Date: Wed, 9 May 2012 14:40:23 -0700 (PDT) From: BR Subject: Two Boys: A Love Story "lost chapter" 2 This is a second "lost" chapter to "Two Boys: A Love Story". It takes place between parts I and II, and after the previous "lost" chapter. It contains nudity and sexual situations , and is not recommended to readers under 18, or readers who reside where such material cannot be legally accessed. "Two Boys: A Love Story" Supplemental Chapter 2 I lay down on top of Adam and put my arms around him with my head on his chest. He put his arms tightly around me and we just lay there, taking in each others smell and the feel of each others bare flesh. It was December 21, and we had just finished the last day of school before Christmas break. The next day, Adam was on a plane to Cancun, and I would be on a plane to back to Towson. Additionally, Adam and his family were going to be in Cancun for a week past the new year, so I wouldn't even be seeing him until after January 8. Adam had come home with me after school so that we could soak up a few more moments together before our forced separation, and we now lay naked together in my bed. Adam was rubbing his hands over my face. I was stroking his hair with one hand and rubbing our penises with the other. I didn't know how I was going to last for the next 17 days. "So when is your mom coming to get you?" I asked. "She said at five," Adam replied. "That sucks." I said. "I wish we weren't going on this stupid trip." He said. "I don't know, Adam. It sounds pretty nice, you've said how much you love the beach ." "If stupid Geritol is going to take us somewhere for Christmas than we should go to where there is snow. I've never seen snow before. I've been to the beach a gazillion times" "We used to get snow in Towson almost every winter." I said wistfully. " A couple of years ago we missed a whole week of school because of snow." "I wish I was going there with you." Adam said. "Me too, that would be fun." "I'll try to call you from Mexico, Buyer, really. I have your dad's number." "Adam, that's going to be an international call. You know how expensive those are? Even Gerald's not going to go for that." "I'm sure they'll let me call you at least once. I'll also send you a postcard everyday, I promise." He said. I smiled. "Thanks Adam. I'll try to get in touch with you somehow, too." Adam smiled and started running his fingers around my eyes like he liked to do. I felt his penis stiffen up in my hand. "You have such a nice face, Buyer. I'm going to miss seeing it everyday." He said. He then leaned down and kissed me on my lips. We then... ...stepped off of the plane and into a rain shower. It was coming down pretty hard, but it was also sunny out at the same time. We get those back home in Florida, too. My sister Maddie and my mom both went down the steps off the plane and onto the runway, holding their carry on bags over their heads to shield themselves from the rain. I followed behind them and bitch Gerald was behind me. Despite the rain it was real warm and sticky out. I thought it felt like a jungle. It smelled like one too. We got to the bottom of the stairs and onto the runway and rushed right into the airport terminal. After a brief wait we were driven on a tour bus to our resort where we were staying. "Have you been practicing your Spanish, Adam?" My mom turned around asked me from the seat in front of me. "Sure. 'Donde esta el bano'? " I replied. "He's not going to need to speak any Spanish in this place, Sherry." Said Gerald, who was sitting next to her, facing forward. "Well he might need to if he leaves the resort." Sherry said. "Then make sure he doesn't leave the resort! Make him follow a rule or two for once!" Gerald replied crossly. He is such a bitch and I hate him and I can't believe that my mom actually married him. I don't care if he takes us on these stupid vacations and lets us live in his big, stupid mansion. "You sure this isn't going to be all old people in this place?" Maddie asked. She was as unhappy about this trip as I was because she couldn't be with her new boyfriend Todd. Todd was a junior in her high school and he actually looks pretty good. I actually think he's kind of sexy. We pulled up through the gate and into the resort, which was right next to the ocean. I looked out past the buildings and saw the big, blue ocean. It looked absolutely beautiful. The place was full of palm trees with coconuts on them and I saw a couple of toucans in the trees. I sighed and felt sad that Buyer wasn't with me. If he were here, we would be laughing at everything and having a great time. I also wished that he could see how beautiful the place was. The resort was comprised of eight large villa huts, all in a semi circle around a compound which consisted of a pool with a swim up bar. There was a second bar on the deck which also served food, a kiddie pool, a jacuzzi, a large leafy area, and some restrooms in a small building. Beyond was the beach. Gerald rented two huts, so he and mom were in one and Maddie and I were in the one next to it. I looked out of the front of the hut after I dumped my suitcase out on the bed. I saw a couple of old people sunning themselves by the pool. A guy in his twenties or so walked by in one of those real small, underwear looking bathing suits. He was real muscular and tan and looked real good and he had a nice butt that I could see the shape of really clearly. I decided to go check out the beach. Just then Maddie called out to me from the bedroom. "Adam! You dumped all your shit out on your bed! Clean this up!" She yelled. I turned around into the doorway. "I'm going to the beach first! I'll clean it up when I get back!" Maddie then came and grabbed my arm and I pulled it away from her. "Stop