Marco in the Park
by Nick Brady
Part 4
The next morning, Marco was so excited about his bicycle that I hated to bring him down, but there was something he needed to realize. We decided to have cereal for breakfast.
"So are you going to buy that Contender today?" I asked him.
"Yes, and the helmet and everything."
"How are you going to pay for it?"
"What do you mean, I already have the money." He protested.
"You have a good part of it in cash, but the rest of is is Luigi's check. The bike shop probably won't want to cash Luigi's check for you."
"Why not?" He asked innocently.
"That's just not the way it works." I explained to him. "You need to open a checking account. You will want a safe place to stash your dough."
"Oh. I didn't think about that."
"How about I meet you at noon and open an account for you. I bank at Fidelity which has a branch just a few blocks from here. Then you can get a debit card and you're in business."
"Is that a big deal?"
"No, but there may be a problem with your tender age. We may have to open a joint account." I suggested.
"Is that a problem? I mean do we have to be married or something?"
"God, I hope not." I laughed. "No, I think we can do that. It will help if we use the bank where I already have an account. I can take myself off of it later is you like."
"No, I don't care. That sounds kind of nice, really." He said thoughtfully.
"When you have a checking account you can withdraw your money as you need it. It used to be that you would write a check, but any more a lot of places places are suspicious of paper checks. A debit card is more universally accepted. It is not a credit card, though. It only taps the money you have put in your account."
"Can I get a credit card? I mean would I need both?" He wondered.
"Actually, I would advise you against a credit card. That just means you're borrowing money, and that can get away from you in a hurry." I cautioned. "Some cards can be used either way, but I think what you need is a simple checking account with a debit card."
"OK." He agreed without argument. "I will take your advice. I trust you." He smiled.
"Hey, I am just your financial adviser, it's your money. You can keep it in a shoe box if you want. But you want to have a way to cash your checks. A bank account is probably the best way to do that."
"Any other advice while we are planning my finances?" He asked.
I thought for a minute. "If you continue to work for somebody for any period of time, you should set up a direct deposit of your paycheck."
"What's that?"
"That's where your employer puts your money in your bank account for you. Then you don't have to deposit a check, it just magically appears on payday. That's quicker and more secure really." I suggested. "I don't know if Luigi's or Mercury will do that or not, but keep it in mind."
"How do you know so much about banks and stuff?"
"Because I work for a living. What I am telling you is just basic financial literacy. I thought maybe you might learn about that in school, or at home." I told him. "I guess your mother didn't talk about that sort of thing."
He laughed. "Oh no. She is a cash only sort of a business woman."
I frowned. "I guess she doesn't take debit cards, huh."
He shrugged. "I don't guess so. I don't think she has a bank account."
"I'm sorry. Maybe that isn't something to joke about." I apologized.
"So I guess I can't go get that bike today?"
"I tell you what. Why don't you meet me at Fidelity Bank at noon with your paycheck and enough cash to cover your bicycle, and we will open up an account for you."
He smiled. "Sounds like a plan. What's the address?"
"I don't remember the address. It's two blocks west of us across from Luigi's."
Big smile. "I can find that. It's a date."
"If we can get you fixed up, then you can hike over to City Cycles and pick up your ride." I returned his smile.
"See you at noon then. Anything else I need to know?"
"Actually, I was wondering about the courier job. Don't you need to go over there and apply with the Mercury people?" I asked.
"I have the address. I thought I would ride over there on my new bicycle and tell them I was ready to get to work." He had that all figured out.
"What if that doesn't work out? I mean you have to come to an agreement with them, fill out some paperwork and whatever."
"I don't know. Why wouldn't it work out?" He looked puzzled.
I chuckled. "You don't lack confidence, I will say that for you. What if you don't get the job? What will you do with the bike?"
"Ride it." He looked at me as if I were dim. "I will still need a bike to get around."
"Good point. OK, I will see you at noon then, OK:"
"OK." Conversation over and I went off to work.
I told my manager I was taking a long lunch then drove over to the bank, expecting him to be along later. He was waiting for me.
"Are you ready to do this?" I asked him.
"I brought my money." Was the reply.
We went inside to a cashier, told her we wanted to open an account and were directed to s desk in the center of the bank. I identified myself as an account holder and indicated to the clerk there that my young friend needed to open a joint bank account with me.
"Is this your first time to open a bank account?" He asked.
"Yes sir." Marco was obviously a little excited.
"Great. Please sit down and fill out these forms." He said, handing us several sheets of paper. Marco started out and then paused.
