see his reaction, but it didn't matter. I just hoped this time he got the message.
Thursday started off about the same as almost every other day that week. I woke up, took my shower, got the boys moving and then went down to fix breakfast. I ate with the boys but finished first, so I could go upstairs to get dressed while they were still eating. When I came down again, I handed them their lunch money and watched the boys get on their buses before I left for work. I was falling into the dreaded parental routine, whether I was aware of it or not.
Even as busy as I was at work, I often found myself thinking about the boys throughout the day. I guess I would need to get a group picture that I could keep on my desk, so I could gaze at their cute little faces whenever I needed to perk up my day.
Several of my co-workers wondered why I was no longer doing lunch and asked me about it, so I explained the situation to them. After hearing my reasons, they often complimented and praised me for being such a good 'dad'. I didn't feel as if I was doing that much, but as long as the boys benefited from it, I would continue to make this minor sacrifice.
Since I managed to keep busy throughout the day, the time flew by and I was soon heading home to be with 'my boys'. How I was growing to treasure that phrase, because I truly loved and cared about them as well. Sure, Tyler has tested me on several fronts and Marcus pouts from time to time, but they are both great kids. And Ethan, what can I say about that little bugger, other than he steals my heart every time he crawls onto my lap and cuddles against me. He has also taken bath time to mean our special time together and often tells me things that he doesn't want his brothers to hear. For that reason, it will probably be a very long time before he asks Marcus to take a bath with him again.
As I was driving home, I thought about the different things I wanted to teach Tyler and Marcus tonight about pitching. I went over the various pitches in my mind and tried to determine the various teaching points I wanted to emphasize. I was going to make this easy, so they could both understand everything I thought they should know. Once they got proficient with those skills, I might add a few little twists or even teach them some new pitches to put in their repertoire, but for now I'd keep it as simple as possible.
When I arrived at the house, I quickly discovered that Marcus and Tyler were busy finishing their homework and Ethan was playing video games again. As a first grader, Ethan seldom had homework, but that would end sometime during the next couple of school years. Then he'd pay for all the free time he'd enjoyed up to this point.
Since the boys were all occupied, I changed my clothes quickly and then started dinner. While I was working in the kitchen, Tyler showed up and wrapped his arms around me from behind.
"Are we going to work on pitching tonight?" he wanted to know.
"Yep. I told you we would," I assured him. "As soon as we finish eating and take care of everything, we'll go out to the backyard and get started."
"Shall I tell Marcus and Ethan?" Tyler followed and I could hear the excitement in his voice.
"You may, if you want," I agreed. "That way they can have their gloves handy and be ready to go."
"We all have our gloves by the backdoor already," Tyler informed me with a smirk. "We were just being prepared."
"That's always a good thing to do," I replied, as I gave him a wink.
Once dinner was on the table, the boys took their seats and I quickly noticed they appeared to be gulping down their food. Mildly concerned, I asked them to slow down and advised them we'd still have plenty of time to do this, even if they took their time to chew the food first. They finally heeded my warning and returned to normal speed, so I no longer had to worry about any of them choking. After we finished eating and while I put away the leftovers, the boys rinsed off the dishes and loaded them into the dishwasher. As soon as that was done, I led them toward the backdoor.
I grabbed the catcher's mitt and four baseballs, while the boys picked up their caps and gloves. Once we were outside, I gave them each a ball and told them exactly what we were going to do.
"First, I'm going to teach you how to use the pitching rubber to your advantage," I began.
"But we don't have a pitching rubber here," Tyler eagerly pointed out.
"I know, so we're going to improvise," I replied. "I've determined we can substitute the edge of the patio and you can use it the same way you would the pitching rubber, except there won't be any slope downward. Once I have taught you all the basics, then we'll go to the park and you can practice on the mound there, but we won't do that today."
The boys seemed fine with this explanation, so I turned to Ethan next. "You can do the same thing that your brothers are doing, which will give you a head-start if you ever decide that you want to be a pitcher too," I offered. "Otherwise, you can just hang out until I finish explaining things and then I'll let you play catch with whomever I'm not working with at the time."
"I'll do what they do," Ethan informed me with a grin.
"Ok, but listen carefully to what I tell you, because I'm going to explain what I want you to know first and then I'll demonstrate what I mean," I advised them. "The pitching rubber is there to help you throw harder, although you may not realize this. It's not merely there to show you were to stand when you pitch. If you use it correctly to push off, you can utilize your leg strength and body momentum to make the pitch go faster. Watch and I'll show you how it works."
