An All American Teenage Sex Life II Sophomore SeasonChapter 13
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SATURDAY, JULY 6, 1991
‘Breathe, just remember to breathe.’
The heat, the humidity. Oppressive. Harsh lights shining down on me. Mercifully, my Nomex head sock is soaking up the sweat from my head, keeping the stinging drips out of my eyes. My helmet feels a little suspiciously loose on my head, but the chinstrap is tight. All is almost silent here in the cockpit. I flip my visor up as my breathing is creating a little fog under the lense, with more than two dozen tear offs piled on top.
It will be a miracle if I don’t screw this up.
I feel a tapping on top of my helmet as a push truck comes up and bumps meaningfully against my push bar.
“Jake,” mom catches my attention at the left side of the car.
“Yeah?”
“In order to finish first, you must first finish.”
I give mom a quizzical look and she gives me a nervous smile back.
“OK, Mrs. Miyagi...”
She steps away from the car as the push truck shoves me inexorably forward.
The day had started early for me. I couldn’t sleep, and it wasn’t girls on my mind keeping me up. It was Saturday, and we would go racing for the first time. Well, I would drive for the first time. Everyone else involved had done it for years.
I got up early, packed up my big duffle bag with my safety gear and headed to the shop, a couple of hastily toasted and buttered pieces of bread in my hands.
At grandpa’s, the truck and trailer were already backed up to the shop, with the ramp down. Lights were already shining inside the shop.
I wasn’t the only one up early. He was sitting on a tire, having a cup coffee. Probably not his first.
“Mornin’, Jake.”
“Good morning.”
“Get any sleep?”
“Not a whole lot,” I admitted.
“Well, I suppose that’s natural, given the day ahead,” grandpa chuckled.
I absently looked around the shop and noticed the car was sitting on jackstands, the wheels removed.
I pointed at the car with my head cocked to grandpa.
“Oh, I did one last set of measurements on the car and decided to move a couple of things around,” he chuckled. “We should roll off the trailer with a decent setup for hot laps, and we’ll adjust from there.”
I nodded in understanding. He had me put the front tires back on, then I put two smaller left rears on both rear corners, making the car easier to roll around and get into the trailer without us fighting the stagger of a larger right rear.
Every bolt. Every nut. Every dzus tab. I checked them. I rechecked them. We loaded up the trailer with the tool cart, a brand new aluminum jack grandpa had picked up that week, spare wheels, with mounted tires, six 5-gallon jugs of methanol and some odds and ends.
It seemed anticlimactic, but we rolled the racecar into the trailer and latched it down well before noon, having nothing more to accomplish for the day, other than get to the track.
Grandpa and I chatted quietly until around 11:30. He called grandma to let her know we’d head to the cafe for lunch.
We both hopped in his old Chevy, leaving the big F-350 from his company fleet attached to the race trailer.
At the cafe, someone familiar to grandpa stopped by to chat, and actually asked when he was going to get back into racing.
“Tonight,” grandpa casually replied.
“No shit?” the older man asked incredulously. “Who’s drivin’ for you.”
Grandpa nodded my way.
“You shittin’ me?” the older man laughed. “He can’t be older than 17.”
“I turned 15 this week,” I said matter-of-factly.
“Well, I might just have to get to the races tonight. Been a while since a 15-year-old raced out there.”
Our meals arrived, and grandpa and I shook hands with the older man.
“Who was that?” I asked as the daily special was set in front of me, a curl of steam rising from a big hunk of meatloaf and mashed potatoes.
“Oh, that was Kenny Carlson. He used to race back in the day, and he owned a car off and on. Off right now, I think.”
I nodded as I tore into a piece of the hot meatloaf, swirling a little mashed potatoes into it and then blew lightly over the hot forkful.
“Still not sure where you put all that,” grandpa chuckled from behind his BLT.
From our booth, I could see an old photo from the early 80s on the wall, and recognized nearly everyone in the shot.
“Did you give them that picture?”
Grandpa turned to look at it, even knowing he knew it well. “We had an extra copy. That was your uncle’s last win, and track championship,” he said with pride. “We had a lot of bad luck the next year, tore up three cars and decided to focus more on the business. It did pay off, but we all missed racing.”
“Expensive hobby,” I said knowingly.
My uncle Tim Miller was at the center of the photo, the flagman to his left and a pretty trophy queen in a bikini to his right. Grandpa stood behind the trophy queen, and dad stood behind him.
“Who are the other guys next to the flagman?”
Grandpa squinted at the photo from behind his BLT. “Well, that’s Rossy and Jim Townsend.”
“Rossy has aged a lot!” I said in surprise, although I should have remembered him from that time period. I was about Josh’s age at the time.
“He has,” grandpa nodded. “We all have.”
“And Townsend is a sponsor on the car again?”
“Ah, yep,” grandpa nodded. “He always loved racing, and we still work together all the time. I do all the concrete work on his housing developments. We met through racing, and it all just worked out for both of us. He does well. The sponsorship money he sent our way is a small drop of what he could do if he wanted. All of our sponsors could go in bigger if we went bigger.”
That was surprising. Maybe the sky was the limit for this racing team? I had no idea.
“But first, we gotta go racin’ tonight and hopefully roll the car back into the trailer in one piece,” grandpa mused with a smile and a twinkle in his eye.
“I don’t plan to wad the car up tonight,” I said flatly.
“No one ever does,” grandpa laughed. “Just remember what I’ve shown you before and the advice you get.”
I nodded, with a lot to think about hours before race time.
“What time do we need to be at the track?”
“Pit gate opens at four,” grandpa said nonchalantly. He knew I wanted to be there early.
Grandpa paid for lunch and we headed back to the shop. There was little to do, so I took advantage of the clear floor space and swept it all out. The little race shop had come a long way since Shelby and I had first cleaned it out. It was looking like a proper shop now, with wheels, tires, parts and the car in place. Grandpa had even cleaned up most of the shelf space, returning the shop to its original purpose and glory.
He leaned on a counter while I swept, pouring a fresh cup of coffee out of his old green thermos. It still held steaming coffee, hours after he must have first filled it.
