The Barnstable Chronicles: Book 5 - Beautiful Boy - 5. Duke, Oscar, and the Tiger

After school on Friday, David came to pick me up. He said he wanted to talk to Sky’s mom. She came into Mrs. Clancey’s room right after he did.

David told her that he had tickets for the Sunday matinee performance of Wicked, and he was hoping Sky could join us so he could see the show from a seat. I didn’t hear what else they were talking about because Sky and I were playing Soda Crush on our phones.

David finished talking to Sky’s mom and came over to us.

“Who is he?”

“That’s David.”

“Ooooh. Your Daddy’s boyfriend.”

“Yes. David plays the piano and is famous.”

“Hi, buddy. This must be your friend Sky.”

“Yes, please.”

“You’re pretty, too.”

“Well, thank you, Sky. You’re a very handsome young man.”

“Yes.”

“Okay, buddy. We need to get home so we can go to the house in Westhampton. Tomorrow morning you get to start your internship at the aquarium.”

“Okay.” I turned to Sky and said, “I’ll see you next week, Sky.”

“Actually, you’ll see Sky on Sunday. We’re going to have Sky sit with us when we see Wicked.”

“Okay. I’ll see you Sunday, Sky.”

“Okay, bye.”

I got my backpack and put on my headphones. David put on his sunglasses and baseball cap. We walked out of the school, and David took my hand so we could walk home.

When we got to the house, Daddy was with Nana and Mr. Vincente. They were putting things in the back of David’s big car. I like the big car because we all sit in the back and a man drives it for us.

David took me into the house so I could use the bathroom before we left. I used the bathroom, and David took me out to the big car. The driver man opened the door for us. Daddy and Nana were already inside, and they were holding glasses of wine. When David and I sat down, he opened the refrigerator and got two boxes of apple juice. It was just like the first time I rode in the big car with David! That made me happy.

“I like the big car, David.”

“Well, I thought we could use it the first time we make the trip out to the Westhampton house. We’ll use my car most of the time.”

“Okay.”

When I finished my apple juice, I got my iPad out of my backpack. I started to play Soda Crush. After a while, I got pretty sleepy, and the next thing I knew, the big car was stopping. We were already at the ocean house!

We took everything out of the back of the car. I was confused about why my big suitcase was packed and full of clothes. Nana said we would leave these clothes here since I would be coming to Westhampton every weekend. That way, I don’t have to pack a suitcase every time.

“Okay.”

We walked into the house, and there was a man I didn’t know there. David said his name was Elliot. He took care of the house for David when he wasn’t there. David told us that Elliot also bought all the groceries we would need, especially since we were going to have breakfast casserole in the morning. Elliot said goodbye and told us to have a good weekend.

Daddy helped me put my clothes away. When we finished, we went downstairs. David was cooking something on the grill, and Nana was cooking salad in the kitchen. I smelled baked potatoes in the oven. I was getting hungry.

I went to the deck to see David.

“Hey, buddy!”

“Hi, buddy David. What are you cooking?”

“I’m cooking steaks.”

“Yummy. I like your steaks.”

“Are you excited to go to the aquarium tomorrow?”

“Yes, please. I hope I can visit the sharks again. I like them.”

“Will you come and help me with the dishes? We’re going to eat out here on the deck.”

“Yes, please.”

We went into the kitchen, and David gave me four plates and four bowls. He brought out the baked potatoes, the silverware, and the knives to cut the steak. Nana brought out the salad she cooked, and Daddy brought out wine for the grownups and a glass of apple juice for me. It didn’t take very long for us to get the table ready.

Dinner was yummy, but I couldn’t eat my whole steak. Daddy and David finished it for me. When we finished eating, Nana went into the kitchen and brought back a banana pie. It was even yummier than the steak!

Everybody took their dishes inside, and I helped Daddy load the dishwasher. When we were done with the dishes, David asked Daddy if he wanted to walk on the beach. Daddy got a weird smile on his face and nodded yes. I bet they are going to kiss and stuff.

Nana and I sat in the living room. She asked me if I wanted to watch anything on television before I went to bed. I told her I needed to do my homework. Before they went to the beach, Daddy set up his laptop so I could do my homework.

