A FEAST WITH SILVER SPOON

Chapter 1 - 2

For a while, we rode in silence. I knew the lake was to the left even though there were only trees on either side. I made an effort to recall the timing of each season. In the spring, right before school let out, baseball was played. Fall meant football, but it didn't sound as appealing as it had in the past. I knew that basketball took place in the winter but knew nothing about tennis or golf.

I added, "Kind of hard to take a girl to a game without a car, though." As if a girl would accompany me to a game in any case.

Frank chuckled. "Sport, you'll get your chance. What, no girlfriend yet?

"Not in the least."

"Who would you like?"

"A few, but they're older and have no idea who I am. There are probably a few girls my age, but they still seem, I dunno.

At this age, girls undergo a lot of change. After the summer, some girls I knew who were flat one year developed boobs.

I chuckled. That's all. There's a girl who, you know? It's probably not supposed to be a big deal, but there's something more attractive about her.

"Has boobs," he declared.

“Exactly. They needn't be enormous or anything; just something will do.

"Which one do you prefer?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe Tina Hampton. However, she is two years my senior.

She's friendly, huh?

I suppose she's more mature now.

He grinned and said, "She's got boobs."

She most certainly has boobs. Although Karen has some pretty nice boobs, I can see you laughing. In fact, it appears that she does. She is also pleasant.

She is friendly and does have a good physique. The age of fourteen is somewhat a mystery. Girls typically discover guys before guys do, I believe, as they begin to mature, develop a physique, and start dating. Moreover, everyone is silly.

You understood.

Does anyone else?

Although Kristi Sullivan is nice, she is also older than I am. Kim McTighe is also very attractive, and she is. Like, very warm. But she is also older. I feel like that's kind of a death kiss for a girl. They desire to date older men.

Ever had a kiss? he inquired.

I replied, "No," before realizing my error. I replied, "Kind of," despite the fact that I was aware that I was probably blushing.

You cannot be kissed in a kind of way.

I understood he was anticipating more. "I don't know if you've heard of her, but Sally Hinkleman."

"I am familiar with her. Mrs. Hinkleman and Mom get along well. Janice, I believe." Go on.”

She had a party for her birthday a month ago, but I was unable to attend for some reason. Anyway, I had a gift for her that I delivered to her home a few days later. We were on her front porch when she opened it. She really enjoyed it.

And she gave you a kiss.

She did, indeed. She was overjoyed with the present. We merely made a cursory lip contact. Although it was pleasant, I was surprised by how quickly it passed. She may have been surprised as well.

"You have to begin somewhere. Lip smacking is a good place to begin. Does she prefer the gift over you?

I was moved by that. "I was assuming she simply enjoyed the gift,"

But if she didn't at least somewhat like you, she wouldn't have kissed you. Do you enjoy her?

The thought that Sally might like me surprised me. "I genuinely like her. Prior to her kissing me, I hadn't really given her much thought, but since then, my thoughts about her have increased. We've attended numerous classes together. She has a cute face and is beginning to develop boobs. She would undoubtedly be on my list of young women. She is incredibly tiny.

They come in a variety of sizes and shapes. Any issues there, please?

“No. Really? I guess not. How do you learn things, though? And you do. How to kiss and other things. There are classes for football and tennis at my school, but I don't think there are any for kissing. How did you get educated?

"If we're talking about girls, you should be aware that the first rule for me is to never kiss and tell. By telling other guys that you reached second base with a girl, you can easily blow it. A girl is more likely to lower her guard if she knows she can trust you.

I added, "And allow you to reach second base." Although I had no idea what second base was, it sounded preferable to getting a strikeout.

"Or something similar. It's honorable, you develop trust, and nothing is more crucial to a relationship than trust. Do not tell your friends, but you can tell me and I won't leak it. What transpires between you and a girl should remain private. But if you tell me, I think it's okay. I'm not going to hurt a girl's reputation, and we aren't rivals.

That makes sense, I suppose. I haven't disclosed to anyone besides you that Sally and I kissed. But a lot of guys talk.

“Yeah. Additionally, the most talkative guys frequently end up with women you wouldn't want to be with. He could tell I wasn't understanding. They marry girls who have a particular reputation. Loose. Easy. In any case, I won't reveal that you and Sally Hinkleman kissed.

“Thanks. Nobody else is aware.

Did the two of you discuss it later?

“No. Actually, no. She sort of moved back, and for a moment we just stared at one another. We were probably both quite surprised.

Yet nice?

“Yeah. To repeat that action when I wasn't surprised would be nice.

The question "With Sally?"

"I enjoy her. She is nice and all, after all.

And her lips are kissable.

Well, they have the friendliest lips I've ever encountered.

