My wife Anita was 8 months pregnant and we'd been attending first time parent pre-natal classes for several weeks at the local community college.
Today was different, as while the women were busy with an exercise, the group leader Jasmine moved myself and the other men into another room and explained that an optional class would be held specifically for us at a separate time and venue. It was somewhat mysterious but promised to cover pregnancy issues directly affecting men and was only offered occasionally. Wives were not allowed, this was a testosterone only event and numbers were quite limited with only five places being available.
Most of the guys weren't interested but myself and four others had formed a loose friendship during the classes, so we signed up all the available spots and were issued with instructions for where and when is was being held. The cost of the class was $200.00 which was to be paid in cash at the time. It seemed like a lot of money, but again Jasmine reassured us that we would receive excellent value for money. Mysteriously, she suggested that we not reveal anything to our pregnant wives.
A few weeks later the five of us met in a foyer outside a closed room, where Jasmine was waiting for us.
"Hi guys, thanks for coming along to this special class. I know this is all a bit strange, but I promise it will be informative and useful to you. This class is only offered when certain conditions arise, and when I feel comfortable with the group of men who might attend it. I'm comfortable that that has happened with this group."
We were all unsure of what was going to happen, but an interesting thought had begun to fester in the back of my mind and I was interested to see how it played out.
"Before we start, I need each of you to sign a confidentiality agreement. It's a straightforward no legalise document which says that if you discuss what happens in class today with anyone else, you will be in breach of contract and may make yourself liable for substantial penalties."
One of the guys was a contract lawyer and he looked over the agreement, nodding his head. "It's a straightforward confidentiality agreement, just sign it and then keep your mouth shut and you won't have any problems."
That was good enough for me, I signed my name as did everyone else. Jasmine smiled at us and then produced five envelopes, one addressed to each of us. Inside was a slip of paper with some writing on it. Mine said 'Tara, 26'. The others had Melanie 23, Anna 25, Kim 25 and Rachel 24, a series of female names and ages. No one said anything, but we all looked at each other began to wonder exactly what our $200.00 was buying.
Jasmine explained the situation.
"Guys, in my role as pre-natal support facilitator, I see a lot of single mothers. These are healthy attractive young women who get knocked up and then abandoned by the father. They can't get welfare payments and struggle to bring up the child."
"In order to help them, I've created these classes in which they are employed as the teachers. They are going to teach you some lessons about how a woman feels after she has given birth, and specifically how and what you can expect in terms of sex. Most of you will not have had sex for a while now, and will be anxious to get back to it once the baby is born, these women are going to teach you what you need to know about that. This is a practical class, not theory."
Her last sentence left us in no doubt what was going to happen at this special class.
"Remember one thing though, this is a class, and these young women are your teachers and must be treated with respect. I will be supervising throughout the session, but what happens is effectively up for negotiation between you and your partner. Now please go inside, find your allocated teacher, and introduce yourselves to her."
I was erect now, I couldn't help it. I looked at the other guys and could see the signs of four horny fathers-to-be who were also aroused but trying to keep it under control. All the signs were there - rearrangements of the pants, sweaters being pulled a bit lower over the stomach, strange positioning of the hands in front of growing bulges.
We filed into the large room to find five young women wearing dressing gowns, spread around the room and supported by European style pillows and cushions. The room was lit dimly and the temperature was warm. These women weren't models - they were five typical young women who could have been plucked off the street at random.
I found Tara on the right hand side. She was a brunette, short hair and a pleasant smile. Her gown was wrapped tight and high, but I could see the swell of breasts that were probably still feeding her baby. She was carrying an extra few pounds and was attractive and alert. I sat down on the carpet next to her, introduced myself and shook her hand, and made small talk for a few minutes. I discovered she had a four month old baby named Daniel, and that she was originally from Dunedin in New Zealand. When I asked about her missing partner, she was a bit evasive and changed the subject back to me. I hoped I hadn't offended her.
