Chapter 31

I got a ride home with my mother after I got done talking with my Aunt Agnes. I was real excited about having a place where I could bring Karen, Denise and Clara for an afternoon of privacy. I wasn't sure whether I should thank my mom or not. Agnes had said that it was my mom that had come up with the idea for allowing me to use her apartment on Sunday afternoons. I was also very curious what Agnes had meant about her 'special friend'. I didn't know that Agnes had a boyfriend. I hadn't ever seen her with any man before.

"Mama, Aunt Agnes has a boyfriend?"

"I don't think so, Larry. What makes you ask that?"

"Something she said about visiting her special friend on Sundays. Maybe she didn't mean boyfriend, just a friend."

"Agnes has several friends. I'm sure that all of them are special to her. If she had a boyfriend, I'm pretty sure that I would know about it. On Sundays, she usually visits Mrs. Kramer, the lady that makes a lot of the costumes for the dancers at our recitals. You know Mrs. Kramer."

I did know her. She had been a teacher at my elementary school, but had quit in order to marry Mr. Kramer. They had gotten a divorce after a couple of years of being married, and now she sometimes worked as a substitute teacher at the high school, the junior high, and the two elementary schools. She had never been my teacher, but she seemed like a nice lady. She was very pretty too.

When I got home, Kate was still very excited about the dance, and she kept urging me to hurry up and get cleaned up and ready. This was even before supper, but she was hurrying me so that I'd be ready soon enough so she could go with my mom and I to pick up Clara. Finally, just so I could get her to stop pleading with me, and get out of my hair, I did go in and take my shower. After my shower, I looked in the mirror and decided that I needed to shave. I had some peach fuzz, on my cheeks and my upper lip that I shaved off about once every couple of months. I went into my parent's bathroom and used my dad's razor. The whole process of shaving took me about fifteen seconds.

When I was finished, I went to my room and started getting dressed. I was actually looking forward to the dance, now that I was going with Clara instead of Harriet. The one thing I was pretty sure of was that Clara and I wouldn't have any problems dancing together. I wasn't expecting the pair of us to do anything fancy, like a Tango or the Rumba, but we had both worked on several routines for jitterbugging, which we had performed together at the Spring dance recital. Because Clara was so light, there were three or four different throws that we had been able to do together. It was probably just a case of me wanting to show off that made me even think about doing them. I was still worried about getting hazed by the upperclassmen at the dance. If Clara and I put on a little dancing show, maybe they wouldn't bother us about being too young to be there.

I had my suit pants on and my clean dress shirt when I sat down for dinner, so my mother went and got two towels, one for my lap and the other she pinned around my neck to catch any food that fell down my front. I wasn't that sloppy of an eater, but my mother always gets nervous before any performance. To her, me going to a dance, constituted a performance. I did spill a forkful of my goulash down the front, so I guess, this time, her worries were founded.

After dinner, the three of us left our house and drove over to Clara's house, arriving there at exactly seven o'clock. Kate was the first one out of the car. Probably before my mother had even shut the engine off, Kate was ringing the door bell. I don't know why she was so anxious to see Clara dressed for the dance. We had both seen Clara in that same gown at our last recital. I got out of the car, but I waited for my mother so that we could walk to the front door together.

Mrs. Townsend was standing in the open doorway, waiting for us to get there. Kate was already in the house and probably in Clara's bedroom, looking to make sure that everything about her dress, hair and make up, was perfect. I had been standing around in the living room, with my mother picking imaginary lint off of my suit jacket every few seconds. I held my overcoat in my arms. I was trying to answer Mrs. Townsend's questions about getting pictures of Clara and I at the dance.

A photographer would be at the dance, and he would be taking pictures of every couple there. There would be some kind of scene sat up as a background for the picture. Since this was the winter dance, the scene would probably have a winter theme, like snow and ice or something. Each couple got one free picture, but you could order more if you were willing to pay the photographer extra. Mrs Townsend wanted to be sure to get some pictures of Clara's first big dance date. I told her I'd make sure to get all of the information for her to contact the photographer.