"What's my address?" He gave me a sideways glance. I told him, and coached him through the forms. It wasn't tough until he came to Social Security Number.
"Uh, I don't think I have one." He said with hesitation.
I hadn't thought about that. "I thought everybody had a SSN. Didn't your mother register you when you were a little kid?"
He shrugged and gave me a blank look. "I don't guess so."
What did you do when you went to work for Luigi?"
"I left it blank." We had a problem.
"I'm sorry." The clerk said. "You have to have that."
Marco was embarrassed and I didn't want to make him uncomfortable. "Look, my friend wants to cash his paycheck so he can buy something. We may have to wait until next time to open an account. Can you maybe just cash his check?"
"Do you have an account with us? He asked me.
"Yes, I do." I said, producing my bank card.
He looked at the check. "Luigi's?"
"Yes sir. I work there as a waiter." Marco told him.
"Just a moment please." He took my number and rattled some keys on his computer terminal. "I see you have money in your account. I will have to use that as security to cover this until the check clears. Will that be alright?"
"Of course." I assured him.
"Just a moment please." He disappeared for a minute then came back with a handful of cash and counted it out to Marco.
"Here you go sir." He said to Marco. "Please come back when you have your numbers and we will be pleased to open an account for you."
We thanked him and left. "Sorry. I didn't know this would be so complicated." Marco apologized.
"That's OK kiddo. We need to talk about a few things." I told him. "If you are going to live with me we need to get you squared away. You need to get your Social Security Number and probably a copy of your birth certificate. You have to have those for almost everything. Do you suppose you can get those from your mother?"
He frowned. "I really don't want to talk to my mother."
I glanced at my watch. "I have to get back to work Marco. You go and get your bike and I will talk to you tonight, OK? We can sort this out later."
He nodded and gave me a forced smile. "Thanks Marty. Sorry to be a pain in the ass."
"Don't worry about it. Go get your new bicycle." I gave him a big smile. He spun around and trotted off in the direction of the bike shop. I had brought home a stray pup with no paper work.
I got home about half past five and was greeted by the smell of fried chicken. Parked in the corner of the living room was a gorgeous looking bicycle, matte black with a pile of accessories stacked next to it.
Marco flashed me a big smile when I walked in. "I got it." He beamed. "Wayne fixed me up."
"I see you did. It's a beauty." I sat down to admire it. "Tell me about this beast."
He listed its features. "This is the coolest bike. It has a chromoly steel frame, a little heavy, but very rigid and indestructible. it's got a carbon fiber tube, sealed bearings with a flip flop back hub, racing saddle, and pursuit bars. It has toe clips, but I will take those off."
I was impressed but confused. "OK. What's a flip flop hub and why are the handlebars sticking straight out?"
Marco proudly explained. "The flip flop hub lets you coast downhill without pedaling. The pursuit bars let you stretch low over the front of the bike and it reduces your wind drag. They let you go faster."
"OK. Tell me about the toe clips."
"Toe clips hold your feet on the pedals. That's good when you're riding, but you can't get your feet out of them as fast if you want to stop quick. If I am darting around in traffic I want to be able to stop and put my feet down." He grinned at me. "So I don't fall over, see?"
I ran my hands over the frame, thumped the tires and picked it up. "That's not that heavy."
"No, it's not, I carried it up the stairs with no problem. It is heavier than like, a racing bike, but its stronger, you know?" He was really excited. "This is the coolest bike I ever saw, Marty."
I pointed to the pile of accessories. "Tell me about all this."
Marco squatted down and began to go through his stack of treasures. "These are front and rear LED lights. They don't really illuminate the road like head lights, they flash so people can see you. Here is a bottle cage and water bottle. I will get thirsty, see. It mounts right on the frame. This is a tire repair kit. The tires and tube are heavy duty, but I still might get a flat. I got a black nylon canvas saddle bag to carry this stuff in, it hooks on the back of the seat, right? And of course a Kryptonite lock."
Then he slapped a nifty looking helmet on his head. "High impact aerodynamic bike helmet, black of course, and bike shorts."
The last he stood up and held in front of himself – black Lycra stretch shorts that came down to just above his knee and looked like they were way too small.
"They stretch." He grinned. "Want me to try them on?"
"Sure. Let's see them on you."
Marco dropped his jeans to the floor and shoved down his boxer shorts, then bent down and pulled on the bike shorts. He took my breath away.
"My God, are those legal to wear in public?" I gasped.
"Oh yeah. Do you like them?"
I looked him over. "Your, uh, you are standing up in there." I noticed.
