Apart from that special friendship we enjoyed with Blanche and Lars, Jeannie and I had no great urge to indulge in extended sexual activities for the next four years. We had the usual veiled invitations from friends in the swinging set but put them off with vague promises of another day. We discussed revisiting a few of these possibilities but failed to generate any great excitement; all situations we considered lacked the spirit of spontaneity essential to an interesting sexual adventure. One of us might make a comment such as, "Tom and Jullie are really nice people, we should get to know them better." but that was as far as it went.
Then came the notice of my high school twenty year reunion and we made the seventeen hundred mile pilgrimage to my old home town.
In the Elks hall, much smaller than I remembered it, I wished that we had been placed at a table with someone other. I had often regaled Jeannie with tales of my encounter with Florence Truman and now we were committed to a full evening with her. No longer the skinny little teenager who had lifted her skirt to me in her daddy's hayloft, she had filled out to a pleasantly plump woman and I could hardly believe the man she introduced as her husband.
Ole Engtrom had been the key man on every team the school had fielded and the dream of every
girl in our ninety member student body. His hair was shorter now but still the golden Scandinavian
blond. Lithe athletic shoulders had filled out to the rock hard muscles of a working lumberjack.
Standing up to greet us, he drew out a chair for Jeannie and as he sat down, reached under the
table for a bottle of rye and poured us two generous glasses.
The three piece orchestra opened with a western waltz and Ole stood up to extend a hand to Jeannie. "You two go over old times while I get acquainted with this lovely creature." He admonished me as he led her toward the dance floor.
Florence broke the pause. "Does she know about me?"
"Yes, but I don't think she's made the connection yet."
By the time Ole returned her to the table, she obviously had. Sitting down hesitantly, she glanced first at Florence and then at me.
Florence laughed. "Yes, I'm Flo', Jack's first."
Ole let out a roar of laughter. "To lay every boy in the twelfth grade was her senior project. She didn't quite make it. How was this one?" He gave me a playful slap on the shoulder that nearly knocked me out of my chair.
I couldn't stop the blush from running up my neck and flooding my face.
Flo' bridled. "Nine out of fifteen isn't bad for a beginner and I'm not going to tell you how was this one."
Both Ole and Jeannie turned eyes on me. "On a scale of one to ten, I was a two." I confessed. "Just putting on the rubber practically finished me. It's a wonder I got in before it was all over but I did get it in. That should rate a two."
Florence leaned over and patted my hand. "Don't be embarrassed. I'll give you a three. Most of you didn't last ten seconds . That's the way it usually is the first time. Ole here is the only one to really ring my chimes. That's why I didn't get all fifteen of you. I couldn't get enough of Ole."
Jeannie was bubbling with laughter. I couldn't believe this was happening.
My eyes shifted to two tables over. Veronica, the beauty for whom I had pined all through high school. For her I hadn't existed. She and Ole had spent the high school years hand in hand.
Ole swung his chair to follow my gaze. Yeah, pretty good that one. Nothing like Flo' though. Flo' was the best piece in the whole school. That's why I married her."
I couldn't tell if he was boasting but on a second look at the golden Nordic warrior I could believe he might just be talking from experience.
Florence had overhead the last remark. "The fact that you knocked me up higher than a kite might have influenced that decision."
"I just do that to make sure you don't say no." Ole waved off the comment.
I danced with Florence and Ole moved his chair around by Jeannie.
It was not yet midnight when he reached under the table for the bottle and turned it up to get the last few drops. "You drink too much, fellow. You've used up all my rye."
"I have an unopened twenty six of Corby's in the room." I volunteered.
"It's getting too smoky in here - let's go." He stood up and the ladies gathered up their clutter.
By the time I'd retrieved the bottle from the suitcase and located the ice machine and the glasses, the girls were seated on the two queen beds, laughing and talking up a storm. Ole was reclining on the bed behind Jeannie so I sat down beside Florence She shifted to close the gap between us and pulled her knees up onto the bed. It seemed natural to place my arm around her shoulder.
Ole made some comment, too quietly to hear properly, so Jeannie turned to lean over him and ask for a repeat. He spoke directly into her ear, even more softly as his hand moved to her hip.
Laughing, Jeannie kicked of her pumps as she rolled over him.
Florence reached over the headboard and switched off the light. "I suppose you get a second chance."
In the next twenty minutes I got to understand why Ole had picked Florence as best piece in the whole school. She played me like a virtuoso with a finely tuned instrument. She started off slow and lazy then gradually picked up the beat until I feared I could no longer suppress the urge to come to her but each time I felt I had all I could take and was ready to unload, she would relax and allow me a four bar rest before resuming and carrying me to even greater performances. She treated me to several subtle moves I'll just have to teach Jeannie - if Ole hasn't already taught them to her. When Florence finally permitted me to come to a crashing finale, she murmured in my ear, "For that you get an eight - make that nine."
The window was still dark when I was awakened by soft sounds from the next bed. I listened quietly to the slow rhythmic disturbance and the barely audible mumbles until it began, the soft high pitched hum with which Jeannie always signals the approach to climax.
A warm hand slid under my arm to my chest. Turning me toward her, Florence whispered, "Some more of that for me too, fellow. You've already proven you can do it."
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Today I was reminded of that night by a notice in the mail announcing Jeannie's high school reunion to take place in August. I wonder if Rodney Fairburn will be there. Jeannie has told me all about him. I suppose everyone should be given a second chance.
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