Rob and Gail

Author's note.

This is the first of three chapters and as has become my habit I will not turn on comments and voting until the last chapter has been posted.

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I realize now that it was my own fault. I could have been a little more rebellious when I was young and not made promises that I would have to keep. And I could have shown a little more backbone when I when I met Gail, but that is all water over the dam now.

My mom was always pushing virtue at me and kept trying to impress upon me the importance of entering married life pure and she made me promise to remain a virgin until my wedding day.

To be honest it wasn't all that hard for me to do. I was pretty shy around girls and I wasn't the most attractive guy around. I was overweight and near-sighted. The bad eyes had me wearing heavy horn-rimmed glasses. I didn't have much of a social life all the way through high school and I didn't even go to the prom.

Things changed in college. My roommate in the dorm took one look at me and decided that I had to change. He was a horn dog and figured that if I was going to be around and we were going to be seen together he didn't want the girls running the other way when they saw us.

He browbeat me into doing an exercise program and practically forced me at gun point into running with him every morning. He convinced me to dump the horn rims and get contacts and by spring break you could see the results. I'd lost twenty-five pounds (still had fifteen to go) and I felt better about myself.

I was still shy around girls and Mike decided to help me there also although I didn't know about it until way later. What Mike decided was that I was shy around girls because I'd never interacted with them on any level so he started arranging things to give me more exposure to them. What he did was fix me up without letting me know he was fixing me up.

Typical would be something like, "Hey Rob; I need a huge favor. I have a date with Carol, but she called and told me she had to cancel because her (cousin, sister, best friend - pick one) just came to town. I'm hot for the girl Rob and I almost had her on our last date. I need to keep the pressure on. Help me out here bud."

"What can I do?"

"Date her (fill I the blank) so my date doesn't get cancelled."

I'd hem and haw and he would keep on me until I gave in.

Another one was, "Hey Rob; you doing anything Friday night?"

"No."

"I've been invited to a party at Jerry's and I know that Gloria is going to be there. I need a wingman in case she is with one of her sorority sisters. I just know that if I can get her alone I can score. Can you help me out?"

And he would keep after me until I would say yes.

The thing is that it did work. The more time I spent in the company of the opposite sex the more comfortable I became around them, but I still lacked the nerve to go after one, but I was no longer shy.

Girls started coming up to me when I was sitting in the school cafeteria and asking if they could join me. They would make small talk about classes and instructors and drop subtle hints that they didn't have dates for this or that party and ask if I was going. Since I wasn't totally brain dead I would pick up on what they wanted and I would ask them out. I even had a few flat out ask me for a date. As a result I did have a decent social life and I did gain enough confidence in myself that I did finally start asking girls out.

By my junior year I had entered into a relationship with a couple of different girls and I had some pretty hot make out sessions, but as weird as it may sound both relationships ended when I wouldn't go all the way. I would finger fuck them and Lucinda Welch taught me to eat her pussy, but the most I would allow where my penis was concerned was a hand job. I guess those things weren't exactly pure, but I interpreted my mom as meaning I should remain a virgin - as in not having actual intercourse - until I married. Even at twenty my mom's influence still held sway.

"Go to your marriage bed pure Robbie; I'm telling you that you won't regret it."

And her influence stayed current because I was back living at home. Even though Mike wasn't my roommate anymore (you were only required to live in the dorms your freshman year) we still stayed close. We double dated a lot (still a lot of that "Help me out Rob" going on) and things were going well for me.

I was doing well in class with my GPA hanging around 3.85 and my social life was much better than I ever expected that it would be given my high school history.

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It was at a frat/sorority mixer during the third week of my senior year that my life was turned upside down and inside out. I was with Mike, his date and her cousin from out of town when I saw a vision on the other side of the room. It was one of those life defining moments. From the second I laid eyes on Gail Marcella Luoma no one else in the world existed for me.

