Chapter 1: Geek Chicks Are Hot!!!

My love affair with Geek Girls goes back all the way to high school and the Los Angeles Science Fiction Fan scene.

I was a Junior in High School when I went to my first Science Fiction Convention, Cons to those in the know. Back then, 1980, Fandom was in its wonderful infancy. The days of the large “For Profit” Cons were just appearing on the horizon, piloted by an asshole named Doug Wright.

Known for their high entrance fees and strict codes of conduct, getting booted from a “Dougie Con” was a badge of honor worn by more and more fans. Most of us, myself included, preferred the wild and uninhibited ways of the non-profit Cons. $15 bucks would get you in for the whole weekend or you could volunteer for a shift or two manning the entrance or working security in the dealers room.

I had never heard of such things despite being a rabid scifi fan, so when a couple of Ubergeeks in my Media class offered to let me join them for a weekend in exchange for paying a share of the hotel room I was all in. They even loaned me a couple of costumes for the weekend so I wouldn’t be confused for a mundane.

We cut our final class of the week and headed out to The Airport Hilton at Los Angeles Airport in my beat up Mustang II. Between the 3 of us, three changes of costume apiece and enough liquor to stun a platoon of US Marines, the car was packed to the gills. Working after school as a delivery driver for a liquor/grocery store paid all kinds of benefits besides “tips” from lonely recently divorced housewives living off their alimony with lots of time on their hands. Ahmed, the Iranian owner of the place was even nice enough to write us a delivery slip on the off chance we got pulled over.

My companions were Dave G and Dave R, they were known around school as simply The Daves. They were both very open about their geekdom, which was in no way cool back then, while I was more in the closet. They were to serve as my guides into this whole new world. As I had provided the liquor for our excursion, my share of the hotel room bought me my own queen size bed while they shared the other, not that either of them would be spending much time in the room.

We arrived around three and while there was crowd beginning to gather it was hard to tell the Geeks from the mundanes. We checked into the hotel and then the Con itself, getting our badges and schedule of events. It took us all of ten minutes to set up our ‘bar” and change into our costumes. The Daves chose to go with Imperial Guardsman while I decided on the Sgt Pinback jumpsuit from the B movie classic Dark Star.

Back then, Cons were not as large or complex as they are today.

The biggest attraction was the dealers room, a large ballroom where merchants would hawk everything from 1^st edition posters to full on Colonial Warrior costumes, although, I would learn that purchased costumes were frowned upon, much as they are today. Another ballroom was set up with tables and chairs to host marathon D&D games. Still others were set up as screening rooms. VHS was just hitting the scene so it was next to impossible to see the great classics of SciFi. I was determined to catch the screening of Forbidden Planet and a collection of SciFi shorts and cartoons. There was a panel room although they were more geared to writers then celebrities. I had brought along my copy of The Eternity Brigade in the hopes I could get Stephen Golden to sign it. Lastly there was the grand ballroom where the Saturday night costume contest and dance would be held as well as the Friday night mixer.

We had a couple of drinks in the room, (God, was I really drinking Slo Gin Fizzes back then? Just the thought makes me gag), so it was about 430 when we got down to the hotel lobby. We parted ways, the Davids headed off to find a D&D game. Me, I wanted to explore.

Things were starting to pick up as there were more costumes in evidence. Sandmen and Runners rubbed elbows with Colonial Warriors. I spied a female Rebel making out with a resident of Mordor. Girls in Star Trek mini dresses and guys dressed as characters from a hundred SciFi novels milled about.

I was in heaven and had to stop several times to take it all in.

Someone bumped into me and I turned to see a white-haired girl dressed as Alta from Forbidden Planet “Shall I make the dress radiation proof?” No, just eye proof.” She looked me up and down, smiled and said “Dark Star, right? Nice”. I stammered my thanks and in attempt to be charming threw a line from Forbidden Planet. She giggled, twirled her hair and walked over to a group of girls, her friends I supposed, and they proceeded to whisper and giggle while they glanced over at me every few seconds. My white-haired mystery woman waved and I wandered away, sure that I had blown it.

I wandered through the dealers room and saw that only about half of the vendors had set up and were doing business. I bought an Imperial Guardsman cap and rank badges for my formal costume for Saturday night and a red plastic Life Clock, complete with spirit gum to attach it to my palm, for my Sandman costume.

By now it was 6 and my hungry spot was talking to me. Rather than pay the exorbitant prices for the hotel restaurant I decided to walk a few blocks to McDonalds. At the corner while waiting for the light I was joined by two of my fellow geeks and we fell into conversation.

Tammy was 15, Asian and dressed as a runner in red nylon that barely hung to her thighs. Kathy was 16, blond hair, blue eyes and built like a Wisconsin farm girl, not fat but sturdy and well curved, and dressed as winged fairie. Tammy was a chatterbox who only stopped talking long enough to chew her food. I learned that they both went to the same High School in Alhambra, that Kathy had a boyfriend who would be arriving Saturday, that both their fathers thought the others father was chaperoning them for the weekend, that they were sharing a room with 2 other girls and that Tammy loved smoking weed and thought I was “scrumptious”.

