Author's Note: There is an Epilog to come, but this is the last chapter of the main story. I could have said, "And the moral of the story is..."

But I will let you decide that.

Breaking Away

There was to be quite the party at the Bodhi Tree Swimming Hole. Repeated texts between Ricky, Justin, and Roger developed into an extensive exchange involving Mark and Eric, who in turn, texted back saying they were bringing a couple more "buddies."

From the pictures they sent, the new guys were a lovely pair. One was brown haired and brown skinned, very lean, but sleek and strong. His eyes were gorgeous, big, and bright; the other had lighter, golden brown hair which was loosely curly. He was, to Ricky, strikingly beautiful with an archaic look — a long nose which seamlessly joined his brow, arched eyebrows, pursed, pouty lush lips and those down at the side eyes. "Sloe eyes". This slew Ricky. He was quite slender and tall. He reminded Ricky of some Leonardo DaVinci drawings of a youth who many believed to be the young lover called "Salai."

Ricky's dick got hard just looking at the images on his phone.

The plan was to meet at the party tent — the same tent in which he, Nicky, and Wesley played. This would be what Justin called their "fuck palace." There might be as many as TEN cocks present!

Ricky was sufficiently self-aware to know that he had undergone a transformation. He felt only excitement at the chance for another fuck party. He had not a trace of fear or shyness. He had learned he was a star. He was the prize. He was the catch. He had the power, and he liked it. His self-confidence had exploded.

What a change from the shy boy of the first days of summer, grieving over a girl!

At the same time, he knew he had over-indulged. The meth had left him irascible and exhausted. The sex was great. His dick stayed ferociously hard, but he had not been able to come! He would have to make sure he did not do so much, he concluded.

Sarah proved to be an agreeable if slightly reluctant accomplice, saying she had no wish to "cockblock" Ricky. She called up a friend of hers, Kathy, who lived not far from the hippie house on the river where Ricky had taken Joshua earlier that summer. With Ricky's permission, she told Kathy about Ricky and his friend's sexual proclivities.

Before the drive up that morning, in Ricky's gazebo, while waiting for Kathy to walk down to Sweetwater Falls, Nicky agreed that the two new guys were gorgeous. He did have a concern that he voiced then. "These guys like to do drugs, Ricky. I do not wish to do drugs."

"Oh, is that why you have been quiet?"

"Yes. Well, yes, and no."

"'Yes and no?' What else?"

"Oh, it is nothing. Ah, well, I keep thinking about the future, Ricky. We will both be going home soon, and we will be parted."

Nicky looked so sad and serious!

Ricky had been merely shoving such thoughts from his mind. He told Nicky, "Yes. I understand, but if worrying about the future is ruining the moment, then we waste our precious time together! Let us not waste our time together with worries of the future. Let us be here, now!"

Nicky laughed, "Ha! You sound like me!"

Ricky grinned at him, "You are a strong influence, Nicky."

Nicky sighed and smiled. This was a fine compliment, Ricky could see.

On the drive up, Nicky returned to his usual chattery and animated self. In the manner of gentlemen, Ricky sat in the front with Sarah, and Nicky sat in the back with Kathy. This arrangement, besides being socially elegant, also put the shorter people in the back seat, where there was a bit less legroom, and all agreed this was fair. As an icebreaker, Nicky said to Kathy, "So you know this is a nudist place to which we travel, yes?"

Kathy was one of those blonds whose hair was turning brown. She was quite pretty, wearing a "peasant blouse" decorated with embroidery, and short, tight jean shorts. She had splendid legs and a fantastic tan.

In answer to Nicky's question, she pulled down the front of her blouse, a blouse that was already revealing, to show Nicky that she had no tan line there. She said, "Does this look like a tan line?"

Nicky answered, "Oh no, I see no tan line!"

Kathy told them that she was a mountain girl. She had been swimming in this river since she was a baby, and she knew all the nudie holes. She embellished this with, "I even have been to the 'Rainbow People' gatherings. This is hippie country! It is you guys who are the newbies!"

Nicky laughed in his happy way. "Speaking of 'tan lines,' both Ricky and I have lost our hot, Speedo tan lines. We are starting to look like icky straight boys who always wear shorts!"

To Sarah, Kathy said, "God, but they are gorgeous huh?"

