Bonds of Brotherhood
by Hunter Woods
Chapter 8
Wednesday morning rolled around, and I felt refreshed and full of energy. Not even the weird ass dreams seemed to make me pause all that much; although, I had to admit it did worry me a bit. In a way it was kind of freaky having all these sexual dreams about both boys and girls. Yawning and stretching, I at least noted I didn't end up with a wet dream, but I had the hardest erection ever and it kind of hurt. Even after I took a piss my balls seemed to ache a bit, and my stiff erection didn't seem to want to go away. In the end I did what any eleven year old horny boy would do at that moment who has discovered masturbation. Grabbing my erection in my fist I pounded away until I felt that tingling sensation come crashing through my tiny frame. The thrilling sensation of electricity like pulses shot through my thin shaft forcing its way out of the small pee slit at the end of my twitching pecker. My legs buckled a bit as a small projectile splashed up against the raised toile seat.
After recovering from the quick business end of my twitching shaft, I immediately wiped down the toilet seat, and got cleaned up for the school day. In the end I just fervently hoped I wouldn't have to do this every morning. It could create problems if I ever go to another friend's house for a sleepover, or even if I invited others over. For some reason it seemed like lately I had to jack off a lot more than I had ever anticipated.
The morning incident didn't remain long in my thoughts as I made my way to school on my bike. I was beginning to enjoy this part of the day riding around in the warmer kind of weather. Locking up my bike on one of those myriad of metal like bike racks I started to notice a small change in the atmosphere around me. Not the weather type of atmosphere, but just the attitudes of the kids all around me. Some were whispering nodding their heads in my general direction while others greeted me cheerfully. Most of these kids I still didn't know their names since I was still relatively new, but they all seemed to know me now.
At first it made me feel like I was on cloud nine, but I wasn't used to this kind of attention and really was a bit on the shy side. When classmates came running up to me wanting to chat for a bit, it often made me jump in surprise. I tried to be courteous, but at times it was difficult for me to crawl out of my shy like shell.
In the end I started to settle into a typical type of response as most of my classmates inquiries were pretty similar in nature. They wanted to know if it was true about the incident with the diving coach, and if I had really nailed a difficult dive that not even the coaches older son could do. They also wanted to know if I was starting a new diving team.
My answers were short and to the point, but I made sure that I answered in a friendly manner. I guess the way I interacted with my fellow class mates must have been just fine because they always left happy and thanked me for the information. I even had one or two kids ask for more details about the new team. They wanted to try out for the new diving team because the old coach had never given them a chance. With those kids I got their information, and told them I would let them know something here soon. They seemed genuinely shocked that I would even take the time to personally keep them informed.
By the time lunch rolled around I was just about done in. Brendan, Jim, and Frank plunked down on the table making me squeak and jump in fright having caught me off guard and deep in my own thoughts. Brendan just looked at me curiously, and must have noticed my frazzled look.
"Geeze Jackson…what the hell is wrong with you? I mean, you look like crap?" He pointed out.
Smiling weekly at him I just rolled my eyes. "Thanks a lot for that." I replied.
"What…he's right." Jim pointed out as he sat down. "So spill, what gives?" He asked as he fished through his lunch bag, and scowled at the apple he pulled out. "Damn it, I keep telling my mom not to put the apple in last. Every time she does it she smashes up my sandwiches." The boy complained as he once again settled his focus on me waiting for an answer.
Shaking my head I just sat there as I opened up my own lunch bag pulling out the items my mom had packed for me. I took note that my mom had packed two of those 'cuties,' you know the small oranges that peel so easy and are seedless, but she had placed them in the bottom of my bag so that they wouldn't smash up my sandwiches. I had to smile at myself for never having realized how much of a tragedy it could be having your lunch packed the wrong way.
"Well?" Brendan asked me making me jump, and bringing me out of my musings. "Crap Jackson why are you so damn jumpy." He asked me seriously as he too emptied out his lunch contents on to the table.
My frazzled mind just seemed to flinch at Brendan's words, but when I looked at him I could tell he was just concerned about me. "I don't know Brendan." I whispered softly as I just shook my head. "It…it's just…" I groaned folding my small hands into my lap while my head drooped downwards.
My hair waved in front of my eyes effectively hiding them away from scrutiny. This entire day had been a bit too much for me. I never thought so much attention from people could have such an affect on me. For years I had always admired those kids who were so popular never realizing that in a way it seemed as if their privacy were invaded as well.
Brendan's face swam in front of my eyes as he leaned over, and gingerly separated the hair from in front of my eyes. I could feel the stinging sensation as a couple of teardrops seemed to wash down the sides of my cheeks. It was too overwhelming for someone like me who was really shy at heart. It was one thing to be more open around one or two people, but so many all at once was just too much for me.
"Jackson?" My friend whispered softly as he noticed my tears, and tried to keep me from collapsing back into myself. "It's alright." He whispered reassuringly.
"It…it's too much," I whispered back to him and just focused on my friend letting the world fade away around me.
We just stayed like that for a while as he just smiled at me. Even Jim and Frank let us be for the time being sensing something was up. After a few moments I managed to smile back at him letting Brendan know that it was alright.
"It's only like that today." Brendan commented as I nodded my head realizing he was probably right.
Tomorrow things would probably die down a little with all of this attention. I was flattered of course, but still it was a bit much for me to handle since I've never had to deal with this sort of thing in the past. Sighing, I focused my attention back to my lunch.
Jim just looked at me for a moment, and then towards Brendan. "So what's up with him?" He asked indicating me.
Brendan just scowled at his friend. "He's just kind of shy is all."
"Shy? You're kidding?" Jim responded looking at me as I just shrugged my shoulders apologetically.
The older boy looked at Brendan, and then back at me. "How the hell can you be so damn shy when you wear that skimpy bathing suit of yours? Hell, if that is shy I'll eat my shirt because that is the boldest thing ever. I mean you know…literally shoving your package into a small flimsy container like that leaving very little to the imagination." The boy pointed out.
"Jim shut up." Brendan exclaimed, but couldn't help giggling as well, and I knew exactly why. After all, I had done a pretty hot sexy little dance in that skimpy bathing suit for him.
Brendan looked at me apologetically. "Shut up you dweeb," I told him as I punched him in the arm letting him know I knew what he was thinking, before turning my attention to Jim and punching him as well for good measure.
"What…I'm just saying?" Jim defended himself. "Hell, even all the girls around school today are talking about how sexy you look in that bathing suit of yours. All day they've been talking about that cute ass of yours, and how when it jiggles around it ruffles the feather on the Eagles head you have plastered on your butt cheeks." He hooted as he laughed trying to visualize that image in his mind.
"Fuck you Jim," I swore at him as I punched him again in the arm, but couldn't help myself as I laughed as well. "Damn, please tell me you are making this shit up." I whined to him.
"Nope, God's honest truth. Why do you think all the girls have been staring at your ass today?" He continued to chuckle.
My eyes bugged out of my head, "What…um…you're lying." I exclaimed not believing him as I looked towards Brendan for confirmation receiving it in the form of my friend blushing and just looking away as he tried to contain his laughter.
My stomach did some flip flops as I just groaned completely mortified. I had felt eyes on me all day today, but had just assumed it was all those people coming up to talk with me. I hadn't even considered that all the girls were looking at my ass. My skin started to crawl as I began to look around me noticing a lot of girls looking away when my eyes caught their attention.
