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**Additional Note:** There will be sexual scenes throughout this story, but it won't be predominately sex.  
If that's the type of story you are looking for then make another selection.  

 

Watching Noah Grow



by Erastes
Copyright 2018 by Erastes
Chapter 01 - A Strange Encounter.



I can still remember the first day I saw him at the park.  What initially caught my attention was his mane of shaggy blond hair, his slender yet athletic build, and his adorable little boy butt.  Later, when I got to see him up close, I was also drawn in by his stunning green eyes and adorable smile. 

In addition to his amazing assets, over the course of the next few days I noticed something else about him as well, and it was that the clothes he was wearing were usually threadbare and in very poor condition.  They were also either too small or too large for his slender frame, and I wasn't sure if this was due to the fact that they were his play clothes, or that his family just wasn't very well off.  In any case, he was still adorable no matter what he was wearing, and I was convinced he would look just as good, probably even better, if he were totally naked.

I'd been coming to the park to eat my lunch ever since the weather finally broke after what seemed to be a very long and cold winter.  I liked getting out and enjoying the sunshine, as well as getting some fresh air, but I mostly did it so I could get away from the hectic pace of the business for an hour.  I'd earned my M.B.A. by the time I was twenty-four, and my first job was as the assistant to the CFO (Chief Financial Offer) of a small manufacturing business located in an Industrial area on the outskirts of the city. 

The guy I worked for was a great boss, and I learned a lot from him, but he left the company two years later to take a similar job at a much larger corporation.  Although I doubted I'd get the job, I applied for it nonetheless, and I was amazed when I was named CFO when I was only twenty-six.  I'm twenty-nine now, and one day I hope to land a similar job with a much larger company, but for now I'm happy in my current position. 

The area surrounding the plant isn't exactly the nicest section of the city either and happens to be on the outskirts, which was the original commercial area in the early part of the twentieth century.   Currently, in addition to our facility there are several warehouses and several other businesses that utilize the buildings that have seen better days.  They include an automotive repair shop, a body shop, and a couple of trucking companies.  In addition, there are a few abandoned buildings, and some empty lots where old factory buildings had been torn down. 

The rest of the area consists primarily of low-income housing and what remains of the old factory homes where workers and their families once lived.  Those houses are now in pretty sad shape, and even worse is the run-down trailer park that took over some of the land about thirty years ago.  The trailer park is filled with those who weren't lucky enough to get into the low-income housing, which are merely converted factory buildings, or can't afford to live in the poor quality remaining factory homes either. 

The park is just a small green area in an otherwise brick, mortar, and concrete jungle, and its origin was a place the factory workers and their families could enjoy.  The largest factory had been privately owned by a very wealthy family, and they had been the ones to build the park.  Once the factory shut down, they agreed to rent the park to the city for $1.00 per year, as long as it remained a park.  If they were no longer willing to maintain it, and no longer wanted to keep it as a park, the land would revert back to one of the heirs to do with as they wished.

The city's parks and recreation department maintains it in remarkably good shape, and it's only a short walk from my place of business, so it's a perfect spot for me to get away for an hour every afternoon.  Even though the grounds are well tended and it's a great place to hang out during the day, it isn't exactly the sort of area you want to be caught in after dark.  

Shortly after the sun goes down each evening, an unsavory segment of the population gathers at the park to conduct their unseemly business.  Some are drug dealers, others are prostitutes, and some are there to rob any unsuspecting passersby.  The police do their best to keep close tabs on the area, but those involved in doing business there have lookouts posted far enough away that they are able to warn those conducting business using cell phones.  This gives the criminals enough time to find hiding places for any incriminating evidence, or a chance to head in the other direction before the cops arrive to bust anyone.  This frustrates the police to no end, so they attempted to run undercover operations there as well, but with little success.  Most of the time their undercover officers are spotted almost as soon as they arrived at the park and the 'entrepreneurs' either take the night off or move to a different location. 

During the day, however, the park is generally quite safe, and I like coming here to sit on one of the benches as I enjoy the fresh air, sunshine, and eat my lunch.  Although I'd done this almost since the first day I was hired, I'd only been able to resume doing this for a few weeks this year when school let out for summer vacation.  I suddenly had a great deal more company, and I spent part of the time watching the kids playing on the playground equipment as I chowed down on my lunch.  There were many youngsters running about as they enjoy the freedom that the summer recess offered them, and I'd been coyly observing a number of them as they played on the various apparatus. 

There was one boy in particular who had caught my attention, so I began discretely observing him whenever he was there.  I'd seen him around quite a few times already when he unexpectedly marched up to me one day and spoke.  "Hi.  Whatcha doin'?"