We were studying Romeo and Juliet in English class. I liked that class because Mr. Greene would let us read the different parts out loud in the class. This afternoon, I got to be Romeo. Sky was Benvolio, who was Romeo’s best friend. Our homework was to tell about someone in our life who we were very close to, but some people might think we shouldn’t be close to. So I decided to write about the boy I’ve been closest to for my whole life:

I met Timmy Evans on the first day of Kindergarten at Barnstable Elementary School. Timmy and I were different from the other kids, and we were put in a special class. We did everything together. We would play on the beach and go swimming. We would go to the library and listen to Papa read stories. We would go to the theatre group and learn how to sing and dance.

Every Friday, I would have a sleepover at Timmy’s house, so Daddy and Papa could have their grownup date night. We would stay up late and talk and giggle together until Timmy’s mom would tell us to be quiet and go to sleep.

When Daddy and Papa got married, they asked Timmy and me to be a part of it. That was the first time I understood how two people could love each other. That’s when I knew I loved Timmy. We had a lifetime of adventures together.

When I turned sixteen, Daddy and Papa gave me my own apartment that was on top of the garage. Not long after that, Daddy and Papa stopped loving each other, and Papa moved into a different house. It made Daddy real sad, but it made me sad, too. Sometimes I would cry, and Timmy would hold me in his arms. That always made me feel better.

Later on, Timmy moved into the apartment with me. He would be with me when I was there. He would be with his mommy when I would go to Papa’s house. I was always happy when I would go home to be with Timmy.

One day, Timmy asked me why people kiss. I told him they kissed because they love each other. Timmy said to me that he loved me. I told Timmy I loved him, too. We kissed for the first time. It was the best feeling in the world.

A lot of people don’t think two boys should love each other. I think they are wrong. You can’t help who you love. People should love whoever they love. Daddy says, “Love is Love.” My Daddy is a very smart person.

by Noah Danner

 

 

I showed my story to Nana. She said it was beautiful. She asked me if I missed Timmy. I told her I did but having a new friend made it feel better. She said I should go out on the deck and call Timmy. That made me smile. I got my phone and took it outside.

“Hi, Timmy! It’s Noah.”

“I know. Your name was on my phone.”

“Oh, yeah. I told Nana I missed you, and she said I could call you.”

“I miss you, too. Do you like living in New York?”

“It’s nice. We are at David’s ocean house, so I can go to my internship at the aquarium.”

“What’s internship?”

“It’s like a job. I get to be with the penguins and the sharks and all the other animals.”

“Cool.”

“Do you miss me, Timmy?”

“I do. I cried a lot the night after you went away. Mommy made me feel better when she told me you will be back in a few weeks.”

“I’m sorry you cried. I cried, too.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.”

“Do you like your new school?”

“Yes, it’s very different from our school. We go to different rooms for different subjects—and everyone in my class is the same age.”

“That is different. Have you made new friends?”

“Yes, I have a new friend named Sky. He’s real pretty and has sparkly green eyes.”

“Is he your boyfriend in New York?”

“No, we don’t know each other good enough to be boyfriends.”

“Am I still your boyfriend in Barnstable?”

“Yes. You will always be my Barnstable boyfriend.”

“Thank you. You will always be my Barnstable boyfriend, too. I love you, Noah.”

“I love you, too. Can I call you later tonight when we’re in bed?”

“Why?”

“I learned how to make a call where you can see the other person. I want to see you, and we can rub our penises together.”

“Oooh! That sounds good. You can call me.”

“Okay. I have to finish the rest of my homework before I go to bed. I’ll call you then.”

“Okay. Bye, Noah.”

“Bye, Timmy.”

I had some Algebra homework, but I was able to finish it pretty fast. It was 10:00, and Nana was on the deck with Daddy and David. I went out there to tell them I was done with my homework and was going to bed.

I went upstairs, brushed my teeth, went into my bedroom. After I closed the door, I took off all my clothes and got excited. My peni—um, cock—was already hard.

I pulled the blankets back and crawled onto the bed. I laid on my tummy and made the Facetime call to Timmy. He picked up the phone and was on my screen!

“Hi, Noah. You look real pretty.”

