'tales From the Orient'

To carry on the story from Chapter Four, I was back in the UK and travelling on a train to London when by chance I bumped into Jo's husband, Pete. We started reminiscing about our time in Singapore and soon Pete was relating another version of what happened at Jo's apartment on the night of her party. Dee had told me how she remembered it - but this new account of what she and Tom had got up to back at our own apartment afterwards was, to put it mildly, a bit of a revelation ...

Rashoman 5 -- Singapore, England and 'Cosi fan Tutti'

So, Tom went on;

'Then Dee got up from the floor and picked up her dress, threw it over her shoulder and almost floated across the lounge away from me, her lovely slim figure swaying from side to side. She was still smiling back at me as she went through a doorway into another room, then closed the door and disappeared.'

'So, now what? I just stood where she'd left me and waited nervously for what seemed an age. Then I heard her voice call out my name. I took a deep breath and I followed her into what was quite a small bedroom - but large enough for a twin bed and some furniture. It was illuminated softly and there was a big mosquito net suspended from a square wood frame that hung from the ceiling over the bed and completely protected it. I looked closer and through the netting material I could make out the shape of someone moving and relaxing back on the bed.'

'I moved closer... and yes, there was Dee. Wow, she looked gorgeous. She was naked and her white bikini marks contrasted with the rest of her lovely tanned body, and she had something around her neck -- which I soon discovered was a black velvet choker. God, she looked so sexy! It just shows what first impressions can make on a young man as I've had a thing about women wearing black chokers ever since. I just stood there, not believing my eyes. She saw me gaping at her, smiled back happily and said;

'Well, are you just going to stand there - or...?'

'I almost ripped at my clothes, fearful that I might lose control before I got any further. She rolled over on her front to watch me and as I finally got rid of my pants she looked me up and down and said with a grin;

'Hmm... nice... who's a big boy then...?'

'Oh boy... I know I was certainly rising to the occasion but that did wonders for my morale.'

Pete stopped for moment to take a sip of his beer. By now my heart was quivering, almost with fear and excitement and then he went on, something like this:

'I went across to the edge of the bed, lifted the net and slid in beside her. The bed sheets felt lovely and cool while she looked quite calm and was lookling at me, almost thoughtfully. I reached out and took her hand. Now that the moment I had dreamed of so often had actually arrived I was almost in a daze about what to do next, but I reached across... and we kissed... There no awkwardness -- just an incredible feeling of relief and excitement.'

'She had such soft, warm and welcoming body and when our lips met ... For a few moments I held her face between my hands and then trailed my fingers through her hair, then over her shoulders. She giggled and wriggled as I teased her lovely breasts and felt her nipples hardening... Now I was more confident and slid my fingers down and across her belly. Hoping I was doing the right things I started gently teasing her little bush of soft pussy hair... no 'Brazilian' styling in those days.'

'She started breathing heavily; her eyes were gleaming and then she pushed herself against my fingers and closed her eyes. I started stroking deeper and there it was ...her pussy... warm, moist and very responsive... Oh boy...! She moaned for few seconds but then she opened her eyes and said it was lovely - but then surprised me by saying all she wanted now was a good fuck!'

'She was not a lady to mince words so I said perhaps I ought to use a condom? I started to kneel up and said I had one in the back pocket of my trousers - but she just held my hand, smiled wickedly and whispered;

'Don't bother -- I'm on the pill. If you were anybody else I'd have insisted you use one but you've said I'll be your first love so... I prefer it like that, anyway -- I call it riding bareback ... much more intimate and I can really feel ...'

'I could hardly believe what she'd said, but I wasn't going to argue. My first fuck -- bareback, as she called it - she obviously knew what she wanted! Then I was on top of her, balancing on my elbows above her and she was holding my cock as she guided me ... she whispered something about not rushing and a few seconds later how lovely it felt. I suppose you always remember your first pussy - so incredibly exciting, warm and slippery and almost juicy... She wrapped her legs behind my mine, gripped my shoulders then my ass and she was pulling me closer and I was in her -- then all the way, right up to the hilt...'

'She held me there as we kissed. then she looked at me and started grinning again and I realised she was squeezing me - with her pussy! I'd never imagined a woman could do that. You can imagine the effect it had on me ... I wanted her so much and started thrusting. I don't know how long we went on for but then her voice became very husky and she was groaning louder - and that really triggered me off. I just lost it. You know what it's like -- especially your first time. Fireworks going off in my head... I was exploding, losing control, thrashing around and coming again and again, all at the same time. She was gasping in the sexiest voice I've ever heard something like;

'Yes... don't stop... keep going ... yes, oh God, just like that...!'