I had no idea why he suddenly chose to come over and speak with me, so I was temporarily left speechless for a few seconds.  I didn't think he had caught me observing him, or anything of that nature, because I did my best to avoid looking at any of the kids directly.  I merely watched him using my peripheral vision, but I still saw enough to think he was absolutely gorgeous. 

You see, I'm a boy-lover and I'm attracted to cute boys, and although he appeared to be younger than my general age preference, he was still worth my attention.  I'd previously looked for others who might be in the age range I enjoyed, but I didn't see any of them around.  He was the only one around that I couldn't seem to take my eyes off of, even if I judged him to be a couple of years younger than I normally preferred. 

"It's customary for you to introduce yourself first, before you start asking questions," I pointed out to see how he would react.  "I'm Brian, and you are?" 

"Uhhh, Noah."

"You seem awfully young to be walking up to a stranger in the park and start talking to him." 

"I'm not young.  I'm eleven, and I'll be in sixth grade when school starts again," he stated proudly as he stood a bit taller and his little chest puffed out slightly. 

I couldn't deny he was adorable, but I liked boys on the cusp of puberty, or even in the early stages of sexual development, and he still had a couple of years before that would happen.  He definitely wasn't aware of my predilection, and he certainly didn't know anything about me, but he wasn't about to let that stand in his way.  

"So whatcha doin'?"

"I'm just having lunch.  I love coming here to eat, because then I can enjoy the wonderful day at the same time." 

"Whatcha havin'?"

"I've got a couple of ham and cheese sandwiches on hard rolls, a small bag of chips, and a bottle of water.  Have you eaten yet?" 

"Nah, my mom's workin', so no one's home." 

"So you're just on your own?"  I was incredulous thinking this young child was totally unsupervised. 

"Yeah, but I can go to the neighbor if I need anything."

"So what do you do for lunch?" 

"Nothin'.  I just have breakfast when I get up, and then I have supper with my mom later." 

"Would you like one of my sandwiches or the bag of chips?" 

"You brought that stuff for you to eat, so I don't want to take it from you." 

"It's ok.  I'm not that hungry today, and I can probably do with a little less anyway." 

"Ya sure?" 

"Yes, I am," I said as I handed him a sandwich and the bag of chips." 

"I can't take both of these," he objected while looking at me in utter amazement.  "How bout half the sandwich and the chips?"

"Sure, if that's all you want." 

"Yeah, that'll be good." 

Since I didn't have a knife, I merely ripped the sandwich in half and gave him the slightly larger piece.  "We can share my bottle of water too, if you want." 

"Nah, I can use the water fountain," he replied as he started to chow down.  "Thanks, this is good." 

"You're welcome.  Do you come here every day?" 

"Pretty much, cuz it's summer and we're on 'cation from school." 

"I see.  Do you live around here too?" 

"Yeah, in the trailer park.  We moved there after my dad died in a car crash." 

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that.  When did it happen?" I asked, even though I thought he was giving me too much personal information already.  It's a good thing I wasn't planning on doing him any harm.

"When I was eight."

"Where did you live before the trailer park?"

"We lived in a house, but after my dad died my mom couldn't make the payments, so the bank took the house and we moved here.  I don't really like livin' in the trailer, though." 

"I'm sorry to hear that.  Does your mom own the trailer?"

"Nah, she rents it, and it's pretty crappy.  My mom doesn't make very much money, so it was all she could 'ford."

"Where does you mom work?" 

"She works at the 7-Eleven, and she cleans houses for other people too.  She works a lot, but she doesn't make very much." 

My heart was going out to this poor kid.  First, his dad was killed, then they lost their house, and now his mom works a lot but doesn't really make enough for them to survive.  However, I noticed my lunch hour was coming to an end and I barely had enough time to get back to the office. 

"Well, Noah, it's been nice talking to you, but I've got to get back to work." 

"Will ya be here tuh-morrow?" 

"I come here every day when the weather is nice." 

"K, maybe I'll see ya then." 

"Ok, I'll look for you." 

When I got back to my desk, I couldn't get that young boy out of my mind.  I had been completely taken with his sad tale and cute looks, and I wondered if there was someway I might be able to help him.  I knew of one thing I could do immediately.  From now on I'd pack a second lunch for him so he wouldn't go hungry between breakfast and dinner, or supper as he liked to call it. 