The afternoon heat and humidity was building. Grandpa could perhaps sense my unease hours before the race, and suggest we just head inside for the afternoon.
We made small talk with grandma and she suggested I catch a nap on the couch and they would wake me when it was time to go. She said uncle Tim used to nap before the races all the time.
It sounded like good advice to me. I put my head down and was asleep in minutes.
It was a little after 3 p.m. when grandma gently shook me awake. I had slept hard, even drooling a bit on a guest pillow. Grandma laughed and said I better get ready. Mom would be there with Josh in a few minutes. She would ride with us to the track, while Josh would wait with grandma and sit in the stands later.
As promised, mom showed up just a few minutes later with a surprise. Dad had done chores early and was along for the night.
Grandpa and dad climbed into the front of the 4-door dually F-350 and mom and I hopped into the back. We made one last mental check of our inventory, noting that my safety gear bag was in the trailer, and we headed off to the track.
We caused a slowdown and a minor commotion at the pit gate. My driver’s permit, mom’s license and several signatures were required to let me race. I think it started to dawn on mom when all that was going on, that she was signing my life away to a dangerous sport she’d been around since childhood. She forced a smile when it was all done, and we each had wristbands to show we belonged in the pits.
We got back in the truck and rolled into the inside of the small track, sliding down a wet backstretch that was being worked in with a water truck as we rolled through. Grandpa found an open pit and pulled through, leaving room to roll out our equipment and the car.
Once parked, we quickly pulled the tailgate down on the trailer and rolled the car out. We rolled the tool cart out, along with several inflated tires ready for the night. My gear bag and a small air tank were perched on top of the tool cart, and we rolled out the new aluminum jack last, sliding that under the rear of the car. I could not have imagined bringing the heavy floor jack from the shop here. This thing was a dream to move around.
Grandpa, dad and I worked through the heat while mom started sorting out my gear, making sure everything was there. Dad picked up where he left off in the pits years ago, running around, getting dirty, and outworking everyone in sight. When everything was in place, grandpa got back into the truck and drove back out to park behind the facility.
It wasn’t long before mom complained that she needed some sort of collapsible table and a few folding chairs. I thought that was probably a good idea and said we should get that for the next week.
We had pitted next to a white and orange #47. It wasn’t long before Nelson Hill and his wife introduced themselves to us. Of course, they knew grandpa and remembered mom and dad. I had been “yay tall” last time they had seen me. Nelson was a balding older guy, probably close to 60, who sort of looked like Arnold Palmer. His smile was ever present. While dad mounted a new right rear on the car, Nelson and his wife battered me with questions about everything from school to sports. I hardly noticed when a man in his 40s, with slicked back hair and a pair of old-school sunglasses walked up and said hello to Nelson. He was carrying a clipboard, and asked if I was Jake Parker.
“I am. Nice to meet you.”
“Dan Savage,” the man said in a deep baritone as he shook my hand firmly. “I’m the announcer here.”
I recognized the voice from the stands, but I hadn’t seen him before.
“I hear you’re only 15? Is that right?”
“Just turned 15 on the fourth,” I nodded.
“That’s amazing!” he gushed. “Do you know the last driver to race here at 15?”
“I guess I don’t,” I said shaking my head.
“Jeff Gordon showed up here in the mid-80s when he was 15. Have you heard of him?”
Luckily I’d been reading my Speed Sport issues, and recognized the name as a young up-and-comer in the NASCAR Busch series.
“I have heard of him,” I admitted. “He’s making some noise in NASCAR. I’ll just be happy to get the car started properly tonight and get it back into the trailer in one piece.”
“I was going to ask you if you had any goals for the night. Is this your first night in the car?” He asked as he scribbled a few notes down.
“Yes, I’ve started it, but this will be the first time on the track.”
“Do you have any other experience. Did you come up in carts?”
“Nope,” I had to admit. “This will be my first time competing on the track.”
“Well you appear to have some good equipment and a legendary car owner,” Dan said, trying to get me to say more.
“Yes, Gabe is my grandpa. I think he’s been wanting to get back into racing for a while, but this winter we got more serious about it. I’ve been working on the car and the shop and trailer on Saturdays for a long time. We hope all that work is worth it tonight and in the future.”
Dan paused from his note-taking and smiled at me. “You’re about a foot taller than Jeff Gordon was, but if you drive as well as you answer the media questions, you’ll be chasing him in no time.”
I smiled at the compliment, but wouldn’t take the bait.
“That’s a long way off. I’m a student first, and an athlete and driver second,” I said to a small smile from my mom.
“Well,” Dan said with a big smile. “Let me mark down your sponsors so I can use them when I introduce you on the PA.”
Grandpa had come back and shook Dan’s hand, walking him around the car to point out sponsors.
“Pretty well done,” Mom smiled. “You handled that well.”
“I wasn’t expecting an interrogation,” I shrugged.
“After the races, there will probably be someone here with a TV camera to interview you. There’s at least one TV station here every week, and they need something new to talk about. I’m pretty sure it will be you.”
I stared at mom with wide eyes.
“TV?”
Mom laughed and shook her head. “Don’t worry about it. Only a couple hundred thousand people will see it.”
Mom was not helping me calm down. Dad was quickly moving around the car with a set of wrenches, rechecking the bolts on every suspension piece.
“Hey, I already did all that today.”
“Can’t be too careful,” dad shrugged, re-tightening another bolt.
We had been early birds, but the pit stalls were filling up quickly. I was glad we did so much prep work early, because it was stiflingly hot, oppressively humid and the white concrete walls around the track seemed to intensify the bright sunshine.
Several people walked into our pit to greet grandpa. He’d talk, and at some point in the conversation point my way as his driver. I’d nod in acknowledgement. No doubt, more than one driver had his eye on my ride. No doubt, if I didn’t have what it took to race, they might get their shot.
Trying to find something to do, I caught up with mom. She was sorting out my armguards; a short set of straps that would go around my biceps and buckle into the safety harness. The idea was to keep your arms inside the car as it flipped mercilessly down the track in a hard crash, saving your limbs. She was also admiring the finishing touches I’d added to the helmet.
