Copyright 1996 Jim Fix This story may not be reproduced in any form for profit without the written permission of the author. This story may be freely distributed with this notice attached. The author may be contacted at jimfix@earthlink.net or through mrdouble@ix.netcom.com. DELIVERING THE EVENING NEWS An erotic story by Jim Fix Delivering newspapers in a rural community is sometimes more than just throwing papers and collecting payments every two weeks. "Tommy will you drop this off at Mary’s as you go by or will you tell Sue I’ll drop over to her place tomorrow?" are only a few requests asked of the paper boy as he delivers the afternoon edition of the paper. There are benefits also, "I just baked some cupcakes, would you like to try one?" I delivered a local paper in a small rural community scattered over the hills and valleys for a little over a year. Delivering newspapers is an education in itself. You get to meet all your customers and learn all the gossip floating around. The safest thing to do is listen and keep your mouth shut. My route covered about three miles in a large circular pattern that I could walk in two hours if I didn’t linger. I rarely finished on time for I more or less ran errands as I distributed my papers. My customers were country folk and most tolerated a late delivery for the added messenger service I conveniently provided. I had a few soreheads that complained but not too loudly for everyone else appreciated the little extras I did. Rain, shine, sleet or snow five afternoons a week and Sunday mornings I walked my route, threw papers, acted as the town crier, and ran errands. There was no paper on Saturdays and that was my day off or a day to do chores to earn a little extra money. We were all poor financially but not in need or poverty stricken. Everyone shared the little extras so if one family needed a lawn mower they would borrow one from a neighbor and that neighbor would probably borrow this or that in return. Mom and Dad could not afford to give me much more than clothes, room, and board so I made my spending money from my paper route and chores. At times my earnings were a significant part of the family budget. A young widow bought a small place of about five acres close to the end of my route and became my newest customer. Anne usually met me as I came by with her paper and we would stand at her gate and talk for a few minutes as I gave her the latest gossip or local news. She kept to herself and didn’t socialize with the other women much so I guess my stops were a break in her solitary days. Almost every weekday I would spend a few minutes talking with her and we soon became friends. I enjoyed our conversations so much that I adjusted my route so she was my last customer and if I lingered a little longer than usual it only made me late getting home. Mom was used to the vagaries of my route and never worried or complained if I was a little late for dinner. Most young boys develop crushes on an older woman and Anne was my older woman in spades. She was short, barely more than five feet tall, had a nice figure with just enough padding to give her a soft appearance. She had dark brown hair, and hazel eyes. She was pleasant to talk with and always had a smile for me. Anne would never be a raving beauty but when you got to know her the whole package was very attractive. She became the star of my erotic fantasies. I gathered from our conversations that Anne had married her childhood sweetheart right after she graduated high school. He had decided to join the Army after losing his job and had been shipped off to a place called Korea within months. She had kissed her husband goodbye and three months later the Department of Defense had sent her a telegram that all service wives have nightmares over, she was a widow. Alone and with few job skills Anne had cast about for something to do. As a teenager she had made handicrafts to sell and she found a ready market in the tourist shops on the highway that led to our local attraction, a National Park. Tired of the city and wanting to live close to her market she had found this house and fell in love with it. One cold windy Sunday morning Anne opened her front door just as I was putting her paper behind the screen so it wouldn’t blow away. She seemed surprised to find someone on her front porch and she had certainly startled me. She laughed at our situation and invited me in to get warm and have a hot chocolate with her. After miles of walking in the cold wind I accepted gratefully. Her house was neat and well organized with all the little extra touches that gave the impression that whoever lived here liked pleasant surroundings. I followed her to the kitchen where she handed me a cup filled with chocolate. Then she led me to her workroom where we sat at her worktable. There were little puppets stacked in piles on one side of the table and bits and pieces that would become puppets in organized piles on the other. As we drank our chocolate she showed me how she assembled them and asked me if I would like to try to make one. After a few clumsy mistakes which amused Anne she came over to my side of the table and stood behind me. She leaned over and guided my hands as I put the pieces together. I am usually pretty quick to learn a mechanical skill but two soft breasts pressing lightly into my back and her hair tickling my cheek were distractions that reduced my hands to a bunch of thumbs. I finally got it right despite my divided attention and put one together. Anne returned to her stool on the other side and gave me a dazzling smile as she sat down. We spent the morning talking and assembling puppets. Without the distraction of Anne leaning against me I soon came close to matching her speed and her compliments drove me to try even harder. We talked and worked until it was time for me to go home for lunch. I excused myself and as I got ready to leave Anne gave me the first puppet I had made as a gift for my little sister. Before I could turn to go out the door she gave me a little hug and thanked me for my help. As I walked home in the cold I thought about the morning I had spent with Anne. She was my first adult friend and I had enjoyed myself immensely in her company. I liked talking with her and I liked being around her. Anne wasn’t critical of me as my family was many times. I could relax and not worry about hearing "Tommy tuck your shirt in or Tommy sit up, don’t sprawl around the house." Anne seemed interested in me not how I was dressed or what position I was sitting. The warm softness of her breasts against my back and the hug as she thanked me stirred me as only a thirteen year old can be. Anne didn’t know it yet but she had a faithful admirer in me. After lunch I played with my little sister for awhile until she got tired and took a nap. TV hadn’t penetrated the our area yet so that was not an option. I loved to read and kept at least one book checked out of the school library. I was currently working on "Two Years before the Mast". I settled down with my book and whiled away a cold boring Sunday afternoon sailing up and down the coast of California with Dana or dreaming about Anne. The following week there were subtle changes to our afternoon talks at her gate. Anne always seemed to stand close to me often touching me in a friendly manner to emphasize a point as she talked. It was only a little pat on the shoulder or a hand laid atop mine but