Date: Wed, 4 Jun 2014 22:23:37 -0700
From: Douglas DD DD <thehakaanen@hotmail.com>
Subject: The Puget Posse  Chapter 7

Greetings and thanks for returning to the Puget Posse. The story is
mine, so please don't use it without permission. It also involves
sexual situation between minor boys, so please be eighteen to read
it.

In this chapter, Misha becomes acclimated to being an American and
makes his first friend.

Please donate to the Nifty Archive.

You can contact me at thehakaanen@hotmail.com



CHAPTER 7
THE BOYS-MIKHAIL (USA)

Mikhail was tucked into his bed, lying on his back in his dark
bedroom. He had been in his new home for a week. There was so
much that was different for him that he wondered if he would ever
learn it all.

Almost every day his new parents took him around Seattle, showing
him the city and its environs. Even at age nine he could tell that the
city was beautiful. There were mountains and bodies of water and big
buildings. He loved the Space Needle and Mount Rainier. He hoped
he would be able to watch soccer at Century Link Field, which looked
gigantic to him.

He also learned about Seattle rain. The day he landed was a
cloudless day, as were the next two days. The weather was sunny
and crisp, very unusual for January. On the third day, gray clouds and
rain came, but the weather didn't slow down the tour. He got his first
ferry ride, sailing from Seattle to Bainbridge Island and back. The trip
gave him an entirely different view of the city.

His favorite visit was to the Seattle Center. It was on his second day,
so the weather was still sunny. He fell in love with the Pacific Science
Center. Lunch at the top of the Space Needle was, up to that point,
the best meal he'd ever had.

He also met a new person, who met them at the Science Center. Her
name was Olga, and she was going to be his tutor. Misha's parents
had decided to hold off sending Mikhail to school until he started fifth
grade, which would be in a year and a half. Ryan and Lois
understood from the beginning that they would need an outside tutor,
so they planned to home school him until he was prepared for the fifth
grade. Olga came to them highly recommended, not only by the
adoption agency, but by the parents of her tutees.

Olga was from Omsk, Russia. She came to the United States at
fourteen when her parents emigrated. Olga had an Education degree
from the University of Washington. She worked as a private tutor for
students homebound because of illness and for home schooled
students. She also worked with students who needed help outside of
the classroom.

She took on Mikhail as her major project for the next year and a half.
She'd worked with immigrant children as well as adoptees. She knew
the issues faced by the adoptees and was adept at educating them in
adjusting to their new culture. One of her strengths was teaching her
charges how to speak English with a minimal accent. It was
something she practiced as well as preached to her underlings. A
listener would be hard pressed to detect any accent in her speech.

So much of his first week in America was racing through Mikhail's
head as he lay in bed. The city of Seattle, the Space Needle, the
wonders of the dinosaur exhibit at the Pacific Science Center, the
size of Century Link Field, where Seattle Sounders soccer and
American football were played, as well as Safeco Field where
baseball was played. Mikhail knew nothing of American football and
had a passing acquaintance with baseball because of Arkady.

Arkady was eleven and was orphaned at ten when his parents were
killed in a traffic accident. He had no relatives who wanted to take him
in. Baseball was a sport that was slowly growing in Russia and
Arkady played on a Little League team before coming to the
orphanage. He shared some of his knowledge of the sport with Misha
and other boys in the orphanage.

Mikhail's largest thoughts, however, centered on his new parents.
They had been very nice to him. While he had lost his fear of them by
the third day, he was still very shy and reserved around them. He'd
been let down too many times by adults, starting with his real parents
abandoning him. His new mother and father tucked him in each night,
and one of them read to him for awhile. He enjoyed being read to and
he enjoyed their attention. But he wondered when it would all end;
everything in his life always seemed to change, and the things he
liked were often taken away from him.

One of the first things he noticed when he was shown his new
bedroom was a large stuffed bear on his bed. At first it angered him.
After all, he was nine and much too old to have a stuffed animal. At
the orphanage he'd had a small stuffed bear that had been donated.
He'd named it Pavel and he kept it until he was moved to the B wing.
He left it on his bed and never saw it again.

This bear was very large. It had bright yellow eyes and a sly smile,
along with thick brown fur. He wanted to like it, but he knew he was
too old to like it. The first time he was alone with it, he sat it on the
floor in a corner of the room, hoping his new parents wouldn't be
offended.

On his third night he picked up the bear after his new father turned
out the light and left the room. He snuggled up to its softness. He
missed having company in his bed. He missed having someone like
Dmitri or Nikki, who made him feel safe and wanted. He missed boys
like Stepan, Vasia, and Josef, who gave him comfort and  sex and
friendship in bed. He even missed the boys he'd slept with only a
couple of times, like Arkady.

Mikhail named his new bear Nikki, and hugged it tightly as he fell
asleep on the third night in his new home. Ryan and Lois noticed the
bear on Mikhail's bed the next day. Giving him the bear had been at
the suggestion of Greg, who told them having a stuffed animal would
give Mikhail a sense of comfort.

"He will be very lonely to start," Greg said. "The bear will give him
something to latch onto at night. He will probably toss it into a corner
of the room to start, but it won't take long for him to become attached
to it." He then went on to remind them that Mikhail would eventually
come to their bed looking for comfort and assurance. He told them
not to try to hug or cuddle with him. They were to let him into the bed
and give him his space—he would let them know when he was ready
for cuddling.

On Mikhail's seventh night in his new home, Nikki the bear wasn't
enough. He needed to know how much his new parents really wanted
him. He needed to know if they even liked him, let alone loved him.
He needed to feel warm and safe with them.

The lonely boy pulled back the covers and made his way into the hall
in the dark. He was wearing green pajamas that were decorated with
soccer balls. The night light in the hall made the soccer balls seem to
light up. Mikhail carried his bear with him to give him reassurance just
in case his parents didn't want him in their bed.

He walked into the master bedroom. He looked at the sleeping forms
of his new parents and saw that Lois had the most open space next
to her. He set Nikki on the floor and slowly scooted under the covers
next to his new mother. The movement of the covers and of the bed
woke Lois. She moved slightly closer to Ryan in order to open more
space for her son. Once he settled in, she put her arm around his
warm little body, even though she knew he probably would reject her
overture. He did exactly that, pushing her arm away. But even though
he rejected the hug, the fact that she wanted to show her motherly
love for him in a physical way did have an impact on his thinking.

He slept with his parents until the alarm went off. He was used to
waking to loud noises at the orphanage and was surprised that Ryan
and Lois woke up to classical music that started softly and slowly
rose in volume. It was such a nice way to be awakened, he was
amazed that it worked. He thought only jarring noises could wake
somebody up.

"Good morning, Mikhail," Lois said. "Did you sleep well?"

Mikhail was pleased that there was no reproach for having invaded
their bedroom.

"Yes, thank you." He rubbed his eyes and rose from the bed,
reaching down to pick Nikki off of the floor.