"Oh fuck," I exclaimed as I groaned again completely mortified and humiliated by the situation. "How the hell am I going to get through the rest of the day?" I asked seriously as all three of the boys now busted up laughing.
"Shit Jackson…you should be flattered." Frank spoke up for the first time. "I'd love to have all those girls checking out my ass. Besides, it's not as embarrassing as if they were checking out your package." He emphasized which shocked me even more.
"Who said they aren't doing that too." Jim noted as he leaned forward to take a peak for himself.
Shoving the older boy's snooping face away from me I just shook my head and groaned again. It was a good thing I was wearing a pair of cargo shorts today. The stiffer material hid my assets a bit better, and I made a mental note to myself making sure that for at least the next several days to dress accordingly. I noticed Jim taking another peak, and shoved him again telling him to stop because he is just making things worse. The older boy just smiled teasingly at me, and ruffled my hair.
"Well, I've got to head on out," Jim stated as he got up followed by Brendan and Frank.
Watching the three boys head back into the building I just sat there by myself thinking about what Jim had told me. I knew that the three friends always had a student body meeting that they attended halfway through their lunch period. I don't know how much they really needed a meeting every day, but I guess it had sort of become routine for them.
Being a bit self conscious now about my situation I cautiously looked around noting how several girls seemed to whisper to one another in smaller groups. Even other guys seemed to look over in my direction. I was thinking about gathering up my stuff to find a quieter place when I noticed a smaller kid sitting all alone at a table off in a secluded kind of spot. I'd seen him before, and if it wouldn't be for me I'm sure he'd be the smallest kid in school.
Picking up my stuff when I noticed a few people acting as if they were going to come over and sit with me, I made my way over towards the boy's table. He looked a bit startled when I sat down on the opposite side of him.
"Hey…um…do you mind if I sit here with you? I mean…these seats aren't taken, are they?" I asked the boy as he glanced around a bit frightened looking to see if maybe this was a set-up or something.
Wincing inwards knowing the feeling I just smiled reassuringly towards the boy waiting for an answer. "Um…no…yes…I mean…no one is sitting there so yeah…sure." The boy responded.
"Oh cool…my name's Jackson by the way, and I'm kind of new here." I pointed out.
"Yeah I know…I mean…um…yeah." The boy responded as I continued to look towards him patiently waiting for him to tell me his name. "Oh…sorry…I'm Cooper." The boy introduced himself as we bumped knuckles.
Despite his nervousness, he smiled at me shyly, and I noticed how his whole face seemed to light up. He really didn't seem like a bad type of guy or anything, and sort of seemed a lot like me in many ways…small and shy. He had a long thin face, a broad nose that actually looked cute on him, and really nice looking green eyes. When he smiled I noticed that his front pearly whites had a slight gap between them, which seemed to accentuate that cute dimple on his chin even more. He wore his straight light brown hair longer than most kids around, with it coming just over the ears, and parted on his left side. He was in my class so I knew he was twelve years old, but he was a little smaller than most of the kids his age in school; although, a little bigger than me. I'd say he was probably two or three inches taller at about four feet seven inches and a few pounds heavier than me at about seventy five pounds. I caught myself staring at his nice features so I looked away trying to bring myself back to the here and now.
The boy continued to look around nervously so I tried to set him at ease. "So Cooper how long have you lived here?" I asked him casually starting on my second sandwich that I hadn't finished yet.
"I guess my entire life." He replied as he continued with his own lunch seemingly settling down a bit.
"Oh, so you must know a lot of kids around here. Everyone seems pretty nice." I was trying to keep the conversation casual.
"Yeah I guess. I mean I really don't have that many friends." He replied shyly.
"I know what you mean. Back in Germany I didn't have that many either, but over here I'm starting to make a few new friends." I told him.
"Yeah, a lot of kids are talking about you with that whole diving incident. I guess you probably have a lot of friends now." He stated glancing at me before quickly looking away.
"Nah, not really…I mean Brendan and I sort of became friends by accident last Friday, and he's been real cool and all. He's introduced me to a couple of his friends, and they seem to like me, but really other than Brendan and his little brother, oh and another kid I met yesterday, that's pretty much it. The kid I met yesterday doesn't go to this school, but he's on the diving team and we sort of hit it off so I'm hoping we'll become friends too." I rambled on as the kid seemed to watch me in a sort of shy way.
"Oh…I see." He stated.
"Hey listen. Brendan usually sits with me at lunch, but he always has to go to his student body meeting halfway through. Would it be alright if we sit here with you at the table so that I won't be alone when they go to their meeting?" I asked the boy who nearly choked on his juice when I asked.
"What?" The boy asked as I started to repeat myself. "No…I mean I heard you I just don't understand. Why here…I mean with me?" He asked incredulously.
Shrugging my shoulders I replied honestly. "Because…you're a lot like me…you know…shy…and I kind of like you. I hope maybe we can be friends." I told him.
He just looked at me a bit shocked. "I…I'm not sure if your friends would want to sit with me." He replied honestly.
Shrugging my shoulders once more, I casually responded. "Then it will just be the two of us."
"Oh…um…I guess it would be alright." He replied hesitantly.
We continued to talk about casual things, and I found him really interesting. I think he and Braxton would get along just fine because they were both history buffs. I told Cooper about Braxton, and what we were going to be working on. He immediately took an interest, and I promised the boy I would introduce him to Braxton one of these times and maybe we could all work on the battle scene together. From that day on I continued to sit with Cooper, and we ended up being fairly decent friends. Even Brendan, Jim, and Frank seemed to take a shine to the boy once they got to know him.
The rest of the day was a bit hectic for me. It seemed like around every corner I would see a group of girls tittering in my direction, and as self conscious as I was at the moment I could have sworn every single one of them was checking out my ass or junk. It was all I could do to focus the rest of the day on my classes.
The end of the school day couldn't come quick enough for me as I literally ran towards my bike in a hurry to get out of there. Just as I was getting the chains off my bike Brendan caught up to me.
"Hey Jackson…," He called out just before I was going to take off making me groan for a moment. "Geeze, you're in a hurry…what's the rush?" He asked me making his way over towards me.
"Just trying to get out of here is all. People have been staring at me all day, and it is kind of freaking me out a bit." I moaned as some girls walked past me and giggled.
Brendan just smiled and waved to the girls. "Geeze, you make it sound like a bad thing or something." He retorted as he giggled.
"Shut up." I responded rolling my eyes for emphases because more girls passed by with their heads put together, and whispering to one another. "What did you need?" I asked him a bit gruffly and then looked apologetically at him.
"Nothing, I was just wondering about the weekend. I mean…what's the plan?" He asked me wanting some more information.
"Well all I can say is that we are going camping and fishing somewhere, and it'll be a blast trust me." I told him.
"Oh, alright." He replied not so convinced. "Um…what will we need to bring?" He wondered.
"Well bring what you can…I mean we pretty much have everything so if you need something we will have it. Just make sure you bring your regular camping clothes and stuff. We will take an inventory before we leave our house, and give you guys anything that you don't have." I told him as he nodded his head.
"Sounds good…and I guess going camping isn't so bad and could even be fun. It's been a while since Marco and I've been camping so actually it is kind of sounding pretty cool." He admitted. "Anyway, I'm off to swim practice. Have you heard anything more about the diving team?"
"Nah…I won't expect anything more until sometime next week. If everything works out hopefully by the end of next week we will have a new coach and team." I told him as I hopped on to my bike.
