Max's Freudian Slip #31

Max’s Freudian Slip #31

Author’s Notes:

Not a lot to say, other than our saga continues. In the last chapter, Craig lost his cool and spanked Max out of disgust for his belligerent attitude.

Just my regular reminder to donate to nifty! https://donate.nifty.org/donate.html

Chapter 31

As I made my way towards Max’s room, disgust grew within me. This time, however, it was with myself. While it was true that Max needed - and deserved - a major attitude adjustment, I couldn’t believe I lost control. I’ve always had a penchant for talking with kids, but this time I turned his ass crimson instead of using words.

I did try though, didn’t I? I could barely remember what happened a few minutes ago. Would he ever trust me again, knowing I could lose my temper? He’d always thought of me differently than his father - or any other adult, for that matter - and now, would he assume I was ultimately just like everyone else?

At best, I probably ruined our relationship. At worst, I’d just pissed off a boy who could share secrets and ruin my entire life.

***

I slowly ambled up to Max’s room to see what, if anything, I could do to salvage the situation. He was sprawled on his bed, rubbing his backside. His face was beet red and tear soaked. He looked up at me, his lip quivering.

“Bud,” was all I could say before he jerked upright and ran toward me. I had just long enough to wonder if he was going to attack me out of anger before he wrapped his arms around my waist and buried his head in my chest.

“I’m sorry; I’ve been a complete douche,” he cried as he squeezed me tightly.

That took me by surprise. What a difference a few minutes makes. I gave him a kiss on the top of his head and squeezed him to me. Maybe this wasn’t going to turn out as awful as I feared.

“I’m sorry you’ve been stressed. I’m also sorry I had to discipline you, but I didn’t feel like I had a choice. Nothing else was getting through to you.” If Max was accepting the consequences of his actions, I needed to hold the line. While I’m not thrilled with losing my cool, I still felt like something drastic was needed.

Max sniffled. “I deserved it. I can’t believe some of the things I said to you, or Mom.”

I patted his back. “Everyone makes mistakes. I forgive you. But it’s your Mom you really need to apologize to and make things right with.”

“Yeah, I know. Mr. Tim and I talked about it, too. You both said the same things,” he explained. I’m glad Tim and I were on the same page, but I sure hope he wasn’t as rude to him as he was to me. “I don’t know why, but I freaked out when you started lecturing me. I was trying to explain I knew I needed to apologize, but you wouldn’t let me respond. I guess it just set me off. It’s like I thought I was being ganged up on and couldn’t stop. I know that sounds stupid.”

I felt guilty. I was so pissed that I hadn’t given him a chance to speak. Perhaps we could have talked through things without either of us losing our tempers. Although, I’m not sure Max being spanked was the worst thing, considering how this is panning out. He did earn it, and in a weird way, it might bring us closer in the long run. I’m not sure Stacy would see it that way, though.

“I understand. I apologize for not giving you a chance to respond, and I’m sorry that I resorted to corporal punishment. I don’t expect that to ever happen again.”

“It won’t,” he assured me. “I won’t give you a reason, I promise.”

I hugged him closer. “The important thing is to learn from the situation and not repeat the poor behavior. I hope you believe I would never try to hurt you.”

I know it sounds weird, especially since last week I told him I couldn’t spank him because I loved him, but the more I thought about what just transpired and as the cortisol began to wane, I realized that such a strong response stemmed from the intensity of my feelings for Max. I believe in him, and couldn’t let him act like a shit head and ruin his relationship with his mother - or self-destruct.

“I know, I just forgot for a few minutes. I’m sorry.” Max finally broke our hug. He looked up at me, tears still in his eyes. “Can we please lay down in my bed? I’ve been sitting all day, and…”

“Yep, you’re going to be a little sore. Do you want me to rub your back?”

“Yeah, would you? Please?”

“Of course. I know that helps you relax,” I responded. Max smiled and slipped off his shirt.

***

Lying with Max on his double bed wasn’t very comfortable for me, but in that moment, that’s all I wanted to do. It’s what he needed. I traced different patterns on his bare back and he tried to guess what they were. It relieved some of our tension.

“Can I make a request?” Max eventually asked. Considering he could destroy my life, did I have a choice? “Will you please not tell Mom about how rudely I spoke to you, or that you had to spank me? It’s embarrassing, and I don’t want to worry her any more than I already have.”

What a relief. I was dreading trying to figure out how to broach the topic with her.