“Where did you get the Howling Pack stickers for the helmet?”
“Our athletic director was happy to donate them,” I said proudly.
My helmet was white, with the same logos our football helmets had. I even added a 42 to the back of the helmet. The final product was pretty impressive. I’d also added one last pack sticker to the left side of the cowling on the car, just under my name. It was a nice touch.
The next person in our pit stall was a short man with red hair and red beard, wearing an official track uniform. He was the pit steward, and wanted to walk me around the infield and explain a few things. I did so willingly, letting him show me the push off lane, all the entry points into the pits if I had a problem in the car.
“If you finish in the top three in the feature, we want all three cars on the front stretch.”
“I doubt you’ll see me up there tonight,” I chuckled.
He was dead serious when he replied.
“You’re driving good equipment and racing is in your family DNA. You’ll be up front before the end of the year.”
“Thanks, I guess,” I shrugged. His expectations were out ahead of mine.
He also showed me where lineups would be displayed and where to come for the driver’s meeting, which would be in a half hour.
“You can fire the car and put heat in the engine right after the driver’s meeting, then hot laps, heats and features.”
“Got it,” I told the man who was clearly taking his job seriously.
“One last thing,” he said abruptly. “Keep the speed way down when you get into the pits. It’s very dangerous with people milling around.”
“Got it.”
I ambled back to our pit stall, and mom intercepted me.
“You better go change into your firesuit before the driver’s meeting. You’ll have to fire the car right after that.”
I had just enough time to nod as mom pressed my bag into my arms and sent me off to the only permanent structure in the pits, the bathrooms. I changed into a full set of Nomex underwear, then slipped my new firesuit on. There was a small mirror in each changing room, and I thought I looked pretty dapper in the uniform. It was a nice nod to my football uniform, and looked sporty for racing as well. I got back to the pit stall just as the call for the driver’s meeting came over the infield PA.
Mom hustled there with me. We stood near the back of the meeting as it commenced. The track owner thanked us all for being there and said the weather was expected to be clear, but hot tonight and a good crowd was expected. He hoped for a good clean and safe night of racing.
The head flagman talked strictly about the order of the evening and how it would play out. Street stocks would pack the track right after the driver’s meeting, then have their hot lap sessions. Then our 360 sprint class would take two hot lap sessions. There were a few extra 410 class cars this week, so they would have three sessions, then time trials. With that, we were dismissed.
Mom and I headed back to the car. Mom told grandpa what was shared in the meeting, then he motioned for me to start the car.
I gathered my helmet and gloves and pulled the steering wheel off and set it aside to climb into the cockpit. I strapped up my five-point harness and settled in. I reset the pin in the steering wheel. Mom handed me my helmet and I slid the chin strap through the rings and secured it in place. Gloves were last to go on. Mom, dad and grandpa pushed the car back and I gut the steering wheel to the right so that a push truck could send me to the push off lane to get it fired up.
In just a few seconds, a push truck nestled up against my push bar. I put my left hand out the side of the car and motioned for him to give me a shove, and he sent me forward. I realized again how difficult it was to steer the car without power and I muscled it around the inside of turn four and down half the front stretch to the infield push lane where we came to a stop. Street stocks were taking their muddy laps around the wet track, spinning tires and making a sloppy mess of things.
The pit steward was waiting at the start of the push lane as I prepared to start the car. I fidgeted with the formerly sticky shift lever and felt confident the quick change gears were engaged.
Now it was a matter of getting a push and lighting the fire. I poked a left hand out of the car again and gave a thumbs up. The pit steward nodded my way and motioned for my push truck to go. Once again, the car was moving forward but the wheels were not turning. The infield was not creating enough friction for the tires to turn the engine over. I had been shoved nearly 40 before the tires started spinning as the pickup truck pushing me gained speed. I checked the oil pressure gauge and saw it spike up. That was my que. I flipped the “on” toggle up and turned the fuel on.
I realized I’d been holding my breath through this whole process until the engine fired. I didn’t even have a foot on the throttle as the car lurched forward under its own power. I pushed down lightly on the pedal and hovered my left foot over the brake. I lurched forward again, the car idling along and in my control. I was pretty pleased with myself, getting it right, but I knew getting it out of gear could be an issue again. I had already rolled all the way down the inside lane on the back stretch and would have to ride all the way around the inside safety lane of the track once more, to enter on the backstretch as I had been instructed to do.
I took the slow lap in stride, thinking about doing this at full speed soon enough. I yanked the shift lever to the open position as I turned in on the backstretch. Mercifully, the rear end had disengaged, and I was rolling freely toward my pit stall with the engine still running, the entire point of this exercise.
I rolled gently into the pit to smiles from my crew, plus one. Old Louie Ross had shown up just in time to see to the motor.
Grandpa came to the left side of the car, reaching in to grab the throttle cable so I could get out of the car. The idling beast wasn’t burning all of the fuel being fed to it, and the strong smell of methanol was burning my eyes once again.
I handed mom my helmet and the steering wheel and climbed out in haste.
I got claps on the back from mom, dad and uncle Tim, who said even his first few times he failed to start the car correctly.
At grandpa’s hand signals only dad seemed to understand, my father was taking the hood off the car. Rossy had taken over for grandpa, in turn idling and revving the motor a little. Over the next five minutes, he’d check the oil pressure, water temperate and the tachometer. When he was satisfied, he gave the aggressive-sounding engine a few deafening blasts of fuel, turning the tachometer to over 8,000 RPM. The entire car would move as the engine tried to twist its was free from the chassis. Fire belched out of the header pipes as unburnt fuel caught fire in them.
Then all was nearly silent as Rossy shut the motor down. I could once again hear street stocks spinning their way through the turns, trying to pack the track in.
“Decent air tonight,” Rossy said to everyone around. “A little humid.”
Grandpa and Louie conferred for a short while, talking about the conditions and the competition. Grandpa said he thought it might stay pretty wet tonight, as if the extra few cars had spurred the track promotor to call for more water to the track.
