What the heck? I didn’t have B.O. and I didn’t have smoker’s breath because I didn’t smoke.
Was he afraid of me? I didn’t think of myself as an intimidating person. Yes, I’d gone out with a few guys, but I was hardly a man-eater.
Was he hiding something about himself? Some guys were worried about the size of their equipment, but Tommy had large feet and hands, so I doubted that was a problem.
He was shy in general, but he wasn’t shy with me, or at least not anymore.
Was he a virgin? Possibly because he never mentioned old girlfriends, and he was a computer geek. His mom said Tommy used to live in his room with his computers. And, the day I saw him at the bus stop, he wasn’t dressed or groomed for success. If he dressed that way all the time, most girls would avoid him.
It had to be something like that. What else could it be? He just needed a little nudge. I could do that.
“Tommy?” I asked as he was about to leave.
“Yes?”
Time to follow mom’s advice again and take control.
“How come you never kiss me goodnight?”
I actually wanted to know why he didn’t stick his hand under my blouse and down my panties, but we had to start somewhere.
He looked embarrassed. Bullseye!
Time for more directness. “I like kissing, and I like you, and I’d like a goodnight kiss from you. I’m ready.” I asked with an inviting smile on my face. I couldn’t be any more clear!
He was still standing there looking bewildered, so I put my hand behind his back and reeled him in, and smiled.
“You’re not going home, Tommy, until you kiss me.”
I puckered up my lips, closed my eyes, and waited. A second later, I felt his presence moving closer and closer until a soft pair of lips touched mine. Yay!
I grinned at him. “You can go now, Tommy, but don’t forget what I want every night before you leave.”
He had a happy grin on his face now!
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It was a waste of good kissing time to wait until Tommy was leaving to start kissing. Why not start earlier?
So, about ten minutes before Tommy usually left my place, I put my books down, and then I put his books down. He looked confused.
I smiled. “I’m ready for my kiss now.”
He wasn’t shy at all tonight, and a big grin spread across his face.
I closed my eyes and puckered up, and there was no hesitation at all. His lips were on mine in a flash. I pushed him down on the couch without breaking our kiss. After all, it’s so much nicer kissing laying down than upright. We kissed for ten minutes straight. It was wonderful! Tommy was a natural, not too hard and not too soft, and the minute I opened my mouth, he stuck his tongue in, and I reciprocated. Soon our warm, wet tongues were dancing together in a million different delicious combinations. Kissing was so much fun.
Eventually, we stopped and wiped the saliva off our chins and sat up. Tommy had an ear-to-ear grin on his face, and there was a visible bulge under his jeans which I couldn’t wait to get my hands on. But that was for another night.
Patience, Marcie. Patience.
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“Marcie, can you pass me the lasagna?”
“Sure, Betty!”
I was getting to be a frequent supper guest at the Cochrane household and was thrilled. They ate so much better than I did. Tommy and his mom liked to cook, and I was constantly getting served something new and tasty.
I think it all happened because Tommy was studying at my place one night and asked if I had some tea or coffee to keep him awake.
“Sure. There are tea bags in the cupboard. Help yourself.”
He came back a bit later with a furrowed brow.
“I was looking in your cupboards and fridge for some sugar and milk, and there’s hardly any food there.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, I didn’t see any vegetables except for frozen corn. And I didn’t see any fruit except for bananas. And I didn’t see any meat or milk. All I saw were boxes of macaroni and cheese and frozen Lean Cuisines and Oreo cookies.”
I looked at him, confused. “So?”
“Well, it doesn’t seem very healthy. Is that what you eat all the time?”
My temper flared. “Look, Tommy! Dad’s been dead for years, and mom works at Walmart making minimum wage, so no one is helping me out like your parents are. I get summer jobs waitressing, and the rest of my money comes from student loans. I’m up to my ears in student debt, so I eat cheap.”
“I drink powdered skim milk. Bananas are fruit. Corn is vegetables. I get my carbs from macaroni and cheese, and I can buy Lean Cuisines on sale for $3.50, and they include everything I need and only take five minutes to microwave. And Oreo cookies are my dessert because I don’t know how to make pie. Any other dietary questions for me?” I glared at him.
Tommy looked chagrined. “Sorry, Marcie. Your cupboards just looked kind of bare. I was worried about your diet.”
Having my poverty pointed out always made me bitchy, and sometimes I snapped, but I liked Tommy, so I cut him some slack.
“I appreciate your concern, and when I start working and get more money, my cupboards will be less bare, and I’ll stop buying skim milk because it tastes like crap. And I’ll start buying more things because I’m sick to death of eating Lean Cuisines and macaroni and cheese. But until then …”
I smiled to let him know I wasn’t upset with him. “Did you find your tea?”
“Yes, thanks.” He looked chagrined.
Tommy was quiet for the rest of the night, which suited me fine because I was still a bit miffed about having my poverty exposed, and I needed to concentrate on studying for my final exams. I wouldn’t have any problem getting a vet tech job when I graduated, and then I’d finally have some money.
Guess what coincidentally started to happen?
When Tommy came by to pick me up for our next walk, he had a food care package.
“What’s this, Tommy?” I asked as he handed me a Tupperware dish.
He looked a bit wary. “Umm. It’s ah, some leftovers. I hope you don’t mind, but mom said you might like something different.”
I opened the container, and it smelled and looked delicious. There had to be at least five different types of food: meat, veggies, fruit, potatoes, and Pie. ‘Pie’ was a food group, wasn’t it? Yummy!
But, this meant Tommy had told his mom that I ate like a starving student. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. So I thought about it for a second. It was irritating that another person now knew I was dirt poor, but it was nice that Tommy cared enough about me to tell his mom about my poor diet. And I wasn’t going to turn down good food.
I decided that this was a good thing and hugged Tommy. He seemed relieved.
Care packages began to arrive every time Tommy visited, and then I started getting invited over on the weekend to eat at their house, which I really enjoyed. His family was so nice and the food was great.
Tommy is even showing me how to make pie. My crust is not as good as his, but I’m getting close. Practice makes perfect.
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Things were slowly heating up at the Passion Palace (my place).
I’d learned that I needed to initiate new steps. But once I did, Tommy was a quick learner and didn’t need to be prompted twice.