Howdy Doody

The Geppetto Project

Chapters 39-40

Chapter Thirty Nine

Just a few friends for Dinner

Knowing that the boy would eventually be transferred to Green Tree by his Grandfather, Sid made his usually casual observations of the 15 year old as a future student. Bobby was rather small for his age, with a face that didn't yet need shaving and a body that wasn't quite ready to produce any off spring. This fact Sid knew would soon be rectified, but until it made its appearance, had to be problem for the boy who was undoubtedly watching most of his peer's sprout fountains of delight at will. Once Sid returned to school, it would be a priority to place the boy in a cabin with some fellow traveler's who, like himself, searched for the Holy Grail diligently. Of close to 150 senior boys, there were only 3, but three was much better than none. At least the boy would know he wasn't alone in his "Failure" at Manhood.

In what only could be described as a "Raid" on a men's and boys clothing store that had been re-opened after closing hours just to allow the group to have changes of clothing for the next two days, Sid and those with him proceeded to the Atlantic Hotel in Old Harbor for a dinner while a van full of clothing went to the Marina to unload a bonanza of sales for the store's very happy owners.

Like the clothing store as well as the Marina, the hotel was finding itself in the midst of a boom in business. Since it was summertime, tourist season was in full bloom anyway, but tourists dollars tended to be restricted to bike and motorbike rentals, a quick lunch or snack and maybe a trip to a t-shirt shop or 2. The Islanders called it "Ferry dollars." which included the 50 cent landing fee per person that is collected at the docks. Now however, the money being spent all came though bank accounts and credit cards leading directly back to The Institute and Harvard itself. The dollars now being spent stayed on the island and not transferred nightly into accounts maintained by "Off Islanders" the worst kind of disease if you happened to be a resident of Block Island for 30 years or less (Unless you were born there of course!). Quite understandably, Block Islanders love their tourists, especially when they go away in the Fall.

Since noon, the hotel was receiving calls from known islanders to expand the dinner that night for a private party, and as the guest list expanded, so did the realization by the hotel that whoever was coming to dinner was speaking with a very distinctive New England accent; In other words, "Islanders". In New Harbor, the dinner wouldn't have even been noticed. In Old Harbor, the phone lines were buzzing. By 6:00 at night, every Islander with a New England accent knew what was happening on Dickens Point.

"I guess the plans to keep this thing low-key haven't worked out all that well." Matthew said as the car pulled into the parking lot of the hotel. Both Sid and Barry looked at a lot that was already half full of cars.

"There might be a dozen or so people here for us. The hotel is open to the public and there are plenty of tourists that come right from the ferry for dinner." Sid replied.

Meeting Sid and Barry at the door, their old friend and neighbor Roy introduced both men to the owner. Both Sid and Barry recognized the name as being an old Island one, but neither man had played with any members of the family as children.

"The Marthen's stayed pretty close to town as children." Roy told both men as they entered the Dining Room.

"For the most part, we all stuck pretty close to the Point when we weren't in school, so you never really had any contact with any of them, but they're really nice folks." he said.

What was supposed to be a nice quiet dinner for a few old friends and the people from The New Hampshire School that were there to work on the house now turned into a reception of close to 50 Islanders, either former children that Sid and Barry had played with on the Island back in the early 1960s, or their parents who remembered both boys.

The Director of The New Hampshire School had already explained to his crew of people that these Islander's all believed that Sid and Barry were the adopted children of a member of an extremely prominent Island family, their Uncle Kenny. To the Block Islander's, Geppetto itself was an unknown and had to stay that way.

"I thought you said there were a dozen or so people here to see the both of you?" Matthew asked Sid halfway through some extremely emotional reunions.

"Now you know how they protected us from any strangers who came poking around the Island when we were kid's. One boat pulled into the harbor, and the whole damned island was on the phone within minutes. Back then, they knew whether you had your tonsils intact or not!" Sid replied with a smile.

"I guess the grapevine is still in use."

By 10:00, Bobby was yawning and the open bar was slowing to a drizzle.

Because the crew from The New Hampshire School was staying at the hotel, Dr. Lester opted to leave his Grandson with the crew from school. Matthew, Sid, Anthony, Barry and Dr. Lester returned to the Suite at the Marina.

"Do you think they'll all turn out tomorrow for the re-burial?" Matthew asked Sid and Barry.

"Them, and probably a few more. Some of the Islander's are against drinking, and they wouldn't have come to the hotel." Barry replied.

"We've also got Muriel and Abigail coming in from off-island, and probably a few more if they've been called." Sid said as he looked out at the Salt Pond.

"Is that going to raise any red flags with the local government as far as the re-burial is concerned?" Matthew asked.

"No, Uncle Kenny's property is grandfathered as far as any local ordinances are concerned. Besides, even if it wasn't, half the Conservancy of the Island was at the hotel tonight, so there's nobody to complain to!" Sid replied.

"What I'd like to know is; when the fuck did we get so old?" Sid now asked somewhat sadly.

"If I passed most of those people on the street, I would never have known who they were." He said as Barry nodded in agreement. Matthew smiled a little along with Dr. Lester.

"You two have to remember, the last time you laid eyes on those people was well over 40 years ago. You've frozen their images in your minds since the early 60s. I'm sure when they heard you were in town, they too expected to see two little boys who shinnied up trees and jumped off sand dunes." Matthew said.

"Sand dunes my ass, we jumped off the cliffs!" Sid replied nostalgically.

"I wonder how life has treated Abigail and Muriel?" Barry now asked Sid.

"I guess we can kiss the banana curls and strawberry blond hair goodbye." Sid said.

"I take it you two were good friends with the girls." Dr. Lester inquired. Sid smiled now, deep in thought.

"Our friend Will had a tree fort in his backyard back then that his Father had made for him. The four of us lost our heterosexual virginity in that fort. We were 6, the girls were seven or eight I think." Sid recalled. Barry nodded once again with a small smile on his face.

"We didn't have a clue of what we were doing, but we sure as hell had a whole lot of fun doing it!" he said as Sid chuckled.

The next two days on Block Island would bring an extremely emotional time for both Sid and Barry as well as for the crew from The New Hampshire School who had known and loved Sid and Barry's brothers almost as much as Sid and Barry themselves did. But for now, it was time to sleep once Sid and Bert exchanged thoughts on the evening's activities and Sid placed a call to North Carolina.

The children's return to the Vineyard on Stuart's boat came just before dinner time which made Dora the housekeeper/cook one happy camper.

From the very beginning of the visit, Kenny had pretty much kept his distance from Dora which all concerned attributed to the fact that the three year old had never come into contact with a negro before meeting her and being Haitian, Dora was about as dark as one could get. Now, after almost three days around the woman, Kenny was loosening up on his grip of however was carrying him at the time when Dora came within a few feet of the boy. This was, in no small part, due to the fact that the woman usually came around with something sweet to offer him, usually a piece of pastry or cookie.

While nothing was mentioned about it aloud, the adults were aware of the situation and sought to relieve the child's anxiety and avoid an uncomfortable experience for Dora. Since the woman was all but a part of Thomas's family except by blood, making sure her feelings and needs were always met was a priority of the entire family.

As the group returned to the house, Kenny watched intently as one by one the children all received a warm welcoming hug and permission to get a cookie off the cooling tray in the kitchen.

"Dora would love to give you a nice big cookie Kenny. Would you let her give you a hug if she gave you one?" Jeanette asked the boy very quietly in his ear.

"You get it for me Auntie Jeanette." Kenny whispered back as his arms held his caretaker in a neck lock.

"Kenny's a big boy just like all the other boys and girls who are getting their cookies, it's time you became a big boy too." Jeanette coaxed. Kenny said nothing for a long few seconds as he continued to watch the interaction between the cook and the rest of the children. What he was most interested in, was the tray of sweet's at the end of the reception line. Without comment, the boy wiggled himself down to the floor and timidly approached Dora who was now putting the final toddler back on the floor.

From Kenny's vantage point, the woman was arguably the largest person he had ever been exposed to in his three ½ years in addition to being the darkest. Stuart watched with great interest as the toddler bravely approached this mountain of humanity who was not really sure if this woman wouldn't eat him for dinner.

"The brave little turtle is coming out of his shell for a cookie from Dora?" the woman asked with a decidedly French/Creole accent and a large smile.

Popping a thumb in his mouth which wasn't really seen all that often, Kenny nodded his head as he looked to the kitchen floor.

"You don't have to make this old woman happy if you don't want to, but may I give you a hug first?" Dora asked the boy as she sat down in her chair. Kenny now looked to Jeanette to reassure himself his caretaker was within sight and reach if necessary. Saying nothing, the boy stepped forward and began climbing into Dora's lap as the woman assisted him.

"Such a big hug for a little cookie! Maybe you want to take two?" Dora asked Kenny as the embrace lasted just long enough to rid the boy of his trepidation towards the cook.

"I really wasn't sure if Dora was picking up on the boy keeping his distance from her. I guess that question has been answered." Stuart said as the men convened on the porch with their wives for a drink before dinner.

"Did she say anything about it?" Thomas asked his brother's wives.

"It came up a few years ago when my sister brought her children for a visit. She didn't say anything about it then either, but she knew how to break the ice." Michael's wife said as the rest of the adults nodded in agreement.

"He doesn't appear to have stranger anxiety because he warmed up instantly to the rest of us. There are no black people at school?" Stuart's wife now asked Thomas.

"No. He may have seen some while traveling, but he's never come into physical contact with them as far as I know," Thomas replied.

"You're saying Geppetto doesn't effect black children?" Stuart asked.

"From what I've read from the initial experiments, the government only used Caucasian boys. In fact, the German scientist's insisted that only white, anglo-saxon protestant boys be presented to receive the serum just in case things went wrong and they didn't help to raise an army of jews, catholics or Mull-Menschen.

Thomas said.

"What's that? Stuart's wife asked.

"It means "Garbage people" in German. Thomas replied. "And our Government went along with them?" Thomas's brother Michael asked. Thomas sat back and smiled somewhat.

"According to the files, if they wanted to celebrate Hitler's Birthday, our people would have baked the cake," Thomas said.

"Only after the second generation was born did blacks, Hispanics and Asian's become involved, but there are none involved with the Institute or any of the existing Geppetto Schools that I'm aware of," Thomas replied.

"Why not?" Thomas's brother Cory now asked.

"The security risk would be unacceptably high. That, plus the fact that by the time the boys are brought to the attention of anyone, they're out of control and impossible to deal with on a rational basis. A Geppetto School depends upon stealth. There's nothing related to stealth when you plan to plunk down a Camp Baltimore or a Camp Detroit in the middle of rural america," Thomas said.

"Isn't that very unfair?" Stuart's wife asked.

"Yes, but spend 24 hours in any inner city Emergency Room and then ask yourself if you want to get involved with these people. We're not talking Uncle Tom's Cabin anymore!" Thomas replied as his brother's nodded in agreement.

Dinnertime came with Spencer frothing at the bit to finish and get back to learning how to operate his new GPS. For the entire trip home on the boat, and up until shower time, the 13 year old buried his face in his maps and charts working out courses and calculations as the rest of the Vineyard children along with Jesse and David played in the yard, pool, and down on the beach below the cliff's. Noticeably absent from that gaggle of children was 12 year old Valerie who stayed in close proximity to Spencer to "Help" him in his studies. To Spencer, Valerie was very smart (For a girl) and, she knew her way around the GPS and ChartKit as well as any boy. While Spencer was buried in his work, Valerie was burying herself in all things Spencer.

For Valerie, Spencer was a new kind of boy. He smelled of Johnson's baby shampoo and baby powder which the boy used routinely. Spencer had come to Green Tree as a child not yet six years old. Severely abused and withdrawn from the outside world, it had taken almost half a year of work mainly on the part of the girls, Jeanette, Johanna and Gloria to bring the boy back from the brink by temporarily reverting him to dependent childhood. He was bathed, fed, cared for and eventually even wet nursed back to life by the three girls, and now at 13, only his propensity to withdraw from adult women and his continued use of the baby products he had come to regard as being in a safe place remained now that his physical scars had been removed.

Valerie knew about the origins of the scars, but nothing else as she watched him work.

He was squeaky clean as opposed to most boys she came into contact with at the Friends Academy she attended along with her cousins. His light red hair shined in the sunlight as it hung almost to his shoulders in a pageboy style that required no combing or brushing. He had manners and a soft speaking style and was just shy enough to want to cuddle if someone had any maternal instincts.

"Do you have many girl friends back at your school?" The girl asked.

"Sure. Aunt Jeanette, Aunt Johanna, Aunt Gloria." Spencer replied as he worked out a course to take him to Bermuda.

"No, I mean girls our own age." Valerie said. Spencer shrugged a bit.

"I live with Carla and Jeannie but they're two years younger than me. I'm good friends with them and some older girls who take care of Kenny and Timmy like Meagan and Darlene." Spencer replied as he tried to concentrate on his work.

"Are you going steady with any of them?" Valeria pressed. Spencer now looked up from the chart.

"What's that mean?" he asked.

"Going steady means that you go out with just one special girl. Don't the kids at your school go steady?" Valeria asked.

"Some of the boys in the senior camp go out with just one girl, but if we did that in the Intermediate camp, the other girls would get mad at us." Spencer said.

"How come?' Valerie asked.

"They would get mad because we were picking favorites. We don't just pick one boy or one girl to play with; we all hang around together in a gang." Spencer replied.

"You don't have one girl you really, really like better than the rest?" Valerie now asked.

"You mean like a best friend?" Spencer asked. Valerie nodded her head.

"No." Spencer replied rather flatly.

With a slightly deflated sense of hope, Valerie watched as Spencer returned to his task at hand. The girl had met probably hundred's of boys in her 12 years, but none had interested her quite like the boy she now found herself sitting next to at the table. Maybe her Uncle Thomas could shed some light on the inner thoughts of this boy, and maybe her Mother could explain to her why it mattered so much to her in the first place.

On the up side, Spencer's skin grafts would need attention within the hour and Spencer had no problem whatsoever with peeling off his clothing and allowing the girl to administer the medication and re-bandage him. After all, it wasn't as if they were having sex was it?

Anthony's new I.S.P.

"He wants to play Aunt Patty. Want me to open up the gate and let him in with them?" one of her senior stable boys asked.

"That could prove dangerous for Baron, Gary.

It's going to take a few days before the new horses will accept him in their midst without either giving him a nip on the ass or a kick that could hurt him." Patty replied as she filled some feed buckets.

"None of the other horses ever hurt him, why would they?" the boy asked.

"Because the other horses were here when Baron was foaled and could smell his birth. They know him to be just a yearling, while the ponies don't. Our horses will tolerate him frolicking around, but the ponies will regard his antics with annoyance until they realize just how young he is." Patty told the boy.

"How are they gonna learn that?" the boy asked.

"They'll watch his mother groom him and see him nurse off her. They'll also watch how he interacts with the other horses and realize he's no threat to them within a few days." She replied.

With the bugler now blowing "Return to Quarters", the pool area began emptying of people as completely wet and bare-assed toddlers headed back to their cabins to prepare for lunch. While only the ponies in the corral paid any attention to them, a small army of squealing boys and girls entered their cabins with screen doors slamming.

"Judging by the atmosphere around here, you'd think it was Christmas." Gloria said as she pulled up in her cart. Patty smiled as Timmy scooted off his caretakers lap to get a closer look at the horses.

"When do you start scheduling the Camp Kenny children for rides?" Gloria asked the stablemaster.

"I want them to get use to their new surroundings first. The day after tomorrow we can start escorted trail rides, but we can allow corral rides beginning tomorrow morning." Patty replied as the yearling now trotted over to the newest visitors to the stable's which always meant he could beg a treat. Placing a piece of apple in Timmy's hand, both women now watched as the toddler approached the fence.

"Keep your hand flat Timmy, you don't want Moochie thinking your fingers are something you want him to eat." Patty told the boy.

"I thought his name is Baron?" Gloria now asked. Patty smiled as the stable boys around her giggled a bit.

"Officially, his name is Baron, but the boys have nicknamed him "Moochie" because of his constant begging." Patty told her friend. Once Baron ate the piece of apple, he sniffed at the four year olds stomach before moving on to Timmy's hair while the boy giggled. Satisfied that the boy held no more treats, the yearling moved over to a stableboy and sniffed around the boys shorts.