I abandoned my date and moved closer to the vision and then followed her, keeping some distance between us, as she moved around the sorority house. Her voice was throaty and sent chills up and down my spine when I heard her speak. Her laugh was musical and she moved with a grace that was enchanting. I was absolutely mesmerized.

It was inevitable that she would notice me - I was that obvious - and when she did she came over to me.

"Why are you following me around?"

I was caught red handed and I didn't know what to say and before I had a chance to think of something she said:

"I don't know who you are and I don't want to know you so knock it off or I'll turn you in to campus security for stalking. Do you understand?"

I nodded a yes and she turned and walked away. I had understood her, but I didn't care. I stopped trying to get close and just watched her from the other side of the room. She noticed, but what could she do. I was a legitimate guest at the party and if we just happened to be in the same room at the same time there was nothing she could do about it and as far as campus security? Fuck them! There was no law against looking at beautiful women.

Mike came up to me and asked me what had captured my interest and I pointed Gail out to him.

"Go up to her and ask her out."

I told him about our small confrontation and he chuckled, said "Faint heart never won fair lady" and went back to the party.

I made note of the people that Gail talked to and I knew a few of them so I made a mental note to pump them for information about her.

The party started breaking up and we left. Mike's date's cousin had hooked up with some guy and had left with him earlier so Mike dropped me off at my place and he and his date took off to do whatever it was that they were going to do.

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Over the next couple of days I talked with every one I knew who I'd seen talking with Gail at the party. By the end of the third day I knew her class schedule, what her major was (Business Management), where she lived and what some of her likes and dislikes were. Armed with that information I started putting myself in places where she would likely be. Stalking? Yeah; I guess technically it was, but I had it bad! I needed to see her. I was a junkie and I needed my fix.

It was three weeks after the party where she had basically told me to fuck off and die and I was in Marvin's Malt Shoppe having lunch when Gail walked in to the place. The place was packed and the only empty seat in the house was the bench seat across from me in my booth. Gail looked around, saw me and the empty seat and I saw a bit of hesitation in her. She started to turn and leave but then abruptly turned back and headed my way.

My first thought was that she couldn't accuse me of stalking because I was already there when she came in and then she was at my booth.

"May I join you?"

"Please do."

She sat down across from me and said, "What's your story? Why have you been dogging me and don't bother denying it. People have been telling me that you have been asking all kinds of questions about me and it seems like I see you almost every where I go."

That caught me flat-footed and I lamely replied, "Hi. I'm Rob."

"You already know who I am. Are you going to answer my question or not?"

Just then the waitress came up to take Gail's order which gave me time to get my head on straight. When the waitress left I said:

"I'll answer the question, but only if you promise not to laugh."

"Why would I laugh? All I want to know is what is going on."

I took a deep breath and then explained what had happened to me the first time I saw her, the way I felt and my need to keep seeing her.

"Love at first sight? There is no such thing, but if I have that effect on you why haven't you tried to get together with me?"

"After the way you unloaded on me at the party?"

"I guess I was a little harsh, but I had just broken up with my boyfriend and I wasn't feeling all that kindly toward the opposite sex at the time."

Her order arrived and she dug into it. Between bites she asked me what I had intended to do with al the information I'd dug up on her.

"Just use it to be where you might be so I can see you."

"You do know that you are sounding like a weirdo right?"

I shrugged and then she said, "So where are we going on our first date?"

My jaw must have fallen halfway to the floor when I heard that and she said:

"Come on Rob; not a difficult question. Where are we going and when?"

I took a breath, got myself together and said, "Tonight if possible and whatever you would like to do."

"I think a first date should be kept simple so how about a movie?"

"Works for me."

She finished her lunch, opened her purse and took out a note pad and a pen. She wrote on the pad, tore off the page and handed it to me.

"About six okay? Got to run or I'll be late for class."

As Gail walked out of Marvin's I watched her go and wondered what in the hell had just happened. It made no sense at all to me that she could have gone from the girl at the party to the girl who had just pretty much asked me out. I couldn't figure it out, but I wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth either.

