Date: Mon, 14 Dec 2020 17:55:36 +0000 (UTC) From: D J Subject: The Grassy Hill Part 8 This work is copyright of the author and all rights are reserved. I hope you like it, and I appreciate all comments, praise, complaints, death threats or flames. Send them to dj92570j@yahoo.com Thanks to everyone who has written to me; if you wish, please let me know a bit about you. I would like to know who my readers are, and what touches you about the story. Please donate to Nifty if you like the stories; your contributions provide this place and keeps it going. http://donate.nifty.org/donate.html Sahypo The Grassy Hill Part 8 Copyright 2018 By Sahypo Gregory woke early, finding sleep elusive. After listening to Simon snore softly, Gregory got up and padded down the steps and outside silently, and sat on the porch watching the dawn. Coach was an early riser, and found Gregory on the porch in the morning when he got up to relieve himself. The night had been comfortably warm, so Gregory had not troubled himself to dress. "Good morning" Coach said softly as he walked past Gregory on his way to the outhouse. "Hi" Gregory replied. Once done, Coach returned to the cabin to find that Gregory had not moved. He sat on the porch next to his naked housemate. "Simon asleep?" Gregory nodded. Coach could sometimes read the boy's mood, and he could tell that something had kept Gregory from getting any sleep. He rubbed Gregory's back a little, and continued to sit next to the boy, just waiting. It was usually the best strategy to take to get Gregory to talk. He looked at Coach in the pre-dawn gloom, and Coach looked back at him, smiled and put an arm around Gregory. The boy leaned into his guardian and began to speak "Is it wrong when um, somebody thinks about ... well touching another person ... or like, wanting to be touched?" "Are we talking about sexual things, Gregory?" Coach asked quietly. Gregory nodded. "Um, yeah." Coach paused to collect his thoughts before he replied. "Well, no ... it's not wrong to think something, or to want something. It's wrong when we act on our thoughts if the other person doesn't want that, or we hurt them with the things we do. Sometimes it's the doing that is wrong, but never the thinking about it. Does that make sense?" Gregory nodded. "I guess so ... Sometimes? ... what does that mean?" "When you were little, your mother and I talked to you about good and bad touches, right?" Coach asked. Gregory nodded. "Back then it was a lot easier, because nobody should have been touching you in those ways. Things like that weren't on your radar yet, and you weren't ready. You aren't little anymore, and things are not so simple. You've begun to pay attention to changes going on, and you're feeling new urges and needs. Simon probably is too." Gregory looked up Coach again. "Is ... Is that ..." Gregory stuttered. "Gregory, it means you might want to touch and be touched now, but good and bad touch still apply. Now, it's a choice you get to make, and as long as it's okay with you and the person you're with, it isn't wrong. It's never okay to force someone, or go ahead after they say no. And it's not okay if you don't want to be touched, either." Gregory began to say something, then stopped. Coach waited patiently for a moment, squeezing Gregory to him with the arm around the boy's shoulder. "Tell me what you're thinkin'." "Oh, um, just that I don't think I could do that, you know? Force someone? ... it would take away the whole point." "Yes, it would ... absolutely." Coach replied. Gregory fell silent again, and let Coach rock him for several minutes. He wanted this time with the man he idolized to never end. "Um, that's not actually what I was ..." Again, Coach waited patiently for Gregory to go on. "Does it make me gay if I liked it?" the boy whispered. "No. Boys your age are very curious and experiment, and ninety-seven percent of them aren't gay. When you begin to masturbate, that won't make you gay, either." Coach replied. Gregory snickered. "Already did." "Just can't keep your hand off of it, can you?" Coach joked. Gregory shook his head and became more serious again. "Would it matter, um, to you, I mean?" Coach had to think for a second before he realized what Gregory was asking. "If you were gay, Gregory? Is that the question?" Gregory looked up at coach, directly in the eye, and mouthed the word "yes" almost silently. No air could come out of his lungs. Coach hugged Gregory ever so tighter against him, and brought his other hand to Gregory's face, to caress his cheek and stroke the boy's chin with his thumb. "When I took you in, I gave you my home and my heart. I took you the way you are, Gregory. You have become the most important thing in my life, and the part of it that I love the most. That will never change, no matter what. The answer is "no," Gregory. It wouldn't." Gregory nodded and there was another long pause between them. Coach could tell that the talk wasn't over yet, since Gregory was still sitting beside him, his arm around Coach's back. "Simon's older than me, and I'm ..." Gregory said, before Coach began to chuckle. Gregory stopped, confused. "What?" "He asked me the exact same thing ... yes, you are both normal. Sometimes the younger kid starts puberty before the older one. I've seen it happen between brothers at school." "Oh." Gregory sat next to Coach for a few more minutes. It was still dark, but morning wouldn't be long. "I'm going back to bed. I love you...Dad" Gregory whispered as he kissed Coach on the shoulder before he stood. His long penis dangled, a teen-ager's cock on a boy's body. Coach had not quite gotten used to the sight of the boy's flaccid penis hanging almost as long as his own cock, erect. "I love you very much, Son." Coach replied. "I'll get those adoption papers going next week." Gregory smiled and walked back inside the cabin and went up the steps. He snuggled in next to Simon and buried his nose into his friend's hair as the warmth of Simon's back flooded into Gregory's chest and stomach. He put an arm over Simon's body, and Simon rolled over into Gregory's embrace, and continued to sleep. Gregory dozed off while he thought about all the things Coach had talked about. What woke him up was sniffing noises, and a sensation of wetness on his shoulder. Simon's head was resting in his armpit, and tears glistened on the boy's face. Gregory rolled slightly toward Simon and put him in a hug. "I'm sorry." Simon whispered. "Why? There's no need to be." Gregory replied. "I don't want to go home tomorrow." "Is that why you're crying?" "Yeah" "That's so cool, `cause I was afraid you were gonna hate it out here and stuff. We got the stayover at my house tonight, too, remember?" Simon nodded, and shifted his body, poking his morning stiffy into Gregory's groin. The boys both giggled, and Simon gave Gregory a couple of hug squeezes before disengaging and sitting up. "I gotta go pee really bad!" Simon said, as he stood and made his way to the steps, an extremely rigid boy cock on display. Simon descended the steps to find Coach watching him from the kitchen table, where he sat drinking coffee. "Good morning, Simon, how did you sleep?" he asked, totally unfazed by Simon's erection. "Better here than at home." Simon replied, as he slipped into his shoes. He walked out into the yard between the barn and the out-house and let his bladder empty. He would have had some difficulty hitting the hole in the bench with the angle of his erection. He found it somewhat painful to push it down and usually just peed hands-free in the shower, which was the first thing he did in the morning. He was flaccid again before he finished, and went back in the cabin and slipped his shoes off. He found Coach cooking breakfast, and a nude Gregory working soap into his hands. He looked at