Chapter 11

Monday morning, Mr Sharp unexpectedly said, "Jeff, Mrs Cameron would like to see you. She said you may want to take an extra Home Ec class today."

"That is a hard choice to make. I like this class or I would not have taken it. If I go to Home Ec, I have to eat all my mistakes. Would you get better response from your students if you instituted the same rules?"

He smiled and pointed. "Get out of here."

I smiled back and left.

It wasn't until I knocked and was let in that I noticed that this was Paige's class. "Hello, Mrs Cameron. You summoned me?"

"Yes, I did. I wanted a young man's point of view about a lady's fashion, hygiene and other matters. You usually have enough to say that I can get some inventory work done."

"Hygiene can take a long time by itself Mrs Cameron." The teacher got up and opened the door into the back of the room but left it open.

"If you need me just call loudly," she said.

"Thank you Ma'am."

I put my books on the teacher's desk and stood in front of the room. I looked at Paige and said, "Hello Sweetie. I didn't expect to see you until lunch." She looked a little stunned at me being here.

The class looked at me expectantly. "Mrs Cameron wanted me to talk about hygiene. Before I begin though I have to talk about boys and their problems."

I looked at the girls again and asked, "Everybody that has been in the boys gym put up their hand." I did but nobody else did.

"I see you already know to avoid the place. I can't. I have to go there. The boys sweat from working out and just walk to their next class. Most of them have no idea that they smell so bad. It's considered uncouth to bring that to a person's attention so the person is shunned instead. Better to say, 'Hey, Bud. You were working too hard. You need a shower.' Too bad that doesn't happen."

The girls were smiling now and I went on with the way boys acted and used the snot skit and the girls laughed a lot and I heard laughter in the back room.

"So boys are dirty and uncaring. This is because they were not taught well enough. Some are so boneheaded that they will not change their ways because they're too lazy. You have to catch them early and keep at them to get something done.

"Boys are strange, especially around girls. We boys walk around talking about sports and all of a sudden our pants get tight." It took a moment for some to catch on. "This is a natural occurrence. It sometimes happens for no reason. Nothing excited him at all." I reached into my pants. "A guy has to reach in some times and make himself more comfortable. He can't do it around other guys or they will think that guys turn him on. Most of them are so unsure that they need their mommies all the time. The trouble is that their mommies never told them the real facts of life.

"Now a boy's anatomy is different than a girl or a doctor would never be able to tell us apart." I went to the board and drew the male genitals. I drew them as big as I could make them.

"Not all guys are as big as this."

I got some good laughs but some girls were not sure what they were laughing at. "The average man is about six inches long and over an inch in diameter when he is happy to see a girl. When the girl is mad at him it is two inches long and the diameter of a thin broomstick. Times like that it wants to hide.

"When a boy gets excited other things happen to him. His heart goes to beating a mile a minute. His eyes get as big as saucers. He sweats buckets. The most important though is not that he is sporting what some guys call 'wood' but it is his attitude. An old saying is that men have very little blood to serve the brain. When a man gets an erection the lower head gets all the blood and the man does not think right. This happens more in the younger males with little experience. Older males that have an overabundance of hormones act like that all the time.

"To paraphrase, when a boy gets horny he does not think of tomorrow or anything else beyond the woman in front of him.

"Now when a male is erect some clear and slippery substance leaks out. I'll get to that later. When he gets very excited during his orgasm, a teaspoon of white liquid comes out. This is a mixture of many things but the most important are tens of millions of little sperm cells."

I described what I had done on Friday to the boys. I was cruder in a way now because I used all the synonyms for the terms a boy would use.

I drew the female anatomy on the board. "Now back to hygiene. I have known some women that would shame a man in being dirty. Girls are not all sugar and spice. They are blood, bone, skin, and flesh. This all stinks if not kept under control.

"Women as a group think more of themselves and their family but they are far from perfect." I explained about the fertility cycle now and all its component parts.

"Now if one of a boy's wigglers finds its way up to the fallopian tubes, an egg may get fertilised." I went through all the things that were needed to have the egg attach itself to the wall of the womb.

"I have to get off the subject a bit now. Girls go crazy too when they get horny. I'm referring to instinct. That's the same thing that makes a boy crazy. If you go beyond a certain point you'll not be able to think straight and you'll take risks that over time will make you a mommy.

"I was talking a bit to some ladies over the weekend. Every last one was like you girls. They were just a bit older and had boyfriends. It went from petting to other things then to having sex. Sometimes the boy promises on everything he holds dear but doesn't pull out. He can't help it for his instinct says to make more of his kind. Other times he does pull out. Millions upon millions of kamikaze sperm cells leave. In a few moments he is back in, but what the couple don't know is that not all the sperm cells left. It only takes one to make a mommy of each of you girls.

