Date: Thu, 31 Dec 2015 14:14:22 -0500
From: Andrew Phillips <andrewphil69@gmail.com>
Subject: He and I (Part 23)

Dear Readers:


Here is another episode of "He and I" adding a new narrator.  This and all
episodes are copyrighted.


Please give me feedback so I can help fulfill your desires in future
episodes.


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Thanks, Drew



=======================================


Part 23 — I was taught...


[Author's note: I am adding an additional narrator, Tommy.]


Tommy:


My life is pretty simple and not especially happy right now, but hopeful.
When I first came to town in the junior year of high school I knew no one.
Only Andy Johnson even talked to me at first.  Andy was a stunningly
handsome guy who was on the swim team and, once he learned that I was a
swimmer at the last high school I attended, he got me to try out for the
team.  Luckily they didn't have many breaststrokers so I was able to join
the team.  There were lots of things I liked about the team.  First I liked
belonging to a group, even though my shyness kept me from getting to know
any one of them very well.  Second, I really liked the exercise.  It
released a lot of the pent-up anxiety I had.  And finally, I enjoyed the
view.  Since I was a kid I always like looking at men, the less clothes
they wore the better.  I don't really know why that was, but there it was.


The summer after I graduated I missed the swimming so I joined the local
intercity swim team.  I was happy to see that my old coach, Mr. Allcock,
and my first acquaintance, Andy Johnson, were also part of the team.  But
there were a lot of new guys and one of them, Tim Weaver, really attracted
me.  Not just his looks, but his spirit was what really appealed to me.  He
was outgoing, just the opposite of me.  At first that attraction led me to
just wanting to be with him, to hang out, to be pals.  I didn't know how
to, well, introduce myself without feeling foolish, so I asked Andy if he
could help.   Andy realized that Tim, he, and me were three-quarters of the
medley relay team and arranged a get together of the four of us (including
a new guy, Jim McClain, a great crawler) at the local pizza joint.  It was
there that I realized Tim was into baseball, more specifically the local
pro team, the Martens.  And so was I, and he, that is Tim, invited me to go
to the next home game.


We went and had a great time, even meeting the "hot" new second baseman,
exchanging high-five's at every Martens' hits.  The Martens pulled out a
close victory and he and I went back to Tim's place, relived every inning
of the game, watched a movie on TV, had some beers, and had a great time.
He got me talking and laughing and I forgot my shyness around him.


Whenever Tim touched me, even just by chance (an arm around my shoulder,
just sitting side by side, touching my arm when making a point), I felt a
rush of emotions, a weakness that spread throughout my whole body, a desire
to surrender myself to him, a sense of willingness to be whatever he wanted
me to be.  Or were those contacts just by chance?  Were they conscious or
unconscious on his part?  I didn't know.  I only knew what they did to me.


What did he want me to be?  Surely a friend, I hoped.  But perhaps more
than that.  I really didn't know what he had in mind.  Maybe he didn't know
either.  Whatever, he was always upbeat but kinda superficial, not wanting
to explore our relationship beyond "having fun."


I think he liked being with me and I sure liked being with him.  In fact, I
was feeling that I'd like to be more than his pal, if you get my drift.
I'm not sure I even knew what my drift was.  Every time he looked at me and
smiled I felt some kind of, I don't know, longing to hug him and kiss him.
But I was taught that men don't hug and, God forbid, kiss.  My father was
military and I can't remember him ever hugging me.  We shook hands!  I
hugged my mother, but I can't remember my parents ever hugging each other.
I always addressed my father as "Sir."  I suppose he loved me, though
probably didn't like me very much, but he never showed much emotion.


I spoke with Andy the other day and I think he sensed that I wanted to be
more than just a pal of Tim's.  Time would tell.


Meanwhile our relay team was doing really well, every practice beating the
time before as we perfected and coordinated our exchanges.  And this week
offers me time with Tim, since there are a couple of Martens home games he
invited me to.



Andy:


Summer was settling into a rhythm: jog (yes, really jogging), work, swim
practice, gym, eat & sleep, repeat, repeat, repeat.  This week was one of
preparation for the swim meet on Sunday in Springfield.  The relay team was
getting smoother and faster at every practice.  Probably all this busyness
prevented Sean and I getting together, though he never forgot to scratch
his right ear when he was around.



Sean:


Busy, busy, busy.  Hardly a moment to think of Andy during this last week.
Everybody was doing his thing.  The relay team was making really great
progress and they all seem upbeat, except maybe Jim, who was sort of
arrogant and aloof, though very, very fast.  I was looking forward to
Saturday, when I agreed to take Andy to Springfield the day before the
meet.  I had hoped we'd be able to room together, but he had made some sort
of arrangement with a member of the other team, a Chad, a diver, and a
fellow incoming freshman.  We'd at least have the drive together.  I
remembered fondly, or rather lustily, our last trip.  Finally the
exhausting week was almost over.