Session 10-The Long Session, cont'd
We had finished the pizza and Vanessa was back on the couch ready to resume her story. We were both still in robes, our clothes having been washed and dried but left in the dryer. It had been one of the best days of my life, lounging about in nothing but a bathrobe, making love with the sexiest woman I'd ever known, and helping her along with her therapy.
I know that last sounds strange because I had violated one of the most basic canons of any healthcare provider by engaging in sex with my patient. But, after spending nearly twenty-four hours in a cycle consisting of hot sex, sleep, talk, eat, repeat, I had come around to Vanessa's point of view on the subject: we had done what she needed to do and for reasons that made perfect sense to her and that she had demanded/schemed/pleaded be done as the only remedy that would suit her.
I was comfortable with the idea of my professional fate now being in her dainty hands. Love, or glands, if you will, undoubtedly colored my perception of the situation, but, as my therapist Bill would say, my 'give-a-shit was broke.' If I was thinking with my cunt, then the fact that such a woman as Vanessa chose my cunt proved its worth. So, there, ethics. Piss off.
I said, "We're at the point now where you intended to leave Judith. I assume that it was the week before the following Christmas and you used a visit to your grandmother in Beauchamp as your excuse for leaving with a couple of bags?"
Vanessa nodded. "That's right. Judith reminded me to be back by New Year's Eve and to make sure I was well rested. She had a special party planned for those two lesbian lawyers from Jackson. I was to do a striptease and we were to have a foursome at which I was to be the main course. But I didn't go to Beauchamp. I went to Mobile and stayed with a school friend named Sharon. She was from Beauchamp, too, and after graduation she got a job in Mobile. It was good to get away from the pressure I'd been feeling about Judith and my situation with her."
I asked, "What happened on New Year's Eve? Did Judith hunt you down?"
She shook her head. "No. So far as I know, Judith didn't have a clue. I went to a party with Sharon. She and I had talked a lot. She knew that I didn't have a boyfriend, but she didn't know anything about me and Karen. She didn't give any hint that she thought I was a lesbian."
I interjected. "You know, you really aren't a lesbian, technically. Neither am I. We're both what you'd call bisexual, as evidenced by your current relationship with Aaron Wilson."
She nodded. "I know, but at that time, I'd not done anything meaningful, I mean in a sexual sense, with a man for more than two years, and, if you counted how I felt about those experiences in my freshman and sophomore years, you could say 'never.' You got me?"
I answered, "Yes, I can see how you'd think that. So, what happened at the party?"
She smiled. "It's strange. That's where I met Aaron. Sharon introduced us. It was a costume party at a big house on Mobile Bay. The weather was perfect; clear and cool. I dressed as a dryad, you know, a short white Grecian tunic with one shoulder bare. I wore a strapless bra and high heeled sandals with straps going up nearly to my knees. I had my hair loose and a mask that only covered my eyes. Every guy there asked me to dance or offered me a drink or, you know, tried to chat me up, but I kept my distance. I wasn't rude, but I didn't encourage any one of them."
***
Back to observation mode.
***
Sharon said, "Damn, Vanessa, every man here wants you and you're single. I'll tell you a secret, many of them ain't." The two young women giggled at that. Then Sharon said, "Would you like to meet the best one here? Oops, you don't have much choice. He's broken away from that group of girls over there and is heading this way."
Vanessa asked, "Who is he? He's got a lot of grey in his hair. Is he old?"
Sharon answered, "Not that old. Let's see, there's just a couple of hours left in 1980, so he'll be forty-six in May. Owns a chain of electronic goods stores. He's smart, damn good-looking, and very polite. I've known him all my life. I've always called him 'Uncle Aaron.' He's good friends with my dad. They went to college together.
"He was married, but it didn't end well. Been single now for the past twelve years or so. Lately I've gotten the impression that he's lonely. Word's out that he might be looking for a relationship, hence the flock of birds surrounding him. If he asks you to dance, don't be stupid. I don't care if he's twice our age. I know him and a better man doesn't walk the earth. Give him a chance."
The object of their conversation was dressed as a pirate, complete with an eye patch, red sash, high black boots, and thick gold hoop earring on his right ear. He was about six feet tall and well-built. His collarless white shirt had puffy sleeves and the first three buttons were undone. Vanessa could see his chest had very little hair. He wore no hat and he had a conservative haircut. His hair was thick, wavy, black, and sprinkled with grey. The eye that she could see was dark brown and looked out on the world with confidence. It showed in his walk, too.
The way she felt just looking at him, well, it told her that she actually WAS interested in men still, she just hadn't met the right one yet. He was watching her intensely as he made his way toward them. Several different people delayed him, but he never took his eye from Vanessa. She felt a thrill run through her body, as if a new adventure had sprung up out of nowhere.
He reached the two young women and turned first to Sharon. He bowed. Vanessa said to herself, "Shit. Who does that anymore? But damn, if he doesn't look elegant as all hell."
He said, "Sharon, dahlin' it's good to see you again. What you got left, one semester, yes?" Sharon giggled and hugged him and kissed his cheek. She said, "Oh Uncle Aaron, don't be so formal. I already graduated and I'm working. You sent me a present. Don't you remember?"
Aaron stared wide-eyed and blushed. He said, "Oops."
Sharon play-slapped his arm. "Your assistant did that, didn't she? You couldn't get along for fifteen minutes without Jan. You didn't even remember."
His face still red, he stammered, "I'm sorry, sugah. You know how much I've been traveling."
Sharon apparently enjoyed his discomfort. She laughed and threw her arms around his neck again. "You're so cute when you blush. I better introduce you to my friend before the hen coup over there gets restive. This is Vanessa Fontaine. She was a classmate of mine and she's from Beauchamp, like us."
He turned to the lovely blonde and stuck out his hand. "Aaron Wilson, Miss Fontaine. It's a pleasure to meet you." Vanessa took his hand, but instead of shaking, he bowed and kissed it. "Such dainty hands. You know, of course, that dainty hands are the very height of elegance." Then he flashed a set of white, even teeth and cocked his head to the side.
