Four teenagers: Let us get out of here! Four teenagers were sitting in the formal lounge room at Janet's place. The time was before lunch, the day was Saturday. They had already done enough homework for the day (there was always Sunday to do the stuff that they kept putting off). "Shall we watch the news?" said Mackay. "Nyah, that's boring. I get all the news I need by browsing the web." said Carmen. "How about we watch a sports documentary?" "Oh, must we?" said Jenny. "I prefer the gardening shows." "Whatever you like is fine with me." said Turquoise. "Is it? Exactly what sort of shows would you like, if given a chance, hmm?" said Carmen. "Ah, well, I suppose, romances?" "You do?" said Carmen. "I would have never guessed that. Do you read romances also?" "Sometimes. Also, there's an author I like who writes about school kids and includes some LGBT themes..." "Oh, you must mean Evangeline! I read her too!" said Jenny. "Eek!" said Mackay. "I don't read romances. And, please, don't force me to watch another romance. My kid sister was always doing that." "I don't think we are going anywhere with this, are we?" said Jenny. "Ah, since we are now officially divided into two couples, how about we split up and each couple, actually, really, for the first time, go on a date?" said Mackay. Meditative silence for a few moments. "We're always together - for good reasons mind you - but, why not?" said Jenny. "As long as Mackay promises to stick with me no matter what, I'll be Ok." "I promise." "And the same with Carmen sticking with me." said Turquoise. "No problems." Janet, who had been listening to this from the kitchen, popped her head into the room. "Hey, that's a good idea. Go and buy your own lunches somewhere, and get out of each other's hair for once!" "But, I don't have any money..." said Turquoise. "I'll give you some!" said Janet. "I shall start paying you pocket money, the same as Jenny's. I'm sure I can work out something to go with the financial arrangements of renting out your, ah, original home, to pay for your upkeep." Within half an hour, they were dressed and walking out of the door. "How are you're charging gauges?" said Janet. They both read at about five hours. "Right, don't come back until four hours have lapsed. Bye bye!" said Janet. "Say, did your mother sound happy to get us all out of the house?" asked Mackay, as all four of them walked to the bus station. "Yeah, I think she did." said Jenny. They sat in the bus shelter, in a row. "Isn't this just a little unfair? Jenny gets to hold hands with Mackay, and thus gets extra charging, while I don't get any at all?" said Carmen. "Yes, but remember, Jenny has to put up with Mackay." said Turquoise. "Do you, yourself, really want to go on a date with Mackay?" Everybody else looked at Turquoise in surprise. "You're making a joke! You really are improving. And, yes, I see what you mean, having to put up with Mackay for even more time. Poor Jenny." said Carmen. "Oh, I think I can probably survive." said Jenny. They caught the bus. Mindful of the public stare, they sat in two separate sets of seating. Once they got to town, they split up. Mackay: First date with Jenny Mackay and Jenny walked down the street, holding hands. "So, at last I get a girlfriend, and go for a date. Amazing." said Mackay. "Yes, although the getting here was not so wonderful, remember." "Yes, let's try to not think about that for the next few hours?" "Ok. And, I want to go to the river shore. This way!” Jenny tugged at Mackay’s hand, and they veered in a new direction. “Perhaps we can go to a games arcade?” said Mackay. “Nyah. I want to go to the fun fair.” “Oh, Ok.” At the entrance. “The man always pays for the first date, remember?” said Jenny. “What? I’ve never heard of that rule.” “You have now.” “Ok” “Fairy Foss! I haven’t had any for years! Let’s go and get one and share it!” said Jenny. “Sure, sure, lead the way.” said Mackay. She’s so full of energy, so happy for once. This is great! Jenny next dragged him to a hamburger stand, and got him to buy one hamburger. “Since this is our first date, we need to share the food, to make the bonding experience even better!” she said. She also specified what was to be in the burger. They sat on a bench, watching the parents walk by, being towed by eager children or trying to call back eager children who were going too fast. They took turns to eat the burger. “Ok, I guess I will let you have the last few bites, after all you are bigger.” said Jenny. “Ta. Thanks. Hmm. You know, I didn’t realise you were so bossy.” “Well, what with the incident last year, and the extreme circumstances that brought us together, I suppose I’ve never had the chance to act out my bossy side. Not that I’m all that bossy, mind you! Definitely not! It’s just that I tend to know what I want, and, well, you don’t seem to mind, too much, do you?” “Nyah, I suppose I am happy to go along with whatever. Which, considering my current circumstances, is probably just as well.” Jenny dragged Mackay to the Ferris wheel, and they sat side by side, watching the ground recede and come back up to them. The second time around, at the top dead centre, the Ferris wheel came to a short halt. The noise of the town site and the people in the fun fair were faint, mixing