A Trip into Town (f/m) part 2 added
Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2018 5:49 am
I know it has been a while since I posted anything on this board. This isn't a true TUG story per say. But, it covers some of the space between my last incident with Cody and the next one I am going to post here. I wrote this up for a different board but thought I would post it in both places. Have a read over it and let me know what you think.
It was the second last week of August the Summer that I moved and the year I met Cody. My mother was still in the house gathering her purse and looking for where she had left the keys to the SUV. I was in the garage waiting impatiently. I hated this sort of errand and the sooner it was over, the sooner we could get on with our day. School was starting in just over a week and I didn't want to waste any more of my Summer vacation than I needed to. I heard a familiar sound of tires rolling over the pavement on the driveway that led up to our house.
Cody rolled up on his bike right on time. It was about a 20-minute ride from his house to mine and he looked like he had rushed to get here. He was dressed in some knit shorts, a tank top and some tennis shoes. He was still wearing the pads and helmet from our last story. Apparently, his mother was a little annal about them after she spent money on them. Our last TUG seemed forgotten and we had crossed paths a few times since then. However, another situation didn't present itself and I had not decided to test my luck after our initial discovery.
"Hey, how's it going." Cody greeted me while he was slipping out of his pads and helmet.
"Pretty good, you must have really rushed to get over here. You're all out of breath." I replied
Cody panted and took a moment to gather in some oxygen. "Yeah, I didn't want you to leave without me." He replied back.
"Don't worry we wouldn't have." The voice came from the rear of our garage. My mother was standing there her purse over her shoulder and the keys in her hand.
"Thanks again. My mother was busy and it's way too far to ride my bike." Cody commented upon seeing her. "I brought my own money and all, but the ride is appreciated greatly." He finished.
"No problem, you can leave your bike in the garage and I'll lock it up before we leave so it won't get stolen." My mother offered making her way to the front of the SUV heading for the driver's seat. Cody finished slipping his pads off. He hung his helmet from the handlebars on his bike by the chin strap and dropped the pads into it like it was a bucket. Then he pushed it into the garage and leaned it up against the wall. Then he made his way around to the door behind my mother in the SUV. I guess he expected me to want to ride shotgun. He opened it and climbed into the passenger seat on the second-row side.
The SUV was a large one dark blue in color on the exterior. The inside was a dull gray color both on the lining and the seats. The vehicle could ferry 8 passengers with the two rows of rear seating. But, it was rare that it ever had more than 2 or 3 passengers on board. My mother mostly bought it because it had 4 wheel drive and apparently the snow down here didn't get plowed as well as it did where we originally lived. Cody seated himself inside and closed the door while my mother and I began to enter the vehicle. He looked around the interior of the SUV and took it all in with a slow and methodic gaze.
"Hey?" Cody started addressing my mother. "What's that?" He asked pointing over his shoulder towards the opposite side of the third-row seat. My mother's eyes darted as she followed where he was pointing.
"It's a seat mount that goes with Amy's harness." She explained looking back towards the strap that wrapped around the rear seat of the vehicle.
"Harness?" Cody questioned not quite knowing how to phrase the question.
"Yeah, it's a safety harness for the car. She uses it sometimes when she rides." My mother stated pointing out the window towards the garage wall. Cody followed her pointing finger. My car vest was hanging on the wall of the garage on a nail. I hadn't made much use of it during the summer. At least not for riding in the SUV. I was getting bigger now and I was somewhat more conscious of my appearance in public. I still liked to be all strapped in. But, at my current age and size, a normal seatbelt fit me just fine.
Likewise, the way the SUV's seats were situated there wasn't a split in the bottom of a seat for a wrap style mount to attach. The seat in the front passenger position and the middle row didn't have a split under between the bottom and the seat back. That meant if I wanted to use the vest, I had to ride in the third row. It was a hassle getting the vest on and off and then having to make my way all the way back to that position. So, for the shorter trips that we usually took, it just wasn't worth the hassle. So, I just went without it most of the time.
Cody opened the door to the vehicle and got out. He took a few steps across the garage and began to look at the var vest hanging on the wall. My mother and I both stepped halfway back out of the SUV. I stayed where I was. My mother crossed the garage and addressed our friend with a gaze. I think she was trying to figure out the level of interest he had in the matter. I was kind of hoping that it would just get dropped and we could get on our way.
"So, you really wear this in the car sometimes Amy?" Cody asked looking over his shoulder.