"I know, right? But you know? It's kinda nice to take some hot boys on a date and not have all their pushy, nervous, sexual tension ruining the mood."

"Except," Ricky admitted, "I am feeling a lot of sexual tension. There's a whole gang of our friends who will be there too, and they are hot after us."

Sarah shook her head, "I still think you are using us as your 'beards.' You just wanted a ride so you can go play with your friends."

Ricky shrugged. "I've been upfront with you about that, Sarah."

Nicky commented, "And he got one of our friends to give us some green bud to share with you girls, just for you. You want some?"

Kathy was delighted by this news. "You got weed? Fuck yeah! Pack us a bowl, Ricky. You got a pipe? I have one if you don't!"

Ricky, glancing at Nicky, said, "It was supposed to be surprise! But now Nicky has ruined the surprise. I wanted it to be treat, my way of thanking Sarah for being a good sport."

Sarah said, "Yeah, Kathy, can we wait? I don't really want to hit a pipe while I drive, and this stretch of freeway has lots of Highway Patrolmen."

It was agreed. They would wait.

Once at the place, driving in, Ricky saw that no one had arrived at the "fuck tent," for there were no cars. Though he was feeling extremely horny, he was, in a way, glad, for it gave him an easy excuse to spend time with the girls. That way they would not feel too bummed when he and Nicky ran off to fuck and get fucked a ten times each.

Nicky remained cheerful and ebullient. They kept their clothes on as they walked to the swimming hole with their towels and the ice chest with all the nice food and drinks they brought. Sarah had thoughtfully made extra food, for there were often hungry and essentially homeless people at that campground. It was the social thing to do — sharing food.

Being early, they found a good spot to set up their camp, right near the famous tree and not far from where their gang had sunned themselves before. There would be shade to retreat to should they grow too beaten upon by the sun, and immediately in front, there was a fine place to dive into the water.

Ricky and Nicky immediately undressed and ran, leaping together in the air and landing in the water. There, they had a fine, warmup swim before getting out. Climbing up the rocks to rejoin the girls, Ricky commented to him, "How much do you want to bet they make fun of our shriveled dicks and balls?"

Nicky looked at him puzzled. "How 'much' do I want to bet? Do you mean, 'Do I want to bet?' Or are you asking me how much money do I want to bet?"

Ricky laughed. Leave it to Nicky to spot how some expression was illogical. He answered, "I suppose it could go either way?"

"Well, I won't take that bet. How about that?"

The girls — of course — had to get a jibe in, but Ricky had a dashing comeback, saying, "This just shows how awesome we are. We don't care! Yet, may I say, you two look heavenly. It is a pleasure to be seen with you!"

They sat down with them then. Kathy said, "So pack a bowl, dude!"

Ricky did as he was commanded, and handed the pipe to her. After she had lit it up and had a puff, she handed the pipe to Sarah, who took a small hit. But when she handed the pipe to Ricky, Nicky reached forward and grabbed it! Then, instead of taking a hit, he handed it back to Kathy. Looking at Ricky, he said, "That's OK. Ricky won't be having any. I want him clear-eyed and regal, not red-eyed and silly. Maybe later, but now now."

Ricky stared at him, astonished.

"In fact," Nicky added, "I was thinking of taking him exploring right now. We have not walked along the great sandy river bed here, and I would like to see more. You two would not mind if he and I left you for a little while, would you?"

Kathy laughed. She said to Sarah, "Translation: 'We need to go suck each other's dicks and fuck each other's asses.'"

Nicky and Sarah laughed happily, and Ricky, trying to recover his social verve, protested, "Hey! You do not know what our action is!"

"True," Kathy agreed, "but I do know you two are radiating erotic intensity, and I know you won't relax until you get off, so go get the fuck off!"

To this, Sarah added, speaking to Kathy, "They like to kiss a lot. They are really cute that way, like a couple of Lesbians in their sweetness. Total kissy-kissy boys!"

Ricky just shook his head at all that, and Nicky, unflappable, rose, taking Ricky's hand. "Let's go," he said.

"We should take our towels, Nicky." He was also thinking of his condoms and lube.

"No. We don't need anything, just our bodies, and nothing else."

Ricky handed Kathy the small bag of weed he had, and stood then, without letting go of his hand, and hand in hand, they walked to the edge of the rocks and dove together.

Ricky felt like he was in a dream.