Say to her, "Tell her."

Say to her, "What?" Hello Sally, in case you didn't know, you have kissable lips.

“No. but inform her. Maybe something like, "Sally, I kissed you after your birthday the other day." That was really cool. It was pleasant.

"Exactly that."

"Exactly that. She might have never kissed a man before you. She might question whether you believe she is a girl with that particular reputation.

Just because she gave me a kiss?

“Yeah. However, if you speak to her, use the phrase "when we kissed" rather than "when you kissed me." That gives the impression that you two did it. alleviates her of the pressure.

I pondered that for some time. I thought Sally was quite nice, but I certainly didn't expect her to kiss me. She had a nice scent. I hadn't even put my hands on her shoulders, waist, or anywhere else. If I had the chance, I would kiss her once more.

Just tell her that, I say. that I enjoyed our kisses?" I queried.

How else will she find out? If she didn't like you, she wouldn't have kissed you. It's possible that she surprised herself. What age is she?

“Fourteen. same as I am.

It might have been her very first kiss.

"I never considered that."

As we traveled through side streets and Franklin turned into a driveway that led to the lake on the left, I assumed that we were in Bonneau. We approached a sizable, older house that was clearly the subject of extensive renovations. The house practically sparkled, and the garden was immaculate. An individual about Franklin's age came around to greet us as we pulled up next to the garage.

Gary Fielding was my introduction, and he led us over to their dock. Franklin was familiar with the boat because he had taken him fishing on a few occasions. Gary gave us some navigational instructions after showing us a few aspects of the boat. He also had a few other items and a small cage with live crickets in it. Poles and tackle, he claimed, were already in the boat. There it was.

Franklin signaled for me to untie the boat as he started the engine. I did, climbed on board, and we pushed off in search of a lake location where we could be sure to catch fish. Franklin showed me where the anchor was and how to throw it in and tie it off once we arrived at the location. Franklin backed the boat up until the line was taut after I had done so. I made notes in my head. It was all brand-new.

He demonstrated for me how to bait my hook, which was much simpler when he did it. Before I finally impaled one cricket, I lost two or three others. He taught me how to cast before actually doing it. His cast extended by about fifty feet. Mine only lasted about ten seconds when I tried it. It was more difficult than it appeared, much like baiting the hook. Franklin put his pole down and asked me to demonstrate my casting technique. My arm was adjusted, and the subsequent cast was extended. Soon enough, it became clear that Gary wasn't joking. My pole bent just as my bait was about to enter the water. I assumed I was prepared. My pole wasn't bent when I suddenly jerked it up hard.

"Too difficult, Jack. Instead of ripping the hook out of his mouth, you want to sink it. Draw it in. Your bait most likely vanished. But that's a really good sign.

I went through the baiting process once more, but this time it was simpler. Once I was aware that there were fish in the lake waiting to be caught, I also worked more quickly. I waited while I cast. then awaited. then awaited. My fishing trip was almost over when my pole bent once more. I felt the fish take off as soon as I hooked him. I was wrestling with the unknowable. When I got close enough, Franklin used a net to catch the fish after talking me through the process. I was hooked, but so was the fish.

I probably caught thirty small fish and a few bass that were fairly sizable over the course of the following five hours. We saved them. I had a lot of practice casting and baiting hooks. I was in a hurry to get my line back in the water after I caught a fish. I was shocked to learn that I had never gone fishing before.

I've decided I enjoy fishing. You never knew what was on the line until you saw it, and even small fish could put up a surprising fight. At roughly the same time, we ran out of food, water, and bait, and we both got more sun than we had anticipated. I drove us back when Franklin asked, keeping an eye out for the places Gary had mentioned. I steered to the right of White Point Beach after spotting Richardson's Boat Ramp. I located Gary's home and headed there.

I declared, "I've never driven anything with a motor before.

"Try it out. Fun to you.

I made a large circle with us and played around with the speed. In a pontoon boat, you can only do so much. But it was enjoyable. I slid the boat gently onto the dock. Franklin remained silent, but I was approaching the dock so slowly that I'm sure he was grinning. I didn't want to slam into the dock. It succeeded. We secured the boat and unloaded it. Gary met us there, and he and his partner taught me how to clean fish. It's not difficult once you realize you have to just go for it, have guts on your hands and all. Franklin told Mom that there was plenty of fish and that we would be having it for dinner. Mom must have planned the rest of our afternoon when she invited Karen to join us.

We discussed fishing on the drive home, and we both felt pretty good about the day. We stopped talking about sports or academics and decided our next outing would be to a batting cage. We didn't discuss girls either, despite my desire to do so. He must be aware since he had Karen, who was quite attractive. He would undoubtedly be more knowledgeable than I was. I reasoned that it would be wise to keep an eye on how well they got along at dinner. She had previously visited, but I had been distracted.

