Kyle Part 3 Chapter 19
Kyle, Part 3
Chapter 19
Disclaimer: This story is a continuation of the story of Kevin Foley, Rick Mashburn, and their "sons," Tim Murphy, Kyle Goodson, Justin Davis, and Brian Mathews that started in "Tim," continued in "Justin" and "Kyle," "Kyle, Part 2," and now continues in "Kyle, Part 3." It is about gay men and gay boys living and loving together as a family, and it contains descriptions of sex. The sex is never intergenerational, though. If you are offended by descriptions of gay sex, or if the law in your area forbids you to read them, please exit the story. Otherwise, I hope you enjoy it. I appreciate feedback, and you can send it to me at brew_drinker23@yahoo.com.
--Brew Maxwell
(Kevin's Perspective)
The spring flew by. Easter was the first weekend in April, and we couldn't have asked for better weather. It was gorgeous sunshine all day, every day, but it hadn't yet gotten really hot. Spring Break season was over, so Rick and I had a little breather until Memorial Day Weekend. It was one of the best times of the year for us.
The kids were as great as ever, and there was quite a bit for all of us to do. Tim and Brian had both decided to enter the science fair that took place near the end of April, and all of us spent a couple of weeks helping them get their projects ready. Tim did something in biology, and Brian did one in earth science.
Gene hooked Kyle up with a photographer who was more than willing to teach him darkroom technique. The first pictures I saw that Kyle had developed were of Tim sleeping in their bed at our house, and they were stunning. He scanned them and sent them by e-mail to his photographer friend in New York. The guy loved them and actually wanted to hang one of them in his gallery. He priced it at $300, and the gallery would take a third. Kyle was ecstatic.
"Can you believe that," Kyle said, after he read us the letter that had included a contract with the gallery.
"Nope. I think he's got the wrong Kyle," Justin said.
"How could he have the wrong Kyle," Kyle asked.
"Get your ass over here, boy," Justin said.
"What?" Kyle asked.
Justin jumped on him and grabbed him in a huge head-lock hug.
"I'm so fucking proud of you, I could bust a nut," Justin said.
It was pretty obvious those boys loved one another. Tim and Brian jumped on them, and it was all Kyle could do to survive their affection.
Jeff came home at the end of April. He had talked to Rick and me about transferring to our local campus of FSU to finish his junior and senior years of college, and we had told him our house was his home, whenever he wanted to be there. I put him to work as a bellhop at our biggest hotel, the place where Justin worked and where Kyle would work that summer. Justin had moved up to valet parking by then, and he and Jeff went to work together every morning.
"You're pissing me off big time, Kevin," Kyle said one Friday night.
"What did I do," I asked.
"They get to work, and I have to go to that damn school every day," he said.
"That's pissing you off? That you don't 'get' to work?"
"Yeah. I want to be out there with them, you know?"
"Working is hell, Kyle. Pure hell," Justin said. We were all naked around the pool, and Justin pinched one of Kyle's nipples when he said that.
"Ow! Cut it out, you pervert," Kyle said.
Justin just laughed, and Kyle laughed, too.
"When is the election," I asked, changing the subject on purpose.
"Next week, and I'm crapping my pants over that," he said.
"Why?"
"I have to give a damn speech in front of the whole school, that's why," he said.
"Have you written it yet," I asked.
"Yeah, and it sucks," he said.
"Do you have it here," Rick asked.
"Yeah."
"Go get it and give it to us. We'll help you with it," Rick said.
Kyle got his speech from upstairs, and this is what he said.
"Hi, my name is Kyle Goodson, and I'm running for President of the Student Government Association, something you might know as SGA. I'm going to be a senior next year, if the good Lord and my math teacher say the same.
"I've lived in Emerald Beach all my life, and most of you know me and have gone to school with me since kindergarten. Speaking of kindergarten, I liked it so good I did it twice. Go figure. You know I've done all kinds of stuff at this school, from cross country to drama to student government. But mostly I'm just an ordinary guy who likes to have fun. Some of you played soccer and baseball with me when we were little, and some of you have surfed with me when the surf was up but the holiday flag wasn't. Miss Ortega, please don't take names of the ones laughing.