The grin got even bigger. "Right. It gives your balls more room when you are on the saddle." He lecherously passed his hand over his crotch. "You like?"
"Oh, Marco." I almost swooned.
He pulled off his shirt and held out his arms. "I'm all yours."
I almost instantly had an erection. "Jeez, Marco. We haven't even had dinner yet."
He spun around and wiggled his butt at me. "That's no problem. I'm not going anywhere. You hungry?"
"Well yes, but I am about to get distracted."
He went over to the counter to a box from KFC. "I got some chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, slaw, and we have pie left over from last night."
We laid it out on the kitchen table and began to feast. "I talked to the Mercury guy this afternoon."
"Yeah? How did that go?"
I showed him my bike and we talked a little bit. Then he had me fill out some forms. I need that number." He frowned a little.
"I'm afraid we are going to have to have a little chat with your mom."
"Yeah, I know." He sighed. "What if she doesn't have that stuff?"
"You can get it. We can check with the Social Security office, and you can get a copy of your birth certificate from the state. It shouldn't take too long."
I took another piece of extra crispy. "What about Mercury? Do you have to wait on the number? Will they hire you?"
Marco smiled. "I think the guy liked me. He said he will let me start tomorrow while we wait for the number."
"Hey, that's great. So you are in business." I congratulated him.
"Yep. The boss's name is Mercer. He is like a black guy, pretty cool. He looks young and fit. I think he is a courier too. I am supposed to talk to him first thing tomorrow to find out how this works and go over a map of the city and stuff. I think it will be cool." Big grin. "He was impressed with my bike."
I had to smile at him. "You are something else, Marco. You are taking care of business. Good for you, man."
He waved his hand at the bike and stack of accessories. "It was about $490.00."
"For everything?"
"Yep."
"So you have money left over."
"Enough for fried chicken." He grinned.
I leaned back and started on the pie. "You are doing good, kid."
"Yep."
He tossed his hair back and passed his hand over his smooth brown belly. My heart did a slow melt. "Can you play some music?" He pointed at my Bluetooth speaker.
"Sure, what do you like?" I pulled out my smartphone.
He shrugged. "Rock, old stuff."
I brought up some Stones. It started with 'Satisfaction'. "How's that?"
For an answer, he stood up and started a slow sinewy dance, rotating his hips and moving around. He was pretty good. He was using his hands in a nice way. I started to get hard. I noticed that he was too. It was pretty easy to see under the lycra shorts. He looked very good.
I started to dance with him. I am not much of a dancer, but how could I resist. "You are looking good, kiddo." I told him.
He grinned and started to unbutton my shirt. I raised my arms and let it swing open. He pulled out my shirttail. I turned around so he could slip it off my shoulders. Now we were both naked from the waist up. He looked a lot better in his bike shorts. He would look even better without them.
Marco sidled up close and began to unfasten my belt and unzip the slacks that I wore to work. He had a little trouble getting the zipper over the bulge in front, but he managed. I wiggled my hips and rested my hands on his shoulders. That long black hair felt soft and nice.
He let my pants fall down past my hips and onto my shoe tops. He continued to grin while I continued to wiggle. He pushed my boxers down and let my cock spring up. He was so goddamned sexy I could hardly stand it. I let out a long sigh and kicked off my pants.
Marco took my cock in one hand and my balls in the other and started to work me. I could only endure this for a minute then dropped to my knees in front of him and pressed my face into his hard cock. He was so beautifully outlined in the black nylon shorts. There was a kind of pad in the crotch, but his dick was standing up tall and proud. I could even see the outline of his foreskin pulled down almost under the corona. I put my mouth over it and began to tongue him through the fabric. He took my head by the ears and hunched into me. It was very hot.
I tugged the shorts down to his ankles and his dick stayed flat against his belly. I really liked that. When I looked up at him, he was looking down at me with his dark hair curtained around his face. I took his cock in my mouth and sucked him deep. I could hear him moan.
I had just gotten started on his nice brown cock when he dropped down on his knees and kissed me. "I love you, Marty." He whispered.
I pressed my face into his neck and smelled his hair. "Oh, don't say that Marco. You scare me."
He sat back and looked at me. "But I mean it." He said.
"The last time I told somebody I loved them, I got my heart broke." I explained.
Marco looked sad. "I'm sorry. I don't want to hurt you."
"Neither did he. I guess it just happened, but maybe it has made me a little gun shy."
"Oh. I'm just telling you how I feel. Is it OK if I like you a whole lot?"
