Date: Tue, 3 Jul 2007 11:29:48 -0700 (PDT)
From: crispin emrys <crispinemrys@yahoo.com>
Subject: Crispin-and-Zephyr/Part-1-Crispin/Chapter-7-revised
This series of fictional stories are the product of my imagination.
However, nothing happens in a vacuum. Like most fiction, it is based on
real people I have met, places and events I have seen.
The Prologue and Chapters 1-13 appeared on Nifty this winter. They have
been extensively revised (especially Prologue and Chapter 13) and Chapter
13 has been completed. I will post two per week then continue with
Chapter 14.
It may be against the law to read where you are because of its content or
your age. Or you may feel uncomfortable reading it because of the belief
systems you have accepted. Follow the dictates of your heart. If you do
read this series, I hope you enjoy it.
When this five part story is completed, it will have told the tale of one
boy and one man and how their intimate relationship and love for each
other led to the creation of a modern day legion of boy knights. These
knights errant became young champions of human and social rights and
defenders of the weak and the downtrodden. These Boy Knights of the
Green Republic reveal the true meaning, purpose and power of boyhood.
You may be aware of the etymology of the word knight, that it is derived
from the Old English cniht, meaning page boy, or servant, or simply boy.
Knighthood, as in the Old English cnihthad, had the meaning of
adolescence, that most intriguing period between childhood and manhood.
In this sense every boy is a knight, and in my estimation a potential
knight errant.
Copyright 2007 Crispin Emrys. All Rights Reserved.
This series may be displayed on any website so long as no money is
charged for access and attribution is retained. Just ask permission
first. Thanks.
This project is dedicated
to Guy Davenport, a gentle genius and unsurpassed writer of short
stories who died in 2005,
to every Crispin and Zephyr in this or any other world,
and to you the reader that you may be encouraged by it.
I am Crispin Emrys at crispinemrys@yahoo.com. Please feel free to
contact me. I always enjoy hearing from readers.
Index for Part I -- Crispin
February 1999:
Chap 1 -- Robbie 1
Chap 2 -- Robbie 2
Chap 3 -- Call to Crispin from Gwen Powell-Jones
Chap 4 -- Crispin agrees to visit Boulder
March 1999:
Chap 5 -- Plane Boy -- Cody Clarke
Chap 6 -- Cris visits Boulder and decides to take the position
offered him
[FYI: I realize that the flow of characters in and out of the story
might cause some confusion, so here is the current cast as of this
chapter. Ages are given for March, 1999.]
Daniel Yvanovich Rothko
Anna (Annie) Ulanova Rothko
Aleksey (Alex, Alyosha, Alyoshka) 13
Michael (Misha, Mishka) [1983-1996]
Robbie 15
Summer -- mother 32
Tanner[1984-1998] [15]
Adam -- brother 10
Gwendolyn Powell-Jones
Cullen "Cully" Powell 23
Major Theresa (Terri) Clarke 35
Jonathan Cody Clarke 11
Uncle Billy 33
Paul 22
Crispin and Zephyr
Part 1 - Crispin
Chapter 7 -- Revised
March 1999
Boulder, Colorado
'Wow! This is just so incredible,' Cris thought to himself as he lay
in bed in the early morning twilight. He had awakened with only Cody on
his mind. He must have been dreaming about him. He lay on his back
looking more at his inner thoughts than the shadowy exposed beams of the
ceiling. He pursed his lips and slowly shook his head. In the stillness
of the early morning he was now finally willing to admit that he was
totally smitten with this precocious young boy. He lay there and let
these thoughts occupy in his mind until the sky began to take on some
color. Then he rolled onto his stomach and, propped up by two pillows,
stared out the window toward the eastern light.
"Awesome," he said aloud, summing up both his thoughts on Cody and
the magnificent spreading colors of the dawn. He remained gazing at the
horizon as the dawn sky shifted from slate to pink to blood red to
magenta, then to orange and to peach, and finally to silvery yellow as
the great red-orange ball of the sun rose into the eastern sky. It took
eight minutes from its first appearance until it was fully above the
horizon. He had counted it many times, with many boys, in may
circumstances, but never tired of it. He wanted to share this experience
with Cody. And now he knew he would.
"Whew, what a sight," he commented to himself as the sun rose
higher into the bright morning sky. 'A great beginning for what is going
to be a glorious weekend with a mind-boggling boy,' he thought. Cris
laughed to himself, 'Boy, he has certainly boggled this guy's mind.
