"The Lady Is a Tramp" is a show tune from the 1937 Rodgers and Hart musical "Babes in Arms." It was introduced by former child star Mitzi Green. That song has nothing to do with this story.
I was a fairly normal teenager -- except that I was really big for my age (not fat), all over, and I had been held back one year in school because I had a year-long illness when I was six years old. When I was 18, and a junior in High School, I was six foot four, 235 pounds, could bench press 350, and squat 500. I was considered a "gentle giant" however since even though I was stronger than any guys on the football team at the High School that I attended I didn't play football. Instead I was in High School theater productions.
Only one person ever tried to mess with me in High School.
As I and four other theater students (three girls, one guy) were leaving the theater when after-school rehearsals were over a group of four or five football players were walking in the same hallway, having just finished football practice. I knew the football players, though not well; I did know that one of them, John Brandt who was a senior defensive tackle, was a bully and an asshole.
As we walked along for some reason John got it in his pee brain that he could mess with me. He called me a sissy because I was in theater (he had never seen my gym workouts) and caught me by surprise when he pushed me over.
My friends tell me that I went ballistic -- I don't personally remember anything that happened once I hit the floor except for five foot three inch Jessica Steele -- the very brave female lead in the play I was in at the time -- holding my face and saying "Calm down Lucas Higgins -- it's all right -- it's me, Jessica -- you can stop now. He's unconscious; you don't need to hit or kick him again."
When my mind regained clarity I looked down at prone John Brandt. His face was a pile of goo, and he was out like a light. Two of his teammates were tending to him; they had bewildered looks on their faces. My friends led me away with encouraging words.
I later found that when John Brandt was released from the hospital he said he didn't remember anything about the attack. In his case I think that it was a lie -- in my case it was the truth.
Up until that time I was a virgin. While I had dated quite a few times most of the girls were under 18 and not in theater. For some reason the fact that I knocked out a bully football player and didn't even remember it was like an aphrodisiac to the senior girls in theater (who I found were much more free-spirited than most girls in our school, and all over 18). Jessica was the one to take my cherry (I didn't take hers), and we hooked up on and off for the rest of the schoolyear. Carolyn, Charlene, Betsy and Winifred all gave me a try (actually several tries each) after I got rave reviews from Jessica. Although none of these were serious romances they were eminently enjoyable because all five of them were extremely active and passionate. I do believe that I was the most sexually satisfied male at Redmond High by the time that the summer after my junior year rolled around.
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The centerpiece of this story is not the senior girls in theater, but Desiree Cain. The summer between my junior and senior years when I was still 18 Desiree Cain was a thirty-something woman in our neighborhood. She both terrified and intrigued most of the teenage boys, and all of the teenage girls. She fascinated most adult males, and offended many adult females.
Desiree was married to Samuel Cain who seemed to be kind of a quiet, milquetoast guy who also happened to be the wealthiest person in the suburb of a big Midwestern city that I lived in. While his and Desiree's house was the nicest, it wasn't pretentious. From what I knew by keeping my ears open listening to adults talking, Samuel could have afforded to buy all of the houses in our entire neighborhood.
Desiree was more flamboyant than Samuel, but seemed to keep a relatively low profile for most (but not all) things. He drove an innocuous two or three year old Mercedes sedan; she drove either a new Tesla S Plaid, or a Lamborghini Aventador SVJ (suggested retail price $522,000) depending on her whim at any particular time.
The reason why Desiree fascinated and frightened so many people was because she was beautiful, rich, mean, nasty, and exuded sex. It seemed that the only person she treated well was Samuel. She went through domestic staff like water going over a dam. She didn't seem to have many female friends, although she did seem to have a group of hangers-on who followed her around probably because she bought things for them when shopping, and because they thought that being associated with someone as beautiful and sexy as Desiree made them "cool."
To make money I started mowing lawns and landscaping during the summer. I knew Samuel Cain only well enough to say hi to him; the most I ever talked to him was about fifteen minutes during a neighborhood barbeque with two or three other people. He was always friendly to me, however.
One Saturday morning when I was getting ready to go out and mow a couple of lawns for clients, and trim their bushes, Samuel Cain approached me. "Hi Lucas, good to see you," he said with a smile, shaking my hand. After a few minutes of chit-chat he got to the point.
"Lucas, our third landscaper this summer just quit. Apparently my wife Desiree is difficult to work with. I was hoping that you could take over mowing our lawn and doing some other minor landscaping work -- and maybe something else," Samuel said.
"Uh, I am looking for work Mr. Cain, but what makes you think that I would be able to get along with Mrs. Cain any better than the other landscapers?"
"For one reason, I've made it clear to Desiree that if she alienates you she'll have to do the lawn herself. Another reason is that the other landscapers used their own equipment which included many gasoline powered implements which she claimed were polluting and too noisy, whereas I want you to use the ride-on mower and other tools in our gardening shed, all of which are battery powered electric. If you're interested can you give me a price?"
"Gosh, Mr. Cain, that sounds really good. Do you know how much lawn area you have? I know that you have a big back yard with a fenced-in pool."
"According to the other landscapers, who I believe are correct, the lawn area is right around an acre and 1/4" Samuel replied.
I gave him a price that was 25% more than I normally would have charged, anticipating problems with Desiree. He smiled in reply.
"That's very reasonable, Lucas, I'm happy to agree. However, I have another proposal that is in addition to landscaping. How would you like to make twice that for helping me out with something else that should not require much of your time?"
"Wow -- I probably would," I grinned.
"I am concerned that some of Desiree's activities are not the most appropriate or desirable. I want you to do mowing every Monday and other landscaping work every Thursday, and keep your eyes and ears open and report to me anything that seems off-kilter."
'Uh...you mean...like...spy on her?" I stammered.
