Lean on Me
Copyright© 2025 by Danny January
Chapter 20
Romance Sex Story: Chapter 20 - The continuing chronicles of Jack Pierce. Autumn of 1982. The chronicles, in order are: 1. Feasting with a Silver Spoon 2. Summertime and the Livin' is Easy 3. Something Fishy Going On 4. Centerfield 5. Tourist Season 6. Lean on Me They are progressive and not meant to be stand-alone stories.
Caution: This Romance Sex Story contains strong sexual content, including mt/ft Consensual Heterosexual Fiction
I went into the kitchen, where Mom had essentially hushed the house. The music was off and it was as if everyone was holding their breath. This didn’t bode well. Mom was smiling so that was good.
“Jack Pierce,” I said when I picked up the phone.
“Jack, this is Trey Johnson. I’m the coach of the Georgia Tech men’s swim team.” Holy crap.
“Yes, sir. What can I do for you?”
“Jack, our admissions department says we’re your college of choice, and I’m happy to hear that. I wanted to call and congratulate you on a great day at the Lowcountry Regionals.”
“Thank you, sir. I appreciate that.”
“Next week, you’re undoubtedly going to do well in the South Carolina State Finals. When that happens, you’re going to get a rash of phone calls from your second, third, and fourth choice colleges, asking you to come swim for them.” I hadn’t thought about that, but I knew he was right. “I want to get out in front of it and let you know, we’d be happy to have you on our team. You may get all kinds of offers from those other college recruiters. It’s what we do when we see someone we want. I just want you to know that there’s nothing any of them can offer that we can’t match.”
“Well, sir, my mind’s pretty much made up. I fully intend to attend Georgia Tech.”
“And swim? There seems to be some question about that. There also seems to be some question about when you would come. We can make that easy for you.”
“Thank you, sir. I appreciate that.”
“What’s the number one thing that’s keeping you from showing up next fall?”
“I won’t be eighteen yet.”
There was silence for a moment. “If I could make you eighteen a year early, would you come, then?” he asked, and we both laughed.
“Sir, that would be amazing.”
“I understand, or at least I think I do. Our admissions department has forwarded your package to me. If there’s anything you need or any way I can help you, even if you decide not to swim for us, don’t hesitate to call. I mean that.”
“Thank you, sir. I appreciate that.”
“Kick some butt in Lexington next Saturday.”
“Thank you, sir. That’s my plan.” We said goodbye, and I hung up.
“Well?” Mom asked. The dancers from the rec room had crowded around the door to hear what the fuss was about.
I relayed the conversation to everyone. I hadn’t expected the call, and I certainly wasn’t expecting any more. A couple of people said I should go and take him up on the offer.
“Baby, listen to everyone but make up your own mind. Remember our first conversation. Remember what you told me,” Kim said, reminding me that I had told her not to do anything because of how it would look to others.
“She’s right, Jack,” Dane said. “No one else puts those miles in. Brian and Bobby are both gone, so I can safely say, no one in this house puts in the miles you do. It’s up to you.”
“Ahem,” Coach Miller said. I looked up and saw him smiling. He put those kinds of miles in.
“Coach, he asked if he could help me turn eighteen, would I come sooner. Maybe he can do something like that for you.” That got a big laugh, and he got a hug from the beautiful Mrs. Miller. What a knockout. “I guess it’s nice to feel wanted.”
“Here’s to feeling wanted,” Dane said and lifted his drink. A lot of people echoed that. I thanked them for their interest and support and attempted to withdraw again.
It took some doing, but I made it back outside, with Kim right behind me. We sat down, and she started to say something two or three times and decided not to.
“You really like that poncho. It’s seventy-five.”
“Autumn weather, but it’s summer in here,” I said with a very cozy smile.
A few minutes later, Coach Miller came out and stood near us. “Am I interrupting?”
“Not at all. I’m just enjoying the cozy poncho Mom got me, and Kim is jealous.”
“Uh-huh.” He took a seat. “Tell me again why you’re not going to Georgia Tech next year and try out for the team.”
“I turn seventeen in two months. I won’t be eighteen for another year. Kim and I are getting married before we move to Atlanta. Once we’re married and going to college, I won’t want the distraction. I think that sums it up.”
“What would change if you were already eighteen?”
