The man looks kind, but Jacob knows to not trust strangers.
"Hey there." The man smiles, hopeful and sad.
Jacob smiles back, but doesn't step forward. He hugs the slide’s support pole, and hides
half his face behind it, shyly.
"You probably don't even remember me. That's okay. At least, well...there's not much I
can do about it." The man hangs his head, and Jacob thinks the stranger might be crying.
Jacob almost steps forward to touch the man's head in comfort, but is too uncertain
whether that would be okay or not.
The man looks up, and his eyes are determined. "Jacob, I want you to know I love you. I
wish I could be there for you. I wish I could, could be with you. Remember me, okay?
Please?"
Jacob nods, because when adults ask you something, and you don't understand, you
should nod.
Swiftly, the man hugs him, the way Jacob's granddad does, so tight it hurts. And then the
man leaves in a hurry, like he doesn't want to be seen.
-----------------------------
Winona used to drive her two boys to Iowa City for a fun afternoon, or to go to her
favorite Italian restaurant. It was about 30 miles north of Riverside, and they went often.
When Jim was 15, he snuck off in Iowa City with several high school friends. Sam had
run away to college, but everyone at school was heading up to the game in Iowa City.
Their football team was playing Regionals tonight, at an Iowa City high school, and Jim
left his mother and step-father on the left side of the bleachers to sit with his friends.
Then all four of them, giggling like little kids, slipped out of sight, twenty minutes into
the game.
The goal was to go to bars where no one knew them. But they didn't find any bars as they
walked through the opposing team's high school grounds, or through the neighborhood of
middle class houses, into the shopping area. They did find a grocery store, restaurants,
gas stations, a shopping mall. It was in a gas station, where Michael threw a Twinkie into
the old fashion hot dog turner, and Robert snickered because the plastic wrapper melted,
that Jim met Clayton.
The college student drove up in an antique that immediately caught Jim's attention. Jim
slipped outside, and approached the young man who was filling the car with gasoline.
"How long have you had this?"
The college boy glanced at Jim out of the corner of his eye. "It was a gift from my
granddad. We've had it for generations. I bet you've never seen one before, huh?"
"My dad had one." Jim says it in a friendly, neutral way, no hint at the bad memories.
Frank already ruined the evening, by yelling at him on the drive here. Winona was tired,
and yelled at both of them. It had been a tense car ride.
"Oh really?" The college boy is sarcastic. But Jim's goal tonight isn't cars.
"Where you headed?" The fifteen-year-old asks.
"Meeting up with some friends."
And through Jim's charm and persistence, Clayton ends up taking all four high schoolers
with him. They drive through the city, night air cool, and all the neon lights on and
maybe this is what it would feel like to drive through Las Vegas. They reach the other
end of the city, where University of Iowa is. Clayton pulls up to a small apartment
complex, and they all head upstairs, where college friends are bewildered at the guests,
but amused. Beer is passed around; the teenagers are thrilled, and the undergrads get a
kick out of seeing the kids drunk.
----------------------------------
Jim was grounded for a month after that stunt, but he snuck off again to meet Clayton.
Stole his mom’s modern car a few times, coerced Robert’s older sister to drive them up
there a few other times. And eventually, he found himself at Clayton’s apartment with his
hand down Clayton's pants, all the undergrads drunk and laughing and goading him on.
Clayton’s eyes were mocking, and with the heat of a velvety cock under his palm, Jim
stupidly rose to meet the challenge, sucking the undergrad off to prove he wasn’t afraid
to.
After that, Clayton made an effort drive south to Riverside. They spent time in his
antique car, went for long rides, and disappeared into the night.
----------------------------------
End Part 1