Chapter 15

It was some hours later when there was a knock on the door. After Mrs Waxerman’s statements, Doctor Hooker had decided he needed to process all that his fiancée had said. His plan had been to leave his fiancées purchases on the table, bags unopened until later, go home, water his plants, and sit down to write. He had after all promised to dictate the list of body parts, various sexual positions and general colloquialisms he expected Victoria and her niece to use. Many of these he knew he’d have to familiarize himself with first.

He also planned to call the Anderson’s. After a shower to clean off the stink of her sweat, Victoria and Delilah would prepare the side dishes for an early supper and he would return with steaks for the grill. That had been his plan anyway. The first hurdle had come when he phoned the Anderson’s home number. Martha answered but when James invited them to Victoria’s house for dinner, Martha explained that Andrew no longer lived there. James, now knowing why, asked if Martha could come by herself instead. Martha readily agreed.

At the sound of the knock on the door, Victoria and Delilah looked at each other for a moment. One of them would answer it, only neither of them knew which of them should. Neither knew who was at the door either. It could be Doctor Hooker, or it could be the Anderson’s. Delilah had been cutting vegetables for the salad while Mrs Waxerman was opening a can of condensed milk. Both were as naked as the day they’d been born.

Mrs Waxerman shrugged, a gesture Delilah had never seen her perform before, much less naked. Mrs Waxerman’s tits bounced when she did it. “Naked I came into this world and naked I shall leave,” Mrs Waxerman quoted, putting down the can opener. “Your hands are wet dear. I’ll get it.”

Mrs Waxerman strode purposefully to the front door and threw it open, with absolutely no concern as to who might be standing there. When their eyes met, Mrs Waxerman very nearly covered herself in shame. The pastor, on the other hand turned his back on her so quickly he almost twisted an ankle.

“Mrs Waxerman! For heavens sake, cover yourself! Anyone on the street right now would be able to see you in all your glory!”

“Job 1:21, pastor. And thank you for saying you think I’m glorious,” Mrs Waxerman added with a tight, ‘Mrs Waxerman’ smile that didn’t convey either humor or gratitude.

“I must say,” Mrs Waxerman continued, talking to the pastor’s back, “Your visit today is a surprise. My fiancée, Doctor James Hooker, is planning an outdoor dinner this afternoon. We’re having the Andersons over. Do you know Doctor Hooker?”

The pastor cleared his throat before replying, “It was actually the good Doctor who called and invited me,” he admitted. “However it looks like I caught you at a bad time. I don’t suppose you’ve made yourself presentable, have you?” He asked, half turning to check.

Mrs Waxerman had hardly moved an inch, except to lean more on the open door. “If you were interested in dress sense above all else, you certainly chose the wrong profession, pastor. I’m wearing a totally appropriate birthday suit in my own home. If my suit offends you, then you are less dedicated to God than you have frequently proclaimed. Otherwise, please come in. Delilah and I were in the kitchen getting things ready. I merely have to later know we have a guest so that she can take over what I was doing.”

The pastor shuffled his feet and played with his fingers, pondering what he should do. He knew Mrs Waxerman had a point, despite his own misgivings about being alone with a naked woman.

“Where are the boys?” He asked instead of moving.

“They’re in their room finishing up an assignment that should really have been completed hours ago. Come in and I’ll call them down.”

“You allow them to see you undressed?” The pastor gasped.

“Adam and Eve only experienced shame after eating from the fruit of the tree of knowledge, pastor. Since then, people have insisted that nudity is shameful. Doctor Hooker explained to me that being ashamed of the wonderful creation that is man is surely more of a sin than beholding and enjoying it.”

“Genesis 3:21 says, ‘Also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of skin and clothed them.’ If God wanted you naked, he would never have made the tunics,” the pastor replied pompously.

“Pastor, I’m sure you’ll enjoy chatting with Doctor Hooker. I have recently learned to avoid becoming embroiled in philosophical discussions with my betters. I can’t help but say that as far as that scripture goes, you just explained that God did such a thing, not why. Then you seemed to presume to know the mind of God without further words to support your ascertain.”

“Well madam, I was always taught...”

