I am neither a virgin nor a prude. I have standards; standards that were bred into me by my parents and grandparents. I was raised in Manhattan and the Hamptons and work now for the Metropolitan Museum of Art on 5th Avenue as a Curator and Archivist.
I have an undergraduate degree from Bryn Mawr College in Art History and a Masters in the same from Princeton, where both my father and grandfather attended. I have an apartment on the Upper West Side, just across the Park from the MMA.
I have had sex with men. I have even had a boyfriend for just under two years, and we performed sex sometimes as often as twice per week. Unfortunately, things did not go as planned with my boyfriend, and having failed to move towards marriage, I released him after 18 months. It was a proper decision, as I discovered later that he had been cheating on me.
No, I wasn't raised to sleep with men before marriage, but this is a different time and there are different acceptable codes of conduct for young women in the modern society of today. I understand that men have their needs, base though they may be, and that if I am to compete for an acceptable husband, not letting a man have his way with me will scare even a good one away for fear that I am cold or frigid.
As I mentioned, I do have standards, though. A polite peck at the door on the first date if all has gone well and I am interested. A lingering kiss at the door on the second date, perhaps a little smooching on the third date.
If I am still intrigued and find the fellow worth pursuing, I allow a little passion to creep into the kissing on the fourth date, then perhaps breast-play on the fifth. If the young man still pursues me and I am still interested, the sixth and seventh dates have a time and place set aside for kissing and petting.
This is when I make my final decision on whether or not to continue pursuing the relationship. By this time I have been able to understand the gentleman's character, his family, his drive, and the path of his career. If I find all those to be acceptable, then I will consent to intercourse on or after the eighth date.
I am on the pill, ready at any time for the right man to enter my life. As I said, I am neither a virgin nor a prude.
My name is Elizabeth Crutchfield and I am 29 years old. People at work call me Betty.
** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
I broke my ankle in a short fall from a ladder at the MMA in early June. Failing to heal properly, it required surgery by the end of the month. Father and Mother were in Italy for the summer, but I saw no reason why I should need care. I would be off my feet for six weeks, but I could get around the apartment with crutches or a wheeled scooter-like contraption that I could rest my knee on and glide around the apartment on. I could call an Uber for doctor's appointments and could get around the apartment well enough on my little scooter to cook and bathe myself.
I made arrangements with the local grocery to deliver my food and for the local laundry to pick up and deliver my clothes. The little Mom and Pop grocery was owned by an East Indian family, the Singhs, and I had been shopping there for years. Being a small store, their selection wasn't as great as a supermarket, but what they did carry was top quality, especially their fruits and vegetables.
I stocked up before surgery on Monday and didn't require a delivery until Thursday. I called the store and told the Uncle, Mr. Singh, what I required and he told me he would send Dhani, his nephew, with the order within an hour. They didn't normally deliver, but knowing my situation, had agreed to help me out for the six weeks I was laid up. I had prepaid five hundred dollars, and assured them I would refill the account before it was empty.
I was reasonably sure that Mr. Singh understood my order, but it was difficult, as his English was so thickly accented. They all had thick accents, even Dhani, who had lived in the U.S. for the past six years, since he was 14 years old. We pronounced his name in an Americanized way, like Danny, and Dhani attended Michigan State majoring in engineering, but was home for the summer break and working at the family store as he had all through high school.
As promised, an hour after I placed my order, my buzzer buzzed and when I hobbled to the speaker near the door on my crutches and pushed the button, Dhani identified himself and I buzzed him in. I unlocked the door, and hobbled back to the couch and lay back down. I was wearing a nightie with a light robe over it, but I didn't think it was inappropriate for the local delivery boy.
When Dhani knocked, I called out that it was open. "Hello, Miss," he said as he entered, smiling.
"Hello, Dhani. Thanks so much for delivering my groceries. You can just put them on the counter in the kitchen," I answered as he entered the room, his arms full of bags stuffed with groceries.
"Oh, no, Miss. I'll be happy to put them away for you," he said, looking at me and smiling. "You look to be quite helpless, Miss." He began walking towards the kitchen, which was just around the corner from the living room where I lay.
"Well, not completely helpless," I answered, watching him as he turned the corner into the kitchen. "It's just difficult for me to get around with this cast."
I listened to cupboard doors opening and closing as Dhani put the groceries away. Only once did he put his head around the corner and ask, "Do you like your fruit in a bowl or in the refrigerator, Miss?"
"In the refrigerator, please, Dhani. Thank you so much!" It was so nice of him to volunteer his services as well as delivery, and I must admit it was nice as well to have someone else in the apartment. I had been alone for the previous three days and I secretly welcomed the company. As I heard him finishing up, I looked down to make sure I was properly covered by my robe as I lay prone on the couch.
Dhani came back into the living room, smiling as always, his teeth beaming white in contrast to his brown skin. He came and stood right next to me, close to the couch.
"Thank you, Dhani," I said, feeling a little bit uncomfortable with his proximity. I don't care for people to be too close to me, violating my personal space. "If you'll grab my purse off the table in the dining room I'll give you a nice tip."
"Oh, no tip is required, Miss!" he answered immediately, shaking his head. "I am happy to do it for a woman as beautiful as yourself, Miss."
I don't know why, but this made me not only blush, but sent a warm tingle through my entire body, as if my whole being was blushing.
"Well, that's very nice of you Dhani, I appreciate your compliment." I said, looking away.
"It is most certainly deserved," he continued. "I have noticed you in the store since I was a boy and always thought you were most beautiful and desirable."
I blushed again and felt that the conversation was really going too far.