14 comments/ 19922 views/ 40 favorites As I Was Walking in the Park By: jfremont PROLOGUE It's ten after three and the school bus should be arriving in the next couple of minutes. I can't stand still and keep going back and forth: to the window, to the kitchen to check on food, to the living room to try and just sit for a few minutes. It's not the kids' arrival that is making me so excited. No, it's their father's arrival in another three hours. He's been away for five days now, the longest trip in more than a year and a half. The last time he was gone was in February and then only for two nights. I smile to myself remembering THAT homecoming. It was about six and the kids were with their grandparents when he came in. The door closed and I was in his arms locked in a steamy kiss. Less than two minutes later I was naked and bent across the arm of the couch with his rigid rod pounding me - I mean really pounding - from behind. It was three hours before we got around to supper that Friday. Twice more before bedtime and once again during the night. Saturday morning we somehow missed breakfast but got up for lunch largely so we could recover a little bit. We spent Saturday afternoon lying nude before the fire, kissing, stroking, twice making slow, easy love, and mostly just being together. In fact after that trip and my hot reception across the couch arm I think we didn't wear anything but smiles until after lunch Sunday and only then because the kids were due back sometime in the next couple of hours. I can't even guess how many times I came that weekend and while I didn't write down any score or anything I believe it was eight times for my husband as we either slowly made love or he violently fucked me. No, it must have been nine because once I gave him a long, sloppy blow job until he flooded my mouth. Yes, we're both a little on the high side of thirty-five but we still don't want to keep our hands off of each other. We're both in pretty good shape, probably because of good genes and some luck but also because we take care of ourselves, eat well, and get a lot of exercise, not all of it from sex. We could probably pass for mid to upper twenties - at least if people don't know the kids are ours. That time he was only gone two nights but it's pretty unusual for us to go that long without some loving recreation. In fact, it's not real common for us to even miss one day. I know the average for people our age is something like three and a half times a week, but we're, well, you might say we are somewhat highly sexed. Not to mention we are even more in love than ever. I hear the bus pull up out by the road and once again go to the window. As usual Daniel is first off. I see his sturdy ten year old form start down the long drive as Peyton steps off after him. The bus door closes and it pulls away as I watch the two approach at a fast walk, or in Daniel's case a mix of fast walk and quick runs. In another two weeks he will be finished with fourth grade. I can already see the wide shouldered form of his father developing. He has his father's build as well as his brown hair. A short way behind him is his sister, Peyton. Just finishing eighth grade she will be starting high school next fall. And in another three weeks she will be turning fifteen. Her blonde hair is loose behind her shoulders, hanging part way down her back. She must have gotten that from me. OK, I really know she got it from both of us because blonde is recessive, but is looks a lot like mine did at that age. Both kids have blue eyes which again came from both of us. Peyton has already developed the curves which are changing her slim body into that of a very attractive young woman. Firm breasts and slim, but rounded hips set off by a very narrow waist. She is fairly tall - already five seven, the same as I am. That she got from her father who stands an inch over six feet. She is also something of a tomboy, another thing she got from me, and spends a lot of time outdoors in some vigorous activity. Both children are quite smart and do very well in school. Daniel is still a little young for me to tell, but Peyton is definitely a lot more mature than her age would indicate. Fourteen going on forty, in that department. They come in the door and I remind them, "OK, kids, get your stuff ready, I need to take you over to granddad's in another twenty minutes. They quickly move to their rooms upstairs. Peyton is back down in less than three minutes, her small case in one hand. I would have expected nothing less. She undoubtedly packed it last night. Daniel will take a little longer as he rushes around to find everything now and stuff it in. She places the case by the door to the garage and comes into the kitchen where I'm checking that I have food all ready so I won't have to waste time later. "All set?" I ask. "Sure." She looks at me for a few seconds, a smile developing. "I know why we always go to our grandparents when Dad comes back from a trip." Does she? Both sets of grandparents live about thirty miles from us and near each other. While the kids often spend time with them on other occasions, they do generally go over to one or both sets when their father comes home. Frequently, like this weekend, they will stay with one set tonight and the other tomorrow. I look at my daughter, now becoming a lovely young lady in her own right. "OK, Miss Know-it-all, why is that?" She gives me an almost evil grin. "So you won't have to worry about us overhearing when Dad is getting some." I'll admit she has managed to stun me and my mouth almost drips open, but she goes on, "That's OK. I think that's great." My husband and I have never been afraid to show affection between us and never hesitate to kiss and hug in front of the kids. I've even had my ass patted a few times while they are around. I remember that Peyton has said that the parents of some of her friends almost act like they don't even like each other when others are present. I think how nice it is to have understanding kids. Instead of the stuttering response I might have made to her remark, I manage to smile and turn towards her. "That's not quite right," I slowly say. "It's also so you won't hear all the noise when I'm getting some." The girl lets out a loud laugh and exclaims, "Way to go, Mom!" Then she gives me a high five which I return, laughing myself. I follow this with a hug. Yes, it's nice to have understanding kids. Then thinking back to when I was her age I also remember that's it's nice to have understanding parents. I will definitely have to keep that in mind. Peyton is showing interest in males and has been for some time but she is not the type to go overboard. She will be fifteen very soon and I know she will be dating, not just going to group things. "Well, Daughter, you'll get your chance some day. Just don't be in too much of a hurry." She gives me a serious look and says, "Mom, have you ever known me to do something just because others do?" "No, you never have. I just want you to be sure before you do anything that can't be undone." "You don't have to worry, Mom. I've decided to wait until I have no doubts." "Well, I know the kind of things you are feeling now and the pressure can get pretty intense." Then in a somewhat shy voice she says, "Mom, I won't be pushed into anything. Besides, I have learned to relieve a little pressure on my own." I look at her. She is looking down and I guess waiting to find my reaction. "That's