Chapter 5

(A brief continuation from chapt 3) As we started walking to the front door, he slipped his arm over my shoulder again. "Should I remind him again? Nah, screw it. This feels too good. Let the old tongues wag." I slipped my arm around his waist and adjusted the tent in my trousers, - ok, pup tent! I kinda glanced down at his circus tent and grinned. Maybe I was going to get to play Ringmaster when we got to my house!

We walked out into the bright sunshine and into a new day... a new day for the both of us and a new beginning. God, I'm sure glad I moved to Boise!

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When we were standing out on the front steps, I let my arm slip from around Richard's waist. He seemed to get the implied message and let his arm fall from my shoulders. (Again, a bit reluctantly it seemed to me). We looked at each other and I just kind of shrugged my shoulders as if to say "oh well, can't have everything".

The sun was bright and warm - one of those Indian Summer days you get in the early Fall. I could hear the birds singing and the loud voices of the few remaining kids on the grounds as they called to one another. There was the diesel rumble of the buses and the hiss of the air brakes as they pulled away from the school grounds. Richard and I just sorta stood there, taking everything in.

I don't know about him, but I was feeling kind of reborn. Something about everything that had happened in the last hour or so had totally redefined me. Gone was the embarrassment, the apprehension, the guilt and all the negative feelings that had been bombarding me. They had been replaced by this sweetness of feeling that I couldn't really describe to you. But in the midst of that emotion was another one that had become more and more pronounced over these last few months - you know, that pup tent feeling!

I felt this silly grin slap itself onto my face and I looked up to Richard. He looked down at me and answered with an even bigger grin and a chuckle. We both set our feet to moving down the walkway. Richard seemed to cut back his long-legged stride a bit to match my own short-legged one. It made me feel good to know he was willing to accommodate me and had this desire to make me feel comfortable with him. I think if I had told him I was self-conscious because he was so tall, that he would have apologized and walked stoop shouldered all the way to my house. Of course I would never do such a thing to my hunk - hehe.

"Damn, Richard" I said, "you make me feel self-conscious you're so damn tall", smiling at him the whole while.

"Tuff shit, shrimp. Guess you'll just have to get elevator shoes huh"? He smiled back.

Oh well, can't blame a guy for trying can you. We turned right and headed up the sidewalk that paralleled the school. Richard was on my right so he turned first. He seemed to know where he was going. I had the feeling that, if I allowed myself to lag a bit behind him, he could probably lead me right to the back steps of my house. That might have been wishful thinking on my part but it gave me this warm, full feeling to think that he may have watched me walk all the way home before. `My Richard, my stalker...hehe'.

"Carl, you're like, from California huh?" He interrupted my thoughts.

"Ya man, can't you tell by my golden tan and beach boy attitude?" I stopped for a second to strike this Adonis, muscle man pose. He threw his head back and gave me a `I don't know what I'm going to do with you' head shake.

"Well, I'd say your golden tan was more like a golden splatter across the bridge of your nose." He was making reference to all these damn freckles that make me so mug ugly. That put a slight damper on what I had been feeling as we had been walking. I'd actually forgotten for a minute that I was this ugly duckling walking with this swan. I guess Richard saw my little emotional shift because it was his turn to come to a stop.

"You aren't actually self-conscious about those freckle are you buddy"? I shrugged my shoulders.

"Nah," I lied to him.

"Dude...Carl" he said, "you're freckles are like totally awesome man." I cocked my head, not believing or accepting what I was hearing here.

"I mean it Carl" and he gently reached up and ran his finger across the bridge of my nose.

"You just don`t know what these little spots do to me". He blushed a little because he had just said something so personal and heart felt (and so totally gay). And then he did something that made me melt into my shoes. He placed the fingers of both his hands on my cheeks and used his thumbs to lightly stroke the bridge of my nose. I wasn't melting in my shoes anymore, I was melting in my underwear. I felt like this puppy being petted by his master. If I had a tail it would be wagging my ass off right now.

"If you ever tell me you hate these freckles, little bud, you'd be slapping me in the face. Because it would hurt to have you hate something that fills my heart up like this".

I didn't know what to say. I guess I was kinda speechless after hearing that emotional outpouring. I just stood there, just stood there wagging my tail.

"Well," I said, finally getting my grin back. "If you like these then you're gonna fall in love with my shoulders. Cuz I've got like a kazillion of `em."

I started walking again but I turned to face Richard and just sorta walked backwards. I was just walking, looking at him, grinning, and that rosy glow of his cheeks kinda spread over his whole face. Gosh...he gets embarrassed easy. And gosh, he's so damn handsome. And gosh, HE THINKS MY FRECKLES ARE CUTE!

"So ahh...Carl," he said, and he gets this impish grin, "have you got any on your butt"?

"I don't know" I giggled, sort of skip walking backwards now. "I guess we'll just have to check".

"So Richard" I asked, "does your butt turn red when you're embarrassed"? He turned redder! Then...

"Har, har, Har". There went that belly laugh again.

"I don't know Carl. I guess we'll just have to check".

We were both laughing now. And I was skipping backwards and then skipping sideways, just sort of dancing all around him. I felt so good I just couldn't contain myself. Then I glanced around and noticed that we'd passed the turn for my house. `Darn, he didn't turn by himself.' I thought. `I guess he hasn't followed me home before after all.'