Maybe I should explain a little more about myself, so you'll have a better picture.  As I said earlier, I'm twenty-nine and I stand a little over six feet (1.85 m) tall, have a solid swimmer's build, and I've been told I'm good-looking, although not movie star handsome.  I have brown hair, brown eyes, and a smooth body.  Besides the hair on my head, I have a little facial hair, pubes, some underarm hair, and a fine dusting of hair on my lower legs and arms.  However, my chest, back, upper thighs, and upper arms are practically devoid of hair, and I've always considered that to be an asset. 

I've had a decent life so far, and although my parents are still alive, they live in another part of the country so I don't get to see them as often as any of us would like.  I was fortunate, however, that they'd been able to put away enough money to send me to college on their dime, and then I picked up the tab for my M.B.A.  I'm still paying off the student loans I took out while working on my advance degree, but other than that I'm doing fairly well for myself. 

Shortly after I got the promotion to CFO, along with the raise that came with the job, I purchased a home.  I'd been putting money away ever since I first started working, because I didn't want to be paying rent for the rest of my life, and the house is only a couple of miles from work.  It's in a nicer, although older section of the suburbs, but at least I'm not renting and I don't live too far away from my job.  Since I didn't have a great deal to put down at the time, and I didn't want to have a big mortgage payment, I bought a duplex to start out.  I figured that way I'd be getting rent from someone else to help pay for the mortgage. 

I had aspirations of eventually moving up in the world, so I didn't plan on staying at this job or in this house forever.  I was still trying to put more money away so I'd be able to combine it with what I got from the house when I sold it so I could buy a better house, but for now I had a decent place to live.  The house was built in the early 70s, and both sides have a large living room, a dining area, a narrow kitchen, one bathroom, and a laundry room located between two bedrooms.  Behind the house there's a fairly large, wooden storage shed and a decent size yard, so I'm not cramped in the least. 

I turned the second bedroom into a workout area, and it contains an elliptical cross trainer, a stationary bike, and a rowing machine.  Even though I have these devices, I prefer going on a five mile jog every night, weather permitting, and I've mapped out a course around the safer areas near where I live.  I use the equipment on the weekends, in conjunction with jogging, and I also use it when the weather is bad, and that's how I stay in shape. 

The other half of the house is currently occupied by a really nice, young family.  Both the husband and wife are slightly younger than me, and they have a three-year-old son and a month-old daughter.  When they'd told me she was pregnant this last time, it made me wonder how much longer they would continue renting the other half of the house, especially as their daughter gets older.  I'm sure it's more than a little cramped over there now, so I can only imagine what it will be like as the kids continue to grow. 

When I got out of work that evening, I drove home and changed into a pair of shorts, a sleeveless shirt, and athletic shoes so I could go out for a jog.  When I finished my run and got back to the house, I took a shower and changed into something comfortable for the rest of the night, and then I began to putter around in the kitchen as I fixed something to eat.  Once I'd filled my stomach, I poured myself a glass of wine and sat down to watch a couple of news shows on TV, so I'd know what was going on in the world. 

Before I went to bed that evening, I fixed my lunch for the next day, and this time I made three sandwiches so I could give one to Noah.  I had a variety pack with multiple small bags of potato chips, cheese curls, corn chips, and pretzels, so I set out two packages of those as well.  I would pack the two bags, the sandwiches, and two bottles of water into my small cooler to take with me to work in the morning.  This way I'd have something to offer Noah if he came over to speak with me again, and I certainly hoped he did, otherwise the sandwich would end up going to waste. 

I fell asleep thinking about my little blond cutie and slept very well that evening.  I'm not sure why I was so fascinated with him, since he wasn't in the age group I generally preferred, but I was taken by his good looks and sad story.  I wanted to see if there was anything I could do to help out, besides just fixing him a lunch, but I'd have to get to know him a little better first.  I certainly didn't want to rush into anything and then find myself in a situation where either he or his mother attempted to take advantage of me, so I would approach this situation carefully. 

The second I awoke in the morning, my mind instantly went to thoughts of Noah.  Damn, I was finding it hard to believe how infatuated I'd become with this kid after just one brief meeting.  Somehow, I managed to get through the morning at work, although I found myself thinking about him from time to time, and I was more than ready to go to the park during my lunch hour.  I grabbed my cooler, headed out the door, and walked the short distance to get there, hoping he'd be there and would come over to see me. 

As soon as I arrived, I started looking around to see if I could spot him, but there were just too many kids in the area for me to pick him out of the crowd.  I went over and sat on the same bench as the previous day and waited to see if he would come over to speak with me again.  I was slightly disappointed when he didn't show up right away, and since I couldn't wait forever, I pulled out a sandwich and took a bite.  I'd only finished about half of it when I spotted him bounding through the collection of playground equipment as he headed in my direction. 

"Have you been here long," he gasped, mildly winded. 