good," I reply. "There certainly nothing wrong with that." I see her let her breath out and her shoulders straighten a little. She looks up at me and says, "There's something I want to ask you about." "Sure, Honey, go ahead." "Well, my birthday is coming up in a few weeks." I nod. "There's something I've been considering buying but I'm not sure it's worth the cost. It's not super expensive or anything but it's not exactly cheap either. I just want to make sure it's worth what they're asking before I spend that much. Or," she adds, "before I ask for part of it for my birthday. It's on-line. Would you take a look and tell me what you think?" "Sure, I'll be happy to. Just what is it?" She again lowers her gaze. Quietly she replies, "It's a vibrator. A fairly high end one." I won't say I am totally surprised, but maybe just a little startled. Still I manage to answer, "Certainly. When you get back you can show me and I'll tell you what I think." I can see relief on her face but give her a little more by adding, "You can even compare it to mine." This brings a stronger reaction as she looks up into my face with a wide smile and gives me a tight hug. "Thanks, Mom. For everything." Just then her brother makes it back downstairs and we troop out to the car. After I have dropped the kids with my folks and am on my way back, I began to think a little more about what Peyton has said. I drive past the county park that's about a mile from our home and remember that lately Peyton had been spending a lot of time there on weekends with Tom, a nice boy who lives not too far from our place. Peyton is just the age I was when I used to go to a county park near my parents' home. I start remembering how that has turned out. CHAPTER 1 Last evening as it was going dark And I was walking in the park I saw a boy along the way Alas, he wasn't there today It was the third week of July when I first saw him. On a Thursday. At nearly eight-thirty to be more exact. I had been walking in the county park located about a mile or so from our new home and I was just starting back when I heard a slight sound behind me. I turned and saw a boy about my age rapidly approaching on a bike. Not anyone I knew, of course, but there was something about him which drew my eyes to lock on his oncoming figure. I stood frozen for the several seconds it took for him to reach me and just managed a smile as he passed. He turned and smiled back and raised his hand in a quick wave before moving on down the road. For nearly a minute I stood staring after him and to this day I can not really say exactly why. There was just something about him ... My name is Karen Shepard and I was fourteen at the time. We had just moved here three weeks before from the city where I had been born and lived all my life. There we had a nice three bedroom house on a nice quarter acre lot in a nice neighborhood in a nice suburb. Nothing unusual, just a typical middle class American life. When my dad got the promotion and we had to move here, he and Mom decided they would like a place more in the country. They found one. Here we lived in a slightly older house, but one in good shape, on thirty eight acres. Still a very nice house and the land was mostly woods with a couple of fields and a stream running through it. But it was somewhat isolated. I mean, I had always lived near other kids my age. I had walked to school since kindergarten and always had friends within a few houses. Here the nearest house was almost a half mile off and as far as I could tell no one under fifty lived anywhere within a couple of miles. It was definitely a big change for me and it was taking some getting used to. Mom and Dad both worked and were gone all day, but that wasn't really a problem. I was an only child but was old enough to take care of myself and even made dinner several nights a week so it would be ready when they got home. Today after we had eaten I had just felt pent up and came down to the park. True, I could still chat with my old friends on line or even call them, but it wasn't quite the same any more. I didn't mind living out in the country - in fact I loved the out of doors - but I did miss not being around other kids my age. Hopefully it would improve when school started in another six weeks or so. I had graduated eighth grade last spring and would be starting into high school this fall. I guess that would have been a big change even if we hadn't moved, but here I wouldn't know anyone at all. Sometimes, like tonight, I just felt, I guess, lonely. A little about myself. I'm five foot six, fairly tall for my age. I have blue eyes and medium blonde hair. I'm neither skinny nor fat but I am rather slim with long legs which I seem to almost trip over sometimes. I have started to fill out and no longer look flat chested and because I generally get a lot of exercise my muscles are pretty well toned. I've even had a couple of girls say they wish they had my ass. I wish I thought I was as good as they said. Even though I know no girl is ever really happy with herself, I am still fairly content with what I am. As I said I like the outdoors and am really a bit of a tomboy. I enjoy hiking and biking and even camping. I still climb trees and have even been known to swing from a rope now and then. I swim and I've been in a kayak a few times and would love to get one of my own. In school I have always done well - usually A or at worst B grades. I am a little odd in that I like science and math a little more than most of my friends, but I'm not a total nerd or anything. I do love reading, both non-fiction and fiction of almost all kinds. I find almost all subjects interesting and actually looked forwards to going to school this fall. Socially, maybe I'm a little slower. I've never been on a real date, just group things. I've never been kissed except on the cheek but on my own I've found a number of things which excite me. Probably this is one of the reasons I'm looking forward to school also - maybe meeting some boys for a little more than just sharing classes. I guess in some ways my life feels like it does when I'm standing on the edge of the three meter board about to make a dive. Things are right there in front of me and I want them even if it all looks a little scary just now. Now as I stood looking after the boy on the bike there was a strange feeling slowly moving over me. I couldn't really describe it, even to myself, but I could definitely feel it. I had had only had a quick look at him and was left with the impression of a nice looking guy in good shape physically with a friendly face. He had light brown hair but I couldn't see his eye color. Somehow I thought it would be blue. CHAPTER 2 For weeks I sought him far and near But not again did he appear At last a sigh and I gave it rest And took respite from my fruitless quest When I got home I tried to forget about the strange encounter, but the next morning after my parents had left for work, his image kept returning. By the time I had finished lunch he seemed to be in my mind constantly. Part of it, I'm sure, was that I was just a little lonely for someone my own age. As I said I hadn't met anyone since we had moved here. But part of it was also that for some reason he generated a funny feeling in the pit of my stomach whenever I thought about him. I decided on making a one dish supper and quickly put it together and shoved the glass baking dish into the oven. I set the