As he walked out of the bedroom, he heard Lois say, "We love you,
Mikhail," followed by his father saying, "We love you, son."

A couple of days later Mikhail had his first meeting with Dr. Barrett, a
child psychologist. He had worked with many eastern European
adoptees and was highly regarded by the adoption agency. Mikhail
was now getting tutoring and help from Dr. Barrett, Olga, and Greg,
on top of all of the attention heaped on him by his new parents.

Mikhail slept with his parents three to four times a week during his
first month in his new home. While he reluctantly allowed them to hug
him and touch him during the day, he didn't return their affection,
even though he was feeling increasingly comfortable in his new
environs. But, at night, he would not allow them to touch him at all. At
the orphanage he had slept with his peers or with older boys. Except
for his last few months with Nikki, touching in bed meant sexual
touching, not loving touching. Nikki was the exception to that, but,
even with him, sex was a huge part of their relationship.

Mikhail needed the safety of his parents. He needed to be next to one
of them, to insure that he would not be left alone. However, he was
not yet able to relate to touching in bed as something other than
sexual touching.

January turned into February and Mikhail was getting some routine
into his new life. His residence was becoming less and less
something strange and intimidating and more and more his home.

Part of the routine was the introduction of new things. His parents
continued to take him places, from the Woodland Park Zoo to the
snowy mountains of the Cascades. Mikhail loved the excitement of
going places with his new parents. He was a bright and curious boy
and enjoyed exploring. Wherever they went he was full of questions
and comments. Ryan and Lois were delighted at his opening up to
them and revealing an outgoing, inquisitive personality. The
frightened little boy who had flown to America with them was being
buried by Mikhail's real personality.

Mikhail was pleased to find some chess partners. Ryan played the
game, albeit not at the high level of his nine-year-old son. Greg and
Olga also played chess against him, offering more competition.

In mid-February, Mikhail made his first new friends. The timing was
perfect for him, because he had been feeling incredibly lonely. The
feelings of loneliness hit him hard when he received a surprise letter
from Nikki. Mikhail had given the Larson's address to Nikki, but he
never expected to actually receive any mail. Yet, a letter had
miraculously appeared in the Larson mailbox.

Nikki told him he was no longer at the orphanage. He was living in the
group home. He had his own private room, which he thought of as a
luxury. Vasia had moved to the home at the same time as Nikki, and
the two of them were becoming very close.

"I still miss you very much," Nikki wrote. "I hope you are finding a
good friend like Vasia is for me. Vasia and I are very close and we do
everything together. He says hello to you." Misha knew exactly what
Nikki meant by "everything."

Nikki said that he was going to a nice school, eating good food, and
wearing expensive clothes. Sometimes he had to pose nude for
pictures, and sometimes it meant having sex with another boy in the
home, usually Vasia. "The guys taking the pictures told us they think
Vasia and me are very sexy together. Our last picture was of us doing
sex in the living room. Vlad was there and he gave us all the vodka to
drink that we wanted and we both got drunk for the first time. That
was fun, but I got really sick the next day. I'm supposed to have sex
with a man tomorrow. I hope I do okay."

As much as Mikhail liked doing sexual things, he was happy he would
never have to do what Nikki was doing—unless the Larsons quit
liking him and sent him back to Russia.

Mikhail wrote a reply, telling Nikki that he was lonely and didn't have
any friends his age. He'd met a couple of boys who were the children
of friends of his parents, but none of them became friends. They all
lived far away. He gave Nikki his email address, hoping his friend had
access to a computer so they could send messages more often. It
would be awhile before Nikki wrote again.

The weekend after receiving the letter, Lois thought it was time to
introduce Mikhail to Ben and Troy. She and Mikhail walked to their
house, going half a block south, and then turning west on the cross
street. Ben and Troy lived four houses from the corner.

Ben was eleven and in sixth grade while Troy was fourteen and in
ninth grade. Lois and Ryan held back introducing Mikhail to them,
wanting him to get oriented first. They felt this was especially
important because the brothers were older than Mikhail. Lois was
friendly with Ben and Troy's mother, Mary. Lois gave Mary and the
boys some orientation regarding Mikhail, letting them know what to
expect, especially in terms of his shyness.

However, as had been happening so often, Mikhail surprised them.
Ben and Troy both made Mikhail feel welcome, and the nine-year-old,
who was naturally outgoing when he was comfortable with someone,
shook off what nervousness he felt within minutes of meeting the two
brothers.

Before he knew it, Mikhail was in Troy's room with Ben, playing on
their Wii. The Larsons had stayed away from getting games for
Mikhail, waiting to see what games he would enjoy. Wii immediately
was a must have, and that was just for starters.

"You're really cool, Mikey," Ben said as they played Wii bowling.
"You're doing really good at this."

"In Russia, I am called Misha by my friends."

"Misha," Ben repeated. "I like that name. My friends all call me Ben."

"Did you play in sports in Russia?" Troy asked.

"I played football," Misha said.

"They have football in Russia?" Ben asked.

"You call it shocka...um...sockara...," Misha fumbled as he tried to
find the right word.

"Oh, you mean soccer," Troy said. "I guess everybody but us calls
soccer football."

"You have a funny accent," Ben said. He saw a flash of hurt cross
Misha's face. "No offense. I don't mean bad funny, I mean strange
and different funny. I like it." None of the three of them knew that
within a year, Misha's accent would become far less noticable,
although it would take him longer to learn proper syntax.

"Me and Ben both play soccer," Troy said. "And we play baseball and
hoops. I played football this fall instead of soccer, though."

"What is hoops?" Misha asked.

"Basketball," Ben told him.

"Oh."

"Hey, Ben, how about you take Misha to your room and you guys can
play Wii hoops there." Troy found himself liking Misha. But still, he
was a little kid, even more so than Ben. Troy thought Misha looked
even younger than nine, which was true. While he had a strong body,
he was still smaller and more immature looking than most nine-year-
olds.

"Sure, great," Ben said.

Misha and Ben ended up having a blast in his room. It didn't take long
for them to work up a sweat as the played Wii hoops. "Do you mind if
I take off my shirt?" Ben asked.

"You can if you want."

Ben pulled off his t-shirt. He was going to tell Misha it was okay if he
took his off, too, but that wasn't necessary. Misha was already
shirtless by the time Ben had his shirt off. Ben was surprised at what
a nice chest Misha had for such a little boy. Misha had played a lot of
soccer in the fall, plus he'd had an hour of physical education four
days a week at school. It was obvious he was a physically fit boy.

While not skinny, Ben's eleven-year-old body had yet to fill out. He
had not yet acquired much muscle definition. Misha compared Ben to
Vasia and Nikki, two of his friends who were close to Ben's age. They
both were stockier than Ben, but Misha found himself liking what he
saw and wishing they could take off their pants to cool off even more.

