Date: Sat, 02 Dec 2000 20:01:03 -0500 From: Charlie Subject: David's Christmas - II I heard a song a while ago.... a song with so much insight! It was a song I wish I'd heard in 1955! That was long before the song had been written, or its singer, Randy Travis, had been born. The song's title: "The Spirit of a Boy, The Wisdom of a Man." Where does one stop and the other begin? I am not going to quote the lyrics of that song here; the song is far too profound! There's no way I could do it justice by merely quoting the words. You have the title, the singer's name; the rest is up to you. As those of you who know me know by now, I am 62 years old. I have had a wonderful life, and "it ain't over yet, baby!" I have a lot of things to be proud of, and even more that I'm not so proud of. But, unlike David in this story, I have always known love, have always known how to love! There have always been those around me to see to it that, though my life has been somewhat stormy, there was never a time when I could say I wasn't loved! I have a lot of things to be thankful for too! And of all the things I thank God for every day of my life, I am most thankful that, for as long as I can remember, and still today, I am blessed with... "The Spirit of a Boy, The Wisdom of a Man." Well, there are those who would argue the wisdom part, but... well, I've done a few things right. The following story is total fiction. Any relationship to persons living or dead is purely accidental. This story depicts sexual acts between people of the same sex (male), some of whom are under age. If you find this concept distasteful, or if it is illegal where you live, or if you are underage, please stop reading now. David's Christmas Present II: David's Home "WOW!" Adam exclaimed as David pushed the remote and the garage door - one of four - started to open. "This is where you live?" "Uh-huh," David replied. "Hope you like it." "Like it," Adam responded, "it's... it's a freakin' mansion! David, the garage is bigger than any house I ever lived in. WOW!" Of course the garage housed, among other toys, David's stable: The white Corvette they'd arrived in, the red customized pickup truck that was his primary mode of transportation, the blue Chevy Tahoe SUV, and the perfectly restored '65 red Mustang. "Just bricks," David answered with a self conscious grin, "bricks and mortar, lumber and nails. But it's home and I like it. C'mon, let's go in and get comfortable." "I can't believe you live here all alone," Adam said as he began removing layers of clothing. "And I can't believe you have a week's worth of clothes on," David returned. "You must've known this storm was coming." "Not really, but I like to be prepared. I been saving money and buying these clothes since September. I didn't want a repeat of last year." "What happened last year?" David questioned. "And why all the clothes? You don't have a home, do you?" "Yes I do, honest! Or at least most of the time I do. But this time of year they have lots of company from out of town and they need my room. I'm too shy to sleep downstairs where everybody can see me, and I'd never get any sleep anyway." "Adam, why don't you just tell me? I mean, tell me what's going on, please? Are you being abused?" "NO!" Adam practically screamed. David knew now that he'd hit a nerve. Not knowing what else to do, he decided to forge ahead to see what he could learn. "Come on, buddy," David said, "I'm gonna show you around, then you're gonna tell me what's going on. You like to swim?" "Yah," Adam replied somewhat sulkily. "You got a pool?" "Matter of fact, I have. If you'd be so kind as to follow me?" Adam did. He gasped as he was ushered into a huge room at the rear of the house. It looked to Adam very much like a YMCA pool, except that it was somewhat fancier, with two round tables with chairs and chaise lounges around, a bar close to the door, and an expensive looking stereo. "I always wanted to be on a swim team when I was a kid," David explained. "I like to come down here and swim laps. Would you like to go for a swim?" "Really? Can we?" "My home is your home. And I almost never go to bed without at least a quick dip." "I... I don't have a suit." "I've got some you can borrow. But I usually go naked." "Really? Naked?" "Uh-huh. My pool, my house. Anybody doesn't like it can just look the other way." "May I try? I've never been swimming in the nude." "Whatever you like. But don't feel you have to just because I do. I've got lots of suits." David should have saved his breath. Adam was already peeling more clothes, showing no signs of embarrassment as his underwear appeared, then it too was peeled off and he stood there, completely nude, shivering slightly. "There's nobody else here, right?" he said. "Nope. I