A New Life - 18. Rebirth

Rebirth

Keith made me so incredibly happy that whole weekend. Starting with our date Friday night it was very much like our whole relationship got a fresh start. I completely recognized that he faced one of his biggest fears solely to make me happy yesterday. He did great considering it was his first time singing in front of anyone and it was all to please me. You might imagine just how incredibly aroused I was by the time I crawled into bed with him.

When I said it was pay back time, my intention was to please him in every way while he laid back and enjoyed it. Knowing how tired he was, I wasn't prepared at all for his onslaught. In a matter of minutes, Keith was wide-awake kissing, nibbling and devouring me from head to toe. On his way back up he gave my nads one outrageous tongue bath. Half-heartedly protesting and giggling as he got more aggressive, I asked him if he’d ever let me pay him back. Keith answered with an affirmative grunt then sucked my cock deeper into his mouth. He brought me through so many false alarms with his expert technique that I actually lost count. Finally, after I had begged and whined for him inside me, he methodically lubed my hole, knocking both my prostate and my sanity around then slowly entered me. Looking up at him, I saw the passion is his eyes while he waited for me to get used to him inside me. We had learned so much about sex and pleasing each other that the intensity of our lovemaking kept growing in leaps and bounds. The whole family was home and it was a major struggle to keep the noise down! I arched my back and he started a slow grind inside me that kept rubbing across that sweet spot inside me. Whimpering and gasping for breath, I stroked my cock only three or four times then erupted like a volcano and molten teen cum honestly poured out of me. Keith stayed almost motionless above me, gritting his teeth through his attempt to hold back while I experienced one of the most phenomenal orgasms of my young life. With only the pressure of his throbbing cock expanding and contracting against my insides, I kept cumming, forming a river of semen that lazily flowed down my stomach and chest. I almost passed out from the absolute pleasure of it.

When I came back down from my high, Keith started grinding into me again, making a little more cum ooze from my tingling dick. At times like that I don't only want him inside me, I want us to melt together into one person so we can feel exactly what the other guy is feeling, think what the other is thinking, to be one not only for the time we’re making love but always. I probably wouldn’t have been able to last if our positions were reversed and it was Keith that just had the orgasm of the century; that would've surely set me off. He was pleasing me and enjoying himself much more than ever before, it was written all over his face. That’s when I realized that I was paying him back, not quite as I had imagined but in a way that meant a lot to him.

He was smiling down at me, slowly pumping and grinding into me when I reached back and grabbed two fists full of his firm ass cheeks, arched my back up into him and made my bung hole clamp down on his cock. A few strokes afterwards Keith stopped and waited for another false alarm to pass, smiling at me like a madman.

"Oh geez!" he gasped, "you did that on purpose!"

I'm always reduced to one-syllable words when he's inside me! Between panting breaths, I smiled up at him and uttered, "Uh huh... cum... in... side... me. Love... you... so... much."

His head reached down towards mine and I reached up to him for a quick kiss. He tastes so good! His saliva is some kind of potent aphrodisiac.

Again Keith started slowly humping my bum. I was kneading his ass and teasing his hole while I concentrated on controlling my spasming sphincter to increase his pleasure. Tears welled up in his eyes while he whimpered softly, apparently loving our combined efforts. It felt fantastic from my side of the court too as his fat cock rubbed back and forth against my prostate. Gasping for breath, his rhythm was erratic, speeding up then slowing down again. Keith groaned and I felt his first hot blast inside me. There's nothing better than the sizzling sensation of my lover's seed deep inside. Lowering himself onto me, I held him and stroked his back while he softly cooed into my neck for a minute or two.

For the first time in a long while we played that age-old tit-for-tat game, "I love you more because..." While still laying on top of me Keith started it this time. I still get so embarrassed hearing why and what he loves about me. It's like a confidence and ego overdose. That's nothing compared to when I told him how much I loved his voice and loved that he finally sang with the band! I always save that for last. He laughed and rolled on his side facing away from me so I wouldn't see him blush. It’s funny, I've methodically examined every square inch of my lover's body and rarely does he ever blush but mention his voice and he's five years old again! I love it! Snuggling up behind and wrapping my arm over him we drifted off into a peaceful slumber.