Maddie!" I yelled and then smacked her on one of her tits really hard. She then grabbed my head and started raining blows down upon me. Just then Mom came rushing over. "Stop! Stop!" Mom said as she seperated me and Maddie. "What's happened!?" "Adam dumped all his shit out on the bed and I told him to pick it up and he wouldn't do it! Then he hit me!" She then grabbed my arm. "That's bullcrap, Maddie! You hit me first!" "Enough! BOTH of you!" Mom yelled and made Maddie let go of my arm. "Adam, go put your stuff away like you know you're supposed to! Maddie, stop hitting your brother! OK?" She then stalked off and Maddie and I exchanged smacks to each others arms as we walked to my bedroom. I put all my stuff in the little chest and closet that was in there, put on my bathing suit, looked at the clock, and saw it was 5:15. We had forty five minutes until dinner, so that gave me more than enough time to check out the beach. As I was leaving, Maddie said she was going with me. Maddie and I walked out and each got a Sprite from the deck bar. We walked down to the beach and saw a few families and a few older people scattered here and there. The waves were rolling in and the entire scene was blazed in a scarlet red from a beautiful sunset. It was stunningly gorgeous and I wished that I had brought my sketch pad with me to the beach. I pulled off my shirt and my flip flops and ran into the waves. Maddie had also put on her suit and she dove into the surf right behind me. We laughed and swam in the crashing surf. A half moon was hanging over the resort, and I loved the salty smell in the air and the feel of the warm sea water. It soon got dark so we got out of the waves, stood under the little deck shower that was next to the beach entrance, went back to the hut, and got dressed for dinner. Dinner was really nice. It was at the buffet which was set up by the deck bar. A six piece mariachi band was playing on the opposite side of the bar. I was able to see the other people in the cabins. It was mostly older people, but their were also a couple of other families there. One of the families had three boys, one my age, one older, and one younger. The other family had two older teenage girls and one girl who looked about five years old, as well as a boy about Maddie's age, who I could see Maddie drooling at. I had the fried chicken and the tacos and the ribs. Everybody else had the roast beef or the ham. As I was standing in line at the buffet for seconds, I saw that the boy about my age from the other family was standing behind me. I turned around and introduced myself to him. He just kind of stared at me. He was real thin and bony and tall with really light blond hair like Byron's, beady blue eyes, and a horsey sort of face with a strange haircut that looked like someone shaved the side of his head with clippers. He had a small rat tail growing in the back. I asked what his name was, and he said something to me in a language that I didn't recognize. It was then my turn at the buffet so I began packing my plate up again. By the time I was done, the boy had gone back to his family at one of the other tables. After dinner we went back to our cabins. Maddie and I went swimming in the pool about an hour later. Mom and Gerald came out and sat by the side of the pool and talked while Maddie and I splashed around. The family with the three teenagers then showed up and Maddie gravitated right to them. After a while, It became obvious that I was being excluded, so I left and went back to the hut. Never, at any point, had I ever missed Byron so much. This would all be eighty times more fun if he was here, and I felt empty and lonely without him. I looked at the phone and thought about calling him in Towson, but instead I watched TV in the tiny little "living" room in the cabin, drank a ginger ale from the refrigerator, and went to sleep. The next morning, I... ...woke up around 7:30 with Mom frantically jostling me. I had a 9am flight out of Lakeland to Charlotte, and then onto a plane to BWI, where Dad would meet me. I had never flown on my own before, so this was pretty exciting. I had packed all my stuff the night before, so I bounced right out of bed, took a quick shower, and we headed right towards the airport. The plane tool off at 9 am sharp, and by 10:30, I was in Charlotte waiting for my noon flight to BWI. I finally touched down at BWI around 2 pm. As I was walking through the concourse, I saw Dad waiting for me by the baggage claim. He had on a pair of corduroy knickers with green socks and suspenders, black shoes, and a grey racing cap. He didn't look quite as gaunt as he did the last time I saw him, and he still had that grey goatee that he's always had. I've seen pictures of him from when he was 18 years old and he had that goatee even then. "Well hello there, Byron old boy!" Dad said as he shook my hand and gave me a warm pat on my shoulder. I smiled and shook his hand. I was really glad to see him. "Hey Dad." I smiled. "I trust that you had an enjoyable flight?" "Yes, sir. I did." We stood at the carousel until my suitcase arrived, and then hopped onto a shuttle bus to where his car was parked. Soon, we were in the car headed down the highway back to Towson. I couldn't wait to see the place again. "Did they give you lunch on the plane, Byron?" Dad asked as we pulled onto I-95. "Yeah, we had spaghetti and a salad and I also had a burger in Charlotte, so I'm not really hungry right now, if that's what you mean," I said. "Well that's a shame. I was going to suggest we stop at the Loch Raven Diner." He smiled. "Oh wow!" I said. We used to eat at the Loch Raven all the time and I've missed that place."Can't we go there maybe later, or tomorrow?" "Of course we can do that." Dad said. We