have a woman come and clean once a week, and there's a man who comes and takes care of the pool and the outside, but they're not here tonight. I... I sorta didn't mean we'd go swimming right now, but what the hell, the water does look good, doesn't it?" Then without further discussion David created his own pile of clothes on the floor, and the two new friends, both naked as the day they were born, jumped into the pool. Adam was glad to get into the water. It felt incredibly good, swimming in the nude! He couldn't believe how much of a difference it made, being free of that tiny Speedo garment! But it was more than that, wasn't it? Adam was also relieved to get that part of him that was showing appreciation for David's beautiful lithe body as the clothes fell from it. Adam had a very hard, very large erection! Had he not been so anxious to hide his own arousal, he might have noticed that he wasn't alone. In spite of himself, David too was sporting a very big stiffie by the time he hit the water. He didn't know why.... or did he? It couldn't possibly be the sight of that gorgeous young teen as he stripped, could it? I mean, he was a boy! Not even a man, for crying out loud! A boy! His voice hadn't even changed! It was obvious that other things had, and if David had been honest with himself he'd know he'd been curious about that too. But still, he couldn't possibly be interested sexually, could he? He had never had more than a passing sexual interest in anyone! Not man or woman, boy or girl. So why the erection now? And brought on by a teeny bopper! The two naked friends swam laps for almost an hour. It was a bit of a struggle, but Adam matched David lap for lap. They swam a few lengths freestyle; then butterfly. That one would have been Adam's undoing if they'd done one more lap. They did ten laps backstroke, each of them displaying what appeared to be a flesh colored periscope halfway down their bodies, but neither noticed. They switched to breast stroke, then back to freestyle. Finally David stopped and stood up in the shallow end. "You're pretty good," he commented to Adam. "Thanks," Adam answered breathlessly. "I love to swim, but I don't get to do it often enough. I'm not in as good a condition as you are." "We can change that," David said, and then he wondered why the hell he'd said it. What in the world was his subconscious thinking that he wasn't yet aware of? "Come on," he said, "let's get a shower and chill out for a while." Hardons both gone and forgotten for the moment, David treated his guest to another piece of luxury he'd never experienced before. "When you get out of the shower," he instructed, "don't dry yourself with a towel. There'll be a robe here for you; just put it on wet. I may be weird, but I love it! I mean, it just feels so great!" Adam went into the shower as David disappeared into the main part of the house. The shower was at least three times larger than it needed to be, with shower heads coming out of all three tiled walls. The streams of water combined to totally envelop anyone below, giving the strangest sensation: almost like being under water. Adam hated to step out of the stream long enough to lather up, but he did, then quickly back into the water to rinse off. When he emerged, he heard another shower running. He reached for a towel, but there were none. Then he remembered David's instructions. He saw a very thick white terry bathrobe hanging on a clothes hook. He reached for it, was astonished at its weight. He slipped it on, his body still naked, still dripping. David was right: the feeling was sensational! "Feels good, doesn't it?" David said as he emerged from the shower. "Totally awesome! Man, I never saw a robe so thick! It's so heavy!" "Nice and warm though. That's one of the benefits of living alone. When I get out of the pool I like to just throw on a robe, or just go around wearing nothing at all in the summer. Anyone has a problem with it, it's their problem, not mine." "You'll be wanting your robe then," Adam offered. "Got it covered, man. I liked these robes so much I bought four so I'd always have a clean one. Keep it on, unless of course you don't want to." "You kidding? I feel like a prince or something in this." "Maybe you are a prince," David observed, then again asked himself why on earth he'd said such a thing. "It's snowing really hard now," David remarked as they walked into the house. "I checked the forecast when I came in for the robes, and they've updated it. They're saying we could set a record for snow this early. Guess we're kinda stuck in the house for tonight, probably tomorrow too." "I can think of worse places to be stuck," Adam replied. Before long David had a fire in the gas fireplace, had made some hot chocolate, and they