Being Jim Ch. 06: Lessons of Life Pt. 05

Author's note:

I would like to apologize in advance to my readers. In the retelling of this story it sort of took on a life of its own. Normally my tales are fairly brief and concise, this one however seemed only to grow as I put pen to paper. (Figuratively speaking). Since it did turn out to be rather long I have decided to break it down into several smaller portions both for ease in posting and for reader consumption. That said... I hope you enjoy this long winded tale. It is a true story, all of this really did happen.

Life is a tapestry, a cloth woven of many different threads that create the whole. This story is a thread, one of many, contributing to the waft and weave that is the Whole cloth, being Jim.

Being Jim Ch.6 Lessons of Life

By Frodov

This story is based entirely on true experiences from my past. Names and a few details have been changed to provide anonymity for those involved. Discretion is a precious commodity and is becoming rarer and rarer every day.

Sometimes to better understand the "whole", the big picture in its present state you must pick a thread and follow it back through the weave to earlier times or events, to see the interactions that colored that thread or created it. Often one thread is formed from multiple smaller connected threads, much like the cloth is woven from many threads. But isn't that life? This story reaches back to my time in college. I was working full time mostly in a part time job delivering pizzas to pay for my gas and insurance to allow me to commute to and from school and home. Remember this all happened before cell phones and the internet, cable TV was still in its infancy. The 80's big hair bands, big hair, a different time.

- Part Five -

The next morning was a blur as far as I can remember. I know I got up earlier than usual so that I could get the animals fed and tended before I headed off to town to Join Jules and the rest, especially Michelle, to get the teachers' house painted. Well, the apartment anyway, according to Jules there were going to be seven or eight total not counting Maggie and Penny. Of course the teachers wouldn't be doing any painting but I would be sure to get enough doughnuts for them as well. I got lucky with the doughnuts, it had been a slow morning at the doughnut shop and the girl at the counter cut me a deal giving me the second dozen of mixed at half price. Yes I made certain that at least a third of the doughnuts were custard filled. When I asked about a bag of mixed doughnut holes she winked and threw them in for free. Wow! What? Wait... she winked at me? I wasn't sure what to think about that, anyway I smiled and paid my ticket and headed on to the teachers' house.

It looked like there was a block party or something going on when I pulled up to the house that morning with all the cars and trucks parked in front of Maggie and Penny's house. Michelle saw me pull up as she stood in the open garage talking to Jules and another girl that could only be Sam I thought, Michelle waved and skipped down to the curb to meet me. She seemed to positively glow. Oh how I wanted to just sweep her up into my arms and hold her tight. How I wanted to taste those lips again, I know it had only been a week since I had last seen her but it seemed like a lifetime. I would have too, or more likely I would have had to catch Michelle as she would have leapt onto me but we were both self conscious of all the eyes on us. Jules and Sam and two others standing in the open garage watching our every move I know for a fact and I'm sure there were others watching as well but my eyes were locked on Michelle so everything else was background. Stopping beside my driver side door, Michelle stood smiling.

"Hi." She said as I opened the door and got out.

"Good morning beautiful." I returned with a goofy grin of my own.

"Need a hand?" Michelle asked as I reached back into my truck cab to collect the boxes of doughnuts and a bag of doughnut holes.

"Sure, great... thanks." I responded as Michelle relieved me of one of the boxes of doughnuts. I made sure she got the one with the majority of the custard filled. We walked up the driveway to the garage where Jules and company were assembling paint rollers on long sticks and checking brushes and pans.

"Great, bout time you showed up farm boy." Jules chided me with a grin. The girl standing next to her could have been Jules' sister they were dressed and had such similar appearances. But whereas Jules was flat as a board in the chest department the other girl was very well endowed indeed. Her faded and worn tee shirt could barely restrain he sweater puppies and it was obvious to even a blind man that she had hardware pierced and mounted in her nipples... barbells of some sort if I were to speculate without actually seeing them. It was really hard NOT to stare and the elbow in my side made it very clear that it was obvious and did not go unnoticed by everyone else. Jules just grinned that knowing leering signature grin of hers and Michelle introduced us.

