All Sexual Activity Is Between Characters Who Are 18+ Years Old
******
Edward Trotter walked along the empty corridor leading to the main office of George Washington High School. He was homeward bound after having just deflowered young Cynthia Hart in his last period Algebra class, which, coincidentally, she was failing. He gave his armpits a quick sniff and was relieved that his body odor seemed no different than at the end of any other long humid day of teaching math in the stuffy old building.
In the office he waved to Miss Thompson, the spinster secretary to the Principal, Mr. Fowler. "Good night, Miss Thompson," he called cheerfully, knowing she kept tabs on the teachers' comings and goings and was quick to report delinquencies. "Have a nice weekend."
He was turning toward the faculty mailboxes when Miss Thompson gratuitously reminded him, "Check your messages, Mr. Trotter... your wife called nearly forty-five minutes ago."
"Cheese Louise," Trotter thought to himself, "thank goodness the old biddy didn't take it upon herself to BRING it to me!" He waved again and pulled the paper slip from his pigeon-hole. "Thanks! Got it..." he replied as he left the office.
Once again alone in the hall, he opened the note and read, "Pick up son at home and meet wife at White Star Café at 6 p.m. Don't be late!" Ted did not know what Mary actually said, but he was certain Miss Thompson had appended the command herself. Shoving the note in his trousers, he consulted his silver Elgin pocket watch and noted he had exactly one hour to collect Art and get to the café. "Plenty of time, Pal," he said to himself, "but you won't be able to shower or shave."
Trotter stroked his five o'clock shadow and smelled his shirt front. "No tell-tale scents," he mused, "and she'll not mind my scratchy face, so long as I shave before we fuck tonight. Exiting the building, he pondered what occasioned dinner out. "Must have burned the chicken," he muttered with a chuckle as he pushed the door's crash bar and stepped into the sultry mid-May late afternoon.
At 46 1/2 Garvey Street, Arthur Trotter was in his room, between his parent's bedroom and the front parlor, building play forts out of dominoes, on a Samson folding card table. When he heard Ted come in the front door, he ran into the hall and called, "Hey, Pop! Is Mother with you? She wasn't here when I got home from school."
Ted picked the boy up in his arms and skyed him up to the ceiling in the entry way, exclaiming, "Hey, there, Champ! How's my boy?" Putting him back on the wooden floor, he continued, "Yeah, son, I don't know... something came up, I guess... I got a message at school that WE are supposed to MEET her at the White Star." He playfully Dutch-rubbed Arthur's towhead brush cut. "Grab your cap and let's take a hike!"
"Hooray!" Arthur shouted gleeful approval of the idea and scampered back to his room. When he re-appeared with his favorite green felt beanie, Ted took his hand and led the way to the alley. They laughed over nothing as they went. Trotter strolled while the boy he thought was his own skipped beside him.
A block-and-a-half later they reached the café at 105 Central Avenue on the corner of Flint Street, where Jock's thirteen-year-old maroon-and-red REO sedan was parked at the curb. Arthur waved through the restaurant's painted plate-class window at Cecilia McGuinness, while Ted held the café door open. Katy Oleson greeted them heartily and led them to the last two open chairs at the big table, already populated with Cecie, Mary, Isabel and Jock, who bellowed, "HERE'S the rest of the 'fam-damily' at last! Bring on the Blue Plates, Katy!"
After a hearty meal, including big slabs of hot apple pie, the jubilant family set out for the Bijou Theatre, two blocks away, at 220 Dorchester Avenue. They were early for the 7:30 p.m. showing of 'Pinocchio', which was a good thing. The popular animated film was ending its run that night and the ticket line was longer than they had expected. While the rest of the family chattered about this and that, Jock noticed a familiar feminine form ten feet ahead of him in the crowd. Excusing himself, he stepped forward.
The good-looking, mid-thirties, brunette woman who had attracted Jock's attention was conversing with a younger, darker-haired, girl and did not notice his approach. She turned, slightly startled, when Jock touched her shoulder and asked, "Arlene? What are YOU doing here? I thought you were sick."
