Babysitters, I hate babysitters and I hate the word babysitter; I'm twelve going on thirteen and there should be another word for this situation. Mom and Dad are going to a conference and I have to stay with a sitter; two weeks of learning new rules from a strange woman. Oh well, I can make it an adventure and see how far I can push the limits...

It's Friday afternoon and Mom and Dad are busy with last minute packing. This is no time for me to be underfoot so I retreat to my room to watch TV and listen to them as they ask each other the same questions over and over. "Did you pack this? Did you call and have the newspaper stopped? Where's the camera? Did you get extra film?", First one or the other would ask.

The doorbell rang and I heard Dad greet Mrs. Barrett, my sitter. "Is Tom ready to go?", she asked.

"I think so; I'll go get him.", Dad replied.

I was ready to get out of this madhouse of a thousand questions. I got the box that I had packed with some of my books and things and walked into the living room. "Hi, Mrs. Barrett."

"Hi Tom; ready to go?"

"I guess so; OK if I bring some of my things to pass the time?"

"Did you bring any games; I don't get much chance to play living alone."

"I'm sorry; I didn't pack any."

"Too bad, I love to play Risk but I don't have anyone to play it with. Perhaps I could teach you sometime. Put your things in the car while I talk with your mother."

Dad followed me to her car and we loaded my things. "Don't be a bother for Mrs. Barrett.", Dad said as we walked back to the house. "I'll bet you a quarter your mother's giving her a long list of instructions when we walk in.", he finished with a laugh and a wink.

"I'll do my best but I won't take that bet. You and Mom have a good time."

"We'll try; sorry we couldn't find a sitter who would stay at our house with you."

"It's OK Dad; I'll just pretend I'm on a trip too." He smiled his agreement.

Dad was right; when we went in Mom was going over the things I wasn't supposed to eat which included most of my favorite foods. Pizza was at the top of both lists; I loved it and Mom discouraged it. Dad has sworn me to secrecy and takes me to a pizza parlor once and a while. Mom's pretty good in most departments but she has this thing about food.

"Sure, I understand; I have your instructions here in my purse. Don't worry Rick won't suffer any ill effects from his diet while you're gone.", Mrs. Barrett was telling Mom as Dad and I stood waiting. "We'll go now and I'll bring Rick to the airport to tell you goodbye."

"OK, see you at the airport.", my parents said in unison.

Mrs. Barrett drove for a few blocks in silence before she asked, "What would you like for dinner? I don't have time to cook so we will have to grab a bite somewhere. Do you really like all that stuff your Mom put on the list for you?"

"Some of it; a few things I don't like but I eat them to keep Mom happy. Dad and I go out together and have a pizza or a burger and fries now and then. When I eat out alone I pig out on the forbidden stuff."

"My doctor sounds like your Mom; he has me on a diet that a rabbit would love. I cheat on him occasionally and today seems like a good day. Which will it be, burgers and fries or pizza?"

I was beginning to like Mrs. Barrett. "If that's the choices you pick and I'll be happy."

"Let's drop your things off at my apartment first."

Mrs. Barrett lived on the second floor of a small apartment complex not far from my school, close to the downtown area. She could walk a couple of blocks for almost anything she needed or wanted. The apartment was in the corner of the building and had a nice view of a city park and the river beyond. The living room was relatively large and with the dining area formed an ell with three large windows giving the area a light airy feeling. A short hallway with the bath on one side and a large closet on the other led from the living room to the bedroom.

Mrs. Barrett had me put my things in the bedroom and told me I could put them up after we returned from the airport. She gave me a tour of her place and pointed out pictures of her children and grandchildren displayed here and there. The grandchildren appeared to be much younger than I.

"Let's get something to eat; I'm so hungry I could eat a bear.", she joked. "I missed lunch today and I'm ready for something a little more substantial than salad. Burgers are faster than pizza; how's burgers at the diner down the street sound? They make the best in town."

"With lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise.", my excitement spilling over into my voice.

