Date: Mon, 9 Sep 2013 09:13:19 -0400 From: Eff Del Subject: Young-But Daily Growing Part 2 BEFORE YOU READ PART 2...There is a matter of great weight to discuss. It seems a person may think they have proof read quite sufficiently and yet an error of significant importance can slip by. When you read Erick Tucker reviewing Sean's file in Part 1, he commented (as narrator) that the boy stood 4 feet 6 inches tall and weighed 180 pounds! Those statistics would certainly not fit the description of a slim little boy. As most of you realized, the story should have read; "80 pounds". Please make the "mental correction" to your copies and thanks to so many of you astute readers for catching the error and pointing it out. I'll try to be more careful in the future. Young but Daily Growing pt. 2 By Eff Del I rose the next morning extremely refreshed. Sleep had come to me quite unexpectedly and it had been a calming relaxing sleep unlike any I had experienced since the deaths of my family. I dressed as I had planned: informally but not overly casual. Although I had rehearsed in my mind several possible scenarios for our first meeting, I was intelligent enough to know that almost anything could actually happen. Still, I was very conscious of first impressions and though I didn't want to be overdressed and stuffy looking, I certainly didn't want to "dress down" for our first encounter. I had therefore chosen a simple white oxford cloth shirt which I wore open at the neck, tan twill pants and a blue blazer. I breakfasted at the nice little restaurant located on the street level of my building and was pleasantly surprised that I had a rather good appetite. When I was finished, I returned to the penthouse, repacked my small overnight bag and called for a car to be brought around. I had decided to drive myself to the Academy and then, after collecting Sean, to drive us both to the airport for our flight home. As I thought about it, registered in my mind was the fact that for a good while to come, my home was going to be Sean's home as well. I arrived at the Academy a few moments before my scheduled appointment and found Mr. Coleman waiting for me in the lobby. He was quite cordial as we walked back to his office and he explained that he had all of the paper work ready for me to sign. When I had added my signature to all the proper documents he sorted them out and handed me a packet of my copies. From this point on, I was effectively Sean's legal guardian for the next year. "Is there anything you need to tell me about the boy?" I asked. "Not specifically Mr. Tucker" the Director replied. "Your investigation was quite thorough so you know almost everything there is to know about him until you actually start interacting on a personal level. He was informed last night that he was going out on a contract today. He doesn't know how long the duration of the assignment is going to be as I didn't know if you wanted him aware of that information. I believe I should tell you he was shocked and I think a bit concerned when he found out that he would be leaving with you today. He knows very well that boys his age are never contracted out and he is concerned that he hasn't even begun his "special" training. I tell you this Mr. Tucker because I'm afraid you may find that initially he acts very apprehensive. I assure you though that he is a remarkable child and not normally pensive. I'm certain you two will get along very well." "I certainly hope so Mr. Coleman." I responded. "Well then, shall I have him brought in?" I nodded in the affirmative hoping the officious little man didn't see me swallow hard as I responded. He pushed a button located on the edge of his desk and a few minutes later there was a knock at his office door. Mr. Coleman and I had been sitting together in in the casual corner of his office. We both stood as he called; "Come in, Come in." The door opened and I thought my heart was beginning to palpitate. HE walked in and stopped nervously a few paces from Mr. Coleman. He eyes darted back and forth between the Director and me. He was cute as a button. Someone had wet his hair and attempted comb it "stylishly". This only served to further accent his beautiful little face. He was proportioned as perfectly as his videos had indicated. At 4 feet 6 inches, the top of his head came level with my chest. I mused; If you were to look up the definition of "beautiful boy" in the dictionary, you would simply find his picture. He fixed his gaze on me and then looked down at himself and an impish little grin appeared on his beautiful face. I realized at once what he was smiling at. It was as if we had both gotten the same "dress code memo" because there stood my perfect boy dressed in white shirt, tan slacks and a blue blazer. The only difference between his attire and mine was the fact that I was wearing brown loafers and on his feet were what looked like new white sneakers. Also, while I wore my shirt open necked; he sported a striped navy blue tie that he didn't look all that comfortable wearing. "Well then Sean," said Mr. Coleman placing a hand on the boy's shoulder and turning him toward me, "this is Mr. Tucker