"Sam... this is Jim. Jim... Sam... Samantha, my roommate." Michelle said giving me the stink eye for my wayward eyes. Sam crossed her arms in front her, under her breasts, making it that much more of an eye catching danger zone... for me... and grinned an all too familiar grin. I'll be damned... she even grinned like Jules. The dirty worn baseball cap over a head of straight brown hair cut in an almost boyish fashion, her entire right ear pierced from top to bottom with multiple studs and rings in it. She had a pierced nostril on the left side of her nose with a little sparkly stud in it. I will say this though, she had a dazzling smile that distracted from her deep chocolate brown eyes. Eyes that lit up when she saw the bag of doughnut holes I was carrying.

"So this is 'him'?" Sam said looking me up and down but returning to that bag of doughnut holes. "I finally get to meet this guy that someone just keeps on and on about. Jeez! Just looks like a normal guy to me Chelle... But he must be pretty cool... he brought doughnut holes!" She said with a grin. I smiled and handed the bag to her winning me a wink and an even bigger smile. About that time Penny appeared at the kitchen door, uncharacteristically dressed, in an old faded button down cotton shirt with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows, faded Capri jeans with a bandana taming her hair tied up like a bonnet. After greeting me she told Jules that Sandy, Beth and Karen, the other three girls working for Jules' had said that the plastic had been spread on the floor and we could bring the paint in to get started when she was ready. I passed my box of doughnuts to Penny and grabbed a couple cans of paint to carry inside.

We brought everything through the kitchen and then down the plastic covered stairs to the front door landing and then on down to the basement. Maggie and Penny had cleared the projection table in the 'classroom' and had set out some cups and a coffee maker. The doughnuts were put on the table and Penny went over to the corner where the chairs and bookshelf was to turn on the stereo. She put in an old eight track tape with even older music on it. Apparently she and Maggie liked music from the sixties. The first song to come blasting out of the speakers was Sugar Sugar by the Archie's... Penny started shimmying and twisting, snapping her fingers dancing in place, bobbing her head from side to side with the beat. Michelle sidled over to her and joined in, both smiling at one another as they danced. When the singers began singing, of course they joined right in as well... belting out the lyrics...

"Sugar, ah honey honey...

You are my candy girl...

And you got me wanting you...

Honey, ah sugar sugar...

You are my candy girl...

And you've got me wanting you!"

Jules, Sam and I just looked at one another and Jules shook her head and rolled her eyes as if she had seen Penny act like this before. Sam chuckled and took the first can of paint to the apartment. Jules' plan was to start with painting the bedroom and work our way through the apartment back to the front room. Jules, Sam and I started rolling paint onto the ceiling while Michelle, Beth and Karen cut in the trim around the door jams, the window frames and the closet doors. Sandy, a very quiet girl who seemed very shy around everyone but Jules, tried to keep everyone's pain pans full or at least with some paint in them. She also painted the walls in the galley kitchen as there wasn't a whole lot of paint needed in that small space.

As we finished up rolling the first coat of paint on the ceiling and had most of the walls rolled, the stereo started booming again. Everyone stopped and looked at one another. The song sounded familiar, if old, knowing that this had to be another Penny selection we all set our rollers and brushes down and went to the hallway from the apartment to the classroom. There we saw a sight that will forever be etched in my mind. Not only was our constantly vivacious Penny singing and dancing up a storm but dancing and singing right along side of her was Maggie. Talk about out of character! She was a sight rarely seen, if ever, certainly not like this by me before. Maggie had her raven black hair, that is normally twisted up into a bun and pinned motionless... pulled into a rather teenager looking pony tail. Instead of the normal house dress of stockings and a robe, Maggie was decked out with an old red and black checkered flannel shirt unbuttoned to about mid chest showing ample cleavage and the tails were tied in front making it look more like a halter top, the sleeves, like Penny's rolled up to her elbows. Maggie's dark indigo blue jeans were rolled up to just below her knees and she had on some old boat shoes with gum soles. The two of them were all smiles, their faces shining with glee and happiness as they belted out the old classic...

"Poetry in motion...

Walkin' by my side...

Her lovely locomotion...

Keeps my eyes open wide...

Poetry in motion...

