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Copyright Oggbashan February 2019
The author asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
This is a work of fiction. The events described here are imaginary; the settings and characters are fictitious and are not intended to represent specific places or living persons.
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June's words were still ringing in my head:
"April Fool, John! It's not a pyjama event."
She had spent hours persuading me to attend the event in the large tent in my pyjamas. I had compromised by wearing my Y-fronts underneath because I was worried my erection would protrude when faced by several women in their nightwear.
Now I was embarrassed. I had retreated hurriedly to my tent as June had laughed at me. Apart from their incredulous stares I hadn't noticed the reaction of the other women. I was too hurt by June's deceit. I had thought she was a friend helping me to deal with my extreme shyness but today she had just exploited me.
I wanted to leave the camp site and the women. I couldn't. I was their transport, the only driver for the hired minibus because I had several years' claim free insurance unlike the women who had driving licences acquired during a year or less.
The walking group I had joined a year ago had split over their Spring holiday break. The men wanted to go to Snowdonia and do some serious hill-walking and climbing. I wasn't experienced enough for that but five women had decided to go to the Isle of Purbeck for more gentle walking country. June had persuaded me to join them instead of Snowdonia. I had wanted to because I was still very shy of women. I thought a long weekend away with five women who were friends might help me to talk to women. But June's joke had wrecked my self-confidence and set me back months or years in just a few seconds.
I would find it difficult to face any of them after tonight. I stripped off my pyjamas and dressed in my normal clothes. Perhaps I could walk to the nearby public house and drown my embarrassment. No. I couldn't do that. They needed me to drive them to the next campsite tomorrow morning and I couldn't drive with that much alcohol in my system. Drowning my sorrows would take too many pints of beer. That much would still be around after breakfast.
I could hear angry voices from the large tent. There was an obvious argument going on.
"John? Can I come in?"
That was Angela's voice. She was the oldest of the women, a couple of years older than me.
"Yes, I suppose so," I said reluctantly.
Angela unzipped the tent door and sat down beside me.
"June wants to apologise..." Angela started to say.
I made a fending off movement. I was still too angry to speak.
"She didn't intend her joke to go that far. She was going to come to you before you left, tell you it was her April Fool, and you could change before the eight o'clock start. You were five minutes too early."
"But she must have known how embarrassed I'd be." I protested.
"Yes, but she didn't mean for you to arrive. She was just about to leave when you arrived. All she meant was to test you..."
"Some test! It took me a long time, and a lot of persuasion from her before I agreed. I thought she was my friend, Angela."
"She is. We all are. We know how awkward you find talking to women. We had hoped to persuade you this weekend that we are just normal people and help you to relax around us."
"But June's joke has made me feel much worse. If I wasn't your only driver I would have left -- tonight - or at least drunk myself into a stupor in the pub. I can't. I'm responsible for the hired minibus."
Angela put a hand on my arm. I looked at it. I liked Angela but this was the first time she had deliberately touched me. I looked at her face. She seemed concerned about me.
"John. I shouldn't say this but all five of us love you for what you are."
"Love? June's joke was a poor way of showing love."
"I know. It went wrong. She hadn't meant..."
"But she did."