"You got it, Champ.", she replied giving me a new nickname.

We walked the block and a half to the diner and true to her word Mrs. Barrett ordered our dinner of burgers and a huge plate of fries. I pigged out while she kept up a running commentary about the other people in the diner. She looked for humorous things about people or their dress and made ridiculous comments about them. One man was sitting at the counter who was so fat his shirt pulled out of his jeans and the waistband of his jeans had slipped so low that the top of his butt-crack peeked out.

Mrs. Barrett discreetly pointed this out and asked, "How high would he jump if I poured this glass of ice water down his jeans?"

I tried to think of an answer but broke up with the giggles and was unable to say anything.

"Can you imagine cold ice water running down the back of your jeans by surprise?", she continued which ignited another round of giggles on my part.

As we left the diner Mrs. Barrett made a face as if something smelled bad when she passed behind the fat man and looked down at his exposure. I could hardly contain my laughter until we made it outside. All the way back to the apartment's garage she carried on a running commentary about how men always seemed to pick clothes that accented their least flattering points. She continued with how the man in the diner should have dressed and listening to her words I could picture the same man in a loose sport shirt and slacks sitting at the counter. In my mind's eye he looked much better.

We met Mom and Dad at the airport and walked with them to the departure gate. We sat around talking to each other in little short meaningless sentences about nothing as travelers usually do. Out of nowhere Mom asked what I had for dinner. I guess the stress of the impending trip caused her breach of etiquette.

In the past I had usually evaded an answer when Mom had asked such a question but this time I would have to tell her a lie directly. "We had a salad and roast chicken with veggies.", I replied. Mrs. Barrett winked and smiled at me. The PA announced the boarding of Mom and Dad's flight and put an end to an embarrassing moment. Hugs all around and they were gone down the boarding ramp.

Back at the apartment Mrs. Barrett explained that I would sleep in the bedroom and she would sleep on the sofa in the living room. She liked to watch TV late at night and I got the bedroom by default. Later I discovered that the sofa was a hide-a-bed that pulled out into a double bed if necessary. She explained that she used it when any of her family visited for extra bed space. I felt a little less guilty about taking her bedroom.

I took a few minutes to put my things away and joined her in the living room. She was watching a movie on TV so I took a seat and watched with her. It was a detective story and we tried to guess who the bad guy was.

About the third time I called her Mrs. Barrett she said, "Tom do you like for people to call you Tommy?"

"No."

"I feel the same about Mrs. Barrett; call me Millie. All my friends do and we will be together for two weeks. We'll either be friends or sworn enemies by the time you go home; either way Millie uses less breath for you and sounds better to me."

I watched TV for a few minutes more but I grew too sleepy to watch. "Good night Millie; I'm tired after all the fuss today. I'm going to turn in for the night."

"Nite Tom, if you get up before I do just make yourself at home. There's milk and juice in the fridge."

"Thanks, see you in the morning.", I replied.

After a quick shower I fell into bed. The bed felt strange but by the time I got the sheets warm I fell asleep.

When I woke up the next morning I couldn't figure out where I was for a moment or two. Waking in a strange bedroom confused me. When I shook the cobwebs of sleep from my mind I remembered where I was and why I was here. I got up and dressed. A few minutes in the bathroom and I was ready for something to quiet the lions growling in my stomach.

I went to the kitchen and poured a glass of orange juice and sat at the dining table. Millie was still sleeping soundly on the hide-a-bed. I sat quietly sipping my juice and watching the cars on the street by the park spew white exhaust in the cold morning air. It was a good morning to be inside where it was warm. I envied Mom and Dad in Miami where it was warm all year around. Too bad I had to go to school or I would be with them now.

