Chapter 20

There are times when you wake up slowly, disoriented and perhaps a little uncertain of everything. And there are times when you wake up and are instantly, acutely aware of exactly where you are, when it is and what the situation is. That was Friday morning. The entire week I had focused on preparation for the regionals. Birch, Claire and I had been given a free pass from just about everyone for the week because they all knew we were representing Porter on Friday. Baseball practice was starting that week but Coach Barber let me know to take care of swimming first.

So, when Friday morning rolled around, I was ready for it. I was up two hours earlier than I needed to be but there would be no going back to sleep. I had some breakfast, left Mom a note and rode my bike to school. I wasn’t surprised that Coach Miller was at the school already. I changed and got in the pool for some easy laps, then practiced my body alignment, head position and turns, all at a very leisurely pace. I showered and changed, then went to his office. Birch and Claire were already there. Coach told us about our competition and what to expect from them. There wasn’t as much strategy as on a long race and none of us were doing that. He reminded us that representing Porter meant more than winning and that in victory or defeat we should be gracious. We talked for a minute about travel details and Coach handed Claire and me a map and that was it.

Coach and Birch were traveling together and as soon as we were done talking, they left. Mom and Karen picked Kim and me up a couple of minutes later and I saw Claire getting into a car with his family before we were out of the parking lot. Once we were north of Mt. Pleasant, traffic was almost non-existent. We stopped in Georgetown so the ladies could all get coffee. They talked quietly so they wouldn’t bother me. It wouldn’t have mattered. I had zoned everything out. I couldn’t wait to stand on the starting platform, to hear the buzzer and start my races.

When we got to Conway, Mom found the school and we parked. Still early, I changed into Speedos and warmups and went for a walk with Kim while Karen and Mom went to the bleachers and claimed a spot.

“Have you found your second?” she asked.

“Maybe. I feel like my alignment is a little better. People underestimate the power of adrenaline but I know that when the buzzer sounds, I’ll have plenty of it. Problem is, so will everyone else.”

We walked back to the pool and I checked in with race officials. Then I did the same thing everyone else was doing and tried to spot the competition. That didn’t work. Too many swimmers and too many events. I would be swimming in the first and sixth races and there was extra time between each race.

The announcer gave us the order of events for the day but we already knew it. He told us we’d all have time to warm up before each race and asked those not competing in the next race to stay out of the water at designated times. He said something about sportsmanship and told us that some competitors would be leaving early, to get back to school and to not be offended by it. I think everyone else was probably just like me and all we wanted to hear was the buzzer. I waited until five minutes before race time to shed my warmups and get wet. Everyone else was already in the pool.

I walked over to lane seven, checked the platform then dropped into the pool and backstroked half the length and back then climbed out. I pulled my goggles on and cinched them tight. The umpire called us to our platforms. From the platform I took my first good look at who I had to beat. At least there was one guy shorter than me. Everyone else was bigger and taller and that meant longer arms and legs. We heard the call to marks and I was ready. Just like at the Bishop England meet, time seemed to slow down for me and I was able to really focus. I found my spot in the water and could see my dive. I watched ripples in the water and felt the rough surface of the platform on my bare feet but mostly, I waited for the sound of the buzzer. I know there were other sounds but I didn’t hear them. The buzzer sounded and I was off.

I soared. I really took off well, went deep and stayed down, working my dolphin kick for all it was worth. When I came up, I would be in the lead, I thought. But when I came up, I had no idea. From the seventh lane all I could see is the one guy to my right. At least I was ahead of him. I reminded myself that I was supposed to be ahead of him and not to let him influence my pace. I almost started my turn early, which would have ended any chance I had of winning. When I came up from the first turn, I was able to get my first look at the rest of the swimmers. Lane four was ahead of me. I could see that much. I tried to close the gap, knowing I’d be blind to his position for the next length. I might have made up a little distance but maybe I imagined it. Catch, pull, exit and recovery, then repeat. The pull was where I would win or lose. I channeled the power of every lat pulldown I’d done, the power of every triceps press-down and strained for that extra second. I was pretty much even with the guys in lane five and six. The first three lanes were blocked from view by the leader. They didn’t matter.

