Date: Wed, 24 Nov 2004 13:05:19 -0800
From: Bob Hook <bobhook10@hotmail.com>
Subject: Condo kid (Part 23)

Eric was out, and about, with his Mom, and suddenly the Condo seemed empty!
I decided it was a good opportunity to do a little house cleaning, and,
probably a re-supply trip to the store, later.

I went in the bedroom, and stripped the bedding from the bed, separated out
the well used sheets, and pillow cases, and carried them toward the laundry
room. I buried my face in the still damp linen, and salivated at the
lingering scents of Eric, and the remnants of our passion, so recently
carried out on them. With a sigh, I deposited the whole load into the
washer, and adding soap, I got it started on its cycle.

In the midst of dusting, and cleaning, the phone rang, for the second time
that morning interrupting my actions! I picked it up, and said "Hello.." The
call turned out to be from an old friend, and former Air Force bud, who had
retired slightly ahead of me, and was now managing a business jet charter
company in Las Vegas, Nevada. We had kept in touch, via email, and a few
calls, and he knew that my post-service desire was aviation, though
hopefully, not the airlines.

The gist of the conversation was, that one of the senior pilots for his
company was retiring in about 6 weeks, and that his position was up for
grabs, and was I interested in interviewing for the job. He described what
sounded like a dream opportunity, a stable, and highly successful company,
with rock solid connections to the major hotel/casino corporations in Vegas.
  The job mostly involved flying to the home cities of established, high
roller gamblers, and, delivering them to the casino hosts in Vegas, and,
after they tired of throwing their large sums of cash across the tables, jet
them safely back home.

It was exactly the kind of work I had hoped for, and while my friend
couldn't commit exactly, the ball park salary figure he ran by me, was
awesome! He asked me to fax him my resume, right away, and he would channel
it to the proper personnel people, who would, he was sure, want to schedule
an interview. There was the issue of cross training time for the replacement
pilot, and the outgoing employee had set a deadline for his availability.
Things, he assured me, would move rapidly, if I was, in fact, interested.

I assured him that I was very interested, and secured his fax machine
number, telling him that he would have it within the hour! Securing from the
house chores, I printed out a copy of my current resume, and walked across
the pool deck, to the Condo Office. The woman there was kind enough to send
off my fax, and I scored a mug of coffee from the sidebar coffee maker.
Steaming, fresh, coffee in hand, I walked back outside, and sat at one of
several umbrella tables that surrounded the pool area. Yet another warm,
sunny, California day was in full bloom!

As I sat, enjoying my coffee, and the warm sunshine, I considered the
possibilities of my securing this flying position, and the ramifications of
it actually happening. First, it was exactly what I'd hoped for, in terms of
a new career. Second, the money was too good not to be a real consideration.
Third, Las Vegas....well...there certainly were worse places to call home!
Fourth....yea...Eric! That thought stuck a sharp pin in the dream bubble
above my head! Damn...how was he going to take this piece of news, I
wondered! Our relationship had grown, for us both, and was very special!
Even throwing out the colossal sex, I had come to love the kid, and in no
way wanted to seriously rock his life! Then again, I told myself, we both
knew my being here was a temporary thing, that after Shari returned home, I
would be seriously seeking employment somewhere, and, terrific a place as
Santa Barbara is, there were no local major air services , and the closest I
could have hoped for, would have been Los Angeles. Besides, Las Vegas wasn't
exactly the East Coast, being only some 200 or so miles away. Beside all
that, if I seriously pushed aside my ego, Eric was 14, and had lots of
living to do, and his own growing interests to pursue.

Finishing my coffee, I tried to push my cloudy mood aside. Eric would
understand the situation for what we both knew to be inevitable, someday,
and would ultimately be happy for my opportunity. Beside, I figured, we
would stay in touch with emails, and calls, and, with Susan's incredible
understanding of our relationship, even extended visits, now and then! That
thought, alone, considerably brightened my mood! I returned the coffee mug
to the office, and headed back to the condo, and my household chores.

Having finished scouring the place, top to bottom, I took a quick inventory
of the Fridge, and cupboards, scratching out a shopping list as I went.
Armed with the list of essentials, I locked up, went down to the Mustang,
fired it up, and cruised off to the store.