"There's a serious side to me, though. I'm all about diversity, and live and let live. We don't have many black kids in this school. In fact, I'm looking at both of my black brothers right now. We have a handful of Asians here, and I know they're going to kick my ass on the SAT. We have some Latinos, too, and, frankly, I'm sitting next to one of them on my next Spanish test. Those guys know their Spanish, and that's for sure.
"Then there are the gay kids. Gay and lesbian and bisexual, I mean. They say about ten percent of the people are gay or lesbian or bisexual. Look around. If I got the math right, there's probably 130 or more gay, lesbian, or bisexual people in this gym right now. There ain't nearly that many blacks, Asians, or Latinos all put together, and there ain't even that many surfers.
"We got us the best high school in the county, and everybody knows that. I want it to be the best high school in the state, and we're mighty close. Please vote for me for President, and I'll do whatever I can to see that we're the best. Thanks."
"You think that sucks? Man, that's a wonderful speech," I said.
"Well, we'll see," he said.
"Kyle, there are natural laugh points," Jeff said. "The only thing I worry about is the pauses for the laughter are going to make it too long."
"I hope they laugh," he said. "I don't know, though."
"They're going to laugh a lot, Babe," Tim said. "We laughed. It's a funny speech."
"I hope," Kyle said.
*****
Gene, Rita, George, Sonya, Rick, Jeff, and I were at school the next Thursday for Kyle's speech. Justin slipped in right before it started, and Gene hugged him big. We listened to the speeches by the candidates for other offices, and then it was time for the speeches of Kyle and his opponent. The other guy went first, and, frankly, he put everybody to sleep. Then Kyle was up.
Kyle was all down-home and aw-shucks in his delivery. I counted seven big bursts of laughter and several smaller ones. They got pretty quiet when he talked about diversity, but they howled when he said "there ain't even that many surfers." He definitely stole that show, and everybody knew it.
"Kevin, right?" It was Sally Ortega, the principal.
"Right. Hi, Sally. Do you know these people? This is my partner, Rick Mashburn. These are Gene and Rita Goodson, Kyle's parents. This is Justin Davis, Kyle's brother and best friend; this is George Murphy and his friend Sonya Jenkins, and this is Jeff Martin, Kyle's older brother."
"Pleased to meet all of you," Sally said. "If he doesn't win after that speech, I'm retiring."
We all laughed.
"Will you join us for lunch," Gene asked Sally.
"I'd love to, Gene, but I have duty in the cafeteria. Have a good time with your guys. They're some of our best," Sally said.
We met up with the guys at the Starfish. They were ebullient. Philip and Ryan were there, as were Chad and Gage. Morgan, Blake, and Riley were, too, and of course Kyle and Tim. It was quite a crowd. We all went through the buffet line, and the boys loaded up like starved men.
"Kyle, your speech was unbelievable," Gage said. "If you win, I'm going to feel so empowered, after that speech."
"Well, I don't know if I will, you know."
"You're gonna win, man," Justin said.
"Too bad you can't fucking vote," Kyle said. Then, after a short pause, "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to say that bad word. I'm sorry, Mama."
Rick, Gene, and I were laughing silently.
"Son, I've heard that word before, from you even. I don't like hearing it, but I know boys say it. Your father certainly does, and your brother did, too. Let's just move on from that, okay?"
Kyle grinned. "Mom, you're the best."
Actually, that day he was the best, as far as the election went, anyway. The vote was 1175 for Kyle and 130 for his opponent. It was truly a mandate.
That night we were all in our den. Justin and Jeff were tired from working, but Kyle was still riding high from his election victory. He had stopped at a big grocery store or someplace, and he had bought a ton of hors d'ouevres for us. He had heated them in the oven.
Justin picked up one and popped it into his mouth. He spat it into his napkin after biting it in half.
"God, almighty! This thing's on fire," he said.
"It's a hot snack. It's supposed to be hot, dumbass," Kyle said.
"What is it?"
Kyle looked at the half-chewed mass in Justin's hand.
"It's called 'pig in a blanket,'" Kyle said. "Cool it off and eat it. It's good, especially with a little bit of mustard."
"I know what part of the pig this is, and I don't like it," he said.
That made us all laugh hard.
"Kyle, you gave your speech today so well," Jeff said.
"Thanks, Jeff," he said. "I won because the other guy was so bad, not because I was good."