the atmosphere between us was definitely warmer. My afternoon meetings with Anne became the high point of my day and I would hurry through my deliveries to get to her house and spend as much time as possible near her. By Friday afternoon I was completely moonstruck. Friday we stood and talked about whatever subject that came to mind. I remember Anne resting her hand on the top of the gatepost and after the closeness we had enjoyed this week it only seemed natural to put my hand atop hers as we talked. She looked me directly in the eyes and gave me a warm smile making no effort to withdraw her hand. After a moment I removed my hand and when I did she took both my hands in hers and said, "I have to go in now but if you would like to have a coffee or hot chocolate to warm up Sunday morning knock when you drop my paper off, OK." and gave both my hands a little squeeze. "Thanks, I’d like that very much." Anne gave me a quick little peck on the cheek before she turned and walked back to her house. I walked home in a daze. I might be a naïve thirteen year old but something improbable was happening. She hadn’t done anything that could be considered suggestive; so far she had only made friendly gestures but when I arranged them in my mind there was a progression of one little thing leading to another, each a little more intimate than the last. I hoped my deductions were correct, getting seduced by a pretty woman was at the top of my wish list; right up there with a new bicycle. The time seemed interminable until Sunday morning but finally it came. I bounced out of bed early and hurried to pick up my papers. I was so early I had to wait a few minutes before the truck came by and dropped my bundle. The driver and I joked about the size of the Sunday paper and how heavy my paper bag would be to carry. Sunday’s papers are the most difficult to deliver; they are too big and heavy to roll and throw. Monday through Friday’s papers are small enough to roll up and tuck so they make a nice package to throw as you walk. On Sunday I have to put every paper at the customer’s front door. I fumed about every extra minute it took me to drop off each paper. I wanted to get to Anne’s as quickly as possible and begrudged the time wasted with extra steps. My thoughts naturally strayed to sex and I imagined scenarios where Anne and I jumped in bed. Just past puberty, I was aroused most of the time and this morning was no different. In all my fantasies we had very little foreplay, we just seemed to fall in bed together. With no experience I had no concept of the subtle interplay between a man and a woman and I never considered that I might have read Anne’s signals wrong. At long last I was at Anne’s front door and when I knocked it was a moment or two before she answered. When she opened the door she greeted me dressed in a robe that looked like white satin. Her hair was done up in a ponytail and she was wearing just a touch of makeup. I had never seen her look like this before. She really looked like a pretty teenager and not a widow past twenty. When I stepped through the door she gave me a quick peck on the cheek and led me to the kitchen. Anne poured two cups of coffee and sat just around the corner of the table from me. I had a partial front view of her and I could just see the swell of one breast through the top of her robe. I tried unsuccessfully not to stare at her breast and I know she saw me looking once or twice but she ignored my inability to keep my eyes off her cleavage. We talked about my school and her craft business for a short while and she asked me questions about my grades and girlfriends. She seemed happy that I had a B average and commiserated with me about my lack of a girlfriend. After a short pause in the conversation she asked, "Are you hungry, I haven’t had breakfast yet and I’d love to have you join me?" "I’m starved, I didn’t have breakfast before I started my route this morning.", I replied. "I’ll have to do something about that. How about sausage, scrambled eggs, and toast?" "Sounds great Miss Anne." "Do me a favor Tommy, please don’t call me Miss Anne. Anne will do fine, that’s what all my friends call me." "OK . . . . Anne." She busied herself at the stove and soon the delicious smell of sausages cooking drifted across the room. I watched her as she prepared our breakfast and was given a particularly good view down the front of her robe as she set our places at the table. She wasn’t wearing a bra. Other than pictures this was the best view I had ever had of a woman’s breasts. What was wrong with me? I couldn’t take my eyes off her and if I had to stand up at this moment I would be terribly embarrassed. I had to sit with my legs crossed to keep the lump in my pants from showing. I was not wise in the ways of women and I was shy around girls at school. Anne was driving me crazy with the little peeks I had gotten of her body. Once she was back lighted by the sun through a window and I could clearly see the outline of her legs through the material of her robe. As a sex starved teenager I was rapidly approaching overload. She walked around the kitchen as she prepared our meal seemingly oblivious to my staring at her and what she was doing to me. At last she put the food on the table and we began to eat. I don’t remember the taste of anything, I just shoveled food in my mouth and sneaked peeks at her as she ate. She caught my eye once or twice and only smiled. We ate the entire meal in silence except for a pass the salt or pass the . . . . whatever. I noticed that Anne seemed as tense as I was. Something was bothering her and she appeared to be on the verge of saying something but didn’t know how to start. Time dragged and it seemed like forever before we finished eating and Anne cleared the table. She poured fresh coffee before she sat down and turned her chair to face me. "Tommy, I’m sorry. I’m not very good at this.", she said and then fell silent. My legs had fallen asleep and when I uncrossed them my condition became evident. The front of my pants had a lump from my tortured erection. As the circulation returned it began to throb and pulse with my heartbeat. There was no way Anne could help but notice it and I turned redder and redder with embarrassment as each silent second ticked by. I could see her looking at my pants just as I had looked at her breasts earlier. She wet her lips and that simple act drove me to even greater heights of arousal. Anne appeared to have come to a decision and asked, "Tommy, do you like me?" "Y yes.", I managed to stammer. "Can you keep a secret?" Afraid to speak; I nodded my answer. "I like you too. I’ve liked you since I first met you. You are the only person who took the time to talk with me and relieve my loneliness when I first moved here. I know that you work most of the time when other boys are playing so you must be lonely too. Do you have any close friends?" "Other than you, I don’t get a chance to spend much time with anyone except my family.", I managed to say. Would you like to become my special friend Tommy?" "Yes." "Do you know what I am talking about?" "I I think so." She looked directly at the lump in my pants and smiled as she said, "I’m sure you do. . . . Would you like to have me as your girlfriend?" The house seemed too warm and I began to sweat. I was afraid, not of Anne but afraid that my inexperience would embarrass both of us. What was I to do and what could I say? I