“You do too, Timmy.”

Timmy shifted his phone, so I could see his hard penis.

“I’ve been like this since you told me you were going to call me again.”

“Mine’s hard, too—see?” I flipped over and shifted my phone, so Timmy could see mine.”

Timmy started to rub his, so I did the same thing with mine. It felt so good. Timmy said he couldn’t wait for me to put my penis in his butt again.

“But you have to put yours in my butt first. I want to feel it move in and out. And I want you to cum inside my butt, Timmy.”

“Come?”

“That’s what it’s called when you shoot your sperms.”

“Okay. I think I’m going to do that—cum—pretty soon. Watching you rub your penis makes me want to cum.”

“I want to cum when you do, Timmy. We have to be quiet, though. Everybody is still awake.”

“Yes.”

“Oh! Oh! I’m going to cum, Timmy.”

“Me too, Noah! Oh! Oh!”

Timmy and I sprayed at the same time. It was almost like we were in the same place. Timmy scooped some of his sperms with his finger and tasted it.

“I like to pretend I’m tasting you, Noah. That makes me happy.”

“I can do that, too.” I scooped some of my sperms up and put it in my mouth. It tasted a little bit like Timmy’s, but I like the taste of him better.”

“That was fun, Noah.”

“Yes. I liked it.”

“When will you come back?”

“Daddy said in two weeks. I get to ride on the big plane.”

“Oh, fun! I’ve never been on a big plane.”

“Okay. When I shoot cum, it makes me sleepy.”

“Me too, Noah.”

“I’m going to sleep now.”

“Goodbye, Noah.”

“Goodbye, Timmy.”

I ended my call and smiled. I got some tissue and wiped my tummy clean, so I could pull up my covers and go to sleep. Buzz was still sitting in the chair, but I decided it would be okay if he just watched me sleep. I smiled when I thought about Timmy. Then I thought about Sky. I smiled some more.

The next thing I knew, I heard knocking on my door. David said it was almost time for breakfast, and I should take my shower. I got out of bed. My cock was hard. It’s starting to be like that every time I wake up in the morning. That’s weird.

We all ate breakfast casserole, and I went to get dressed for the aquarium. Daddy said I should wear my jeans and a polo shirt. I didn’t need to take my backpack, but I put my wallet in my back pocket and my phone in a side pocket.

Nana stayed home so she could sit on the beach. David called a car to take us to the aquarium. When we got there, Mike was waiting for us with a big smile on his face.

“Noah! It’s so good to see you again!”

“Hi, Mike. I’m glad you’re here, too.”

Mike shook hands with Daddy and David, and then he took us inside. He said we had to fill out some paperwork, and Daddy filled it out while Mike told me what I was going to do.

“Noah, the first thing we’re going to do is get you a uniform so you’ll look like everyone who works here.”

“Okay.”

“After we get you changed, I’ll take you to the penguin habitat so you can help us feed the penguins. Then we’ll feed the dolphins and sea lions.”

“Okay. Can we go in the water and see the sharks again?”

“Would you like that? Your Daddy and David won’t be with us. Can you do that with just me?”

“Yes, will you hold my hand if I get scared of the helmet?”

“You go it, buddy? Anything you need.”

Daddy finished writing on the papers, and he took me to the back with Mike. He gave me a pair of cargo shorts and two polo shirts. Daddy helped me change and took my other clothes with him.

“Noah, we’re going to leave you here with Mike. We’ll pick you up at 4:00, and then we’ll drive back to the city.”

“Okay. Bye, Daddy.”

Daddy kissed me on top of my head, and David wrapped me in his arms. “I’m very proud of you, Noah. Will you say hello to the sharks for me?”

“Yes, please.”

David hugged me tight and kissed me on my cheek. Daddy and David always make me happy.

“Okay, Noah. The first thing we’re going to do is visit with your penguin friends.”

Mike took me to a door that didn’t have any markings. We were in a long hallway.

“I know this is a new place for you. Would you like me to hold your hand?”

I kind of wanted him to, but then I’m feeling like a grownup now, so I told Mike that I was okay for now. I can do this!

We made it to a door with a sign that said “Penguin Habitat.” This is where the penguins live! That made me smile.