There's nothing like a night of great sex to put just the right "umph" in to a Monday morning! Both Drew and John had showered while we dreamily gazed into each other's eyes, our arms and legs intertwined. He's so cute first thing in the morning! Watching him slowly regain his faculties is a kick. When I used to sleep alone it would take me a while to get my ass out of bed but I'd lay there awake for a good fifteen minutes listening to morning radio. Having Keith to wake up to every day gets me motivated most days, unless of course we've stayed up way too late like last night.

Mrs. Hundser yelled her morning farewell and warned us of being late for school. Caressing and kissing was far more important but we eventually got out of the bed and went into the bathroom naked. Immediately after brushing our teeth I looked over at Keith in the mirror, again amazed at all the things he is and all he makes me feel. He caught my glance, wrapped his arms around me and snuggled his face into my neck. After all this time my knees still get weak when he does things to make me feel great. I knew he was gonna leave a mark on my neck but it felt so fine I couldn't for the life of me attempt to stop him.

Mondays are our day to shave. Once a week is about all we need. While Keith purred into my neck, sucking my blood right through my skin I asked, "Razor or electric?"

His mouth slid over mine, kissing me quickly then he pulled back saying, "Razor. Hop up on the counter."

Tilting my head a little, I looked at him with confusion.

"I'm gonna shave ya. And then you're gonna shave me, okay?"

I laughed and said, "We're gonna be late." In the mirror, I noticed that in the soft, fleshy area above my right collarbone he gave me a silver dollar sized hickey! This week I'd be wearing shirts with collars to school and getting changed for gym should be quite interesting to say the least!

Smiling from ear to ear, he slowly nodded his head. "Yeah well... maybe we won't go at all," he said. "As long as we don't make a habit of it then the rents will probably be cool."

"I can do it, there's no tests or anything today."

"Cool! The house is ours till about three."

Pulling my bare ass onto the cold countertop, I said, "I don't want to get dressed today."

Running his hands up my thighs and giving my hard cock a playful squeeze Keith said, "not until we absolutely have to." He reached in for a kiss and I kissed him back. After a few more little kisses he pulled back with a big sigh and reached in the medicine cabinet for the shaving cream and razor. While Keith spread shaving cream around my face, he told me about this pirate fantasy of his. The funny thing was, I could almost see him in a loose white eighteenth century shirt and tight black pants that showed off all the best bulges! I promised him that someday we’d get to live that fantasy for a while.

Keith’s left hand tilted my head back and he started shaving my neck. Starting at my jaw, I usually shave my neck with downward strokes. He carefully pulled the blade up my neck. Every stroke of the razor had just the right amount of pressure. Above my lip was the only area of my face he had some concerns about but he still did the task right. When he was finished, he wiped my face with a hot washcloth and stepped back, admiring a job well done.

Wiggling my ass to break the seal between flesh and Formica, I hopped down off the counter. Keith had stepped towards the counter ready to hop up into the spot I had occupied when I grabbed him by the hips, pressing my woodie against his ass while I practiced sucking on his neck. My wandering hands teased his nipples then one hand slipped down his tummy pressing hard against his pubic mound. It's just something Keith really likes that I learned by accident somewhere along the line. He sighed and reached back with both arms, snaking them past mine, pulling me hard against him while I nursed and nibbled on his tasty flesh. Keith giggled wildly and enticed me to take him right then and there but I grunted no and continued feeding. I had better ideas already forming in my mind anyway. Not until I had left a nice half dollar size mark on his neck did I resume the business of shaving.

I squirted a large mound of shaving cream into my left hand, put the can down and split the mound in half with my right hand. Spreading the foam around his face and neck I momentarily looked down at his half hard dick and asked if there was anywhere else he might want shaved.

Keith laughed, "Don’t you dare! I gotta take showers at school. Explaining that my horny boyfriend in a fit of insanity shaved my pubes won’t go over well with too many dudes."

I pouted playfully saying, "I just wondered what you looked like as a boy."

"When school is out next summer we can find out, okay baby?" Keith said.