drove a little more. "So did you have any trouble with the layover? I trust that the flight crew were helpful to you?" "Yeah they were. I didn't really have to do anything that was too hard." I said. We drove some more. "So how's your mother?" Dad asked. "She's good. She leaves tomorrow for Champagne. She's coming back after Christmas and she says that she's going to have a New Year's Eve party with some of the people she works with since I'm not going to be there." I said. "Yes...yes, I see. She never let me have a New Year's Eve party..." He said, almost to himself. We drove some more and Dad got off on the exit for I-695 north. I saw the mileage sign for Towson and knew that I was back home. As much as I missed Adam, I really was excited to see Dad and my old friends and Towson again. Until Mom snatched me up and drove us to Lakeland, I had never lived anywhere else. "So Byron, how are your sports coming along?" Dad asked me. "I'm not really playing any sports now. I was kind of thinking of waiting until baseball starts in April." I said. I had actually already told him that at least twice. "You mean that you didn't play football?" He said. "Nope. No football, no soccer, no track. No nothing." I said. "Byron, please use proper grammar." He said. "Sorry. I meant 'not anything'." I said, annoyed that Dad couldn't at least wait until we got to his house to get on my nerves. "I saw your grades by the way. Your mother emailed them to me. Congratulations." He said. "Thanks. I would have had all A's if it weren't for a couple of spelling tests that I didn't do so well on." I said. Spelling and punctuation were always my weakest areas. "Well you have to work on that. Spelling becomes really important once you get to the higher levels. Nothing makes you look worse than a bunch of spelling and grammar mistakes. I know I don't tolerate it with my students. With today's technology there's no excuse for it, absolutely no excuse." He said. After a while we got off onto the Towson exit. The place looked exactly the same as when I had last seen it back in August, but also a little different too. I also had to get used again to seeing trees with no leaves on them. I felt like I was finally back home again, but I also felt like I WASN'T home all at the same time. It was very strange. We drove through the downtown towards the University campus and I looked wistfully out at the familiar streets and buildings. When Mom and Dad divorced, the only thing that Dad tried to get was our house. He and Mom wound up sharing the house, and it was put up for sale and sold in October. Mom told me that the money that they got from the house was put into my college fund. I still felt a little bitter that Dad didn't even try to get any kind of custody or visitation, but I also knew that it was pointless to dwell on it. Dad pulled up into a garden apartment complex where he now lived (the one room apartment had been a temporary sublet from the University) and parked his car near the largest of the three buildings. He helped me carry my luggage up to his second floor apartment. I thought it looked really nice and cozy, and I recognized most of the paintings and furniture as being from our old house. "I was going to heat up some leftover stew from last night. Would you like some?" Dad asked me from the kitchen. I loved Dad and I was glad to see him, but he is one of the worst cooks ever in the history of the planet. "No thanks, Dad. I ate on the plane already." I said tactfully. "Ok, if you happen to change your mind it's on the stove." He said. I went into the spare bedroom and started unpacking. I was glad to have my own room. When I stayed with Dad after Mom was institutionalized, I had to sleep on the sofa in the living room. After I unpacked I asked Dad if I could use his living room phone, and then called the number that I had memorized by heart. After I dialed the number the phone rang twice. The line picked up, and a familiar female voice came on the line. "Hello?" "Hello, Mrs. Reinhardt. Is Chuck home?" "Byron Welleham? Is that you?" I smiled. "Yep, it's me." "Yes, it is I." Dad corrected me from the kitchen. I just ignored him. "Oh it's SO nice to hear from you again! How are you? How's your mother?" Mrs. Reinhardt asked. She and Mom were really good friends at one time. "She's fine. We live in Florida now. I'm visiting Dad for Christmas." I said. "Well it is so WONDERFUL to hear from you again! We must get together while you're here! Let me get Chuck for you, I'm sure he'll be glad to talk to you!" She said. I then waited while I heard her calling out for Chuck in the background. Chuck and I had been best friends since second grade. Until I met Adam, he was the closest friend I had ever had. I had spoken to him on the phone twice since Mom and I went to Florida, and I had sent him a couple of emails. After I started school and met Adam, he kind of faded out of my mind a little bit, and I felt really bad about that. I could hear footsteps whooshing towards the phone, and someone pick up the receiver. "Hey Byron! Long time, no see!" "What's up, Creepface?" I asked with a big grin. "Nothing, Gorillabreath. How's Florida?" "It's OK. I'm home visiting Dad for Christmas." "Cool, we should go duck pin bowling or something while you're here." Chuck said. We used to go duck pin bowling, or to the ice rink almost every weekend when I lived here. "Cool. Why don't you see if your mom will drive you over here. Maybe you can have dinner over or something." I said. "Byron, we're going out tonight! Tell him he can come over tomorrow for that!" Dad said from the kitchen. "Never mind, Dad just said we're going out." I said. "Cool, well I'll call you tomorrow then." Chuck said. "Cool, talk to you then!" "Bye." "Bye." I