timer so that it would be ready at five thirty and then took my bike and headed back to the county park. I spent the afternoon just lurking around the main parking area, sitting on the little kids's swings and so on. Of course what I was really doing was looking for the mysterious boy. However, not another person appeared that afternoon. About a quarter of five I headed home and arrived just ahead of my parents. Then after dinner I headed back to the park once more and hung around until nearly dark, but was once again disappointed. The next three days were almost the same. Oh, I didn't go there every afternoon but I did return after supper each night. At least by then I had learned to take a book with me so I didn't just fidget around all the time. Still he never appeared again. To a somewhat lesser extent I repeated this almost every day for the next four weeks, still without success. School would be starting in two weeks and that began to take up a little more of my time. Mom took me to the mall a couple of times so I could pick up a few new things and I did see some other teenagers there, although I never got a chance to talk with any of them. Even for high school there were lists of required items so I also went shopping for notebooks and binders and so on. Always before I had been within walking distance of school but this year I would be riding a bus. We found it would pass our house about seven fifteen so I knew I would have to be up and ready by then. This wasn't really a problem because I had always been an early riser. So on the day after Labor Day I found myself standing out by the road at five after seven in the morning, carrying a backpack with my pencils and notebooks, and waiting for the big yellow bus. Right at seven fifteen it arrived and I climbed on board to find only four other students. It turned out that I was near the beginning of the route so for the next thirty five minutes I sat and watched as another thirty students joined us. At least this should mean that I would be one of the first off in the afternoon. When we arrived at school I found lists telling me which homeroom I had been assigned and a map telling me how to find it. This wasn't a gigantic school, but there were still over a thousand students. I made my way with others - some looking quite familiar with everything and a somewhat smaller number looking almost as confused as I was myself. Eventually I found Mr. Braxton's room and went in and took a seat along with twenty some other students. Not surprisingly the first days still seems somewhat of a blur. I was taking English, Geometry, Biology, German, Health and Physical Education, and something called Intro to Computers which appeared to be concerned with teaching us to use word processors, spreadsheets, the Internet and a few other things that most of us had been doing for the past eight or ten years or so. Oh, well, someday the adults would catch up with us. Over the rest of that week and the next I did meet a number of people. I got along well with most of them but I wasn't developing any especially close relationships. I mean there were a couple of girls I talked with quite a bit and we usually ate lunch together, but I didn't really feel that any of them would become a really close friend. We did talk about boys and they pointed out several, but I only met them briefly. Somewhere in the back of my mind I was still wondering about the boy I had seen that day in the park. Did he go to this school? Maybe he attended a private school or was even home schooled. I didn't spend a lot of time wondering about him, but every now and then he did enter my mind and I still got that funny feeling in my stomach when I thought about him, although I wasn't obsessing about him or anything. CHAPTER 3 I chanced on him one day again And eventually he became my friend Secrets shared and dreams we knew Through the years our friendship grew Then on Friday of the second week my Biology teacher called me aside. She said that she had noticed I seemed to be a little ahead of most of the students, that I was picking up things pretty quickly. She wondered if I would like to change in a slightly more advanced section. Ms Green's section had mostly more advanced students and would probably move a little faster and cover some additional things she would not be able to get to. I had felt a little, maybe not really bored, but more just held back somewhat. I told her I liked her as a teacher but if I could I thought I probably would enjoy the other section. She said she certainly didn't mind although se did enjoy having a student like me. She arranged that on Monday I would go to Ms Green's class instead. It met at the same time so there was no scheduling problem. Monday when I walked into the class I nearly froze just inside the door. There at one of the tables sat the boy from the park. I probably only stood still for a few seconds even though it seemed much longer but when I went over to Ms Green and introduced myself she didn't seem to notice anything odd. As I Was Walking in the Park She welcomed me to the class and pulled out her seating chart. The room had tables instead of desks with two students seated at each. She looked down the chart and found one table with only one person assigned and quickly wrote my name in the vacant place. Then she pointed to the table and my heart seemed to flip again as I saw the vacant place - now my place - was next to the boy from the park. I moved over and sat down and then turned to the boy as he did to me. "Hi. I'm Karen Shepard. They just moved me here from Ms Harvard's class." He smiled a very friendly smile back and replied, "Hi. I'm Erik Wilder. Welcome to our world of green and wiggly things." I gave a little laugh and just then the bell rang and Ms Green started class. Over the next four days we spoke to each other just a little. Mostly we were busy listening as this class did seem to move a little more quickly than others I had taken. I didn't mind this and actually like the heightened pace. I did notice that Erik also appeared to thrive on the greater challenge. When we did speak, however, I quickly discovered he had a sharp wit and a good sense of humor. I suspected he was probably quite bright. (This was confirmed some two weeks later when we got back the first test and he beat me by three points.) On Friday of that week we had lab and I discovered that the two people at each table would work as partners. On Thursday we had been told that this lab would be about using the microscope. The microscopes available were not binocular and we were told repeatedly that while we would only look with one eye we should not shut the other one tightly closed. I got to class a little ahead of Erik and was already examining the microscope on our table when he came up beside me. I turned and burst out laughing. He had a black patch over one eye and was holding a tiny toy cutlass. "Arggg. I'm not expecting trouble with using just the one eye, Mate." As I have said, he had an interesting sense of humor. I couldn't help myself and laughed even harder as did a couple of other nearby students. Erik joined us and then as class started he removed the patch and put the toy away. He changed instantly from pirate to serious student and we spent the next forty minutes learning to focus and otherwise operate the device in front of us. Over the next three weeks we found that we worked well together. Our minds