"Hold on Carl" he said. "Didn't we just pass your street?" Boingg.

"Oh yeah" I answered, "got my head up my butt again - or your butt or somebody's butt"!

DUDE - he did recognize my street. Awesome! I didn't say anything about him recognizing my street. I still wanted to see if he could pick out my house. We had another block to go and I decided I would pretend to pass it again and see if he would notice.

"So Richard, are you like this big sports jock or something?" I asked him. "Cuz you definitely look like you work out or something."

Now it was his turn to stop and strike his Adonis muscle man pose.

"Yeah Carl. I'm totally into ballet and tap dancing" he tells me.

There is this kind of dead pause and I feel my eyebrows lift up and my mouth go into this little `o'.

"Ballet?" - I whisper.

"Har, har" he laughs, "gottcha shrimp, you should see yourself. No Carl, I swim. I'm on the swim team. That's my only sport though. I'm not good at basketball and stuff".

"ohh, swimming huh? Well that's just too darn bad".

"Wadda you mean" he asks, getting this serious look.

"What's bad about it?"

"Oh nothing terribly, " I answered. "I mean, swimming is good, healthy exercise. What I meant was...you'd look pretty damn good wearing a tutu. I'm just a little disappointed is all".

"And by the way," I continued, "you should see your face".

"God" he says, and he's shaking his head again like he can't quite figure me out.

"What am I going to do with you Carl? I can see there's no way I'm ever going to top you with a tease. You're just too sharp for me bud. I guess I'll just have to be the straight man in this comedy duo."

"No, no, no, NO!" I nearly yell at him, screwing up my face to get this angry look. We've come to a stop again.

He gets this kinda shocked expression and it's his turn to lift his eyebrows up.

"Wadda you mean Carl. What did I say?"

"What I mean Richard, is that the last thing I want to do is turn you into a straight man, then you wouldn't think I'm cute anymore." And I wiggled my eyebrows at him.

"Get it dude...STRAIGHT man?" Then I flopped a limp wrist at him.

"Oh my God Carl." He looks up into the air and starts shaking his head again. Now he's laughing and it doesn't look like he can stop himself.

"Carl, I'm just going to have to spank...your...butt". He's holding his school books against his belly like he's aching. The way he's laughing he probably is.

"Woo...woo. Come on big daddy." And I start moon walking backwards down the side walk.

"We need to get to my house cuz I'll be damned if I'm going to let you spank me in public."

Then I do my Michael Jackson grab the crotch routine and twirl. (Eat your hearts out Jackson fans. I've got his moves down perfect.) I'm quite a ways ahead of him now and I'm not slowing down. I guess my legs aren't so short after all. (Or, I guess I need some incentive to lengthen my stride.)

Richard starts walking again, picking up the pace a bit to catch up. He's still grinning like a dung beetle that just found an elephant turd.

"Now I think I know which of us would look good in a tutu" he says, enjoying my antics.

"Oh yeah" I answer, skipping along.

"For your information mister, this is not ballet. This is Michael Jackson. Woo..." grab the crotch and do the pelvic twist. Then some more of my famous moon walking.

"Har, har, har. Oh man, Carl. I can tell I'm never going to be bored with you around. Oh, and by the way, it's a pretty good Michael but a much better Janet!"

"Oh?" I say, and stop my dancing. I put my hands on my hips and get this mock indignant look on my face.

"I can't be Janet cuz I like boys...and not girls...so there! Ipso facto, I must be Michael."

At this we both bust up laughing again. We are just facing each other and having this gut fest when Richard takes this deep breath and glances around.

"Uh, Carl, didn't we just walk past your house"? And he points slightly behind him and to the right.

Sure as shit. We had just passed my driveway and Richard was pointing right at it. My jaw just kind of dropped as the significance of this event slapped me like a towel in the ass. When he saw my face he must have realized what I was thinking because he just suddenly turned a very deep red. He knew I had him by the nose hairs and he was just waiting for the inevitable. I didn't disappoint him either.

"Whoa there Nelly" I yelled. I just twirled my book bag around in a circle and sent it flinging onto my front lawn. Then I gave Richard my best `gotcha' look and started dancing around him.

"Richard is my stalk-er. Richard is my stalk-er. He knows where I li-ive. He knows where I li-ive!"

Then I put my hands on my hips and say "my mother warned me about guys like you mister. You're probably going to offer me some candy now ain't ya." Then I grabbed my crotch and did a twirl. (Take that Janet.)

All this time Richard is trying to wave me down with both hands. He's shushing me and looking around to see if any neighbors are paying attention. He's so red he couldn't possibly have any blood left in his feet.

Finally I feel sorry for him and I stop in front of him. The poor guy is soo embarrassed. He has his hand across his eyes like a sunshade and he's looking down at his feet. So I walk up to him, put my hands on my knees and scrunch down so I am peering right up into his face.

"We can go inside now Richard" I whisper. "And I'll give you some candy, little boy." I reach out my hand to him and just wait for a response. It's pretty quick in coming. He just grins at me and says...

"I'm not holding hands with you on the sidewalk you little perv. You'll have to get me in the house to do that nasty stuff"!

"Woo...woo" I yelled as I steamed over to my book bag. I scooped it up and made a dash for the back door. I'm standing there with the screen door open, waiting for my hunky stalker to slink into my house. I wonder if he can see my tail wagging?