The Summer of 1981, Part 10: The Theme From The Greatest American Hero

[Padraig]

For those of you who would like to catch up, here are links to the earlier chapters:

Part 1, The Best of Times: http://www.musclegrowth.org/forum/sh...ad.php?t=16216
Part 2, Wasn't That A Party: http://www.musclegrowth.org/forum/sh...ad.php?t=16225
Part 3, The Boy From New York City: http://www.musclegrowth.org/forum/sh...ad.php?t=16229
Part 4, The Voice: http://www.musclegrowth.org/forum/sh...ad.php?t=16235
Part 5, Feels So Right: http://www.musclegrowth.org/forum/sh...ad.php?t=16238
Part 6, Sausalito Summernight: http://www.musclegrowth.org/forum/sh...ad.php?t=16258
Part 7, The Waiting: http://www.musclegrowth.org/forum/sh...ad.php?t=16274
Part 8, All I Have To Do Is Dream: http://www.musclegrowth.org/forum/sh...ad.php?t=16283
Part 9, Urgent: http://www.musclegrowth.org/forum/sh...ad.php?t=16307

Any feedback is very much appreciated - I would love to hear from those of you who have been reading. Or if you just want to reminisce about some of your favorite music or memories from 1981, please feel free to share. Thanks!!


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Ben set up the bench for inclines presses and the boys forged ahead with their workout. They did two other exercises for their chests, and then moved on to their triceps. After 90 minutes of lifting, Tug was looking rather spent, so Ben invited him upstairs for lunch.

Ben made turkey sandwiches and poured a big glass of water for each of them, and then brought out a couple of apples as well. Tug was grateful for the food, but he missed having a snack item like chips or cookies with his meal.

The boys took their lunch out to the covered deck and sat at the patio table to eat. There was a light breeze coming off of Puget Sound, but it was still fairly warm. Both Tug and Ben practically inhaled their food, as they were ravenous after the workout, and then sat in silence for a few moments after they had finished.

Tug was really enjoying sitting on the deck and watching the boats on the sound sail by. Every once and a while he would glance over at Ben, who was also looking out toward the water. Ben was still sweating a little from the workout, and the perspiration was making his skin glow ever-so-slightly; occasionally he would play with his pecs, sometimes gently and sometimes massaging them more vigorously.

Tug felt a little awkward watching his friend fondle with his chest muscles, but he had trouble turning his head away.

Is he trying to see if he got any bigger after the workout?

After a few more minutes of resting, Tug finally broke the stillness. “I should probably get going. I’ll have to go home, shower, and change my clothes before I go to the market for my mom.”

“Tell you what, Tug. I have to do a load of laundry right now. Give me your clothes and I will toss them in. We can jog down the beach, come back and shower, and your stuff will be ready for you.”

Jogging on the beach? Is he crazy?

“Um, that’s okay. I’m pretty tired already.”

Ben’s eyes seem to light up as he discussed the possibility of even more exercise. “Trust me, Tug. You will feel so refreshed and invigorated after a jog and a shower. I will stake my life on it.”

“But if my clothes are in the wash, what would I wear?” asked Tug.

“I have a pair of brand new swimming trunks that I’m sure will fit you,” replied Ben with a smile.

This guy thinks of everything – it’s like he had it all planned out.

“What about a shirt?”

“It’s just us guys. You won’t need one,” Ben replied as he scooped up the lunch dishes and headed inside.

Jogging shirtless on the beach?

Tug followed his friend back to the kitchen. Ben finished the clean-up and turned his attention back to Tug.

“OK, shall we go for it?” Ben clenched his fists and swung his arms like a runner to emphasize his point, and as a result, his biceps bulged and his pecs inflated.

“Um, OK,” said Tug.

Why can’t I tell him no?

“Great. Wait right here.”

Ben ran to his bedroom and then reappeared about thirty seconds later with a red pair of swimming trunks and a pair of white athletic socks, which he handed up to Tug. “Here you go. Follow me, buddy.”

They left the kitchen and headed downstairs. Ben pointed out a nearby bathroom, which Tug went into and locked the door. He took off all of his clothes and put on the shorts, which were a little snug around his waist, but certainly no tighter than a lot of his pants and shirts had become the last few months. He reached down to tie the drawstrings and felt the underside of his flabby stomach as he did so.

I wish I had at least worn an undershirt so I could keep this covered up…

Tug then put on the white sock and his shoes, gathered up his clothes, and emerged from the bathroom. He thought about holding his pants up in front of him so that Ben would not initially get a good look at his fat body, but then remembered that Ben had already seen him shirtless. He went down the hall and entered the laundry room to find Ben putting his own clothes into the washing machine.

Ben heard the patter of Tug’s feet and turned around. “Hey, great – looks like they fit you.”

Tug smiled but didn’t say anything. He handed his clothes to Ben, who returned to the machine and threw them in, and then began looking around for laundry soap. Tug stood in his spot, and then decided to cross his arms and cover his flabby pecs with his hands while he waited.

After everything was loaded and the washer was started, Ben pointed to another door in the corner of the room that led to an outside staircase. The pair descended and soon found themselves in the back of the house owned belonging to Ben’s Aunt Kathy. Unlike the neighboring estate belonging to Tug’s parents, which sat on a bluff and included more landscaped areas and a grove of trees, Kathy’s house sat closer to the water. Within less than a minute, they were standing on the long stretch of deserted beach.

“Are you ready?” Ben asked.

“I don’t know if I will ever be ready for something like this,” responded Tug.

“Look, don’t worry about how far or how fast you can run – just give it your best.”

“It’s not that. It’s more like…,” Tug said, hesitating after his last word.

“What?” asked Ben, in a sympathetic tone.

