The end of the year in Australia is almost mid-Summer. Whilst many people celebrate Christmas following European traditions with hot lunches, the common theme is usually getting together with family and friends, sharing gifts and catching up whilst drinking white wine in the sun.
This story is set in the Australian countryside where, alas, there is no opportunity to spend Christmas at the beach building sandcastles instead of snowmen, instead, our heroine may receive a gift she was not expecting!
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The sun peeped through my timber venetian blinds and Dylan my cat nudged my head with his demanding more food in his almost full bowl. Checking my phone, I saw it was not even six, but I knew there was little chance of more sleep.
I shook Dylan's bowl as I entered the kitchen, covering the bottom therefore making him believe it was not near empty and flicked the switch on the kettle to make a pot of tea. Today was technically the last workday of the year. I was required at school late morning and only for a potluck lunch where the principal would again thank all of us teachers and wish us well over the Summer break. I needed the break. I loved my job teaching high school English, but I also recognised my life needed more.
It was going to be another hot one, so I took my mug of tea outside and watered my herb and vegetable garden. Whereas half a dozen or so of my colleagues would be transferring back to various cities I had chosen to put down roots in this small regional town arguing there was nothing for me back there. With the chooks fed and watered and three eggs collected I hung my hat on the hook near the back door and reminded myself I needed to oil the fly screen which creaked every time it opened or shut.
Pouring another cup of tea, I opened my laptop and scanned my emails. There were plenty of advertisements for the ideal Christmas gifts for the special people in your life and I was glad I could simply delete them, happy in the knowledge I did not have to buy for anyone. I was now an orphan as such. An only child whose mum had died from breast cancer when I was 16 and whose father had drunk himself into an early grave almost 5 years ago.
I had left school not knowing what I wanted to be when I grew up. I enrolled in an Arts degree at university majoring in English literature and Creative Writing and loved being able to escape into books and stories and ultimately receive a degree for this. I worked part-time as an editor for a small publishing house near the university but found the work dull and decided I could not see myself doing it for the next however many years. I completed a master's in education and for the last 9 years I have taught English and Literature to high school students.
Even though I majored in literature, at university I discovered erotic fiction and for eleven or twelve years I have dabbled in putting pen to paper to arouse and bring pleasure to readers. Of course, I have used a pseudonym and have managed to stay anonymous for all this time, however I now have constant feelings of being a total fraud. I've only ever had one boyfriend, Tom, and that relationship was lacklustre and not at all worthy of an erotic story of its own.
Flicking further through my emails I came across one from a fan who bemoaned that her life was so boring compared to one of the heroines I had written about.
'I can't believe that there would be men out there who could be as a sweet and sincere as Edwin and literally understand Jacinta's past and offer her a steady prospect for her future. I mean, you describe Jacinta as my dream woman- established in a career of her own and sexually experienced. Your descriptions of the threesome with the couple she met at the bar was so amazing and yet she knew it was just sex and was willing to explore her sexuality, happy to be without a partner until she met Edwin. You don't know how many times I've got off reading about J's sex life and wishing it was my own! And now, at chapter 19 to have her falling in love with Edwin and him being so perfect for her, it just, well, I wish I had your sexual history to be able to draw on with these things. I suppose living in the inner city you must be used to picking up guys in bars. Anyway, I've rambled too much, but I so love your writing and you give me hope there is an Edwin out there for me!'
How could I reply to this fan telling her that my life was nothing like what I wrote about, that my one and only boyfriend did not rock my world in bed, never made me orgasm, and only ever wanted sex in one position, barely lasting for more than a minute or two? Tom was another teacher at the school I was at and it was easier to stay with him until the end of the school year than to break up after a few weeks. To be fair, he was the first man who ever showed any interest in me and I was sick of being a 23-year-old virgin.
'Thanks so much for your kind words! The last chapter in this series should be published in the next week or so. I knew Jacinta wouldn't settle for anyone less than she deserves and I'm glad you agree Edwin is worthy of her love. I enjoy writing about strong female characters who love sex- I mean, what's not to love about sex really, right? Anyway, glad to hear from you, JustJaynexx'
To escape from Tom, I asked for a transfer to the country. Having a couple of years of experience under my belt it was readily granted as most people looking to 'go bush' were new graduates. It also helped me escape from my alcoholic father.