“If you’re sure,” I said. “But it’s one of those things...if we’re ever going to tell her, we should probably do it right away or not at all.”

“I’m positive. Thanks...Dad.”

Max calling me ‘Dad’ in his sweet little tone was music to my ears. I wish I could record it and make it my ringtone. It made me sad how his voice would soon change, and I’d never hear the same beautiful sound ever again.

“So, do you know how you’re going to apologize to your Mom?” I asked.

Max rolled to face me, but looked uncertain. I lovingly stroked his hair. I noticed his nipples were hard as a rock. I’m not sure if it was the rush of cold air on his skin from the ceiling fan, or if he was aroused by me stroking his back, but it was a noticeable change. A few weeks ago - in Mexico - I wouldn’t have been able to resist the urge to take those glorious little nubs into my mouth and suckle them while I groped his boy cock into a throbbing erection. But I had no such urge any longer. I just couldn’t think of Max sexually. The past weeks of turmoil made that impossible. I wondered if I would ever think of him in that way again.

“What’s on your mind, kiddo?” I asked.

“I know the words I need to say. Mr. Tim even made me write an apology letter for how I treated her at school. He was really mad,” Max shared as he closed his eyes in shame. Wow. I like Tim! “But, words don’t seem like enough. I feel like I need to make a big gesture, like Cam did for me.”

I thought for a moment. “I know she’s tired and stressed. Why don’t you surprise her by making dinner? You could even use my famous spaghetti and meatball recipe!” I suggested. “It’s gotten me out of trouble with Kim before. It has magical properties!”

Max playfully rolled his eyes. “You’re so cringey,” he giggled, for the first time in weeks. Listening to that was like a drug to me. “Still, that’s a great idea. Would you mind helping me remember everything? I think we have all the ingredients, but if we don’t, could you please run me to the store? I have cash.”

He has cash. That’s adorable. “Of course,” I responded.

“It’s just...” Max said tentatively before trailing off. “I know I owe her a major apology, but…”

“What is it?”

“I understand why she freaked, and I didn’t handle things well, but I still strongly disagree with her rule about Cam and I, you know, not doing stuff.”

Is that all? I already knew he’d resist that, but the fact he was recognizing his treatment of her has been unacceptable was major progress.

“I get it, but that’s a pretty standard response from most adults, especially moms,” I said. “If you give her time, I think in time she’ll soften. I’ll try to talk to her about it, if you want.”

Max perked up. “Really? Would you? If there’s anyone who can convince her, it’s you!” He suddenly sounded very excited. I knew I needed to manage his expectations.

“Hey, no guarantees. Parents have a visceral reaction to their kids having sex, particularly when they’re young. It’s evolutionary,” I explained. I wanted to temper his hopes. “It may do no good, but I’m willing to have the conversation with her - when the time is right.”

“Thanks. You’re the best,” Max said, beaming. “Race you to the kitchen!”

***

We quickly assessed Stacy’s well-stocked pantry. Max was right, most of what was needed was already present. The only absent ingredient was Italian-sausage for the meatballs. There also wasn’t any thawed hamburger.

“Can you go to the store while I start the sauce?” Max asked.

“Sure,” I replied, ruffling his hair, which garnered a smile. I quickly scribbled the recipe on a piece of paper. “Remember, big ‘T’ is tablespoon, little ‘t’ is teaspoon,” I reminded him, recalling his gaffes from last week.

“Don’t worry, I got it,” he answered confidently. “Let me grab my wallet,” he offered.

I shook my head. A few bucks of groceries were insignificant, and after whooping his ass it seemed like the least I could do. “Don’t worry about it.”

***

I returned 20 minutes later. I picked up a loaf of garlic bread and a bag of salad mix, in addition to the meat. I figured if Max was going to the effort of making an apology dinner, he should do it right.

The sauce was simmering. The familiar smell of it filled my nostrils as I walked through the door. He was standing by the kitchen table, carefully examining bottles of wine. There was a box containing at least a dozen bottles in a chair. “Which one of these goes best with spaghetti?” he asked.

I was proud of him. Picking out wine to go with dinner was a great way for him to subtly make amends for making an issue of Stacy’s drinking. “Great idea,” I answered. “You need a good red,” I suggested.

“Can you help? I don’t know anything about wine,” he said.

