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http://donate.nifty.org/donate.html **Additional Note:** There will be sexual scenes throughout this story, but it won't be predominately sex. If that's the type of story you are looking for then make another selection.
I went to the park to meet the boys on Saturday, and this time I based our adventure on the legend of Robin Hood. I told the boys that we had joined Robin's Merry Men and lived in Sherwood Forest, and we'd just learned of a plot the Sheriff of Nottingham had devised to capture Robin. It was now up to us to alert Robin and then foil the Sheriff's attempt to imprison or kill our leader, and we spent the next couple of hours making sure that never happened. There was a lot of sword fighting and we shot a slew of arrows, and in the end we prevailed and kept Robin safe.
When Gus and Sam left to have lunch with their mothers, Noah and I hopped into the car and took off for my house. After having a quick, yet filling lunch, I talked Noah into watching some of the Little League regional playoff games that were on one of the sports channels.
"So these boys are just a little older than me?" he asked, once we'd watched a few innings.
"Yes, they are basically eleven and twelve-year-olds, but some may have recently turned thirteen too."
Although Noah wasn't particularly interested in baseball, he didn't mind watching this, since the boys were roughly the same age as him or slightly older. "Man, I didn't know kids my age could play so good," he gasped after we finished watching one of the games.
"Yes, they're exceptional athletes for their age, and that's why I thought you might enjoy watching these games."
"Yeah, they're fun to watch. So are there gonna be more games?"
"Yes, there's another game in a little while, and one later tonight."
"Can we watch 'em?"
"Sure, if you want. And next weekend there will be more games on TV as well."
"I want to see them too."
That took care of what we were going to do for the rest of the day, and I timed our walk and dinner so they didn't interfere with watching the games. We had to hurry through our shower so we'd finished in time to see the start of the last game, and I was amazed at how mesmerized Noah was as he watched the screen.
When the final game ended, we got ready for bed and Noah cuddled against me. "Thanks for showing me the baseball games with boys my age. I ain't never seed 'em before."
"I'm glad you enjoyed it, but your comment should have been, 'I have never SEEN them before."
"So I'm not s'posed to say 'seed'?"
"Only if you're talking about the seeds from a plant, but not for seeing something."
"Ok, I'll try to remember that."
"It's time to get some rest now, so goodnight and sweet dreams," I added as I kissed the top of his head.
When we got up in the morning, we ate first and then we went to meet up with Sam and Gus for our last Sunday together. "What are we gonna do today?" Gus asked when we arrived.
"Today's adventure is based on the legend of King Arthur, and we're going to battle Mordred's army. That's means there will be a lot more sword fights today, so I hope you're up for it."
"Yeah, it sounds like fun," Sam agreed.
We spent the next couple of hours charging and battling Mordred's warriors, and we also had to react to some surprise attacks from them as well. Although we managed to kill Mordred and most of his army, King Arthur was also fatally wounded during the final battle and died as well. We were all very sad as we placed his body in a boat and sent it off to the Isle of Avalon.
"That was fun, but I wish King Arthur didn't die," Noah said when we finished.
"Yeah, I had fun too, but I wish King Arthur had lived," Gus agreed.
"Unfortunately, that's the way the legend says it happened, so that's what we did," I countered to let them know it wasn't my choice.
"So are we goin' swimmin' now?" Sam followed, getting impatient.
"Yes, this is our last Sunday swim, because from now on we'll only meet on Saturday. There are only a couple more weeks before we'll no longer be able to swim at the state park, so let's make the most of this opportunity and enjoy it."
"Yeah, we're just sad that swimmin' is almost over," they all whined in response.
Just like we did every other week, we stopped for a quick bite to eat first, and then I took them to my house to change before heading to the state park to swim. I was both pleased and impressed with how well the boys were doing, and when we finished, we enjoyed a snow cone before heading back to the house to change.