“Well, I’m just not that used to being shirtless,” said Tug. “It’s not something I’m really that fond of doing.”

“Oh, Tug, I’m sorry. I have some friends back home that are a little overweight, but they don’t mind slipping off their shirts for a basketball game now and then. I apologize if I made you feel awkward.”

“It’s nothing you did, Ben. It’s not like anyone can’t see that I’m fat through my shirt, and you already saw me without it yesterday. I’m just embarrassed.”

“No reason to be. It’s just the two of us – you and I – and trust me, I wouldn’t say anything. Look…”

Ben ran back inside the house quickly returned with his wallet. He flipped through a few pictures and held one up for his friend to see. “For your eyes only, Tug.”

Tug looked at the photo, which had obviously been taken at a portrait studio, with a giant American flag as the backdrop. In the forefront were a man and woman sitting on a bench holding hands – both looked to be about 40 years old, with blond hair, and Nordic features. Even though they were sitting, Tug could tell that both were tall, and by the look of the muscles bulging through his knit shirt, the husband looked as though he kept in shape by lifting weights.

Behind the couple stood a boy of about 13 or 14 years, with wildly curly hair and a stout physique. As Tug looked closer, he could see that the boy was more than stout – he was downright enormous, unsuccessfully trying to hide his bulk behind his parents.

“Oh, my God, Ben – is that you?” Tug found it difficult to believe that the boy in the photo was the same person he thought looked like a musclebound version of the Greatest American Hero the day before.

“Yes, indeed. I was one fat kid.”

“Wow, how long ago was that?”

“Five years. Right before I started lifting weights.”

“How much did you weigh?” asked Tug, still eyeing the photo. “And what’s with the flag? Is your family super patriotic or something?”

“It was 1976. My parents chose the flag for the backdrop because of the Bicentennial. As for my weight, believe it or not, I was about 250 pounds in this picture. I lost 80 pounds in the first year I started exercising, and then just kept gaining muscle after that.”

“Wow, that’s just so incredible!”

“So if I seem like I’m pushing you to work out, it’s only because I know how great it feels afterward and once you’ve made some progress. I wouldn’t think less of you if you weighed 100 pounds more, Tug, because I know what it’s like to be overweight.”

“Thanks, Ben. That does make me feel better.”

“You ready then?”

“Yep. Let’s go.”

Ben tossed his wallet onto the porch and the boys started off down the beach. From the moment he began, Tug could feel the fat on his body jiggle from the movement, but he tried to ignore it and focus on keeping up with Ben.

Running on the sand was more difficult than Tug could have imagined, however – it was hard enough to walk on loose sand, and running on the uneven surface proved very challenging. After a few minutes, Tug was too exhausted to continue and had to stop to catch his breath. Ben stopped as well and waited for his friend to recover.

They resumed jogging a short time later, but had to stop again after a few minutes for Tug to rest. This pattern continued as they went up and down the beach, finally returning to Kathy’s house about 30 minutes later.

Tug felt completely drained and thought he would collapse, but Ben guided him upstairs where he could get cleaned up. He took off his shoes, socks, and the swim trunks, climbed into the shower, and finally started to come alive as the hot water sprayed down upon him. After about fifteen minutes of rejuvenation time, he got out, dried off, and wrapped the towel around his waist.

Ben was right - I feel better than I have in a long time. Like I'm on top of the world.

Tug walked back to the laundry room where Ben was waiting for him. He had put Tug’s clothes in the dryer when he was in the shower, and was just pulling them out when Tug walked in. Tug thanked his friend for the clean clothes and then headed back to the bathroom to change.

Ben finished up his laundry chores and headed for the kitchen. Tug joined him a few minutes later, redressed in his dark shirt and jeans, and Ben poured two more glasses of ice water. He handed one to Tug and asked him how he felt.

“Believe it or not, I’m walking on air. I never thought I could feel so…”

“Pumped?” interjected Ben.

“Exactly the word I was going to say,” replied Tug after taking a big sip of water. “You were right about the run – it did invigorate me. Like the light of a new day.”

“I told you it would. Now, the big question – you want to come back tomorrow and do it all over again?”

Tug hesitated again. With the endorphins rushing through his body, he felt better than he had in a long time. He thought about the picture of Ben as a 13-year old, and took another glance at his well-muscled 18-year old body.

“Yeah, I think I would.”

Ben flashed a big toothy grin. “Great! Tomorrow is back and biceps, and we can start on abs for you as well.”

“Whatever you say – you’re the expert. I’ll see you about ten?”

“That will be perfect!”

Tug walked out the front door to the edge of the steps, but then turned back to Ben. “Hey, you want to come over for dinner again tonight? I’m sure my mom wouldn’t mind.”

“I can’t tonight,” said Ben as he walked out to the porch. “I promised my aunt I would look in on her friend Elvira to see if I could help with some of the chores around her house while I was here, and she invited me over for dinner tonight.”

“Well, OK then. See you tomorrow,” said Tug as he took one last glance at his new friend. Ben was now in the same spot he had been when Tug first saw him that morning, and again, the sun on his taut and tan skin, the blond hair, and the white shorts gave the impression he was serving as the poster boy for the season. “You really do look like summer today, you know.”

Ben laughed. “See ya, Mr. Winter.”

[Padraig]

For those who may have forgotten, or those too young to remember, here's a fanvid about the Greatest American Hero - it not only contains the theme song, but also funny clips fron the series.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBKqwdxUH8U&feature=channel_page

Back in 1981, when I was 13, I loved, loved, loved this show. Especially the car-lifting scene - to me it was the ultimate feat of super strength.

[michaelv2]

I'm enjoying your story as it progresses, glad to see Tug's new friend showing him some hope. I remember that show too, I loved the theme song. I'd forgotten he got his super powers from an alien visitation!