“Most of that. I have an inheritance coming when I turn eighteen, and I can get married when I’m eighteen, so that’s kind of a big deal.”
“Maybe. Nice ring, Kim.”
“Thank you,” she said, holding it out for him to admire, which he did. He’d seen it before.
“A few things occur to me. Stop me if I get something wrong. You’re the fastest kid in the pool, and you have been for the last year. Fastest in the state in a few things, too. Not the fifty. You decided to try that this year and did great. I wonder why you did that. Triathlon. You came in third in your age bracket, and it’s everything you can do to keep from prepping for next year. For you, second place is the first place loser, and third is even worse.
“You thrive on hope and challenge. You strive for things that are just slightly out of reach, then make a way to reach them. If it’s not a challenge, it’s no fun. It’s the fuel you burn. The Georgia Tech Coach, I don’t know him, is offering you that. Vince and Lani are married. He’s in Conway and she’s here. That’s temporary. Inheritance. What is it that you need money for that you don’t think Christie would provide?
“Do you know what the most important race will be next week in Lexington? The five hundred free. Why? Because you came in second today. You know the difference between a meet against Savannah Academy and Regionals. Everyone in the pool is faster at Regionals. And at State, even faster. If you were to get in the pool at Georgia Tech, how many State Champions do you think you’d share the water with?
“I’m not saying change all your plans. I’m just saying, don’t discount the opportunity. Maybe you should revisit the obstacles. Maybe. That’s it. Just a thought or two. I’ll let you get back to enjoying your coziness.”
He stood and turned to walk back inside. “Thanks, Coach,” I said to his back. He waved over his shoulder.
“Wow.”
“I don’t know, Baby. I’m pretty happy with the plan we have,” I said.
“He didn’t say ‘do it’. He said revisit the obstacles. Swimming this year isn’t a distraction, is it?”
“Okay, so what would it look like if I went to Georgia Tech next year?”
“I guess I’d try to go to Emory.”
“Where would we live? We wouldn’t be married yet.”
“I don’t know. I think this is a conversation our parents would need to be involved in. Nice ring, Coach Miller said.”
“Yeah. He was pointing out that I’m not afraid of hard work. I’m sure he likes your ring, but that’s what that was about.”
“Here’s a question for you. What if you have another good year playing baseball? Are you going to get a call from their baseball coach?”
“Maybe I’ll just skip State. I just wanted to swim, compete, win a race or two, and have fun.”
“If you don’t think swimming at Georgia Tech would be fun, don’t do it. What did Eric Liddell do after he won at the Olympics?” she asked. He’d been one of the two main characters in Chariots of Fire.
“He went on with his life.”
“It didn’t define him, though. Winning titles at State could open some doors. Didn’t Dane say that? Winning in college or even at the Olympics could open doors, too.”
“I’m not fast enough for that. I don’t want to waste my time chasing a fantasy.”
“What was Jim Montgomery’s time in the one hundred, not at the Olympics but in high school?”
“I don’t know.”
“Get his number and call him on the phone and ask.”
“Simple as that. Maybe I should start with Birch. No, you know what? It’s different. Take it to the highest level, winning an Olympic gold medal. You can’t get much higher than that, I don’t care what the sport is. How many gold medalists are defined by that? It’s obviously a pretty cool thing to be defined by, but what Harold Abrahams said in the movie is crazy. He said something like, ‘I have ten seconds to justify my existence’. That’s nuts. His legacy is a medal and a notation in the record books.”
“That’s not bad.”
“I’d rather have a legacy of inventing a better artificial hip to help a lot of people, or helping foster kids have a fair shake at life. Swimming is fun. The challenge of it is fun. I’m not going to be doing that when I’m thirty or forty or fifty, but I can be doing the other when I’m older.”
“Are you sure?”
“No, but it sounded good, didn’t it? Do you know what I want to do, right now?”
“Don’t start something, mister.”
“I think there might be room under here for two,” I said, raising the edge of the poncho.
“I think it’s probably hot enough under there without my body heat,” she said, but she was letting her guard down. “There’s a house full of people, Jack.”
“They all seem occupied. Why don’t we go to the beach or our property after we have a burger or two?”
“You just want to get your hands in my panties.”
“I want to do a lot more than that.”
“Alright, let’s go inside and mingle before you decide to get frisky.”