Settling into country life was easy. I had always been a loner and enjoyed living by myself in a small house provided by the Education Department. Not wanting another experience like I had had with Tom, I told people I had a partner back in town who couldn't transfer to the country. Word spread that I was unavailable, and I was left alone. It wasn't as if there weren't men that caught my eye, but I wanted to focus on my work and in my spare time I created Jacinta and some other characters and wrote about their sexual exploits.
I had read a lot of erotic stories myself and used similar descriptions to others figuring that portrayals of anal sex and the like were not that difficult to dream up, even if I was only imagining the sensations. Even though I had never practiced them, I lived vicariously through Jacinta and simply wished I could have had half the experiences she did. My pseudonym, 'JustJaynexx' had a fictional about section on my profile and apologised for delays in publishing chapters due to conferences I was organising and the pressures of the marketing world in Sydney where I worked. I also hinted that I was doing more research to bring more adventures to Jacinta and my other characters. If only people realised this research was simply reading other erotic writing and sadly, not personal experience with someone rocking my world.
People had bought this. It was only now at the end of the school year, when I would have seven weeks without students, and I had not planned on taking a vacation that I felt lonely. I had finished the final chapter in Jacinta's tale and had a few other draft stories I thought I'd work through and possibly publish over the break, or at least put on hold so I could ensure I published a story every month the following year.
I had given Jacinta her happily ever after and yet I wondered how happy I really was in my life. Sure, I was head of the English and humanities department at our regional school, I owned a cottage a few kilometres out of town where I had a lovely garden, ran chickens and had the company of Dylan, the black shorthaired cat I had adopted as a kitten a few years ago. Last Summer holiday I had trekked in Nepal. Other holidays I had travelled to other South-East-Asian countries and had wonderful experiences and yet there was definitely something missing from my life. I knew I did not need a man to complete me or be my other half, but I liked the idea of having a best friend I could talk about my day with, hopefully one I was sexually compatible with.
Grabbing the quiche I had made the night before for our pooled lunch, and a dozen eggs I had promised my colleague Margie, I headed into school.
"Oh, Erin! You are a doll!" Margie kissed me on the cheek as I gave her the eggs, "I'm behind on Christmas and only just baking the cake and knowing it has your eggs in it will help hide the lack of maturity it would usually have."
"Always pleased to supply eggs for you, you know that. Make sure you give it some extra brandy too of course!"
"Naturally!" Margie laughed, "Did you hear Jeremy from the bank, his divorce has come through."
"Thanks Margie, but to be honest, I find him pretty boring."
I knew I was no oil painting, and never wanted to judge people based on their looks, but Jeremy looked as dull as his personality came across. We had been on a team at a trivia night a few months back and he had spent most of the evening telling me about his model train collection, only stopping to complain that one of the answers was wrong and even after others at our table had pulled out their phones and shown him that he was incorrect, he still insisted that the internet was mistaken and it was all fake news anyway.
"Ah! Miss Marshall!" I had been cornered by John, our deputy principal, "Heading to the city for Christmas to see that fellow of yours?"
"Ah, no. We ended things last September," I lied.
"What a shame, and that lovely Chris Hamilton is heading back to the city, you two would have made a lovely couple. I did hear Jeremy from the bank, well, his divorce is finally through."
"Thanks John, but I'm happy by myself for a bit."
"Now you won't be alone for Christmas, will you? Our lovely church has a service at 7 on Christmas Eve for the littlies and 9 on Christmas Morning. We'd love to see you there."
John was an elder in his church and always pushing for colleagues to attend.
"I do have plans already, John, but thanks for the offer."
"Erin, can I borrow you for a minute?" I was so glad my friend Tammy had seen John badgering me.
Tammy was head of science and we worked closely together despite our different disciplines. She was a few years older than me and had children in the local primary school where her husband, Dale, taught. They really were a lovely couple and had a relationship and family I could only aspire to.
"Thanks Tam! You are a lifesaver! I have no plans on ever going to John's church and spending Christmas with him would be, well, I can think of better options!"
"So, what are you doing for Christmas then? I wish we didn't have to travel to family this year."
"I'm having a quiet one with Dylan! Don't worry about me- I've never been a huge Christmas person anyway."
"I saw the résumé of one of the new teachers for next year- he included a photo and he is hot-diggity!"