Louie thought it might dry up anyway due to the heat and those extra cars taking qualifying laps. A winged sprint car, with big wide tires, could pull a lot of moisture out of a track.
That stocky pit steward stopped by our pit just then.
“You’ll be in the second set of hot laps, and watch that speed coming into the pits,” he chided me.
I shrugged.
Grandpa shook his head. “You were fine. Don’t worry about him.”
Dad had busied himself putting the hood back on the car, and flicking away what few clods of mud I’d collected on the car. Mom was already busy re-checking my helmet and tear offs. I hadn’t used any starting the car.
“Should I get in the car for hot laps?” I asked grandpa.
“Wouldn’t hurt,” he said with a wink.
I gathered all but my helmet and climbed back into the car. I was buckling in when mom arrived with my helmet and a screwdriver. As I pulled my straps tight, she ran the screwdriver through the tightening loops and yanked down even harder, tightening the belts to an uncomfortable level.
I gave her a bulging-eyed look, but she would have none of it.
“You’ll be in there tight for me. I promise you.”
The belts were practically cutting into my collarbone and chest and I was just happy she couldn’t find a way to get that screwdriver into the sub belt that ran between my legs. It was plenty snug already, thanks.
Then she unceremoniously handed me my helmet, with head sock and gloves inside. I set the gloves aside and pulled the head sock over my head, adjusting so I could see out of the eye slits. I slid the helmet over my melon and clasped the chin strap once again. Mom latched the steering wheel into place, and I made sure the pin was in place.
I put my gloves on, and waited.
And waited.
The street stocks cleared off the track in a noisy rumble, heading to the other end of the pit area. In the next stall over, Nels had been backed up and pushed up the push off lane. He was one of the first cars I recognized as he rolled through turn three. When half the 360 field was on the track, my crew pushed me back once again, awaiting a push truck. We had one there in a few moments, and he bumped into my push bar to let me know he was there. I waved my hand forward and I was shoved forward once again, rolling silently to the infield front stretch.
I stopped us in order just behind another push truck. I slipped the car into gear once more, and watched what I could of the first session of hot laps.
It looked very slick out there still. Everyone seemed to be working to get as far apart from each other as they could. Then idling engines put up a few revs, impatient drivers waiting for a green flag to unleash the practice session.
Then, as if in unison, lights around the track went green and nine cars roared to life, kicking up fresh black mud and charging the corners sideways. I was a little nervous, thinking my first laps at speed in the car were going to be in slick conditions, but about four laps into the session, the track seemed to take on a gray color, and cars starting staying straighter through the corners. I was feeling much better as the sound and fury of the first hot lap session came to a close, yellow lights blinking around the track.
A cloying sense of raw panic struck me from nowhere.
‘This is it,’ I thought. ‘Try not to fuck this up.’
A firm hand suddenly on my shoulder brought me out of my moment of terror.
“Try maybe half throttle,” grandpa yelled with a face of concern. “Still pretty slick out there.”
I nodded in understanding, hoping he couldn’t see how white I assumed my face had turned moments earlier.
‘Breathe, idiot.’
I was holding my breath again as the push truck in front of me lurched forward. I needed to concentrate again. The car was in gear, I could feel that as I was shoved forward, the tires chattering against the ground, not turning again. I fought with the wheel as the push truck gained steam, shoving me forward faster. I felt the car break loose as the wheels began to turn. A quick peek at the oil gauge showed signs of life inside the engine. I flipped the toggle up and turned the fuel valve wide open again.
A moment that seemed to last a month passed before the race engine belched to life, spilling fire out of the header pipes. I had gotten clear of the push truck and was under my own power once again, feeling free in a powerful vehicle. I peeked to my right just to see if the track was clear, then turned that way, prowling onto the racing surface for the first time.
It felt very different. The track that seemed like a mud bog just moments earlier was a sticky mess now, throwing chunks of mud up to stick to the underside of the big wing over my head. I moved up the track a bit, riding right at the middle of the track through turn three and four.
A couple of other drivers must have spotted me, and wisely zipped around me, lest they be stuck behind a slow car in their only hot lap session. I wondered how long it would take before we got a green flag as I spotted grandpa and Rossy in turn two, giving me a small wave. Dad would be in turn three near our pit and mom would stay in the pit.
The driver in front of me was revving his engine up, spinning a bit of mud up. I tested the same idea, for the first time aggressively pressing down on the throttle pedal.
‘Wow!’
The car twisted, seemingly of its own will, to my aggressive movement. I was barely over the first expression of joy when the lights around the track went green.
‘Game on!’
As grandpa had told me, I pressed down on the pedal to halfway. The car tore down the front stretch faster than I could comprehend. I lifted, entirely too much, upsetting the car as I turned into the first corner. Realizing my mistake, I quickly punched down on the pedal again to halfway. The car spun aggressively, the right rear sliding out to the right as I tore into the corner, bouncing due to the poor job I was doing at the wheel.
I resisted the urge to lift out of the throttle again, and was rewarded by the car settling down coming out of turn two. I had lost sight of the car in front of me, but I rolled into the throttle, just like grandpa had taught me, and roared down the backstretch, even taking a moment to rip off my first tear-off, rolling much more gently out of the the throttle as I made my turn into the corner. This time the car sailed gently through the turns, as I kept the throttle at about a quarter power, leaving the corner I gently rolled into it again as a car roared past me to my left.
‘What the?’
He was gone before I could even read the tail tank number. No matter, I was nearly into the next corner when another car slid under me and then up in front of me, peppering me with a blast of mud to the car, the rock screen in front of me, and loading my helmet with a punch of heavy mud. I could hardly see, and lifted out of the throttle too much again, upsetting the car. I rolled out of the turn at a quarter throttle and gently pressed down with my foot again, gaining incredible speed down the backstretch. I reached up to the side of my helmet to clear another tear off, but could feel nothing there. I quickly took a swipe at my viser with my glove to clear some mud and rolled into the corner realizing that somehow all my tear offs were gone.
‘Fuck!’