We went back inside, but that didn’t mean I hadn’t already decided to get frisky. Get frisky. Where did that come from? I made a point to circulate through the crowd of people, talking to anyone who wanted to. I got a lot of verbal and physical pats on the back, and I reminded them Regionals was just a step toward State championships. No one tried to convince me to go to Georgia Tech or anywhere else. That was nice.
I ended up in the library, where Mom found me. “This is not how this started out, you know,” she said, and I knew she was starting an apology.
“I know. It just sort of happened. It’s okay. Everyone is enjoying themselves.”
“How about you?” she asked.
“To be honest, I don’t know what I’d rather be doing, anyway. This is fine, really. Everyone is happy for me.”
“What do you think about Coach Johnson’s call?”
“It surprised me, that’s for sure. First, because he called at all, and second, because it was so soon after Regionals.”
“No moss growing there. It didn’t sound like a lot of pressure. It just sounded like he wanted to make sure you knew there’d be other offers and Georgia Tech would match them.”
“And now, I’m wondering what other offers might sound like. Kim and I talked. I’m going to call Birch, but I don’t think I’m going to swim in college. Kim said I should call Jim Montgomery.”
“Who is, wait, the Olympic gold medalist? Sure. Give him a call.”
“I know. Operators are standing by. I love her so much. She’d probably get him on the phone if I asked her to.”
“Tonight,” Mom said and nodded vigorously. We laughed, but she was only half kidding.
“You know what she would do? She would call Birch, get the number for his coach or recruiter, and keep following that until she found someone in Colorado Springs, and around midnight, we’d be talking.”
“Don’t tempt her. Really. What could he tell you, anyway?”
“How hard it is and how many people try and don’t make it.”
“You know, I believe you when you say you’re not going to swim in college. But do this first. Try your very best at State. I know you will, anyway. But try your very best, and then look at your results and compare them with those who will probably go to college, or even college results. You might surprise yourself.”
“That sounds like good advice.”
“You know, you’ll be twenty-two in 1988. The Summer Olympics will be in South Korea.”
“Don’t start. Really, mom, oh, and I see where this is going. We’ll be having Korean beef bulgogi for dinner tomorrow night, won’t we?” She smiled and left. Subtle.
I felt like driving to The Cut and writing in my journal for an hour or two. There were two problems with that. We had a house full of people who, at least initially, came because of our swim team’s performance at regionals. Also, I was hungry, and Dane and Franklin were walking toward the grill with a tower of burgers. I could wait.
Somehow, Kim, Natalie, and I ended up at a table in back, waiting for the burgers. “You know all these people? These are all family and friends?” Natalie asked.
I looked at Kim and tried to take a mental inventory of who was there. “I didn’t know Brian’s parents until today. Otherwise, yes.”
“Nice.”
“You should see when Hector and his crew are here,” Kim said, then described our pool parties with them. Natalie was interested, so Kim told her about our three different Christmas parties from the previous year. Doctors, lawyers, and Mexicans all celebrated in a very different way.
“I think I want to be a Mexican,” Natalie said, and we laughed because we had thought the same thing.
We found out that Natalie was a real estate agent. Most of her showings and meetings were in the afternoons and early evenings, and that’s how she was able to spend mornings running, when she wasn’t nursing her legs. Kim asked her for tips, and she gave her a few. She recommended a particular shoe store and salesman, who was a knowledgeable runner. Neither of us knew what pronation or supination were or how they could affect you.
We’d been talking for thirty minutes or so when Karen came around the corner bearing gifts. She had a tray full of hamburgers and toppings. We helped ourselves, putting it all together. Karen started to leave, looked at Natalie and said, “I owe you an apology,” and left.
“What was that for?” Natalie asked.
“Jack has suffered a cougar attack before, and his sister-in-law is overprotective,” Kim said.
Natalie tried to look at me with a lecherous smile, but it wasn’t working. In fact, it was so bad, Kim almost spilled everything, laughing.
“I’m irresistible. What can I say?”
“You’re a dufus, is what you are,” Kim said.
“I’m without guile.”
“Eat your burger.” I ate my burger.
We talked about everything from running to real estate, and Natalie was very interested in our project. People started to leave, and when the parking lot began to turn back into a driveway, I went inside. Kim took Natalie back to my office and showed her our plans. I went to my third favorite room in the house and tried to help Mom put stuff away.
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