Misha's thoughts about Ben weren't really sexual. In a couple of
years, under similar circumstances, they would be, but for now his
thinking was restricted both by his youth and by the customs of the
orphanage. His youth meant that the hormones weren't flowing full tilt
through his bloodstream yet. The tradition was that sex was
something to be done in bed, in the dark after lights out. Boys weren't
supposed to do sexual things with each other during daylight,
although it happened.

There was a lot of sexual bantering and preening in the shower, as
boys tried to make themselves attractive to each other for a sexual
tryst, but actual sex was rare. Even those who were bed masters and
had bedmates were on the prowl, as were the bedmates. A bedmate
needed to have his bed master's permission to sleep with another
boy, however.

The customs of the orphanage went through Misha's mind, which
didn't stop him from finding himself oddly attracted to his new eleven-
year-old friend. Ben wasn't thinking sexually, either. He was nowhere
near as experienced as the younger boy. He did jerk off, having been
taught by Troy when he was eight and Troy was eleven. They had
occasional mutual masturbation sessions when they were home
alone, but nothing beyond getting each other off once a month or so.
Ben was discovering girls and thought about them almost exclusively
in his masturbation fantasies, even when he and Troy jerked each
other off. But, he also was curious about how his friends looked
naked.

Misha was getting even warmer as they played. Being naked or in his
underwear around other boys was something Misha took for granted.
That was another part of the tradition of the orphanage—nudity was
okay at any time, even if sex wasn't. It was part of the preening
process. So, Misha unbuckled and unbuttoned his prize American
jeans.

"What are you doing?" Ben asked.

"I'm hot," Misha said as he unzipped and pulled his jeans down to his
ankles. He was wearing a pair of candy cane boxers. He kicked the
pants off and was now clad only in his boxers and socks.

Ben was surprised by Misha's actions, but he liked the idea of
stripping down to their underwear. They would almost be like
basketball players. Within seconds he was standing in just his tighty
whiteys. "Don't think we're taking anything more off. This is as cool as
we get," Ben said.

"Okay," Misha said, somewhat disappointed that they weren't going to
end up playing in the nude. Deep down, Ben was disappointed as
well.

They played for another half-hour, working up a big sweat and a
bigger thirst. Just as they agreed to stop playing and get some cold
water in the kitchen, there was a knock at the door. Ben panicked,
afraid it was his mom or dad and he would be caught half-naked with
his new friend.

"Who is it?" he asked, a bit too loudly.

"Troy."

Ben breathed a sigh of relief. "You can come in." The two brothers
respected each other's privacy.

Troy entered the room and raised his eyebrows when he saw that his
brother and Misha were clad only in their underpants and socks.
"Well, this is interesting."

"We got hot playing hoops," Ben said.

"Open a window."

"It's cold outside and it would be cold in here."

"Isn't that what you wanted?"

"It was more fun this way."

Misha watched the verbal ping pong game with interest. He'd never
experienced the banter between two brothers before. He was trying
to figure out whether or not they were mad at each other. He decided
that they weren't, but he wasn't completely sure.

"Well, it's not like me and my friends haven't run around in our
underwear," Troy said. Ben knew they did, because he'd seen his
brother and his friends doing just that, and often joined them.

"We were just going to get some cold water," Ben said as he headed
for the kitchen.

"At least put a shirt on," Troy told him, but his little brother ignored
him. Misha shrugged, grinned at Troy, and followed Ben. It was Ben's
house, he thought, so this must be okay.

When the boys ran into the kitchen, Ben's mother was starting dinner.
Ben took two glasses out of a cabinet and filled them with ice water
from the refrigerator. Misha was still fascinated by refrigerators
supplying ice water for drinking. The orphanage didn't have anything
like that.

Ben's mother finally looked up from her food preparation and saw the
two half-naked boys. "What happened to your clothes?" she asked.

"We got hot playing Wii," Ben told her.

"Next time at least put a shirt on," she told him, echoing Troy. "That's
what I told your brother when he got into his running around in his
underpants phase." Fighting the underwear battle wasn't important to
her, but she felt she did need to put her imprint on the process.

"Yes, ma'am, I will next time."

"Would you like to stay for dinner, Misha?" she asked.

Misha's face lit up. "Yes, please."

"I'll call your mother. And boys, for dinner you will be expected to be
fully dressed."

The boys took their water to what their father called the man cave.
Ben turned on the TV looking for soccer. He thought that would be
something his new friend might like. He was right about Misha in that
regard. The two boys were soon sitting on the couch in their
underpants drinking water and watching soccer. Misha now had his
first American friend and could feel some of his loneliness draining
out of him.

The underwear incident was one of many things that helped alleviate
some of Misha's fears and shyness. For one thing, he quit wearing
pajamas to bed. He didn't like wearing them at the orphanage, but did
so only because it was required—at least until the lights went out and
beds were being shared with a friend. Misha liked sleeping in the
nude, even though he only did it when sleeping with someone, which
was almost every night. He decided that now he would do it on his
own. He didn't think his parents would mind.

He did keep his pajamas within easy access, however. He knew he
would need to wear them when he decided to sleep in his parents'
bed, which he did when he felt lost. There were nights when he was
afraid his parents would leave him and he'd be left alone. Nikki the
bear couldn't help him on those nights.

Mikhail still wouldn't allow Ryan or Lois to touch him in the bed
outside the contact that happened simply because three people were
sharing a bed. He tolerated their hugs otherwise. He wanted more
and more to hug them back, but the fear that they would leave him
kept him from letting himself go when he was around his parents. Dr.
Barrett kept assuring him that his parents were not going to leave
him. As much as he was starting to trust Dr. Barrett and Greg, he
knew they didn't live in his house where things might change in an
instant.

Ryan and Lois remained patient and tolerant with Mikhail. They saw
improvement in him as he became less reserved and more open with
them. Dr. Barrett and the counselors from the adoption agency had
told them that overcoming his abandonment issues would be a long,
slow process for their young son.

Interestingly, something that happened in early March showed Ryan
and Lois that their son was becoming more trusting. He woke up at
his usual time, which was in the neighborhood of eight. He had slept
naked in his own bed. Instead of putting on sweats, he pulled on a
pair of boxers. As he started out the door, he remembered Ben's
mother telling him that wearing underpants around the house was
okay as long as he had a shirt on. Mikhail put on the t-shirt he had
worn the day before; he would change to a new one after showering.

When he walked into the kitchen, Lois gave him a big smile. "Good
morning, Mikhail."

"Good morning."

Lois gave her son a peck on his forehead, which he tolerated.
"Sausage and eggs this morning," she told him. "How would you like
them cooked?" Mikhail didn't always want them cooked the same
way, although over easy was his favorite.

"Over easy, please."

"My, aren't we informal this morning."

"Pardon me?"

"You coming down to breakfast in your underwear—that is informal."
Usually Mikhail came down to breakfast showered and fully dressed.
But when he was running late, he'd wear an old shirt and a pair of
sweats.

