Part Nine
Sharing

Inside the bath house, Ray talked to the lady who was managing it. "I'll get us a private room, Walter, but we need a dip in the communal bath first. It's fed by a natural hot spring. They claim it'll cure anything from dandruff to impotency."

"Really? But neither of us suffer from either one of those." That got me a poke in the side.

We went back into a room that had lockers on one side, and open showers on the other. Ray explained that the community baths in Japan weren't like regular baths back home. Here, you washed off first under the showers, then relaxed by soaking in the public pools or a private room.

Our fee had included soap, shampoo, a sponge, and a big towel. We stripped and put our clothes in a locker, then stepped into the showers. I was glad that we were the only ones in there. Ray's about the only person in the world I can be bare-assed around without just about dying of embarrassment. I don't know why I let him talk me into the bath house visit, except that it was what he wanted, and I wanted to be nice and fresh for when we... you know.

I scrubbed quickly but thoroughly. Ray washed my back for me. I felt his soapy hands move down and smooth over my ass, and swatted at him. "Ray! What if someone walks in?" He just smiled and pinched me, then turned around so I could wash his back.

When we were rinsed off we wrapped the towels around our waists and Ray led me down a narrow hall to a bigger room. I could hear a quiet murmur of voices floating from it. It was hot and humid when we stepped inside. The floor was covered with straw mats, and there were a couple of big, round wooden tubs right in the middle of the room. You know how in those Italian movies they show them making wine by standing in a vat full of grapes and stomping them with their bare feet? Well, these were about the same size as those vats, except they were full of water instead of grapes, and the people were sitting, not stomping. They all looked at us when we came in.

I froze and Ray was halfway to the tubs before he realized I wasn't following him. He stopped and came back. "What's wrong, Walter?"

I stared at him. What did he mean, what was wrong? "Ray, there are girls in there!"

He nodded. "Walter, I told you this was a communal bath house. What did you think that meant?"

"We have communal showers at the bases, and they don't have ladies in them."

"That's because the base communities don't have any women in them. Here, they do. Come on."

I shook my head, hanging back. "Ray, I can't."

He sighed, but he was smiling. "Baby, it doesn't mean anything to them. It's considered perfectly natural."

"It means something to me. What if I get... well, you know."

The smile widened slowly. "I didn't think that was a problem with you around the ladies."

"Yeah, well..." I rubbed my toe on the tiles, not looking at him, and mumbled. "You're gonna be in there, too."

He patted my cheek. "Bless you, baby boy. Just for a little while, Walter. For me?"

Now that wasn't fair. He knew I'd do just about anything legal for him. Still, I guess it was harmless enough. And all the Japanese people were looking at us now, probably waiting for me to run. It was kind of like being dared. I never liked having anyone think I was a chicken.

"All right. But don't be surprised if I decide to leave real quick."

"All I ask is that you give it a chance. C'mon."

We went over to the tub that had the most room in it. Ray bowed to the people in the tub, and they all inclined their heads politely. I did the same thing, and they nodded to me. Ray pulled off his towel, dropped it to the floor, and climbed in, settling on a bench that ran around the inside of the tub under the water.

Everyone was watching me. I took a deep breath, took off my towel, and climbed in. Boy, that water was hot! I had to sit down in it an inch at a time, and I was kind of worried about putting my... uh... well, it stung my behind, I figured it would... But it really didn't hurt, so I managed to sit down beside Ray.

The water only came up to mid-chest on him. For me and the Japanese, it was lapping up around our shoulders. I just kind of huddled there. I mean, logically I knew that I wasn't close enough to touch anyone. It didn't stop me from worrying about it.

I was grateful when the other customers started talking to each other again. "There you go, Walter. Feels good, doesn't it."

"Yeah." I had to admit that it did. I like hot baths, and you just don't get them in the army. I was still nervous, but I could feel my muscles starting to relax. The heat was seeping in, and it felt like it was going all the way to my bones. Like I could store it up for when the frigid Korean winter started.

There was a lady sitting next to me on the other side. She must've been someone's grandma, `cause her long hair (pulled up in a knot, like all the other women in the room) was all grey. But she only had a few wrinkles around her eyes, so it was hard to tell. She must've been really pretty when she was young.

She was watching me. Her eyes were even darker than Ray's. And she wasn't just looking at my face, either. She stared at my arms, my chest, and then... she looked down in my lap.

I turned red as a beet, and it wasn't from the heat of the water. Then she looked up at me, and smiled. "Oh, geez." I sank in the water up to my chin.

"What's wrong, sport?"

"That lady's staring at me."

Ray leaned over and looked around me, then said something to the little old lady in Japanese. She smiled again and said something back to him. I jumped when she reached over and touched my chest. It wasn't a sexy touch. She just ruffled my chest hair, speaking to Ray. He was grinning. "What's she saying, Ray?"

"She's remarking on your chest hair, Walter. Japanese men are smooth skinned for the most part. She says you're like a teddy bear."

"Oh, wonderful."

"Well, you are." The lady was speaking again. This time she pointed to my lap as she spoke. Ray suddenly howled with laughter. The other Japanese ladies were covering their mouths with their hands and smiling or giggling.

"What'd she say, Ray? What'd she say?"

It took him a long time to get control of himself. He kept looking at me and busting out laughing again. Finally he covered his eyes and said, "It... it wasn't an insult, Walter. Believe me."

"TELL ME!"

"You know she called you a teddy bear? Well, she says that she'd heard GIs talk about `being hung like a bear' and now she knows what they meant."

I sank the rest of the way under the water and stayed there as long as I could. Finally I felt Ray's hand on my shoulder, and he pulled me up. "Mother says don't drown yourself. It would be a waste."

