Chapter 8: Looking around

They had quickly worked out a way to operate in the small bathroom when they both had to get going in the morning. Anne, being shorter, stood next to the sink, Mary behind her, when they were combing and brushing hair, cleaning teeth and such. Their naked bodies touched pleasantly.

Anne raised an arm and began palpating her breast. "I really like my breasts. They're my best feature."

"Oh, yes. Forget about the face, the abs, the buns. Definitely the boobs." Mary waved the drier around, blowing hot air on all the features.

"Well, anyway I sure get pleasure from them. What you did last night was incredible."

"You never came before from having someone suck on them?"

"No. What a gas. Do you do that?"

"Dunno. Try me sometime."

"Count on it."

Early one morning, Anne dug in a drawer and pulled on her purple Speedo. Like skin, it cupped her prominent mons, rose high over the hips, clung tight at the shoulders and neck, flattening her breasts. She threw on her raincoat, stuffed her cap and goggles in a pocket.

"What you doing?" from the bed.

"Gym has the pool open mornings for lap swimmers. Got to get some exercise. See you later."

Alex came round one afternoon with Anne. Mary was already there, working.

"Alex, talk statistics to me," Mary said.

Anne settled in with her history text while the two wrangled over statistics homework. When Tom knocked on the door, he gave Anne a sheaf of papers.

"Look this over for me, will you? It's that essay Ms. Whatshername..."

"Kaufmann."

"... wants next week. Just a start."

Anne moved back to the sofa and Tom sat beside her. She handed him her history book. "All right, but learn this for me, will you?"

"No, but I've got to read it anyway. I'll trade you back. Sorry, I shouldn't have interrupted."

"Once won't hurt."

Much later, they all went to the Union for supper. As they walked back, Alex said to Anne, "My roommate's out this evening. Want to come in?"

Mary and Tom went upstairs, Alex and Anne went down the hall to Room 123. At midnight, Anne tapped her key on their door. It opened.

Tom said, "Welcome home. I'm just leaving. Mary's in bed."

Impulsively, Anne gave him a hug. "Good night. Sleep well."

Tom hugged her back, brushed her lips with his. "Don't do that again, or I won't sleep at all."

Anne closed the door behind him and went into the bedroom, stripping off her clothes.

"Don't do what again?"

"I gave him a hug. Full boobs. Got some lip."

"Good. It'll give him something to think about. Come here, I want to see what Alex tastes like."

Anne sat alone at lunch in the Union. A dark-haired fellow stopped. His tray was piled with books; his food perched precariously in the remaining space.

"Mind if I sit here?"

"No, go ahead. Watch out you don't..."

His hamburger fell on the table. Anne made a grab and kept it from falling on the floor. When he had settled his tray on the table, she took a napkin from it and wiped her hands.

"Sorry."

"'S okay. Just don't aim that thing at me. You might try one tray for books and one for food."

"I'm not too organized, I guess. At least I haven't spilled my drink," he said, gesturing. His hand brushed the cup, sloshing some of the contents on his books.

"Watch out! God, I thought you'd done it after all. You are a menace to society, or at least to public order."

The man's face had turned bright red. "Damn. It happens every time."

"You mean you're always decorating the landscape like this?"

"Not usually. It's just every time I try to meet someone, I turn into a total catastrophe."

"Lonely, huh? Well, pretend we've already met. I'm Anne Stilwell. NO! Don't try to shake..."

Anne collapsed in laughter as the man mopped at his pants, tried to rescue his books and do several other things at once. Finally, a form of order was restored and Anne mopped her streaming eyes with a tissue.

"Is it over, now?"

"God, I hope so. Feel free to move if you want. I'll just sit here and turn into a damp rag."

"Oh, I couldn't do that. Not after all you've been through. Put your hands in your lap... That's right. Now tell me your name."

"I'm Saul Katz. Freshman, obviously. Thank you, Anne."

"You're welcome. Now, carefully, start eating. Maybe you need nourishment. Then, we can start to get acquainted."

They each ate for a moment, eyeing each other warily until Anne started to giggle.