"Is it wrong to do that?"

"No, it is not wrong—just different."

"May I do it again?"

"I don't have a problem with how you are dressed, or not dressed,
this morning." Lois saw Mikhail's scanty mode of dress as a
statement of trust, which in a sense it was. Mikhail trusted his mother
enough to do something out of the ordinary without fear of total
rejection. Coming to breakfast in the morning in his underwear and
showering after eating soon became his normal mode of dress.

"May I have some briefs?" Mikhail asked out of the blue. "White ones,
please?"

"I think I can get you some. But why are you interested in wearing
white briefs?"

"Ben wears them."

"Oh, I see," Lois said, although she really didn't. Looking back at it a
couple of years later, she saw that this might have been her first hint
regarding Mikhail's sexual orientation.

With a bit of nervousness, Mikhail asked, "Would you mind calling me
Misha? It's the name everyone called me in Russia and I asked Ben
and Troy to use."

"That's a nice name," Lois responded. "Yes, I like that and I'll mention
it to your father."

"Thanks, Mother. It is like Benjamin being Ben. I was hoping you'd
like it."

The Larsons were seeing so many changes in Mikhail they could
hardly keep track of them. Lois had kept a journal from the day they
decided on adopting Mikhail. He seemed to be more comfortable with
them as parents. He would now sit next to whomever was on the
couch when they watched television. His willingness to be seen half-
dressed was indicative of his growing trust.

He was doing well in his lessons; he had been a studious boy in the
orphanage and it carried over to his new home. Olga took Misha on
field trips, sometimes with one or two of her other tutees. One trip that
Misha looked forward to was their occasional foray to the chess club
at the community center. The members who were there during the
day were adults. Many of them were surprised at first when the little
nine-year-old beat them. The better players always defeated Misha,
but they saw the potential in him and willingly gave him lessons.

One grizzled old player gave him some used books on chess. Some
of them were too difficult, but others he could understand. As with his
lessons, he was an eager student who grasped concepts quickly. He
was becoming a favorite at the chess club meetings.

He received a special present at the start of April, a bicycle. Misha
had never ridden one, but he quickly grasped the concept and was
soon out riding with Ryan and Lois. One of his favorite trips was down
a long hill to the park that sat on Puget Sound. He had gone there
with Olga looking for sea life on the beach, but riding his bike there
with his dad was very special.

The railroad mainline from Seattle north ran through the park along
the water line. He fell in love with the trains, running to a good
viewing spot when he heard one coming. Usually he watched from
the beach, which was below the railroad embankment. If he had time,
he'd dash for the pedestrian bridge that spanned the tracks,
connecting the main park with the beach.

Misha would watch the long freights, the Amtrak passenger trains,
and the Sounder commuter trains. His father purchased him "Jane's
Train Recognition Guide" and he soon could identify what kinds of
locomotives were pulling and pushing the passing trains.

He also went to several Sounders games. Ryan and Lois were once
again impressed with their new son. He had a much deeper
knowledge of soccer than they had realized. They made it a point to
see that he would get enrolled in a fall soccer league.

Misha was given the parameters for riding his bicycle on his own.
Ben's house was within his limits and he rode there frequently. Ben
also visited Misha. The two made it a point to be dressed only in their
underpants when they were together in one of their bedrooms. Misha
wanted to be naked with his friend, and wondered how he could
make it happen. He could tell that Ben looked at nudity differently
than the boys at the orphanage.

Another experience for Misha was a trip to Southern California.
Instead of flying down, the family took Amtrak's "Coast Starlight".
Ryan and Lois wanted Mikhail to see the country at ground level, not
from 30,000 feet. He was enthralled with the ride. He saw south
Puget Sound and looked up at the Narrows Bridges. Ryan pointed
out the Nisqually River Delta, the last salt water estuary on the
Sound. Misha rode along the mighty Columbia. He counted the
tunnels as the "Starlight" climbed Willamette Pass into the Cascades.
He learned the wonders of eating in a dining car. He saw the great
city of San Francisco come into view. He was fascinated by the sharp
horseshoe curve on Cuesta Pass. And for almost three hours, he sat
mesmerized in the lounge as the train hugged the shore of the Pacific
Ocean.

"What are those things down there?" he asked as he strained to look
down the cliff to the ocean.

Lois looked down and saw what her son was seeing. "Dolphins!
Those are dolphins!" Misha squealed with delight when he learned
what it was he was seeing.

Misha's fascination with trains grew on the trip. Riding them, eating
on them, sleeping on them—all of it was great. But seeing dolphins
swimming from the window of a train was something he would never
forget.

In California, he visited the usual places kids love to visit: Disneyland,
Knott's Berry Farm, Magic Mountain. But he also saw some of the
world's great art at the Getty and Huntington Museums. He fell in love
with the Blue Boy at the Huntington.

For the first time in his life he went swimming and sunning on an
ocean beach. He could not imagine himself being happier.

Because he slept in the same hotel room as Ryan and Lois, he didn't
feel the urge to sleep in their bed with them. The fact that they were
there in the room with him was good enough for him.

After returning from the trip, Misha's next big moment arrived. They
were enjoying dinner in the dining room when Ryan broke a piece of
news to his son.

"As you know, Mikhail, we brought you to America so you could be
our son." The boy nodded. "We've explained a lot of the process of
adoption to you, as has Greg. Well, the time for your adoption is close
at hand. The court date is in two weeks."

Upon hearing the words, Misha felt a warm glow surge through him.
The news made him feel loved and wanted. It gave him a sense of
assurance that he would not be sent back to Russia and the
orphanage after all. His new parents really did want to keep him.

But being assured that he was wanted didn't stop Misha from
sometimes fearing that he would be left alone and abandoned. He
still made occasional trips to his parents' bedroom to sleep with them.
These were becoming less frequent, however. He was feeling safer
and more self-assured.

Two nights before his adoption day, Misha knew what he had to do.
When Ryan came into the boy's bedroom to read to him, he was
surprised to see pajama-clad shoulders peeking from the opening in
the covers. He knew his son had been sleeping in the nude, or at
most in a pair of underpants or just a plain t-shirt. He didn't say
anything about the change. He read for his usual fifteen or so
minutes, gave his son a goodnight kiss on his forehead and left.
Misha had already told Lois goodnight; only one of his parents now
came to tuck him in, but that parent made sure to spend extra quality
time with the young boy.

Misha hugged Nikki for awhile. Nikki reminded him that he'd received
an email from the human Nikki that morning. His friend seemed to be
doing well. He and Vasia had become the very best of friends, he
said, and the men at the home took lots of pictures of them in the
nude and having sex together. Nikki seemed to be happy, and Misha
was happy for him. The email had Misha wishing he could have sex
with a boy. That would probably be Ben since he was the only boy
Misha knew.