"Marco, Marco. What will I do about you?" I held him and buried my face in that beautiful hair.
He put his mouth to my ear. "Would you fuck me?" He whispered.
Argument was futile. I stood, took his hand and we went into the bedroom. After a quick side trip to the toilet, he came out smelling like soap.
He lay back on the bed, pulled up his knees and spread his cheeks. I knew what he wanted, and I gave it to him. I ran my tongue up the crack of his ass and sucked on his asshole. He shivered and gave out a little cry. He was smooth as a baby. I didn't think he shaved himself. I guessed he was just naturally smooth. He smelled like soap, which I appreciated.
I kept this up for several minutes, rimming his ass and fondling his equipment. He held my head and moved his butt in a very appreciative way. It had not occurred to me that I could enjoy eating out a guy's ass so much, but I was in no hurry to stop. It was fun giving Marco such obvious pleasure.
"Oh please, I'm ready now." He whimpered.
He was wet with slobber, I was dripping precum. We were ready. I pushed in slowly to be sure I didn't hurt him. I really didn't want to hurt him. I felt I was in love with him but was trying not to say that. It was just too scary. I popped through his sphincter and went in.
"Oh Marty!" He cried out, but not in pain.
"Oh my God." I moaned and slid in to the bottom. He jerked a little but held on tight. I held still until he started to move on me. We were of a common mind on this. I fucked him good until he started to cry out.
"Oh, fuck me Marty, please fuck me!" I was stroking his cock fast and he started to cum in my hand. I was just behind him. I didn't want to cum up his ass so I pulled out just in time to squirt over his chest and belly.
We made quite a mess. When the lightening quit flashing I realized that I had been making a lot of noise. I fell on top of him and we held each other very tight. The mess was dripping down his sides. Our mouths were pressed together. It was wonderful.
It took several minutes before we were able to breath normally. We were not in any hurry.
"I'm sorry Marty, but I really think I love you." Marco sighed.
"I know, I feel the same way. Maybe it is just the sex though. Sometimes you can't be sure." I told him.
He gave me such a sweet look. "I'm pretty sure. I feel the same way almost all the time."
I looked down at him and felt myself tearing up. "Maybe this is as close as it gets." I spoke softly and sniffed. "Let's see how it goes. I may piss you off or something."
He smiled and kissed me gently by way of reply. "I don't think so."
We peeled ourselves apart and went in to shower. We did our usual dance, alternating under the shower head and soaping each other off. It was a nice dance. There was a little giggling and kissing between positions. We finished by drying each other off with the same towel. When we finished we sat down side by side on the edge of the bed.
He looked thoughtful then said. "I'm still kind of hungry."
"You are a growing boy, I guess. I laughed. "Any more pie?"
"Yes." He hopped up and went into the kitchen to dish up the last two slices.
I poured us two glasses of milk and we went to work on the pie. "I like your bike." I nodded to his new possession.
"Me too. I want to ride it some more. I rode it around a little this afternoon on the way home from the bike shop. It glides so smooth!"
We polished off the pie. "We need to check with your mom about that stuff." I reminded him.
"Yeah, I guess. I bet she doesn't have it."
"Maybe not, but it would save us a lot of time if she does."
"OK. I will go by there tomorrow morning." He agreed. "If I catch her sober she might remember where it is."
"Do I need to go with you?"
He thought about it. "No, it would be better if I went by myself. I can ride over on my bike." He sort of smiled. "She might take you for a customer." I rolled my eyes.
We cleaned up the kitchen together then he went to his stash and began to go though his bike stuff. I watched as he unwrapped everything and attached his lights and bottle cage. He put his lock and tire repair kit in the little saddle bag and fastened it behind the seat. He fussed around with everything, adjusted the height of the saddle, checked the brakes, dusted everything off again and then admired it. I just sat and watched him.
I started the music again from Pandora. I chose some piano quintets just to see what he would say. When he couldn't find anything else on his bicycle that needed dusting he came to the sofa and sat down next to me.
"Nice bike." I told him one more time. He nodded.
"Did you tell me you played a violin?"
"Yeah, in the school orchestra."
"So where is your fiddle?"
"I never had one. I used the school's."
"I see." I looked over at him. "You any good at it?"
He waggled his head around. "Pretty good. I kind of like it."
"You OK with this music?" Pandora was playing something by Schumann.
He paused and listened for a minute. "Yeah, that's nice."
"Not all sixteen year old guys like Schumann." I observed.
He shrugged. "I like a lot of things."
"You are kind of different." I said. Not sure how he would take that.
