From the onset of puberty, when the hormones kicked in and I felt that first rush of sexual awareness, I knew that I was "different".
What do I mean by that?
Well, let me give you an example. When a group of us went to see the film "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" and they were all lusting after Paul Newman I was looking at Elizabeth Taylor, wondering how those soft, full lips would feel on mine, imagining her eyes burning into me as we kissed.
Nights were filled with female fantasies as I played with myself. I sneaked looks at other girls in the showers at school, fell madly in love with Miss Parkinson, our French teacher, in fact, I was wholly and totally consumed with desires for women, never men. I watched women walking in the town, looking at the way their hair swung round their face, gazing at the swell of their bodies, imagining, always imagining. But in the small, provincial town where I lived, in the small, provincial family I grew up in, there were no words to describe what I felt, no name for it. So I tried to ignore those feelings, tried to conform, be like all my friends, be "normal".
Oh, how I tried! I did the usual things, went to parties, kissed boys, let them fumble their way into my clothes, opened to them, bore the rough thrustings, let them spend themselves in me. And I hated it. I hated the roughness of their hands, their faces, their hard bodies, and their acid breath on me. But I pretended. Oh, yes, I pretended. If there are Oscars for faking it then I'd be up there with the best! I split my mind, divorced my brain from my body and somehow survived, knowing that I could always get release with my own hands later.
So here I am, 18 years old, having had more pricks than a second-hand dartboard, at University, filled with an emptiness and the knowledge that out there, somewhere, was the answer to my prayers. Standing at the bar of the Freshers Disco, watching the heaving mass of dancers under the garish lights, watching, always watching the flow of the female forms barely dressed, breasts swaying, thighs glowing, eyes sparkling, lips moist, desperate to rush in and grab someone, anyone, and kiss them and feel the release of all the pent-up tension in me. From behind me I hear a low, sensual voice,
"Like a meat market, isn't it?"
I turn and am immediately lost. Lost in the darkest eyes that look deep into me, knowing me, knowing what I feel, what I need. I see the face, oval, full mouth, red lips parted slightly to reveal even, white teeth but it is the eyes that hold me, pull me in, drown me with their glow. I stammer a reply and at her invitation move to a table far back in the darkness. We sit and talk. She introduces herself as Katie, a mature student returning to education after an unhappy marriage. We talk but still I cannot say what I really feel, cannot put into words the emotions running through me, dare not overcome the inner fears that hold me in chains. We talk. She tells me about her life and I mine but always there is a hidden undercurrent, something deep, unsaid, words that hover between us. Inside me is a tension that builds and threatens to engulf me. I find it hard to breathe, my head swims and I know that I am lost in her. Suddenly she breaks the moment.
"Look. Tell me if I'm going too fast but I feel that there is something you want to say but can't. I'm going home. Here's my number. Give me a ring if you want to talk more."
A scrap of paper pushed across the table towards my trembling fingers. I take it. She stands, murmurs her goodbyes and leaves. I sit there, desolate, cursing my cowardice, regretting the unspoken thoughts, missing her the moment she is gone.
Three weeks have passed. 21 days, during which I have picked up the phone countless times only to replace it, still not daring to take that step. Finally I dial. I hear once more that soft, slightly husky tone.
"Hello?"
"Hello, Katie. It's Carrie. Remember me?"
"Oh, yes, my dear! I remember you!"
A throaty chuckle sends shivers down my spine and I know that I have taken the first step along a road that I have needed to travel since forever. She invites me to visit and I accept. I write the address and we say goodbye. My heart is racing, my mind reeling. And still the inner fears tell me that I will not go, that I dare not go.
But here I am on the street where she lives. Walking up and down past the entrance to her flat, plucking up the courage to ring the bell. Finally, irrevocably, I do it. I cross the threshold into a whole new world. She greets me warmly, her hand holding mine perhaps a moment too long to be just friendly. She wears a long, black, silk robe that clings to her slim, curvy body. Her jet-black hair is piled high on her head and I feel slightly shabby before her. She shows me into a large spacious lounge and we sit opposite each other in deep armchairs. She pours me a drink and as she passes it to me our fingers brush and shocks surge through me. I feel my face blush bright red. She speaks,