Leanne looked down at the black and white photo that she held in her diminutive hands and trembled involuntarily. How had he found her, she wondered, biting her lower lip lightly?
It had been many years since the photo had been taken – close to twelve in fact. Leanne remembered it quite clearly because it had been taken only a couple of weeks before she'd married Ryan, and their 12th wedding anniversary was next month.
She looked down at the image again and sighed – it looked pretty harmless of course – to the casual observer anyway. In sharp focus and with perfect balance, the subtle natural lighting portrayed two subjects clearly. One of them was Leanne, and the other was of an older man – a much older man – easily a septuagenarian. The old man was grinning mischievously toward the cameraman while Leanne sat on his lap looking somewhat uncomfortable with the situation. Her fair hair was pulled up in a small ponytail near her crown and ringlets cascaded down either side of her slim face, almost covering her ears. She had on a light-coloured singlet and a dark skirt with tiny flowers printed on the flimsy material. Her small, firm breasts appeared unfettered and her nipples cast just enough shadows to highlight that they could have been in a mild state of arousal – or perhaps she was just cold.
Leanne felt suddenly anxious – she had thought it was all well and truly behind her – different state – and a different surname now of course. But somehow he had tracked her down – and for what reason she could not be sure...
An inexplicable tingle fluttered momentarily in Leanne's loins – and she shook herself in denial at her body's subconscious reaction – but it was a reaction none-the-less of the distant memory – a snapshot in her life that she had tried hard to forget.
She glanced at the picture for a moment longer as she flicked absently at the disposable lighter's mechanism – and she wondered what the casual observer would make of the old man's gnarly hand resting on the smooth, inner thigh of her right leg. His bony fingers looked to be pressing into her skin slightly –precariously close to the bunched-up hem of her short skirt... Was that why her legs appeared to be slightly apart, or was it just innocent?
Leanne's skin crawled at the vivid memory of what had happened between them next... Hard to believe really, she thought.
Touching the lighter's flame to the edge of the photo, Leanne watched it gradually ignite in a bluish hue and when the heat suddenly became unbearable, she dropped the photo onto the garden bed and was surprised at how quickly it had turned to indiscernible ash.
The destructive flame may have gone out but the photo had sparked memories in Leanne she had much preferred to forget. Shaking her head in an attempt to clear her mind, she reluctantly let her thoughts wander back to over a decade earlier – a period when she had lost her innocence...
* * *
After moving to the city to be closer to her boyfriend, Leanne slowly made a few new friends of her own – friends quite different to what she had grown up with in her small country town. Leanne's new girlfriends all worked "different" sorts of jobs to what she was familiar to. Sue was a factory worker making exhaust pipes; Cathy worked in a sweatshop making cheap dresses – and Di was a part-time hooker – and a good one too, she'd often confessed to her quite candidly!
Leanne had met them at her local gym and their openness to her over the ubiquitous post-gym coffee had her warming to them instantly. And they all seemed so worldly! Christ – Di was really a hooker? Leanne could not imagine what her mother would say if she were to know she had a prostitute as a friend!
Since leaving school, Leanne had always worked in law-firms. She had always dressed smart; was well spoken; well paid – and thoroughly bored with it all! She wanted a bit of a change in her life before it all got too serious.
Well, her boyfriend, Ryan, was not too happy about Leanne's choice of so called friends – but he was even less happy when she informed him she was going to work for six months with Sue in the exhaust factory! She told him she wanted to see how hard it really was – if she could hack it. He begrudgingly gave in to her desire – thinking to himself smugly that his innocent girlfriend (whom he was soon to propose to) would not last more than a week in some hot and noisy factory!
He was wrong – Leanne pretty much stuck it out.
She actually hated the work intensely – it was so demeaning – hot and noisy, smelly and physically hard too. And the work clothes! They were absolutely horrible and consisted of baggy blue overalls, big steel-capped boots and a hair net! And to top it off – the low wages were nothing short of criminal!
It was everything that Ryan had told her it would be. But she did not want to give Ryan the satisfaction of her quitting the job early! Besides, she got to meet all sorts of interesting people, from all parts of the world, quite different to what she was familiar with – and there were a couple of cute guys working there too. For those reasons, and her friend Sue, somehow helped to make it a bit of fun! Besides, it was just temporary.
Within weeks of her starting there, one of the guys (a Leading Hand on her shift), had even taken a bit of a shine to her. He made it quite obvious too – and even though he knew she had recently become engaged – he continued to flirt with her brazenly. His name was Scott. He was several years older than Leanne and he had told her he was married – but had recently separated from his wife.
Sue of course knew what was going on and had even encouraged Leanne to flirt back with him – told her it was normal sort of stuff 'cause if you picked the right man in a place like this – and Scott was one of them – then you could ask them to put you on the easier jobs in the factory – like packing the mufflers with insulation; where it was both cooler and a lot quieter than out on the main factory floor!