While Max unwrapped the meat, I rummaged through the options. There was a nice La Crema Cabernet that would be perfect. I found a corkscrew and opened it. “It’s good to let wine breathe a while before serving,” I informed him.

“Cool, thanks,” he answered.

“Do you want help with the meatballs?” I asked.

“Honestly,” he answered, looking at me timidly as if he was worried he might offend me. “I think it would mean more if I did it all on my own.”

I admired his attitude, but I hoped he didn’t mess up. He’s only done it once before, and bungled several steps. But, I was confident he would manage. The gesture was more important than the actual food. I wrote down the short list of ingredients. “Just be careful to make them the right size.”

“I will,” he answered with a grin. “I know you like small balls, but I bet Mom will appreciate bigger ones.” Him making a joke mocking me was a good sign he wasn’t holding onto any ill-will from earlier.

“Have everything ready and just cook the pasta when she gets home. That way it’s all fresh.”

“Got it,” he confirmed.

It occurred to me I was very aloof when Max tried to share about his day, when he was yammering in my car, so I asked him about it while he threw the ingredients into a mixing bowl. It sounded dull to me, but I think he was happy to have calm after such a stressful few days. I may have underestimated how his treatment of Stacy had been weighing on him, which made me feel guilty, again, for how harshly I reacted.

I noticed how excited he seemed about Tim. He seemed like a nice guy, and he made a great impression on everyone. Still, I felt a twinge of...insecurity? Resentment? I know it sounds ridiculous, because Max needs as many positive influences in his life as possible, but part of me felt usurped. I’m The Max Whisperer, and it felt like Tim was encroaching on my role as Max’s favorite male. How insane is that?

We stood silently for a few awkward moments. “Well,” I said. “I guess I should leave you to work.”

He nodded. “Yes, sir,” he answered before pausing. “Thanks for always being there for me… Dad,” he added. I couldn’t help but to give him another hug and caress his back.

“Good luck with your Mom. I’m sure it will all work out,” I told him. As stressed as Stacy has been, I knew she’d probably cry tears of happiness tonight.

“How could it not?” he answered with a laugh, which briefly confused me. “I mean it IS a magical recipe, right?” He added sarcastically as he rolled his eyes.

“Who’s cringey now?” I teased.

“Hey, you’re a bad influence! Your corniness is rubbing off,” Max playfully protested.

I ruffled his hair, kissed his forehead, and made my exit.

***

Kim and I compared notes once she arrived. At my urging, she took Stacy for a pedicure. She managed to fill Kim in on Max’s poor attitude, though she held back some of his worst comments. Kim was aghast when I told her the things Stacy omitted.

“I sure hope you set him straight. That’s just not like him,” she quipped.

I told her I managed to ‘twist his arm’ and make him see the light. I couldn’t admit to having spanked him. Kim would be so disappointed in me. If we weren’t telling Stacy, there was no reason for me to share with Kim. I told her about how Mr. Tim had already criticized his behavior and pretended it didn’t take much to get him to come around. When I told her about Max’s plan to fix supper, complete with wine, Kim was ecstatic. She knew it was a great idea.

***

Kim ordered a pizza and after eating, we snuggled on the couch watching TV. We were anxious for some sort of news from Stacy, but knew they needed time to work through everything.

At 9, our phones dinged. Stacy sent an appreciative text:

“Thank you both so much. Kim - the time at the spa was amazing. Craig - so were the spaghetti and meatballs. Max made some joke about them being ‘magical’, which I didn’t quite understand, but whatever you did with him WAS. He’s a different kid, and I have my baby back. I couldn’t be happier. I’ll tell you more when we see each other. Thanks again.”

***

It was two nights later before I heard from Stacy again, just as I was getting ready for bed.

“Can I ask a favor?” her message read.

“Absolutely. What’s up?” I replied.

“Can you check in with Cam’s dad to see if everything is okay? Tonight was the first gymnastics practice and Max is distraught because Cam was a no-show. The poor thing is assuming the worst.”

“Will do. It might be tomorrow before I hear back from him, though. It is late.”

“I understand. I’m going to see if I can reassure Max. If you hear anything, please text.”

“If he needs another sympathetic ear, I’ll be up for a while,” I replied. “I’m sure you can convince him everything is okay. Trust me, if something major occurred, Bob would inform me.”

At least I hoped he would. I sent a text to Bob immediately. I waited a half hour but received no response, and dozed off soon after.

