Date: Fri, 20 Jul 2012 02:35:10 -0400 (EDT)
From: ErastesTouch@aol.com
Subject: A Throw Away Kid - Chapter 2

Throw Away Kid - by Erastes
Copyright 2012 by Erastes
Chapter 2 – Growing Bonds.

When we got to the mall, Bryce immediately started to head toward the
discount store, but I called him back and took him to one of the places I
liked to shop.  He began to argue with me almost immediately and told
me that he didn't mind wearing the no-name brands, but I explained to
him that he was living with me now and we had to maintain the image
that he was my nephew and I was taking good care of him.  After
listening to my reasons, he relented and gave me a little smile in the
process, as we headed directly to the boys' department.  As soon as we
arrived there, a clerk came over, offered to help and asked what we
were looking for.  In response, I merely told her that I was going to buy
my nephew a few things and we'd call her if we needed help.  Somewhat
disappointed, she stated that she'd be at her counter if we needed
assistance, but before she left she looked at Bryce and made a comment.

"You sure have a nice uncle," she told him, with a wink.

Bryce smiled, looked at me and then turned back to the clerk.

"Yep, Uncle Kyle is a really great guy," he agreed, with a huge grin.

The clerk left us alone after that and Bryce followed me around the
department, as we looked at various items.  We picked out a couple
pairs of dress slacks for him, some jeans and some shorts.  After that, I
sent him to the changing room to try them on.

"Aren't you coming in to let me know what you think, Uncle Kyle?" he
asked, when he noticed I wasn't following him.

"Well, I can, or you can just come out here and show them to me once
you've changed," I offered.

"Nah, that will take too long," he reasoned.  "Why don't you just come
in with me and then I can just keep trying things on without having to
keep stopping."

That did sound like a reasonable suggestion, so that's what we did.
After he selected which pants and shorts I was going to buy for him, we
placed the items on the sales counter and told the clerk we'd be taking
those, but we had other items to purchase as well.  Then we went into
the next area and started to look at the shirts.  The clerk seemed
delighted at how much we'd already chosen, which lead me to believe
that she received some sort of commission on the sales, and then she
began to fold the various items we'd already chosen.

Over the next few minutes, Bryce and I picked out an assortment of
dress, polo and tee shirts, which I had him try on as well.  When we had
selected what we wanted from that assortment, I took him over to the
underwear section next.  I asked him which type he preferred, boxers,
briefs, boxer-briefs or bikinis, and then added that he could buy
whatever he wanted.  I knew he was currently wearing briefs, but that
might not have been by choice.  He might just have had to wear
whatever was purchased for him.

"What do you think I should get, Uncle Kyle?" he asked, seeking my
input.

"Well, that depends on what you're most comfortable in," I replied.

"But what would you rather see me in?" he followed.

I thought this was kind of an odd question, but I figured he probably
just wanted to please me, because I was doing all of this for him.

"Well, I think the bikini briefs are the sexiest, but the regular briefs will
do just fine," I suggested.

He gave me an evil grin and went over to the section where the bikini
briefs were located and started to rummage through the selection.

"Is there any particular color that you'd prefer?" he wanted to know.

"No, just surprise me," I answered.  "Get a dozen pairs for now."

"Are you sure?  That seems like a lot."

"Yes, I'm sure," I confirmed.  "It's better to have extra than not
enough."

He hurriedly picked out the pairs he wanted and then we grabbed some
A-line undershirts for him, before selecting a variety of socks, both
colored and white.  We then took everything up to the clerk, who gave
us a strange look, and then asked us a question.

"I thought you said you were going to get a few things?" she teased.

"Well, we got carried away," I told her, "but he can always use them.
Besides, how often do I get a chance to spoil my nephew?"

She giggled and Bryce smiled, while I felt like a million bucks.  When
Bryce started to move toward the exit, I called him back.

"Hey, hold on there, champ.  We still need to go back to the shoe
department next and get something for your feet," I informed him.
"You can pick out a pair of dress shoes and a pair of athletic shoes,
before we head home."

"Are you really sure you want to spend this much on me?" he asked,
amazed.  "You've already bought more for me than I usually get in a
year."

