**Special Note:** PLEASE CONTRIBUTE TO NIFTY ARCHIEVES! It costs money to operate this site, so if you can afford to do so, please donate so the site can keep operating. Go to:
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.
by
Erastes
Copyright 2018 by Erastes
Chapter
5 - Fireworks.
"I swear, it's all completely innocent," I offered while looking into the eyes of a fire-breathing mother. "I've been coming to the park so I could spend time with Noah, since I know his mother works a lot and he's on his own much of the day."
"Yeah, he was a friend of my dad b'fore he was killed," Noah chimed in, coming to my aid. He had jumped off the swing after I stopped pushing him, and raced over to stand beside me once he noticed the others approaching.
"I'm only here to keep Noah company, but your son and his friend asked if they could join us too, since they saw Noah was having so much fun. Since Noah knew them, I agreed to let them spend time with us too, but I won't, if you don't want me to do that any longer." I wasn't sure which one was her son, but I soon found out.
"Yeah, we asked him, momma, and we have lots of fun with him and Noah," Gus told her.
"And what about the candy? Are you using that as a bribe so you can get them to do whatever perverse things you want?"
"No, it was part of yesterday's quest. I try to think up things the boys might enjoy, and yesterday it was a treasure hunt. The candy was the treasure they found in the chest I'd hidden, because if you hadn't noticed the chocolates were wrapped in gold foil so they looked like old coins."
"Yeah, we had to follow the different clues until we found the treasure," Gus added, hoping to convince his mother that what I'd been doing with them was ok. I assumed he didn't want to stop joining us on these adventures, but his mother didn't seem to be softening her stance.
"Well, I don't know you, so I don't want you hanging around my son," she spat out and then she turned toward Sam. "I don't think your mother will want you involved in this either, so both of you boys are to come back with me, and I want you to stay away from them from now on."
"No trouble. Noah and I will find other things to do," I said before turning toward Noah and whispering to him. "Let's go to my house before she does something else, like calling the police." I said this because I didn't feel she was completely satisfied with my answers, and I certainly didn't want to wait around to see what she was going to do next.
"Why was she so mad?" Noah asked after we got in the car.
"I think she feels I was trying to harm her son and she was just trying to protect him."
"But you didn't do nuttin to him."
"I know, but she was afraid I might."
"So what are we gonna do now?"
"I don't know, because we can't do what I had planned for the park."
In fact, she'd put a damper on the entire day. My mind was working overtime trying to think of what she might do next and who she'd tell about our little encounter. The police were one possibility, but seeing I didn't have a criminal record and hadn't actually done anything wrong, I didn't think they would hassle me. I'd just explain my actions to them, as I'd done to Gus' mother, and hopefully they would be more reasonable and understanding.
As I continued thinking about it, I knew I'd be miserable if I couldn't go to the park to eat my lunch for the next several weeks, since the kids would still be out of school. I didn't want to stop spending time with Noah either, so I was hoping this would eventually blow over and wouldn't turn into a major problem for me, but only time would tell.
I must have been so lost in my thoughts that I hadn't heard what Noah was saying, because he suddenly shouted to get my attention. "Brian, did you hear what I just asked ya?"
"I'm sorry, I didn't. I was thinking about what we were going to do, now that we had to leave the park," I lied. "What did you say?"
"I wanted to know if this means we can't do stuff at the park any more?"
"I'm not sure. We definitely can't do things with Gus any longer, and possibly not with Sam either. It depends on how his mother reacts after Gus' mother tells her about me. Do they live in the trailer park too?"
"Nah. I think they live in the 'partments in the old fact'ry buildin'."
That's one of the places geared to low-income families. I was told the factory had been vacant for years and an investment group picked it up for next to nothing. They then turned it into apartments as quickly and cheaply as possible, so I assumed they've been making a bundle off of it ever since. From what I could tell, they didn't spend much on its upkeep or repairs, and there were hardly ever any vacancies, so that should equate to a positive cash flow. It seemed to be the last refuge for people down on their luck, and the final chance before becoming homeless, so I knew Gus and Sam's families weren't much better off than Noah and his mother. It's just that their mothers kept a closer eye on them.
"Can we still eat lunch at the park?" Noah followed, drawing my attention back to him.
"I certainly hope so. We'll just sit on our bench and eat without bothering anyone else."
"K."
We had reached the house by this point, so we got out and went inside. "Since I don't feel like going anywhere now, will you settle for watching something on TV with me?"
