By Terosk
Copyright 2024 by Terosk, all rights reserved
* * * * *ARS PUNIENDI
PART IV
37 - Outwitted
[Theo]
I
had to marvel at Tyler’s hutzpah. While I had been utterly undone and
humiliated by my experience at school yesterday, Tyler seems to have
lost not one iota of his self-confidence. I couldn’t believe the poise
with which he was responding to his mother. I watched as she glanced
over at Mr. Formale for backup, and I saw him nod back to her and take
a deep breath before weighing in.
“I must confess, Tyler, that
you continue to impress me with the way you’ve navigated this difficult
day, and while I did apologize to you earlier this afternoon for my
taking over the punishment that the school had devised, I now see with
greater clarity the degree to which you are nursing your anger at what
I forced upon you this morning. Please know that it was far more my
doing than your mothers; I have a way of taking charge sometimes in
ways that aren’t always helpful. So, I repeat my earlier apology and
hope that you’ll find a way to forgive me and in so doing let go of
your pent-up anger. That said, I must confess also that you’ve been
most successful in flipping the script on us. It is admittedly
inconsistent of me to have walked off with your clothes this morning,
forcing you to endure a day in your birthday suit, and then later that
same day to get angry at you for being in your birthday suit. On that
count, you’ve clearly won the debate.
The important thing to
keep in mind is that your mother and I love you no matter what you are
wearing …or not wearing. So let’s make a deal. You may, if you so
choose, wear or not wear whatever you like in your space upstairs,
which, as you rightly point out, is not air conditioned. But we kindly
ask you to wear clothing when you descend the stairs and join the rest
of the family. Does that seem a reasonable compromise to you?”
I really couldn’t believe that Tyler’s father seemed so reasonable and
even apologized. Even more amazed that he’d allow Tyler to run around
naked upstairs. Of course, it never really entered my mind that Tyler
was authentically interested in running around without his clothes; I
figured it was just bravado. I soon discovered that I was quite wrong.
“Not at all,” Tyler responded to his father’s proposal, “Given that you
forced me to spend the day “in my birthday suit” in front of all my
classmates and endure the humiliation that went along with it, I see no
reason why I can’t run around in whatever state of dress or undress I
so choose.” He looked first at his father and then at his mother with a
defiance I’d not seen before. There was a stunned silence which
lingered for quite a while before Tyler added, “and if Luke and Leo
wish to join me in playing naked soccer, that should be fine as well.”
So shocked was I by the vehemence in his voice that I looked away from
the table as if I could pretend I wasn’t there. I anticipated a major
blow-up for sure. I heard a deep intake of breath from his mother and
saw her struggling to hold back an angry response. Tyler looked right
at her and added with a voice of calm nonchalance so directly at odds
with the aggressive tone he had used a second earlier, “And of course,
Theo should be more than welcome to join in that naked soccer game or
whatever else we might choose to do in our birthday suits.”
“Whoa,” I blurted out in horror, “speak for yourself. I’ve no interest
in running around in my ‘birthday suit’ - yesterday’s adventure was
quite enough for me!” All eyes immediately turned my way, and I noted a
slight exhale of relief from Mrs. Formale as she gave me a weak smile
and then glanced to her husband hoping for a response. Tyler,
meanwhile, looked at his father with an expression of calm but
determined defiance. Another awkward silence followed, and I noted that
the twins seemed to be holding their breath just as I was.
Mr. Formale looked directly at me and said, “Theo, rest assured that
you are safe under this roof to wear what you like, and no one will
force you otherwise.” He then took a deep breath picked up his wine
glass, tapped it gently with a fork as he stood, “I’d like to make a
toast.” he said with a wry smile spreading across his face. “To my most
wonderful and clever son who clearly has the makings of a first-rate
lawyer.” and then he added as an aside to his wife, “I’m afraid
Katherine that our eldest son may have won this case.” He then raised
his glass and declared ceremoniously, “I hereby acknowledge that your
reasoning, Tyler, is both sound and persuasive. It would indeed be most
inconsistent of us to impose upon you the requirement of wearing
clothes here at home when we just forced you to spend the whole day
without them earlier today at school. I therefore confess that you are
the winner of this debate, and you may therefore dress or not dress as
you please on this property. However, your mother and I certainly hope
you’ll exercise good judgment as to when it might be wise to be more
appropriately attired. We must acknowledge that we live in a society
that will likely take offense at the sight of your bare behind parading
down the sidewalk in front of our house. And there are certainly
moments when we may have guests coming to the house who might be deeply
unnerved, indeed scandalized, if you were to answer the door in as you
did earlier when Theo and your mother were at the door. So, we fully
anticipate that you will use good judgment.”
