My mother grew up on a farm that my grandparents still owned and operated as I grew up. It wasn't huge, what generally would be called a truck farm. It's about ten miles outside of town so my Mom was bussed into high school here, which is where she met my Dad. My grandparents must have sold what they raised, chickens, eggs, vegetables of all kinds, to wholesalers or co-ops. But when I was thirteen my grandfather had started participating in various Farmer's Markets, which was something new at the time. Apparently it worked out well for him, managing to sell things at close to retail prices instead of wholesale.I think he still sold stuff wholesale, too. Since I had nothing else to do, my Mom thought it would be good for me to help my grandfather at these markets, both learning something and earning some spending money. So I did. And in general I think she was right.
I mostly did grunt work, carrying things, arranging them, while my grandfather dealt with customers and collected the money. Since I was in school, the work was part time for me. Gradually, over time, I got more and more involved, also dealing with the public and handling the money. Looking back, it probably got in the way of a social life since I worked rather than dating or hanging out at the mall like most kids. I was big enough that I could have played football or some other sports but I didn't have the time. But overall, I think I came out ahead although it probably left me a little naive when it came to dealing with my peers, like girls.
There was a girl named Rochelle that was about my same age and worked with her grandmother at all the same markets my grandfather and I went to. In the beginning, at thirteen, it took several months before we even talked to each other when things got slow and we had the time. But over several years we became good friends. I learned that I had an easier life than she did. My Dad had a good job and earned decent money so we were middle class, maybe even upper middle. She had no Mom and Dad, lived with her grandmother, and they depended on the income from the markets to support them. So they were barely above the poverty line.
She went to a different school than me and I gather she didn't like it at all. Some of the students apparently looked down on her because she didn't have fancy clothes and had to work. She's good looking enough that I would think the guys would be interested in her but she never indicated they were. But she did well in school, made good grades and worked hard at it. I'll have to admit that school came easy to me and I pretty much glided through. I did o.k. but not as good as most of my teachers thought I should. Fortunately, since I passed everything and got into no trouble, my parents never got on my case very much.
As I got older, I started also helping my grandfather at his farm. There was a lot of work to do and he was slowing down and couldn't really handle it all himself. I was a little surprised to discover than I actually liked it. It made me feel that I was accomplishing something. I mean, on a farm, you see every day how the work you're doing gives good results. You also learn about the problems and the need to resolve them before they become bigger and more difficult. My grandfather even told me that I was good because if I saw something that needed done, I did it without waiting to be told. We got along great. It was obvious that my Mom loved her Dad and was happy we got along so well.
Along the way, Rochelle and I became really good friends. I gradually realized she was a girl, a very attractive girl with a terrific, healthy body, as well as a friend. I think she realized similar things about me and always touched me a lot and rubbed my back or my arm as we talked. We were both seniors in high school by the time we kissed for the first time. That day the market finally closed and we both started loading what we had left back onto our trucks. I helped her some and she helped me some. It was probably six in the evening, getting slightly darker, and we were by her truck. Her grandmother had gone to the people who ran the market to settle the fees and she was thanking me for being of help. She had her arm almost around me, her hand on my back, rubbing me a little, and we looked at each other and she stopped talking and we both leaned towards one another and kissed. She kept her arm around me and I put my arms around her and the kiss lasted a little while. We both just looked at one another and sort of grinned and kissed again. Then her grandmother and my grandfather came back and we both left. I was about six feet three inches and 210 pounds, big like my grandfather. She's maybe five feet seven or so and probably a little over one hundred pounds.
After that we kissed fairly often and touched each other whenever we could. Then we both graduated from high school and could now work with our grandparents full time. I worked more on the farm, helping grow the products we sold at the markets. I probably now worked more than my grandfather. Her grandmother bought what she sold wholesale and then tried to sell it for retail prices. I learned that's what many of the people who ran stalls at the markets did. Some, like me, raised what they sold, but many didn't. I learned that I could add more products, particularly when our products weren't in season, the same way and make a little more, too. Rochelle probably was helping her grandmother acquire their products during the day while I was working on the farm.
This went on for maybe a year. Then one day at the end of a market, as we were loading up, Rochelle said to me, "Do you like me?"
I was a little surprised but I answered truthfully, "Yeah, Rochelle, I like you a lot."
"Well, I like you a lot, too, Mike. Do you ever think about sex, I mean between a girl and a boy?"
I'm sure I grinned,. "Oh, yeah, a lot."
"Have you ever had sex with a girl?"
"Well, no."
"I've never had sex with a boy, either. Do you want to?"
"Well, yeah, I guess overall I do. But it's not really all that simple."
"Well, I want to, too. And I agree that it isn't that simple. I mean, that's how babies are made so it's serious. And from what I hear from other girls, it can be absolutely terrific or it can actually hurt and be a big disappointment so I would hope that when it finally happens to me that it's terrific. Which means it will have to be with someone I really like and who will take his time and we can both learn from each other and make sure it ends up terrific. And I really like you."