I heard Millie stir in the living room and when I looked she was still asleep but the blanket had slipped off and she was laying mostly uncovered. She was only wearing a bra and panties which left the important parts to my imagination. I looked quickly away and studied the park and river beyond but like a magnet curiosity drew my eyes back to her sleeping form. She was sprawled on her back with one leg drawn up exposing the crotch of her panties. A tuft of hair had escaped out the leg band and I could see a pronounced mound where her thighs joined. It didn't take long for me to develop a raging erection as my imagination supplied the missing parts of the picture. My eyes strayed farther up her body to her breasts caged by the cups of her bra. She had two nice peaks about the size of a half grapefruit each. I tore my eyes away and tried to look out the window again but try as I might my eyes always strayed back to the sight on the bed.

As I wondered what I should do Millie rolled over on her side and pulled the blanket back over herself. That left me in two states of mind; I was relieved that she wouldn't wake up and find me staring at her nakedness; and I was disappointed that my erotic view had been taken away by a chance turn of a sleeping woman.

I was just noticing girls as something other than pests to be endured and the sight this morning had awakened my hormones to torment me. I was street wise about sex and could hardly wait until I got the chance to lose my virginity. Pictures and magazines circulated in the adolescent underground and I had seen my share but a moment ago I had a glimpse of the real thing and the pictures didn't come close.

Noises of movement from the bed caught my attention and when I looked Millie was waking up and stretching the kinks out from a night's sleep.

"You up already?", she asked breaking my train of thought.

"Yeah, I got up a little while ago."

"Turn around for a minute while I put on my robe."

I heard her walk to the bathroom and close the door. A few minutes later she came back and busied herself in the kitchen making a pot of coffee. She sat down at the table across from me saying, "I can't get my motor started without coffee in the morning."

As she waited for the coffee to brew she chatted about her plans for the day. Her husband was in a nursing home on the edge of town and she usually spent Saturdays visiting with him and the others who lived there. "We could go visit for a while and if it gets too boring for you we can leave early. You might find that some of the people there are interesting. Are you game for a visit with the old folks?"

"I don't see why not; it would be something different."

"How about some breakfast? How do you like your eggs?"

"Over easy with the yolks runny."

"I'll bet you like to sop your plate with your toast too.", she said laughing.

Millie busied herself in the kitchen and soon the smell of frying bacon filled the air. She chatted about little nothings just to fill the silence. She must be lonely much of the time and my stay with her was a welcome break from her solitary existence. I was beginning to like her more as I got to know her. She filled the space around her with a feeling of warm companionship so unlike my grandmother who found a boy's high jinks an annoyance.

Mom called just before we left for the nursing home and asked the usual questions. I gave her the answers she expected which made her happy. She gave me her phone and room number and then hung up. Strange, I hadn't thought of Mom and Dad until the phone call.

As we drove to the nursing home Millie told me about her husband and why he was there. He had Alzheimer's Disease and couldn't take care of himself. She had taken care of him at home until the disease had progressed to the point where she couldn't manage the house and watch him at the same time. She had put him in the home where he could get the care he needed and moved into the apartment which was convenient to shopping and easier for her to keep up. She visited her husband several times a week and worked as a volunteer whenever needed. Saturday mornings she made herself useful as a receptionist for the visitors.

The morning was a whirl of introductions, new people, and talk. Millie parked me in a large sitting room and hurried off. I didn't have a chance to get bored; I was someone new and the residents welcomed me into their circle. They seldom got to see their grandchildren and I became a surrogate.

When the conversation wound down a man named John invited me to play checkers with him. I thought I knew how to play the game but he wiped me out in about two minutes flat. Everyone got a laugh at my expense. I discovered that John was the checker champion of the home. He set up the board again and the next game I concentrated as hard as I could but the results were the same. He spent the rest of the morning teaching me how the game was really played. When Millie came to get me everyone invited me back for a visit and John promised to teach me how to play chess.

When we got in the car Millie sat under the wheel staring straight ahead. Tears began streaming down her cheeks and then huge sobs rocked her whole body. I didn't know what was wrong but I put an arm around her to try to comfort her. She hugged me and cried her heart out on my shoulder. We sat this way for a long time; the boy trying to offer solace to the woman.