screwed up my courage and plunged ahead with whatever words I could force out of my mouth, "I I’ve never had a girlfriend before. I don’t know what to do. C could you show me?", I managed to stammer out. A tender smile lit Anne’s face as she stood and took my hands in hers pulling me to my feet. She put her arms around me and molded her body to mine. "My sweet Tommy.", she whispered as her lips found mine. My senses were overwhelmed. Warm wet lips were pressed against mine, soft breasts were pressed against my chest, and my erection was probing at Anne’s soft nether parts. There were so many new sensations I could only concentrate on them one at a time. Everything was new and wonderful in my changed world. Anne came up for air and whispered, "I’ll show you everything and more lover. Are you ready?" "Yes.", I said as she pulled me close and kissed me again. She led me to her bedroom and slowly undressed me. When she took of my shirt she kissed me on both nipples. I had no idea before that they were so sensitive, her lips sent little shocks through my body. Next she had me sit on the bed and she removed my shoes and socks. I lay back on the bed with my legs dangling over the side. Anne undid my belt and pants then pulled them down and off. Next she removed my shorts and when she pulled them off my feet she began to massage my feet and worked back up my legs stopping short of my groin. "What strong legs you have.", she remarked and stepped back from the bed. I watched her untie the belt on her robe and remove it. Underneath she was wearing a thin nightgown that hid nothing and ended short of her knees. She did a little pirouette and the gown flared out above her hips. As she spun around I got only a flash of a little triangle of hair between her thighs. She stopped with her back to me and removed her gown. She slowly turned around and I got my first look a completely naked woman. She was all soft curves everywhere; thinner than plump but heavier than a model or a dancer. Her breasts were the size of half grapefruits with nipples the size of a fingertip surrounded by quarter sized aureoles. In my thirteen year old eyes she was magnificent. "Like what you see?", she asked. There was a huge lump in my throat and I could only nod. She laughed and joined me on the bed. We lay side by side and embraced with an endless kiss. Her mouth opened on mine and her tongue parted my lips and explored my mouth. At first I was slightly repelled but after a second I began to enjoy the feeling of her slippery tongue and mimicked her by pressing my tongue into her mouth. As our tongues dueled I could feel my erection pressing against the soft mound between her legs. I began to position my hips until I could press my penis against the wetness I could feel between her legs. Anne grasped my erection in one hand and rolled on her back. "I see the little soldier wants to do battle.", she laughed, "First we had better get the battlefield ready." She took my hand and guided it to her sex. She let me explore the warm soft wetness between her legs to my heart’s content. Then she put my fingers on the little bump at the top and guided my hand until I could massage it properly. Next she put a nipple in my mouth and had me suck it gently. I soon got the idea and as I played with her she let her hands roam over my body touching, tickling, and pinching in spots that I never knew could bring such excitement. It wasn’t long until she was making thrusting motions with her hips each time I moved my hand and I timed my movement to hers. She pushed me away and rolled me on my back with surprising strength. She stood on her knees astride me and took my little soldier in her hand. Carefully she put his little helmet against the lips of her sex and slowly began to press down. Just as the head disappeared there was some resistance and she stopped her downward pressure and raised up slightly. When she renewed her downward pressure I slipped a little deeper inside her. Continuing with the up and down strokes my penis slipped ever deeper inside until it disappeared, completely enveloped in her sex. The first sensation I noticed was how wonderfully warm Anne was inside. I could feel little contractions grip and release me that sent shudders through my body. Nothing in my short life had prepared me for this experience. This was beyond pleasure, this was heaven. Anne began to move her hips back and forth grinding her pubic mound into mine. The rubbery slipperiness around my penis began to start a tickling sensation. As she continued to move with increased frequency I matched her movements with thrusts of my own and the tickling became waves of pleasure that radiated from my penis to the far reaches of my body. Each wave was more intense than the last and when it became almost unbearable I began to spray semen with each contracting wave deep inside Anne’s body. She responded with strong contractions of her own which only intensified mine. I couldn’t stop spurting semen and she rocked back and forth with increased violence until she had one overpoweringly strong contraction followed by a scream of, "OH YESSSSS!", and collapsed on my chest. We lay still and hugged each other close in the never-never world of afterglow. Anne lay atop me completely relaxed; her rapid breathing her only movement. Feelings of tenderness washed over me like a warm wave. I wrapped my arms around her in a protective embrace as emotions I had never known before possessed me. Anne had become the center of my world. "I love you Anne.", I whispered in her ear. "I love you too.", she replied and kissed me to seal the bargain. There seemed to be nothing else to say, we had said it all in four words each. One of us would kiss the other when the mood struck and I enjoyed all the new sensations Anne had introduced. I was still deep inside her sex and I could feel little twitches every few seconds. She was very wet from my semen and I could feel our mingled love fluids tickle as they ran down my scrotum and dripped on the sheets. A slightly fishy, marine odor hung about us that I found very exciting. It wasn’t very long until I was fully aroused again and my penis was throbbing with every heartbeat. "Someone’s awake again, I can feel him knocking on my front door.", Anne said giggling like a teenage girl. I could lay still no longed and started moving with a rhythm as old as love and soon Anne matched me thrust for thrust. As our passion mounted we hammered at each other’s loins with the violence of gladiators locked in a death struggle. How could something so loving be so violent? Little soldier and battlefield were Anne’s words and apt they were. Wave upon wave my passion ascended until, totally mindless, I exploded with an orgasm only to be followed by Anne’s violent contractions and animal noises deep in her throat seconds later as she followed me into blissful release. We lay in each other’s arms totally spent. Neither of us had the energy to move and we lay in an inert heap gasping for air as if we had ran a marathon. Long minutes passed before our breathing became more controlled and we were aware of our surroundings. One of Anne’s contractions spit my flaccid little soldier out into the cold world. She rolled off me and lay close beside me with one leg laying intimately across my hips. I could feel her wet, sticky sex pressed against my hip and her soft breasts against my side. I could stay this way forever