"I'm really hungry," Jackson said.

"Dinner is coming!" I replied happily.

There was a splash in the water about ten feet out.

Noah's lips were screwed down in concentration now. He stared at the water, watching his line slowly come to sh.o.r.e. The fish splashed and put up a serious fight, but Noah kept reeling him in and didn't give him any slack to spit the hook and make his escape.

When the fish was close to the sh.o.r.e, I grabbed hold of the line and lifted it out of the water.

A five-pound ba.s.s, easily.

"Hah!" Noah shrieked with delight.

I got the fish safely to sh.o.r.e and we examined it with a fair bit of pride.

"I want to try," Jackson said.

"Take my pole. I'll clean this one and get it grilling on the fire. If y'all catch another, we'll have seconds."

"Good deal," Jackson said.

He was a big one! Noah signed to him excitedly. Noah signed to him excitedly.

Yes he was, Jackson replied. Jackson replied. Can you show me how to...? Can you show me how to...?

Noah nodded readily, baiting the hook for him and teaching him how to cast the line out into the water.

I gutted the fish, scaled it, rinsed it in the river, and took it back to camp.

Within the hour we had three good-size ba.s.s cooked and eaten, and darkness fell in earnest.

Having endured pop music all throughout dinner, I switched the station back to KUDZU, my old standby, and was rewarded with John Denver's "Thank G.o.d I'm a Country Boy."

Well, life on the farm is kinda laid back Ain't much an old country boy like me can't hack....

I got to my feet, started dancing and singing at the top of my lungs. Noah joined me, and we went through some of our standard ch.o.r.eographed moves designed to impress viewers. Noah was a real ham when it came to showing out and showing off. We did a country round dance.

Jackson laughed.

"Come on, city boy," I said, calling to him. "Don't just sit there like a lump on a log!"

Jackson got shyly to his feet. He tried to dance, but the music was unfamiliar to him.

"Hold on," he said, crouching down to change the station, and suddenly our camp was filled with the sounds of "Boogie Oogie Oogie." Now that he was in his element, he treated us to some cool disco moves. Noah clapped his hands together happily and immediately began to try to imitate him.

I smiled as I watched them, the entertainer in me thinking they made a good pair and could bring the house down if they wanted to. I pictured them in Mama's living room during Noah's upcoming birthday party. Not even Mama could turn her nose up at that. It was just too cute.

When we got tired of dancing, we built the fire high, which drove off the mosquitoes. Overhead the stars looked down on us with their immensity and mystery. A half-moon rose and slowly moved across the sky.

Jackson and I talked.

Noah got sleepy and brought me his blanket, his signal that it was time for him to go to bed. I helped him strip down to his underpants, then took him on my lap, wrapped the blanket around him, and held him in my arms as he fell asleep, all the while talking to Jackson about anything and everything.

When Noah was asleep, I carried him into the tent and laid him down, arranging him in a sleeping bag and making sure the tent was tightly zipped as I left.

Back by the fire, I got naked and sat in front of Jackson Ledbetter, my intentions plainly obvious.

"I've never made love by the moonlight," he confessed.

"Never?" I was genuinely surprised.

"Is this part of the courting thing?" he asked.

"This is the best part of the night. The skeeters have gone to bed. The moon is on the rise. I've spent a lot of nights sitting by the fire, thinking, dreaming-"

"Jacking off."

"That too. Out here you are really alone in the world, really away from it all. Besides that, it's a great place to have s.e.x."

He slowly removed his shirt, shorts, underwear. I looked at his body in the firelight, l.u.s.ting after it.

"Wanna swim?" I asked, getting to my feet.

"In the dark?" His voice sounded frightened.

"Come on," I said, holding out my hand.

I led him to the water. We waded in together, holding hands. He was afraid, so I put my arm around his waist, gave him a kiss of encouragement.

"What about the snapping turtles?" he asked, his eyes darting around the dark water.

"They probably went to bed," I said.

I eased myself into the water and swam out a bit. The water was perfect, washing away the smoke and heat of the fire, cooling me down, refreshing me, flowing gently and easily around my limbs, up my back, over my chest.