Franklin reached out and placed his hand on my shoulder as I was daydreaming. We just briefly discussed girls, he claimed. There's a lot more, but we're out of time right now. One more thing, and it's very significant. If you ever get the chance to f**k a girl, pass it up.

That was a complete surprise. “Right. Franklin, you just completely lost all credibility.

"I mean it. Don’t. You ought to make out with her for the first time. To see how I was responding, he turned to face me. "Are you aware of the distinction?"

He really meant it. “Maybe. I suppose so.

"You'd be f*****g her if your d**k was in charge. You might be making love to her if your heart is in charge. Keep in mind that your d**k shouldn't define who you are or your type of relationship. Even though I might be telling you this way too soon, I'd rather tell you now than later.

I assured him that it made sense but contended that it lacked much specificity. He concurred. We entered the driveway by car. We began our search for Mom after I carried the ice chest into the kitchen. We waited at a patio table about 20 feet away while she finished her laps.

Mom noticed us on her subsequent lap and swam to the pool's edge.

"How are you? What are you two discussing?

"Anatomy," I replied instantly. To me, the words "heads, heart, and d**k" sounded anatomical. By chance, Franklin could be seen laughing. “Yeah. The fish were biting, and we were having a great conversation. On the kitchen counter, a cooler contains six fish.

Franklin said to her, "Four bass and two perch." "I'm returning to my house to clean up and get Karen. When I get back, I can grill them.

Do I need to wash them?

“Nope. Jack completed the task.

“Really? You handled fish cleaning? 'Em were caught, and they were cleaned. Observe yourself.

"Yeah, I caught a few of them and cleaned three. I declared, feeling pretty proud of myself, "I'm a fisherman now.

I assume you are. There is still lots of time. Mom said, "Franklin, just take care of getting Karen here and I'll make dinner. She added with a big smile, "Unless Jack wants to cook them too. She appeared to be the happiest I had seen her since before Ronnie passed away. I enjoyed it. She did possess a lovely smile.

I said, "I don't know how to cook fish, but I could help," and she motioned for me to go away and resume swimming laps.

Franklin said, "You hear what I'm saying. Mom is busy swimming. One of Dad's few helpful suggestions was that. I wish I had taken it but I didn't.

“Karen?”

"No, before Karen, actually. But even if it was, I wouldn't say. I still consider the girl to be a friend, but there has always been some tension between us. Not too bad, but even though we both have relationships with other people, we will always put each other first. If I had to do it over, I would approach it differently.

"You would have made love to her," I remarked.

"I don't believe that. You see, I didn't love her. I know I'm probably way ahead of you on this, but I want you to be aware of that up front. If you let it, your d**k will get you into trouble.

So plan ahead, I questioned.

"Knowing your limits is more like planning, in my opinion. Be patient; don't rush. When the chance is right there, that will be very challenging.

"You bet. But you regret your initial experience? Too quickly?

"Or something similar. I'm not sure what I would have done differently. Perhaps if I had a big brother who could have warned me to slow down and not f**k the first willing girl.

"Wait until I can kiss her," I said.

"If you can," he remarked. Before he left, we continued our conversation for a short while. I changed, took a shower, and looked at the time. I think it's still too early. Mom wasn't there when I checked the kitchen. I picked up Catcher when I got back to my room but found it difficult to read. I had been considering what Franklin had said about Sally throughout the entire day. Just tell her, he had instructed. In addition to considering how to accomplish that, I also considered what she might say. I was clueless.

Then I reasoned that if I told her, she might want to repeat the behavior. She might, but most likely not. I didn't think movie kisses were very realistic because that was all I had to go on. The article was in an old Cosmopolitan that Mom probably forgot she had, so I went to the library and looked through her magazines until I found them. How to spice up your kisses was the topic of the article. There appeared to be at least forty different ways to kiss. I knew what I might be doing better, at least. Don't clatter your teeth, and take it easy. When I entered the kitchen, Mom had just begun.

She accepted my offer of assistance with dinner, and I then did as she instructed. She questioned me about our day and expressed her satisfaction that we had fun. She said that sounded smart too when I mentioned sports, that I was considering a few different sports, and why. She was probably most happy that football was no longer at the top of the list.

Bringing wine and flowers, Franklin and Karen arrived. After all my girl-related reflection, I finally grasped how attractive Karen actually was. She was smokin' hot despite not even trying. The approximate age of Karen was five to six. She had a body that curved in all the right places, strawberry blonde hair, and. Also very attractive was her face. I made the decision to simply observe my brother and her behavior during dinner.