***

When my alarm sounded, I quickly checked my phone. Bob was an early riser and had texted me a little after 5:00. “I’ll call you at 9:00 if you are free.”

Thankfully, my morning was relatively slow.

***

I found an empty conference room and waited for Bob’s call. I was anxious to hear his updates. I felt a little guilty that I didn’t check in with him of my own accord.

“Good morning,” I answered when his call came through.

“Hey,” he replied. “I just got back from dropping Cam at school. How are you?”

“I had the same question for you. Stacy called me last night, and said Cam wasn’t at gymnastics, which freaked out Max. Is everything okay?”

Bob took a deep breath and sighed. “I think it will be. Jeanine tried another run at the whole therapy angle for Cam, just before I was going to take him to the gym. It got ugly again, which is why he didn’t make it. He’ll be there tonight, don’t worry.”

“What happened?” I asked.

“She actually had the audacity to say he should ‘pause’ gymnastics. Said she was uncomfortable with him seeing Max so soon and that didn’t think it was good for his ‘condition’ to be around so many shirtless boys.”

“That’s absurd!” I replied.

“Exactly. That’s when she suggested therapy again, adding that once he’d erased the desire to be with boys, then he could safely resume gymnastics. Cam was in shock. He couldn’t even speak, but started crying.”

“I’m sure you spoke up on his behalf.”

“Of course, I ended up saying she should gain some perspective and go home for a while. She packed and left to spend a few days with her father in Texas,” he explained. “I’m not sure how long she will stay. She didn’t even say goodbye to Cam. I honestly don’t know what to expect from her. I hope she’ll come to her senses.”

“Wow,” I replied. “I’m sorry. I hoped after Friday’s argument she would have started to come around.”

“Me too,” he answered. “She’s stubborn as a mule. I had to reassure Cameron that it didn’t mean we were splitting up. I told him that she just needed some time to come to terms with everything. I’m hoping I didn’t lie to him. Part me wonders when we’ll see her again.”

“Maybe that wouldn’t be the worst thing, considering…” I replied. In some ways, both Cam and Bob might be better off on their own.

“Perhaps,” he answered. “I’m hoping her father can talk some sense into her. He has always been much more level headed than Jeanine’s mother, and not nearly as pious. Plus, he adores Cam. I’m planning to call him in a bit and make sure he knows what’s going on. I think it will be better to hear from me than her. Plus, I want to reiterate that Jeanine left of her own free will, even if it was something I suggested.”

I shook my head. I felt bad for both Cam and Bob. It sounded like things were tense. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

Bob sounded relieved. “I’m glad you asked,” he replied. “Right now is fine, but I’m supposed to be in Boston next week. Assuming Jeanine is still gone, Cam needs a place to stay. His first suggestion was to bunk with Max, but I think that might be too soon for Stacy.”

“Absolutely,” I concurred. “She’s having trouble coming to grips with the boys being sexually active. It would be asking a lot of her right now. So, why don’t you just let him stay with us? Do you think he’d be okay with that? I’m sure Kim won’t mind. She loves having a kid to coo over.”

“Okay?” Bob laughed. “It was his next suggestion when I pointed out staying with Max was a longshot. Actually, he asked if you might be willing to stay at our house, but I’m not going to burden you with that.”

“No problem. We’ll figure it out. I’m sure Stacy will help shuttle to and from gymnastics” I offered.

“Awesome. That’s a relief. But if Jeanine returns home, I want Cam to stay with you until I’m back. I’m not sure I can trust her alone with him right now.”

“For sure,” I answered. Still, I wasn’t sure how that would go. How would I legally deny her access to her own son? Obviously, Bob wasn’t planning to tell his wife who was watching their child.

“Thanks Craig. I knew I could count on you. How are Max and Noah doing?”

I gave Bob a quick recap, highlighting Noah and Max’s reduced sentences at Olympia. I downplayed it some, but covered Max’s few days of feuding with his Mom as well. “He’ll sure be glad to see Cam at the gym later. I’ll make sure he knows. How much longer is Cam grounded?”

“I was planning to give his phone back Friday. I think he’s suffered enough and I’ve made my point. How about Max? Or Noah?”

“Not sure. I know Max is dying to see Cam. And I think Noah would love for them to hang out soon, now that everything is patched up.”

“Right,” Bob replied. “You know, maybe Cam could have them both over this weekend. Their sleepover plans did get ruined. While his mother is gone, it might be an ideal time.”