As Mr. Formale
spoke, I saw Mrs. Formale’s eyes go wide in surprise, clearly taken
aback by her husband’s declarations. No doubt displeased with the
arrangement, she was keen on putting some restrictions on the
open-ended invitation. Mr. Formale didn’t seem to notice his wife’s
concern but returned his gaze directly upon Tyler before adding in a
voice of authority, “And of course, you may not under any circumstances
pressure anyone else to adopt your novel clothes-free fashion. Is that
understood?”
Tyler, meanwhile, seemed to be taking this all in
with a barely disguised look of triumph, and after a short pause, he
responded to his father, “Yes father, it is understood. And I thank you
for acknowledging your role in what transpired today and that I am
therefore entitled to choose for myself how I wish to dress, or not
dress, here at home. For my part, I will acknowledge that I did learn
some important lessons today because of it. I also appreciate that
you’ll trust me to use my own good judgment going forward.” He then
turned to his mother, “And mother, are you okay with this arrangement?”
She had gone pale, “No - Not at all to be honest. I don’t think it
appropriate for a young man to be wandering around nude. …it’s, …it's
just not right.”
“ ‘Just not right’ …really mother? And yet
you didn’t object this morning when father walked away with my clothes.
Indeed, I believe you said that you had faith that I’d ‘grow from the
experience.’ And Theo has already acknowledged that he too learned from
his naked adventure yesterday. So how can it be a good thing for us at
school, something you yourself endorsed, and then somehow suddenly
become not appropriate here at home? I’m sure there’s lots still to be
learned from “fully embracing” the punitive measures imposed upon us
earlier, and I fully intend to make sure I learn everything possible
from the experience. You can’t possibly disagree with that, can you?”
Mrs. Formale was clearly at a loss as to how to respond. She looked
once again at her husband to intervene, but Tyler was quick to
recognize the opening and added, “So, Mother, with all due respect,
I’ll feel free henceforth to make my own judgement as to what I will
wear, or not wear, around this house, and I certainly hope that you,
like father, will love me either way.”
Why Tyler was
lobbying, with all too much success, for perpetuating the punishment
from earlier in the day was beyond me. I had certainly made it clear
that I was all too happy to be finished with it. Even so, I couldn’t
help but admire his determined resolve in the matter and impressed even
more that he’d managed to persuade his father to go along with it.
There was not surprisingly another long silence that followed, and I
looked around the table and noted a look of unhappy resignation from
Mrs. Formale, a look of calm acceptance from Mr. Formale, and utter
fascination from his two brothers, who, I had little doubt, would revel
in joining their older brother in running around in the buff. Tyler
just smiled, soaking in the silence as a symbol of his victory. I, of
course, remained silent as I observed all this and couldn’t help but
let my mind wander in anticipation of what might happen in the hours to
come.
Chapter 38 - Fun and Games
[Theo]
Tyler
eventually broke the silence by thanking his mother for the delicious
meal and volunteering to clear the dishes. He glanced my way, and I was
quick to join in the effort to collect the plates and take them into
the kitchen. I noted that as I took Mrs. Formale’s plate, she was
looking intently at her husband, and he appeared to be sending her the
signal to let things play out without further parental input. I made my
way into the kitchen when I heard one of the twins ask, “What’s for
dessert? …Cheesecake?”
“I hope its chocolate moose!” said the other.
“That’d be okay, but I like their cheesecake even better.”
“Nothing is better than their moose!”
“Except their cheesecake.”
“Actually,” cut in Mrs. Formale with a smile, “I sort of figured as
much since we had this conversation last time I picked up dinner from
the club. So this time I got 3 of the moose and 3 the cheesecake, so
you can each have your choice. And of course, so can Theo and Tyler.
