During the day after he visited Marco, Tad began to read the book he had borrowed from his new friend. The book was Oliver Twist, by Charles Dickens. It was the first nineteenth century book which Tad tried to read. At first he found it too wordy and tedious, but once he got into it he could barely put it down.
As the family was eating lunch, the phone rang. Neil answered the call, listened for a bit, and then said that he needed to consult others and asked if he could call back. He hung up the phone and asked Tad to join him and Rachel at the table.
“That was Mrs. Bartolucci,” he said. “She told me that Marco wondered if Tad could visit them and stay for a couple of nights. Since I’ve never met either one of them, I wanted to ask you two first. What do you think?”
“If Tad wants to, I think it would be all right. He can call us if there’s a problem.”
Tad wasn’t sure. After all, he had never spent a single night away from Rachel and
Neil, and he didn’t know how being apart would feel. At the same time, he knew that kids at school often slept over at others’ homes and seemed to enjoy it. In addition, he wondered if he would be safe. Was Marco really changed and not angry anymore?
“Could I really call you if I have a problem?” he asked.
Both parents assured him that he could.
Deciding at last, he said, “Then I think I’d like to try it.”
When he was sure that Tad meant what he said, Neil called Mrs. Bartolucci back and told her, “I’ll bring Tad into town in about three quarters of an hour.”
Rachel suggested to Tad what he should take with him, including pajamas, which she knew Tad never wore at home except in the winter or when he had a fever and chills and needed the extra layer of warmth.
Tad packed extra clothes, his toothbrush, his toothpaste, his soap, and his PJs as well as Marco’s book.
Before he left, he hugged Rachel and Woody and then climbed into the truck. As they rode toward the town, Tad felt nervous. He had never had a friend before. He didn’t want to do anything to damage that tenuous relationship, and he didn’t really know what to expect on a sleepover. Would he and Marco share the bed? If not, where would he sleep?
As the truck pulled up in front of the Bartoluccis’ house, Marco raced out and opened Tad’s door. They went into the house with Neil following. He wanted to meet Mrs. Bartolucci and explain to her why Tad was nervous.
Tad and Marco introduced the two adults before racing up the stairs to Marco’s room.
As they sat on the bed together, Marco asked Tad how he liked the book he was reading.
“At first I found it slow going, but now I’m into it. I can’t decide whether Fagin’s a good guy or a bad one.”
“Let me know what you decide when you finish,” Marco said.
Looking at the TV in the corner, Tad said, “I’ve never actually watched TV.”
“Never?” asked Marco. Marco knew Tad had mentioned this, but until then he hadn’t really believed him. Tad shook his head. Marco walked over and turned on his TV. “There isn’t much good on this time of day, but maybe I can find an old movie,” he said.
He channel-surfed for a few minutes before he settled on a rerun of an old “Bonanza” TV show in black and white. Tad was fascinated.
Looking at Marco, he said, “We recently got a radio, and I’ve never understood how the sound goes through the air to us. Now I don’t understand how the picture comes to your screen. Is it all stored inside your TV somewhere?”
At first, Marco was tempted to laugh, but realizing that Tad was serious, he said, “No, it’s transmitted through the air from far away. I don’t know how it works; I just know that it does.”
Tad resolved to do some research in the library when he had a chance.
After they watched for a while, Marco turned off the set and put a recording of Beethoven’s Third Symphony on his stereo.
They sat in front of the player and Tad asked what they were listening to. Marco told him and added that it was a recording made by Arturo Toscanini.
They listened to records until Mrs. Bartolucci called them down to dinner.
At the table, Marco’s mother sat at the end of the table while Marco and Tad sat across from each other at her right and left. There was a salad to begin with, along with fresh rolls, baked that afternoon. Then Mrs. Bartolucci brought in a hot dish of lasagna. Marco said proudly that his mother made the best lasagna and that she made it from scratch.
Tad thought it was delicious. He knew he should savor it, but it was so good that he ate rapidly. When he finished, Marco’s mother asked him if he’d like some more.
“Yes, please,” he replied.
When they finished their lasagna, Mrs. Bartolucci brought in an apple pie and ice cream. At first, Tad wasn’t sure he’d have room for dessert, but he managed.