“The only problem is, I think Stacy is wary of sleepovers. She’s sure the boys will have sex if they have that much opportunity. You’d have to promise to monitor them closely.”

Bob laughed. “Maybe you could come help me chaperone. We could teach them a trick or two.”

I laughed, but wasn’t sure he was entirely joking. Given our conversation at Noah’s two weekends ago, I thought there might be a hint of seriousness. Man, that would be hot as Hell, for Max and I to get pounded on simultaneously by Rice men.

“I’ll bring it up to Stacy and see what I can do. Don’t say anything to Cam yet. I don’t want to get his hopes up.”

***

As soon as I hung up with Bob, I texted Stacy. She insisted on treating me to lunch.

We met at a trendy Asian-fusion place not far from my office. I filled her in on why Cam was absent from gymnastics, but assured her he would be present tonight.

“Oh, thank God,” she replied. “Max was beside himself. I don’t know why he always assumes the worst, but he was sure he would never see Cam again.”

That made me sad how awful he must have been feeling. “Anxiety is weird, and Max has plenty,” I said. “I’m so glad you two are on good terms again, and could calm him down.”

“Yes, thankfully. Things HAVE been much better since Monday. His spaghetti really was amazing, but it was more than that. I don’t know if it’s just the release from all of the stress of the last few days and how mean he’s been, but it really was a special night I’ll never forget.”

I wondered what Max did to make it so meaningful. He didn’t mention anything besides making dinner.

“His apology note was very well done; you could tell he spent a lot of time and effort on it. He attached it to this green and purple duck he captured from one of those claw games years ago and had it by my plate. Rick always bitched about dumping money into those things, so the little stuffie was a secret between us. Whenever we wanted to keep something from his father, we’d say we’d ‘duck’ that… or he might do a ‘duck dance’.”

That was an adorable image, little Max waddling around. “That sounds awesome. I’m so glad, for the both of you,” I answered. “He was pretty contrite by the time I left.”

Stacy nodded. “I even let him have a small glass of wine. He didn’t seem to like it, but didn’t spit it out, either. I think it made him feel grown that I let him have some.”

“I’m sure he appreciated that. It’s a way to acknowledge he’s maturing.”

“Exactly. But...“

“What?”

“I still feel like I’m struggling communicating with him about anything important. I’ve tried to bring up his relationship with Cam and even asked about coming out to his father, but he clams up instantly. He’s not being defiant or disrespectful - just immediately quiet, like he doesn’t want to talk about it...at least not with me.”

I thought for a moment. “I wonder if he’s still bitter about you chastising him for sleeping naked and thinking they shouldn’t be having sex.”

“He might still be upset about that, but they shouldn’t be sexually active at their age.”

“Well, that’s a totally normal attitude, however...”

“What?”

This would be uncomfortable, but I saw an opening and the timing seemed right. I told Max I’d try to talk with her about this.

“May I offer some advice?”

“Of course. At this point, I’m desperate. I don’t want to be a nosy mom, but can’t be shut out of an important part of Max’s life, either.”

“I understand. However, I think the my-way-or-the-highway approach with teens almost always backfires. The more you dig in, the more they revolt. It becomes a downward spiral. Kim always told me we had to pick our battles when the girls started wanting to do things we didn’t necessarily like or approve of,” I shared. I was exaggerating a little, but was trying to make a point. “I know that’s way easier said than done when it’s your child, and you still have to parent them and enforce rules.”

“You’re saying I shouldn’t care that he sleeps naked?”

“Yes, that’s a good example. In the grand scheme of things, does it really matter if that is what he prefers? Is that a hill you want to die on? Can you say you’ve never? It’s probably one of the few things he feels like he has any control of right now. He just needs to understand it might result in you seeing him naked periodically. He can decide whether that matters.”

“So, put the ball back in his court.”

“Right. Let him think he’s making the choice for himself. He’s likely to decide it’s not worth being seen naked by his mother. Or, he might not give a damn,” I said before taking a breath. “I don’t think Max is very modest about nudity. He wasn’t remotely shy around me in Mexico. Had he not been angry with you, I’m guessing he wouldn’t have been bothered by it. You guys did go to a nudist resort, after all.”

She closed her eyes and her face reddened. “I didn’t know you knew about that. That was mostly Rick’s doing. Probably for nefarious reasons, looking back.”