I suddenly had six eyes glued on me, as I moved to the edge of the patio to show that what I meant.
"The pitching rubber is there to help you and you'll notice that some of the dirt will have been dug away from in front of it, so you can use it to your advantage," I offered. "There are two ways you can use it, by starting from the windup position or the stretch, but you use the rubber the same way each time."
I then demonstrated both methods and taught them how to use their leg to push off and stride forward, to increase the velocity of the pitch. I had them practice several times without using a ball and critiqued their efforts, so they'd improve. When I thought they were ready and doing fairly well, I moved the appropriate distance away from them, slipped on the catcher's mitt and let them throw to me. I hadn't yet told them how to grip the baseball though, so this was just their regular throwing motions.
After they had that down pat, I had them examine the baseball closely, to see what I meant by the word seam and then I pointed out the difference between the perpendicular seam and the horseshoe seam. Once they understood which was which, I showed them the first grip, which was for a two-seam fastball, and then I checked to make sure they were doing it correctly. The two younger boys had some difficulty doing this, since their hands were so much smaller, so we made some adjustments to accommodate for this. Then, I allowed each of them to throw to me again.
Once they were doing fairly well with that pitch, I taught them how to throw a four-seam fastball using the same procedure, then a three-finger changeup. I also had Tyler practice a forkball, which he would use as another changeup, but Marcus and Ethan's hands were too small to do this. When they were fairly proficient with each pitch, I had them take turns throwing to me, while the other two played catch and practiced the grips without throwing the ball quite as hard.
"What about a curveball?" Tyler wanted to know, once we finished.
"First of all, I want you to master these four pitches first and then I'll teach you how to pitch to different targets. By that I mean pitching to the inside or outside portion of the plate, as well as pitching up in the letters or at the knees," I explained. "After that, I'll teach you when to throw the different types of pitches, depending on the count and the particular batter. I also don't like to see younger pitchers start throwing a curveball too early, because their bodies aren't fully developed and it's easy to injure the elbow and ruin the arm. When you're ready, I'll teach you that too, but for now just work on these pitches."
I could tell Tyler didn't agree with what I'd just told him and, therefore, wasn't particularly happy. He did agree, however, to do as I asked and stick with these four pitches for a while. I also told him that we'd sit down and go over some other things later that Marcus wasn't ready for yet. That seemed to perk him up a little, since I was ready to show him something that wasn't meant for younger kids.
It was growing late by the time the boys were getting this down, so I told Ethan it was time for his bath and took him inside. He seemed ready, because he had tired himself out throwing so much, even though he'd been taking it easy playing video games earlier. Once again, he was all smiles as I was washing him.
"That was fun," he told me, once he was in the bathtub. "Some of it was hard for me to do, but it was still fun."
"I'm glad you enjoyed it, kiddo," I replied. "I wasn't sure if you would, since you're so much younger and your hands are smaller."
"When I'm as old as Tyler, I'm gonna be a lot better at baseball den he is," he announced, with a grin.
"That's going to take a lot of work, if you want to be better than your brothers," I pointed out, but he seemed undaunted.
"I do and I'll be better den dem too," he announced and it caused me to laugh.
"You know, I think you will be better," I agreed, which caused his entire face to light up.
Once I finished giving Ethan his bath, I put him to bed. I passed Marcus in the hallway as he was getting ready to take his bath next. While he was doing that, I found Tyler so we could talk.
"Tomorrow night I'm going to go over the strike zone with you and talk a little bit about how to find the batter's weakness," I began. "I'll show you how to challenge the batter and how to fool him, so he'll always be guessing and never know what you're going to throw next."
"Are you going to do this with Marcus too?" he wanted to know.
"No, this will just be you and me," I answered. "Right now Marcus should just concentrate on getting the ball over the plate and the rest will come later. Even though you're new to pitching, you've played enough baseball that you should be able to understand what I'm telling you and then be able to use it."
"So it will get to be just the two of us?" he pressed, while studying me closely.
"Yes, just the two of us," I concurred.
"Fantastic!" he shouted. "So where are we going to do this?"
"We can do it almost anywhere, since I'll be using diagrams and merely explaining what you need to know. We may also watch some videos or actual baseball games on TV later, so I can point out to you what I'm talking about."