"Sorry Moochie, I'm all out." The boy said as he rubbed the yearling's soft nose.

Now almost five months old, the chestnut Belgian with four white stocking feet was still a mere fraction of what he would grow to be, but still, he was as large as any one of the new Shetland and Welsh ponies that had arrived that morning. Still much too young to ride, the colt spent his days frolicking around the campus within eye sight of his Mother. When he wasn't running around the pasture, he was either nursing or sleeping under the immense shadow of Maria as she nibbled at the grass.

In another seven or eight months the yearling would be sent to New Hampshire where he would most probably live out his life on a farm that specialized in raising Belgian and Morgan thoroughbred champions like his Mother, but for now, he was quite happy begging for treats from the nearest camper and chasing an occasional frog or field mouse around like any inquisitive child would.

"Ready for lunch?" Bert now asked as the Director pulled up in his cart with Christopher sitting on his lap. Gloria smiled at the man as she looked at Christopher who was now frothing at the bit to get off the cart and approach Baron.

"Are we changing the dress code in the Mess Hall or are those the Emperor's new clothes?" she asked.

With Jill and Claire now giggling, Bert shook his head.

"I phoned ahead and Helen is bringing some for him to put on. What about Lady Gadiva?" he asked as he looked at Timmy. Gloria reached into the back of her cart and pulled out a pair of underoo's.

"He's still working on his tan, but they'll be on before he enters the Mess Hall." She replied.

By Thursday, a kind of normalcy returned to camp once the little one's got use to the presence of the ponies. Bred for their gentle temperament, especially around children and now fully trained to follow a lead horse, the Welsh and Shetland's easily fell into a routine of trail riding with two very happy campers on their back doing what came natural to the toddlers.

The blowing of Mess Call saved Bert from having to restrain Christopher from climbing off the cart to get at the yearling.

"Eee?" Christopher asked Bert as he made the sign for eat or food.

"Yes Christopher, it's time for lunch." Bert replied as the boy now settled back down and grabbed the steering wheel with gusto. As much as Christopher loved the horses, like everything else in his young life, he loved eating much more and all thoughts of Baron were history as the group left the upper campus and wound their way down the Tree lined path for the lower campus and lunch.

Lunch was much more boisterous than usual which all staff attributed to the arrival of the new ponies.

"If I got ten or 15 minutes in of actual learning going on in my classes, I think it would be a miracle" Adam told Bert as the Director arrived at the mafia's table for his usual mealtime contact with both his staff and the campers. Plunking down Christopher as he sat down, Bert nodded his head.

"That's all I've heard all morning. The good news is that it takes everyone's mind off our missing people." Bert said as Adam now nodded.

"Heard anything?" Adam asked as Christopher now climbed up Adam's side.

"Phone calls last night and again this morning. Things seem to be under control." Bert said cryptically not wanting to mention any names in the presence of the campers who were listening to every word as they ate and kept a very wary eye on Christopher.

Adam once more nodded as Christopher now strained to lean forward towards the table.

"Gee Christopher, I thought you wanted to be in my arms because you love me so much. I guess the food was the real motivator, huh?" Adam asked the boy.

"Hey." Christopher replied as he finally got his hands around Adam's glass of ice tea and downed it in one swift motion. Handing the now empty glass to Adam, Christopher burped as he sat back and looked around for his next victim.

"Look on the bright side, it could have been half full and he could have just dropped it in your lap." Kevin now said as the boys around the table began to giggle.

"I did get some news from Dr. Lester. He'll be returning shortly with his Grandson in tow. He's also got the go-ahead from The Institute to open up Florida for John's culinary program." Bert now advised his staff as the boys listened closely.

"How old is he?" Sammy asked.

"Dr. Lester's Grandson is a 15 year old senior boy, but I was talking to the staff." Bert replied.

"What's his name?" Trevor asked with a small smile ignoring the staff comment.

"His name is Bobby. Can I get back to my staff now?" Bert answered as Adam and the men around him had to chuckle.

"Are we goin back to Florida Uncle Bert?" Joey now asked.

"No, only little boys who mind their own business and don't interrupt me when I'm trying to talk to the staff will be going." Bert replied.

"Does that mean we get to go? We didn't interrupt you." Bruce asked. Bert shook his head and gave up for the time being.

"Let's discuss this during rest period in my cabin." Bert said as he stood up.

"Does that mean we can come too?" Sammy asked with a dimpled smile of innocence.

Usually, where Bert went, Christopher went. For reasons now known only to Christopher, as Bert left the table, the boy remained glued to the bench despite Bert's best efforts at coaxing.

"I'll bring him with me." Adam said as Christopher refused to budge.

With Bert moving to the next table in his rounds, several trays of peach cobbler made their way down the long table.

"Well now we know it wasn't your magnetic personality!" Dan said as Christopher drooled just slightly holding a death grip on his spoon as he watched the desert tray approach. Shaking his head, Adam told Christopher to swallow, which was a word the boy heard probably a hundred times a day from both staff and campers, especially at the dinner table.

"Uncle Bert was only foolin about Florida, right Uncle Adam?" Bruce asked as he ate.

"Gentlemen, you're old enough to know when your Uncle Bert is talking to staff and when he's talking to you when we're together. None of the Intermediate boys are going to Florida; your Uncle Bert was talking to his staff about a new program that will be for senior boys only." Adam replied as Christopher buried his face in peach cobbler.

"What about Intermediate girls?" Carla now asked.

"Intermediate girls? What Intermediate girls? Do you see any Intermediate girls around here?" Adam asked as the boys now began to giggle.

"Are you telling me that after all these months of the two of you running around acting like boys that you're just now realizing that you're actually girls?" he asked.

"Don't be stupid Uncle Adam; we knew we wus girls, we got tits and boys don't." Jeannie said as she looked down on her shirtless chest.

"She makes a good point stupid!" Dan said as Adam once again had to shake his head as the giggling level increased.

"Why's he all sticky?" Bert asked as Adam walked onto the back porch.

"He took a peach cobbler bath." Adam replied as Christopher wiped his face on Bert's sleeve.

Handing the boy over to Jill and Claire for a quick shower, Bert wiped the desert off his face as he sat down.

"Things are going fairly well up North, but Sid tells me that Anthony is getting a little squirrelly about being separated from Spencer. He's afraid that Spencer's going to be ripped or lured away from him before he's ready to let him go." Bert told his senior staff.

"Just because we allowed Spencer to have plastic surgery?" Johanna asked.

"No, Sid doesn't think that that has anything to do with it. Apparently, there are some very pretty little filly's up there and one of them has moon eyes for Spencer. Spencer's also shown a very keen interest in boating and Anthony's afraid that we're conspiring to send Spencer away to foster that interest." Bert replied.

"Spencer's always been interested in boating; he spends half his waking day on the lake. Why would that bother Anthony, for Christ sake we've got more boat's here than the Stamford Yacht Club!" Adam said.

"Spencer's on the Cape where the big boys play. Apparently, he's soaking up nautical knowledge like a sponge. Anthony views that as a threat." Bert replied.

"Tell me about the girls. Is Spencer responding?" Johanna asked.

"Nobody's been peeking through any keyholes, but one of them has been helping Jeanette and according to Sid, Spencer allows the girl to change his bandages and apply medication to his skin grafts." Bert replied.

"I assume he has skin grafts on his ass." Gloria said. Bert smiled a bit.

"Yes, and he's not balking in the least when she applies the medication." Bert again replied.

"How old is she?" Johanna asked.

"Twelve. And according to Sid, she's going to be a "10" in a very few years." The Director reported as both Gloria and Johanna looked at each other.

"So our main problem is Anthony. If Spencer decides to take a job on the Queen Mary with his new bride, that's fine, but it leaves us with Anthony. We need to start working on a long-range plan for Anthony." Dave now said.

"Sid's in total agreement and once he returns with Jeanette, it's the first order of business. We need a new I.S.P. for Anthony that's going to meet his needs. We also need to let Spencer pretty much write his own destiny, I don't think he's going to follow our old plan." Bert said to his staff.

"What about Sid?" Gloria now asked.

"Thomas and Jeanette haven't seen any problems yet. Apparently he and Barry have been so busy up there that they don't have the time to start thinking about themselves. Dr. Lester and Matthew from the New Hampshire School are also there, so that's four pairs of eyes on them in addition to Jesse and David's. The re-burial is set for today, and if any shit's going to hit the fan, that's when it will happen." Bert said.

"What does Jeanette say?" Gloria now asked.

"She and Jesse plan on sticking to Sid like glue starting this morning, she told me to tell you that." Bert replied.

As Christopher napped, Bert decided to take a ride around campus just to touch base. Winding his way up the path to the Camp Kenny compound, the man was deep in thought concerning all things Green Tree as he usually was. Close to 600 people depended upon the man and his ability to keep them safe and happy. He performed his job due in part to his skill, and in greater measure to the skill of his staff, which for the most part, he practically raised from mere children themselves.

As a Harvard Graduate with a Ph.D. in Child Psychology and Early Childhood Education, Bert was unique in his profession; he actually knew children and how they ticked. His Doctoral Thesis won rave reviews from his colleagues and professor's.

Once he graduated, he ripped it up and burned it; it was all pure bullshit that had nothing to do with the reality of children, but it was what was required to Graduate.

Bert wasn't interested in tenure, in academic awards or in book deals; he wanted to work with and for children. Now with his staff, he was making clones of himself and the meeting just held proved how successful his efforts were becoming.

Sid awoke as the summer morning fog still held its grip on New Harbor. Still sleeping on the bed next to his, Anthony lay on his stomach still clutching his pillow as Sid watched the 19 year old as he had done since he was barely six years old. No longer a child, yet Anthony was still extremely important to Sid and loved none the less.

For whatever reason, most boys outgrew their childhood without looking back, but such was not the case with Anthony, and Sid asked the nagging question of himself; did he hold on to the boy for too long? Had he emotionally crippled him no matter how inadvertent on his part? Was there something he should have seen in Anthony at 10,12 or 14 that should have warned him? Anthony was the exception to the rule at Green Tree and Sid wanted to find out why and correct it if at all possible. If not, at least it just might be avoided in the future.

"How about a small stroll along the beach before we take a shower?" Barry said to his friend as he handed Sid a mug of coffee. It had been almost 45 years since Sid last walked on Block Island bare footed as he and his life-long friend walked a now deserted beach save for a few sea birds and an occasional fiddler crab.

"What time does Muriel and Abby's plane get in?" Sid asked.

"They leave Albany at around 10:00 so they should be here by 11:00" Barry replied.

"Roy called at the crack of dawn. There's four or five more coming in during the day on the ferry. We should probably pin down some rooms for them at the Hotel or here at the Marina." Barry now said. Sid nodded, but had his mind more on the house.

"We're going to have to feed them after the re-burial. Is the kitchen going to be ready?" he asked.

"Not really. The water and the gas is on, but there's no dishes, pots and pans, tables or silverware. We're better off raising a tent in the back yard and having it catered." Barry reported.

"Fine. Let's get them out there for lunch today and tomorrow. We can eat breakfast here and at the hotel and tonight's dinner here for whoever wants to join us." Sid suggested.

A very long pause in the conversation now took place as both men walked towards the old Coast Guard Station with the sound of the fog horn blowing and an occasional gull laughing at the intruders below.

"You don't look so happy. Is this thing going to be too stressful?" Barry asked. Sid smiled somewhat.

"Only if Muriel and Abby want to go for a romp on the beach!" he joked.

"Hell Sid, they're only a year or two older than we are. For all we know, they might look like Sophia Loren." Barry said.

"Or maybe Andy Taylor's Aunt Bee!" Sid instantly replied.

"The re-burial is just that; a re-burial. We went through the tough stuff when they died. Now, it's more like a homecoming than a funeral as far as I'm concerned. We've been through this before, the people here on the Island haven't. I'm guessing they're going to be taking it a lot harder than we will." Sid concluded.

"So why the long face?" Barry asked.

"Not only do we deal with people and their problems my friend, but we deal with Geppetto people and their problems. Sometimes, the load can get a little heavy." Sid replied.

"And when it does, I'm damned glad we're not alone to carry that load all by ourselves." Barry told his friend.

Of Mad Dogs And New Englanders

Once arrangements were made to find a caterer to feed the crew renovating the house and those attending the re-burial, a small gaggle of friends left for the airport with Sid and Barry to pick up the two women from Saratoga. The two cousin's had left Block Island in the mid 1970s to start a restaurant. One of the first people they met there was the very affluent "Queen" of Saratoga society; Marylou Whitney. A very casual but positive comment from Marylou concerning the restaurant's food sealed the restaurant's fate in gold. The very kind gesture of a private plane ride from Albany to Block Island was a very nice gesture, but either woman could have bought and sold the plane a few times over. The women now summered in Saratoga and wintered on Captiva Island in Florida.

Almost 50 year's after the fact, two little girls who had dropped their drawers for two little boys now met once again just a few miles away from the tree house where the relationship had originally begun. While neither girl was ever poor, they were now dressed in clothing and jewelry that told anyone that came within eyesight that they were quite successful in whatever they were doing. Matthew's vision of the two elderly ladies in "The Russians are coming! The Russians are Coming!" was a tad off the mark.

Neither woman had heard that two of the original four "Orphan's" that had first stepped on Block Island in the early 1960s had since died, and the news that they were now returning to see them re-buried on their Island home put a damper on the joy, but not the emotions as the two woman stepped off the plane. It took a good 15 minutes before the group was ready to enter the cars for the short trip to Dickens Point.

As busy as the estate was the day before with utility trucks scattered all over the grounds, it was even busier now as crews labored at their tasks. Along the site of the Family Cemetery, a crew of probably 12 men labored to dig holes and to prefabricate a new Wrought Iron fence that would replace the old fence that had rusted in the salt air decades earlier.

"The Historical Society and the Conservancy sent over pictures of the old fence Uncle Sid. They're going to build a new one that's exactly like the old one both here and up on the roof." Anthony said as he stood watching the welders as they worked.

Sid smiled as he looked at Anthony who now had on a hard hat and held a clipboard.

"Look's like you're our General Contractor Anthony." He said.

"Donald is the General Contractor Uncle Sid, I'm just his "Gopher" who lets him know what everybody's doing." Anthony replied with a smile.

"Sort of like me and your Uncle Bert huh?" Sid asked.

Where is Donald?" Barry now asked.

"In the back yard showing some guys where to put up some tents. What do we need them for?" Anthony asked.

"We've got a bunch of people coming tomorrow and a whole lot of people here doing work. They need to be fed." Sid said as Anthony nodded his head.

"Do we have everything we need?" Barry now asked.

"Everything except for Aunt Jeanette." Anthony replied.

"Why Aunt Jeanette?" Sid asked the boy.

"Donald says he needs a woman to figure out what to get for the staff apartment. He says guys can come up with the beds and the couches, but only a girl knows enough to come up with stuff like can openers and toilet paper." Anthony replied.

"It sounds like you have a very wise General Contractor." Abigail now said.

"Where is this Jeanette?" Muriel now asked Barry.

"She'll be here tomorrow afternoon Muriel, she's on the Vineyard with some friends." Barry told the woman.

"That's a long time to be without toilet paper. Give us a pad of paper and a few pens and we'll work up a list for you." Abby now said.

As Anthony was first introduced and then took the two women over to the staff apartments, Sid shook his head a little.

"Seems to me, those two were always in charge. Was it our idea or theirs to get their panties off and get the wick wet?" Sid asked Barry.

"I don't even remember which one I poked. Do you?" Barry responded.

"I wasn't looking at her face, and as I recall, she wasn't looking at mine either." Sid said as the two men headed for the house.

"We can't really trust the water supply Uncle Barry. There's probably nothing wrong with the water itself, but after being shut down for so long, these pipes have to be all rusted out and bleeding. I don't think we should even try to use the toilets in the house, most people aren't even going to know how to flush them!" the boy told his Assistant Director. Both Barry and Sid laughed a bit.

"Donald: you're talking about people who grew up sitting in out-houses in the dead of winter. When their parents put in these toilets, they were the height of modern living!" Barry said. Donald looked at the can mounted on the wall about three feet [90 cm] over the toilet bowl. The long hanging chain with the wooden handle on the end hung still and rusted.