“It’s no big deal. I think our society is way too hung up about that stuff. That’s actually on my bucket list, but Kim would never go for it.” I couldn’t help but think about how fun it would be to take Max, Noah, Cam, and Bob to a nude resort and have us all flap around in the tropical wind. It made me smile, and perhaps slightly plumpen.

“It really was liberating, in a way. I only wish I knew then Rick’s motivation was to ogle little girls.”

“I’m sure that mars some memories.” She nodded. “Just tell Max you will try to respect his privacy and knock from now on. You can counterbalance it by reiterating you will still come into his room if you want because it is your house and you’re the parent. And, it’s also perfectly reasonable and basic consideration to have a rule that when he’s outside of his bedroom or bathroom, he needs to wear underwear at a minimum.”

“That seems fair,” she agreed.

I took a deep breath. I knew the next part would be trickier. “I’m glad, but sleeping nude wasn’t really what I was alluding to,” I said.

“Oh?”

I felt sheepish about broaching the topic (and knew it was a risk), but still needed to address the elephant in the room. “I was thinking more about your feelings regarding Max’s… sex life, for lack of a better term.”

“You can’t be serious, Craig. They’re still just babies!”

“Hear me out,” I pleaded. “I’m not saying you have to condone it, or make it easy on them. But I think it’s naive to assume you can put that cat back in the bag. Sex begets sex. Realistically, they are going to keep doing stuff whether you like it or not, even if it is more of a challenge. I can only assume Jeanine will be watching them like a hawk.” It seemed like invoking That Woman might soften her own resistance.

“I don’t know…” she said hesitantly.

“Once you started having sex, would you have suddenly stopped if you parents found out and told you to?”

She sighed. “No, probably not. But I never let my parents find out, and was older and more mature than him.”

“Fair. At least Max was honest with you. He could have lied. That means something, right? Even if he was trying to get under your skin.”

“Maybe. He seemed hesitant at first, but then opened the floodgates and seemed to revel in shocking me.”

“That’s unacceptable, and I told him as much, but it’s just a defense mechanism. He probably thought giving you unsolicited details would get you to stop asking and change the subject,” I suggested. “That being said, do you really want them so desperate they are sneaking into the bathroom at gymnastics or taking their chances in public?”

“Of course not, but what am I supposed to do? Have Cam over, say goodnight, and ask them not to be too loud?” She shuddered. “I just can’t.”

“No, no. That would be too much. They should respect you enough to abstain when you are home, and you can tell Max that point blank. Perhaps make it clear they can snuggle, even kiss so long as it doesn’t involve groping. Maybe tell him Cam can stay over but he has to sleep on the couch. And reiterate how rude it would be to have sex when his mother could overhear because she’s in the next room.” I didn't say it, but I considered pointing out that I was sure she and Rick closed the door, or took advantage of Max being at gymnastics.

“Basically, a compromise?”

“Yes. And hey, maybe you offer to go pick up a pizza for them sometime or something. You don’t have to tell them to go ahead and get down, but it’s likely to happen. Don’t ask, don’t tell. I’d be more than willing to give them both stern speeches about being safe.” I didn’t think it was a good idea to allude to the fact I’d already given that lecture, nor point out they disregarded it and have always gone bare with each other. Hopefully Max hadn’t mentioned it.

She thought for a moment. “They are still so young.”

“Yes, they are. Still - and you may not want to hear this - middle school boys are complete animals. Adam and I were talking about it over the weekend. They can’t go two minutes without thinking about sex,” I explained. “At their age, they masturbate several times a day. They can’t shut it off because their hormones are completely out of control.”

“Are they really that bad?” she asked with a completely bewildered look on her face.

“Worse than you’d ever imagine. Some boys are horrible to girls. Thankfully, Max isn’t like that,” I suggested. “The reality is, when there’s a will there’s a way and sex is motivating. It’s probably more realistic to try to regulate it and have ground rules than pretending prohibition will ever work.”

Stacy seemed dazed. “You may have a point, but I’m not sure I can wrap my head around it. And Max is still such a little boy in some ways,” she said, sighing. “He still sounds like he’s 10. Just last week I saw him sleeping with a stuffed animal. Hell, it wasn’t long ago he would sometimes wet the bed.”

I know his voice is still high, and I gave him the stuffed animal, but in all of our talks Max never once mentioned bed wetting. He must be really ashamed of that to never discuss it with me. I wondered if it was something I helped curb.

