Chapter 3

The following morning I decided on going for a run, something I tried to do at least three times a week. I was no fanatic but did enjoy running, often using the time to think through any problem I had at the time. My new company were also staging a charity marathon this year and I'd decided to enter, although I'd never done that sort of distance before. I was no sooner out the door and on to the pavement {sidewalk?} when I was hit by flying girl. The young girl, who I soon found out was ten years-old, was totally the wrong height for me, as she collided with my lower body in precisely the most sensitive spot. With tears in my eyes and my hands blocked from reaching the source of my pain I just grimaced and tried to smile. I'm sure anyone watching would have been aware of my failure.

"Susan!" I heard a sweet woman's voice state. I recognised the tone immediately, it was 'Mother's' voice. I looked up from my innocent attacker and was amazed to see Anita there and not her mother. I was quick to work out that if she had called her sister Susan then she must be Anita, assuming my mother's memory was fine, which I didn't doubt where people were concerned.

Susan too, recognised the tone and immediately released me and stepped back. As I looked at the young girl and saw the huge smile spread across her face, my anger dissipated instantly. Regardless of the receding pain, I knew I could never be upset with those bright eyes looking at me.

"I'm sorry, but she does get carried away sometimes; the exuberance of youth I suppose." The, all of fourteen years-old, Anita said, her voice having lost its controlling tone. "Are you all right?"

"I'll survive!" I grinned to two girlish giggles.

"We wanted to thank you again."

Again I was embarrassed by the attention, as I still felt that I had done nothing that almost anyone else wouldn't have done in the same situation. Also, because I had never known any of my own grandparents, I struggled to understand the bond that tied these two all too different generations. My mother had taught both me and my brother politeness and manners, emphasising that we should not lower ourselves to the level shown by many of our neighbours over the past years. I therefore felt obliged to listen to the girls talk about themselves and their grandmother. It was during this initial conversation that I discovered their ages. Eventually I did manage, with some help from Anita, to commence my run.

One thing for certain; I had plenty to think about during my run. Although I was soon due to start my first job, these were the first two females that were anywhere near my own age, that I had ever actually talked to. Anita was also the first girl I'd looked at long enough to notice that her body was somehow attractive to me. There had been no such thing as sex education at school and absolutely nothing on that topic was forthcoming from my parents. At school I had sat on the fringes of conversations about girls; unfortunately these discussions were led by pupils with exactly the same experience as I had, so enlightening it wasn't. My body and mind told me that I should be interested in sex, but neither knew what to do about changing my ignorance. I hadn't even seen a picture of naked breasts never mind anything else. I must have spent all of ten seconds noticing that under a quite heavy jumper there were the small protrusions that signified breasts. I didn't dare look any longer, as I was already certain that Anita had noticed me staring at her, inappropriately. Fortunately I was way too confused to get an erection as, only wearing running shorts, it would have been absolutely impossible to hide. By the end of the ten mile route I'd chosen, about the only thing I'd worked out was that, overall, I actually enjoyed talking to them both, but Anita especially. I even decided that should the opportunity occur that I would try to be with her again, although I was honest enough with myself to know that making the decision and carrying it through were two different things altogether. One thought did occur to me that made me smile. Given the gulf in our relative ages then I would have sustained a lot of derision from friends, but as I didn't have any I would be spared that embarrassment.

It was well over an hour when I arrived back. As soon as I was in sight I looked out for Anita and was more than a little surprised at how good I felt when I saw that she and her sister were sitting on the lawn outside their grandparents' home. I waved in what I hoped was a nonchalant way, as I passed them but was immensely pleased when I saw them get up and follow me the short distance to my home.

"Wow!" exclaimed Susan, "Have you been running all this time or did you need a long rest."

I smiled, it was hard not to around this happy youngster. "Yes. I have run none stop, but I've been practising for years so its no big deal."

I looked at Anita, and for the first time didn't instantly look away. She too, seemed happy, if not as talkative as her sister. She met my stare full on, her smile broadening. All of a sudden, my courage vanished and I swiftly looked away feeling my cheeks blushing. The accompanying little giggle didn't help too much either. We talked for a few minutes, or to be more precise, I answered the myriad of questions Susan threw at me although the one about a girlfriend was the only one that threw me. Anita seemed content to stand there and listen to us. As I started to chill a bit I excused myself to get washed and changed. The real shock came when Anita walked up to me and stretched up to give me a kiss on the cheek. No words accompanied this action though the look on her face spoke thousands, just a shame that I couldn't understand that particular language.

I didn't know it at the time as we never miss what we've never known, but in hindsight I wish we had a shower at home, but we didn't, so it was a long soak in the bath for me and a chance for yet more contemplation. The biggest thing to think about was my attraction to the fourteen year-old Anita. Was this a response to her being the first girl to really talk to me or was there more to it than that. The answer was simple — I had no idea at all. The other big issue for me was if she genuinely felt a similar attraction and if so was it simply out of gratitude. I decided my only course of action was Mum. It would be most embarrassing but I needed her help and guidance.

I was certainly right about the embarrassment, Mum joked about it being about time I showed some interest in the opposite sex and even commented that she was beginning to wonder if it was the opposite sex I was interested in. Mum told me that Anita's actions showed that she was interested in me but it was too early to say if that interest was just a way to show her thanks. When I asked about the age difference, Mum laughed. "Three years now may seem a chasm but in a few years you'll realise that it is nothing, plus when it comes to experience then you are more on a level with Susan than Anita, so if you are serious then I think you pair might be a good match. Just take care not to hurt her if her interest is more than gratitude."

The discussion I'd had with Mum helped a lot but still left me with plenty to think about. The weather was still nice so I decided to retire to the back garden with my book. I had always used the written word as a way of escaping the real world. For the first time this retreat failed me, as hard as I tried I could not concentrate on the book.