Another car roared under me for a pass, and I took the brunt of the mud clod spray right in the left side of the cockpit. I was covered. I could feel it as I rolled back into the throttle down the front stretch, the car barreling into turn one. This time I kept my foot at the halfway mark and was rewarded with a fairly smooth run through turns one and two. I ran right through the middle of the corners, the car rocketed down the backstretch, MUCH faster than the first few times. I took a quick moment to wipe my visor again, then held on at half throttle for another run through turns three and four. The car seemed to find a rut coming out of turn four on the inside lane, pushing my front end to the right, and toward the front stretch wall. I lifted a bit and got the car all out of shape again. I had to work to straighten it out before I could step on the throttle again, and was halfway down the front stretch before I could. At least three cars whipped past me on the outside before I got into the throttle again, entirely too late in the corner and this time just about spun the thing out. I rolled through the bottom of turns one and two, practically at idle, before stabbing the throttle once again on the way into the backstretch. I gave it all the courage I could muster after such a disastrous practice session, my foot nearly at the floor before lifting a little coming into turn three.
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SUNDAY, MAY 26, 1991 My Sundays are my own. Well, my Sundays are supposed to be my own. Oh well. My family actually skipped church. Mom and dad were hosting their annual Memorial Day party the next day. I had to do some cleaning up around the yard, and set up the volleyball poles and net for the party. At lunch, I got to catch some of the Indy 500 on TV. I missed the end of the race, but Rick Mears won his third Borg-Warner Trophy. Dad had plans for me in the afternoon. The weather had...
FRIDAY, MAY 31, 1991 Just like the school year, the summer finds a pattern. Weekends aren’t much different than weekdays, other than the rhythm of the activities. Tuesday means a baseball game. Baseball practice Wednesday and Thursday. Tutoring Tuesday through Thursday. Finding a way to get to the varsity baseball games Friday nights. Oh, and a Saturday at the race shop. The calendar says spring, but the weather and the school year say it’s summer. Summer goes from Memorial Day to Labor Day...
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 1990 I dreaded going to school Tuesday even more than I had Monday. At breakfast, mom was trying to fish for more information on what was going on between Mel and me. I wasn’t biting today. No way I would ever want mom to hear a word of the rumor going around, at least if it was just a rumor. On the bus, I had to let Mikey in on it. He hadn’t heard, which was a good sign. It took little to convince him that I didn’t know anything about it, but I was going to find out...
I walked into the freshman hallway of the school and made my way to my intended target. She was, again, talking to Lexie and facing away from me. She was filling out a set of acid washed jeans rather nicely, a pink sweater over another button down long-sleeve. This time Lexie didn’t raise her eyebrows as I approached. “Parker,” Lexie announced, suddenly surprising Deedee. “You’ll be a dear be sure to bring your home jersey for Deedee to wear tomorrow morning? I stared blankly for a moment,...
SATURDAY, JUNE 1, 1991 Time was running out before I would turn 15. Sure, it was more than a month away, but we had a lot of work to do to get the racecar ready to go. I was up early Saturday. Mom cooked a fantastic breakfast, as she’d left some bread out the night before to get crusty, then made her signature french toast with it. It’s a hell of a way to start your day, full load of sugar and all. Josh and I loaded up, and mom drove us to grandpa’s shop. Today would be a little different,...
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 1991 “Jake, I need you to wake up.” “Wha?” “Jake, it’s time to wake up.” “Huh?” I complained through bleary eyes, then suddenly gasped and sat straight up in the bed in a panic. Dad took a half step back, after shaking me on the shoulder. Was last night a dream? Was the whole day a dream? “What day is it?” I asked Dad desperately. He chuckled. “It’s Saturday morning, son.” My eyes started to get used to the harsh light of the lamp on my nightstand and I caught...
While it was true that Sundays were my own, for the most part, my Saturdays belonged to someone else. Since the racecar was in pieces and not back from the body shop, I belonged to dad for the day. Grandpa Parker was running the disc. Dad was planting, but he still had plans for me. “I’m going to have you field cultivate about 50 acres of last year’s sorghum,” dad said as he attached the old 4440 to the implement he was talking about. “Start with the end rows, then just try not to miss...
FRIDAY, MAY 31, 1991 More punctual than ever, Lexie pulled the Hunter minivan down our long driveway. As the van pulled closer, I noticed Mitch was not in his usual place in the passenger bucket seat. Mandy Prentice was in his place. This was odd, but nothing was ever ordinary when Lexie was involved. As the van pulled up and I hopped in, I noticed all three girls were rocking their sunglasses. Mandy had identical aviators to both Lexie and my gorgeous girlfriend. “Ladies,” I smiled as I...
Saturday rolled around quickly, and I was thrilled to head to my grandpa’s shop with mom in the driver seat and little Josh strapped in the back. I had asked mom to let me drive, holding up my learner’s permit, but she was hesitant to let me drive with Josh in the car. “That’s some confidence you have in your future race car driver,” I grumped. “Jacob, I only have two of you. I don’t like taking chances with you both in the car.” “Alright,” I acquiesced, deciding we’d get to the shop...
SUNDAY, July 7, 1991 I saw some of Sunday before I ever got a chance to sleep. Between the extra adrenaline of racing for the first time, and a few Mountain Dews drank too late in the night, I was wired for sound. Before we finally bid goodbye to everyone at the track and brought the car back to the shop, I was directed to stop at the pit gate to pick up my winnings for the night. I was handed an envelope with $125 in it. I had finished 12th that night, the first of my racing career. I...
SATURDAY, JULY 13, 1991 ‘Breathe. Remember to breathe, moron.’ By mutual agreement, we decided I’d opt to go to the back of the heat race again. I needed the laps of experience before starting up front. That didn’t stop me from ripping off some fast laps in hot laps. I actually came up on a slower car in front of me, and had to back down or figure out a way to pass him on this narrow, tacky surface. I let him get a lead on me again, then tried some different lines, letting the car drift up...