Well, time to get it on,' he decided as he bounded out of bed and headed
for the shower.
It was so early that Cris was in the kitchen some time before Gwen
appeared. It being Saturday, she was sleeping in. He made a pot of tea
and fixed himself a light breakfast. He had just finished the tea and
noteworthy essentials of both the New York Times and the Denver Post when
Gwen ambled in.
"Hey, Gwen. Great morning," he greeted her in an enthusiastic
tone.
"My, my, but you are up bright and early, Cris," she said smiling
cordially. "And so chipper. Can't imagine why."
Cris smiled sheepishly. "I guess I am pretty excited. Got up with
the sun and it was a sight to behold. Anyway, I guess I am off. Wish me
luck."
"You won't need any luck, darling. Everything just drops into place
for you sometimes, especially boys", called Gwen as Cris headed back to
his bathroom in order to brush his teach.
"I'm off, Gwen. See you this evening," he called back as he
reached for the front door knob.
"Bye, love. Have a wonderful time," Gwen replied as he let himself
out the door.
The drive from Boulder to Aurora, more an eastern extension of
Denver's suburban sprawl than a separate city, took about forty-five
minutes, close to what Cris had expected. It was a straight shot from
Boulder to Cody's, so there was little chance for error. There wasn't
much traffic, except for those heading out to DIA, probably Texans
heading home after their Spring break, Cris mused. Using a Denver map,
supplemented with the directions that Terri had given him, Cris was in
front of the Clarke home a few minutes after nine, at least according to
the digital clock in the Rover.
He parked in the driveway and was heading up to the door, when it
opened with great swiftness and out came a charging Cody. The spadger
did not appear to be planning to slow down and was heading full tilt
straight for Cris. So he stopped, braced himself and spread his arms.
As Cody jumped up at the last moment, crashing into his torso, Cris
assisted by crouching slightly and leaning forward a bit, then engulfing
the flying boy with his waiting arms. As Cris took several steps
backwards as the result of the impact, Cody wrapped his arms around
Cris's neck and his legs around his waist. Cris in turn wrapped his arms
around Cody cradling his pert bottom with one arm while placing the other
around his lower back to give additional support. This way Cris was able
to really show Cody the affection he felt for him with an ongoing
embrace, instead of a mere hug. And, of course, Cody happily
reciprocated.
"Its good to see you, too, tiger," Cris laughed once he had caught
his breath again.
"I thought you would never get here," Cody said in a muffled voice
because his head was pressed against Cris's neck.
"Well, I'm a little later than I had planned." Cris decided not to
point out that he was only a few minutes late. "But then again, here I
am. Let's go talk with your mom, shall we?"
"Cody," came a shout from the porch, "give Cris a break." Terri
was standing arms akimbo in the doorway of the house with a wide grin on
her face, clearly enjoying this example of male bonding. Then she headed
back inside.
Cris whispered to Cody, "Time to hop down, sweetheart." As Cody
uncoiled, Cris gently lowered the boy to the ground. Then facing him, he
placed one hand on each side of his head and tilted Cody's head up until
he was looking directly into Cris's eyes. "I have missed you so much
and I am so glad we get to spend this weekend together."
With this Cody leaned into Cris and wrapped his arms around his waist
and hugged him tightly.
Cris kissed the top of Cody's blond mop of hair and said, "Let's
go inside, tiger."
Cody grinned his award winning grin, nodded, unwrapped Cris and
taking his hand in his own, pulled Cris through the door and into the
foyer of the house.
The Clarke's lived in an attractive home with a nicely landscaped
yard. The inside was furnished tastefully and quite large, certainly
large enough for two people. Cody led Cris by the hand into the kitchen
where Terri was cleaning up after breakfast.
"Coffee?" she asked.
"No thanks, Terri," he smiled. "I had some tea before I left
Boulder. My, you have a very nice home Major, and the landscaping is
very attractive."
Terri looked up from what she was doing, smiling in return and
said, "It is very kind of you to say so, Cris. I take it as a personal
compliment since I did the plant instillation myself, though with a
little assist from a good friend who does it for a living."
Changing the subject she added, "Cody has been up since I don't know
when. I am so relieved that you are here. I was running out of ways to
keep him occupied."