I had to talk around the subject. I couldn't tell how to have safe sex, I had to do it so that I was explaining bad practices. "A girl that knows her natural rhythm will risk the chance of getting pregnant because she loves the feelings she gets during the act and perhaps because she loves the boy she's with. She relies on him to support her and the child if and when a pregnancy occurs. Other times are safe but the number of days is never enough.

"The girls I mentioned talking to on Sunday told me that they and their boyfriends loved each other stronger than anyone ever had ever done before. When the girls got pregnant they found the boyfriends either drifted away or ran away. The woman now has to almost rip out her heart in making a decision. She must either give the child up for adoption or fight from a losing position to raise the child. Some were lucky to have understanding parents that would help but that doesn't happen often enough.

"Some mothers have no idea where the father of their child is. Some know because he is going out with a different girl. One of the guys actually got a second girl pregnant and abandoned her too."

"The guy is a criminal in my opinion. The second girl was just plain ignorant of the facts. I talked to both, so I know. The second one still thought that it would not happen to her.

"Think of it as a car accident. You drive around enough and there is much more chance of getting into problems. Do any of you here believe that a driver thinks he will be in an accident? It always happens to the other guy until the driver sees it coming and cannot avoid it.

"I'm not promoting sex. It's an instinctual act that can be governed somewhat by the rational mind. I doubt if anyone here will end up a virgin when she dies. This means that you will engage in sex to some degree. You get to pick when, where and who with. I'm saying that your body is your own. Some men think that they own it."

The girls looked at me in wonder.

"If you think for a moment, it was not long ago that women got the vote. Now tell me how many women have been elected to office since then? While we are at it, let's look at those women that made it. They have offices that are of insignificant status and basically have no power. Our laws came from Britain, men made them. When we Canadians started making our own laws, men made them. The laws passed since women got elected make up a very small portion.

"So I showed that men made nearly all our laws. Now we come to contraceptives. This is what will make women truly free and it's being denied you. This is done by laws enacted and enforced by men.

"You, as women, have to wake up. Now that you have the vote, you have half the population. Sounds to me like laws can be made that suit both halves of the human race. Men have always treated women with care but this made them second-class citizens. The men open the door for you which is nice but not if it keeps you from doing other things.

"Now I have gone far beyond hygiene. I showed you that you could get pregnant because some of the ideas that you had were seriously wrong. I have avoided talking about some things but did say that the odds are stacked against you. You want freedom to enjoy life but you're the one to bear the burden of any mistake. The laws in this country are slanted against women. I also have to say that many places in the world a girl is not even allowed to have an education. You are freer than them but you're still treated as children, not smart enough to understand things that only a man can know. Tell me how smart your fathers and mothers are. Is there a lot of difference?

"This talk was to a group of young adults. Women that have more experience in life can share their experiences much better than me. I have tried to be as non-bias as possible but I do not know everything. The class ends in twelve minutes so ask questions now and I'll do my best to answer them. Some answers will be only partial and I cannot answer at all because of where we are."

The questions came out slow and simple at the first. Paige saw this and knew what to do. "Jeff, when is it safe to have sex if you are using this rhythm method?"

"It is never fully safe but three days before and three days after the fertile period are the most dangerous. It is more a matter of statistics and I know you girls don't want to talk math unless it is about multiplying.

"Are there a lot of other things a girl could do that would not lead to her getting pregnant?

"A great many but that is one of the questions I cannot answer in detail."

Paige asked a third question. "What about abortion?"

"That is a medical and legal question. A doctor can perform the procedure fairly safely but he cannot just do it on demand. The lawmakers hope that if a pregnant girl cannot find relief then she will not get pregnant in the first place. That is as foolish as restricting condoms because a boy will not engage in sex without them.

"Basically that is the way our system of laws work or doesn't work. A rational person thinks of the risks and weights them against what is to be gained. Most people are not rational and the laws don't work for them."

One girl asked, "Ah, — Why can't a boy pull out?"

"Some can if their little brain doesn't take all the blood. It's also about being too young or having so little experience that their instinct demands that they make the best chance to have children when they have so few opportunities."

More questions came and they were getting more difficult to answer. I skirted some or I would run into dangerous waters.

When the bell rang the questions continued and Mrs Cameron had to come out and raise her voice to expel her students. I gave Paige a small kiss but I was not allowed to leave yet.

"That was much different from what Mr Renzo said you did in his class."

"I had to cover a lot more territory. Ah, where is Mrs Warren?"

"Ah — she is not feeling well."

I whispered, "Was my topic that emotional?"

"She must have been hurt at one time and she has never been able to get over it."

I hurried around the teacher and headed to the storeroom. Mrs Warren was crouched over while sitting on a small stepladder. I got very close and remembered a handkerchief in my pocket. I had made it and it was even clean, I think.

