(It was the summer of 1961 and I was 21 years old and was continuing with my hobby of bird watching. I had spent the previous two weeks on the banks of Brantwood Water in the English Lake District and had been studying waterfowl)
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After Phoebe and Cynthia left me I pondered for over an hour the now familiar prospect which was illuminated by the fading sunlight. Picking up my rucksack, diary and binoculars I scrambled slowly downhill, my knees aching from the twisting jolting walk.
I thought about Cynthia and her sad face and wondered whether I shouldn't perhaps try and see her again. I felt I should befriend her and learn more of her history. In my mind's eye I could see her knees, inner thighs and sad face, and again I experienced confusion.
Back at the small hotel near the boat jetty there appeared to be several small cars newly parked outside. The hotel had had only five guests during the fortnight I had stayed there, and that included me. I wondered how the proprietor kept going with such few visitors.
Sitting on a bench near the dipping dinghies overlooking the choppy water I could hear rowdy laughter and loud conversation coming from the hotel bar.
Women's shrieks punctured the hubbub. One loud woman appeared to be telling a long story which I couldn't quite make out because of the engine sounds of two motor boats approaching from the opposite bank. I felt reluctance to enter the hotel as I was so used to having the bar entirely to myself and my thoughts but I was in desperate need of a long beer so strolled in.
Eight middle-aged women, probably in their early to middle forties, glanced up at me as I entered and weaved between them to be served by Henry.
"The usual David?" he asked and I nodded smiling at him above the noise.
"A bit crowded tonight Henry," I stated, picking up my pint and looking around. He smiled back.
The ladies were sitting at two small tables filled with empty glasses which Henry noticed required collecting. I decided to help him out and did the rounds and was greeted by smiles, bosoms, crossed legs, bright lipstick, tartan skirts and dark stockings. The glasses were collected to the familiar 'Thank you young mans,' which I always found annoying and unnecessary.
Because I was relatively short and skinny people always thought I was at school, or at least too young to be out drinking. On my barstool, I joined Henry and discussed the local football team and their future prospects in the league.
From the women I could make out snippets of conversation from which I gathered that they were spending a weekend away from their husbands and children. This appeared to be an annual reunion event and they had all been at school together. They were all 43. I understood that they had driven up from Manchester that day and that they had booked an evening meal at the restaurant next door and were having their aperitifs with us at our hotel.
Their conversation covered all sorts of subjects and I sensed that they appeared rather forthright in their views on risquΓ© topics in particular.
One lady asserted that her husband found it difficult to satisfy her physically as he had never really understood the workings of her genitalia. Others agreed with her and confirmed that generally men were useless and disinterested in the 'between-legs department'.
One of them, Joyce, told the others that she had tried once to show her husband the intimate individual parts of her pubic area, but was told that he didn't need to know as he was a man. He swiftly walked off to the local pub with their pet Labrador, Jesse.
Joyce remarked that he probably knew more about Jesse's private parts than about his own wife's. This was greeted with squeals of laughter from the rest. I laughed to myself as it probably was true.
Patricia's husband was put off physically from looking between her legs although he liked to feel her down there. Glenda had asked George, her husband, to perform oral sex on her as George appeared to enjoy felatio from Glenda. Apparently George could not bring himself to do it, or imagine anything worse and would prefer to divorce her, truth be known.
Henry, the barman, who was probably in his sixties, was drawn into the conversation reluctantly but remained reticent to join in as he was clearly embarrassed at the comparatively low level of subject matter, and would rather not divulge anything personal to strangers.
"But you must have thought about using your tongue on your wife's most sensitive spot?" someone called to Henry. "Have you never thought of surprising her with it?"
Henry turned red with exasperation and exclaimed, "My missus would not respect me for it. Who could call a man a man who placed his mouth to a woman's private parts? It ain't natural, it's dirty and I wouldn't do it, and further more I despises men that do it."