Rinsing my hands off in the sink, I nodded then picked up the razor and started shaving him. I praised God for creating the perfect face before me and prayed I wouldn’t fuck up and nick his skin. To say I got even more aroused while shaving him would be a serious understatement. This is definitely something I want to do again.

We took a long shower together then went back to our room and snuggled under the covers while we channel surfed, looking for something more interesting than The A-Team or Oprah to watch. Finding nothing on TV we were once again forced to entertain ourselves! For months we’ve been having to keep quiet while having sex but this time was the loudest we’ve ever been; I’m surprised none of the neighbors called 911! I concentrated on pleasing Keith and, judging by his writhing and moaning, I succeeded. After taking him past several false alarms, for the ultimate pleasure, he pushed me back and mounted my throbbing cock. Damn, he looked so sexy squatting above me. It took some extra concentration and moving around on my part to keep from blasting inside him right away but I lasted the longest time ever so it was worth the effort for both of us. Keith wiggled and rode my cock like there was no tomorrow, working us both to a fever pitch then resting and starting again. I rubbed up his thighs to his cock then back down again and he tickled my stomach until it was time for another short rest. The third time around, I couldn’t wait to see him shoot and grabbed his straining, leaking cock. Keith just about went berserk while I stroked his meat. We were both pleading with each other to cum. Finally Keith went off like a rocket, shooting his first wad over my shoulder. I continued to stroke him while his tight butt wiggled around on my rod and sperm flowed endlessly from his cock. It was the look of absolute bliss in his beautiful brown eyes that set me off. All my muscles became rigid and my legs shook uncontrollably while I unloaded inside my boyfriend. We were thoroughly exhausted and zonked out for a short while afterwards.

It was the sound of our growling stomachs that made us get up. We got out of bed and, after cleaning up in the bathroom, we walked naked, hand in hand to the kitchen. Grilled cheese sandwiches seemed like a quick and easy lunch that would leave little mess to clean up. Unfortunately, Keith and I couldn’t stop looking at or touching each other long enough to pay attention to what was on the stove. Thus forgetting all about the first two sandwiches in the frying pan! Oops! It seemed like only a minute or so since we turned our back, honest! They set off the frigging smoke alarm and broke up our embrace. Another lesson learned the hard way! We decided to settle on some microwaveable chicken before we burned the house down. Keith went around and opened some windows and doors to get the smell of torched grilled cheese out. As soon as he returned to the kitchen we were all over each other again. I swear no one could make me feel as good as he does just by holding me close.

Keith turned on the TV and we sat down on the living room rug to eat our lunch. After we finished up our meal, Keith started nibbling on my ear for desert and the phone started to ring.

"It’s probably just a telemarketer," I whispered while running my fingers through Keith’s thick hair.

"Or my mom checking to see if we went to school," Keith offered.

The answering machine went off and we heard Mike’s voice. "You dudes die today! We could’ve skipped school too but did you say anything? Fuck no! We’re at Carl’s for lunch and we'll be stopping by in about fifteen or twenty minutes so get dressed. See ya in a few."

Keith and I laughed and debated whether we should bother getting dressed until the very last minute. Answering the door like a pair of nudists wouldn’t phase Mike at all. He'd probably just get excited and jump all over Derrick! I wasn’t ready to go showing off my chubbie unnecessarily anyway. I slipped on a pair of loose cotton sport shorts and Keith put on the teal green volleyball shorts I love so much. The doorbell rang just as we stepped out of the room.

I answered the door and Mike gave me a wicked smirk then glanced down at my tented shorts. "I knew it!" Mike said disappointedly, "You dudes are so selfish! We could’ve jammed and had great sex and jammed some more but did you guys even think… no I guess not." All through Mike’s playful rant, I laughed hysterically and waved them into the house, closing the door once they were inside.

Derrick sniffed the air and asked, "What’s that smell? Did you dudes torch the house in the heat of passion?"

"Almost," Keith chuckled, "damages were limited to two incinerated grilled cheese sandwiches."

"Nice hickey," Mike said to me as he sat on the sofa.

Pointing at Keith's marked neck Derrick sat down next to him saying, "They appear to be a matched set."