"Isn't there some way we can still swim somewhere else after the state park closes?" Gus wanted to know as he was taking off his swimsuit.
"I'll have to check and see if there's an indoor pool we can use from time to time, because I want you boys to keep improving." They seemed to like that idea, so it might give me something else I can do with them when the weather gets colder.
Later, after I'd dropped Gus and Sam off at their apartments, Noah and I returned to the house. After going out for our nightly walk, we ate dinner and then found a movie to watch before turning in for the night.
"I wish summer wasn't over," Noah said as he cuddled against me.
"I know, but it's simply impossible to have summer all year long."
A few days later, the boys returned to school, and that signaled a change in our weekly schedule. From now on I'd only be getting together with Gus and Sam on Saturday, although Noah would still be spending the entire weekend with me. I warned Noah that we'd be spending part of Sunday working on his schoolwork, which caused him to groan, so I told him there would still be plenty of time left to enjoy each other's company.
Once Noah was no longer at the park during the lunch hour, I had a great deal of difficulty coping with his absence. I couldn't believe how much I missed spending that time with him, as I continued going to the park. I would sit on 'our' bench every afternoon and eat my lunch alone, just as I'd done before I met my little blond haired bundle of joy, but doing it no longer seemed quite the same. It wasn't nearly as satisfying, although I enjoyed the fresh air and sunshine, but there was definitely something missing. My assistant even mentioned that I didn't appear quite as happy and cheerful as before, and I merely responded that I was temporarily going through a rough time, but things should start improving shortly.
I got together with the boys for our weekly adventure on the following Saturday, and during that time I asked Sam and Gus to check with their moms about a couple of different things. First of all, I wanted to know if their mothers would allow me to take them to my house to play out some of our adventures, starting after Labor Day. I told the boys to explain that it would give me a chance to set things up in advance without having to worry about someone messing things up before we got started. I also asked if they'd see if their moms would allow me to take them on short trips after our adventures ended, and I said they could use the same ideas about what we might do that I'd told them previously.
We had a good time playing out our little adventure at the park before going to the state park to practice swimming, and after we finished I took Gus and Sam home. Noah and I then returned to the house and watched some more Little League games before taking our walk, showering, and eating dinner. Then, we watched another game before going to bed and cuddling together.
The following weekend was nearly identical to the last, and Noah and I watched more Little League games on TV, as the tournament began for real. I was amazed at how intently Noah watched the games and wondered if maybe I could talk him into signing up next year. If he was interested, I'd work with him so he'd be ready, but I'd leave the decision entirely up to him.
The following weekend was the last time we were able to go to the state park to swim this year. Before we did that, however, we played our little adventure, but this time I had a surprise for them. "Today, I want each of you to choose what superhero you want to be, because we've got to save the country from a collection of supervillains."
"I want to be Batman!" Noah quickly shouted.
"And I'll be Spiderman!" Sam added.
"I'll be Superman!" Gus followed.
"I guess that means I'll be the Incredible Hulk," I chimed in.
"So are you gonna turn green?" Gus teased before giggling.
"Only if one of the villains hits me below the belt," I shot back as I grabbed the family jewels.
At first the boys groaned, as they thought about how painful that would be, and then they started to giggle at the idea of me turning green.
Over the next couple of hours we battled a collection of their greatest foes. There was the Penguin, Riddler, and Joker from Batman's past, and the Jackal, Green Goblin, and Mysterio from Spidy's list of enemies. We also faced off against Superman's nemeses - Brainiac, Darkseid, and General Zod, as well as Tyrannus, Maestro, and the Leader from the Hulk's list of foes. As you can see, I did my research before setting this up, but it didn't mean we only battled the villains we were familiar with. We helped each other out as well, but it was still quite a struggle, and even though we battled them one group at a time, it was very tiring. Since there were so many groups, we had to fight four battles, which meant we were all exhausted when it was over. Fortunately, we were victorious in every encounter.
