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“You did fine,” he smiled. “He’s just a curious kid, Eagle. At least he’s asking questions, and I think you gave him good answers that weren’t too detailed and were appropriate for his age. You could always ask Gabi or Mama Irene to talk to him.”
“Maybe I will if he has more questions,” said Eagle.
Ty did have more questions. He always had more questions. Does every boy’s penis look the same? How come Benji, HG, and my penis look the same? Why doesn’t every girl have the same bottom? How do you kiss a girl? Can I have a pet frog? If I can’t have a frog, can we get an alligator? Mama Irene says they’re sweet.
It was never-ending. Then, somewhere between his junior and senior years of high school, the questions ceased. They completely stopped, and for some reason, that made Eagle very worried. He knew that his sons were very popular with the girls. It seemed every girl at school wanted to date one of the O’Neal triplets. Or all of them.
In his youth, he’d followed Hawk one too many times with regard to women and regretted it. He didn’t want his sons to do the same.
“How was school?” he asked Ty.
“Good,” he said, setting his backpack by the table and taking his baseball gear to the mudroom. “I got an A on my calculus paper and an A- on my world history exam.”
“That’s great,” smiled Eagle. “Well done! You’ve definitely got your mom’s brains.” Ty laughed, shaking his head.
“I’m gonna go study,” he said, grabbing his backpack.
“Hey, uh, wait one second,” said Eagle. “I wanted to ask you something.”
“Sure.”
“I was just curious. I mean, I know your brothers decided not to go to Homecoming, but what about you?” Ty stared at his father, then looked down at his feet.
“Why are you asking?” he said shyly.
“Honestly? I was up at the school to drop off your paperwork for the field trip, and a girl, a very excitable young girl, came up to me. She said, and I quote, ‘oh my God, you look just like your sons, and you’re all so hot.’” His valley girl accent was overdone, but Ty laughed at him, shaking his head. “She said that she was hoping you were going to ask her to Homecoming.”
“That was Nicole Plaisance,” frowned Ty. “She’s always wanting one of us to take her to a dance or… or something.”
“Or something?” asked Eagle.
“Do we have to talk about this, Dad?” Ty looked uncomfortable, and Eagle was tempted to tell him, ‘no – they didn’t have to talk,’ but something in his gut said to persist.
“I’d like to,” he said quietly. “It’s just you and me, Ty. No one else here. What else did she want?”
“She walked into the boys’ shower after practice and saw all of us naked. She said she’d never seen one as big as mine and wanted to touch it.” His son burst into a bright pink hue, and for a moment, Eagle wanted to cry for him. He was struggling with how to process what that young girl said to him.
“And what did you say?” Eagle held his breath, repeating in his brain over and over again, ‘please say you said no.’
“I told her that I wasn’t ready for that. But,” he paused. Eagle gripped his arm, nodding at him. “But it makes me hard to think about it. I mean, she’s pretty, and one of the other guys said she gives great blow jobs.”
“I see,” said Eagle. “Well, there will come a time when you’re going to want a woman to do that for you, and you’ll be old enough to make that decision. I’m proud of you for saying no to her. Satisfying yourself is the best way to be safe right now. No danger of pregnancy, no accusations of rape, no opportunities for STDs.”
“We all agreed, me, HG, and Benji, that we were going to stay virgins until we turned eighteen,” said Ty. “We didn’t tell anyone else, but we want to do what’s right. I just feel weird sometimes because she’s had sex with some of the other guys on the team, and they talk about it. They get pretty graphic, and it gets me all worked up.” Eagle nodded at his son.
“I understand that. Our bodies are peculiar things, Ty. They react to certain things, and they’re difficult to control. I think you’re doing an amazing job, and I’m proud of you. But let me say this,” he said, leaning forward, “you’re becoming a man. More so every day. One day you’ll want to make love to a woman, and that’s alright. The things you have to remember are protection above all else, behaving responsibly, and using good judgment. Get to know her, ask those questions you’re famous for asking.”
“You said I ask too many questions,” he smirked.
“When you were a kid, you damn sure did,” laughed Eagle. “These last few years, not so much. I have to tell you, Ty, I’ve missed that. Sometimes you would ask me questions that I didn’t know the answer to, and I had to run to someone else to find it. It made me a better man, a better father. Hell, a smarter father.”
“I’ll see what I can come up with,” smiled Ty. He stood from the table and started toward his bedroom, then stopped. “Hey, Dad?”
“Yea.”
“Thanks for always being there for me.” Eagle smiled at his son, nodding. When he left the room, he felt as though he’d been gut-punched. His son was growing into a fine man, and the fact that he was questioning the willingness of a young girl made him proud.
It seemed like the blink of an eye, and the boys were off to the Corps together. Tinley cried, and if he were being honest, he’d cried as well. He was alone on the dock, then suddenly had a big arm around his shoulders, his brother hugging him. Hawk was the only person who could feel his emotions in this moment.