A short while later I was making my way home with my usual route when I was pulled up short by one of my classmates along the way. "Hey Jackson, a girl from my Social Studies class greeted me as she pedaled alongside of me.
"Oh…um…hi." I responded, and then realized she was one of the girls who had watched me at my diving tryouts.
The realization made me a bit nervous as I glanced sideways at her. She didn't seem to take notice as we continued to peddle lazily down the street. We were approaching a street corner when the girl slowed down and I matched her speed before we both stopped all together.
"Um…Jackson?" The girl looked at me as I glanced sideways at her noticing her cute little perky breasts creating two small mounds against her shirt.
Swallowing with difficulty I tried to respond, but it sort of came out in a squeaky sound. "Uh-huh." I managed to squeak.
"I thought you were really great, you know yesterday with the dive. Did it take you a long time to learn how to do that?" She asked me.
Shrugging my shoulders I just kept looking at her. "Um…well it's kind of hard to say. I mean I've been diving for several years now, but started practicing that particular dive several months back. So…um…this particular dive only a couple of months, but to get to that point actually took a while I guess." I told her.
We chatted for a few more moments when she noticed I was starting to get hot out in the sun. She offered me a drink, and I followed her over to her place just several houses down from where we had stopped. I was sitting on the couch getting a little nervous now realizing that no one else was home. I don't know why it made me nervous, but somehow I got the feeling there was more going on here than I first thought.
The girl who I finally found out was named Suzanne, made her way over to the couch I was sitting on, and handed me a cool glass of iced tea. It was really refreshing as I swallowed slowly, and watched her settling in next to me.
"Um…this tastes really good." I told her as I looked around the small living room. There was a television set in the corner, a wall unit with a stereo, and some wildlife paintings on the walls that made it kind of cozy. I set down my glass of tea on the table, and continued to look around when all of a sudden Suzanne just sort of cuddled up next to me.
She smelled kind of girly like, you know all sweet and refreshing as she just wiggled herself up against me. I was stunned, and felt my soldier stirring between my legs as all I could think to do was to put my arm around her. She felt soft to the touch, not like a guy at all. Of course guys can be soft too, but we tend to be a bit firmer; whereas, hugging Suzanne felt…well just softer, and did I forget to mention she smelled nicer too.
We didn't say anything as we just sat there all cuddled up together. If I was clueless regarding sex before, being so close to Suzanne made me realize I was dumber than a doorknob where girls were concerned. Sure my father had talked to me about things, but nothing specific so I was ignorant as what to do. She seemed to expect something from me, but I just didn't know what it was for sure. She didn't make another move, and being a guy I suppose it was up to me know as all I could think to do was lean down and kiss her.
My whole world went topsy-turvy as our lips connected for a brief moment. Her mouth tasted all minty and refreshing, while her lips felt like soft rose petals, whatever that was supposed to feel like. I only mention it because I've heard the term somewhere before, and her lips really were soft so they must be like rose petals.
Something pressed up against my crotch stroking it probingly, and I knew instinctively it was Suzanne's hands along the outside of my shorts as her fingers stroked against the length of my little boy hardness. My body trembled with anticipation as my little soldier nearly jumped out of my shorts in a jerky kind of spasmodic twitch. The hormones inside my small body went wild as I leaned in hungrily wanting more. My body pressed up against her as my left hand automatically wandered up under her shirt, and up to her breast copping a feel. She didn't have large breasts or anything, but it felt warm and supple in my hand as I gently squeezed it with my small soft fingers. It was my first ever bare girly chest touch, and I almost had an orgasm right there and then, and probably would have if Suzanne wouldn't have gently pushed my hand off of her bare chest at that moment, and ease away from me.
We both were gasping for air as I saw the shocked look on her face. I must have been sporting a similar stunned look because her features immediately softened a bit as if she knew things had just spiraled out of control for both of us, and it really wasn't anyone's fault.
"I…um…I…I," my mouth kept moving, but nothing really came out other than a stammer as I became mortified at what had just happened.
Standing up I back pedaled, and managed to get out an apology. "Oh Suzanne…I…I'm so sorry for that. I…I don't know what happened." I continued to backpedal.
Thank goodness I was so embarrassed because my erection had immediately deflated when I stood up. It could have even been that much more embarrassing for me had I stood up in front of a girl with my shorts tenting outwards.
"Jackson wait," Suzanne shouted as I exited out the door, and she ran after me. "Please…it's alright." She assured me, but I just shook my head.
"I don't think this was a good idea." I told her honestly wondering about the consequences now had things progressed even further.
At this point I wasn't ready to have a sexual encounter with a girl. Well at least not safely. I mean I didn't even have a rubber I could use, and to tell you the truth I wasn't even sure how condoms really worked. Of course I knew how the worked, what I mean is that I didn't actually know how to use them properly. Hell, did they even make them that small, you know kid sized. All these things flashed through my mind in an instant making a bad situation even worse for me.
"Jackson?" Suzanne almost whispered standing next to me while I swung my legs over my bike.
"Um…yeah?" I replied as I settled down on the bike's small seat.
"You won't…I mean…this will just be between the two of us. I mean…you won't say anything to anyone about…you know…" she asked me seeing the confused look on my face. "Jackson…you know…about you getting to second base with me?" She whispered as she looked around in a panicked kind of way.
The thought of me getting to second base with a girl hadn't even crossed my mind as I looked at her dumbfounded. If there was one thing my father made clear to me is when I finally did do something with a girl that it was a private matter between her and me. He emphasized the issue that with girls their reputations were at stake when they did things with boys. He told me that boys would often brag about their conquests, and it usually was at the expense of a girl's reputation. Besides, he had pointed out, most guys talk trash anyway, and two thirds of the stuff coming out of our mouths regarding sex with girls was a bunch of crap.
Shaking my head emphatically I reassured Suzanne setting her mind at ease. "Of course not Suzanne…I'm not like that at all. Besides, I think it was something that happened too fast, and neither one of us had intended for things to go that far." I told her honestly looking around me nervously.
Suzanne just looked at me critically, and then seemed to sigh in relief. "You really are special Jackson Elborn." She stated sweetly using my full name, which for some reason coming from her, seemed kind of…well…cute. "Most boys in your position would have taken advantage of things, and who knows what may have happened. Thank you Jackson…you know…for keeping this between the two of us. You really are sweet, and I won't forget it either." She whispered to me as she leaned in and kissed me gently on the cheek, which made me blush.
Making my way home my mind was in such a state of shock. The entire day had been totally strange for me. I put away my bike, and went straight up to my room closing my door. Slowly I pealed off my clothes, and dug around my dresser drawer for my swim briefs. My mind wandered back to Suzanne, and it was all I could do not to pop an erection as I realized that I really had made it to second base with a girl. A small smile spread across my features as I recalled each soft and supple nuance of how her breast had felt in my hand. In general, it was a pleasant feeling how she had felt to me in my arms, yet it was also different how it felt when I held Brendan or even Marco in a similar fashion.
Girls were most definitely softer and smelled a lot better, but when I held Brendan in my arms my whole insides seemed to come alive and tingle. Even with Marco there seemed to be a closer connection. With Suzanne it had felt exciting and thrilling, but there just didn't seem to be that special type of connection. Maybe it was because it had all happened so fast and unexpectedly.