Arlene Hart coughed and replied, "Oh, good evening, Mr. McGuinness... well, YES, I WAS ill... this MORNING." Her black straw fedora brim tilted as she cast her eyes to the pavement and lowered her voice, "Umm, you know... women's, er, issues. I'm sorry I couldn't come to work, but I'm feeling much better, now." She looked Jock in the face and smiled apologetically.
"Huhn!" Jock snorted and felt helpless. He took in Arlene's shapely figure, wrapped lightly in an open-back pale green cotton dress with huge sunflowers all over it. The gold metal buckle of her wide black belt, high at her waist, accented her full top while the dress skirting hugged her hips before flaring out to her knees in shallow pleats. "Well, I MISSED you... I had to get someone else to come and deal with the payroll reports for the home office."
"Oh gosh," Arlene said, "I AM sorry about that, really. Can I make it UP to you at all?"
While they talked, Trotter walked over. He recognized the girl beside the unknown woman and was moderately concerned about the conversation's potential. Jock introduced him, "Ted, this is my accounting clerk, Arlene Hart... Arlene, this is my son-in-law, Ted Trotter." Ted smiled warily, and made surreptitious eye-contact with the girl beside Arlene. She smiled back at him with twinkly brown eyes.
"Trotter?" Arlene asked with arched eyebrows, showing surprise. "How INTERESTING." She indicated to her right with an open palm. "I KNOW you know my DAUGHTER, Cynthia, from your Algebra class, but WE have never met." She swung her hand toward Ted and added, "What a pleasure, Mr. Trotter. I have some concerns about my daughter's, umm, FUTURE... perhaps we can talk later?"
Ted shook Mrs. Hart's black cotton-gloved hand and replied, "How nice to meet you, Mrs. Hart." His voice was steadier than his nerves. Nodding to Cynthia, he said, "And what a coincidence, Cindy, that we should all be in the same movie line." Relieved that neither the freshly fucked eighteen-year-old virgin's facial expressions, nor her mannerisms, gave anything away, Ted started a turn to go back to Mary and the others.
"Yes," said Cynthia to Trotter, interrupting his pivot. "Ma wanted to see 'Rebecca' at the Town, but I WON when I reminded her this was the last day for 'Pinocchio' and I hadn't SEEN it."
Arlene reached out and touched Trotter's elbow as she explained to the men, "I was so happy to be feeling stronger." She gave Ted a strange sharp look as she continued, "and Cynthia got some welcome news... so I thought we should have a 'girls' night out', so to speak." She let go of Ted and hugged her daughter. "DIDN'T I say just THAT, Cynthia?" Looking again at Trotter, Arlene asked, "Perhaps you could telephone me, tomorrow morning, Mr. Trotter? Arbor one-two-two-one... after nine?"
Ted blinked. "Certainly, Mrs. Hart. I look forward to it." Hoping the prickly heat on the back of his neck did not show in the evening shadows and marquee lights, he said, again, "Nice to meet you." Cynthia still gave no outward sign of their intimacy, but inside, her tummy turned over and her cunny clenched involuntarily on itself.
Turning away to follow his son-in-law, Jock breathed, sotto voce for Arlene's benefit only, "Meet me in the loges a few minutes after the show starts... if you want to 'make it up to me' for playing hooky." He wondered, as he left the women alone, if she would keep the appointment.
Over dinner, Arthur and Cecilia had agreed, and gotten the adults' permission, to sit by themselves in the very first row, closest to the screen. As soon as Jock handed the tickets to the doorman, they bolted to claim the best seats still available. Luck was with them and they landed dead center, beating out three other competing children for the prime spots.
Chuckling as they watched the kids scuffle for positions below them, Artie's and Cecie's parents, and Trotter, were satisfied to take left-side seats halfway down and just under the balcony. Mary sat first with Ted next to her. Beside him sat Izzy while Jock settled into the aisle seat. The remaining four seats, between Mary and the wall, were vacant and never claimed throughout the film.
As Jiminy Cricket flipped open the Pinocchio storybook, after finishing his song, 'When you wish upon a star', Jock whispered in Isabel's ear, "I'm going to get something to eat... be right back. Can I bring YOU something?"