"I know." He said simply.
It had been rather a long day for me what with work and our strenuous activity in the bedroom. It was only about 9:30, but I was tired.
"Sorry to poop out on you Marco, but I think I will turn in."
I went to the bathroom, peed, brushed my teeth and all that, then lay down on the bed. I didn't need to undress as I was still nude from the shower. Neither of us had bothered with clothing. Marco went into the bathroom to repeat the same routine then lay down beside me.
After a minute he rolled over and put his head on my shoulder. I reached over and put my arm around him. It was nice. There was a little breeze from the window and not too warm tonight.
"Marty?"
"Yes?"
"I still love you." I hugged him a little but was reluctant to respond.
"It's OK." He said. "You don't have to love me."
"I'm sorry Marco. "I'm crazy about you. But, I don't know, maybe the words mean something different to me."
He looked up at me. "What do they mean to you?"
I sighed. "To say I love you means commitment. It means I want to be with you forever. I don't know, that sounds dumb.
"It doesn't sound dumb. I think that's what it means to me too."
I began to feel like a real jerk. "Look, there was this guy Phillip I knew when I was eighteen. He was twenty three and I thought he was the end of the world. Other than jerking off with some guys when I was younger, he was the first person I ever really had sex with."
"OK, I understand." Marco was listening attentively.
I went on. "He was good looking, athletic, smart, everything I thought was important, and he told me he loved me. I told him I loved him, and I thought I did. This was the first time I ever felt like that, and I assumed it would last forever."
"What was he like?"
"I thought he was a cool guy. He was in college, getting ready for graduate school. I was just out of high school and starting to college in the fall. He was charming and funny, and...."
"You were nuts about him."
"Yes. I told him a hundred times I loved him. I think I said it all the time to make sure it was true. And he said he loved me."
I turned to look at Marco. "It was good sex, Marco. I was eighteen and in really good shape. I guess I looked pretty good and he had a lot of fun with me, but then he moved on. He met a guy in graduate school that was more to his liking and basically he dumped me."
Marco scowled. "That sucks. Was he shitty about it?"
"Not really. He was very polite and apologetic. He said he hoped I understood, but of course I didn't. It broke my little heart." I tried to laugh.
"So what happened?" The scowl remained.
"So, I tried to get over it. But since then I have been a little shy about commitment, you know? I decided that I was never going to tell anybody I loved them until I was absolutely sure that it was the real thing."
"How do you know?"
"How do you know what?"
"How do you know when you are absolutely sure it is the real thing, and going to last forever?"
I suddenly realized how stupid my little speech was. "I guess you never do."
"So does that mean you can never love anybody?"
"No, it just means that.... What I am doing a poor job of saying is that I am afraid I will hurt you. If I tell you I love you and something happens, maybe you will feel as shitty as I did. I don't want that to happen."
"Why not? I mean, why is that so important to you?"
"Because...." I hesitated.
"Is it because you think maybe you love me?"
Silence.
"Yes. I think maybe I do. But...."
Marco put his fingers to my lips. "That's good enough. That's all I need to know. I'm pretty sure I love you Marty, but you don't need to propose to me. I just need to know if this is casual or real. Maybe this will last and maybe it won't. I hope it does, but then maybe I am just a kid and don't know any better. I just want to know if this is real, that's all. I kind of want it to be real."
He snuggled over and insinuated himself into my arms and went to sleep.
In the morning I woke up to an empty bed. Marco was in the kitchen cooking eggs, dressed this time. I got ready for work and joined him.
"We need to go to the store." He said. "This is the last of the eggs, and we are out of Bisquick. There was some bread for toast though." He nodded at the coffee pot.
I sat down and drank some coffee. I could get used to this. "You going to see your mom this morning?"
"Yep." He put eggs and toast on the table and sat down.
"Well, good luck with that. You going to see the people at the courier service?"
"Yep. Mercer at Mercury. I will go after I talk with my mother." He stirred his coffee.
We sat and looked at each other for a minute. I thought he might be waiting for a cigarette. "I'm out of smokes." I told him.
"You forget or you quitting?" He asked.
"I thought I might give it up." I smiled at him. "I don't want to be a bad influence on you."
"Oh, we wouldn't want that." he laughed. "I am so pure."
"You are a pretty good kid for a sex fiend." I laughed with him.
"I hope Mercer will let me ride for them today. It will be fun to get started."
"Good luck with that. Don't get run over."
He grinned. "I'll be careful." He picked up his bike and we walked out and down the stairs together. We were off to work.
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