were both all curled up on the luxurious carpet, still clad only in the luxurious white robes, watching the weather forecast on TV. "So," David said, "I don't think we can put it off much longer. Your folks are bound to be worried about you now. You're gonna have to tell me who I need to be calling, Adam" "You don't need to call anyone. I'm cool." "Not good enough. You're under age, Adam! My keeping you here could be called kidnaping. I'm sorry, but I've got to have more details. I've got to know..." "I can't tell you. If I do, you'll kick me out." "I doubt that. I'd keep you around just to look at, man!" Adam gave David a strange look. He felt so incredibly pampered, wrapped in that luxurious robe, with only his feet, face and hands showing. He was not completely unaware that he had pretty good natural looks, and he could imagine, given how great he felt, how he must look in this pure white robe. But even at that, he never thought he'd ever hear such a compliment from someone like David. He wondered what it meant. But did it really matter? Wasn't it enough that they were friends, that he was warm and comfortable? Wasn't that enough? "All right," he said almost in a whisper, "I'll tell you the whole thing. But please, don't hate me, or laugh at me?" "No way, man," David assured him. "Just tell me, ok? Then we'll deal with it." Adam started to explain what he'd been doing in the Target store when David first saw him. This would be the second year, he said, in the foster home where he lived. On special holidays the Donaldson's had lots of company, and had made it very clear that they would appreciate Adam finding some place else to live during these times. They hadn't specifically thrown him out, because as foster parents they couldn't do that; but they didn't ask too many questions when Adam announced he would be staying over with a friend. Of course there was no friend, and each time he left, he had vowed not to return, but each time he had got so hungry, or cold, or both, he had given in and gone back. "That's terrible!" David exclaimed. "Can't they find a better foster home for you? Surely they don't allow that to go on!" "Foster homes are getting hard to find," Adam answered. "Officially they don't know foster parents do things like that, but they just kinda don't see what they don't want to see. They offered me the chance to go live in an orphanage, but I've been in those places. They're all right I guess, but not for me. And besides, I'm gettin' old enough now that I can do all right on my own." "You wouldn't have done very well tonight, Adam. It's still snowing, and it's gettin' really cold!" "I didn't know it was gonna storm," Adam said wistfully. David noticed a tear sneak out of Adam's eye. He could hear the loneliness in the boy's voice. Without really thinking about it, he snuggled closer and took Adam in his arms. "Ok," he whispered, "So you're an orphan. Why would that make me hate you? Or laugh at you?" "There's more," Adam sniffled as he melted into David's arms. David thought as Adam snuggled closer, this was the first time in his life that he had ever initiated any sort of feeling of emotion, caring, closeness. What was happening to him? He felt so incredible, just holding this kid! He would have said it wasn't the least sexual, had it not been for that part of him that he couldn't hide, couldn't ignore. "Just tell me," he whispered. "Whatever it is, it's ok. Honest, it's ok. Just tell me. Are your parents dead, or what?" "Not dead," Adam answered. "It's a long story. But... well, I was born on a Cherokee Indian reservation. I'm full-blooded Cherokee, David! My mother couldn't keep me, so I was adopted the day after I was born. But when I was almost two my parents were both killed in a car accident. That's when I went into foster care." "Well shit, man, that's nothing to be ashamed of. That's a whole lot of bad luck, that's all that is. And as far as you being Cherokee, actually that kinda explains why you're do damned great looking." "Really? You don't think... you know... that I'm some kinda savage or something? Even though... I... uhhh... David, my mother was only fifteen, and she wasn't married!" "Savage? Hell no, Adam! Those days are gone!" "Not with everyone they're not!" "Well, they are around here. As for your mom not being married, damn, you had no control over that. I don't see..." "There's more, David. I think I'm... I mean, I'm pretty sure I'm..." Adam had started to cry now. His whole body shuddered as he sobbed. "David," he wailed, "you've been so nice to me. But you gotta know, David. I've never told anyone this before, but... I think I'm... uh... I... I'm gay, David. And... and I think I'm falling in love with you!" Now David couldn't breathe. He had the