Boy on the Towpath

by Andrew Foote

Chapter 18

I woke the following morning spooned into Tom's back and with a raging stiffie.

In itself that was understandable but unfortunately for me, Tom was awake and was taking full advantage as he squirmed and wriggled his little bum against it.

It was like having a wet dream almost, the sort you never want to wake up in the middle of!

For my sins I pretended to be asleep allowing those wonderful sensations to coarse through me.

I also became aware of the duvet cover shaking, Tom obviously pleasuring himself at the same time and I wasn't in any rush to stop him.

The writhing and bucking of his bum against me became more urgent and I found myself right on the edge of orgasm, desperately trying to hold off until he came but I just couldn't.

I reached the point of no return right at the point when Tom squealed out announcing the arrival of his own climax. His gyrations on my cock changed to a series of gentle shudders and that did it for me.

My God did I cum! I almost passed out as I tried not to let Tom know I was awake as I off-loaded ten tonnes of cum between our bodies.

Tom crept out of bed and I could hear him cleaning himself up before returning to do the same to me, all the time feigning sleep and trying to keep my now half hard cock from springing back into action.

I succeeded and a few minutes of sexual torture later Tom went into the galley and filled the kettle for tea.

I left it a little while before making wake-up noises, climbing out of bed and heading to the shower room for my early morning shower.

Nothing was ever said about that event. Even that morning following my shower, Tom said nothing nor did he indicate that anything had changed between us.

Yes he was the same boy as he was the day before and I took some comfort from that and also that I supposedly knew nothing about it!

The next few days were uneventful enough following the set pattern of cruising to a pub for lunch then cruising to another for evening drinks, sometimes eating on board or if we felt idle, eating out but day four dawned and things changed.

We had an easy day ahead and so we all took advantage of sleeping in, that was until my phone bleeped at nine in the morning.

"Stu it's Craig. I've got a problem mate. My Grandmother has taken a tumble and I need to get back. Listen, I wondered if Tom could help Anna with my boat while I'm gone and I'll catch up with you in Oxford. I know I'm imposing on the two of you but I don't want Anna to miss out on a holiday and as Tom is so good…….."

"Hey I'm sure it won't be a problem. Can you get back from here?"

"Yeah I've been on line and a combination of busses and a train trip will get me back by a little after two this afternoon. You sure Tom won't mind?"

"He'll be fine with it, you know him. He'll grab at the chance to helm another boat!"

"Brilliant! Thanks both of you! I'll be away in about fifteen minutes once I've packed a bag. Do you want Anna to come over to you?"

"We're just about to do breakfast so if neither of you have eaten then you'd be more than welcome."

"I'll eat on the train but Anna would appreciate it. I'll get her to come over directly.

Hey thanks to both of you!"


Over breakfast we talked about the arrangements.

Tom would helm 'Play with your Balls', Anna would lock us both though when necessary and I'd stay on 'Moovin' Home'.

Tom would return and sleep on our boat and so on for subsequent days until Craig returned.

All very well sorted out or so I thought.

Day five found us in Oxford.

We tied off at Isis lock, fortunate to get adjacent mooring spots and the following day did the tourist thing, spending a bloody king's ransom on clothes and food, entrance fees to museums and libraries not to mention the many pubs we visited!

Day seven and Craig was a no-show, his Gran being in the critical care unit and with him the only blood relative still alive but it was time for us to head back home.

Day eight was a breeze. Wonderful weather and not too many other boats out making progress as swift as it could be on a canal.

We stopped off for lunch at a good waterside boozer and with rather a lot of beer and a large meal consumed we all of us took the chance for a siesta before heading out again mid-afternoon.

That was when the problems begun.

The South Oxford is a beautiful canal. Not heavily used by the old commercial boats it was never altered to make for a quicker passage unlike the North Oxford which is a bit boring by comparison.

The downside is that it meanders through the hills of Oxfordshire and Warwickshire and a glance at a map will show that after an hour on the water you've only covered about five road minutes.

Also this means that there are times when you're out in the sticks, far from anywhere significant and if you're going to breakdown then this is the place isn't it!

