Summer of Twelve - Chapter 5

In which I babysit some other kids then get picked up by the police on the way home and Critter and me adopt a grandpa

A lot of things and routines changed after the sleepover.

Mikey and Donny were perfect for each other. When they were together, Donny was like a normal kid, not spoiled, and not needing someone's attention his every waking moment. He could wake up in any bed without freaking out, so long as Mikey was there with him. I thought I saw a change in Mikey also. Before, Mikey was not exactly shy, but in a room with more than two other people, he tended to disappear. Not literally, but he hardly spoke and wouldn't ask for things he wanted or needed. After, when they were together, Mikey was more outgoing. It was good for both of them.

The moms decided it would be a great idea for Mikey and Donny to spend as much time together as possible that summer, since both of them would be starting Kindergarten in the fall. Before the sleepover, Ms. Martin used to take Critter and Donny to their daytime babysitter every morning on the way to work. Her daytime babysitter was an older woman that Donny called Grandma Jones. She wasn't related at all, that's just what Donny called her. She only took care of kids in her own home and never did any babysitting after dark. After the sleepover, whichever mom had the little boys that morning would take the two of them to Grandma Jones's on the way to work.

Lisa and Molly bonded pretty well also. They had sleepovers only about twice a week, but they spent a lot of time together besides. They weren't joined at the hip like Mikey and Donny, they just liked each other's company. I could see a change in Lisa. Before the sleepover, she was a spoiled tattletale. After the sleepover, she was just spoiled. Molly was the kind of kid who only accidentally got other kids in trouble, and it was always the exact same trouble she was getting into herself. I think Lisa had to dial back her urge to get other kids in trouble because she felt loyal to Molly.

All this left Critter and me with a lot more free time. I didn't need to babysit Mikey, and Critter didn't need to be Donny's security blanket. So we turned into free-range kids, riding our bicycles all over the place, exploring the neighborhood and some of the businesses out on the main roads around it. We ran wild exploring the undeveloped land that was separated from the neighborhood by the drainage canal.

We fell into a pattern of going home to one house or the other and taking a nap in the middle of the day when the sun was burning hot. We stayed up late at night and slept wherever we happened to be when sleep overtook us. We still masturbated each other if we were in a hurry and just needed to tug out a quickie. Or if we had a little more time we would trade blow jobs. Or not even trade them, just one of us would suck the other, no paybacks needed. But if we had enough time and enough privacy, we loved to make out and that usually turned into making love. We didn't necessarily sleep during siesta time.

My mom started going out on dates. All she had to do was schedule the date for a night when Mikey would be sleeping at Donny's house. Lisa and me were old enough she didn't have to arrange anything for us, except maybe ordering pizza. And Ms. Martin didn't need me to babysit anymore for her dates with Mr. Bernard. All she had to do was plan the date for a night when Donny would be sleeping at Mikey's house.

And that's what got me in trouble with the police. Well not exactly that.

Since I wasn't babysitting for Ms. Martin anymore, my income dried up. And then I got an expensive comic book habit besides. I discovered a series called "The Adventures of Dragon Boy" and I was instantly hooked. One of the shops on the main roads around the neighborhood kept back issues of comics and I bought up every Dragon Boy comic I could get my hands on. Critter and me had the funnest debates about if Elliot -- Dragon Boy's invisible dragon -- was for real, or if he was just an imaginary playmate of a kid who was a way more powerful hero than he thought.

So after a couple of weeks, I was the proud owner of about thirty well-worn issues of Dragon Boy, and flat broke besides. I asked my mom if she knew anymore people who needed a babysitter. She said she would ask around at the office, and ask Ms. Martin to ask around for me also. But she advised me I might need to hustle up some regular boy chores, go up and down the streets offering to mow lawns, that kind of thing.

Ms. Martin came through a couple of days later. One of the secretaries at her Real Estate company was looking for a new sitter. She had two boys and thought a boy babysitter would have better luck with them than a girl. Ms. Martin warned me that I should keep my clothes on, but I still jumped at the job.