'In reality I don't suppose I kept going very long ... I mean, it was my first time. I was still gasping as I apologized, now feeling such an idiot for not being able to control myself. But she just grinned at me and said that over the last few weeks with being on her own she'd become more and more frustrated so it was just what she wanted; perhaps it was short - but very, very sweet. It was also her way of thanking me for rescuing her.'

'As we calmed down we just lay there. She kept her legs wrapped around mine and we just whispered silly things to each other. I don't know how long were talking but at some stage she pushed me off, got out of bed, put on a t-shirt and went and brought me a beer and a coffee for herself. She said that the 'funny fags' as she called the joints had left her feeling very thirsty. So, we just cuddled up again and were started talking about farms and horses and the countryside where I came from. I thought that was it. I'd finally 'lost my cherry' and thought I should get ready to go. But then she started stroking my chest, almost absent mindedly, and I realised I was getting hard again. She saw what was happening, grinned teasingly and reached down and said;

'Well ... what have we got here? Is he waking up ...? Does he like me stroking him...?'

'Well, what do you think...? I went to come on top of her again but she said it was her turn. Ohh... what did she mean? She pulled off her t-shirt and it didn't take me very long to find out. She knelt up, threw a leg over my hips and before I knew it she was straddling me -- and she knew exactly what she was doing. By now I was rampant again. While she was wriggling herself into position I put my hands out and stroked her breasts and teased her nipples, which made her giggle.'

'By the time she'd settled down I felt much more in control of myself. She started riding me as we chatted but after a while she went quiet and concentrated on enjoying herself. Much to my delight I realised I'd got my second wind was able to keep pace with her. She took her time, saying lovely things like how deep I was and how much she was enjoying herself. After a while she was pounding up and down and started her hoarse moaning again. By now I felt I'd got my timing right as when she started coming I joined her... oooh... mind blowing...! Afterwards as she relaxed she was still straddling me and said something about just having had two orgasms, one after the other - and the second one felt different to the first.'

'After that... well, to put it bluntly, we fucked in all sort of positions until I was drained and we were both happily exhausted. She finished off showing me how to do 'sixty-nine' or soixante neuf, or whatever you want to call it. She said she'd learned that and all the other positions from a Japanese 'pillow book' she'd borrowed from Jo.'

Oh yes... I vividly remembered Dee and I using Jo's 'pillow book' after our honeymoon...

'Afterwards, as we lay there I said I hoped I hadn't been too greedy but she looked at me and said;

'Well, if you treat your future girlfriends like you have me - then I don't think you've got much to worry about.'

'Oh wow... and I simply said it had been the best night of my life. All I could think of was how lucky I was at meeting her-- I felt incredibly happy but also very sad. I told her I'd fallen hopelessly in love with her, and knew we'd only have this one night together. She just smiled and cuddled me again. We talked and talked, and as we did I can still remember the swishing sound of the roof fan as it wafted the tropical night air over us.'

'Eventually we both agreed it was time for me to go. Dee said her next door neighbour was one of her husband's ex-girlfriends and Dee didn't want her to see me sneaking out of the apartment. We got out of bed and she slipped on her t-shirt again and I got dressed. She took me to the door and it was one final kiss goodbye. Even after making love all night just the touch of her soft body under her t-shirt had my blood racing again... But she held my hands, just smiled and gently pushed me out the door and quietly closed it after me. I suppose I just turned and wandered off, still on cloud nine.'

'I walked down the steep hill to the main road, thinking about what to do next -- and decided to go back to my hotel. I had the invitation to go back to Charlie and the other girls but by now ... all I could think of was Dee. I walked along the road for a while and even though it was just before dawn I was able to stop a passing cab.'

By now my mind was in a turmoil. I'd always had this graphic image in my mind of Dee and Tom thrashing about on the carpet in the dim moonlight... and now I knew that had just been the start of it. I'd always known Dee was a passionate woman but even so...!

But then again... and I suddenly remembered that when I was still single, before Dee came out to Singapore, I'd had an almost identical experience with a married woman a couple of years older than me. Just like Dee she was the one who'd taken the initiative -- and I'd spent an incredible night with her, just like Tom said he had with Dee. Perhaps the exotic tropical atmosphere of Singapore acted like an aphrodisiac on English women?