said and hung up the phone. I then went into the kitchen where Dad was. "Was that your friend Chuck?" Dad asked. "Yes it was." I said as I grabbed a bowl and spooned in a couple of ladles of stew into a bowl. "How's he doing?" He asked as I sat down at the table. "He's fine." I said. I then took a taste of the stew and winced. It tasted salty and burnt, just like almost everything that Dad cooked. "Well don't you fill up too much. We're going to be out to dinner in about an hour and a half or so." He said. I pushed the bowl of stew away from myself. "So is Leslie going with us?" I asked. Leslie was the student that Dad left Mom and me for. Dad cleared his throat, took his glasses off, and took his pipe and tobacco out of his pocket. "Well actually, it's funny that you have mentioned that, Byron old chap..." He began filling up his pipe as he spoke. "Leslie and I are actually no longer together." "What happened?" I asked. "We just decided that it wasn't working for us. She's much younger than me, and we found out that there wasn't as much in common as we both thought." "Do you suppose maybe you could have found that out before you left us?" I said quietly while I looked down at the table. Dad lit up his pipe with a match. "Byron, we have been through all of this before. Your mother and I had not been happy together for a long time. If you hadn't come along we probably would have split up much sooner. I know that you are far too young to know what an adult type of relationship is like.Therefore, your insolent comment has been forgiven. As you get older, and start having adult type relationships, and become more intelligent, you'll know that sometimes relationships will start off really great, and then sour over time. It has been happening for time immemorial, long before your mother and I knew each other." "Well maybe you should stop dating your students then." I said. Mom had been one of his students also when they met. "Byron. I am glad to see you again, but I don't want to have this discussion with you. I suggest that we either change the subject or we don't talk at all." He said as he puffed on his pipe. He then opened up an Eddie Bauer catalog that was on the table and started reading through it. I got up from the table, went to my room, and closed the door. First postcard from Adam Dec. 23 Dear Buyer, Merry Christmas, my friend! Having a good time (sort of) in Cancun . I marked where our villa is on the picture with the green marker. Mom and Geritol are in the villa to the left. The beach is right there and it's really cool. Mom set up a christmas palm tree for us in their villa and we decorated it this morning. I did some drawings on a couple of coconut shells for the tree. This place is really nice and it would be so awesome if both of us were here. I miss you. I hope you're having fun with your dad. I'll write you again after X-mas is over. Adam After I got dressed I had a pee, brushed my teeth, and went out to the pool deck where Mom, Maddie, and Gerald already were. A big breakfast buffet had been set up with scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes, and so on. A large, green iguana was hanging around, looking for scraps of food. Mom informed us that the resort had provided everyone with a potted palm tree to use as a Christmas tree. I had forgotten that Christmas Eve was tomorrow. We spent about an hour decorating the tree with some decorations that Mom brought along. I also got some coconut shells from the bar, and used my Sharpies to draw various sun bursts and clouds and ocean scenes on them. My shells got added to the top of the tree, which I thought was cool. I then went to the gift shop to get a postcard for Byron. Cancun used direct air mail, so as long as I could have it mailed by the 9 am pickup, Byron should be receiving it within a day. After I mailed the postcard I returned to my villa, put on my bathing suit and goggles, and spent an hour swimming in the ocean. Afterwords, I grabbed my sketch pad and sat down on a recliner on the pool deck. As I was sketching the scene with a pencil and my Sharpies, I heard a slight commotion around one of the other villas. Just then, the three boys who were staying there came bursting out, ran laughing and yelling to the pool, and all jumped right in. My mouth dropped open as I saw them running out. The oldest and the youngest boys were wearing those tiny little underwear bathing suits like you see competitive swimmers wear. The boy around my age however, was only wearing a tiny little blue striped thong. I watched as they all splashed around and chattered away in that foreign language they spoke, which I was pretty sure was German. The boy my age got out of the pool with his back to me, and I could see his butt as clear as day. He dove back into the pool and I was starting to get a tingling feeling in my stomach and my dick. The older boy got out, and I could see a little bit of pubic hair around the top of his bathing suit. I now had a full boner. I looked down and I could see it sticking up in my suit. I put my sketch pad over it and continued watching the boys splash around. I then did a quick pencil sketch of them, which brought down my boner long enough for me to be able to get up and jump into the water with them. We swam and splashed around for a while. I asked if any of them spoke any English and they just looked at me. They apparently didn't speak it at all. After a while I got out of the pool and went back to my recliner and laid back. The other boys all got out and came over and sat around me. The boy my age was to my left, the older boy to my right. The younger boy jumped back into the pool. I turned to them and pointed to myself. "Adam." I said. "My name is Adam." "Adam." Said