"Aw, mom," piped Cody in his sweet treble voice.
Things got quiet for just a moment, although the adults smiled at
Cody's feigned discomfort.
Cris broke the silence. "Well, I guess I will have to admit that I
got up at the crack of dawn myself. I'm guess I am sort of hyped up
myself." He paused briefly. "I thought we might head over to the zoo
and the museum, and maybe do lunch somewhere in between. And if we still
have the energy catch a movie and some dinner. Do you think I could
kidnap your son for that long?"
Terri looked over to Cody, who in turn was looking at his mom with
his big gorgeous coppery-green eyes just waiting for the answer he knew
she would give, though not without making him squirm a little first as
they loved to tease each other. She smiled at her son and said, "That
would be great. If you can get him home by, say, ten, then we could all
get an good nights sleep. I know you boys have cooked up big plans for
tomorrow as well."
"That's true. I'm still hoping to pick Cody up tomorrow around ten
or so, Terri, and see if we can find a good spot out past Nederland to do
some snowshoeing. I met someone last night who lives up there and
suggested that the best place to snowshoe right now would be up on of the
main trails leading into Indian Peaks Wilderness. We'll head out from
the Hessie trailhead in Eldora, which is just outside of Ned."
"Gee, mom, I really want to do that, too," Cody interjected in his
most endearing treble range.
"I know you do Cody. That will be fine, sweetheart. All the more
reason to get home on time and get plenty of rest. And don't run Cris
ragged today so that he has not any energy left for hiking tomorrow."
"Aw, mom," Cody responded on cue in a singsong mock whine.
Cris smiled at the interaction and added, "I will be sure to pace
myself, Terri." At which point both he and Terri laughed, Cody finally
joining in.
For the next ten or fifteen minutes Cris and Terri chatted about what
he had been doing for the week and what it was like to be a single mom
who was also an officer in the Air Force with some major responsibilities
over an F-16 training squadron. Noticing that Cody was getting pretty
antsy, though obviously doing his best to wait patiently, Cris finally
said, "Well, I guess we better get moving."
Cody's face lite up like the sun at midday. "Whoohoo," he yelled,
waving both his fists in the air.
"Have a super day, boys," said Terri laughing. "I will make every
effort enjoy the quiet. It will be a good day to start getting the
flower beds ready for planting. The ground has started to thaw and there
are plenty of dead things to pull out. Spring is not far away now."
Cris noted that the locals appeared to have a heightened awareness of the
end of winter, as Gwen had said the same thing. 'Did this make winter a
really hard experience,' he wondered to himself, 'or was it just an
innate appreciation of the change of seasons?' He figured he would find
out for himself by this time next year.
Cody jumped up, grabbed his hoodie, hugged his mom, and literally
dragged Cris out the door.
"Cody, make sure you have your key," yelled mom from the kitchen.
"Got it mom," shouted the boy as he pulled Cris out the door.
"We'll be back around 9:30 or so, Terri, if the creek don't rise,"
Cris yelled over his shoulder as they moved onto the porch. "If not,
we'll call you," he said as they he shut the door.
"Wow, this is so cool," was Cody's reaction to the British khaki
colored Range Rover. He jumped into the shotgun position, tossed his
sweatshirt into the back, as the cab was still pretty warm, and belted
himself in very quickly. He was definitely raring and now ready to go.
"OK, tiger, you are the navigator. Here is the map of Denver and
this is where we are and this is where we are heading," said Cris as he
pointed on the map to City Park in east Denver that was home to both the
Denver Zoo and first class Museum of Nature and Science.
"No prob, Crissy," replied Cody, taking the map. Crissy! Not many
people called him that, but Cris liked that level of familiarity from
Cody. So he reached over and gently tousled Cody's hair. Cris was
rewarded with one of Cody's broad grins and the most loving gaze, one
that was so powerful Cris just could not tear his eyes away.
Cody's piercingly green eyes twinkled as he smiled, and he finally
said, "Crissy," in a tone you would use for waking someone up.
"Um...let's go already?" So, Cris awoke from his daze, smiled, nodded,
and started the Rover and backed out of the driveway. They were off on
an adventure that would ultimately change both of their lives in a way
that neither could have dreamed.
Cody's directions were excellent, as he was a very proficient map
reader, although the route was quite simple and the traffic was no
problem this early on a weekend. It was a very quick trip to the zoo,
which had just opened. And since it was not very crowded yet, they found
an excellent parking place very close to the entrance.