"Yeah, we can do that," Noah agreed. "I just wish Gus' mom didn't come to the park today, cuz she ruined everything."
"I know, but we'll try to make the best of it."
"Yeah, cuz I like just bein' with ya too."
There weren't any good movies on that I could find, so I turned to Disney and Nickelodeon to see what was on there. I gave Noah the remote and showed him the button that would let him switch back and forth between those two channels. He seemed satisfied, so I let him watch whatever program he chose, and I merely put my arm around his shoulders and held him tightly against my side, as I thought about the run-in at the park.
When a commercial came on, I took the opportunity to ask Noah a question. "Does your mom know either Gus or Sam's moms?"
"I don't think so. Why?"
"I was just wondering. Do you think Gus or Sam know where your mom works?"
"Maybe. I might have told 'em before."
I was afraid of that, but I didn't let on that it might be a problem, and then his show started again, so I let him watch it in peace. We chatted about a bunch of different things whenever a commercial came on, but mostly Noah just wanted to talk about the programs he was watching. He also asked about the other things we might do from now on, since it didn't look like we'd be spending very much time at the park, and I assured him that I'd think of something fun we could do together. He seemed fine with that and returned to watching his program when it came on again.
When it was getting close to lunchtime, I didn't feel like cooking or going out again, so I asked him a question. "How do you feel about pizza for lunch today?"
"Yeah, I like pizza."
"What do you like on it?"
"Pep-roni and cheese."
"Ok, pepperoni it is. Anything else?" He shrugged his shoulders. "How about mushrooms."
"Don't know. Never had 'em."
"What if I have them put on the pizza too, and if you don't like them, then you can take the mushrooms off and give them to me."
"Yeah, I can do that."
"Ok, I'll be right back. I have to call and order it."
I dialed the local pizza shop to place the order and was told it would be delivered in about thirty minutes. I went back to the living room to continue watching TV with Noah, although I was merely sitting there and holding him close to me. He was fine with that, and he snuggled against my side until we heard a knock on the door. I got up to answer it, with Noah at my heels, so when I was handed the pizza, I asked Noah to hold it while I paid the delivery person. After settling up and giving the driver a tip, I took the pizza from Noah and carried it to the kitchen. I then got out two plates and asked Noah what he wanted to drink.
"I have milk, ice tea, orange juice, and water. What would you like?"
"Ummm, what are you havin'?"
"I'll probably just have water."
"Then I'll have water too."
"You can have anything you want."
"I know, but I want to have what you're havin'," he reiterated, so I got both of us a glass of water.
After I carried the drinks to the table, I put two slices of pizza on each plate and carried them to the table too. I wasn't sure if Noah could eat two slices, but I wanted him to know it was ok if he wanted that much, and we began to chow down.
I finished my first slice well ahead of him and started on my second. When Noah finished his first slice, he took a few of bites out of the next one, and then he set it down on the plate.
"I can't eat no more, but I don't want to waste the rest of it."
"Would you mind if I finished it for you, and that way I won't have to get up to get another slice." I wasn't really planning on having another slice, but I didn't want him to feel that he'd forced me to do this.
"Yeah, cuz then it won't get wasted."
After we finished eating, I put the rest of the pizza in the fridge and the dishes in the dishwasher, and then we went back to the living room to watch TV. This time we discovered the movie 'Aladdin' on the Disney channel, and it was something else Noah hadn't seen. He said he heard the other kids talking about it at school before, so he was excited about finally seeing it.
"I like watchin' these movies with you," he squealed about halfway through it. "I never seed them b'fore, so now I know what the other kids was talkin' bout."
"Yes, and we'll see a lot more movies too."
It was still early when 'Aladdin' ended, so I looked around for something else to watch. I came across the movie 'Back to the Future', and even though it was a much older film, Noah said he'd never seen it before, so we watched it next.
He enjoyed that one as well, especially when Marty made his own skateboard to get away from the guys chasing him. Noah also roared with laughter when Biff's convertible crashed into the truck filled with manure, and all that crap ended up on top of everyone in the car.
"Ewww, I'm glad I wasn't in there with them," he stated before he started laughing again.
"Yes, me too."
When the movie ended, it was time for me to take Noah home, and during the ride I decided to inform him about something. "Did you know that Tuesday is the Fourth of July and there will be a fireworks display that night on the other side of town?" He shook his head. "Do you think your mom is going to take you to see them?"
"I don't think so, cuz she didn't say nuttin about it."