"Whoa! Hold up there," Justin said.
"What," Kyle asked.
"When we were in New York City, you reamed my ass out good for putting myself down, and now you're doing the same thing," Jus said.
"Jus, he's not . . ."
"Tim, shut up, man. You don't have to defend him every time somebody crosses him. I might just be right, you know?"
Tim kept his mouth shut.
"He is right, Babe," Kyle said. "But how am I supposed to act, Justin? All proud and puffed up like I'm some kind of conceited god or something. That ain't me, man. I'm not going to be conceited, man. I just won't do it."
"Nobody wants you to be conceited, Kyle. All you had to say was 'thank you' to Jeff," Justin said.
"Thank you, Jeff. Now, is that good enough for you?"
"Kyle, don't piss me off over this because I'll haul your ass in the back yard in a minute, and you know it," Jus said.
Kyle looked at Jus and started laughing. Jus started laughing, too. Justin jumped on Kyle and pinned him to the floor, and Kyle let him do it without a struggle. Kyle submitted to Justin because he knew Justin was right, and Kyle had enough character in him to admit it. Justin leaned forward and kissed Kyle on the forehead.
"Get off me, you brute," Kyle said.
Justin got off him.
"This has got to be an ice cream moment, right," Justin said.
"Ice cream moments usually follow tears, but, yeah, this is one," Rick said. "You two studs come and help me."
We had one of our grand ice cream feasts that night to celebrate Kyle's election and his friendship with Justin. It was more than that, though. It was a celebration of our family.
(Kyle's Perspective)
I won that damn election, and the next day the heat was on. The Junior-Senior Prom was coming up pretty quick, and I hadn't even bought a ticket. As the SGA President-elect I had to be there, but what was I going to do? If I had a date for that prom, I would have wanted it to be Tim.
"Are we going to go to the prom together," I asked.
"No way am I going as your date, and, since I'm a sophomore, I can't go stag. No way, Kyle," Tim said. He made himself pretty clear.
"Tim, I've got to go, man. I've got to be at that prom."
"Well, I'm not going," he said. "Ask a girl."
"No way! I'm not asking a girl for a date."
"Why not? There are plenty that want you," he said.
He said that like he was a little bit jealous.
"They might want me, but I don't want them. I want you. You haven't figured that out yet, Tim?"
He grinned big at me.
"You've been trying to get me last, haven't you, you little shitass?"
He grinned and nodded. I gave him a damn good shot to his arm, and I knew it hurt. He deserved it, though, and he knew it.
I ended up going to the prom with Philip, Morgan, and two girls I was good friends with from the Drama Club. That was the first time I wore a tux, and I felt really good wearing it. Philip and Morgan looked great in theirs, too, and the girls looked spectacular in their prom gear. There were five or six other groups like us there, too. I didn't care. I danced my ass off with just about every girl at that hotel (it was in one of ours, by the way), and I had a great time. I felt a little bit guilty having so much fun while Tim and the others were just hanging out, but I got over it.
All of the seniors, and a lot of the juniors, had hotel rooms that night. I knew there was going to be a lot of fucking going on. We went out afterwards to a friend's house where his parents had cooked breakfast, and we hung out and drank fake wine until about 2:30. We took the girls home, and I kissed both of them good night. Not like I kissed Tim, but you know. I had a good time, and everybody seemed glad I was there.
I thought my senior year was going to be pretty good. I didn't have any math or any science, so that was very good. I had saved up my electives, and I was going to have two P.E. electives both halves of the year. I had English, of course, but that wasn't hard for me. I was all set for a great summer and a great senior year.
(Kevin's Perspective)
The Monday morning after the prom, I got a phone call at work from Tyrone Williams.
"Hey, Tyrone. What's up, man? You should have been at our house Saturday night when Kyle went to his prom. He looked like he was right off the page of a magazine," I said.
"Who is Kyle?"
"He's one of ours. You've met him, but never mind. What can I do for you?"
"I want you to take another kid," he said. "This one is time-sensitive, though. You won't have him for more than a month."
"You know any kid is always welcome at our house," I said.
"Yeah, I do. But this kid is a little bit different from the kind you have now. This kid has cerebral palsy."
I didn't say anything for a while.
"You still there, Kevin?"
"Yeah, I'm still here. I'm just thinking, that's all."
