I lay looking across the love of my life as the soft glow of early morning began to peak around the edge of the curtains. He doesn't have big pec's or broad shoulders, he does have a hairy chest, no six-pack abdomen nor squared off Paul Bunyan jaw, he's just... Tommy... but he's mine. He has all the mature features of an early thirties man, he's not plagued with the confusion or bewilderment of the world around us. He's intelligent, and unlike many of the educated idiots we know, he has balance and common sense, he errs toward the simple instead of the complex, he always seems to find beauty where others see none.
To this day I don't know how he ever saw beauty in me. I was scrawny and frail looking, I had no pronunciation to my ass to speak of, it just existed like a tiny bulge hanging off my lower back. My breasts were anything but voluptuous, no triple Z watermelon sized momba's with one inch nipples on this girl, I was told by the lady who sized me at the women's store I'm a solid A, bordering on a B cup. Since they don't make an A and a half size I varied between an A or B depending on the cut of the bra, if I wore one at all.
My face didn't have the symmetrical features that lend to natural beauty, long and narrow, if the girls at school were feeling extra mean they'd call me "horse face", a name sure to boost any thirteen year old girls self-image and confidence. Being skinny and frail looking with ugly glasses was compounded by the fact that I'm also tall, shit, I mean 5'11" tall. No, I was never coordinated enough to be athletic, I chose to be a book nerd who lived within the world of her mind. I'm smart, but not scary smart like my parents. My one and only complimenting feature is my hair, long, thick, and naturally shiny.
Maybe you've heard the phrase that too much knowledge can be frightening, well my folks are so damned smart they're a frickin nightmare. Let me tell you how frightening those two are, when I was 14 and my brother was 16, dad was offered a position at a college in Washington State, the liberal bastion of the northwest. Since we lived in Georgia where he and mom were professors at Georgia Tech, in their minds the only thing to do was make the logical decision and divorce, my brother would go with him and I'd stay with mom. Yes, that's how literally fucked up my parents are.
Tommy was similar to me without the homely face, 6'2", skinny, glasses, nothing special about him. No massive body, no extra special features, just another pimple faced boy trying to be cool and failing miserably. I followed his example of living vicariously through books and studying, in today's vernacular we'd be called "nerds". Thus, Tommy and I were separated, the family got together at Christmas when I was 16, dad wanted us to visit them because there might be snow for the holiday. Having never seen more than a snow flurry or two I thought it was good idea.
During that visit Tommy and I slipped into our own nerdy world, discussing the latest books we'd read, going to the mall and hanging out. Mom and dad slipped back into their old ways, we barely saw either one other than Christmas day. Dad had remained celibate after they divorced and mom decided to fuck him into oblivion while they were together, in their screwed up minds they were still married, and in some sick messed up way I guess they were.
Tommy was on an accelerated learning schedule and had graduated with the December group, I wasn't sure what that was about, at my school we had one graduation and it was in June. He would be starting college as soon as the holiday break was over. My brother, in college, at the age of eighteen, I was so proud of him.
Fast forward two years to my senior year while I'm sitting at the breakfast table with mom.
"So, Margaret, who are you going to prom with?"
"Let's see mom, that would be NOBODY because NOBODY has or will ask me to attend prom with them. After all, whom wants a date with "horse face"?"
"Oh now honey, you're being too critical of yourself, somebody will ask, just wait and see."
"Well they'd better do it damned quick mom because prom is in three weeks."
I sat crying in the girl's bathroom, thinking I was all alone, then I heard an all too familiar voice outside the stall, a soft caring voice, my best and basically only friend Bonnie. Bonnie was my complete opposite, short, heavy but not obese, and not all that smart, she did okay, but she was never honor society material.
"Margie, are you okay? Can I help in some way? Did somebody say something mean again?"
I stood, opened the door and hugged her, she seemed to be the only person who knew and understood me. I whimpered about not having a date for prom and began to cry again. As she held me the door opened and in walked my nemesis, Sandy Stone, miss perfect.
"Oh my God, are you two lezzies now? Holy shit, wait until I tell the other girls."
I was pissed and mentally off balance as I lashed out.
"We aren't lesbians you stupid cow, if you knew how to do anything but fuck half the boys and teachers in school you might know sometimes a person just needs a hug. Then again, the only time you have your arms around anyone else is when you're pushing your pussy onto their cock. You're a disgusting slut."
I threw my wet paper towel in her face, took Bonnies hand and stormed out of there. Her shit had started when we were in eighth grade, after five years of taking her verbal abuse I had finally snapped and told her where to get off. I figured the rest of my day would be an onslaught of nastiness but was pleasantly surprised that not one disparaging word was uttered in my direction all day. I walked home thinking I should have done that five years ago. On my way I stopped in the corner park and sat for a few minutes, I was not in the mood to hear anymore of mom's badgering. Just then my phone sounded with the ring tone for my brother's texts.
Tom: "Hi sis. You doin ok? Not sure why, but I had this sudden urge to text."
Marge: "You're a life saver, I need to hear a welcoming voice, call me right away."
Thirty seconds later we were talking. I explained that mom was on my ass about going to prom but there was no way I was going to be asked. Heck, even Bonnie had been asked by the tubby kid she had as an advanced chemistry partner. Old horse face would sit alone with a book another year, telling myself it didn't matter, when it really did.
"Why don't I take you then? I'm off for two weeks for spring break at that time, I'd be proud to take you to prom."
"But you're my brother, I'd be the laughing stock of the school, even more so than I am now."