Mrs Waxerman cut him off by suggesting that they could stand there for the rest of the day or he could join her inside if the thought of the neighbors seeing her under dressed was truly worrisome to the man. The pastor ultimately acquiesced although he shielded his eyes and looked at his feet as Mrs Waxerman showed him to the living room and offered him a seat. When he heard her returning from the kitchen, the pastor actually attempted to focus on her face for a few few moments before his gaze first dropped towards her chest, then shot towards the ceiling. Eventually he just covered his eyes again.

“Are sins of the flesh truly so much at war within you that you cannot bear to see me as I really am, pastor?” Mrs Waxerman asked more quietly than he’d ever heard her speak before.

“You make it sound as though if I look upon you, I’d be tempted to rape you, dear lady. That could not be further from the truth. It’s just that ... well ... I have never even looked upon my own wife undressed and you are ... well, forgive me for saying, but you’re larger than life, as it were.”

“Pastor, look at me,” Mrs Waxerman demanded. “I have a face for you to concentrate your attention on. As recently as yesterday morning I felt as you do and now here I am, one day later, nude in front of my pastor. If I can do it, I’m sure that you can afford me the respect of looking at me while we talk.” Other than being naked, Victoria was once again a hundred percent, ‘Mrs Waxerman’.

The pastor shook his head as if disagreeing with his inner voices, then uncovered his eyes and looked at Mrs Waxerman’s face. He kept his eyes narrowly focused on hers, which seemed to help him to slowly relax.

“Would you like a cup of tea, pastor?” Mrs Waxerman asked when she decided they’d surmounted the first obstacle.

“Yes, please. You don’t have a shot of whiskey to add to it, do you?” He replied with a laugh to ensure Victoria would think he was joking ... unless she did in fact have liquor in the house.

“I apologize. We don’t keep alcohol on the premises, well except for rubbing alcohol.” Mrs Waxerman amended, then turned her back on the pastor momentarily, calling to the boys in their room.

The pastor made the most of the opportunity to gaze candidly on her back, bottom, and thighs, seeing the much-faded stripes on her otherwise flawless skin.

When Mrs Waxerman turned again, the pastor dragged his eyes up to meet hers, although not before seeing the horizontal lines on her breasts too.

“Mrs Waxerman, can you be totally honest with me before the children come down? Is Doctor Hooker beating you? Is that why you’re naked? You’ve always been covered from chin to ankle before today. Base on your regular attire, it wouldn’t have surprised me to find out you wore a shower dress when you bathe.”

“The answer to your questions is an emphatic yes,” Mrs Waxerman declared. I would not have it any other way,” she added with conviction.

“That is simply unacceptable ma’am. We should call the police and have him arrested on charges of battery!”

“My dear man,” Mrs Waxerman said quickly. “I practically had to beg him to do it the first time. He’s totally innocent of any wrong doing, I assure you.”

“Then why would you do such a thing?” The pastor asked, his confusion evident.

“I’ll use something current as an example. For years I have been a self righteous, meddling gossip. You know it’s true pastor. Yesterday I would simply have described myself as an upstanding Christian. I recently meddled in Mr and Mrs Anderson’s marriage without facts to support assumption. What would you as a pastor have had me do to atone for my sins?”

“Well I would have had you apologize of course,” the pastor said with decisive authority.

“I can tell you that if all I’d given was a heartfelt apology, I would have continued with no change to my principles, having considered my own actions as understandable under the circumstances. What you may not know is that as a result of my meddling, I’ve potentially ruined a good marriage and I knew I needed to atone for my actions. Do you still think a simple apology would have sufficed?” Mrs Waxerman asked.

“We are only human, Mrs Waxerman. We are all prone to sin. I’m sure the Anderson’s understand that, the pastor replied.

“I hope that today I can apologize to the Andersons and rectify some of the damage I’ve caused. If I hadn’t been nude before you, you would not know I’ve already paid partial penance. I could have hidden my sin and the price I’ve so far paid for it. I can already assure you that I will not meddle like that again any time soon. Now all that’s left, is to attempt to put things right and allow the Anderson’s to stand in judgement of me. They will be given the same opportunity as you, to see that I am truly sorry for my actions. I believe that is how a real Christian should act.” Mrs Waxerman said with a haughty lilt to her voice.”