Simon and motioned him to join him washing hands. Simon giggled, and grabbed Gregory's hands and Gregory began spreading the soap on his friends' hands as they laughed and enjoyed the game. When they finished soaping Simon up, Gregory dipped his hands in last night's dishwater tub to rinse the soap off, and Simon followed. Coach was ready to serve breakfast as the boys dried their hands and sat at the table. "What's on the list today, Coach?" Gregory asked. "Day's open ... What ever you boys want to do." "I could teach Simon how to shoot my rifle ... and we haven't hiked yet." Gregory said, and Simon nodded. "Never shot a rifle. Is it hard, will it kick?" "Not mine, its just a .22" Gregory replied. Coach had bought Gregory an inexpensive little rifle that came with a cheap scope on top. It was more than adequate for varminting, and teaching a young boy how to shoot. He had given it to Gregory when he was eight, and the youngster had never come to the farm without it since then. Coach had to saw the stock off a bit to accommodate Gregory's smaller stature back then, and since then had to dowel and glue the piece back on the stock now that Gregory was able to shoulder an adult sized weapon if he stretched a bit. "Can we go to the river again, too?" Simon asked. "I was counting on that, it being Sunday and all." Gregory replied. "Have you decided what you want to leave out here?" Coach asked. Since the addition was now closed in, they could secure some things in the cabin, and wouldn't have to take so much back to town. They had already decided to leave the rods and reels behind. "The archery stuff stays." Gregory replied. He got almost all the use out of it here on the farm. "Are you two nudists today?" Coach asked. Simon and Gregory looked at each other and giggled. "Of course!" Gregory replied, and Coach tossed the sunscreen onto the table near Gregory's plate. "Make sure we don't send your little buddy home with burned bits!" Coach joked. He turned and walked over to the counter and picked up the tub of cold used dishwater. He took it outside and dumped it in the yard, and brought the empty tub back inside. The boys finished their meal and took their table ware to the tub and put it inside as Coach turned the burner under a large pot on the stove off. He poured the warm water into the tub and added soap as the boys put sunscreen on each other. "Can I shoot the .30-.30?" Gregory asked. "I don't care, go ahead. Just make sure you both got safety glasses and hearing protection on before you shoot it." "I know ... it's a lot louder than mine." Gregory replied. The boys carried two rifles and ammunition out to the yard, and laid the cases in the grass. Coach came out on the porch with his coffee and sat down to watch the boys. Gregory sprinted back into the house and ran up the steps, returning with the blanket off his bed. He ran back out to Simon, and spread the blanket out. Their skin glistened in the sun as they began to sweat slightly as the sun heated up the early mid-morning air. They sat cross-legged on the blanket Gregory took the .22 caliber rifle out of its case, and showed Simon how to check to make sure it wasn't loaded. He showed his friend the safety, and how to switch that on and off, then the scope and let Simon practice looking at the target through it. He helped Simon put the rifle in the correct position, and let him adjust the focus on the scope until it fit Simon's vision. "This is yours? Coach gave it to you?" Simon asked, impressed. "Yup ... lemme show you how to load it." Simon passed the rifle to Gregory, and watched as Gregory undid the little pencil sized cap on the tube under the barrel. He pulled a long rod with a red button on the end out of the tube, and showed Simon how the button was spring loaded. Setting the rod aside, he took a box of .22 rounds and began dropping them down the tube. "Make sure they go in the right way." Gregory cautioned. Simon watched carefully and nodded. "How many does it hold?" Simon wondered, as he began dropping rounds into the tube also. "Umm, not sure. Seventeen? Eighteen? Something close to that. I just fill it. I never counted." "Oh" "Okay, its full." Gregory stated, taking the rod and shoving it back into the tube. When it was all the way home, he gave the cap a slight turn to lock it. He pushed the safety button in the trigger guard "on" and put the rifle down on the blanket. He handed Simon earplugs, and put his own set in. He pulled the bolt back and let it fly, loading a live round in the chamber. "Remember the rule about the trigger, right?" "Yes, I didn't forget." Simon said, accepting the loaded rifle from Gregory. "When you get on target, push that little safety button to the left, and it's ready to fire." Simon raised one leg so he could rest the hand under the rifle's forestock on his knee, and took aim at the hay bale through the scope, and snicked off the safety. He steadied his aim and put his finger on the trigger. Remembering his lesson from yesterday, Simon gradually increased the pressure on the trigger, avoiding jerking his finger. The rifle went off with a loud "crack" as the tiny bullet broke the speed of sound on its way to the target. Simon could "hear" mechanical sounds in the rifle, mainly a spring ringing, through his jaw bone which was tight against the stock. He was aware of something flying out of his field of vision to his right, close to his face. He remained focused on the target as he squeezed the trigger again, and saw another hole in the target instantly. Aiming at the hole, he composed his shot and fired again, this time unable to tell where his bullet went. He kept firing, watching the hole in the target get a bit bigger, and one of the shots landed just away from the edge of the hole. He fired until the trigger no longer responded. He looked at the rifle and saw that the bolt was locked back and the chamber was empty. "You're empty, dude." Gregory said, handing Simon a box of ammunition. Simon put the rifle down when Gregory opened the other rifle case and took Coach's lever action rifle out. He racked the lever open to check the weapon's chamber, as Simon looked on in awe. "That's cool, Gregory!" "Yeah, this is a real nice one." Gregory said, opening a box of shells. The .30-.30 ammunition was blunt tipped, and the cases were necked, bigger at the base with a rim, and necked down in the middle to the diameter of the bullet. They were almost as long as one of Gregory's fingers. "Wow, those are a lot bigger than the ones I saw yesterday." "Uh-huh. People hunt deer with this caliber." Gregory said as he took out five shells, and loaded the rifle through a little door on the side. After he put the five rounds in, He looked at Coach across the yard on the porch and yelled "Ready for fire in the hole?" Coach stuck his fingers in his ears and yelled back "Go for it!" Gregory stood and aimed at the hay bale. He cycled the lever to load a round, composed his shot in the iron sights and squeezed the trigger. The rifle kicked firmly, but not to excess and Gregory did not find the recoil painful. The report was loud, surprising Simon, who was watching. Coach smiled and nodded when Gregory looked over to make sure Coach was ready for the next shot. He fired again, and cycled the lever. Simon giggled and said "You look like the guy on TV with that gun." "You mean "The Rifleman." "Yeah, but I bet he never shot it with his dick hanging out." Simon cracked, and Gregory laughed at that, spoiling his aim. "Shut up! You're gonna make me miss!" Gregory joked, before taking his third shot. He followed up with his last two rounds, and left the lever open on the last shot after ejecting the spent shell. He looked around and picked up the spent rifle cases, because Coach had a friend who wanted them for reloading.. He