most beautiful young teen in the universe in his arms, clad only in a luxurious white terry robe that had now fallen open, revealing more of the gorgeous body than David cared to see right now. And now, as if that wasn't enough, this young adonis had just told him... told him that he was in love with him! But that wasn't all, was it? David was feeling things he'd never felt before. Not with his parents, not with the kid in the Boy Scout camp, not even with his one and only girl friend! Could it be love? It was certainly hurting right now, seeing, hearing, feeling Adam cry! "Adam," he stammered helplessly, "you're... you're only fourteen. What do you know about being in love? You're just reacting because someone was nice to you. I like you too, man. But love? I mean, we're both guys, Adam!" "I know that, David. I guess it didn't sink in, what I said. I'm gay, David! I guess I didn't know that myself until now. But... I mean..." "How do you know? Have you... er..." "No, I've never been with anyone. But I hear the guys at school talkin' about blow jobs and stuff. They laugh and talk about the sick queers, but when I think about it, I mean... well, it just doesn't seem sick to me. I dunno how to explain it, but... it seems kinda... I dunno... natural, I guess. I know you don't understand that, but..." "Oddly enough," David said pensively as he held Adam tighter, "I do understand! I know exactly what you're talking about. I've felt that way too!" "Really?" Adam said with disbelief. "You mean, you're... you're gay too?" "I dunno, Adam. I mean, I've never done anything either. But when Gwen... er, that's my girl friend, or she used to be. When she wanted me to... to go to bed with her, I couldn't do it. I mean, I just didn't want to." As David talked about Gwen, explaining to Adam who she was and what she had tried to do, Adam gently took his hand. David hardly noticed until his hand had been guided to Adam's groin, his fingers were closed with Adam's help around Adam's waiting member. David gasped with shock. "Adam," he said as he looked into the liquid brown eyes of his new friend, "I... we can't, Adam!" "You don't want to?" "I didn't say that. But... Adam, you're just a kid." "I'm old enough to know what I want, and I want you, David. I'm sorry, but... I mean... please?" David suddenly realized that Adam had moved his hand again, and was now groping David's groin. He had no trouble finding his target, because it was big and hard and throbbing. He almost choked as the small hand closed on him, squeezing ever so slightly, then moving up and down its length slowly, as if measuring, assessing, worshiping. Some time during this whole exchange, David's robe had fallen open, revealing what was going on in forbidden places. David looked down and saw that small dark hand with its long lithe fingers as it inspected, caressed, his manhood. He gasped again as he felt his heart go into overdrive. If he didn't have a heart attack in the next few minutes, he likely never world. Adam readjusted himself. The robe fell away from his shoulders; he shrugged it off. He looked directly at David. Their faces were mere inches apart. He still had a death grip on David's throbbing erection, and David suddenly realized that, in spite of his objections, he was still holding Adam's. It was much too large, considering Adam's high pitched voice, his small body. He removed his hand self-consciously. Adam didn't react. Their eyes were locked together as if in a trance. "David," Adam whispered, "I... I got this crazy idea. No, it's more than an idea, it's something I gotta do. Can I kiss you? Please?" David didn't answer. In his mind, his heart, he knew that if their lips touched it would be all over. Somehow he knew that the kiss would be the spark that kindled the fire that neither of them would be able to stop. Even now, Adam's lips were drawing closer, and David was paralyzed on the spot. He was helpless to stop what he knew was happening, what he must not allow to happen. "It's against the law!" he said weakly. "That's child molestation! We can't, Adam!" He would have said more, but Adam's lips had found their mark. David hadn't kissed very many people in his life. He couldn't remember so much as a peck on the cheek from any of his family, with the exception of the odd peck from his paternal grandmother before she passed away. He'd had two or three brief girl friends in high school, more to support his image than from any feelings of love or desire. They had kissed a few times, which had served to teach young David something about the art of kissing. And then of course, there had been Gwen. They'd had a few very intense kissing and petting sessions; none of the above experiences, absolutely none, had prepared David for