as I cradled her head on my shoulder. "Tommy, we have to talk.", she said as she traced patterns on my stomach with her fingertips. "I have done a terrible thing. I used our friendship and violated your trust to seduce you. Can you forgive me?" Why would I forgive her for sharing the most wonderful thing I had ever had? How did she violate my trust? Was she thinking about my age? That had to be it and a little flash of anger ran through me. Realizing that my whole relationship with Anne rested on what I said in reply to her question I controlled my temper. I didn’t want this to end just when we had gotten started and I did some grown-up thinking before I opened my mouth. I hugged her even tighter and said, "There’s nothing to forgive, I really meant it when I said I loved you. I knew what was happening and if I didn’t want it to happen I could have stayed away this morning. I loved you before and I love you even more now. . . . Did you mean it when you said you loved me?" Seconds ticked by on a long heavy silence before Anne spoke again. I waited with a dread that she would dismiss my poor words and never share her love with me again. What would I do without her. We had made love only this morning but it seemed as if this brief time had been forever. I couldn’t stand to see her or be around her without sharing my passion with her. "Tommy, I do love you and I want to be with you like this whenever possible. It’s not me that I worry about, it’s you. I’ve taken your innocence away for a few moments of pleasure. That was selfish of me and there are other considerations. What if others found out about us?" "My innocence disappeared after I met you Anne. Something like this morning has been in my dreams for a long time. What’s the difference between thinking about doing a thing and actually doing it? I don’t know how would other people could find out about us? Would you gossip about this morning? Would I get up and run down the road naked shouting out the news that I am no longer a virgin little boy?" I could feel her trembling as I finished talking and the trembles became a violent shaking. When I looked at her I could see laughter all over her face. She was trying not to laugh and fighting a losing battle. Anne’s laughter escaped control and echoed around the bedroom. I could think of nothing funny in my remarks but she was laughing uncontrollably. What had I said and was she laughing at me? After some little time she gained enough control to talk between outbursts and said, "Tommy, I’m sorry but I can’t help myself. I can just picture you running down the road with your little soldier swinging between your legs shouting for all to hear, ‘I’m not a virgin anymore!’." As the image sunk in and I pictured it in my mind I joined her in helpless laughter. When we regained our composure Anne said, "Thanks Tommy. I was feeling guilty a moment ago but after what you said and a good laugh to put things in perspective I feel much better." "All I know is I just want to be with you like this always." "Always is a long time Tommy, let’s just let it happen day by day. Speaking of time, you had better hurry or you will be late getting home. Can you come back after lunch?" "I hitch a ride into town sometimes to see a movie, I’ll tell Mom I’m going to town and then I won’t have to be home until nine. Will that be OK?" "That’ll be great, now hurry and don’t be late for lunch." I jumped out of bed and got dressed. Anne put on her robe and followed me to the door. We kissed goodbye and she said, "Hurry back love." All the way home I wore the biggest smile ever. After lunch I told my Mom that I was going into town and meet some classmates. I mentioned that I might go to the movies and I would be home by bedtime. She readily agreed and I set off walking toward the main highway. Times were simpler then and hitching a ride was an acceptable way to get around. Anne’s house was isolated from the rest of our community by a grove of trees. Her nearest neighbor lived about 300 yards away around a bend in the road. It was easy for me to walk to her house unseen and under the circumstances I thought it best. When I was out of sight of my house I turned into the grove and shortly arrived at Anne’s front door. She admitted me on my first knock and after closing the door gave me the warmest kiss I had ever received. My arousal was instant and complete. Anne noticed my condition and pressed her body against mine in response. We had only been separated for a couple of hours but our need for each other belied the short parting. "I know what’s on your mind.", she said, "Let’s take a shower together and afterward who knows what might happen?" I followed her to the bedroom and we undressed. I was still a little bashful about being naked in front of Anne but she kindly paid me no notice. When we were naked she embraced me again and the total skin to skin contact and her wiry pubic hair pressing against my erection almost drove me over the edge. We were both becoming aroused and my erection throbbed against her softness. "Let’s shower first.", she said as she broke away from me and ran to the bathroom. We held each other close as the hot shower cascaded over us. Until now, showers had been just hygienic, with Anne it was a totally new experience. We hugged and kissed and pinched and giggled and did all manner of playful things as the hot water streamed over us. Anne pushed me away and began to scrub me down from head to toe. She got on her knees and carefully washed my erect penis. She kissed it on the tip and called it her lovely little soldier. "I know just what my little soldier needs.", she said. I was surprised to see Anne take my penis in her mouth and begin to do wonderful things. My orgasm came all too quickly. When I looked down Anne had semen all over her face. She smiled up at me, put her cheek against my tummy and hugged me. She stood and kissed me as she pressed her whole body close to mine. I could feel her coarse pubic hair brush against me and taste salt on her lips. I thought I should be revolted; her mouth had just been on my penis and she had the salty taste of my semen on her lips but instead, I found it strangely erotic. Anne had acted as if it was perfectly ordinary. What did I know about sex? A throbbing announced another erection and I could feel the little soldier pressing against Anne. "Will you wash my back?" she asked as she released me and stepped back. I began soaping her down just as she had done for me. I spent an inordinate amount of time with her breasts; sometimes washing and sometimes kissing the nipples. When I finished her top half I got to my knees and washed her legs and feet. I gently washed her pubic area and labia. After she had rinsed she hugged my head to her tummy. I wondered what it would be like to kiss her sex as she had for me. I had heard boy talk about oral sex and I had just experienced half of it. Why not try the other half? The kiss we had shared spiced by the taste of my semen had stirred me, perhaps this would also. I moved down and was rewarded with a mouthful of hair. Anne gently pulled my head away and sat on the edge of the tub. She spread her legs wide and gently pushed my head down again. This time the hair was not a bother. I repeated with my tongue what I had done earlier today with my fingers and Anne immediately reacted. I continued moving my tongue and felt something stiffen under it. The taste