Danny Ch. 03

"That's pretty callous of you."

"No it isn't. I have no interest in your mother. You are the one trying to push me into a relationship with her. You have any idea of how weird that is to me? Understand me here Pauline. I won't run from her if she wants to fuck me, but chase after a woman old enough to be my mother? No!

"Another thing to consider. You assume we are forever, but I don't. There are four years before we finish school and one hell of a lot can change in four years. Three quarters of that time you will be spending at school where you will meet a whole bunch of new guys and you will attract them and we both know it. You will have ample opportunity to meet a couple that you might decide are more to your liking than me.

"We both know your sexual history Pauline. I know you aren't going to remain celibate at school. There is one other thing. What if against all odds we do end up married. What kind of relationship would we have with your family? Would you still expect me to see to your mother's sexual needs? This whole thing is just too weird to a simple guy like me."

"You really expect me to fuck around at school?"

"Of course I do. I can even see how you will rationalize it. I'm home getting it from your mom so it should be all right for you to do it too."

She just looked at me in silence for ten seconds or so and then said, "Take me back to the motel."

It was a silent ride to the Coral Gables and when we got there she said, "Don't bother coming in" as she got out of the car.

I sat there and watched as she went into the room and saying to myself "Way to go Dan. Open mouth, insert foot and turn a sure sex life into dust."

I drove away from the motel and went on home.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The next month and a half went by and was filled with school. I didn't have any time for a social life even if I would have had a girl to have a social life with. Well, that wasn't exactly true. I could have made time if I would have had the girl, but I just didn't feel like wasting the time trying to get a date only to be rejected time after time. Sound like I'm sayin g that it sucked to be me? That's the way I was feeling.

It all changed one Thursday afternoon in the student cafeteria. I was between classes and I was sitting at a table drinking a coke and reviewing my notes on my last class when a voice said:

"Mind if I join you?"

I looked up from my notes and saw Claudia Wlkins standing there. Claudia was from some place back east and she was in three of my classes. I looked around and saw that the cafeteria was half empty and Claudia noticed.

"I know there are plenty other places I could sit, but I want to sit here" and she sat down.

I looked at her and I didn't have a clue as to what to say.

"Cat got your tongue?"

"No. Just don't have a clue as to what is going on."

"Simple really. Curiosity finally got the best of me.."

"Curiosity? About what?"

"What makes you so special that the word is out to stay away from you."

"I don't know what you are talking about."

"Most of the girls who live hear tell those of us who aren't from here to stay away from you. They have most of us thinking that you are some sort of pervert or something equally as bad. One girl finally told me that the reason is that you are the private property of a girl who goes to school someplace else and has asked the local girls to see that no other girl gets to you. Is that true?"

"Not a bit. There is a girl who I used to go with who goes to school at Walton, but I haven't seen her in months and even so there is nothing serious between us."

"That's good to know. So there is no real reason why we can't go out tomorrow evening?"

"None that I can see."

She looked at her watch and said she had to get to class and asked me to meet her for lunch the next day to work out the details. I told her I would be there.

I did meet her the next day and we set a time. I picked her up at Martin Hall at six and I noticed disapproving looks from a couple of local girls who were friends of Pauline. I had a really good time with Claudia and when I got her back to her dorm I got a kiss and an invitation to do it again soon. I did take he out again on Tuesday and when that date was over we set up another one for Friday.

I was in a good mood Friday when I got off work at six. I had just enough time to get home, shower and then get to the dorm to pick up Claudia. The good mood evaporated when I got to the parking lot and found Pauline sitting on my left front fender - again! When I walked up to the car I considered saying something flippant like "We have to stop meeting like this" but decided to go with the old tried and true:

"What the fuck are you doing here Pauline?"

"I'm hearing that someone is making a move on my man and I decided that I'd better get here and find out what is going on."

"I am not 'your man' Pauline and even if I once was the way you walked away from me the last time we were together and the next two months without hearing from you pretty much told me that even if we did once have something we didn't have it any more. Now get off my car. I have a date tonight and I don't want to be late."

She slid off the fender and as she walked around the car to the passenger side she said, "Where are the three of us going" and got in the car. I walked over to the door meaning to open it and pull Pauline out of the car and when I got to the door and reached for the handle she stuck her tongue out at me and made a show of pushing down on the door lock.

