Dorothy's Defloration

Dorothy thought that the guy must have gotten arc eyes from her stare, because his gaze dropped to the floor, defeated.

Then his eyes light up. "Is that the advert?" He held his hand out as if expecting Dorothy to hand it over to him.

"Yeah, it is." Dorothy handed the advert to him.

His gaze returned to her eyes. It had changed. It had a look of victory in it, he was smiling. It put Dorothy at ease. He said something about the speed of the computer but, like with Derick, it went straight over her head.

Dorothy's mind was searching desperately to say something intelligible. "I like the fact that it is so lightweight." She recalled that Derik mentioned something about this.

He babbled along, something about memory. Her mind was searching desperately for more wisdom; she wished she had paid more attention to Derik's praises last night. Then Dorothy noticed the word 'Pinky' on the advert, which reminded her of something she read some time ago. "Did you notice the double parallel meaning that they created with the word 'Pinky'?"

His confident expression turned into a question, "Pinky is small, like this computer. Is there more? You said double parallel meaning."

It was Dorothy's turn to get a feeling of victory, and she smiled confidently at him. "The pinky is the finger which represents intelligence, just like this microcomputer is supposed to be intelligent!" The queue started to move and Dorothy was slightly disappointed; she had started to enjoy the chat with this stranger, another loner. A thought flashed through her mind - could two loners connect? She surely wanted to connect more with this lonely stranger.

As Dorothy turned around to give a few steps forward, she saw it. The stranger was reading something, and Dorothy saw the advert upside down. 'Pinky PC A' is was an anagram for 'Pick n Pay'. A cold fear crept into her heart. "Wait a bit, what is today's date?"

The stranger looked up. "It's the first, why?"

His response confirmed Dorothy's fear. "They've fooled us." She started to giggle, ascribing it to her nerves. There was no reason for her to remain in the queue, but she didn't want to end the conversation, she wanted to stay in the queue, wanted to connect further. Then she noticed how Pick n Pay managed to fool so many people. She looked at the loner. "It's the first of April - April Fool's Day! I guess you also didn't notice that 'Pinky PC A' is an anagram for Pick N Pay! And they cleverly disguised the date. The advert, with the daily specials, is valid from Monday 29 March until Sunday 4 April. However, this Pinky deal is valid and available only on Thursday, thereby concealing the fact that today is the first of April!" She was out of breath when she finished her explanation.

The stranger then mentioned that the computer's clock speed, sixty seven mega Hertz, represents the year when Pick n Pay started trading. People from the front of the queue started to pass them, confirming Dorothy's theory. They waved gift bags with the words 'Pick n Pay APRIL FOOL 1993' at them. She knew that their chat would finish shortly and was surprised that she experienced a feeling of disappointment at the prospect. She enjoyed the chat, with someone very much the same as herself, another loner.

The stranger was the first to vocalize both their thoughts. "Let us stay in the queue to collect our gifts."

Dorothy immediately accepted his suggestion, hoping that he would pick up the hint that she enjoyed his company. They collected their gifts - it was a string of five marshmallow Easter eggs in a commemorative wrapping. The words on the wrapping gave five messages: 'You were fooled!'; '1 April 1993'; 'Pinky PC A'; 'Pick n Pay since 1967' and 'See you next year'.

The stranger walked Dorothy to her car, telling her that she was a bright, intelligent and a smart woman. Although this boosted Dorothy's ego, it did nothing to tell her that he wanted to see her again. She shifted in behind her Ford Escort's steering wheel, disappointed at the uneventful end of their nice chat. She wished she could shake him, wake him up, but was, herself, unable to reach out.

Dorothy's heart warmed, as he finally vocalized his thoughts. "Would you like to go with me to the movies sometime, say Saturday?"

She could see the victorious glow in his eyes again. She could feel that he wasn't used to asking out girls, to go on dates - he'd need her name, number and her address.

She played hard-to-get. "Why should I? I don't even know your name." She held her thumbs that she didn't put him off.

He apologetically mumbled, unsure after he realized that he had messed up. "Oh yes, sorry, I'm Frans." Then he chuckled, "I'm bad at introducing myself to others. I'm not very social."

Dorothy blushed. "I know the feeling too well myself. I'm also bad at it, I am not meeting a lot of people. I'm Dorothy."

