Chapter 5

In class the next day, Josh made a few introductory remarks before turning the class over to his guest lecturer.

Kenny began by asking the boys and girls not to sit together in their usual little cliques, but rather to mix it up. This was, after all a class about boys and girls doing what boys and girls have on their minds most of the time. What happened was exactly what he hoped might happen; the kids started eyeing each other as prospective partners as they shuffled around changing seats.

The topic of penis size was just the opener. It was a little embarrassing for the guys, being in mixed company now, but it was a fascinating topic for the girls, and it quickly expanded to include breast size and just about every other sensitive element of personal image.

From there, it evolved into a much wider discussion about total self-image when Kenny, hitting his stride, asked, “So, when you think about what makes you attractive to the objects of your affections, who do you try to model yourself after? When you’re getting ready for school in the morning and you’re looking at that face in the mirror, do you wish you were as beautiful or handsome as movie stars, TV stars, models in the fashion mags? Because if you do, I have to ask, ‘Whatever for?’ Those people aren’t the real world. Hell, what you‘re seeing is mostly airbrush and makeup. Even the most glamourous models and actors in the world don’t look nearly as good as their photographs.

“Do you know what I think is sad? I think it’s sad that Hollywood and Madison Avenue promote images of the ‘ideal’ man and woman that are complete lies, and I think a lot of kids like you grow disappointed in themselves because they can never attain anything close to those standards of perfection regardless of how much makeup they lay on. Vulnerable kids lose track of what’s real, sometimes doing themselves real harm trying to attain the unattainable.

“Now, take a moment to look around you at some real people.”

There were a few glances side to side.

“No!” Kenny practically shouted, “Really Look! Danny, look at Jennie. Jackson, look at Ginger. Darla, look at Scott. I mean REALLY look at each other. Now you’re seeing the real world! Now you’re thinking about honest-to-god human beings instead of manufactured fairytale images. Dreams can be fun, but you don’t want to live your whole life in a world of smoke and mirrors.

“This is a class about sex, and the people sitting right next to you, behind you, and in front of you, are the people who are your potential partners; not the models and actors and TV characters. They’re all fantasies, figments of your imagination! So, tell me what you think.”

Hands shot up, and the students got so wound up in the discussion of image, what was real and what wasn’t, that the class ran over by a half hour and they were late for lunch.

On the way to the dining hall from the lodge, Barb caught up to Kenny and took his arm, walking beside him. She looked up at his face smiling, and said, “Mr. Evans, you are a natural teacher. Josh and I are amazed and delighted at the kind of class participation you’re able to stir up. I knew I was seeing something special when I interviewed you on Skype, and I guess I owe our mutual friend a big ‘thank you’ for aiming you in our direction.”

“Thanks, Barb, but you still haven’t told me who that mutual friend is. I think I know, but I’d like to hear it from you.”

“Sorry, kid, but I’m bound to secrecy. I gave my word.”

“Yeah, that sounds like her. Fine! So, about the class, I was pretty darn nervous about doing it, but once I got started, it felt ... I don’t know ... right, somehow. I really enjoy talking to these kids because it feels like I’m making a difference. Do you get the sense that their parents have never even raised the topic of sex with them?”

She squeezed his arm against her breast and agreed. “I think a lot of parents are terrified of the subject because they never had any useful training themselves when they were growing up. Jeez, think of all those marriages that have been absolutely miserable, or the ones that have gone down the tubes because the man and woman never learned the first thing about how to make love to each other. They just do the sex and think that’s all there is to it. Shame.”

She stopped and turned to look into Kenny’s eyes. “Now, why don’t you explain to me how an eighteen-year-old like you became so wise in the ways of the world. I know you had a great mentor, but your attitude and knowledge of the topic of sexual relations is way beyond your years.”

Kenny pondered Barb’s question for a few seconds before answering, “Well, it’s like I told Josh last night; it all just seems like common sense to me. I spent a lot of time in the library reading about sex – and I don’t mean porn - when I was going through puberty, and I’ve been reading and learning about it ever since. And then there was that very kind, very sexy, and rather civic-minded lady in my neighborhood who considered it her duty to womankind to educate me on the smallest details. She initiated me into the wonderful world of mutual pleasure. From her in particular, I learned that to obtain the maximum pleasure for yourself, you have to make every effort to deliver maximum pleasure to your partner. Common sense. If that doesn’t answer your question, you might check in with our mutual friend.”

Barb gave his arm a squeeze and said, “Come see me this evening after lights out. I have an offer I’d like you to consider.”

She jogged up the hill toward the dining hall, leaving him wondering if they were talking about the same mutual friend. And how would they even know each other?

Half an hour after the guys in the cabin had crashed, Kenny quietly closed the door behind him and walked in bright moonlight up the path toward Barb’s cabin. She and Josh were the only ones who had a cabin to themselves. As he made his way up the hill taking in the pine-scented night air, he was feeling a tinge of excitement, wondering if she might have any interest in trying him on for size.

A weak pun, but it made him smile. But that was probably just wishful thinking. The more he thought about it, the less confident he was that her parting words implied any such interest. By the time he knocked lightly on her door, he’d convinced himself that she was more intent on some kind of a favor, although he hadn’t a clue what it might be.

Still, he felt a bit of disappointment when, rather than a sexy negligee, she opened her door dressed in her standard khaki shorts and camp T-shirt. Any fantasy about seduction quickly evaporated. She stood aside and invited him in, asking, “Care for a beer? Or I have something stronger if that’s your pleasure.”

He stepped inside, and seeing that she was bare-footed and that three pairs of boots and sneakers were neatly aligned next to the door, he stepped out of his sneakers and answered, “Yeah, a beer sounds good. Thanks.”

She had a small refrigerator next to her desk. He wished he had one. She pulled the tab on an Olympia Light and handed it to him, at the same time indicating he should park his bottom on an old-fashioned Adirondack chair with thick cushions as she parked hers on the side of her bed. It was a much bigger and nicer bed than he slept in. R.H.I.P.

Kenny took a small sip from the can. “You said you had an offer for me to consider. What kind of offer?”

Barb sipped her chamomile tea as she considered how to approach the bold and very risky proposition she’d been hashing over in her mind. She was looking hard at Kenny, trying to decide if he could be counted on to carry it off with all the integrity and professionalism necessary to give it the appropriate aura of legitimacy. It was definitely a couple of giant steps inside that legal minefield he had mentioned earlier.