The Halls moved into my neighborhood when I was entering my senior year in high school. Typical Midwestern town, typlcal high school, and I had the typical Catholic upbringing, which meant I was still a frustrated virgin. I had spent most of my upbringing helping out with chores on the family farm, and was therefore outdoors a lot; the result was I was tanned, blondish brown hair that I wore a bit too long, and a body that was filling out from all the farm work. I was the shy kid in my class, and I liked to read a lot, mostly science ficton, although of late my reading tended toward Penthouse letters.
I was as horny as the day is long and then some.
The Halls were notable in the neighborhood because they had twins; Judy and Willy were born minutes apart and although they weren’t identical, the similarity between them was striking, especially in the face. They both had delicate, well-defined features, and both were accurately described as “pretty”. They were both blessed with warm brown eyes and naturally long eyelashes that accented their eyes. They each had the same wry smile; they could light up a room just by smiling. They were a year younger than I was, and Judy’s flirtatiousness contrasted with Willy’s shyness. Both of them were short and thin, but Judy had a surprisingly round “bubble butt” and the nicest little tits I had ever seen. We all rode on the same school bus together and Judy had me at hello. She had no problem sitting next to me right off the bat and I thought lewd thoughts about her every time she would rise out of the seat and walk ahead of me to the bus door. That butt of hers had a sway to it that never failed to get a stir out of my loins. I was already in the habit of carrying my spiral notebooks in front of my tented pants for fear of discovery and humiliation, and Judy seemed to know instinctively why I would walk into school with my crotch strategically covered. The upturned smile and twinkle in her eye told me that my secret wasn’t so secret any more.
School had only been in session a little over a week when Willy waved at me one morning as I approached the school bus stop. He seemed excited about something and when I approached them he said, “I’ve got to talk to you Teddie, can we sit together today?” I shot Judy a look, but she was yacking (and flirting) with another boy from the neighborhood and didn’t notice me. I said, “Sure, Willy, no problem.”
The bus came and Willy sort of grabbed my arm and pulled me onto it, heading for the back seats. I thought it odd that he wasn’t letting go of my sleeve, but he was clearly excited about something, so I let him take the lead. He jumped excitedly into the window seat and drew me down next to him. He searched through his schoolbag looking for something while talking me in a whisper.
“I know this seems weird, but I’m in a new play the drama club is putting on and we’re having a hard time finding someone for a big part. I thought you would be perfect for it, really. You ever thought of trying out for plays?”
I hadn’t been in any organized activities in school, as I was always needed on the farm, and I was about to give him the brush-off, using my shyness as an excuse, when I noticed the look in his eyes. He seemed to be eagerly anticipating a positive response, and he was really hoping that I would say yes. For a reason I still can’t quite identify, I saw that look in his eyes and I hesitated. A butterfly or two launched themselves in my belly. A moment’s hesitation was all he needed, he quickly went into his sales pitch; it wasn’t a huge part, so I wouldn’t have to memorize a lot, practice was after school, so we could ride home together with his mom afterwards, the girl in the part opposite me was gorgeous (“Sandy Thompson, you know her? What a babe…”), and on and on. There was something about his eagerness that won me over, and before we arrived at school, I told him I would check it out. His face got a happy glow on it and he said he would tell the drama coach that morning.
The play was “Our Town”, and the part was for the George Gibbs character, if you’re familiar with the play. Sandy Thompson was playing George Gibb’s girl, Emily, and Willy was the play’s on-stage narrator. The practices had already started, and the drama coach, Mr. Stephens, welcomed me with open arms. He was betting on Willy’s recommendation of me, I think. I also sensed some desperation that he didn’t have a key role in his production filled as of yet.
We practiced four nights a week for five weeks and the play ran for four nights, ending on a Saturday night in early October. We had good crowds, and the part was sort of fun to do, particularly as my “interpretation” of George’s character was that he was a lot like me in real life. I was encouraged nightly by Willy, whose attention seemed to zero in on me whenever I was on stage. I have to say that I rather liked it, although Willy was a much better actor and his role really held the play together. The other kids in the production were all experienced members of the drama club, and most of the guys seemed to be gay, a fact that didn’t bother me too much. My parents were Catholic but had raised my sister and I to be tolerant of others. Willy became fast friends with everyone, and my shyness held me back a little. I noticed that Judy stopped sitting next to me on the bus, and Willy took her spot gladly, talking about this or that aspect of the production or gossiping about the other players.