I had a better turn to start the second lap and found myself pretty far ahead of the lane eight swimmer. I tried to stretch out my lead over him and did. I hit the last turn hard, came off the wall and took two strokes before looking. The leader was almost a full body length ahead of me. It didn’t matter. I would come in second. I was behind the other two swimmers I could see but not by much. I tried to get more out of my legs, inviting oxygen debt to overtake me. I saw the flags but didn’t wait for them. I buried my head a stroke earlier than normal and sprinted for the touch pad with everything I had. In my mind, I could hear anyone who had ever cheered for me and when I touched, their cheers erupted.

When I came up for air, there were cheers but they weren’t so much for me. I knew I hadn’t won. How could I? The lead had been insurmountable. I looked over at the ladies to see how I finished but they shrugged their shoulders so I watched the board. Ten seconds later our names came up with our times next to them. I’d just swum a personal best. Good enough for fourth. Fourth. Seeded sixth, I’d come in fourth. I was surprisingly okay with that. I ducked under a lane line, found the winner and shook his hand.

“Pierce?” he asked. I nodded. “Fucking freshman? Really?” I nodded, he smiled and let go of my hand, shaking his head. I looked at the times again. Except for his, they were close. I climbed out and walked over to the bleachers to grab my towel and sweats.

“Up two,” Kim said. “Not bad at all.” She knew what I meant by beating my seed. Seeded sixth, I’d come in fourth, up two spots.

“I guess I’m happy with that. Fourth at regionals wouldn’t get me to state but it wasn’t bad. I told Kim what the winner had said when I shook his hand and we laughed together.

“You did good, Sport. So fast. I’m really proud of you. One more race. One more, Jack. Don’t hold anything back,” Mom said. I nodded and tried to get my Zen back, filtering out everything.

The two hundred individual medley and fifty free came and went without me really noticing them. When the one hundred butterfly started, I watched closely. These guys were fast. A lot faster than me. There were two juniors in the water but the rest were seniors. I picked up a couple of pointers and then got ready for my second race. The Italian looking swimmer from Colleton placed second and I smiled at that. Maybe I’d rib Giggles about it.

Results were announced, the pool cleared and I got back in. There were four of us that had swum before but four new faces as well. Like before, I was seeded sixth and in lane seven. I had a new guy on either side of me. Only the fifty free is a faster event. The one hundred free is fast and there were zero opportunities to make a mistake. A good start and hitting your turn perfectly were critical. We were called to the platforms and I climbed out of the water and took my spot.

Called to marks, I was ready and focused just as my first race. My focus was on one thing and only one thing, the sound of the buzzer. So, when I heard a splash to the left, I flinched. That wasn’t supposed to happen. Someone had false started and the start of the race would be delayed. The rest of us stood to see what the officials would do. The swimmer in lane two slapped the water with his hand, angry with himself, and climbed out. He was done for the day. That would be the normal outcome. He was half way to his friends in the bleachers when he was called back. A rare second chance. I’d seen it before. I didn’t think the second chance was worth too much. When you false start, all your focus is gone. We were called to our marks again.

The swimmer with the false start wasn’t the only one that would have trouble regaining his focus. Others would have that problem too. Not me. I tuned everything out and waited. The buzzer sounded and I was airborne. I soared and when I hit the water, I went deep again and started my kick. My start was even better than for the two hundred. On that shorter race, I really worked my legs. I judged my distance from the wall perfectly, ducked my shoulder and flipped. My feet hit the wall and I was in the perfect crouch to spring hard into the second length. I stayed down for a long time. When I came up, I was in good shape but I still couldn’t see who was on the other side of the four lane. I nicked the lane line on my left and corrected back. It was a tiny loss of time but more of a distraction. I saw the flags and buried my head for the sprint. How many hours had I spent behind the miserable kickboard? How many squats and calf raises had I done? I used it all and tried to swim through the touchpad. I hit it so hard my fingers hurt. Good.

I came up and looked around to see how I’d finished. I was pretty sure the same guy that won the two hundred won this as well. The ladies shrugged their shoulders and I turned to the board. The names came up. Williams, Blakely, Pierce and the rest. I’d come in third! Third! I was ecstatic. I had been the sixth seed and so I was expected to come in sixth but I’d come in third. A very respectable showing but out of it for state. Probably out of it for state. I ducked under the lane line again and shook Williams’ hand.