"Yeah, it was something my older sister started when she was a kid. She outgrew her car seat, but still wanted to ride strapped in better than a normal seatbelt would offer. My Mom got her one of those and it kind of stayed as an idea for the family. I don't use it all that much anymore." I explained trying to keep the tone of the conversation casual. Cody finding out about my TUG situation was one thing. But, I wasn't sure how he would take this news.
"Do you want to try it on?" My mother asked breaking the silence.
"Yeah, sure." Cody replied almost eagerly. I could tell he had some fascination with it. My mother lifted the vest off the nail it was hanging on and began to approach Cody.
"Turn around and hold your arms out in front of you." My mother instructed the boy. Cody complied with the request following the motion my mother demonstrated with her arms out in front of her. She undid the zipper at the rear of the vest and began the process of guiding it around Cody's torso. Although Cody and I were the same age, he was slightly bigger than I was and the vest was a little small for him at his current build. My mother removed it and put some slack in the shoulder straps with the adjusters.
She slid the vest back overtop of Cody and it hung closer to the way it should for someone of his build. However, the back still wouldn't close and there was a slight gap between the sides of the zipper. My mother opened a drawer on our workbench in the garage and fished out a double-sided zipper insert. The main purpose of it was to make the vest larger if I needed to wear it over heavier clothing like a jacket. She zipped the insert on the left side and then zipped the right side of the vest onto the zipper. It fit pretty well on Cody. Next, she made a minor adjustment to the shoulder straps and the harness fell into place.
Finally, there was the strap that goes from the back of the vest up between the passenger's legs. It attaches to a little clip on the armpit level strap on the front of the vest. It's meant to keep the passenger from sliding under the lap belt in the event of an accident. My mother threaded it into place and snapped it. It was a little snug on Cody and she gave him another inch of slack. Cody turned around in the vest testing out how it felt and how well he could move around. I could tell it was a foreign experience to him.
"It's a little tight." He commented looking down at it.
"It's supposed to be snug." My mother replied. "Seatbelts need some tension to work in the event of an accident. Do you want to try it for the ride into town? I mean actually wear it in the car?" She asked.
Again Cody shrugged. "Sure why not."
My mother returned to the driver side rear door on the SUV. She opened it and hit a latch under the seat. This caused the driver side seat in the second row to slide forwards and offer access to the third row. My mother gestured for Cody to enter and he followed her pointing finger. He worked his way down to the far seating position and put himself in front of the cam wrap seat mount. He looked down at the whole thing but then threw his arms up in confusion not quite sure how it all worked.
"Here, I'll help you get situated." My mother replied climbing into the rear compartment after Cody. She slid across to the center position on the seat next to Cody. My mother gestured for Cody to get his arms out of the way and let her work. He did as she asked. My mother went ahead and attached the vest to the seat mount by clipping the 4 clips onto the D-rings on the vests shoulders and hips. Once that was done she made a final adjustment to the sliders on the shoulders and snuggled up the crotch strap a little. Cody remained seated and let her proceed without any complaint.
Finally, she reached over Cody and took hold of the normal 3 point seatbelt that was part of the SUV. She pulled it down over top of the harness and clicked it into the connector. Cody looked at her with a confused look. My mother then took hold and pulled the shoulder belt all the way out until it clicked. Then she let the slack pull back into the wall.
"I thought the point of the harness was to replace the normal seatbelts." Cody stated.
"Amy likes to do both. I guess it's just extra safety." She explained.
Cody shifted around in the straps trying to get comfortable. The third-row seat didn't offer as much leg room as the other positions in the vehicle. At his size, it was probably a little cramped. Not to mention that he was tethered down good and tight in the harness. I watched through the side window and he squirmed around trying to find a good perch on the seat. Apparently, this was a new experience for him.
My mother exited the way she came in. She put the second-row seat back where it went and closed the rear door. Afterward, she climbed into the driver's seat and I took a position up front. We closed the doors and put our own seatbelts on before my mother started up the engine. With Cody secured pretty well in the rear of the SUV. We backed out of the garage and down the driveway. Cody was still struggling to get situated comfortably in the rear of the vehicle. Our ride wasn't all that far off. But he had a good 45 minutes ahead of him before our first stop.
I am breaking the story here. I have part 2 written, but it's still with my proofreader. Our destination was in town for some shopping and a few other errands. I know it's not a TUG story. But, it does lay some ground works and shows some of how the dynamic between Cody and myself continued to evolve that summer. I will have a more normalized story after this one. Part 2 should get posted sometime later this week.