The pastor listened intently and found he had to agree with Mrs Waxerman’s logic. That didn’t mean he was any less uncomfortable being around the naked woman. “So you have convinced me that you have valid reasons for being nude when the Anderson’s arrive. Do you think that you could, um, cover up in the meantime?”

“Aside from the fact that I will not don clothing because of a promise I made to my fiancée, I should very much like to know why I make you so uncomfortable being in the nude?” Mrs Waxerman asked politely.

“As I said,” the pastor insisted, “I’m not used to such displays.”

Just then, Jimmy, Zeke and Gordon came in. The pastor noted that none of the boys seemed the least upset that their aunt was naked. They all said their hellos then arranged themselves on the furniture. ‘At least they’re dressed,’ the pastor thought to himself.

Mrs Waxerman spun on her heel and left to get the tea, leaving the pastor and boys to chat. When she returned with the tea service, the boys were regaling the pastor with tales of a recent fish the boys had caught together at the nearby creek.

“Did you ever imagine her tits were so big?” Zeke asked the pastor suddenly.

When the pastor failed to reply, and Mrs Waxerman failed to shush her nephew, Zeke continued. “Delilah’s got some pretty ones but boy oh boy, aunt Victoria’s are the biggest I’ve ever seen!” Zeke finished enthusiastically.

“Why would you be looking at your sister’s chest?” The pastor asked before he could stop himself.

“Well duh! Sorry pastor. I mean she’s nekkid too. I may as well appreciate God’s wondrous creation, right?” Zeke replied.

The pastor caught himself before he asked why their sister was naked as well. It simply was not a discussion he wanted to get into.

“And what about aunt Victoria’s engagement ring? That sure was a surprise. I’ve never seen one there before!” Zeke continued.

“Oh, I must have missed it,” the pastor returned.

“How could you possibly miss a rock that size? As if her boobies weren’t big enough ta grab yer attention.”

“That will be quite enough, Ezekiel,” Mrs Waxerman said, coming to the pastor’s rescue.

Another knock sounds on the front door.

“Excuse me, that will either be my fiancée or the Anderson’s, unless Doctor Hooker invited someone else.” Mrs Waxerman set the tea service down and walked across the room to the front door, again throwing it open without first looking.

This time it was Doctor Hooker. He smiled and kissed Mrs Waxerman on the cheek as he entered.

“You know sir, you do not have to knock. This engagement ring,” she said, flicking her piercing, says that you have approval to come and go as you wish. The pastor is here already. Are the Anderson’s coming?” Mrs Waxerman asked over her shoulder as she led the way back to the living room.

“I finally tracked Andrew down and he reluctantly agreed to come over, however it won’t be for a while yet. How is the pastor receiving your attire?” Doctor Hooker asked with a smile.

“It’s taking some getting used to sir,” said the pastor as he stood up from the couch when he heard James question.

The two men shook hands, James smiling, the pastor not. Despite everything Mrs Waxerman had said, the pastor blamed Doctor Hooker for beating his fiancée and forcing her to be nude.

“Would you kindly ask your fiancée to dress?” The pastor asked tightly.

“I see her nudity is embarrassing you. Why is that pastor?” James asked lightly.

“If God had meant for us to be naked, he wouldn’t have invented clothing,” the pastor virtually spat.

“We’ve already been through all this, sir,” Mrs Waxerman assured her fiancée as she finally sat. “I suspect the pastor is worried that he cannot control himself around a naked woman.”

“Is that why Delilah isn’t here?” Doctor Hooker asked before the pastor could refute Mrs Waxerman’s suggestion.

“Delilah is still in the kitchen sir. Would you like me to call her in?” Mrs Waxerman asked, ready to arise again.

“That won’t be necessary ma’am. I really should be going,” the pastor stated.

“Nonsense pastor,” Mrs Waxerman said kindly to the man, settling back again. I’ve only just brought the tea.

“Pastor, I can already see that you do not like me,” Doctor Hooker observed. “There is very little I can do to alter first impressions although I admit to being surprised that a man of the cloth has so quickly jumped to conclusions about my character.”

“You beat your fiancée and keep her and her niece naked. What other conclusion could I possibly form?” The pastor asked.

“I was persuaded to provide correction and lead this family towards a closer, loving bond with God. If that is not what Christianity is all about, then we really do have a serious problem.” Doctor Hooker said, explaining himself.