the older boy, who then pointed to himself. "Dirk." He said. "Helmut." Said the younger one. I repeated the names to them to make sure I had them right. They then both pointed to their youngest brother who was in the pool and said that his name was Frederich. I then grabbed my sketch pad, drew a picture of the USA, and put a big dot where Lakeland was. "Lakeland, Florida." I said. "I am from Lakeland, Florida, USA." I said as I pointed to myself, and then wrote it down next to the map. Dirk then took the sketch pad and the pencil, sketched a country, wrote "Deutschland" over it, and then wrote a big dot on the middle western side of the map. "Essen." He said, which he then wrote next to the dot. Apparently they were from Essen, Germany. I had never heard of Essen until then. We then went back to sunning ourselves. I kept staring at them while we lay there. They were both really lean and fit looking. Helmut was pretty much naked except for the little thong he was wearing. It was gaping open a little while he lay there. so I could see a little bit of his white nutsack peeking out. I could also see his thighs. I had a boner but it was scrunched between my legs, so it wasn't visible. I also looked over at Dirk and could see the bulge in the front of his suit. I then decided to do something kind of bold. I pulled down the front of my suit and made it look like I was adjusting it, which briefly brought my boner into view. I looked over at Dirk, and he wasn't looking. Helmut, on the other hand, was staring out of the corner of his eye. I smiled at him and he turned away. "I like your bathing suit." I said to him, but he didn't understand me. After a few minutes Dirk and Helmut said something to each other in German, both got up, and jumped back into the water. I jumped in with them and we all swam around for a bit. I "accidently" brushed up against Helmut's butt with my hands a couple of times. It felt really smooth. I also jumped up on Dirk once, my boner rubbing into his back. I tried to get them to play Marco Polo, but apparently they weren't familiar with the game and I had no way of explaining it to them. After a few minutes their mom came along and shouted something in German. Frederich climbed out of the water and ran over to her and they both went into their villa. Dirk and Helmut stayed in the water. I had to pee so I got out of the pool and walked towards the little restroom area off to the side. I heard someone getting out of the pool behind me. I turned back and saw Dirk and Helmut both getting out of the pool and follow me. I walked into the restroom with both of them behind me. When I got in there, I saw two urinals next to each other and I took the one on the right. I pulled the front of my suit down and started peeing. Helmut went to the urinal next to me. I looked over and saw him lower the front of his thong. His shriveled up little uncircumcised dick came wobbling into view. I stared without blinking while he peed. I saw that he was looking at mine too. I liked watching the pee coming out of the little skin pucker at the end of his dick. I finished peeing and stood there staring at his dick while I sqwooshed mine with my thumb and forefinger. When Helmut finished, he stuffed his dick back under his thong, flushed and retreated, and Dirk then came up to the urinal. I watched him pull his dick out. It wasn't too much bigger than Helmut's, but it was thicker and he had a big bush of hair growing over it. I love hair on a dick, and I popped a boner right there. I was embarrased, but Dirk didn't seem to notice. He flushed, said something to Helmut in German, and walked out of the building. I then flushed, put my boner away, and turned to leave the building. I then saw Helmut leaning against the wall by the doorway staring at me. I looked down and saw that he had a boner in his thong that was sticking straight out. I then pulled down the front of my bathing suit and my boner slapped up against my belly. I smiled as I saw Helmut staring. He then pulled his thong down, and his boner also came popping out. His balls were hanging with the one on the right a little lower than the other. He smiled and motioned towards the toilet stall. I nodded and then followed him into the stall. Once we were in there, I pulled my suit down to my knees, and Helmet did the same. We stared at each other for a few seconds, and then I grabbed his dick with my left hand. I started jerking him off. It felt weird because I could feel his skin sliding all up and down. Helmut grabbed mine and kind of started feeling it with his fingers, mostly around the bottom of my dickhead. I moved as close as we could get, and started rubbing the tip of my dick against the tip of his. He pulled his skin all the way back, and his purplish head felt really soft and kind of spongy. I wished that I was uncircumcised like he was. Helmut and I were breathing heavily while we rubbed our dicks together. We both leaned our foreheads onto each other while we panted and rubbed. I was starting to feel a really big cum coming on. The tickling and the tingling was starting to become almost unbearable and I started gritting my teeth. A surprisingly loud moan escaped from Helmut. We then heard someone come in and use the urinal. We were as quiet then as it was possible to be, but we kept on with what we were doing. We then heard the toilet flush and a pair of flip flops exit the bathroom. I reached over and grabbed the side of the stall as my orgasm hit. I closed my eyes tight and could see purple bursts while my knees wobbled and my heart pounded. Another moan escaped from Helmut, and I could feel his dick spasming up against mine. After what felt like forever, we both finally started slowing down. We then both left