"No, just a few minutes." 

"I was up in that tower and just saw ya," he said as he pointed toward one of the pieces of playground apparatus that had been designed for the kids to climb on, go inside, and slide down. 

"I'm glad you came over, Noah, because I made you a lunch today."

"Really?  You didn't have to do that." 

"I know, but I wanted to.  I didn't want to be rude and eat with you just watching me." 

"I guess I see why you did it, so thanks," he said as I handed him the sandwich and bottle of water.  I then held up the two small bags for him to make a choice.  "Which one would you prefer?" 

"Um, you choose." 

"I like them both, so I want you to pick one." 

"Ok, that one then," he said as he pointed at the cheese curls.  "What am I s'posed to call ya?" 

"I told you yesterday my name is Brian." 

"But I can't call you that.  You're a grown up." 

"Well, I'm not that much older than you, and I certainly don't want you calling me Mr. Thorne, so please just call me Brian." 

"Ya sure?"  

"Of course." 

"Ok, and thanks, Brian," he agreed as he called an adult by his given name for the first time. 

"You're welcome.  And what's your last name?" 

"Updyke.  My mom is Cheryl and my dad was Peter."

"And I thank you for that information as well.  I know you told me yesterday that your dad was killed in a car crash, but do you know exactly how it happened? "

"Yeah, the cops told my mom that a guy drivin' a truck fell asleep and smashed into my dad's car." 

"That's awful.  I'm surprised your mom didn't sue him." 

"She tried, but he didn't have no money and he didn't have no 'surance either." 

"Damn, I mean darn, that's awful."  He giggled at my slip of tongue, but then he turned serious again. 

"You can say that other word, cuz you're a grown up.  I just wish my mom could've got the guy to give us some money, cuz then maybe we'd still be livin' in our house." 

"Yes, that's a shame, and I'm surprised the other guy wasn't killed too." 

"He was in the hospital for a while, but he didn't die.  All he lost was his crappy truck, and he was sent to jail for a while too, but we lost my dad and the house."

"Yes, that doesn't seem fair, does it?  Noah, I hate to eat and run again, but I've got to get back to work." 

"Yeah, I know.  Will you be here tuh-morrow too?"

"As long as the weather is nice.  I'll try to be here every day from Monday through Friday, except if it's a holiday." 

"So you don't come here on Saturday or Sunday?" 

"No.  I only come here when I'm at work.  Don't you spend the weekends with your mom?"

"Yeah, when she isn't workin' at her job.  Sometimes she's cleanin' someone else's house on those days, and when she's not doin' that, she's washin' our clothes, cleanin' the trailer, or fixin' us somethin' to eat.  That's why I don't get to spend much time with her." 

"I'm sorry to hear that." 

"Yeah, but we mostly eat supper together, and she spends some time with me before I go to bed at night, so I get to be with her then." 

"Don't you have any friends who live near you that you can hang out with instead?" 

"Nuht-uh.  That's why I come to the park, so I can play with the other kids here.  I don't spend time with anyone from the trailer park, cuz they're too rough and just like to fight.  The older kids like to steal cigarettes to smoke too, and they drink beer when they can get some." 

"Well, I certainly don't want you doing those things, and since your mom is so busy, I guess I could come here on the weekend if you wanted me too."

"Yeah, if you can do that."

"Sure, I'll come to the park both days, and then you can spend the day with me, if you want.  How would you like that?" 

"I'd like it a lot, cuz the other kids don't always come here on those days.  They usually do stuff with their parents instead, so there's not many here to play with." 

"So how early would you like me to show up?" 

"I don't know.  What time's good for you?" 

"How about if I get here between 9:00 and 10:00.  Would that be good enough?" 

"Yeah, that would be ok."

"Terrific, so I'll see you then as well." 

As I walked back to work, I suddenly wondered why I'd just agreed to give up my weekends for him.  Sure, I felt sorry for the poor kid and thought he was trapped in an terrible situation, but what if he said something to his mom about this?  Would she immediately suspect I was up to something with her son and come to confront me?  Maybe she'd call the police instead and ask them to check me out.  I could be placing myself in serious jeopardy here, but I just wanted to help this boy, so if spending a few hours with him on the weekend helped, then I would do that too.  I just hoped my good intentions didn't boomerang back, smack me in the head, and create major problems for me, or worse. 





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I wish to extend my thanks to Donny and Emoe for editing these chapters for me and offering their suggestions. 

 

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/

http://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/adult-youth/the-guardian/

http://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/adult-youth/chance-of-a-lifetime/

http://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/adult-youth/all-the-worlds-a-stage/

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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.