I went around to the driver's side and got in and said, "Get out of my car Pauline."

"Nope! Not gonna do it. You are my man and where you go is where I'm going to be."

I thought to myself "Fuck this shit" and I started the car and drove home. I got out of the car and walked into the house leaving Pauline sitting there. If she wanted to make an ass of herself then let her. I didn't know how Claudia would take it when I showed up with Pauline, but I didn't much care either. I liked Claudia, but I had no great attachment to her. For lack of a better way of putting it there was no 'spark' there. She was just a girl to date and have fun with.

I showered, put on clean clothes and then walked downstairs to find Pauline sitting n the couch talking with my mom. That solved my problem. I'd go into the kitchen, go out the back door and around the house to get in my car and drive off leaving Pauline on the couch with my mom. Hat plan died a quick death when Pauline stood up and said:

"About time. I was afraid we were going to be late."

Mom said, "You kids have fun" and I was stuck with Pauline. I kissed mom on the cheek and told her no to wait up for me. I headed for the door with Pauline a little bit behind me. Plan B (or was it C) was that as soon as we were out door I'd run for the car, get in, lock the doors and drive off leaving Pauline standing in the driveway.

I should have known I wouldn't get away with it. Pauline must have been able to read my mind because once we were out the door SHE ran to the car and got in. Well, I had made a date with Claudia and I was going to keep it Pauline or not.

Pauline chattered away on the drive to Claudia's dorm.and I stayed silent and payed attention to my driving.

"What are we going to do? I hadn't planned on going out tonight so I'm not really dressed for it. Think these clothes will be alright?" I was silent and watched the road in front of me. "You don't really like this girl do you? You can't. If you really liked her you wouldn't want to see me scratch her eyes out."

I stayed mum and she switched gears and started telling me about her classes, her grades, her roommate in the dorm and all sorts of other stuff. She was still babbling away when I pulled up in front of Martin Hall. I parked, got out and went inside to get Claudia. Before walking her out to the car I told her what was going on and then I asked her if she would rather pass on the night's date and reschedule for Monday.

"Of course not. This could be fun. It will certainly be a story to tell years from now."

As we walked to the car Claudia said, "Let me handle this." I walked her to the passenger side door and opened it for her. Pauline slid over to the middle of the seat to let Claudia in, but Claudia said:

"Uh uh honey; this is my date and if you insist on horning in you get to sit on the back seat. Dan is too nice a guy and won't do anything to you physically, but it won't bother me at all to rip the hair off your head."

Pauline smiled and said, "You would end up looking a little bald yourself if you were to try, but I guess fair is fair. I won't take the back seat to anyone. You can have the middle, but you are going to have to go around to the driver's side to get in. I'm not stepping out of the car so I could end up getting locked out. You slide in and I'll slide over."

"That'll work" Claudia said and walked over to my side of the car and got in. I just shook my head and followed along. Once inside I started the car and pulled away from the curb as Claudia asked:

"What are we going to do tonight?"

"I had planned on going to a movie and then hitting Harry's Malt Shop for a bite to eat, but I don't know if that will work now."

"Works for me" Claudia said and then Pauline piped up and said, "Sounds good to me too."

I shrugged and point the car toward the Cineplex. I let Claudia pick the movie out of the six showing and then I bought tickets for the here of us. The movie Claudia chose was a romantic comedy chic flick and I can't say that I enjoyed it all that much. I might have enjoyed it more under other circumstances, but the situation I found myself in was just a bit awkward.

When we took our seats I ended up in the middle with Claudia on my right and Pauline on my left. Pauline kept trying to hold my hand and I kept jerking it away from her. Of course Claudia noticed and she giggled and took my right hand in her left I finally stopped fighting Pauline and ended up sitting there holding hands with both of them.

When the movie was over I drove over to Harry's and we got a booth toward the back. Claudia sat next to me and Pauline sat on the other side of the table and immediately started trying to play 'footsie' under the table. Once we had given our order to Sally I excused myself and headed for the men's room. After taking my whiz I washed my hands and headed back to the booth were I saw Claudia and Pauline talking like old friends. "What's up with that?" I asked myself as I approached the booth. As soon as I sat down Claudia said:

"I asked Pauline what was so special about you that she put a 'hands off' notice on you. She said that part of it was that you are a tiger in bed. Why don't I know that about you?"