"I'm sure it's all right or I wouldn't have told you we were going to do
it," I confirmed.  "Stop questioning everything and let's just go back
and pick those things out for you."

"Ok.  Whatever you say, Uncle Kyle," he relented, while flashing me a
very devilish grin.

After we made our way back to where the shoes were located, Bryce
picked out a pair of loafers and a mid-range pair of athletic shoes, but I
made him buy an extra pair of laces for the athletic shoes at the same
time.  On the way up to pay for them, I saw a display of those rubber
beach sandals, so I made him select a pair of those too.  I wasn't
planning to go to the beach anytime soon, but they'd be good for around
the house and when he went out to use the pool.  That reminded me,
Bryce would probably also need a bathing suit.

After telling him what we were about to do, I took him back to the boys'
department and he began to look at what they had.  Before long, he was
holding up a pair of black Speedos, with red trim, and asked what I
thought of them.  I told him they looked great, if that's what he wanted,
and he said he thought they would do just fine.  I also had him pick out
a Boardshort style pair as well, in case we went swimming somewhere
that he might not feel comfortable in a Speedo.  After we paid for the
rest of our selections, we made our way back to the exit, loaded
everything into the Lexus and then I drove us home.

Throughout the return trip from our little shopping excursion, Bryce
kept thanking me for buying him so much and raving about everything
we had purchased, but he also exclaimed that he couldn't believe I was
doing so much for him.  After we pulled into the driveway and parked
the car, I told him to take everything up to his room and put it away,
and then he could come back down and we'd have some ice cream.  I
told him after that we could spend the rest of the evening watching
television or do whatever he wanted.  He was only gone for about five
minutes before he came bounding back down the stairs, to ask me if I
had any extra hangers.  I told him that I did and apologized for not
thinking about giving him some, before I took him up to my room to
retrieve the extra hangers.  This was also the first time he had been in
my bedroom, so he made sure he checked everything out.

"Man, this is really neat," he beamed.  "You've got a huge bed, a big
TV, a great stereo, an enormous closet and your own bathroom."

I was amazed at his enthusiasm about everything, because I didn't think
it was all that special, but I would find out later that it certainly was for
him.  He had lived in a small two-bedroom apartment, with just one
bathroom, and the whole apartment would have fit nicely into a small
corner of my home.  I guess I sometimes take too much for granted and
forget how truly fortunate I am.  Suddenly this young man was giving
me a whole new appreciation for my life and reminding me how great it
was.  I was appreciative for this new insight he was giving me and I
knew that I had to help him through his situation, as best I could.  I had
no idea of how I was going to do that yet, because I was certain I'd get
into trouble just for just having him here, but with my money and what
it could buy, I was sure I could figure something out, sooner or later.

After I gave him the hangers and saw how carefully he put everything
away, we went back downstairs.  I went to the kitchen and scooped out
two bowls of ice cream, after telling him to go into the family room and
pick out whatever he wanted to see or do until bedtime.  He soon
discovered a movie on one of the pay stations and told me he wanted to
watch that, as I handed him his dish.  I sat in my chair, a very
comfortable recliner that I love, and he sat on the sofa.  We ate our ice
cream and then set our bowls on the coffee table when we were done.
Bryce then sprawled out on the sofa and laid his head on one of the
throw pillows.

We watched the movie, but I could see Bryce was getting pretty sleepy
and having trouble staying awake toward the very end.  When the
movie finished, I told him it was time to go to bed and then I walked
behind him as we made our way up to our rooms.  I did this to make
sure he didn't fall backward and tumble down the stairs, since he was
traveling on a pair of shaky legs and it was obvious that he wasn't
totally with it.  That's why I thought it best to take this small
precaution.

When he reached the landing at the top, I guided him toward his
bathroom, while I went and got him a toothbrush and a tube of
toothpaste to use.  I always keep extras on-hand in my room, so I dug
into my stash and took the items to him.  After he brushed his teeth and
used the toilet, he finally staggered into his room, stripped down to his
underwear and slid into bed.  When I went to close his door, as I was
leaving the room, I heard him speak in a weak and sleepy voice,

"Good night, Uncle Kyle," I heard him mumble.  "I'll see you in the
morning."

"Sure thing, little buddy," I replied, as I shut the door behind me.