When we finished that, Kate came out of Clara's room and came over to stand by my mother. A minute later, Clara came out. The dress was the same one she had worn in the Spring, but that was all that was the same. Clara had her hair done in a whole new style, with bangs in the front and cut so that it was shorter than before. With this new style, none of her face was covered by her hair. Her eyes seemed bigger and I noticed that her eyebrows had been shaped differently, and they seemed a lot darker than they had been before. She had lipstick on too. She looked very beautiful

The biggest change was that Clara now had breasts. She hadn't had them last Spring when she wore this same gown, but now she did. They were only about walnut sized, but she wasn't flat chested anymore. I had seen her nipples only a few days before, when I had eaten that carrot of Kate's, but I hadn't really noticed this much in the way of chest development.

The first thing I thought of was that Clara was wearing 'falsies'. The second thing I thought, was if she wanted to wear 'falsies', why didn't she get some bigger ones? I'm sure there was a third thing, but I lost track of whatever it would have been because I noticed that there were also two prominent nipples poking out of her gown material. Those weren't 'falsies'. Clara had grown some magical titties, practically overnight. I don't know how she managed it, but it was like they just popped out of nowhere. I had felt a little something under her nipples when I was feeling them before, but not anything near as big as these were.

It wasn't just her breasts though. It was all of the rest of it. Clara seemed more substantial now, less the skinny kid, more a woman. I don't know whether it was the gown or what, but her hips seemed to have widened, and even her arms seemed to have added a little flesh to them. I don't know how I could have missed all of these changes, but I had.

She must have liked what she saw on my face, because she gave me the most dazzling smile. It was almost like a triumphant look as she smiled at me. She seemed satisfied that her entrance had produced just the right reaction in me. I looked over at Clara's mother, and saw that her eyes were tearing over. When I turned to look at Kate, I noticed that she and my mother both were smiling, and that both of them had wet eyes as well. Why? I mean, I thought it was neat the way Clara had transformed herself too, but I wasn't crying about it.

"You really look great Clara, I like your new hair cut. You look older, and healthier too." I didn't think I should comment on how much her titties had suddenly grown. Not in front of everyone else. I'd wait until we were alone, or until no one could hear us at least.

"Do you notice any difference in my chest?" She stuck her chest out at me, proudly. I could tell that all of the rest of them were in on the big joke, or whatever it was. I guessed then that it was some trick that Clara was playing on me. Some trick that made it look like she had titties when she really didn't. Those bumps that were poking against her gown sure did look like her nipples though. If it was a trick, it was a good one.

"You've grown some titties." I figured that I might as well play along so she could spring the punchline on me and they could all laugh at my expense, then we could go on to the dance. Kate pushed me from behind, and my mother whacked me on the back of my head. "What? She asked me!"

"You don't speak to a young lady that way, Laurant, apologize at once."

"I'm sorry, Clara. Yes I do notice something, but I can't quite put my finger on it yet." That earned me another whack from my mother, but laughs from Clara, Kate and Mrs. Townsend. "Whatever it is, it looks really great on you, and I'm sure glad that you're going with me tonight. You'll be the prettiest girl there." At least, that stopped my mother from bouncing another hand off of my coconut.

Even though it meant we'd be arriving early, Kate and Clara wanted us to leave for the dance right away. The doors were supposed to open at seven thirty, but the music wouldn't start until eight o'clock. I didn't want us to be the first ones there. I was out voted though, four to one. I sat in the backseat with Clara, Kate sat up in front, but she was kneeling on her seat so that she could be facing back to talk with Clara on the whole ride to the school. We got to the school at twenty after seven. My mother told me to get out first, and then help Clara get out, so that she didn't mess up her gown.

