Chapter 1

Charlie Swenson

April 19th, 1985

Today started out like any other Friday this semester.

Business Math II and Advanced Structural Architecture classes in the morning, followed by lunch and then my last elective, English 256 Advanced Report and Technical Writing. I was holding a 3.9 grade-point average. That was due to a lot of hard work and taking classes that I was really interested in. In less than four more weeks I will be getting my degree in Architecture.

Becoming an architect had been my dream since sophomore year in high school. I discovered, during a science project, that I had a passion and a knack for designing things and then making them work.

My friends and I had decided to build a volcano. I wasn’t content with just throwing some clay over a cone. I built a framework out of balsa wood and lath then covered it with papier-mâché and painted it to look like a real volcano. Using metal, I even built the structure inside, so that when we burned the material for the lava, it wouldn’t set the rest of volcano on fire.

Because of the putrid smell of our failed experiment, we didn’t get A’s for our project. However, after several teachers took it apart to extricate the stinky mess, I was told that I should consider architecture and/or engineering as a career.

I’d like to say that I was a typical college student, but I’d have to qualify that by noting that I was also paying my own way. I had received a couple partial scholarships and worked two summers interning for an architectural firm. (That had a job waiting for me after graduation.) I was about to finish college without being in any kind of debt. So in some ways, maybe I wasn’t so typical. Let’s just say, I wasn’t just here partying on my parent’s dime.

My social life was pretty much nonexistent, however, because my schedule was very full. Oh I dated here and there, but there was never really time for any serious romance.

Besides, I had Beth.

I’d met Beth during the summer between my freshman and sophomore years in high school. I was 15 and she was 37, married, beautiful and seriously horny.

I had just finished mowing her lawn and was all sweaty when I knocked on her door to collect my pay. She smiled at me, “Charlie, why don’t you come in and let me get you something to drink. Would you like some lemonade or an iced tea?”

I told her I wouldn’t mind some iced tea.

As she was coming back with it, I noticed that she was only wearing a bathrobe.

Beth had the most bodacious set of Tata’s I had ever seen and they were all but falling out of her bathrobe! Needless to say, I was staring and come to think of it, probably drooling as well.

She started laughing, and asked me if I liked what I saw.

I was blushing so much, it felt like my ears were on fire! She asked me if I would like to see some more. Before my head could nod yes, her bathrobe was on the floor and I had my first ever look at a real live, naked female!

SPROINGGGG!

Some people would say that what happened after that would be a clear-cut case for sexual abuse of a minor or even statutory rape. (Get a grip!) There’s no way I could or ever would say that.

What Beth did for me, I’ll always consider affectionately, was to give me the best sexual education a teenage boy could ever get. She taught me everything about love and sex. She also ‘popped’ of all of my cherries. (Believe me, I gave them up willingly.)

As the months and years went by, we were always there for each other. She explained to me, (when I was concerned about her husband catching us and then wanting to kill me) that they were in an open relationship. She explained to me that her husband knew all about me, but didn’t know my name. Just like she knew about all of her husband’s girlfriends, but also didn’t know their names. She explained, that in some open relationships, both husband and wife actually know all the parties involved and share with each other.

One afternoon I told Beth that I loved her.

“I love you too Charlie, but, just don’t ‘fall in love’ with me.”

I remember looking at her very confused.

“I don’t understand; why can’t I fall in love with you?”

She smiled sweetly, “Because someday you’re going to meet a special lady who will melt your heart. You have to understand, that if you’re ‘in love’ with me, your heart won’t be in the right place to accept and return that love.”

She continued, “I know that you love me and I love you. I need YOU to understand, that it’s possible to love more than one person at a time. What you and I have been sharing has been wonderful and you’re an amazing lover. You satisfy me sexually more than my husband could ever dream of. You’ve taken everything that I’ve taught you and improved upon it 100 times. Sometimes it’s like you can read my mind. I also know that someday, hopefully soon, you’re going to meet the right woman and I’ll become nothing but a memory.”

She saw a tear in my eye and embraced me in a hug. I told her, “Beth, I think I will always love you, how could you say that?”

“I will always love YOU too, Charlie, but you need to think of me as you would a teacher. The day that you meet that special lady, you will have graduated from this lesson and will need to move on. Please tell me that you understand what I’m trying to tell you here?”

I remember sitting there in stunned silence for what felt like an hour. It felt like my heart had been broken, but yet, I felt like I’d been freed.

I stood up and embraced Beth with a warm and tender kiss. I whispered to her, “I do understand, but, is it okay to hope that we will see each other again sometime?”

She had a tear in her eye but was chuckling when she said, “It certainly is! What’s more, I’m not telling you that it’s over between us. I’m hoping that until you FIND that special someone, that you and I can still get together as often as possible...”.

That conversation took place more than 3 years ago. I was actually recalling it when I was in the cafeteria getting my lunch after my Advanced Structural Architecture class.

I was standing there, in the middle of the cafeteria, looking for someplace to sit. As I was looking around, I noticed the most beautiful girl I had ever dreamed of. She was about 5’6”, beautiful shoulder length Auburn hair, a gorgeous smile and even bigger breasts than Beth’s.

Those were the features that first caught my eye.

Her eyes, however, are what took my breath away! From across the room, her baby blue eyes were twinkling and she appeared to do a double-take before her eyes locked on mine.

I smiled at her and she smiled back. I nodded my head in such a way as to try and get her to join me for lunch. She smiled even wider but just shrugged her shoulders as if to ask, “Where?”