Frans's victorious gaze transformed into a question. "The movies, Saturday?" He was tongue-tied again, and he hated it.

Several thoughts rushed through Dorothy's mind. It would be her first date ever. Would he squeeze her bum like Jeff and Derik did on her eighteenth, or cup her breast, give her a deep kiss? She didn't want to sound too eager, and wanted to calibrate his expectations. "Sorry, I have out-of-town commitments on Saturday." This was technically true because Dorothy was participating in a tennis league competition and they would play against a club in Brits on their courts. But they should be back by 14:00, so there would be no reason why she couldn't go.

Frans tried again. "What about a week later, next Saturday?"

But Dorothy had to decline. "It is Easter weekend and we are going to visit family in Nelspruit." Her heart went out to the poor man, she could see that her response was like ice-cold water on his enthusiasm.

His long silence told Dorothy that Frans was considering fleeing. The family visit in Nelspruit was unfortunately true and Dorothy started to regret her decision to decline his request for this Saturday.

Dorothy was just ready to open up Saturday - if the appointment was late in the afternoon when Frans managed another suggestion. "And the Saturday after that, the seventeenth? Are you available?"

Dorothy could feel how her entire body relaxed. "Let me see... I think I have more league tennis lined up, but if we make it late afternoon then it should be fine." Then she quickly added, "But on a 'friends-only' basis. Nothing romantic."

Dorothy's conscience made her wonder if she was lying to herself. Maybe she wanted Frans to kiss her, to squeeze her bum, and to fondle her breast. Then she remembered how invaded, but also aroused, she felt when Derik and Jeff did these things to her. She made her mind up - it would be a 'friends-only' date, come what will.

Dorothy's heart skipped a beat when Frans spoke. "I was thinking late afternoon myself, let's say that I pick you up at five. I have a canoeing competition in Johannesburg and cannot make it any earlier. I'll have to check the season's program to confirm."

Dorothy sighed. "Great, call me to confirm." She took Frans's April Fool's gift bag and wrote her name, address and telephone number on it in her best handwriting. She had a victorious gaze in her eyes when she returned Frans's bag to him, pointing at the number. She would never have done something like this before.

Frans smiled and turned around. Dorothy could feel butterflies in her stomach, watching, as his athletic figure walked away and disappeared behind the parked cars. Then she remembered Derik's request to buy him a Pinky PC A, and pondered for a moment, if she should go back and collect a gift bag for him, as well. She decided against it - he wouldn't have any use for the gift bag. She had better rush back to bed in any case - as the doctor ordered.

****

Saturday April 17 1993

Dorothy's heart was racing, it was almost five o'clock. She had heard nothing from Frans since their ways parted on that Thursday, except that he called the next Monday to confirm the date. Thoughts of doubt were playing in her mind. She feared that Frans would stand her up. She wasn't sure if she would be happy or disappointed, if he did stand her up.

She could also see that the idea of his daughter dating a stranger was bothering her father. He was walking in circles between the family room and the kitchen as five o'clock approached. Her mother tried to calm him down, saying he was acting as if he was the one who was going out on a first date.

Dorothy considered that he was just trying to protect her, to prevent what happened to her mother. She had worked out that her mom got pregnant, with her, before she married her father.

She got that butterfly feeling again when she heard a car stopping outside. It felt like an eternity before she could hear the car's door being closed. Then she heard footsteps - she was sure that her heartbeat synchronized to the steps, beating strongly on every step.

Dorothy was getting nervous, she knew that she shouldn't open the door while Frans knocked. She knew that her father would prevent it anyway, as he cleverly maneuvered himself between Dorothy and the door.

She rushed to her bedroom for a final glance at her makeup. She cleared what seemed to be a smudge of lipstick when she heard his three knocks on the door.

She counted to five before her father opened the door. He must have shown considerable self-control to wait that long. She heard him talking. "Are you the bloke who asked my daughter out on a date?"

Frans's voice was unsteady when he answered. "Yes..." He had to look down to look Dorothy's overweight five-foot-nine father in the eyes.

Dorothy's heart skipped a beat when she heard his voice.

Her father continued when Frans hesitated. "Well, behave yourself..."