I helped her out. She had on a fairly heavy winter coat over her gown, and I had my father's black dress overcoat on. I don't know what it was lined with, but it was a very warm coat, and heavier than it looked. The school doors were already opened, so, at least, we wouldn't have to wait out in the wind and the cold. We went in through the front door of the school, then turned right and followed the hall all the way back to the gym, which was where the dance was being held. We waved to Kate and my mom, then hurried up the stairs to get inside before we froze. Once inside, the very first person I saw was Harriet Simonson. Talk about your bad luck. She was sitting at the ticket table that had been set up in case there were any people that had decided to come to the dance at the last minute.

Clara and I walked past the ticket table, making our way over to the teacher's lounge in order to check our coats. I noticed right after we walked by the table that the other two girls with Harriet, started whispering to Harriet and to each other. I was glad that Clara didn't seem to know who Harriet was. After we checked our coats, we went to the Gym doors and I gave the girl our tickets, and we were admitted inside. There was only one other couple there when we came in, a big dark haired guy that I didn't recognize, and Lillian Grant, a sophomore that I kind of knew from when we were both in junior high together.

I was sure that the guy didn't go to our high school. In fact he looked too old to go to any high school. They were over at where the photographer had set up, having their pictures taken.

"Let's get ours taken now too. This way we won't be all mussed up or sweaty, like we would be if we wait and get it done later."

Clara agreed with my good suggestion, so that is what we did. I told the photographer that both of our mothers wanted to buy more pictures of us, and that my mother wanted me to get his business card so she could call him to find out if he might be available to do this at some of her dance recitals. The man took several different poses of Clara and I, then handed me his business card. I asked him to take a picture just of Clara, which he did. I planned on buying it, then having it framed, to give to Kate. He took our names, addresses and phone numbers too, telling us that he'd call when out proofs were ready to look at. After the pictures, I showed Clara around our gym. It had been decorated nicely, with a lot of blue and gold, our school colors, and a bunch of hanging snow flake mobiles that were attached to strings suspended from the ceiling. The walls were decorated with big, fluffy lengths of cotton bunting, that I guess was supposed to look like snow.

"So tell me, Clarabelle, did your good fairy come by to wave her magic wand over your chest tonight? Do we have to get you back home before midnight?" Her eyes were sparkling as she listened to me asking her about her newly found riches. She shook her head, indicating a no as her answer to me. "Did Kate suck them so hard that they got swollen?" She giggled, but shook her head for another no answer. "Tell me then."

"They've been sore for two weeks now, and when I asked my mother about it, she told me that she had the same thing happen when hers first came. It happened yesterday morning. I woke up and it had already started. This morning, when I woke up, they had grown some more. My mother says it takes three or four days, and then they stop for awhile. After that, they grow a lot slower, until they are full grown. She says that takes about two years. I'm just so glad it started before the dance."

"Well, they look very nice. A promising beginning I'd call them. Are they still sore?"

"Yes, really sore. You can't touch them. It hurts even when I put the shower spray on them. Kate and I checked them right before I came out to the living room. She says mine are as big as hers now. I bet I pass her by tomorrow."

"Can I have first dibs on sucking them?" Clara reddened on her cheeks and neck. She didn't look at me but she shook her head, no. "Kate already called it?" This time she looked at me and nodded up and down. "I better hurry up and screw you before Kate grows herself a dick and beats me to that too."

"Even if she had one, Larry, I'd want it to be you first. Unless Kate just had a little one that I could sort of practice on before trying yours. Do you count all the things that Kate and I do because they were done before you and I do them? I don't. I think of my first kiss as being with you, even though it really wasn't. You were the first boy I let really give me a kiss, or touch me anywhere. I don't count the girls, because it isn't anything like it is with you."

"What makes it different?"

"With Kate, it's just the two of us playing. With you, it isn't playing. It's hard to explain, but it means something different to me when it's with you. That time we almost did it? All you would have had to do was tell me that you loved me first. When you told me that later in the hospital, I wished we were in your bedroom instead. I would have done anything you wanted me to if we were."

"You should have told me, I'd have said it. You would have been my first."

"Would you have been telling me the truth, or just saying it so I'd let you?"

"I don't know. Maybe a little truth and a little saying it so you'd let me. But now it would be the whole truth. I do love you now."