“Beating women is unchristian. Parading them naked is unchristian.

“Before you condemn me to hell for my actions, consider this. Proverbs 29:15 says, ‘The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame.’ I have never read in the Bible anything about an age limit to that, pastor. In fact, are we not all children under God?”

Despite his growing anger toward the man, the pastor did think about the scripture the doctor had quoted. “And Proverbs 26:3 also says, ‘A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey, and a rod for the back of fools.’ Your fiancée is not a horse, donkey nor fool. You’d do better not to treat her as one.”

“Just yesterday pastor, we discussed that very proverb. Victoria did something very foolish and as a result, received a fitting response. I am no pastor and I do not pretend to be one. I merely look at the actions of those I love and respond in the most mature way I know. I will always respect the clergy for their position and I will listen to them in good faith. Then I will weigh their words against the facts of life. If you have a convincing reason for me to desist, either allowing Victoria to be naked in her own home or to provide corporal punishment when it is called for, please state your case. I am not closed-minded like many are.”

“Well I’m not close-minded either,” the pastor defended. I told Mrs Waxerman that I understood her point of view.”

“And yet you would have her change it?”

“Of course not. It’s just difficult for me,” the pastor admitted.

“As long as we are clear, pastor. I won’t attempt to change your opinion on morality and you’ll avoid attempting to direct this family’s path towards a closer bond with God. I’ll listen to everything you suggest and weigh its value. Do we have a deal?” Doctor Hooker asked.

As much as the pastor wanted to hate and distrust the doctor, he found himself unable to do so. Doctor Hooker seemed friendly, honest, up front and not in the least manipulative. “I suppose you’ve suggested an arrangement that does in fact benefit everyone, so yes, I agree. You won’t ask Mrs Waxerman to get dressed though?”

“Victoria’s body is a treasure to behold. I’ll not have her hide her light beneath a bushel, as it were. Some of the finest sculptures in history have been portrayals of the nude form. In this instance, you’re being offered the opportunity to view the original and not a copy. If you insist on finding her delightful curves and plains sexual in nature, then by all means, continue to focus only on her head.”

The pastor considered James’ words carefully before allowing his gaze to once more slip down from her face. Victoria had left her hair down after her shower and for the first time ever, the pastor was able to appreciate the way it settled lushly over her shoulders, some in the front and some in the back, the tips at the front falling nearly level with her exposed nipples. For the first time he allowed his gaze to fall on her engagement piercing.

“So that’s your engagement ring?” He asked. “Whatever made you decide to break with tradition and put it there?” He asked, still taking in her massive mammaries.

“It’s a long story, pastor. Victoria will however get her wedding ring installed in her other nipple and that is actually why I wanted you to visit today. We’d like for you to perform the ceremony. She will be naked for that as well and that’s why it was so important to us that you be given a chance to become accustomed to her nude form.”

“I seriously doubt my wife will allow me to officiate the wedding of a nude bride,” the pastor actually chuckled, showing how quickly he was relaxing. “Even if the bride is Mrs Waxerman.”

“Victoria has already agreed to host the women’s bible study group here. If your wife is part of that group, she’ll have plenty of time to get used to the idea,” Doctor Hooker explained.

“It’ll be more about feelings of jealousy than anything else, I’m sure,” the pastor responded. “After all, from what I see here, your fiancée is very good looking.”

“Then you might consider addressing those feelings before they become an issue. I’m sure Victoria would acquiesce to assisting you in that endeavor if you’d like. The nude form, in our opinion, is not sinful. If you see an attractive news anchor on the television, would you turn the television off?” James asked.

“Well no. However I don’t entertain thoughts of seeing the news anchor naked. That would be sinful,” the pastor reasoned.

“So why should it be any different with Victoria? You aren’t entertaining such thoughts because she is already naked.”

“As I told Mrs Waxerman, I’ve never even seen Evelyn nude. I don’t doubt she would think the worst of me if I told her your fiancée, a very good looking woman, routinely pranced around her home in the altogether.”

“So you’re saying she’d think there was a rivalry for your affections even though Victoria is engaged to me?”

“I think it wouldn’t matter if it was Mrs Waxerman or Mrs Prescott, who incidentally is 82 years old, who was naked. My wife would undoubtedly think I’m having impure thoughts.”