"Y'all still live in that one-story house, don't you," he asked.
"Actually, it's a three-story house now," I said. "We moved up."
"Is there an elevator," he asked.
"An elevator? Of course not."
"The boy's in a wheelchair, and he needs a lot of personal care. You and Rick were my last hope, man. I don't know what I'm going to do with him," Tyrone said.
"I've got five big oxen who can carry him up and down stairs," I said.
"The boys?"
"Yeah, the boys. Not Rick and me, although we will, if we have to."
"Will you take him," he asked. "It's only for a month. Guaranteed."
"Tyrone, you know I can't take him without talking to Rick and the boys. All of our lives will be impacted. They'd kick my ass out of the house if I didn't consult them."
"I know. If you'd like to meet him, I can bring him over this afternoon. He's sixteen. Just the age of your guys. His name is Chris. Chris Uhle, and he's a sweetheart, Kevin."
"You're begging, Tyrone. Let me talk to them. Hang up now. Bye."
"You asshole," Tyrone said, and we hung up both laughing at one another.
I immediately went down to Rick's office and barged in.
"What? Who's hurt," he demanded.
"It's not about ours," I said.
"Shit. What's up?"
"I just got off the phone with Tyrone."
"Tyrone Williams?"
"Yeah."
"What did he want," Rick asked.
"He's got a hard-to-place kid. Evidently, he's been with his grandparents, but his grandmother just died of breast cancer. His dad lives in Montana. I don't know about his mother. His grandfather is feeble, and he can't handle him by himself. He needs a place for a month," I said.
"So what's the deal, Kevin? We're committed to helping kids, right? Bring him on, man," Rick said.
"Well, this one is a little bit different, though. He has cerebral palsy, and he's in a wheelchair. And apparently he needs help with personal stuff. Tyrone didn't elaborate, but I gathered the kid can't use the bathroom by himself," I said.
"Oh, I see what you mean," Rick said.
"Somebody would have to carry him up and down the stairs. Somebody would have to bathe him and take care of him in the bathroom. It would only be for a month, but that's a lot."
"Have you talked to the boys about it," he asked.
"Of course not," I said.
He grinned.
"Let's go to lunch with them," he said. "You know they're going to want to do it, don't you?"
"Yeah, I pretty much figured they would. Are you prepared for that?"
"I'm as prepared as you are. If the boys are cool with it, I say we take him," Rick said.
I grinned, and I knew we were going to have us another kid by day's end.
(Kyle's Perspective)
They surprised the hell out of us by showing up where we ate lunch. We already had a big table, but, no, they wanted to talk, so we had to go sit out on the deck away from our friends. It was me, Tim, and Brian.
"What's up? Did you guys get fired?"
"Very funny," Rick said.
"So I don't have to kick my dad's ass," I asked, trying to be funny.
"Kyle, shut up, you horny macho fuck," Rick said.
"Oh-h-h-h, we're being serious, I see."
Kevin and Rick both laughed.
"Yeah, we're here on something serious, Kyle. We need to give a new boy a home for about a month," Kevin said.
"Bring him on, I say."
"He's disabled, Kyle. He has cerebral palsy. He's in a wheelchair all the time."
"So what? We'll take care of him," I said. I knew I could speak for the others.
"Kyle, you'll have to carry him up and down stairs, bathe him, probably wipe his ass, too," Rick said. "Can you do that?"
"Of course we can do that, Rick. What do you think, man? Jesus Christ! Of course we can do it," I said.
"So we can tell Tyrone to bring him around this afternoon so we can meet him," I asked.
"Bring him now. We can take the rest of the day off to meet him," I said.
"No way, Kyle. Your ass is in class this afternoon," Rick said. "But be ready to meet him right after school."
"You and Kevin are such hard asses, Rick. We get a new brother, and you won't even let us skip one dumb class to meet him. I have Outdoor Recreation next period. I'll ask about camping in a wheelchair," I said.
"You ask about that, Bubba, 'cause that ain't out of the question, you know? You ask about swimming and boating, too," Rick said.
Oh, my God, I suddenly thought. This boy's going to have the best time of his life with us, and I'm going to see to it.
"I saw a thing on a Web site about people in wheelchairs water skiing," I said. "I'm ordering him some skis to_night_."