Once we'd finished this adventure, we got a chance to rest while we filled our bellies. We then went to my place to change, before making the trip to the state park for the final time this year. During the ride, the boys were busy telling me about how much fun they'd had doing this and how they were going to miss it. I assured them that I was going to miss it too, and I promised that I'd try to find a pool we could use, and then we spent a couple of hours in the water. They swam for part of the time, although they did some horsing around too, which included splashing and dunking one another. They also ganged up on me at one point, and they we're laughing hysterically when they knocked me off my feel and dunked me as well. However, there were still a bunch of long faces as we climbed out of the water for the final time.
After we went back to my place to change, I told the boys I'd keep their swimsuits at the house until we needed them again, and hopefully they wouldn't outgrow them before that happened. There was a chance they might, but hopefully Noah or Sam would grow into Gus' swimsuit, and then I'd just buy new ones for the others.
When I took Gus and Sam home, Noah announced that he wanted to spend Monday with me too, since he didn't have school and I didn't have to work. Seeing I hadn't cleared this with his mom beforehand, I drove over to the 7-Eleven to check with her, instead of just taking Noah's word that it would be all right. I told Noah to wait in the car while I did this, because I wanted to ask her about it without him there teasing.
When I asked Cheryl if we could speak, she took her break so we could do this without interference. I mentioned to her that Noah wanted to spend Monday with me too, but I didn't know how she would feel about it. When she said she expected it was what was going to happen, I told her that I felt badly that she wasn't getting to spend any time with her son. However, she assured me that I was more than making up for him missing time with her.
"It's ok, because I have to work, so I wouldn't have been able to spend very much time with him. Besides, he enjoys spending the weekends with you, and he's been a totally different kid since you started doing these things with him. It's been great to see him smile and be in such a good mood when he gets home. He's also told me that you're going to help him with his homework, and that will take me off the hook, because I couldn't do much to help him last year. I never learned about some of the things he was working on, so there was nothing I could offer when he got stuck."
"I'm happy to do what I can, because I've told all three boys they'll need to keep their grades up if they want to continue spending time with me during the school year. I even told them that I wanted each one to show me his report card, so I could see how they were doing, as well as getting a chance to read any comments from their teachers."
"That's good, and Noah told me about that too. I'm glad you're not letting them get away with anything and you're going to make them work hard. I know Debbie and Monica feel that way too."
"I didn't know you've continued talking to them."
"Yes, they invited me to have coffee with them on my days off from the 7-Eleven each week, before I go to clean the other houses. They were telling me about how their sons were enjoyin' spendin' time with you, and they're thrilled that you're teachin' the boys how to swim."
"I'm glad you're friendly with them now, and that each of you is ok with what I'm doing with the boys. I don't spend nearly as much time with the other two as I do with Noah, but it's nice to know it's no longer a problem."
"Debbie told me about what happened to Gus, so I can't blame her for being so skeptical and suspicious at first."
"Yes, I understand why she came at me like that the first time as well, once I heard what had happened. I just wished she'd checked into the situation a little further before she blew up at me like that."
Just as I was finishing my comment, I heard a car horn honk and assumed it was probably Noah. "Well, I'd better get going before Noah has everyone running outside to see what's going on."
"He can be very impatient, but don't worry about it. Stuff like that happens around here all the time."
"I'd still better get going, and thanks for letting him spend the entire long weekend with me."
"I wouldn't have been able to live with him if I said no," she replied before giggling. She also walked me to the door and waved at us before we drove away.
"What was you and my mom talkin' bout for so long?"
"She just told me that she and Sam and Gus' moms have been meeting for coffee, and they've told her that they're happy with the way things are working out."
"Oh, ok."
"And I've thought about something else I'm going to start doing with you. Besides helping you with your homework, I'm going to start correcting what you say. I know I've done it a few times before, but I'm going to do it more often from now on. To start with, I want you to start saying 'about', not just 'bout', and say 'remember', instead of 'member'. I also want you to start pronouncing the 'g' on the end of words, so I'll expect to hear you say 'talking', not 'talkin', and 'spending', not 'spendin', and so on."