So Leanne encouraged him – and within weeks she was packing mufflers – she still thought the job sucked, but it was a little more bearable to say the least!
Scott checked on her several times a day – brought her cold water regularly – and would even help her pack mufflers when she fell behind. He constantly asked her out – and even though she was flattered – she constantly declined of course. But she liked him – he made her laugh.
Surprisingly, the weeks flew by. Before she knew it, it was the end of year and time for the ubiquitous Christmas party.
The Social Club had organised a function at the local tavern some five kilometres from the factory in a "nicer" part of town. Partners were of course welcome – but Sue told Leanne that few seemed to have gone along in the past. Ryan not only did not want to go – but of course he did not want his fiancée to go either!
Well that went down like a lead-balloon and Leanne had merely decided to go on her own! She'd told Ryan she would not be out too late, but she had felt attending the function was the "right thing to do". She'd been working at the factory for nearly three months and felt pretty comfortable around her fellow-factory workers now – well, most of them anyway – and having a few drinks with them seemed like it would be a bit of fun.
There was one person that she was not comfortable around. The factory foreman, a big man named Gus, gave her the creeps a bit. He was easily in his forties with a large, round shaved head that reminded her of a bowling ball – Leanne had often caught him perving on her from his small office at work when she least expected it. At times he'd even attempted to make conversation with her, and although his manner seemed pleasant enough, he made her feel uneasy and she would fob him off almost rudely – which was so unlike her.
Leanne had hoped he would not be at the Christmas party – or at the very least, that she would be able to avoid him.
Sue ended up getting a lift to the tavern with Leanne in her old sedan – both of the girls had spruced themselves up a bit – but not too much by Leanne's normal standards. She wore tight black jeans, a sleeveless satin top and a pair of stilettoed sandals that made her little round butt poke out seductively as she walked. But her hair was undoubtedly her most attractive feature – not too many at the factory had seen Leanne's beautiful strawberry-blonde ringlets without the hairnet confining them until the night she walked in the tavern's dark lounge.
Even though there were probably more than a hundred employees at the tavern that night Scott homed in on Leanne within minutes of their arrival. He constantly commented on her appearance – and constantly shouted her cocktails.
The meal was a buffet-style thing you would expect at a large function for workers of – dare I say – a lower working class. But it was bountiful. Leanne ate little unfortunately – and the alcohol began to take its toll on her small frame quite early in the night.
Leanne had lost sight of Sue – and could not shake Scott for a moment's peace – he even walked her to the ladies room and waited outside for her like he was her chaperone!
At around half-past-ten Leanne, as wobbly as she was, decided she should make a move to her car. She had clearly past that stage of intoxication that still allows for some semblance of common sense – you know – when you think you are alright to drive a car after "sobering up" with a couple of glasses of water when moments earlier you had trouble even asking the barman for one without slurring the request!
With Scott still in tow, she wandered around the crowd looking for her friend Sue – only to be told by someone that they had seen her leave earlier with Bob from Sales. Leanne didn't even know Sue liked Bob from Sales and felt almost mortified that her friend could do such a thing without telling her!
Well Scott kept pestering her to stay – but Leanne knew her fiancé, Ryan, would be really angry with her if she stayed out too much later. She now wished she had caught a taxi though as the thought of driving home was beginning to frazzle her.
Scott offered to walk her to her car and in Leanne's fuzzy-headed state she accepted. Leanne said goodbye to some of her favourites, and then pair of them left the tavern somewhat discreetly by the back door to the car park – his arm around her slim waist in a somewhat supporting fashion that she did not discourage.
Once out into the dimly-lit car park, Leanne was taken aback. The car park was now full and she was suddenly unsure where she had parked. Feeling a bit silly as the two of them wandered amongst the vehicles looking for her beige sedan, she was barely aware of Scott guiding her back over toward the tavern. He told her he wanted to talk to her where it was quiet. Soon, he had her secreted in a darkened alcove along the back wall to the tavern – his hand had drifted down from her waist and was now resting on her buttocks – her own arm was around his waist – more for support than anything too familiar.
"What are you doing? We're meant to be looking for my car!" Leanne smiled just as Scott manoeuvred her up against the cool bricks of the wall.
"Jus' thought we'd 'ave a bit of a pash before ya go – you know, for Christmas an' all."
Leanne faced Scott and looked up into his blue eyes, and draped her hands over his shoulders, "A pash? Mmm...I dunno, Scott, how about jus' a peck?"
With one hand resting against the wall for support and his other one back around her waist, Scott leant in toward her face and brushed his lips against hers for several moments.
Leanne's heart raced with excitement – never had she done anything remotely unfaithful since being with Ryan the last twelve months – but she wanted Scott to kiss her again – just to see what if felt like – to see if he was a good kisser.
"Alright then...but no tongues okay?"
