Eros Pt. 12:

Simone’s Notes:

Institutional Greek pederasty, which sought to formalize the erotic relationship of an adult male with an adolescent boy, appeared on the Greek mainland, possibly from Crete, as early as the 7th century B.C. Both in Sparta and Athens, the bonding of adult men and adolescent boys was an established cultural and social phenomenon, associated with educational practices and the instilling of high civic and philosophical ideals. Apart from literary evidence - the Socratic dialogues of Plato, for example - there is also evidence from Greek vases displaying that the intimate association of men with boys was represented in a range of emotive and expressive guises. These relationships, however, often transcended the physical or the erotic, the adult being invested with responsibility for the moral and spiritual welfare of the boy: abuse or exploitation of the younger partner was not tolerated.

Riza and Jakob in bed together after a long steamy ride in the sack. This was like their ritual. Jakob got home from school, had dinner with his girlfriend, took a shower, slept with his beloved, and they would just lie there and enjoy each other’s company. Nothing much, just the silence and the knowledge of knowing that the other was lying right there beside of them. But tonight, Jakob was under slight stress. Riza noticed it in his ocean blue eyes the second after he climbed off of her. She could tell when something was troubling him.

“Jakob,” she spoke up. “What’s wrong? You look so worried about something.” Jakob felt uneasy answering at first. Where could he begin with this angel? There were three people he shared his problems with: Isaac, Mikey, and Riza. He hadn’t told the other two yet. He knew it would come down to this. He shut his eyes for a quick second. Then the mouse slowly opened them.

“I went by to see Naomi again today,” he began slowly. “I overheard the doctors talking about a newly tested treatment for Diregrandlusion as I was walking out. It caught my interest so I talked to them about it. They told me that they were running treatments in Mecca Halls on patients with the disease. They have the approval and all! The only thing the families have to do is sign an agreement to give them the go ahead. They even handed me the form for it. I was overjoyed, so I went to the library to look up about it. It have proven to be successful in mice with Alzheimer's. I was overjoyed and printed out the information about to show my mother. I explained everything to her. But she said no.” Riza rolled over on her stomach confused at that last statement.

“Why?” she asked him. “I thought she would jump at the chance to have her daughter well again.” Jakob just shook his head sadly at her.

“My mother is too worried about what could go wrong with the treatment,” he replied. “‘What if Naomi ends up with more brain damage because of this drug? I can’t afford to lose one of my babies at all! So no thank you!’ I tried to reason with her, but as usual it proved to be pointless. She is like a mule. So when I left her house and got on the train to come here…” Jakob trembled in guilt at what he was going to say next. He wished he hadn’t done what he did. Riza waited.

“Go on,” she said. “What did you do?” The mouse tried to calm himself down again. He felt as if he was confessing his sins at temple.

“I forged my mother’s signature on the form!” he blurted out. “I didn’t mean any harm by it! I only wanted a chance for Naomi to come back to us!” He buried his face in his pillow for a moment then came back up again. “I feel so bad for what I did!” he wailed out. “I wish I could’ve listened to my mother!” Riza lightly put her fingertips to his boyish cheeks. Those sorrow-guilt filled laser blue eyes touched her heart.

“You did what you had to do for your sister,” she said softly to him. “I’m very proud of you!” Jakob’s eyes seemed to glow in the dark when she said that.

“Really?” he asked.

“Yes,” his girlfriend said. “You’re only doing what’s best for Naomi. I would probably do the same if I was in your situation.” Jakob began to feel a little better at that one.

“Thanks Riza,” he said softly. She smiled as she lightly ran her fingers through his dark hair tussled hair. Jakob managed a sad smile back at her. Riza saw more sorrow in his eyes.

“Something else is troubling you,” she spoke up. Jakob looked at her surprised.

“What do you mean?” he asked. His girlfriend lightly touched him on the cheek.

“I can see it in your eyes,” Riza told him. “Now come on, tell me what’s wrong?” This blew the mouse completely away. They had been together for a year, one week, and three days and she knew him more than he expected her to. He didn’t even know how to start to answer. He lightly took her hand and moved it softly to his bare chest. The boy noticed his girlfriend blushing as she felt his heart beating in itself usual steady rhythm. He loved doing the little things to her that made her blush. This actually helped him to be able to talk easier.

“I ran into Mustang yesterday,” he spilled out. Riza looked at him slightly worried.

“What did he want?” she asked.

“Nothing much,” Jakob replied. “He just handed me a flyer and application to the school I always dreamed over going to since I first started high school.” The lt. was slightly put off by this.

“What do you mean?” she asked. Jakob moved in a little closer.