was not unpleasant and after awhile I began to enjoy what I was doing. The rubbery texture and slightly raw taste on my tongue was erotic indeed. Her thrusts with her hips invited me to explore deeper and deeper with my tongue. I continued my ministrations and was almost smothered when Anne crushed my face into her as she reached orgasm. "Where did you learn to do that?" she asked. "From you, if you could do it for me then I figured I could do it for you. Did you like it?" "Like it, you drove me crazy, I loved it! I can see we are going to have lots of fun together. Let’s dry off and go to bed." Moments later we were snuggled together in bed warming each other after the damp, chilling walk from the shower to the bedroom. Only our heads peeked out of the comforter as we settled in comfortable positions that allowed the most intimate contact. Anne kissed me long and tenderly before she settled back on the pillow and began to talk about us. "Tommy, please don’t get angry at what I have to say, what we have done today is considered wrong by the whole community and must remain secret. I’m sure you understand this and I don’t need to say more. This morning I felt guilty about what we had done but after thinking about what you said I can see that you are more adult about this than I gave you credit. When I said I loved you I meant it and I meant it as a woman loves a man. When I first realized I had these feelings for you I fought them with all the willpower I could muster but in the end my emotions won. Good sense said that I should not have these feeling for a thirteen year old but somehow I’ve never pictured you as a boy; only as Tommy, someone I love very much. What we are doing is dangerous and can lead to disaster for both of us. We can stop right now and avoid the all the problems our kind of relationship imposes or we can accept the risks, take precautions to ensure secrecy, and let love lead us where it will. You have to make a decision. We can have today as an interlude that was fun or we can have a more permanent intimacy with all the attendant risks. What do you want?" I wasn’t prepared for Anne’s speech. She was proposing a permanent relationship of love and loyalty. Was I ready for that? I found it hard to think while lying in a warm snug bed with a naked woman beside to me. Perhaps it was the best way. It was simple really, did I want to continue to have the intimacy that I had right now or did I want to get out of this bed and never come back to it again? Terrible choice to have to make if I didn’t know my mind but easy if I did. Until today all my thinking and fantasizing had been how to get in bed with Anne. I had never thought about what happened afterward, I had never considered that there would be an afterward. Reality has a way of rubbing your nose in your own shortsightedness. She had given me a choice; one day’s fun or all the time we could make together. I had turned a corner and I couldn’t go back to what I was last week. Yesterday I could have been happy just having Anne’s company but after what had happened today I either had to have all she could give me or nothing. We could never be just friends again, we had to be friends and lovers or part company. I didn’t have the words to tell her what was on my mind so I hugged her close and simply said, "I love you Anne." "And I love you too Tommy.", she said and we melted together with a warm kiss. I cannot describe that afternoon except to say that for me it was a time of discovery. Anne was a gentle, loving teacher and I was her "Lolita", for lack of a masculine term. She had few inhibitions and taught me love was an art. I had no experience and followed her lead down whatever path she chose to take. I was and have remained her willing student. When I could stand and deliver no more Anne suggested dinner. We got out of bed and she rummaged around and found a robe that almost fit me. We sat in the kitchen and had coffee together before she began to cook. With my sexual appetites satisfied completely, I found I liked Anne for other reasons also. She had a wonderful sense of humor and when I responded with a semi-witty reply her laughter was genuine and infectious. It was fun to just talk with her. I loved to watch her move around her kitchen. She was graceful and sparing of motion as she did commonplace things. Watching her prepare a meal was like watching the ballet. Little did I realize that I had reached for the brass ring and found gold. We ate dinner quickly and afterward I helped Anne with the dishes and cleanup. When order had been restored to her kitchen we sat at the table drinking coffee. "Tommy, you just can’t be coming to my house and staying for hours without someone stirring up trouble. We could get away with it for a little while but eventually we’d be in for some serious gossip. Your parents couldn’t ignore the gossip and soon we’d have to stop seeing each other. We need a good reason to spend a lot of time together, something that met everyone’s approval. Do you agree?" "I can see what you mean. I could do chores for you but it wouldn’t be long until you had to run out of chores." "That’s right but you just gave me an idea. What if I didn’t run out of chores for you to do? Would you be willing to work part time, after school and weekends, if I could find something that we could do together?" "That sounds great. What would I have to do?" "A distributor wants me to make puppets for them in quantity. I have been thinking about it for a while but without help I couldn’t pull it off. If you are willing we could contract to make the puppets and have an excellent reason to be together whenever we wanted. It will be a lot of work for both of us but we could be together and make some money besides." "What about my paper route?" "You should keep your papers, this could fall apart and then where would you be? Tomorrow morning I’ll go to town and see if they still want me to make the puppets. If they do I’ll take the contract and order the materials we’ll need. I’ll talk with your Mom and get her permission for you to work with me. I’ll tell her that we talked about this last week and you agreed to work if she approved." "Let’s do it. I’m sure that Mom will agree and Dad will go along with whatever she decides." "OK lover, let’s figure out how much it will cost us to make the puppets and what we want to charge the distributor. How good are you at math?" We spent most of the rest of the evening putting numbers together. I kept books on my paper route but this was several orders of magnitude greater. We figured our cost per thousand and hoped for a contract of two thousand. From past experience Anne figured we could make a thousand a week comfortably with Sundays off. The numbers checked and now all we had to do was get a contract. We had a brief interlude in the bedroom as I changed into my clothes and I left for home. The strange part was I had spent a whole day of sex and I walked home with an erection. When I arrived I went straight to bed and fell asleep to wonderful dreams of warm silky skin and hot slippery flesh. I almost ran home from the school bus Monday afternoon hoping against hope that Anne had gotten the contract and talked to Mom. Something was up for when I walked in Mom was waiting for me. "A nice lady named Anne stopped by this afternoon and had a little talk with me.", Mom said. "Oh." "Yes, she asked if you could work for her part time. Did