Your father and I will be happy with whatever is left. I hope you
appreciate how I was thinking ahead.”
Tyler had just
returned from the kitchen to get the last remaining plates as she said
this, and he stopped just behind her chair, put his hand gently on her
shoulder and said slowly, “You really are wonderful mother, thanks!”
From the moment Tyler opened the door for me and his mother an hour
ago, his interaction with his mom had been tense and his politeness
forced, but this last comment seemed quite genuine. Mrs. Formale
clearly noticed and looked up to meet his eyes. It was a touching
moment.
“I deeply appreciate the thanks, Tyler.” she finally
acknowledged, and then after a brief pause, took a deep breath and
added, “This hasn’t been an easy day for any of us, and I can
understand why you’re still upset about it. I want you to know that I
do love you, but it’s been hard these last few months to show it with
all that’s been going on with you at school. Nothing would make me
happier than if we could clear the air tonight and get a fresh start.”
There was a plaintive note in her voice. “If the cold silence with
which you and I started the day can put behind us, I suppose that at
least is something positive to have come out of all this.” I noted that
there were tears in her eyes. “While you have expressed your
frustrations tonight, and rightfully I suppose, you’ve also shared with
us far more of your thoughts and feelings this evening than at any time
in many months. If you don’t mind my asking, Tyler, what was it about
today’s experience that has prompted you to open up this way?”
There was silence around the table as Tyler reflected on her question.
After a rather lengthy pause he finally responded, “I’ve been on stage
all day, mother. Indeed, it was the only way I could survive what you
and father put me through. I was forced to pretend that I was unfazed
by what was happening. Then, as the day wore on, it seemed an even
better strategy if I were to pretend that I was actually enjoying it
all. Anyway, by the time you and Theo arrived at the door this evening,
I was fully into the role that I had adopted earlier in the day. It has
admittedly served me well. … and I’m glad that you seem to like it.”
With that he took the final dishes into the kitchen as he added, “I’ll
happily bring the desserts to the table.”
The rest of the meal
went quickly. I chose the cheesecake and Tyler won some political
points by insisting that his mother choose what she wanted first. He
ended up with the moose and seemed perfectly happy with it. Everyone
savored their desserts in small bites except for Leo who gobbled his up
in less than a minute. “Thanks Mother, May I be excused now?”
“Not until everyone’s finished, Leo; you know the rules. Perhaps you
shouldn’t have swallowed the whole thing in one bite.” There was some
healthy levity in her voice, and he gave an impish grin as he
commented, “But it was soooo good! I couldn’t help it!” He nevertheless
settled down and waited for the rest of us to finish up, which really
didn’t take long for it really was delicious.
Once the last
spoonful was appropriately savored, Tyler again thanked his mother for
the meal and volunteered to collect the dishes. I immediately stood up
to help and we quickly completed the task at which point Tyler
announced that we were going to head upstairs to play a few video games
before calling it a night. Mrs. Formale then looked at me and inquired
if I’d be staying the night and that I was welcome to do so, but that
I’d better text my mother to let her know. I told her that I’d brought
my pajamas and would be sure to text my mom. I got the impression by
her expression that she seemed relieved that I was staying. The twins
then asked Tyler if they could join us for a few video games and seemed
thrilled that Tyler gave them an unambiguous thumbs up.
We
then headed upstairs during which I dutifully texted my mom as promised
to let her know that I was planning on staying the night. As we opened
the door to the 3rd floor rooms where Tyler slept, I noted
that the heat of the day had successfully congregated in that non air
conditioned space. I looked up from my phone to see that Tyler, just a
few steps in front of me, had already removed his coat and tie and had
begun unbuttoning his shirt. By the time we’d gotten to his room, he’d
already rid himself of his shirt and was loosening his belt and
unbuttoning his pants. I just stood in the doorway watching as he
tossed his shirt on the chair beside his bed, kicked off his loafers
and completed the task of unbuckling and removing his belt. As his
pants sagged to his hips, there was enough evidence that I could tell
he wasn’t wearing any underwear. He then turned to look at me directly.
A smile grew upon his face as he said, “Please don’t hesitate to make
yourself more comfortable. It’s far too hot up here to wear clothes.”