Sure when Brendan had grabbed my erection it too had been unexpected, and I immediately exploded in orgasmic bliss, but leading up to that point really hadn't been so unexpected. We had sort of been flirting around quite a bit actually before we ever got to that point. With Suzanne it had just happened so fast. Of course I almost exploded, and probably would have as well if she hadn't stopped things when she did, but still it felt different with her.
Moaning and shaking my head in frustration, I just sat on the edge of the bed my mind going in all directions. My brain was so dizzy I almost felt like throwing up. There was just too much going on today for me to adjust to it all in any kind of graceful manner. Taking a few deep breaths I finally felt my head stop spinning as I got up and held out my diving briefs getting them oriented in the right direction so I could put them on.
"Jackson," I heard my dad yelling from all the way downstairs while I almost fell over as my feet stepped into the small leg openings of my light blue tight fitting Speedo style bathing suit.
"What?" I hollered swiveling my head in the general direction of my door hoping my voice carried all the way back downstairs, and just now remembering that my father had decided to work at home today so he could make some phone calls regarding the whole diving situation.
"I need you to come down here," I heard him respond as I bent my knees slightly so that I could adjust my balls and dick inside the snug fitting little stretchy material.
With one final adjustment, my hand released the waistband, and I heard it snap against my skin as I picked up my towel and ran out the door to see what my dad was yelling about. Without pausing I bounded down the flight of stairs thumping on the middle landing as I leaped down past five steps before rounding the corner to jump the last set of landing lightly on the bottom floor. The forward momentum of the jump propelled me onwards as I rounded the corner stopping next to my dad by the front door.
My eyes popped out of my head, and I blushed when I realized Ezra was standing in the doorway looking downcast and ashamed as his eyes focused on the welcome mat in front of our door. The boy's big brown eyes looked up, and I saw his jaw drop for a brief moment in surprise as he took in my state of dress, or for all practical purposes the lack thereof. His gaze scanned my near nakedness intently and openly before pausing a moment on my tight fitting bathing suit that left little to the imagination as my little bulging ball sack and two inch thin squishy flaccid tubular extension left a clear outline in the stretchy fabric material. He didn't even try to cover up the fact that he was staring at my crotch so openly, and he didn't even blush as he scrutinized what lay beneath the flimsy stretchy material. Instead I noticed a brief smile crease his facial features for moment before he turned serious again, but his eyes never left my crotch area.
My face flushed red as soon as his eyes scanned my package, and it took several moments for my brain to process what was going on. Once my mind snapped back into reality I immediately covered myself over with my hands as I folded them together in front of me like I've done a million other times during my dive competitions when I was just standing around. To say I was surprised was an understatement. I mean of course I was flabbergasted and flustered that he gazed at me intently without flinching or being embarrassed about it, but that wasn't what really disconcerted me. No, it was the fact he was standing there at all considering that he had tried to beat the crap out of me for no real apparent reason not so long ago.
Finding my voice I finally managed to croak something out. "Um…I…what are you doing here?" I asked him sincerely taking an involuntary step back towards my dad for protection.
I had almost forgotten that my dad was standing there, and I blushed with awkwardness again as I realized my dad must have also seen the open and overt gaze Ezra had cast over my unclothed state wearing only that skimpy bathing outfit. The other boy now looked down at his feet, and then glanced over his shoulder nervously as he shifted around from foot to foot for a moment.
"I…I…um…my grandfather says I have brought shame to my family with…with how I have…um…acted against you. I…I want to apologize to you Jackson…and…and to your family as well." He finished off as his shoulders seemed to slump in shame.
Both my dad and I looked past Ezra, and noticed an elderly man sitting in a pickup truck out front on the street with the windows rolled down. I noticed it was the same elderly man from yesterday at lunch time. It was really warm outside, but the old man didn't show any signs from the heat affecting him. My eyes shifted back to Ezra, and if him showing up at my front steps weren't surprising enough, his confession of tormenting me made my knees buckle for a moment as the shock of his apology finally registered in my mind. We both stood there motionless as he gazed directly in my eyes now without flinching or looking away. There was pride in that gaze; along with remorsefulness, but for some reason I still wasn't so convinced.
"What…that's it? I mean, your grandfather forces you to apologize, and that puts you in the clear." I stated boldly as I nodded my head in the general direction of the boy's grandfather.
Ezra flinched, my words seemingly stinging him as he slowly shook his head. "N…no Jackson, really…I…I'm really sorry. I…I don't know why I've been acting so…so mean lately. It…it's just…," he sighed finally looking down shaking his head and so ashamed at himself. "I've been trying to find a way at school to apologize, but lately…well…um, lately it's been difficult to approach you. I…I'm really sorry Jackson…and…and I won't bother you ever again." He stated as he turned to leave.
"Ezra," my dad piped in as the boy stopped with slumped shoulders, and looked back at my father. "It's Ezra, right?" My dad asked the boy as he turned around and nodded yes that this was his name. "Ezra, why don't you invite your grandfather inside for something cool to drink while Jackson gets changed out of his swim suit?" My dad smiled at the boy while he turned to me. "You can do practice later son while we welcome our new guests." He suggested as I blushed thankful that he had at least offered me a way to cover myself up more.
The other boy looked over his shoulders towards his grandfather a moment before responding to my father. "I…I don't know Mr. Elborn. I mean my grandfather doesn't speak a lot of English, and he's…um…very…traditional. I mean he does understand English well enough; it's just that…well…for years now he has opted to speak our traditional language. Like I've said…he's very…um…traditional." He whispered the last part as he looked down a bit ashamed.
"Well that's alright son. We will speak to one another the best way we can. I'm sure he wouldn't mind, but why don't you go ask him and let him make up his own mind, alright?" My dad smiled warmly at Ezra as the boy turned heading towards his grandfather's parked truck, and I hastily headed back upstairs.
Picking up my pair of shorts I had tossed on my bed before getting changed into my bathing suit, I slipped them on not bothering with removing my blue Speedo. Hell, it would be more of a bother to try getting out of them right now anyway so I just put on my shorts over the skimpy outfit, and then slid my arms into a blue colored short sleeved plaid button up shirt. Leaving the buttons undone, I rushed back down the stairs just in time as both Ezra and his grandfather walked through the door and into our home.
The old man smiled at me, and walked over towards me patting my shoulders gently as he spoke in a language that was very foreign to me. "My grandfather thanks you for being understanding, and forgiving me for my shameful actions." Ezra translated blushing in humiliation.
It sort of caught me by surprise that the old man would address me directly in this manner. "Um…yeah…sure…I mean tell him it's all good and um…that it's cool." I replied stupidly.
Ezra just smiled at me and shook his head while he translated. His grandfather seemed to smirk a little, and ask a question or two while the boy tried to explain more. Then his grandfather just smiled and laughed heartily at his grandson, and thumped the boy on his back as they both chuckled while my father and I just looked on wondering what was so funny along with my mom who had just joined us as well.
The grandfather noticed us just standing there, and said something hastily to Ezra who just nodded and smiled shyly at us. "I'm sorry Jackson; it is just that trying to explain your response was a bit difficult. Some things just do not translate so directly well in our Algonquian language. It took a bit of creativity on my part," the older boy smiled conspiratorially at me, which set me at ease as I smiled back at him.
My mom and dad welcomed Ezra's grandfather, and ushered everyone down the hallway and into the family room. Ezra noticed some of my father's framed pictures along the hallway walls, and seemed to study them for a bit.