watched Simon reload and shoot several more times until Simon decided he wanted to walk the woods. They went to look at the target, and Simon could see how most of his shots went inside the hole they made. They put the unloaded rifles back in the gun cases, and took them and the blanket back to the cabin. Coach was picking up tools and electrical supplies in the addition and they told him they would be out on a walk. "Do we need to get dressed?" "No, but we need shoes." Once away from the house, Gregory showed Simon some poison ivy in the shade of a large tree, and told him not to walk through it. They began to walk slowly and quietly, in case there was an animal in the woods they could sneak up on. Gregory quickly spotted squirrels watching them from the trees, and found two toads and a lizard. "How the hell do you see them?" Simon whispered. "I was looking for them. They're here if you look." They walked on until Gregory noticed something move in the leaves ahead of them. "Stop" he said quietly, putting his hand on Simon's shoulder. "Look ten feet in front of us, and about two feet to the left. See him?" "See what?" Simon whispered. "See that little mushroom?" "Yeah." "Look about 6 inches in front of it." Simon stared and covered the whole area with his eyes, and almost said something when he caught the very slight movement in the leaves. A small black, thread like object flashed and disappeared. He waited until it happened again, and was able to see the brown triangular head, about as big as a nickel, a black tongue flicking in and out testing the air. "Is it a snake?" Simon asked. Gregory nodded. "It's a copperhead. See the shape of his head?" "Uh-huh." "He's a pit viper, like a rattlesnake." "So, he's poisonous?" "Yeah. They can fuck you up if you mess with them." "We gonna kill it?" Gregory shook his head and giggled. "With what? We're naked! And why? It's a lot easier to just leave him alone. Come on." Gregory said as he led Simon deeper into the woods. Several minutes later Gregory stopped again and pointed. "Check him out, dude." Gregory said, as he walked up to tree branch across their path about head high. On the branch was a walking stick insect, about six inches long, and drab brown in color. Simon poked a finger toward the creature, which didn't react. "Will they bite?" he asked. "I don't think so. I've never heard of them doing that." Gregory replied. Simon got up enough nerve to touch it, again there was no reaction. "They must taste really bad." Gregory said, mostly to himself. "Why?" Simon wondered. "It's most probably how they defend themselves." "That don't make sense. You would have to die to teach the predators that you taste bad." "True, but it would keep the ones that came later safe." Gregory said as he turned to continue their walk. "I guess so ... I wish I knew stuff like that, like you." Simon said, watching the stick insect move down the branch. "You do know stuff like that ... you and I are probably just into different things is all." Gregory replied. "You must have zillions of friends." Simon replied. "Not really. There's a lot of kids I like at school and stuff, but we don't hang and spend time together." "Same. I'm not one of the cool kids I guess." Simon sighed. The boys made a left turn, because they could see the fence on their right, and another fence across their path in front of them, meaning that they had found one corner of the property. They kept walking, and Gregory pointed out more things he saw to Simon as they stopped to look at things. They could see the road to the cabin ahead of them, and Simon knew the gate was to their right, the cabin and river lay to the left. They crossed the road and re-entered the woods on the other side, and kept in the shade as they made their way down the property, behind the cabin and came up on the river, downstream from where they had fished and swam the day before. Gregory stopped Simon and whispered into his ear to get low and follow him. Gregory scooted up carefully to the edge of the woods and looked out carefully at a fallen log laying along the river bank, uprooted when the river washed its roots out of the soil. Gregory whispered so quietly in Simon's ear that he wasn't sure Gregory had made any sound at all. "On the log ... there's five of them." Simon looked carefully through the leaves and brush and saw what Gregory was looking for. Five shiny, black turtles were lined up on the log, sunning themselves. He could see red stripes on the reptile's necks, and yellow speckles on the legs. Their heads were stuck out high, searching the air for sounds and movement. The boys watched the turtles for a long time, until something spooked them, and they were gone in a flash. "Shit!" Simon spat. "What scared them off?" "I'm pretty sure it wasn't us." Gregory turned to walk away toward the gravel bar. "Let's go cool off." They found themselves at the edge of the woods, then crossing the yard to the gravel bar, where they stepped down onto the river bank and slipped their footwear off. Simon didn't want to wear wet shoes back to town later today. "How did you know about the turtles?" "Found that sunning spot last time we were up here. I was pretty sure they'd be there." Gregory replied. They immersed themselves in the river up to their chins, and just looked at each other for a long time, each boy deep in his own thoughts. They soon got bored, and a splash fight broke out. Giggling, screeching and laughing, the boys wrestled and rough-housed, chased each other in and out of the river until they were about spent and rested in the shallow water. They enjoyed the feel of the hot sun on their bare bodies, until the sun reached the midday peak. "You getting hungry, Simon?" "Yeah, kinda." Simon picked up his shoes and the boys walked back to the cabin. Coach had spent the time they were gone organizing the things that needed to be loaded into the truck for the trip back to town this afternoon. But at the moment, there was salad, spaghetti and Italian bread for lunch. Coach gave Gregory a paper bag full of paper and cardboard accumulated over the weekend to burn, and Gregory took it outside to the fire ring and set it alight. He watched to make sure it all burned before going back into the cabin. After the meal, the boys began loading the truck, and after several trips each, the job was done. The boys debated riding home in the nude, but decided to put shorts on and go commando. After a last sweep to make sure everything was shutoff, locked, packed or secure, it was time to lock up and go. Gregory took his place astride the shifter, and Simon sat next to the door. After putting their belts on, Coach started the truck and grinned at Simon as he pushed in the clutch pedal "Find us a gear, boy!" Gregory smiled and found first gear, and the truck moved down the road until it reached the gate. Gregory took the truck out of gear and reached into the ashtray for the gate key. Simon took it and hopped out and opened the gate. Once the truck passed, he closed it again and secured the chain. Traffic was light on Sunday afternoon, and they made good time on the trip back to the house. It was a silly little thing, teaching Gregory to shift gears as Coach drove, but it had been successful at achieving a higher purpose. It had helped keep Gregory engaged when he wanted to withdraw into depression. It taught the lesson of teamwork. Gregory was proud that he had a skill set that he was good at, and it brought focus and concentration to a sometimes-troubled boy. Losing your mother is never easy, even when you see it coming and so it was for Gregory. He would often come to Coach in the early morning and cry while Coach held him. Coach told him he would probably never "get over" it, but in time he would learn to live with it. They rolled