"This is just too much. What made you want to sit here, anyway?"

"Well, you're very pretty, and I've seen you around the last few days. We're in the same Business section, and I saw you this morning at the pool."

"You swim? Sorry. How else would you have seen me? I'm sorry, I missed you — didn't see you, I mean... But yes. You're the one who went up against the prof in Business yesterday. I thought you were right, and you made your case. Subsidies are stupid."

"You going to go out for swimming? You do a mean 'fly."

"I don't think so. I swam in High School. Loved it, but I'm not champion class. At least, I don't want to work that hard, and anyway at eighteen, I'm over the hill. I figure I'm going to have to work hard enough to get things right in the study department. Any extra time, I want to have some fun, too. You?"

"No. Did some free style. Need to work at the books, too. But I like the workout. Just hate getting up early."

When they had finished their food. Anne began gathering her things.

"Is it safe now? Can we walk and talk together without endangering the entire building? Don't be mad, now. I like you so far."

"Oh, I'm not offended. I just get so pissed at myself when I get clumsy. Where are you going?"

"I have an afternoon class at the East Wing. You going that way?"

They walked out of the building and across the campus, chatting. At the East Wing, Anne turned to go inside. Saul was headed further.

"Saul, why don't you get yourself a book bag or a backpack? You seem to carry all your stuff with you, so you could at least keep it from falling all over the place. Meet me here after class; we could go down to the Army-Navy store and see what they've got."

"Thanks, Anne. I'd like that. See you."

Anne reached up and touched his cheek. "It's really not so hard to pick a girl up, you know. You managed just fine. See you."

Saul was blushing madly as he turned away.

After the telephone installer left, Mary put the phone books in the bookcase, then pulled the Yellow Pages back out.

Under "Stables and Riding Academies", she found a listing for the Quarter Horse Association of America.

"Hi. My name is Mary Travis. I'm from Fairplay, Colorado, and I'm a freshman at the University. Is there anywhere around here where I can ride a little? Yes, I've seen the listings for the riding academies in the Yellow Pages, that's where I found you. Aren't they all English style?... Oh, good... Can you give me a name and number?

There was a stable that specialized in quarter horses and Western Pleasure Riding. Anne had told her to use her car when she wanted, so she drove out after class. There was a barn, some stable buildings and exercise yards. A large wooded area lay beyond some meadows. Mary walked into the office. A gray-haired woman in jeans was on the telephone.

"Thanks. Sorry you can't make it. Call me when you feel better." She turned to Mary, "How can I help you?"

Mary introduced herself, told the lady — a Sarah Posito — something about her background and what she was looking for.

"Well, just riding costs money." She named a pretty high hourly fee. "But we always need hands around here and if you can teach, you can really help me out. I have a regular class on Wednesday afternoons, and the gal who usually teaches it broke her leg. Do you mind mucking out and that stuff?"

"How can you avoid it? I never saw a horse yet who could be potty trained. I don't have all the time in the world, but maybe we can work something out. How old is this class, anyway?"

"They're girls, mostly twelve to fourteen."

"God, just the worst age. Want a horse to love. They think horses are easier to handle than boys."

"You've taught that age, then?"

"No. Just been that age. I'm not a teacher at all, just an underage cowpoke. Grew up working on my Aunt's ranch in Fairplay."

"Want to give it a try?"

"Well, let's start out talking about my doing some work for you in return for some saddle time. I'm not sure I'd know what to say to girls that age."

Mary and Sarah walked around the grounds. Mary looked over the horses, spotted the good ones, noted one or two really lousy ones, talked to several of them. The place was clean, well organized.

"Take that tack and saddle up Hero, over there. I'll ride with you for a while."

Sarah went to where a handsome paint was tethered with her girth loosened, and cinched it up. Mary had a short talk with Hero, an appaloosa gelding who seemed a little unsure of her. When she thought she had made contact, Mary ran her hands over him, put his bridle on and started to saddle him up. When she mounted and walked him over to Sarah, he tried to misbehave, but Mary wouldn't let him.