The two boys were Keith and Kevin. They were both seven years old. They weren't twins, but they were born just ten months apart, so for two months out of the year, they were the same age in years. They bickered constantly, and my main task as their babysitter was keeping them from coming to blows. It was not a dynamic I was used to, and it was exhausting.

They lived at a big apartment complex that sat catty-corner across the intersection of two main roads that also formed part of the boundary of my neighborhood. That meant I could ride my bike, so long as I used the crosswalks at the intersection to cross the main roads. And that is what got me in trouble with the police.

The ride home

It was about 11:30 at night and I was riding my bike home. I had some cash in my pocket from the pay given to me by Keith and Kevin's mother. I was going over in my mind if what I had received was worth it. Keith and Kevin were way harder to manage than Donny, but I also had to keep in mind that Ms. Martin had done me a favor by getting me the referral. I was torn and not paying much attention when a car came up behind me.

I was not so preoccupied that I didn't pull over to the far right, riding in the gutter, to make it easier for them to pass me. What I missed was that the car stayed behind me way too long. The light got brighter, I was in a spotlight. About the time I realized that, the whole area was suddenly illuminated with blue and red flashing lights, and a siren chirped. I immediately came to a stop and dragged my bike up with me onto the curb, to get out of the way. But they didn't want to pass me, I was being pulled over.

The police car turned at an angle in the street so the headlights pointed right at me. It was blinding.

"Don't move, kid." A man said. "Step away from the bicycle. Put your hands where we can see them."

I did as I was told, baffled and completely out of my depth.

Two grown men loomed out of the visual cacophony of flashing lights, spotlight and headlights. At nearly the same instant, a bright flashlight shined right in my face from either side. I put my hands in front of my face to block the light, but it was pointless, my night vision was already wrecked.

"Don't try to cover your face." A different voice said. It seemed to come from my left, where the passenger in the car might have been.

Again, I did as I was told. I squinted my eyes in the glare, but otherwise stood there as if I were being held at gunpoint. For all I knew, I was.

"Kid, bicycle, yellow shirt." said driver side voice. "I think we got our peeper."

"Seems like, Sergeant." said passenger side voice.

A series of rapid fire questions from Sergeant ensued

"What's your name, kid?"
"Chris Akter." I replied, then automatically spelled it for him.

"Why are you riding your bike this time of night?"
"Coming home from a babysitting job, sir."

"Where do you live?"
I told him my exact address.

"That's a real address in this neighborhood." Passenger side voice said.

"Yeah, but 'coming home from a babysitting job' is perfect cover for a peeper." Sergeant said. "Doesn't even matter if he actually lives there. We're going to take him into custody and show him to our witness for an ID. This is gonna be a good collar for us."

"I'll frisk him then." Passenger side voice said.

"Nah, make him strip." Sergeant said.

"Sir?" Passenger said.

"Strip search is in policy." Sergeant said. "And it will serve the little pervert right." Sergeant resumed talking to me. "Lose the shirt and shorts, kid. You can do this the easy way or the hard way."

Again, I did as I was told. Boys should not be modest, so the naked part didn't bother me. But I was scared from what was going on, two big police officers treating me like I was some kind of dangerous criminal.

"See, the little perv isn't wearing underwear." Sergeant said. "This has to be our peeper." He addressed me directly. "Step back from your clothes. You can leave the key around your neck, not that you're going to be using it tonight."

It wasn't even my house key anyway. Critter and me had exchanged keys to each other's houses. We wore them snugged up close in the hollow of our throats, and never took them off, even in the shower.

"What's in his pockets?" Sergeant said.

"Five bucks in loose bills. A few coins. No wallet. No ID." Passenger said.

"Doesn't matter." Sergeant said. "Cuff him and we'll take him to our witness for ID."

"Cuff him?" Passenger said. "He's a naked boy. How's he dangerous?"

"Rookie, cuffing is for the safety of the person being arrested. Did you forget that part of your training so soon?" Sergeant said.

"No sir." Rookie said. He came forward and ratcheted the cuff onto my left wrist, then pulled my hands down and cuffed me on the right. "Does that pinch, Chris?" he asked me. "Is it too tight?"

"We'll work on your demeanor later, Rookie."