FRIDAY, JULY 19, 1991 Edited by WRC264 I rumbled into Mandy’s driveway at the appointed time. This time she did let me get to the door and I did have a short and awkward talk with her parents, who were very nice. I knew them from years of being around their daughter. We’d been classmates many school years. Soon we were off to The Corner for supper and shakes, or a shake, I should say. We shared a big one. I had an extra critical eye for Allison as she served us, knowing the advice Woody...
MONDAY, AUGUST 19, 1991 “Here we go around, ‘round, ‘round She givin’ me the run around, ‘round, ‘round, ‘round” I was up early with Van Halen, but shut my clock radio off immediately. Today would be the first day of football practice. I’d been doing this since 7th grade, but something felt very different for my sophomore year. I was taller, leaner and looking pretty ripped. I hadn’t done quite as much farm work that summer, but I was in the gym or at the running track four days a week,...
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 1991 Little drops of perspiration gathered in the lovely valley of her spine where her back joined the round globes of her sexy little ass. She sighed in pleasure as she slowly ground her hips back and forth atop me, my throbbing cock trapped deep inside her hot, wet folds. I admired the two little dimples at the base of her lower back, and slid my hands over her hips, placing a thumb pad over both of those indentations in her nearly-flawless skin. Her skin was hot to...
TUESDAY, JULY 16, 1991 “I’m learnin’ to fly ... But I ain’t got wings...” The haunting tone of Tom Petty woke me from a fitful slumber. I knew who Tom Petty was, but I didn’t really consider him a rocker until this latest album. I let the whole song play before shutting my alarm off, just as the DJ started talking about a new album coming from Metallica. I skipped the shower and put my workout clothes on. That meant a muscle shirt and cloth shorts. I picked Mikey up at his house just...
WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 4, 1991 Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” is a hell of a way to wake up in the morning. I slapped the snooze button on my clock radio, almost instantly regretting it. Of course, that radio was hardly a stereo, so the sound quality suffered immensely. I loved the song, but it was getting constant radio play in early September. Of course, I had a bootleg copy of the cassette tape so I knew there were many more songs on the album that were just as good. I became more aware of my...
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 1990 HOMECOMING A new week had made life all good again. We played a freshman football game Monday afternoon. I dominated at defensive end with a pair of sacks and four solo tackles. I made a nice catch at tight end for twelve yards. We won 35-6. It was our first Homecoming Week, and my friends and I were learning the traditions. Monday had been White and Blue day. We dressed accordingly. Tuesday was 70s Day, and I raided dad’s closet for a wildly-printed polyester...
FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 1991 I did something I had never done for a girl before. I wrote her some little notes. Sappy? Silly? Romantic? Maybe a little of all of the above, but Deedee was going to be gone for more than two weeks with little chance for contact, and I wanted to stay connected to her. She was a very good girlfriend, and I wanted to keep her that way. The idea was simple. I grabbed a stack of 17 Post-It notes. On the first note, I wrote: “For Deedee every day. Please peel off one note...
FRIDAY, JULY 5, 1991 “Jake, wake up. Do you have plans this morning?” “Wha?” Roused from rather pleasant dreams of pretty redheads and curvy raven-haired beauties, I rubbed the sleep from my eyes to consider the source of this rude awakening. “Dad?” “Jake, wake up!” I shook my head groggily, wondering what strenuous farm chore awaited me outside. “Yeah?” “Any plans this morning?” I guess not.” “Good,” dad grinned. “Someone from the phone company will be here sometime between now and...
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 1991 I woke up long before my alarm clock was set to go off, feeling sick to my stomach. The anguish was physical, not just emotional. The events from the night before played out in my head while I considered what to do. I hadn’t missed a school day for being sick in years. And if I did call in sick, I couldn’t participate in any sport or activity that day. That meant missing the Homecoming game and the dance. The idea didn’t really seem so bad at first, but a larger...
The Adventures of American-man: Dreamworld By Paul G Jutras Chapter One: Doorway of Doom October 31, 3086, a historical team uncovered a weird chest with pictures carved all over the outside. Each was dressed in hiking boots, knee-high socks, too tight shorts, sleeveless shirts and pit helmets. As one of them broke open the chest a mist rose out and formed into a skull headed demon. Rays shot from it's eye socks, transforming the girls' skin to plastic. As they fell over, the...
South American Cock TormentAndy Douglas was eighteen even though he only looked much younger. Five seven, he had a nice balance of slim waist, good shoulders and a neat, tight butt. Plenty of sport and exercise in the open air had given him a great tan and a body with good muscular definition including a modest six-pack. The sun had also bleached his shock of naturally blonde hair. Coupled with pale blue eyes and a ready smile he looked good and attractive?and he knew it.He liked girls, but...
You know, when you read "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" with a modern understanding of science, as a person who understands chemistry, biology, and psychology, the rational part of your mind will tell you it's not possible. That it makes for a fun story, but you could not drink a potion and transform either physically or mentally like the title character of that book. You can't change yourself like that. But the irrational part, oh it wishes you could. It looks at...
America hosts dozens of agents, who work secretly exclusively for me. Although all-American applicants think they are for porn.America's agencies are in all major cities, which house hot tasty teen or twen beautiful brides to be. We will mention all towns.Professor Poet-PETER erotic experiments interestingly include his agencies world wide. Together a dozen of dozens capitals.Professor Poet-PETER prayed his dear great granddaughter Princess Petra to go the other side of the 'big drink', to...
America hosts dozens of agents, who work secretly exclusively for me. Although all-American applicants think they are for porn.America's agencies are in all major cities, which house hot tasty teen or twen beautiful brides to be. We will mention all towns.Professor Poet-PETER erotic experiments interestingly include his agencies world wide. Together a dozen of dozens capitals.Professor Poet-PETER prayed his dear great granddaughter Princess Petra to go the other side of the 'big drink', to...
“The fuck was that this morning in the hallway?” Mike boomed, setting his lunch tray down to my right. “QUIET!” I seethed. “Nothing. I don’t know.” “THAT was not nothing,” Shelby added quickly from my left. I dropped my spoon back into my chili and closed my eyes. Oh yes, chili, maybe my favorite school lunch. And it seemed to taste better than usual today. Then again, maybe everything had started to taste better lately. “Look, I’m as confused as anyone. I’ve known Alexis since what,...