you tell her you would?" "I told her I would if she got your permission Mom." "It sounds like a very good job and if you want, take it. I have only two rules for you, keep your grades up in school and be home by bedtime. Anne said you could have dinner at her house when you worked and that she would see that you did your homework so you could start work when you finished your papers. If that’s OK with you get out of here and get to work.", Mom said with a laugh. "Good luck." Followed me out the door. I hurried through my route and arrived at Anne’s about thirty minutes early. She met me at the door and hurried me inside to give me a monster kiss and hug. "We got the contract!", she almost yelled into my ear. "Great, tell me the details." "Let’s go in the kitchen and sit down. You won’t believe what I have to tell you." When we sat at the table in the kitchen with coffee she began to tell the details. "We have to make 5,000 puppets in four weeks from Saturday. They showed me a puppet they could get for $1.75 and asked me what I could do. I showed them ours and said I could deliver them for $1.50. The rest is history and we’re in business." Anne asked about my homework and then made me do it right away. When I finished an assignment she checked it over and made me correct all my mistakes. When my homework was finished to her satisfaction she made dinner and we ate. This became our ritual before we started work each evening after school. Then the real work began. We made puppets and we made puppets. 5,000 as a number doesn’t sound too big but when you are assembling that many little dolls it is truly an immense number. I went home the first night without seeing the inside of Anne’s bedroom. All week we worked like automatons and by late Friday night we ran out of materials. Anne asked me to come over early and have breakfast Saturday morning. Afterward we could drive into town and get new supplies. The next morning Anne had breakfast ready when I arrived. We ate and talked of needed supplies and how the work was going. When we finished eating and sat drinking an extra cup of coffee a silence fell for a few moments. Anne seemed to be deep in thought. "Our plans sure got sidetracked, didn’t they?", she said apropos of nothing. "What do you mean?", I asked in return. "We started all this so we could be together as lovers and we haven’t made love since Sunday." "We have some time now.", I observed. We got undressed and crawled into her bed still rumpled from last night. An urgency seizes us and we immediately got to the main event. As I gently probed with my little soldier I am amazed at the heat of her flesh. Each little thrust pushes deeper and deeper until I have no more to give. I lay still for a moment enjoying a sensation without equal. In my mind there are two times when copulation is best; the gentle time just after first penetration when the heat and moist slipperiness is always a new surprise and the violence of orgasm as both partners struggle together to climb the final slope to the pinnacle of pleasure. Our first loving was short and sharp. Afterward we took out time and savored our pleasure climbing up almost to the top only to allow our passion to cool before beginning the climb all over again. When the moment came we slowly climbed to the point of no return and slammed out bodies together until our senses were overwhelmed with our mutual orgasms. As we lay locked together in the afterglow I could feel the little twitches in the aftermath of Anne’s orgasm. Too soon we had to get up and face the reality of the world and our lives. We took a quick shower together and dressed for the trip into town. As we drove into town I noticed Anne’s car was running a little rough and on occasion bucked and missed. I asked her when she had last had it tuned up and to my surprise she said only a few weeks ago. She said the mechanic said something about burned valves and that the repair would be expensive. My Dad was forever hearing noises in our old clunker and was always doing little things to keep it running. I helped him off and on and I had become a fair mechanic for my age. Anne’s problem sounded like spark plugs and a set of points would cure all the car’s ills. I listened carefully to the engine sounds and was almost certain of my conclusion. "Anne, let me look at your car while you shop. I don’t think you need a valve job, I think some plugs and points will fix everything. If they are not busy at the shop where Dad works they’ll let me work on it there and you will only have to pay a few bucks for parts." "Are you sure? . . . . How much would the parts cost?" "The parts would cost less than $10 and they would like to have you for a customer in the future so I’m sure they will let me work in an empty stall. I’ve worked on Dad’s car there before and since you are my friend I don’t think there will be a problem." "$10 is all the parts will cost? That’s a far cry from $200 the other mechanic said it would cost to fix it. How long would it take you to finish the job?" "An hour at most. There’s the garage and it’s not busy just pull in front and I’ll see where I can put your car." A couple of minutes later Anne parked her car in an empty stall and handed me the keys. I introduced her around saving Dad for last. She shook his hand and said, "I’m pleased to meet you, it takes a good man to raise a nice boy like Tommy." Dad thanked her for the compliment and she turned and left. Everyone watched her as she walked out to go shopping. I began to work on her car. The other mechanics began to tease me about my girlfriend and their teasing was specific, direct, and excruciatingly detailed. I blushed to the roots of my hair but I was determined not to rise to the bait and they soon left me alone. They began to pick on my Dad teasing him about having a son who could get young pretty girlfriends before he was dry behind the ears. I could hear the pride in his voice as he parried the jibes and a couple of times he bragged on my supposed sexual prowess comparing me to himself. Each time he gave me a conspiratorial wink of approval. Had I told them the truth, that I had just made love to Anne, they would never have believed me. When I removed the plugs my suspicions were confirmed, they were burned to a little round nubbins and were dirty. No wonder the car ran rough. The points were no better. I bought new parts and began to install them. Al, one of the mechanics, wasn’t busy so he came over and watched me work and offered suggestions some of which applied to the car. I finished the work at hand and started the engine. It started immediately but was idling too fast. Al gave me a quick lesson on carburetor adjustment and soon the engine was purring like a contented cat. Al drove the car outside and parked it. When he returned we got a cup of coffee and joined the general conversation in the shop. I was asked many questions about Anne, "Who she was?", "Was she married?", "Did she have a boyfriend?", and so on. I answered their questions as honestly as I could without violating Anne’s privacy but I felt jealous of the men. They could present themselves as suitors openly and I couldn’t, I was too young. Anne and I would have to guard our secret carefully. She showed up a few minutes later laden with packages. Al helped her put them in the car and tried to strike up a conversation with her but Anne, while polite, didn’t encourage him. We got