Lean on Me
Copyright© 2025 by Danny January
Chapter 23
Romance Sex Story: Chapter 23 - 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
On Monday morning, we started rehearsals for a small play we were going to perform. Kim and I both had small parts, and I was happy with that. Things seemed back to normal. The swim season was over, and so was football. Our routines were easy. We had ramped up for so much that just getting back to normal seemed like a vacation.
After dinner, we stopped at Computer City and picked up a couple of programs for the center. We took their recommendation and bought Rocky’s Boots, Master Type, Snooper Troops, and The Story Machine. Once at the center, we loaded them onto the computers and simply watched the kids figure it out.
The kids were completely focused. They seemed to be learning how to think, and the software was written to capture their interest. While they worked or played, Kim and I talked with Miss Del Monico, Mrs. Porter, and Mrs. Belmont. We agreed that the computers were a great addition. However, we also thought they could become a distractor. Miss Del Monico suggested they limit the kids to more traditional productivity software until their homework and test preparation were done.
“We’re trying to teach them to be responsible in how they use their time. We don’t want to punish them for having fun. It’s best if they can see that on their own, but I think the novelty of it is too attractive for that.”
“Jack and I have spent hours trying to get to Oregon. It’s easy to get wrapped up in it.”
“You need a way to limit the programs they can use until they’re finished with homework,” I said, stating the obvious.
“I don’t see how it’s any different than releasing them for free time,” Mrs. Belmont said. “Computers are for homework until everyone who needs them for homework is finished. Show me your work, and if a computer is free, you can use it. If it gets too busy, we might need a sign-up sheet. I’ll take care of that. I might just make one on the computer,” she said, smiling. I didn’t think any of them had ventured onto them yet.
“We showed them how to use the word processor last time, and can help people out with it more, if they need it. I think we should use our time here more face-to-face than over their shoulder,” Kim said, and we all agreed with that.
On Tuesday night, I swung by the local florist and picked up a bouquet of roses. Mr. McTighe smiled when he answered the door. “Are you in trouble?”
“No, sir.” He nodded and let me in.
Kim was happy and asked what the occasion was. “Tuesday.” I hadn’t bought flowers for her often enough. They looked great, smelled good, and Kim was happy. I would definitely have to buy flowers more often.
Sifu Chen worked with us on what he called the integration of principles. We had learned kung fu in bits and pieces, and we needed to integrate all those pieces into a cohesive package. A lot of it had to do with range, response to attacks, and matching weapons to targets. With boxing, there are basically four types of punches, and that’s it. Either you’re within range or you’re not. With kung fu and the ability to use long-range kicks and very close-range elbows, the concept of integrating principles was a lot more challenging.
At lunch on Wednesday, Gizmo came to our table and announced, “The Christmas tree is up.”
“That’s great, Gizmo. What Christmas tree?” I asked. I had no clue what he was talking about.
“For the center. The gift tree.” My face must have been a giveaway. I was still clueless. “There’s a tree set up in admin with paper ornaments on it. You pick an ornament, and it has the name of a kid at the center. Inside is their Christmas wish list. You get the goodies, and we’re going to deliver them on Christmas Eve.”
“No way. When did this happen?”
“Just now. Well, it’s been happening for a week or so. Cassidy thought it would be a good idea. Mr. McClusky gave it the green light, and Miss Del Monico loves it.”
“Gizmo, that’s amazing. What a great idea,” Kim said. We talked about it for a couple of minutes, and then Kim and I went to admin to get our ornaments.
“I thought you might show up,” Mr. McClusky said. “You started something. Listen, I can see in your eyes that you’re about to grab a bunch of ornaments. Don’t. Grab one each. Then, let other people see them, ask questions, and get involved. If you each grabbed six, there are ten people who wouldn’t get to participate.”
We agreed that it was wise counsel. We saw a bunch of names we recognized, then asked Mr. McClusky to pick a couple of ornaments for us so we wouldn’t show any favoritism.
We returned to the cafeteria and our table, holding our ornaments aloft. It didn’t take long before more kids went to get theirs. Our school community was affluent. You had to be, just to afford tuition. The wish lists were modest by our standards. This was great, and Gizmo and Cassidy were our new heroes.
“Oh, I almost forgot,” Cassidy added. “Immanuel Church is taking care of Thanksgiving dinner for the center. I guess they do it every year.”
They gave us a couple of details and then went off to wherever it was they were going. “I didn’t see that coming,” Kim said.
“Yeah, Gizmo is full of surprises. He’s tough to pigeonhole, that’s for sure. I’m really glad they did that, though. Very cool.”
On Friday afternoon, we performed our little play for about thirty people. A couple of parents came out to see. It was very low-key, and I liked that. I tried to remember why I’d signed up for a drama class in the first place. ‘Oh, yeah. It’s my only chance to be in the same class with Kim,’ I thought. We managed to get through it, and our little audience gave us a polite golf clap, and that was it. We’d get our critique on Monday.
That afternoon, Coach Miller held a clinic for potential first-time swimmers. Several of us from the team were there, demonstrating and answering questions for about twenty-five kids. There were both boys and girls, and the following year would be the first year we’d have a women’s team. The following year, the association planned to offer diving. I’d seen Kim do some simple dives in our backyard pool, and I thought she’d be good at it, but we’d missed the opportunity due to timing. Oh, well.
After our best lifting workout in weeks, I changed and went to Kim’s house for dinner for the first time in weeks. Mr. McTighe knew how to grill a steak. Maybe he and Bobby had taken lessons together. We talked about the Highland Games a bit, and I learned about the different athletic events and some of their history. Kim asked what I’d learned from the books I’d borrowed on small farm management.
Mrs. McTighe suggested we spend a lot more time at Hope with Horses or spend part of our summer at Nora and TJ’s ranch in Kentucky. Kim had spent summers with her aunt and uncle in the past, but there would be a different focus for us. We thought either idea was good. I wasn’t sure I wanted to spend a summer away from the Lowcountry.
“What’s in Kentucky, I mean, besides their ranch?” I asked. Kim stared at me like I was a space alien.
“Um, horses. Hello? Jack?” I should have known better.
Hope with Horses had nothing planned for the next day. We drove out to see how we could help. I was glad I’d brought work gloves. I spent the better part of the day working with David, another volunteer, straightening fence posts when we could, and putting new posts up when we had to. David had been volunteering time at Hope for a while and seemed to have a list of priorities.
We gathered at the barn for lunch. Kim had been joined by Dr. Calhoun, and they’d been cleaning stalls and working up supplement packages for horses. Each horse had a unique supplement package, and mixing them could be time-consuming. They used a metal filing cabinet to organize supplements, placing a mixed package together in Tupperware for each horse. There were supplements for weight gain, added protein, coat, skin, and so on.
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