The New Year Bonus

THE NEW YEAR BONUS

My husband and I run a retreat for nudists on the Helshoogte road between Stellenbosch and Franschhoek in the Western Cape. It is a small farm situated on the slope of the mountain which has never been cultivated. The few pines which were planted there a century ago, were removed as soon as we had acquired property, and it has now completely returned to its original condition. It is truly a beautiful setting with a variety of proteas, heather and other fynbos which we are developing as a private nature reserve, with footpaths and little hides from where animals may be observed - there is quite a variety of birds - or where nature lovers can make love.

Most of our club members drop in over weekends and when the weather is inclement, we gather in the big lounge of the original homestead, drink wine and eat bread, olives and fruit. It is the opportunity for members to share some of their experiences with the group. It was on such an occasion in spring this year that Eben came forward to share something quite special with us.

At the beginning of my Matric year [Eben said], my dad came to me where I was building a little birdhouse in the workshop and, watching the construction until it was finished, he said, 'Eben, you've done very well in your studies thus far. If you can keep this up and obtain your admission to Engineering, I will give you a very special bonus.'

'What would that be, dad?'

He smiled and replied, 'What do you say to three weeks at the beach cottage in January next year?'

Now I knew my dad and that he could be mischievous at times, but I honestly loved him because all along he had given me good counsel and support. However, a family holiday was not my idea of a 'special bonus', so I ventured to say, 'What would be special about it, dad?'

'It would be for you and a couple of friends you choose. You'll get your driver's licence in July when you turn eighteen, and then you can drive there yourself, and I'll give you some spending money.'

'What about the family? Are you not going to Kleinmond this year?'

'We will be home till after Christmas, Eben, but your mother and I plan to visit her parents in Springbok on the West Coast, then my parents in Bloemfontein, then we'll join you at the beach house. Your sister and her husband will join us for a few days as well, so we will be a family then. It means that the house is yours for the first three weeks of January..'

'Can I ask a girl?'

He grinned. 'That is completely up to you, Eben. You can even go as two or three couples, if you can all fit into mom's car.'

That sounded good!

Several times during the year I considered whom I should invite. I was 'seeing' Merle Mason at the time - we went for a walk once in a while - and I was allowed to kiss and neck her, but when I suggested that she joins me (or 'us') at the end of the year, she called me a dirty-minded pervert and severed all contact with me after that. So, she was out. The problem was that there was no other good candidate among my acquaintances. There were nice girls, but they were going steady, while the ones who would be prepared to go, were not exactly desirable. One was a fat glutton and the other one was a stranger to soap. I was not keen to scrub a girl clean before I took her to bed: close contact - real intimacy - was, after all, the whole purpose of the holiday. I was still a virgin, and you want to have a pleasant introduction to your sex life.

The final exam at year end was a breeze and after the final paper I started planning for the holiday. Just after Christmas I learnt that I had far exceeded the minimum requirements for Engineering. Now I was desperate, because it seemed as though my 'special bonus' would be nothing special, but my dad consoled me. 'Take Tinus and Gerrie with you. You're good friends and once there, you will find umpteen girls. Then you can pick and choose.' Then he said something which I will never forget. He said, 'Girls come in different shapes and sizes and with a wide range of temperaments, Eben. From what I know about you, I would say your soulmate would be a Ming vase rather than a tin pot.' I wasn't so sure about finding the right girl at Kleinmond, but just before New Year I left with the two friends, Gerrie and Tinus, for the beach house, less than an hour's drive from home.

Gerhard was called Gerrie by his immediate family, but Pinocchio by all others, because of his very prominent nose. The playground story was that he could bring a girl to climax by merely rubbing his nose in her fanny. I knew that he was still a virgin, like myself, even though he'd been into heavy petting for the last couple of months. Tinus, who was a year older than us and clerking at an attorney's in Stellenbosch, was nicknamed Riem, which means thong, a reference to his extraordinary sex equipment. Riem was 'experienced, because the girls flipped - and stripped - for him without batting an eyelid. He promised to be our mentor in love matters now that we were on our own and gearing up for full-blown manhood.

The beach house was actually two flats, one on top of the other, on the beachfront and close to the little Kleinmond harbour; we planned to occupy the top storey, unless we attracted such a horde of girls that it would necessitate expanding downstairs. Wishful thinking! Riem assured us that during holiday time girls on the beach grow handles and can be picked up 'as easily as a mug of beer'. Then he would entertain us with stories of his past conquests in lurid detail, which left Pinocchio and myself horny and frustrated. To have such a Casanova for a companion is not always a blessing, but we did gather some pointers on how to 'manage' a girl once you get a grip on the handle. Pinocchio thought that a good pair of knockers was as good a handle as a man could want, and then you pull her close with a hooked index finger...

