Chapter 1

"I saw her pubes, dude... her pubes! I saw the girl's pubes close up."

"I don't believe that, Jerome... no way, man."

"It's true. Dude, she's blind... the girl can't see a fucking thing. She was out by the swimming pool getting some sun... and wearing this like blue swimsuit... she was just laying there. So, I like walked right up to her and said, "Hi." She smiled and said "hi" back, real quiet like. I just leaned over and like stared right at her pussy area, man... right at it. She never knew! And, poking out from around the edges of her swim suit were pussy hairs... I swear! I saw 'em right there... and, all the time, she just laid there and smiled."

"No, shit. That's amazing. Damn, I wish I had been there with you!"

Like Doris, Jerome was a junior college student, but similarities stopped there. Jerome worked part-time as a maintenance man for the apartment complex when he wasn't trying to catch air or grind a stair rail on his skateboard. Pool cleanup was his favorite part of the job because of the young women who sun bathed daily by the pool. He imagined that those women all admired his lean, sinewy physique while he worked shirtless at poolside, although few, if any, of the bathing beauties actually did. The affluent girls in this apartment complex had their sights set a bit higher than the maintenance man, or maintenance boy, as it were, since Jerome had just completed high school... and that by the skin of his teeth.

Jerome's friend, on the other hand, had a body that drew undivided attention for women. His name was Mike Hammerle, but most people, even his teachers, knew him as "Hammer." While not the sharpest knife in the drawer intellectually, Hammer's muscular build and rugged good looks had pretty much gotten him through life, so far. Mike's downfall with most women came, however, when he opened his mouth. Most women quickly saw past his Adonis looks and found underneath a painfully shy, very simple person. Hammer was much more comfortable playing video games with Jerome than trying to talk to girls.

"Think about it, man," said Jerome. "A guy could hang with this chick and look anywhere he wanted, any time... she'd never know. I bet you could sit in her living room and be real quiet and she would even know you were there!"

"Get the fuck out of here," said Hammer. "Blind people have like extraterrestrial perception or something like that. They can hear like your heart beating and shit."

A puzzled look came over Jerome's face, one with which Hammer was very familiar.

"Extra what? Well, what ever... the deal is she also is a good looking babe... sort of... I mean, her face is sort of plain, but she has like this long reddish-brown hair; these kind of small, but perfectly round tits; skinny waist; very nice ass... long skinny legs that like go forever. She is hot looking... in a sort of plain kind of way. I mean she doesn't wear lots of makeup... in fact, none at all... and she doesn't wear like tight sexy outfits and stuff... she is kind of... wholesome looking... that's it... wholesome!"

Now it was Hammer who looked perplexed.

"You know... like a girl that might live next door or something," Jerome explained.

"Must be awful being blind," mused Hammer. "Not being able to see nothing... man!"

"Dude, you are missing the point here. A guy could do things with this chick that are fucking impossible with the normal cold-as-ice babes around here. Check this out: One, she doesn't know what you look like. You could be the world's ugliest dude and it wouldn't matter to her. Two, you could like shine a light up her dress... and check out her panties. She would never know. Just think about it!"

"How does she watch television and stuff... being blind and all?" Mike Hammerle's brow was furrowed in deep concern.

With that, Jerome simply rolled his eyes. Sometimes Hammer had a hard time following a conversation, no matter how convincing the argument.

Doris sat poolside blissfully enjoying the warm sun combined with a gentle breeze that flowed across her lotion-covered skin. The sensation was exquisite. Two other girls sunned nearby and, as usual, paid no attention to Doris. Doris, however, listened to their conversation with interest, especially as one regaled the other about her most recent, now failed relationship with a guy.

Doris had almost lost interest when one of the girls in a stage whisper said, "Hey, check it out... it's Hammer and, gag, Jero-o-ome."

Doris' curiosity grew until the whispering finally continued.

"Who did you say?"

"That's Mike Hammerle coming through the gate... oh, god, is he beautiful or what... and that bulge in his jeans..."

The last remark was followed by soft giggles.

"Have you every seen such a fine ass? And those shoulders? Oh, my! Makes my little pulse rate go up just looking at him."

"And the bulge?"

"Oooo, yes... that makes something else pulse."

"He is pretty, that's for sure. But, why is he hanging out with that gross geek Jerome?"

"Jerome, isn't so bad... if you like skateboard types."

Both girls laughed aloud.

"There something about 'bad boy' types like him that I like... in a strange sort of way."

"You naughty girl, you. What would your mother say if she knew you were having such nasty thoughts? Mine would send me straight to the confessional!"

"My mother? Ha! My mother has been fucking our gardener for years, so she would be, let's just say, she would be supportive of nasty thoughts... and deeds!"

"Oh my god, for real? I mean, for real, she's fucking the gardener?"

"Caught them once doing the dirty in our tool shed."

"Oh my god!"

"Truth! Alejandro, the gardener, was eating my mom's little twat right there in front of God and everybody. I watched them through a little crack in the wall. It was awesome."

"Holy shit!"

"Old Alejandro wasn't handsome, but I guess he had a talented tongue. Mom clearly enjoyed it. Ooops, head's up... here they come... you may have you chance to examine that bad boy Jerome's tongue if you are lucky.

"Euuuu!" squealed one of the girls. "Gross."

"... and Hammer's bulge!"

"Mmmmm."

Doris had heard every word and was dumbfounded by the conversation both in frankness and content. One of the girls was talking about her mother having sex, for goodness sake. Doris couldn't imagine her own mother having sex of any kind much less with a Mexican gardener in a tool shed.

The concept of "eating twat" was mystifying as well. To what act the girl had referred was pretty easy to figure out, but the idea of the act was totally foreign to Doris. That someone might purposely do such a thing was a fascinating and very new thought for Doris. Fantasies about what that might feel like began to race through Doris' mind.

Doris was about to lose herself totally in that fantasy when she was jolted back to reality by a deep voiced, "Hi, again."

Doris jerked to attention.

"Hello," she choked.

"I'm Jerry and this is my friend, Ham... ah... Michael. I met you out here the other day."

Jerry? Michael? Hammer thought. Where in the world did Jerome come up with that shit?

Jerome continued, "But, I didn't get your name? I mean... mind if we join you? I didn't mean to scare you or nothing."

Doris gathered all her courage, straightened her back, and prepare for social discourse.

"No, I mean, yes. I mean, yes, you can join me; no, you didn't scare me at all. It's nice to meet you... both. I'm Doris."

The words had not come easily, but at least she had gotten them out.

The scraping sound of a chaise lounge being dragged across the cement followed. Doris felt things being moved close to her. Involuntarily, she clutched her towel to her bosom for security.

"I'm Jerry... ah... guess I already said that... anyway... ah... I just wanted you to know that if you ever need any help around here... well... I'm your 'go to' guy. I work here... and go to school too... this is a part-time job... not a career... but, anyway, I'm here all the time. You need something, you just call out for Jero... ah, Jerry."

Old feelings of defensiveness rose immediately within Doris.

"I appreciate that, Jerry, but I do pretty well on my own. Thanks for your kind offer though."

"No problem," said Jerome.

Doris sensed that Jerome was now very close to her. Defensively, she held out her hand.

"Thanks and I am pleased to make your acquaintance," Doris said.

A hand took hers. It was the strong, sandpaper hand of a person who worked with rough things and rough jobs.

"Likewise," said Jerome.

Doris felt him move her hand into another place in space.