When Millie got her emotions under control she said, "I'm sorry Tom; I lost it for a little while. My husband is having one of his bad days and they had to restrain him. When I look at him I see the man I love so much but it is only a shell like an animated doll. His mind is gone. Most days he just sits and stares and that is hard enough to take but on days like today he screams obscenities at everyone and tries to hurt them. When he gets violent they put him in restraints. The man I see is not my husband even if the body is the same."

Millie sat quietly and I said, "This must be terrible for you."

"It is. I didn't want to get all blubbery in front of you; thanks for the hug."

After lunch Millie and I went shopping for games. She talked about playing "Risk" with her husband and asked me if I would indulge her with a game or two. After the checkers defeat by John this morning I agreed if she would play checkers with me. I was determined to beat him at least once.

Next we stopped at a bookstore to pick up some books she had ordered. There were new books, old books, and tables piled with paperback books. The clerk knew Millie and greeted her warmly. As they talked I explored the aisles and tried to make sense of the way the books were arranged.

"You won't find anything interesting in this aisle.", Millie said as she joined me. "Come with me and I'll show you some books you might like."

There was a long row of shelves filled with books the started with kindergarten picture books and ended with books at the high school level. I wandered down the shelves overwhelmed with too many choices.

"I'd have to spend a week in here just to choose a book.", I said.

"Better yet, you can come back again and again and each time you will find something you like. Do you like to read?"

"Sometimes if it's an interesting book."

Millie pulled a book from a shelf and handed it to me. "You might like this one. It's about a young man on a sailing ship."

I looked at the title, "Two Years before the Mast", and then opened the book. No pictures, just page after page of text. "This is a lot of reading."

"My husband first read this book when he was about your age. He reread it many times; it was one of his favorite books. Would you like to read it?"

As I looked at Millie and the book I realized it was a gift that benefited the giver as much as the receiver. She was trying to remember her husband before the disease had taken him away. "I'd like to try.", I replied.

"Save it for a time when you have nothing else to do; it takes a while to get into it."

Millie made her rounds as she called it to places all over the downtown area. I trudged along with her and discovered she was a very busy woman. She was active in most lady's groups and charities. She cajoled shop owners to donate to this project or that and if that failed she bargained for a reduced price. Everyone knew her and the bargaining was sharp, but warm and friendly. I learned more in an afternoon with Millie than I had in a week of school.

I noticed something else also; many of the men had other ideas about her. She was fully aware of their interest and used it to her advantage. I hadn't really looked at Millie in this light but as we made the rounds I examined her with new eyes. She was a trim five feet and perhaps six inches tall. In her dark blue suit she looked like an advertisement for a lady's magazine. She was peppery and animated as she bargained with the various shopkeepers which only added to her attractiveness. I remembered how she had looked this morning as she lay asleep on her bed and I understood what the men were thinking. I felt a pang of jealousy; Millie was my friend.

When she completed her dealings with the shops we carried everything up to her apartment. It took several trips and when we finished putting things away she made hot chocolate.

We sat at the dining table sipping chocolate as she looked at the newspaper to check the movie listing. There was nothing we wanted to see tonight but there was a good movie tomorrow.

"I have an idea.", Millie said, "Let's go out to dinner and later we can watch TV or I can teach you to play Risk. This has been a busy day and I don't feel like cooking anyway."

"You're the boss."

"Chinese sound good?"

"I feel adventurous; I never know what's in all the little dishes."

"To be honest, neither do I.", Millie replied with a chuckle.

After dinner we walked along the street window shopping as we made our way back to the apartment. Millie was in a bubbly mood and made humorous comments about much of the merchandise displayed. She had a different perspective on the world, as if she was seeing things from a little different angle than most people.

When I asked her why she found everything so amusing she replied, "Look at the things in this window."

We were in front of a hardware store and there were tools and other such things scattered about on fake grass. After a moment she asked, "What catches your eye?"

