The Chronicles Of Mark And Jennifer Ch 05

Ellen's story: Sunday evening

It's pretty unusual for me to get students to knock on my door, but there was one Sunday evening. I'm the RA, Resident's Adviser, for the third floor of Blazer Hall, the freshmen girls dorm at UK. I'm a sociology graduate student, and the RA job provides me with room and board. I had been studying, but I can't just ignore it when someone knocks on the door.

"Come in, it's open!" I yelled, and in walked Jennifer Matthews. Oh, my gosh, she looked so different! Her long hair, which is normally kind of frizzy and fly-away, was smooth and shiny, and really good looking. The long, shapeless skirts she normally wore had been replaced by some serviceable blue jeans. In other words, she looked like any other freshman coed, and a lot more on the pretty side than I had realized.

"Hi, Miss Granger?" She sounded so unsure of herself.

"Please, Jennifer, it's Ellen."

"OK, Ellen."

"I need to talk to you about something." She still sounded very hesitant, as though she was having a hard time getting the words out. I've seen this before, but it's almost always about a broken-hearted girl whose boyfriend dumped her or cheated on her or, worse, got her pregnant. I had heard that Jennifer had a new boyfriend, and hoped that he hadn't built her up and then dumped her this fast.

"Jennifer, sit down. What's bothering you?"

"Ellen, what's sex like?"

Boy, if there was one question I had never expected from Jennifer, that was it! "I heard that you were seeing a young man; half of the floor was squealing about it."

Then the words started pouring out. "His name is Mark, and I really, really like him. He's been so kind and sweet and loving, and he hasn't pressed me at all for sex, but I just know that it's coming, I can feel it coming, and I don't know what to do."

"Do you want to have sex with him?"

"Oh, yes, oh, God, yes! I've fallen just hopelessly in love with him, and I want him so much. We went out on one date,

one!

, and then had breakfast the next morning, and now I'm a complete mess. But I'm just so scared."

"Does he love you?"

"Oh, my gosh, I don't know. He hasn't said that he does, but it's been so soon since we started dating. He hasn't been rushing anything and he hasn't been pushing me for anything, but the girls all say that sooner or later . . . . Anyway, Rachel set me up for an appointment at Planned Parenthood tomorrow afternoon, and I guess that I should go, but I really don't know what is going to happen or what I'm getting myself into."

"OK, does he respect you?"

"I'm sure that he does; he's been a perfect gentleman about things."

"OK, well what do you want to know about sex?"

"What's it like? I mean, you're older, and I sort of assumed that you've had boyfriends before, and I just couldn't ask the other girls on the floor."

"OK, here it is, as straight as I can give it to you. Sex can be wonderful, or sex can be disappointing, and it mostly depends on the guy. If he's a good lover, one who cares about your needs, it can send you through the roof. If he isn't, well, it's a big let down."

"Does it hurt the first time?"

"Breaking through your hymen is the infliction of an injury, and yes, it hurts. If your boyfriend is a good and patient lover, and can last long enough, the pleasure takes over and while the pain will still be there, it will be in the background, and your first time really can be wonderful. If he's not so good, well, you'll be glad when it's over."

"What do you mean, 'can last long enough?'"

"Sweetie, orgasm is usually a lot easier for men than for women, because we're built differently. Once he has his orgasm, his erection is lost for a while, and sex is over. If he can't last long enough for you to have your orgasm first, that's when it's a big let down. Do you know if this Mark is very experienced?"

"I think that I'm his first girlfriend. I know that he didn't have one in high school, and he didn't mention having a girlfriend before here. He's a freshman, like me, and we were in the same graduating class."

"So, he might not know what he's doing, either. Well, I hope that he's heard enough from other guys to be able to be good for you, but, you know, sometimes a couple that doesn't start out that good together get better together with time. Are you pretty sure that this is going to happen?"

"I don't know, I think so, but I just don't know."

"Well, Rachel is a good friend to get that appointment set up for you, but remember: birth control pills don't take immediate effect; you have to have been on them for at least a week before they protect you, and you can only start them at a certain time during your cycle. When will you get your next period?"

"It should be later this week."

"OK, well that means you could start the pill soon, a few days after your period starts. But the people at Planned Parenthood can give you the exact information. If you're not going to wait that long to have sex, you'll need some other form of protection."