“Third, huh. Not bad.”

“Thanks. Not good enough.”

“You’ll go to state next year. I think you’re the only freshman statewide. At least for freestyle.”

“Yeah. The problem with next year is that it’s a year away. Good luck in Columbia.”

“Thanks. Stiff competition. More so than last year. We’ll see.”

I was about to climb out but asked a question. “Hey, Williams, how many times have you been to regionals, or state.” He held up four fingers and smiled. “As a fucking freshman,” I said and he laughed and nodded. “I’m glad you’re three years ahead of me,” I said.

“I’m glad you’re three years behind me. You’ll be back. No doubt.”

It felt good to hear that. It felt better to hear that from the winner than I would have imagined. Back at the bleachers, Mom got wet when she gave me a hug and they congratulated me on a good swim. Kim tried to hug me but Mom said, “Let him get his warmups on, first.” She saw Kim’s sad face and laughed.

I dried off and got my warmups on. I got a chill and wrapped a towel around my shoulders and Kim wrapped her arms around me too.

“Your mom got to hug you in your Speedos. No fair,” she whispered.

“Not much chance I’m going to pop out of my Speedos from hugging Mom,” I whispered in her ear.

“I’ll make you pop out of them later,” she said and bit my ear. Yowzah.

I settled back to watch the five hundred free. There weren’t any repeats in the water and I wasn’t surprised. The five hundred takes over four minutes and that’s a lot of swimming. The winner also happened to be the guy with the best turns. Mental note.

Claire swam next and he flew through the water, setting a personal record and came in second. He’d advance to state and we hadn’t expected that. Good for you, Claire. Then Birch. He swam away from the field, won easily and was on to state again. He’d win. I was sure of it. Kim was pretty happy for him.

She looked at me after he won. “Go. Go. You can congratulate him, you know,” I said. She grinned at me and zipped across the deck to give him a hug.

We watched the rest of the races, looking for any little tidbit that would help next year but it was all anticlimactic. Regionals was over and Coach rounded us up. “Congratulations, gentleman. Hard work pays off. Birch, you’re in, Claire, you’re in. Pierce, you’re probably not in, until next year. You’ll get it then. I think the only people that beat you were seniors, making you the fastest returning swimmer in the region. You have a very small chance of going to state, depending on what happens in the other regions but I wouldn’t get my hopes up. If I hear otherwise, I’ll call your house this afternoon. You can plan on playing some baseball Monday. If you do happen to have the ninth best time in state, you’ll be on standby to take the slot if someone gets sick or dies. We’ll have one more team meeting before we’re done. Pierce, I don’t think anyone is going to be surprised if we recognize you as most improved.”

“Yeah, because he sucked when the season started,” Birch said and we all laughed because it was true.

We got on the road to head for home and it was my choice for lunch and for some bizarre reason, all I wanted was a double Whopper and fries. I wolfed it down and we were back on the road and I was asleep in the backseat. I woke up when we pulled into the driveway a couple of hours later.

“C’mon, you two.” Kim had fallen asleep as well and her head was on my side and we were both leaned way over to the right. “C’mon. Get off my son, you hussy,” Mom said and Karen and I laughed but Kim was really out. I wiggled and she got the idea.

As we walked up to the house, I asked if anyone wanted to go for a swim and was soundly vetoed. Karen and Mom continued into the kitchen but Kim and I stopped in the living room. We hugged.

“So proud of you, you big stud.”

“Thanks. Almost made state. Almost.”

“Next year. Go out to the pool and grab a seat. I’ll be out there in a minute.”

I didn’t argue. She was out a minute later and told me to take my shirt off and lay face down. I didn’t even ask why. I laid down on the chaise and I heard her rubbing her hands together and then heaven settled in. She began massaging my shoulders, keeping her hands slick with oil. I exhaled. She pressed down, really working into my muscles and especially my shoulders. I exhaled. I figured I could exhale once more, then all my air would be gone and I’d be happy dead.

“This is bliss, Baby. Feels really good.”

“Wait until I do your front,” she said. I was pretty sure that wasn’t going to happen. There was a straight line of sight from the kitchen and Mom to where we were. It was a nice idea though. I laid there and enjoyed it.