the stall and went over to the two sinks and clutched them while we both panted away. I then leaned over to kiss Helmut, but he put his hand up and blocked me from doing that. I told him sorry and we washed our hands and went back out to the pool. Helmut and I dived back in, but he seemed like he was sort of trying to avoid me. I then started to really miss Buyer, more so even than I had before. I felt so depressed that I almost started crying right there in the pool. I got out of the water, went back to my bed, took off my bathing suit, put on a pair of boxers, lay down on the bed, and fell almost immediatly asleep. Second postcard from Adam Dec. 24 Dear Buyer, Well it's Christmas Eve. I hope you and your dad are doing good. I REALLY, REALLY wish you were here with me. : ( Your friend forever, Adam PS: the picture is the beach as it looks from just outside our villa. Byron's letter to Adam Dec.24 Dear Madman, Thanks for the postcard. That place looks SO COOL! That is so awesome that you and Maddie have your own hut like that. It must be awesome to have the beach that close to you. How is the food there? I talked Dad into getting a Christmas tree today. Dad says that Christmas is a bunch of hooey, but that we could have a tree if I wanted to. We just got finished decorating it. I'm having a great time seeing my old friends and seeing all the places again that I used to go to. I was kind of hoping that we would get some snow while I was here, but it doesn't look like that is going to happen. As a matter of fact, it was almost 60 degrees today! I guess that probably sounds funny to you since I'm sure that it was at least 80 today where you are. Dad took me on a big drive around town today. He also told me that for my Christmas present, we are going to the Ravens/ Steelers game on Sunday! You can bet I'm psyched up for that! GO PURPLE!!! We also drove past our old house. It looked the same except whoever moved into it painted the shutters blue instead of white. I guess once you sell a house there isn't really anything that you can do about that. I guess I should get going. THANKS again for the postcard! I'm going to save it and put it with your artwork of yours that I have at my house. Just so you know, I wish I was there too. Merry Christmas, tell your mom and Maddie I said hi. I'm looking forward to seeing you again when we get back. ILY. Byron After I mailed Adam's letter, I returned to the house and plopped down onto the living room couch. My friend Chuck and his mom were coming by for dinner. Dad made up a big thing of chili, as chili is one of the very few things he makes that actually isn't too bad. Dad had taken me on a big drive around all of the old stomping grounds, and we stopped over at Chuck's briefly. His house looked exactly the same as it did the last time I saw it, or the first time I saw it for that matter. I also made Dad feel guilty enough to agree to buy us a little Christmas tree. We decorated it with some glass things that we bought, and I finally started to feel the Christmas spirit. Chuck and his mom arrived around 7:00. He and I fist bumped and went into my room while Mrs. Reinhardt and Dad had a glass of wine in the kitchen. Chuck was a bit taller than me, with light brown hair, brown eyes, a hook nose, and a year round tan. "So how is everyone?" I asked as I sat on the bed. Chuck pulled a chair up. "They're cool, I guess. Tootie Walker and Clarissa Gibbons are in my class. Clarissa has tits now." Chuck said. "She had tits last year." I said. "Not like she does now. She has big old bazooms now!" Chuck said while cupping his hands and moving them up and down in front of his chest. "You're in Mrs. Gromley's class. Right?" I asked. "Yup." "Are you still going out with Tracy?" "No, I broke up with her." He said. "Why?" "Byron, you ALWAYS get rid of your girlfriend right before Christmas! That way you don't have to buy her a present! I'll either get back with her after New Years, or I'll start going out with Clarissa." "Dude!" I laughed. "Clarissa hates you! She won't go out with you in a billion years!" Chuck stuck his hand out. "Bet me then." He said. "I'm not betting you shit!" I laughed. "Come on, twenty bucks says I go out with her by the end of the first week back in school! You know you're getting Christmas dough tomorrow. Come on, shake!" "Fuck you! I'm gonna be back in Florida by then! How am I supposed to know you're not lying!" I laughed. "Come on, you can trust me." Chuck said. This made me explode into laughter. Chuck was one of the biggest liars I had ever met in my life. "No thanks!" I said after I regained my composure. "I think I'll save my Christmas money for the trip back, but thanks anyway!" "So who's your girlfriend back in Florida?" He asked. This wiped the grin off my face. "Who says I just have 'A' girlfriend?" I said while looking down towards the floor. "What? How many do you have?" "There are a couple of interesting candidates in my class." I said. "Candidates? Are you holding an election?" "No, no...they're just all really gross looking or don't like me or both." I said. I was starting to feel sort of uncomfortable. "There's a couple of girls I like, but they don't have any tits or anything." "That's weird. You would think with all that sunshine and orange juice the girls would all have tits into the next room!" Chuck laughed. Chuck and I then changed the subject to sports. I was pleased at how obviously jealous Chuck was when I told him that I was going to the Ravens game on Sunday. He and I both worshipped Ray Lewis as a god, and I had an autographed poster hanging in my room back in Lakeland that Dad got for me a year ago when Ray had made an appearance at the campus. We then got called to dinner, choked down Dad's