"Thanks, Miss . . . uh, Ellen. Thanks for helping me."

"That's what I'm here for, and good luck!"

Mark's story: Monday morning

"Hey, Jen, I'm downstairs if you're ready for breakfast." Jennifer had said that I shouldn't call her Sunday after she got back from her parents' house, but that we could have breakfast this morning. I've been trying to be patient, but I really, really missed her this weekend. Heck, she's been my girlfriend for not even five days now, and I've got it bad for her.

"OK, be right down."

Jen came down, wearing some faded work jeans again, and those cute sandals. She was wearing one of her older-clothes white blouses, but it looked clean and crisp, and better than her old clothes used to look. Maybe it was just the whole outfit that made the old blouse look better on her than it had before. She hadn't pulled her hair back in a ponytail this morning, but it was still her newer look, lustrous and soft, and really pretty, sexy even.

Sexy? Jennifer? I mean, I knew that she was kind of cute before, and then, when we went out on our first date, and her roommates had pushed her into dressing nicer, I saw how just plain

pretty

she was. But I was so smitten by her soft, innocent yet fetching ways that sexy wasn't an adjective I had really thought of concerning her. The ponytail was casual, but it was fashionable, and just an elegant touch. Today, my Lord, she had long, honey-blonde hair freely falling all the way down to her waist. It wasn't styled or anything, just long and soft, and it would leave any guy a total wreck.

"Hi, you! It's great to see you! I missed you this weekend." Then she ran up and gave me a quick kiss. We had kissed before, but this was the first time that she initiated a kiss. I have to tell you, it made me feel ten feet tall!

We headed down the steps from Blazer Hall, heading to the Student Center Cafeteria, holding hands again, and I felt on top of the world with this wonderful girl. "Jen, you look great, and you seem different somehow. Weekend at home go well?"

"Oh, Mark, you wouldn't believe it! My dad, he didn't notice anything different, but mom saw right through me: she could tell that I had met a guy, and she was

happy

for me! I was just so relieved, you wouldn't believe it. Mom promised not to tell my dad anything, at least not quite yet, but she does insist that the family has to meet you. Is that OK?"

"You know that it is; I already asked you if you wanted me to meet them this weekend."

"I know, but this time it's real. Mom looked up your picture in the yearbook, and she said you are good looking."

Well,

that

didn't hurt my ego any! By now, we were in the cafeteria line, and I wasn't all that hungry, and just got some pancakes, with butter, no syrup, and coffee. (I hate syrup! It's too sickly sweet for me.) Jen's appetite wasn't suffering, as she got a full, full breakfast.

But I've got to ask you one question, and it's an important one." Jennifer was serious with this one: her smile disappeared and she looked worried about asking me.

"OK, shoot: what is it?"

"Are you a Christian?" I could see that she was worried about my answer.

"Yes, Jen, I'm Catholic."

"Well, that's good enough for my mother. My father, I don't know: some of the men in our church think that Catholics are practically devil worshipers, but I don't know if my dad feels that way. I'll have to tell mom before they meet you, because she's going to have to work on my father on this one."

"Jen, is it good enough for

you?

I mean, I went to Mass yesterday, and I was praying to the Lord for guidance, and for us to be together. I care about your family, and I want them to be happy with me, but you're the one I love."

Oh, my God, I had just told Jennifer that I loved her! I hadn't planned it that way, and I knew that I wanted to tell her, but this wasn't quite how I wanted it to happen. It just slipped out.

"You

love

me?" It's a good thing that she hadn't worn mascara today, because tears started to well up in her eyes.

"I know, I know, it's way too soon. And maybe I'm too young to really understand what love is, but I don't have another word for how I feel right now."

"It's OK, it's really OK. I'm just really, really happy right now."

Jennifer was looking at me, as though she was trying to bore a hole through my skull and read my mind. This conversation had taken a much too serious tone for this morning.

After a long silence, with Jen still looking at me, she started eating her breakfast again, but she was just picking at it, and most of it wound up in the garbage can. We were walking mostly silently to the Classroom Building."

"Mark, remember that I said I had a lot that I had to get done this afternoon, and that I wouldn't be free for the rest of the day?"

"Yeah, I remember. Listen, Jen, I didn't just blow it back there, did I?"