See her gentle sway...

A wave out on the ocean...

could never move that way...

I love every movement...

There's nothing I would change...

She doesn't need improvement...

She's much too nice to rearrange..."

...and they linked arms and twirled before beginning the next chorus.

"Poetry in motion...

Dancing close to me...

A flower of devotion...

A-swaying gracefully..."

At that Penny and Maggie hugged and fell down to the floor giggling like schoolgirls. Jules, Sam and the other girls all joined in clapping and cheering for the two as they looked up red faced with embarrassment but grinning all the same. I felt an arm slip around my side and a head come to rest on my shoulder as Michelle smiled and watched the antics of our teachers and their former students. I think all but Sandy were anyway. When the song wound down to an end Penny reluctantly turned the volume back down a bit and while some of the other girls were making suggestions for a new selection of music Jules Sam and Michelle and I went back to the apartment's bedroom to finish up painting the walls. It was almost lunch time and we had got a lot done but still had a lot more to do. Jules remarked that Sandy was doing a great job in the little galley kitchen so she was all smiles, if shy. I wondered if perhaps this introduction today was perhaps a way for her to be met by Maggie and Penny... a future student maybe, as that thought was running through my mind I found Jules studying me and she noted my studying Sandy and it was like she read my mind. I looked at Jules and tilted my head towards Sandy and raised one eyebrow. Jules looked back at me with a soft but serious smile and nodded and blinked once, then shrugged her shoulders. I took that to mean that yes Sandy was a candidate but it was up to Penny and Maggie to make it happen if they chose to do so. This of course set me to thinking about my own journey with those two ladies. This summer had been... what had it been really? Educational for sure, entertaining at times, enlightening? I had learned so much about girls and women... and probably more importantly, about myself. I had grown... and most importantly, there was Michelle.

With the first coat on in the bedroom and the kitchen efforts were moved into the front room of the apartment. Jules asked everyone who wanted to keep working and who wanted to go get lunch. I suggested that I would hang out and keep painting, of course Michelle said she'd stay too. Jules just looked at me and grinned as she shook her head. I asked her where everyone was going for lunch she said she didn't know. I had a thought, although pizza was not my first choice of food as I saw it or ate it almost every day of the week, but Michelle, Penny and Maggie didn't. I asked Michelle if she would like some pizza, her eyes lit up and that was all the answer I needed.

"Ham and green peppers!" Michelle said. I went out to the classroom where Maggie and Penny were sitting in the reading chairs fanning themselves with Chinese folded fans and sipping iced tea. Both looked radiant and happy. I asked them first if I could treat them to pizza and if so what did they like. Penny started clapping her hands like a giggly schoolgirl and Maggie just looked at her and smiled at her antics. I got their preferences and then used the house phone to call the closest Dom's location to order two large pizzas. I did ask if I could get my employee discount. Unfortunately the trainee in charge of the dayshift at that store didn't know me and was not going to discount any deliveries for an employee. He'd be happy to give me the discount if I came and got them though. Well, I ended up paying full price. Oh well. A half an hour later the doorbell rang and Michelle bolted up the stairs to the landing to answer the door. I followed along at a more sedate pace and greeted the delivery driver, who I actually knew from working with her at one of the campus Dom's locations. She thought it sucked that I couldn't get a discount for my pizzas but I told her it was alright, it wasn't her fault. I gave her good tip on top of the price of the food as well. She thanked me and was on her way. Michelle stood there on the landing watching the whole exchange and eyed me and the driver with interest.

"That was kind of chummy..." She said giving me a mock severe look.

"Was it?" I asked feigning innocence of what she could be talking about.

"You knew her name!" She insinuated.

"She had a name tag..." I laughed pointing out the obvious. Michelle looked at me petulantly and pouted. "And yes, I knew her from working with her before..." I added laughing more. Michelle gave up the act and grinned and punched me in the arm teasingly.