"Can we do it in my room then?" he followed, and I began to wonder why he was asking this question.
"We can, but it's a learning situation, so you will need to stay dressed and concentrate only on baseball," I answered, while eyeing him suspiciously. Tyler merely laughed after I'd finished.
"Why did you say that? What did you think I was going to do?" he wondered.
"Lately, I never know with you, because you've done some things I would never have suspected," I responded.
"You mean like jerking off so you'd walk in and catch me?" he wanted to know, as a sly grin crept across his face.
"That was one of the things that crossed my mind," I confessed, "but you've done other things as well."
"Ok, I'll behave then, because this is really important to me," he agreed. "If I can get really good at baseball, then it could change a lot of things for me. I would make new friends, be on the school team and get to see naked guys in the showers." He laughed after saying this.
"I hope it turns out the way you want, but don't be disappointed if it doesn't," I warned, since I didn't want to see him get hurt.
"What do you mean by that?" he wondered, while eyeing me again.
"Your summer baseball league won't be taking showers and there's a good chance a lot of the boys on the school team won't either," I cautioned. "A lot of guys are shy that way and will opt to just wear their gear home and then shower there. I just don't want to see you get your hopes up and then be crushed if it doesn't happen the way you're hoping."
"Ok, I see what you're getting at, but I still want to do it," he reiterated. "Maybe I'll make new friends and then invite them over so I can get them naked here. Maybe you'll get to see them without any clothes on too." He roared with laughter after saying this.
"That's your dream, not mine," I countered. "I just want to see you happy and I'll do whatever it takes to make sure you have the best chance of achieving that goal."
Tyler looked at me kind of strangely for a couple of seconds, before he began moving toward me. He then threw his arms around my chest and gave me a hug.
"Awww, that was really sweet of you to say," he whispered in my ear. "You're doing all this for me, even if you don't get anything out of it."
"Oh, I'll get something out of it too - one very happy young man," I corrected with a wink and a grin.
"I think that's why I love you so much," he added, as he turned in the other direction.
I thought I caught a glimpse of him wiping his eyes as he moved away, so he must have started tearing up and didn't want me to notice. Now that reaction was what I consider sweet and very touching, so it's probably why I've grown to love him too.
A few second later, Tyler returned, but he kept his head bent down at first, so he was looking at the floor. When he finally lifted his head, I could see he actually was crying and the tears were streaming down his cheeks.
"What's wrong, champ?" I asked, because I wasn't sure if there might be another problem. After a short delay, he finally answered.
"I know this isn't going to come out right, so don't laugh or think I'm stupid," he began. "Even though I just lost my mom and dad, I still think I'm one of the luckiest kids around. You're so good to me and my brothers, but mostly to me. I want so much to do stuff just for you, like you do for me, and I want you to love me as much as I love you."
"Tyler, I do love you, more than you know," I admitted, as I pulled him to me. "I couldn't love you more if you were my biological son."
"Then why won't you do stuff with me," he asked, as he looked into my eyes through his own watery orbs.
"It's because I love you like a son and that's not something a father would do," I explained.
"Some do," he countered quickly.
"Yes, but it's not right," I pointed out.
"Why, if we both want it to happen?" Tyler challenged.
"It's because of your age and the big difference between our ages," I replied.
"But some guys marry women a lot younger than they are," he countered, hoping I'd give in.
"But they're both adults when they do it," I stated. "Maybe it would be different if you were older, but I don't want to do anything that might hurt you."
"You won't hurt me and I want this more than anything," Tyler continued. "You do everything else for me so I'll be happy, so why won't you do this too?"
"You can't imagine how difficult it is for me to keep turning you down, but your parents put a great deal of faith in me by making me your guardian, so I don't want to let them down or betray their trust," I confirmed. "Your father was my best friend and I'd feel terrible thinking about how he'd react if I gave in."
"You're wrong," Tyler challenged. "I bet if he was here and I told him I was gay, he'd want me to learn from someone like you. I bet he might even have asked you to teach me what you know, so someone else wouldn't hurt me."
This statement caused me to stop and consider his words. Matt never had a problem with my being gay and he even accepted my boyfriend, back when I had one. He even commented that my boyfriend was a lucky guy to have me and then later called the guy a jerk for not making our relationship work. He said the guy would someday admit the giant mistake he'd made and come to regret his actions. Could my warped mind possibly twist all of that into a way to convince myself that Matt might have been happy to see me with his son? No, I'm sure that would never have happened, no matter how badly I twist things.
