Mrs. Rose called me a late bloomer because I was nineteen and still hadn't learned to drive. I had my permit, but cars seemed scary. All my friends had their licenses, so I felt like I didn't need to learn.
But Mrs. Rose said I must. She drove a pick-up truck and claimed driving was the key to a woman's independence.
And Mrs. Rose was by far the most independent woman I'd ever met. My grandparents lived way out in the country, and Mrs. Rose was their neighbour. She'd always told me to call her Jan (since she'd never been married and wasn't a "Mrs." at all) but my grandparents were sticklers for formality. They didn't think it proper to call a woman her age "Miss."
So "Mrs. Rose" it was, and Mrs. Rose she stayed.
I don't think she was actually as old as the lines around her eyes suggested. I couldn't tell if her hair was white or blonde—she always wore that sun-bleached straw hat, so it was hard to get a good look. I'd gone to her place to buy snap peas from her garden, but we got talking about driving, and soon she was set on teaching me.
Since I couldn't imagine learning in her big old pick-up, we walked back to my grandparents' property. My grandma reluctantly allowed us borrow her Toyota. Sure I was scared to learn, but I'd always heard it was easiest on country roads. Less traffic than in the city. Also, there was something about Mrs. Rose that made me feel safe. If we broke down or whatever, she'd know what to do.
I was so nervous when I started the engine that I thought I might pee my pants. I couldn't remember which was the gas and which was the brakes, and no matter what I did, I second-guessed myself. I felt so dumb.
But Mrs. Rose kept telling me I was doing fine.
Thank goodness there was no traffic on the arrow-straight country road. I would have wet myself for sure if I saw a car coming at me.
The more I drove, the better I felt about it, until we came to a four-way stop and there were other cars. Oh no! My legs shook so hard Mrs. Rose set one hot hand over my naked thigh, right under the hem of my short shorts.
Lightning shot through me, and all at once my nipples were so hard they hurt. The day had been so hot I hadn't worn a bra, and I stole a glance down to see if it was obvious. Oh God, it was! My nipples were pointy and stiff as pencil erasers, urging through the clingy jersey of my sleeveless top.
Out of the corner of my eye, I checked to see if Mrs. Rose had noticed how hard my tits were. Would you believe she was staring right at them? Right at them! Her fingers pressed into the tan flesh of my thigh and I didn't know what to do. My pussy started to pulse, that traitor, and I told myself the impulse was purely physical, just a response to a stimulus. I couldn't possibly be sexually attracted to Mrs. Rose, with her crow's feet and sundrenched skin.
Could I?
A car behind me honked, and I started through the intersection without looking. There was a car coming at me from the left, and I looked down at my feet, searching for the brake. Mrs. Rose grabbed the wheel, still digging her fingers into my thigh, and when she told me to floor it, I sailed through that intersection.
I kept driving, way faster than the speed limit. I wasn't even looking. I didn't care. I just wanted to get away from the car that had honked. I was so embarrassed.
But my body embarrassed me too, with its impulses, its throbbing arousal. No matter how fast I drove, I couldn't get away from that, just like I couldn't get away from Mrs. Rose's hand on my thigh.
She told me to slow down and I said I wanted to stop. I started shouting, hyperventilating almost. I pleaded with her to tell me how, tell me where I could pull over.
Relenting, she guided me into a sandy strip that looked like a driveway but didn't go anywhere. I stormed from the car because my body was full of energy. The grasses had grown high beyond our makeshift parking space, and I chopped at them with both hands.
When Mrs. Rose appeared behind me, I didn't even notice until her hands were on my shoulders, holding me steady. She told me it was all right, no harm done. I'd driven very well for my first time. I didn't believe that for a second, but her touch reignited the pulse I'd felt before.
Turning around, I hugged Mrs. Rose. The earthy aroma of her oversized linen shirt filled my head. She wore an apron in the garden, but not now. Just the shirt and capri-length khakis. When I pressed my body into hers, I could feel that she wasn't wearing a bra either. Her breasts felt soft and comforting, and an urge came over me to suckle.
I shook that idea from my head. It seemed way too weird or incestuous or something. Not that Mrs. Rose was family, but I'd known her since I was a kid and she was probably almost my grandmother's age. Just...weird.
Holding me tight, she whispered into my ear that she'd noticed how I'd grown. Grown how? I wondered about that, but I didn't ask. Did she mean that we were the same height now? Or was she talking about my long tan legs, or my hips, or my breasts?
She was smelling my hair. My skin tingled.