“I like you a lot,” I said.

“Mmm hmm.”

“No. Really. You didn’t have to go all the way up to Conway today but I’m glad you did.”

“Me too. And now, baseball.”

“Yeah. Not until after Coach calls. That will be any time now. I can’t imagine a situation where I’d get in.” Kim kept it up and I was pretty relaxed but I wasn’t about to tell her to stop.

“Hey, Kiddo,” Mom said. “Coach Miller just called. It’s officially baseball season. The other regions wrapped up and you’re out of the running for this year. Birch is seeded first and Claire fifth for their events. How are you feeling.”

“Pretty good,” I mumbled.

“Not too disappointed, I hope.”

“Nah. I’m happy to have done well at regionals. Third in region is pretty good, isn’t it?”

“It’s very good, Sweetheart. And what Coach Miller said about you being among the fastest returning must feel good too. I’m proud of you. Let me,” Mom said and took over for Karen. Fresh hands. Mom really cranked on my back and I sort of oofed rather than exhaled. “Pizza okay for dinner? I took a vote and I’m not cooking.”

“A vote. Pizza is good. You’re good. Kim is good. Life is good.”

“Enjoying the massage, I take it.”

“I think he’s enjoying the attention,” Kim said.

Mom smacked me on the butt and stood up. I got smacked on the butt again.

“I get to do that because I’m his mom. You don’t get to do that.”

“Huh. Would you do it again, then.”

“Hey,” I said when she smacked me again. “Child abuse.”

“I’ll call for pizza,” Mom said. “Thirty minutes.”

“Roll over,” Kim said. “You’ve probably got a lot of tension on your front too.”

“You, young lady, come with me,” Mom said and I watched them walk away together laughing. It wasn’t funny. I did have a lot of tension on my front.

I showered and dressed in time for both Franklin and the pizza to arrive. I met the pizza guy at the door, Mom paid and I carried three large combinations to the table.

“What are you guys having?” I asked.

“Nice. What’s going on with baseball,” Franklin asked.

“Don’t know. Coach Barber said he’d check my talent on Monday.”

“Do you have any talent?” Karen asked.

“That’s it. Pick on the also-ran.”

“Pick on the freshman, is more like it,” Kim said. “You want to go car shopping with me tomorrow?” I was obviously mystified. This was the first I’d heard of it. “I get my provisional next month. Time to find a car.”

“What are you shopping for,” Karen asked.

“I don’t know. Something green,” she said.

“Green. That leaves it pretty open,” Franklin added.

“Yeah. It doesn’t really matter. It’s a tool to get me from here to there.”

“I think maybe I better go with you to shop. I don’t want my girlfriend to accidently buy a loser car because it’s a pretty shade of green.”

“Next month,” Mom said and we all stopped to look at her. “And you’ll probably want to drive my baby around.”

“Probably, but it’s okay, Mrs. Pierce. If you don’t want him to, he can walk. I’ll just meet him wherever we’re going.” I looked at Franklin for a little moral support. Nothing.

“Mom, relax. You haven’t seen Kim ride a horse. She’s really good and if she’s good on a horse, think how much better she’ll be in a car. You should get a Mustang,” I said and her face lit up. “A convertible.”

“I think Kim should get a nice green station wagon,” Mom said, obviously not in the spirit of things.

We had fun talking about cars and baseball and a host of other things when the doorbell rang. Franklin got it and came back a few minutes later.

“Jack, Kim. It’s for you. Both of you,” he said and he looked pretty serious.

We went to the front door together, trying to get a clue from Franklin but he had done his part and was out of the way. We turned the corner to the entryway and Veronica was there. Kim squeezed my hand like you’d squeeze an orange that was stingy with its juice.

“Thanks for seeing me. I came over to apologize. In person. To both of you.” We waited. “I’m sorry, Jack. I said some stuff that was totally inappropriate and I’m sorry. It put you on the spot and was completely unfair. I hope you’ll forgive me.”

“Yes ma’am.”

“Kim, you’ve got a super sweet boyfriend and I’m sorry for the way I acted around him. I was an ass. I can give you some good news, though,” she said and Kim relaxed her grip a bit. “I think it’s safe to say he’s faithful. If he wasn’t, I think I would have figured that out. I’m sorry.”