chili, and wished each other a... "Merry Christmas!" I heard Mom say through the door as I lay on my side in the dark.. I then heard her knock on the door. "Adam, can I come in? Please?" I hadn't hardly left my room in two days, and it was now Christmas morning. I hadn't hardly eaten and spent most of the time lying around in the dark. I told everyone that I had a stomach ache, but the truth was that I felt sad and depressed. All I wanted was to be with Buyer. I missed him so much that it hurt. I couldn't think of anything else. "Sure, I guess." I muttered. Mom came in and sat on the bed next to me, and started rubbing her hand through my hair. "Honey, are you sure you don't need a doctor?" Mom asked me. "I'll be OK. I feel a little bit better today." I said. "That German boy has been over twice to see you." Mom said. "I don't care." I said. "I'm so sorry that you got sick on this vacation. Gerald and I both wanted this to be special for everyone." "It is special." I said unconvincingly. Mom leaned down and kissed me on my head. "Well come into the other villa when you're feeling up to it so that you can open up your presents, OK?" She said. "OK." I said. She then kissed me again, got up and left the room. I felt bad that I was ruining Mom's vacation, but I couldn't help my feelings, and I wasn't about to tell her what was really bothering me. After a half hour or so my door opened up and Maddie came in. "What's up, faker." She said as she closed the door behind her. "Go away, Maddie!" I said as I put a pillow over my head. Maddie grabbed the pillow and tossed it to the side. "Come on, Adam. It's me. What's really fucking wrong with you?" "I want to be left alone and no one will do that!" I said. Maddie ran her hand over head. "Do you want me to say what I think is bothering you?" I just lay their in silence. "I think you miss Byron. I think that's what's really bothering you. Don't worry, I haven't said that to anybody." "Whatever." "Look, Adam. You got to snap out of this. Mom and Gerald don't believe you have a stomach ache. If you're not careful they're going to start wondering what's up. You don't want Mom to send you back to that therapist again, do you?" "No!" I said rudely. Maddie sighed. "Look, Adam. If you're mad because you can't be with your hunky little boyfriend, that's your business. What you need to do is swallow it and pretend that everything is peaches for the rest of this trip so that Mom and Gerald don't throw you into a rubber room when we get back. You've got Christmas presents you haven't even opened yet. How about you go over there and say that your stomach feels better and that you're back to normal and don't need to be put in a straitjacket and carted off to the looney bin, OK?" I sat up next to her and gave her a hug and she hugged me back. "Thanks Maddie." I said. "I'm just looking out for my little bro." She said. "Let's go to the beach after I open my presents, OK?" I smiled. "Sure." Maddie smiled as she got up and left the room. I got up off the bed. I went to the mirror and combed my hair a little. I thought about just going out there in the t-shirt and boxers I was wearing, but decided to throw on a pair of shorts. As I was looking for a pair to put on, there was another knock at my door. "Adam?" I heard Mom say. "Come in." I said. Mom entered the room with a portable phone. "Adam! You're up!" She said. "Yeah, my stomach doesn't really hurt anymore." I said. "Well I was coming by to give you one of your Christmas presents." She said. "Oh yeah?" I said as I slipped on my blue pair of soccer shorts. "I thought you might want to give your friend Byron a call in Baltimore. Gerald says you can have a ten minute phone call. You have his Dad's number, right?" I felt joy welling up inside of me." Really? I can call Buyer? Awesome! Yeah I have his number! Thanks Mom!" I threw my arms around her in a big hug. "Make sure you thank Gerald too." She said. "Sure, yeah..." I said. I wanted her to leave so that I could make the phone call. "They're an hour ahead there, so you might want to call soon before he and his father go out somewhere." "Sure, I'll call now. Thanks again, Mom! Merry Christmas!" I said. "Merry Christmas, Adam." She said as she hugged me again. "Oh I love you so much!" After she was done hugging me she gave me a piece of paper with some numbers on it. "Dial these numbers first, and then dial Byron's number. I'll be back in ten minutes to get the phone. Please remember that this is really expensive, so please have it wrapped up when I come back. Allright?" "Sure, Mom. Thanks again!" I said as I hugged her again. Mom hugged me back, smiled, and left the room, closing the door behind her. I sat down on the bed and quickly dialed the numbers. It rang a couple of times, and a man's voice answered. "Hello?" "Hello, is Buyer...I mean Byron home?" "Who is calling please?" "This is Adam. I go to Byron's school." I said. "Byron's school? In Florida?" He said. "Yes, is he there?" I asked a little anxiously. This was all eating into the ten minutes. "Sure, sure. He is here. I will go fetch him for you. Will you mind holding on the line while I go retrieve him for you?" "Sure, sure..." I said, trying not to sound like I was rushing him. "Are you having a good Christmas?" He asked. "Yes, yes, it's been great. Merry Christmas." I said. Byron's dad is apparently just as annoying as I had been told that he was. "Ok. Hold on while I go get him for you. Please stay on the line." I heard the receiver get put down, and Byron's dad calling for him. "Byron? It's one of your classmates from Florida." I heard in the background. "Is it Adam?" I heard Byron say. My heart fluttered when I heard him. "I don't know, he didn't give a name." I heard him say. I then