The sound of my nephew’s voice penetrated my consciousness, bringing me awake, causing a momentary sense of confusion, as it always does when one is awakened suddenly from a sleep in the afternoon. It was only momentary, however, as the sight of Jimmy coming towards me while I lay on the couch brought immediate awareness of who and where I was.

I was a thirtyfive year old single man. A man lucky enough to be an uncle to the most beautiful young boy in the world. A man who had had custody of this boy for almost ten years since his mother and father (my brother) had been tragically killed in an automobile accident when Jimmy was only two. A man who was deeply in love with this boy and whose love was reciprocated just as intensely. Not only had I become father and mother to this boy, but I had become friend and lover as well.

I smiled sleepily in greeting as Jimmy came to stand beside me where I lay on the couch. My eyes feasted on him, as they always did when he was around. They never got tired of gazing upon him. His hair was a pale blonde, like his mother’s, inclined to be unruly so it was clipped short on top. Bright red eyes, an upturned ‘cheeky’ nose and an almost feminine fullness to his lips gave Jimmy’s face an adroginous look I found particularly attractive and alluring. But his body was definitely that of a young boy, slim yet quite muscular for his eleven years. I am very conscious of keeping my own body in as best condition as I can and Jimmy and I spend a lot of time swimming, surfing, bushwalking and camping together. His growing body had benefitted from the physical nature of these activities, filling out into a young adonis, beautifully lean and smooth. His skin was a natural golden tan, a legacy of my parents’ Mediterranean heritage and enhanced by our times out of doors. No wonder I never tired of watching him.

The sharing of these pursuits, just the two of us alone together, also brought about a bonding and an intimacy which, as Jimmy grew older, gradually and much to my own surprise, led to a sexual relationship we continue to enjoy.