A matched set. I thought that sounded really appropriate. Keith and I caught each others glances and embraced tightly as if we didn’t have our two best friends sitting there watching us. It was destined to be one of those days when we simply couldn’t keep our hands off each other. The feeling of his body against mine with my hands roaming aimlessly around his strong back is only surpassed by his tasty kisses.

Derrick coughed loudly to get our attention and Mike said, "Do you dudes want jam for a while today?"

I was more than a little surprised when Keith nodded yes. He really did like singing; it was just the stage fright that prevented him from doing it more. The change of plans didn’t disappoint me at all.

The four of us walked out to the garage and started powering up amps. Mike did a quick check with his pocket tuner and suggested that we work on the Def Leppard songs. He then started playing the opening guitar part to Foolin' and Keith said, "We really need a keyboard player to fill in some of those bare spots dude".

"What bare spots?" Mike countered. "We've re-arranged the tune so it's barely noticeable."

"Yeah bud but ya know, most folks are gonna want to hear as close to the record as possible," Keith said.

Mike looked really discouraged and said;"Well if that's the case then we need another guitarist too."

"Don't get bummed about it dude," Derrick said, "we've mentioned this before. No one's lookin' to replace you. We need a fuller sound is all."

"A good keyboard player with the right equipment could sound like a guitar, extra percussion, choir or just about anything else. It would really open up the play list for us." I said.

Derrick said, "The Journey songs would sound great and it would really help with the ZZ Top songs and the Clapton songs we do."

"And remember when we messed around with the Steve Miller and Floyd tunes but stopped because they all needed synthesizers?" I said.

"What Clapton songs do you know?" Keith asked.

"Lots," Mike said, "Clapton is God!"

Mike started playing a little bit of Cocaine then went right into Wonderful Tonight. Then Keith asked if he could play Change The World. Mike switched to Laylaand shook his head no saying, "That song is hardly ever on the radio any more and it's only available on an imported British CD single."

"You have to learn that song!" Keith said.

I laughed and said, "You know what that's gonna do to me, don't you?"

Keith flashed me his mischievous grin and I almost disintegrated where I stood. Mike and Derrick seemed to catch on that that song had particular significance to us. I'll have the only bass guitar in the world with a notch worn out in the back from my erection! They started talking about the song and that maybe it might be on the soundtrack from the movie Phenomenon.

"Well let's start looking for a keyboard player," Mike said.

Derrick started tapping on the snare with his fingertips and said, "In the mean time, let's concentrate on songs we can do now. Like we can do those Police tunes I want."

Mike said "Yeah," and started strumming out the start of Roxanne;"I can't sing that high through the whole song. You could do it though."

"I'll be cracking up through the whole song thinking about the Eddie Murphy version!" Keith said.

"That's all right. Listen to the song with headphones dude," Derrick said, "There's laughter in the beginning and a few times through the song."

I started playing the bass part and said, "It's a cool reggae party tune."

Derrick came in with the drums and we ran through Roxanne twice. That song sounds so easy but there's so much offbeat syncopation it really is difficult. Then we continued our conversation about which tunes each of us would like to play. We started making out a list and then noticed there was a severe shortage of ballads. Change The World was really the only one so we went back to our room and started shuffling through CD's. Psyched and totally out of control, we made a long list of our favorite tunes, played the CD track and determined whether we could play it, now or later with the help of keyboards. The list would be refined when we found a keyboard player, who would most likely have his own favorite tunes. In the mean while, the four of us had to make sure we could capture this person's interest by making sure we played well.

Mike reminded me of the songs I had promised to play for him Saturday. I took out three vinyl records of my mom's; Return to Forever, Al DiMeola and Joe Pass. He wasn't too impressed with Return to Forever, probably because it features Chic Corea's keyboards. But the other two records he was really impressed with, especially DiMeola's Casino record. By the time I made a cassette tape of both records for him, John and Drew were home. Derrick and Mike left for home shortly thereafter. After dinner, Keith and I spoke with John and Drew then went to the mall to put a deposit on our Christmas gift for mom and dad.

The search for a keyboard player started at school the next day. At lunchtime we realized it would probably take a long time for word of mouth to get around so we agreed to make up a card for the school bulletin board and, if necessary, we could have an ad put in the school newspaper.