The next morning, I awoke with a strange feeling.  I didn't know what it
was, but it just felt as if something wasn't normal.  As I opened my eyes
and began to focus, I saw Bryce standing at the foot of my bed, smiling
at me.  When I looked at the clock it read 5:15, so I'd be getting up in
fifteen minutes anyway and didn't say anything.  After I finished
stretching, I reached over and turned off the alarm, so it wouldn't go off
later, and then I looked at Bryce again.  He just smiled and spoke to me.

"I was just excited and couldn't sleep any longer," he explained.  "That
was the first time I've slept in a bed in ages and it felt great.  I just came
over to see if you were awake or if you were getting ready for work."

"Well, I'm glad you had a good night's sleep, but I'm just going to lie
here for a few more minutes, before I get moving," I confessed.

"Hey, that's ok and I'll join you," he agreed.

With that, he raced forward, leaped into the air and landed beside me
on the bed, causing me to bounce up and down on the mattress.  He
looked at me and began giggling, like that was the funniest thing he had
ever done.

"Sorry about that, but I just couldn't resist," he choked out, amid his
laughter.

"So I noticed, but I understand," I stated, soothingly.  "I liked doing
that when I was a kid too.  It used to drive my parents, as well as my
brothers and sisters, crazy."

Suddenly a sad expression came over Bryce's face and I couldn't
understand why, until he informed me what he was thinking about.

"I could never do anything like that when I was home, because my mom
never allowed me to go into her bedroom and I didn't have any brothers
or sisters."

I guess I had unintentionally trod upon some sensitive issues, so I had to
think of a way to make him forget about this quickly.  I decided to go
with the first idea that came into my mind and slowly tried to turn this
into a joke.

"Well you're going to have to pay for that," I teased, "and I think you
deserve a tickle torture."

I immediately grabbed his sides and began to tickle him.  I wiggled my
fingers along his ribcage and under his armpits, and rapidly discovered
that Bryce was extremely ticklish.  He began to thrash about beneath
me, as he tried to break free, so I threw my leg up and over his body,
thus pinning him down with my weight upon his waist.  Once he was
securely held in place, I continued the assault.

"Ok, ok, I give," he squealed, through his laughter.  "You'd better stop
or I'm going to pee all over your bed."

"You do and I'll have to start putting diapers on you."  I responded
jokingly.

I did let up momentarily, in order to give him a chance to gain control
of his bladder, but he also took this opportunity to give me his point of
view on the matter.

"But I wouldn't have to worry about that, if you weren't tickling me
like this," he said panting, while trying to catch his breath.

"Ok, I'll stop, but next time I won't give in to you so easily," I warned.

"Aw, come on, I've got to have some fun," he pleaded.

"And I do too," I countered.  "If you can have your fun jumping on my
bed, then I'll have my fun by tickling you.  Sounds fair to me."

"It would be, if you could catch me," he hissed, as he started laughing
again.

"Well, I caught you today, didn't I?" I challenged.

"Yes, but next time I'll be ready for you," he replied.

"And I'll be ready for you too," I retorted.

To emphasize my statement, I began tickling him again.  When I
stopped, he had another comeback.

"Yeah, we'll see about that," he challenged.

Glancing over at the clock, I let him up and then got out of bed, so I
could head for the bathroom.  I knew I had to get moving and perform
my morning ritual at breakneck speed, or else I wouldn't be ready in
time for work.  As I disappeared through the doorway of my bathroom,
I decided I'd better let him know what was going on.

"I need to take a shower and then I'll come down and fix breakfast for
us," I stated, when I stopped at my bathroom door, "unless you want to
get your own."

"Nah, I'll wait and eat with you," he replied.  "Besides, I don't really
know where things are yet."

"Good point and I won't be long," I added.

I jumped in the shower and began to lather up, while thinking about my
new houseguest.  The more I thought about him, the more I realized
that I needed to do some things in order for this arrangement to work.
First, I had to get him familiar with where I kept things and, second, I
wanted to get to know him better and see what I could learn about his
past.  He seemed like a good kid and I enjoyed his high spirits and good
nature, so maybe we could still remain friends, even if I was able to
reunite him with his family or found another solution for him.