into the driveway at the house a bit after five o'clock, and Gregory took the truck out of gear, and Coach shut the engine off. The back door was open, but Patty's car was parked out front. Coach told the boys they had the house to themselves for a couple of hours, as he was going to get cleaned up and take Patty out for dinner. Simon let Gregory out of the truck and the younger boy said "Come on, you have to meet her, Simon!" He ran into the house, excited to see her. Simon followed, and found Gregory hugging an athletic looking blond woman with shoulder length hair and freckles. She looked like a yoga instructor. "Hey, G-man! Did you have a good weekend?" "Uh-huh, it was great! This is my friend, Simon. Simon, this is Patty" Patty smiled warmly at Simon, finally being able to put a face to a name she had heard from Coach. "Hi Simon!" she said, gripping his hand. "So, you survived the wilderness, I see." "It was awesome, yeah." Simon replied, beaming. "Well, I'm glad you guys had a great time. Was it your first time?" She asked, somewhat surprised when both boys answered "Yes!" in unison. The question had been intended for Simon. Gregory was still in a hug with Patty and she looked down at him with a raised eyebrow, and gave him a few bear squeezes to make him giggle. It was obvious to Simon that she and Gregory were very close. "It was Simon's first time at the cabin, and my first sleepover!" Gregory clarified. He looked over at Simon, who added "Yeah, I shot guns and arrows and swam in the river and we worked on the house and stuff!" "Sounds like a lot of stuff there, Simon." She replied as the boy nodded and grinned. "So, you and Coach are going to Louie's?" Gregory wondered. "Actually, more like AJ's Steakhouse ..." Patty replied. "Oooooh! Fancy! Whatcha gonna bring us back?" Gregory wheedled. Coach came in, and gave Patty a passionate kiss on the lips, trapping Gregory in the middle of a hug sandwich. Simon giggled as Gregory laughed and spluttered. Patty pecked Coach on the lips a few more times before he went back to take his shower and Gregory was able to escape. Patty continued "Nothing ... I'm going to call in a pepperoni airstrike for you guys when we leave. Simon, what do you like on a pizza?" "Umm, everything they can put on one." He replied. Gregory grinned and said "Cool! I love Supremes too!" "Well that makes that simple. A medium supreme it is." Patty said. "There is tea in the fridge, too." Suddenly Gregory had a shocked look on his face, like he'd just remembered money that he had forgotten in his pocket. "Oh, Patty ... I almost forgot ... um, Coach is going to adopt me!" Patty looked truly shocked. She put her hands up to her face, and asked in an impossibly high little voice "Oh, my God! Are you serious?" Gregory nodded, a huge grin on his face. "Oh, G-man, this is so wonderful. I'm so happy for you!" She swept the kid up in another hug and squeezed him half to death again. The three of them made small talk as Patty got to know Simon a little better, and they waited for Coach to get ready to go out. He emerged ten minutes later, and kissed Patty again. He gave Gregory a twenty-dollar bill and a five. "You know what to do if something happens, right? We won't be out past eight or so." "We're gonna invite some girls over and run around the house naked after you leave." Gregory teased. "That's my BOY!" Coach joked, causing Simon to crack up and Patty to roll her eyes. Gregory grinned and flexed his eyebrows up and down to tease Patty. "You two already spent the weekend naked, so what's to stop you here?" she joked. She was used to Gregory being a bit of a free spirit in the country after all. Simon snorted and turned scarlet, causing everyone to snicker and giggle. "Hey Simon, you wanna play golf?" "Huh? How do ..." "You guys unload the stuff that has to come inside." Coach reminded Gregory. "Yes, Sir ...Come on, Simon, I'll show you my golf course." Gregory said, grabbing Simon's hand and pulling him out the back door. They stepped off the porch into the back yard and Simon could see several small plastic lined holes in the yard that he had not noticed Friday afternoon. "Tee off is at the corner of the garage. There are five holes at different distances. Got it?" Gregory said as he dropped the tailgate and hopped up into the truck. "Cool" Simon replied, impressed. "This is pretty neat." He grabbed the gun cases and waited for Gregory to get a load arranged. "Thanks. I'm glad I have someone to play it with." Gregory said, very proud of his set-up. Patty stepped out the back door. "Boys! Pizza will be here in thirty-five minutes. We're going to head out." "Okay, thanks, Patty." Gregory replied. She smiled and held the door for the boys as they brought their loads into the house. They went back out for more stuff, and she and Coach left through the front door, locking it behind them. "She seems really cool." Simon said. "What does she do?" "She's a teacher at the school they send bad kids to. You know, when they get kicked out of school and stuff?" "Yeah ... Man, that must be crazy." "She says she loves it, Go figure." The finished bringing in the rest of the stuff that came back from the cabin, and put the cans in the garage and the trash in the bins on the side of the garage. Gregory showed Simon how to hit the ball with a putter, and they took turns playing the "course" until Gregory thought it was about time for the pizza to arrive. They sat out on the front porch and waited a few minutes until a small white car pulled up in front of the house and a teenage boy got out and fished a padded satchel out of the passenger side of the car. "Large supreme?" he asked as he came up the step. "That's us." Gregory replied. "It's fifteen dollars and twenty-seven cents with tax and license." The boy said, pulling the pizza box out of the satchel. "It's gonna be hot, careful." Gregory nodded and gave the boy the twenty dollar bill. "Thanks, the change is all yours.' "Gee, thanks. You guys have a great night!" the pizza boy replied, as he turned to leave. They watched TV as they ate most of the pizza. When they finished, Gregory made room in the refrigerator for the left-over portion, then turned to Simon. "Wanna take a shower with me?" Gregory asked, pulling his shorts off. "Yeah, I feel slimy and stuff." "Suntan lotion, remember?" "Yup" Simon replied, slipping his shorts off and following Gregory into the bath. It was still a shower in a bathtub, but Coach had glass doors on his shower, rather than a plastic curtain on a rod. Gregory started the water, and waited until it warmed up before stepping in and making room for Simon. They stood and took turns in the hot water for several minutes before Gregory offered to shampoo Simon's brown hair. Simon soaked his hair under the water, then turned sideways to trade places with Gregory. He closed his eyes as Gregory worked shampoo into his hair and scrubbed his scalp gently. Simon kept his eyes squeezed shut as he grinned. "That feels good." "Keep your mouth closed or you're gonna get shampoo in it." Gregory giggled. A few minutes later, the boys traded places under the water to let Simon rinse his hair. It was Gregory's turn and Simon lavished attention on every hair on his friend's head. When he was done, Gregory rinsed under the water, and stood aside to let Simon back under the shower head. Simon picked up the soap and collected some lather on his wet hands, and tentatively began to wipe soap on Gregory's back. Gregory made no move to stop Simon, as the older boy worked the soap onto Gregory's shoulders and upper arms. Simon stopped and waited for Gregory to turn around. He handed the soap to Gregory, and turned to let his friend soap his back. When he was done, the boys soaped and washed themselves in silence. The looks and glances