And with that he let his pants drop down to his knees as he sat back
down on his bed to slip them down over his bare feet and remove them
completely. He then gave me a knowing grin as he stood back up and
tossed his pants on top of his discarded shirt. All of him was
gloriously in full view and he wasn’t making any effort whatsoever to
cover up; indeed, he was clearly putting himself on display and waiting
to see how I was going to respond.
I have grown up in a
world where nudity was unambiguously off limits and a great part of my
response to the prior day’s punishment had been predicated on that
deeply embedded prejudice. Tyler had clearly blown past that societal
boundary and was ready to give the full monty to the entire world. I
wasn’t at all sure how to respond to be honest. There was one part of
me that was secretly thrilled to be a first-hand witness to this
rebellious display, and another part that was terrified. I thought of
Mr. Formale’s words insisting that I not be in any way pressured to do
anything that I didn’t want to, but at the same time I began to
recognize the conflicting feelings I was having about this entire
moment.
Tyler was now standing in front of me just waiting
to see what I’d do. I could feel my legs go wobbly as I recognized what
he expected of me. There was a part of me that wanted to join him, but
a larger part of me was terrified. I decided to remind him of his
father’s words and insisted that I planned on keeping myself clothed.
To my surprise, he just smiled more broadly and said, “No biggie -
you’re my friend no matter what you are wearing …or not wearing.” He
laughed as he repeated the common refrain from the evening’s
conversation. “Though I can’t help but think you’d certainly be more
comfortable without a coat and tie.” and with that he walked over to
his closet, grabbed a hanger and handed it to me. I removed the coat
and put it on the hanger and removed the tie as well. He took both from
me and hung them back in his closet. He then picked up the royal blue
hat he’d been wearing earlier and placed it back on his head.
“How about a game of Minecraft - I downloaded the latest version just
last week.” I followed him to the far side of his room and sank down
into the sofa which faced an impressively large video monitor. Tyler,
Thane, and I had watched more than a few movies in this space, and
probably played every version of Minecraft as well, and Grand Theft
Auto, and Super Mario before that. It was a well-worn sofa and
comfortably held the three of us, but somehow seemed smaller now that
my best friend was sitting just inches from me without a stitch of
clothing. I tried to focus on the game but found myself glancing
surreptitiously at Tyler. I was impressed with his ability to focus on
the game and how genuinely at ease he seemed being nude. I did my best
to return my focus to the video screen. The two of us had played for
twenty minutes or so when we heard the door open below and the sound of
the twins racing up the stairs. Tyler’s bedroom door was open, so Leo
and Luke, now in their pajamas, rushed in without a moment’s
hesitation.
“I told you Ty would be naked” said Leo triumphantly.
“Yeah, but you also said that Theo would be too, and he’s still in his
button-down shirt and slacks, which is what I predicted so I’m just as
much right as you.”
Tyler turned to his brothers with a smile,
“And I bet that one of you two will soon join me in being naked. First
one to strip down fully will be my partner in Minecraft against Theo
and the slowpoke.” There was a brief pause as the brothers processed
Tyler’s invitation, then both raced to remove their PJs in a fit of
laughter. Luke however tripped as he tried to step out of his bottoms,
and we all started laughing as he fell onto Tyler’s bed with his
bottoms tangled in his feet. “Okay - it looks like it’ll be me and Leo
against Luke and Mr. Button-down shirt.” More laughter as Luke finished
disrobing and he squeezed in next to me as we prepared to play. It was
a surreal scene. There really wasn’t room for four on the couch so I
found myself flanked by the twins with their bare bottoms squeezed up
against my legs. Like their older brother, they quickly focused their
attentions on the game and seemed utterly at ease with it. While I
wasn’t keen on joining them myself, I couldn’t deny that I found the
whole thing strangely exciting.