"Let's wait and meet him first, okay, Kyle," Kevin said.
"Okay, Kevin, but I'm telling you this right now. My job for the next month is to make this kid the happiest boy in the world, man."
*****
We met Chris that afternoon, and he was a damn good looking kid, too. He was pretty stiff and stove up, though. He was a little bit hard to understand, but I could tell what he was saying if I listened real close.
"Do you want to go swimming," I asked him. Tyrone hadn't turned him over to Kevin and Rick yet, so I was taking a chance.
"I've never done that," he said.
"Well, get ready, Bubba, 'cause you're doing it now," I said.
I wheeled his ass out to the pool. Tyrone and Kevin and Rick went out there with us like they didn't trust us.
"Everybody get naked," I said.
Chris grinned like a goon when I said that.
"You, too, Bubba," I said to Chris.
"I can't do it," he said. I could barely understand him, but I knew what he said.
"You might can't, but I can do it," I said.
He laughed so nice.
I stripped down, and then I went to work on Chris. It wasn't easy getting his clothes off. He couldn't bend like most people can, so I had to take my time. I didn't want to hurt him. Finally, I got him naked. I picked him up off that wheelchair, and he didn't weigh more than a feather. I jumped into the pool with him in my arms. Bless his heart, he could only put one arm around my neck. That didn't stop us, though.
"Hold your breath, we're going under," I said, and I took a dive underwater with him in my arms.
He came up laughing so hard I thought I would drop him.
"Have you ever heard of dwarf tossing," I asked. "You ain't a dwarf, but I think we can do it." He wasn't really a dwarf, but he was tiny. I'll bet he didn't weigh more than seventy-five pounds.
"Is it fun," he asked.
"It will be for you. Just don't breath if you're underwater, okay?"
"You think I'm dumb, asshole," he said.
"Asshole, huh? Watch this."
I dunked his ass bad. He came up sputtering and laughing at the same time.
"That just proves you're an asshole, Kyle. Who else would dunk a cripple?"
"A cripple's own new brother would, that's who, you fucker," I said, and I swam underwater with him in my arms.
"Okay, buddy, I'm tossing your ass now," I said.
I threw him to Tim, and Tim caught him at the water line. Chris was laughing for all he was worth. Tim threw him to Brian, and Brian threw him back to me. We kept that up for a while.
"Are you tired of this, Chris," I asked.
"I'm tired, but I'm not tired of this. This is the most fun I've ever had, Kyle."
"Well, this is just the beginning, man. You're going to have fun here, Buddy. There's no question about that."
"Thank you, Kyle. Do you know that somebody is going to have to take care of me? Bathe me, dress me, wipe me, let me pee."
"Chris, we don't care about that shit, man. We can all do that. You're in an all-guy family here, man. You ain't got nothing we haven't seen before."
"You're too good," he said.
"Let's get out of the water. Your wee-wee has just about vanished."
He laughed. "Thanks for noticing, asshole," he said.
I dunked him one more time, and he came up laughing. We didn't get out, though.
(Justin's Perspective)
When Jeff and I got home that day, we found out we had us a new brother. They were all out in the yard around the pool. In fact, Kyle and them were naked and in the pool.
"Hey, Bubba," Kevin said to me. "Hi, Jeff. Jeff, I don't think you've met our friend Tyrone Williams."
"Jeff Martin," he said, as he shook Tyrone's hand.
I shook Tyrone's hand, too, but I already knew him.
"What's up," I asked.
"You've got you a new brother, at least for a while, Justin," Tyrone said.
"Cool. What's his name?"
"Chris Uhle. Go meet him," Rick said.
Kyle was in about chest-high water, and he was holding a boy who looked like he was about eight.
"Get in, Justin," Kyle said.
"I've got to meet my new brother first," I said.
"Get in and meet him," Kyle said. "Jeff, get in."
"I just got an order, guys," Jeff said. "I'd better snap to."
"Me, too," I said.
Rick, Kevin, and Tyrone laughed.
Kyle introduced me and Jeff to Chris. I shook his hand, and it was so soft and delicate I was afraid I would break it. Kyle was holding him, and I knew right away what that was all about. Kyle had him somebody to take care of, and that was going to make his summer. Kyle talks big sometimes about wanting to beat up gay bashers and such, but there wasn't anybody more gentle than Kyle when he wanted to be. Right then he wanted to be.