"I've seen these things in the museum and I'm sure they work just fine, but it's a matter of time before they start leaking like a sieve. All the seals and gaskets have to be all dried out and rotten. Sooner or later, all hell's going to break loose." The boy replied as he looked at the machinery warily.

"The plumbing in the staff house is in a lot better condition, but I ordered in bottled water and portable toilets anyways." He reported.

"So it's back to Woodstock!" Sid told Barry with a smile.

"We have a plan that can provide your guests a plate at any price level you wish." The caterer said as he fanned out an assortment of brochures.

"This looks great if everybody wants roast beef or a piece of chicken. Suppose we have folks who want a steak or a piece of fish?" Sid asked the owner.

"I suppose we can supply a specialty meal if we have notice in advance. At an extra charge or course!" he told Sid.

"In advance?" Sid asked.

"Of course Sir. This is a catered affair, not a restaurant situation." The man said.

"It would be prohibitively expensive to feed people what they want on demand." He said.

"Prohibitively expensive for who?" Sid asked.

"You mean for "Whom" don't you Sid?" Barry now asked.

"Fuck that shit! Did you hear us ask you how much it was going to cost?" Sid asked the man who was no longer sure if he was safe or not.

"No Sir. But we usually don't get requests for unlimited menu availability. The cost could be extraordinarily high!" The man repeated.

"Are you telling me I'm hiring the wrong caterer? Are you incapable of meeting our needs?" Sid asked.

"No sir but I'm a small business man. It will take thousands of dollars to provide what you're asking for." He said.

"I can understand that. What we need is someone who can deliver three meals a day here on site for our work crew for the next three days and a buffet tomorrow for around 75 people. We'll give you a $5,000.00 deposit, and you'll give us a final bill once you know what your expenses are plus a 25% mark-up. Can you do it, or do we bring in the Atlantic Hotel to do it for you?" Sid asked.

"A hundred bucks says that check will be cashed in fifteen minutes." Matthew said as the caterer drove out of the gates.

"As long as he gets his ass back here within the hour to feed the crew lunch, I've got no problem with that." Sid replied. Donald shook his head as he walked the group to their cars for lunch at the Marina.

"I think you scared him out of ten years of his life Uncle Sid. Are you sure you want to do that to an Islander?" he asked.

"Hell sonny, he twern't no Block Islander. An islander would never tell you what they're going to charge you; you tell them what you want and they go do it. Once it's done you get the bill and simply pay it! Have you heard anybody here yet talk about money?" Roy asked the 20 year old. Thinking back, the boy shook his head.

"And you won't! Around here, we figure if a person has enough money to come out to the island, his wallets thick enough to pay the bill." Roy said with a slight smile.

"It keeps the riff-raff out!" Will now added as Sid and Barry giggled a bit.

An invitation to Anthony to join the group going to the Marina for lunch was respectfully declined due to his ever growing list of things to coordinate at the house concerning the ceremony the next day as well as the on-going work on the staff apartments and main house. Once satisfied with Anthony's frame of mind, Sid agreed to allow Anthony to remain behind, but not without making sure that Matthew had clued in a few of his people to "Keep Anthony busy."

Just a year older than Anthony, Donald at 21 was the equivalent of Dave at Green Tree.

While the boy wasn't as keen regarding hands-on Engineering and Construction as Dave was, he excelled at recognizing and diagnosing a problem and relegating responsibility to fix it to the proper channels. He was naturally also a Geppetto boy himself and needed no detailed explanations.

"He's not on a Must Special, but he is somewhat depressed. Let's keep his mind busy so that he doesn't waste it on idle time." Sid counseled Donald.

"Will he talk?" the boy asked.

"I doubt it, but if he does, you're dealing with a perceived situational loss that doesn't exist in reality. He's an Uncle to a 13 year old and he's afraid the boy is moving away from him." Sid replied.

"Like Uncle George?" Donald asked Matthew. Matthew nodded.

"Same thing." Matthew said as the boy now nodded.

On a smaller scale, Lunch at the Marina mirrored the Dinner the evening before at the Hotel. The arrival of Abigail and Muriel on the Island an hour earlier was common knowledge throughout the neighborhood 20 minutes after the plane landed. Now, many of the same people gathered to greet the two women who hadn't been back to Block Island since 1995 for a funeral. It didn't take long for the Marina to figure out what the restaurant had learned the day before; there was going to be one check and it was an open bar and full menu. The Manager smiled as he cleared a corner of the Restaurant for Sid and his party.

The evening before had been highly emotionally charged for both Sid and Barry, but now, the brunt of the emotionality was focused on the two women. For Sid, it was a very welcome reprieve.

"After lunch, Abby and I will do some shopping. We took some measurements and have a list of things to get." She said as she reviewed her notes during a lull in the greetings.

"I think we can get most of this stuff on the Island, but there might be a few we have to get from off-island." She said.

"Let us know what it cost's and we'll reimburse you." Barry offered.

"Don't be insulting. It's a housewarming gift." Muriel replied.

"Which reminds me; that plane and limousine. Please tell me you two didn't go off again and cash in your I.R.A. to impress us again did you?" Muriel asked.

"Again? What does that mean?" Sid asked curiously. Muriel sat back and smiled as she shook her head.

"The last time you two wanted to impress the two of us, you offered us your Red Flyer wagon in return for a trip up to Will's treehouse! Or have you forgotten that?" She asked.

"Don't be silly, the both of you had on pink panties!" Sid replied with a chuckle.

Muriel laughed.

"And the both of you wore none!" She recalled.

"Abby and I spent many an overnight giggling about that little encounter. We often worried about what happened to all four of you." She replied.

"Kenny took excellent care of us, enough so that we could upgrade from a Red Flyer to a Cessna without breaking the bank." Barry replied with a smile and a kiss on Muriel's cheek.

"Which reminds me, where is that wagon? It's ours, we earned it!" She said.

By lunches end, Sid and Barry had been brought up to speed concerning their island friend's lives. Those who had died in Vietnam and in accidents and those who married and those who didn't. Those who moved away and most importantly, those still alive and well and where they were and what they were doing. Except regarding Geppetto, Sid and Barry related their stories and those of Jimmy and Karl, Sid and Barry's deceased brothers. The islanders automatically assumed that both men inherited their obvious wealth from Kenny's Family Estate, and neither man was in any hurry to explain it further.

Anthony's "Cure", at least for the time being, was in his being swamped in responsibilities. As the caterer re-entered the estates gate's with three box trucks and four cars following, Donald made Anthony the liaison.

"Just pretend you're back at school. Give him an idea of what we expect to eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner and make sure he knows to have snacks and drinks available 24 hours." Donald told Anthony as the electrician complained of inadequate available amperage in his other ear.

Sid's initial contact with the caterer left him unimpressed with the man. Sid wasn't sure if the guy could be brought up to speed with what Sid wanted and needed in time. As it turned out, once the bank assured the caterer that a check 50 times bigger would clear without causing a ripple in the account, the man went into high gear and stuffed his brochures in the glove compartment.

Now a successful caterer on Block Island, the man had spent his youth as both a roadie and back-stage food service co-coordinator for a rock promoter from Passaic, New Jersey. While tens of thousands of kids got stoned and danced to the music of The Grateful Dead, The Band, The Allman Brother's and Bruce Springsteen, the caterer made damned sure the band or it's entourage didn't run out of chicken, beef, pork, lamb, lobsters, Budweiser, Jack Daniels, Heineken, pot, mescaline or coke.

In all probability, this man had put a piece of filet or a corn-on-the-cob on plates held out by a very young Sid, Barry and his brother's in places like Saratoga, The Music Inn, Tanglewood and even Woodstock or Watkins Glen; Uncle Kenny had taken the boys to all those venue's and always had back-stage passes due in no small part to his friendship with a teacher and fellow traveler who held court in Rhinebeck, NY.

Once Anthony explained to the caterer what his Uncle Sid expected, the man had one small concern.

"I could lose my license if I served any minors alcohol." He said when Anthony had beer and alcohol on the list of things to have available.

"Deliver it to the house and have an adult sign for it. Who drinks it after that isn't your responsibility." Anthony replied as the caterer looked at 15 year old Bobby smiling back at him.

By 1:00, the caterer had an outside cook-out going that surprised the contract workers in it's speed of delivery and its variety. Most of all, the cost impressed the most; it was all free.

"Isn't this going to cost Uncle Barry a lot of money?" Bobby asked Donald as the boy looked around at about three dozens plumbers, electricians, masons, carpenters and welders.

"If we didn't feed them, they'd go off for a two hour lunch break. By the time they got back, they'd be ready to pack up and go home for the day. When you hire guys that cost $50.00 to $75.00 an hour to work, feeding them a $25.00 lunch gets cheap." Donald counseled the boy.

"How's it going?" Sid asked as the group from the Marina returned to the Point.

"The new fence around the cemetery will be complete except for the back half to make room for the machinery to lower the crypts into the ground Uncle Sid. The welders will make the Widow's Walk at their shop tomorrow and install it on Friday. I told the crews not to come tomorrow" Donald reported. Sid nodded his head.

"What about that caterer? Did you guys get to eat more than just bologna sandwiches?" After the giggling subsided, Sid was impressed with what he heard.

"He seems to be a nice guy Uncle Sid. So far, anything anybody asked him for he's been able to go back into one of his trucks and dig out. Even when Bobby asked him if he had any Yoo-Hoo, he popped a case of it into the soda barrel." Donald said as he pointed to a large galvanized tub full of ice, soda and bottled water. "He was a little paranoid about supplying us with booze, but once I gave him an out, he relaxed." Anthony now added.

"That cooler over there is full of all different beers. He put the alcohol in the house and stocked the bar. He's even got a girl in there to tend bar." Anthony said.

"Does she know how?" Sid asked. Anthony shrugged his shoulders.

"Nobody's drinking yet." He replied.

"Not even him?" Sid asked as he pointed to Bobby who promptly blushed a little.

"A call came in from Aunt Jeanette Uncle Sid. Uncle Thomas is returning to the island tomorrow morning with everybody and Aunt Jeanette wants to be at the re-burial." Anthony now reported. Sid looked at Barry.

"Bullshit, she doesn't trust me." Sid told his friend.

"That's OK Sid, neither do we." Matthew now said as one more mini meeting broke up in chuckles.

"He's not like Matthew is he Grandpa?" Bobby asked as the two walked back towards the staff cottage.

"In what way?" Dr. Lester asked.

"He jokes about stuff that Matthew would never joke about. Is the Director at Green Tree like him too?" Bobby asked.

"I've really only personally known both men now for less than two weeks, but from what I can tell, the staff at Green Tree is a bit younger and a lot more relaxed than the staff in New Hampshire. The children there are much younger as a whole and it's run more like a camp than a school like New Hampshire is." The Doctor replied.

"What if I don't like it there?" the boy asked.

"Judging from what I've seen, I think you will like it there much better. But if you don't, you go to either Sid or Bert and tell them you want to return and I'll be getting a phone call within minutes." He told the boy who now smiled.

"How come they have girls?" the boy now asked.

"Because they have very small baby's who need Mother's and because they consolidated with another school for Geppetto girls." Dr. Lester explained.

"Do the boys live with the girls?" Bobby now asked.

"The younger one's do, but not the senior boys like you. The senior's date, but they don't live together." He explained.

"Who made the baby's?" Bobby asked. Dr. Lester smiled.

"Nobody at Green Tree and certainly none of the senior boys." He replied.

"Do they know I can't make babies?" the boy asked.

"You mean do they know you can't make babies yet?" Dr. Lester asked.

"You know what I mean Grandpa." Bobby replied.

"No, there's been no reason in the world why that information would be necessary to report. The fact that you haven't reached puberty yet is in your Medical Records, but I can redact it from the records if you want me to until you're comfortable with disclosing it on your own terms." The Dr. told him.

"If I did that, we might be able to hide that from them for a few days, but unless you kept yourself locked in a bathroom for the next few months, they're going to know what's going on." He told the boy.

"I've been told "One more month" for two years now Grandpa. I'm never going to be like the other kids!" the boy replied dejectedly.

"I would agree with you one hundred percent except for the fact that every single nook and cranny in your body has been checked out, and all your plumbing is precisely where it should be. No less than three reproductive specialists have guaranteed me in writing that when nature decides the time is right for Bobby; he'll be sitting in gooey underpants. Trust me, clean is better!" Dr. Lester said with a smile as he patted his Grandson on the shoulder.

"Does Grandma know you talk like that?" The boy asked with a giggle.

Bobby's "Problem" was already diagnosed by Sid which was unknown to either Dr. Lester or the child himself. For both Sid and the Doctor, it was a fairly moot situation with regards to the boys ability to procreate; it quite simply was never going to be allowed to happen. What both men did realize, was the effect of the boys failure to ejaculate on his psychological well-being. It's one thing to prevent yourself from becoming a parent, and quite another of being incapable of becoming one if you so chose.

A little boy, watching all his little friends spitting up a storm can be a little troubled if all he's showing for his efforts were a few small tremors if his friends looked really close. Maybe not to you or your Mother, but to a boy, size does matter and so does the size of the stain on the sheet. Bobby's "Problem" would resolve itself within weeks, but for now,

it was just about all he concentrated his efforts on and had the blisters to prove it!

Dinnertime on the Vineyard Wednesday night was about as crowded as it had gotten in years as the entire family of all seven of Thomas's brothers now joining the family for summer vacation with their children. With Jeanette and the four boys from Green Tree, a single table was now impossible. While Jeanette sat with Kenny at the adults table with the rest of the mother's and four dependent babies, a little over a dozen kids from about four to 14 now ruled over their own dinner as the candle's were lit and the usual small glass of wine at dinnertime was poured. The new arrival's from California and Wisconsin watched Jesse and Spencer very carefully: These were strangers in their midst, and their instinctive guard was up despite their parents assurances that they were not "Outsiders."

Much to Jesse and Spencer's surprise, both boys were now listening to a great deal of very garbled talk going on across the table.

"What's that?" Jesse asked David very quietly.

"They all know how to speak French. When they want to say something and not let other people around them know what it is, they talk to each other in French." David told his two buddies.

"They don't like us?" Spencer asked.

"The new kid's don't know us. Once they figure out we're OK, they'll stop it." David replied.

"Doesn't Paulie want to eat with us?" Spencer asked David as a server put a salad in front of him. David shook his head as he spooned some dressing on his salad.

"In this family, he's like Uncle Charlie at school. He's an Uncle like Uncle Thomas is even though he's only a little older than we are." David explained.

"That's why you call him Uncle Paulie?" Jesse now asked.

"All the men at that table are brothers; that's what makes Paulie an Uncle instead of just cousin's like the rest of us." David replied.

"But he's not your Uncle, he's our Uncle." a spunky little eight year old newcomer quickly added.

"Andrew! Are we having good talk or bad talk at the dinner table?" The boy's father asked.

"Good talk Daddy." The boy sheepishly replied as his cousin's around him giggled softly.

"While you're having all that good talk, let's come up with a plan for tomorrow. Captain Jim tells me that it's going to be a very nice day on the water once the fog burns off, and there are good reports coming out of Montauk about tuna and swordfish." Stuart now announced.

"He's also heard that there have been a lot of sightings of whales out on the continental shelf, so that might be an option." He said.

The relative quiet at the children's table now erupted into a loud buzz of excited talk. The only three people at the table who had never seen a whale before were David, Jesse and Spencer, and Andrew was hard at work to recover his lost sense of superiority over the new boys as he recounted his many meetings with the big mammels "We don't have whales in Florida. Did you ever see a manatee?" Spencer asked the boy after the 3rd or 4th sighting was retold.

"Spennncccer!" Jeanette said as both Jesse and David now giggled.

"Yes Aunt Jeanette." Spencer replied as he ducked down. Since the score was now even in the scolding department, Andrew smiled as he buried himself in his salad.

After dinner, drinks and coffee was taken by the adults as the children once more headed for the cliffs of Gay Head. There would be about another hour of light, and all but Spencer and Valerie commenced to play the usual game of soccer, football, baseball and possibly golf with a tattered and skinless old basketball that had been kicked, tossed, batted and slammed from one end of the yard to the other since June recess from school.

No real rules hindered the game, the object was to get the ball from one end of the yard to the other by whatever means worked.