they shared implied that there was unfinished business to attend to tonight when they went to bed. Gregory turned the water off, and they got out and dried off. Slipping their shorts back on, they went to Gregory's room and Simon got the grand tour. Where a lot of boys would have sports figures or supermodel posters on the wall, Gregory had pictures of the planets, and a periodic table of the elements displayed in his room. Hanging from his ceiling were models of various space probes, the lunar module and the moon lander, which was stuck on the ceiling upside down. On his dresser was a collection of scale models of the Saturn V, Mercury and Gemini launch boosters. "Wow, dude, this is cool!" Simon gasped, genuinely impressed. "I'm kinda into space and stuff." Gregory admitted. "Where do you get all the models?" "Coach took me to Houston, Huntsville, Alabama and Cape Canaveral. I got them from NASA." "You got to go to where they launch?" "Yeah, we watched a Delta II launch a weather satellite when we were there." "No shit? What was that like?" "Um, well, it wasn't much more than a little dot of light going up into the sky, `cause we were like ten miles away. And the sound was like this crackling noise. We got to see it closer on the news that evening. Wanna do some Legos maybe?" "Um, sure." Gregory patted on the bed, and Simon sat down. Gregory retrieved an oatmeal box from his closet, and dumped the contents on his bed and sat down with Simon. Gregory had a bigger collection of pieces, and Simon busied himself constructing, not quite sure of what it was he was building. Gregory assembled a "thing" of his own, and showed it to Simon. "What is it?" Simon asked. "I don't know, maybe an alien battle cruiser? I'm not sure yet." "Will this go on it anywhere?" Simon asked, handing over his construction. Gregory turned the two creations various ways, and finally decided to stick them together. Simon nodded in approval and Gregory put that section on the bed, and they began to build again. They repeated the process several times accumulating quite a mass of pieces in whatever it was they were supposed to be building. It was now half past seven in the evening, and they lost interest in the Legos. They took the "thing" they had built apart, and scooped to pieces back into the oatmeal box. "I want some more pizza." Gregory said, heading to the kitchen. "Sounds good, me too." Simon replied, as Gregory took the pizza box out of the refrigerator. "How much do you want to heat up?" "Oh, just one, thanks." The boys heated the pizza in the microwave and sat on the couch to watch some TV. About a quarter after eight, Coach unlocked the front door and came in alone. He locked the door behind him. "Is Patty coming in?" Gregory asked. "Nah, she took off to run some laundry before school in the morning. What are you guys doing?" "Watching a show. We're gonna hit the sack when this is over." Gregory replied. "Got all your stuff together, Simon?" "Yes, Sir." Coach sat down on the couch between the boys, and put one arm around each of them, and pulled them into him. "You guys look like a pair of cross-eyed squirrels!" he joked, and the boys giggled. "We do not either!" Gregory protested. Suddenly, the boys jerked and began to squeal as Coach began tickling them on the ribs. They both struggled to get free without success and lay against Coach panting and resting when he finally stopped when the commercial break was over. Coach decided to hit the hay at nine, and asked Gregory to get Simon up when he awoke. "Will do" Gregory said as he hugged Coach good night. Coach ruffed his hair and let Gregory go. "Good night, Simon." Coach said, offering the boy a hug. Simon hugged Coach, and wished him a good night. The boys went to Gregory's room and Coach turned the TV and lights off as he went to bed. Simon lay his school clothes out on Gregory's chair and found his toothbrush. He stepped into the bathroom in the hallway that Gregory used, and found Gregory's tooth paste. A moment later, Gregory joined Simon at the sink and prepared to brush his teeth. He had taken the shorts off, and Simon looked him over in the mirror. He reached over and ran his fingers through Gregory's few pubes as he continued to saw the brush in and out of his mouth, leaving foam at the edges of his lips, as he tried to grin with his lips pressed together. Gregory made no move to stop Simon. Simon took his hand away and slipped his own shorts down and watched as Gregory's penis swung back and forth as the boys brushed their teeth. Simon's organ sat perched atop his firm, tight little scrotum, unmoving. It gave little hint of its potential, appearing to be just a helmet shaped glans with a few wrinkles of skin between it and Simon's bare pubes. Gregory's pale alabaster skin and black hair contrasted with Simon's honey gold tan and brown hair. They rinsed their mouths and tooth brushes before Simon picked his shorts up and they went back to Gregory's room. Once inside, Gregory closed the door. "You, um ... wanna ... you know?" Gregory stumbled, making the hand motion known to every boy on earth past a certain age. They sat on the bed cross-legged facing each other. Simon became erect quickly, his thick three inches filling his eleven-year-old fist. His small scrotum became slack as his marble sized testicles pulled up tight against his groin, and were no longer discernable in the little patch of rugated skin. The skin on his cock moved easily over the buttery smooth hard core of his erection, and he felt the ridge of the urethra under his fingertips. Being circumcised in the typical fashion, he had no frenulum, and the sensitivity under his glans was not that much different that he could tell, although he still found the area pleasant to stimulate. He made quick and short strokes, careful not to rub the dry skin raw so he could last longer. Gregory was surprised the first time he saw Simon with an erection. From barely an inch flaccid to three times that erect, his friend's size increase was impressive. Gregory's penis was almost the same size in both states. He only gained about an inch in erection, his thin five-incher taking on a gentle downward curve in contrast to Simon's high erect angle. A long, thin blue vein had become visible on Gregory's erection in the last few months, coinciding with the time Gregory's pecan sized testicles began to enlarge, and his pubes started to grow. There were perhaps six dozen coarse dark hairs at the base of the boy's penis. His short foreskin didn't cover his smooth pink sensitive glans when he was erect, but would roll back and forth over it as he stroked himself. He found the sensation of gently stretching his skin back pleasant, and paused briefly on the inward strokes. His testicles bounced gently as Simon watched him stroke. Both boys sped up as they felt the intensity rise and the tension build to a level they had always recognized as being as far as things could go. After quite a few minutes of fast strokes and heavy breathing, they both stopped. Unable to climax just yet, their arms were worn out. Simon looked Gregory in the eyes. "I like doing that with you." "Me too, Simon. I'm glad to have someone to do it with." "I'm glad I met you." "Same here. I want you to stay over sometimes." "Ask Coach to let me know and I'll ask my uncle." "Okay." Gregory said, as he got up and pulled the covers back on the bed. He turned the light off and got back in bed and cuddled up to Simon. They fell asleep in minutes. Across town, and earlier that morning, Kevin and Robby woke just after eight o'clock and after searching for their briefs, remembered that they left them in the living room in front of the couch. Robby left the bedroom nude, and went out to the living room to retrieve their underwear. He found them on the