“And you say you’ve never seen your own wife in the nude? Then surely it’s her own insecurities in play. She’d really have no one to blame but herself for feeling jealous.” Doctor Hooker deduced.

“And therein lays the crux of the matter. So now you see why I cannot officiate your wedding, although I surely wish you all the best.” The pastor assured them both.

“I just have one more question, if you’ll humor me pastor?” Doctor Hooker asked.

“Certainly,” the pastor replied with a smile, having come to quite enjoy the frank discussion he was involved in.

“As a Christian minister, who knows scripture certainly as well as the average church leader, why do you allow your wife to be the master of your relationship?”

The pastor thought about it. The silence stretched, not even the boys making a peep. The pastor finally decided he had no good answer to that question. “It may be that you’ve provided food for thought on the matter,” the pastor finally acknowledged. Maybe I was indeed hasty in my rejection of your request.”

“And possibly you’re not giving your wife enough credit,” Doctor Hooker added.

The pastor just nodded at that. Further discussion was interrupted by another knock at the door. Mrs Waxerman moved to get to her feet however Doctor Hooker stopped her.

“Gordon, please go and answer the door. Your aunt is entertaining and it would be rude for the hostess to leave our guest yet again. While you’re at it, take Jimmy with you. I just remembered there are dinner supplies in my car.” Doctor Hooker thanked the boys.

“You hoo,” was heard from the direction of the front door, as Martha made her way alone towards the voices in the living room. “Your boys opened the door and told me where you’d be, then ran past me outs ... oh my goodness Victoria!”

Mrs Anderson had entered the room and spotted Mrs Waxerman immediately. She stopped in her tracks and covered her mouth with her hand. “What’s going on here?”

“We were entertaining the pastor while we waited for you and your husband,” Mrs Waxerman announced simply, despite knowing exactly what her friend meant.

“But you’re in the nude, Victoria! Do I need to be as well?” She asked, already reaching for the top button of her blouse.

“No, no! Mrs Waxerman assured her. “In fact, the most important reason you’re here is so that I can give you a heartfelt apology. I’ve done something terrible and after I explain myself, you may never want to forgive me. I would however prefer to wait until your husband arrives before I begin.”

“Andrew’s coming here? I have nothing to say to that man and I have no intention of laying eyes on him again before we reach divorce court! I’m sorry, but I cannot stay if he’s on his way.”

“Perhaps dear, it would be better if you said your piece now so that Mrs Anderson can leave again if she still feels inclined to do so,” Doctor Hooker suggested.

Martha looked over her shoulder as if expecting her husband to arrive at any time. The front door was still open and the boys had yet to return with the items from Doctor Hooker’s car.

“I understand your husband is not due here for at least an hour. Please, have a seat. Would you like some tea?” Mrs Waxerman asked politely, wondering if giving the woman hot tea was a good idea, knowing what she had to apologize for.

Martha Anderson sat down next to Mrs Waxerman, nodded her head to the offer of tea, then began her interrogation with rapid fire questions, not bothering to wait for replies to each. “Why are you naked? How long have you had a nipple piercing? When did you get engaged? What...”

Mrs Waxerman leaned forward to prepare a cup of tea for her friend, then thought better of starting her explanation after the tea was in Martha’s hands. Instead, she dropped her bombshell while still putting milk into the cup. “Your husband never cheated on you. I was wrong. So very, incredibly wrong.”

“What? But you said ... We cut ... I kicked him out! You said he was a cheating so-and-so!” Mrs Anderson said desperately.

“I was wrong. I was spreading gossip and rumor. I really believed I was doing the right thing. Doing it to save you. I can’t take back what I said however I can beg your forgiveness, make every attempt to put things right and accept whatever punishment you think I deserve.”

Just then, the boys came back, each carrying two full grocery bags. “You should see what he got!” Gordon exclaimed before seeing Mrs Anderson almost in tears.

Ezekiel leapt from his chair and shushed Gordon then quickly hurried his two brothers towards the kitchen. He didn’t want to have anything directly to do with the fireworks he could see coming.

“But you suggested ... no you told me to get rid of him! You broke up our marriage! That makes you a home-wrecker. How could I possibly forgive you for such a thing?