I was pushed into the back seat of the car. They threw my clothes on the seat beside me and put my bicycle in the trunk. A few minutes later we pulled up in front of a house on a different street from where I lived. They were on either side of me like they were taking me to be executed.

The man who answered the door was older, like grandpa older.

"Hello officers." he said. "Why have you brought a naked boy to my door?"

"We got your peeper." Sergeant said, "We just need for you to ID him."

"When I called in the complaint," Grandpa said, "I made it clear I had not seen his face, only his height and his outfit. I can't very well ID him on outfit when he's in his birthday suit. Why is he naked?"

"Strip search." Sergeant said. "Standard precautions."

"I called in a complaint about a Peeping Tom," Grandpa said, "Not a mass murderer."

"Don't tell us how to do our jobs, sir." Sergeant said. "Is this the kid or not?"

"I'm sure it's not." Grandpa said. "The peeper was taller. Bring the boy around beside the house and I'll show you what I mean about his height"

The police officers took me around the side of the house, but on the way, Grandpa said "What's your name, kiddo? I'm tired of talking about you instead of to you."

"Chris Akter." I said. Again I spelled my name for clarity.

At the side of the house, Grandpa pointed at a windowsill. "Twenty minutes ago, give or take, there was a boy standing here, flat-footed, his chin on the windowsill, his hands cupped beside his head so he could see inside."

"You're sure he was flat-footed?" Sergeant said.

"One hundred percent. And you can clearly see that if Chris was hanging by his chin from this windowsill, his feet wouldn't even touch the ground."

The officers didn't argue that, but Sergeant said "We got him on a match to your description: boy, riding a bicycle, wearing a yellow shirt.

"My description was far more detailed." Grandpa said "What was Chris wearing before you stripped him?"

"Yellow muscle shirt, faded denim cut offs, nothing else." Rookie said.

"Yes, that is the problem." Grandpa said. "Here's my original description: A boy, about five and a half feet tall, long hair with a yellow or light colored shirt..."

"If the kid's hair was long, how do you know it's even a boy?" Sergeant interrupted. "Maybe we need to be looking for a girl?"

"If you'll let me finish, you'll understand." Grandpa said. "He wasn't wearing the shirt at all, he had it tied around his waist by the sleeves. Girls that tall aren't flat chested."

"Okay, okay, go on" Sergeant said.

"I will, but you keep interrupting me." Grandpa said. "The boy looked pretty shaggy, unlike Chris here whose hair is a proper length for a boy." Grandpa tousled my hair. "The peeper was wearing dark colored long pants, dark colored shoes and white socks."

"If he was wearing long pants, how could you see his socks?" Sergeant said.

"Because the pants were short on him, like he's outgrown them." Grandpa said. "Oh, and his bicycle had the reflector busted out. There were just a few shards left around the rim."

"This kid's bike has an intact reflector." Rookie said.

"Now that you have a full description," Grandpa said. "Why don't you stop terrorizing Chris, and get back out looking for the actual peeper?"

"We still have him on a curfew violation and riding a bike after dark without lights." Sergeant said.

"Seriously?" Grandpa said. "You're going to spend two hours booking him into Juvie on a curfew violation?"

"Sergeant, we can have him home in ten minutes and be done with this." Rookie said.

"You and I need to have a talk about insubordination." Sergeant said to Rookie. "But yeah, I'm tired of wasting time on this kid. Let's get him home so his dad can take a belt to him."

A few minutes later we were turning the corner onto my street. I was still naked and handcuffed in the back seat, and now more nervous than ever. My mom had gone out on a date that night. She meant to be home by 11:00, but if she was running late... And what was worse, Critter was waiting at my house for a sleepover with me that night. If he answered the door, the police might get him too.

I breathed a sigh of relief when the police car pulled up in front of my house. There was a car in the driveway that wasn't my mom's, which meant she was back from her date.

The police took me to the door and rang the doorbell. My mom answered the door. She was still dressed from her date, hadn't even taken her heels off. It was nearly midnight, so she had run late after all. In a way, I was lucky the police sergeant was so stubborn about understanding he had the wrong kid when we were at Grandpa's house.