"George, relax!" Dorothy could hear the authority in her mother's voice, and her footsteps towards the door. "Excuse my husband, she is our only child."

Dorothy couldn't resist a smile, although he stood his ground against her father's onslaught, his facial expression showed an internal conflict. She guessed it was probably a conflict between fight and flee. Dorothy glided past her father and took Frans's hand and started to walk towards his car.

Her father made a last-ditch effort to show that he was in control of the household, saying something about being back at a decent time, but the way his authority had dropped, told Dorothy that her mother had intervened.

They found long queues at the box office when they arrived. Dorothy silently hoped for this outcome. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III recently released, with teenagers still flooding in to see it. It was just one's bad luck if one wanted to see another movie, one just had to wait in the same long queue.

Dorothy seized the opportunity. "Let us skip the movies and do something else."

It got Frans curious. "Like what?"

Dorothy smiled. "What about ten-pin bowling?"

Frans was unsure. He had never tried ten-pin bowling before. "Okay."

Dorothy was excited - it had been her plan all along. She was good at ten-pin bowling. She could create a 'spare' from a four-ten split often enough to raise an eyebrow, and she wanted to impress Frans. She had even 'spared' a seven-ten split once before! She wanted to secure another date and Ninja Turtles III was not going to do it, not from what she had seen in the reviews.

Frans, gentlemanly, insisted that Dorothy should play first and she got eight. Frans surprised her with a strike. In the next frame, she got a seven, thinking that fifteen was a good score for any beginner.

However, Frans surprised her with a spare and was leading comfortably. He seemed confused about the scoring, and Dorothy started to wonder if the bad style and follow through was all acting; trying to make her believe that he wasn't a good player, supporting his claim that he hadn't played before.

It got Dorothy worried, maybe he was acting. In the next round, Dorothy tried to go for a strike, but got a four-ten split on her first ball, and managed to only get the four pin and the seven pin behind it for a nine. She watched Frans's next delivery closely. He was clearly off balance, and had no control. She realized that he deliberately fluffed the frame, probably to keep her in the game. It impressed Dorothy, and she started to think that something romantically could develop between them. The thought simultaneously excited her, and scared her.

Dorothy spared the next round to put some pressure on Frans. She could see that he increased his concentration, and that normally flowed through into style. But this was not the case with Frans. He was clearly a rookie, and that his first two frames were plain beginner's luck.

Dorothy manipulated the score so that they were neck and neck towards the end. She was lining up for their last frame and needed a strike to make sure of a win. A spare would give her a fair chance. Although it seemed as if she had a large lead of 86 versus 69, Frans ended frame nine with a spare. This meant his score was actually at 79 with the score of his first ball to be added to his frame nine score, seven would see them draw, anything more would put him in the lead. Dorothy realized that it may even be impossible for him to win if Frans played a strike or spare. She better not slip up.

Dorothy got a spare. It took her score to 96 plus whatever she'd score with her next ball. She was relieved when Frans scored eight on his first ball. That took his score to 87 on frame nine, and he had an easy five-eight for a spare. The pressure would squarely be on Dorothy if Frans spared the five-eight.

Frans took the safe option to go head-on for the two pins, no spin, and no fancy angles. His aim was slightly off. The result was that pin eight dropped with a thud while pin five wobbled dangerously from the nick, but remained upright, leaving their scores technically tied at 96.

But Dorothy had a final ball for her spare. She thought of ramming the ball straight through the middle and score at least seven - she could even end with a strike!

The game must have taken its toll on Frans. By now, he had a good enough understanding of the score to realize that Dorothy had a sure win, unless, of course, she put it deliberately in the gutter. He was clearly consoled in defeat and went to sit on the player bench.

Then Dorothy thought of a plan. She'd play a shot that she had never played before. If she succeeded, she'd win by a single point, and if she failed, then they'd draw. Her plan was to disguise her master-shot as unintentional, as a normal shot gone wrong. It became the single-most-important shot for Dorothy of the game.

Up to this point, Frans was so involved in the game, trying to understand what was going on, that he didn't notice the player bench. He decided that Dorothy would have an easy win and retreated to the bench. Dorothy was standing a short distance in front of him, seemingly contemplating how to get a maximum score. For the first time since they met, his eyes were on the level of her hips. Her slender-fit denim squeezed her buns deliciously together and he felt a surge in his groin. She only needed to topple one pin with the spare ball to win.