The more I thought about this, the more I realized that I needed to do
something out of the ordinary, something that I wouldn't normally do.
When I got out of the shower, I went over to the phone beside my bed
and called into work, so I could ask my secretary to clear my calendar
for the day.  I told her that an emergency had come up and that I
needed to stay home to take care of some things.  When she inquired as
to the nature of the problem, which she normally did since we were
quite close, I told her that my nephew was here and he needed my help.

She knew I had two brothers, three sisters, and several nieces and
nephews, so she didn't question this information.  In addition to my
other reasons for doing this, I wasn't sure I was ready to leave Bryce in
my house unsupervised.  Sure, he seemed like a nice kid and had told
me that he wouldn't steal from me, and although I basically believed
him, experience had taught me to be more cynical.  Using that
perspective, I wanted to get to know him a little better first, before I left
him with most of my possessions within his grasp.  I hated to think this
way, but I did have to be pragmatic.

Another reason I wanted to stay home was due to the fact that I felt
Bryce might require some help from me, in order to work through his
problems, especially if his family had mistreated or abandoned him.
Many things could be running through his mind right now and he might
not know how to deal with them.  For example, he might be wondering
why some guy he had never met was willing to take him in and do things
for him, when those who were supposed to love him had either abused
or turned their back on him.

I didn't know anything about his situation, but I thought spending the
day alone would give him too much time to reflect on what he'd been
through.  It might even cause him to question not only his family's
motives, but mine as well.  I thought it would be best if I were here to
help him find answers to those questions, rather than have him
speculate about why things have happened as they did.  I was afraid
that he might run off or possibly report my actions to some agency as
being suspicious in nature.  I couldn't afford to take those kinds of
chances and certainly didn't need a bunch of do-gooders sticking their
noses into my personal business.  As far as I was concerned, it didn't
matter how well intentioned they were or whom they thought they were
helping.  It was a situation I definitely wished to avoid, at any cost.

My next reason was that I understood we needed to bond in order for
him to open up and let me know about the types of situations he had
experienced in his young life.  Seeing that I tended to spend much of
time at work, since I had nothing else in my life at this point, I knew I
would have little opportunity to do this without taking some time off.  If
I continued my normal routine then I wouldn't be with him very often,
except for a very brief time late at night or on the weekends.  If I were
going to try to forge any kind of a relationship with this kid and get him
to confide in me, then I'd have to do better than that.  By taking the day
off, maybe I could speed up the process a bit.  I'd spend today with him
and then go into work tomorrow.  Since the day after was Saturday,
we'd have the entire weekend to be together, so I was hoping that by
spending three days out of four with him I just might be able to make
his transition easier.  It might just provide us the opportunity we needed
to get to know each other better.

When I finally went downstairs, I began to make breakfast, but I also
informed Bryce that I had taken the day off from work.  Of course he
wanted to know why, so I told him I did it for a couple of different
reasons.  For one thing, I explained that it would be extremely rude for
me to invite him into my home only to run off and leave him behind
before he was familiar with anything.  Next, I decided to give my reason
a more personal touch, so I let him know that even though I hadn't
known him for very long, I already liked him.  For that reason, I
thought I should take the day off so we could get to know each other
even better.  He seemed to think the second reason was pretty special
and it caused him to keep asking questions such as, 'you did this just for
me?' or 'you really like me?'

After he asked one of these questions, he'd then flash me that special
grin of his, which gave me a warm feeling inside.  By the time we had
finished eating, he was dancing around the table and asking what we
were going to do.  I told him that it would be his choice, since he was my
guest, and he gave me an evil little grin this time.  Slowly, he motioned
toward the French doors, located at the back of the family room.

"Can we go swimming?" he asked, coyly.

"Sure, if that's what you want to do," I agreed.  "It's plenty warm
enough for that and the pool's been set up for about a month now, so I
see nothing that would stop us.  If that's what you want to do, then we'll
do it."

"Yeah, I've never been in a private pool before," he confessed.  "I've
only gone swimming at the community center and the YMCA, and they
were usually crowded."

"Well, you won't have to worry about any crowds here," I teased.
"We'll wait a little longer, to give our food time to settle first, before we
go upstairs and put our trunks on, and then we'll swim for as long as
you want.  How's that sound to you?"