"Is this your son, Ma'am?" Sergeant said.

"That one is mine." she said. "Why do you have him like this?"

Rookie unlocked my cuffs almost before the words were out of her mouth. He must have had the key in his hand.

"I'll go get his clothes and his bike." he volunteered and hurried toward the car.

Just then a man came up behind my mother. It was Mr. Bernard! I guess he was dating my mom too at that point. Mr. Bernard took a position alongside my mother, standing in the door, presenting a united front. He gently pulled me forward between the two of them and moved me behind them.

"Come in, Christopher." he said. "Whatever has happened tonight is over. You're safe now."

"He needs to have his butt blistered." Sergeant said. "Out riding his bike at this time of night."

"I do not need your advice on how to deal with the boy." Mr. Bernard said. "But I will ask if he was riding his bicycle in the nude."

"We strip searched him." Sergeant said.

"For a curfew violation?" Mr. Bernard said. "Was that really necessary?"

Critter came up behind me and handed me a towel to tie around my hips. He was wearing the same thing. He stayed right beside me.

"We had a complaint about a prowler." Sergeant said. "Your boy matched... was a partial match on the description."

"A prowler?" my mom said. "Do you mean our neighborhood Peeping Tom?"

About then, Rookie rolled my bike up to the door and leaned it against the wall outside. He passed my clothes in and took his place behind Sergeant.

"So you have been parading the boy about, hand cuffed and naked, because you thought he was a voyeur?" Mr. Bernard said.

"Listen, sir, you don't tell me how to do my job. Understand?"

"Christopher." Mr. Bernard said, without turning around "Check your pockets. Is anything missing?"

I turned out the pockets on my cutoffs and they were all empty. "My money is gone." I said.

"How much did you earn tonight." Mr. Bernard asked. He was in a staring contest with Sergeant.

"Five dollars." I said. "And I had a few dimes with me in case I needed to use a pay phone."

Sergeant blinked. "Oh, that..." he reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out my money. "I was holding onto it," he said, "just for safe keeping."

"Of course." Mr. Bernard said. "Now tell me your badge number, just for safe keeping."

"104729" My mom said.

"Excellent." Mr. Bernard said.

"C'mon, Sergeant Thompson." Rookie said. "Let's leave these folks in peace."

My mom and Mr. Bernard stood there silently in the door. They didn't move until the police car pulled away.

Safe at home

I admit I cried. I broke down in sobs. I had been so scared of what was going to happen to me, and it all flooded over me when my mom locked the door. My mom and Critter hugged me and held me through the worst of it. Even Mr. Bernard put a hand on my shoulder. That steadied me a bit. I pulled back from my mom and wiped the tears from my face. Critter was still hugging me from behind.

"I'm sorry about blubbering." I said. "I'm actin' like a baby about this."

"Christopher, you need not be ashamed of your tears." Mr. Bernard said.

"But big boys don't cry." I said, still sniffling.

"That is a pernicious and destructive lie." Mr. Bernard said.

"Chris, honey," my mom said, "you did absolutely nothing wrong tonight, and those police treated you very badly. Boys don't need to be modest, but they stripped you and frog-marched you around in hand cuffs for no reason. That's abuse."

"We have the means to make a proper complaint." Mr. Bernard said.

"And I will, you can count on that!" my mom said. "You handled yourself very well tonight, Claude. That kind of confidence is sexy."

"I am fond of these boys." Mr. Bernard said. He tousled our hair. "It angered me to see Christopher mistreated."

"I know we didn't plan it this way," my mom said, "but I hope you'll stay for breakfast in the morning."

"My Spencer is spending the night with a friend." Mr. Bernard said. "I will be delighted to enjoy breakfast with you and the boys."

So Mr. Bernard had a sleepover with my mom, and Critter had a sleepover with me.

Critter and me didn't do any sexy stuff that night. I was still a wreck. We spooned together with Critter being the big spoon, because I needed it that way. We talked quietly for a while about nothing in particular. I know he was just trying to distract me, and it worked. After a while we fell asleep.