"You fly planes Mr. Elborn?" He asked as my father paused in front of several pictures.
"Oh yes, in Ramstein I flew the C-130J." He stated as he pointed out several photographs of him in the cockpit and posing in front of the large aircraft.
"Oh, way cool," Ezra exclaimed. "Those are some huge planes. Did you ever fly any Fighter Jets or anything else?" He continued to ask as we all gathered around.
"Yes, but that was in my younger years. However, this guy over here is my personal plane that I brought back to life and enjoy." My dad responded nodding his head almost sadly about the fighter jet thing, but beaming when he pointed at a picture showing his personal red, white, and black colored DeHavilland DHC-2 Beaver plane.
"Way cool, I bet it was totally awesome. Did you ever fight or anything…I mean…you know get into any dog fights while you flew the jets?" Ezra asked excitedly nodding and acknowledging my father's pride and joy, but wanting more information about the Fighter Jets. His excitement was short lived when he caught his grandfather's stern gaze, and he blushed apologetically. Evidently the elderly man understood enough English to understand Ezra's line of questioning. "I'm sorry Mr. Elborn, it's just that I want to fly some day, maybe even join the military to fly Fighter Jets. Grandfather was in the military years ago, but he never talks about it."
The older man just scowled momentarily at his grandson, and then spoke up while we listened. It was strange hearing a different language like this, but it had a pleasing sound to my ears, almost like a sing song kind of flow to it, and I really enjoyed it. The quiet and reserved manner of the elderly man was nice, and I really started to like him a lot. Sure we've only just met, but there was just something about the man that I really appreciated.
"Um…sorry about that Mr. Elborn, but my grandfather told me that he doesn't discuss these things with me because they are painful for him. He lost many friends to the war, and he just doesn't have the stomach to speak of some of the horrors he has witnessed." The boy explained to us.
"He's right Ezra," my father assured the boy. "I don't talk about some of the things I've seen either. It is a terrible thing Ezra, not something that should be talked about with young people. It is why I considered my time spent flying the C-130J in the military for humanitarian missions around the world one of my most accomplished achievements, rather than the time in my life when I flew fighter jets into combat." My father admitted, which in some ways surprised me, but having found out more about his medal yesterday made me swell with pride realizing the risks he had taken on behalf of a humanitarian mission many years ago.
My father never spoke to me about his missions during his time in the military. In fact yesterday was the first time he even mentioned any of his assignments, including the humanitarian ones. Of course I never asked him about it because I knew he didn't like talking about these things, but it was nice to know a little bit. For some reason I felt better knowing how he regarded his time on the humanitarian missions as the highlight of his career.
"Ezra…speaks of war…no good." The old man spoke up haltingly and sadly as he waggled his finger at his grandson and shook his head. "It is…bad…yes…bad for heart and spirit. You have good heart…good spirit…leave war behind…for memory of old men only." Ezra's grandfather spoke up surprising us all.
My father nodded his head in agreement. "You are absolutely correct Mr. ….?" My father paused realizing he didn't know the older man's name.
"Ah yes, it is Sucki Mahkwa Kostalini, which means Black Bear Kostalini in my tongue. Kostalini is just fine." The elderly man stated slowly and deliberately as if he had said this several times in the past.
"Mr. Kostalini you are very correct." My father finished. "Ezra, war is a difficult thing and not easily discussed by those who have seen horrible things that it produces. I'm sure your grandfather has witnessed many things that he would rather forget, do you understand?"
Ezra nodded his head sadly. "I understand Mr. Elborn, but still I hope that maybe some day I can join and maybe fly." He admitted.
"Well then, if and when the time comes I'd be more than happy to help you out. I'm in a position to do so and have some pull due to…um…some of my military background. When the time comes I'll make the recommendations you need as long as it is alright with your parents." My father told Ezra seriously.
What my father said was true that he had some pull. First of all he is a graduate from West Point. Any former West Point graduate has pull in this regard and all applications must be looked at that come from a West Point graduate. Secondly, a Medal of Honor recipient's letter of recommendation is always put at the top of the list of candidate consideration. With my father's background, practically anyone he recommends would be a shoe in to the school.
The boy just looked over towards his grandfather sadly. "Um…m…my parents are…," he stuttered as he looked away, and quickly wiped away a teardrop.
"Oh, I see…well then your grandfather," My dad interjected quickly, and smiled at the boy who continued to look over some of my father's pictures while standing next to his grandfather who had placed a hand gently on the boy's shoulder providing him with a little contact for support.
We all fell silent for a few moments as we all looked over some of the pictures. The old man seemed to be very much intrigued by them, and Ezra just appeared as if he was about to burst wanting answers for so many questions. The boy remained quiet however containing his excitement not wanting to shame his grandfather even further.
The old man reverted back to his own language as Ezra translated. "My grandfather notices that you were a colonel, and is amazed that someone as young as you advanced so quickly."
My father chuckled and shook his head. "No, tell him I'm forty two years old, and after West Point I joined the Air Force when I was twenty two so I would say pretty typical with the rank advancement. It took twenty years."
Ezra nodded his head as he translated for his grandfather who now looked over at me. "My grandfather is kind of surprised because both you and your wife look so young, and you only have one son who is still young as well."
My mom looked a bit sad, but my dad smiled reassuringly to her as they wrapped their arm around one another. "Well, we wanted more kids but…um…it wasn't meant to be." my dad lost a bit of his zest at this point as he gave my mom a tender hug.
The look my mom gave my dad seemed to bring back memories to me as I recalled a time when she had been really sad. I was really little so didn't know any different then, but now as I look back there just seemed to be something about that time.
"So you only have the one son?" Ezra continued to translate for his grandfather.
"Well…um…it took us over ten years to produce this masterpiece." My dad chuckled as he released my mom, and grabbed me into a bear hug as he gave me a noogie while I just squirmed and giggled having always loved his teasing ways. "We got married when we were only twenty, and we had a lot of fun in the…um…let's just say creating department…but it just took us longer is all." My dad stated good naturedly as he kissed my mom, and I tried not to blush at his overt display of affection towards her in front of Ezra. He then glanced at me, held my mom a bit tighter, and then continued. "After Jackson was born we decided it would be good for him to have a little brother or sister, but I guess it just wasn't meant to be. It took us years with Jackson, but a short while later she got pregnant for a second time…well…I guess it just wasn't meant to be, but we are so blessed with Jackson." My father stated somberly looking over towards me proudly.
"My grandfather says he is very sorry to hear about your loss." The older boy told my parents, and I could tell he felt a bit awkward about the adult like conversation.
"Tell him it is alright that we have come to terms with it, and are happy that we are blessed with at least one child." My father replied while my mom held on to him affectionately, and smiled warmly at me.
"My grandfather says he doesn't…um…" Ezra screwed up his eyebrows trying to come up with the proper translation. "I think what he means Mr. Elborn is that he doesn't want to appear nosy or anything, but he was just wondering if you wanted more children why not adopt."
"Tell your grandfather he isn't being nosy just being neighborly. We thought about it, and then decided it wouldn't be fair to the children we adopt. Military life for dependents can be a bit…difficult. It is one thing for biological children, but to force this way of life on an adopted child isn't necessarily fair." My father replied a bit sadly.