"It sounds great, as long as you're going to be out there too," he agreed.
"It's not as much fun swimming alone."

"I guess not, but I do it all the time," I admitted.  "I go out and swim
laps by myself nearly every night, just to keep in shape.  It also helps to
relax me before I go to bed."

"You mean you swim at night?" he asked, amazed.

"Yes.  There are lights in the pool, just below the waterline," I
confirmed, "and then there are spotlights on each corner of the house,
which are angled to shine on the pool.   We can either turn both sets on
or opt to use just one of them, but then again we don't have to turn any
lights on at all.  I often do that when there's a full moon.  I like
swimming after dark, when it's cooler, but it's also one of the few times
I have to swim.  Working as much as I do, I seldom get to go in the pool
when there's any daylight."

"Can we go swimming tonight too?" he asked, hopefully.  "I've never
gone for a swim outside after dark before."

"Sure, we can do that," I agreed.  "I think it sounds like a splendid
idea."

"Super.  It's sure is going to be fun living here," he gushed.

Hearing this, I realized we had a dilemma.  I didn't want to crush his
hopes, but I didn't want to mislead him either.  I decided that it would
be best to be honest and let him know, upfront, what the options were.
If he thought I was being straight with him, then maybe he'd be honest
with me.

"Look, Bryce, I can't promise you how long you'll be able to stay here,
because I don't know anything about your situation.  I've also got to
check on the legalities of all this, because I don't know if I'm currently
breaking any laws as it is.  I certainly don't want to end up in prison for
a number of years because someone thinks I tried to kidnap you or if
they suspect I aided your delinquent behavior.  Don't get me wrong,
because I do want to help and I like you staying here, but we might have
to pursue other options, especially if it looks as if one of us is about to
lose his freedom because of what we're doing.  I'll get my lawyer
involved and I'll have him refer me to a top family court lawyer.  I'll
also make sure he understands that we'd both prefer to have you
remain here, but I won't know if it's possible until we've spoken.  I'll
call my normal lawyer later, to get the referral, but I'm not sure how
long it will be before I'll get in to see him."

"But why do you need another lawyer?  Why don't you just use the one
you have?" he wondered, innocently.

"Let me see if I can explain this," I began.  "The lawyer I'm going to
call handles all of my personal matters, but I have another lawyer who
takes care of my business affairs, so it's only logical that we'll need a
specialist for this matter too.  We need to do that in order to make sure
we have a chance to get what we want, so we'll need someone who is
familiar with what would be considered family law.  As soon as I get the
recommendation for someone in that field, I'll call him and set up an
appointment.  I'll try to get in as soon as I can, but I'm not sure how
quickly that will be.  Once I see him though, then we'll have a better
idea about what options we have.  I hope this works out the way we
want, but I just don't know yet."

At first, Bryce looked thoughtful, but then he began to look sad and
acted as if I'd just told him the worst news possible.  I knew he had been
impressed by the material aspects of my life, since it seemed he grown
up with only the bare basics, and I also realized we were kind of hitting
it off, but I wondered if that would last.  Would things change if, and
when, I had to clamp down on what he was doing or discipline him for
misbehaving?  Those were questions I still needed to find an answer for.

As I was considering all of the reasons that would explain why he might
have become sad, I also thought about what other problems might arise
if we didn't cover all the bases.   While I was doing this, I noticed his
attitude and body language had suddenly begun to change.  It wasn't
sure if my comments had altered our relationship or if he was having
second thoughts about staying with me.  Then again, he might believe he
had come up with his own idea that would help to improve the situation
or change my mind.  Even though he wasn't saying anything, I was
certain I'd find out what was bothering him before too long.  I soon
discovered I was right about that, because he suddenly looked up at me
and began to speak.

"Please, you gotta let me stay," he pleaded.  "I'll do anything if I can
live here with you, and I mean anything you want.  I've never lived in a
nice place like this before or had anyone who wanted to do the things
for me, like you have.  You seem to like me and I've never had anyone
who really cared about me before.  Everyone else just kinda put up with
me or wanted something from me, but you're not like that."

"Ah, come on.  You must have had some friends," I countered.

"Not really.  Nobody's ever wanted me, even before I was born," he
replied.

"Oh, your parents must have wanted you," I suggested.