"Did you just come home from school," Chris asked. I had a little trouble understanding him, but I sort of watched his mouth when he talked. That helped me figure out what he was saying.
"We don't go to school. We work," I said. "What about you? Do you go to school?"
"Yeah, I go to school," he said. "It's a special school for kids with disabilities."
"Chris, I want to tell you something right now, okay?" I was trying to be real nice and gentle. "If I say something by accident that sounds like I'm making fun of you, I'm not, okay? I've never been around anyone who is crippled, and something might slip out."
"I can tell friendly from unfriendly, Justin," he said. "I know you boys wouldn't hurt my feelings on purpose. I can just feel that about you."
"You're right, Chris. This is all about friendly here," I said.
"I forgot to ask you. Are you hungry? Would you like something to eat," Kyle asked Chris.
"I have to warn you. I'm a pretty sloppy eater," he said.
"Can you eat by yourself, or do you need help," Jeff asked.
"I can eat, but I usually need help with my meat," he said.
"Join the crowd," I said, and everybody but Chris laughed.
"You need help with your meat," Chris asked all of us.
"He's being dirty, Chris," Tim said.
"I don't get it," Chris replied.
Oh-oh. Daniel in the lion's den, I thought.
"Have you ever heard your dick called your meat," Kyle asked.
"I don't think so. I'm pretty dumb about that stuff, I guess," he said.
"Well, you won't be for long," I said.
"Do you guys have girl friends and do sex with them," he asked.
"No. Not girlfriends. We have boyfriends. We're gay, Chris. All of us," Jeff said.
He got this really puzzled look on his face like he was trying to figure out what was up.
"You guys don't seem to be gay," he said.
"Yeah, but we are," I said. "Brian's my boyfriend, Tim is Kyle's boyfriend, and Rick and Kevin are married to each other."
"I see I'm going to learn a lot," he said. "How did you know you were gay?"
"That's a good question, and I think it was a little different for each one of us," Jeff said. "We're all attracted sexually to boys, though."
"I don't know very much about sex," he said.
"That's all right. We'll teach you, if you want us to," Kyle said. "Do you think you might be gay?"
"I don't think so," he said. "I don't think about sex much, but my penis gets hard when I do think about it."
"What do you think about when you jerk off," Kyle asked.
"I've only done that a few times. I don't really know what I think about," he said. The poor guy was blushing.
"Don't ever be embarrassed about sex around us, okay," Kyle said.
"If you have questions, just ask us, Chris. We don't know everything, but we know a good bit," I said.
"Do you ever get hard when you're swimming or playing around out here," he asked.
"All the time," I said. "That's one thing you gotta know. When we get hard, we don't touch ourselves or play with it when Kevin and Rick are around. Or any grown-ups for that matter. They're real strict about that. But otherwise, just try to ignore it until it goes away."
"We won't make fun of you, if you get hard, Chris," Jeff said. "If we did that, we'd be making fun of somebody all the time."
That made that little dude laugh, and hearing him laugh made the rest of us laugh, too.
"Can we get out now? I'm getting a little cold," he said.
"Sure."
Everybody got out. Kyle ran into the clubhouse and got towels for everybody. He dried off Chris.
"Do you want to get dressed or stay like you are," Kyle asked him.
"What are you going to do?"
"I'm going to stay like I am. I'm probably going back in the water in a little while," Kyle said.
He was staring at Kyle's equipment, but I noticed his own wasn't stirring, what little there was of it.
"You have a very beautiful penis, Kyle," Chris said.
Chris couldn't see my face, but Kyle damn sure could. I was grinning a mile wide, and Kyle was turning red. You didn't see that very often.
"Thanks," Kyle mumbled.
"Can I touch it," Chris asked.
"No! No. Not with them out here," he said, meaning Rick and Kevin.
"Are you mad at me," he asked.
"Oh, hell no, I'm not mad at you." Kyle squatted down to be on his level to talk. "There's nothing wrong with wanting to touch my penis, but . . .Help me out here, guys."
"It's normal curiosity to want to touch Kyle's penis," Jeff said. "It something to do in private, though."
"Okay. I understand. I'm just not used to seeing them, that's all," he said.
"You'll get used to it around here. That's for sure," Brian said.
