Chapter 1 - Hi David!

I haven’t posted many Boymoments here over the past 8 years and that’s typical of me when I’m too busy enjoying them. I’ve written a lot about many yf’s but most of it is just for myself to have a look at when my memory goes and I can do little more than sit in a chair and read. This last friendship of mine I’d like to share with you guys through posting here. Maybe not as much as I did years ago with “Randolph” but it helps to get the memories out when I have someone reading. Going to start with day 1 and since I never saw much point in not using a boy’s real name (unless it’s something like “Magaislieanslio”) let me introduce you guys to David.

I had been living in the town for a few months, after picking up stakes to search for somewhere more suitable, when I first saw him. He was 2 doors down and across the street, sitting in his front yard with his back to a tree, picking at the grass, while the rest of his family busily carried their belongings into the shabby little house they were moving into. It was the perfect excuses to air up my bike's tires and go for a spin…

As I rolled by him, he looked up at me and quickly looked back down. I’ve always been most attracted to white boys, but this little Asian (half-Asian, I was to learn later on), in his little Harry Potter glasses and dark bowl-cut hair, may have surpassed every other white boy I’d ever seen, in cuteness. I wasn’t on anyone’s radar yet, except for David’s, so I turned around and stopped on the road and pretended to tie my shoe, about 15 feet in front of him. I needed a better look but he turned my lust-based interest into paternal concern when he looked up at me again, with tears streaming down his cheeks. This time, he didn’t look away immediately, but held the stare for a few seconds. I felt like crying myself, seeing him that way. I think I damn near ditched the bike to go sit beside him, before catching myself and simply waving goodbye, trying to say with facial expression that I cared about whatever it was that he was going through.

Then I rode off, shaken.

After riding around the town a bit, I went back home to try and catch some glimpses of him through one of the windows. There he was, carrying his little brother piggy back style around the car. Another glimpse gave knowledge of the broken bike he owned, as he pushed it and then dumped it beside the fence. He gave the front tire a kick before walking away.

It was a nice day and for that reason alone I had the windows open, anyway. His mother hollered to a relative inside the house, “I’m going to Wal-Mart to pick up my prescriptions.” David hopped into the front seat of the minivan and off they went.

And off I went. I needed some stuff anyway…

I was hoping to start a conversation with his mother first – introduce myself as her neighbor and welcome them, but on the way to the pharmacy I spotted David, wandering around in the toy department, and I couldn’t resist changing plans.

I learned the hard way, too many times, years ago, that apprehension is a red flag to people, especially perceptive children, so I turn it off when I can.

“Hey!” I exclaimed to David. “Didn’t you just move in across the street from me?”

He didn’t answer but he kept looking at me, curiously. It was a look that seemed to say ‘Is an adult man talking to me like he actually wants to hear me answer?’

No answer is fine; I can deal with it, if it accompanies a look like that.

“Well anyway, I think I saw you when I was out riding my bike, earlier today. I’m shopping for a present for my 10 year old nephew (doesn’t exist) and I have no idea what to get him! What would YOU like as a gift, if someone was going to buy you something for your birthday?” I asked.

He opened up then and showed me all the things he wanted. He spoke very quietly at first. I think he was trying to hide his adorable little speech impediment from me, but before long, like finally jumping into a pool once you get both feet used to the temperature, he was speaking at volume and it was wonderful to see him come alive slowly, before my eyes.

I tugged his shirt and asked, “Come over here. What about these?” pointing at the most expensive bike in front of me – which for Wal-Mart is still relatively cheap.

“Yeah, he will like that. So would I!” He boldly said.

“Do you ride bikes?” I asked.

“Yes, but it has a flat tire and nobody will get me a tube to fix it.” He answered.

“Wait here!” He quickly commanded. “I have to check in with my mom, I’ll be back, wait here!”

Not wanting to miss an opportunity to meet his mother and definitely not wanting him to go to her and cause her imagination to fill in the mental gap with paranoia when he tells her that he’s talking to some guy about bikes in the toy department, I followed behind him to ensure everything went down as well as I could influence it to.

“There’s a guy at the bikes and we’re talking.” I heard him say to her as I walked up behind him.

Before he knew I was even there, I put both hands on his shoulders and said, “Hi. I’m BLues. You guys just moved in across the street from me and this little guy says he can help me find the perfect gift for my nephew! Mind if I borrow him a little longer?”

She was immediately smitten from the confidence and handshake and said hello and sure, I could borrow him a little longer. Typical single momma bear, from my experiences, and we walked off together. He placed his hand on my shoulder as we strolled back to the bikes.

“Sheesh, what’s your name? Mine is…” I said and got cut off.