"Nope, they didn't," he countered.  "They didn't want me then, they
didn't want me later and they don't want me now."

Bryce was sobbing by the time he finished speaking and his chest was
heaving, as the tears flowed freely down his cheeks.  I was sorry that I
had broached this topic and said those things, but there was no way to
take back my words now.  Instead, I thought I'd have to find another
way to make him feel better or distract him from dwelling on his
problems.  As tenderly as I could, I took him by the hand and led him
over to my chair.  Once there, I sat down and then I pulled him onto my
lap.  Once he was situated like that, I cuddled him against my chest,
stroked his hair and whispered in his ear.

"Hey, I'm your friend and I want you around, so I'll try to do
everything I can to keep you here.  If that isn't possible, then I'll try to
find you an even better place to live."

"I don't want a better place.  I like it here," he sobbed.  "If you're going
to make me a promise, then promise me I can stay here with you."

Oh, God.  Did I paint myself into a corner or what?  Sure, I wanted the
kid to like and trust me, but I didn't expect this to happen, at least not
so soon.  I didn't foresee that he'd react this strongly or imprint on me
so quickly.  Now, what was I going to do?  How do you explain the
realities and intricacies of the justice system, or the bureaucratic red
tape of the Social Services Department, to a twelve-year old kid?  I
feverishly wracked my brain to come up with a feasible solution.

"I wish I could make that promise to you, Bryce, but there are just too
many other factors involved here and variables over which I have no
control.  I will get my lawyers working on this, as soon as I have enough
information to go on, but there is only so much we can do until then."

"What kinds of information do you need?" he asked, looking slightly
more hopeful.

"Well, for one thing, I don't know enough about you and wouldn't be
able to answer any questions the lawyer asked along that line," I
answered.  "We'll have to investigate your situation pretty thoroughly,
such as what it was like for you before you left home, why you ran away
and things like that, before he'll be able to advise me on what types of
things we might be able to do."

"Then I'll tell you whatever you want to know," Bryce offered.  "I'll tell
you everything, if it means I can stay here."

He looked at me hopefully and I stared at his face streaked with the
tracks his tears had made, as his eyes pleaded with me.  It was as if I
was looking at the face of some adorable little puppy and having a
strong desire to take him home, only to realize that I might not be able
to.  He was breaking my heart and making me feel as if I was failing
him already, but all I could do was to continue to be honest with him.

"Bryce, I'll try to explain this the best way I know how," I confessed.
"Even if you do tell me everything about your past, there is still no
guarantee that I'll be able to keep you here with me, but I know that
won't even be a possibility without having that information."

"Then I'll tell you everything and I'll do it now," he agreed.

"Look, why don't you think this over for a while first," I suggested.  "I
don't want you rushing into this and I don't want you doing it because
you feel I've pressured you into it.  Let's go for a swim, and when we
finish doing that you can let me know what you've decided.  If you still
want to fill me in about your past then, we'll do it at that time.  Is that
ok with you?"

"Yeah, I guess so, but I know I won't change my mind about wanting to
stay here," he confirmed.  "I trust you and know you care about me.
You do all kinds of things just for me and talk to me like I'm a real
person.  Besides, I can see almost everything you're doing is for me and
not just for yourself."

"You are very perceptive," I replied, while giving him a hug.  "I do care
for you, but how else would I treat you, if not like a real person?"

"Maybe I didn't say it right, but my mother, her friends, and the foster
families, well they always talked about me like I wasn't even there, even
when I was in the same room with them," he explained.  "They never
talked TO me, they just talked AT me or ABOUT me.  They spent most
of their time giving me orders, setting a bunch of dumb rules or telling
others what a bad person I was.  Everybody always told me how rotten I
was or that I was worthless, but you haven't done that.

"You ask me questions and then you actually listen to what I have to
say," he continued.  "You ask me what I think and I can tell that you
really care about what I tell you.  You even consider my feelings and
think about what I want before you do anything.  Nobody's ever done
that for me before, not even my teachers.  There were only a few of
them that ever seemed to give a damn about me, but they only cared
when I was at school.  They never asked about anything else, just how I
was doing in school, but at least they cared that I did well.  I wish some
of them had asked me what it was like living with my mother or at the
foster homes, then maybe I could have gone someplace else, someplace
like this."