Jeanette shook her head as she watched the action from the veranda as the ball took one more beating. With Kenny now back in her lap and fully ready for bed stuffed into a pair of light cotton pajamas, she unbuttoned her blouse as Kenny latched on without an eyebrow in the crowd being raised by the newcomers. Like their children, the ice was cracking by the second with the adults who weren't all that use to strangers in their midst.

"Is it my imagination, or has Valerie found a new interest?" Andrew's mother asked as her own baby now joined Kenny in a pacifying suckle before sleep.

"If it's that blatant, there's no way in hell Dora hasn't picked up on it." Michael now said as he sipped his drink. Nods around the porch met Michael's remark.

"She's not going to go out and start sewing any wedding dresses for Valerie anytime soon, but word is that her radar has picked up some signals from Tom-tom." Cory now added.

"You've found a girl-friend?" the woman asked as she leaned forward looking past Jeanette.

"You guys are worse than an old hen party. We hold hands once and you start throwing rice all over the place!" Thomas said.

"Do I know her?" the puzzled woman now asked.

"Yes Virginia, you met her about three hours ago." Stuart replied.

"You're sitting next to her." With Jeanette's face getting pinker by the moment, Andrew's mom sat back in her rocker.

"That's what we get for living in California, we miss all the fun." She said to her husband.

While the women now drew their wagons into a circle around Jeanette, the men kept a watchful eye on the war in the yard as they discussed the schedule for the next few days.

Once Dora supervised the cleaning of her kitchen to her satisfaction, the house-keeper came out onto the veranda and sat down in her chair as a sleeping baby was promptly deposited unceremoniously in her lap.

"That little Courtney eats like a bird. It's a wonder she don't fall over fainting all the time from hunger." Dora told Courtney's mother as she rocked the baby and patted him on the back.

"We follow her around with a pillow Dora, if it looks like she's going to keel over, we're right there ready for it." Courtney's mother replied as she shifted her infant to her other breast.

"You all go ahead and laugh, but that child needs some more meat on her bones!" Dora insisted as the group continued to chuckle.

"And what does Dr. Dora have to say about Kenny?" Virginia now asked.

"That baby's in right fine condition. You don't see no bones sticking out from his body!" Dora declared.

"You'll have to forgive Dora Jeanette, when we were growing up, she wasn't happy until she had to bring us to the dinner table in a wheelbarrow." Phillip said once the chuckling died down.

Jeanette had been advised by Thomas even before the two left North Carolina that sparring with Dora concerning the children's eating habits was a constant sport with the family. Dora was of the old school when it came to healthy babies: Bigger was better, and if she could get her hand around a baby's thigh and touch her fingers to her thumb, that baby was going to be fed six times a day until it could be rolled out of the crib. To Dora, food was love and a fat baby was proof positive of that love.

Dora's approval of Kenny was a dubious honor as far as Jeanette was concerned and she'd have to take another look at his weight to age and height ratio once she returned home. Looking down on the little boy, his thigh's were more like drumsticks and his belly hung over his pajama bottoms as the top sat about three inches [7½ cm] above his imbilical cord.

Pulling it down, Jeanette watched as the sleeping boy stretched a bit which had the top riding right back up.

As Kenny's pediatrician, Thomas would have preferred that Kenny weighed about five to eight pounds [3½ kg] less than he did, but since the 3½ year old was just beginning to become a highly active toddler, his assumption was that the boy would "Burn-off" his baby fat just as Kenny's pal Timmy was already doing back at camp.

"Tomorrow Dora, we're planning on taking the children out for a day of fishing and maybe even whale watching. Would you like to come along?" Stuart asked almost knowing the offer would be declined.

"You know this old woman don't swim with no sharks! Besides, I have my pies to bake for the week and I was thinking of getting together with the ladies from the Church to do some sewing." Dora replied as she took off the baby's diaper and dried the sleeping boy with her apron.

Sewing?" Stuart's wife Betsy now asked as she looked at her husband.

"With all the girls here now, this would be a good time to take some measurements on them and make some light summer clothing." Dora said as she began fanning the boy with a magazine.

"It would be a good time for me to get your measurements too. My ladies can make some mighty nice light summer dresses." She said to Jeanette with a smile. More than a few of the men sitting on the porch took a sip of the drinks as just about all of the wives stole a knowing glance at each other.

"Summer dresses?" Michael's wife asked.

"My church ladies found some nice patterns and fabrics on the mainland. I think some of them would go just beautiful with Jeanette's eye's." Dora replied as she now wrapped the still sleeping baby up in her apron and started to rock.

"Besides, there are some maternity clothes to be made." she added as she kissed the baby on the forehead who hadn't flinched through the entire process.

After recovering from choking a little on his Brandy, Stuart set his drink down.

"You think Jeanette is pregnant?" he asked the housekeeper.

"Don't be silly Stuwie, she ain't going to have a baby, but Carol is!" All eye's now gravitated towards Carol who sat on the couch fairly stunned as her baby pacified himself.

"Don't be silly Dora, I'm not pregnant, I just had a baby.!" She replied as the groups eye's now gravitated towards her husband Cory.

"I think I just might know it if my wife was pregnant!" the Obstetrician replied as he looked at his wife.

"You're sure?" Betsy asked Dora.

"It's in her eyes and it's in her complexion. I don't know yet if it's a boy or a girl, that part comes out in her hair." Dora replied quite confidently.

"Is it possible?" Michael now asked his bother. Cory shook his head and sat back.

"Didn't Marty and Uncle Joel sit us all down when we were children and explain to us where baby's come from and how they were made? Of course it's possible Michael!" Cory told his brother. The look of confusion on Jeanette's face told Thomas that the girl needed an explanation.

"You'll have to excuse my family Jeanette, but when Dora see's a baby coming, we generally find ourselves looking for the phone number of the Stork Diaper Service." He told her as the rest of the group chuckled. (Except for Carol.)

"There has to be a pregnancy test in this house!" Carol now said. Virginia shook her head.

"It won't do any good, I failed that test three times before Junior here finally revealed himself to modern science." She said as she looked down on her baby.

"You think she's pregnant?" Jeanette asked Thomas.

"I think Dora has a perfect batting average. She's found three babies before the rabbit died in the past and if I was Carol, I'd start prepping Jaime and Suzy for a new arrival beginning tonight!" Thomas replied as the group nodded in agreement.

"I would bet the boat that Dora is correct, however, let's see the rabbit's corpse before we involve any of the children. We don't want to get them upset if the baby is lost, so we wait until after the first trimester." Stuart now said quite seriously.

"When was your last period?" Phillip asked Carol.

"3 weeks ago." Carol replied still hoping Dora was wrong for once.

"I guess we know what we're doing for Easter next year!" Phillip now told his wife. Carol shook her head as she sat back with her baby.

"Shit! It took me three months to get back into those Versace dresses. Now I'll have to start all over again." She said as the group chuckled.

By sunset, the ball finally got a respite from its daily beating as the children watched the sun sink into Vineyard Sound. The sound of bells ringing at houses along the beach occasionally interrupted the sound of the waves crashing against the shoreline and of the seabird's who followed a rippling wave as they dove for the skimmers and shiners just below the water.

"All the parent's call their kid's off the beach by ringing bell's." Richard told Spencer who wanted to know why the bells were going off.

"That's for us! We got one of the biggest bells on Gay Head!" Jaimie proudly exclaimed as one of Dora's house crew tolled the bell three times. Walking past the bell, Spencer and Jesse stopped to take a look at it. Probably three feet [90 cm] across at the bottom, the dull mustard colored brass bell hung on its yoke of oak.

"Grandpa Marty's Father found that bell while diving in Cuba before Grandpa was born. Uncle Joel built the cradle and yoke with his own hands." Paulie told the boys as he caressed the wood solemnly.

"Who owned the bell? Jesse asked. Paulie shook his head.

"Grandpa and Uncle Joel didn't know. They think it came off a British Frigate, but none of the Cuban's knew what the name of the ship was." He told both boys.

"Was your Uncle Joel and Marty really sunk in a big boat?" Jesse now asked.

"Jesse!" David exclaimed.

"We don't EVER talk about that!" Paulie replied coldly as he turned around and walked into the house. Now highly confused, Jesse first looked at Spencer and then to David.

"What did I say wrong?" he asked as the rest of the estate children now silently departed for the house.

"Uncle Joel just died a little while ago. Paulie never talks about it." David replied.

"How was I supposed to know, nobody told me!" Jesse replied defensively.

"Just don't say anything more about it to any of them, it's their private business." David advised his friend.

"What's wrong?" Jeanette asked as Jesse, Spencer and David came out onto the porch.

"Jesse accidentally asked Uncle Paulie about Uncle Joel's funeral." David replied.

"Where is he?" Steven instantly asked as he got up out of his chair.

"I didn't know." Jesse said pleadingly.

"Where is Paulie David?" Steven again asked as now Dora was handing over the baby to his Mother.

"They all went up the back stairway." David replied as both Steven and Dora left the porch for the 3rd floor bedrooms.

Jesse now retreated to the safety of Jeanette's side.

"Why would that even be a topic of discussion?" Thomas asked.

"Uncle Paulie was talking about the bell and how Uncle Joel made the holder for it," David said quietly.

"I didn't know that it would make him angry." Jesse again said as he sat down next to Jeanette and the girl put an arm around the boy.

"I don't really think he was angry Jesse. Paulie loved Uncle Joel very deeply as we all did and it's going to take some time for his loss to heal." Stuart now told the boy who's head was bowed down to his lap.

"Unless the children themselves bring up the subject, it's something that's never discussed with them. Obviously, you would have had no way to know that, so no one thinks you said anything to purposely hurt him." Stuart said.

"A few months ago, he would have been in a funk for hours, maybe even days. More than a few times we had to go to Andover to take him out of school and bring him back here until he got back on his feet." Steven said as he reentered the porch after about ten minutes.

"Dora's still with him, but he's pulling himself out of it." He said as he mixed a fresh drink.

"I'm sorry." A very tearful Jesse said once more. Steven gave Jesse a small smile as he sat back down.

"Paulie understands that you didn't mention the funeral to hurt him or the other children, but it's not wise to talk about it with any one of them right now." Steven advised the boy.

"It's time to move on and not let this spoil another minute."

Spencer said very little during the entire episode, but he was very well aware of Paulie's distress. As brutal as his own childhood had been, his empathy for the pain of others was fairly incredible in its depth. Spencer never wanted to see anybody hurting.

The mood among the children of the estate was in anything but a party mode, and the decision was made for Jesse, Spencer and David to sleep in the Guest House next door with Thomas and Jeanette. Still, Spencer wanted to comfort Paulie and make sure the older boy knew that his friend Jesse didn't hurt him on purpose. Under the pretext of going to the bathroom, Spencer snuck his way up the back stairs very quietly. Finding Paulie reading a bedtime story to a few of the younger children, Spencer sat down next to Paulie.

"I've lived with Jesse since we were both little boys and I know that he would never hurt anybody on purpose. He's very sorry for making you sad, and he wanted to let you know that." Spencer said as he leaned forward and gave Paulie a kiss.

In his lifetime, Paulie had probably kissed a hundred people. Most of the kisses were the greeting type of kiss, some were made making love, almost all were made within his very close family circle. As a 15 year old boy, he gave them no special significance other than to physically and emotionally demonstrate his love and commitment to the person being kissed. Some 15 year olds dream about necking, usually with some very pretty girl. Paulie wasn't one of those kinds of boys, he kissed his Aunt's, Uncle's, Dora, his cousins, and, when they were alive, Marty and Joel. It was no big deal.

It was now!

It was neither a long nor short kiss; just long enough to let Paulie know the gesture was sincere. Paulie looked down at the goosebumps on his arms and legs as he felt the hair on the back of his neck standing up. It wasn't the only part of his body that was standing up.

Spencer did not simply press lips against another person's. If he kissed you, he owned you. Most staff at Green Tree knew this fact, especially Gloria, Jeanette and Johanna who avoided his kisses on the lips not because they didn't love him, but because they knew they could find themselves in bed with him even at age 5, six or 7. Even Sammy knew that if Spencer had a mind to, he could seduce even Adam away from his bed. Green Tree boys would engage with anyone and almost anything, but when Spencer was involved, it was wholly different somehow. Even Christopher who was a-sexual and moderately diminished in mental capacity reacted differently when kissed by Spencer.

Neither boy said anything as Spencer excused himself and left the attic loft.

"Are you gonna finish reading the story Uncle Paulie?" Suzy asked as Paulie sat momentarily frozen in place on the bed with the book in his lap. It took a few seconds for Paulie to regain his concentration on reading, and even as he read the words, his mind swirled in a dazed confusion over exactly what had just transpired.

"Look Uncle Paulie! You got bumps. Are you cold or something?" Little Suzy asked as she stroked the boys forearm.

"I, I don't think so." Paulie replied as he once again looked at the goosebumps.

Paulie's re appearance on the porch came after the people from Green Tree left for the Guest House and only his older brother's Stuart, Charles, Michael and Steven remained.

"Everybody down for the night?" Stuart asked as the boy poured himself some wine and sat down next to Steven.

"Sound asleep." Paulie replied as he sipped his wine.

"Has Tom-tom said anything special about Spencer?" the boy now asked.

"Special? Like what?" Stuart asked.

"I don't know. Did he say anything about him besides the operations and stuff." Paulie asked.

"He told us he was a very bright boy, but we've all figured that out for ourselves." Michael now said. Paulie shook his head.

"He came upstairs and told me that Jesse didn't bring up Uncle Joel on purpose. Then he kissed me. He don't kiss like everybody else!" Paulie reported to his brother's.

"Like how?" Steven asked.

"I don't know. He didn't French kiss me, but it was different." Paulie replied as his brother's looked at each other.

"Well, if it helps, I remember once when I was a little boy of about ten or so, a little girl down the block was dared into kissing me. I can remember that kiss to this day. Some people kiss, and some people kiss. Maybe Spencer's mastered the art." Charles replied with a chuckle all around.

"Did she give you goosebumps?" Spencer now asked. Charles nodded his head.

"As I recall, if she gave me the go-ahead, I would have lifted up her dress and had her panties down around her ankles even if her parents were standing there!" Charles replied.

"You got goosebumps when Spencer kissed you?" Stuart now asked. Paulie nodded his head.

"Interesting." Stuart said.

"Maybe you might want to talk to Tom-tom in the morning." He suggested.

It had been a couple of months since Steven and Paulie had made love together during their weekends back on the Vineyard. Paulie had discovered girls at Andover Academy and at age 15, his heterosexual adventure's were as encouraged for him as they had been for all his seven brother's growing up once they outgrew their pre-pubescent first instincts to bond with males. Steven had no delusions that he was the object of the night's activities,

but a bonfire of passion was unleashed from Paulie that kept the both of them very busy for several hours after retiring. Steven made no complaint, but he did wish his stand-in was a girl in Paulie's mind as the boy fell asleep physically exhausted but still maintaining one hell of an erection as Steven massaged the boys beet red scrotum back into circulation.

The morning broke in deep fog as it usually did on the Vineyard in summer. Gone, was any hint of trouble as the children gathered for breakfast in the big house. Paulie's first order of business was to give Jesse a small peck on the cheek and a small smile.

"I'm OK." He said to Jesse as he then moved over to the adults table to sit with his brother's.

"What's the verdict? Do we take a ride out to the Grand Banks, or do we see if we can find some fish to peep at?' Stuart asked the children's table.

"It takes too long to get out to the Grand Banks Uncle Stuart, let's see if we can find some whales!" 13 year old Jeremy replied to a chorus of "Yea" from the other children.

"Fine. After breakfast we'll pick up supplies in Montauk and head out to the Continental shelf." Stuart told the children as he sat down to eat.

Mainly due to Paulie's interaction with Jesse at breakfast, Spencer went back into high gear as far as his new "Hobby" of learning navigation and boat handling. Stuart had presented the boy with a brand new copy of the "Bible" of all books concerning boating, Chapman's "Piloting, Seamanship and Small Boat Handling." As Spencer thumbed through the massive book, you could almost see his mind churning.