Amy
It was the second last week of August the Summer that I moved and the year I met Cody. My mother was still in the house gathering her purse and looking for where she had left the keys to the SUV. I was in the garage waiting impatiently. I hated this sort of errand and the sooner it was over, the sooner we could get on with our day. School was starting in just over a week and I didn't want to waste any more of my Summer vacation than I needed to. I heard a familiar sound of tires rolling over the pavement on the driveway that led up to our house.
Cody rolled up on his bike right on time. It was about a 20-minute ride from his house to mine and he looked like he had rushed to get here. He was dressed in some knit shorts, a tank top and some tennis shoes. He was still wearing the pads and helmet from our last story. Apparently, his mother was a little annal about them after she spent money on them. Our last TUG seemed forgotten and we had crossed paths a few times since then. However, another situation didn't present itself and I had not decided to test my luck after our initial discovery.
"Hey, how's it going." Cody greeted me while he was slipping out of his pads and helmet.
"Pretty good, you must have really rushed to get over here. You're all out of breath." I replied
Cody panted and took a moment to gather in some oxygen. "Yeah, I didn't want you to leave without me." He replied back.
"Don't worry we wouldn't have." The voice came from the rear of our garage. My mother was standing there her purse over her shoulder and the keys in her hand.
"Thanks again. My mother was busy and it's way too far to ride my bike." Cody commented upon seeing her. "I brought my own money and all, but the ride is appreciated greatly." He finished.
"No problem, you can leave your bike in the garage and I'll lock it up before we leave so it won't get stolen." My mother offered making her way to the front of the SUV heading for the driver's seat. Cody finished slipping his pads off. He hung his helmet from the handlebars on his bike by the chin strap and dropped the pads into it like it was a bucket. Then he pushed it into the garage and leaned it up against the wall. Then he made his way around to the door behind my mother in the SUV. I guess he expected me to want to ride shotgun. He opened it and climbed into the passenger seat on the second-row side.
The SUV was a large one dark blue in color on the exterior. The inside was a dull gray color both on the lining and the seats. The vehicle could ferry 8 passengers with the two rows of rear seating. But, it was rare that it ever had more than 2 or 3 passengers on board. My mother mostly bought it because it had 4 wheel drive and apparently the snow down here didn't get plowed as well as it did where we originally lived. Cody seated himself inside and closed the door while my mother and I began to enter the vehicle. He looked around the interior of the SUV and took it all in with a slow and methodic gaze.
"Hey?" Cody started addressing my mother. "What's that?" He asked pointing over his shoulder towards the opposite side of the third-row seat. My mother's eyes darted as she followed where he was pointing.
"It's a seat mount that goes with Amy's harness." She explained looking back towards the strap that wrapped around the rear seat of the vehicle.
"Harness?" Cody questioned not quite knowing how to phrase the question.
"Yeah, it's a safety harness for the car. She uses it sometimes when she rides." My mother stated pointing out the window towards the garage wall. Cody followed her pointing finger. My car vest was hanging on the wall of the garage on a nail. I hadn't made much use of it during the summer. At least not for riding in the SUV. I was getting bigger now and I was somewhat more conscious of my appearance in public. I still liked to be all strapped in. But, at my current age and size, a normal seatbelt fit me just fine.
Likewise, the way the SUV's seats were situated there wasn't a split in the bottom of a seat for a wrap style mount to attach. The seat in the front passenger position and the middle row didn't have a split under between the bottom and the seat back. That meant if I wanted to use the vest, I had to ride in the third row. It was a hassle getting the vest on and off and then having to make my way all the way back to that position. So, for the shorter trips that we usually took, it just wasn't worth the hassle. So, I just went without it most of the time.
Cody opened the door to the vehicle and got out. He took a few steps across the garage and began to look at the var vest hanging on the wall. My mother and I both stepped halfway back out of the SUV. I stayed where I was. My mother crossed the garage and addressed our friend with a gaze. I think she was trying to figure out the level of interest he had in the matter. I was kind of hoping that it would just get dropped and we could get on our way.
"So, you really wear this in the car sometimes Amy?" Cody asked looking over his shoulder.