with the noise of the wind gently rocking the compartment to and thro. “Do you think it will work out, our relationship, I mean?” said Jenny, sitting next to Mackay, holding his hand. “I hope so. I think my Angel of Death probably planned this very carefully.” “All to achieve some unknown goal.” said Jenny. “Otherwise, I would have been dead for some time now.” she said. Mackay put his arm around Jenny’s shoulders, rested his head against hers. “I would just like to say that, saving you three girls, makes all of the trials and embarrassments I’ve suffered worthwhile.” Sniff, sniff. “Thanks, Mackay.” After leaving the Ferris wheel, they brought some more food and sat on the grass, under a tree, and had a quiet time eating and watching the passing parade of people. Carmen and Turquoise: Carmen and Turquoise, also holding hands, walked in the opposite direction from Jenny and Mackay. “I’m getting self conscious. You realise this is the first time we have been in public, apart from school that is, without the other two also tagging along?” said Carmen. “Yeah. And we’re two girls, holding hands. Ugh, I’m sure those men that just went past were looking at us.” “Gross. I wish they would ignore us. And, that slob of a bloke, he was almost leering at us.” said Carmen. “At least no one is accosting us. Before you all saved me, I hated going out by myself in busy public spaces.” “You have me now.” Carmen put her arm around Turquoise’s waist, and they drifted along and ended up sitting at some benches in a public square, still holding each other. They watched the seagulls fighting over some lunch scraps, and the children dodging the water fountains. The place was crowded, people were everywhere. They had to shuffle sideways to allow a little old lady to sit down next to Carmen. “Thanks, dears.” she said. “Sure” said Carmen. Turquoise turned to Carmen. “Where shall we have lunch? I want somewhere where we can have at least some privacy from the all pervasive male gaze.” “I don’t know. Not having had many friends, I’ve don’t know where the nice eating places are.” “Humph” Carmen and Turquoise looked around as the little old lady cleared her throat. “My hearing is still good, so I couldn’t help over hearing what you were saying. If I may ask, you are dating each other, yes?” “Yes. In fact this is our first date.” said Carmen. “How sweet. Brings back memories of my first date with Helen.” She gazed into vacant space for some moments. “Oops, sorry, I was strolling down memory lane there. Now, what was I about to say, oh, yes, that’s right.” “The Sweet Blue Flowers bar and grill, just around that corner,” She pointed. “Have a girls only day every Saturday. All day and all evening. And, what’s more, no alcohol is served before 7:30pm, so you, who look like schoolgirls, are free to go there until then. The only men are the two bouncers at front, and some of the cooks. And, I’m sure; they are well trained not to indulge in that male gaze thingy!” “Oh, right, thanks, we shall give it a go.” said Carmen. “Thanks” said Turquoise. They left the little old lady as she day dreamed, and walked around that corner. They sat at a small table in a corner, away from the few other customers. Who were all women, as was the counter staff. They ordered a meal, and as they waited for it to be served, leaned their heads together. “Do you think that all the ladies here are, err.” said Carmen. “Come on, say the word. It’s what we are, you know.” “Ah, well, err - lesbians?” “Very good! Your first time at formally admitting it! Sorry, I’m being a bit mean, aren’t I?” “Humph. Yes you were. You know, you’re coming across as a much more colourful personality, than you do at home. Or perhaps I mean vivid. Or, something like that.” “Well, at home I’m always conscious of you and the others saving me. I so grateful for you all. I don’t want to cause you any troubles, so I just go along with whatever you want.” “Young lady, I think you are going a bit too far. I think that Jenny would be delighted to see more of this side of you. And as for our very own Mackay... Well, he really is a nice person. I’m actually becoming fond of him. Definitely in a strictly platonic way, of course! And, don’t tell him what I just said! At least not yet... So, I think he will be happy to see more of your normal personality, also." “Ok, I shall work on it.” said Turquoise. “And, getting back to the original question, I just heard those three ladies say something about their husbands.” said Turquoise. “Right, so during the day time it can be any lady who just wants to relax without males around them.” “I wonder what’s it like after 7:30pm?” said Turquoise. They looked into each other’s eyes. “I guess, when we are old enough, we will just have to find out?” said Carmen. Four Teenagers: Parents can be so embarrassing sometimes The coordinated their movements via mobile, and thus the two now mellow and well fed couples met back up at the town centre bus station at the same time. Carmen made a beeline for Mackay, and put her right arm around him. "This isn't because I missed you or anything, it's just because I'm down to one hour left on my battery gauge." she said. "Oh, right." said Jenny, currently holding Mackay's right hand, "In which case, I won't have to