Billy Olsen's life back in 1966 was no bed of roses, having been sick for much of his teenage years, and even after pretty much recovering from rheumatic fever Billy's overbearing mother insisted he stayed in the house most of the time, studying and reading.
The result was that Billy was a smart kid despite doing much of the work at home, and his mother considered him too ill to attend his high school graduation where he was to give the Valedictorian speech.
That didn't bother Billy that much since he didn't really know any of the other students, and had few friends at all outside of the occasional home health aide who had befriended him over the years.
So as Billy spent another summer in his bedroom reading by the open window, he started to look forward to the twice weekly visits from the guy who picked up the trash cans in the driveway, wishing he was big and strong like Wilson was.
Even after starting to exchange greetings with the middle aged man, Billy didn't know whether Wilson was the man's first or last name. All Billy did know was that the man was probably around the age his father was, wherever he was.
The garbage man wasn't Billy's father, although the 18 year old wouldn't have minded if he was. Wilson was black, as incredibly black as Billy was a pasty white, and even Billy knew that black folks were a rarity around Watertown, but Billy thought Wilson was pretty neat.
Wilson was a strong as a bull, hoisting up those full metal trash cans with ease and carrying them to his truck. Billy had tried doing that and had enough trouble moving those things empty, although he knew because he was chronically weak that wasn't much of a comparison.
Billy figured it must have been because of Wilson's arms and shoulders which were massive. Wilson's biceps were as big as Billy's thighs, and his barrel chest practically burst out of the grimy white wife-beaters the garbage man always wore.
Billy had begun to try and get Wilson's attention, first by nodding and giving a little wave, and when the older man returned the greeting Billy got brave and opened the window to say hello.
"How come a kid like you ain't outside enjoying the summer?" the gravely voiced trash man asked as he looked up at the pale lad in the window, and after Billy told him a truncated story about his illness Wilson wiped his brow with the back of his hand and added, "that's too bad, but you'll probably be well before you know it."
"Hope so. I wanted to start college last year but couldn't on account of I was too weak," Billy noted.
"College? How the hell old are you?" Wilson asked, and when the lad said is was nearly 19 the black man shook his head and added, "You don't look it."
"I know," Billy replied and then changed the subject. "You sure are strong. I can't believe you lift those cans so easily."
"Well, they get heavier as I get older," Wilson noted with a husky laugh, and when Billy asked how old he was he replied, "49 going on 100."
"Oh. You're in great shape for your age. My father is 48 and you're way stronger than him - or least he was the last time I saw him."
"He leave you and your Mom?"
"Yeah. Guess he didn't like having a defective kid," Billy glumly noted. "Hardly remember him."
"Same with me son. Ah, you'll do fine without him."
"I'll have to I suppose," Billy responded, and fearing the man would leave he blurted out, "Mr. Wilson? Could you make a muscle for me?"
"A muscle?" Mr. Wilson repeated. "You mean like this?"
"Yeah," Billy mumbled when the garbage man let go of the can he had been holding and raised his arm and flexed, and as the kid's eyes widened as he watched the softball-sized muscle bulge he wheezed, "Oh man."
"What are you doing kid?" Wilson asked.
"Me. Just looking at your muscles."
"No. With your hand. What are you doing? You jerking off?"
"Huh? What?" Billy replied, freezing and stopping what he was doing, and when Wilson kept staring at him he finally admitted he was.
"Sorry."
"You do that a lot?"
"Not much else to do."
"You like guys?"
"I guess," Billy confessed.
"Ever been with a guy?"
"One man," Billy explained. "Carlos was a home health aide who would help me bathe and stuff before I started to get better."
"I see. So Carlos would wash your stuff in the tub and when your little pecker got hard he would take care of it I suppose."
"Yeah. Actually we would take care of each other," Billy told him.
"How so?"
"He started to suck my dick in the beginning and then he let me suck his," Billy revealed. "And my dick's not so little. Mine was even a little longer than Carlos."
"That a fact?"
"Yes sir. 6 and three-eighths inches long erect." Billy explained and then shrugged. "When I get bored I measure it to see if it's grown."
"Worse habits I guess," Wilson nodded.
"I bet yours is bigger than that," Billy mumbled.
"What makes you think that?"
"I dunno. I have a copy of National Geographic that has a bunch of pictures in it of naked Negroes in Africa," Billy blushed. "They as had really big ones."