“I can’t even imagine how upset you are with me right now Martha. I’m upset with me. I’ve done some things...” now it was Mrs Waxerman’s turn to become nervous. She’d done so well being naked for the first time in front of her pastor and her friend, but telling her friend that she’d been whipped, had offered to service the Anderson’s Doberman and that she intended to spend the night in her own dog’s cage, humbled her almost to the point of speechlessness. Her cheeks and neck turned pink in embarrassment at the thought of what she had to say. Doctor Hooker came to her rescue.

“Mrs Anderson, if I may briefly draw your attention to my naked fiancées chest, specifically the undersides of her breasts, you will see a number of marks. Those marks are what remains of the caning she endured as punishment for her sins. That you’re able to still see them and due to her obvious nudity, I hope you begin to understand how repentant she is.”

“I should bloody well hope she’s repentant!” Martha turned in her seat to survey the marks, her eyes shooting daggers at Victoria. If Andrew were here now, he’d probably want her caned all over again for what she’s put him through,” she spat as anger overshadowed sorrow.

“Then that’s what will happen, won’t it my beloved?” James asked Victoria.

“Most certainly, sir,” Mrs Waxerman replied immediately. “And the other things too.” Too late, she caught herself.

“My dear fiancée had a few other ideas of how you and your husband could punish her. The goal in her mind is that once the punishment is complete, things can go back to the way they were between you.”

“I don’t think that things could ever again be how they were. We cut up his clothes. My sweet, loving husband did nothing wrong and yet she made me throw him out on the street.”

“So you’re saying that this is totally her fault. She convinced you to eject him and no amount of disbelief on your part was enough to counter her insistence. She must have berated you for hours or days!”

“Well ... maybe not hours of insistence, but she did seem convincing.,” Martha admitted grudgingly.

“It sounds like you’re saying you wanted to believe her. You could have asked your husband instead of jumping to the same conclusion Victoria did,” Doctor Hooker mused.

“It’s still all her fault.” Martha insisted.

“In that case, feel free to cane her yourself, or if you’d prefer to suggest something you think would be worse, yet not something that would permanently harm her...” Doctor Hooker suggested.

Martha ignored him or didn’t hear him. “You always were jealous of me, weren’t you. You thought that since you couldn’t get a man, I shouldn’t have one either,” Martha screeched, ignoring the fact that Mrs Waxerman’s fiancée was sitting across from her. “You were probably hardly able to contain your glee on your way over to wreck my marriage. And now you’re sitting here as naked as a jay bird, feeling all superior just because you’ve got bigger tits than me. And oh my lord, you have a bloody ring through your nipple! What a slut you are. A slut and a hypocrite. Happily telling me that my husband is a godless, cheating tomcat and then coming home, stripping off your clothing before God ... and children ... before doing who-knows-what. Tell me ... is your fiancée even getting a little rumpie pumpie from you or are you too busy getting it from other men to see to his needs? Maybe I should offer him a little slap and tickle if you aren’t.” Martha broke down in tears at that point.

Mrs Waxerman was close to tears as well. Forgotten were all her conversations with James. Forgotten was her naked niece still hidden away in the kitchen. Much of what Martha had said was true. She’d been much more intimate with total strangers than she had ever been with her own fiancée. She had been fueled by righteous indignation when she’d talked to Martha about Andrew and she had felt pious, no, she’d actually felt good, spreading what she thought was devastating fact. She’d done more than just strip in front of the children - she’d rubbed and engulfed penises.

Mrs Waxerman, proud neighborhood shrew, began to feel totally exposed all of a sudden. Not just naked and ashamed, but even worse than she’d felt just a few hours ago. All she could imagine now was to be allowed to crawl into a hole by herself and pull the ground in over her. One arm made its way over her breasts, at least covering her nipples. The other fell to her lap, her palm covering and protecting what was left of her bushy pubic hair.

There was silence for a while as they all listened to Martha’s sobbing. Once her crying had subsided somewhat, Doctor Hooker launched his own counter attack. “I hope you feel some measure of satisfaction now, Mrs Anderson,” Doctor Hooker said almost contemptuously. “I happen to be in love with the woman you said couldn’t get her own man. You seem to have effected my fiancée more deeply than a simple caning could ever have.”