Phan/ta*sy - 1.
The image-making power: esp., the power of receiving and reproducing external impressions.
Phantasy colliding with reality often bruises more than just an ego. I hate blind dates; they are the most enigmatic of societies mating rituals, and are fraught with hope, fear and unrealistic expectations. I have got to learn to say 'no', or at least get a more dependable excuse. The woman I'm about to pick up for this date, was arranged for by the hostess of the last 'less than successful' party I attended. If I met her there, I sure don't remember it.
'Ok dummy; smile pretty, she is probably feeling the same dread we are.' That was what I told myself as I walked up her front steps. Which is another reason why these things don't work out, predesignation by both parties. Or maybe I'm just nuts, after all I'm talking to myself in the 'plural' - how crazy is that.
Most of this date will be spent in the dark, literally. I don't generally like foreign films, but this festival comes highly recommended and the ticket prices were very good. A little sushi, some wine and in six hours it will be tomorrow. I will survive.
I wonder if she knows her door bell doesn't work? I grab my cell-phone and make a quick call. She answers, apologizes for the wait and comes to the door about three minutes later. I step inside for a minute, hit my head on some hanging potted plant in the doorway and she makes another excuse. Back outside I open the car door for her and we are en route to a little Japanese eatery. Small talk; polite conversation with minimal eye contact, she doesn't seem particularly nervous. I don't derive that from anything in particular except that she seemed content to just ride, and not talk for some portions of the trip.
I like that, shows she is confident enough to not have to talk all the time. That she has poise enough to not try and carry the conversation when there is nothing in particular to say.
Dinner was good. She handled the porcelain and lacquer well. We'll see later how well she handles the plum wine, that stuff takes a while to hit bottom. We skipped dessert, with the promise of ice cream after the film festival.
A French flick had already started when we arrived. No subtitles, and I understand very little French. Considering how much time the three principal characters spent naked, I didn't need interpretation to follow the plot. Forty minutes later we are watching a Spanish or Portuguese film about fishing or bull fighting, but I never did figure out which. It was great fun though, we just sat there making up our own subtitles. She is very quick witted and funny. We enjoyed ourselves so much that the usher had to come by and us to 'tone it down'.
We take a break for popcorn and the toilet, then we stroll into an oriental 'pink' movie. Lots of single source lighting, guys with swarthy complexions contrasted against milk skinned geishas. The Oriental beauties were frequently tied up with coarse looking rope and being raped by their dates. Oops that's a Freudian slip there, sorry. I meant: being raped by their bandit-abductor-captors.
We leave before the credits, heading for the sweet shop on campus. Chocolate cones for each, and we stroll back to the car. We discuss the merits of Asian movie making, or at least the simplicity of the art form.
Then this little devil popped up in my head, and I asked her if she had ever been tied up like the women in the 'pink' film. I should have asked her how she 'felt' about it, that would have been smarter. Of course she said 'no', but it didn't sound unequivocal to me. Then I had to ask if she wanted to give it a try. Well if that's not going from dumb to dumber I don't know what is. To my amazement she said . . . 'maybe'. Well that was just too good an opportunity to ignore, so I went for broke.
"I would love to tie you up." I said.
She didn't miss a beat and said.
"I'll bet you would." I deserved that; shot down in flames, but then nothing ventured etc, etc. "It's getting late. Thank you for an interesting evening." She said.
We ended the date with much the same ride back to her flat. Well I was right about one thing. It's tomorrow and I've survived another blind date.
Monday evening I get home from work and there is a card from the previous blind date. It is a 'thank-you' card of sorts, but contains an invitation for dinner at her flat this coming weekend. I didn't know what to think about it at first, then decided it would have to be an improvement over the past weekend. At least now we had one common experience. I figured she has forgotten my blunder after the ice cream shop, or at least was willing to over look it.
Wrong on both counts. I arrive at her flat, ring the phone, which she doesn't answer, but the door opens. She has a roommate. A dark haired girl of Asian origins. She bows, bids me enter and I am instructed to remove my shoes. The room looks like they have the same interior decorator as the sushi bar. Across the room she; her name is Janet, is sitting next to a low table. She is wearing a kimono, the same milky white skin the movie geishas' had, and is tied up with a similar looking coarse rope.
I needed two hands to push my jaw back up. I stammered through my greeting for a good two minutes, unable to take my eyes off of her. The roommate, her name was jewel, or jade or some semiprecious stone, helped me to sit down. She served tea, soup, pickles and fish with rice. She fed Janet while I watched with fascination. I don't really remember eating anything, but I could tell you what Janet's every bite looked like. I never wanted this meal to end.
Pearl, I think; or maybe it was Penny, said it was time to go to the parlor and be entertained. I thought I was being entertained. She helps Janet stand up, and I discover her feet are bound as well. She can take steps of only an inch or two. I offer to help move her and am abruptly told that I may not touch her in any way.
In the parlor Janet is made to kneel on a small mat. Her back is toward me, and I am shown to the place where I am to sit. Penny or Yen; I forget, walks around to the front of Janet, opens her kimono and proceeds to open Janet's. Soon both women are naked to the waist, except Janet is still tied up.
Both of the women have a painting on their backs, which when they press together forms a landscape or picture map. Yen or Yan speaks
"Come touch the place where life begins."
I did not have the faintest idea what she meant. I guess it was soon obvious to them, because Janet then said . . .
"Study the picture and decide where the path begins and ends. Be as wise as you know how to be."
Great, now I'm in the middle of a dating game that is trying to determine my psychological underpinnings. Why couldn't this just be about my sexual IQ, come to think of it that's not a good idea either. Okay dredge up the psy-101 mental notes. Don't blow this.
I take another long look and decide the road mainly goes from Yan or Yu's left floating rib to Janet's right collar bone, with a tributary running up from Janet's butt. In a flash of insight I decide that the tributary must be the key. Then I remember Pearl or Penny telling me not to touch Janet, and decide that I will touch where the path starts near her floating rib, it is the only place that fits with all the instructions received to present.
"Why did you touch Opal?" was what Janet said. I couldn't read any emotion in the tone, no clue how to respond.
"Because she said I may not touch you." Was what I stammered out.
"Wise answer." Responded Opal, with that she stood up, put her robe back on and walked out of the room.