Emerging from the water, Nicky looked at him so serenely! For an instant, he reminded him of Collin who could also wear such an unreadable look. He let himself be led. Nicky was asserting himself. He would do that upon occasion. Usually, Ricky was the leader, but Nicky, he knew, only played along with that when he completely agreed with Ricky. Nicky's taking command stimulated Ricky's curiosity. Ricky would follow. He had to see where this new version of his beloved would lead him.

After climbing the piled boulders of the far side of the stream, they were in the wide, open part of the river valley. Each year, the river would change its courses through this part. It consistently ran through the cleft of the hole at the Bodhi Tree, and there was always a stream at the far side, where there was another cliff of immovable rock, but in between, it was anyone's guess. It would be fun to see what new streams had formed and which old ones had vanished. Ricky had not fished this part in several years.

He told Nicky none of this. Nicky needed no advice or instruction on the ways of water; in fact, in confirmation of this, as soon as they had clambered up the north side of the stream, Nicky commented, "Interesting! Look how the river has spilt into so many small streams! And look how the old paths remain!"

He cocked his head in that cute Nicky way, and he re-took Ricky's hand. Their backsides were in full view of anyone on the far shore. Anyone looking would see they were gay boys, and they might presume they were looking for somewhere to have sex.

And they would be right.

Ricky had one last vestige of protest. "I was planning on saving my juice for the fuck party, Nicky."

"Nah," was all Nicky said, pulling him along.

Together, naked in the sun, hand in hand, they gingerly stepped across the many strewn boulders and hot sand.

"Walk carefully, Nicky. There are sometimes bits of broken beer bottles hidden in the sand."

"Yes, Ricky."

"Do you see that line of small trees ahead?"

"Yes, Ricky?"

"There might be a secret spot there. There is water. Obviously."

"Yes, Ricky. Let us go there."

They found a spot among the young willows, shady, with a patch of clean, soft sand and a tiny rivulet, only a few feet across.

Ricky said, "How about here? This water is too shallow to attract swimmers or fisherman, and the trees will hide us."

"Yes, Ricky."

Nicky then pulled Ricky to him and said, "Kiss me!"

Ricky wrapped his arms around him and kissed him, rubbing his strong, bronze back with his strong, big hands, loving him, and feeling loved.

Nicky, parting from his lips with a contented sigh, said, "I was thinking, you know? Ricky? How when we make love, you so very often suck my dick and then fuck me?"

"Yes? It seems to be our style. We both like it that way."

"Yes, but I was thinking I would really like to blow you now, and then, I would really like to fuck you."

"Anything you want, Nicky. It'll have to be a spit job though, for we brought no rubbers, and you know how I really don't enjoy that."

Nicky laughed. "I am a little devil. Did you know that?"

"Huh?"

"Yes! For I foresaw this dilemma. I have, in fact, a tied condom in which there are both more of the same and a bit of lube. Can you guess where it is?"

"You are little devil! And a clever one!"

By his smile, Nicky was pleased with himself. He lifted a leg up so that Ricky might hold it, and holding one hand on Ricky's shoulder for balance, he reached with the other behind him to procure his secret stash of sex paraphernalia.

"Hah!" He cried triumphantly as he dangled the little latex encased bundle in front of Ricky's face, adding, "A little trick I learned from the rent boys. Pretty slick, huh?"

"Very slick!"

"Yes! Now lay down on your back and spread your legs. I need to play with your big balls and suck your big dick, for you see I have heard that gay boys like that! And I am considering the possibility that I might be gay!"

Nicky was being silly. Both he and Nicky liked to sometimes pretend they were giggly little boys. Laughing happily, he flopped back in the sand, spread his legs, and stroked his long cock. He looked at his beautiful, black-haired, Mediterranean boy, who looked divine in the dappled light among the whispering willows. Ricky got into the spirit of the game. "I have heard this too! Let us test this theory!"

Nicky knelt in front of him and grinned. "I see your cock gets very hard when you have a naked boy in front of you. Do you think you might be gay?"

"Maybe! Let's find out!"

Nicky maintained eye contact as he bent over and lovingly sucked as much of Ricky's dick as he could, rolling his head around and making yummy noises. Ricky leaned back on his elbows and looked at the sky through the leaves, enjoying a beautiful blow job.