Derrick and I worked that night but Black Angus was practically a ghost town. For the first time ever I came home with less than twenty bucks in tips. On the way home Derrick said that, by next week, it would be a madhouse again when all the Christmas shoppers started coming in. Thinking of getting back to our boyfriends the conversation turned towards the things we do with them alone. I told him about how Keith and I were making it through three or four false alarms during intercourse. He told me about the time that he got carried away while Mike was lubing his butt. Doing the most outstanding things to his prostate, Mike pushed him howling over the edge with out even touching his cock. I imagined myself doing that for Keith. Derrick dropped me off so I could go try what I had learned and he chirped the tires on the 442 in a mad rush to go try what I had told him.

Keith was sitting in the living room watching TV with his parents when I walked in the door. Seeing his smiling face and hearing him say, "Hey baby, how was work?" just about had me squirting in my pants!

I answered, "Boring. We spent most of the night stocking up for next week," then walked back to our room, knowing that Keith would follow within a few minutes. When he called me baby in front of his parents, my lust boiled into passion. Tonight my love, I thought to myself, you are gonna howl with pleasure. I put the stereo on then started getting out of my work clothes.

Keith came in the room as I was emptying out my pants pockets before tossing them in the laundry. "Is everything okay, Prez?" he asked. It was a major effort to not laugh like a banshee! Here he is worried about me. If he only knew what I was planning, he'd be more concerned about his own well being!

With my back still turned to him, I said, "Everything's perfect." Putting my wallet and stuff on the dresser I dropped my pants and tossed them into the corner then turned to face him.

Noticing my tented briefs he grinned, "Guess ya missed me. I'll have to make sure you're bored at work more often."

Kissing him quickly, I practically ripped the clothes off him while he laughed and started to roll my briefs down. Finally getting his clothes off, I found Keith’s dick was flaccid; just the way I like it. I turned us around then pushed him back onto the bed and took his tasty meat into my mouth. Pleasing him is so much fun! He tried several times to back away or turn around to get at my wet cock but I dodged his moves. He eventually caught on and let me have my way, threatening to empty my balls before the night was over! Once he was hard I concerated on his balls, taking each one into my mouth gently and drenching it with saliva. It took a while but I reached my goal. Keith had to practically swallow a pillow to mute his moans of ecstasy when his orgasm washed over him. He squirmed and hissed while I greedily cleaned up his load.

Thursday was the night Drew finally told the rents that he likes boys just as much as girls and that he had been having sex with Corey. Afterwards Drew spent the next few hours talking to Keith and I; the poor kid was teary eyed and wiped out when he came in the room. All this time they had only been jacking each other off. Drew wouldn't let Corey do things that he wasn't ready to do as well and that’s what created the problem between them.

Drew was afraid of all the usual stuff, like what does semen taste like and would it make him gag or vomit. We didn't want to scare him but we tried to tell him the truth and make suggestions. It was a weird conversation to have with Drew. He had never tasted his own cum and was really surprised to find out that both Keith and I had way before meeting and that we would lick up some and feed it to the other with a kiss. I was getting really turned on with the conversation and so was Drew obviously. Glancing over at Keith I noticed he was hard too.

Once we had covered oral sex, Drew asked about anal sex. He was so ashamed of himself for admitting that he wanted to have intercourse with Corey, which was something that Corey didn't even know yet. Thinking it would be painful for Corey while he got his rocks off had Drew almost in tears.

Between sniffles Drew said, "I must be some kind of perverted, sex crazed animal for even thinking it."

"No way bro, you're normal" Keith said quickly, "it's not that way at all."

I added, "There's really nothing more intimate or beautiful. If you take your time, remembering that your best friend and lover is doing this with you, it can create a feeling way better than anything else you could imagine."

Drew looked up at me shocked that I would say that.

Keith said, "It was weird the first time, right Prez?" I nodded. "I thought I was giving an extra bit of myself for Prez's pleasure. But after the first oh, thirty seconds or so it started to feel pretty good. Then it got even better!"

"After the first time I had Keith in me, I couldn't believe it, he was like some kind of magician. I never imagined feeling that good."