this kiss! Adam, one could say, had never kissed, nor been kissed by, anyone. There had been the odd peck from foster mothers, and probably by his adoptive mother, although he didn't remember that much about her. There had been a few girls at school who had given him what they considered a kiss, but he knew now that it was merely a childhood attempt. Adam didn't even know what had come over him, only that he absolutely had to kiss David. And when their lips met, it was as if he had known all his life what to do. When he felt David's tongue probing his tightly closed lips, he was momentarily shocked; then he knew it was all right and he relaxed his lips, allowing entry. Once that tongue was in his mouth, he sucked on it desperately. David's arms found their way around Adam's shoulders; Adam slipped his hands under David's robe and slid it off his shoulders, then wrapped his arms around David's neck. Both were naked now, still lying on their robes on the floor. When finally he could bear to break the kiss, David whispered, "Adam, I'm not sure about this. I can't stop unless you help me, but I'm not sure we should be doing this." "Please don't stop," Adam panted. "You want to go upstairs?" "No! I don't want to move! I don't ever want to break this mood! I don't ever want to be without feeling you next to me. It's so awesome! And your cologne! God, David! I love you so much! I want to touch you! Smell you! I want... Oh man, David, please don't say no..." "Are you sure, Adam? I don't want to force anything on you. I think we should stop and go to bed." "Please don't..." "Adam, I'll put you in the guest room so we can both cool off. If we stay here, I don't know what I'll do next. I'll carry you upstairs, ok?" "Please, David... Please don't." David was rapidly getting to the point of no return. Having never been there before he didn't really recognize it, but he certainly knew that he was thinking of things that had never before entered his mind; or had they? He was regarding the beautiful little body that was now partly under him, as he ran his hands all over the torso, the arms and legs, and yes, the genitals! He had never known such pleasure, such feeling for another human being! There was no mistaking the physical desire they both felt, but that desire was being driven out of control by a love that neither had ever felt before. But as strange as this new world was, in some ways it was as if he'd known from the first moment he laid eyes on the kid at the video game that this was their destiny. Adam lay on his back, clutching David's hair, his ears, his neck. David's shoulder muscles rippled under Adam's touch, sending shivers of pure ecstasy through his young body. He had been so afraid of his sexuality. He had known for some time that he was more than likely gay. He had felt attraction for more than one boy at school, never a girl. He had to hide his erections in the locker room on more than one occasion. Getting hard at the sight of another boy was simply not cool! He had learned to masturbate almost two years ago, and that had sealed his fate. When he really wanted to get off in a hurry, he just fantasized about some great looking guy in his class, a pop singer or an actor, and in no time he was gushing his load all over himself. That's when he had vowed to live a life of celibacy. To be sexless was certainly better than being queer, wasn't it? When Adam first noticed the man watching him play the video game, his fantasies had gone wild! In spite of what David had observed, Adam was having a very difficult time concentrating. His sex was so hard it was aching; he was having trouble seeing the screen. He kept seeing the man behind him superimposed on the screen; only the man he saw was stark naked, and as handsome a man as Adam had ever seen! Several times he had almost bolted, ran from the store and away from this man, from his fantasies, his desires. But he couldn't. He had to hear his voice, shake his hand. He had to know more. Now as he lay naked on this man's floor, being kissed, caressed, and... and... whatever was to come next, Adam knew for sure that he was gay. And to his utter astonishment, he was glad! GLAD! He wanted to stand up and shout, 'I'm GAY!' He also wanted to tell the world he was in love! Nothing in the entire universe could possibly feel this great! David had worked his way down Adam's body, kissing all the way, until his face was inches from Adam's five inch penis. He noticed it twitch slightly with Adam's rapid heartbeat. He thought of all the safe sex information he'd heard, how unprotected sex, no matter what, could be deadly. He dismissed it. Adam had assured him that he'd never had an intimate experience, and David believed him. He had no reason not to! He thought