“Ever since I got into drawing,” he explained. “I always wanted to go to Amertis Renaissance School of Arts. It’s the top art school in the country. Many successful artists have come from there. I really want to go there. But my family never had the money for it. I don’t qualify for financial aid either. I’m too poor to go away to art school but too rich to get help for it.”

“And Roy offered to send you to school?” Riza asked as she put two and two together.

“Yeah,” Jakob replied. “He even offered to pay for my tuition and other fees as well. He told me to think about it first. I really don’t know what he is planning.” His girlfriend thought about that for a moment. She had known Roy for years. He had different ways of dealing with his enemies. Sometimes he was cruel and brutal. Other times they were mild yet forceful. Hawkeye could spot in a heartbeat which methods Roy would pull to get his way. This was one completely different. He was actually… being nice to Jakob. After weeks of glaring crossly at her new boyfriend, mumbling things about him under his breath, and write things all over his papers such as “Die Maywillow, die!,” Roy was actually… being nice to Jakob! Something had to be up.

“Why is he offering to do this for you?” she asked. The mouse just shrugged.

“You got me.” he replied. Both pondered Roy’s motives for a long while. Riza lightly touched him on his strong young shoulder.

“So are you going to accept it?” she asked. Jakob shook his head.

“I don’t know,” he replied. “I want to go, but I can’t.” Riza was slightly confused by that.

“What do you mean?” she asked. Jakob propped himself up by his elbow.

“For four reasons,” he replied.

“And they are?” his girlfriend asked. The mouse smiled at her kindly.

“My mother,” he began. “ARS is all the way in the Western city. That’s not much to you, my love, but my mother would have a panic attack if I went away too far for college. ‘Oh my god, my baby is going too far away for me to college!’” Jakob chuckled a bit at that. “No, no. Can’t be having her dead or in the hospital because I went too far away.” The couple laughed at that one. Once it became quiet, Jakob spoke again.

“Then, there is Naomi,” he said. “I can’t leave her here. I have to know if I made the right decision after all or not!” Riza put her right hand at his chest again.

“Jakob,” she said strongly. “You made the right choice. Trust me!” Her boyfriend nodded as if he hadn’t been paying attention to a single word she had said.

“Yes, of course!” he replied as if to convince himself. “But I want to be there when she gets all better. There is so much I want to tell her. Everything that she’s missed. I just can’t go too far away for that. She hadn’t really met you yet either!”

“I see,” Riza replied.

“There are also my friends,” the mouse went on. “I know I can make new ones while I am away, but these were the first people I ever talked to when I first came into public school. It’ll be too weird not seeing them every day. I know I’ll get over, but still. Mikey, Hunter, and Ginny are my first friends.”

“And what’s the fourth one?” Riza asked in curiosity. Jakob lovingly took her hands in his.

“You!” he replied. Hawkeye’s cheeks became a bright red.

“Me?” she asked. Jakob nodded. The lt. kept looking at him surprised.

“But why?” she asked. The mouse took her into his strong young arms and held him in a passionate embrace. The lt. felt herself getting warm and rosy all over. She was even getting wet in red jasmine garden. “Oh! He has such a strong grip!” Hawkeye thought lustfully. The woman softly trembled in delight. She wanted shag him all over again. “No!” she thought quickly. “I must stay focused and listen to him!”

“Riza,” Jakob spoke up. The lt. looked up at him with her cheeks all red and schoolgirl-like.

“Hm?” she asked as if she had woken up from a peaceful daydream.

“Are you cold?” the mouse asked.

“No…” she replied. “Why?”

“You just trembled now.” her boyfriend said. Riza felt a little stupid now.

“I did?” she asked child-like.

“Yeah,” Jakob replied. Riza turned her face back to his chest.

“I’m fine,” she said shyly. “Why can’t you go away to school because of me?” Jakob smiled at her kindly. He lightly patted her on the head.

“I’ve grown closer to you,” he answered again. “I don’t want to end growing apart from you. I really do love you too for that.”

Riza looked up at him blushing in a warm way.

“You really mean that?” she asked happily. Jakob kept smiling at her kindly. He didn’t answer her. Instead, the mouse leaned down and lightly kissed her on the lips. Riza was now floating away in heaven. She kissed back quickly and climbed back on top of him. He held her close to him.

“So what should I do?” the mouse asked her. Riza leaned in to his young charming ear.

“That’s up to you my love,” she whispered. “It’s your life. Run it the way you want!” Jakob smiled at that advice. That was the best thing he had ever heard for his future.

“I sure will!” he called out to her. Then Jakob grabbed her down and kissed her again. Riza kissed back in sweet bliss. This led to another round of sweet lovemaking. Something told the mouse that he and the golden retriever were going to be together forever no matter how far they were.