But I must say, I was disappointed. Perhaps because I lack Riem's special endowment or even his panache, no girl gave me a second glance as we wandered through the holiday crowds. There was a barn dance on the beach the second evening, but I failed to 'click'. One 'clinging peach' did make a grab for me, but she stumbled and went down on her face. Her short dress was bundled up under her belt and she was not wearing anything underneath. A couple of fellows picked her up and carried her off, one muttering, 'Stoned out of her mind.' I thought that one could just as well screw a knothole in a door. As my dad had observed, I have a romantic inclination and would prefer a girl who knew exactly what we were doing and could enjoy it, so that I could enjoy it too.

Riem came home at midnight with a voluptuous girl on his arm and they proceeded to make love very loudly in the lounge. Pinocchio and I were woken up by the goings-on and became interested watchers of Riem's famous sex technique, which involved him and the girl chasing one another around - it was difficult to judge who was chasing whom because they were going in circles - which ended time and again with them collapsing somewhere and then engaging in some serious wrestling, followed by bouncing movements which made one seasick - and envious - just to watch.

A whole week went by and I had yet to have any 'special bonus'. Pinocchio was more fortunate. He crashed a beach braai the third evening, told us that he and a plumpish girl had 'done it' on a sand dune with the surf lapping their toes. The next night he came back with a red weal on his left cheek which looked suspiciously like a hand was laid on him in some anger, but he would not divulge any information on the incident. However, he did find a girl later and all the evidence pointed to the fact that they screwed throughout the night. At brunch the next morning - we never rose early enough for breakfast - he and the girl made an appearance in the barest minimum of clothing, so the evidence was quite compelling.

But I was still a virgin!

The eighth day I was browsing in a little second-hand bookshop on the harbour road when I bumped into a girl. I use the word 'bump' advisedly. The passages between shelves were narrow and I had seen an interesting book on a bottom shelf and bent down to pull it out, when I heard a book behind me crash to the floor. I turned around and the first thing I noticed was the pair of long legs and the blue shorts. I remembered having seen that particular combination a few days previously, but the owner was in the company of what looked like her family - mom, dad, a boy of some ten years and a blonde girl which I judged to be eighteen or perhaps nineteen - and they were climbing into a car. I raised myself carefully and apologised for knocking the book out of her hands.

'Don't mention it. It is a bit cramped.' Her eyes were brown but they appeared a bit sad, belying the smile that hovered at the corners of her mouth.

'Are you interested in Economics?' I ventured, because her book was entitled Understanding Global Economics.

She smiled more broadly, and I liked the smile. 'Not really, but it is my parents' bread and butter.'

'What does interest you?'

'Ecological issues, I would say. I'm going to do a science degree, majoring in Botany and Zoology and with Entomology and Geography as minors. I'll have to do Chemistry and Physics as well...'

'That sounds like an overloaded programme to me. How are you going to manage all that?'

She blushed and grinned. 'I know. I spoke to my parents about it, and I will probably take an extra year to do all the courses, but I want to be properly equipped as an environmentalist.'

'I see... quite impressive. Would you care for a milkshake? The pottery shop next-door has a lovely coffee milkshake.'

She accepted and over the soft drinks I learnt that she was called Monica, came from Paarl, that her parents were both qualified chartered accountants and had their own business in that town. She had an older brother who was studying Optometry, she had been at the co-ed school in Paarl and played hockey and she loved classical music and Pierce Brosnan and Clint Eastwood and had read most of the classics but found Shakespeare overrated and she wished she was beautiful - and with this she made a hand gesture which indicated a wish for bigger boobs - and talented enough to be an actress and wound up by telling me that the people I had mistook for her family, were actually friends - she and the blonde girl were classmates and bosom friends. Then she looked down at her chest and said, 'I should rather say we're good friends, because I don't have much of a bosom.'

I was captivated. There was no guile or false modesty or pride in her. Since Windows, we have WYSIWYG, and I thought that suited her: what you see, is what you get.

She asked me about myself and I told her we live in Stellenbosch and that my dad is a professor in Botany - which had her immediate attention - and my mother is a housewife with a wide circle of friends and I have an older sister who is now married. I also told her that I was still undecided on which branch of engineering to pursue.

We both enjoyed the long chat and then took an even longer walk down to the harbour, where we sat down and watched the seabirds and the clouds. There were long periods of silence, but they did not feel awkward - it was as though we were in tune with one another already. We finally realised that it was time to go home, and I held out my hand to help her up. She took it, and hand in hand I walked her back to where she stayed, a few blocks from our house. We said goodbye and agreed to meet again the next morning at the coffee shop. It left me wondering about her 'bosom friend', but then I noticed the 'bosom friend' in a small crowd of admirers and understood: Monica would not fit in that setting.