Our eyes never left each other while we worked our way towards each other. Our smiles seemed to get wider the closer we got. I felt like I was looking directly into her soul as I opened my soul up to her.

CRAaaSHHH!

We had bumped our trays into each other and all of our food spilled onto the floor.

I was so embarrassed, “Oh God, I’m sorry, I’m such a clod!”

I fell to my knees, frantically trying to clean up the mess when I realized she was also on her knees. As we looked at each other we both started laughing hysterically. She was blushing just as much as I was.

I said, “My name is Charlie Swenson and please let me buy you another lunch.”

She giggled, the most wonderful giggle I’d ever heard.

“Hi Charlie, I’m Mary Jensen and you really don’t have to do that, it’s just as much my fault as yours.”

“Thank you for saying that Mary, but I insist.”

She sighed, “All right, on the condition that you let me join you for lunch.”

We both suddenly started laughing again as we realized that’s what had gotten us into this mess in the first place.

We found a spot fairly close to the cafeteria line. She held it for us while I went and picked out our new lunches.

I was reaching to get her another cheeseburger when something made me wonder if she still wanted one or not. I pointed at it and she scrunched up her face and shook her head no. I looked around and saw a Caesar salad, so I picked it up and pointed at it. She nodded enthusiastically as I smiled at her and put it on the tray.

As soon as we started eating she asked, “What made you think that I didn’t really want another cheeseburger?”

“I don’t know, something just told me that you really wanted something else.”

She smiled then shook her head, “Just as you left, I was thinking that I didn’t really want another cheeseburger. I just didn’t want to yell across the cafeteria to get your attention.”

I looked at the clock over Mary’s shoulder and saw that it was 12:15 PM. I knew that my next class was at 1:30 PM.

She looked at me funny, “Do you have a 1:30 class too?”

I laughed, “Yes I do, how did you know?”

“I just had a feeling. How far away is your next class?”

“About 15 minutes on foot, how far away is yours?”

She smiled, “about the same.”

We spent the next 45 minutes getting to know each other. We discovered that we both had loving and supportive families, and that she was an only child. I told her about my younger brother, Bob, and how he decided that ‘making money and following his dream’ didn’t require much college.

I’d never before felt so comfortable talking to anyone, let alone such a beautiful girl! We never tried to impress each other with wild stories or other kinds of bullshit. One conversation just seemed to flow into the next.

Suddenly she shouted out, “Oh Shit! It’s quarter after 1!”

I stared at the clock, not believing I hadn’t noticed the time. We were both frantically grabbing our backpacks and picking up our almost untouched lunches.

As we headed toward the trash cans, she chuckled, “Looks like eating just wasn’t in the cards for us today.”

“Well, maybe not yet, but will you let me take you out to dinner tonight? By then I am sure that we’ll both be hungry!”

I felt that she wanted to hug me, but our 4 hands were full, and time was flying. She nodded and smiled, “I would love to!”

“Great, I’ll pick you up at 6:00?”

“That’s perfect!”, she called out, as we both dashed off to class.

“Dammit!” ... I suddenly realized that I hadn’t asked her where she lived, or even what she wanted to eat!

I spun around like a top and saw her standing there laughing.

“Dorm 128 and I really love Chinese!”, she hollered, while also giggling at me.

With a red face and a goofy, lopsided grin, I yelled back, “Thanks, are you sure you still want to go out with a putz like me?”

She giggled before saying, “Yes! You’re the cutest ‘putz’ I’ve ever met ... See you at 6.”

Going to my next class was a complete waste of time. I was almost finished with my final paper, and I KNEW I was acing this class, AND, my mind was totally on Mary.

My world had just been rocked like San Francisco after a 9.5 earthquake! I desperately wanted to talk to Beth ... was this ‘The One’ she had been talking about?

Every time I thought about Mary, my heart would just race. My normally analytical brain had turned to mush. I had asked her out and forgot to ask where she lived, for Christ sake!

And yet, I felt a connection with her that transcends words. Could she be my ‘soulmate’? I’d heard people talk about it before, but I never believed any such nonsense. But, I also never FELT this way before, either.

I was so confused, but yet, never so sure that I needed her in my life! Did she feel the same way about me? I sure hoped so ... God, I’ve never wanted something this strongly in my whole life!

AAArghhhh! IT’S ONLY 2:00, and TIME IS STANDING STILL!

Just as I was starting to hyperventilate, I felt a voice in my head telling me to “breathe”! I took 3 deep breaths and immediately began to relax.

I thought to myself, Nahh, don’t be stupid ... Mary didn’t really say that ... that’s impossible ... I wonder how she knew what I had forgotten to ask her?

Thankfully, class finally ended. I was mentally exhausted, so I ran back to my dorm to catch a nap and get ready for my date.

At least I knew where I was going to take her.

Not far from where my parents lived in Crystal Lake, Illinois, was the best little Chinese restaurant I’d ever eaten in. The “House of Hunan” was owned and run by a Chinese family who had moved here from Chinatown in San Francisco in 1978. The father had died in 1983, and Lily, or “Mama San” as her regulars affectionately referred to her, knew me well. The place wasn’t very fancy, but it was authentically decorated, and more importantly, the food was also authentic.

I was sure that if Mary liked Chinese food, she was going to LOVE this place!

I arrived at Mary’s dorm about 10 minutes early. She was already sitting on the steps waiting for me. I hopped out of my car and raced around to open her door. She giggled, “I see chivalry isn’t dead!”

Chapter 2 »