"No, you didn't, you didn't at all." Then she gave me a hug with her hand and a quick kiss, and went into her calculus class. What she

didn't

do was say that she loved me.

Rachel's story: Monday afternoon

I was sitting on my bed when Jennifer burst in. "Rachel, Mark just told me that he loves me!"

"What? When did

this

happen?"

"It was at breakfast, after I told him that my mom wants him to meet the family, and he said something like he wanted my family to like him, but that I was the one he loves. I mean, I was just so stunned."

"Is that too much for you, too fast?"

"No. Maybe, I don't know."

"Were you happy that he said it?"

"Oh, God in Heaven, yes! I was crying I was so happy. And I wanted to tell him that I loved him, too, but I just couldn't."

"Well, girl, it's a good thing I made that appointment for you at Planned Parenthood! We're going to have to leave in about half an hour, and then we'll go shopping for you. Listen, we all know that you don't have much money, but everyone is so excited for you that we put together almost $200 to buy you stuff."

"Oh, my gosh, you didn't have to do that!"

"We wanted to do it, we really did. Heck, Alice put in $50 herself."

"Rachel, my mom gave me $100 to buy some new clothes."

"She did, huh? So how did you tell her about Mark?"

"I wasn't going to, but she could see that something was up, and she guessed pretty quickly."

"Honey, you are going to knock Mark's socks off!"

"Yeah, well I've got to tell you this. In calculus class, there was some sort of commotion going on in the back of the class. I asked Stacey, who's a girl in the class, what was going on, and she said it was the guys whispering about me."

"And you can't see why? Good grief, Jennifer, since you've gotten your hair under control and shining, you wore it just loose, and you've got natural, honey blonde hair all the way down to your waist. Guys love that, and yeah, they're going to notice. Most girls would kill for hair like yours."

"But I don't want other guys' attention, I just want Mark."

"Girl, you've got it

bad!

Let's go dump your books in your room, and get going."

Jennifer's story

I just can't believe this afternoon. First, Rachel and Monica took me to Planned Parenthood, and I had to go through an embarrassing examination and a bunch of nosy questions, but they gave me a prescription for birth control pills, a three month supply, and some condoms in case we need them before the pills take effect. The lady said to start taking the pills on the Sunday after my period starts, and that if my period starts that Sunday, I should be protected right away, but that if it starts earlier than that, we'd need to use the condoms for the first couple weeks. My period should start Saturday or Sunday, so I might get lucky there, but still, I'm not sure that I'm ready for all of this.

Then the girls took me shopping, out at Fayette Mall, and there were just tons of wonderful clothes. Mostly I bought tops, because all of my blouses are so blah. I picked up four pairs of really nice jeans,and they were actually fairly cheap, even the Levi's Women's Wear jeans. Rachel tried to push this denim miniskirt on me, but I wouldn't buy that. Monica insisted that I buy a pair of Levi's 501 jeans, with the button fly. She said that they're cut for men, but that somehow guys just love seeing them on women. I bought a couple different pair of sandals, because the girls said that I looked good in them, and I'm pretty sure that Mark liked the Aigner's on me, and I picked up an Aigner purse as well. All this stuff looked so good, and the girls were all so happy for me, but I'm still not sure that this stuff is really right for me. I mean, Mark asked me out before I got the modern clothes, while I was still wearing the long skirts and stuff. It's not like my clothes seemed to matter to him. I picked up some of Monica's brand of shampoo and cream rinse, and a better brush, and finally Rachel insisted that I get some new underwear. I didn't want the super fancy stuff, but there were these six-packs of Hanes cotton bikinis that didn't cost much, and I did buy those. We spent a lot more than the $100 my mom gave me, but there was still plenty left of the $192 the girls had collected for me. I guess that I'll surprise Mark in the morning!

The trouble is, homework has just piled up! I've got a ton of calculus homework, and an English paper I should have started last week, before my whole life got turned upside down.