There were two people inside. They were putting fish in buckets.

“Good morning, Mike!” the man said. Then the girl asked if I was Noah.

“Vanessa. Jaxon. This young man is our new intern, Noah. Noah, this is Vanessa and Jaxon.”

“Welcome, Noah. Jaxon and I have heard so much about you and your visit with the penguins. We added a lot of snow and ice for them, and they are so happy now. They play almost all the time.”

That made me smile. “That’s nice. What are you doing?”

“Vanessa and I are getting lunch together for the penguins. We have herring in this chest, squid in this one, and this chest has krill—which is something like shrimp.”

Vanessa motioned for me to go over to her. Mike said it was okay, so I walked over there.

“Would you like to go out with Jaxon and me and help us feed the birds?”

“Yes, please.”

“We’ll need to get you some gloves, so you don’t smell like penguin food for the rest of the day! Mike, can you grab a pair of yellow gloves from the wall behind you?”

Mike got the gloves for me but didn’t get any for himself.

“Aren’t you going to feed the penguins with us?”

“Not this time. I’ll stay right here and watch you on the TV over there. Okay?”

“Okay, but it might be fun.”

“Noah, it will be fun.”

I put on the gloves, and Vanessa handed me her bucket. She joined Jaxon, and they led me to a white door. They opened it, and we were in a little fenced-off area surrounded by bushes.

“Alright, Noah! Let’s go see your friends!” Jaxon pushed a gate open and walked out into the snow. I followed him, and Vanessa was behind me.

It was so cool! The penguins started to squawk when they saw their food. Vanessa showed me how I was supposed to toss the food out. She said to toss the first couple of times to the back of the group. That way, the penguins won’t run us over.

This was so much fun! Before my bucket was empty, about five birds were pushing others out of the way so they could get to the front of the group. When they got closer, I could hear them get excited. They told me they were my friends from my last visit.

Vanessa whispered to me, “I think those fellows are your buddies.”

I nodded my head and told her they said they were. When I asked Vanessa if I could kneel and feed them from my hand, she smiled at me and nodded. Then she asked Jaxon to divert the other birds away from me so I could visit my friends.

I knelt down to my knees—boy! That snow is cold!—and took a herring out and held it out. One of the penguins took it from me and swallowed it. Then I took two handfuls out of the bucket and held them out to the others. They were picking fish out of my hands and swallowing their food. I did that a couple more times, and Vanessa picked up the bucket. I guess they had eaten enough.

I thought they would go back to play when they finished eating, but the biggest penguin walked up to me and leaned against my leg. He told me he was happy to see me again and was happy I could feed them. He said they were happy with the new ice and snow. The other penguins in the group made happy noises.

He nudged me again. I looked at Vanessa, and she smiled. “I think he wants a hug from his friend. You can, just not too tight.”

I put my arm around the big penguin and whispered to him that I will see him a lot now. He pressed against me and told me all the birds will be happy to see me again. I let go of him, and he turned around to slide down the ice slope. He was happy and showing me how much fun the new snow and ice were.

We finished feeding, and Jaxon led us back to the door and into the workroom. Mike had a big smile on his face.

“How much fun was that, Noah?”

“That was real fun. My friends came up to me, and I fed them with my hands. And then the big penguin wanted me to hug him!”

“The big penguin’s name is Duke. He’s the leader of all the penguins. So if Duke likes you, then all of the penguins will like you.”

This was so exciting. And I just started my day! “What are we doing next?”

Jaxon told me that we were going to put food buckets together for dolphins and the sea lions.

“Okay.”

He put three buckets on the cart and said one bucket was for smelt fish, another for squid, and another for shrimp. Since I had my gloves on, I filled the shrimp bucket.

Vanessa pulled out a cart with three more buckets. She said these were for the sea lions. They got mackerel fish, herring, and squid. Once the buckets were full, Vanessa opened the door to the hallway. She told me I should push the sea lion cart and follow her.

We went down the long hallway, and I started to smell the fish.

“The fish are smelly.”

“Yes, they can be. But that’s something you’ll get used to.” It didn’t matter, though. I was helping feed the animals at the aquarium!