"Come on," I called.

He stood about waist-deep in the water and would go no further.

I swam for a bit, returned to the sh.o.r.e, and collected him. He had wet his hair, cooling off. Holding his hand, I walked back to the fire and sat down, pulling him to me.

It was quite some time before we went to bed.

36) Skinny-dipping

I WAS WAS the first to wake the following morning and I slipped quietly out of the tent and stood in the early morning sunlight, stretching and incredibly glad to be alive. Then I found a tree and took a long, much-needed pee, p.i.s.sing away the day's first erection. the first to wake the following morning and I slipped quietly out of the tent and stood in the early morning sunlight, stretching and incredibly glad to be alive. Then I found a tree and took a long, much-needed pee, p.i.s.sing away the day's first erection.

Afterward, I went for a quick swim, then walked to the rocks at the far end of the bend and sat down, letting the sun dry me off.

I watched the water drift lazily past and thought about Rodney, one of my first boyfriends. I f.u.c.ked him once, right here, sitting on these rocks with the sun beating down on us. f.u.c.ked him hard and proper. Then he f.u.c.ked me hard and proper. We spent much of our time giving each other b.l.o.w. .j.o.bs. I thought I was in love, but he lasted about three weeks and he was gone, and I was sort of glad because I was getting bored with him and wanted something else. What, I didn't know. The s.e.x was fun, the s.e.x was good, but it wasn't enough. There was no smoldering to it, I thought, remembering Jackson's word.

With Jackson, there was all kinds of smoldering going on.

Noah woke, wandered over to the rocks, his skin red and gold. He sat next to me, checking in, smiling.

Are you hungry? I asked. I asked.

He shook his head.

Did you sleep well?

He nodded.

Wanna go swimming?

His face brightened.

We waded into the water and had a long swim.

When he got tired, I held him in my arms and waded into the deeper parts. Then he got behind me and held on to my neck while I swam out further, dog-paddling, enjoying the exercise. Then I turned around and dog-paddled all the way back to the sh.o.r.e, where we sat on the sand, water dripping from our bodies.

Jackson emerged from the tent, wandered off into the trees, came back, and smiled at us sheepishly.

"Did you sleep well?" I asked.

"Out like a light," he admitted.

"Did you know you fart during your sleep?" I asked.

"I do not!" he said, outraged, offended, not sure whether to believe me.

I waved a hand in front of my nose and my eyes went wide.

"You are such a liar!" he exclaimed.

"Ask Noah. He didn't hear but he could sure smell it. We had to air the tent out."

"You did not."

"Suit yourself."

"You are such a bad man," he said. "But I love the way you talk."

"That's good, because I do a lot of it. You sound like an uptight British drag queen," I said.

"I do not!"

"I do not!" I said, imitating him, but grossly overexaggerating the effect.

"I don't sound like that!"

"I don't sound like that!"

"Stop it!"

"Stop it!"

"I'll show you!" he vowed.

He dropped his shorts and underwear.

I got up, laughing.

"I'm going to kick your a.s.s!" he said.

"You and what Union army?" I asked as I waded out into the deep water, laughing.

Noah honked.

Jackson waded into the water after me, a determined look on his face.

"Come on, chicken!" I called.

I swam out to the deep end. He followed, dragged me back. Mayhem ensued. He dunked me. I dunked him. We roughhoused. Then we took to hefting Noah and tossing him as high as we could. He splashed into the water and laughed with delight. Again and again, we heaved him about, Jackson grinning, Noah honking and hooting, me more in love with these two boys than I knew what to do with.

Then I heard the whine of a four-wheeler.

"Wait!" I exclaimed, holding up my hands for silence.

Whrrrrrr!

"Oh s.h.i.t," I said, hurrying to the sh.o.r.e.

"What?" Jackson called.

"It's Mama. Don't let her see you! She'll have a f.u.c.king coronary."

I waded as quickly as I could to the sh.o.r.e but she arrived on the campsite before I could get to my shorts. She took a good look at my w.i.l.l.y and was furious.

Noah shouted happily, "Memaw!"

He ran to her wearing nothing but a huge grin.