who we spoke about last night. " The little fellow looked me directly in the eyes and stuck out his hand. "Hello Mr. Tucker." He said as we formally shook hands. "Hello Sean." I replied. "I am very happy to meet you." Mr. Coleman directed his gaze down to the boy. "Now Sean, I don't have to tell you again that we expect that you will be a credit to the Academy. Do as Mr. Tucker says and make us all proud." Turning to me he said; "You'll probably want to be on your way. Good luck to you both and if I can be of any assistance don't hesitate to let me know." I noticed that the boy had placed a small travel case by the door. I picked it up, slung the strap over my shoulder, and instinctively extended my hand to the youngster. He gave me a momentary searching look and then put his small hand into mine. We thanked Mr. Coleman one last time and hand in hand we walked through the door and out to the car. I assisted him in buckling his seat belt not because I thought he needed the help but because it gave me a reason to touch him. As I climbed into the driver seat I turned to him. "Two things to start out with Sean" I said. "First...lose the tie." He turned his face quickly in my direction, broke into a wide grateful smile and had the thing untied and his collar unbuttoned in a flash. "Second thing; forget about all that `make the Academy proud' crapola you just heard. I expect you to be a boy and that means I expect you to act naturally. I don't want you doing anything just because you think it will please me. We have a short drive to the airport and then a two hour flight home. That's going to give us time to talk and get to know each other a bit." His eyes suddenly got wide and he exclaimed; "We're going to fly? Oh neat!...uh I mean that's exciting! I've never flown before sir." "Well then, you're in for a real treat young man, my jet is really great and my chief pilot is wonderful. Your first experience is going to be so much better than it would have been if we were flying one of the airlines." "You have your own jet?" he asked with wonder in his voice. "Sean, you are going to find out that I have a lot of things and I hope you're going to enjoy a great many of them." We made semi- comfortable small talk the rest of the drive to the airport. I pulled up onto the private tarmac and we were greeted by three of my company employees who assisted us in getting on-board and ready for the flight. Before things progressed any further, I summoned the pilot back into the cabin. "Captain Lucas, I'd like for you to meet Sean. This will be his first flight ever. After we're comfortably in the air would you be kind enough to bring him up to the cockpit and let him see what flying is like from your perspective?" "I'd be delighted to do that Mr. Tucker. Hi Sean, it's a pleasure to meet you. Just give me a bit to get this bird up and I'll be back to get you shortly after we're airborne." Sean's face was alight with excitement and anticipation as he thanked Captain Lucas. "For now though gentlemen, please get buckled in and sit back. We'll be taking off in about 5 minutes." I led Sean to a plush leather seat right next to a window and buckled him in (same as I had in the car and with the same ulterior motive) I took the seat facing him. I'd no sooner taken my place than the plane began to taxi out to the head of the runway. The twin engines began to roar as they powered up and I noticed the boy's body tense and a look of apprehension came upon his face. I smiled, reached out and took his hand and held it tightly. "This is the best part." I said. As if on cue, the sleek craft sped down the runway, nosed high, gear rotation and... flight all in one smooth and almost instantaneous set of actions. The apprehensive look on Sean's face had changed quickly to excitement and pleasure. He had never taken his eyes off the window but had squeezed my hand tightly throughout the process of take-off. Now he looked at me with a dazzling smile on his face. I patted his hand and let it go. "Pretty neat eh?" I said. "It was exciting! It happened so fast! That was the BEST Sir!!" he enthused. I winced at the "Sir" but realized there would be time to take care of that. Don't over load the poor little guy I admonished myself. Though I didn't usually use the services of one, I had arraigned for there to be a flight attendant on-board for this trip. Just as soon as the Captain had turned off the seat belt sign, the young man appeared, introduced himself as Barry and inquired what we would like to drink. I requested my normal single malt; Glenn Fiddich this time on ice. Sean was a bit confused ...sensory overload I thought... and so I ordered a root beer for him. Immediately I quietly admonished myself for being so presumptuous. I had just suddenly remembered that root beer had been Kyle's absolute favorite. As Barry left for the galley at the rear of the plane, Sean turned to me with a look of pure merriment on his face. I gave him a puzzled glance and he leaned forward and whispered to me; "Is everyone going to dress like us today?" and he broke into an adorable giggle. It was then that I realized that Barry was wearing a white