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Not wanting anything to keep the date from happening I made sure that I was in Gail's neighborhood a half an hour early. I wasn't going to let an accident or a traffic jam get in the way. I sat in my car one block over from Gail's place until five to six and then I started up and drove over to her place.

I rang the doorbell right at six and when Gail opened the door the sight of her took my breath away she was so beautiful. I offered her my arm and walked her to the car, opened the door and helped her in. Once I was inside the car I asked her what movie she would like to see and was not surprised when she chose a chick flick. I don't even remember the name of it I was so enthralled just to be sitting next to her. I've mentioned that I had it bad right?

After the show I asked her if she was hungry and she said she could stand a bite to eat so I drove over to the malt shop for burgers and fries and then I took her home. I walked her to her door, she kissed me on the cheek and then said:

"Don't be a stranger. Call me; okay?"

She went into the house and I stood there looking at the closed door as I tried to digest the fact that she wanted me to call her. ME! She wanted ME to call her. I don't even remember walking back to the car. SHE wanted ME to call her!

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When I got up the next morning I took pen in hand and made a list of the things people had told me that she liked and was interested in and then I went looking for them.

She liked art and I found that a gallery in town was having a showing of a new artist so I called and got dates and times. She liked classical music so I went on line and got the schedule for the concert hall. She liked nature and she liked hiking and my parents had a cabin in the mountains so I called my dad, asked him if I could use it and found out the dates that he wouldn't be there.

Gail was also a bi of a speed freak. She liked NASCAR, dirt track and drag racing and I had a problem with that in that there wasn't a raceway within two hundred miles of us. I was sure that she had other likes and I was just going to have to dig them out. I checked out my list and noticed that one of the gallery showings was in two days. I went on line and found out all that I could about Francis Wheatly (the artist).

I didn't have any shared classes with Gail, but I knew that she usually showed up at the school cafeteria sometime between eleven-forty and eleven fifty-five so I made sure that I was there by eleven-thirty. When I saw Gail come through the line I waited until she looked my way and I waved at her. I wasn't sure, but I thought I saw a trace of annoyance on her face before she smiled and headed for my table. She sat down and I asked her how she was and she said she was fine.

"I was going to call you tonight, but your being here saves me a phone call. Do you know where the Heritage Gallery is?"

"I do."

They are having a show for a new artist named Francis Wheatly. I've heard some good things about him and I was thinking of attending the exhibition. Would you like to go?"

"I would love to. When is it?"

"Tomorrow at seven. Would you like to have dinner before we go?"

"They usually have plenty of munchies ay a showing."

"I know and they are usually pretty fattening and that is why I like to eat before I go. I can usually pass on the freebies if I've just eaten."

"Good point. Yes; I would like to have dinner before we go"

"Pick you up at five?"

"That'll work for me."

We made the date and then made small talk until we finished lunch and then we headed off to our classes.

When I got home I called James, a friend of mine who was into art, and found out what showings were like and what some of the dos and don'ts were when you attended one.

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We had dinner at Tricocci's and over dinner she asked what I knew about the artist and I parroted what I'd read when I Googled his name. She listened and then said:

"I would never have figured you for the type that went to art galleries."

"My parents thought that they should see to it that I was raised with some 'couth' as they called it and I was drug along to a whole bunch of things and some of it actually took. I never could get into ballet or opera, but I did develop a taste for classical music."

"Oh? You have any favorites?"

"Beethoven. I like almost every thing he did."

"What is your favorite piece?"

"His concerto for violin and orchestra is by far my favorite, but a close second is his concerto number five. The Emperor."

That was seventy-five percent bullshit as my parents never did anything to expose me to culture, but it was twenty-five percent true because I really did like classical music.

Then we talked about what we were going to do when we graduated. I told her I would be going into the family business and would probably take it over when my father retired. She told me that she was most probably going to go for an MBA and wouldn't even start thinking about a job until she was almost done with her degree program.