in the car and drove away leaving Al standing in front of the garage. Anne drove to one of the shops in town and I helped her load several large boxes in the trunk. She had bought all the necessary items the shop had in stock and ordered enough to finish our project. We had materials for nearly half our puppets and the rest would arrive next week. When we were on the open highway Anne ran up to the speed limit and the engine didn’t miss a beat. "Tommy, you are wonderful! This car hasn’t ran this good in a long time. What did you do to it?" Just what I told you I would do, I put plugs and points in it and tweaked the carburetor a little." "What do I own you?" "Let’s say it’s my contribution to our project. You need a dependable car and I wouldn’t want you to break down on some lonely stretch of highway." "That’s thoughtful of you, I wouldn’t want to break down anywhere especially on a lonely stretch of highway. Since you put it that way, thanks I appreciate your concern for me. . . . I noticed you said ‘our project’, are you that involved with what we are doing?" "I guess so.", I answered, "I want to see you win and if we both don’t work our tails off we won’t make it." "You’re right about the working our tails off partner." Anne extended her hand for a handshake and I took it. A moment or two later Anne asked, "What was all the commotion about as I left the garage?" "Oh, the guys were just teasing me about having a girlfriend." "Who were they teasing you about? You told me you didn’t have a girlfriend." "You.", was all I managed to say as I felt my face flush a fiery red in embarrassment. Anne laughed and said, "Why would they think you would be interested in an old bag like me? I’m a used up widow who is over the hill." "We both know better than that.", I replied and we both had a good laugh. "Tommy, I was serious about you being my partner a moment ago. Would you like to be my partner rather than work for wages?" "That’s fine with me but it’s all your money invested so far." "When we finish this contract I’ll take my cash investment out and what’s left we will share equally. The next contract you will have some cash to invest alongside mine. That OK with you?" "Yes but I have to give some of my money to Mom. I always give her half of my earnings." "If we pull this off you will have a lot of money and I think a little less than half will make your Mom happy." "OK Anne, you’ve got a partner." "This has been quite a week, I’ve found a lover and a partner. The best part is I love both of them.", she observed. We worked until nine that evening when exhaustion forced us to knock off. A quick kiss goodbye and a long walk home in the cold was the quiet end to a momentous week. At thirteen I had found a woman to love and I was an equal partner in a business. I arrived home to find my Dad sitting at the kitchen table having a beer and listening to music on the radio. He greeted me with a smile and asked me to sit with him for a few minutes. I took a soda from the refrigerator and joined him at the table. He asked me the trivial questions, was I tired and so forth and I gave one word answers. He sat quietly for a while before he got around to what was really on his mind. "Tommy, I was proud of you this morning at the garage. You handled yourself well." "What do you mean Dad, all I did was put plugs in a car?" "Not that, I know you are a good mechanic. I’m talking about how you handled the ribbing the men gave you about Anne. You handled it like a man. You like her a lot, that is obvious from the way you acted. You never got down to the level the others did. When she came back to get her car she walked into the garage and commanded respect. You gave her that by not wallowing in the same mud the men did. What’s more, she noticed their attitude." "Dad, I didn’t like the way they talked about Anne. She is a very nice person and I do like her a lot. It made me a little angry when they made remarks about her that was off color but I have to admit I was a little proud that they thought I could do what they said also." "Hell Son, we’re all human and you are old enough to know the score with women. Why wouldn’t you be proud to have a friend like Anne; any man would. She likes you too, I could see that right away. I’m not much on advice but I will say this, Anne is a healthy young woman so be careful in your friendship with her. You are old enough to make your own decisions now and whatever you do don’t cause trouble for yourself or Anne." Dad’s blunt words shocked me. Had he read my mind or was what I was going through something he remembered from when he was my age? It took a few seconds but I began to understand what Dad’s conversation really meant. He had just acknowledged that I was becoming a man and had told me in a roundabout that he was accepting me in a man’s world. "Thanks Dad, I’ll remember what you said." "That’s good and let’s just keep this little talk between ourselves.", Dad said and gave me a sly wink. Sunday mornings are quiet and I see few people as I make my rounds delivering the paper. I have time to think as my feet follow a familiar path. I had a lot to sort out after yesterday and this was the time to do it. My Dad’s advice about not making trouble for Anne or me rang out as a word of caution. He had been perceptive and sensed my desire. While he hadn’t approved he hadn’t disapproved either. He had just given me a veiled warning about troubles. I was sure he thought that nothing would happen but if the occasion arose for me to give some thought to appearances and not just plunge blindly ahead regardless of the consequences. Rounds finished I knocked on Anne’s door and she immediately led me to the kitchen where breakfast was waiting on the table. We ate quickly and began work immediately. All morning we sat at the table and worked. The piles of completed puppets grew slowly. Sometime after lunch Anne began to cut and sew the little costumes for the puppets when our supply ran low. As she worked she bitched about the sewing and the time it took to make one costume. She hated sewing and I could see that she was forcing herself to keep up the pace. Some of the warmth went out of the room. As I worked I tried to think of a way to get Anne some relief from the sewing machine. I knew that I couldn’t sew but what if someone else could sew for us? I remembered this lady who had a whole house full of kids and sewed most of their clothes. Didn’t the lady who kept chickens give me the patterned feed sacks to take to her? Would she like to make some extra money? It wouldn’t hurt to bring the subject up. When I told Anne about the woman who liked to sew and suggested that she might like to have some extra work you would have thought I had given her diamonds and pearls. I was dispatched to the lady’s house to see if she wanted a job. It only took me a matter of minutes to walk the short distance and not much longer to convince the lady I was making a serious offer. She accompanied me back to Anne’s and from there everything went uphill. Anne showed her how she wanted the work done and the lady did a few costumes for Anne’s approval. Her work was perfect. They haggled over price and when that was settled the lady departed with all the materials needed to start. After the door closed Anne surprised me with a big hug and a kiss. "Tommy, I don’t know what I would do without you. You have saved me from a life of drudgery.", she said