Jake Hancock was totally responsible for two of the most unexpected events of my life. At the ripe old age of thirty-eight, I should have had nothing to do with a twenty-three year old man with only a single desire on his mind. However, life often takes curious and unwarranted turns when you least expect them. I know mine did, and it was entirely due to corresponding with and eventually meeting young mister Jake Hancock.
My name is Corrine "Cricket" Lange. I grew up moving from town to town off the shores of Lake Michigan along the western side of the state of Michigan. The area we lived in happened to be my father's sales territory, so whenever he got transferred so did the rest of the family.
Eventually, Dad settled into one place long enough for all of us to attend the same school more than a couple of years in a row. I graduated from Whitehall consolidated district high school, and like so many of my classmates, I eventually married my high school sweetheart figuring we'd have a couple of kids and live happily ever after. Surprise! All my assumptions turned out to be wrong.
Of course, it took eight miserable years of my life to discover that I'd been screwed over both physically and emotionally. My husband and I never had children. Eventually he ran off with a friend of a friend, and as if to pour acid on an open wound, his bimbo immediately got pregnant. Afterwards, my husband decided that since he'd knocked her up, it might be a good idea to divorce me.
Now let me explain the facts of life of a published erotic romance author--you have to promote yourself constantly whenever you're not writing a new book, and even more so whenever you've got a new book coming out. When
Silken Sheets
came out, I searched around for new readers' group sites to join and promote myself. Now see, this is tricky since a lot of sites don't want somebody just dropping in and dumping a bunch of sales oriented spam on their lists. I understand their mindset and try to be careful. At the same time, I still joined the site in order to push my book. So push it I did.
Every now and then, my brazenness got me banned from a site, I can think of three or four occasions when that happened. Other times my contributing on a new site gained me unexpected responses:
Dear Cricket,
I know I'm not white, but after reading your posts and excerpts I went to see the pic you posted in your profile. I noted from your profile that you are divorced. Is there a reason you didn't have children with your husband? I wonder if you would ever consider carrying a black baby. If so, please let me know. I would love to fill your fertile womb with my seed. We would make a gorgeous baby together. I too live in West Michigan, in Muskegon Heights.
Sincerely,
Jake Hancock
What the hell? I stared at the email with a startled sense of numbness. Talk about a weird, off-the-wall response! What was going on here? I'm pretty sure this guy had to be a youngster and my "official portrait" made me look much younger--around late twenties or so.
Okay time to post my "moment of truth" email back to him.
Dear Jake,
I'm afraid I'm actually several years older than my "official author's portrait" which I've posted both on my profile and hopefully will post on my writer's website when it's completed in the near future. So add about six or seven years and ten or fifteen pounds as well (I won't mention the graying hair as I cover that up...LOL)
True my ex-husband and I never conceived children. However, since he and his new wife have a child, so I'm guessing the problem was probably with me.
You live in Muskegon Heights! Really? I attended Norton Shores high school right next door for a year before my family left the area. Thank you for your offer. Many are the times that I wish I still looked and felt like that attractive younger woman again.
But time is relentless. You take care.
All the best,
Cricket
Okay, that should take care of that. My email should've settled the predicament. Also, I went to my posted profile and added a note stating that I'd never born children. For some reason I needed to make that clear.
Dear Cricket,
Do you ever really think about wanting to conceive a baby, or is that an idea that you're leaving behind you, in your past? And, could you ever imagine getting pregnant with a younger man's baby?
Regards,
Jake Hancock
He's back!
Doesn't the guy ever take a hint? All right, time to be firm. I know, let's use the health issue on a child born of a woman over thirty-five.
Dear Jake,
Wow! I don't have a pat answer for that? I'm afraid I'd have to check with my physician about whether my body's really up to it or not. I never had children with my husband and we were married for over eight years, so honestly I think you're barking up the proverbial "wrong tree."
As far as imagining that I might get pregnant, it's in my sexual make-up that every time I indulged in unprotected sex in the past, there was always the slim possibility of that in my mind. I can't help it. If, for example, you and I began to have a very active sex life, I know my brain would make that mental leap toward a practically impossible pregnancy. My health may against it or other factors as well, but my libido would love to include the scenario. I've often used getting impregnated as part of a stimulus toward an orgasm. However, to be honest I have never really indulged in that fantasy with a black man. Of course I might consider it, just for fantasy purposes, mind you.
Hope that answers some of your questions.
Cricket
Hopefully that would put a stop to any more silliness on his part.
Dear Cricket,
I think I understand what you're saying. Look, is having a black baby something you would be open minded about and consider, if the right man came along, and could you ever imagine being with a younger man?
Waiting with anticipation,
Jake Hancock
Good grief! This guy didn't take an implied "no" for an answer.
Dear Jake,
Thinking back, my first novel celebrated the love of an older woman with a younger man so that in and of itself is not a problem. In fact, I examined the thoughts of the woman who wondered if she might have driven by an elementary school in her driver's training vehicle and passing the school playground where the eventual father of her child was taking recess.
I've even outlined an interracial erotic book or two, but haven't pursued writing one yet. All right, I admit I have fantasized about black men before, as well as younger men. However, I'd never put both fantasies together before.
No, I suppose the age thing wouldn't bother me as much as I'm certain it would bother my younger lover eventually. If you and I had a child by the time that child went to kindergarten, everyone would think I was his or her grandmother. I think that would take its toll on everyone's ego.
But I think you are so sweet to suggest that you'd like to try. You've given my ego one of the nicest strokes it's had in years.