The conversation had taken an interesting twist. It was something I had never really realized about my parents. I mean, I recall my parents discussing adoptions with me on occasions, but it had never been anything serious, and I really hadn't minded the whole idea or anything. However, I never realized that they had a hard time conceiving children, and actually had some complications. That subject never really came up, and to think about it, why would it. Now things started to fall into place regarding my mom's behavior towards me, and it finally made sense why she was so overprotective at times.
The elderly man smiled sadly at my parents, and nodded his understanding as we sort of fell silent for a moment. After that the conversation changed to more mundane things as we all made our way towards the living room.
My mom asked us if we wanted something to drink when Ezra noticed our pool in the back yard. "Wow, you have a pool." He stated as I nodded my head.
"Come-on, let's go and check it out." I told Ezra as he followed me out the door.
"Dude, this is like…way wicked." He admitted as he kneeled down next to our pool, and dipped his fingers in the cool water.
It was late afternoon close to dinner time, but still hot outside so the water felt nice as I dipped my own hand into the depths. "Yeah, in Germany we used to have to go over to the indoor pool on base so I could get some laps in for practice and to stay in shape. But out here I can do that without having to leave. My dad is thinking about putting in a diving platform so I can practice, and heating the water for when it starts to get colder around here." I admitted kind of relishing the idea of being able to practice on my dives whenever I wanted.
"So, you really are into diving competitively then?" He asked me sincerely.
"Yeah, in Germany it was a way for me to…um…escape I guess." I told him not knowing why I was confiding in him.
"What do you mean, escape?" He asked me quietly as he gazed intently at me.
His question caught me by surprise, considering it was from things like what he had done to me that made me want to escape.
"From things like what happened at school on Friday." I pointed out to him a bit harshly, and I saw him flinch as he recalled how he had bullied me. The intentional dig on my part made me feel a bit ashamed in light of the fact he had apologized to me so I continued on more gently. "At least I could compete in the same age group." I responded and noticed a look of confusion on his face. "I'm only eleven Ezra." I told him as he furrowed his eyebrows in thought.
"Really…um…but you're…like in seventh grade…I mean…how'd that happen?" He asked me as he took off his shoes and socks placing his feet into the water seemingly forgetting how I had sort of been spiteful there for a moment.
Taking a seat next to the older boy I followed his lead until we were both dangling our feet in the cool refreshing depths of the pool. We both remained silent for a moment before I explained to him about my birthday and the school rules on base in Germany. It was kind of odd sitting here next to the biggest bully in school, but at the moment he seemed so different…more like how Brendan had described him to me. I liked this version of Ezra a lot, and wondered what had gone wrong to make him so mean lately.
"Oh, so basically you are like six months to a year younger than most kids in your class." He commented making it more a statement than a question.
"Yeah," I sighed noticing that the sun was making me start to sweat so I got up and peeled off my shirt and shorts before diving into the water to cool off.
My head popped out of the water, and I saw Ezra sitting there smiling friendly at me. "Sorry, still not used to the heat," I admitted to him as I easily slipped into the rhythmic pacing of a freestyle stroke heading towards the opposite end of the pool.
Reaching the end of the pool I conducted a flip turn rotating under the water heading back towards the bronze tanned boy who had gotten up as well watching me go through my paces. I stopped a few feet away from the edge and stood up. At this end of the pool it was only about four feet deep so the water came up to my neck when I stood on my toes. I noticed Ezra had removed his shirt, and before I knew it his arms were flailing in the air as he came crashing down a few feet away sending a wave cascading over my head.
We both sputtered and laughed as we started to wrestle around in the water. He was way stronger than me so I lured him towards the deep end of the pool. I was a better swimmer so this sort of made things even between the two of us as we swam around one another and made our moves. In the end it was pretty much a draw as we sputtered, laughed, and made our way to the edge of the pool.
Pulling myself out of the water shivering a bit from the coolness I felt along my skin from the air, I rolled over on to my stomach enjoying the heat from the light colored flag stones. There was a sort of roughness to the stones, but smooth enough that they felt wonderfully comfortable against the skin. I watched Ezra settle in on his back, and close his eyes a few feet away from me in his now completely soaked white pair of cargo shorts. His shorts were made from a lighter weight fabric material so it was cooler to wear during the hot summer heat over here in Texas.
His dark colored bronzed tanned skin glistened enticingly as the droplets rolled off his smooth mostly unblemished skin. He had a small scar along his upper arm, the only blemish in his otherwise beautifully sculpted body. He was a sleekly built boy, but I could make out the beginnings of a six pack along his stomach.
His long brownish black hair lay plastered backwards along his head flowing around his shoulders. I looked at his peaceful face as he lifted his head up briefly so he could tuck his hands beneath it as a sort of pillow. With his hands tucked behind his head it had the effect of sort of stretching him out. Movement caught my attention, and I almost giggled as I noticed him curling and stretching out his toes as he sighed contentedly like a cat flexing its muscles and claws while it snoozed.
Lifting my upper body up on my elbows so I could get a better look at the fine sculpted looking boy I almost gasped at the sight a mere few feet away from my eyes. The shorts he wore was made from a lightweight fabric material, and now that it was wet I could see the skin coloration in the now almost transparent material. It became very apparent to me that he wasn't wearing any underwear beneath his shorts because I could make out the outline of his bulging ball sack, and thin tubular penis.
The fabric material still concealed his nakedness, but enough was visible that it left very little to the imagination. The darker skin coloration of his ball sack could be discerned through the material, and his lighter toned soft thin sleek two and a half inch, maybe two and three quarters of an inch, penis outline was also visible. I blushed embarrassed that I was actually staring at him, and glanced over towards his face worried that he would catch me ogling him.
Relieved that he was still content to soak up the heat of the sun with his eyes closed I quickly looked back over to his crotch mesmerized by the inkling of mystery just visible yet hidden enough for curiosity sake. His penis fascinated me as I tried to make out more details about it. It was difficult to determine exactly where the head of his penis began. I looked intently for the tell tale signs of his corona ridge, but couldn't tell for sure. However, there seemed to be a slight fattening of where I figured his glans started about an inch and a half back from the tip. At that point it seemed a bit thicker, and then seemed to taper down more towards the end.
Odd, I thought to myself. The tip of his penis seemed smaller than my own penis tip. I shuddered excitedly realizing I could actually almost see the boy's penis, and for some reason it seemed a little different now than only a moment earlier. It was as if it were somehow bigger. That's when it hit me, he was starting to chub up, and I glanced over towards his face for a moment and sighed in relief as I realized his eyes were still closed. Taking another quick glance at his package I was now sure that he had at least a semi-erection going on at the moment because his penis had fattened up a little and elongated, and seemed to strain a bit more against the fabric material of his shorts.
There was a stirring between my own legs so I hurriedly looked away from the sexiness between his legs, and laid down my forehead on the back of my hands. I snuck a glance towards his face, and noticed his eyes were still closed so sighed in relief. I didn't want him to think I was perving on him or something; especially, when he was sort of sporting a semi hard-on.
"Ezra?" I tentatively called out breaking our reverie.
"Hmmm?" He responded turning his head towards me and opening his eyes.
"Can I ask you something?"
The boy sighed and rolled on to his side propping his head on his hand as his elbow rested on the pavers. "Yeah, I suppose." He responded shrugging his shoulder.
Not able to help myself I quickly glanced down towards his crotch that still partially revealed the outline of his cute little package. He noticed my quick glance, and he looked down at himself. I thought for sure he'd be mad, but he didn't say anything and just smiled pleasantly at me ignoring his partial exposure that the flimsy material of his shorts provided me.
