Chapter 1

Here we are, dear reader, at the beginning of another tale.

Let me set the scene. This story begins in 1966. It means that most of it won’t make sense if you are under fifty years old. In that year, there were no cell phones and, thus, no texting. There were no personal computers, so there was no email. If you wanted to talk with someone, you had to call them from a telephone that was probably mounted on the wall in your family’s kitchen. People wrote letters to friends and family. A postage stamp cost 5¢. Pants were coming into fashion for women, young and old. They most commonly wore skirts and dresses.

This story is about Danny Collins, a young man whose sixteenth birthday was in May of 1966. In the Fall, he would be in his second year of high school. He didn’t drive yet. His parents would only allow him to take the driving test once he had passed Driver’s Ed at school. Danny was a good student and played on the school tennis team. He had yet to have a date with a girl. There had been a couple of girlfriends, but Danny was ‘sweet sixteen and had never been kissed.’ His knowledge of women was just slightly above zero.

His life was simple and uncomplicated. He was happy and looking forward to another school year.

When Danny made it to the family kitchen a little past 10:00 on the first day of summer, he found his mother wearing an apron and preparing to make a pie.

“Good morning, Danny,” she said in greeting, but he knew the look on her face. He knew she was about to make a pronouncement.

“Morning, Mom. Whacha makin’?”

“I’m making an apple pie. It’s your father’s favorite, and you should not eat any of it without permission.”

“I know the apple pie rule, Mom. I’m just going to have some Cheerios for breakfast.”

Mrs. Collins waited until her son was seated at the kitchen table before beginning her lecture. “You are sixteen now, Danny, and you won’t be lying around the house and sleeping until noon. I know that you have some requirements from school for the summer. Besides the reading assignments, you must also do some public service. What do you have in mind?”

“Oh, I don’t know, Mom,” he answered, stirring his cereal. “I thought maybe I’d volunteer at the library or something like that.”

His mother actually smiled because her son had given it some thought. “That’s not a bad idea, but I have a suggestion for you. Do you know the DeAngelo’s, a few houses down the street?”

I’ve seen Mr. DeAngelo but haven’t met him.

“Mr. DeAngelo is in the Army, and I understand he is on his way to Vietnam.”

“That’s not good,” Danny said as he sat up straight, looking at his mother.

“He’s been in the Army for a few years, and I feel he’ll be fine. The point is Mrs. DeAngelo will be taking care of everything on her own. It would be a fine gesture for you to cut her grass and keep her yard. It would count as time for your public service.”

“Yeah, I could do that,” Danny said with a smile. “I like the idea of helping people when they need it.”

“Good. That’s settled,” Mrs. Collins said, proud of her son for taking on the challenge. “After you finish breakfast, you should walk down and introduce yourself to Mrs. DeAngelo. I haven’t met her, but I believe her to be a very nice person. I’m sure she’ll welcome your help. Remember, son, you will not charge her for your work. For it to be public service, you may not charge.”

“Oh, sure, Mom. I wouldn’t charge a poor woman who needs a little help.”

Betty Collins went about pie making, pleased that she had started her son off on a good track for the summer.

Danny thought, “Hey, it’s a once-a-week job. It’ll take a few hours, and then I’ll be free to go the school and play tennis. This will be great.”

As Danny walked up the front sidewalk at the DeAngelo house, Vivian DeAngelo saw him approaching and wondered who he was. She decided he was a handsome young man and guessed his height at about six feet. He had nicely trimmed brown hair. The young man was wearing shorts that exposed his well-toned legs.

When Danny knocked on her door, Vivian quickly opened it. “Hi,” she said with a smile. “How can I help you?”

“Well,” he stuttered. “It’s more like, can I help you?” When she said nothing, Danny continued, “My Mom says that your husband is in the Army and has been transferred away. I thought you could use some help keeping up your yard. It gets pretty hot here, and the grass grows fast.”

Vivian gave him a warm smile. “What would you charge me to cut my grass?”

“Oh, nuthin’ at all, Mrs. DeAngelo. I have a public service requirement for school for the summer. I would do it to help you out. If your husband is off protecting our country, it’s the least I could do for you.”

“What’s your name?” she asked.

“I’m Danny Collins,” he managed to say. To his shock, Mrs. DeAngelo was an exceptional beauty. He had expected someone that looked more like his mother. This woman was blonde and beautiful with big brown eyes. He wasn’t an expert on the subject, but he guessed she was not wearing a bra. He could see the little tents that her nipples made in her tee shirt.

Vivian opened the screen door. “Come in, Danny Collins, and we’ll discuss what you can do for me.” She led him to her kitchen and asked him to sit at the table. “I’ll pour us both a glass of iced tea, and we can discuss your proposal.”

Danny watched Vivian move around the kitchen, getting glasses and ice and pouring tea. In the well-lit room, he saw that she was quite beautiful. He could have been better at guessing ages, but he didn’t think she could be over thirty. Vivian was wearing shorts. He could see that her skin was pale and soft but toned.