The temperature was still in the chilly range, so when they got out,
Cris put on his black leather jacket and Cody his red hooded sweatshirt
and Cris grabbed his camera, which he rarely traveled without. As they
headed through the parking lot to the zoo entrance, Cody reached over and
took Cris by the hand. Cris looked over at him, but Cody was focused on
the zoo and did not seem to give a second thought to walking hand in hand
with a male adult. Maybe, Cris figured, Cody saw him as an uncle or even
a grandfather figure. 'Whatever,' Cris thought and smiled to himself,
just happy for the relationship as it stood but loving every minute of
this physical contact.
Once inside Cris and Cody took their time observing the animals,
discussing many things as they were both quite knowledgeable about the
world of nature. It was evident to anyone who observed them that they
took great pleasure in each other's company. As the morning moved toward
noon, the temperature warmed enough that they were soon carrying their
outer layers. They visited the primates and the large cats, the seals,
which are always fun to watch, and the bears. They took their time going
through the snake exhibit and then went looking for an ice cream vendor.
One very interesting incident occurred that revealed a great deal
about Cody to Cris. At one point when they were watching the pygmy
hippos play in the water, an older woman, maybe a grandma or an aunt and
a little boy around eight or nine came to watch, too. The boy seemed
pretty typical and grabbing the the bars of the fence trying to pull
himself up, maybe to get a better look or just because it was something
challenging to climb on. The woman had made several impatient comments
to the boy, all pretty negative, about being still and acting right.
Finally he figured a way to stand on the wrought iron fencing, and looked
around, evidently proud of his accomplishment. It was at that point the
woman really let into him with some pretty nasty critical comments. The
boy got down and Cody could tell from his body language that he had been
hurt by what she had said. He immediately walked over to her and told
her that it was wrong to yell at kids and that she had no right to be so
mean to the boy. The boy looked at Cody in absolute wonderment with
saucer like eyes. The woman then turned her nasty verbal skills on Cody,
saying something about minding his own business. But he held his ground
and calmly explained that kids need love and care, not a bunch of
negative comments that are probably not true anyway. Eventually the
woman grabbed the boy's arm and in total exasperation literally dragged
him away. The boy went willingly enough, but was looking back at Cody as
he did. Cody returned to Cris and took his hand. Cris could see he was
upset by this very emotional interaction, so he sought give him a chance
to talk about it and unwind.
"You did the right thing, Cody. I'm proud of you. Not very many
boys would stick up for a kid they didn't even know like that."
"Yeah, but it didn't do any good. She's still mean to him. And now
she's probably going to be even meaner since I said something, like take
it out on him."
"I don't know. You can never be too sure. It might sink in.
Anyway, the boy was sure paying rapt attention to what you said. If
nothing else, maybe it was meant to help him to understand that what she
was saying was not right. That could make a very big difference for
him."
"Hmm. I hadn't thought of that. Maybe you're right Cris." And
with that he smiled and seemed to be able to put the incident behind
him. So they moved on and headed over to the elephants.
A little after noon, they decided to stop and take a breather and
found a somewhat secluded bench to sit on. By now there were quite a few
people in the zoo park, mostly children with families. It being a
weekend and a very nice day to boot, the locals were there in droves, so
it was not just Texans. Cody sat very close to Cris and without a
thought, so Cris put his arm around Cody's shoulder. Cody looked up and
smiled in his very good natured way and rested his arm on Cris's thigh.
Cris was so taken by this statement of affection, by the brightness of
Cody's rich copper shaded green eyes, by his sweet-tempered personality,
that without even thinking about it, leaned down and over and kissed Cody
on the tip of his nose.
After this he leaned back so that he could gauge the boy's reaction,
ready to make amends if he had overstepped the bounds of propriety. Cody
looked at first a bit dazzled, then slowly a huge grin spread across his
face and his eyes shone even more brightly, almost dancing. He turned to
Cris and threw his arms around him and kissed him ever so gently on the
check. After a little while he got up and stood between Cris's knees
facing him with one hand on each leg.
"Crissy, do you like me?" Cody asked pointedly.
"Actually, I fancy you a great deal, I think," answered Cris
honestly.
"And I can tell that you like boys." This was not a question, but
rather a statement.