I honestly did try to shift
my focus to Minecraft, but it was hard to focus when the two squirmy
boys on either side of me were half in my lap and their bare behinds
constantly shifting against my legs. An occasional glance at their
prepubescent bodies couldn’t be helped, especially at the unusual folds
of skin at the end of their penises. The only penis I had ever really
seen up close was my own and it was so different from Tyler and his
brothers. It wasn’t wrong to be curious, was it? Luke suddenly elbowed
me in frustration, “Come on Theo, you’re messing up and letting them
beat us. I know you can play better than this.” I immediately made a
quick apology and returned my eyes to the game feeling embarrassed for
getting sidetracked in the way I had. Thankfully Tyler and his brothers
were focused on the video monitor and were likely unaware as to where
my mind and eyes had wandered. I did get my act together after that and
Luke and I manage to defeat a one of the lesser monsters, a wither
skeleton, but Leo and Tyler were clearly doing better still. Then, to
all our surprise, we heard Mr. Formale’s voice behind us.
“So good to see you all having such fun.” We all looked up to see him
standing in the doorway behind us. He was wearing the same 3-piece suit
he had worn at dinner as well as an amused smile. “And I’m glad also to
see, Theo, that my bare bottomed brood haven’t pressured you to join
them in their new, clothes-free life style.” I was about to respond
when Tyler piped in.
“That’s an impressive alliteration, father. Well done - you get an “A” for the day.”
“Thanks Tyler, glad you enjoyed my rhetorical flourish. I am sorry to
interrupt your fun, but I am hoping that you’ll give me a few minutes
of your attention.” He entered the room and took a seat on the edge of
Tyler’s bed to our left. I managed to catch Tyler’s eyes for a moment
to see if I could glean what this was about, but Tyler simply shrugged,
stood up and moved over to his desk chair and swiveled it to face his
father. Luke, Leo, and I stood up without a word and rotated the couch
almost ninety degrees so we could each see Mr. Formale without craning
our necks too much. I sat at the far end of the couch looking past the
twins, while Tyler was in his desk chair a few feet in front and to my
right. I could no longer see his expression fully so it was going to be
hard to get an accurate sense of how he was reacting, but I couldn’t
help but notice how his thick dark hair curled out defiantly from the
hat he wore. He had taken a purposely relaxed pose, sitting back in the
chair with one leg stretched in front of him, the other bent slightly
resting on the wheels of the chair. His hands were crossed loosely
across his chest, and his head was tilted inquisitively as he waited
for his father to speak.
It occurred to me that since
Tyler’s focus was forward towards his father, as were the twins’, I had
the advantage of watching the events unfold without being observed
myself, allowing me to study my friend Tyler more closely. His lean
physique was so very much like the classic Greek sculptures we’d seen
in our class. He was perhaps a year or so ahead of me in terms of
physical maturity; the upper school art class would likely have
preferred him as a model than me with my scrawny barely pubescent body.
My daydreaming was interrupted as Mr. Formale began speaking.
“When my brother and I were turning 15, our wonderfully free-spirited
Auntie Marie - my father’s older sister - you’ve never met her
unfortunately; she passed away before you were born. Anyway, she
offered to take us on a week-long vacation to her ‘favorite’ place in
the south of France - a place along the Mediterranean coast called Cap
d’Agde. She said it had the best beaches anywhere and promised that it
would be a week we’d never forget. I remember her saying that there was
tons to do, lots of other kids our age, and that it was important for
our development to be exposed to a different culture. She persuaded my
parents that it would be a perfect way for me and Antonio to begin our
summer vacation and to open our eyes to the wider world. My mother was
a bit hesitant, but together we overcame her objections promising that
we’d be good and wouldn’t cause Auntie Marie any trouble.”
Little did we know at the time what we were about to encounter. You
see, very near the ancient seaport town of Agde, an adjacent resort
village was being built along the beach specifically to accommodate
naturism - what we call in this country nudism.”
There
was a collective giggle from the twins at this point and Tyler gave a
slight chuckle as well and sat up a bit straighter as he commented, “My
my - this ought to be interesting. Please, father, go on.” His father
looked openly amused as he continued.
“On that first day,” he
continued, “when Aunt Marie woke us up, she suggested that we start our
vacation, since it promised to be a warm, sunny day, with a trip to the
beach. We quickly got up, put our suits on, and followed our aunt,
wrapped in a long flowing sarong, through the town towards the beach.