seemed to think alike and we never had difficulty settling on an approach to a problem or sharing tasks. Outside of class I only saw him occasionally in the halls or across the room at lunch time but I had found myself quite comfortable with him. One Saturday morning I woke to find a clear sky of blue so intense it almost hurt to look at it. The temperature was warm for mid October - a high of seventy two predicted with only a very slight breeze. Perfect fall weather. I did have a novel to finish for English class but otherwise the day was open and I gave intense consideration to deciding how to spend it. I could put the novel off until tomorrow. I could get it out of the way. I could sit inside and watch a movie or something. I could take the novel and maybe something else to read and head out into our woods and enjoy this perfect fall day. This intense consideration took all of about two and a half seconds and I immediately headed downstairs. After a quick breakfast I decided to pack a lunch and just eat outside. Mom and Dad had someplace they were going anyway so I just told them I'd be out in the woods and would be back by supper time. Then I stuffed the lunch, a couple of water bottles, and the novel, as well as some other reading material intended just for my own enjoyment into a small back pack and headed out back. When we had first moved here the three of us had walked the boundaries so I knew where our land ended and someone else's started even though there was only more woods surrounding ours. Now I just headed out, following the stream for a ways, and watching for a likely place to just sit comfortably and settle down to my reading. Several hundred yards back I was getting near the edge of our property when I saw a large tree with a couple of branches about seven feet off the ground. These branches formed a fork that looked just right to settle into. (I said I still climbed trees.) It wasn't difficult to get up there and I found I had been right. When I settled on the fork and leaned back against the trunk everything seemed to fit against me as though it had been designed to do so. I did have a blanket with me and I folded this behind my back leaving me resting as easily as in an upholstered chair. I pulled out the novel and began to work my way through the remaining portion. A couple of times I stopped for a short time to eat a little snack and drink some water, but mostly I just kept going. The temperature was perfect, the breeze only enough to make a slight rustling sound in the brightly colored autumn leaves. There were occasional sounds of squirrels or other small animals rushing around gathering nuts or something and probably storing them for winter. We had already had enough cool nights that most of the bugs were history and nothing was left to disturb me. I finished the required reading and I think I may have even dozed off slightly for a few minutes. I was just beginning to consider seeing about lunch when I heard someone moving through the leaves nearby. It sounded like just a single person, moving slowly, probably just enjoying the fine weather as I was myself. I leaned over and peered through the vale of leaves still remaining on the trees. To my total surprise I saw that the pilgrim moving slowly in my direction was none other than Erik, my lab partner. He was some twenty feet from my tree and obviously hadn't noticed me when I called out, "Hi. What are you doing out here?" He looked up with a totally startled expression on his face. It took him just a couple of seconds to recognize me through the leafy shroud. Then he replied, "Hi, yourself. I could ask you the same question. But perhaps it's just that you think you are a bird or something." I laughed and began to swing down to the ground. "No, I just found a comfortable place to read. Just finished that novel for English next week. As to what I'm doing here, I live here." He slowly looked around then said, "And all this time I thought you lived in a house like other people." Again I laughed and said, "Well, I do but the house is just a short way in that direction." I pointed and added, "Now you know why I'm here, so tell me just why are you?" He shook his head back and forth. "You really live here? I'm here because my house is just a short way in that direction." He then pointed in the direction almost directly opposite the way I had. Both of us were lost in the surprise. I realized that in the time I had lived here I had never been around to the road on which his house was located and neither of us had discussed where we lived. He had a small pack with his lunch also and we quickly spread the blanket below the tree where I had been perched and sat down. We ended up sharing each other's lunch and talking. I found that he lived on the place adjoining ours along one side, some sixty or so acres. He had decided to just walk upstream a little today to see where the creek came from before it flowed onto his parents' land. We ended up spending the afternoon together, walking through the woods on both properties. I found that the stream continued onto his land where it had been dammed to form a six acre lake. It still flowed on beyond that but he told me the lake was great for swimming in warmer weather. There were several small waterfalls on our side which he hadn't seen before and I showed him those. I learned a little more about him, too. His father was a professional engineer who owned a small engineering and construction company. His mother worked for the company also, handling the finances and many of the administrative tasks. In turn I told him about my dad, an electrical engineer, now into engineering management. My mom was the head of human resources for another company in town. I found that he was an only child also and had lived here for the past eight years. Another thing we discovered was that we both had birthdays in October. His had been the previous week and mine was coming up in about ten days, so we were within two or three weeks of being the same age. I learned he enjoyed the out of doors as much as I did and had tried backpacking, snowshoeing, and kayaking and liked all of them. He even had his own kayak and promised to let me try it out. We learned that we had several likes and dislikes in common, but I didn't really find that surprising. From the way we had gotten along I would have expected that we were quite a bit alike. As it neared sundown we finally split up and each headed back to our own home but said we should come out here again some time. At supper I told my parents about being surprised to find my biology partner lived directly in back of us, even if a little ways off. Mom and Dad glanced at each other and I believe they were thinking that I was happy to find someone my own age nearby. If so, they were right. At school we continued to work together, perhaps a little more friendly now that we knew each other a little better. On two more Saturdays we took lunches and met out in the woods. By chance we discovered we both liked to play chess, but only as an interesting diversion. Neither of us were destined to become world champion or anything. Erik had a portable chess set which he brought out with him that third Saturday and we spent several hours across the checkered board. But the real interest then wasn't the game. We did play to win but a lot of our time was spent in conversation - just learning more about each other. Ten days before