It was quiet for a long time before Kim said, “No more messing around, then?” Veronica shook her head. “Okay. I forgive you, but just so you know, I meant what I said.”

“I don’t have much doubt about that. So, do you both forgive me?” I looked at Kim and she looked back at me and we both nodded.

“It’s past, okay? Mom really likes you as a friend and she always has fun with you so, I’m glad you’re here right now because I don’t want her to lose that.”

“Me neither,” she said.

“Do you want to come in? We’re just finishing up but there’s still pizza,” I offered.

“I’m not sure. I feel like such an ass.”

“Well, you can’t unfeel like that any sooner than now,” Kim said. We ushered her into the dining room, sort of handing her off to Mom, then went to the library.

“That was totally awkward,” I said.

“She wanted my boyfriend. I get it. I want my boyfriend. We have that in common. Your mom has known her for twenty years?”

“Something like that.”

“So, they’ll be busy mending bridges or whatever for a while. Where was that guest room we were in the other day? We should have a long, private discussion about tension.”

“You spent all morning watching sixty guys in Speedos and now you’re horny. That’s it, isn’t it?”

“I only noticed one of them, but Karen and your mom...” That stopped things. It hadn’t dawned on me that women could be visual too and my mom was a woman and that she might be just as horny as Kim.

“So, do you think Karen and Mom...”

“Oh, yeah. I guarantee it. Franklin will get lucky tonight. He won’t know what hit him.”

“Wow. But Mom...”

“She’s your mom but she’s still a woman. Your mom and I talked the other day. Ronnie wasn’t the most active guy in the bedroom. He’s been dead for months. Your mom needs to get laid.”

“Too much information.”

“It isn’t. Your mom is a woman. She’s not interested in shopping for men again but Veronica is and she’s her friend. I knew all that before she made an ass of herself. Don’t look all shocked and surprised.”

“It’s kind of hard not to. She’s my mom.”

“Your mom is pretty. I bet when she dresses up, she’s pretty hot.”

“It’s still, I don’t know, weird.”

“If you and I got married, would you want to have sex?”

“We’re not married and I want to. If we were married, I’d want to have sex all the time. That’s all I’d want to do.”

“Will you still want to have sex with me when I’m thirty?” I nodded. “Forty?”

“I’d want to have sex with you until we were both dead.”

“But your mom shouldn’t want to have sex because she’s your mom? That’s not right.”

“I guess. It’s just weird, that’s all.”

“Not to her. You can relax, Jack. You don’t have to do anything different. It’s not like you have to go out and get dates for her or something. You can encourage her, though. That would be nice. You don’t have to. Oh, and if you think it’s weird that your mom might need to get laid, think about how weird it is for her that her best friend was hitting on her son, or that she was at a swim meet with a bunch of high school boys and now she’s fantasizing about them. Maybe not but now that I know, I’d probably be fantasizing, which is something I’ll have to do if you don’t help me out.”

I dragged her back to the guest room and kissed her. We went from first base to my hand down her panties in no time. I slid my hand into her panties and she was hot and wet. It didn’t take her long to get fired up and when she started getting close, her legs got a little wobbly and she latched on to my forearm. Our faces were just inches apart. When I thought she was about ready, I kissed her and that set off some fireworks. It only took about five minutes for her to cum standing up. I could feel her spasming against my hand and her kissing became pretty wild. I kept kissing her so she wouldn’t make too much noise.

After she came and her eyes regained their ability to focus, I pulled my wet finger out of her snatch and stuck it in my mouth while she watched with wide eyes and her mouth open. I sucked the juices off my fingers as I slid my hand out of my mouth.

“I can’t believe you just did that.”

“You are a very fine woman. Very fine.”

“You’re crazy. But I love you. I needed that. I really needed that. Feels good. Let me do you. I want to feel you cum.”

She unsnapped my shorts and dropped them. She stroked me a couple of times and I was completely hard. She dashed into the bathroom and came out with a washcloth and a towel. She stroked me once or twice and I took in a lungful of air.

“Feels so good, Baby.”

“Good. I want you to cum but I don’t have a change of clothes so we need to keep it neat.” She licked the precum off the tip and then kissed it.