Drew gazed off confused then said, "So like neither of you is always bottom?"

"There is no top or bottom," Keith chuckled, "what if you do it laying on your side?"

"Or if you climb on top and sit on his dick?" I asked.

"It's a dance bro, some dudes may do the top-bottom thing but I dunno, seems pretty selfish to me."

"Dad told me about the whole condom business. Do you guys use 'em?"

Keith and I looked at each other nervously for a moment then Keith said, "Umm, no but our situation is lots different than yours."

Drew asked, "How so?"

"First and foremost we've decided where our interests are," I said.

"And we've decided to stay together and make it work long term," Keith said.

Drew nodded his head then asked, "What would you do with umm... a used one?"

Keith and I laughed for a moment at that then Keith said, "I'd probably wait till Prez was soft to roll it off him."

The three of us continued talking for a while and went on the PC to show Drew some sites that explained in simple terms about STD's and HIV. Then we pointed him to some other sites where he would surely find someone else asking the same questions that he asked himself. I couldn't put myself in Drew's shoes. At fourteen I had little concept of my own future and wasn't in a position to have to make the choices he would be making.

I started thinking out loud, telling Drew how my mom told me about the facts of life when I was about thirteen and then took me to the library and borrowed two books recommended by the librarian. The books were direct and to the point; here's a guy and all his parts and a girls with all her parts, sometimes guys do stuff with other guys or girls with other girls and usually they move on to opposite sex relationships but not always. No attitudes or judgements were placed. This is just the way it's always been.

Around eleven-thirty, Mr. Hundser poked his head in our room and told Drew to continue the conversation another time and call it a night. Drew left for bed and Mr. Hundser hung around to get the abridged version of what Drew was saying. He was very relieved to find out that Drew's story about only jacking off Corey seemed to be true. Keith and I had no doubt about it and tried to impress that without the additional details.

I took my driver's test Friday of that week, acing the written test and only messing up on parallel parking during the test behind the wheel. They stamped my learners permit and snapped a nasty mug shot for my picture ID then sent me on my way. The DMV is just about the most disorganized place I've ever seen. The whole process took from ten in the morning till almost three in the afternoon. That night at dinner we talked about what kind of car I wanted. The truth is, I was torn between wanting a smaller, easier to handle passenger car, like Keith's Camry but an SUV would sure come in handy for hauling our equipment around. Based on fear alone, I was leaning more towards the SUV. I never saw the remains of my mom's car, Mr. Hundser took care of that for me but I could imagine enough. My mom's car didn't have airbags and I know they had to use the Jaws of Life to get her out of the thing. If I could find a way to drive around in a tank, I most certainly would.

Wanting to change the subject, I asked if I could get insured as an occasional driver for a short while on Keith's car, which was agreed to. Then I asked John and Drew what they wanted for Christmas. John wanted the Nintendo64 game station and Drew wanted the Sony Playstation. The battle over which unit continued through the end of dinner when Keith suggested that we take a trip over to Toys R Us to check them both out. Both games had really good graphics. The deciding factor was the number and types of games available for the Sony Playstation. On our way back home, Drew and John made a long list of game CD's, most of which were considerably less expensive than the Nintendo games.

Mike and Derrick were waiting for us in the kitchen when we got home. Sitting at the counter, they were fidgeting and making goo-goo eyes at each other, making it very clear to Keith and I that something had happened since school. We quickly escaped to our room and, as soon as the door was closed, Mike flung himself at Derrick, not to wrestle but to kiss and hug the stuffing out of him. Eventually Derrick's face slid over Mike's shoulder and he silently mouthed the words, "It worked!"

The weekend before Thanksgiving progressed very much like the previous one. Keith sang with us again while we jammed Friday night, Saturday morning and Sunday afternoon. Having Keith participate really added another perspective to conversations about which songs to play. He was gonna be lead vocals for a bunch of songs and cared about the lyrics he would be singing. Mike and Derrick came over with most of their CD's. One of the songs Mike wanted to do was Ozzy'sSuicide Solution, which is totally against suicide but the lyrics aren't what Keith would put any effort at all into singing. I offered that since Mike new most parts of every Ozzy song that we just choose a different Ozzy tune. Keith liked the lyrics to I Don't Know and nudged Mike along to learn it and the rest of the Dee guitar solo.