Fifteen minutes after his father left, Mikhail set Nikki the bear aside
and headed for his parents' room. Mikhail entered the room and
crawled into bed on Lois' side. He always took the side of the bed
that appeared to have more room. He could tell that Lois was still
awake from the way she stirred.

Lois started to place her arm around her son, knowing it would be
rejected. Before she could reach him, he turned and faced her,
something he had never done before. Without a word, he put his arm
around her and snuggled up to her. She could feel his sweet breath
on her face and felt overwhelming love for the boy. With his arm
around his mother, he felt the same kind of warm glow he'd felt when
he was with Nikki. His young mind was certain the feeling was love,
but he wasn't ready to express it yet.

Lois was ready, however. "I love you, my sweet Misha." The boy felt
another surge of warmth and drifted off to sleep.

When he woke up, the room was light and the bed was empty.
Usually he woke up when his father's alarm went off, or while his
parents prepared for the morning. But on this morning he slept right
through the noise. He got out of bed and took a morning pee in the
bathroom off the master bedroom. He then padded downstairs in his
soccer pajamas, his favorite pair.

"Good morning, Misha," Lois said as her son entered the kitchen.
Ryan was just finishing his breakfast.

The boy might not have been ready to say, "I love you," but he was
ready to express his feelings in a different way. "Good morning, mom.
Good morning, dad."

Lois shot a look over at Ryan, whose head shot up from behind the
morning newspaper. Their son had never addressed them in such a
familiar way, before. Misha felt nervous addressing them in that
manner and wasn't sure he liked it. He saw that it made his parents
happy and was determined to do it again in the future.

"Good morning, Misha," Ryan said as he successfully hid his
surprise.

Misha walked up to his father and placed his arms around his neck.
He let his head rest on his father's shoulder. His mother had received
a hug before he fell asleep next to her. Now his father received his
own hug. It was to be the first of many. That was how Misha
acknowledged for the first time that the Larsons were a family and
that he was a part of that family.

The next day was his day in court. He was dressed in a suit and tie.
He wore his brown hair short, not a buzz cut, short enough that it
needed little or no combing, but long enough that an occasional little
cowlick would sometimes appear.  His mother wasn't satisfied that his
hair would stay in place and put hair gel on it to keep it slicked down.
The hair of nine-year-old boys was supposed to be unruly no matter
how short it was cut.

The adoption proceedings were a routine matter. Lois and Ryan's
parents, Misha's new grandparents, were there as witnesses. Ben,
Troy, and their parents were there as friends of Misha and the family.
After Misha officially became the son of Ryan and Lois, Misha
reached into a tote bag he had carried with him. He took out a
Mariners baseball cap and placed it on his head, wearing a silly grin
as he did so. "Now I live all the time in Seattle and I have a family."
Ryan and Lois gave him a simultaneous deep and loving hug. Tears
of happiness flowed freely as the new family became official. Even
the judge found himself holding back tears.

The party then went to the Metropolitan Grill for a first class dinner. It
was a special day for Misha. The dinner with family and friends made
him feel loved and appreciated. His parents made him take his hat off
in the restaurant as a matter of etiquette, but he wore it as often as he
could in the months following his adoption.

As Misha entered his first spring in the Great Pacific Northwest, he
continued to enjoy new experiences. His father took him fishing in the
mountain lake country when fishing season opened. He went to his
first baseball game, which was a Little League game involving Ben.
He quickly picked up on the basics of the sport and was excited when
Ben scored the winning run. Not long after that his father took him to
his first Major League game at Safeco Field. He had a good time
watching the Mariners and was disappointed when they lost a one-
run game. His father also took him to Seattle Sounders soccer
games, which Misha found even more enjoyable than baseball.

He often went bicycle riding with his father and mother, and he did a
lot of riding on his own within his set parameters. Misha and his father
took a train trip to Portland and back on the Amtrak Cascades, and
they also did a lot of train watching. Misha started using his father's
camera and video recorder to photograph and film passing trains at
the park. There always seemed to be trips and fun things happening
to go along with the serious hard work that went into his lessons with
Olga.

Another catalyst for Misha came in May. He was sitting on the couch
wearing nothing but a t-shirt and a pair of white briefs. A Sounders
soccer game was playing and he was watching it intently, wishing he
was on a field playing the game. Ryan and Lois entered the room.
Lois sat on the couch next to Misha, while Ryan sat on his recliner.
Misha sensed that a serious conversation was about to ensue.

"Misha, we need to talk about something," Lois said, confirming his
suspicion. Lois sounded very serious and the first thought to go
through Misha's head was that, adopted or not, he was being shipped
back to Russia.

Misha looked from parent to parent—they both could see the fear in
his eyes.

"Don't worry, it's nothing bad, Misha. It's just something different."

Misha didn't mind different. Every time they discussed the topic of
something different it usually ended up being something special. Still,
Lois's tone was more serious that usual. To Misha that meant that
whatever was different was not going to be something good.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Your father and I are going away..."

"NO!" Misha yelped involuntarily.

"Let your mom finish, son," Ryan said gently.

"I'm sorry."

Lois smiled at him and moved on. "...we are going away for three
days on a little vacation."

"Where are you going? Are you coming back?  What are doing with
me?" Misha asked rapid fire.

"First thing, sweet boy, of course we are coming back, we'll NEVER
leave you for good, ever. Your Dad and I are going to Las Vegas for a
long weekend. You will be staying with Ben and his family. They have
tickets for the Sounders game this weekend and there will be all kinds
of fun things for you to do," Lois told Misha as she hugged him tightly
against her.

Just the thought of spending the night with Ben sounded good to
Misha. He hadn't spent the night with another boy since coming to
America. Sleeping with another boy sounded much more interesting
than sleeping with his parents. Add to that going to see a Sounders
game, and Misha was very excited.

Ryan and Lois had discussed the trip with Dr. Barrett and with Greg.
They both agreed that it would be good for Misha to have them leave
him for a few days. "It will help give Mikhail the message that he
doesn't own all of your time. He needs to know that you both need
your space and your own time. On the other hand, he is still dealing
with his abandonment issues and will be for a long time. I suggest
you make sure that he has his own cell phone so you can call him on
a daily basis while you are gone."

Heeding that advice, Ryan presented Misha with his own phone. He
and Lois both laid down the rules for its use, telling him that many of
those rules would loosen up as he grew older.

Ryan and Lois let Ben's parents know about the phone and its rules.
They also explained to them that Misha might wander in the night and
end up in bed with any one of them to find comfort and safety. Since
this would be his first separation from his parents, there was an
excellent chance of this happening.

When the day came, Ryan and Lois dropped Misha off at Ben's
house. There were some tears of separation from Misha, but his
parents were strong, telling their son that they loved him and they
would be calling him daily. Like parents everywhere, they
admonished Misha to behave and obey his hosts.