"Yeah, it was something my older sister started when she was a kid. She outgrew her car seat, but still wanted to ride strapped in better than a normal seatbelt would offer. My Mom got her one of those and it kind of stayed as an idea for the family. I don't use it all that much anymore." I explained trying to keep the tone of the conversation casual. Cody finding out about my TUG situation was one thing. But, I wasn't sure how he would take this news.
"Do you want to try it on?" My mother asked breaking the silence.
"Yeah, sure." Cody replied almost eagerly. I could tell he had some fascination with it. My mother lifted the vest off the nail it was hanging on and began to approach Cody.
"Turn around and hold your arms out in front of you." My mother instructed the boy. Cody complied with the request following the motion my mother demonstrated with her arms out in front of her. She undid the zipper at the rear of the vest and began the process of guiding it around Cody's torso. Although Cody and I were the same age, he was slightly bigger than I was and the vest was a little small for him at his current build. My mother removed it and put some slack in the shoulder straps with the adjusters.
She slid the vest back overtop of Cody and it hung closer to the way it should for someone of his build. However, the back still wouldn't close and there was a slight gap between the sides of the zipper. My mother opened a drawer on our workbench in the garage and fished out a double-sided zipper insert. The main purpose of it was to make the vest larger if I needed to wear it over heavier clothing like a jacket. She zipped the insert on the left side and then zipped the right side of the vest onto the zipper. It fit pretty well on Cody. Next, she made a minor adjustment to the shoulder straps and the harness fell into place.
Finally, there was the strap that goes from the back of the vest up between the passenger's legs. It attaches to a little clip on the armpit level strap on the front of the vest. It's meant to keep the passenger from sliding under the lap belt in the event of an accident. My mother threaded it into place and snapped it. It was a little snug on Cody and she gave him another inch of slack. Cody turned around in the vest testing out how it felt and how well he could move around. I could tell it was a foreign experience to him.
"It's a little tight." He commented looking down at it.
"It's supposed to be snug." My mother replied. "Seatbelts need some tension to work in the event of an accident. Do you want to try it for the ride into town? I mean actually wear it in the car?" She asked.
Again Cody shrugged. "Sure why not."
My mother returned to the driver side rear door on the SUV. She opened it and hit a latch under the seat. This caused the driver side seat in the second row to slide forwards and offer access to the third row. My mother gestured for Cody to enter and he followed her pointing finger. He worked his way down to the far seating position and put himself in front of the cam wrap seat mount. He looked down at the whole thing but then threw his arms up in confusion not quite sure how it all worked.
"Here, I'll help you get situated." My mother replied climbing into the rear compartment after Cody. She slid across to the center position on the seat next to Cody. My mother gestured for Cody to get his arms out of the way and let her work. He did as she asked. My mother went ahead and attached the vest to the seat mount by clipping the 4 clips onto the D-rings on the vests shoulders and hips. Once that was done she made a final adjustment to the sliders on the shoulders and snuggled up the crotch strap a little. Cody remained seated and let her proceed without any complaint.
Finally, she reached over Cody and took hold of the normal 3 point seatbelt that was part of the SUV. She pulled it down over top of the harness and clicked it into the connector. Cody looked at her with a confused look. My mother then took hold and pulled the shoulder belt all the way out until it clicked. Then she let the slack pull back into the wall.
"I thought the point of the harness was to replace the normal seatbelts." Cody stated.
"Amy likes to do both. I guess it's just extra safety." She explained.
Cody shifted around in the straps trying to get comfortable. The third-row seat didn't offer as much leg room as the other positions in the vehicle. At his size, it was probably a little cramped. Not to mention that he was tethered down good and tight in the harness. I watched through the side window and he squirmed around trying to find a good perch on the seat. Apparently, this was a new experience for him.
My mother exited the way she came in. She put the second-row seat back where it went and closed the rear door. Afterward, she climbed into the driver's seat and I took a position up front. We closed the doors and put our own seatbelts on before my mother started up the engine. With Cody secured pretty well in the rear of the SUV. We backed out of the garage and down the driveway. Cody was still struggling to get situated comfortably in the rear of the vehicle. Our ride wasn't all that far off. But he had a good 45 minutes ahead of him before our first stop.
I am breaking the story here. I have part 2 written, but it's still with my proofreader. Our destination was in town for some shopping and a few other errands. I know it's not a TUG story. But, it does lay some ground works and shows some of how the dynamic between Cody and myself continued to evolve that summer. I will have a more normalized story after this one. Part 2 should get posted sometime later this week.
Amy