Thanksgiving we had a biology project. Each pair was supposed to research a topic and put together both a written report as well as an oral presentation. We had some time to work on it at school but not nearly enough for the way we wanted to handle it, so I suggested we get together that weekend. We were going to meet out in the woods and do our planning but when Saturday dawned it was to a gray sky and a cold drizzle. By the time I had finished breakfast it didn't look like it was going to let us and the woods would definitely not be a good place to try and work. I called Erik and suggested he come over to my house and we could work here. He agreed and a half hour later he knocked on the door. I introduced him to my parents and then we went into the room I used for study. This room was a combination library and study. Both of my parents used it as well as I did myself when we wanted a quiet place to work. It contained three desks and a work table, a computer system - two actually - and a number of book shelves. Well, my family were kind of nerds also - it wasn't just me. We spent the entire morning putting our project together and about twelve thirty Mom stuck her head in and suggested that Erik might want to stay for lunch. I hadn't even noticed the time but suddenly realized I was getting hungry and quickly urged him to stay. He agreed and in a few minutes she called us in to some hot soup and sandwiches. By about two thirty we had pretty well finished everything and moved to the family room where there was a chess board. (Mom and Dad liked to play also. I guess that's where I got it from.) We played a few games and finally Erik left to head back home. Over the rest of that year he came over several times and I spent a few Saturdays at his house. Usually it was for some school project but we also found time to just talk or play games. We had found that we both enjoyed other board games as well, usually strategy ones, and there were three or four we played quite regularly. Always it was competition when we played but never cutthroat, and thankfully we were pretty evenly matched. By April the weather had changed enough that we could sometimes spend the day out in the woods again and we resumed our all day treks. I don't mean to give the impression that Erik and I had become deeply involved with each other. No, we were friends - good friends - but that was all. We didn't spend all of our time together or anything. There were two or three girls I got together with and I know Erik spent time with some of the guys from school. As for the opposite genders ... Well, I had been asked out a few times and gone to movies and once or twice to a school dance, but I wasn't really getting involved with anyone. I know Erik dated a few girls also but he didn't have any serious relationship either. We were more like brother and sister. Perhaps that may have been part of our relationship since we both lacked siblings. We even confided in each other about our dates, laughing at funny situations which had arisen and telling of our disappointments. School was rapidly coming to a close when one Saturday in late May we had taken lunches out and were spending the day in the woods. We were over near the boundary between our two properties, sitting on a blanket eating, when the sky began to cloud up. It began to look like a spring shower might be about to start. We hurriedly finished our food and were just stuffing everything back into the packs when the first drops of rain began to fall. It looked like the kind of rain that would come down very hard for a short time, taper off and then probably clear up again completely. Anyway we knew that if it broke like that we'd both be soaked before we could make it back to either of our houses. The drops began to fall a little faster and we looked around for some kind of shelter. There were some thick evergreens growing near in a dense clump over towards the stream and we headed under them. We got there just in time as the storm turned loose in earnest. We moved back next to a couple of large trunks in the center of the grove where the branches overhead were thick enough that only a few drops got through during the next fifteen minutes as the storm went from a hard downpour to more gentle rain to only an occasional lagging drop or two. While we were waiting for it to abate I said something about how it would be nice if we had some kind of shelter for cases like this. "Maybe we could bring a waterproof tarp or something," I suggested. Erik looked thoughtfully around. "Yeah, probably, but something a slightly more solid would be a little better." Sarcastically I teased, "Yes, maybe we should just build a house out here." He laughed and said, "Maybe even a whole mansion," but I saw a thoughtful look move over his face. The rain finally let up but we remained in our small hideaway until a few drips began to make their way through the overhanging needles. We then decided we'd probably be better off back out in the reappeared sunshine and moved to find a large rock which had already almost dried. CHAPTER 4 We shared our work, we shared our fun Joy and sadness for both were one Each other's goals became our own We built together neither one alone Three weeks later school had ended when one Saturday Erik called and said he had an idea he'd like to discuss. Could I meet him out near the grove where we had waited out that rain? I agreed and headed out. He was already there when I arrived and I saw he was holding a spiral bound notebook. "OK, what did you want to discuss?" I asked. Now he seemed slightly shy. "Well, it's an idea I had. You know when we were out here you said something about having a shelter." "Sure. It would be nice to have somewhere dry if a storm comes up." "Well, I got to thinking. It would be even nicer if we had somewhere sheltered enough we could stay dry even if it was raining. Somewhere we could go to just read or play games or talk or something without worrying about the weather at all." "You mean a shack or something?" I asked. "Sort of. What I was thinking about was something like this." He opened the notebook and showed me a sketch of a small enclosure. I looked more closely as he turned the page and I saw the cube sketched into the branches of a large tree. "A tree house!" I exclaimed. "Could we really make something good enough to be worthwhile?" "I don't see why not." "Just where did you have in mind?" I asked, my interest growing. "Come on and I'll show you." He led the way for a couple of hundred feet and as we entered a small clearing he pointed to a huge maple. It was, in fact, the maple in which I had been perched that first time I met him out here. I looked at it a little more critically. There were several quite sturdy branches some ten or twelve feet off the ground. Branches eight or more inches in diameter. "I've looked and I'm sure it is quite strong enough to let us put up, say, an eight by eight box. Here, look at this." He turned the notebook to another page and I saw a more detailed drawing, almost construction plans. I could see how the branches were used to support the weight and how the entire structure was anchored to the trunk itself. I looked more closely. There was a small door and two windows on opposite sides. It had a sloped shed roof and a small overhang which would allow the water to drain away while still permitting cross ventilation. I looked back up at Erik. "Do you really