Over the next few days we talked literature and music and art and Green Peace and the difference between Electrical and Electronic Engineering, and how important it would be for an ecologist to have a good knowledge of Botany, Geography and Zoology and a bit of the physical sciences and perhaps statistics as well. Hand in hand we walked kilometres along the beach and up and down streets, marvelling at the luxurious homes people would occupy maybe for a month each year. I gathered that she was rather lonely. Her 'bosom friend' lived on a wine estate outside Paarl and they only really met at school, and once in a while she would sleep over on the farm, which she liked because she could get closer to mature. It transpired that they were not all that close, which explained the melancholy look I occasionally saw in her eyes.

On the fifth day there was a spectacular sunset and we sat down on a sand dune and watched it. The only sound was the breakers on the beach and the cry of the seagulls, because we were far away from the crowds. When the sun had set, we started back, now with our arms around each other. I stopped, turned towards her, first placed my hands on her shoulders, then cupped her face in my hands and looked into her big brown eyes. They were full of tears, but I gathered they were tears of happiness.

'I love you, Monica. You are a very special person.'

There was wonderment in her eyes and then her hands went around my neck. We kissed. It was our first, but then I felt that this was the Ming vase my dad had spoken about.

Then she whispered, her lips almost touching mine, 'Will you use a condom, Eben?'

I said 'yes' before I realised the import of her question.

I kissed her again and my hands slid down her back and onto those beautiful tight buns in the blue and white shorts and we drew close together. I could feel the heat of her body and the pressure of her nipples against my chest. It was such a special moment!

She whispered, 'I just need to phone the Van Zyl's to say that I will be late.'

She used her cell phone and then we walked to our house. We were alone, but I shut and locked the bedroom door nevertheless. There was an awkward moment, but when I stepped close, she started to unbutton my shirt. She blushed when I removed her bra and could view the perky little tits, and the blush deepened when I removed her panties. Her hands wandered over my body and started caressing my penis, already in full erection. She rolled back the foreskin and smiled. I'll never forget that smile nor the lovelight in her eyes! I fetched a condom and she watched as I put it on, then we lay down side by side on the double bed.

I felt I had to be open with her. 'Monica, this is my very first time, but my dad has prepared me and I will take it slowly en gently.'

'Mine too,' she said.

'What will your parents say?'

She looked away and replied, 'They can't be bothered.' There was sadness in her voice. 'They are too busy, too busy making money to enjoy life, or to care.'

I held her very close then and kissed her tenderly.

We were a long time just cuddling and caressing one another until there was a copious flow of pre-cum in both of us before I entered her. I saw the momentary twitch of pain when I pierced her hymen but then she smiled and put her hands on my bum. 'Take me fully,' she whispered, so I went in all the way. We enjoyed that. It is so intimate, so tremendously close to be in her and for her to feel me inside her. We started in slow-motion, and then it speeded up as the climax approached. I had already spent in her when she had her orgasm. She cried out and hugged me with both her arms and her legs, until the shuddering had completely abated. We then rolled over on our sides and caressed one another. We kissed, open-mouthed, tongues darting back and forth. We were learning.

We fell asleep like that. About midnight I woke up when Monica's cell phone rang: her friend was asking about her. Monica woke up and reassured her. I found my prick had slipped out and the condom was lying on the sheet. I flushed that down the toilet and went back. There was a bit of moonlight and I could see her face, so peaceful and happy - she was fast asleep again. I put my arm around her and she nestled close. What a girl!

Riem and Pinocchio did not come home that night, because the girls had taken them to their homes, so Monica and I had a peaceful night. I woke up first the next morning and made coffee, then woke her. She looked around in wonderment and then reached out a hand to me.

'Thank you, it was very, very special.' The brown eyes were swimming in tears again.

The Van Zyl's returned to Paarl without Monica because she stayed with me. We made love quietly once or twice a day, mostly on the beach somewhere where we could be alone. My two mates came with their girlfriends and made love very loudly. Monica and I were amused by their antics and she laughed out loud when Riem started chasing a girl and his prick swung from side to side. Yes, they had a roaring time: at one stage there were four naked girls in the house - apart from Monica - and we witnessed threesomes and foursomes which sent us back to bed!

At that point Eben stopped talking and beckoned to a girl at the back. She was wearing a pair of rimless glasses and a double string of genuine pearls, nothing else; her perky little breasts would fit easily into man's hand, and her pussy bush was neatly trimmed. She wasn't an outstanding beauty, but there was something about which made her absolutely lovely.

Then Eben continued:

'This is my Monica. We have been together now for almost four years, four years of bliss. She went home with me from Kleinmond and we moved into the granny flat in the back of my parents' home in Stellenbosch. She obtained her BSc cum laude and is currently doing her honours degree in Botany. My dad says she is his best student ever!

'We joined this club because we like the freedom which we see: people who are not ashamed to walk around naked or to make love where others can see them. That is how it should be. Naked and unashamed.'

Later I saw Monica sitting astride Eben's lap. His hands were on her small breasts and they were clearly making love, slowly and passionately, like pouring virgin olive oil into a Ming vase. I was struck by the peace which radiated from them.