In the morning, the sunlight was bright and clear. It made the night before seem like a bad dream. Critter and me got up and peed, then looked to see if anybody else was up. My mom's bedroom door was still closed and Mr. Bernard's car was still in the driveway, so Critter and me went back to my bedroom and started making out.

When Mr. Bernard walked in on us that morning, Critter and me were sitting on our butts in my bed, facing each other, hugging with both arms and legs. We were kissing and gently frotting our spit-slicked boners between our bodies.

"Breakfast will be ready in..." he said.

We froze, looking at him wide eyed. Until that moment we operated under the illusion that no one actually knew what we were getting up to.

"Breakfast can wait." Mr. Bernard said. "What you boys are doing is far more important." His gentle smile reinforced his words. "When you have finished your love making, and not before, then you may come out for breakfast."

Critter and me giggled for a moment and then started kissing again. The position was a new one for us and the intimacy was thrilling. The frotting was extra special gentle, so it took a good fifteen minutes before we shared our orgasms with each other, not that we were in a hurry. After a few more minutes to let our boners subside, we went to breakfast au naturale.

The morning after

Just about the time we finished breakfast, the phone rang. Critter and me were in the kitchen clearing up the dishes so we could overhear my mom's side of the conversation.

"Hello."

"Chris is mine."

"How do you know about that?"

"Without even trying to contact me?"

"So they had him in custody for a good half hour before they made any attempt to get me involved. This is going in the complaint."

"I appreciate that."

"Just a moment then."

She covered the mouthpiece with her hand and said "Chris, the man on the phone is calling to see if you're all right this morning. He's the man the police took you to first last night."

I winced at the memory, but the man stood out like a beacon of kindness. "He wasn't mean to me at all." I said. "He started trying to talk them into letting me go the minute he saw me."

"He wants to offer you a couple of chores you can do to earn some money." she said. "Do you feel like talking to him? It's all right if you don't want to."

I nodded and came over to take the phone.

"Hello, this is Chris." I said.

"Hello Chris, this is John Winchester." he said. "I know you'd probably rather forget last night ever happened, but I want to offer you a way to change the memory for the better. I have some chores that need doing around the house and I would pay you well if you care to do them."

With the memory of the unpleasant babysitting job topped off by being picked up on the way home at night, I was ready to swear off babysitting for a while. Doing regular boy chores seemed like a good choice.

"I'd like to do that." I said. "When do you want me to come over."

"Your own schedule." he said. "I probably have several days worth of work for you."

"Could I do one of the chores this morning?" I said.

"Yes, of course, that would be wonderful." he said.

"I'll come over right after I do the breakfast dishes." I said. "About half an hour, if that's all right."

"Perfect." he said. "Do you mind putting your mother back on the phone?"

Critter and me got busy doing the dishes, so I didn't pay much attention to the rest of the conversation my mom had with Mr. Winchester before they hung up.

"Darn!" I said. "I should have asked Mr. Winchester about you."

"What about me?" Critter said.

"To see if you could do chores for him too, I mean, if you want to." I said.

"I wanna do whatever you're doing." he said.

I hugged him. The surprise feels were the best thing about hanging out with Critter. Every now and then he'd say or do something that made me feel so good I just wanted to squeeze him.

"If he doesn't want you to do the chores with me, I'm not takin' the job." I said.

Grandpa Winchester

Chris and me put some clothes on and rode our bikes over to Mr. Winchester's house. He opened the door when we knocked. It was the same door I had been stood in front of in handcuffs just nine or ten hours earlier.

"Hello Chris." he said, a huge smile on his face. "I see you brought reinforcements. This has to be your brother." He directed his words to Critter. "What's your name, young fellow?"

"I'm Critter."

"What a wonderful, happy name." he said. "Come inside both of you, and we'll chat for a bit."

He had a breakfast nook and he took us there. We sat and he offered lemonade, then sat down with us.

"I feel so badly about what happened to you last night, Chris." he said.

"It wasn't your fault, sir." I said.

"In a way it was." he said. "I'm the one who called in the complaint on the peeper. The more I think about him, the more I consider that he is not being well taken care of. His hair is long and stringy, he looked thin, and he's about outgrown his britches. I think he needs help, but if the police get their hands on him, he'll just be punished."