back of the couch. Robby hesitated for just a moment, trying to work out how his and Kevin's underwear made it from the floor to the back of the couch, and heard Robert slurp his coffee, in the kitchen. Robert was sitting at the kitchen table with a grin on his face, and thoroughly enjoying watching Robby squirm and blush quite scarlet. "Did you boys want some breakfast before you run off?" he asked, still grinning. "Uh, sure, why not?" Robby mumbled, as he went in the bathroom and relieved his bladder. He slipped his briefs on and went back to his room to give Kevin his clothing. Kevin emerged and stopped in the bathroom before following Robby out to the kitchen a moment later. "Good morning, boys." "G' morning, Sir" Kevin mumbled "Mornin' Dad." Robby replied. "So what was the movie last night?" Robert asked. "Um, "Lake of Death" I think?" Robby answered. "Oh yeah, that one with the hot sex scene in the tents before the scary stuff." Robert said. Robby and Kevin nodded. "Got you two all hot and bothered, didn't it?" Robert teased, Kevin blushed crimson and slid down in his chair, and Robby rolled his eyes and covered his face in his hands with a huge smile on his face. "God, Dad! Really!" "Oh, relax, you guys. You're not the first boys to whack off watching late night movies." Robby was mortified, and Kevin couldn't help snickering, partly because they were busted, and also because of Robby's reaction. "Okay, I'm sorry, I shouldn't be making fun of you two, but I really can't pass up this opportunity." Robert said, trying to hold a straight face, and fighting the urge to crack up. "So, you're not mad at us." Robby said it as a statement. Robert shook his head. "I would be worried if you two didn't masturbate at this age. You have a ways to go before you're all grown up, but I know neither of you are little boys any more. You wouldn't want me to pretend that you still are, and I won't do that." Kevin and Robby nodded when Robert paused and looked each of them in the eye. Both boys held Robert's gaze. Robert turned to the stove to put some bacon and eggs on "Um, Dad ... Can I ask you something?" Robby asked in a quiet voice. Kevin, not knowing what Robby was going to say looked visibly nervous and stiffened in his chair. Robert sat down at the table and replied "No, you can't." deadpan, with no expression whatsoever. Robby looked down, dejected. "Son, I'm messing with you. You always ask me whatever's on your mind ... that goes for both of you." Robby looked up and smiled and smacked Robert on the wrist. "Jerk!" he giggled. "What do you want to know?" Robert asked, slapping Robby's hand gently. "Um, isn't like, um, stuff supposed to come out when you uh, you know, finish?" Robby asked. Kevin was all ears now waiting for the answer to Robby's question. "Was this your first time?" Robert asked and Robby nodded. "You too, Kevin?" Kevin looked at Robby for assurance, and nodded. "It's completely normal for boys to start with dry orgasms at your age... just enjoy not having to clean up a mess afterward, for now." The boys looked at each other, absorbing this tidbit of information. "That will all change, soon enough." The waffle iron was now hot, and Robert got up and poured mix into the machine and closed the lid. "What are you two doing this morning?" "Probably ride a while, go to Michy's and stuff. Is it okay if we maybe go to the pool later on?" Robby asked. The waffles finished, and Robert hooked them out with a fork. "Do you need money?" Robert asked. "Dumb question, Dad. I ALWAYS need money!" Robby cracked, and Kevin cackled with laughter. "I still have some, but ...." Robert grinned as he refilled the waffle maker, and leaned over the boys at the table and forked a waffle onto each boy's plate. He checked the skillet and served up the eggs and bacon. "I'm going to the store today. Do you need anything?" "Can you get me a deodorant thing?" Robby replied. "I don't like using yours." He giggled. "What kind do you want?" Robert asked, turning to take the waffles out and reload the machine. He gave this batch to the boys as well. "Um, one like yours is fine." "There's a new one in my bathroom drawer. You can have it." "Ok, Thanks." "You can have the dollar bills in my wallet, too. Just the ones, though. Don't forget to thank Mrs. Gilliland." Robby nodded, crunching bacon in his mouth. He and Kevin finished their breakfast and hugged Robert briefly before hurrying to the bedroom to finish dressing. "Oh my God, I can't believe he's cool about ... that." Kevin whispered once the door was closed. "How did he know we...?" "We left our underwear out there last night." Robby replied. Kevin slapped his forehead and groaned and Robby giggled. Once they dressed and left the house, their first order of business was next door. Robby and Kevin climbed the steps and stood on the wide porch and Robby knocked on the wooden screen door. The front door was open to let the morning air in. "Yes?" came a voice from inside the house. "It's Robby and Kevin, Mrs. Gilliland." Robby said, and a moment later a woman in floral blouse and slacks came to the door. She looked and moved like a woman in her sixties, although those years had passed two decades ago. "Hello, Robby, and it's good to see you again, Kevin." She said as opened the screen door. "Would you like to come in?" "Oh, no, Ma'am. Thanks, but I just came by to thank you for sending my golf balls home." Robby replied. Kevin nodded and smiled. "Oh, it was no trouble. Gus does all the work finding them back there, but you're welcome." They said goodbye to Mrs. Gilliland and rode to the mound. There was no one around this morning, and they climbed the hill and entered the little clearing next to the trees and shrubs on the top. Robby surveyed the view and began to take his shirt and shoes off. Kevin watched as Robby slid his shorts and briefs off, and stood nude in the morning sun. "This is what I can't do at the pool." Robby said, reminding Kevin of their conversation yesterday. He lay down on the grass on his back and put his shirt across his eyes. The warm morning sun felt good on his body. He could hear Kevin undressing and looked over to see his friend sitting on the grass nude, pulling his shoestrings loose. In a moment, Kevin was lying beside him. He used his shorts to cover his eyes. They lay there for a while in silence until Robby spoke. "You really meant it when you said you would lay out with me." "Well, sure ... I said I would. Um, I owed you one anyway." " Huh? For what?" Robby wondered. "Fixin' my bike and stuff." Kevin replied. Robby snorted and snickered and a smile spread on his face. Kevin peeked at him and caught Robby's facial expression. "What the hell is so funny?" "Just thinkin' how you could pay me back." Kevin looked at Robby, not following, until Robby leered at Kevin and bounced an eyebrow gesturing with his finger toward his mouth. "Oh, Jeez!" Kevin shot back. "I turned you into a sex maniac!" "Nah, got there on my own." Robby giggled. He rolled over to sun his back. Kevin lay there looking up into the sky, wondering if Robby had really just asked him for oral sex. He had thought about and fantasized over this idea but had been concerned that it might jeopardize their friendship if Kevin was sexually aggressive with Robby. But then he realized that Robby had actually been the one to initiate the things they had done together every time so far. Robby's eyes were closed, so he didn't see Kevin's erection pointing skyward. The soft grass under Robby felt good on his own stiffness. Kevin rolled onto his stomach a few minutes later, and the boys looked at each other for a long moment. "I really liked what we did last night." Robby said in a quiet voice. "Me too." Kevin replied. "I wanted to do stuff like that with you for a long time." "I