Chapter 1

"I don't want to humiliate you guys. After all, you were brave enough to share your pathetic experiences. Anyway, you Neanderthals are too unrefined to appreciate real class." A few whoops and aspersions that I didn't have any experiences to divulge followed. Mind you, they were fairly circumspect. It never pays to rile the boss.

A short time later, the younger set left to party hearty. Those of us remaining bid them good luck then told them they were incapable of having any. A few of those remaining expressed mild regret that their time chasing skirts was over. I had no such regrets. I never caroused, even as a single.

So, in a way, their jabs back at me were right. My 'firsts' were not like any of those told around the banquet table that night. All our female employees were in another room for presentations and speeches about women in engineering. So, the guys felt free to open up.

I'll be honest though, I am not nor have I ever been a super-stud. And, yes, there are engineers who are! Me, I was ignorant and scared with each step I took down that road.

My older brother, James, on the other hand was a man they would envy. Most women when they met him either became jellified or just started acting stupid. James took after the South American side of the family. I'm told I look very English. I looked like that nice kid down the street. James looked like a 'B' movie star pretty boy, close to a young Errol Flynn. Some doubt that we really are brothers. It's not nice to disparage my mother! We are brothers. I look like dad, he looks like mom. The DNA testing my son did years later for science fair proved it.

So, I was the slightly younger and much more naive brother. I often was known as, "Tom, James' younger brother." Nice handle.

During my young teenage years seriously hot girls would chat me up for a few minutes, then, not so subtly change the topic to James. It never even occurred to me to be jealous. James never followed up anyway; I think that he liked the hunt too much.

At that time I was far more interested in competitive swimming, history, music, chess, and science than girls. Yes, I hit puberty late. It didn't hurt me then (well, not much) nor have I suffered since. I may be a card carrying nerd, but I like my life.

I found women's reactions to James downright amusing. Looking back over the years I believe that it is probably because I really had no real attraction in what I considered fluff heads anyway. I still get a kick out of one occurrence.

Once during college, I met my sister Marcie on campus to give her a lift to work. Sharon, one of her roomies was with her. So were my mom and James. Sharon was my idea of cute.

Soon the family conclave broke up and Sharon asked for a ride to her workplace too. Fine. I expected her to get into the back of my small compact as I opened the passenger door to let her in. Instead, she got in front, moved to the middle then Marcie got in. I went around and got in the driver's side, which pressed me into her quite nicely. As we got settled in, Sharon turned to my sister and said, "Boy! Your brother James got all the good looks in your family!" Yep, Marcie and I played it cool and pretended that I was hurt, letting her dig herself in deeper and deeper.