Deedee was holding my hand tightly and giving me doe eyes as we were once again on the back roads headed to my first high school party. “No one has ever done that for me,” Deedee whispered. “It was amazing,” she husked. “Done what, exactly?” I teased in a half-whisper. She bit her lip and shoved me lightly. “You know what!” she whispered with laughing eyes. “Oh,” I said in mock recognition, then leaned to whisper in her ear, my voice deepening. “Do you mean the part where I ran my tongue...
The rest of the week went very well, and I was in high spirits. Every other lunch period was spent either with my crew or my new girlfriend, and each side seemed to appreciate my company more. Well, other than Morgan, who was still a bitch to me. Two new things happened during the week, though. Beast asked if I’d like to go cruising with Tree and him at some point over the weekend. I had to tell him Friday was out, as I was going to the game and the opening night of races came Saturday...
I was up and at it early again Saturday morning with rather pleasant thoughts from the night before. Mom hustled me to grandpa’s shop and I went to it. Grandpa had clearly made more progress on the pit cart, with some metal cabinet doors now in place, along with a thin steel plate top. Work benches were getting cleared off and this was starting to look like a proper race shop again. Grandpa was out to help about an hour after I arrived. He ambled into the shop with a big thermos of coffee...
Deedee and I had surprises for each other Tuesday morning. I walked up to her locker just before classes started and handed her a freshly pressed gray jersey. She eagerly took it and opened her locker to hand me my white jersey. I made a show of pressing it to my nose. “How does it still smell like you?” “A girl has to have her secrets,” Deedee giggled, tapped my chin dimple and gave me a peck on the cheek before spinning off to the girl’s room to change into my jersey. “Get a room!” Mike...
We walked back inside and I quickly discovered my Sunday wasn’t over. Beast was on the line. “Parker, you wanna shoot hoops?” “Yeah, sounds good. We need a fourth?” “I supposed, who you got in mind?” “Mikey?” “Yeah, I guess I can kick his ass as easy as yours,” Beast chuckled. “I’ll call him.” “I’ll pick you both up and we’ll go to Tree’s.” “Later.” I asked mom and dad if I could go shoot hoops for the afternoon. “Be home for supper.” I could hardly think about supper. I was still...
TUESDAY, JUNE 4, 1991 I saw her for the first time on a rainy Tuesday morning. I had never seen anything like her before. But I’m getting way ahead of myself. Let’s skip back to earlier in the morning. Dad had ordered a few items for the Mustang. In particular, a few interior items he wanted fixed. He bought a headliner, new carpet and new vinyl for the both front seats. With installation, this was going to put him back nearly $400. But where to get the work done? Dad had called a brand...
TUESDAY DECEMBER 25, 1990, CHRISTMAS DAY I hadn’t seen Mel since Friday, and while I did miss her, it was probably good for my soul. Every moment seemed tumultuous, and drama buzzed around her like bees to flowers. We did everything at full throttle, whether it was making love or just not getting along. A few days of quiet time around my family was welcomed. Our family had our traditional Christmas Eve meal of oyster soup and appetizers like ham-wrapped pickles with pineapple cream cheese,...
FRIDAY, JUNE 28, 1991 After the playoff loss and public dumping, we skipped any kind of celebratory meal and headed home. I lugged my heavy bag of baseball gear into the house for the final time of the season. I didn’t even have time to strip and get my uniform into a soak before the phone rang. A tiny part of me wondered if Deedee had changed her mind. “Hello?” “Why didn’t you call me?” The feminine voice at the other end of the line was insistent and accusatory all at once. “I just...
SUNDAY, JUNE 30, 1991 I leaned forward with my head in my hands, rubbing my temples. Shelby pulled some of the blanket around her shivering form. It was a warm day, but a body soaked in sweat would get chilly in the breeze. Her horses, Destiny and Doc, munched grass lazily, paying us little heed. “Why not?” I asked the prairie scene in front of me, not wanting to look her in the eye. Shelby sighed and put her hand on my shoulder. “I might have done a bad thing today,” she sighed. “I did...
JULY 4, 1991 “Happy birthday, Jake.” It was a pleasant way to wake up. No alarm had been set. I was allowed to sleep in a bit. It was mom who woke me up in a gentle way at around 9:30. But it wasn’t her words that woke me up. It was the smell of bacon in the oven. I rolled out of bed and felt the sharp sting in my lower half. ‘Fucking leg day!’ I swore to myself. We’d spent the early part of Tuesday morning on the track, running short bursts of sprints on up to a full mile run. Then...
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 1991 “I’m out in the cold (out in the cold) Body and soul (out in the cold) There’s nowhere to go (out in the cold) I’m out in the cold (out in the cold)” Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers had it about right. I was out in the cold. Of course, I still slapped the snooze button and shut him up anyway. I had a riot of feelings to deal with. Two rejections, were weighing heavily on my mind. Sure, I had sort of patched things up with Shelby. At the same time, we were...
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 1991 “What’s on your mind,” I asked as I closed my car door carefully. Jen seemed to stiffen and forced herself to turn towards me in her seat so that she couldn’t avoid looking at me. “What I said about the dance wasn’t entirely true.” “So you DO want to go to the dance?” I said with a lopsided grin. “I don’t know,” she said softly. “Let me finish.” “OK,” I replied, letting her continue. “I have gone to a dance before. It was, it was horrible.” “Go on,” I...
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 1991 “And homegrown and down-home, that makes one Cookin’ up that old time, long lost recipe for me, woh It’s gettin’ hard to find Guess it ain’t hip enough now You take an average guy, he can’t identify, uh And there’s a short supply of her fine, fine stuff Lemme get on, lemme get on, lemme get on some of that Shake it up, bake it up nice, uh Lemme get on, lemme get on, lemme get on all that I so love my baby’s poundcake.” Van Halen was so much better with Sammy...