Franklin caught my attention around the midpoint of dinner. Because I had been relatively quiet, I believe he guessed what I was doing. He grinned and carried on as if we hadn't had that brief conversation. Franklin continued to be Franklin the entire meal. He was acting exactly like he always did. Karen could have been, but I doubted it. She appeared to be tuned in to Mom, so I surmised that perhaps she was attempting to win her over. It was deceptive.

Franklin told them about our lakeside excursion and asked me to describe the moment I caught the big one. Actually, I caught the lake's bottom. Since it was my story, I informed them that although I had a 12-foot alligator on the line, my equipment was inadequate to land it. Mom purchased it, her mouth gaping in horror. Franklin put his hand on Mom's shoulder when he had had enough.

"Mom, there was no alligator. He caught the lake's bottom. a branch, rock, or other object. Do you think the fish is really tasty?

Mom smiled before giving me the eye. "Don't cause your mom a heart attack," I warned.

I added, "Alligator tail is rumored to be pretty tasty, too. "And nourishing." Karen was laughing as Mom gave me the evil eye once more. It made me laugh well. She had full red lips and white, straight teeth. They would be nice to mush, I reasoned. I added, "We even have a way to cook alligator. "We'd make use of the crock pot." A round of well-deserved groans followed that.

The topic of conversation changed, and things were going fairly well, when Karen enquired as to what we had discussed. I gave it some thought for a moment, then turned to face her and said, "Girls."

“Oh, oh. Do you now understand everything about us?

“Almost. Franklin stated that he would understand "as soon as I understand why they put a round pizza in a square box and then you eat it in triangles."

Although Mom and Karen both laughed, I knew the joke was old. I liked Karen more and more as we spoke. She frequently made Mom smile. And she was gorgeous. I questioned whether my brother had given her forty different kisses out of jealousy for him. Probably.

After dinner, I volunteered to clean the kitchen. The three of them accepted my offer and entered the living room to converse. I felt exhausted after I was done. It was most likely a result of the prolonged effort required to reel in a 12-foot alligator. That, the sun, or perhaps just everything. My heart wasn't in it, so I went to the game room and played pool alone for a while. I took Catcher with me and went to my room. I was almost done with the brief, simple-to-read book. However, it was still challenging to focus. About a dozen pages had to be read again because I couldn't even remember what they were about.

I realized I had been nodding off when I heard a knock at my door. Shaking it off, I yelled, "Come in."

"Hey, athlete. I'm getting ready to leave with Karen.

I should return and bid you good night.

"You should," he said, grinning.

"For what is the laugh?"

“Nothing.”

C'mon, I exclaimed. You cannot make fun of me and then do nothing. What?”

"Throughout dinner, you engaged in s****l teasing with Karen. I simply assumed that you would want to say goodnight.

"I wasn't," I argued.

“No? It seemed to be. I can't say I blame you.

I wasn't making out with her. I took a brief break. Did it appear that I was?

“Yup.”

I find that extremely embarrassing.

"Don't stress over it. If Mom or Karen had even noticed, Mom would have thought it was cute and Karen would have taken it as a compliment. I must have appeared embarrassed. They most likely missed it, though.

“Right. Girls are very perceptive.

"This is dangerous ground."

It was "uncharted waters," I answered.

Also, that. C’mon. They are conversing at the door.

We said our goodbyes as we made our way to the front door. I managed it without making out.

The question "What do you think of Karen?" After I shut the door, Mom questioned.

"You are already aware of my opinion of Karen. You simply want to test my receptivity.

You pick it up quickly, young man.

"I'll be honest. I enjoy her. She's attractive and funny.

She is quite attractive, isn't she? Mother said. She had never said anything like that before, to my knowledge.

I shrewdly replied, "Yeah," and then turned to walk away before I said something foolish. I then came up with a statement that wasn't foolish. Before Mom left the entrance, I went back. I called out, "Mom," and she turned. "I know you're my mom and everything, but you're also pretty hot. You already know that, though," I remarked as I turned to walk away.

"I'm grateful, Buddy. That's lovely. I was expecting her to say more, but all she did was smile before heading into the kitchen. When Mom and I were just talking or when she needed something, she would call me Jack. She would call me "Buddy" if we were friends, and "Sport" if I was participating in an athletic or adventurous activity. It wasn't like there was some kind of formal code or anything, but because of what she called me, I knew more about her attitude. I'd be in big trouble if she called me Jackson Michael Pierce. Most of the time, I called her Mom, but sometimes I'd call her Ma'am if she needed my understanding or agreement. I believe it to be fairly typical, at least in the south.