“I get it. And I probably wouldn’t have had as permissive an attitude with my own daughters when they were eighth graders. Maybe that makes me a hypocrite, or just sexist, but I do think boys view sex differently and more intensely from a younger age,” I offered.

She didn’t immediately respond. I wondered if it would backfire, but was trying to break through her intransigence. “Even many straight boys experiment with their friends, because it provides temporary relief to their constant urges. At their age, boy touch is better than no touch,” I explained. “Besides, if they’re hell bent on doing stuff, it sure seems better it be with a same-sex and similarly-aged peer than with an adult or getting a girl pregnant.”

“Really? Wow,” was all Stacy could muster. She was silent for a few seconds. “God, I’m not equipped for boy puberty,” she added with a nervous laugh.

I grabbed her arm and squeezed reassuringly. “My point is: it’s going to happen; if not with Cam, with someone. I would hate to see your relationship strained or irreparably damaged, especially when it’s unlikely he’ll ever return to celibacy,” I said. She looked defeated. I knew I needed to soften the harsh reality. “It isn’t your fault. He’s just at an age where you can’t control everything anymore. Biology is a spiteful bitch.”

Stacy gave a weary grin. “You make some good points, even if I don’t like them. I’ll definitely think about what you said,” she responded.

“Also, before I forget: when I spoke with Mr. Rice about Cam’s absence, he mentioned Cam’s restriction would be over Friday night and wondered if Max and Noah could spend the night, since their plans last weekend were ruined. I told him I wasn’t sure if they would be available, but would ask.”

Stacy looked uneasy. “I don’t know. I was planning on ungrounding him this weekend if his attitude continued to be good, but I have concerns.”

I could tell she would need more convincing. “I get it, but they’re bound to have sleepovers at some point. And Bob is pretty conservative,” I explained. That was mostly true. He didn’t give a shit about the boys having copious amounts of gay sex, but he is a Republican, albeit a Never Trumper.

She still seemed unconvinced, so I knew I needed to lean in. “If it makes you feel any better, I can go. Kim is meeting a couple of sorority sisters for a girl’s weekend in Chicago, so I’ll be home alone, anyway. Bob and I have become good friends.”

Stacy smiled. “I would feel better if you were there. He seems nice, but I just don’t know him well. I know they wouldn’t try anything with you around,” she said. I did my best to remain stoic and not burst out laughing. “But, won’t Cam’s witch of a mother object? If not to Max being present, to you?”

I laughed at how she referred to Jeanine. “She seems to think I’m okay, but she fled to Texas for a while,” I explained. “Which reminds me, Bob mentioned he’s going to be out of town next week. Kim and I offered to let Cam stay with us, so maybe we can carpool to and from practice. I know the boys would appreciate having extra time together, even if it is highly supervised.”

Stacy smiled. “That’s nice of you. I didn’t realize you had become so close with Bob, or Cam. And of course, I don’t mind helping transporting with practice,” she said before pausing. “I guess if you’ll be there, it’s okay for Max to go Friday night.”

“Great. I’m sure the boys will be besides themselves with excitement. I can pick up Max on the way if you’d like. I’m sure I’ll have Noah in tow as well,” I offered.

“That would be helpful. I may need to stay at the office late, since I didn’t get much work done earlier in the week,” she responded. “By the way, don’t let me forget, I have a box of wine in my trunk I thought Kim and Lisa might like to divide. I told Max after our special dinner. He looked so happy, even ran up to give me a hug. I can’t go back on my word.”

“Sure, thanks. I’m sure they’ll appreciate that,” I replied. “Also, can I borrow Max on Saturday? I’m planning to surprise Kim by painting the spare bedroom. She picked out the new color weeks ago, but I’ve been dragging my feet. With the help of three strong boys, we can knock it out in a day. Bob and Adam are making their free labor a condition for parole.”

“Of course,” she answered. “Max owes you that and so much more. He’ll be thrilled to help if Noah and Cam are involved.”

“Right. I think they might actually enjoy it. Having me staying at the Rice’s on Friday will be perfect. I can make a donut run in the morning and then bring them back to my place. I’ll provide an update on Saturday, but I think I should have them all back home around dinner.”

*** End of Chapter 31 ***

Author’s Notes:

Thank God Craig’s whooping ended well. Everyone is good again… and the sleepover might finally happen!

Feedback as always appreciated: craigpnifty@protonmail.com

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