"Well…," I began before pausing. "Um…the other day…I…we…um…I think we saw you at the cemetery, while we were visiting Brendan's little…brother…and…um…his mother. It's a nice park area, and it seems like a lot of people go there for a walk so I thought maybe you were there with your family. I mean…it was you that I saw, wasn't it taking a walk in the park I'm assuming?" I asked him hoping he wouldn't get mad about me asking since there seemed to be a bit of rift between the two friends.
"Brendan didn't say anything to you about it?" He asked me a bit surprised by the question.
"Well…no…not really. I mean I didn't ask him all that much about it. He…he was pretty sad and all and…well…I didn't think he wanted to talk about it…you know."
The other boy studied me for a few moments as he scrunched up his eyes in thought. "Well…um…you know we used to be best friends. I mean we've known each other since kindergarten, and became best friends until…until…last year." He paused for a moment seemingly lost in thought.
"Really?" I asked him.
"Yeah, why would we being friends surprise you?" He got a little defensive.
"N…no I didn't mean it like that…I mean…the way Brendan talks…well, the two of you still seem to be best friends, just that there seems to be a disagreement of some sort for the moment. I…I don't get it. What happened, and why would you say the two of you used to be best friends when he thinks you two still are best friends?" I asked him really confused about it all now. I just couldn't understand what had happened between the two best friends.
Ezra looked at me sort of confused. "He really thinks we are still best friends?" He asked me.
"Of course he does. He's always talking about you, and how great you are and all as a friend. He told me that you really weren't as mean as I thought, and that you would come around. He said you were just hurting right now is all." I explained to him.
"He said that…I mean that I'm not that bad, and I'm just hurting right now?"
"Yeah sure. He thinks you are a great guy and all…just sort of sad is all." I told him as I lifted up my head.
"So, he hasn't told you anything about his mother and his little brother, how they, um…died?"
"Well sort of…I mean he said they were killed in an accident by someone who had been accused of drinking. He said the guy wasn't really drunk or anything, and that the way he saw things it really was an accident. I think he was more upset that they accused the guy of being drunk to begin with. Sure the guy had something to drink earlier in the day, but there really wasn't any alcohol in his system, and the biggest fault was that blind spot down the road a ways. You know the one with the blinking red stop light now. I guess before there wasn't anything there to caution the drivers about the blind spot, and it just sort of happened. Because of the accident they put that red light up to make people come to a stop at that intersection. Do you know the one I'm talking about?" I asked looking over at him, and noticed he had gotten pale in the face and was shaking.
Somehow I had upset Ezra so I just shut my mouth and sat there keeping quiet. Sometimes I could be such a dweeb, but for the life of me I couldn't figure out what I had said wrong. We both sat there silently until I just couldn't take it any more.
"I'm sorry Ezra. I shouldn't have brought it up. It must have hurt since you knew Brendan's mom and brother who had died in the accident." I whispered softly not knowing what else to say.
It seemed as if what I said made things worse as he just looked at me oddly with tears running down his cheeks. "You really don't know?" He asked me sadly.
"No…um…what?" I responded getting a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach.
Ezra sighed and crossed his legs together as he faced his body towards me. "We weren't taking a walk in the park Jackson. We were visiting my father." Ezra's voice shook as he looked at me intently.
Scrunching up my eyes I just didn't get it. "Oh…alright…I'm sorry I didn't know." I told him honestly sad that he had lost his father.
"No…you still don't understand," he whispered softly as more tears ran down his cheeks and he hiccupped. "The accident…it was my father who was driving the truck. Mrs. Cuconato and Marcel died that day of the accident, my father died two days later in the hospital from his internal injuries that he suffered from the accident." Ezra told me silently as I just sat there in stunned silence.
Of course, now it all made sense. How do two friends get over such a loss on both sides? It must have been difficult for both Brendan and Ezra, and I could imagine that something like this could strain any friendship almost beyond repair. Yet Brendan seemed to think it wasn't his father's fault. That it had just been an unfortunate accident.
"Jackson? There's one more thing." The boy whispered as he looked at me nervously, and subconsciously rubbed his shoulder where he had that scar. "I was in the truck. It was my fault…the accident I mean." He told me as he looked away in shame, and continued to rub his shoulders.
"You're…I mean…what?" My mind began to spin with shock at his statement. "I mean…how was it your fault?" I asked him confused and bewildered at this new information.
"It was because of me that my father had to come and pick me up. I was late getting out because I was messing around with some friends, and missed the bus that would take me over to the other side of town so that I could catch a ride with a family friend. Instead, my dad had to come over from work and pick me up so that I could get home. We were arguing in the truck, and I don't think he even saw them until the last moment." He admitted to me as he put his face in his hands, and started to cry.
Scooting next to the boy I just put my arms around him as his body slumped sideways into me, and his head fell into my lap while he sobbed with his shoulders trembling in sadness. "No Ezra…it wasn't anyone's fault. I had to tell Brendan the same thing. He believes the accident was his fault, but Ezra, it isn't anyone's fault. It was an accident plain and simple." I told him while I stroked him soothingly, and ran my fingers through his damp hair as he just continued to sob unabashedly.
We stayed like that for a few moments until he finally sat up, wiped away the tears with the back of his hands, and smiled weekly at me. "I'm really sorry Jackson about everything. I never should have treated you the way I did." He told me sincerely. "Especially considering how nice you've been to me." He shook his head sadly and hiccupped because of the emotions. "I'm so ashamed, and it is why I told my grandfather what happened between the two of us at school. I'm glad I did because I knew he would force me to come and apologize." Ezra admitted to me. "I still can't believe after the way I've treated you how nice you are to me." He told me honestly as he just shook his head in shame.
"It's alright." I told him truthfully realizing what a tragedy all of this was, and how it may still destroy two boy's friendship together. At the moment I was more worried about Brendan and Ezra's friendship than I was about how he had initially bullied me. "Ezra, you really should talk to Brendan." I pushed him a little.
He just looked at me, and shook his head emphatically. "I…I just can't bring myself to do it. How can I face him after what I saw Jackson. It was just awful seeing Mrs. Cuconato and Marcel like that." He shuddered involuntarily as he rubbed his blemished shoulder.
"Did that happen in the accident?" I asked him as he looked at me, and then back to his shoulder I was pointing towards.
"Yeah, it's nothing though compared to what happened to my dad, Mrs. Cuconato, Marcel, and even Marco, and besides it's all healed up." He stated somberly as he just seemed to disappear inside of himself deep in reflection.
We both just sat there silently as the sun continued to warm our bodies. My bathing suit was already completely dry, and I could tell that Ezra's shorts were as well. I settled back on to my back, and put my hand behind my head as I enjoyed the heat washing along my body. I could tell Ezra was looking me over as his eyes roamed freely over my small frame settling on my crotch. For some reason it didn't seem to bother me considering I had perved on him earlier. At least he didn't hide the fact that he was looking me over. I didn't know if it was just curiosity or something more, and for some reason I really didn't mind one way or the other. In a way it was kind of flattering.
He continued to study me, and even smiled at me when our eyes met, but since I didn't make any comments about it he continued to just look me over. He seemed to be studying me now instead of just perving on my crotch as I sighed relishing the heat washing over my small frame. I heard my mom's voice call out to us that we should come inside for dinner.