know. You told me that, sort of." "Are we good?" "Huh? Kevin, I kinda started it last night ... we always been good. I wanted that as much as you did" "Even though you probably like girls." "Yeah. But you'll probably have sex with a girl before I do." Robby whispered. "Why do you say that?" Kevin asked, confused. "Um, `cause I see them ones on the cheerleading team looking at you in the hall and at lunch and stuff." "No way." "Dude ... Like why would I lie about it?" "They're probably looking at you ...You're the tallest boy in our class, and running track is making you look good." "I look like a dork." "You don't either ... but you do look like a dweeb!" "Asshole!" Robby snorted. Both boys cracked up laughing at that, and rolled over again, their erections pointing skyward. Neither of them said anything for a good twenty minutes. Finally, Robby spoke. "I'm getting red, I think. I'm gonna get dressed." Kevin nodded and began to get up as well. They put their clothes back on and tied their shoes before heading down the hill to their bikes. Kevin noticed a car with faded green paint, parked on the street at the edge of the lot, where the driver could watch them come down the side of the mound. Kevin noticed the car, and whispered to Robby "Um, what's with the guy in that car?" "Yeah, wasn't that the guy in front of Michy's yesterday?" "Sure was." "If he chases us, we split up but keep each other in sight." Kevin whispered. "Right." Robby said, suddenly feeling fear. Neither one of them could outrun a car on their bicycles, and there weren't a lot of buildings or cover for about six blocks. They both felt a bit shaky in the legs as they got on their bikes, and began to pedal across the lot to the street. They both about suffered cardiac arrest when they heard the car door squeak and groan on rusty hinges, and the man stepped out. He walked toward them to the front of the car, and casually sat on the hood and put his feet on the front bumper. "Kevin?" the man called out. All the color drained from Kevin's face and he elbowed Robby. "Run!" he hissed as he pushed off and picked up speed as fast as he could, Robby right beside him. "Kevin, dammit! I just want to talk to you! Kevin!" They rode as fast as they could and sped around a corner and up another three blocks before they realized they weren't being pursued. "Who is that, Kevin?" Robby wondered; his eyes wide with panic. "No clue ... Never seen him before in my life." Kevin panted. "He knows who you are! We gotta tell your mom!" "Come on, let's get out of here ... we'll call her from Michy's." They made the short trip to Michy's without incident, and ducked into the store. Kevin ran up to the counter and got Mr. Michy's attention. "I gotta call my mom ... some man in a green car is following us, er, me." Kevin said in a huff, and Mr. Michy's eyes grew wide. He passed the phone over the counter to Kevin. He nodded to Mrs. Michy, who was standing next to him behind the counter. She went back to the office and used the other line to call the police. Kevin told Laura about the green car and the man who had tried to talk to him. She was rather quiet after Kevin described him, and said that she and Robert would be there in a few minutes. She told Kevin to stay close to Robby and not to leave the store. When she hung up, she called the police. The dispatcher told her a unit was already on the way, much to her surprise. "Who called it in?" Laura wondered. "Um, I'm not supposed to say, but I think it was the business owner." "Thanks." Laura said before she hung up and dialed Robert's number. Several minutes later, Robert had picked Laura up at the trailer and they were on their way to Michy's. A police car turned onto the block as Robert was slowing down to make his own turn, and parked on a side street just up the block from Michy's as Robert pulled up against the curb across from the store. A tall, silver-haired cop who appeared to be in his early sixties got out of the squad car. He looked like he could be anyone's grandfather. He walked back toward Michy's as Laura and Robert approached. "Officer, are you here about the boys being followed?" "Yes, ma'am. Boys? There is more than one?" "Yes, Sir. My son and his best friend. We're their parents." "Where are they right now, ma'am?" "Inside the store... we told them to stay put until we got here." "Is the person following them inside the store also?" "No, officer." The officer relaxed visibly upon hearing that the boys were safe. "Can I get everyone's name?" the officer asked as he pulled out a small pad and a pen. Laura introduced herself, Robert and gave the boys names and their addresses to the officer for the report. "Ma'am, can you tell me what's going on?" "My son said a man in a green car has been following him, and tried to talk to him over at the big dirt pile they like to hang out at, and he was here in front of Michy's yesterday when Kevin and Robby left the store." "Okay, let me go see what they say ... um, do you have some idea who this man might be?" the officer asked. Laura nodded. "I'm pretty sure it's Kevin's father." Laura looked as if the wind had been let out of her, and Robert put his arm around her to comfort her. She gave Officer Tom his name. "I'm guessing that you don't have a current relationship with him?" Laura shook her head. "I haven't seen him since he took off before Kevin was born." "Does Kevin know him at all?" "No, he's never seen him." "How old is Kevin now?" "Er, eleven, almost twelve." "Would this man have any business being here now, or trying to contact either of you?" "None." "Okay...Give me a minute to talk to the boys, and I'll be right back." The officer put his pen and note pad in his pocket and walked into the store. "Kevin, and um, Robby?" the officer asked. The boys turned around and said "Yes, Sir" almost in unison. "Hi, boys, you can call me Tom, okay?" he said softly. "Are you two okay?" The boys both nodded. "Which of you is Kevin?" Kevin pointed to himself and replied "I am, Sir, um, Tom." The officer smiled and said "Tell me what happened, son." The boy recounted the event as Officer Tom took notes. He then asked Robby if he witnessed the incident and Robby replied that he was with Kevin the entire time and things happened just as Kevin had described. "Kevin, do you know this man?" Kevin shook his head. "No. Never seen him ever. How does he know my name?" "I'll be sure to ask him that." Officer Tom replied, deflecting the question neatly. "If you find him." Kevin said, almost in a mope. He was clearly in fear. Officer Tom could see this, and put a hand on Kevin's shoulder. "I don't think he will be that hard to find, son." He didn't tell Kevin that he was certain that the man wouldn't leave town until he had contacted the boy. It was up to him to catch whoever this was before he scared the boys again, or tried and succeeded in abducting Kevin. He took a description of the man and the car from the boys, and Robby was able to give the year and model of the Pontiac, but not the license plate. He said the car didn't have one on the front and they never saw the back end. Officer Tom was quite impressed at Robby's recollection and suggested that he might think about becoming a police officer. Robert told the boys he would take them and their bikes home in the truck when this was finished, and Officer Tom decided to talk to Laura outside the store. "I didn't tell Kevin that you think this is his father. I thought that might be awkward." "Thank you, that is very considerate." "Laura, do you want this person around you and your son?" Officer Tom asked. "No, Kevin doesn't know him, and I terminated his rights years ago. I have no idea why he is here now, or what he wants." "How much child support does he owe?" "I never sued him. It wasn't worth the