shirt, tan trousers and a blue blazer. So much for my wardrobe creativity I thought to myself and joined Sean in a laugh. Barry returned with our beverages and as we sat sipping, I allowed Sean to enjoy the view from the window. I leaned forward and pointed out a few things down below that I thought would interest him. I found myself really enjoying the newness of flight as seen through Sean's eyes. While we were so engaged, Captain Lucas appeared. "Excuse me Mr. Tucker, might I borrow this young man for a bit?" I patted Sean's knee and indicated he should follow the pilot into the cockpit. "We'll have a talk when you return." I said smiling at the obviously excited boy. When they had left I took a few serious sips from my drink as I collected my thoughts. Thus far, the boy was even better than I had expected him to be. He was polite and obviously eager to please and there was no doubt that he had a wonderful sense of humor that even the strangeness of his new environment couldn't suppress. I was bothered by his formality but I dawned on me that we had known each other for less than three hours. I realized that ultimately I'd had the luxury of weeks to mentally prepare for this. He, on the other hand, had this whole concept thrust upon him just last night. New things were coming at him faster than he was used to having to cope with. I realized with a start that I was actually one of those new things and perhaps the hardest one to process so far. All in good time I thought. All in good time. I signaled Barry for another scotch. About 20 minutes later Captain Lucas returned with a beaming Sean. "Did you enjoy it?" I asked as he sat back down across from me. "It was so neat! It was like a space ship! I don't know how the Captain keeps track of all those gauges and displays...and looking out the windshield...it's like being a bird! Co-pilot Ruiz got up and let me sit in his chair and listen to the radio stuff on his ear phones and then Captain Lucas even let me take the control and fly the plane. I was flying the plane for about 5 minutes! It was so great!" "You were flying the plane?" I smiled "I didn't even notice a difference. You must have done a great job." He just glowed with pleasure and his wide smile illuminated his whole face. I thought that he must be getting comfortable because he had returned to his habit of wiggling in his seat that I had noticed in his initial interview video. I signaled for Brian again and ordered another root beer for Sean. Even though it was a bit early for lunch, I also ordered a tray of sandwiches. I remembered that Kyle had always seemed to be a bottomless pit when it came to food and I suspected that this might be true of Sean. When the food was presented my assumption turned out to be quite correct. If I hadn't known better I might have thought that he had been starved at the Academy. While he wolfed down his sandwiches I began our conversation. "Now Sean, I suspect that you've got a lot of questions so why don't you ask them and I'll try and give you good answers." He looked intently at me and I could see his mind working. I could tell by the expression on his face that he knew what he wanted to say, he was just trying to work out how to say it. Finally he just came out with it: "Well sir, I hope you don't get mad about this but to be honest, I don't understand the whole thing. Kids my age are never sent out on contract. I haven't gotten any of the special training for how to work with clients and I've never done anything like this before. In fact Sir, I've hardly been off the campus of the NEST very often. I tried to tell Mr. Coleman about all this last night, but he just smiled at me and said it would be alright. I think there has been a BIG mistake Sir and I don't want you to be cheated so I think you should know about what a big mistake this is." He spoke with such earnestness and genuine concern that I felt a thump of affection in my chest. I wanted to reach out and touch him but decided that it wouldn't be the correct move to make right now. "Sean" I looked directly into his eyes and he to his credit did not avert his gaze. "I promise you that there is no mistake. You are the very one that I want. I know that this is not usual for a boy your age; I know that you haven't had any training and that is all part of my plan. I specifically wanted you without training or experience. I want you just the way you are and not some way that you have been trained to be. Do you understand that?" With a very serious look on his face he nodded his head. I wasn't all that certain that he really understood but at least we were beginning our communication. I proceeded to tell him about my circumstances and about the past events that had led to this arraignment between us. In the simplest way possible, I tried to explain what I hoped our relationship would be. He listened solemnly to me and when I was finished he reached out and touched my arm. "It must have been very sad for you to lose your whole family." He said in a soft little voice. "I lost my whole family too but I was just a baby and I don't remember. I think it's better not to have to remember something