"Now, I'd let you. Before, I was going to let you just because I loved you. But, for some reason, it didn't seem right for me to do it then. Now, it does though."

We were talking, and the room was getting filled up with other couples. There were already at least one hundred couples in the gym. There were also a lot of teachers there, and other adults I didn't recognize. Some of the men were the teachers husbands or boyfriends I guessed, because they were all staying together in pairs. The band came in and was setting up. It was five black men. They had a little sign they put up on the raised platform where they were going to play from. It said: THE STARLIGHTS. I guess that was the band's name. At about eight, the lights were cut way back, and the band began playing.

The first song, The Great Pretender, featured a vocal by one of them that sounded almost as good as when The Platters sang it. Clara and I danced to it, as did another ten or fifteen couples, but most of the people were milling around in little groups, talking back and forth to each other. There was a big question about who was making more noise, the band, or all the kids talking.

The band's next song, Rock Around the Clock, settled that question immediately. This wasn't the Bill Haley and the Comets version. This one was bluesier, and also, instead of the saxophone, piano and trumpet were the main instrumentals. It was loud, it was fast, and it made all of the talkers shut up and listen to the band. This time, the vocals were sung by a different guy.

Rock Around the Clock was a great dancing song, and one that Clara and I were both familiar with. The piano was driving the beat, but the trumpet was handling all the punctuation of the song. In that one song, Clara and I used up all the spins, turns, throws and drops that we'd practiced for our two jitterbug numbers at the recital. We were a little bit rusty with some of it, but it was a lot more relaxing for us when we were just one couple out there amongst a hundred other people. We weren't dancing for judges, it was dancing just for the fun of it. I was glad they had played a fast song so early, because it kind of set the mood and tone with all of the attendees for the rest of the night. It wasn't going to be a series of conversations with music in the background, it was going to be a real dance.

We danced right up until the band went on their first break, probably about an hour. Clara and I were both sweating, but we were having a real good time too. They turned up the lights and one of the teachers announced free punch, or bottles of soda that you could buy. Clara and I went over to get in the line for buying the soda. She wanted an orange soda, and I wanted a Coke. While we were in line, this girl I didn't know asked Clara about some of the dancing she had been doing. Clara told her about the classes at my mom's studio, and told her that there was a whole class just on jitterbugging, but you had to sign up with your own partner. Clara told her it was a fun class, and that it was easy to learn all the moves.

Over the course of the remainder of the dance, we had several people come up and ask us to show them different turns and some of the more complicated crossed arm jump/throws we were doing. Clara and I had this one thing we did where we both moved forward, with me constantly turning her over to one side of me and then spinning her back to the other side. It was similar to an open and close move, with me changing sides whenever she was unwinding, and then rewinding her back with the same hand I'd used for the unwind. It looked harder than it was, and the girl did most of the work herself. It looked like I was doing the pushing and pulling, but I wasn't. Clara danced with one boy later on, and showed him how easy it really was. His partner asked me to show her, but I told her she had to watch Clara, because she was the one who really was doing everything. All I did was change sides and keep out of her way as she spun.

The dance was over at eleven. Clara and I were both tired. I think I had rested for one song during the whole dance, and that was when Clara was showing that open and close move to that guy. Clara didn't miss any dances. We were standing in line, waiting to get our coats, when, for the first time, someone decided to give us a hard time about our being at the dance. This guy behind us said something about how Clara must have taken a long nap to be allowed to stay up so late. I turned around to tell him to knock it off, but one of the teachers was already there, and pulled the guy out of line in order to talk with him.

His date smiled at us apologetically and told us we were lucky that we only had to listen to him for five seconds. She told us that she had had to put up with him for the entire evening. She told Clara that she wished she could dance as well as she did. I was glad that she went out of her way to be nice to Clara, otherwise the guys comment might have bothered her more than it did. When we got our coats, we started walking out the door, and passed by the guy who had made the nap comment. He was surrounded now, by the principal, and two other teachers, and didn't look too happy with whatever they were saying to him.