You could say I'm a late bloomer. My high school years were marked with rejection after rejection. It seemed like no woman wanted anything to do with me.
Not that I blamed them. I had no confidence, no guts, and not much to offer in the way of sexual experience. After high school, however, I gained some momentum and found myself having any number of exciting sexual experiences, all of which added to my confidence, which added to my experiences.
Despite my awkwardness, during high school, one house always invited me in: the house of my friend Kelsey. She was my first friend in high school, and certainly my best. She and I bonded over our mutual insecurities and her house was as much an emotional haven for me as I was for her.
The welcoming feeling was not just provided by Kelsey, but also by her mother. Her mother . . . an older woman who treated me not as an awkward teenager, but as an exceptionally gifted and artistic kid perhaps wise beyond his years. She didn't make me feel lesser for not fitting in; she made me proud.
Her name was Terri, and she was unmarried. Kelsey's father was long out of the picture (if he ever was really in it) and I think she appreciated having a man, however young, around the house. I know I certainly appreciated having my masculine ego inflated with every errand she had me do. I did them willingly, glad to have found a niche, and eager to repay her for allowing me into her home.
Terri and I were always a bit flirty, but of course, she could be only so flirty with a kid of seventeen. Despite the age difference, I couldn't help but be attracted to her. She carried herself with a grace that only older women have. Her eyes were calm with experience, and her body moved slowly and intriguingly.
In between having my confidence boosted by Terri, I would rather uncomfortably court Kelsey, trying to asuage my loneliness with finding a girlfriend, while ignorantly thinking she was the proper girl for the role. Kelsey and I were obviously better as friends, a realization I had none too soon.
I kept in touch with both Terri and Kelsey all through college, and I actually grew closer to Terri as I helped her cope with the departure from home of her only daughter. I did the best I could from another state, and she admired the effort; I think she admrired that anyone even remembered her. The three of us rarely saw each other, but we were held tightly by the invisible bond that perpetually ties together those who still care about each other, regardless of distance or situation.
Fotunately, I was well over my shallow advances on Kelsey when I was greeted with the astounding news that Kelsey was getting married! With my boyish crush years behind me, I could welcome this news with the selfless jubilation it deserved. This also called for me to return home, and to spend my first significant time with Kelsey and Terri in years.
I arrived home a few days before the wedding and was glad to see that Terri was not distraught over the marriage as I had feared. Kelsey's fiancee was great. Indeed, that was not the problem, but I feared Terri might see it as the "loss of a daughter". Instead, she was as elated as all of us. During the furor around the ceremonies, I was able to return to the home that had welcomed me for so many days and nights only a few years before. There I could speak privately with Terri and get her feelings on the marriage, though I figured I knew what she would say.
The time was mid-afternoon when I finally pulled up to the house. Not much had changed. It still had the comfortable chaos I remembered: boxes, magazines, and international art littered the house rendering it endearingly messy, never dirty. It was the home of an eccentric, a relentless planner who never actually had the time to take action.
I was greeted by Terri's relaxed yet vital smile at the door. She had clearly just come from work, as she donned a dark gold jacket with matching skirt, patterned blouse, and dark green stockings with no shoes. The last part made me laugh because it was so sexy, and was so sexy because it made me laugh.
She hugged me as always and welcomed me in.
"Look at you," she said warmly. "I'm glad you could make it. Kelsey's honored."
"I'm the one that's honored," I responded humbly. "I'm proud to be in a wedding like this. Kelsey deserves it."
Terri invited me in. We went and sat on the couch. I reluctantly asked her for a glass of water, apologizing even before I did so.
"No you can't have a glass of water," she replied sarcastically. "Don't worry, I can afford it."
She poured the water for me, though I offered nervously to do it myself. I wasn't nervous around her, but I always adopted a squirrely humility when I was a guest. Terri never stood for it, and soon I relaxed back into the old habits. It was only a matter of minutes before the conversation was flowing and I was liberally snacking on a bowl of mixed nuts.
"So, are you excited!?!?" I asked with a wry, half-serious enthusiasm.
"Yeah," she said, drawing out the word slowly. "I mean, it's her big day. The planning went well, the dress looks beautiful, everything's great."
"I was actually a bit nervous you'd be dreading it, like she was abandoning you," I said.
"Oh she abandoned me years ago," she laughed.
"Awww don't think like that. She loves you. You're her whole world. That will never, EVER change. Trust me."
"I know, I know," she exhaled.
