Family gatherings. They were supposed to be about bonding, laughter, and maybe a little awkwardness. At least, that's what I told myself as I walked up the long driveway to Grandma's house, my arms loaded with snacks and my heart full of hope. Hope that this time my seven older cousins wouldn't forget I existed.
I was the youngest of the generation, the baby of the family. Also, the only girl. The odds of being included in "the boys' plans" weren't exactly in my favour. But today was different--or so I thought.
The moment I stepped inside, I was greeted by chaos. A cacophony of laughter, high-fives, and a suspicious amount of bro hugs filled the living room.
"There she is!" said Matt, the oldest of my cousins. He tousled my hair like I was still five. "Hey, Eliza."
"Hi," I said, narrowing my eyes. "What's going on?"
"Boys' Day!" cried Connor, who was juggling a soccer ball for no apparent reason.
"Yeah," chimed in Nick, adjusting his backwards cap. "We've got the whole thing planned--activities, challenges, maybe a little danger."
My face fell. "Oh. Cool. So what do I do while you're all off...boy-ing around?"
"You can hang out with Grandma!" Ben said with a grin, earning a chorus of laughter from the others.
I crossed my arms. "Very funny."
Before I could argue my way into their plans, they cheers'd and drank their big cups of what looked to be pineapple juice, then piled out of the house, leaving me standing there, fuming. "I just wanted some kind of awkward bonding family experience!" I exclaimed to the empty air. I was ready to text my best friend and rant when a flicker of movement outside caught my eye. Across the yard, past the garden, was a strange venue I'd never noticed before.
The sign above the door read: "The Pleasure Wall." And below that even more excitingly, was written: "Ladies Only!"
Weird. But intriguing.
Curiosity won out, and I wandered over. Inside, the place was dimly lit but cozy, with a faint sound of giggles echoing through the space. A smiling attendant greeted me.
"First time?" she asked.
"Uh, yeah," I said, glancing around. "What exactly is this?"
She gestured to a space between two walls with round cutouts in them. "It's simple. You step up between these walls, and on the other side, a man will stick their penis through! It's anonymous, so you never know who's behind the wall, and you're totally in control of what you do with each man's penis. Fun, right?"
"Sure," I said, unsure but intrigued.
I decided I was in and stepped up between the walls and looked through the hole to see the front of a man's jeans already getting unzipped. I sat back and waited.