Looking over towards Ezra and smiling, I got up and brushed myself off while he just sat there watching me. Glancing over my shoulder and seeing that my parents had moved out of the living room, and were no longer in sight I did something I've never done before. Without a word I hooked my thumbs in my diving briefs, and pulled them down to my ankles removing them completely leaving me standing in front of Ezra completely naked. I picked up the towel, and dried myself off between my legs paying particular attention to drying off my small sagging boy pouch and thin cut penis so that I wouldn't develop a rash from all that chlorine before slipping into my shorts.
The older boy had just sat there silently as he watched me slip out of my swimming briefs, dry off, and then slip into my cargo shorts. He smiled appreciatively at me as I reached out my hand, and pulled him up to his feet. Shaking his head Ezra just gave me a friendly shove as we walked together back to the house for dinner, but not before I caught him adjusting himself as he shifted around his obvious erection.
Smiling I just shook my head amazed at how I didn't even feel so embarrassed about getting undressed like that in front of Ezra. The boy seemed to have enjoyed the show, but hadn't said anything one way or the other. All day I had felt so intimidated with all of the attention directed towards me, yet being alone with Ezra and getting undressed in front of him didn't even feel so unsettling to me. Never in a million years would I have ever considered doing something like this less than a week ago. Yet here I had been, just standing in front of Ezra becoming a nudist. Those damn Cuconato brothers must have spiked my drink or something over the weekend I thought to myself as I just chuckled.
As we entered the house I could smell mom's meatloaf cooking. I loved how she made it because it was so delectably delicious. Even cold it made for great sandwiches. What she did was add all the spices and onions to the ground meat, and then cracked an egg in it mixing in bread crumbs. She mixed everything together, and then made a three inch thick and about a twelve inch diameter patty. Instead of putting it in the oven she fried it in a large pan until the outside became golden brown and crunchy. Since it was so thick she had to fry it slowly, and then also had to get out our huge spatula so she could flip over the entire meat to cook on the other side. It was so damn tasty.
We were enjoying our meals as once again Ezra reverted back to translating for his grandfather. "Um…sir…can I ask you a question." I inquired as Ezra translated looking at me curiously. With a nod I continued. "Um…I don't want you to think I'm being disrespectful or anything, but I was just wondering…um…you know. Why do you have Ezra translate for you if you can understand and speak English?" I asked the elderly man while his grandson translated for him.
The man just smiled, and answered the question to Ezra. The boy just smiled at me and shook his head. "My grandfather says it is easy to listen and understand a language, but more difficult when you try to speak it. However, it is even more difficult when you have to learn how to listen to both different languages, and then translate what someone else says." Ezra pointed out to me which made me think for a moment before he continued on. "My grandfather says that one day I will become a leader among our people in the community and on the reservation, and that it will be important for me to have this skill."
"Oh…I see. Well that makes sense. I just thought maybe you had something against the language or something." I told him as Ezra translated to his grandfather, and then listened before translating back to me.
"No, he just thinks so much has been lost of our culture that he wants to make sure he passes on his knowledge to the next generation." Ezra translated.
"So, you are the next generation then." I replied somberly. "I take it that it is just you and your grandfather?" I asked Ezra as he looked towards his grandfather, and then back to me.
"No, I also have two little cousins who are staying with grandfather. They are from my grandmother's side of the family so not directly related to grandfather like I am, but they are family, and he is also raising them in the traditional manner." Ezra finished up.
"Oh, I see so where are they now?" I asked kind of surprised that they hadn't been with the grandfather when they came over to the house.
"Oh, well they go to the school on the reservation, and they have a Futsal game they are getting ready for here in a while. We will go and watch them play right after dinner." Ezra pointed out.
"Futsal…what's that?" I asked never having heard of it before as I looked towards my parents who also seemed interested in hearing more about it.
"Oh it is sort of like soccer, but played with a smaller ball, and is filled with foam making it less bouncy. There are five players to each side of the game which includes the goalie, played on a flat indoor pitch with hockey sized goals, and a size 4 ball with a reduced bounce like I said. It is played to touchlines, and all players are free to enter the penalty area and play the ball over head height. In Futsal players are constantly placed in situations where they have to receive or play in the midst of pressure or in a very confined space which make it way more intense, and a faster paced game than regular soccer. Because of the fast paced physical requirements of the game, players tend to develop excellent technical ability, vision, awareness, and quick decision making abilities under a lot of pressure. My grandfather seems to think that for us younger kids it's an excellent development tool because players on both sides of a team are provided with a lot of opportunities to be in possession of the ball to practice techniques and skills." Ezra told us as I tried to visualize the game.
It sounded pretty interesting really, and I could see where having a smaller field and a smaller amount of players could make it a fast paced game. The concept of a smaller ball that is foam filled making it about control was also kind of interesting. I've kicked around a soccer ball before, and could see how the variation between an air-filled bladder and a smaller heavier foam filled ball could create a lot of difference in how the ball travels.
"Wow, sounds like you play it as well." I responded after digesting the information.
"Yeah that and lacrosse." He chuckled. "Lacrosse is a Native American sport you know. I belong to a team on the reservation, but I haven't played in a while. Grandfather keeps pushing me to go back into it, but I just hadn't wanted to…you know." He pointed out as he sighed sadly.
Evidently my parents must have been told about the situation because they didn't press Ezra any further. They must have had an interesting conversation with the grandfather while we were out playing because my mom kept dabbing her eyes wiping away the tears while my father looked on supportively.
"Hey Ezra…your grandfather tells me that you are an excellent outdoorsman. He says you know all about hunting, fishing, and tracking." My father stated to Ezra, and I kind of knew where this was heading.
"Um…I guess. I mean I've learned a lot from my grandfather, but I know there is much more to learn." Ezra admitted.
"I see. Well this weekend we are going fishing, and I'd love for you to come along and maybe teach some of your skills to us. We've invited Brendan and Marco as well, and I've talked to your grandfather and he says it would be alright. He informed me that your cousins have another match this weekend, but that you didn't have anything so were free to come with us. What do you say?" My father asked him.
Ezra flinched when he heard Brendan's name, and seemed to hesitate a moment. I had the feeling he was about to refuse politely when his grandfather spoke up soothingly. Ezra responded back shaking his head when his grandfather became a bit more forceful and animated before he turned to my father.
"It will be an honor…for my grandson…to share his knowledge. It is proper that he is to makes things right with your son. It is also good…um…to make things right with his friend Brendan. This foolishness between the two boys…it must end. It is no good…this distance between two friends. There will be purpose to this trip. I have a task set for him that will help him on his path. Yes…this between our two boys has purpose." The elderly man commented as he nodded his head somberly while Ezra lowered his head in disgrace and a bit fidgety with nervousness.
Leaning over towards Ezra while my parents chatted some more with Mr. Kostalini I whispered to the somber boy. "Trust me Ezra, this trip will be well worth it for you, I promise." I told him as the boy just looked up, and smiled meekly at me his face filled with an expression that indicated he hoped so.
We all sat around for a while longer until it was time for Ezra and his grandfather to leave. My mom wrapped up the leftover meatloaf for Ezra's cousins so that they could have it for dinner later tonight and also so that the boys could have for sandwiches in their lunch tomorrow. Mr. Kostalini thanked my mom profusely for the wonderful meal and for her thoughtfulness towards the other two boys as well. My mom made him promise to bring everyone over one time, and that we would maybe have a huge BBQ or something.
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