“BLues. I heard you tell my mother!” He exclaimed, proudly. “My name is David”.

“Well David, if your mother will let me, I’ll buy you a tube and you bring your bike over to my house after you get home and I’ll fix it for you. I’ll be waiting in the front yard with my tools.” I told him.

“Really? Awesome! Wait here!” He again commanded. This time though, I let him go back to her on his own, without worry, and picked out a tube for his little 20 incher.

“She said okay!” He cheered, after returning.

“Okay then buddy,” I told him while mussing up his mop of hair. He giggled sweetly and never bothered fixing it back. “I’ll be waiting for ya! I’ll order a pizza too and we can eat it when you come over”. I said and walked away, smiling.

Those eyes! I thought about them on the way back home. When he looked at me, it was a look of knowing not only what I was saying but what I was feeling. Those brown eyes…not my favorite color; actually, my least favorite, up to that point. But his pierced through me. They were gorgeous. They seemed innocent and wise, at once. I couldn’t get them out of my head and minutes without him had me longing to see them again.

I got home, ran into the house, grabbed my tools, looked in the mirror for any loose boogies, and flew out the door, jumping down the steps. I decided I would order pizza only after he arrived - an overused stall-for-time tactic. No sooner did my feet hit the grass and I was watching them pass by in the van, him leaning forward and waving.

“Hi!” I yelled over to his mother as she got out of the van. “I’m going to fix that bike of his, is that okay?”

“Yeah sure, just walk him home when it gets dark.” She replied.

“Okay, I will. I’m going to order some pizza, too.” I yelled again.

“I know, he told me. It’s all he talked about.” She said with a genuine good-natured laugh.

David gathered up his bike and started pushing it across the street, towards my yard. The look he wore had a bit of fear in it that the person he was going towards wasn’t going to be the same nice guy that he met in the store, earlier. I squashed that quickly with a hug, which he returned – not the hug of an average, too cool to show affection, boy. He squeezed me, hard. We both released and smiled at each other, staring.

I broke the stare and told him to grab a wrench and take the wheel off while I go order our dinner.

“Okay!” He excitedly replied.

We had a ball. Got all greasy and the simple tube change ended up being a full tune up and cleaning. The whole time he positioned himself as an apprentice, eager to learn. “What’s freewheel?” or “How tight does this need to be?” All kinds of questions and I got the impression he was just asking for the sake of conversation. All the while, during every answer, he stared deep into me with those beautiful brown eyes.

The night had come for us around the time the pizza arrived. Too late to start eating and still follow his mother’s “home at dark” wish, we called her from inside the house and he asked if he could stay and eat. She said yes.

“She said yes!” He cried out, before he even put the phone down.

“Nice!” I replied. “We don’t need plates, do we?” I asked, hoping we wouldn’t.

“Nope, let’s eat on the couch and watch TV!” He requested.

“David, how old are you?” I asked.

“Ten” He told me. That was my first guess, too.

We sat there eating pizza and watching cartoons with the pizza box half on his lap and half on mine. So close to each other we sat. We were touching. After 2 pieces, I put my arm around him and he immediately leaned his head into my chest. That’s how we finished the meal and stayed for a few minutes afterwards.

To think that I woke up that morning alone and without a boy in my life and here beside me now was the most precious little guy imaginable. Eating pizza with me. Laughing at my jokes. Parental permission attained. It seemed too good to be real. That’s how it is, though. Life surprises you and you quickly are asking how you were alive without this boy, just hours ago. How did you find the strength to get out of bed without this little god as motivation? How?

“I better get back home. Will you walk me back?” He asked.

“Of course I will, buddy. You know that.” I said with a smile and one armed side-hug, as we got to our feet.

David is quirky now, but back then he really had some phobias.

“You have to carry me across the grass. There’s jumping spiders and they jump on me” He admitted to me.

I didn’t question it. Spiders or not, picking him up and carrying him across the grass and then across the street and depositing him on his doorstep like a new bride was exactly how I would have wanted it to be.

“BLues, what did you buy for your nephew?” He asked, before opening his door to go in for the night.

“David, there’s no nephew. I just needed a reason to talk to you.” I admitted. I know it sounds foolish, but I knew telling him that much, at that time, was safe.

“I kinda knew that, I don’t know how but I did.” He replied.

“It’ll be our secret. Goodnight, buddy. See you tomorrow?” I asked.

“Yes tomorrow! Goodnight!” He said and walked into his house and shut the door. I walked back across and got his bike and rode it back into his yard and set it down. A light came on in one of the rooms and I saw his silhouette, getting ready for bed he was. His blinds parted and he looked towards my house, then they shut again and he turned out his light.

And I walked home, not sure if my feet were touching ground or not.