Nicky, after he was sufficiently satisfied with action, leaned back with a long sigh and announced, "OK! Look! See how hard my cock is from that?"

Ricky looked. Nicky was flicking it down with his thumb and watching it bounce back up. His cock, was, indeed, very hard. If Ricky was not mistaken, Nicky had made it into the "six-inch" club. His boyfriend had a big dick!

"I am not a girl!" he cheerfully told Ricky.

"No," Ricky agreed.

"And you like that, do you not?"

"Yes, I like it!"

"Well, Ricky, I have also heard from more than one rent boy that really straight guys cannot even get an erection to fuck a guy, but they can actually enjoy getting fucked, because, they say, it is like 'anal massage!' So let us see if I like fucking you!"

Ricky just laughed. He had some insight into that, actually. But all he said was, "Fuck me, Nicky!"

Nicky ripped open his little cache of condoms and put one on. He squirted a bit of lube on the tip, and leaned forward to rub the head of his pretty penis on Ricky's hole. "Do you like that, Ricky?"

"I do!"

"I like it too!" He said this as he suddenly plunged deeply into Ricky's ass.

"Does that hurt?" he asked with mock concern.

"A little, yeah."

"Good!"

He announced that as he braced himself on his arms and pumped his hips into Ricky, not waiting, not hesitating, not warming Ricky up at all. He fucked Ricky rudely, chuckling, clearly enjoying playing the bossy top.

But Ricky was by then a practiced receiver of dicks in his ass. He made his sphincter relax, and Nicky then pounded him even harder in the fast style he had, saying, "Oh, yes! I like this. Fucking a boy definitely excites me!"

"Oh, fuck, Nicky! I am going to come!"

"Already? No!"

Nicky pulled out and dove down on Ricky's cock with his mouth. Ricky erupted then! It was a beautiful climax. Nicky managed to swallow almost all of it. Only a little had leaked onto his chin. He raised himself and scooted forward to spit a good dollop into Ricky's mouth.

Ricky, feeling very gay indeed, licked the rest off of of Nicky's chin, giggling. He panted, "That is not something a straight boy would do, huh Nicky?"

Nicky smiled as tossed Ricky on his side and moved to get behind him.

"No," he agreed, "A straight boy would not enjoy that. Have you considered the possibility that you are a faggot?"

"Yes, Nicky, I have considered that possibility."

Nicky shoved Ricky over and pushed him on his side, spooning behind him, he entered Ricky again, but this time, gently, and he fucked him slowly with long strokes.

Ricky lifted up his head and turned it to kiss him, and they enjoyed affectionately wet and luscious tongue dancing while Nicky skillfully pumped in and out with long, deliberate strokes.

It was beautiful sex.

Nicky fucked him that way for many minutes before pulling out and giving Ricky a hard slap on his butt. He told him, "Get on your knees!"

Ricky cheerfully complied. He knew Nicky liked the next position. He wrapped an arm under one of Ricky's and reached up to hold him by the back of his neck while wrapping the other around Ricky's chest. Ricky felt dominated. He liked it that way sometimes.

Nicky pounded him well then, fucking him in strokes so fast that Ricky's moans came out as, "Nu-gnu-nug-hu-ngh-nhg!"

Then, satisfied by that, and beginning to moan himself, Nicky pulled out and rolled Ricky over. He snicked off the rubber and stuck his cock into Ricky's mouth to pump it full of jizz while holding Ricky's head and bobbing it on his dick.

"Oh yeah, you are definitely gay, Ricky," he announced as he flopped back in the sand.

"How about you, Nicky?"

"Yes. I am definitely gay as well."

They lay there for many minutes, catching their breath, utterly content.

After a time, the taste of come began to sour in his mouth, so Ricky said, "I'm gonna get in the water, Nicky. I need to rinse my mouth."

Without a word, Nicky joined him. There were only a foot or so of depth to the rivulet at that place, but it was enough to cool their balls and splash themselves. Ricky did rinse his mouth, swishing it around and spitting it out.

Nicky told him, "You can fuck me now, if you want, Ricky."

"I'm good, Nicky."

Areté

"Fine then. OK, Ricky. So there is something I need to tell you."

"Yeah?" Ricky had sensed all along that Nicky had something on his mind.

Nicky got right to the point.