I looked at Mike and grinned. “Are you having a good time, Noah?”

“Yes, please.”

We walked through the door at the end of the long hall, and we were outside. I was glad about that. The fish didn’t smell so bad anymore.

The dolphin tank was a big, round pool that came up to my tummy. Jaxon said we toss the food to the dolphins one fish at a time. Almost every time, a dolphin will catch the fish in his mouth. We needed to make sure all the dolphins got food, so we needed to toss the fish to a different dolphin each time.

We started to toss our fish to the different dolphins, and they got real excited. This was so much fun!

When we finished feeding the dolphins, Jaxon blew a whistle. It was a real high noise that I didn’t like very much. But the dolphins knew what it meant. They started to swim around again.

Vanessa asked if I would like to pet one of the dolphins. I smiled and nodded my head. She said I should lean over the water and clap twice—and real loud. The next thing that happened was that two of the dolphins came up to me and stopped swimming.

Vanessa said to hand my gloves to her so I could pet the dolphins. So I did and leaned over the water. I reached down and rubbed the side of the dolphin closest to me. It felt like rubber—and real smooth. Jaxon said the dolphins’ skin was smooth so they could swim better and faster. That usually helped them when they were being chased in the ocean by a whale that might want to eat them for dinner.

“I’m glad they can swim fast and get away then.” One of the dolphins stuck its head out of the water and smiled while it made these squeaky noises.

Vanessa said she was happy to see me. I told her I knew that because that’s what she told me. The dolphin who talked to me swam around and bumped the other one out of the way. She wanted me to touch her. I rubbed her side.

All of a sudden, she blew water out of her blowhole, and got me all wet! Then she swam away and stuck her head out of the water and made that sound again. It sounded like she was laughing.

Jaxon said that that dolphin liked to play tricks on the people who took care of her. I told him she said that she sprayed me to make me feel welcome. Vanessa said she had done that to both of them, too.

Mike asked if it was time to visit the sea lions. Vaness agreed and led us to the sea lion theatre. It wasn’t time for a show, so we went around to the back. We went through a gate that was in front of the stage. As soon as we were in, Jaxon blew his whistle, and sea lions came running out from every door on the stage.

Vanessa told me that we toss the fish all around the stage to spread the sea lions out. We didn’t want them to fight with each other.

The sea lions were having so much fun with the fish. I couldn’t stop smiling. I’m the luckiest boy in the world! I get to come here and help feed the animals every week!

When we were finishing with the sea lions, the biggest one of all started to come up to me. He was so big it was kind of hard for him to get to me, but Jaxon said I should just stand there so Oscar could say hi.

As he was getting closer, Oscar asked me to stay and not go away. I smiled and told him I would stay. Then he told me I could walk to him. I told Jaxon that Oscar wanted me to walk to him. Jaxon said I should, but not too fast—he said I should walk to him at the same speed he was walking to me.

I got real close to Oscar, and he leaned his head against my chest. It was so nice! I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him. He told me he wanted me to be his friend. I told him I would really like to be his friend.

Oscar looked up at me and made me smile. He told me I was a pretty boy! I told him he was a pretty sea lion. He moved his head up and down and said I was silly. He told me he was old and hadn’t been pretty for a long, long time.

I told Oscar that I still thought he was pretty and promised to see him next week when I came back. He put his head back and made a noise. It sounded like a dog’s bark, but I knew what he meant. He said he loved me!

I walked back to Mike and the others with a big smile on my face. Vanessa asked if she could hug me. I told her yes because I like hugs from nice people. Vanessa is nice.

Vanessa held me in her arms. Wait! Was she crying? “Noah Danner, you are the most remarkable young person I have ever seen. Mike told us about your special connection with the animals, but I had no idea how special it is. This has been the most wonderful morning I have ever had at the aquarium!”

“Thank you. I think this has been the best day of my whole life. Can we go to the sharks now?”

Vanessa let go of me, and Jaxon was staring at me and shaking his head. Uh oh.

“Am I in trouble? Did I do something wrong?”

“I’m blown away, Noah. You not only connect with the animals so well—you even got through to Vanessa!” Everybody started laughing, but I didn’t understand what he was saying.