of all the disgusting things he'd heard about "blow jobs," how he'd laughed with other boys in school, other men in the Air Force, about such things. But he remembered the one other time he'd tried such a thing, and he remembered that it didn't seem gross or disgusting to him at all at the time. He remembered being disappointed when they'd been caught and didn't finish the act. He had kicked himself hundreds of times since for not seeing to it that the act got completed another time. And there was no love involved then, only boyhood curiosity. It occurred to David that Adam was really not much more than a common street urchin. Not that that was necessarily bad, but he knew that some of those street kids could be pretty crafty. Could it be that this kid had recognized a financial windfall? Perhaps after a night of hot homosexual sex, the kid would blow the whistle, or more likely threaten to, unless of course David could see his way clear to provide a financial consideration. David knew that if they were ever caught in their current situation he, David, was automatically the guilty party. No matter the circumstances, no matter that Adam had initiated what was now totally out of control, David was the adult and Adam the child, and that made David a child molester. What was the penalty, he wondered. Five years? Ten? Life? But no, he didn't, couldn't, wouldn't believe that of Adam. This kid, whatever else he was, was genuine! Hadn't David proved many times in business that he was a good, no a great, judge of character? Hadn't he insisted upon overruling his managers on several occasions and hired people they'd rejected, and passed over candidates they thought would be great? And didn't he have the best staff in town? Weren't his employees among the most loyal, the most honest, the most dedicated? No, it was simply impossible for Adam to be in this for what he could get. Now David's nostrils picked up the mild aroma that was a mixture of soap from Adam's recent shower and... and what? Adam's own personal musk? Whatever it was, he had never smelled such a thing before, but it was driving him wild. And that beautiful thing in front of him! He wanted it as much as he'd ever wanted anything in his entire life! His mouth was watering! His breath continued to increase until he thought he'd never get enough air. Then he again thought of young Adam. He was only fourteen! And he seemed even younger! Was he forcing himself on a child? Then he felt the hands.... Adam's hands. They were grasping his head, gently but firmly. He heard Adam whisper. "Yeah, David! It's ok, man! But I gotta do you too! Please hurry!" David did hurry. He seemed to know what Adam meant. He seemed to sense that his roaming hands had done their job, that Adam wouldn't last much longer. He slid his tongue out and licked the tip, which was just peeking out from the foreskin that normally enclosed it. There was a tiny drop of precum there which transferred to David's tongue. Adam lurched and gasped. David tried to analyze the taste, but it had been too quick, too brief, the drop too small. He did it again. Adam jumped again and moaned softly. David closed his eyes and encircled the head with his lips. He closed his lips and slid his tongue over it. Adam writhed noisily. David wriggled into a position between Adam's legs, then took a buttock in each hand. Those gorgeous bubble-butt globes tightened in his grasp, then loosened, then tightened again. He lay still, the first inch of Adam in his mouth, buttocks in his hands, until Adam settled down and lay quiet. Adam's hands were still on his head, gently pulling it to himself. David complied and sucked hard, drawing himself down until his nose bottomed out in a mat of soft pubic hair. The action caused Adam's foreskin to retract, exposing the full throbbing end of his love organ to the inside of David's mouth. David didn't realize it, nor did Adam, but he had demonstrated a technique that many don't posses after years of cocksucking! Adam had fantasized about getting sucked many times before, but not in his wildest dreams had he even come close to anticipating sensations like this. He was limp, but he was tense; he was alive with feeling, but he was paralyzed; he wanted it to last forever, but he wanted to cum, NOW! And cum he did! When David heard the half whine, half squeak that emitted from Adam's mouth, felt the thing in his mouth jerk abruptly and enlarge slightly, he knew what was coming. He thought briefly of withdrawing, but it was out of the question. This was Adam, his love! What was about to come flooding into his mouth was the very essence of Adam's love, and David wasn't going to miss it. And then the flood came as Adam moaned loudly. His hips thrust upwards as David felt