A blast from 'Play with your Balls' and I looked back to see smoke pouring from their exhaust stack.

I indicated for them to pull over before doing so myself and once tied off

I went over to investigate the cause.

"I've heard about this but I've never seen it before. I think it's the injector pump.

Most times if it gives out the engine just packs up but if one of the restrictor valves splits, it sends too much fuel to the engine and without enough air to burn it properly, it smokes like fuck.

Anna sweetheart, you need a new pump."

"So how does that work? We're out in the middle of God knows where, no mobile phone signal, at least I've no signal and no transport."

"I've no signal either but we do have transport, - my boat.

This is what we do.

You and Tom stay here and I'll go and sort something out. I should only be two days tops okay?"

"Yes but how about power? I can't run the engine and we'll lose the batteries after twenty-four hours?"

Tom had made a good point and one I hadn't considered.

"Um I hadn't thought about that.

I'll rig up a small solar panel that should give you something but just as a precaution, just one light on at a time. No inverter power, no showers and no TV. That way you should last it out.

I'll bail out tomorrow morning and I'll hook up to your battery bank before I go just to give them a boost.

Tonight I would suggest we check telephone signals by going up to high ground and making a test call, call your voice mail or something just in case you have real problems."

To conserve power on Anna's boat, we all slept on board mine that night which in itself was a problem but Tom was on the ball right away!

"Stu? Anna will be sleeping on the put-you-up tonight so can I sleep in your bed?"

"You're going to have to mate but be warned, I fart and I snore in my sleep so be prepared!"

Anna was on to it like a rocket.

"You mean you make this poor boy sleep on this every night? Shame on you Stu!"

"Yeah well it wouldn't look good any other way now would it. You of all people would take it the wrong way working in the child protection unit."

"We've trained to understand kids. Their body language, the way the talk and interact with adults and from where I stand, Tom loves you and you love him. Maybe like father and son, maybe more but he's happy and contented so personally I can't see a problem either way."

"Professionally?"

"No. He's a happy and well-adjusted boy so what's to worry about?"

I changed the subject rather quickly!

"I can't say I'm overly happy leaving you both stuck on the towpath by yourselves but short of towing you I don't see another option."

"Hey. I'm a bloody police officer and in any case I'm going to call the station at Southam and see if they will get one of the beat guys to take a stroll this way once in a while.

Seeing a copper on the towpath now and again tends to deter trouble. We'll be okay, don't worry!"


The following morning with breakfast done, we parted company satisfied that Anna had a phone signal of sorts in the event of an emergency.

I made good time up to Braunston and once moored up I did a tour of the many chandlers that were based at this busy canal junction.

As is always the case it was the last one I visited that was able to supply a reconditioned pump and with a promise to drop off the damaged unit at the first opportunity, I headed back to Napton making two hours headway before dusk fell forcing me to pull over for the night.

The following morning I was up and about very early mainly because of my being unable to get a decent night's sleep. The weather had turned during the night and the wind was gusting bouncing the boat against the bank.

A swift breakfast and I headed off once more.

Helming was a nightmare and it took all of my considerable experience to keep a line. I have to say I was well pleased when I rounded a bend and saw Anna and Tom sitting out on the bow of Craig's boat.

"Everything okay?"

"Yes fine. We had a regular visitor keeping an eye on us and we even got buzzed by the police helicopter a couple of times! Did you manage to get the bit we need?"

"Eventually I did!

Tom I want you to start stripping out the damaged unit while I go and wind about but don't try and fit the new one until I get back as we've got to set up the timing. I'll be about two hours, alright?"

Canals are narrow so turning or 'winding' a boat can't be done just anywhere so I had to motor down to a purpose-built widening in order to get myself facing in the right direction.

Despite the gusting breeze I was back with them just as Tom had removed the old injector pump and an hour later we were both back on the move.

We had lost time because of the breakdown and I wanted to get back to sort out Tom's uniform for school as he was due to start at Rugby in less than a week.

This meant for a couple of long days on the water, pre-preparing lunches which we ate on the move and tying off sometimes as late as nine in the evening hoping to persuade the landlord of the pub to keep the kitchen open for us.