“Do you have a lawn mower, Mrs. DeAngelo?”

Putting the glass down in front of Danny, she sat down. “If you will be working for me, call me Vivian. Mrs. DeAngelo seems much too formal. But to answer your question, yes, we have all the apparatus you’ll need. Tony ... my husband, purchased all new stuff when we moved here less than six months ago. There’s a new gas-powered mower as well as an edger. I’m sure you’ll find them like new. Tony keeps all of his toys in great shape.”

“I can use yours or bring my mower from home,” he explained.

“I’m happy for you to use ours,” she said with a smile. “So, tell me about yourself, Danny. How old are you, and where do you go to school?”

“I go to Lee High. You know, it was named for Robert E. Lee. I’ll start my sophomore year in September and play on the school tennis team. My family goes to the Methodist church down on Maple Street.”

“Tennis?” she said, looking down at Danny’s legs. “That explains your muscular legs. Are you a good tennis player?”

“Oh, I’m just pretty average,” he blushed. “As a Freshman, I was the fifth man on the team. I hope to move up to fourth this year.”

“You’re certainly tall.”

“Yes, ma’am. I guess so. It gives me an advantage with my serve. My longer arms help me to have a hard serve.”

After a little conversation and emptying the tea glasses, Vivian took Danny to the separate garage, showed him how to open it, and pointed out the lawn equipment. She pointed out the gas can and suggested she could get it refilled when he needed it.

Vivian left him in the garage and returned to her kitchen. When Danny began mowing, she moved from window to window, watching him. As she studied the young man, her husband’s words rang in her ears. “Find yourself a stud-muffin while I’m gone. With your looks and great tits, you can find someone to keep that pussy wet and exercised. I’ll be gone a year and want you tuned up and ready for me when I return.”

When Danny got to the backyard, he removed his shirt and left it hanging on the fence. Vivian admired the young man’s chest and wondered if he had any sexual experience. As she watched, she noticed that her panties were getting damp. She wanted to masturbate but didn’t want to be busy when Danny finished the job.

It took another hour for Danny to complete edging the yard and cleaning up. He picked up his shirt from the fence and walked onto Vivian’s back screen porch. He knocked, and Vivian was there immediately.

“Come in, Danny,” she said, standing back to let him in. “It is so hot out there already. Let me get you another glass of tea.”

Danny expected to go home but didn’t want to miss another opportunity to see more of Vivian.

“You are dripping wet,” Vivian said as she ran her fingers over his sweaty shoulder.

The feel of her finger on his bare skin ran a shiver down his back.

“You are so hot,” she said. “I think you should take a shower and cool off.”

“I’ll do that as soon as I get home,” he told her.

“That won’t do,” she insisted. “I’ll not have you getting sick after doing yard work for me.”

“I’ll just...”

“Never mind that,” she insisted. “Come with me.” She led Danny down a hallway to her bedroom. “Now you get in there and take a cool shower. I have a dryer and will dry your clothes before you go home. I don’t want your mother to think I’m taking advantage of you. Drop your clothes outside the bathroom door, and I’ll get them. When you’re finished, you can put on Tony’s robe that’s hanging on the back of the door.”

Danny thought this was all strange, but he had been raised to obey adults. If Vivian wanted him to take a shower, he wouldn’t complain. And he had to admit that the cool water running over his head was refreshing.

Once he was out of the shower, Danny toweled off and slipped on the terrycloth robe. He stepped outside the bathroom, saying, “I’m finished, Vivian. Do you have my clothes?”

She seemed to pop into sight, taking a long look at him. “Come here,” she demanded. “Let me dry your hair.” Vivian pulled out a chair for him to sit on and used another towel to dry his hair.

As she worked, Vivian stopped, pulled back the robe, and put her hands on his bare shoulders. “Danny, I have a question. Have you had sex yet?”

“Gosh no, Vivian,” he said with a blush. “My Mom would probably shoot me if she thought I was having sex.”

“Then that’s information we won’t share with her,” she said, leaving Danny to wonder what she meant.

When his hair was dry, Vivian moved him to her bed, requesting that he lay down on his back. She suggested that he rest a bit before getting dressed and going home. Once he was on his back, Vivian sat down beside him. “I have some more questions,” she said as she untied the belt around his waist.

She opened the robe, exposing his naked flesh. Vivian put her hand under his chin and slowly moved it down his torso, stopping past his waist. “Do you jerk off, Danny?”

Danny was scared to answer her question.

“Do you?”

“Sure,” he finally answered. “I think every boy my age does that.”

“Do you do it more than twice a day?”

“Oh, I guess sometimes,” he said softly as he noticed that his cock was starting to stiffen without his permission.

“You enjoy it, don’t you?”

“Sure I do. If it wasn’t fun, I wouldn’t do it.”

“But you don’t let your mother know, right?”