"You can't help that." Critter said.

"Well, what made it worse was that your big brother got caught up in it also. And that is something that I can help." Mr. Winchester said. "If you're game for it, I've got plenty of chores to do around the house. I hardly lift a finger myself anymore, I prefer to give the work to eager young hands. Plus it gives me a chance to talk to people who aren't on Death's door."

He stood up and ushered us into the backyard. He had a swimming pool, but the sides and the water were pretty green.

"Since there are two of you, I'll give you a big chore this morning." he said. "I've let the pool get away from me and it needs a good cleaning. You'll need to brush the walls and vacuum the bottom. After that, it will need a good shock, but I'll take care of that. I don't want you boys handling those chemicals."

"Don't you swim in it?" I asked.

"No, no," he laughed "My swimming days are passed. I got the pool for the grand kids, and now they've all grown up and gone away to college."

"Mr. Winchester," Critter said, "may I call you Grandpa?"

Critter got a surprise hug from Mr. Winchester then. I joined in, because... because Critter.

"You dear, sweet boy!" he said, "You've gone and got me misty eyed. Of course you can! It would be music to my ears."

After a few moments to compose himself, Grandpa pointed at the pool again. "The problem with the shock chemicals is that it takes anywhere from half a day to overnight for the chlorine level to come back down where it's safe to swim again. So if you boys clean the pool first, you won't be able to have a swim until tomorrow."

"Is it safe to swim in now, Grandpa?" Critter asked.

He laughed. "When I was your age, back before the invention of dirt, I used to go skinny dipping with my big brother, rest his soul, and his friends. We swam in ponds that were so murky you couldn't see your pecker if you were more than waist deep. Had to find it by feel."

Critter and me laughed our heads off about the way he said that. It was strange to imagine that this old man had been my age, ever.

"Would it be okay if we had a swim first and then cleaned it after?" I asked.

"Okay?" he said. "It would be perfect!"

Critter and me looked at each other, gave a little shrug, and shucked our clothes on the spot. We charged at the pool and jumped in side by side, limbs flailing for maximum goofiness.

"I'm going to make myself a mimosa," he said, "then come out and let you boys take me back in time."

Grandpa sat in a lounge chair and watched Critter and me play for the next hour or so. I had somehow never been swimming with Critter yet. It was so fun that our first time swimming together was at a place where we could do all the things that normally got you kicked out of a pool. Running, horseplay, splashing, dunking each other, it was all permitted. Not just permitted, but encouraged.

He called us over after an hour or so, when he got to the bottom of his mimosa. We stood there dripping and grinning, a little winded because we were playing that hard. Critter was hanging on my shoulder in a side hug.

"You boys have restored my soul. Your love for each other is so clear. I had a very special relationship with my big brother, and I would swear that I felt his presence here this morning. I know he's smiling, looking down on the two of you." he said. "And now I've gone and got misty again."

Grandpa was not comfortable being emotional, so he changed the subject.

"Time for the work part." he said. "First thing is to brush the walls."

He made another mimosa for himself and brought a couple of cups of lemonade out for Critter and me. We followed his instructions and worked pretty hard for the next couple of hours. We didn't bother getting dressed, and Grandpa never said a word about it. If we 'accidentally' fell in the pool a couple of times over the next couple of hours, he just smiled about that. But we really did work hard, not goofing off much at all. He showed us how to connect the pool vacuum and we traded off to the second part.

He looked at his watch when we were done. "You boys are good workers!" he said. "Even counting the swim time at the start, you're done in time to go home and get some lunch."

We got dressed while he shocked the pool. He wore a respirator and made us stand inside the house while he did that. He put away the chemicals and his safety equipment and came back inside.

"The workman is worthy his hire." he said, and paid us generously.

We hadn't even mentioned money, but I sure wasn't going to complain about the amount of money he'd just handed us.

"Do you think you'll be back tomorrow?" he said. "Even if you want to take a day off of chores, you can come by for a swim."

"We'll be back tomorrow, Grandpa." Critter said. He could speak for me anytime.