have a little discussion with him later this evening, after all." "On the other hand, perhaps you should?" said Turquoise, "Since, after all, she actually admitted to me that she was beginning to get fond of him..." "You're not supposed to tell him that!" said Carmen. Three girls looked at Mackay. Who was beginning to get red in the face. They had the decency to look away, and became silent as they waited for the bus. The light in the sky was fading as they walked up to Janet's house. "Hello, that's dad's car!" said Carmen. "And that's mum's car!" said Mackay. Inside the house, in the kitchen and lounge room, a party was in full swing. The kitchen table was covered in opened boxes of pizza, with half of the slices missing. There were a moderate number of beer cans and a half-full bottle of wine, not to mention cups of coffee. The parents were sitting down in lounge room, passing around photo albums and talking and laughing. "Look! Here's one of Mackay as a five year old, getting out of the ocean. Doesn't he look cute!" said Mary. "I remember that. He had lost his bathers, which is why he doesn't have anything on!" said Merton. "Oh, hi kids! Have a good time?" said Janet. The three girls mobbed Mary. "Let's see that photo!" said Jenny. "Don't worry," said Charlie directly to Mackay. "If you like, I can show you a photo of Carmen getting bathed in the laundry sink when she was three - gulp" At this stage, Carmen had reached over and put a hand on his mouth. "Don't you dare!" "How about I look at it?" said Turquoise. A little later, the teenagers grabbed some pizza and retreated to their section of the house. "Don't mind us!" called out Catalina to their retreating backs. "Oh my God" said Carmen, "Parents sure can be scary on occasions." "So that's why Janet was so happy to see us get out of the house." said Turquoise. The Parents: All things considered, it's not all that bad after all. Three hours later, as the four teenagers were sleeping soundly, six adults tiptoed into the room and gazed at them. "So lovely to see, our children safe and sound and healthy, sleeping away." said Catalina. "Hush, and listen carefully..." said Jiro. After a while. "Yeah, I see what you mean, they all are breathing in unison." said Merton. "That's - kind of scary?" said Charlie. "I don't care." said Catalina. Daisy: Another date with Seff On Saturday, Seff had gotten a phone call from Daisy. "I've found a much nicer church to go to, although I haven't told my parents yet as they are so stuck on going to the current one. But, I'm wondering, would you like to go to this one? They have an afternoon service on Sunday." "Ok, sure." They made their arrangements. The Church of the Fields looked, at first glance, to be the same sort of arrangement as the first one. But the priest's sermon soon belied that false belief. He did not shout to emphasize his points, nor did he thump the lectern. And the sermon itself was a lot gentler: "Today I wish to talk about the commitment. Now, I'm sure many of you have suffered through sermons that promised brimstone and hell fire if you are unfaithful, if you fall from the straight and narrow path, hmm?" There was scattered muffled laughter from the crowd. "They use a big stick with which to beat on your conscience, emphasizing the punishments. But they rarely make any comment on why one would want to make a commitment in the first place. For what reason would you commit yourselves to something, if it is so hard to maintain, if it has such a high penalty for failure? Indeed. So today, I wish to talk about joys of commitment. There is the commitment we all make to God's love. And here on Earth that commitment can be manifested by our commitments to each other.” “For example, if you are parents or have ever talked to parents about their children, you will know that one of the joys of coming home after an absence of a few hours or days is having your child rush up to your arms for a big hug and cuddle. It is such a lovely experience to have. I have my own children, so I know what I'm talking about. But, think about it, to have a child do that to you means that he or she loves you. And the only way a child will love you is if you, over a period of time, have shown love to them. In other words, you are reaping the rewards of all of that commitment. I can tell you, being a parent can be extremely painful at times. But, to get the love of your children back, it makes it all worthwhile.” “And, of course, there is that other loving commitment, being committed to ones partner. The fire and brimstone preachers are always going on about marrying for life, forsaking all others. And they go into great detail about the punishments if you don't. But what about the rewards? For example, knowing that your partner will always be there for you, if you need them. Or the peace of mind that comes from being able to leave your partner, for an hour or a month, and not to have to worry about what they might be doing. Well, I worry about what my wife might be doing if the car breaks down again. Her ability at car mechanics is about par with my ability to balance the chequebook. But, these sorts of worries cannot be avoided. What can be avoided is the heart rending, soul destroying destructive feelings caused by