For the greater majority of the Vineyard women, a day of boating was attractive to them only if the boat took a leisurely cruise around the surrounding waters. They knew the days plans of going out to the Continental shelf meant a spray of white water roaring past the boats windows in a sea that could kick up in a few minutes to a frothing mountain of towering waves. This trip would be left mainly to the "Boys". Once assured that Thomas would be going with Jesse, David and Spencer, she opted to stay behind with Kenny who was quite happy to remain behind playing with the toddlers who always remained with their Mothers. Worried mainly about Spencer, Jeanette smiled to herself as the boy entered the vehicle parked under the Portico and never looked back after giving her a kiss goodbye. For Jeanette, it was going to be a "Lazy day" of watching Kenny, getting measured by Dora and a small army of women from the church, and getting to know her new found friends. For the boys, it was going to be anything but a "Lazy day".

Chapter Forty

Nantucket Sleigh Ride

The girl very much liked riding on the boat, but she had two goals in mind first. One goal was to take care of Kenny, which would put her in closer proximity to Jeanette. She had a lot of questions to ask about Spencer, and she figured her best source just might be Jeanette.

Once the vehicles pulled out of sight, the girl turned around and climbed the stairs back into the kitchen.

"Can I take Kenny out in the yard to play?" the girl asked as she approached the toddler who was sitting in the middle of the porch with several other toddlers his own age. The three and a half year old shook his head.

"Tubbies, Momma." He said without looking up from his play. Jeanette smiled.

"Usually around this time of the morning, Kenny either takes his tub time or goes to the pool." She told the girl.

"I can give him a bath!" Valerie instantly replied.

"Kenny want to go tubbies with Valerie?" Jeanette asked the boy. Kenny now looked up and studied the girl for a minute. Saying nothing, he took off his polo shirt and then laid down flat on the rug and lifted his legs up towards Valerie.

"I guess that means yes." Jeanette said.

"Grab the bottoms of his pants and just pull them off." Jeanette instructed the girl.

Underoo's and all, Kenny was naked once more which meant absolutely nothing to the toddler who ran around naked 90% of his waking hours, and 75% of his sleeping hours. Lifting up his arms, he practically crawled up Valerie's side as the girl wrapped her arm under his well tanned and fully rounded bottom. Some boys have small little asses, Kenny was not one of this variety. At three ½ years, the toddler filled a size six pair of Carter's or underoo's, and at just under three inches [7½ cm] which included his foreskin, and a set of testicle's already the size of small grapes, it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that Kenny was headed for studship by age eight or 9. As most folks know, and some are even brave enough to admit, one of the first things checked out on a baby boy is the size of his package, and its potential for future growth. In Kenny, the Vineyard wives saw an extremely happy boy in the very near future.

Once the toddlers legs wrapped themselves around her waist and he found the girls hip bone sitting just shy of his tail bone, both could have let go without him falling off.

Valerie looked down at the toddler with a slight look of concern.

"What's the matter?" Jeanette asked the girl.

"He's getting squashed!" Valerie replied as she studied Kenny's testicles that bulged a bit against her hip. Jeanette smiled and chuckled a bit.

"If he were uncomfortable, he'd let you know it fast enough! Boys are made with plenty of room to allow their testicle's to move out of the way. If necessary, they even have a little pocket they can go run and hide in if things get a bit too confining." She told the girl.

"Why didn't you want him circumcised?" The girl now asked as she looked at Kenny's penis.

"Kenny came to Green Tree when he was thirteen months old. He was never circumcised as a baby, and the choice was already made." Jeanette replied.

"Would you have circumcised him if he was a baby?" the girl asked.

"Probably not." Jeanette answered.

"My Dad says that girls who have intercourse with a circumcised boy have less of a chance to get AIDS or get cervical cancer." Valerie replied.

"I've heard that, but I also think that if uncircumcised boys are taught how to keep their penis's clean, it would eliminate those problems. When circumcised boys are bathed, their penis's automatically get clean. For boys like Kenny, their mothers need to teach them how to clean their penis's by pulling back their foreskin and washing them just like you would wash their ears, or their hair, or their bottoms. Problems for girls arrive because the boys mothers were too embarrassed to teach their sons proper hygiene." Jeanette said.

"Why?" Valerie asked.

"What generally happens when you touch a boys penis?" Jeanette asked the girl.

Valeria turned only slightly pink as she looked at her mother.

"It grows!" she replied.

"Yes it does. And that's something that ignorant mothers want to avoid at all cost or their friends and neighbors will know how wicked they are!" Jeanette replied.

"That's silly!" Valerie replied.

"No, that's ignorant!" Jeanette said.

"Was David and Spencer taught to keep their penis's clean?" Valerie now asked after a few second pause in the conversation.

"There are no ignorant staff at Green Tree." Jeanette replied with a smile.

With Kenny now fully ready for a tub run, the rest of the estate children now dutifully stood before their mother's as a small pile of laundry and pull ups littered the floor.

With Valerie within earshot, Jeanette knew she had to choose her words very carefully now. The adult women knew about Geppetto from their husbands, but it was mutually agreed by all that the children of the estate were not told. Valerie was clueless, and things would remain that way until she was old enough to understand and deal with the problem if need be. As far as the children were concerned, the boys from Green Tree were like diabetics and every so often needed a special "Medication".

"Kenny should be fine for another half hour or so, but if he goes beyond that, we're pushing it." Jeanette told the Mothers who very quickly retreated from the tub once the toddlers hit the water.

"He won't try to engage the babies will he?" Virginia asked with Valerie far enough away so as not to hear the conversation.

"He might inspect them out of idle curiosity or if he notices another boy with an erection, but all the boys have been taught that since a baby can't talk, they can't give informed consent. As far as the girls are concerned, the boys almost never engage with them since the girls obviously lack the plumbing necessary to have any fun. I doubt that he'll realize what he's missing until he's at least nine or 10." Jeanette said as the women shook their heads and smiled a bit to each other.

"When did you first notice any difference in his behavior?" Carol asked.

"Kenny didn't come to Green Tree until he was 13 months old and he was already playing with himself. His records indicate he was first spotted self stimulating at around five months, but that's the usual time infants discover their genitals and figuring out they're a little different than their fingers or toes." Jeanette replied. Quiet chuckles greeted the last comment from Jeanette as the woman all nodded their heads.

"Blaine hated baths with a passion for the first two months, but once his hands went from his feet to his groin, I didn't hear another peep from him, especially when I washed his genitals. He'd lay there like a dishrag with a glazed look in his eyes and his legs in a complete split for hours if I kept washing him.!" Blain's Mother said.

Shrill giggles now bounced off the bathroom walls as Valerie backed up from the tub a little. two ½ year old Blaine had decided it was tinkle time and laid down flat. With a 1 foot fountain flowing towards the ceiling and crashing back down to its owners stomach, the boy was in fits of giggles as his pals watched.

"That will usually start the party going pretty effectively." Blaine's Mother reported as she stepped forward to retrieve her infant from the tub. Once all four babies were tucked in towels, the remaining toddlers were given free reign over the tub. After the pissing contest was over, the fluid in the tub was reverted back to water as tub toys replaced the main attraction.

"It just goes to show you, "Boys will be boys" Valerie's Mother told her daughter as the women retreated just before the serious "Sword fight's" commenced with Kenny having the distinct advantage in hand.

"Do you want to learn how to clean Kenny?" Jeanette asked the girl.

"Sure." Valerie replied.

"Time to get peepee clean Kenny." Jeanette said as Kenny approached the girl and stood in front of her.

"Kenny knows that what you're doing is washing him. It's no different to him than washing his face or hands, but we do need to keep in mind exactly what you're washing and that it has the tendency to get a boy excited if you spend a little too much time at it. What I generally do is to talk about something complete different to distract him, but still, you can expect his body to react even if he's completely engrossed in another activity." She advised the girl.

"Keep it clinical, and he will too. If he thinks it's playtime, you're got a full blooded boy on your hands!"

Valerie's inaugural at washing Kenny's penis went smoothly was she carefully retracted his foreskin and gently washed his head as the boy played with a water gun fairly unimpressed with the cleansing. While Kenny's mind was distracted, his body was not. At three ½ he had a long slender penis of about three inches [7½ cm] which included his foreskin when flaccid. When erect, it was closer to four inches [10 cm] and three times the girth. It was fair to say that even at three ½, Kenny could give an eight year old a run for his money.

For Valerie's Aunt's and Mother, it was a good clinical experience for the girl who would eventually become a Doctor herself notwithstanding the comment that Kenny's unsheathed head look surprisingly similar to David's. The question was never asked since it was Valerie's private business, but it was plainly answered.

After a good 45 minutes, the toddlers re-appeared downstairs ready for a snack as they walked through the swinging door of the kitchen in full Birthday suits. Like the children, Dora knew nothing about Geppetto, but she did know a very healthy boy when she saw one. By now, Kenny had lost all fear of the woman as she bent down and picked him up for a pre-snack hug.

"My goodness, they grows them big in North Carolina! What's your momma been feeding you?" Dora cooed as the boy giggled shyly.

By mid morning, the sun had burned-off all the fog, and a trepid band of toddlers, followed by almost half a dozen mothers pushing strollers made their way down the path to the sea. With hands full of plastic pails and beach toys, the game for the next hour or so was for the toddlers to find some piece of "Treasure" from the surf and take it back to the adults for identification. Most articles were clam and scallop shells, starfish, baby horseshoe crabs, pieces of glass worn smooth by the waves and an occasional dead fish.

Though it all, Kenny watched and listened carefully.

As with David many months earlier, what Kenny was most interested in was the water that periodically sprouted from the sand as he walked along the beach. The fiddler crabs and hermit crabs were fascinating, but the source of the water mystified the boy; it was now time to dig. At about three inches [7½ cm], Kenny called for some help from Jeanette.

"It's another kind of clam like this one." Blaine's mother told Kenny as she pulled a steamer clam from the sand and laid it down next to an empty little neck clam shell. Kenny studied the clam carefully, but avoided touching it.

"Pee pee?" he asked as he pointed to the clams long tubal neck.

"Yes, kind of. He takes in and squirts water from there. Some people call them "Piss Clams", she advised the boy. At three ½, this greatly amused the boy as he studied the clam obviously deep in thought.

"Why do they squirt?" Jeanette now asked.

"They feel the pressure when somebody walks on the beach." Susanna explained as both Kenny and Blaine took aim on the hapless clam.

"Pissss." Blaine said as they gave the clam a bath. Susanna shook her head.

"When they dig for steamers to eat, make sure the little guys weren't along for the dig. That's the usual reaction once they equate the clams neck for a penis." She advised Jeanette as the other women chuckled a bit.

"It must be a boy thing, the same thing happens when they're at the stables and one of the horses goes to the bathroom." Jeanette replied with a smile.

Captain Jim smiled as the group boarded the Sport Fisherman. He watched Spencer who was weighted down with books and instruments looking more like a freshman going off to college as opposed to a 13 year old boy going for a days outing on the water. Normally, the boat's engines would be already running and the boat ready to un dock as soon as Stuart climbed on board. Seeing the spark in Spencer's eye and the keen interest in the details of operating the boat in the boy, Jim wanted to foster that interest whenever possible. Once Spencer joined the Captain and his crew in the Pilot House and stowed his gear, his education would continue. Seating Spencer in the pilot's seat, it was Spencer's turn for goosebumps as the Captain showed him the process for starting the ship's two turbo-charged 2,500 horse powered high speed diesels. For Spencer, he may as well have been starting a 747 as the hair on the back of his neck stood straight as the engine's roared into life with a thick black cloud of smoke and a spray of water from the transom that shot out five feet [1½ cm]. Once again Captain Jim and his Son smiled as Spencer's trembling hand's told volumes about the boys inner thought's.

Once the Captain maneuvered the 72 foot [22 m] boat out of its berth and into Menemsha Bight, he slid off his seat and buckled Spencer in behind the control's.

"You can take her out to "Red, 30", and then I want you to plot me a course for Lake Montauk, passing Block Island to the North." He instructed Spencer.

"Are we going to stop in Block Island?" Jesse now wanted to know.

"My instructions are to get us to Montauk for supplies and then see if we can go out and find some whales for you guys to peep at." The Captain replied with a smile.

"OK Spencer, bring her up to 6,000 RPM one notch at a time." The Captain's son Bradley told Spencer. As the needles on the tachometers rose, Spencer remembered to breathe again once they passed 4,000 RPM.

With a fairly calm Vineyard Sound, it wasn't long before the boat was slicing through the water leaving a white foamy wake at over 50 knots. On the water, that's a fairly incredible speed, and Spencer's white knuckle's demonstrated his excitement as well as his fear of doing something wrong and getting killed in the process.

"Relax Spencer, as long as you keep your eye out for objects in the water and any boats who might cross our path the ship will do all the work." Captain Jim told the boy as he sat alongside Spencer monitoring the gauges.

The day's planned outing called for a round-trip of roughly 125 miles, depending upon how successful they were at locating a pod of whales to show the children on board, especially the Green Tree boys who had never seen a whale before. In the family's old Trumphy House Boat, that trip could easily take the better part of 12 hours with a stopover in Montauk Point for supplies. Now however, that same trip could be accomplished by lunch time.

Once Spencer rounded the buoy, he put the boat on a course of 276 degrees West as the Captain and his son both looked at each other once again. If that course was a guess on Spencer's part, he was precisely correct.

"Do I need to make a course correction?" he asked the boy.

"No sir. I calculated the compass course last night. Am I right?" Spencer asked with a dimpled smile. The Captain shook his head and smiled as he rumpled Spencer's hair.

""It's the course I would have put her on, but let's turn on the Navigator and find out what the machine has to say." He told the boy.

Having pretty much mastered the basic rudiments of coastal navigation within days, Spencer was now introduced into the modern world of getting from point A to point B while the rest of the children all took their turns at steering the floating missile.

Even after several years, the Vineyard children never missed an opportunity to take control of the boat which they were getting to be as proficient at as the Captain's Nephew, Ronny.

Turning on the electronics, Captain Jim now introduced Spencer to the "Lazy" way of doing things; by computer, satellite and radar.

"Why do we need to have all these charts and stuff and do it by hand when the machine can do it faster?" Spencer asked the Captain as he watched the screen do all the calculations.

"For the same reason we learn to read and write, do math calculations and study science. The machine's can do it all for us, but what happens if the machines break down or we run out of power? Not every boat on the water has the kind of instrumentation we have, so what would we do if we couldn't do these calculations for ourselves?" the Captain asked Spencer.

"A smart Captain uses all the tools at his disposal, but his most valuable tool is self reliance." The Captain said.

"When I was a little boy, my Father took me to the coast of Maine and dropped me off in my 16 foot [5 m] sailboat and told me to find my way back home without touching land or getting help from other people. I didn't know where I was, and had no charts or even a compass. I had water and some food and a box of stuff that I considered junk at first, and nothing else but what I had been taught. It took me a day just to get out of the maze of islands he put me in until I found the open ocean. It took another two days to sail back home, but I did it!" he told Spencer.

"Suppose you got sick or a storm came up?" Spencer asked.

"You could have gotten killed!" The Captain smiled.

"That's what I said to myself at the time too. Only years later did I learn that my Father had attached a radar reflector on the top of the mast and my Father was watching my every move from 20 miles [30 km] away."

"Were you scared?" Jesse asked.

"Petrified until the sun came up! Once it did, I knew my first task was to find open water and figure out which direction home was in." he said.

"Just sail South!" Spencer said smiling.

"And suppose I was dropped off somewhere in Connecticut or Long Island?" The Captain asked.

"So how did you figure out which way to go?" Spencer asked.

"When you figure that out, you write to me." The Captain replied as he placed the Chapman's in front of the boy.

"The boys have asked the Captain if we're going to make a stop on Block Island. Is that something we might want to do?" Stuart asked Thomas as the adults made themselves comfortable in the lounge.

"If Jeanette were on board, I'd say it wasn't a problem," Thomas replied after some thought.

"However, if for whatever reason Jesse or Spencer decided to stay on the island with Sid, she'd have a stroke all over our heads," Thomas said.

"Why?" Charles asked his brother. Thomas smiled.