The exhibition was interesting, but I didn't much care for Mr. Wheatly's work. He was what was called an impressionist and his stuff had no appeal to me. It did however have some appeal for Gail and there was on piece that she really liked. It had a $500 price tag on it, but James had explained to me how that worked. If you didn't like the price you could have a quiet word with one of the gallery people and put a bid in on the piece. If the piece didn't sell by the end of the show and the artist didn't hold firm on the price the gallery would call the high bidder and offer the item to him. While Gail was using the bathroom I put in a bid for $325. It really wasn't worth that much as far as I was concerned, but I would try to get it for Gail if I could. I had enough in savings that I could have paid full price, but my dad had taught me not to pay the asking price for anything. "Always bargain" was his motto and he had ingrained it in me.

I paid attention to whatever dad told me because he had never steered me wrong. When I was eight or so and kids were calling me fatso and four eyes and I got into pushing and shoving matches with them dad took me aside and taught me some of the basics of judo and told me to just defend myself and not be the attacker and things would straighten out in a hurry and he was right. I only had to use what he taught me twice and I was never bothered again.

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When I took Gail home I walked her to the door and she kissed me on the cheek, thanked me for a wonderful weekend and told me to make sure that I called her again.

"I will, but it probably won't be until next week sometime. My folks have a cabin up in the mountains and I told dad I would go up there this weekend and make sure that it was ready for fall. I know for a fact that I'll have to replace some boards on the deck and caulk the windows."

"You are going to the mountains and you aren't going to ask me to go with you?"

"It never occurred to me that you would like to go."

"I love the outdoors. Are there any trails up there to hike?"

"No trails as such, but you can pretty much walk where ever you want."

"Sounds perfect."

"Would you like to go? I'm leaving Friday right after my last class. I need to warn you though. I won't be coming back until Sunday evening and we will be alone for the two nights that we are there."

"And so?"

"Your reputation. You want people knowing that you spent two nights with a guy all alone?"

"Who is going to know? I'm not going to tell anyone. Are you?"

"Of course not."

"I think that you are just afraid to be alone with me."

"There is that."

She kissed me on the cheek again and said, "Call me tomorrow and we can set up the details."

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The next day after our first class Mike said he'd heard I'd gone out with Gail.

"Getting anywhere?"

"Two dates so far and I'm seeing her this weekend."

"Well all I can say is hang in there bro. I think she might be worth the effort it takes to get her."

I thought that was an odd thing to say, but wrote it off as Mike being Mike.

As the time got closer for my weekend with Gail I spent hour after hour worrying about it. I'd never spent a weekend alone with a girl before let alone with a girl that gave me the feelings that Gail did. I was pretty close to being a nervous wreck when I pulled up in front of Gail's place on Friday, but it all went away when I saw Gail's beaming smile when she opened her front door.

On the two hour drive to the cabin we talked about the cabin and the surrounding area and what there was to see and do. I explained to her that we would be truly roughing it. There was no running water or electricity. We carried our water in with us in five gallon jugs and used propane bottles for lighting, cooking and heating. The facilities consisted of an outhouse about a hundred feet from the cabin.

"All it is is a nice quiet place for a two, three or four day getaway."

"Sounds perfect. Sounds like the kind of place I'd like to get for myself someday."

When we got there she got out of the pickup, looked around and then said:

"You didn't tell me about the view. It is fantastic."

"That's what it is all about. Dad bought the property and then built the cabin just so he could sit on the deck and enjoy the view."

We carried our stuff inside and she looked around. What she saw was a twelve by twenty foot room with a stair case at the south end that led up into a loft. There were couches against the north and east wall and a table built onto the loft stairway on which a four burner propane stove sat. There was a pot-bellied wood stove in the south east corner and the floor was the stone of the mountain with a couple of throw rugs on it, but plenty of rock still showed.