Camp Lore - 23. Chapter 23

“Now that we’ve done it against a tree, what next?” Andy asked.

We’d finished up teaching and were walking back to the boys’ camp.

“We could take advantage of my plans.”

He laughed. “Oh, yeah – your plans.”

“You underestimate them.”

“I don’t underestimate anything. I certainly didn’t with you.”

“I’ll simply say ‘Thanks.’ That would be the polite thing.”

“And you’re a polite thing.”

“Quit making fun of me.”

“Why? It’s fun to watch you squirm.”

“I don’t do that.”

“Never?”

“Not that way. Not that I know of. Why would I?”

“What would embarrass you?”

“Possibly nothing. I been naked in locker rooms all the time – in front of my team, and other teams, and coaches, and refs. I don’t even think about it.”

“Do they really make kids do that?”

“This isn’t to make weight for wrestling – we’re in shorts for that. If we even need to go that far – most of us stay in pretty good shape. This is just normal locker room stuff.”

“It’s a good thing we’re walking right now. And that it’s still light out. You give me too many ideas.”

“Now we’re even.”

“I may be a little bit more even.”

I knew if I looked, I’d be giving in, so I simply asked, “How about tonight?”

He considered.

“That would work – I’m not on bunk duty. And it’s been a couple of nights since we defiled nature.”

“It recovered.”

He laughed. “Me, too. I’m one of those instant recoverers. Rat-a-tat Andy.”

“And almost as fast.”

“Low blow.”

I grinned.

“But I’ll take it as a compliment,” he went on. “Though in another way, you’re probably the longest I’ve ever waited for a guy. What? – almost three weeks? I can’t believe I was that patient.”

“Three weeks isn’t that long,” I protested. But when he didn’t answer, I added, “Is it?”

“Let’s just say it’s not normal – for me.”

“Well, since half the time I don’t know what I’m doing, I go slow.”

“You don’t seem inexperienced.”

“Thanks. I learn more every time.”

“Who you gonna learn from next?”

I looked at him. “I’m in no hurry to move on.”

“That was quick.”

“What?”

“Conversion.”

“From what?”

“Your girlfriend.”

“Nothing’s changed there.”

“You’d go back to her?”

“I haven’t left.” I hesitated. “I hope that doesn’t hurt your feelings.”

He stopped to look at me

“No,” he admitted. “It’s honest. I’m just a little confused.”

“About what?”

“I’m not used to it. I mostly hang out with men.”

I thought for a moment.

“You said you liked women. On the train.”

“I do.”

“Then you’ve been with them?”

“Some. But I like guys better.”

“Why?”

He just laughed.

“They’re easier. At least, at our age. We only want one thing.”

“Sometimes that’s all they want.”

“I haven’t seen much of that.”

“Maybe they’re not so obvious.”

He laughed.

“You’ve never been in love?” I asked.

“Oh, jeez, Rob. I’m nineteen.”

“I love Katie.”

“And you can say it that easily?”

“Yeah.”

“I hope you don’t love me.”

I grinned.

“I do in a way. It’s hard to be naked with anyone without a little of that. At least, for me.”

He didn’t reply, and we started to walk again.

“And I like all the things you know,” I went on. “And your confidence. The fun you manage to have.”

“You never have?”

“Oh, sure – but you seem to know so much more.”

“Not just about computers?”

“No.”

“How much do you know?”

I hesitated. “It’s only been a couple of times.”

“How many?”

It was a hard question, but I didn’t need to think.

“Four,” I said. “Including you.”

“The others were from school?”

“Never.”

“Why not?”

“Too close. Too much to explain. Too much risk.”

“Vermont?”

“No – for the same reasons.”

“Then where?”

“The city... New York.”

“You’re too young to go to bars.”

“I can pass – with a four-day beard and a fake ID. My parents were riding me for the beard, but it was over Christmas, and I didn’t have to shave.”

“Do they really make you do that for school?”

“No. But I like to look clean.”

“So you took your fake ID and your four-day beard, and what did you find?”

“The usual guy in his thirties.”

“Thirties! Wow! Are you sure you don’t have a thing for your dad?”

“It’s nothing like that. The first guy happened to be that age. And the second – probably by coincidence. Then I thought I could learn more from guys like that.”

“Hot?”

“Not especially. And the first time was kind of a surprise I let happen.”

He waited. I looked at him. We’d stopped again, slightly short of the boys’ camp.

“The short version was I was in the city for a play. I was supposed to go with a girl, but she got sick at the last minute, and I was doing a report, so I had to go. But I couldn’t find anyone else who was free, so I went alone and turned in the ticket.”

“Sophisticated boy.”