"See you can't even think of an answer, so you know I'm right," Tyler continued, yanking me back from my thoughts.
"No, I was just thinking about your father and wondering how he might have reacted to your pushing for this," I stated. "I'm not convinced he would have been as magnanimous and accepting as you believe. He didn't have a problem with me being gay or my having a boyfriend, but I have a feeling he would have drawn the line when it came to his underage son."
"Well I don't agree," Tyler objected. "My mom and dad were a lot like you, because they were always doing stuff to make me happy too. Yes, they had some rules and set limits, but since they knew and loved you too, I think they would have been ok with you teaching me stuff and maybe even being together. I'm not sure about the last part, but I'm sure they would have wanted you to be the one that taught me what it was like to be gay."
"We can keep this up all night, but I'm sure that Marcus finished his bath a long time ago and is waiting for me," I pointed out, in order to stop this discussion. "You go hit the shower and I'll go check on Marcus, tuck him in and say goodnight. He's probably been waiting a long time already and wondering where I am."
I then left Tyler's room and walked down to check on Marcus. He was in bed, but not yet asleep. I tucked him in, kissed him on the forehead and wished him sweet dreams.
"Night, Uncle Blake," he whispered. "Are you and Tyler gonna be boyfriends?"
"No! What gave you that idea?" I countered.
"I could hear Tyler telling you he loved you and wanted to do stuff with you," he replied, and then waited for my response.
"What do you know about stuff like that?" I challenged, trying to throw him off guard.
"I've heard other kids talk about sex and I think that's what Tyler wants to do with you," he stated, without judgment.
"Well it's not going to happen, so you can forget all about it," I urged, while hoping he never said anything like this to anyone else. I would be in big trouble if that ever happened.
"But he loves you," Marcus continued. "I can tell. Mommy and Daddy told us that sex was something you did with the person you love, and he loves you and I heard you say you love him too, so it must be all right."
"Not with Tyler being so young, so just don't think about it any more," I suggested, hoping he'd listen. "Maybe you shouldn't say anything about stuff like this to anyone else, because other people might get the wrong idea."
"I'm not stupid," he countered, looking slightly hurt. "I'd never say that to anyone else, but I just wanted to let you know I think it would be all right. We all love you, but I think Tyler loves you the most."
"You're pretty smart, sport," I stated, as I tousled his hair.
"How come you call me 'sport'?" he wondered. "You call Ethan 'kiddo' and Tyler 'champ', but why do you do that?"
"I don't know, I guess it's just my nicknames for you boys," I answered. "If I'm the only one that ever calls you that, then you'll always know it's me and that I'm using my special name just for you."
"I'd always know it was you anyway, but I like that you have special names for us too," he agreed. "I like that you're teaching us about baseball too."
"I like all of those things too," I concurred. "Now get some sleep and I'll see you in the morning."
"Night, Uncle Blake, and I love you too," he added, as I moved to the door.
"Goodnight, sport, and I love you too," I replied, as I shut the door.
After leaving Marcus' room, I was heading back to my room, ready to spend some time thinking about what these two boys had told me tonight. I know they're just kids, but they both seem to be encouraging me to do what Tyler wants, even though I know it's wrong. I was just finishing that thought when I passed through the doorway to my bedroom and spotted Tyler sprawled out on my bed, with just a towel wrapped around his waist.
"You should be in bed now and ready to go to sleep," I told him, as I gave him a disgusted look.
"I can't. I was thinking of you when I was taking my shower and this is what happened," he announced, as he threw open the towel and exposed his erection. "It happens every time I think about you, so I was hoping you'd help me take care of it."
I could tell this was going to be a very long night.
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E-mail responses to the stories, story suggestions, or other ‘constructive’ comments or advice may be sent to: ErastesTouch@aol.com - but please put the story title in the subject line, so it doesn’t get deleted as junk mail.
My other stories:
http://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/adult-youth/different-points-of-view/
http://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/adult-youth/a-throw-away-kid/
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Although the boys in these stories sometimes have unprotected sex, I strongly urge all of you out there to be smart and protect yourselves from various sexually transmitted diseases by using taking appropriate precautions before engaging in sex.