"Look, Ray, if you want to kill me, use a gun. Dying of embarrassment is too painful."

He hugged me. Mother looked at us, then raised her eyebrows. "Aijin?"

Ray looked at me. "Hatsukoi." The old lady smiled, and nodded.

"Okay. What was that?"

"I'll tell you later." We soaked a little while longer, and Ray said, "How'd you like a steam? I got us a private sauna."

"I dunno. I've never been in one."

"Then you should. It sweats the impurities out. After a steam, be have a quick rinse, and you'll feel reborn. I promise."

"Okay." "I'll be right back."

The room we went to was about the size of a closet and completely lined with tile. There was a bench on one side and a kind of pit full of white hot rocks on the other. A tap was on the back wall, and a shelf obove it held a china pitcher.

Ray motioned me in and I sat next to the wall. He closed the door, then he filled the pitcher with water, and dribbled some on the rocks. Immediately a cloud of steam rose up.

He sat beside me, putting the pitcher near the pit. I had started sweating a little when I came into the room. Now it really got going. You know, it's funny how sweating in summer can be so uncomfortable and awful, but this felt good. I never will understand it.

"Like it so far?"

"Mhm. Makes me kinda sleepy."

"Don't go to sleep. It's not good for you to sleep in this kind of heat."

"Then talk to me."

"What shall we talk about, baby boy?"

"Tell me what the granny lady said."

"Later. Let's talk about... Boston."

"Boston?"

"My home town. I think you'd find it pretty interesting. You like history?"

"Heck, yeah! And Boston... they had a lot of things happen there way back when, right?"

He chuckled. "They did. I'd like to show it to you. We could see Bunker Hill, Boston Common, Paul Revere's house, the Old North Church..."

I sat up straighter. "Listen, my children, and your shall hear of the midnight ride of Paul Revere on the eighteenth of April in seventy-five. Hardly a man is still alive who remembers that famous day and year. He said to his friend, `If the British march from town tonight, hang a lantern aloft in the North Church Tower. One if by land, and two if by sea, and I on the opposite shore will be waiting to ride and spread the alarm to every Middlesex village and farm... Boy, the class laughed when we got to `Middlesex'. The teacher had to explain that `sex' just meant something like `county'"

He was staring at me. "You amaze me, Walter. You are a man of hidden depths."

I shrugged. "I memorized it for English. It came in handy. On the history test, they asked the date of Paul Revere's ride, and I was the only one in class that got it right. You don't have to talk if you don't feel like it. I won't fall asleep."

"Then let's just sit. I like just being with you."

"Me, too."

So we just sat there awhile. There aren't too many people in the world you can do that with. Just sit, not having to say anything.

Every now and then Ray would pour more water on the rocks, and we'd get a fresh cloud of steam. I looked at Ray. He was sitting with his head back against the wall, eyes half closed. Every inch of his skin was shiny with sweat, he looked like he was coated in glass. The moisture was gathering in beads on his shoulders, and they started rolling down his chest.

One of them landed on his right nipple and kind of hung there. I looked over at the door. It wasn't locked, because they had to be able to get in if someone fainted, or something. But then, the Japanese were real polite people, and I was pretty sure no one would come in without knocking for permission.

I leaned over and licked away the drop of sweat. Ray sighed, and his hand came up to hold the back of my head. I licked him again, and the little point stiffened. He tugged gently, pulling my head toward the other side of his chest. I took the hint and gave the same attention to the other nipple. Then I bit him, just a little bit.

He groaned. "Feels so good, baby. Don't stop."

I sucked and tugged, sliding my hand over his chest to find the other nipple. His skin was slick with sweat. It felt like hot, wet satin. I kept switching sides, till he started arching his back, pushing himself toward me.

Then I let my mouth wander down the center of his chest. I nipped at the slight arch that showed at the bottom of his rib cage, then trailed my tongue down to his belly button.

He started breathing really heavily, and whispering, "Oh god, oh god..." He pushed lightly on my head. "Please. Please, Walter."

I untucked his towel and opened it. His prick was half hard, arching against his thigh. He spread his legs as I bent over. First I nibbled at the skin on the inside of his thigh, and he shuddered, moaning. Then I gripped his cock, and very carefully licked the little slit at the tip. A thick, clear bead of fluid oozed out, and I licked it away, then took the head in my mouth.

I tried to remember what Doris had done to him, what he had done to me. It had been so fantastic. I wanted to make him feel like that. I wanted to give him what he'd given me.

I sucked softly, being careful of my teeth. I guess I was doing all right because he sure did sound pleased. After a minute I went down a little farther, then back up. Down a little farther, then up again. Pretty soon I was managing to take most of him in my mouth.

I started to use my tongue more, stroking along the shaft, and he whimpered. His hands left my hair to brace on the bench, and he lifted his hips, pushing deeper into my mouth with a grunt. I didn't pull back.

He started thrusting up steadily, till I felt his cock nudging the back of my throat. I wasn't going to be able to take any more of it, but that was okay, because he was almost done, anyway. I could tell.

I pulled off, and took hold of him tightly, stroking hard and fast. His back bowed, and his come spurted out over my hands, thick and warm. He didn't scream this time. He almost whispered, "Oh, fuck..."

He slumped, panting, as his dick started to soften. I picked up the towel and cleaned us off, then snuggled under his arm and listend as his breathing returned to normal. "What did the old lady say, Ray? Aijin?"

"Aijin means `lover'. She was asking if you were my lover."

"And what did you say?"

"Hatsukoi."

I waited. Finally I poked him. "And that means?"

He tilted my chin up and kissed me softly. "That means `first love.'"