Pete obviously saw emotions crossing my face and waited. I indicated for him to continue and he carried on with Tom's story;

'The next morning, back at the hotel, I met Charlie at breakfast and we talked about what we'd done. He really surprised me when he said that he was actually very jealous of me! I couldn't understand why and he said that Dee was the one he'd really wanted -- although he used a much cruder term. She looked so reserved and English, and with her blond hair and cool manner she'd really got him going.'

'Apparently, she'd teased him as they'd danced at the start of the party, then suddenly said the coast was clear and took his hand and led him down a corridor into a bedroom. As she shut the door she told him this was her way of saying thank you for rescuing her earlier on and told him to get undressed. He said he was surprised how decisive she was but wasn't going to argue. As he undressed she unzipped her dress, threw it on a chair and then said they didn't have very long!'

'Before he knew it she had her hands against his chest and was pushing him back on the bed. He was a bit surprised but did as she said. Then she knelt down and started giving him a blowjob. He'd wanted just to fuck her but said she gave such incredible head -- she could probably 'suck the chrome off of tow bar' as he so graphically described it, although I think I heard that term used in the film 'Electric Cowboy' as well.'

'After she'd finished him off her eyes were twinkling and she told him she'd often fantasised about fucking a handsome black man like him -- but she didn't have enough time to do it properly and he'd have to make do with a blowjob! By now Charlie couldn't get enough of her and told her he wanted her to stay until he'd recovered and then they could fuck properly. He said she just grinned and said they had to get back to the party - the other girls had agreed she could go first with him and were waiting until she'd finished!'

'They got dressed and were just coming out of the room and met Jo on the way back to the lounge. Charlie left Dee outside the door to the bathroom, which is where I met her as I came out. Back in the lounge Jo had grabbed Charlie and, as they say, the rest was history.'

Once again, I was speechless -- although I suppose it wasn't really much more than Jo had described. Pete stopped thoughtfully for a moment and said that Tom went on;

'We flew back to Danang a few days later and on the flight Charlie said he'd never had such an unforgettable R&R -- four beautiful English women in one night! He couldn't wait to do it again, especially with Dee -- he still got a hard on just thinking of her. Before they'd left Jo had told Charlie to get in contact with her if they ever came back to Singapore again and she said she might be able to arrange another party.'

'Then Charlie said something weird and asked me if I knew any of Mozart's operas? I said I didn't and he told me to listen to one called 'Cosi fan tutti'. When I asked what that meant he said the title basically means 'Women - they're all at it'. The story was of two girls in the eighteenth century who were enjoying themselves while they thought their fiancées were away-- and he didn't think women were much different now!'

'Unfortunately, we never did return to Singapore. After a few days in Vietnam everything went wrong. It's ironic - we'd survived firefights and ambushes with hardly a scratch during our first six months there but after we returned we were flying out on our first operation and our troop-carrying Huey crashed on take-off. I just about survived although I don't remember much of it. I was medevac'd back to the States and was unconscious for three months before recovering. Charlie and the other guys didn't survive the crash.'

Pete said he asked Tom if he had ever tried to contact Jo again but he said no. It was a long time before he got over his injuries and then he was discharged from the Marines, went to university and met his future wife there. But he'd often thought about that party and Dee and wondered how she was going on.

At this point Pete told him it was Jo who was his wife in Singapore, and as far as he knew Dee was still married. Tom was rather stunned and very apologetic but Pete said that was all in the past and that he and Jo had moved on and were now divorced. Tom relaxed and just smiled... and said it was such small world. They exchanged email addresses but Pete said he never heard anything more from him.

So, that's the Rashomon question. Three different views of the same situation. As I said Dee and I have been married now for forty-eight years so I think I know her pretty well ...but anybody who thinks they know what a woman is really thinking and how she might react to any given circumstance is fooling themselves. What I'm pretty certain of is that while she's sometimes gone 'off piste' she's never done anything to deliberately hurt me and rather than deliberately deceiving me I prefer to think she was sometimes just being 'economical with the facts' or trying to spare my feelings.

So, after Dee's adventures on her girls' night out the social side of our life in Singapore went back to normal. About nine months later in 1970 I was due to be posted back to the UK and as usually happens by that time most of the friends we'd known during the year Dee was there had already left. Jo, Judy and Pat were long gone, Rod had gone back to UK on discharge back into civilian life and 'Scottish' John had been sent on an emergency three-month tour to Borneo.

Then a couple of months before we were due to leave for the UK I was sent on another exercise...

(to be continued...)