“You feel amazing, Baby. I cannot wait for the day I can be inside you. Oh, my, but that feels good.”

“Good. Let me know when you’re close. I’m going to get you close with my hand and mouth and finish you with my hand and use the towel to keep us clean. I think that will work. Is that okay?” I nodded. I would have agreed to anything right then.

She wrapped her lips around the head of my dick and sucked hard while she stroked me. The heat of her mouth, and then when her tongue licked the underside of my dick, drove me crazy.

“Not going to last long, Baby. You feel so...” and I came. Her mouth was off me but she continued to stroke me and squeeze me until I was dry.

“I cannot believe we just did that with a house full of people,” she said.

“No. That was nice, though. Thank you, Baby.”

“Are you kidding? You gave me an orgasm standing up! Standing up! Is there no end to this madness? You make me feel so good.”

“Nothing better,” I said as I pulled my shorts up. “We need to get back out there before someone comes looking and figures us out. I can’t believe we just did that. Not being careful at all.”

We went into the bathroom and cleaned up. I used one of the guest mouthwash bottles and swished around. She washed her hands and face and checked for spots but we were good.

“Any giveaways?” I asked.

“Breath on me,” she said and I did. “Okay, you don’t smell like me.”

“That’s too bad. I like to smell like you. No. I love to smell like you. You came fast.”

“No kidding. You didn’t take too long either.”

“No. That proves we went too long in between. I want to fall asleep tonight and wake up with you next to me in the morning.”

“Yeah. Well that generally doesn’t happen until you get married,” she said and we looked at each other in one of those strange ways where you know what the other person is thinking but neither of you say it because you don’t want to jinx it. “Should I go out first? Or does it matter.”

“You go and I’ll wait a minute. I love you.”

“Nice. I love you, too, Aquaman.”

We ended up alone in the library together. No one had missed us but it was crazy dangerous. We talked about cars and what she might want out of a car. A few minutes later, Karen and Veronica came in and sat down.

“We’re going dancing. It’s Friday night and it’s still early. I’d ask if you want to go, too, but I don’t think either of you could get in,” Karen said.

“Well, I quit drinking when I started smoking,” I said, “And dancing’s not my thing so, y’all have fun. Is Franklin going?”

“He has to. Who else are we going to dance with?” Karen asked.

“Honey, there is no way I’m going down that road. I’m sticking to strangers,” Veronica said and it was quiet for a second and then Kim laughed and it was okay.

“Do want us to give you a ride home, Kim? He looks about dead,” Karen said.

“He can be revived. I’ll be okay. Mom will come get me. We’re only a couple of minutes away.”

“Okay. We’ll be out of here in a minute. I need to go home and change clothes. I’ve been in these all day.”

Mom came in wearing her night-on-the-town clothes with some fresh makeup.

“See,” Kim said and I looked.

“See, what?” Mom asked.

“She said you were pretty and when you get ready to go out, you look hot.”

“I’m hot, huh?”

“Not sure. Show me your random biker chick Vee,” I said. She posed. We laughed. “You look pretty hot ... for a mom.”

“Shhh. You two be good.”

“We will. Is there any pizza left?”

“After all you ate? Yeah. There’s a couple of slices left.”

She gave me a hug and they left. “I can’t believe that. We sneak around and then they leave.”

“Round two,” Kim said.

“Let’s take our time,” I said and we kissed.

I tasted her lips, licking first the bottom, then top, sucking on them gently. I held her lower lip between my lips and let my tongue play around on her lips. She guided my hand up to second base and I cupped her tit for just a second before I slid my hand up under her blouse. I broke the kiss and leaned back as my other hand slid up under her blouse.

“You feel so good to me. Even through your lacy bra.” I cupped her tits, encircling her nipples with thumb and forefinger, then let my thumb trail across first one, then the other. “Feel good?” She nodded.

“Feels very nice. Skin on skin would be better.”

“Skin on skin would be good.” I reached behind her and unhooked her bra. Two clasps. It was still a pain but I was starting to get the hang of it. I was motivated to remove her bra so I could deal with a little frustration. I let my hands trace the lower edge of her bra as I brought them forward. “Anticipation,” I said and then thought of something and decided to try it.