"Well, when you get home, mention it to her and see if she plans on taking you there. If not, ask her if she'd mind if I took you to see it. If that's ok with her, then I'll meet you at the park early, because I won't have to work that day. You can spend the day with me if you're mom has to work, and then I'll take you to see the fireworks later. When the fireworks are over, I'll drive you back and drop you off at your door, because I don't want you wandering around the trailer park after dark."
"K, but how will I let you know what she says?"
"Tomorrow's Monday, so I figured you'd just come to the park to have lunch with me, and you can tell me then."
"Oh, yeah. I didn't think about that."
"Don't worry. It's my job to think about those things, not yours."
"Good, I'll ask my mom when I get home, and I'll let you know what she says tuh-morrow."
After I dropped him off, I watched as he headed in the direction of his trailer, and he turned to wave at me several times before he finally disappeared from view. As I drove home, I wondered if his mother would take him to see the fireworks, or if she'd be willing to give me permission to do it. I hoped she wouldn't make him miss out on it just because she didn't know me.
During the drive, I saw a flash of lightning and heard a clap of thunder, so I decided there would be no jogging tonight. Instead, I changed into a pair of shorts and athletic shoes so I could work on the equipment instead.
I did a twenty minute set on each of the three machines and got a much more strenuous workout than if I'd jogged. It was a good thing to do every once in a while so I'd work on my other muscles too, but they got a good work out during the late fall and winter, since I cut back on my jogging during those months.
When I finished, I walked around the house for a brief time, going from room to room as I unwound. Once my body had calmed down a bit and my heart rate had slowed to normal, I went to take a shower. As soon as I finished up, I put on a clean pair of underwear, another pair of shorts, and headed to the kitchen, ready to fix myself something to eat.
I kept thinking about Noah for the rest of the night. I was hoping his mother would let him go with me, even though she didn't have any idea who I was. The more I thought about it, I hoped she didn't come to the same hasty conclusion as Gus' mother, because that would mean I wouldn't be able to spend any more time with Noah. I couldn't think of anything worse than that, for me or him.
I had some disturbing dreams that night, as my mind attempted to deal with what had happened earlier in the day. I visualized different scenarios playing out with Gus' mother, but I also saw similar things happening with Noah's mother as well. Although my dreams were unsettling, I was still fairly well rested when I woke up in the morning, so I got ready and headed to work.
I went over to the park at lunchtime wondering what Noah was going to tell me. Was his mother going to take him, would she let me take him, or would she make him miss out altogether? I wasn't sure what to expect, but Noah had a huge grin on his face when he saw me approaching.
"Hey, little buddy. You look like you're in a good mood."
"Yeah, my mom's gonna let me go with you to see the fireworks, cuz she says she has tuh work from noon till nine. She said she's gonna come with me to the park so she can meet ya first, so is that ok?"
"Sure it is. I expected she would want to meet me sooner or later."
Even though I tried to appear calm, I was worried what this might mean. Had Gus' mother gotten to her? Is that why the sudden interest? I'd been hanging around with Noah for weeks now, and she knew he was meeting me for lunch, so why the sudden urge to meet me? Was it merely about taking him to see the fireworks, or was it about something different?
I did my best to keep Noah from suspecting anything was amiss and we chatted about the fireworks and what he should expect. He quickly informed me that he'd never seen fireworks before, so I told him that in addition to the colorful display of lights in the sky, it would be accompanied by loud booms as well. They would not only assault our eardrums, but we'd also be able to feel the shockwaves hitting our bodies, especially our chests. He seemed excited about doing this, so we'd see how he handled it in person.
All too soon it was time for me to return to work, so I said goodbye to Noah and told him I'd see him the next day. "What time should I get here?"
"You said your mom wants to come talk to me first, so what time would be good for her?"
"She'll be up early, cuz she'll work around the trailer before she goes tuh work."
"So if I get here between 9:00 and 10:00, will she be ok with that?"
"Yeah, that should be good."
"Ok, I'll see you then."
For the rest of the day my mind was consumed with what might happen when I met Noah's mom. How would it go? What would she say, and how would she react? I was worried that it would go just as badly as it had with Gus' mother, but would she do that in front of her son? Gus' mother had done it in front of her son, so I guess anything was possible and I'd just have to wait and see.
I made it through the rest of the afternoon and evening, including my nightly jog, and then I got ready for bed. I didn't have the same troubling dreams that I'd experienced the night before, but it wasn't a very relaxing sleep either. I was still a little tired when I was getting ready to head to the park, but I did my best to look good and remain calm as I drove to meet Noah and his mother.