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 1991 I woke with excitement Sunday morning. No alarm set, just the refreshing feeling of sleeping in after being worked hard for a few days. Well, that and the fact that I would be shooting hoops with a tall, gorgeous blond that day. The tantalizing aroma of a beef roast in the crock pot was what got me awake. I followed my nose out to the kitchen to see it bubbling away on the counter top. The parents had, as usual, let me have my Sunday while they headed to church...
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 1991 Seven days of kisses and bliss. Jen got her kiss every day for a seventh day. Every time I saw her or thought about her, the butterflies were there. We held hands in the hallways and word around school was that we were the hot couple. The upperclassmen had accepted and welcomed me with open arms. If I’d been placed on the varsity team at the start of the season, I’d have likely faced some hazing. As it was, saving the big game and showing them I belonged put...
Harold Spencer Eversly was on vacation in Acapulco with his Mom. He was sixteen but looked younger. His father had died suddenly when he was only eight leaving his Ma a very rich woman. She was very possessive and Harold was something of a mother’s boy. They traveled around a lot, all over the world. Harold had been to a lot of different schools but not learned much. He figured he didn’t have to with the money coming to him from a Trust when he was 25. Until then he was quite...
American-Man At War By Paul G. Jutras "1,2, 3, 4...." Christine said as she stood in gold three inch pumps and a backless evening gown with spaghetti straps. With the clicking of drumsticks the band prepared to join in. Soto began to played the guitar in his usual leather jacket, pants and boots and red tee shirt. Mark played the drums, Luke the keyboard in their yellow and red striped coveralls, and Starshine the tambourine in her purple blouse, leopard print mini skirt...
Ida Hoe was waiting nervously back stage as her arch rival, Holly Keyhole, performed on stage riding Hoss Bigg cowgirl style on a trampoline. She could hear the audience shouting in delight. The raucous cheers were almost deafening.Ida was horrified that Holly might give an unsurmountable performance. Ida barely trailed her for first place in this grand finale episode of Miss American Pornstar. Winning the title of the first Miss American Pornstar would not only make her the newest rage in the...
Group SexNew Job for American-Man By Paul G Jutras Since American-Man's appearance the crime rate in Federation city had dropped way down. Too bad the number band of gigs his rock band had were also way down. Needing the extra pay, it was in his American-Man form that he became a bag man at a Federation City super market. The job was easy and American-man changed his costume with the bluish green shirt, black slacks and sneakers of the market. When he eyed a shoplifter trying to head out...
Okay, here goes nothing. African-American guys like myself have a certain image in the eyes of the world. We’re thought of as tougher, meaner and more athletic than the average guy. Also, people seem to think we gravitate toward either athletic pursuits or criminal endeavors, and nothing in between. Neither is exactly true for most Black men living in the United States of America. Just to prove to you how untrue these stereotypes are, take me for example. My name is Arnold Thompson. And I’m a...
“We knew the world would not be the same. A few people laughed, a few people cried. Most people were silent. I remembered the line from the Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad-Gita; Vishnu is trying to persuade the Prince that he should do his duty, and to impress him, takes on his multi-armed form and says, ‘Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.’ I suppose we all thought that, one way or another.” ― J. Robert Oppenheimer It seems sort of strange looking back on the unfolding events of...
-We learned in Part One of this story that I was a sixteen year-old virgin boy named James, who everyone called Jimmy, with a very thick, nine-inch-long cock. My neighbor Norm was forty-two at the time. His wife Lindsey was forty-one and their son Todd was eighteen and away at college.I went with Norm to open his lake cabin for the summer. We were skinny dipping on an unusually warm day for spring in Wisconsin and he convinced me that we should masturbate one another on the boat. That evening...
MILFTo begin, may I must make something perfectly clear. I’m virgin by my haughty cousin’s definition -- he says we may do it now because it is very assuered our families will marry us together -- but that doesn’t mean I have never made love. My story begins at St. Mary’s, an elite English-medium secondary school for girls. St. Mary’s has a Christian headmistress and several Christian faculty, but few of the students are of that faith. Christians know academics better than do mullahs and holy men....
The unlucky American. ? A reader of some of my other stories challenged me to write one about a terrified boy enslaved by a girl. This is the outcome of my efforts. ? Note: Tim’s private thoughts are marked by single inverted commas: ‘Shit’; direct speech by double: "Yes, Mistress". ? Part one. ? "I'm an American citizen, for chrissake. It's your fucking duty to defend me!" I shouted angrily at the embassy's legal secretary. ? "You are and I have". She looked calmly back. ? "But I was...
American Girl in Bangkok By Tiffany Parker The following story is a work of fiction and is copyright property of the author. Please don't repost it without permission. But most importantly, I hope you enjoy reading it. Chapter 1 Kaylee impatiently bided time while sitting in the middle seat in coach on the long trans-pacific flight. She was excited about her trip to Bangkok that would complete her journey and provide her the gender affirmation surgery she desperately...
Promises and Secrets: A Teenage Transsexual By Maria Ski Things changed for me after I was discovered trying on my sisters clothes. My mother had caught me. But there was no anger, no disgust, just a warm understanding smile and the love of a mother. From that day of being discovered, and after telling my sisters things seemed to change. Every weekend I became Maria. With a wardrobe of girls clothes of my own which I either bought myself or had bought for me. One thing led to...
Author's Note; This story is a dedication to Tom Petty. Song meaning to me are very subjective. I can take someone different out of song than someone else. I can even take something different out of a song depending on my mood. So with saying that this story is how I filled in the blanks of this great song. Debra Webster was an American girl who was raised on her mom and dad's promises.These promises were being able to be whatever she wanted to be in life, and their daughter would...
Alright, I can finally admit it to myself. I am a Muslim. I used to be one of those people who felt a strong dislike of Muslims, until I fell in love with one. It’s funny how these things happen, huh? My name is Solomon Kingsley Henderson, although many of my friends have taken to calling me ‘King Suleiman’ in recent times. It’s my Muslim name, though it’s not on my passport or anything. My wife Khadija Abdullah certainly likes it. She’s a lovely lady of Somali descent who saved my life back in...