It was the start of summer vacation, in the last summer of my childhood. The lifeguard at the neighborhood pool that year was a hippie named Cartwheel. We called the van he drove "The Makeout Machine" and we thought he was so cool. When one of my friends had a serious accident and he came to the rescue, I learned that grownups can't always fix everything. I discovered that things aren't always as they appear. I also learned where heroes come from. After that summer, I looked at life differently.Short Story - 8,300 wordsWhile J. Strickland is well known for writing erotic romance, this was his first attempt at mainstream fiction. He went on from here to write Tears Reflected, and then to writing mainstream fiction under his real name.What readers are saying about The Makeout Machine:Stories of this calibre don't need sex to make a good read. Well done, more of the same please.---Great storyThis is a fantastic story. I have read most if not all of your stories, and this one could well be the best of the bunch.I do like the plot more than the sex.---As usual, you deliver excellent reading. I always check your bio for something new when i log on. Your stories are full and fulfilling, please do write more---Excellent vignette about growing up,life and relationships---The Touch Of A Story TellerIn several words - moving, superb, entertaining! There are a few here that are very good and there are none better. I'm impressed.---Review by Stormy Weather -In the note at the end of this story the author say, "This story is an experiment, an attempt at a mainstream story."In my opinion it was a successful attempt of the highest degree. The depth of the characters and the plot of this story are incredible and believable.I got so involved with everything, that I had tears in my eyes during portions of the story. There have been very few times that I can recall crying while reading.A coming of age story, which I'm a sucker for, that doesn't involve sex, (hands on anyway), but focuses on the relationships between Dave, his three friends, and Cartwheel, the new life guard at the swimming pool. The two most fascinating things about Cartwheel is that he's a hippie and he has a van, which Dave and his three best friends call "The Makeout Machine."When a bad accident happens, David's hero worship of Cartwheel gets shattered; and the change this brings about in Dave and the strength it adds to his relationship with Cartwheel is beautifully done.I rank this story with Stephen King's "The Body."