My brother and I were shocked to see both men and women, old and young,
going totally topless, a few wearing nothing at all which included even
kids our age. By the time we got to the beach, almost everyone we saw
was wearing nothing more than a hat. Many had towels, but they were
draped around their shoulders, not their waist. Of course, your uncle
and I were wearing the suits we had put on earlier and as we made our
way to a spot on the sand to lay out our towels, we noticed folks
looking at us strangely. I remember looking at Aunt Marie a bit
confused and was shocked to see her unwrapping her sarong. And she
didn’t have anything on underneath. She looked at us with an amused
grin and stated matter of factly, “At Cap d’Agde, most folks don’t wear
anything at the beach. In fact, on the warmer days, you’ll find that
most folks don’t wear much of anything anywhere in the village either.
Of course, it is up to you. Feel free to wear your bathing suits if you
prefer. It’s just that you may feel overdressed on this stretch of
beach.” And with that she simply unfolded her towel, sat down and
reached into her bag for the book she’d brought. We both stood where we
were, not at all sure what to do. After a moment she added, “Why not go
explore the beach for a bit and see if you can find some others your
age - there is often a group just around the corner playing volleyball,
kicking around a futbol, or throwing a frisbee. It’d be good for you
two to get acclimated to your new setting.”
That was all she
said, then she opened her book and began reading. Antonio and I had
little else we could do other than to begin walking in the direction
she’d pointed out. I remember that neither of spoke for the longest
time; we were in shock. We marveled at the naked bodies strewn across
the sands, most just enjoying the early morning sun laying on their
towels, others strolling on the water’s edge in quiet conversations.
There was, as Aunt Marie predicted, a small group of kids tossing a
ball around once we’d turned the corner. I remember standing off quite
a distance away just watching for some time. Eventually from behind us
an older boy approached, “Welcome to Cap d’Agde. My name is Edward. I
can see that you two are clearly new to the scene.” He gestured to the
fact that we were still wearing suits. He of course was totally nude,
and I remember noticing also that he didn’t sport a tan line. ‘Come,
let me introduce you to my younger siblings.’ And with that he led us
down to where the others, many of whom were our age and equally evenly
tanned, where playing.”
I had been so drawn into Mr.
Formale’s story that I hadn’t noticed how Tyler had shifted his posture
further. He was now sitting on the edge of his chair, and the twins too
were leaning forward eager for the next chapter in the story.
“Are you making this up?” Luke asked incredulously, “Is this a real place? …like for real?”.
“I must admit,” Ty added, “that you’ve earned our full attention. This
is better than your rhetorical flourish earlier. But I have to ask: why
are you telling us this?” I was wondering the same thing, but certainly
wasn’t going to put voice to the question. The scene Mr. Formale was
describing was beyond anything I’d imagined, and I found it strangely
exciting. I was keen on hearing more.
“I truly believe,” Mr.
Formale resumed, “it is imbedded in human nature to do all we can to
fit in to our surroundings. but I remember being determined at that
moment not to play into that instinct. Being naked in front of others
was so foreign to my upbringing that I simply couldn’t conceive of
shedding my bathing suit and parading around ‘au naturel’. My
beloved brother however - he’s always been a bit more daring than I -
saw it through a different lens as he turned to me and said simply,
‘Well, I guess we should consider this a perfect opportunity to
“acclimate” to our “new setting”.’ He then stripped off his suit and
joined the others encouraging me to follow.
I however stood
on the sidelines for quite a while feeling very much at a loss and
quite alone. I think I watched them play for nearly an hour. I remember
marveling at the fact that their nakedness didn’t seem in any way to
affect the way they were playing. Save for their nakedness, it could
have been me and my friends back at home. They had become utterly
oblivious to their state of undress and were simply enjoying each
other’s company. I recall being frustrated by the fact that my brother
Antonio was having fun and laughing along with the rest while I stood
on the sidelines.” Mr. Formale took a deep breath at this point,
seemingly lost for a moment in his own recollections. None of us said
anything as we waited for him to collect his thoughts and continue.