Mike asked me if I wanted to help feed the sharks or go in the water with them before feeding time.

“Water, please?”

“Jaxon, Vanessa—if you could wait until we are out of the water to come into the tank room, that would be helpful. If you can, you have to watch Noah’s connection to the sharks.”

“I can’t wait to see this!” Vanessa was smiling and took my cart. She followed Jaxon inside the building, and Mike took me to the room to change into our shark suits.

I was having such a good day, and I wasn’t even afraid of the helmet. As soon as we had our suits on, Mike started to talk to me and said I could step into the cage.

As soon as the cage started to go into the water, I could see the sharks swimming to me. I asked Mike if I could pet the sharks, and he said I shouldn’t. Sometimes the sharks don’t like to be touched.

We were under the water, and the Great White welcomed me back. He said he was happy to see me again. I told him I was most excited to see him and his friends. I found the Tiger, but she was near the back of the crowd. I said hello to her, but she didn’t answer me back.

The Great White told me she was not feeling well. I asked the Tiger what was wrong, and she said she had pain and didn’t feel right. I told her I would tell Mike and he would help her. That made her happy, and she said she was glad I was back in the water.

When the cage went back up, we got out and took off our helmets. I told Mike what the sharks said to me about the Tiger not feeling good. Before we walked out of the changing room, Mike picked up the phone.

“Hi, Dr. Martin. I just got out of the shark tank with our new intern Noah. We need to speak with you. Do you have time to join us for lunch?—Great. We’re heading there right now.”

Mike said he wanted to buy my lunch since I had done such a good job on my first morning. That made me feel good that Mike was happy with me.

We got to the café, and I ordered a chicken sandwich and French fries. Mike also got me a chocolate milkshake! When we got our food, we went to a table and sat with a pretty lady in a white jacket.

Mike introduced me to her. She was Dr. Martin. Mike told her about my visit last spring and how the sharks talked to me. She didn’t look like she believed him, but she let him keep talking. Then Mike asked me to tell Dr. Martin about my visit today.

“We got in the water, and all the sharks came swimming to the cage.”

“Did that frighten you, Noah?”

“No. The sharks are nice.”

“Did the sharks talk to you when you got in the tank?”

“The only sharks that talk to me are the Great White and the Tiger. The great White told me he was happy to see me again. But the Tiger didn’t talk to me this time. That made me worried, so I asked the Great White what was wrong with the Tiger. He told me she wasn’t feeling well.

“Then I asked the Tiger what was wrong. She told me she had a pain in her side, and it didn’t feel right. So I told her I would tell Mike, and he would get her some help. Can you help her?”

“That’s very interesting. We haven’t noticed anything unusual with the Tiger. We’ll certainly have a look at her and see what we can find. Thank you for letting Mike know there might be something wrong.”

“No, it’s not might—something is wrong. They told me.”

“Well, if you gentlemen will excuse me, I’ll get everyone together for a shark exam.”

Dr. Martin left, and Mike smiled at me.

“I don’t think she believed me.”

“Don’t worry, Noah. She believed you enough that she’s going to check the Tiger out. If she finds something wrong, she’ll fix it—and she’ll believe every word you say forever!”

The rest of the day, Mike and I walked around the park. We went up to the booth and watched the Sea Lion show. It was funny! Oscar made me laugh the whole time. We went back to Mike’s office, and there was a message from Dr. Martin.

“Good afternoon, Mike. First, I want to apologize for my skepticism concerning your young intern. We performed a thorough exam and an MRI on the Tiger. He was right. We found a small growth that was creating pressure on her uterus. We were able to remove the entire growth. I’m happy to say it doesn’t look to be malignant, and she should have a full recovery in a few days. Will you thank Noah for me. He probably saved her life. Had we waited until we noticed something wrong, we might very well have lost her. Goodbye. Please bring him by to see me next time he’s here.”

 

“Did you hear what Dr. Martin said, Noah?”

“Yes, the Tiger was sick, and she fixed her. She’s going to be okay.”

“You saved the Tiger’s life, Noah. You’re a hero!”

Oh! Just like Ian in Onward—I’m a hero! That feels nice. That makes me happy.