think we could build this? I asked. "Sure. It's on your property so we'd have to get permission from your parents." It was on our land but only by about fifty feet or so. "I'm sure I could get the materials through my dad and it wouldn't cost too much. I think we could even get the truck almost back here so we wouldn't have to carry things very far." I could hear the excitement in his voice and I'll admit I was growing a little excited myself. I looked at the drawings again. "How do we get up there? Do we have to climb the tree each time?" "I was thinking about a set of steps on a rope or chain. Not really a rope ladder, but wood plank steps connected by a rope. We could pull it up into the tree house when we weren't using it." I could visualize us climbing inside and closing off the rest of the world, dry and snug while rain poured down outside. We could read or play chess or just talk. Yes, I was definitely coming to like the idea. I looked up at him again. "I think it would be great if we can do it. Have you said anything to your parents yet?" "No, I was waiting to see if you liked the idea first." "Well, I do." "Why don't you come over to my place and we'll see if we can put together some better plans. I know it will go better if we can show my dad that we've given this some serious consideration." I readily agreed. Erik brought out a tape and we spent a few minutes getting some measurements of branch size and locations. Then we headed over to his house and were soon in his study making detailed sketches which we then changed into computer drawings. Erik seemed pretty familiar with the CAD program and I had used it myself enough to be able to easily work with it. In a few hours we had something resembling real plans. Then we spent some time putting together a bill of materials. By late that afternoon we had everything ready and before I went back home Erik promised to talk with his dad that night. The next day Erik called and said his dad thought the plans just might work. In fact he had looked over them, done some kind of analysis, and even gone out to examine the tree. He had said it looked like a sound design but because the tree limbs weren't stress graded lumber he suggested adding a couple of steel rods to anchor the structure to the trunk a little more. Overall, though, he said that if my parents gave permission we should be able to build it. He even said we could probably get most of the materials from leftovers his business had lying around. As I Was Walking in the Park Erik brought over a copy of the slightly revised plans that night and we talked with Mom and Dad about it. My dad thought it looked all right but he couldn't say for sure. I reminded him that Erik's dad was a structural engineer. He and Mom looked at each other and kind of shrugged. "Well, if you two want to try it, it's all right with us." We began making plans on how to proceed. In another two days we had the materials piled fairly close and began moving them over near the big maple. We began construction and worked each day, except for one or two when it was raining too much. By the end of three weeks we had the structure basically finished. Erik's dad came out and inspected our work and pronounced it very professional. With his stamp of approval we began putting on the finishing touches. The windows and door were just rough openings so now we added roll down plastic covers which would keep any driving rain out. We found a couple of vinyl covered exercise mats and a small, low table, just a little over a foot high. A couple of cushions completed the furnishings. One day Erik showed me a small cabinet with a couple of shelves that he had made. We moved this inside also so we could leave a few things out there without worrying about them getting wet or anything. One morning in mid July - almost exactly a year since I had first seen Erik - we took lunches and climbed up to spend the day in our little refuge. For that is how we had come to think about it. A place where we could go to work, to play games, to read or to just talk. A place where no one else would interfere or interrupt. We played chess and another board game, ate lunch at the tiny table while sitting on the cushions, and generally just lazed away the afternoon. Over the remainder of the summer we spent several days out there together. We also used our refuge individually, going there just to have a nice, quiet place to read, the only sounds those of birds and insects and the breeze through the summer leaves. Summer eventually ended and school started once again. This year Erik and I shared four different classes: math, chemistry, English and world history. We managed to become lab partners in chemistry and often worked together in the other classes. It became quite common for us to get together in the afternoon or evening to work on homework. If the weather was nice we'd head out to the tree house. If not we worked in one or the other of our houses. Our relationship was still that of friends. Both of us dated but not very frequently and neither of us developed a romantic relationship of any kind. We still shared these experiences, telling each other about things that had happened while we were out as well as some of the quirks and peculiarities of our respective dating partners. Although we told thing we were sure our partners would not want repeated, we weren't concerned because we both knew that anything we said would never go anywhere else. The weather began to cool and rain became a little more frequent. Sometime in late September we had a chance to get a pair of real windows from Erik's dad's company at a very low cost. They had been special ordered but an error in ordering made them unusable for the destined project. Returning them was not an option so we were able to get them for next to nothing. We installed them in place of the roll up plastic. We used Erik's workshop to make a door and soon our little tree house was sealed weather tight and we could continue to use it for a number of weeks until the temperature dropped too low for comfort. Once again we closed it and for the winter went to each other's house to study and work. Spring came again as it always does. As the temperature warmed so did our desire to return to our arboreal refuge. By mid April we were once again heading aloft in afternoons and evenings. We'd take laptops and our homework up there and work on it. We were limited to daylight hours but these were getting longer each day. Again, we didn't by any means spend everyday aloft. We were each involved in other things and much of our time and activities did not involve each other at all. Still, Erik was definitely my closest friend and the only one with whom I would share many of my feelings and secrets. We were now both sixteen and were learning to drive. We were in different sections of Drivers' Ed but in mid May we each obtained our license. While neither of us had our own car we each had access to one most of the time we wanted it and were looking forward to a little more freedom when sophomore year ended. We each had a part time summer job lined up but would still have a lot of free time. There was never any question that we'd probably spend a lot of it together. The previous summer Erik had let me try his kayak. At home I began hinting that I would really like one of my own. My parents were a little afraid that it was just a passing interest and if I got one I