"It's the "Domino effect" once again. If Jesse stayed, it would be because Sid was in trouble. If Spencer stayed, it would be because of Anthony. In either case, Jeanette would be upset because she didn't have access to either Sid or Spencer. These people don't consider themselves autonomous individuals. What happens to one of them happens to all 600. Jesse, David and Spencer need to return to her tonight or the shit hits the fan! We're better off keeping to the plan and avoiding any problems. Look at it this way: Imagine how Dora would react if we left a few of our kid's on the island and came home without them." Thomas advised his brothers.

"Yeah, that would be a real picnic!" Stuart replied.

The arrival of the Viking in Montauk Lake caused the usual stir among the locals on Star Island that she usually did, even given the fact the area was awash in boats that were both cruising and fishing the waters. Boats bringing in swordfish as well as tales of numerous whale sightings always brought in the crowds, and the fact that it was high season only added to the carnival atmosphere of the Yacht Club as the dock boys struggled to move boats out of the way to make room for the highly respected Viking.

One reason the Captain was never refused access to any Marina he wanted to dock at was due to his "Cultivation" of the crews that worked there.

"Taking care" of the boys who worked for peanuts at Yacht Clubs and Marina's just so that they could get access to their passion which was boating, was a top priority of the Captain as well as Stuart who understood the relationship since he was a child himself.

There was no real need for them to be on board, nevertheless, Captain Jim "Hired" two dock boys whose turn had come. It was admittedly, a dumb question on the Captain's part.

"We're going out to the shelf. Would you two like to join us as bait boys?" he asked the boys as they adjusted the dock lines and bumpers.

"Overnight?" the 15 year old asked with a large smile. Captain Jim smiled a little and shook his head.

"Not this time, maybe next. We're probably coming back here by about three or 4." He said. Only slightly disappointed, both boys instantly took off for the Dockmaster's office to check out.

"I lose more boys this way, but it's why they'll work for tips!" The Dockmaster said as both men watched the boys race off the dock.

"Should we get their parents permission first?" Thomas asked the Dockmaster.

Shaking his head, the Dockmaster smiled a bit.

"You can give them access to a cell phone if you want, but I doubt they'll try to contact them. The boys have been fairly independent since age ten or so. Their parents might call me if they're gone for more than three or four days at a time, but they know that if the opportunity comes up to take a berth on a rag boat heading for Bermuda, their kids won't even bother to look back. They know that the boys are safe on the water and that I wouldn't put them on a strange boat I didn't trust." He told Thomas as Stuart nodded his head.

"Not a bad way to grow up!" Thomas replied.

A half hour later with a full bait well and two boys waving to their envious friends, the Viking spun around on it's axis and headed back out the inlet to the sound of two rumbling diesels that screamed of power like a AA fuel dragster ready to leap down the track. To a teenager, it's enough to create an erection.

The Continental Shelf edge lies roughly 80 miles [130 km] south of Montauk Point, and if you're a serious whale watcher, the chances of sighting a pod increase the closer you get to the edge since that's where the whales like to play. A little over an hour after leaving Montauk, the first sightings were made as the dock boys clung to the tuna tower like two barnacle's to a boat's bottom.

"Gee Captain Jim, you let them go up there when we're running, how come you don't let us?" Jeremy asked.

"For several reasons Jeremy. The first is Dora, the second is your Mother's. You also have to keep in mind that those boys have been around boats and have been fishing since they were still in diapers. Long after the summer heat disappears and you guys are back in school, those boys will be chopping ice off the bowsprit of their boats to keep from sinking." The Captain replied.

"Like that boy on Block Island?" Spencer now asked as he looked up from the chart and watched the boys in the tower.

"Not quite. The boy on Block Island won't be on the water much past October. These boys go out when the fish are running, and that might be in the dead of winter. Their father's are commercial fishermen, and most probably, that's what these boys will choose to do as well once they leave school." He told Spencer.

"She blows Captain Jim!" both boys on the Tuna Tower called out several minutes later as they pointed. All thoughts of lunch just a few moments earlier left the children as they now stampeded for the bow. Throttling back down, the Captain's son slid out of the pilot's seat as his father took over the controls.

"Let's get them all in life jackets and I want a safety line on every one of them just in case they decide to go swimming." He said as the adults now came into the pilot house.

For the next two hours or so, the children were tethered to the bow rail by safety cables as the Sport Fisherman meandered as close as it dared to the group of about eight whales as they frolicked on the surface and completely ignored the intruder shadowing them with camera's clicking away. Even Spencer abandoned the pilot house for the flying bridge as Thomas handed the boy a 35mm camera with a telescopic lens.

"Where are they going Uncle Thomas?" David asked as the whales glided through the water with an occasional fluke rising into the air and slapping the water making a foaming splash.

"They're probably just out for a stroll right now. In the Fall, they'll all migrate South so that any cows that are pregnant can have their calves in warmer water."

Thomas told the boy.

"Next year, Uncle Stuart is going to put the boat on a big ship and send it to Puerto Rico so we can see the whale's down there!" Jeremy exclaimed.

"Really?" Thomas asked the boy. To a loud chorus of "Yeah!" from the Vineyard children, Thomas was a bit surprised, and Spencer was completely intrigued.

"You're planning on sending the boat to the Caribbean?" Thomas asked Stuart as he re-entered the Main Salon. Stuart nodded his head.

"We haven't been back down there in six years now. I want to give the children a small taste of what we enjoyed growing up." Stuart said as Thomas mixed himself a drink and Spencer retrieved a coke for himself.

"You're not going to run her down there?" Thomas asked. Stuart shook his head.

""It's easier and cheaper to ship her straight to Puerto Rico; not to mention the wear and tear on the boat and the crew." Stuart replied.

"In the old days, a boat was run South in the Fall. Now, most of the larger boats out of Boston, New York and Miami are shipped to the Caribbean on specially built barges that can hold four to ten boats depending on their size."

Stuart said.

"What about your crew?" Thomas asked. Stuart smiled.

"They get to go along on the ride for nothing." He said.

"Free?" Spencer now asked. Stuart smiled once again.

"They like to call it that once you've paid the freight for the boats passage, but I don't think it could be called free." Stuart replied with a chuckle.

"And that's cheaper than running her?" Thomas asked.

"Not in dollars, but in wear and tear on machinery and the crew, yes." Stuart replied.

On the return to Montauk, the boat moved through the water for a time at trolling speed to allow the children to try their hand at fishing. To avoid a protracted fight with a game fish, the outriggers were not put into service with Stuart preferring instead to put only light poles in the hands of anyone, much to the dismay of the dock boys who knew the value of bringing back a large swordfish or tuna. Still, there was plenty of excitement for catching a bass, shark or grouper as far as the children were all concerned.

By 4:00 the Viking was once more pulling away from the Yacht Clubs dock with two very happy boys getting to keep and sell the days catch along with $100.00 apiece. Both Jesse and Spencer were once more very intrigued by the ease in which the boys had become "Rich" for doing something so easy and fun to do.

Spencer was also intrigued by Ronny who seemed to always have an unlimited supply of cash; hundred's of dollars of the stuff! "Where does he keep getting it from?" Spencer asked Thomas after watching Ronny pay the boys in $20.00 bills. Thomas smiled.

"It's part of his job on the boat to keep track of all purchases and expenses. He pays all the bills and approves all the purchases made. Some of the purchases require cash, and he has a cash box to pay people with when necessary." Thomas told the boy.

"On a ship, he would be called a "Purser".

"Does he get to keep any?" Spencer asked as the Captain chuckled.

With the boys now headed back to the Vineyards, Valerie's first opportunity to have a chat with Jeanette concerning Spencer was well underway as Kenny and a small pile of toddlers napped on the veranda.

"Spencer say's he doesn't have any girl friends back at school. Is that true?" The girl asked Jeanette as the two girls walked along the cliffs.

"He has many friends that are girls, but if you're asking me if he has one particular girl or two that he see's as something more than a friend, the answer is no." Jeanette replied.

"You mean like Carla and Jeannie?" Valerie asked.

"Who told you about Carla and Jeannie?" Jeanette asked a little surprised.

"Spencer. He says he lives with them." Valerie replied.

"Yes he does. And I'm sure he regards them the same way he regards the rest of the boys he lives with." Jeanette said.

"Do you think he likes me?" the girl asked.

Jeanette now smiled a bit, but kept her thoughts to herself. Valerie was fishing, and the catch was Spencer.

"Spencer's a 13 year old boy and 13 year old boys aren't always that easy to read. They don't yet have the social skills necessary to exhibit their emotional feelings. But I can say this; If Spencer weren't comfortable with you and didn't trust you, he'd never have allowed you to touch him and especially to touch his scars. Spencer never pretends to like someone, he either does or doesn't, and if he didn't, he wouldn't let you come anywhere near him." Jeanette advised the girl.

Valerie was silent for a short time, trying to figure out how to get to the root of her problem.

"Are there girls back at his school who want to go steady with him?" She asked timidly. Jeanette smiled and chuckled softly.

"In "Girl Talk" Valerie, Spencer is what is known as a "Hunk" If he snapped his fingers, he'd have a few dozen girls making his bed, doing his homework and polishing his shoe's. But again, Spencer's a 13 year old boy who's more interested in playing baseball, video games and horseback riding than he is in walking the beach hand-in-hand with anyone. Boys don't mature as fast as girls do, and Spencer is all boy." Jeanette counseled the girl.

"If I were a girl very interested in Spencer, I would make sure that his very good friends like David and Jesse made him aware of my interest in him. Boys are very strange creatures Valerie, their worst fear is rejection. If a girl makes it known that she wouldn't reject him, you'd be surprised how friendly they get all of a sudden!" She advised the girl.

"But I don't really know Jesse." Valerie replied.

"No, but you know David and David knows Jesse and they both know Spencer. It's what's known as the "Grapevine." Jeanette explained with a smile.

"Do you think it would work?" Valerie asked.

"Ask your Uncle Thomas how he knew before he even asked me out on our first date if I would accept the invitation or not. Little boys come in all shapes, sizes and ages." Jeanette replied with a giggle.

Both girls attention was now drawn back to the house as a kitchen girl rang the bell.

"Somebody at the house wants us back." Valerie said as the kitchen girl retuned to the house. Walking back on the veranda, Kenny was awake and sitting in Dora's lap.

When Dora wasn't cooking or working in her garden's, she either sewed or made clothing and blankets for the estate children. Upon their birth, each child received a patch-work quilt that they used as their "Blankee" as they grew. Along with a favorite pillow, this became their "Security blanket" and wasn't usually given up until well past age six when it was usually in tatters and falling apart.

Kenny now studied a quilt with a large yellow and blue teddy bear and his name sewn onto it.

"Look Mama, I can keep it!" Kenny exclaimed as Jeanette drew alongside the boy. "Wow puppy, did you thank Dora for the nice blankee?" Jeanette asked. Kenny now looked at the large Haitian for a few seconds in silence. Deciding the woman was no longer a stranger, the boy gave Dora first a kiss and then a hug as he wrapped his arms around the woman's neck.

"Thank you Aunt Dora." He said as the woman wrapped her arms around the boy. Dora now added one more child to her inner circle as she rubbed the boys buttocks and rocked.

For the boys in the mafia, the week went by swiftly. By Thursday afternoon they were well into a routine of morning classes and an afternoon of helping with the building of their new commissary/sweet shop. The new ponies were now fully integrated into the camps routine of both trail riding and corral riding for the camp Kenny toddlers, and whenever the possibility of a horseback ride came their way, the Intermediate boys wasted no time in getting to the stables.

"Aunt Patty has us scheduled for Fourth Period Trail Ride. Are you going to come with us Uncle Adam?" Sammy asked his Counselor.

"I wish I could Sammy, but I promised Aunt Johanna I would take Sidney out for a ride on the lake." Adam replied.

"With Aunt Johanna?" Trevor asked.

"Sure he's going with Aunt Johanna. She wouldn't let Sidney go out in a boat without her. Besides, Uncle Adam and Aunt Johanna get to suck face." Matty interjected with a round of giggles coming from the boys.

Adam shook his head as he took a playful swipe at the boy.

"Just because we're going out in a boat doesn't necessarily mean anybody's going to get their face sucked. If you guys concentrated as hard on your school work as you did on other people's private business, you'd all be genius's" Adam told the group.

"But you do kiss with her." Carla now said.

"Yes, and I also kiss you as well." Adam replied.

"But you ain't doin pussy with Carla!" Joey now said.

"And who says I'm making love to Aunt Johanna? Is her sex life a normal topic of conversation around here?" Adam asked.

"Uncle Sid says everybody in the world fucks Uncle Adam. Uncle Sid don't lie to us!" Trevor replied.

Adam once more had to shake his head.

"Your Uncle Sid wasn't lying, but he wasn't suggesting that other people's interactions become common gossip either. I think your Aunt Johanna, or any other Aunt for that matter would be a little perturbed if she found out you were discussing her private business." Adam advised the boys.

"We ain't discussing her private business Uncle Adam, we're discussing yours!" Jeannie replied to a chorus of "Yeah" from the group.

"And when did my private business become public domain?" Adam asked.

"That's silly Uncle Adam; we all seen you fuck before." Joey replied to another chorus of "Yeah" from the peanut gallery.

"Uncle Adam don't like that, he wants us to call it making love." Carla said in Adams defense to a round of giggles.

"Want to know what Uncle Sid says about that?" Matty asked his friends.

"NO!" Adam replied as he wrapped his hands around Matty's mouth.

"Having fun?" Bert said as his cart pulled up alongside the group. Adam smiled a bit as Christopher now exited the cart with a pair of bib overalls on, a hardhat, and a set of play carpenters tools strapped around his waist.

"How did you ever get that belt on him?" Adam asked as Christopher bolted for the construction sight amid a constantly reverberating warning of "Christopher on Deck!" coming from the Senior Boys and construction crew-men. All work on the site now ceased and all machinery was stopped until the boy left the area.

"It surprised me too, but he looked past the belt and was fixated on the tools. He didn't flinch when I buckled it up." Bert replied.

What was that all about with Matty?" Bert asked as he kept his eyes trained on Christopher. "Just an impromptu class in Human Sexuality. The boys are deeply curious about my love life." Adam replied.

"Anybody I know?" Bert asked.

"What, you too?" Adam asked.

"I'm always interested in my staff's well-being." Bert replied.

"Bullshit, you're just as horney as they are!" Adam retorted as Bert chuckled.

"Any news from up North?" Adam asked.

"The boys are out whale watching, all's well on Block Island and Jeanette is on the Vineyard with Kenny." Bert replied.

"What about Anthony? Is he with Spencer?" Adam asked.

"No. Sid sent Spencer with Thomas, David and Jesse to the Vineyard yesterday and he has Anthony with himself and Barry on Block Island. Sid say's he's keeping Anthony swamped, so Anthony's too busy to even think about himself or Spencer right now." Bert replied as Adam nodded.

At ten months old, Sidney Bertram was a butterball of a baby with an almost constant smile on his face. Not yet walking, he was nevertheless quite mobile if placed on the floor. As Johanna now pulled up to the construction site alongside Bert's golf cart, the girl passed the baby over to the Director to receive the usual drool filled kiss.

Johanna's arrival at the site with the baby caused the usual stir among the campers as the girl's cart became surrounded.

"Hey Aunt Jeanette, are you and Uncle Adam going back out on the lake to neck again?" "Excuse me?" Johanna asked Trevor.

"It's OK Aunt Johanna, we seen you two necking before." Jeannie now told the girl. Adam shook his head.

"Apparently Johanna, there some people around here who are so bored with their own lives, they have to stick their big noses where they don't belong." He told the girl.

"Necking on the lake?" Bert now asked greatly amused.

"Yeah Uncle Bert, like you and Aunt Helen do." Sammy replied with an innocent grin.

"Is that right?" Adam asked his Director.

"Adam's right Johanna, we need to develop a more intensive activity schedule for the campers. Obviously, they have too much free time on their hands." Bert replied.

"Uncle Bert's just kidding right Uncle Adam?" Carla asked as Bert walked over to the construction site.

"Well, we'll have to see. It probably all depends upon how much more necking you guys report back to the neckee's." Adam replied with a straight face as Johanna giggled a bit.

Watching the small group of children return to their work, both Adam and Johanna walked around the grounds together with the baby.

"How did all of that start?" Johanna asked.

"They just got on a roll once they learned I was taking Sidney out for a ride." Adam replied as he put the baby up on his shoulders.

"Are they really up that late at night?" she asked.