jealousy and fear of being deserted. Be faithful to each other, and you can relax in the comfort of being secure. There may be plenty of other things that can go wrong, like losing a job, or suffering the pain of losing a parent, or illness. But if you have a secure relationship, these pains can be made less; by sharing your burdens with a trusted companion, these pains can be alleviated. And sometimes when all goes well, there is the joy of becoming as one with the other, two souls sharing a life on earth, of attaining spiritual grace, infused with God's own love and commitment. Connecting with each other in a secure, exclusive garden, two hearts just for each other, to the exclusion of all others. This, my brethren, is why we want to commit to each other. This is why we bother. Concentrate on the good things, and you don't have to worry about the pains of hell, as they won't become relevant anyway." He spoke some more, to flesh out his thesis. Then there was the standing up and singing the songs. Daisy and Seff held hands with each other and belted out the words, not very tunefully, but with a lot of conviction and enthusiasm. Afterwards, sitting on a park bench sharing a packet of chips. "Wasn't that a nice experience? I, of course, went to church this morning with my parents, and I can tell you, the first sermon was downright depressing compared to this sermon. All about the hells of fire if you tell lies. Jeez, I wish I could convince my parents to change churches." said Daisy. "Yes, it was wonderful. Having a committed, exclusive, spiritual bond with you, blessed by God, that will stand the test of time. I like that idea." "So do I. That is my dream, to be bonded to you in mutual love and trust." said Daisy. She was silent for a moment. "S-s-so, perhaps we could stop by at your place and, you know..." she added. Seff was agreeable. They spent an hour creating a bond of a different sort, although Daisy had to lay down a few rules. "Just for now, Ok, Seff. I'm sure in the future we can relax these rules." At the end of the hour, Seff had to suggest that she leave, as his father was returning soonish. So Daisy put her bra and top back on; she had managed to retain her skirt and panties. For the time being. "Bye bye my dear," she said, giving him a kiss. She left. Daisy: We are creating a bond, emotional and spiritual and sexual. This is wonderful. And why shouldn't it last for our lifetimes? Seff: Hooray! I got to caress a girls' breasts, with her full permission. This is wonderful. And why shouldn't things proceed to even more triumphs in the near future? Hyacinth: Another date with Seff On Monday, in the morning, Seff had texted Hyacinth, asking for a date that afternoon after school. He suggested meeting at the cheesecake shop. But Hyacinth had other ideas. "I've always wanted to go with a friend to the fun fair. How about that?" she texted back. "Ok, see you at the bus station." At lunch, Hyacinth had a study date with Turquoise. "You seem to be positively chirpy today." said Turquoise, as she wrapped up the tutorial session. "Yes! I'm actually going with a friend to the fun fair this afternoon. I've always wanted to, but, I never had the friends..." "So you have a social friend. I wish you the best!" Hyacinth rushed home, changed, wrote a note to her mother saying she was going out, and then rushed out again. She met up with Seff at the station. "Hello Seff!" she said, after skipping over to him and holding his hand. "Why, hello. You're certainly happy today!" "Because I'm going out with a friend!" They rode the Ferris wheel, and most other rides. They both got a bit queasy and had to sit down on a bench under a tree to recuperate. Seff put an arm around her and they leant in towards each other. "How about we have some food?" he said. "That will spoil my appetite for the meal my mother will be cooking." "Well, why not text her to say you are having dinner out. Then, perhaps, afterward the fun fair you can come with me to my place?" "Ok, let's do that." Seff brought her a mask from a stall that was selling them. "What? This is the face of someone in a terrifying rage. You almost expect them to be grabbing a meat axe and going on a rampage!" said Hyacinth. "I know. It appeals to my sense of humour. After all, you have the reputation of being a bit of a delinquent." Sigh. "Please don't remind me of that." But she took the mask anyway. She thought about what to say next. If I'm really going to be in a relationship with Seff, I had better be as truthful as possible. Which means that I'm going to have to tell him about... "Actually, I really am a delinquent. I was called out to the police station recently." She told him the story. By the end of it, she was sniffing and searching through her pockets trying to find a hanky. "Sorry, I didn't think I would react like this." she said. "That's all right. I really appreciate you telling me all of this. I would like to assure you it doesn't change my feelings for you." He produced a hanky. "It's clean and unused." "Thanks. It really is nice to share an outing with a good friend. I now realise that I was trying far too hard to push my way into a social group, one where I didn't really belong anyway." "Well, you are managing much better with