He was tugging at my heartstrings again, so I hugged him tightly to my
chest and kissed him lightly on the forehead.  I wasn't sure if I should
really be doing this, but it just seemed as if it were the right thing at the
time.  In return he wrapped his two arms around my arm, the one that
was holding him against my chest, and squeezed it as hard as he could,
to show me that he cared for me too.

When I finally felt him relax his grip on that arm, I told him that we all
have our dreams and our regrets, but even if one of his teachers had
asked him about his situation at home and discovered how bad it was
for him, it wouldn't have necessarily meant that he would have been
moved to a better place.  It might have merely resulted in him being
placed in foster care sooner, or if he already was in foster care, being
moved to a different foster home, and he knew what that was like.  I
told him that rather than worrying about his past, he should start
looking toward his future and doing whatever he could to make it
better.  I think he got the point of my message, because he hugged my
arm and thanked me again.  I held him for a while longer, but then I
decided it was time to get his mind off his troubles.

"Ok, young man, now let's go upstairs and put on our swimsuits, so we
can go out and swim for a while.  When we finish doing that, then you
can let me know what you want to do next."

After listening to what I said, he looked up at me and smiled weakly,
before he got up and wiped the tears from his eyes and face.  He then
took my hand and pulled me out of my chair, before dragging me all the
way to my room.  It was as if he thought I'd disappear if he lost contact
with me, so he didn't even seem to let go of my hand long enough for us
to go into our rooms to change.  After I convinced him that he would
have to do this, or else we couldn't get changed and go for a swim, he
reluctantly released my hand and raced to his own room.

Before I'd even had a chance to get my trunks out of the dresser, he had
already returned to my room, carrying his swimsuit.  He was obviously
planning on changing in my room, along with me.  I didn't know if this
was a good idea or not, but it seemed important to him, so I grabbed my
suit and took everything else off, so I could put it on.   He had already
let me see him naked, when he threw his clothes in the washing machine
and when he took off his robe to get dressed, so now he stood staring at
me and grinning from ear to ear when he finally saw me naked.  I guess
that meant he liked what he saw.  Once we were both ready, he took my
hand and dragged me downstairs, through the house and out to the
pool.  When we got there, I surprised him doing something he wasn't
ready for.

It was an experience I'll also remember for quite some time.  It all
began when I grasped his hand tightly and then rotated my body
quickly, so I could use the momentum to help propel him into the air.
As he started to move forward and pick up speed, he looked at me with
a startled expression on his face, but it turned into one of shock when I
released my grip and he went flying into the pool.  That alone told me
that he wasn't expecting me to do this, but he was still wearing that
same startled expression when he hit the water.  A few seconds later, he
came up sputtering and laughing, but he also warned me that he was
going to get me back for doing that to him.

I didn't pay any heed to his threats and jumped into the pool with him,
only to have him leap upon my shoulders, in an attempt to dunk me
below the surface.  I didn't fight his attempt, since I knew it was
important for him to feel that he had gotten even with me, so I went
under without a struggle.  When I broke the surface of the water again,
I began spluttering and causing a fuss, like I hadn't expected him to do
that so quickly.  He was laughing hysterically and pointed in my
direction.  The look of satisfaction that was etched upon his face now
was worth more than any amount of money anyone could have given
me.  At that moment, he was just a little boy having fun.

"See, I told you I'd get you back," he jeered, with as much enthusiasm
as he could muster.

He continued to laugh and splash me now, so I dove underwater and
swam below his body, so I could grab his legs and pull him down with
me.  I watched his face, to make sure he wasn't in any trouble, but his
eyes were sparkling and he still sported a huge grin, as he completely
enjoyed our carefree play and good-natured antics.  We stayed in the
pool for nearly an hour, sometimes swimming and sometimes horsing
around, but we both had a great deal of fun, plus it was a pretty good
workout as well.  Finally, I climbed out of the water and went over to lie
on one of the lounge chairs.  That's when Bryce yelled at me from the
pool.

"Is the old man tired out?" he teased, and then he giggled in delight at
the sound of his derogatory comment.