"Apparently so." Adam replied.

"I guess we better move any future shows to the upper part of the lake." He said.

"Why. Do you think Boys Cabins 13, 14 and 15 go to bed any earlier?" she asked.

"I doubt it." Adam replied after thinking about the boys in those particular cabins.

"Maybe we'll have to give up the lake for the ball fields." He added.

"Gee, that would be fun; I haven't been on the ball fields since I was 15 or 16 years old!" Johanna said.

"We could go into our second childhood's."

How's Uncle Sid?" Johanna now asked.

"Bert spoke to him right after lunch. He said Sid sounded fine. He didn't pick up on any depressed speech or anything. Both Matthew and Dr. Lester are there, so he should be fine." Adam replied.

"What about Jeanette and Jesse?" the girl asked.

"Everybody's on the Island, he's surrounded with our people." Adam assured the girl. Johanna nodded.

"As long as Jeanette is with him, he'll be OK." She said.

Christopher's arrival at the site effectively shut it down. Dave shook his head as the boy mounted the slab of concrete that was the foundation of the large building being erected.

With absolutely no sense of personal danger hindering the special needs boy, his safety, and the safety of those around him always put both staff and the campers on high alert when he was in their presence. If an accident were going to occur, Christopher was probably somewhere in the middle of it somehow.

"Is this a 15 second visit or a 60 second visit?" Dave asked Bert once the two men got together as they both watched Christopher being gently steered from one area to the other by the crew.

"We were thinking of spending the afternoon. Christopher would like to get his hands on the crane and lift a few beams into place." Bert replied. Dave nodded.

"No problem; I've always wanted to be at a planned demolition." He said without hesitating.

"Is that my imagination, or is that a belt around his waist?" Dave asked.

"You're the sixth person who has asked me that question since we left the cabin. I guess the toys in the belt overcame his fears, or he's simply not paid any attention to it yet." Bert replied.

"Maybe he's lost his fear of being restrained?" Dave asked. Bert shook his head.

"I don't think so; he has a pretty well defined long-term memory. I offered him the seat belt strap on the golf cart and he threw it aside." Bert reported.

"At best I think he's beginning to differentiate. That's a step forward." He added as Dave nodded.

In order to move Christopher from one area to another with his cooperation, it was now well known by all concerned that either a diversion or a bribe worked best. Christopher wouldn't move simply because the bugle blew; unless of course the bugle was blowing Mess Call. As 4th Period now blew, talk from the mafia of horses caught the boys attention.

"Horsey?" Christopher squealed as both hands went to his groin which automatically signaled he was both interested and excited.

"You went riding on the horsey's this morning didn't you Christopher?" Matty asked the boy.

"Hey!" Christopher exclaimed with a broad smile on his face.

"Well that's good. Maybe you'll go again tomorrow morning." Matty replied with a smile. The broad smile now left Christopher's face as did the hopes of the mafia.

"I-eee? I-eee?" Christopher asked now with a pained look on his face.

"Ah fuck! Now he's going to be coming along and we won't be able to gallop on the Meadow." Trevor said to the rest of the mafia very quietly.

"If we don't all leave together, he won't try to follow us. Everybody leave in different directions and we'll meet up back at the stable's." Joey suggested.

The plan was a good one except for the fact that it didn't work. As Christopher watched the mafia fade away one by one, Christopher's senior girl monitors, Jill and Claire appeared to take him back to Bert's cart. Basically mute, the boy made his afternoon plans clearly apparent both in sign language and speech.

"Christopher, we went riding this morning. You don't want to go riding again. You would much rather go swimming right?" Jill asked the boy as he tugged and pointed. Two eyes filling to the very brim with water told both girls they were probably going horseback riding again.

"What's the matter?" Bert asked as Jill approached carrying the boy on her hip.

"He wants to go r-i-d-i-n-g Uncle Bert." Clair reported spelling out the word. As Jill handed the boy over to Bert, they both looked at each other knowing the battle was lost.

"Horsey Burd? Horsey?" Christopher asked with the same brimming eyes.

"Who gave him this bright idea?" Bert asked.

"He heard the mafia talking about it." Claire replied.

"Horsey Burd?" Christopher repeated. Bert shook his head as Dave smiled and wished him a nice ride.

Patty suspected something was afoot as the mafia appeared at the stable's less talkative than usual.

"What's the hurry?" she asked as the boys all clamored for a mount and to get out of the corral. The sound of Bert's horn on his cart "Mr. Magoo" pretty much answered the question as the boys groaned and Christopher stood standing on the cart's seat holding onto the windshield.

"He can stay here for a corral ride right Aunt Patty?" Joey asked the Stablemaster.

"Corral ride my ass! Since you boys were smart enough to mention the topic in his presence, we'll just keep you boys company. I ain't about to walk around a corral for the next hour or so." Bert told the boys.

In a camp/school of roughly 600 people, Bert had more important things to do than take a trail ride, and usually, the girls did the riding with Christopher. Today however, he chose to give the girls the Period off as he mounted a Bay mare and was handed Christopher who slipped in in front of him on the horse's lambs wool blanket. Christopher literally shook with excitement as he settled himself into the man's form and held the reign's in his hands. Any amount of pulling, tugging or kicking the mare with bare legs and shoeless feet was useless as far as the mare was concerned. She would move when the horse in front of her moved, and not before.

Once out of the corral and onto the Bridle Path's, Bert settled into the peacefulness of the ride while all but ignoring the small trail of shorts, shirts and an occasional pair of underpants that littered the trail along the way. At Green Tree, few outside activities were more popular with the campers then riding double on a bareback horse with nothing between them and the boy in front of them but a great big smile on his face.

Regardless of the fact that Christopher was basically a eunuch by virtue of neglect of medical treatment for his undescended testicles as a child, the boy was still a "Follower"

when it came to playing with his peers, and if they got naked, he automatically figured he should too. Now, watching the boys on horses ahead of him peel out of their clothing, the straps on his bib overall's dropped off his shoulder's and his hands went up in the air waiting for his shirt to be lifted off by Bert. The Director shook his head and smiled somewhat, knowing it was fruitless to explain to Christopher that neither a shower or a swim was immanent as he took off the polo shirt and let it drift to the path.

Now struggling to get the overall's off, Christopher met a temporary roadblock since he was sitting on the pants. Lifting the boy up and turning him around, Bert had the boy wrapped him arms around his neck. With a strangle hold that had Bert's head getting a shade of red, Bert finally managed to drop the pants to the ground as he sat the boy down in his lap sideways.

One of the Golden Rules for the Care and Treatment of Christopher was that if he got naked, or nearly so, something in his very busy little mind told him to push on his bladder. It really didn't matter if he had just emptied it ten minutes earlier; he always seemed to have a small ready reserve to justify his efforts. Those around him who ignored this Golden Rule generally had a Golden Shower, or a very wet living room rug.

Now sitting side-saddle in Bert's lap, the Director pulled out Christopher's penis from the slot in his underoo's and aimed it safely away from his leg and the horses blanket.

"Pee-pee Christopher!" Bert said as the boy looked down at his penis. A small arch of urine landed maybe a foot away from the horses feet for about three seconds before Christopher decided he had donated enough for this try and relaxed his pelvic muscle's. Unfortunately, rather than stopping the flow instantly, Christopher decided on the slow approach as Bert watched the flow trickle down to a slow drip of several drops once the arch lost its head of steam and retreated a crossed his leg.

"Aw gon." Christopher chirped with a dimpled smile. Bert shook his head as he stuffed Christopher's penis back into place and moped up the piss with the boys underroo's as he flipped him back around and sat him back down on the horse. It wasn't the first time the boy had blessed him with his Holy water, and Bert was positive it wasn't going to be the last.

"They want to go up on the Meadow Uncle Bert. Are you going to go out to Look Out Point, or are you going to follow us?" a senior boy asked as he doubled back.

"The Meadow is probably safer." Bert said.

"Do you want one of us taking Christopher? Once they get out on the Meadow, they like to go galloping around and Dolly will follow them." the boy said as he pointed to Bert's horse. Bert smiled a bit.

"That's OK Randy. This old coot can manage to stay on a running horse." He told the boy.

The trip to the meadow took the better part of a half hour, and for Bert, it was one of the more restful half hours he spent in the past week. As a senior boy followed the group of over two dozen horses in Bert's cart at a respectful distance just in case an emergency popped up that needed Bert's attention, the slow walking pace through the wood's was serene enough to fall asleep. Never one for napping in the afternoon, Bert was taken off-guard as Christopher did precisely that as he slumped further and further into Bert's lap.

Seeing Christopher fast asleep, the senior boy fell back to Bert.

"Once we're at the meadow Uncle Bert, she's going to take off. Do you want me to keep her walking?" Randy asked. Bert smiled a bit as he handed the reigns over to the boy.

"Just don't let me hear any stories from the senior compound about how you had to lead me back to the stables or you and I are going to have to settle the issue on a steeplechase run." Bert replied as he wrapped both arms around Christopher and sat back a little to cradle the boy. The boy giggled somewhat, but also knew that Bert would do exactly what he said.

Like Sid and most of the staff at Green Tree, Bert was an expert horseman as many boys who thought to challenge him found out.

Once the mafia hit the meadow, it was time to forget about walking the trail and identifying trees, bushes and spotting an animal along the way. The tall grass that now covered the meadow was interrupted only by an occasional red pennant that hung from a fiberglass pole that warned of a rock or gopher hole. As the senior boys pulled to the side of the meadow, the Intermediate's took off in 24 different directions has fast as the horses agreed to go. Going faster than a slow trot was never allowed on the trail, but up here on the treeless meadow that overlooked the mountain range to the North towards Charlotte all the way to the Blue Ridge Mountains to the West, there were plenty of acres to blow off steam and allow the horses to earn their oats as far as the campers were concerned.

Making his way over to the eastern side of the meadow which held a water station for the horses as well as the riders, Bert handed Christopher down to the senior boy as he dismounted and made a bed of grass to sit down in with Christopher still involved in a solid nap. Deciding to return to the campus in his cart, Bert gave his horse to the senior boy following the group in Mr. Magoo. Bert again smiled as both senior boys trotted away undoubtedly as eager to tear up some grassland as the Intermediate boys were.

Bert had a thousand things on his mind, but for the next five minutes or so, his only thoughts were of the sleeping boy who laid alongside him. As imperfect as Christopher was in many ways, it would have been difficult for an outsider to understand the depth of love and compassion Bert felt for the boy. Could he explain his feelings to himself, let alone strangers? No, he could not. He no longer even tried. Christopher was as deeply a part of him as his wife and son had been. He had failed at keeping them alive and safe as far as he was concerned, but he would not fail again. Whatever else happened in his lifetime, Christopher would survive, he would see to it.

"Is he sick Uncle Bert?" Sammy asked as the boy trotted his horse up to the water trough. Bert looked up at Sammy who rode astride his horse with Carla sitting in front.

Bert smiled as his first thoughts were of Lady Godiva except for the fact that Carla's hair didn't quite make it to her waist.

"No Sammy, I guess he was just a little tired and decided to take a nice nap." Bert replied as Christopher now stirred.

Once on his feet again, Christopher looked around in a slight haze probably still trying to figure out where he was and how he got there. Quite unceremoniously, the boy silently dropped out of his underpants and immediately began to irrigate the grass around him with a two foot [60 cm] arch coming from a two inch [5 cm] bladder erection. Carla giggled as Christopher yawned oblivious to his indiscretion. Bert watched as the gleaming ribbon of chrystal clear water flowed from a well that should have been empty.

To no one's surprise, the last dribble had hardly fallen to the grass before Christopher was looking around for a drink. Finding a senior boy with a fresh bottle of water in his hand, Christopher reached up.

"Rink?" he asked the boy. As Christopher handed back the empty bottle, Bert outstretched his hand with another bottle.

"Come on little man, here's some more water and we'll go back to camp and see if we can't find you an ice cream cone." He said as he got into the cart. Climbing into Bert's lap and grabbing for the precious water, Christopher's attention was diverted long enough to allow Bert to wave goodbye as he headed for the trail leading back to camp.

None of the campers were silly enough to move before Bert's cart was out of sight, but once it was, the boys re mounted breathing a small sigh of relief. Christopher was loved, but he was a lot like a small baby brother when the bigger brother wanted to play with abandoned glee.

After being put back on the horse by a senior boy, Carla took the reign's and leaned forward as Sammy found his way back into his favorite spot on the girl. Carla needed no asking concerning her favors, just so long as Sammy and the rest of the mafia made her as equally happy. Once he and Carla were one, he wrapped his arms around her waist and gently slipped his finger into Carla as she adjusted her body.

Unsheathing the hood on her clitoris as carefully as Carla and Jeannie had taught all the boys to do, Sammy gently rolled the soft knob of flesh around his fingertip as Carla molded her body into his and closed her eyes in a foggy ecstasy. To Sammy, it wasn't quite as exciting or even as interesting as playing with another boys penis, but since it made the girls happy and therefore made them happy in return, if this was what girls called jerking off, who was he to complain?

Horseback riding is great fun, and even more so when riding double in a freedom known to a scant few children outside of Green Tree. There was no great big hurry to get back to the stables on anyone's part; it was just another summer afternoon in the woods and nobody was in any hurry to allow it to end as the gait of the horses did all the necessary work.

For Adam, the afternoon was as restful and relaxing as it was for Bert and until and unless something unexpected came up that would need his attention, he spent 4th Period paddling a canoe around the lake with Johanna and Sidney Bertram. Far from alone, the lake was filled with the camps fleet of rowboats, sailboats, canoes, kayaks and jet ski's that the Water Safety crew's used to patrol the lake. As usual, a staff member on the lake with a girl in the same boat meant only one thing to the campers, and therefore, Adam's canoe was the center of attention.

"Do you get the feeling we're being watched?" Adam asked Johanna as the girl finished breast feeding Sidney. Johanna giggled a bit as she looked around. The lake was moderately sized and roughly rectangular in shape and most of the boats on the lake were now on the upper half where Adam and Johanna were. The bottom half was largely empty, and that's where the swimming area's, ski runs, and play area's were.

"If we paddled down to the Mess Hall do you think they'd follow us?" She asked as she laid Sidney down on the bottom of the canoe and took off his diaper.

"I'd bet on it!" Adam replied as he approached a large willow tree hanging off the water. Beaching the canoe, Johanna handed the baby to Adam.

"We're in Prime Time. If he grunts or his nostrils start to flex, he's ready for a bowel movement. If you're going to keep him in your arms, be prepared." She advised Adam with a knowing smile.

Johanna again smiled as Adam propped Sidney's bottom in about two inches [5 cm] of water along the shoreline as the boy now started rooting around for something to taste. With a small fistful of beach sand, Sidney studied the texture as the adults sat nearby enough to keep him out of trouble.

"That sand can't be very nutritious." Adam said as the baby stuck his fingers in his mouth.

"It'll all come out in the wash. Dan says the lake is pure enough to draw fresh drinking water from." Johanna replied.

"That might be what the chemical analysis says, but I've seen more than a few boys pissing off Turtle Rock!" Adam replied with a smile. Johanna giggled somewhat but shook her head.

"Dan say's that 100,000 gallons [400,000 l] of fresh water a day flows through the lake and passes over the dam. More than enough to keep it clean." She replied.

"Still with all these fish, animals and birds taking a dump, I think I'll stick to drawing my water from the wells." Adam replied.

The afternoon wore on and it wasn't long before Sidney was ready to swim. Not quite yet drown proofed, the baby had been "Swimming" in deep water since he was four months old, and already knew how to return to the surface for air, and to hold his breath underwater. Once on the surface, he still needed someone there to lift him up to breath and rest, but within another six months, he would be able to swim totally unaided. As he swam from Adam to Johanna and back again, a tell-tale object caught Adam's eye.

"Log alert!" Adam exclaimed as a second and then a third hit the surface.

Getting up, Adam went for the beach and dug a hole as Johanna picked up the baby and cradled him in a sitting position. One more nugget floated up as Adam scooped it up in his hands and went to bury the days catch. Washing his hands with sand, Adam returned and sat down in the water as Johanna washed the baby's bottom.

"Uncle Bert and Uncle Sid say that most men would never do that; not even for their own children. Do you believe that?" Johanna asked as Sidney laid in her lap and played with his toes while the girl cleaned him up.