Misha took a sleeping bag and pajamas with him, but he wouldn't
need either of them. When bedtime came, he and Ben were already
down to nothing but their tighty whiteys. It was Friday, so there was
no school the next day for Ben. Misha's parents had picked Memorial
Day weekend for their trip to Vegas, which meant no school for Ben
and Troy either and no lessons with Olga for Misha.

"You can sleep with me in my bed," Ben said. "There's plenty of
room." Ben slept in a full sized bed, which would sleep the two small
boys cozily. Ben and Troy had been told by their parents about how
Misha might need to sleep with somebody, so, in his own way, Ben
decided to be proactive.

Needless to say, Misha was pleased to receive the invitation. The two
washed and brushed, said good night to Ben's parents, and were
soon in bed together. Ben's mother, Mary, was pleased to see the
two would be sharing Ben's bed and was proud of her son's
generosity to his young friend.

Ben left the desk lamp on and the two boys talked and giggled. Misha
made sure his leg touched the bare leg of his friend and saw to it that
their bare shoulders touched. He hadn't enjoyed this kind of feeling
since his last night with Nikki. His thin, just under two inch boner was
rock hard, pushing against the cotton fabric of his briefs. The feelings
being generated gave him little shivers.

"How come you're shaking?" Ben asked. "Are you cold?"

"I just feel nice," Misha said.

"So do I. Some of my friends think I'm dumb for having a little kid as a
friend, but they're the ones who are dumb. You might look little but
you're a lot more grown up than most of them are." Misha glowed
when he heard Ben's praise.

Ben decided to take a gamble and go a step further. He and Misha
had spent a lot of time together wearing just their underpants, but
they'd never seen each other naked. He wanted to see what a
Russian boy looked like naked. He knew he was more experienced in
sex than Misha was. After all he was older. He jerked off with his
brother, Troy and with Troy and some of his friends. He'd also jerked
off with two of his own friends quite a few times. Since Misha didn't
have an older brother, Ben decided he would show Misha how to jerk
off, just like Troy had shown him.

"Do you jerk off?" Ben asked warily.

"What's that?" Misha asked, confirming what Ben suspected, that
Misha was very naïve sexually.

"You know, it's jerking off," Ben said, repeating himself as he fumbled
for a way to explain the term. He realized what he'd just said must
have sounded dumb, so he went on. "It's playing with your dick when
you have a boner."

"I touch myself sometimes." Misha liked the direction things were
moving.

"Do you ever, you know, like, cum?"

Once again Misha was unfamiliar with the terminology. Olga and
Greg had not taught him the sexual words American boys used.

"It means having an orgasm. When your dick feels really good and
clicks and stuff."

"You do that by yourself?" Misha asked. He understood what an
orgasm was.

"Yeah. Sometimes I do it with friends and even with Troy. Don't you
do it?"

"No." Misha didn't realize he could have sex by himself. He thought
he could only get the good feeling when he was doing it with
somebody else.

"Do you want to?" Ben knew he was on thin ice asking this question.
When he was nine he would never have considered talking about
jerking off, let alone doing it. Ben was certain that he knew more
about sex when he was nine than what Misha knew. He wondered if
they ever talked about sex in the orphanage where Misha lived.

As for Misha, the question excited him. He was going to find out how
to give himself the good feeling. Maybe he could even do more with
Ben—at least give his friend a blow job. "Yes, I want to," Misha said.

Ben pulled the covers back and without a word pulled down his briefs.
Misha stared at Ben as for the first time he looked upon a cut penis.
Ben noticed Misha staring at him as he started stroking his rock hard
two-and-a-half-inch boy cock. He misinterpreted Misha's ogling,
thinking it was because Misha had never seen another boy's boner
before.

"What happened to your penis?" Misha asked.

"I have a boner. Boys get that when they're all horny and stuff."

"I know, I have seen boners before; I get them, too. But somebody
took your skin away." Misha pulled down his briefs, proudly displaying
his little boner. "See, I have my skin. Everybody I've seen has it."

Those words tweaked Ben's interest. His was not the first hard-on
that Misha had seen. Maybe Misha knew more than he let on. Ben
didn't pursue that thought, instead he answered Misha's question.
"It's called being circumcised. It happens to most boys." Ben knew it
didn't happen to all boys, since his friend Dustin still had his foreskin.

That night in bed, Misha learned that he could induce his own
orgasm. He learned about being uncut. Ben learned that Misha knew
a lot about sex for a nine-year-old. While Misha didn't confess to
giving and receiving blow jobs or to his no longer being a virgin, he
did admit to having had a best friend at the orphanage who was a
little older than Ben. He told Ben that he and his best friend slept
together a lot and did stuff together.

All of this chatter went on while the two boys played with their hairless
cocklets, getting more and more turned on. The chatter died out as
they approached orgasm. Misha wanted to touch Ben's cock and jerk
him off, but didn't know how an American boy would react to that.
Ben wanted to touch Misha's cock and jerk him off, but didn't know
whether or not that was gay. When he jerked off with his friends, they
were all careful not to touch each other. The only person he jerked off
was Troy, and Troy was the only one who did him. It all ended when
Ben had a dry orgasm that shook his body and Misha followed three
minutes later with a dry cum of his own.

"That felt awesome," Ben said. "Did you like it, too?"

Misha's face splitting grin said it all.

As far as Misha was concerned, he'd just learned one of the most
important lessons of his life. He wouldn't have to wait for months to
get the good feeling; he could have it any time he wanted. For his
part, Ben learned that Misha was even cooler than be thought. He
now had another jerk off buddy. The two boys didn't bother to pull up
their briefs when they finished. Instead, they kicked them off.  Misha
got to sleep naked with a boy for the first time in over five months,
and Ben got to sleep naked with a boy for the first time ever.

The next day Misha went to Ben's baseball game with Brad, Ben's
father. Troy had a game as well, which was where Mary went. Misha
was learning more about baseball, and Brad patiently filled him in to
what was happening when the action confused him. Ben's team won
its game 11-6.

When everybody returned home that afternoon, Ben, Troy, Misha,
and Brad played catch in the backyard. Misha did both some learning
and some teaching.

"You throw like a girl," Troy said as he watched Ben and Misha play
catch.

"I do not. I am not a girl, I am a boy. You can ask Ben."

Troy looked over toward his little brother. Ben's reddened face told
him everything he needed to know.

Troy walked over to Misha. The fourteen-year-old wrapped his arms
around the little boy. "I'm going to show you how to be even more of a
boy then." Somehow the sexual innuendos went right past Brad.

Over the next hour, Misha received lessons on proper throwing form.
He was not only highly intelligent, but he was a good little athlete as
well. He quickly picked up on proper throwing mechanics.

"You have a good arm," Ben said. "You throw harder than some of
the pitchers on my team and they are all eleven and twelve."

"I had to throw rocks a lot," Misha said. "We always threw the rocks
off of our football field...um...soccer field."

"You had rocks in your soccer field?" Ben asked incredulously.