(Kyle's Perspective)
I'm a sucker for a cute kid, especially somebody like Chris. It wasn't really that much trouble taking care of him, and after a couple of days every one of us felt right at home doing what needed doing. He couldn't walk or stand up without somebody holding him, but that didn't stop him from getting everywhere he wanted to be in his wheelchair.
We got a bed from one of the hotels and turned the downstairs study into his bedroom. He used the toilet in the little partial bathroom downstairs, and every night one of us gave him a bath in the tub in Kevin and Rick's room. It was a great big tub. I don't know what the others did, but I stripped down and got right in there with him. Most of the time, we'd end up playing in the water instead of having a quick bath like you would by yourself. Kevin got pissed off at us a time or two when we got water all over the floor, but we had fun doing it. Besides, I cleaned it up.
He never did bring up touching my dick again, like he had the first day, so I didn't say anything about it. We both got hard a couple of times, as naked boys playing around in the tub will do, but that was it. We'd giggle and look at one another, but we never did touch each other in a sexual way. I wasn't interested in him that way, and evidently he wasn't interested in me that way, either.
He wasn't wrong about being a sloppy eater, that's for sure. He suggested we tie a towel around his neck, and that was a good thing. By the time he finished eating, I think he had as much food on the towel as he got down his throat. One time we had spaghetti. Oh, my God! It looked like a blood bath. He loved that red sauce, though.
He got to where he was tossing out jokes and put-downs as good as the rest of us. Better, even, than Brian and Jeff. One time he and I were on the floor watching TV. It was a real boring baseball game, and we started fooling around. I knocked him over, and he crawled over to me and flopped down on my back. I pushed him over, and before long we were wrestling.
"Kyle. Be careful. You're going to hurt him," Rick said.
"He's not hurting me, but if he does, you'll know it," he said.
"Oh, yeah? How will we know it," I asked.
"They'll know it because you'll be screaming."
"Me? Why would I be screaming," I asked.
"Cause I'll be biting your nuts off," he said.
Everybody who was there laughed hard, and I could tell Chris was proud of himself.
"Go ahead and say it, Kyle," Justin said. "He deserves it for that one."
"Okay. You got me last, Bubba," I said. He grinned so big you could see his tonsils.
When I first met Chris, I thought he would be this pitiful little guy who could barely stay alive. I was so totally wrong about that. That boy was tough. He was disabled, for sure, but he never asked for help unless he absolutely had to. It might take him three tries to get a spoonful of food into this mouth, but he'd do it himself, or die trying. He was sharp, too. He went to a special school, but he was taking the same shit I was. We even got him out a few times to shoot hoops. He never got one in, but he never gave up on it, either.
He loved to play with Brian and his model airplanes. Brian got him to the point where he could control it pretty good while the plane was in the air. I don't think he ever landed one, but, hell, I could only do that about half the time.
He also loved my boat. He didn't stay long enough for me to get him up on skis, but he was willing to try it if we had had time. A few times I sat him in my lap and let him help me steer the boat. One time when we were like that, I got a hard-on.
"I feel something," he said, grinning.
"You know what it is, don't you?"
"Yeah. Does that mean you're in love with me?"
"You little fucker," I said.
He laughed.
"Seriously, is it bothering you," I asked.
"No."
"Well, let's just ignore it."
He didn't say anything for about a minute.
"Kyle?"
"What?"
"Can you ignore a hard dick up your ass?"
I slowed the boat almost to idle.
"Here. Let me move you," I said.
"I was only teasing you, Kyle," he said. "And I got you last, too."
I was laughing so hard I could hardly talk.
"I ought to throw your ass in this water and not go after you," I said. "And, yeah, you did get me last, you fucker."
He was laughing so hard he almost fell off my lap.
Much to everybody's surprise and disappointment, Chris didn't stay with us a full month. In fact, his dad came to get him after only two weeks. His dad was a really nice guy, and it seemed like he really loved Chris, too. He stayed with us a couple of days to learn how we were taking care of Chris. There was a lot of crying when we took them to the airport. Everybody promised to write and to visit and to stay in touch, but I don't know how likely that will be.
Getting to know Chris changed all of us, I think. We talked about it a little bit. We all decided that we would never think of a disabled person as "crippled" ever again.