"K, I'll try to member," he said, and I quickly looked over and glared at him. "Ummm, I mean remember, and I'll start doin'... doing that from now on."
"Good boy."
He spent the weekend working on those things, and I have to admit that he's doing better. If he doesn't catch himself, I merely make a face and he'll repeat what he's just said, only correctly the second time around.
After Labor Day weekend, I started setting our adventures up in the house or in the backyard. Most of the time they were mysteries, rather than adventures, and I'd start off by explaining the situation to the boys. I would also prepare a tagboard in advance with the names of all the characters involved, as well as some basic information about each of them. Once we went over that, I'd tell the boys what we were investigating and ask them to start looking for clues.
I seeded the clues around in various locations, depending on whether it was an indoor or outdoor mystery, and I'd try to make sure they weren't too obvious. We'd discuss what each clue meant once it had been discovered, and I'd let the boys make observations and ask questions about them. Sometimes it would be an object, such as a weapon, article of clothing, or a household item, and at other times it would be a piece of paper in the form of a note, letter, receipt, ticket stub, or something similar. I would then let them ask questions about the character they suspected and we'd discuss his or her alibi, if he or she had one. The mystery would only end when someone figured out who had been responsible and how he or she had done it. The boys seemed to have a good time doing this, so who knows? Maybe one or more of them will want to become a detective or private eye when he gets older.
Each weekend I also tried to do something special with them after we finished the mystery/adventure, and the weekend after Labor Day I took them to play miniature golf. Noah seemed grateful that I'd done this with him before and had taught him how to do it by himself, since Gus and Sam had done it before as well. I'm not sure when or where they had done it, or with whom, seeing they didn't go into detail about their previous experiences, but at least Noah didn't feel out of place doing this with the other two.
The weekend after that I took the boys to a 'go kart' track, although they don't call it that any longer. Most places simply refer to the vehicles as 'karts' and you go 'karting', although sometimes those places are referred to as a junior raceway or a junior racetrack. This particular place had three separate tracks: one for beginners, another for intermediates, and the last was labeled expert. You had to take a practice run by yourself first, before you were allowed to go on the expert track with any other racers, because those karts went much faster and the track had a lot of twists and turns.
I took a spin with each of the boys first, so I could explain what they had to do, and then I demonstrated it for them as well. Once I'd done that with each of the boys, I let them go by themselves. I merely watched as they went around the track the first time, and then I commented on how they'd done when they returned. After that, I went out on the beginner's course with them again, but this time in my own kart.
"Man, that was a blast!" Gus enthused as we were leaving the place.
"I'm glad you brought us here so we could do this," Noah added. "I liked it a lot."
"Me too," Sam chimed in. "I didn't know they'd let kids our age drive these things."
"Yes, they've allowed it for a long time, because I drove them when I was your age as well." The boys all smiled as we loaded into the car.
When I'd picked them up the weekend after we went karting, Noah mentioned something that would give us something else to do. "I asked my P.E. teacher if there were any pools around that we could use on the weekend, and he told me the pool at the high school is gonna be open from noon to four every Saturday from November to March." I decided not to correct him about using 'gonna' in front of the other two.
"I didn't realize that, and it will give us a place where you can keep practicing your swimming skills, so you don't get rusty before next summer. I'll also teach you a few other things, such as how to tread water."
"Yeah, I remember you using that word after the shipwreck, and before we ended up on the island," Gus mentioned. "I wondered what you were talkin' about, but I didn't ask."
"It's another way to keep from drowning without actually swimming. It's good to know, especially if you're stuck in a large body of water for a long period of time, such as in a lake or out on the ocean."
"Is it hard to do?"
"No, and you might even find it easier than swimming."