"Yes, that was why I had to remove them."

"That had to tear up the lawn mower."

"We didn't have grass, it was all dirt."

"That sucks," Ben said. "We play all of our games on grass."

"We did, too. We practiced on the dirt field."

"We practice on grass, too."

Misha returned the favor of the throwing lessons by showing Ben
some soccer drills he could do on his own to improve his footwork.
Troy wasn't interested in those, since he planned on turning out for
football in the fall.

That night Misha slept with Ben, again. This time they went right to
bed naked and jerked off together for the second and third times.

Sunday night was Misha's last night away from his parents. While
they called him religiously and texted him often, it was not the same
as the feeling he got from knowing they were always close at hand.
After he and Ben jerked off yet again, he faked falling asleep. After
Ben drifted off, Misha pulled on his underpants and went to the
master bedroom. He needed the assurance of an adult, and there
was only one place he could get it. Brad heard the boy come in and
made room on the king sized bed for him.

Misha wordlessly placed himself in the open space, his back to Ben's
father, and fell asleep. Brad made no move to comfort him,
remembering what Lois had said; the boy simply wanted the
assurance that an adult was there for him. He was looking for safety,
not hugs.

It was a little after six when Misha woke up. He quietly left the bed
and returned to Ben's room. Pulling off his briefs he crawled onto the
bed next to his friend. He wrapped his right arm around Ben's bare
chest and fell back to sleep. Ben never knew Misha had left.

When the time for Misha's parents to arrive came close, Misha sat at
the front window staring out at the street. He eagerly awaited each
text from his mother telling how close they were. Misha almost
jumped out of the picture window when his parents arrived from the
airport in their SUV. After exchanging pleasantries with Ben's
parents, they loaded Misha into the SUV and drove the short distance
home.

When they entered the house Misha hugged them both. The moment
he'd seen his parents arrive he knew instinctively that a new truth had
entered his life. It was a truth that he now needed to express.

Misha hugged Lois, looked up at her with his bright smile, and said, "I
love you, mother." He then hugged Ryan. "I love you, father."

This was the second and third time he'd said this to a person. The
first person was Nikki. Misha wasn't sure what it meant when he said
it to Nikki. In the case of his parents, there was no question. Misha
knew he had just expressed an undisputable truth, and he knew he
meant every word of it.

When his mother and father returned the hugs and expressed their
love, Misha glowed with a happiness that almost made him burst with
joy. His parents were home, right where they belonged. They had
come back to be with him because they loved him.

++++++++++++

Misha's summer was an active one. The family made some overnight
road trips. They went to Sounder and Mariner games. Misha and his
father took some short train trips on top of doing a lot of train
watching. They also did a great deal of bicycle riding.

Misha had a couple more sleepovers with Ben. All of them involved
masturbation, and Troy joined them once. Misha got a thrill from
watching Troy pump out his teen sperm.

One of Misha's sleepovers with Ben was at Misha's house. The two
boys learned they could make Lois's eyes roll by wearing nothing but
briefs around the house. It was one of many things that had them
laughing and giggling.

Ben turned twelve toward the end of July. Misha was invited to his
party, of course, While he felt a little out of place around Ben's older
friends, they all treated him with courtesy.

There was one incident a couple of weeks after Ben's birthday that
foreshadowed the differences between the two boys. After a long,
noisy afternoon and evening together they finally got ready for bed, at
Lois's insistence. After a tucking in by Ryan and Lois, they stripped
off their underpants, intending to sleep naked.

Ben pulled back the sheets, and without fanfare the two preteens
began their now ritual masturbation session. Misha decided he
wanted to try something different.

"May I touch yours?" he asked.

"You mean touch my boner? Nobody but Troy's ever touched it
before."

"Your friends don't touch it when you all jerk off?"

"Never. That's gay stuff. It's different when it's your brother, though,"
Ben said, referring to Troy.

Not sure what Ben meant, Misha asked again if he could touch it. "I
want to know what one without the skin feels like."

"I suppose. But just once." Misha's request left the idea in Ben's head
that Misha had touched a boy's pecker before, which was, of course,
quite true.

Misha put his small fingers around Ben's shaft. Ben's body shook
from the incredibly good feelings Misha's touch generated. "I have a
girl friend," Ben said, defending his maleness. "Her name is Linda."

Misha moved his fingers up the shaft of Ben's member, then rubbed
his exposed head. Ben shivered again. On the one hand he didn't
want his young friend to stop, and on the other hand he knew his
other friends never wanted to touch him, and if they did, he would
never let them. So why should he allow Misha to masturbate him? His
brother, Troy, had touched him a lot, but that was because he was his
big brother, educating him about sex.

Finally, as much as he wanted Misha to continue, he removed the
nine-year-old's hand. Misha reluctantly let go. The two of them
masturbated themselves to dry cums. They had some more
sleepovers after that, almost all of them involving masturbating, but it
would be a while before Misha's hand found itself touching Ben's
groin again.

Misha made some new friends at the chess club that met at the Boys
and Girls club. He was the best player in the club, better than some of
the teens who attended. He became known as "The Mad Russian
Chess Player." Defeating Misha, or even generating a draw, became
a badge of honor at the chess club meetings.

Summer moved to fall. Olga drove Misha hard, with a combination of
discipline and love, for Olga truly did love the intelligent and friendly
little boy. Misha's English was almost to the point where his accent
was barely an issue. His vocabulary was excellent, though his syntax
remained a bit stilted. He was becoming more and more comfortable
with idiomatic English as his speech became less stiff and formal.

In August, Misha had joined a soccer team at the Boys and Girls
Club. They were the Tornados, consisting of nine and ten-year-old
boys. He made even more friends there and quickly showed himself
to be one of the best players on the team. Playing games on soft,
grass fields was something he expected. What surprised him was
being able to practice on a grass field. Nobody had to throw the big
pebbles away before practice, which Misha thought was a luxury.

Misha turned ten on November fifth, which was a Sunday. He had his
first true birthday party the day before. At the orphanage, birthdays
were celebrated. The celebrant's dorm mates were required to attend
what amounted to an extra dessert during recreation time. Nobody
minded attending, even if they didn't like the birthday boy, because
the desserts were always purchased from an outside source and
tasted much better than the desserts served from the cafeteria
kitchen.

Misha invited kids his age from his soccer team and the chess club to
a pizza party at one of the local pizzerias. Since Misha still wasn't
totally conversant with American ways, he enlisted Ben to help him
plan the party. Ben not only enjoyed helping, he even found himself
having fun with around fifteen nine, ten, and eleven-year-olds. Of
course, his being in charge of the games and entertainment helped,
since he could show off the fact that he was older than the rest
without looking like he was bragging.

Ben, Misha, and Misha's parents were all pleased with the turnout.
Ben had spent Friday night at Misha's and listened patiently to his
young friend's fears that nobody would come to his party. That was
not the case at all as fifteen of the twenty he had invited came.