As they ate, Marco pointed out that he and his mother had made the pie and he had made the ice cream.
By the end of the meal Tad felt very full. The boys helped clear the table and then Tad watched as Mrs. Bartolucci put the dishes in the dishwasher.
“Does that really clean the dishes?” he asked.
“Oh, yes, and it dries them as well,” she told him.
Tad was realizing that there was a whole world outside of his cabin and meadow which he knew very little about. He resolved to learn as much as he could.
The boys went back up to Marco’s room and watched a comedy on TV. “Who are all those people laughing?” asked Tad.
“Well, really,” replied Marco, “the laughter is recorded, and the engineers just put it where there’s something in the script that’s meant to be funny. A lot of times, I’ve wished that they didn’t do that and just let us decide when to laugh.”
When the program was over, Marco turned off the TV. They happily read and listened to music until it was time to prepare for bed.
Tad fished out his toothpaste and toothbrush and followed his friend into the bathroom. Marco stood in front of the toilet and said, ‘Join me,” as he pulled out his penis and began to pee.
Hesitant at first, Tad at last pulled out his own and followed suit. They brushed their teeth before Marco said he had to take a couple of pills. He took a bottle out of the medicine cabinet, poured out two pills, and swallowed them with a drink of water.
“What are those for?” asked Tad.
“One’s what I have to take because of my accident and the other’s for depression.” He didn’t explain any farther and Tad didn’t ask.
Back in Marco’s room, Tad fished his pajamas out of his bag and began to take his shirt off.
“Do you usually wear those?” asked Marco.
“No, but Rachel said I should bring them.”
“Well, I usually sleep naked and you’re welcome to do the same. I think it’s more comfortable that way.”
Tad hesitated a moment and then put his PJs back in his bag. The boys removed their clothes and stood looking at each other. It was the first time they had seen one another naked, so they continued to look for a bit as their penises began to swell.
Marco turned, folded back the sheet and blanket on his bed, and climbed in.
Tad was still unsure about where he was going to sleep.
Marco patted the bed and said, “C’mon, climb in.”
Tad got into the bed and under the covers, and they lay facing each other. Marco smiled and reached over, touching Tad’s shoulder gently. Tad began to do the same but then realized he’d be touching Marco’s scars.
“Go ahead,” Marco said. Tad touched him with wonder, feeling the uneven and unresponsive skin.
“Can you feel this?” Tad asked.
“I can feel the pressure, but I can’t really feel it the way you would.” Then he added, “Wait a minute. Get out of bed.”
Tad climbed out wondering what was happening. When Marco had also climbed out, he said to Tad, “Now you get in where I was.”
Tad climbed in and over nearer the wall before Marco climbed in beside him. Then again, as they faced each other, Marco said, “Now touch my shoulder.”
Tad reached out and felt the unscarred shoulder, which was then accessible. Marco touched Tad’s shoulder, and they lay like that for a bit.
Marco then began to move his hand gently up and down Tad’s arm. As Tad did the same for Marco, his friend asked, “Do you jack off at night?”
Embarrassed, Tad didn’t answer.
Sensing his friend’s embarrassment, Marco said, “It’s okay, Tad. All boys our age do it.”
“How do you know?”
“My mother gave me a book a couple of years ago. It tells all about sex and how people do it. It has a whole chapter on puberty and what happens to boys during this time.”
Tad had heard the word ‘puberty’, but nobody had ever explained it to him.
Marco smiled and said, “Don’t tell me there’s something I know about that you don’t.”
At that, Tad looked stricken and removed his hand from Marco’s arm.
“Oh, damn, I’ve upset you,” Marco said, “and that’s the last thing I wanted to do. It’s okay that you don’t know, Tad. Tomorrow I’ll loan you the book.”
Tad nodded as Marco moved his hand to Tad’s chest and began to rub him. Soon the two boys were rubbing each other and getting increasingly excited.
When Marco thought he couldn’t wait anymore, he pushed the covers back, reached down, and took hold of his penis, rubbing up and down the shaft.
Tad watched and unconsciously took his own penis and began to work it. In no time, they both climaxed. For a time, they simply lay there, smiling at each other.
Reaching under his pillow, Marco pulled out an old pair of socks. Handing one to Tad, he began to clean himself with the other.