the first gush of his orgasm fill his mouth. He had never felt, heard, tasted, anything even close to this in his life! He wanted to scream with pleasure, just as Adam was doing; but to do so would mean to release the thing in his mouth that was still gushing spurt after spurt of hot, thick, sweet, wonderful semen from the teen under him. This part of Adam was certainly not immature! "God, David," Adam whispered when David had slid up and kissed him, "I didn't know... I mean, you... you got that full shot right in your mouth! You swallowed it!" "Yeah," David said. "It was... well, I can't explain it, but it was so great! I guess I hadn't thought that you were gonna shoot so much... I mean, your body is so immature and all, I didn't think..." "I'm sorry," Adam said. "I shoulda told you." "Told me? Told me what?" "It's about my size. I got some sorta growth hormone deficiency. I started puberty before I was even thirteen, but I'm not gonna grow very fast because of some kinda growth hormone imbalance or something. I'm sorry, I didn't mean..." "Don't be sorry, Adam. It was great, really! I wasn't expecting it, but it was great! I love it! I love you, Adam!" "So, you want me to do you now?" "Not now. I think it'd be best if we both just give things a little time. We need to digest what's already happened. "After a while? Like an hour or so?" "That's up to you, Adam. To be honest, you don't ever have to if you aren't comfortable with it, long as you don't mind me doing you." "You kidding? You can do that ten times a day if you like. But I wanna try it too. Man, the way you made me feel!" Adam didn't suck David that night. They talked, caressed, discussed. "I guess that means we really are gay, doesn't it?" Adam commented. "I think the evidence is pretty strong, buddy," David replied. "Ya know what?" Adam said. "No, what?" David answered. "I'm glad I'm gay. I mean, I been dreading this for at least three years, pretending it isn't true, sometimes even wishing I could die rather than be gay. But now that it's out, and I know about it, and I know I love you and you love me, I'm glad! I think it's great!" "Yeah," David agreed, "I guess I feel much the same way. But what we say and do for the next little while is going to be very important, Adam." "How's that?" "Well, for starters you're a minor, and you're still a ward of the state, and expected back in that foster home. I'm assuming... uh... maybe hoping, that you're gonna want to stay here with me?" "How can I do that?" David realized that he had indeed been taking a lot for granted. He looked Adam in the eye and asked again, "Do you want to stay here? Live here? Be my son? My... uhhh... my lover?" To David's utter astonishment, Adam started to cry. "That's impossible!" he blubbered. "It would be so great! But that would never happen. You don't know anything about how Social Services works. They'd never go for it!" "Don't be too sure," David said as he held Adam close. "They would certainly never go for it if they knew what just happened. But they don't have to know that, do they? What if they only knew that we'd met at the Target store, that you had spent the holidays here and I wanted to make you my son? Adam, in case you haven't already figured it out, I've got a lot of money! And one of the things a lot of money can buy is a good lawyer, and I've got one of the best! I think we can do this, if you want to. Do you, Adam?" "Do I!" Adam replied. "No brainer, David! Of course I want to! But, do you really think there's a chance?" "I wouldn't mention it if I didn't believe it can be done. Now, are we gonna lie here naked all night, or are you gonna let me carry you up to bed?" "Your bed?" "No sense messing up two." "Then let's go... uhhh... DAD." "How's about you call me your big brother? I don't think I'm ready to be the dad of a teenager." By the time David climbed the stairs to his bedroom with Adam in his arms, the boy was sound asleep. David laid him gently on the bed, pulled back the covers and moved him between the sheets. He kissed his forehead and whispered "Good-night, beautiful, and Merry Christmas." "Night, David," Adam mumbled back. "I'm not beautiful, just one happy Indian!" Without even opening his eyes, he snuggled into David, threw one arm limply around David's neck, and went totally unconscious as only a teenager can do in sleep. David was moved to tears, and then sleep overtook him too. As he drifted off, he realized that he'd been home most of the evening and had not checked his email before retiring. That was the first time in over two years. * * * I sincerely hope you enjoy my writing efforts. If you do, or for that matter if you don't, I would appreciate if you would write to me. My email address is charlieje@mindspring.com.