effort. He never had a job between stretches in jail." Officer Tom nodded, understanding this situation only all too well. "Right now, I can only talk to him and try to get him to leave you alone. If you take out a protective order, we have something we can work with. I'm sure you know all this already, though, right?" Laura nodded. "Can he do anything, you know, legally with Kevin?" Laura asked. "If you have a valid order terminating his rights, no." Officer Tom replied. "It's up to you if you don't want him to contact Kevin." While Laura and Officer Tom were talking, the green car turned and rolled down the street in front of Michy's. Officer Tom immediately recognized the Pontiac and the driver, and Laura locked eyes on the man. "Son of a bitch" she swore under her breath. "After all this time ..." But Officer Tom was already gone, sprinting up the block to find his cruiser. He whipped around in the street and gave chase to the old green car and stopped it six blocks up the street. He called dispatch and gave the license plate number and verified the name Laura had given him. The man did not have active warrants, although he had over twenty priors. Officer Tom got out of the car and walked up to the side of the car, where the man sat with his hands on the wheel. "Brian, may I see your license and registration, please?" "It's all in my wallet, Sir." "Go ahead and step out for me, please." "Am I under arrest or something?" the man asked. "Naw, you're good on warrants and such as far as I know." Officer Tom replied. "I do need to have a chat with you, though." The man opened the door and stepped out of the car slowly. He stood and put his hands on the door frame. "You can take your wallet out, Sir." Officer Tom said. The man slowly retrieved it from his pocket and took the license out and the registration for the car. He handed it to Officer Tom. Officer Tom glance at the items to make sure they were current, and not altered. "Is this your current address, Brian?" "Yes, Sir." "Are you working?" Officer Tom asked. He handed the items back to Brian, who put them back in the wallet. "Yup. Two years now. Clean, sober. I'm trying really hard to get my sh--sorry, stuff together." "You're on parole?" Brian nodded. "What are you on parole for?" "Possession of controlled substance, burglary, possession of stolen property." "Been checking in with your P.O.?" "Yes, Sir. Never missed once." "Brian ... What are you doing here?" Officer Tom asked gently. "I ... just wanted to see my kid, talk to him and ..." the man whispered as his eyes filled with tears. "I fucked things up so bad with them." "You scared those boys half to death, Brian. They have no idea who you are, or what your intent was." "I know ... I'm sorry ... I just ..." "I know what you wanted, but what about what's best for him? Are you thinking about him at all?" Officer Tom asked. "I think about him all the time, now." "If you really care about him, then don't crash into his life like this...what with chasing him around town and scaring him half to death and all. His mother told me she terminated your parental rights after you abandoned her and the baby." "Uh, yeah, kinda figured that would happen." "I don't know if she will file a protective order, but if she does and you violate it, we'll have to arrest you. You know that though." "Yes, Sir. Look, I would never hurt either one of them, believe me." "I do believe you, Brian. But you have no history with this kid. He might have thought you were out to kidnap him." "Oh, God. I didn't mean to scare them ...just wanted to talk to him." "You can't unless his mother allows it." "Even if he is my son..." "Brian ... Look, I know this is hard, but it's been eleven years with no contact or financial support? It's not like either of them owe you anything." "I guess they're pretty pissed at me." "I wish you success, Brian. I really mean that. Keep up the good effort. Maybe Kevin will want to know you when he gets older. If you do care about him, let him come to you when he's ready." "Yeah." Brian said, far from convincingly. He got back in the car. "You never know what might happen. Take care and drive safe, Brian." "Yes, Sir, thanks." Brian said as he started the car. Officer Tom walked back to his unit and got in. He drove halfway back to Michy's before he realized his lights were startling traffic. He pulled up to the store and found Robert loading the bicycles into the truck. "Officer, are the boys in danger?" "No, Sir, I'm pretty sure that they'll be safe. He's not out to hurt Kevin." "Will he come back?" "That's anyone's guess, Sir" Officer Tom said to Robert. Robert stopped and looked around to make sure the boys were still in the store with Laura. "Um, is he who, um, Laura thought he was?" Robert whispered. "Yes, Sir, he is." "Kevin never knew him, and I'm not sure how much he knows. My son Robby is practically Kevin's brother and maybe they talk about it, but Laura's never spoken of him with me." "I understand, Sir. I have to congratulate you on having a great kid. Robby kept a cool head and gave an accurate description of the man and the car. I don't know a lot of eleven-year old's that have it that together." "Thanks. I'm definitely blessed to be his father. Do you have children, Officer?" "I do. Three. Grown, making their way in the world. Giving me grandkids." "You're a lucky man ... You know, I feel sorry for that guy, just a bit. Kevin is a great kid. He'll never know what he walked away from." "Yes, Sir. I don't understand the things most people do ... I'll see Laura about this report. Take care." "Thanks, Officer." Robert replied as Officer Tom went inside. He found Laura and the boys at the food counter, drinking milk shakes. He motioned Laura over and spoke to her quietly so the boys couldn't hear. "Here is the police report number. You will be able to request a copy in seven days." She took the slip of paper from him, and slipped it into her purse. "How do you read him? Gut feeling?" Laura asked. Officer Tom sighed and blew out air as he composed his thoughts. "A guy with big regrets ... He knows he screwed up. I hope he puts Kevin first and lets Kevin make the first move if he wants to." "Yeah, me too. Thanks for everything." "No worries, glad to help. You have an awesome day, Ma'am." "Thank you." Back at the house, the boys were still planning to go to the pool, although Robert had to calm Laura a bit. "I'm not sure they should be out and about." "We know who he is, and even Officer Tom didn't think he would do anything to Kevin." "What if it was Robby's mother coming back?" "It's not the same thing. Robby knew her for seven years...Kevin has no history with this guy, no memories. Look, Laura, we can't protect Kevin from the truth. He probably knows who that was, or if he doesn't now, it's only a matter of time until he connects the dots." Just then, Kevin came out of Robby's room and came over to Laura. He looked into her eyes and said "That man knew my name ... It's him, isn't it?" Laura was silent for a long moment before she nodded slightly. "Yes, baby. He ... is." "Don't call him the f word, ever." Kevin commanded. He looked into Robert's eyes and continued. "You're my real one, anyway." Kevin said quietly, before turning to walk back to Robby's room. Robert was completely baffled at this strange exchange and turned to Laura "F word? Real one? What does ...?" "Father. Kevin's always thought of you as his dad." Laura replied, leaving Robert in shock. "Seems you were right." She sighed. She walked over to the door to Robby's room and knocked. "We're getting our suits on, be out in a second." She could hear Robby say. A moment later, the door opened and the boys came out dressed for the pool. "Kevin, are you okay?" Kevin nodded. "I knew this might happen someday, mom. I'm okay."