would be bored with it in short order. Finally, however, my dad made me a deal. If I was willing to work and earn the money for a third of the cost, he would put up the other two thirds. But not before the following summer to see if I was still interested. I was and by mid June had saved enough to take him up on his offer. One Saturday we went into town and that afternoon I had my own bright yellow boat. The next free day we had, Erik brought his and we tied mine to the top of the rack on his car and headed out to a nearby state park with a large lake. I returned that evening with sore muscles, a medium case of sunburn and a smile a mile wide. One Tuesday in late July we were out in our tree house, just lying there reading. The temperature was high - mid nineties - and the humidity was up there also. There was almost no breeze at all and we were both dripping wet. I put down my book and stretched, wiping sweat from my forehead. I reached for my water bottle and took a long drink. "Definitely a little warm," I commented. Erik looked up. "It is that. I suppose we could go back to one of our houses. They're both air conditioned." I shook my head. "No, heat and all, I think I'd rather stay out here." "Well, then, there is a nice lake just a hundred yards over that way. We could go for a swim." "We'd still have to go all the way back for suits." For just a second Erik didn't say anything. Then he slowly spoke. "We wouldn't really have to." I froze and stared at him. "You mean swim in our clothes?" We were wearing tee shirts and cut off jeans and sneakers. He didn't reply but slowly shook his head back and forth. I sucked in my breath. "You mean skinny dipping?" Again he didn't reply but this time his head slowly moved up and down. I also saw his breathing pick up a little. I laughed. "You're kidding, right?" Then for some perverse reason I had to add, "You wouldn't have the nerve." Still looking at me he answered, "Want to bet?" Once more I gave a little laugh. "I don't believe you really would." He look hard directly at me. "I dare you." Now both of us were breathing a little fast. I'm not sure what got into me but I stood up and turned towards the door. "Come on." I think he was a little surprised, but that didn't stop him from quickly standing and following me down the ladder. We moved along the short path to the lake and stopped on some rocks at the edge of the water. I bent down and stuck my hand below the surface. It did feel cool and inviting. I turned back to face Erik. "All right, if you're serious, then let's." We stood still facing each other for several seconds. Then Erik bent and pulled off his shoes and I followed suit. He stood once more. Looking directly at me he pulled his tee shirt over his head and waited. My breath was coming a little fast but after only a second's hesitation I pulled my own shirt off. I wasn't wearing a bra. Erik looked at me for several seconds and then, a smile on his face, reached to release his cutoffs. He pulled them and briefs downwards and stepped out of them, and stood up totally nude. I couldn't back out now so I released my own shorts and pulled them and my underwear off also. For what seemed long minutes but was probably only ten seconds we both just stood looking st the other. Then I turned and stepped into the water. Erik followed and then for the next half hour we just splashed around and swam. Once or twice we reached out and touched the other but not intimately. We at last we emerged Erik took my hand and steadied me as I stepped back onto the rocks. Once more we stood just looking at each other for a long time as the water dripped off and the warm sun began to dry us. At last we dressed once more and made our way back to the tree house. Once inside Erik said, "That wasn't really so bad, was it?" I shook my head. "No, it wasn't. It actually felt pretty good. I might even be persuaded to do it again some time." "I'll keep that in mind." Then after a second's hesitation he added, "Karen, you look great, you know." I felt more embarrassed by his compliment than I had by swimming nude with him. Three more times that summer when we were out in the tree house on hot days we repeated our naked swim. There was never anything sexual about it beyond looking at each other, but we both did enjoy that. CHAPTER 5 We laughed, we sang, we played Then suddenly we were man and maid The smoldering fires within did ignite To become a love now burning bright September and back to school once again. This year we were juniors and college loomed ahead. We both took SATs and we both spent time talking about different schools. Over the weeks we found that both of us were considering the state university located some hundred miles away. Erik was headed into engineering and I planned on a computer science major. School meant football games and bonfire pep rallies and after game dances. I was asked to several by different guys and I know Erik took several different girls. We still continued to discuss our dates and we both found out that each of us loved making out but didn't go beyond that. I'm not sure what it was that let me share my intimate feeling with him to a much greater extent than I would ever consider doing so with any of my girl friends, but he must have felt the same and freely told me of his experiences. Our relationship allowed him to ask about what kind of things turned a girl on and he enlightened me on similar aspects of male arousal. Still we never went beyond discussion. We were friends. One day in late September while we were at school Erik said something and I found that he played the guitar. I had known that we both liked folk music but had no idea he played. That Saturday I got him to bring his instrument out to the tree house and mad him play. We even sang a few together and I discovered he had a nice singing voice - deep and resonant. From then on I urged him to bring the guitar several more times and we spent time singing some well known verses. The previous summer we had gone together to a renaissance faire and attended a couple of performances. The songs presented there were often a little, shall I say, risque. Anyway, we added them to our selections and now our tree house occasionally rang with "Roll me over, in the clover," and similar verses. I suppose it's fortunate we were far enough back in the woods that neither of our parents could hear our presentations. By early October the weather was cooling once again. We were talking one day about how we probably wouldn't be able to use the tree house much longer this year when Erik suddenly stopped and stared thoughtfully up at the ceiling. "You know," he commented, "I'll bet that if we put some insulation in we could use this quite a bit longer." With the windows and door we had have the place pretty well sealed against any wind infiltration. "You think so? How hard would it be?" "Probably not too bad. I'll ask Dad tonight about getting some materials." We spent the next weekend insulating not only the ceiling, but also the walls and the floor. When we finished we found that our little enclosure had become much more comfortable. In fact, unless it was quite cold out or a strong wind blowing, our body heat raised the temperature to a comfortable level in a surprisingly short time. We could now use our hide away both later in the year and later in the day. We often took homework out there. With our laptops we could work for several hours with