“Maybe – it wasn’t the first time I’d done something like that. And my parents trust me in the city. They don’t like me there... But they let me go to the Garden and Yankee Stadium, and the museums and...”

“Broadway.”

“Off-Broadway, actually. I hate musicals. They’re dumb.”

“You’re not my idea of a jock.”

“Except when I’m diving?”

“Yeah – a nerd with a hot body.”

“It’s not that great.”

“Leave out ‘not.’”

“Thanks.”

“Anyway, you met this guy...”

“The first time? Yeah – he kinda picked me up – no, not even. He was sitting next to me in a small theater – like three hundred seats – he got the ticket I sold back. And there wasn’t much of a lobby, so I stayed put during intermission – it’s usually a pain to use the bathrooms anyway. But he went out and came back, and for a couple of minutes, we started talking.”

“You did?”

“He did. He kind of bumped into me coming back and apologized.”

“Bumped?”

“Yeah. You know – narrow aisles – tiny seats. Sometimes people face you as they pass, and sometimes they face away – like at a game.”

“I usually face away.”

“This guy didn’t, and I had a feeling he wanted to look at me. Going out, he’d faced away.”

“And you wanted to look?”

I wasn’t even thinking about him. I was trying to figure out the play. It didn’t make a lot of sense.”

“So you asked about it?”

“Not then. But we talked a little before the second act, and I mentioned he had my girlfriend’s ticket.”

“Girlfriend?”

“Yeah – this girl and I were kinda going together.”

“But not your present girlfriend?”

“No – not Katie.”

“You get around.”

“Oh, yeah. Big stud.”

He laughed.

“Anyway, after the play was over, we were waiting to leave. As I said – small theater – crowded aisles. And because I had this report to write and still didn’t understand what I’d seen... And because I didn’t know where I was gonna find any information – this was a new play, not even reviewed. So I asked him what he thought it meant.”

“And he told you?”

“He started to – but then we were out on the street – and still talking. And he said there was a bar on the corner. And I wasn’t gonna tell him I was sixteen.”

“Because you were interested?”

“Because I had to write a report.” I hesitated then grinned. “And because something was happening, and I’d always been curious.”

“Always?”

“No... But maybe since I was ten.”

“Got you beat by a couple years.”

I waited.

“Another time,” he said. “Go on.”

“So we went to the bar. And even though I had a fake ID, I didn’t want to use it, so I had a coke. He had something stronger, and we talked for maybe a half hour. Then I told him I had to catch a train.”

“Did you miss it?”

“Kind of. He said it was too bad we didn’t have more time. And he asked how often I was in the city. By that point, I realized I was missing a chance I didn’t want to, and I said there was a later train.”

“Wouldn’t your parents worry?”

They don’t stay up – they both teach early. And they have to drive.”

“I thought this was Christmas.”

“No, that was two years later. This was the first time.”

“That’s right – you were sixteen.”

“Almost.”

“Fifteen! With a thirty-year old!”

“Probably closer to thirty-five.”

“Didn’t he know you were a minor?”

“You’ve never done that?”

“No! Except when I was one.”

“So you have.”

“The guys were my age.”

“Then. But you said you hang out with older guys now.”

“I do.”

“And you’re still not twenty-one.”

“No – but I’m not a minor. And you’re getting way off track.”

I laughed.

“Yeah, I am. Though there’s not much more to tell.”

“Sometimes, there isn’t.”

“No – that part was fine. And I’d had sex before. With a couple of girls. Two. And not at the same time. And this was different. But not that different. A lot was the same. And that’s what I’d been curious about.”

“And you had to catch a train.”

“Actually, I missed it.”

“And caught the next one?”

“Way too late – he drove me home. It’s only twenty-five minutes with no traffic. And we were flying.”

“I’ll bet you were.”

I laughed again. “It was great.”

Andy hesitated.

“And your parents?” he went on.

“He dropped me a couple of blocks from our house. I slipped in, and no one ever knew – my bedroom’s far enough from theirs. Even Princie slept through everything.”

“Princie?”

“Our dog.”

“I should’ve guessed.”

“He sleeps on the living room couch.”

“Did you ever see the guy again?”

“You’re not interested in dogs?” I joked.

“Did you?”

“Yeah – a couple of times.”

“So that’s the ‘couple of guys?’”

“No – those were other men.”

He whistled. “You do get around.”

And now – if I was the kind of guy who squirmed – I might have.

“I don’t get around,” I assured him. “I’ve seen a couple of guys, a couple of times. And I’ve had a handful of girlfriends.”

“And slept with them all?”

“Three of them – including Katie.”

“Who I’ll never ask you about.”

“Good.”

“But I will ask you one thing.”

“What?”

“How soon can you be in the computer shack after dinner?”