"Hmm,"he responded, buying some time as he considered how to
answer. Cris as he looked at Cody with greater interest. "Why would
you say that, Cody?"
"Well, I have watched the way you were taking pictures of some of
the really cute ones."
Cris let out a sigh. "I just like taking photos," Cris said rather
unconvincingly. Cody just looked at him with a side long glance that
said it all. There seemed no point in not owning up to the obvious.
"OK, busted, I guess." Cris paused a moment to collect his
thoughts. "Well, yes, I do like boys," answered Cris, who has always
found it better to be up front about his proclivity with those he thought
he could trust. "Does that bother you, Cody?"
Cody's face took on a very serious demeanor as he looked intently
into Cris's hazel eyes, then shook his head very slowly and smiled.
"No, it doesn't. In fact I am glad that you do."
"You are. Why, Cody?"
"Cause that means you like me, maybe, like I like you."
Cris smiled, gently squeezed his legs against Cody's as he stood, and
placed his hands on Cody's slim hips. "That is an awful lot of likes,
Cody. I do like boys. I always have. And right now it is you I like
the most. Umm. This conversation is getting into some pretty serious
territory. Are you comfortable with it?" Cody nodded his head in
response. Actually, Cris realized that this was rather a silly statement
on his part, since it was Cody who had been leading the discussion
anyway.
Cody looked hard into Cris's eyes as though studying his most inner
thoughts and feelings. Then he took a step forward until he got as close
to Cris as he could. His eyes were now level with Cris's. He reached
over and put his small hands on Cris's shoulders. He then leaned
forward, tilted his head slightly, and kissed Cris first on the tip of
his nose, then once very briefly on the lips. After this pretty graphic
statement of affection Cody stepped back so that his arms were stretched
to full length, hands still on the man's shoulders. He stood a moment as
if making a decision. Then Cody smiled his warm and vibrant smile and
said, "I like you the most, too, Cris. I guess I have since we met on
the plane. I am really happy that you like me the most, too. I was
really hoping you did, but I guess I was just afraid to ask you."
Cris furrowed his forehead a little and shook his head at this
confession. "Cody, these are some very serious things we are talking
about. I am little surprised how sure you seem to be about your
feelings."
"Gee, Cris, I may be young but I'm not stupid. I have been thinking
about stuff like this for a long time. And I have done some research."
And he turned slightly and sat on Cris's left leg, Cris letting him know
that this was OK by placing his left arm casually on the boy's shoulder.
"Research?" Cris responded with arched eyebrows.
"Yeah, I have read a lot about all of this and had some long talks
with my mom and one of my teachers at school who is pretty cool. My mom
and I have some good talks and she's actually pretty smart for a mom, you
know. And then there is Uncle Billy. He's helped me a lot when no one
else could answer my questions or when I was not sure who to ask."
"Uncle Billy?" queried Cris.
"Yeah, he's my dad's younger brother. Really William, but no one
calls him that. He lives in Vancouver, so I don't get to see him a lot.
He came down for grandma's funeral, though, and we got to spend a little
time together. He's gay and he's really cool. He has a boyfriend who is
a Canadian Indian and they live together. And his boyfriend is a lot
younger than him. But everyone likes him, Uncle Billy I mean, even my
mom. Actually, everyone likes Paul, too. That my uncle's boyfriend.
He's really neat."
"Amazing," was all Cris could say shaking his head. His mind was
somewhat in a state of suspended belief rather than outright disbelief
that he was having this conversation with an eleven year old boy.
Neither one spoke for a while, then Cris could not help but laugh.
"Cody, you just amaze me. OK, so what do you think about boys who like
each other?"
"Well, I think it is OK, just so long as they treat each other with
respect and are fair."
"I can't argue with that, Cody."
Cris waited for Cody to say something else, but the topic of
conversation appeared to have been addressed at least for now. So he
stood up and and in doing so scooped Cody up into his arms, holding one
hand under each butt check, which felt very solid under the boy's worn
jeans. Cody threw his arms around Cris's neck and his legs around his
waist. They both seemed to be pretty good at holding this posture. They
hugged each other for some time just standing there in front of the bench
in the warm Colorado sunshine. Finally, Cris sat down again, and since
Cody was still attached to his torso, he ended up on Cris's lap. Cris
pulled the boy against his chest and hugged him with each of his hands
gently playing over the boy's small back, in which he could easily feel
the bony structure of the spine. They remained like that for a few
minutes, neither wanting to break the intensity of the moment.
