The names have been changed, but the facts remain the same.....
I had first met Joan when I was 10! 5'6", luscious long dark brown hair, a truly beautiful woman with incredible eyes that were sultry, warm and mischievous. She made an immediate impression on me.
She was a biology teacher and she had a daughter who was 1 day younger than me and was a part of a church that I attended.
I had always thought that she was a super beautiful woman and she had this sultry voice that was really quite hypnotic. Over the years, a friendship grew. This friendship was first me looking to and at her as a mentor / source of trustworthy data, particularly in the subject of biology which was compulsory up to 15 years old. She also was able to sing and sounded so sweet. Her voice was one of those that would make your hair stand on end when she hit certain notes.
Joan had been married (father of her daughter), but he was from the middle east and decided that he wanted to return back there. Joan didn't want to go, her family support structure was in the UK and her friends etc were also here and so she opted to stay as it was him who had changed his mind anyway!
When I met her, she was on her second marriage. The husband that I met I had always thought was a bit of an egocentric twit who genuinely believed that he was smarter than he actually was! I was sad for her when that relationship ended, but wasn't surprised as she was way too good for him.
Over the years, especially when there were gatherings, I often chose to go with her as I just really loved hanging out with her.
I remember on one occasion where we were in Eastbourne and there was a very strong wind. She made me walk in front of her as her dress kept getting caught by the wind and was blowing up and she didn't want me to see when that happened. It was kind of annoying, but she was always a lady and so it made sense.
Well, fast forward a few years... I was 18 or 19 and she was in another relationship with a guy that I knew. I thought he was a nice enough chap, but was a bit of a 'the world revolves around me' kind of guy. She was really devoted to him and I believe that she had it in her mind that they would marry and that she would be with him until she lay down in death.
Well, one thing I haven't mentioned is that Joan, by this stage, was in her late 30's. She had gotten to the place where she knew what she wanted and didn't want. She wanted the happily ever after package. not that she was naive in anyway, just that she wanted to feel loved and to love.
Joan was intelligent and witty and also so hot that she couldn't set foot near a glacier and with that 'please let me welcome you inside me' voice, well, it was no surprise that there was a lot of interest in her!
Well, that relationship didn't last. I know both sides of the story, as both were friends of mine and whilst most of the issues, in my opinion, rested with him. For sure, she was not blame free, but it was mostly him. Irrespective, it was a really tough break up for her.
I remember my mum, Joan and I being in mum's kitchen shortly afterwards and she was crying, not sobbing, but crying and I put my arms around her and hugged her. On that occasion, she threw her arms around my waste and pulled me in close. Not in a sexual way (at least not to her), but I remember thinking that her embrace was something special in the way it made me feel.
Well, we continued to hang out from time to time and life just went on. I was busy sharking after a few girls that I had a penchant for, busy at university and also busy just generally planning my life map out.
It was coming up to my 21st birthday and I didn't know that Joan and another friend were arranging a surprise birthday for me. In the lead up, Joan asked me to keep a certain Sunday free as she wanted to go to a concert that she thought I would to go to as well and that we could go together. Well, again, this wasn't unusual. We had gone to conerts together before. The first was Neil Diamond and I remember that the guy who validated our tickets as we went in gave me a knowing wink as Joan and I walked in. I remember thinking that he thought that she and I were together together. Had that been the case, I would have been holding her hand for sure, but we were not making bodily contact and it was all totally innocent!
However, I digress. So Joan asked me to keep that day free. Now as I mentioned, I was chasing some skirt at that stage and whilst I had always had a huge crush and soft spot (and hard spot too) for Joan, I had never even alluded to anything. It would have been extremely disrespectful. So that Sunday date was a little in question as I was trying to hook up with another girl.
As the date was approaching, Joan was starting to put gentle pressure for me to commit to the date. The dates just didn't align with the other girl and, to be honest, it wasnt a big deal to me that they didn't; hanging with Joan would be a lot of guaranteed fun. we really did have a lovely time together. So I decided that I would spend the time with Joan and push Jennifer to another day. After I had committed to that date, I noticed that Joan would make little quips. The first time was when I was dropping her home. She made a quip about a boyfriend and then said that maybe she would ravish me instead. It was all very tongue in cheek, but it definitely caused a question in my mind and a stir in my trousers...
Well, the Sunday arrived and I drove Joan and I down to the place. I dropped her off and went to park the car. When I walked to the door and walked in, there was a lovely group of people who all shouted out surprise! It was a lovely surprise and I realized quickly that Joan had been the architect. I had never had anyone put any real effort towards anything to do with me. The feeling of love, that had always been there for her, increased. It was such a lovely experience.
As the party was winding to a close, I asked another friend of mine if she would also like a lift. In my brain, I would have two of my favourite people in the car on the way back. Joan, however, pulled a face and then quickly went back to being completely normal.
Well, we dropped my other friend home first and then I made my way to Joan's place. She made a quip about my inviting Claudette to join us for the drive back, but there was nothing unpleasant said. When we arrived at Joan's place, I stopped the car and got out and gave her the biggest hug that I had given anyone and kissed her cheek and said how much what she had done meant to me. Joan melted into my embrace and really pressed her whole body into mine and said, "There are many of us who love you."
I should take a brief pause here and just summarize that growing up, I had never really experienced the love of both parents with my mum trying to be mum and dad both for me. My younger sister (very close to me in age) had both parents adore her and because of the small age gap, I grew up thinking that I was the problem and that there was something wrong with me. Precious few people knew that, but Joan was one of them. So when she said that to me at her door, it really meant a lot to me.
It was cold as my birthday is almost at the beginning of December and London at that time of year is not known for being warm! Quite the opposite actually. Well, Joan and I spoke a couple of days later on the phone. During that call, the subject of being lonely came up and Joan outright asked me if I was in love with Claudette. The thought hadn't even occured to me! I openly and honestly said that, "No, I wasn't in love with Claudette." This answer seemed to placate Joan, but I didn't know what she was placated of. I just reiterated how much I enjoyed the surprise birthday party and that I really valued her friendship and that she meant the world to me.
Well, we continued as normal for maybe three weeks. During that time, we still hung out as normal, chatted on the phone as normal but just carried out with our lives as normal. However, Joan increased the frequency and suggestiveness of her comments about ravishing me. And then.....