"Your father got the grant he applied for, the one to do the study of Kodiak bears this summer," Tommy Jackson's mother announced at breakfast one morning late in May.
"That's neat, Mom," the young man said as he spooned sugar on his raisin bran.
"It means we're going to Alaska and will be living in the wilderness all summer while your father does his study," his mother said. She frowned when her son put a second spoonful of sugar on his cereal. "You know, Tommy, too much sugar isn't good for you."
"Aw Mom!" Tommy retorted. Like any teenager, he was embarrassed when his mother acted like a mother. Then what she'd said about living in Alaska hit him. "Alaska! Mom! I can't go to Alaska! Jeez! I just got that job at the Inn! And what about my friends...and my karate lessons?"
"Your father and I discussed that," his mother said. "We'd love to have you go to Alaska with us, but we thought you might not want to do that. Your father can't afford to turn down this opportunity. He's been trying to get the Kodiak bear study grant approved for three years."
"You mean it would be OK if I don't go?" Tommy asked, feeling excited. The prospect of being on his own for the whole summer was thrilling. His parents wouldn't be home. If he got lucky and finally scored with a chick, he'd have a place to bring her. That would be far-out! Then he saw the stern look on his mother's face.
"We wanted to be sure you'd be looked after and fed," she said. "So we asked Karen if she'd look after you. She said she'd be happy to have you stay with her for the summer."
"Aunt Karen?" Tommy said. His heart sank. His mother's adopted sister was a nice lady, and he loved her, but she was real religious. Staying at her house wouldn't be any fun. She'd probably be trying to get him to pray all the time and he'd have to go to church every Sunday. She'd probably want him to come in early Saturday nights, too.
On top of that, his cousin Kim, who was only a few years older than he was, would be home from college. He and his cousin got along OK, but ever since she'd started college she'd been acting real snotty and treated him like he was still a kid. On the other hand, Kim was a very good-looking young woman. Even though she was his cousin, Tommy had entertained sexual fantasies about her more than once.
"Maybe it will be good for you to stay with Aunt Karen," his mother continued. "You'll find out things at home aren't as bad as you think they are."
"Hell," Tommy thought, discouraged, "compared to living with Aunt Karen, nothing's that bad." "I don't think living at home is that bad," he replied. "How long will you guys be gone?"
"We're leaving at the end of this month," his mother said. "And we won't be back until the end of August, just in time for school."
Tommy wasn't thrilled about living with his Aunt Karen for the summer, but it sure was better than spending three months in the wilds of Alaska where the only females in miles would be large and small four-legged furry creatures.
"Your father and I thought you might decide not to go along," his mother said, "so I've already started packing some of your things."
"How come I can't just stay here?" Tommy asked.
"We've arranged a house swap," his mother explained. "A professor from Alaska happened to be teaching some summer courses at the university. He and his wife will be living here while we're gone. It's one way of cutting down on our expenses."
"Oh," Tommy said. His fantasy of having a place to bring girls was dashed. He wasn't going to have the chance to sneak into the empty house while his parents were gone. He finished his breakfast, kissed his mother, then he headed for school.
The young man was about to start his senior year in high school. After graduation he would be off to college.
Tommy's fondest wish was to lose his virginity this summer. He had gotten a part-time job as a bus-boy at a local restaurant. Though he'd had other job offers, he picked the restaurant job because it left his days free to hang around, and the restaurant closed at nine, so he'd have most of his evenings free, too. Meanwhile, there were still a few weeks until summer vacation began and he had finals and the festivities that accompanied the end of the school year to get through.
Tommy liked school and was a good student. That pleased his teachers and his parents, but didn't do much to make him very popular. Although he was good at his studies, he didn't have a lot of interest in sports, with the exception of the martial arts. He was extremely proficient in karate, tae kwon do, and several of the other martial arts, mainly because of his ability to concentrate and willingness to submit to the necessary discipline. All of his training had taken place in a small dojo in a neighboring town, so none of his friends had any idea he knew anything about martial arts.
Tommy made it a point to not let anyone know of his martial arts ability and even had to absorb harassment from school bullies on more than one occasion. His mother, a bit of a pacifist, constantly implored him not to fight. He loved his mother and was faithful to her wishes, although at times his self-control was sorely tested when some of the bigger guys in school hassled him.
His studiousness and unwillingness to fight resulted in his being regarded as a "nerd" or "geek" in school. It also had a negative impact on the number of girls willing to go out with him. The result was that while his sexual feelings waxed, his opportunities waned. Maybe, with his folks out of town he could change that! He adamantly wished to begin his senior year in high school no longer a virgin.
After school, Tommy went to the restaurant where he worked. When he walked into the dining room, his breath caught in his throat. The woman standing there, wearing a white blouse, snug black slacks, and frilly apron the inn's waitresses wore was, he thought, one of the loveliest women he'd ever seen! She had reddish blonde hair, a trim figure, and looked a little like Reba McEntire, the country singer. Only he thought she was lots prettier than Reba McEntire.