There was a pretty major upheaval happening at Derrick's house that I learned Saturday night at work. The short version is, that while making plans for the holiday, Mr. Siebert said holiday or not he wouldn’t sit at the same table with Derrick. When Derrick said he would make other plans, his dad said, "good," and his mom didn't interfere. His seventeenth birthday is a few days after Christmas and he was looking ahead to his eighteenth birthday when he would have to be out of the house, six months before he graduates high school. He sleeps at home five nights a week, quarantined in his room, avoiding his dad at all costs. To think that any one could ever do that to their child boggles the mind. It might've been the same with my dad. I made a vow to myself that on Thanksgiving Day I would always remember how lucky I am to have the home I have. I also sort of invited him over for Thanksgiving dinner before even checking!

I asked Mrs. Hundser about it Sunday morning. She was cool with the plan and even asked if Mike would be joining. Lately I've felt a lot more at ease with her, just saying stuff like I would with my mom. She thinks I have an odd sense of humor, categorizing the contents of the fridge when hunting a snack to pick on but I make her laugh once in a while. We got into a discussion about what was part of the usual O'Brian family feast. We did all the usual stuff I guess; turkey, stuffing, cornbread, mashed potatoes and assorted other veggies. The only thing that seemed to be different was the pecan pie for desert.

My mom used to bake both pumpkin and pecan pies. Honestly I can only remember one particularly good Thanksgiving with cousins and family around back when I was about ten. The rest were just the three of us alone as best I could recall.

Mike wasn't able to stay for Thanksgiving dinner but he showed up a little before ten that night. The rest of us had a great holiday. Keith woke first and put on the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. My next recollection of waking was of Keith stroking my morning wood!

"Bet ya can't last till Santa," Keith whispered.

"When's Santa?" I asked, reaching for his throbber.

"Thirty five minutes."

"Anything goes?"

"Hands and mouths only, unless we get past Santa!"

I busted up laughing and said, "Can't have him thinking we're not bein' good!" We didn't make it till Santa. He saw us glowing all over!

Breakfast and lunch were quick, grab what you want and clean up after your self-kind of deals. It was just a nice laid back day. Derrick came over about eleven and we kept out of the kitchen, listening to CD's and playing video games on the PC until the smells just got to be too good. The Hundser's don't say a blessing but bow their heads in silence for a few moments then, as soon as the last head pops up, hands are flying and bowls of food are grabbed and passed around the table. What can I say about dinner? We all stuffed ourselves and rolled away from the table. A few hours later, just before Mike showed up, we attacked the pies. There were three to choose from; chocolate pudding with whipped cream, pumpkin and pecan.

When Keith and I slipped back to our room that night we were both horny but also wiped out from the abundance of food we packed away, more so than either of us wanted to admit. Keith popped in the video of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. We watched that with the sound turned all the way down until we fell asleep.

The next morning, dad, Keith and I put up the outdoor Christmas lights. It was another new experience for me. My mom and I usually put lights up around the inside of the living room picture window with the tree in the center then a wreath went on the door and that was the extent of decorations visible from the street. The Hundser's had some of those white "icicle" lights that hung from the roof. And the front porch had red and blue lights around it with a huge ribbon over the front door. From inside the house we could hear Christmas carols playing.

When we went inside to clean up, Mrs. Hundser had rearranged the living furniture, probably with Drew's help and all the tables were covered with red cloth covered with sparkles. Electric candles made of ceramic where on the fireplace and the room smelled of cinnamon. Keith was waiting for me at the hallway to our bedrooms where there were a few extra holiday prints on the walls. In the dining room, Mrs Hundser was still decorating. I looked up and saw mistletoe hanging from the entryway light fixture. Suddenly I felt a rush of warmth all over. I don't know why exactly but standing there for a few moments absorbing it all had a calming affect, like my mom was watching me, reassuring me that the coming holidays would be the best I'd ever known despite the fact that she wouldn't be there. Keith came over smiling warmly, guided me a few steps back and kissed me under the mistletoe.