With the cloth in my hand I sopped up some of the tears and she immediately sat up straight. I continued to dry her face. My other hand held hers, still clutched together. I had thought the term old maid may have hurt her but now I realised she may have been one of those women that had a child out of wedlock.

"I'm sorry if my words caused you pain. The girls just needed to know."

The woman sobbed and I took the handkerchief to her nose and I said, "Blow."

She did then she held the handkerchief in her own hands. "I'm better now, Mr Congdon."

"After all we have been through we are closer than that. Call me Jeff. Though I caused you a good deal of grief I want to be friends."

She started to cry again and I moved closer and wrapped my arms around her. Her arms went around me and the crying got worse. I whispered some soothing words to her. They seemed to calm me and I hope they worked on her. It was at least fifteen minutes later that Mrs Warren was able to get a grip on herself.

She stood up and I held her to me. She used the very wet handkerchief in one hand as we walked to the door. I stopped her just before it and whispered in her ear, "I better peek out. The girls will think that I lured you in here and had my way with you. I'll do the respectable thing though."

She smiled at me then her face changed dramatically and she started to cry again. I pulled her back into my arms and held her tight. Her cries settled down sooner and she stood again. She pushed me back but only a bit. "Maybe they'll think I had my way with you."

"Only if I walk out with a shit-eating grin."

"Watch your tongue Jeff."

"Yes Gail."

She looked a bit unsure and I said, "You are Mrs Warren but in private we are friends. Friends lean on friends and gain strength from those around them. Barriers between friendships are not good."

"Yes, I think you can be my friend."

"Good, then we need to sit down and have a cup of tea. Maybe even find a dry hankie."

She chuckled. "Some do get quite wet."

I peeked and found the classroom empty. We came out supporting each other. The blackboard had been hastily cleaned. I found more material and made two impromptu handkerchiefs. Gail traded for one. When we got to the hall I found it empty. I had thought it a good chance that the students would just be held out here. Apparently there was and empty classroom for them to use.

"Where can we sit without being disturbed?"

"My class?"

"Can the spare teacher take this one too?"

"I guess."

"Where to?"

"The teacher's lounge I guess."

She guided me in the direction but I helped support her. She still used the handkerchief and her face was a mess. We came by the washrooms and I guided her into the girl's and came in with her. With her leaning on the wall I washed out the wet handkerchief and cleaned Gail's face with it. I had a comb but had to use my fingers instead to put her hair back in place. Paper towelling was used to pat her face dry.

"Do you have to go pee?"

She paused then said, "I'd better."

I guided her over to a stall and waited a few yards away. When she came out she looked for me and I walked with her to the sink. She washed her hands and put a few errant strands of grey hair back in place when she looked at the mirror.

"Jeff, we're in the girl's washroom."

"Better here than in the boy's."

"I guess."

We continued our walk and nobody saw where we had been. The teacher's lounge smelt of cigarette smoke and the ashtrays were full even at this time of day. I sat Gail down on the vinyl-covered couch and I sat beside her.

She started to cry again and I held her.

On impulse I asked, "How old is the baby now?"

In a few seconds she said, "He must be — " then she looked as if I had punched her hard. "What do you mean?"

"Your baby."

"How did you know?"

"Gail, we're friends. Friends can keep secrets. I thought I had hurt you with my statement about an old maid. Later I knew it had to be something much more troubling. Then it was only a small step to knowing that you were like those women I was talking about."

"You can't tell. Teachers could loose their jobs." She was very worried.

"Gail, relax. First you have been working for the school board for a long time. They may only screen new hires for things like that. They would not fire you. Besides if they did I would get a very reputable law firm to fight for what is right. The school board would back down very quickly. I don't fight with gentlemanly rules anymore and that goes for legal fighting."

"Are you sure?"

"Gail, I'm not going to lie to a friend. You know I'm smart. You would not lose your job even if you took out an advertisement in the newspaper about it."

"How?"

"Just trust me for now and we can talk about that later."

"But — "

She was upset and I went into my hypnosis routine once again when a person was in pain. She went under very soon and I worked to deepen the trance. The clock said it was almost time for the bell so I gave her a trigger phrase and slowly brought her out after saying that she was much stronger now and could deal with her problems.

"What did you do to me Jeff?"

We didn't have much time so I said, "Corinne was raped in her bum. She was in pain and I put her in a trance. It kept the pain at bay for a week. I did the same thing to you. Now you have more of your mind to deal with what troubles you. Your subconscious is very strong and now there is more of your brain fighting for you. I never said to forget anything and you heard everything I said. Friends don't hurt friends."

"Ok, I guess."

The bell rang and when it stopped, I said, "You are not ready to face the world yet. Let's go to the office and tell them that you are going home on a sick day."

"But my classes?"

"They will be just fine. Now let's go before the next group of teachers come in here to pollute our lungs."