"I do not want to go play with those guys, and I do not want you to do so either. I want you to stop using drugs. I do not like the way you act when you are high on drugs. I do not like the way it makes you cranky and tired the next day. I do not like the way weed makes your eyes look tired and old. I do not like the way speed makes you shiny, pale, and blotchy. Drugs burn up your beauty Ricky! I want you to stop."

Ricky stared at him. He opened his mouth to say something, realized he had no idea what to say, and stared some more.

I knew he had something on his mind!

"Besides," Nicky added, "it is not the way of athletes and scholars. You are both. Socrates and all his handsome young companions would agree. It is not the way of one who seeks areté. Do you know this word?"

Ricky, utterly astonished by Nicky's speech, answered meekly, "I hear it translated as 'excellence,' but it means more than that, it implies a moral excellence and the living mastery of one's highest potential."

Nicky smiled. "You have been talking with my mother, have you not?"

Ricky grinned. "Yes."

"So you see at once that using drugs is not the way of one who seeks areté?"

Ricky was not prepared to immediately concede that. "Is that what I am seeking? I thought I was trying new things to see what it was all about."

"And you tried it, and so did I, and we found out that those boys are weak, and we are strong."

"Is that what we found out? They do not seem weak to me, and I do not feel so strong."

Nicky looked at him cooly as he splashed his strong and tanned shoulders with cold water. Gone was a the silly, giggly boy. He sounded like his mother when he said, "Ricky, am not telling this in order to debate it. Let me put it this way: You may do as you please, but if you choose to become self-indulgent that way, you will be lost in just the same way that male prostitutes become lost, fucking for drug money so that they can tolerate fucking for drug money until, one day — soon — their youth is gone, and no one will pay."

Ricky was suddenly reminded of the story he and his dad read together, The Little Prince who met the sad drunkard who drank to forget he was drinking. He felt a little electric shock then, like he starting down the same path that had led his father to ruin, like he had the same flaw.

"Also," Nicky said all too casually, "if you do that, you will do be doing it without me."

Ricky felt like he had been slapped!

His eyes burned. He felt them start to water. "This is your Challenge. Isn't it? This is what you were saving it for, isn't it?"

"Yes, Ricky."

There was no decision to be made. Ricky knew the answer. He had always known it. But he did ask, "But are you saying you do not want to play with any other guys?"

Nicky tossed his head and laughed. "Do not be ridiculous! Of course not! But we shall need to bring them to our world! Not go to theirs!

"Theirs is a world of rough sex and harmful drugs, and crude music. Ours is a world of affectionate sex, healthy food and exercise, and inspired music. We are aristocrats, Ricky! We have standards to maintain! We can bring them in, but let us not fall prey to them. They know not where their path takes them."

Ricky felt a cool rush all over his skin to hear Nicky speak so eloquently and so forcefully. Nicky uttered his words in such a calm, dignified way. He had been right about Nicky from the first. He only seemed frivolous. Ricky had seen it in Nicky from the first day they met, and he was seeing it again at that moment.

There was no way Ricky was going to lose him.

"Very well, Nicholas. I agree to the terms of this Challenge."

He leaned over to Nicky, lifted back his strong chin with his fingertips and kissed his crimson lips. It was much better than a handshake.

Ricky said, "We should see how our dates are doing, yes?"

"Yes, Ricky."

Needing to swing things back to a less intense tone, Ricky lightened the mood by asking, "But first, can you show me how how you did that trick with the rubber up your ass? How did you keep it from going in too far, and how did you get it out?"

Nicky, as always, sensitive to cues, did not disappoint him. "Oh! Well you leave a bit dangling on the other side of the knot! Here I'll do it for you!"

They giggled at that activity, like the silly, fun loving boys they were.

Ricky was bothered for a minute by the used rubber. It was garbage, and he could not in good conscience leave it laying. Usually he put the used rubbers in the back pocket of his shorts, but he had no shorts! Neither did he wish to carry it; finally, he reasoned, latex biodegrades rather quickly, so he tied it to a hidden place in the trees. It would disintegrate before the first snows, he was sure.

Walking back, hand in hand again, naked in the sun beneath the wheeling sky in the middle of that rocky, sandy river valley, he remembered something he had been meaning to ask Nicky. He looked at him, skipping in his light, dancing-footed way, and asked, "You have never asked me about Collin or spoken of him once, Nicky. I am curious."