She started to move, and it seemed as if she glided over the floor. Her right leg swung graciously to the left as she delivered the ball. Her top lifted and revealed her slender waist in the follow-through of her hand. This was beautiful, and Frans wanted to see it again.

Everything about the delivery felt surreal for Dorothy, the approach, the landing of her foot, the backswing, follow-through, balance, everything. The ball went straight for the one-three pocket, just where she aimed. Then it started to swing towards the one-two pocket, and continued to stray further and further off the line. It headed for the gutter, but nicked the number-seven pin, which finally bumped the ball into the gutter. The pin swayed before it finally toppled over for a single point. Dorothy smiled, damn, that was a good shot, one of her best.

Frans's attention was drawn to the ball when it landed with a soft thump on the lane. It went straight for pin one, maybe slightly to the left. The ball started to curve towards the left, more and more. It touched the number-seven pin, which bumped it into the gutter, while the pin itself wobbled for a few seconds before falling. Dorothy won by a single point. Frans closed his eyes, trying to recreate Dorothy's delivery in his mind, to memorize the style and elegance of it. He was in love.

She turned around to see Frans just sitting there with closed eyes. He seemed peaceful and Dorothy didn't want to break the moment. She put her hand softly on his shoulder, and got a loving gaze and smile when he opened his eyes.

She was tempted to make it a 'more-than-friends-only' date, but suppressed the feeling. She wasn't ready for it, she needed experience. Her dad wasn't ready either.

They had a meal at the McDonalds and returned for a second game. Frans claimed that he deliberately messed up a few shots to allow Dorothy to win. It confirmed her suspicion that he fluffed a few balls, and decided that it was 'game on'.

Frans was now sitting on the player bench whenever it was Dorothy's turn. She started to suspect that he was watching her, appreciating her figure. She confronted him. "Are you checking out my arse?"

It caught Frans off-guard. "Er, um, no..... Uhm, just checking out your style."

Dorothy did not think that she would appreciate it if a man was checking out her behind, but she found it flattering. She had an easy 93-87 win. They decided against a third game and returned to Dorothy's home. This would allow Frans to gain Dorothy's father's respect.

On their way, Dorothy was thinking that it was the perfect 'friends-only' date. She enjoyed Frans's company and it seemed as if it did not bother him that she lured him into her domain of ten-pin bowling.

When Frans stopped at Dorothy's house, they checked their diaries and agreed to set a follow-up date in three weeks' time, which would be the eighth of May. Dorothy gave Frans a nice hug when he left, and she couldn't decide if she was disappointed or relieved, that his hand hadn't slid down and squeezed her bottom. Disappointed because it would have been so exciting, and relieved because he respected her boundaries.

As Dorothy lay in her bed that evening, and relived the events of the evening; she decided that she was more relieved, than disappointed. It meant that Frans was into their relationship as a long-term investment, and not for a short-term score. She closed her eyes and drifted off into a peaceful slumber.

****

Saturday July 24 1993.

Dorothy and Frans were still dating on a 'friends-only' basis. 'Friends-only' was probably no longer correct. They would hold each other's hands whenever they saw each other. They also hugged each other, for closer and longer than that silly hug after their first date, which was barely more than a pat on the shoulder. They had even started to kiss each other when they greeted, and said their goodbyes, but nothing like that intimate kiss that Dorothy got from Derik at her eighteenth birthday party.

Frans returned from the four-day Bergriver canoe marathon in the Western Cape winelands. That was two weeks ago, and they had seen each other already a couple of times since then. But Dorothy made some silly excuses why she wasn't available to see Frans today. This was because Dorothy had another date lined up, a date with Derik!

Dorothy took him up, two weeks ago, on his offer to help her when she started dating. Dorothy's family went over for Aunt Emily's birthday. It was her forty-second, and she invited the family over for the usual cake and tea. Aunt Julia, with Jeff and Pamela, were also there.

Claire had put Dorothy on the spot, by revealing that she was dating, and Dorothy had to satisfy everybody's curiosity about the boyfriend. It did not help to tell them that it is purely platonic, a 'friends-only' arrangement.