I had only been there for a few minutes when I saw them crossing the street and heading in my direction. I got up to greet them as they approached the bench where Noah and I usually ate lunch.
"Hi, I'm Cheryl Updyke, Noah's mom," she said as she extended her hand.
"Nice to meet you, and I'm Brian Thorne," I replied as I took her hand and shook it gently.
"I'm glad to finally meet you, because Noah's told me a lot about you. I really appreciate that you've been letting him come meet you for lunch and that you've made sure he has something to eat."
"It's my pleasure, and he's a great kid."
"He only says nice things about you as well. He's told me about how you spend time with him, and he says he has a lot of fun with you."
"I'm glad he enjoys it, because I enjoy his company too."
"I'm just wondering how you two met?" I knew this was coming, so I was prepared with a response.
"I work at Atlas Manufacturing in one of the offices, not the shop, and I like coming to the park to eat on nice days. It gets me away from work for a while and out into the sunshine and fresh air, and I was sitting here on the bench eating one afternoon when Noah came up and said hi."
"He didn't ask you for anything or beg you for part of your lunch, did he?"
"No, in fact I asked him if he'd like to share my lunch. I felt guilty eating in front of him, so I thought I'd share it instead."
"I'm glad he wasn't pestering you. But why do you like spending so much time with him, because Noah says you come to the park on the weekend as well."
"During our lunchtimes together, Noah told me about himself and that his father had been killed in a car accident. I felt you and he had already suffered more bad breaks than you deserved, so I was just trying to make sure he had some good memories too."
"Are you married?"
"No, I'm single. I've been too focused on my career to think about doing anything like that yet. However, after I started spending time with Noah, he's reminded me about how much I've missed having someone else for company, other than the people I work with."
"I was a little concerned at first and asked Noah a lot of questions about you, but he says you've never done anything wrong or illegal. He says he has fun with you and likes you a lot."
"And I like him too. He's like a little brother to me."
"I'm sure he appreciates having a man paying attention to him as well, because I know he has really missed his dad since the accident. I hope you don't think I'm a bad mother because I let him spend so much time alone, but since we've been on our own I've had to work a lot just to make ends meet. I work multiple jobs, but there still isn't enough money for the things we need, but I do the best I can."
"Yes, I understand how that goes."
"I wish I was doing better and made more, because I hate that Noah has to wear clothes other people have given him, or that I can only afford to buy things for him from the Thrift store. I know he'd rather have nicer clothes, and stuff that fit him better, but I put aside as much extra cash as I can scrape up."
"Look, I'm hoping you don't take this wrong, but would you mind if I bought him a few things from time to time?"
"Noah says that you've already done that. He said you took him to Subway and a Chinese restaurant at different times, and he's also told me that you've taken him to play miniature golf and to see a movie."
"Yes, and I hope that wasn't a problem."
"No, in fact I'm glad he got to do those things."
"Good, because I'd like to buy him a few other things as well, such as some clothes he can wear to school or when you take him places, as long as you don't think I'm being too presumptive."
"No, I'm sure Noah would like that, but how can you afford to do those things for him?"
"I'm not rich, but I do have a decent job. Like I said, I work in one of the offices at Atlas Manufacturing, but I'll only spend what I think I can afford." I intentionally played down my job for the time being and tried not to tell her too much.
"You seem to be a really nice guy, and I can tell that Noah adores you, so you have my permission to buy things for him from time to time. He also said you want to take him to see the fireworks tonight?"
"Yes, I thought we could spend the day at my house, so he can watch TV. He seems to like doing that too, since you don't have cable."
"Yes, that's something else we can't afford."
"I figured I could feed him lunch and dinner too, and then I'd take him to see the fireworks later. Afterward, I'll even drive him back to the trailer, so he doesn't have to walk any further than from the car to your front door."
"Ok, I don't have a problem with that, since I'll be working most of the day. I'll let my neighbor know too, because she kind of keeps an eye on him for me, and she feeds him dinner whenever I work late."
"Ok, that sounds good."
"Mom, can I just stay with Brian tonight?" Noah chimed in unexpectedly.
"First of all, shouldn't you be calling him Mr. Thorne?"
"No, I told him to call me Brian. Remember, I told you that I think of him like a little brother, and you don't go around calling your brother Mr. whatever."
"But he shouldn't be imposing on you like this either."