"Because we aren't far enough along in our relationship to have reached that stage."

"Does that mean you expect to get to that stage sometime?"

"Hey lady; don't forget how our relationship started. I seem to remember you as being the aggressive one."

"She also says that she intends to marry you when she graduates."

"That is her plan and not mine. She just took it for granted that I would go along."

"You saying that you don't want to marry her?"

"I'm saying that graduation is almost four years away and that a lot can happen in four years. Things that might change plans made earlier. Pauline knows how I feel about the subject. In fact the reason she hasn't been around for the last two months is because I told her what I thought and she didn't like hearing it. The only reason she is here now is that she heard I was dating you and why that bothers her I can't even begin to fathom."

"Bullshit Danny! You know damned well why it bothers me" Pauline said. "You are supposed to be mine. I know it and so do you even if you don't want to admit it."

"No I don't know it. Yes we did have something going, but at no time - not even for a minute - did I look at it as being forever. And I've told you why. The fact that you don't want to accept it is on you not me."

"So what is it that I'm missing here?" Claudia asked.

"Nothing that we can go into" I said, "It is a little on the personal side."

"I'll tell you what it is" Pauline said to Claudia. "He thinks I'll be screwing around on him while I'm away at school and I might just decide that some other guy is a better catch than Danny so he says we have to wait until we graduate and see where we are before he will commit to me."

"Are you screwing around on him at school?"

"I haven't yet, but I expect that I will from time to time. I'n not a virgin and I like sex. Danny knows that and he also knows that I've told him he is my man and I'm always going to be his."

"You admit that you will probably be fucking around on him, but you put a 'hands off' on him because you don't want him to get any? Isn't that a bit one sided?"

"No it isn't. The 'hands off' was to try and keep him from hooking up with someone he might get emotionally attached to. I expect him to get laid and I even went so far as to set it up so he could have a sex life without my worrying that some other girl trying to steal him from me. And no, I am not going to explain that and I doubt that Danny will either."

Claudia looked at me and I shrugged and said, "Nope! Not going there."

All three of us were silent for a few seconds and then Claudia broke the silence by saying:

"Okay; let me see if I have this right. You don't care what Dan does as long as it is no threat to you. Am I right?"

Pauline nodded a yes and then said, "Pretty much."

Claudia turned to me and asked, "Would that work for you?"

"Would what work for me?"

"Having a friends with benefits relationship with a girl who had no interest in getting married to you?"

You didn't have to be the sharpest knife in the drawer to know the answer to that one. The truth was that I would like a life married to Pauline; I just didn't think it was possible with four years of being mostly apart. Could I wait out those four years if I could keep myself occupied with someone not interested in stealing me away from Pauline? Hell yes!! So my instant answer to Claudia was:

"It would work for me."

Then Claudia asked Pauline the same question and Pauline said, "It would as long as I knew that she was no threat."

Claudia smiled and said, "Good! I'm glad we got that settled."

Almost in unison Pauline and I said, "Got what settled?"

"My only interest in Dan was that 'hands off' thing. It piqued my curiosity so I went after him to see what was so special about him that some girl wanted to keep him for herself. I have a fiancée back in St. Louis that I intend to marry when I graduate. I want something 'safe' to keep me occupied until then. Gary knows I'm not going to keep my legs closed for four years just like I know he won't settle for just masturbation for those same four years. So do the three of us have a deal?"

"Pauline said, "It will work for me."

They both looked at me and I shrugged and said, "I'm in."

Then Pauline said, "However it won't start until Monday. I made the weekend trip so I could get my itch scratched. He's mine until I leave for school Sunday and then I'll be home every other weekend. We can work out holidays, breaks and vacations later."

"One thing though" Claudia said, "He is going to have to take me back to my dorm before the itch scratching starts."

I walked Claudia to her door and she stood on tip-toe to kiss me and then said, "See you Monday baby."

I got back in the car and Pauline said, "Let's go get my car and you can follow me to the Coral Gables."

It was a long and tiring weekend and we never mentioned our last meeting and her two month absence.

To be continued.