Finally Cris sighed deeply and moved his hands onto Cody's hips, who
leaned back and opened his eyes to see what Cris had in mind. "I guess
it's time for lunch, my sweet tiger boy," Cris suggested, breaking the
silence. Cody nodded and then rested his head on Cris's shoulder, but
made no effort to let go of Cris. Not that Cris wished him to, or wanted
to let go of the boy for that matter. He thoroughly enjoyed the feeling
he had touching Cody with his hands, feeling the boy's body against his
chest and resting on his thighs, with his small hands thrown around his
neck.
"OK, well, ah, I guess we should find somewhere to have lunch, you
think?" Cris asked slowly. He could feel Cody nod his head in
affirmation and mumble "Ummhmm." So Cris grabbed his coat and Cody's
hoodie with one hand and awkwardly got up holding on to Cody with the
other and proceeded toward the zoo exit.
Cody was actually very well built for a boy of eleven, still slim,
but with nicely developing muscles. He easily weighed 90 pounds. After
about a hundred yards, Cris stopped and said, "Tiger, you are a very
solid and sturdy boy and I am getting pretty winded packing you around,
so I am going to have to put you down now. Remember, I have only been up
in the mountains for a week now and that I actually live level with the
sea. Do you think you can manage to walk?"
Cody nodded, undid his legs and arms as Cris gently lowered him to
the ground. They put on their jackets rather than carry them and then
Cris took Cody's hand in his own and they continued on. Cody looked up
at Cris with a smile as the walked. Cris smiled back and shook his head
slowly, as if unable to believe that life could be so wonderful.
"Why do you call me tiger, Cris?" Cody asked apropos of nothing.
"Your years, sweetheart. They have the most amazing color I have
every seen. Sometimes they look like tiger's eyes. They are
unbelievably beautiful."
Cody nodded his head but said nothing. This seemed to satisfy his
curiosity.
The rest of the day was even better than the morning. They left the
zoo and drove the Rover around the area just west of the park which was
very citified and urban until they found a good place for lunch.
Afterwards they headed back to the park in order to visit the museum.
Parking was more of a challenge, as the lots were quite full and there
were scores of kids and families everywhere. They toured the museum
completely involved with one another, sharing their extensive knowledge
about things both historical and natural. Cris was extremely impressed
with Cody's breadth of general knowledge, but even more, his astute and
penetrating insights about everything they saw. And this time Cris had
eyes for no one but Cody. He did not take any pictures of anyone except
of Cody, and he took more than a few. And, being an excellent observer
of things around him, none of this escaped Cody's awareness. And it made
him very happy.
Later during the afternoon when they both began to tire of being on
their feet, they decided to take in the IMAX show, which was about life
in the Earth's oceans. With the triple whammy of a screen three stories
high, the incredible photography and the truly amazing plants and animals
that were photographed, the film was absolutely breathtaking. It so
completely held their interest that aside from Cris keeping one arm
lovingly around Cody's shoulder and Cody resting one arm on Cris's leg,
nothing happened in the darkened treater between them.
As the afternoon began to wind down they headed out in order first to
find a place to eat, necessary in order to renew their energy, and then
to select a movie to see. Cris, taking Gwen's advice, headed over to
Pasquini's, an Italian restaurant on Broadway that was very popular with
the locals, where they had a very good dinner. They ordered an excellent
pizza, cooked the New York way that Cris always preferred, with all kinds
of interesting toppings, though nothing too radical. Cris had a couple
of glasses of a delightfully satisfying chianti, while Cody drank Pepsi.
However, Cris did indulge him in a small glass of wine that he watered
down a wee bit. Cris was amazed at Cody's wooden leg capacity to pack
food away. Such is the common state of the growing boy.
They had picked up a copy of Westword at the door as the came in. It
is the alternative paper for the Denver/Boulder area and carried scads of
information about the local entertainment options, both music and film.
After finding the movie listings and seeing there was little of interest
in the first run houses, they settled on the Maltese Falcon that was
being shown at a theater not too far away. In fact it was just up
Broadway, closer to downtown.