me." Hyacinth was grateful for these words. "Why don't we go now, buy some food on our way, and go to you place. Ah, I presume your father won't be in?" "Nyah, he's on the road, driving a road train a couple of hundred kilometres away at the moment." "Well, then, what shall we do at your place after we finish our meal?" she asked. With a big grin. Hyacinth also had to impose a few rules. So when she got up out of Seff's bed to return home, she was still wearing her panties and bra. She put on her dress and shoes, kissed Seff, and he escorted her to the door. Seff: As soon as she had gone he punched a fist into the air: A girl wearing only her underwear! This is exciting! Hyacinth: As Hyacinth was walking down the road, she reflected on the date. So this is what it's like to have a friend and to go on outings. I love it! And doesn't he love my body! I should have no problem binding him to me. And vice versa, of course. I'm even beginning to enjoy the petting. She went home, greeted her mother cheerfully, went to her room and did some study. And it's also nice having help from Turquoise with my mathematics. So how can I repay her? I suppose I could try developing a friendship with her, couldn't I? Rose: Another date with Seff. And Evan. And on Tuesday night was a visit to the orphanage with Rose. Seff greeted Evan and knelt down: "I like your Space Ranger Action sneakers. Are they the ones that light up every time you move?" "Yes. But they are so old the batteries have run out." "What a shame. Would you like me to spin you around in a twirly whirly?" "Yes!" Seff held his hands in his, and started turning around on the spot. Evan was soon flying around and making squealing noises. Rose looked on, letting Seff be the centre of attention for a while. "Me too!", "Me too!" said the two other little ones. After a while. "Oh, I need a rest; my head is beginning to spin around all by itself." Rose chimed in at this point. "How about a game of twister?" She grabbed the plastic sheet with coloured squares from a shelf, laid it out on the floor. Martha can spin the wheel and call out the colours!" Martha, an older volunteer who had been observing from the background, was happy to help. "Now it's red for Evan's left foot!" With great effort, Evan managed to lift his left leg over and just manage to touch the red. "Now it's green for Rose's right hand!" This was a bit of a problem. The only free green was on the other side of Seff, who was awkwardly sprawled across the entire sheet of plastic, with two little kids packed to one side and Evan squashed on the other. Rose, balancing precariously, moved her hand over to Seff's side - and collapsed, right on top of Seff. "Ark!", "Help!" and various other acclamations from all participants. "Ok! I think that game is finished!" said Martha. "It looks like Evan won it." Rose got up and ended sitting on Seff. As did two other children. Evan wanted in on this, so he started tickling Seff. Sometime later. "Ok, everyone, it's time for the youngest to go to bed." said Martha. Goodbyes all around, and Seff and Rose left. "Oh my, that was so much fun!" said Rose. "Yes, wasn't it!" said Seff. He tried his luck, and extended his hand. Rose was happy to hold it. "You know, I feel like I've known you for ages," said Rose, "We go together so well." "Yes, I know. Ah, after we catch the bus, my house isn't too far out of the way, perhaps we can visit there. Hmm, my father is out tonight, driving a truck." "Sure, why not?" Rose had to set a few limits. Consequently, when it was time for her to get off the bed and head off home, all she had to put on was her shirt and jumper. "That was great, Rose" said Seff, "Although I realise that it probably isn't too much fun for you in the beginning..." "Huh? Where did you get that idea? I thought it was fantastic. I want more!" "Oh, well, it must have been something I read somewhere." "Maybe for other girls, but not for me. Can we do this again, soon?" "Sure!" said Seff. Rose hesitated, and then said: "Say, you know, even under your clothes, it feels rather big, doesn’t it?" "Well, actually it's about average." "Is that so? How do you know that?" "I googled it, of course." "Oh. Right." They looked at each other in embarrassment, and then they both burst out laughing. After a while, they made arrangements for a future date, then Rose was out of the door and off to her home. Seff: Oh wow! Rose with just a bra and skirt! And, she likes it! I can hardly wait for more. Rose: That was fun! We are definitely a matching couple. It is so good to play with children together like that. And the petting afterwards was great also. Although, am I going a bit too fast? Rose tried to think this through. It wasn't too much after dad introduced me to Gagnon that he started to spend the occasional night with him. Although perhaps he knew Gagnon for a while before introducing him to me? Exactly how fast should Seff and I proceed? But, but, if we are compatible, does it matter? And, and, well, the petting is so good... She went home, said hi to Aunty Retty, and settled in for some homework. Seff: Seff noted that his latest assignment marks were not quite a high as they had been. They had gone down by ten percent or so. Perhaps I'm getting distracted by other things?