"It's no imposition, but I'll understand if you don't want him to spend the night."
"I know you haven't tried to do anything to him, because I've asked him, so I'll leave it up to you. I can see this is something he really wants to do, but I know you have to work tomorrow, so maybe you don't want the extra responsibility."
"No, it's not a problem, and I can drop him off on my way to work, if you'll be at the trailer when he gets back?"
"Yes, I'll be there, so do you want to keep him for the night?"
"Please, Brian," Noah pleaded.
"Ok, we can do that too."
Noah was jumping around and thanking both his mom and me, and I chatted with her for a little while longer while he was calming down. To say I was amazed at how this had played out would be a vast understatement, but she'd obviously been asking her son questions about me all along. His answers apparently passed the test, so I now had her permission to spend time with her son and even buy him a few things. I'd have to ask Noah about the types of questions she'd asked him later, just not today, because today was all about having a good time and celebrating the holiday.
When we got to the house, I had Noah shower and put on one of the outfits I'd bought him, and then we sat down to see what was on TV. Fittingly, the movie 'The Patriot' was on, so we watched that and I filled him in about some of the facts surrounding the American Revolution and how the country had gained its independence.
When the movie ended, I decided to take him out for lunch and did something I thought I'd never do. I took him to Chuck E. Cheese. It wasn't for the food, but because of the other things he could do after we ate. The place was kid centered and I knew there'd be a lot for him to do, plus I was fairly certain it was something else he'd never done before.
Noah wanted pizza, so I got him a slice while I had the Italian sub, but I also ordered both of us a cookie and a drink too. I even let him take a couple of bites from my sub as well, and then I spent the rest of the afternoon with him playing the games, checking out the animated figures, and we even got to watch a little show. I could tell that Noah was enjoying himself, so I sucked it up for his sake and we stayed until he was ready to leave.
When we left there, it was already 5:00, so there was no sense in going home. Instead, I took him over to Walmart and bought him a swimsuit and a few more outfits, seeing his mother had given me permission to buy him things. This time I bought him shorts he could wear for play, rather than the nicer type I'd bought for dressing up. I also purchased tee-shirts, instead of polo shirts, a couple more packages of underwear and a couple packages of socks. I felt I could send all of these home with him now, except for the swimsuit, while I kept a few things at my house for when he was with me.
"Why did you buy me more clothes?" Noah asked when we were back in the car.
"Because now I can send some of them home with you. I'll keep the swimsuit, along with the shorts and two of the shirts I bought the last time. I'll also keep the first package of underwear and the sandals at my house, but I'll let you take everything else home with you this time."
"K, and I'll take good care of them."
"I know you will."
It was now time for dinner, so I took him to T.G.I. Fridays to eat. "We're gonna eat at another res'raunt?"
"Yes, it's easier on me to do it this way."
After looking at the menu, Noah wanted to order a cheeseburger, even though I tried to talk him into something else. I had the Flat Iron steak, and I ordered both of us a side salad with ranch dressing. I also gave him a couple pieces of my steak, hoping that I could talk him into something other than a burger the next time we ate here.
When we finished eating, it was already getting close to sundown, so I drove over to find a good place to watch the fireworks. We still had a little time to kill, so we talked about all sorts of things, and he asked if I thought Gus and Sam would be able to do stuff with us again. I told him not to count on it, although there was always the chance of a miracle happening.
When the first set of fireworks went off, Noah's eyes lit up and his hands went over his ears, while a broad smile covered his face. "Wow! This is neat," he squealed.
"I thought you'd like it."
We then watched the rest of the fireworks as they were set off, with different displays of colored lights brightening the sky above us. Some of the fireworks went off with loud booms, while others merely sounded like a bunch of firecrackers going off. Noah was fascinated by all of them, as he enjoyed his very first fireworks show.
When it ended, I drove him to the house. It was getting late, so I thought we'd better turn in right away. "Do you want to sleep with me, or on the sofa?"
"With you," he shouted in reply as he danced around.
"Ok, I have an extra toothbrush you can use, so let's brush our teeth and go to the toilet before we turn in. Will you be ok just sleeping in your underwear?"
"Yeah, cuz I don't got no jamas here."
We quickly went through our preparations and got into bed. Noah immediately sidled over and curled up against me, so I rolled onto my side and draped my arm over his body. "Goodnight, little buddy."
"Night, Brian, and thanks for the great day. I had lots of fun."
"I'm glad to hear that."
* * * * * * * *
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/
* * * * * * * *
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.