I met up with Gwendolyn at a cafe in town after the match had finished. We'd been playing a team who'd beaten us the last four meetings but that day we'd won three nil. I'd had a couple of drinks at lunch time before the game and was grinning like an idiot by the time we met - I was nearly half an hour late and she wasn't happy.
"What are you so pleased with yourself for? I only stayed this long so that I could tell you what I thought of anyone rude enough to leave me hanging around for half the day..."
Before she got up to speed I interrupted her flow. "We won and that made me happy. I'm late because I wanted to shower so that I wasn't all sweaty and horrible when I got to meet you... you can ask your mum, I called before the football and said that I was going to be half an hour late, but you'd already left to go window shopping with your mates. If you're still pissed off with me then I guess you'd better go home. I'll walk you if you want. Look, there're loads of men and women out there who aren't worth the effort to get to know them, but I'm a decent bloke who's working hard enough to be able to show you a good time if you stick around."
She was stunned, mouth agape... I guess that with her looks, she was used to blokes trying to flatter their way into her pants; I'd grown confident - I was a man of experience now. I knew more than one way to make a woman get off. She didn't reply, so I threw caution to the wind and went for it.
"So I think that you owe me an apology before we decide where you'd like to have dinner this evening."
Her voice had a completely different tone now as she stammered her reply. "Sorry... I just... I mean I didn't..."
"That's alright doll, let's forget it. How about a walk down the canal to get our appetites keen enough to enjoy the food? What do you fancy - Indian, Italian or steak and chips at the Wimpy? You don't have to make your mind up right away; we can talk about it as we walk."
The change of looks on her face was a treat, she was smiling and her eyes were sparkling as she stood up and hugged me... I held her by her elbows and looked her up and down.
"In case nobody has told you recently, you are one really fine looking lady and I'm proud as punch that you've chosen me as your escort for the evening."
I turned through ninety degrees and offered her the crook of my arm, leaving my hand in my Levi's front pocket.
"Let's pay your bill and get on with working up an appetite!"
As we walked, I caught our reflection in the shop windows as we passed; we looked cooler than Jimmy Dean and Diana Dors. It was a dream come true, she was the best looking girl that I'd ever met... never mind dated, and it felt as if every person we passed was jealous of me that evening. The sunset over the fields beyond the edge of town brought a chill to the late summer air and she shivered and held herself closer to me. I played it cool, hanging my jacket around her shoulders and using holding it there as an excuse to put my arm around her; she snuggled against me and said that she liked strong arms like mine. I thought my head would swell to half the size of the moon if she kept up the flattery.
We decided on a steak supper and went on to the pub afterwards. I didn't ignore my mates but made sure that I kept her with me and involved her in the conversations where I could, holding her hand the whole time. We didn't even wait until closing time before we left the Rose and Crown so that I could walk her home. She was still wearing my jacket and as she took it off in the porchway to return it she looked up at me.
"My mum and dad will have already gone to bed by now, so I can't invite you in..."
I pulled her to me and bent my head down; she didn't struggle as our lips met. Hers opened in an instant and her tongue darted out to prod mine before we settled down to a sweaty minute of tongue wrestling. Her arms pushed inside my jacket and her nails scraped up and down my back through my shirt. I held her by the shoulders for a while before following the shape of her body, pulling her close until there was no break between us from lips to below her knees. I felt her bra strap and the outline of her knickers through the miniskirt that she was wearing. I gently caressed the curve of her bottom and pulled her crotch closer to mine; she groaned into my mouth and kissed me harder.
We came up for air and I could see that she was turned on... there was a different sheen to the sparkle in her eyes and a thin line of perspiration had formed on her upper lip.
"Is there any chance that you might be able to come for a walk tomorrow?"
Her reply was breathless as she tried to compose herself. "I'll be here when you call."
Before I could continue with my charm offensive the door opened behind her and her mum was there in dressing gown and curlers.
"Thank you for bringing her home safely young man. Goodnight."
And she was gone. My hard on didn't do the same until I gave myself a quick one off the wrist after I got into bed that night... all of my thoughts were about what I wanted to do to Gwen.
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We didn't do church in our house - Sundays were our day for long lie ins before we ate lunch at one o clock, so by two thirty I'd helped dad with the washing up; he washed while I dried and put the crockery away. I'd got new clothes that had arrived from the catalogue lady the day before whilst I was playing football and I had trendy bell bottomed jeans and a purple butterfly collared open-necked shirt to go under a black velvet jacket. My new found status of wage earner meant that mum was letting me buy stuff on the never-never, as it was called back then. I looked swanky as all get-out as I walked the streets between our two homes. I think that it was the first time I'd ever strutted anywhere in my life... it felt good.
Gwen's dad answered the door in cardigan and corduroys, he was cleaning the bowl on a well used briar pipe, peering through half rimmed spectacles as he scraped away at it with an old pen knife.
"How can I help you?"