I pushed the cart around among the myriad of housewives, and whining
toddlers, rapidly filling it with the required items, adding a few goodies,
that seemed to call out "Eric" as I passed by! As I turned the corner into
the produce isle, I all but ran over a boy, who was on his knees, attempting
to drag a plastic bag of potatoes from a floor level shelf! Quickly
reversing the cart, I dropped to my knees beside the cringing lad, and
gripped his slim shoulder, saying, "Whoa....little dude...sorry...you ok??"
He turned his face to look at me, and my heart did a small flip in my chest!
God...he was so cute, he bordered on pretty!!

My guess had him at 12, or 13, petite in size, curly, black as night, hair,
which framed an oval shaped face, painted with a lopsided grin that showed
small, perfectly straight, and white teeth, and pert little dimples dotting
each creamy cheek! His eyes were wide open, and gleamed an emerald green,
centered in his face below thick, lush, equally black, eyebrows! He nodded,
blushing slightly, and started to stand up, saying, "Yea...it's cool...I'm
sorry, Mister!" I took his small, soft hand in my own, and stood, pulling
the lad up with me. Still holding his hand, I took a step back, and surveyed
the cutie. He was about 5' 4", I estimated, and thin, maybe 100 pounds,
tops, and dressed in a pair of fleece shorts, topped off with a polo type
shirt, neatly tucked into the shorts. His arms were thin, and hairless, as
were his nicely shaped legs, extended below the hem of the mid-thigh shorts.
I could perceive a smallish bulge at his crotch, but the shorts were loose
fitting, and clarity of definition was not possible, but, he was definitely
special, in a soft, almost, feminine, way.

I let go of his soft hand, reluctantly, and replied, "Nothing for you to be
sorry about, Champ....I just didn't see you down there!" I told him,
smiling, and chuckling softly. "Yea..well...anyhow...it's cool....ya didn't
actually, like, run me over!" He giggled, and brushed his small hands over
his shorts, then adjusted his small package! Just then, a woman rounded the
corner, and stopped short, surveying the scene before her. She stepped
beside the boy, and placed her hand on his slight shoulder, looking back and
forth between us, then said, "Is there a problem....?" Both the sweetie and
I spoke at once, blurting out what had occurred, "No...just a near miss, is
all!" We stopped stepping on each others words, making eye contact, and
laughing, then the boy looked at his Mother, and explained the situation. I
stayed still, and drank in the high pitched, melodic, tone of his soft
voice. Sigh...I was seriously beginning to LOVE this town!!

Having satisfied Mom that I was not in the process of kidnapping her sweet
son, (Sigh, again!!) she wrapped a protective arm around his shoulder, and
steered him in the opposite direction. I eyeballed his tiny, tight, butt, as
she herded him off, and then, he turned that angelic face, to look back at
me, over his shoulder, and, grinning, he waggled his small fingers at me, in
a parting gesture! I winked at him, and waggled my own fingers, in goodbye!

I completed my shopping without further incident, and slid into a checkout
line, just as sweetie boy, and Mom, passed across the storefront, enroute to
the entrance. The little cherub looked over at me, grinned, and, raising his
thin arm, did the finger wiggle thing, again! I chuckled, fleeting thoughts
of "might-have-been" rushing through my evil mind, and winked at him, again.
Then, they were out the sliding door, and gone!

Back on board the 'Stang, I drove down to the beach area, and over to the
burger place that Eric had brought me to. I sat outside, on the deck, and
ate lunch, watching the eye candy on the beach below, and thinking of Eric,
and the newly introduced possibilities in my life. It had been quite a day,
all in all!!

(More to Cumm)

Sorry...all you heavy breather types, out there....a sexless chapter!!
Yikes!! Just some setup work, obviously, as we draw near stories end! I'll
revert more to type, next time...honest! I wish  all who celebrate it, a
happy, safe, Thanksgiving Holiday!! Thanks for all the emails, as well!! A
holiday pause may occur, depending on my free time over the next couple of
days! No fear.....we shall return!! Bobhook10@hotmail.com