like that. I'm sorry that happened to you." I realized that a large single tear was trembling from one of his blue/green eyes as he spoke. "Well, we're going to do things together you and I that will change my hurt to happiness I'm certain of it." I said as I patted his hand realizing that his simple little attempt to comfort me had brought me to the verge of misting up. He sat lost in thought, his little legs swinging out from the seat and back again as they didn't quite touch the floor. "How long is my contract for Sir?" he suddenly asked. "One entire year Sean." I replied. A quick look of surprise registered on his face but he simply nodded and returned to his deep thoughts. His legs continued swinging. "Are we going to do sex things?" he asked suddenly without looking up at me this time. I replied startled at his candor ; "Yes, I'm sure we will do sex things together Sean.". He nodded again and returned to his contemplation. Shortly he again spoke without looking up at me but in a much softer voice as he stared fixedly at the floor; "Are you going to fuck me Sir?" I was taken aback by the abruptness of his question. "Yes, at some point I'm pretty certain we will fuck." I decided I had to be totally honest with him. He looked up and into my eyes with concern on his face. He was biting on his lower lip and then finally he asked; "Will it hurt a lot?" I felt my heart flip almost as if I had been stabbed. All this time I had been so concerned about myself; about my own feelings and my own concerns. I hadn't given any thought to how this poor little boy was feeling or what he might be afraid of. In less than 24 hours this poor kid had seen his life turned upside down. He found himself sent out from the security of the only home environment he had ever known on a mission he had not expected to perform for at least another three years and that he had always been led to believe he would be trained for. I had now confirmed that we would be doing "sex things" and that we would be "fucking". I wasn't certain he even knew what "fucking" and "sex things" were but he at least knew they were something he was going to be doing with me and that some of it at least might hurt. I leaned across the space between us and took his shoulders in my hand as I looked into his moist eyes. "Sean, what do you know about "sex stuff" and fucking?" "The older guys talk especially when we're all together on rec time or free study time and we ask them questions about the training and about what they do out on contracts. They sometimes make it sound really scary. I know when I'm 13 I'm going to be trained in the sex stuff and when I'm 14 I'll learn about fucking. I don't really know what any of that it is but they say that it hurts especially the fucking especially when you start. How bad is it going to hurt?" I put my hand under his chin and raised his head up to keep him looking directly at me. "Sean, listen to me." I spoke softly but earnestly. "I promise you that everything we do will be with your agreement and will be fun. I swear to you that I will never do anything intentionally that will hurt you. We will go slowly in doing everything and I will not do anything with you until you are completely ready. I care too much about you to let anything hurt or frighten you. The most important thing that is going to happen between us is that we a going to become friends. Do you understand me?" He looked at me for a long time and tears were now dripping from his beautiful eyes. "Y-yes Sir." He said finally and I believed him. "One more thing" I said as I reached over and ruffled his hair and wiped his eyes with my handkerchief. "No more of this `Sir' stuff. My name is Eric and if we're going to be friends, that's what you should call me." I was rewarded by one of those glorious smiles directed just at me. I winked at him and raised my forgotten tumbler of scotch in salute and then I drained it. He giggled and did the same with his half empty glass of root beer. Captain Lucas' voice came over the intercom advising us that we were about to begin our descent. I leaned over and made certain Sean's seat belt was snug. "Let's get back on the ground eh?" I said "We've got to get home little man we've got lots of things to do." "Sir...er Mr. Tucker" I raised an eyebrow and looked at him pointedly. "Uhm I mean...Eric, will you explain to me about the sex stuff and the fucking so that I can understand?" "Of course I will. I never want you to feel confused or in the dark about anything." I said reaching over and mussing his hair again "We've got plenty of time for all of that though. I don't want you to waste one minute being afraid of anything...especially not of me" He began to form another of those award winning smiles when suddenly his eyes got wide and round and his mouth formed a surprised "O" as the sleek jet nosed sharply down toward the runway below us. (to be continued) Please consider making a donation to NIFTY! http://donate.nifty.org/donate.html In Part 3 I promise to get them "home" and the exploration will begin. Thanks for all of your comments so far! Again, constructive comments are always welcomed. Thanks! -Eff