I looked again and saw several hammers displayed in a fan pattern with a pile of shiny nails at the apex of the fan. "The hammer display.", I replied.

"Which one would you buy if you needed a hammer?"

I studied the display and decided the one in the center looked like the best. "The one in the center."

"Look at it carefully and see if there is any difference between it and the one beside it. Other than the red paint on the head and a colorful sticker or two they look almost identical and one would drive nails as good as the other."

I looked again and I had to agree with her. "You're right."

"Want to bet the first one you picked out costs a couple of bucks more?"

"You're probably right again."

"You bet I am. That is a clever display and it tries to convince you to buy the more expensive hammer. You watch TV and the advertisers try to sell you something newer, bigger, or better when you don't need it or the item you have now will do the job just as well. After a while you can begin to believe what they are saying if you don't look beyond their convincing words and splashy pictures."

When I looked at the display again I saw a different picture. Millie's words had changed my outlook a little and she had given me a healthy dose of skepticism. "I think I see what you mean.", I replied.

"It's too cold to window shop. Let's go home where it's warm before I freeze my buns off.", she said.

The apartment was warm and cozy after the subfreezing temperatures outside on the street. Millie suggested we watch TV; it was too late to start teaching me to play Risk. Perhaps we could find time tomorrow.

Flickering light from the TV lit the room as we watched and the wind whispering through the trees outside reminded us of winter's cold grip on the world. Again I envied Mom and Dad in sunny Florida; too bad I had to go to school. The thought of school reminded me that I had homework to do; I'd do it in the morning I thought and dismissed it from my mind.

Millie was strangely silent and when I looked across at her I could see tears streaming down her face as she stared straight ahead apparently seeing nothing. The visit with her husband this morning must have been a terrible shock. I moved to her side and put my arms around her and hugged her close trying to offer her a little comfort.

She snuggled up next to me and buried her face in my shoulder. After a few moments she murmured, "I can't remember how long it's been since anyone showed me any affection."

I hugged her a little tighter and was rewarded by a hug in return. "I don't like to see you cry.", I said.

"I'm sorry; I don't want my troubles to be a bother to you but after this morning I just couldn't help myself. I feel like a widow with a living husband. He's there at the home and I'm here all alone. Usually I do better than this but sometimes I miss the presence of another person. The worst times are nights like tonight, especially after scenes like I saw today. I'll never have him back again and that's hard to accept when I can see a healthy body without a mind."

Millie shifted her position so she could watch TV but never let go. She kept an arm around me and put her head on my shoulder. It felt good having her close beside me all warm and soft.

A movie had started and we watched it as we cuddled together. I could smell her perfume, musky and sweet, and it seemed to cast a blanket of intimacy around us. I began to feel stirrings that were definitely erotic. I pictured Millie as she lay uncovered in the bed this morning and the stirrings became desire. This was impossible; the warm soft woman beside me was old enough to be my grandmother. The thought of the two of us together was ridiculous. Ridiculous or not, the movie I watched was in my head not on the TV. Fantasies that starred Millie marched through my head like the ghostly figures on the TV screen.

When the movie was over Millie kissed me on the cheek and said, "Thanks for putting up with an old lady's foibles; it was sweet of you." She let go of me and stood up. "I guess it's time for bed; I'll see you in the morning."

Someone was in bed with me! I could feel arms wrapped around me and a soft body pressing against me. Where had my pajamas gone? I was totally naked and a naked Millie was hugging and kissing me as she pressed her loins against my raging erection. "Hurry up; I want you now.", she was almost shouting into my ear. Without thinking I pushed my erection against the indistinct triangle of hair between her legs as an overpowering sensation made my penis throb as I tried to push inside. Then something strange and new happened; I could feel something squirt from my poor tortured penis with each throb. The tension subsided with each new wave of contractions and I awoke to find myself alone in bed. I had had my first wet dream.