no electricity. However, as we went deeper into autumn the sun set earlier and earlier. I mentioned this to my dad and the next day he handed me a box and said, "Here. Try these." I looked inside and found he had put together some LEDs along with a rechargeable battery. The battery was about four by eight by six high and he said it would power the lights for somewhere between twenty and forty hours. We could then bring it back and recharge it or - he suddenly got and idea and disappeared for a couple of minutes. When he returned he handed me a small solar panel and said, "Put this on the roof and point it south. Since you're not there most of the time it'll probably keep the battery pretty well charged." Sometimes it's quite nice that my dad is an electrical engineer. We installed the lights and other stuff and found that they would give us plenty of light to keep working when the sun went down. We already kept a couple of small LED head lamps in the tree house in case we got caught out there after dark so we could see our way back home. Now the new lights would let work later. After a couple of weeks Erik also found some colored LEDs we added. We set things up so we could have dim lighting of either white or mixed colors or bright white lighting for working. That way when we finished our work we could dim the lighting and just listen to the evening sounds while seeing enough to do any necessary things inside. Winter once more found us limited to our houses. This wasn't really a problem except we were a little hesitant to talk about some of the more personal secrets we shared. I had told Erik that I planned to remain a virgin until at least college and he had confided he was thinking along the same lines. We both really liked necking and petting and would freely describe our activities and response with each other although there was never did anything along those lines between ourselves. Sometimes I wondered just what our parents thought about our relationship. We had been good friends for over two years, we spent a lot of time together, went places and did things like the kayaking, but we had never approached anything resembling any kind of romantic relationship. Maybe they just looked at us as sort of brother and sister also. Whatever the reason they never appeared to have a problem with the relationship we did have. By spring we were able to move back out to our sanctuary once more. One evening in April when we had finished our homework we were just sitting and talking. I had just told Erik about a date I had had the previous week. We had gone to a movie and then stopped at a park on the way home for a little necking. I had been out with this boy, Ben, once before but we hadn't even kissed good night. Now when he kissed me I felt his tongue try to force its way in past my lips and teeth. I asked Erik, "I know French kissing can be fun, although I've never thought it was a great as I've heard. The guys who have tried it just feel like they as trying to force their tongues down my throat. Do guys get something else out of this?" Erik looked at me and smiled. "If it was done right you wouldn't need to ask. I'll bet you've never had a guy do it the right way." I smiled back at him and replied, "Oh, so you know the right way, huh?" "Maybe not the absolutely best way, but I have learned to make it interesting. I don't think my dates have ever complained." I teased right back. "Maybe they have just been too polite to tell you they didn't like having their tonsils licked." He laughed again. "No, I can tell." Then he teasingly said, "Maybe I should show you how." For just a second I felt something strange in my stomach but I came right back at him, "OK, Mr. Expert Kisser, show me." He started to say something, stopped, started again and stopped again. We were sitting side by side on the cushions and for what must have felt like at least three full hours we just stared at each other without breathing. Then he slowly reached out and took my shoulder, pulling me towards him. I didn't resist. My mind was swirling wildly and I felt myself move closer and closer until our lips were almost touching. He hesitated there, our lips no more than a centimeter apart for several seconds and then we moved gently together. His lips felt warm against mine and the slight pressure brought a response all out of proportion. But if I thought that was out of proportion the response when the tip of his tongue just barely brushed against the inside of my lower lip was beyond imagination. He made no attempt to force my mouth open but instead let the damp tip slide back and forth against the moist lining of my lips. First lower and then upper. And then again. And again. My lips parted slightly of their own accord and the tip of his tongue moved slightly deeper, again lathing my lips from the inside. I responded and opened even wider - my dentist would never have had any trouble if he had been able to use this technique. As Erik's tongue began to lightly stroke upwards, touching the inside of the roof of my mouth, my own tongue decided to get into the act. I'm sure it decided on its own for I don't think I had any conscious control over it. In any case it moved to duplicate Erik's explorations on its own, touching, exploring, teasing his lips and mouth. The temperature in the little tree house must have climbed twenty degrees and both of our tongues began to press harder and harder, twisting and sliding together as our arms tightened around each other. It must have been at least five or ten minutes before we pulled back enough for our lips to separate. We were both breathing quite rapidly, our breath coming in fast, shallow gulps. Erik finally managed to quietly get out, "Was that better than Ben managed?" I clung tightly to him. "Oh, Erik, yes! I've never felt anything like that." My arms pulled him hard against me and clung tightly. He quietly breathed, "I've wanted to do that for a long time, Karen. I was just so afraid it might hurt the wonderful friendship we have now." My eyes were wet and I felt overwhelmed by emotions I had never experienced before. "I don't regret any of it. It won't hurt what we have. And it's so much more beside." I buried my face against his shoulder and made muffled words into his shirt. "I don't know what to say. It was wonderful." He held me, gently stroking my back and shoulders, for several minutes while the world once more reassembled itself - at least partly - around me. The he moved me slightly back and, still holding my shoulders, said, "Karen, I've wanted to ask you for several weeks now. Will you go to prom with me?" I almost choked on something between a sob and a joyous laugh. "Yes! Yes, Erik, I would love to." We spent the next half hour repeating Erik's lessons in French kissing, although he later told me he thought I was teaching him quite a bit also. I made it home that night and up to my room without encountering my parents which was probably a pretty good thing. I'm sure I would not have appeared coherent at all and would have been hard pressed to explain just what had been happening. As it was when I told them the next day that Erik had asked me to prom I saw them exchange a quick glance. I think it might have said something like, "Well, it's about time." Whatever their thoughts they seemed to approve. Mom helped me find a nice formal and when Erik came to pick me up even helped him pin on the wonderful corsage he brought.