Apprehensively, Jeremiah put his key in the lock and entered his father's penthouse apartment. Not that he hadn't visited the large well furnished five room spread overlooking the east side of Central Park, many times since his father and mother divorced twelve years ago; but this time was different. His prior visits had been scheduled, as mandated by the judge who had edited that this only child of Harold and Ester Goodman would reside with his mother with prescribed visits to his father.
Ester Goodman, a legal secretary for one of Manhattan's top law firms, makes a good salary and has a nice apartment on the West Side. But, her small apartment can in no way rank with the palatial quarters befitting his father's status as a partner in one of Wall Street's most highly regarded investment firms.
Harold Goodman's reputation as a shrewd money manager extends far beyond the confines of his firm, well known, as he is, in financial circles both in the U.S. and aborad. This is attested to, among other accomplishments, by his frequent appearances on various financial TV programs. He has also authored many articles and been interviewed by writers for a number of top magazines.
Over the years since his parents' breakup, Jeremiah always looked forward to visiting his father. Although he loves his mother, who provides a comfortable home for him; his father's life has always seemed more interesting and exciting than that of his conservative mother. When Jeremiah was younger, his father frequently took him to movies and sometimes the circus. He seldom went anywhere with his mother. As he entered his teen-age years, he attended Broadway shows with his father, sometimes accompanied by one of the elder Goodman's lady friends. Another thing that made visits to his father's apartment to his liking were the fine collection of books and magazines to be found there.
Particularly over the last several years, Jeremiah couldn't remember exactly when, especially interesting magazines began appearing in his father's apartment - magazines like Playboy, Penthouse and Hustler. When his father was out the room, he would find them on the lower shelves of the bookcase, and sneak gazes at the pictures of the beautiful women, mostly naked! Sometimes, when his father was out of the apartment, perhaps still at work, Jeremiah would take one of these magazines into the bathroom, prop it up against the wall on top of the toilet and masturbate, eyes fixed on the place between a pair of open female legs. It was so much more exciting to do it while beholding such a sight, then in his own bedroom or bathroom at his mother's apartment. Sometimes, with the aid of these gorgeous ladies, he could achieve that moment of supreme pleasure several times in less than an hour. At home, once was usually his limit for the night. Then he just wasn't interested until the next morning.
Other than looking at the pictures in his father's magazines, masturbating was Jeremiah's sole sexual outlet. He had never had a date with a girl. It wasn't that he didn't like girls. He was fascinated by them, but he was very nervous whenever he was near them, and immediately became tongue tied. He knew he was too shy to ask a girl for a date and certain he wouldn't know how to act if one accepted.
On one of his visits when Jeremiah was between sixteen and seventeen, his father asked. "Do you go out with girls much, Son?"
"Gee, I can't say I do, Dad," he stammered in reply. "It's not that I don't like 'em. I do. I'm really attracted to 'em. I'm certainly not attracted to boys, if that's what's worrying you. I know a few guys at school who are like that. But, I'm sure not," he answered decisively. "I guess I'm just too scared to ask a girl for a date."
"Then, you're still a virgin? You've never had sex with a girl?" his father asked somewhat hesitantly. He had not had all that many discussions about sex with his son and realized that he should have brought the subject up years ago.
"No. I think about it a lot. But I know I'd be too scared to even try."
"Don't worry son," his father counseled. "Your time will come. You have your whole life ahead of you."
That ended the conversation, which Jeremiah would remember for a long time, as would his father.
As he entered the apartment, Jeremiah reveled in the knowledge that, from this day on, his visits to his father would no longer be controlled by a judge. And, his mother could no longer keep him from going there anytime he wanted, or at least anytime his father wanted him there. That, in itself was one of the reasons this particular visit was different from all the rest. The other reason was that he had come in response to a specific invitation from his father, even though it was not his normal day to visit him. Just after he arrived home that afternoon from the high school from which he would be graduating in three weeks, a messenger arrived at the door of his mother's apartment. He handed Jeremiah an envelope. In it was a birthday card. And, inside the card, his father had written a message.
Jeri:
HAPPY BIRTHDAY SON. Congratulations on turning eighteen.
I have a special surprise for you at my place. Come tonight about 8 o'clock.
Love,
Dad.
His mother arrived home a few minutes later, earlier than her usual time of five-thirty. Greeting him at the door she announced, "Jeremiah, I came home a little early to fix you an especially nice dinner as my way of saying happy birthday. Then we can spend the whole evening talking, playing games, or whatever you want to do."
Jeremiah's heart sank. He thought about telling his mother about the message his father had sent, but decided to wait.
When dinner was over, he cautiously broached the subject - telling her his father had sent him a note inviting him, but intentionally omitting the part about the "surprise."
"But, Jeremiah," she protested "you're not scheduled to go see him until tomorrow."
"But, he sent me a card by messenger and asked me to come tonight, Ma," he replied in almost a pleading tone. "I don't want to disappoint him."
"What about disappointing me? Did you think of that?" his mother responded somewhat angrily
"Ah, Ma. Ya know I loved the dinner. And, I don't have to leave for another forty-five minutes. So we can sit and talk. Tell ya what I'll do. If you let me go tonight, I'll come home tomorrow afternoon instead of Sunday, like I usually do when I go there. And we can spend all of Saturday evening together. Please Ma!"
"Well, all right Jeremiah," his mother finally agreed, though still reluctantly. She was suspicious of her ex- husbands intentions. She know he led a rather fast life and had several girl friends. She suspected that, now that her little boy was eighteen, his father might show him some of the porn tapes, she suspected him of having somewhere in that fancy apartment of his.
He's now legally able to see such trash
, she thought to herself. "You know that, as of today, you are no longer bound by the Judge's order, Jeremiah. Legally, you can visit your father whenever you like, but all I ask is please be careful. As long as you're living here, I want to know where you are. Remember, just because you're eighteen doesn't mean you know it all. There're lots of dangers out there in the world. You have your whole life ahead of you, so don't ruin it by doing something foolish."
"You know I'll be careful and not do anything, as you say, 'foolish,' Ma." He had heard similar lectures from his mother for as long as he could remember, and he didn't want to sit through another one, especially tonight.
Jeremiah couldn't wait to leave for his father's apartment and see what the surprise was, but, nevertheless, he talked patiently with his mother for next forty-five minutes, before kissing her goodnight and going down to the street to hail a taxi.
As he stepped into the entrance hall, Jeremiah was surprised not to find his father there to greet him. The lights were low and he could hear soft music from the stereo. "Maybe dad's entertaining a lady? Then, why did he specifically ask me to come tonight?" As he pondered this, he almost turned to leave, but then spotted a note taped to the mirror over hall table. It read:
Jeri:
Sorry, I was called out of town to appear on a TV program, tonight. I'm sure you know which one. I'll be back about Noon tomorrow. See you then.
In the meantime, make yourself at home. Your surprise should arrive about 8:30. HAPPY 18th BIRTHDAY, SON.