and proceeded to give me another enthusiastic hug. We had enough costumes to finish out the day so Anne sat on her stool across the table from me and began to assemble puppets again. Her mood lightened and we had a wonderful time working, laughing, and joking. She bragged to me excessively about what a wise choice she had made for a partner. I loved the attention but I wished she would be as enthusiastic about the boyfriend part of our association. When I got ready to leave that evening Anne gave me my goodnight kiss. We stood holding each other and kissed several times. We lingered in each other’s arms for several minutes enjoying a tender moment after a hard day’s work. Finally she pushed me out the door with the admonition to hurry home and get some rest for school tomorrow. The following days melted one into another with a maddening sameness of school, papers, homework, and of course puppets. Each evening as I left Anne and I would kiss goodnight and some nights we would steal some time to make love. I was no longer the boy who delivered the paper to Anne. I was her lover and confidante who helped when a particularly difficult decision had to be made. My opinion counted, I was her partner. Little problems cropped up such as lack of parts. No legs; I made replacements out of ice cream sticks. No arms; ditto with ice cream sticks. Word of what we were doing had spread through the sewing lady and the neighbors began to cheer us on. When we ran out of colored feathers for the hats the lady who kept chickens gathered feathers from her chicken coop and dyed them yellow to make up our shortage. When I delivered the papers people would ask me how many had we made so far. The count was like the score at a ball game. Not much happened in our little town and Anne and I became the center of conversation. There was a nay sayer or two but mostly we got encouragement and support. Anne graduated from the widow who lives alone on Spring Road to that nice lady who makes dolls and I became Tommy, you know, the nice boy who helps the nice lady who makes dolls. Anne had gained acceptance in our little town and my presence at her house had an acceptable explanation. It was Thursday of the last week and Anne was looking wan tired. I was returning from another room when I noticed her stretching and rubbing the muscles in her neck. I walked up behind her and began to massage her neck and shoulders. I could feel the tension in her body and I gently began to knead the tension away. "Oh God, Tom that feels so good.", she said as she leaned back against me. I put my arms around her and hugged her close. Anne made no protest and cuddled closer. I grasped her hands in mine and I could feel her soft breasts pressing against my arms. I was becoming aroused and had no way to hide that little fact. "I see I can make you feel naughty but we have puppets to make.", she said. The next morning Mom asked me how things were going and I gave her a short version. I asked if it would be OK to stay until we finished for we were a little behind. She agreed and I dashed out to catch my school bus. I arrived at Anne’s that evening to chaos. Boxes were everywhere. Anne was working on the last few puppets and I started to put them in boxes, fifty to the box. After dinner we were surprised when my whole family showed up and pitched in to help. Even my little sister found something to do. My family helped until about ten o’clock and went home. Anne and I continued to pack boxes. Somewhere around four in the morning we had a hundred boxes stacked all over the house. It was done. I collapsed on the couch to tired to feel any sense of accomplishment and Anne flopped down beside me. We sat side by side with her head on my shoulder too tired to move. Eventually we found the energy to get up and Anne led me to bed where we fell asleep immediately. My sleep was interrupted by the insistent ringing of an alarm clock. I sat bolt upright in bed and wondered if I had to deliver Sunday’s paper or get ready for school. When I woke up enough to be aware of my surroundings nothing was familiar. I was in the wrong bedroom and someone was lying beside me. My confusion was total until Anne pulled me down beside her and gave me a good morning kiss among other things. She got out of bed and rummaged through her closet to find her robe and she tossed a white robe at me. "Try that on for size.", she said. When I put the robe on it fit well and felt soft and warm. "Do you like it? You look better in white than you do in a floral print.", she said laughing. After a quick shower and breakfast we waited on the truck to come and pick up all the boxes that contained all our work. It seemed strange not to have the worktable filled with parts to be assembled. We were at loose ends after so much activity and the prospect of nothing to do seemed strange. We finally sat on the sofa holding each other and listening to music from the radio. A warm blanket of contentment settled over us as we sat and waited. The years have rolled by, contracts have come and gone, and the two of us have put together a successful business. As I look back on the first few months of our relationship I think of all that might have been and none of my imaginings are better than what I have shared with Anne. I was never a teenager. Anne and I were too involved with building a business for me to do all the silly things I saw my contemporaries doing around me. I don’t think I would have fit in or been popular in any event. What I missed was the agony of trying to find out where I belonged. I already had a place in life. Just before my eighteenth birthday I had a talk with my parents about Anne. I planned to ask her to marry me as soon after my birthday as practical but out of respect for my parents I wanted to have their approval. When I opened the subject there was a long silence before anyone spoke. Mom was the first to speak. "Tommy, she’s older than you, are you sure you want to do this?" Dad spoke up before I could reply to her question. "Mom, Anne’s a wonderful woman and she and Tommy have worked together for years. I’ sure he knows his own mind about this. Isn’t Anne your best friend?" "Yes she is but somehow I can’t get it in my mind that my friend wants to marry my son." "Who would make him a better wife?" "You’re right Dad, Anne is a nice woman. . . . Oh my, it just dawned on me, Tommy what has been going on between the two of you?" That is a tough question to answer for your mother and I considered my answer carefully before replying. "We’ve been in love for a long time." "I see.", Mom said with a little disapproval in her voice. Dad came to my rescue before Mom had time to think. "Mother in this state the legal age of consent is sixteen and Tommy fell in love with a very nice woman. I think we should congratulate him for picking a wife we both like and respect." I could almost see Mom shift mental gears and get on a new train of thought. I broke out in a cold sweat as I waited for her next words. "Have you asked Anne to marry you yet?", Mom asked. "Not yet, I wanted to get your approval first." "Well, go ask her so I can congratulate my future daughter-in-law." . . . . Anne pale and beautiful looks up at me from the bed and smiles as I hold our newborn daughter. Tears stream down my cheeks as I try unsuccessfully to find the words to thank her for all the years of joy. All I can manage to say is, "I love you." THE END 7