The Mayan was one of the last of the Denver's famous old movie
theaters. It was long built before the ubiquitous multiplex cinemas and
was still in use. It had reinvented itself by showing art films, some
selected first runs, especially those that were foreign or more edgy,
film classics and a few film festivals. And it was quite popular. The
building had a a tremendous amount of character with its low backed plush
red velour seats, a huge heavy red curtain in front of the screen, and
lots of molded art deco design work all over the ceiling and around the
stage and screen. For whatever reason, there was a film noir classic
series on, and the title film for this night was the Maltese Falcon.
After giving Cody a thumbnail sketch of the movie and how noir influenced
film development, Cody was all for it. While he had, of course, heard of
Humphrey Bogart, he had never actually seen him on film. It would be a
real treat.
They bought the requisite movie popcorn, which at the Mayan was more
on the gourmet side. At least they used real butter. And they bought
drinks. Then they found seats in the center section, ate their popcorn,
and looked around at the fascinating eclectic range of people in
attendance and the fabulously detailed art deco work which really was
quite exquisite. Just before the lights dimmed, Cody looked over at Cris
and remarked, "I really have had lots of fun today, Cris. Thanks for
taking me out and for being so nice to me."
Cris was pretty touched by the last comment. He looked over at Cody
and said, "Cody, you have been a delightful companion. I have not
enjoyed myself this much in a very, very long time. There is no living
soul I would rather be with right now than you." And he meant it. Cody
responded with shining eyes and a wonderful ear to ear grin.
As the usual previews and trailers ran, Cody reached over and lifted
Cris's right arm, lifted it over his head and placed it so that it rested
on his neck and shoulders. Then as the film began, Cody leaned over and
rested his head on Cris's chest. Since the arm rest came between them,
Cris leaned over toward Cody so that they both would be more
comfortable. Cris lovingly extended his right arm further around the boy
so that he could reach under his arm and was able rub his chest, which
Cris noted was pretty solid for an eleven year old. Cris knew how much
boy's enjoyed having their chests massaged and rubbed.
Somewhere toward the middle of the movie, Cody let Cris know that he
had to pee. When he returned rather than sit in his own seat he slid
onto Cris's lap. Cris adjusted his position so that Cody had room to
stretch out. Cris cradled Cody's upper body with his right arm as the
boy leaned his head back onto Cris's shoulder and neck. After a few
minutes Cris moved his free hand onto Cody's legs in a very spontaneous
gesture and he began to gently stroke the boy's thighs. Cody responded
with a quiet moan of contentment and snuggled his butt more deeply into
Cris's lap. He wanted it to be clear to Cris that he liked this physical
attention.
Cris moved his hand up onto the boy's chest, gently massaging the
developing muscles. He did this both to express his growing attachment
to Cody and to vary the petting so that it would retain its enjoyment,
rather than to simply arouse the boy. Doing this naturally led to moving
his hand down to Cody's stomach, again more to vary the theme. After a
while he went back to softly kneading his thighs. Between watching the
film and Cris's soothing caresses, it was quite obvious to Cris that Cody
was serenely transfixed.
But Cris was careful not do anything that could be interpreted as
overtly sexual. He was not sure whether this would or should be part of
their relationship anyway, nor did he know how Cody felt about such
things, other than the message contained in the boy's own physical
advances throughout the day and the discussion they had had at the zoo.
It was quite apparent that Cody enjoyed the sensuousness of their
physical relationship, at least such as it was to this point. There
would be other times to consider the options that lay beyond that. In
any event Cris had no intention of seducing this boy whom he was
beginning to fall for, or more accurately, had fallen for. He did not
intend to go any further than they already had physically, at least until
he and Cody had had an opportunity to talk about all of this. When that
might happen, if it even did, was anyone's guess.
Cris had Cody home a little before ten. As they sat in the driveway,
Cris leaned over and pulled Cody to him. Then he planted a fleeting kiss
on the boy's small nose. When Cris leaned back into his seat Cody leaned
over and planted an equally fleeting and tender kiss on Cris's lips, then
smiled. "Boy, Crissy, I really had a good time. I am so happy." Cris
leaned over and kissed Cody's lips a second time, then opened the Rover
door and led the way to the house. Cody had his key around his neck and
let them in. Terri met them just as Cris closed the door.
"Well, boys, did you have a good time?" she asked.
Cody said, "Wow, mom, we had the bestest time. It was lots of
fun." Then, shouting "S'cuse me," he literally ran off to the
bathroom to take care of business once again, as boy's do when they still
have smallish bladders.
