Old theme, new treatment, I hope. You need the earlier chapters or you'll get confused. (Best to start with number one, but that's just a personal view). Please remember to vote. I answer non-anonymous feedback. Satyricon.
'Whaddya mean, leave?' I was outraged. 'We're halfway through the dam' year, Rosie. How the hell you expect me ta find someone for just four months? What the hell's come over ya? Ya suddenly don't like it here?' I ran out of words and looked at her closely. Nice girl, or used to be, anyway. She was sitting quietly on the couch, looking calm.
'It's fine here, Doug, but God has called me and I must answer. I came to tell you that, and to say that I'll pray for you.' Shit, what can you say?
'Rosie, whyntcha have a coke or somethin', tell me what God said, stuff like that. Shit, girl, we known each other a while.' I talked some about Christian duty and she finally spilled.
Turned out she'd had the call, been thinking for a while, decided to answer it, had spent months planning it carefully, was going to leave next day, go to Africa, join some mission, everything settled already, no arguments please. Hadn't told her parents, so as not to upset them. Hadn't told me either. No worldly possessions, nosirree, no problem with me keeping the security deposits, she knew it was an inconvenience but God's word was final, and did I know anyone who needed a car? I kinda tuned out. Hell, she was twenty-four, nice family, half-way through a doctorate; so why not just take off and live in a fucking cesspit somewhere? Not my problem. Her car was another matter though. I knew someone who needed one of those suckers bad. I talked to her for a while, pointed out God moves in a mysterious way, stuff like that. Didn't say the person would be grateful as hell to anyone fixed up wheels for her. Didn't say I'd been thinking some about how to get her one. Didn't say this smelled like my dam' ability doing its usual ass-backward trick.
When she was gone I fetched a beer and thought kinda despondently about how life kicks people around: Rosie's parents, didn't know their daughter was going to disappear out of their lives, Rosie, blind to everything except God's word. Me, stuck with an empty room and no chance of renting it unless I got real lucky. The poor fucking bastards Rosie was going to be looking after, I guess. Better not to forget them. Hell, they probably needed someone like her to work their corner. God's pretty smart, getting good people to do his chores.
After a couple more beers I felt just as bad. Beer usually soothes, but four in a row is bad manners when you're alone. I stood up instead and stared out of my bay window. Spring had snuck up while I wasn't looking: people in lighter clothes, brighter colors. Someone, somewhere was playing Frisbee. Day like this in my junior year was what it reminded me of. The day I finally realized what I was.
After that first night with Judy, the rest of my sophomore year was a fucking dream. A lot of guys had been watching her, taken their best shots and walked away with their ears smarting, so the first time she appeared for breakfast with me, looking like a tired and happy woman, you could almost smell the disappointment. They were pissed that I'd nailed the ice-queen, proved them all wrong, so I got the usual comments, had to deal firmly with a couple of persistent badmouths, but when she heard about that her reaction was real positive. Ice-queen, my ass.
Hell, I'd never been part of a proper couple before. I kinda forgot that I'd set the whole thing up, spent all that time pumping iron, studying just as if I cared, hating every minute, working on the fantasies, keeping my hands off my cock: I guess my brain just papered over the memory, or I wanted to believe she'd fallen for me all by herself. Beautiful feeling. And she was a conscientious girl too: grades first, then Doug. Meant I could take enough time out to keep it fresh, return the favors with enthusiasm.
I'd been kinda nervous about telling Annie, but she was way cool. Guess if you're a hippy and into free love and stuff, plus you got a steady guy as well as a college toyboy, you need to be tolerant. I spent a while telling her how nice it'd be to keep spending time with her, and I guess that tipped the odds a bit. She promised not to mark me up anymore, agreed not to come round to my place, even understood when I said Judy was gonna go on the pill, so her and me had better be a condom relationship. For all I knew, her traveling guy was screwing the entire hippy community when he was away.
Like I said, I was in the catbird seat: from her birthday through to summer we cruised. I cut down some on the gym time, figured I was getting regular exercise anyway. Kept up the studying though: between Gary and her, I didn't have much choice. Kept up the imagining, visions of her and me trying new stuff together dancing through my head. When I checked the graph the lines were hanging in fine, running about eighty percent of the Patty Dukes high spot. Eighty percent and holding steady is better than a hundred percent once in a while, right? Happiest I ever been, I guess, looking back from here. I hadn't been honest with myself, that's why. Remember that: pure honesty is a killer. People can't handle it, and if they can't, neither will you.
First week back after the summer we were at my apartment, kinda enjoying being together. At least, I was. She'd worked the whole break, interning in some child psychology department at a hospital on the coast. I stayed at the apartment. Mom and Dad were going through a bad spell and a small town summer watching fights plain didn't appeal. I took a job stacking shelves, nights, Gary kept paying his share of the rent. I had a few nice times with Annie, smoked a little grass, managed an hour every other day in the gym, hating every fucking minute, missed Judy some as well.
'What's gonna happen, Doug?' she asked. She was propped up on one elbow, her head over my crotch, taking an occasional mouthful of cock. She'd raised one leg for me and I was doing much the same, teasing her a little, enjoying the build-up, the contrast of pale skin and dark pink pussy and trimmed auburn fur. Some of the rest of her was a different pink, little blotches where she'd peeled some. Redheads don't tan real well. She looked like she was color-coded.
'Right now? Gonna roll you over and practice makin' love, minute you say "Go". After that, depends. Then we can go get something to eat, and then I gotta hit the library or you'll beat up on me.' Her lips slid down my shaft then up again.
'I guess I didn't mean right now. I'm a senior now, Doug. This year's gonna be awful full.'
'And I'm a junior and I just changed my major. Gonna be pretty busy too. Hell, we can swing it. I'll be here for you, you'll be here for me, library's there for both of us.' She nodded absently, then took hold of my cock and ran her tongue teasingly over the head, peering up at me.
'You really like eating me, dontcha?'
'You sure do jump around some. Lemme see, the answer is "sho' nuff". All the major food groups, great taste, great texture, great reactions, no calories. Perfect first course. You want me to show ya how much I like it?' No reply. Oh-oh. I reached round and hauled her up, settled her in the crook of my arm, hoping for a click. Nothing.