Cleaned off, Tad turned his back and Marco spooned into him.
As he lay there going to sleep, Tad thought, this is the most exciting thing that’s ever happened to me.
++++++++
True to his word, in the morning Marco handed Tad a book which Tad slipped into his bag.
After breakfast, the boys decided to go for a walk around the town. As they passed the library, Tad said he wanted to go in. He knew how to use the card catalogue and he looked for books about radio and television which might tell him how they worked. He found two which he thought might be interesting, but then realized he had not brought his library card. Fortunately, Marco had his, so they checked the books out and continued their walk.
After lunch they went to Marco’s room and Tad pulled out the book Marco had just loaned him. On Marco’s advice, he turned to the chapter on puberty and was soon engrossed, learning about what was going on with the hormones in his body and the changes he was just beginning to experience. When he finished the chapter, he asked if he could keep the book for a while so he could learn more. Marco assured him that he could, so he put the book back in his bag.
Marco put on a recording of Bach’s first Brandenburg Concerto and they sat on the floor listening.
When the recording finished, Marco pulled out a game which he called ‘cribbage’ and began to teach Tad how to play. Tad learned quickly and was soon giving Marco a run for his money.
Later, Marco decided to read so Tad took out one of the books he had borrowed from the library. He learned about radio waves traveling through the air, different frequencies of the waves, and how radios interpreted those waves into sound. He was fascinated to think that all around him in the air were invisible radio waves.
Around five o’clock, Marco closed his book and said, “Tonight we’re making dinner and it’s time to start.” Tad was surprised but he followed Marco downstairs.
In the kitchen, Marco showed Tad how to make meatballs to go with the spaghetti they were going to cook. He said that he was using his mother’s recipe. While the meatballs were cooking, they prepared salads before cooking the spaghetti and warming some of the rolls from the day before.
After dinner, they put the dishes in the dishwasher and returned to Marco’s room, where they played more cribbage, but their minds were more on what might happen in bed than on the game. About nine o’clock, they decided it was time for bed although neither of them was ready to sleep.
They went into the bathroom, peeing together and giggling as their streams crossed and seemed to fight with each other. Then Marco suggested that they take a shower. He turned on the water, and when he thought the temperature was right, he and Tad stepped into the shower together. It was a little crowded, but they helped each other soap up. As they washed and rinsed each other, their penises grew hard. Looking down at them, the boys both giggled. After they dried themselves, they brushed their teeth and Marco took his pills.
Back in the bedroom they climbed into bed, where they cuddled for a while. Then their hands found their way to each other’s chests and they began to rub gently.
After a time, Marco said, “I want to do something. If you don’t like it, just tell me and I’ll stop. He pushed the covers down, exposing both of their throbbing penises. Moving toward Tad’s crotch, Marco took hold of his friend’s penis and began slowly moving his hand up and down the shaft, giving special attention to the tip and the sensitive spot just below it. Tad moaned quietly.
Looking up, Marco asked, “Do you like this?”
“Oh, yeah. Don’t stop.”
Marco went back to work, and soon Tad was shooting onto his stomach. As Marco cleaned off Tad’s stomach, Tad said he’d do the same for Marco.
Tad found that holding Marco’s penis was a whole new sensation, different from holding his own. He marveled at how soft it was and yet how hard. It wasn’t long before Marco shot his load onto his stomach and chest. Tad cleaned him off and lay back beside his friend.
“That was even better than doing it myself,” said Marco with a smile.
“It sure was,” agreed Tad.
Soon they were both asleep, dreaming happy dreams.
Late the following morning, Tad’s father arrived to pick him up. Tad put his bag in the truck before turning to Marco, hugging him, and thanking him and his mother. He had an urge to kiss Marco before he left, but he thought that wouldn’t be wise.
Neil observed the hug, and when they were in the truck asked, “Are you feeling safe with Marco now?”
“Yeah,” Tad replied. “Could I invite him to visit overnight sometime?”
Neil smiled and agreed, wondering if his son finally had a friend.
That night, as Tad lay in bed jerking off, he thought of Marco being there with him and doing what they had done the night before, knowing now that what he was doing was okay and felt good, even though doing it with Marco felt amazingly better.