Terri smiled at Cris. "Thanks for taking Cody out. I can tell he's
really happy. He is literally shining. It has been hard for him lately,
especially with the visit to his dad's. Thanks." She reached over and
gave Cris a gentle hug.
Cris honestly said, "I had a wonderful time and I think Cody is the
cat's meow. I have not had such a good time in ages. He has been very
good medicine for me."
In spite of, or more accurately because of the emotional high he had
from spending the day with Cody, he was starting to feel pretty bushed.
"Well, I am really pooped and still have the drive back to Boulder. I
will be here tomorrow around ten. Do you think that is too early for
Cody?"
"No," answered Terri. "I think he can be ready about ten or so."
Just then Cody came bursting in. Cris said, "I will be here around
ten tomorrow to pick you up, Cody, for our mountain adventure. Right now
I think I need to head back to Boulder and hit the hay. You have
exhausted me," he said with a warm smile. "Be sure to dress in layers,
so that as we hike and get heated up you can take things off. I guess a
tee shirt under a long sleeved shirt, under your hoodie, under a coat.
Do you have some boots you can wear?"
Cody nodded his head, "Yeah, I have a pair of hiking boots that are
in pretty good shape."
"Perfect. Wear something comfortable on the drive up. And then you
won't have to wear cold, wet boots when we drive home. Double socks so
the feet don't get cold. Hat. Gloves. Oh, yes, and some lip balm.
Nothing like dry and splitting lips in the cold."
"Will do, boss," said Cody playfully
Cris could see that Terri was impressed with his knowledge of winter
hiking gear. He had done plenty of hiking and camping in the Sierras and
the Appalachians in every imaginable weather condition. He could also
see from her facial expression that she was much more relaxed about their
excursion into the snowy mountains.
Cody went over to Cris and hugged him. "Thanks for a really great
day, Cris."
"Cody, I should be thanking you for letting me spend time with
you."
Then Cris headed toward the door, planning to let himself out.
However, Cody followed. Soon they were both on the front porch. Cody
had turned off the porch light as they went out. There was plenty of
ambient city light to see each other in the shadow of the porch.
"crissy. Would you lean over so I can tell you something?"
"Sure, Cody. What is it?"
As Cris's face drew close to the boy, Cody leaned up, placed his
hands on the sides Cris's head and planted a very sensuous kiss on his
lips. And it was not just a quick peck, though it was not French
either. Then he said, "Cris, I love you," and he drew back.
Cris smiled and said, "That is one of the nicest things anyone has
ever done or said to me, Cody. I hope there is a lot more where that
came from."
"Gee, Cris, I hope so, too," he said with a laughed with what
seemed like something bordering on a smirk, though Cris could not be sure
in the low light. "Well, I guess I better go in now. See ya tomorrow.
Bye." He waved and then he was back in the house.
Cris replayed each of the day's interactions with Cody on the drive
back to Boulder. He thought about the last thing Cody had said: that he
loved Cris. It made his heart leap. Cris had almost responded with an
'I love you, too' repartee, but had stopped himself. He thought about
why. Mostly, it was because he really wanted to be dead on sure about
how he felt before he said words that, at least in his mind, carried
serious commitment. Also, he was still trying to decide whether he
really did love Cody, or was just infatuated with such a dynamic bundle
of cute boyhood. 'Am I kidding myself?' he thought as he neared Gwen's
house.
When Cris came in the door he found that Gwen was still up, sitting
in the living room sipping a scotch. "Hi, guy," she said. "Can I get
you one?"
"Sure, that would be great. I really need it. I am absolutely
wasted."
Gwen handed Cris the glass. "May I say you look awfully happy and
content for one so absolutely wasted. Unless I misjudge this situation
it appears that you had a really good time with your young friend," Gwen
said warmly.
Cris smiled at her comment. "Gee, Gwen, Cody is one of the most
remarkable kids I have ever met. I don't think I can put into words how
much I enjoy spending time with him. I'll tell you, being with him has
given me the psychological lift I have needed for quite some time."
"I am really glad for that, Cris."
Cris hugged Gwen. "Thanks for being such a good friend. Well, I am
going to go to bed. Sunday with Cody is going to require a lot of
energy, so sleep will come in handy. Night."
Gwen nodded, "Good night, Cris."
Cris lay in bed just enjoying the mental picture of Cody as he
drifted off to sleep.