To answer your question Tyler: I was thinking that you, given what you
went through today, might enjoy hearing my own encounter with an
awkward situation regarding nudity. I fully confess that it was hardly
the same as what you had to endure today, but perhaps you can
understand at least why I mistakenly thought that the punishment the
school had designed would be a reasonably harmless way for you to learn
an important life lesson …and one that you’ve been struggling with, and
which has been getting you into trouble at school. I figured, or was at
least hoping, that you’d learn the lesson in much the same way as it
seems Theo has, and then you’d also avoid the penalty of missing out on
the opening three weeks of tennis season. It seemed a win-win at the
time.
Oh …and I should perhaps remind you also that I have
in fact invited your grandparents for a visit in two weeks’ time, and
that my brother’s son, your cousin Antony, is super excited to be
joining them for the week and will be staying up here with you.” Then
he chuckled to himself as he added, “And yes, Luke, Cap d’Agde is very
much a real place. In fact, you can ask Cousin Antony about it when he
arrives. I believe Uncle Antonio and Aunt Sophia took him along with
them the last time they spent a week there.”
Tyler and the
twins sat up even straighter at that bit of news and I could tell Tyler
was about to inquire further but his father quickly held up his hand to
quell the inquiry before it could be voiced.
Listen Tyler, I
feel the need to address one other issue with you. While I am proud of
you for navigating the challenges of this day with such success - which
you did, no doubt, by fully embracing the school’s punishment and
eventually recognizing the ridiculousness of this country’s prudish
ways. However, because we live in the prudish United States and not on
the southern coast of France, I am concerned that your newfound notion
of “Liberate´” might present some problems going forward.
You see, I got a bit in front of my skis when I struck up the deal with
you over dinner. While I fully agree that your arguments were
exceptionally well argued and you fully earned the liberal arrangements
I granted you at the conclusion of dinner, your most wonderful mother
is not at all happy with me for granting you the privilege of waltzing
around the house naked. She grew up in the more puritanical island of
England (which in turn passed along these prudish values to the United
States.) Anyway, she is deeply uncomfortable with you all prancing
around in your birthday suits. So, the main reason I felt compelled to
speak with you this evening is to address her concerns to you and beg
you to be extra sensitive to her heightened aversion to showing too
much skin.
“Wait a second, Father. Are you now reneging on your earlier agreement?”
“No, no …well, not really. I am just begging you to exercise good
judgment as to when and where you choose to be without your clothes,
…especially around your mother.” He took a deep breath and stood up.
“So that, I must confess, is what I really needed to say to you this
evening. I do appreciate you letting me interrupt your fun; thank you
for your attention. You can now get back to your video game. Luke and
Leo, it’s getting late; I’d like you to get ready for bed in another
half hour or so.” With that he turned and headed for the stairs, but
before he had a chance to descend more than a step, Tyler interjected.
“Whoa - hold on now. Since mother was fully on board this morning with
signing me up for a crash course forcing me to get over my own
unhealthy ‘aversion’ to showing too much skin, I feel it only fitting,
now that I am clearly cured of it, to return the favor, and to do all I
can to help her get over her own ‘ridiculously’ unhealthy ‘prudish’
aversion to it. So, towards that end, please let mother know that she’d
better get used to it. In fact, please suggest to her that she plan on
spending some time tomorrow morning cheering on Theo and her 3 sons as
we play some ‘au naturel’ soccer. Will you kindly pass that message
along to mother.”
Mr. Formale listened without turning around.
A most awkward silence followed, but eventually he turned towards us
and I could see what seemed a resigned smile spreading across his face.
He then began laughing for a full few seconds before finally saying,
“Tyler, you are ridiculously stubborn and utterly incorrigible, and I
love you despite all that. The answer is no. I will not pass that
message along to your mother. I’m in enough trouble with her already;
I’m not so foolish to make it worse. …let’s face it. I have to crawl
into bed beside her. So tomorrow will unfold as it will; I do wish you
luck with your mother.”
He began to descend the stairs once
more when Luke called out a final question, “Father, you never finished
the story. Did you join Uncle Antonio and those kids on the beach? Did
you, …you know, get naked too?”
Mr. Formale took a step back
up the stairs and looked at us with a complicit smile, “The rest of my
adventures in Cap Agde is a story that will have to wait for another
day.” And then he looked directly at the twins before adding, “You’ve
got just about 30 minutes. When you come down for bed, don’t forget
your pajamas.” He then turned and left us.
*****