I think that Mark is getting snowed under, too. He's been paying so much attention to me that I know he has to be getting behind. He has this work-study job on top of that, as the evening monitor for the language lab, from five to nine in the evening. He spends a lot of time at a big desk in front of the individual booths, and he does some of his homework there, but it can't be the best place to get anything done. He's got the duty Sunday, Monday and Wednesday nights, so he's working twelve hours a week, which isn't bad, I suppose. He can't work Tuesdays, because he has a long chemistry lab,which I gather can be brutal. He gets the minimum wage of $1.60 an hour, which is better than nothing. He said that one week's take home paid for most of his groceries, but he's been spending an hour's pay every morning having breakfast with me. He has some money in the bank, I gathered, but he's pretty cautious with it.

Thursday was our one week anniversary - maybe I'm being too school-girlish in thinking about one week anniversaries - and I wanted to do something special for him. We had our usual breakfast together.

"Mark, where do you live?" In the whole week, he'd never tried to take me to his apartment, and never mentioned where it was.

"I've got an apartment off of Rose Street, near High Street. It's not much, but it's decent and clean. Why?"

"Does it have a kitchen?"

"A dinky one, yeah. It has a small range and a 'fridge and a sink, and that's about it."

"Would you like it if I cooked us dinner tonight?"

"Yeah, that'd be great. I don't have much food in the house; what would you like me to pick up?"

"I'm not sure. Can we go shopping first, and pick something out together?"

"Absolutely. Now, I don't have a lot in the way of cookware, a couple of pots and an iron skillet."

"We'll make something work." Mark was all smiles.

When Mark told me that he loved me the other day, I wanted to say that I loved him, too, but I got scared and just couldn't. I think that hurt him a bit, but he's still been courting me just the same, and I decided: I wanted to tell him that I loved him this evening. That would make everything just so perfect. "Great. We'll need to drive to Kroger to pick up some food, so can you pick me up at the dorm around four?"

"I'll be there! Can you be outside at four, 'cause there's no place for me to park outside Blazer without getting my car towed."

"I'll be on time."

I got back to the dorm at two, and knocked out my homework as quickly as I could. I wanted to look special for a special guy, so I pulled the band out of my hair, and brushed it out free. I was wearing my old Wranglers, but decided that I wanted something nicer, so I grabbed one of my new jeans, the Levi's 501 men's cut jeans. They didn't fit my legs as closely as a couple of the other pair, but Monica said that for some reason guys love seeing girls in menswear. I'd worn a menswear shirt on our first date, and Mark seemed to like me in that, so I picked out one of my new tops, another menswear shirt. I was about to put on the jeans, when I realized that I was still wearing some of my old, ugly underwear. I grabbed the pack of bikinis, which I still hadn't opened, and pulled out a pair of white and green striped panties.

I'd never worm anything like this before, and when I looked at myself in the mirror, I felt sexy! Oh, my gosh, that thought set me back a bit, and I hesitated, but in the end I wore them. Maybe they'll make me feel more romantic this evening.

I hesitated with the shirt, too. I had almost gone out braless the other morning, but chickened out. I pulled off my bra and put on the shirt, to see how it looked. Nope, I couldn't go braless in this, because the shirt could gap open. But I really, really wanted to. I tucked the shirt in tighter, but it still gaped with some different movements. Oh, my gosh, falling in love with Mark was taking me farther and farther away from being a Christian good girl, and I couldn't do this. Mark said that he loved me, and yes, I had gotten out of the dowdy long skirts, but he still knew me from year back, and knew that I was a good Christian girl, knew that when he asked me out the first time. I was going to wear a bra. I hadn't bought any bras when we went out shopping on Monday, so it was an old one, but that didn't really matter: Mark would never see it anyway. It was almost four o'clock, and time to get downstairs.

It was a quick trip to Kroger, and we picked up some stuff for a good, southern meal, fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy and green beans. Nothing fancy, but it was all stuff that I could cook with Mark's limited cookware. We got to his apartment around five, and,

whoa,

I was amazed: here in this old apartment building, with creaky wood floors and plenty of wear showing on the building, Mark's apartment was spick-and-span, and even the floors had been waxed.

"I'm impressed," I told my boyfriend. I just

loved

thinking of him as my boyfriend!

"That's what I did last weekend, while you were at home. It was a lot of work cleaning these dingy old floors, but it helped pass the time that I was missing you."

"That's so sweet," I said, giving Mark a quick kiss before I walked into the kitchen.

"I told you that it was dinky!"

"It will still work." Mark put his arms around me from behind, and I reached back over my shoulders to caress him. "Now, shoo, I have cooking to do."