I lay back enjoying the fading remnants of my orgasm and when I touched myself my shorts were wet with sticky semen. I had never understood why the older boys made such a big deal about sex until now; it was a big deal.

After a few moments I went to the bathroom to clean up. When I examined myself nothing had changed that I could see; I had joined the world of men. When I got back in bed I tried to remember every detail of the dream and fell asleep thinking of making love to Millie.

I woke up to the smells of coffee and sausage cooking accompanied by the sounds of Millie in the kitchen as she prepared breakfast. I slipped on a robe over my pajamas and joined her.

"Like a cup of coffee sleepyhead?", she asked as I sat down.

"Please.", I answered.

"I used to fix an elaborate breakfast for my husband on Sunday mornings. I thought I'd practice my cooking since you're here to help me eat it. I hope you're hungry."

"After the Chinese last night I'm as hungry as a bear."

"Good, everything will be ready in a couple of minutes."

True to her word Millie laid out a feast. She set a plate with a tall stack of pancakes in front of me followed by another plate with eggs, sausage, and hash brown potatoes. I ate and listened as she chattered away about whatever crossed her mind. At appropriate intervals I would make a comment or an assenting uh-huh to her stream of conversation. The food was delicious and Millie's humorous chatter added the finishing touches to a perfect morning.

I couldn't help comparing her to my dour grandmother. Millie was full of life and fun while my grandmother lived in a world of "Thou shalt nots." Two days ago I was thinking about how to try the patience of my sitter and now I was hanging on to her every word. If I could have picked a grandmother Millie would have been my first choice.

When she cleared the table I offered to help with the dishes but she politely turned me down so I got my schoolbooks and began to do my homework. As I read from a textbook I would glance at her as she washed dishes. Memories of last night's dream intruded on my reading and I studied Millie using the book as a cover for my staring.

I wondered what it would be like to make love to her. She might be old enough to be my grandmother but she was still a trim woman with an attractive figure. Would I make love to her if I got the chance? The answer to that had to be yes, however improbable the reality might be. After what I had experienced last night I would have made love to anything female and Millie was an attractive female, grandmother or not. I knew this had to be a fantasy for she would have no interest in a boy who was twelve going on thirteen. To make the possibility even more remote she was married and even if her husband was in a nursing home she was devoted to him. I pushed those thoughts out of my mind and concentrated on my homework.

I had scarcely finished with the books and opened the Sunday comics when the phone rang; Mom was checking up on her little boy. Millie talked with her for a minute or two and then came my turn. I listened to her motherly instructions and made the right noises at the right time in response to her list of instructions.

I had heard that Mom was a phenomenal researcher and had a mind for details like no one else at the lab. My problem with her was she couldn't turn it off when she wasn't working. She tried the same thing with Dad but he more or less ignored her barrage of instructions and did whatever he wanted to do. I was her son and couldn't get away with Dad's indifference. At least Dad didn't expect me to follow every one of her edicts. In fact, he actively conspired with me to ignore some things and I think both of us loved Mom a little more because she let us get away with our conspiracy.

We ended our conversation with the usual parting statements and Mom hung up. I returned to the comics and Millie decided to shower and get dressed for the day. When she finished her shower it was my turn.

The warm water streamed over my body and true to form I got an erection. I examined myself in detail but the ability to ejaculate left no external changes. The developing patch of pubic hair was still the same size and nothing had gotten bigger, longer, or fatter. When I soaped down I took a few playful strokes with my hand; as I continued to stroke back and forth I began to feel the beginnings of the same sensation I had felt last night. Faster and faster I moved my hand until the sensation reached a crescendo and a few drops of white semen spurted out and stuck on the shower curtain. A wet dream and the first orgasm from masturbation in the same day! My orgasm wasn't as intense as last night but I had just been given a wonderful present by Mother Nature.

I hurried to finish my shower and splashed water on the shower curtain to wash away the traces of semen. I toweled dry and hurried into the bedroom to get dressed. While I put on my clothes I made wild plans to seduce one of the girls in my class.