"I'll give you old man, you little bugger," I shot back, but it only caused
Bryce to laugh even louder.  "I just came out to work on my tan.  It's
not often that I get to come out here in the daylight."

"So you're not that white just because you're a ghost?" he teased,
before he giggled again.

"No, wise guy, I'm that white because I don't get to be in the sun
enough," I replied.

"Sure, like I believe that," he stated, mockingly.

This only caused him to giggled once more and then he hopped up on
the edge of the pool.

"Do you want me to get out and get some sun with you, or do you want
me to stay in the pool?" he asked next.

I wasn't sure if he asked this question because he wanted me to tell him
to join me, or if he was just used to having adults tell him what to do
and when.

"That's up to you, sport.  You can do whatever you like," I offered.  "If
you want to get some sun, then you can grab the other lounge chair and
join me, but if you want to keep swimming, then go ahead and enjoy
yourself.  If you stay in the pool, just be careful.  I wouldn't want
anything to happen to you."

At hearing my response, Bryce got completely out of the water, walked
over and sat on the lounge next to mine.  Then, he just sat there and
stared at me for a few seconds.  Finally, he decided to respond.

"I think I'll stay here with you, so I won't be too tired when you get
back in the pool again," he announced.  "I want to have enough energy
left, just in case you try to do other things to me in the pool."

"Me?  Do things to you?" I asked, incredulously.  "Would I do
something like that?"

"Of course you would.  You already have," he responded, before
giggling some more.

"Moi?  You think moi is as heartless as that?" I panned, which only
caused Bryce to giggle even more.

"Yep, I do," he confirmed.

 I feigned a look of shock and anger over his answer, which made him
laugh even more, so I began to pout.  He saw this and thought it was
hysterical, which he promptly pointed out.

"Oh, look at the way the baby sticks his bottom lip out," he jeered.
"Did I hurt your widdle feelings?"

He began laughing really hard after saying this, but I didn't respond.

"Aw, do I have to try to make the baby feel better now?" he continued.

"No, just leave me alone," I told him, in mock anger.  "And you'd better
decide what you think I am."

Bryce looked puzzled by my last comment.  He wasn't quite getting my
meaning, so I decided that I'd better bail him out.

"Well first you call me an old man, and then you tell me I'm a baby.
Which is it?  I need you to explain, so I'll know how to act around you.
Do I shuffle around and forget things, or am I supposed to cry and
throw temper tantrums?"

He started laughing again.

"Awwww, poor baby," he said, as he got up and walked toward me.

I thought he was possibly going to do something nice, to make me feel
better, but I was wrong.

"Let's see, is he is an old man or a widdle baby?  Hmmm... I guess he's
an itty, bitty baby.  Maybe my widdle baby would feel better if I tickled
him."

With that, he dug his fingers into my side and sent me into a fit of
laughter, as I tried desperately to break away from his grasp.  I try to
keep this one bit of information hidden from everyone I knew, because I
didn't want anyone else to learn that I am incredibly ticklish.
Unfortunately, this little devil had already found my Achilles heel and
was taking full advantage of it.

About this time, I finally managed to swing my legs over the side of the
lounge, grasp both of his arms and stand up.  Then I slung his body over
my shoulder, raced forward and jumped into the pool, still holding on to
him.  We both went under the surface for a second or two, before we
came up for air.  When we did, he threw his arms around my neck and
gave me a big hug, before he kissed me on the cheek.  Then he pushed
his upper torso back, away from me a bit, and just looked into my eyes.

"You are so much fun and I love being with you," he told me.  "I hope
you can make it so I'll never have to leave here."

"I'll do what I can, kiddo, but that's all I can promise," I agreed.

"As long as you try, but I know you will," he stated, while giving me a
look that said he trusted me.

He continued to stare at me, much longer than I expected, and it seemed
as if he were trying to memorize every feature of my face.  After several
seconds of this behavior, he finally made a suggestion.

"Why don't we get out of the pool again and I'll tell you everything you
want to know about me," he suggested.  "That way you'll be ready when
you have your appointment with the lawyer."

I thought this was a good idea, so we climbed out of the pool and walked
toward the lounge chairs.  I sat on one, and then Bryce scooted between
my legs and leaned back against my chest.  My heart began to ache for
him immediately, as he began to tell me his life's story.