"Let's eat!" She said excitedly. I carried the pizzas down to the classroom and set them on the projector table next to the mostly empty doughnut boxes. Maggie and Penny joined us for a couple of slices as we all took seats and fed ourselves. I remarked that I was pleasantly surprised to see Maggie with her hair down. I really enjoyed them dancing and singing earlier. Michelle raved about it too. She said she wanted to dance and sing some more as she finished up her third piece of pizza and wandered over to the stereo to see what kind of tapes Penny had to play. Maggie said that she would yield the floor to Michelle if she wanted to join Penny this time around. I caught Maggie giving me a sidelong glance as she watched Penny and Michelle picking out music. I knew that Maggie was just as interested in watching the two as I was, and probably for the same reasons. On a whim I stood up and walked over to Maggie's chair and leaned down and kissed her on the neck below her ear then gripped her shoulder and we smiled at one another sharing a quiet moment of mutual understanding and admiration. I sat in Penny's vacated chair and we watched the girls get wound up to sing... the music once more blaring out of the speakers... a surprising choice I thought, but perhaps appropriate all the same.

"Ohhh it's been gettin' so hard...

livin' with the things you do to meeee..."

"My dreams are gettin' so strange...

I'd like to tell you everything I seeee..."

"Oh, I see a man at the back and as a matter of fact his eyes are as red as the sun..."

"And the girl in the corner net no one ignore her cause she thinks she's the passionate one!"

They both twirled and ended up facing one another and belted out the next chorus...

"Oh Yeah!! It was like lightning!!

Everybody was fighting!!"

"And the music was soothing...

And they all started grooving!!"

"And the man at the back yelled everyone attack!! And it turned into a ballroom blitz!"

"And the girl in the corner said boy I wanna warn ya... it'll turn into a ballroom blitz!"

Penny and Michelle devolved into chanting...

"Blitz!

Blitz!

A Ballroom Blitz!"

...and then wrapped each other in one another's arms and began giggling as they bounced and flounced about to the music. I watched Maggie out of the corner of my eye as she took it all in as well. There was nothing but love in those bright amber eyes. Love for Penny for sure, and I dare say more than just a little for my Michelle. Wait... "my Michelle"? Did I really just think that? Wow... now I'm being possessive? No, of course not. My fascination, by fixation, my dreams and hopes maybe, but I don't possess her or can even claim to. I am happy just to have her in my life at all really, it's all so new and amazing and wonderful. Still though, I could appreciate others admiring and even having affection and feelings for her. 'Who wouldn't?' I thought to myself. As the song wound down and Penny and Michelle both collapsed into empty chairs to catch their breath, Jules and company stepped through the beaded curtain.

"Did we miss the show?" Jules asked Penny smiled and lazily waved one hand still panting from her exertion. Michelle just grinned and shrugged then looked over at me and smiled. All business, Jules checked her watch and then went to check the progress of the paint already applied. The walls in the front room of the apartment were still tacky of course as they were the last to be painted, but the kitchen and the bedroom were dry already and indeed ready for the second coat of paint. Jules organized everyone into their assigned tasks again and we began on the second round of painting. By the time the last roller of paint was applied to the wall in the galley kitchen it was starting to get late for me and Jules as we were both scheduled to work at Dom's that evening. The others with the exception of Beth were able to hang around and apply the second coat of paint to the front room however and so it was turned into a plan of action.

"Jimbo, you need to go take a shower dude, you got paint spatter all over the back of your neck and arms." Jules told me as I was wiping my hands on a rag to get some paint off my fingers. "It's water soluble so it'll come off with soap and water." She added. Penny pointed up the stairs when I looked to ask about using the shower. I thanked her and went upstairs.

As I was peeling off my clothes in the bathroom I could hear the stereo downstairs being turned back up and some more 60's and early 70's music being played. I guess Penny and Maggie like that music. I stepped into the shower and began soaping up and scrubbing my hair with soap to get the paint spatter out. I once more felt the draft and heard the glass door of the shower slide open and I knew that someone had joined me in the shower. Maggie? Penny? Ducking my head under the water to wash the soap out of my eyes, when I opened them there stood Michelle, her arms demurely crossed over her small breasts but with open desire in those gorgeous eyes.

"It seems to me that you could use a little help scrubbing the paint off of your skin... I know I would like a little help getting cleaned up too. Do you mind?" She asked in that uncertain little girl voice that she knew drives me crazy.