People who live on the water or have waterside businesses are good folk generally and we were fortunate with our choice of pubs and managed to get fed and watered (or wined in our case) at both of our stops.

On the morning of our final day Anna came on the radio to say that Craig would meet up with us at some point during the morning as he was walking the towpath down in our direction.

Pleased doesn't come close. I would have Tom all to myself again finally!

Around lunchtime I spotted Craig standing on the bank thumbing a lift.

"You've got no chance pal but the lady behind us might not be as choosy!"

"Thanks a fucking bunch Stu! How's it been?"

"Eventful about sums it up. We'll tie off and have lunch. I'll tell you all about it then."


I gave Craig a potted history about what we'd done and where we'd been and then dropped the bomb shell about the injector pump.

"Oh well if it had to be done then so be it. Bloody expensive though?"

"Serves you right for having a Russell-Newbury doesn't it! My old Lister JP just runs and runs!"

Following lunch we headed on towards home and with the wind behind us we made Headingly marina around six in the evening.

Anna and Craig went straight home choosing to decamp the following day which left Tom and myself to our own devices.

After supper we took our normal position, me sitting on the couch and Tom sitting on a cushion on the floor between my legs.

I'd relented and given Tom a large glass of the wine I'd opened and rather than having its normal effect of him chattering fifteen to the dozen, he was strangely subdued.

"What's on your mind mate? You're very quiet?"

"I was just thinking……..about stuff that's all."

"What stuff Tom? Come on, there's no secrets between us remember?"

"You might be angry Stu."

"Yes I might if it's really bad but you won't know unless you tell me, will you?"

"Okay. You know when you went to get that new pump?"

"Yes, what about it?"

"Well it was that night when you were gone. You see Anna……..she um……..tried to seduce me."

"Bloody-hell! Go on, what happened?"

"She and I had supper and we had a couple of glasses of wine and when it came time to go to bed she suggested that I slept in her bed rather than faffing about putting up the guest bed.

She said it didn't matter because I'd shared your bed the previous night so what was the difference."

"That hardly amounts to seduction?"

"Hang on, I haven't finished!

We went to bed, well she got in first and I followed a few minutes later and I'd kept my boxer's on.

Stu she was naked! She turned over and started feeling me up!

Oh fuck Stu! I got hard. I couldn't help myself and then she asked me if I was a virgin.

Well I told her yes I was and she said did I want her to help change that.

Stu I said no thanks but she got all shitty and turned over and went to sleep."

"Well I'll be damned! Anna of all people! She really should know better!"

"Stu? Can I tell you something else?"

"Anything Tom. No secrets remember?"

"I'm almost fourteen and I know most boys would have jumped at the chance of being with an older woman, taking their virginity and stuff, learning from them and things but……..it revolted me. Am I weird or something?"

"Come here Tom. You need a special cuddle.

No is the answer to that question. You are not 'weird' as you put it, in fact you've just answered one of your own questions."

Tom cuddled in to me like a limpet and I could feel him weeping on my shoulder.

My heart went out to him.

Here was a boy having been propositioned by a very attractive woman who offered him a sexual awakening that for most would be the most life-changing and memorable experiences of their life.

My Tom was repulsed by her. -- Not by the person but by the thought of physical sex with her.

He was gay.

He had proved to me his true credentials.

We could move on together now.

Talk about this story on our forum

Authors deserve your feedback. It's the only payment they get. If you go to the top of the page you will find the author's name. Click that and you can email the author easily.* Please take a few moments, if you liked the story, to say so.

[For those who use webmail, or whose regular email client opens when they want to use webmail instead: Please right click the author's name. A menu will open in which you can copy the email address (it goes directly to your clipboard without having the courtesy of mentioning that to you) to paste into your webmail system (Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo etc). Each browser is subtly different, each Webmail system is different, or we'd give fuller instructions here. We trust you to know how to use your own system. Note: If the email address pastes or arrives with %40 in the middle, replace that weird set of characters with an @ sign.]

* Some browsers may require a right click instead