Chapter 6: Late Spring Days

Father had to work late, so it was Mother who met me when I got back.

"So, how was your date?" Mother asked.

"Good! So good in fact, that I'd like to borrow your car again tomorrow. May I?"

"I don't know. That's a lot of borrowing. I was planning to go shopping tomorrow, and your father wanted to take his car for service. It would be inconvenient to try to do this with only one car. Maybe you should just save the money for your own car."

I assumed my most pleading expression. "I could borrow Dad's car, and take it in for service afterwards?"

"Huh! You know he wouldn't let you take his car. What were you planning to do, anyway?"

"I agreed to go to the Mason Hill trails with Pamela and her younger sister. Maybe you could drive us, and then pick us back up in a couple of hours?" This was not my preferred choice, but it was better than calling the Gilmans and asking one of Pamela's parents to drive us.

"Well. We'll discuss it tomorrow morning. You are seeing a lot of this girl all of a sudden. Are you sure that's not interfering with your schoolwork?"

"I will make sure it doesn't. I will go now and work a bit on my history."

After making what I felt was reasonable progress, I went to bed content.

In the morning I was delighted to have a compromise for the car. I could borrow Mother's car in the morning in exchange for cleaning the gutters in the afternoon, with Sunday as the rain day. Considering the temperature would be in the nineties on Sunday, I hoped for no rain in the afternoon, but I was ready to sweat all day if it meant having a car this morning.

My morning was even better when I got to the Gilmans. Both Pamela and Cathy were wearing skimpy shorts and shirts and their long limbs were slathered in sunscreen. They were both smiling, and Cathy was vibrating as they met me.

"Martin! We hoped you would be early! It's such a great morning! I got my new shoes and the water bottle. I am so looking forward to our hike!"

"Hi, Cathy! It's great to see you. Hi, Pamela, you look phenomenal, good enough to kiss," which I proceeded to do, ignoring the still-vibrating Cathy and the curious Mrs. Gilman looking from the doorway.

"Hello, Mrs. Gilman. Thank you for entrusting me with your beautiful daughters. I promise to return them in good condition."

"See that you do, Martin. Have a good time, call if you need anything!" the last was to her daughters.

The drive to Mason Hill was occupied with discussion of the trails and of how ambitious we wanted to be. We decided to be cautious and start with the shortest trail.

"When we come back, we can decide whether to take a more challenging trail, have a break or repeat the short one. Cathy hasn't been doing a lot of physical activity."

I've noticed that Cathy was very slender. Not that Pamela was plump, not at all, but Cathy looked rather delicate.

The hiking was great. We talked about school, the weather, our teachers and our friends. Pamela talked about the art she liked, and I had to confess that I mostly understood representational art. Pamela had to explain the impressionists to me, and we talked about scheduling a date to see a local gallery.

Pamela and I stopped periodically to smooch. Cathy, rather than objecting, looked at us with a smug smile, almost like she has some responsibility for our getting together. I'd noticed that she'd been quiet after her initial spurt, and decided to include her in our conversation.

"Hey, Cathy, what grade are you in?"

"I am a freshman, will be in tenth grade next fall. I am almost fifteen. I heard you will be a junior. What do you think about astrophysics?"

"Astrophysics? I don't know, is that something you like? I've taken physics and read a few popular science books; but can't say I've done any real study of the subject."

"There is nothing available in school, but I was able to get a college library card. They have a number of interesting books on cosmology and stellar formation, and various proposals to combine General Relativity and Quantum Mechanics. The math is often beyond me, but Pamela has helped me with some of the basics."

"Ha, you are already beyond me. I think I got as far as Special Relativity; the math in General defeated me. I don't think I'll go much farther before college. My next science course will be chemistry – if I can pass a biology exam in about a week."

We discussed the issues associated with skipping a course, and Pamela described how relatively easy it was to skip a grade in middle school.

"Hey, you haven't made out for a while," Cathy suddenly said. "Are you embarrassed by me? I can look the other way."

"It hasn't embarrassed me or your sister, as far as I could tell before. But a good suggestion," I said, and proceeded to kiss Pamela thoroughly. She must not have been much embarrassed, because not only did she grind into my obvious erection, but she made sure to rub her breasts with their hard nipples against me.

"Whew!" I said.

"Yeah!" Cathy agreed softly. I glanced at her, and she snatched her hand out of her shorts. Her face was flushed and her nipples were hard.

I put my arm around Pamela's waist and walked forward, letting Cathy get over her embarrassment in relative privacy. We wandered slowly, sometimes chatting for a few minutes. I was impressed by how smart and well read both sisters were. Pamela talked knowledgeably of economics, while Cathy discussed the relative costs of various space-borne probes to measure cosmic phenomena.

While talking about the planets, Cathy stumbled and I was able to catch her. In reaction, she grabbed me until we were in a sort of a hug.

"Hey, you can't focus your mind perpetually on the skies. You need to keep an eye on the ground."

"Yes. Maybe I should study geology?" Cathy said with a smile, not letting go of me.

"You know, if you weren't so pretty, I'd call you a geek!" We've been teasing each other, and I thought she'd tease me right back.

Her eyes went wide. "Really! You really think I am pretty?" She was not playing. I glanced at Pamela and she nodded. She didn't seem jealous at all.

I softened my voice. "Cathy, you are gorgeous. I think you need a few more pounds, maybe. I hope you are not dieting. But you are as beautiful as your sister – if I wasn't with her, I'd be begging you for a date."

She sighed happily. "Thank you. No, I'm not dieting. I don't always have a strong appetite, but I will keep your recommendation in mind."

On our way back to the parking lot I somehow ended up holding the hands of both girls. I wasn't exactly sure how their hands got into mine, but both seemed pretty happy.

When we got back to the visitor's area we all had some water and stopped to discuss the next steps. "I'd like to try another trail, how about you, ladies?"

"I am a little tired, do you mind if I sit here for a couple of minutes first?" Cathy asked.

"Not at all," I said.

Pamela added, "Take your time, Martin and I will find something to occupy ourselves!" and dragged me off to the beginning of the trail. She stepped to the side and hugged me. Instead of the usual kiss, she started exploring my neck, kissing and nipping at me softly. I stroked my hands over all of Pamela's back I could reach. Because of the skimpiness of her clothes, most of what I was encountering was bare skin. I was getting very excited, and had to lock my knees to remain upright. Pamela's own roaming hands now made it under my belt.

"Pamela, slow down. I am about to have an accident in my shorts!" She reluctantly removed her hands. I continued rubbing her back, but gently pulled her up so I could kiss her face.

We both cooled down a bit. "Martin..."

After a few seconds, I prompted, "What?"