I had the sense that Mark was going to be different, and he was.
He put his hand under my chin, lifted my face up slightly, and kissed me. I didn’t kiss him back, but only because I was so clueless that I didn’t know I was supposed to respond to him. He pulled back and shifted himself on the sheet so that he was sitting beside me. He picked up my hands and put my arms around his neck.
“It’s customary,” he said, “for a girl to show some sign she likes being kissed. If she does.”
I laughed. “What sign would you like?”
He kissed me again, and finally I tumbled to the idea that this activity demanded joint participation. But I said, “This is crazy. We’re out in the open. A taxi full of tourists could show up anytime.” He smiled and kissed me again. The potential for the arrival of tourists bothered him not a wit.
Then he put his hand gently under my breast. I immediately jerked back and brushed his hand away. Nothing like that had ever happened to me.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
“Yes, of course. You startled me, that’s all.”
He put his arms around my shoulders and pulled me to him. I put my face against his chest. I liked being there. After a moment, he lifted my face and kissed me, and then he put his hand back on my breast. I clamped my hand around his, but I didn’t move his hand away.
“Mark, I like that, but it makes me uncomfortable.”
I was sending mixed messages here, since I kept my hand on his, but I was new at all this. He slowly moved his hand away but not before squeezing me, gently. I had never felt anything like that before. It was amazing. I buried my face in his chest again, with my arms still around him, where I was prepared to remain as long as possible. Tourists or no tourists.
He drove me home. It was late afternoon. We stood beside the MG, talking and holding hands, for so long that Mother finally came along walking home from the clinic, in her long, white lab coat.
I dropped Mark’s hand.
Mother said, “Hello, Mr Thakeham. What have you young people been doing this afternoon?”
I answered quickly to avoid the possibility that Mark might say something not appropriate. “I took Mark to see Gibbs Hill, and we had a picnic lunch at the lighthouse. He’s just brought me home.”
Mother looked up at the sky to see where the sun was over the horizon toward Dockyard. I could tell she was thinking that our picnic seemed to have lasted quite a long time, but she didn’t raise the issue.
Instead, she invited Mark to come for tea the next afternoon, said goodbye to him, and went inside to begin making tea for Father.
When I walked into Midpoint, I went to the kitchen to help Mother. For a minute or so, she was silent.
Finally, she said, “I thought you didn’t care for Mark Thakeham.”
“I’ve changed my mind.”
M ARCH 1962
S PRING H OLIDAY FROM S MITH
‘T EMPEST ’
T UCKER’S T OWN , B ERMUDA
Mark and I played three hard sets on the grass court at Tempest, then we changed into our swimsuits and dived into the salt water pool. His aunt was shopping in Hamilton and the housekeeper was off, so we had everything to ourselves.
I was sitting beside the pool with my legs in the water when Mark came up for air just in front of me. He folded his arms over my knees, and I leaned over and kissed the top of his head. He looked up at me and suggested that we go inside the house, to his room, and become lovers.
A week before I had not even known he existed, and now instead of slapping him, which is what I ought to have done, I found myself thinking that he had come up with a thrilling, fascinating, and frightening idea.
But good judgment got the better of me.
“We’re going to do no such thing. Put it out of your mind.” With that, I placed my hand on top of his head, pushed him off my knees, and played at holding him under water for a second or so before releasing him.
He came up for air, then pulled himself up on the side of the pool and sat
He put his hand under my chin, lifted my face up slightly, and kissed me. I didn’t kiss him back, but only because I was so clueless that I didn’t know I was supposed to respond to him. He pulled back and shifted himself on the sheet so that he was sitting beside me. He picked up my hands and put my arms around his neck.
“It’s customary,” he said, “for a girl to show some sign she likes being kissed. If she does.”
I laughed. “What sign would you like?”
He kissed me again, and finally I tumbled to the idea that this activity demanded joint participation. But I said, “This is crazy. We’re out in the open. A taxi full of tourists could show up anytime.” He smiled and kissed me again. The potential for the arrival of tourists bothered him not a wit.
Then he put his hand gently under my breast. I immediately jerked back and brushed his hand away. Nothing like that had ever happened to me.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
“Yes, of course. You startled me, that’s all.”
He put his arms around my shoulders and pulled me to him. I put my face against his chest. I liked being there. After a moment, he lifted my face and kissed me, and then he put his hand back on my breast. I clamped my hand around his, but I didn’t move his hand away.
“Mark, I like that, but it makes me uncomfortable.”
I was sending mixed messages here, since I kept my hand on his, but I was new at all this. He slowly moved his hand away but not before squeezing me, gently. I had never felt anything like that before. It was amazing. I buried my face in his chest again, with my arms still around him, where I was prepared to remain as long as possible. Tourists or no tourists.
He drove me home. It was late afternoon. We stood beside the MG, talking and holding hands, for so long that Mother finally came along walking home from the clinic, in her long, white lab coat.
I dropped Mark’s hand.
Mother said, “Hello, Mr Thakeham. What have you young people been doing this afternoon?”
I answered quickly to avoid the possibility that Mark might say something not appropriate. “I took Mark to see Gibbs Hill, and we had a picnic lunch at the lighthouse. He’s just brought me home.”
Mother looked up at the sky to see where the sun was over the horizon toward Dockyard. I could tell she was thinking that our picnic seemed to have lasted quite a long time, but she didn’t raise the issue.
Instead, she invited Mark to come for tea the next afternoon, said goodbye to him, and went inside to begin making tea for Father.
When I walked into Midpoint, I went to the kitchen to help Mother. For a minute or so, she was silent.
Finally, she said, “I thought you didn’t care for Mark Thakeham.”
“I’ve changed my mind.”
M ARCH 1962
S PRING H OLIDAY FROM S MITH
‘T EMPEST ’
T UCKER’S T OWN , B ERMUDA
Mark and I played three hard sets on the grass court at Tempest, then we changed into our swimsuits and dived into the salt water pool. His aunt was shopping in Hamilton and the housekeeper was off, so we had everything to ourselves.
I was sitting beside the pool with my legs in the water when Mark came up for air just in front of me. He folded his arms over my knees, and I leaned over and kissed the top of his head. He looked up at me and suggested that we go inside the house, to his room, and become lovers.
A week before I had not even known he existed, and now instead of slapping him, which is what I ought to have done, I found myself thinking that he had come up with a thrilling, fascinating, and frightening idea.
But good judgment got the better of me.
“We’re going to do no such thing. Put it out of your mind.” With that, I placed my hand on top of his head, pushed him off my knees, and played at holding him under water for a second or so before releasing him.
He came up for air, then pulled himself up on the side of the pool and sat
Similar Books