heard footsteps rushing towards the phone. "Dad! I'm taking this in the bedroom!" He said as he came on. "Adam?" "Hey Buyer!" I grinned. "Oh my God! Merry Christmas, Adam!" I heard Buyer closing a door. "Merry Christmas!" I smiled. "I've really missed you." Byron said. "Me too." "I got your postcard yesterday." "Cool, they told me that if I mailed it before 9 am that you would probably get it the next day. I wanted you to have it before Christmas." I said. "I wrote you a letter too. I guess you haven't gotten it yet because of the holiday. So what's it like there?" "It's nice. We're right on the beach. Maddie and I have our own rooms in our own villa. We're right on the beach and we have a swimming pool right there and the food is really good." "Yeah, I asked about the food in my letter. You haven't drank any of the water, have you?" Byron laughed. "No! We have bottled water. The tap water will give you the squirts. We're not even supposed to brush our teeth in it!" "I'm surprised you didn't drink any on purpose just so that you could fuck with everyone!" Byron laughed. "Are there any other kids there?" "There's a family with a kid my age but they're from Germany and don't speak any English. There's a family with teenagers who Maddie hangs with. Everyone else is old people." I said. "That's sort of a shame." He said. "This resort smells like ass, too." Byron laughed at that. "What do you mean?" "Mom says the smell is from rotting vegetation and all the lizard shit." "Are there a lot of lizards?" "There's tons, more than we have at home even. There's iguanas and those little green lizards like in the Geico commercials." "Oh wow. Cool!" "There's also hermit crabs and big snails, they're all over the place. In the ocean I've seen starfish and sting rays and I saw a sand shark the other day." "That is so freaking, awesome, dude. Have you done any drawings?" "Sure, quite a few actually. I'll show them to you when I get back." "I want you tell me all about it when you get back. It sounds so awesome." "Byron, is anyone else on the line now?" "No, it's just me. This is the only phone in the house." "Byron, I really miss you. I miss you more than I expected to." "I miss you too. I've had a lot going on, but it's always been in my mind how much better it would be if you were here. I was actually sort of thinking, Dad said something to me about spending the summer with him here maybe. Do you think maybe you might want to come up here with me if I do?" "Yeah, for sure. That would be awesome!" "Cool! So what did you get for Christmas?" "Actually I haven't opened them yet." "What, did you just get up? " "Yeah, I wanted to call you first. What about you? What did you get?" "Dad made me a stocking with some candy and books in it. Mom sent me some clothes and a new mountain bike." "That's awesome! We can go out riding!" "Dad is also taking me to the Ravens game on Sunday." "Against the Steelers? Oh wow, You're so lucky!" "Yeah, it's a Sunday night game, so you should be able to watch it there." "That would be so cool if I get to see you on TV!" "I promise that I'll wave to you if I do." He said. I then paused. "Adam?" I heard Buyer say. "I love you so much, Byron." I said. "I love you, Adam. I can't wait to see you again." "It's so awesome to hear your voice." I said. "It's awesome to hear yours. I'm so glad you called. It made this one of the best Christmases ever." My Mom then came in and told me to start wrapping up the call. "I have to go Buyer. I only had ten minutes. It's an international call and it costs alot. It was one of my Christmas presents." I said sadly. "Oh man! That sucks! I wish we could talk all day," "Merry Christmas, Buyer." "Merry Christmas, Madman. I miss you and I love you." "Bye, see you next year!" "Cool, bye Adam." I then hung up the phone and handed it to Mom. "So, are you ready to go open up some presents now?" She said. "Sure." I smiled, and Mom and I put our arms around each other and walked out of the door. I sat on the bed and just held the phone and stared at it after Adam hung up. I had been trying not to be depressed about him not being here, but hearing his voice made my realize how much I missed him. I missed his cute face and his blue eyes and his intelligence and his sense of humor and his unconditional love. I put my hand on my head and closed my eyes and tried not to get emotional. After I got my feelings under control, I went back into the living room and put the phone back onto it's charger. "Who was that?" Dad asked from the kitchen. "Just some kid from school I know." I said as I sat down on the couch. "Why did a kid from your school call you? Why does he have my number?" "He said he was going to call me on Christmas to say hi, so I gave him the number." I said as I turned on the TV. "Well do me a favor and please don't give out my number to your little friends. I get enough calls here from students and such. Allright, Byron?" "Sure Dad, sorry I gave out your number." I said while I flipped around the TV. Final postcard from Adam Jan.6 Dear Buyer, Sorry I haven't sent you a postcard for a few days. I've been at the beach almost constantly. The picture is of Cancun from the air. As I mentioned before, the German family left the day after Christmas and the family with the teenagers left the day after that, so it''s nothing but old people now. We leave tomorrow and I'll be in school the day after that. This place is nice but it's also real boring and I can't wait to see you again. Still, it's nice to be able to swim with Dolphins and go scuba diving and hang gliding and waterskiing. I guess you have to take the good with the bad in this life. Happy New Year again, dude. I'll see you real soon : ) Your best Best BEST friend forever and always, Adam