When I announced that was I was moving to Utah to pursue a research fellowship, people looked at me like I was crazy. I had just graduated from Howard University with a master's degree in microbiology and began desperately sending out job applications. One day I got an email from a Utah state university saying they had considered my application and wanted to offer me a research fellowship.
I was a little wary about going to Utah. All I knew about the state was that it was run by Mormons and there weren't many black people. But I didn't have any other job offers, so I sold my things, packed up my Acura and drove cross-country to Utah.
The university helped me find an apartment and I soon settled into a routine of driving to work and laboring through experiments in the lab. It was a bit of a culture shock moving from D.C., chocolate city, to a predominately white Utah college town. There were hardly any black people and there were no black night clubs or churches. I didn't join the Mormon church, even though I had plenty of offers, so that opportunity wasn't open for social activities. I decided to stick with the Baptist church.
I got an up close and personal look at Mormons. For the most part, they seemed like genuinely nice people. Many were drawn in by the traditional culture which was focused on big families and stay-at-home moms. I could see how people were attracted to it. It was appealing, if you ignored some of the stranger aspects, such as the holy underwear and the part where you get a planet when you die.
Even though the Mormon church has a reputation for being conservative, not all the members of the Church of Latter Day Saints were actual saints. I heard stories of Mormon girls getting buck wild, a few months before they got married. They wanted to sow their wild oats before they settled down and became dutiful wives. Of course, they usually chose non-Mormon partners, so the community wouldn't find out. And even though polygamy had been outlawed, some Mormon men had mistresses which were tolerated by their wives.
Since I didn't want to get involved in the Mormon church, I started looking for other activities to keep me busy when I wasn't working. The university had a program where they offered discounts at a local ski lodge. Now skiing is like skydiving, one of those things that black people don't do. When my coworkers asked me to join them on a ski trip, they couldn't believe it when I told them I had never skied before. One weekend, I was bored out of my mind and decided to take them up on their offer.
I went to a sports shop and bought the necessary equipment, jacket, pants, gloves, skis, and headed out. The lodge was up in the mountains surrounded by tall fir trees. It also featured a hotel, bar and coffee shop. It was very idyllic and I was glad to get out of the city and experience nature. I got an instructor and took some beginner's classes and was soon zipping around the slopes having a grand old time. Now Utah was always white bread, but on the ski slopes I was literally the only brother there. I was like a chocolate drop in a sea of milk.
When it got dark people retreated to the bar where there was plenty of drinking and flirtatious behavior. People were on vacation so they wanted to let their hair down. And with the snow-white hills and moonlight, the lodge could be very romantic.
One night I was drinking alone in the bar, when I struck up a conversation with an older couple. The man had white hair and glasses, and the woman had curly, silver hair and wrinkles. She must have been 60, but still had a nice rack, which must have been fake.
The couple were friendly and asked me where I was from and how I came to be in Utah.
"It's so nice to meet you," said the wife. "We don't get to meet many black people around here."
We had a great time getting to know each other. I noticed the wife was inching closer to me at the bar, but thought nothing of it.
Finally, the husband said, "Well, we're heading up to our room, would you like to join us?"
"Join you?" I asked, confused. "For a late-night drink?"
"Yeah," said the man. "A drink and maybe we can see where it goes from there? My wife has never been with a black man before."
His wife eyed me like a starving dog.
I was dumbfounded! They had been hitting on me all along and wanted a threesome. Now, I had my share of pussy at frat parties, but had never been approached for a threesome, especially by a husband. I was flustered, so I made a lame excuse, finished my drink and left the bar. I may have been horny, but GILFs have never done it for me. As I left, the wife looked forlorn. I guess she had genuinely hoped she was going to get some BBC that night.
Ironically, this wasn't the first time it happened to me. I was approached by several couples looking to hook up with black men at the lodge. Apparently, the scarcity of black men had made us exotic and in high demand. I did some reading online and learned there were underground swingers' groups in Utah. This backlash seems to have come in rebellion against the Mormon church, which essentially tries to suppress sexuality, especially among women.
One night, I was at the lodge and hankering for some hot chocolate. They had a Starbucks which was tastefully decorated like a lounge. It featured throw rugs, comfy couches and a roaring fireplace. The shop was essentially empty except for a couple of middle-aged cougars, who were dressed in college sweatshirts and jeans. One of them was tall, bronzed and had shoulder-length brown hair. The other was shorter, curvy and had a blonde bob. They were no spring chickens, but they both looked doable.
The cougars came over to the couches and asked if they could sit with me. Since I was the only person in the shop, I said yes.
The brunette introduced herself. "Hi, my name is Belinda, and this is Joy."
The blonde waved.
"My name is Greg," I said being friendly. "I noticed that you guys were wearing college sweatshirts. Is that where you went to school?"
"No," said Joy, looking at me over a mug of coffee. "That's where we teach. We're professors."
I told them I was a research assistant at a local state university.