Tammy asked me to be her date for the mixer but I was non-committal. First, I was hoping to reconnect with my white haired mystery woman and second, Tammy was a bit young although she was very hot and very willing. She threw her arms around my neck as we parted in the hotel lobby and laid a big wet kiss on me. “I will be seeing you later Neil” she whispered in my ear, “you can count on it”.

I had about a half hour to kill until there was a screening of The Wizard of Speed and Time, a stop motion live action short I had heard about but never seen so I decided to head up to the room and grab a drink before the screening. As luck would have it, my white haired mystery girl was waiting for the elevator.

“We meet again.” I said, inwardly groaning at my lack of wit.

“Where’s your little friend? I saw that kiss she laid on you. I am surprised she is letting you wander around free”.

I think I blushed a little.

“We just met and I think she might be a little young for me. She’s only 15 and I am 17”.

“One of the first rules of Cons is that age does not make much of a difference here. From the way she was looking at you, I don’t think you are going to have much choice in the matter”.

We both laughed and just then the elevator arrived. We both reached for the 10^th floor button but I beat her to it.

“Ohh, and a gentleman too no less.”

I decided to go for broke.

“Listen, I was going to head down in a bit to catch The Wizard of Speed and Time before the mixer. Care to join me?”

“I don’t know, you are a little young for me, I’m 19 you know”.

“A wise and beautiful woman once told me that age does not make a difference here.”

“Touche” she said with a giggle as the elevator doors opened and we stepped out onto our floor.

She looked into my eyes and at that moment I realized her eyes were a light shade of pink. She was a true albino, the first I had ever met. I tried hard not to stare.

“You got anything to drink in your room?” she asked.

“Vodka, Slo Gin, Gin, Tequila and Whiskey”, I replied.

“Cool” she said “Give me your room number and I will meet you there in 5.”

I was floating a few feet off the carpet when she turned and headed down the hall. I was loving this Con thing already and it had only been a few hours.

When I got to the room I found the Davids inside, each with a drink in their hands. They were rehashing the dungeon they had just completed and were very excited to share. I had only recently started playing and I had planned to take my Level 7 warrior out for a spin. It would be my first time playing with someone other than the Davids and a few other guys from school. I tried to tell them I was expecting company but I never got a chance to get a word in before there was a knock at the door.

My white haired mystery woman glided into the room with a big warm smile on her face. She had a bottle of OJ in one hand and a large pillow in the other.

Uhhh ... How the hell was I going to introduce her? I never even asked her name.

“Hi guys ... I’m Wendy”.

Saved

The Davids mumbled their hellos and tried to keep their eyeballs in their sockets. I guess Wendy was used to this kind of reaction to her appearance because she was seemed to take it in stride.

“You said something about Tequila?” she asked.

I pointed to the dresser that was serving as our bar. She whistled.

“Nice. Did you knock over a liquor store?”

“Nope, my boss is very accommodating. I run deliveries for one in Encino.”

“Hmmm, cute and employed? I might have to hang onto you”.

She kissed me on the cheek and went over and mixed herself a healthy drink.

The Davids were trying to pick their jaws off the floor. They were both socially awkward to say the least and had very little experience with girls.

Drink in hand, Wendy sat on one of the beds and started a conversation with the Davids about Cons, D&D and the such. I watched how, with practiced ease, she was able to draw them out of their shells and get them talking about themselves. I also noticed she was very adept at deflecting questions about herself. She gave up very little information in that half hour.

My mystery woman was becoming an enigma.

I mentioned it was getting close to show time and The Davids excused themselves to get back to their D&D game.

Wendy got up to mix herself another drink and winced a little when she saw me starting to build another Slo Gin Fizz.

“That stuff is going to give you a massive hangover if you’re not careful. You ever have a Mexican Screwdriver before”?

I guessed...”Tequila and OJ?”

“He gets it in one”

She added a splash of OJ to a generous pour of tequila over ice into a red solo cup and handed it to me. My first taste made me grimace a bit but the next went down smoother. We quickly drained our cups and then refilled them. She grabbed up her drink and her large pillow and linked her arm through mine.

“Shall we?” she asked.

“Lets shall”

She giggled and we headed out the door.

By the time we arrived at the ballroom/screening room there were already about a dozen people there. The chairs had been moved to the back of the room and everyone was flaked out on pillows or cushions on the floor. The lights dimmed as we found our spot and settled in.

She sat Indian style on the cushion and patted her lap so I laid on the floor and nestled my head where she indicated. By the time the first three or four shorts were finished so was half my drink and I was getting a bit buzzed. I was quite the light weight back then.