"But the pool at the high school's got a deep end, and I don't think I'm ready to go in that yet," Sam added, looking panicked.
"Yes, the pool has a deep end, but I'll let you boys practice swimming from side to side in the shallow end first. I think you'll also be able to handle swimming in the deeper end as well, but I'll have you do it one at a time and I'll be in the pool with you, in case you have any trouble. The deep end will also be ideal for learning how to tread water, but we won't start doing that right away."
"Ok. I guess it doesn't sound too bad, if you'll be in the water with us," Sam agreed.
The first weekend in October, after the leaves had begun to change color, I took the boys to the state park and we walked along a couple of the hiking trails so we could check out the different types of trees. Even though the boys knew the leaves changed color in the fall, they didn't realize that different types of trees turned different colors, and I explained why they did it before falling off the trees. It happened to be a nice fall day, so it turned into a very enjoyable stroll and I think the boys learned something as well.
During the second weekend in October I took the boys to a cider mill that was located about thirty miles away from where we lived. We checked out the orchards first, and listened to our guide explain about the different types of apples, as well as telling us which apples were best for eating, baking, and making cider. The boys got a kick out of watching the big cider press squeeze the juice out of the apples that had been placed in it, and I bought a bag of apples to take home. I also bought a gallon of cider, and then I stopped on the way back to purchase donuts. When we got to the house, we ate a donut or two while drinking a glass of cider, and I gave them each a couple of apples to take home with them to eat later.
Earlier that week I'd also bought a soccer ball that we could kick around in the backyard, along with a junior-size football that we could toss back and forth. We then went outside to play with those items for a while, and over the next few weeks I also worked with them on punting and place kicking the football, since I'd also bought a kicking tee they could use. Gus was probably the most coordinated and athletic out of the three, but they all seemed to have a good time doing those things with me as well.
In the middle of October the boys received their first report cards, so they brought them with them the following Saturday so I could see how they'd done. I was pleased there were no D's or F's on any of their report cards, and I challenged each boy to do better in one or two of the subjects he had the most trouble in before the next report card came out. Those areas differed for each boy, but they all said they'd try to get a better grade in those subjects next time.
The weekend before Halloween, I got permission from Sam and Gus' moms to bring them home a little later on Saturday so I could take them to a Haunted House. None of the three had ever been to a professionally prepared Haunted House before, and it actually turned out to be one of the better ones I'd ever been to. We had a few belly laughs at each other's expense, after we saw how they'd reacted to a particular display, but we also experienced a few serious frights.
"That was wicked," Gus stated as we were exiting the place.
"It was scary, but I liked it," Sam added.
"And I liked seeing how everybody got scared by the different things," Noah chipped in.
"You mean like when you jumped into my arms and Sam hid behind me?" I followed.
Both boys blushed and then giggled. "Yeah, like then," Noah agreed.
"And when Gus ran in the other direction when the guy started the chair saw," Sam added. It was a chainsaw without the chain, to prevent anyone from getting hurt.
"I almost crapped myself when that happened," Gus admitted, "but you guys reacted to it too."
"Yeah, there were times when each of us jumped and got a good scare. That's the idea behind places like this."
It seemed as if they'd all enjoyed going through it, so I was glad I'd brought them.
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E-mail responses to the stories, story suggestions, or other 'constructive' comments or advice may be sent to: ErastesTouch@aol.com - but please put the story title in the subject line, so it doesn't get deleted as junk mail.
My other stories:
http://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/adult-youth/different-points-of-view/
http://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/adult-youth/a-throw-away-kid/
http://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/adult-youth/the-guardian/
http://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/adult-youth/chance-of-a-lifetime/
http://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/adult-youth/all-the-worlds-a-stage/
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Although the boys in these stories sometimes have unprotected sex, I strongly urge all of you out there to be smart and protect yourselves from various sexually transmitted diseases by using taking appropriate precautions before engaging in sex.