"To tell you the truth, I never really thought about it. I guess if it was acid or something radioactive, I probably would have run for a pair of gloves or something, but as far as I know, nobody's hands ever fell off from getting a little poop on them. I have changed his diapers before." Adam reminded the girl. Johanna smiled.

"Uncle Sid says it's a macho man thing. Most men he says won't even do that!" Adam nodded.

"I guess he's right. As far as I know, my father never changed mine, and I certainly know he never bathed, changed or even toilet trained my Sister's. It was all my mom's "Job" he told me." Adam replied.

"I could never like a man like that!" Johanna said as she shook her head.

"Well, when the time comes, let me know and I'll toilet train him with you." Adam told her.

"Don't be silly Adam; we don't toilet train anybody here. When they decide to stop running around in soggy pants, they train themselves." She said with a giggle.

"So what went wrong with Uncle Sid?" Adam asked.

As the bugler blew General Swim, Adam paddled the canoe back into the cove and beached the boat in front of Beachview Cabin.

"As far as I know, all the mafia went on the Trail Ride together. They might come back here to the cove for General Swim, but it's far more likely they'll decide to swim in the pool instead since they're already up there." Adam told Johanna.

"I can't guarantee it, but it should be relatively quiet around here if you want to take a shower with Sidney here instead of going back to your cabin." He told the girl. Johanna smiled.

"You don't think that's going to start a buzz with our little friend's out there on the lake?" she asked.

"They're going to think we're taking a romp even if we sit inside and read the dictionary." Adam replied as he watched a few sailboat's and row boats drifting just outside the cove. Johanna smile deepened as the dimples in her cheeks now appeared.

"So you're saying that that bulge in your shorts is a bladder erection and not what I think it is?" she asked. If Adam wasn't blushing, he didn't know why not.

Long before ten months of age, in fact, immediately after birth, a shower or a bath for Sidney Bertram was always followed by a full body massage that usually had the baby sound asleep before it ended. Few words were spoken between Johanna and Adam while the two massaged the baby and once he was on his stomach stretched out and oiled up like a little greased piglet sound asleep, it was Johanna's turn to receive the massage with Adam standing proud and tall at the end of the bed.

Since arriving at Green Tree two years earlier, Adam's skills at making love had taken on a distinct change. Prior to his arrival, he had known many girls in his High School, College, and accounting years, and he never really gave them all that much thought. He loved making love, but it was no big deal to him, he rarely thought much about it immediately after the act itself. It was quite satisfactory and quick, nothing more. He liked the person he was making love to, but never really considered himself "In love", at least not yet. He always assumed one day he would marry, have children, and probably retire to Florida down the road, etc, etc. Then along came Green Tree, Sammy, and a whole new way of life.

While no "Sparks" flew before, with Sammy, they did now. Adam had spent the better part of two years trying to figure out exactly why, and he was no closer to an answer than the first day he took the boy into his arms and into his heart. Why would he have given up any one of the few dozen girls he had made love to in the past for any one of the three dozen boys he now knew as the mafia? Why did the love he felt, not only for the boys, but for Carla and Jeannie as well, surpass anything he had felt for them? Adam knew what an outsiders answer would be, but such a deep and pure love could never be explained away by a pack of morons, bigots, and hypocrites who themselves were morally and spiritually bankrupt.

Now, a whole new world of love was blossoming before his eyes that made the old way seem as if he were making love to blow-up dolls in the past. Girls like Johanna, Gloria and Jeanette never merely fucked, they made love, and they taught you how to make love as well. As far as Adam knew, the two minute "Quickie" was something practiced only during class-room breaks in the boys room when there wasn't time for anything else. Sex wasn't a snack to the residents of Green Tree, it was a seven course dinner.

Adam poured baby oil on Johanna's upper torso and began a slow massage as Johanna now cradled his testicles in her hands and milked the pre-cum from his prostate that fell to her in an unbroken ribbon of clear nectar. There would be no KY jelly necessary to lubricate her vagina and rectum, when the time came for Adam to slip in, it would be an effortless act of pure pleasure for both that would not end anytime soon as Sidney napped on.

Paulie's encounter with Spencer was not primary on Paulie's mind all that day, but neither was it forgotten, especially whenever Spencer was within Paulie's sight on the boat. Notwithstanding the fact that Spencer had kissed the 15 year old in order to comfort him, Spencer was not a boy whose presence around you wasn't noticed. Spencer's looks, his manner of carrying himself and even speech was noteworthy in a crowd. When Spencer entered a room, everyone in that room knew it, and knew someone special had arrived. Exactly why was hard to pinpoint, and most Green Tree staff had given up trying long before. This was the kind of boy Paulie had never met before and like Valerie, he was trying to figure out why.

"Captain Jim says that Spencer is really fast at picking up stuff about boats. If he wanted to go away to school to learn more, would the people at his school let him?" Paulie asked Thomas as the two stood alone up on the bowsprit.

"I'm sure that if Spencer showed an interest in pursuing a career in it, they would tailor a Plan to fit his needs. But I'm not sure we're anywhere near that point yet. Spencer's only been with us on the boat for three days now and that's hardly enough time to decide the course of the rest of his life. We have to take into consideration that what Spencer has been exposed to is not your average boat. Any boy in his right mind would find this boat to be something out of a dream," Thomas replied.

"But if he did decide to go away to school, they would let him?" Paulie asked.

"If it was in his best interests, and if they could supply him with the necessary back-up, I would think so, yes," Thomas replied.

"What kind of back-up?" Paulie asked.

"Spencer's a Geppetto boy Paulie; you don't just plunk down a Geppetto boy in mainstream society without providing layers of protection and support," Thomas replied.

"What about if he lived with us? We ain't mainstream society." The boy asked.

"With us? Paulie, except for you and Steven, we all live all over the Country. How would he be living with us?" Thomas asked his brother.

"If he decided to become a Captain, he could go to my school until he graduates and then go to the Massachusetts's Marine Academy. He could live with Steven and me on the Vineyard." Paulie replied.

"Why? Has Spencer or David said something to you?" Thomas asked. Paulie shook his head.

"No, they didn't say anything; I just thought it could work, especially if David decided to come to live with us." Paulie replied.

"Who said anything about David coming to live here?" Thomas asked.

"He's going to be turning 14 next year. Haven't we all gone to boarding school at 14?" Paulie asked.

"We did Paulie, but Geppetto boys don't generally leave their school until they go away to college. If either boy was going to be doing something like that, it would have to be a team decision. What you're proposing is about as simple as asking Dora to allow you to be transferred down to North Carolina with me. Do you think that would be an easy thing to accomplish?" Thomas asked.

"We did it before didn't we?" Paulie asked.

"Yes we did Paulie, but that was when Dora still had Uncle Joel here with her. It may be a bit of a pain in the ass, but you're the "Baby" now, and until we get some full time nieces and nephews back under her roof full time,

she's going to keep those apron strings on tight," Thomas said.

Paulie was quiet for a short time, but Thomas knew very well he wasn't really interested in watching the waves curl past the bow.

"If David wants to come to Andover, will you talk to them?" he asked.

"Naturally Paulie. I'm on the team that makes those kinds of decisions for all the boys," Thomas replied.

"Spencer too?" the boy asked.

"All means all," Thomas replied.

Once again, Paulie fell silent deep in thought.

"Have you been with Spencer, Tom-tom?" the boy finally asked. Knowing the full meaning of the question, Thomas shook his head.

"The only boy I've been with is David. Spencer lives at school with Anthony, and the staff are aware of the bond between the two and don't interfere with it. Spencer plays with the other boys, but as far as I know, he doesn't interact with adult staff," Thomas replied.

"But he plays with David?" Paulie asked.

"And most probably every other Intermediate aged boy in camp from eight to 13," Thomas replied.

"What about older boys?" He asked.

"The campers at Green Tree are all separated into three groups. Spencer is in the Intermediate group right now and stays within his age group," Thomas said.

"What happens when he becomes a senior boy?" Paulie asked. Thomas smiled a little now well aware of the real question.

"Senior boys are 13 to 16 years old. What they do together is their business." He informed his brother.

"So he'll be doing it with those older boys?" Paulie asked.

"He's human, I can't think of a reason why he wouldn't be!" Thomas replied.

After another very pregnant pause in the conversation Paulie gathered some bravery together.

"He's not like the boys in my school. He's not even like David!" he now said.

"No, he's not! And you are not the first person who's ever met Spencer who has come to realize that fact. Of most people you'll meet in your lifetime, a handful will stand out to you as being very special for a reason you're just not quite sure of. Spencer, for whatever reason is that kind of person and it's just the way things are." Thomas told his youngest brother.

"Can you tell me what it is about him that's so special?" he asked. Paulie shook his head.

"I remember when I first met Marty and Uncle Joel. We went to the Cabin in Vermont for a weekend to go fishing and I fell asleep in the living room in front of the fireplace. I woke up and Marty had put me to bed in the guest bedroom. I never knew why, but I had to get up and climb into Marty's bed with him and Uncle Joel for the first time ever." Paulie said.

"We never talked about it before, and we never did anything before, but I took off my underpants and slid into bed in between the two of them without saying a word. It wasn't like I had to do it, it was more like something I had to do just for myself." The boy recalled.

"I feel like that again, but with Spencer." He said.

"Do you know what I'm talking about Tom-tom?"

Thomas nodded his head.

"I think if you asked each and every one of our brothers how their relationship with Marty and Uncle Joel came about, you'd find out the story is just about the same. Neither Marty or Uncle Joel ever even suggested that I make love with them first. I was the one who initiated contact and I was the one who wanted it to continue. I think Spencer evokes the same type of charisma Marty and Joel possessed and that's what you're experiencing." "What should I do?" the boy asked.

"Showers are always a great way to get the ball rolling, I'd start there and see what happens." Thomas told Paulie as he kissed him on the forehead.

The boat returned to the Vineyard's by 5:00 and by 5:30, steam was emanating from the bathrooms in both houses. At the guest cottage, the older children gathered including Paulie, David and Spencer who only very reluctantly gave up on studying the Chapman's long enough to get naked and wet.

At Green Tree, the process change between getting clean and romping was fairly seamless. The boys knew damned well they were going to get clean with or without soap since showers rarely lasted shorter than 20 minutes, and the very first sign of an erection signaled the start of a full blown party on the floor. Showers generally ended not when one was clean, but when one's penis was usually very pink and completely satisfied.

For the Vineyard's children (Who all attended private schools and showers after gym),

shower romps were not the norm since they had to keep their interest in their fellow student's bodies to themselves. Walking into the school showers with a three inch [7½ cm] boner could lead to a few questions that were better left un-asked. (Unless those same children happened to be sleeping overnight, in which case, you both had a boner and fucking a well knew why!)

At 15, Paulie was no stranger to romping, but he usually kept it low key and under the covers. With seven boys now entering the showers squalling like a Cub Scout Pak on a skinny dip, there was no need for discreetness anymore. Entering the shower, he picked up a bottle of shampoo and began washing the boys hair. Once he arrived in front of Spencer, the admirable control he had displayed while washing his nephew's was melting away with an impressive erection that wasn't going to be denied. After rinsing off Spencer's hair as the boy lifted his face to the shower faucet, Paulie's control melted away faster than the shampoo suds.

"May I kiss you?" he asked Spencer. Spencer's dimple's appeared just before his smile.

"Of course!" Spencer replied as he opened his eyes.

The kiss Paulie had received previously sent shivers up the 15 year olds spine, but as he now gave Spencer a kiss he usually reserved for 7th and 8th grade girls with wet panty's and dreams about what a boy felt like sliding into them, Paulie's head went light and started to spin a little as Spencer returned the kiss and took hold of Paulie's erection that sat on Spencer's abdomen. Even under the flow of water coming down, Paulie could feel the heat of Spencer's penis against his as the boy joined the two together and held them firmly in place. All thought of anybody else in the showers left the 15 year old as he made his way down Spencer's body without ever taking his lips off the boy. If his nephews were shocked when Spencer's penis disappeared into Paulie's mouth, their uncle never knew it nor did he hear it. At that particular point in time, there were only two people in the world, him and this boy who had a body to be worshiped.

The next 25 minutes was a scene that will never see the movie theater's for another 50 years or so, even in Scandinavia. If a label had to be put on it, it was partly a Greco/Roman orgy and a Show and Tell group rarely seen outside of a Christian Brother's boarding school for pre-adolescent boys.

As do we all, the Green Tree boys and the Vineyard boys each had their little pet names for various recreational activities, and the object of both groups now was to figure out if one side or the other had somehow "Missed" discovering and taking part in them. Green Trees "Lollipops" was identified as the Vineyard children's "Oral copulation". The Vineyard children's "Masturbation" had more than a few dozen titles known to the Green Tree boys beginning with "Bopping the Bologna".

Since the Vineyard children all had at least one parent who was a Physician, their labels tended to be a bit more on the medically correct side of the scale, while for the Green Tree boys, since Sid was basically at the root of their sexual education, their labels tended to be a tad more "Folksy". This tended to be true except in one instance: The Nantucket Sleighride." Rumor had it that their Uncle Charles penned the name for his brother's when he was 11 years old, but it could not be independently verified.

"What's that?" Jesse now wanted to know when Richard asked the Green Tree boys if they ever did that back in North Caroline.

"It's a neat trick that can be done with only two boys if you want to, but you gotta do it in the shower, or in the water." Richard replied with a very impish smile on his face as his cousin's giggled. The Vineyard boys chose Paulie to demonstrate the trick, while Spencer agreed to do the honors for the Green Tree boys.

Step One had Richard disappearing from the bathroom for several minutes to retrieve a small carrying case from the Master Bathroom closet. With a look towards each other that suggested "We've been down this road before", Spencer Jesse and David watched as the Vineyard boys prepared a lukewarm enema bag and attached a medium sized tip that impressed none of them. They all had toys back at school that made that puny tip look like a pencil.

Spencer's enema took less than three minutes or so to clean him out, which all three boys thought had ended the demonstration.

"Now lay down on your back on the shower floor." Richard instructed Spencer. Once laying down, Richard took one leg and Jeremy took the other and lifted Spencer's feet up towards his head as Paulie now got into position and lined himself up. Pouring baby oil on Spencer's groin area and coating his rectum, Spencer's interest increased ten fold as his penis stood at attention once again as Paulie took it in one hand and cradled Spencer's testicle's in the other. Once the head of Paulie's penis arrived at Spencer's pink flower of boyhood, Spencer's sphincter muscle involuntarily twitched against the pressure and gave way with only moderate resistance as Paulie descended into the spotlessly clean vault of warmth. At 15, Paulie was a big boy, but Spencer had known both Brian and Anthony before, and for him, it was a walk in park; a nice walk in the park, but there was still room for expansion. Spencer, Jesse and David now all assumed that all there was to be done was to finish the job and get on to the next trick.

After maybe a minute of Spencer feeling Paulie's penis periodically twitch but the boy on top of him making no attempt to move other than to continue to knead his penis, Spencer felt what he thought was a climax coat his rectum in sperm. It took the boy one more second to realize that if Paulie was climaxing, he shot buckets instead of teaspoons.

As Spencer's eyes widened, Richard and the rest of the Vineyard boys both smiled and giggled.

"Now Uncle Paulie will make you shoot the harpoon!" Richard said as Paulie took Spencer up to stroking speed for climax.

Spencer's new enema reached its capacity just as Spencer climaxed, which shot over his head on the first spurt and hit the shower wall. Simultaneously, his bowels decided enough was enough and coaxed the hot liquid past Paulie's penis to the shower drain under the two boys. For Spencer, the only appropriate words he could find for this newly discovered dual sensation was "Holy fuck!"

For the boys of Green Tree, there was a new trick waiting for them once Spencer, David and Jesse returned home.

With Paulie's introduction of his water flowing into the party in the shower, it was a very short hop to advance to the next step in the boy's formal acceptance of each other as "Blood Brother's". Once David and Jesse demonstrated to the Vineyard boys that what was being proposed was something fairly routine and fully acceptable at Green Tree, Richard became the first new brother to taste this new version of "Warm Lemonade" once Spencer recovered and his bladder agreed to flow once again. Paulie wasn't quite as eager to follow his young nephew, at least not until that night's play time up in the attic.

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