"Oh, Collin asked me not to 'bug' you about him. He said you were a 'shitty liar,' and I just put you in an 'awkward position.' when I 'pestered' you. That was how he said it. I agreed. Collin is your oldest and dearest friend. Hah! Now there is a fellow who understands areté as we do! But you two have the right to your own privacy. Why? Do you want to talk about him?"

"I do. Yes."

Nicky had to let go of Ricky's hand to hop up on a rock. Typical Otter Boy! He did not go around an obstacle, he went right over the top, seeing the spirit of play in every act. He laughed and said, "You fucked him, didn't you?"

"Yeah," Ricky laughed. "He sucked my dick, too."

"I knew it."

Ricky re-joined him on the far side of the boulder. "You 'knew it,' or you guessed it."

"I guessed right! Did I not?"

"Yeah."

"So? Same thing! And you have been dying to brag about it, have you not?"

Ricky had to admit that was true. But Nicky had cleared up a mystery about straight guys. Collin had enjoyed anal, but he did not like sucking Ricky's dick. He totally lost his hard-on and had felt foolish.

He told Nicky, "Collin has lots of funny expressions, but one of them is, 'Full Retard.' It's from silly movie called Tropic Thunder, but he uses it to mean 'going all the way,' and 'probably crazy.' He wanted to go 'full retard' with me.

Nicky interrupted, "My mother says that saying 'retard' is unacceptably rude."

"Yes, Nicky, and that was part of the rude humor of the movie. It's a ridiculous movie about actors who are in a movie, and one of them is supposed to be this great actor or something, and he gives this advice to another that when you are pretending to be a 'retard' you can't act too retarded because no one can relate, so he says, 'Never go full retard.' But Collin makes up his own meaning. Sucking a dick and getting fucked was 'full retard.' And you know Collin. He can be extremely rude."

"OK, Ricky. I understand. But you were saying?"

"He told me he would never have another chance. He wanted to find out what he was doing to me when he fucked me, and he wanted to understand why I liked to suck dick. It was an 'experiment,' but one thing about Collin is he can handle the truth. He likes the truth. He wants to know. It is an aspect of his excellence, his areté you understand?"

"I completely understand, and now my esteem for him only grows. You must tell him you told me, and you must tell him I said that."

"Yes, Nicky. I will. He will not mind that I told you. I will be seeing him again soon, after all."

Nicky nodded and looked at him with a sad expression. Ricky had brought up that doleful topic again. The moment passed.

"So Collin wanted to try full-gay, huh? You say he liked anal?"

"Yeah, well, I was patient. I even gnawed on the back of his neck the way he did to me, but not biting you know? But really sexy. I don't think he's going to find another guy who will take an hour or so to finally get him loose and relaxed. Most guy guys would just get bored and tell him he was acting like a little, sniveling boy. He didn't come though. But after? He wanted to fuck me, and when he did? He went really slow and kissed me a lot. He has a genuinely sweet and gentle side, Nicky."

Nicky nodded. "Leave it to my beloved to bring that out from a guy like him!"

It was a fine compliment. Ricky sighed.

Nicky brightened up said, "And today is a GREAT day! Let us enjoy it. Let us have the girls rub us down with suntan lotion, and then let us eat! I am hungry? Are you?"

"Very!"

When they rejoined the girls, they did exactly that. They also returned the favor of rubbing lotion on the beautiful bodies of their friends who were girls, if not girlfriends.

Of course, since Ricky had left his phone, he had missed the flood of texts asking where he and Nicky were. He texted back that they were at the tree, and should anyone wish to join them, they might. He did not agree with Nicky that their friends were "weak." They were just guys living life as best they could with what they knew. And Nicky was wrong about their music. It was good, honest music. If anyone was "weak," it was he, for he knew just how easily he could fall forever.

Ricky, ever one to shock and awe, did disgust the girls when to their questions about "protection," he showed them how they had stashed condoms in their asses.

"Eww!" they cried together.

Sarah shouted, "Way, WAY, Too! Much! Information!"

Kathy laughed, "They may be gay, but they still are guys, and guys just love to gross you out!"

Ricky, Nicky, Sarah, and Kathy then had a blissful day at one of the more peaceful, beautiful spots in the world, there beneath The Bodhi Tree.

He and Nicky had not achieved the same enlightenment as the great Siddhartha, perhaps, but they had found an aspect of transcendence.