One thing that Misha did notice, however, was that none of the kids
who were there were really close friends like Ben was. His two best
friends ever, Ben and Nikki, were each two or more years older than
him. He had become close to Vasia as well, but not to Joseph, the
boy who had first introduced Misha to sex. While Dmitri and Stepan
had been friends, they hadn't really been best friends in Misha's
estimate. His new friends from chess and soccer were really nice; he
liked them and they liked him, but they weren't friends he felt close to,
friends who sent good feelings coursing through him.

It was that feeling of love and closeness he was thinking of, not
sexual feelings. After all, he got those kinds of feelings from Dmitri
and Stepan, as well as other boys in his dorm room. Misha wanted
badly to have a best friend his own age, one who was special to him,
one who could be his bedmate at the same time he was his friend's
bedmate. As much as he liked Ben, Misha felt that Ben was his bed
master. He was the one who set the rules during their jerk off
session. He wanted a friend who would do sexual things that they
both wanted to do, without worrying who was older and set what the
rules were. Even Nikki, as much as Misha loved him, was the master
of the bed at the orphanage.

Early February brought another new experience. He and his parents
flew to Florida where they embarked on a seven day cruise of the
Caribbean. Ryan and Lois picked a week when many schools had
their mid-winter break. It was a smart move on their part, since there
were other children on board the ship, and Misha gained more
experience at making friends in hurry.

In this case he knew that these friends would be temporary, which
brought up some feelings of sadness. He remembered leaving his
friends at the orphanage, friends who still hadn't been completely
replaced. In the case of the cruise, while he had fun with the boys he
met, he never became close to them. As the cruise ended, he learned
that separating didn't always have to be hurtful, that sometimes it just
happened. Misha literally bubbled over when he told Ben, Olga, Greg,
Dr. Barrett, and some of his better soccer friends about his trip. All of
them admired his newly acquired tan.

On the advice of Greg and Dr. Barrett, Ryan and Lois planned to
enroll Misha in school to start what would be his fifth grade year, still
using Olga as a part-time tutor. They started seriously researching
schools upon their return from the cruise. They finally settled on	 three
schools, one of them being the Puget Academy. Misha took the entry
test in April, passing with flying colors.

After visiting the schools themselves, they took Misha on a visit to
each school. Two of the schools gave him tours conducted by a
school counselor. One of the schools gave him a tour conducted by
two members of the school's student council. That school was the
Puget Academy.

The third school was where Misha felt most comfortable. His tour
guides were not only knowledgeable, they were very friendly. They
introduced him to other students and to many of the faculty members.
He got to sit in on a lesson in one of the fifth grade classrooms.

While his parents thought the old brick structure might be a negative,
reminding Misha of Russia and his years at the orphanage, it actually
became a positive for Misha. Instead of reminding him of bad times, it
reminded him of the good times. The castle-like structure of the main
school building gave him a sense of comfort.

The family met with Greg a week after Misha's last tour. "Which
school did you like the most?" Greg asked.

"The Puget school," was Misha's answer. He had already shared with
his parents how much he had enjoyed his tour, but he hadn't come
out and said, "This is where I want to go." Ryan and Lois were very
impressed with the Academy as well, but had thought the old building
might turn Misha off. They were happy to be wrong.

It was decided that they would enroll Misha in the Puget Academy,
where he would start attending a school for the first time. The night
the decision was made he couldn't sleep. He put Nikki in his special
shelf and walked to his parents' room. He no longer bothered putting
his pajamas on when he decided he needed to sleep with his parents.
He wore just a pair of briefs, or sometimes briefs and a t-shirt, and on
rare occasions, boxers instead of briefs. That night he was dressed in
briefs only.

He found a comfortable spot on the bed next to his father. He hugged
his father's strong, comforting body. "I love you, father. I love you,
mother." Olga was trying to get Misha to loosen up and call them dad
and mom, but it was a process. His parents told him how much they
loved him, and he rolled over and feel asleep, absolutely sure he was
unconditionally loved.

Another new experience for Misha that spring was playing baseball.
His parents enrolled him in a recreation program run by the park
department. It consisted of boys with little or no experience, or were
simply not very good.  The league was coach pitched.

Misha also enjoyed the game as a spectator. Ben and Troy had
helped him with throwing fundamentals, and went from there to work
in fielding. Ben gave Misha his old glove, which was perfect for him.
Two of Misha's soccer teammates were on his team, which gave him
a sense of comfort.

Most of the boys were not good athletes, but liked playing the game.
Unlike many of them, Misha's skills improved, because he not only
was a good athlete, but also because he also worked hard at getting
better. More than any of them, Misha understood hard work.
Outworking everybody else had been a survival skill for him at the
orphanage.

Ben turned thirteen and Misha was at his party, of course. Ben's
friends treated Misha like he was Ben's little brother instead of a ten-
year-old pest, which made Misha feel comfortable and liked.

The family took a summer road trip to Yellowstone Park, Mt.
Rushmore, and Glacier Park. Misha enjoyed them all. He was
awestruck by the geysers at Yellowstone, fascinated by the history
lessons at Mt. Rushmore, and loved the mountains of Glacier. But the
thing he enjoyed the most was watching the BNSF freights and the
Amtrak "Empire Builder" negotiating Marias Pass on the border of
Glacier Park.

Almost without warning, orientation day at the Puget Academy
arrived. Lois drove him to the school that morning. Misha had slept
with her and Ryan the night before, hugging his father tightly as he
fell asleep. To Lois, his behavior indicated how nervous and
frightened he was.

"Do I really have to go?" Misha asked, his hand resting on the handle
of the passenger door. "Can't Olga teach me everything?"

"Olga can't teach you how to work with other boys and girls your age.
She can't teach you how to get along within a group every day. There
is much Olga doesn't know. It's time for you to expand your world.
We've talked about this before Mikhail. Don't make this more difficult
than it needs to be."

When his mother called him Mikhail, Misha knew that meant there
was no room for argument. "Yes, mother. I will see you this
afternoon."

Misha took a deep breath, fought off tears, opened the door and
stepped out into the world. He was only two steps from the car, but
was already miles away from the security of his mother's presence.

Misha was met by one of the eighth grade hosts who took him to the
check-in table. After checking in, he was escorted to a table in Mr.
Jackson's section. There were three boys already sitting there. Two
of them were obviously twins. They were big, solid boys with dark hair
and smiling eyes. The other boy was a slim boy, with blond hair and
light freckles on his nose. He wore wire-frame glasses. Unlike the
twins, he had a glum look on his face.

A couple of minutes after him, a boy with short cropped hair and a
nervous look sat at the table. He looked skinny and young. There was
something about him that caught Misha's eye. He wasn't sure why it
was, but he liked the looks of the fifth and last boy to sit at the table.
The two of them exchanged looks and shy smiles.

Next: The Boys-Mark and Matthew