Struggles - Chapter 7

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Chapter 7

Bike Riding

The ride in his father’s 1954 Buick with the five older boys and Phillip Drexel that summer evening in 1958 actually wasn’t the first sexual adventure orchestrated by Rich’s older brother, nor the last. One day in the middle of the previous summer, when Rich was not yet thirteen and Gary, at fifteen, was not yet driving, the brothers set out on their bikes along with John Lambert.

“Hold up Gary, where in the fuck are you going.” John yelled. Gary was about a half block in the front and Rich was struggling to keep up to even John. Gary slowed and waited for Rich and John.

“You’re not going down past the jail, are you?” John asked. “We did that, remember. The sheriff almost locked you up for fucking with the inmates.” John reminded his friend.

“Naw, were going to see Norma. Rich knows Norma. She’s in his class. Seventh grade, right Rich?” Gary announced but Rich said nothing.

Norma Caulfield was much older than Rich, probably sixteen but had been held back in school a couple of times. That’s why they were both in the seventh grade. She was the heavy set oldest of 12 children. Rich remembered how his grandmother always remarked on how poor that family was as they passed their house every Sunday on the way to church. She once asked her husband, who was driving, why they kept having so many children, when they obviously couldn’t afford them. Rich’s grandfather was a man of few words but they usually came out with a flare. “Don’t know what causes them.” Was all he said.

Norma’s parents were dirt poor and they lived in a run down two story shack a block from the jail and across the street from an ice cream store. Living close to the jail was convenient for Mr. Caulfield who spent at least half his time there sobering up.

Norma herself wore the extreme poverty almost proudly, never reacting to the teasing and taunting. From seeing her daily in school Rich knew she had but two dresses, both made from feed sacks, and that she rarely bathed. He also knew from what the other boys said that Norma Caulfield didn’t have underwear, something Rich refused to verify for himself, even when the older girl would pull the hem of her feed sack dress above her knees in class and let her legs separate enough that most of the boys had a detailed lesson of the female anatomy.

“Are you shittin me? John blurted out. “That pig. What do you want to see her for?”

Rich also was wondering but not because of how John had characterized her. He just had no need to see his classmate especially when his older brother was involved.

“Have you ever heard me call her a pig, John?” Gary admonished his friend. “You don’t want to piss off someone you might want a favor from.” Gary continued.

“Favor, what favor?” John asked playing into Gary’s intrigue.

“Word has it she puts out, dumbshit. All it’s going to take is fifty cents for Norma and some ice cream for her little brothers and sisters. Got any money, John?” Gary asked.

Now it all made sense to Rich. That’s why Gary asked him for a couple of bucks before they left the house. Gary knew Rich had money from his paper route. Gary knew it was not in the bank yet and Rich would give in. So Gary had the two dollars Rich gave him, Rich had a dollar and John had seventy five cents. Together they had more than enough.

They pulled into the alley next to the Caulfield’s house and into the back yard. Norma was sitting on the back porch with what seemed like twenty children of varying ages. It was really only eight ranging from two to 12. Rich recognized Norma’s 14 year old sister Rachel who was a year ahead of both her older sister and Rich in school. She was slender and actually rather cute. If only she had some nice clothes and a bath, she would almost be like other girls her age, sweet and developing.

“Why Gary Bromely, what you doin here?” Norma asked clearly delighted. Norma knew what Gary was there for. She was accustomed to visits from boys. Gary wasn’t bashful.

“Got a dollar in my pocket for all three of us.” Gary proposed.

“Don’t think so, Gary. Seventy five cents each for you and John. I’ll take little Richie for nothing.”

Little Richie? Rich felt embarrassed. First of all he didn’t know exactly what was going to happen but he knew it was sex. He had heard stories and descriptions but as to how it really worked, he was clueless. Second, he was positive from his daily dose of Norma at school he definitely didn’t want to be very close to her. Norma’s lack of hygiene didn’t seem to bother Gary.

“And you give Rachel some money to take the kids over for a cone.” She added.

Gary looked at John and then Rich. John was already pulling the nickels and dimes from his pocket. Rich lowered his head and tried not to look at Gary.

“You got a deal.” John handed over his seventy five cents to Gary who counted out a dollar fifty into Norma’s chubby hand. Gary then gave Rachel a dollar who rounded up all the kids and headed for the alley and then toward the ice cream store across the street. Gary, John and Rich followed Norma into the house through the kitchen. Norma stopped and turned toward the boys.

“Who’s first? Come on Gary. You two wait here.” Gary and Norma disappeared through a curtain dividing the kitchen from a living area. The curtain didn’t close completely and Rich and John could see what was happening just a few feet away. The boys watched as Norma laid down on her back on the couch and lifted her dress. Gary unbuckled his pants and slid them and his briefs to his knees. Soon Gary was laying on top of Norma, ass in the air, furiously pumping. In an instant he stopped, falling limply on top of the girl who pushed him off onto the floor. Gary picked himself up, pulled up his pants and was quickly back in the kitchen with John and Rich.

“Sloppy seconds.” He teased John pushing him through the curtain. Rich watched as John repeated what Gary had done. Rich turned to see if Gary was watching but it was not Gary next to him but Rachel, the girl almost Rich’s age. Gary was out on the porch watching the kids down the ice cream cones.

“Ever see it done before?” Rachel asked Rich. Rich just shook his head that he hadn’t.

“Then I guess this’ll be your first time.” Rachel prodded.

“I ain’t doing that.” Rich told her using the appropriate slang.

“Why not? Scared?” Rachel pushed.

“No, I just, uh, I just don’t want to.” He explained.

“You just think you’re too good for us, don’t you?” Rachel grabbed Rich’s hand and pushed it under her dress and between her legs. Rachel wasn’t wearing panties either. Maybe poor girls never wore panties, maybe panties were a luxury enjoyed by girls like Mary and Barb and Vickie. Rich wondered if he should go get the panties he wore in bed at night and donate them to Rachel. He almost laughed at the irony. Vickie, the girl in Rich, had more pairs of panties than Rachel and Norma combined.

“You can have this for fifty cents. I’m not cherry but I ain’t no cow either.” The fourteen year old offered with an obvious reference to her large older sister lying on her back in the next room, legs spread.

Rich only touched her for an instant and certainly didn’t explore. He quickly pulled his hand away.

“Don’t do that. I got nothin against you but I’m not like that.” He insisted.

“You’re a boy aren’t you?” She reasoned. “You will soon nuf. Might as well be me.” She coaxed.

There it is was again. Someone was stating the obvious to everyone except Rich. After briefly touching what was between Rachel’s legs Rich was acutely aware he was a boy, but for the first time consciously wished he was like her. That wish struck him to the core and he had a feeling he could not understand, a guttural, ephemeral one; one that would return to him constantly, almost daily, for the next 30 years. Rich, the thirteen year old boy from a respected and upper middle class family, fleetingly wanted to trade places with a pathetic lower class fourteen year old girl. He couldn’t control the feeling so he could not consider the merits, or complete lack of merit, of living the life Rachel lived. She was at least a girl; he wasn't.

Rachel shrugged just as John came bounding through the curtain, zipping his fly.

“O.K. Rich. She’s all yours.” He said as he held the curtain open. Rachel gave Rich a little push with a sly smile.

Rich took one step toward Norma still lying on her back with her dress up and legs apart. He refused to look at her nakedness and turned back into the kitchen and out the door. Gary was already sitting on his bike and when he saw Richie and John he assumed they both had had their way with Normal.

“Hi ho Silver.” He yelled triumphantly speeding off down the alley and out into the street. John followed and caught up with Gary and both boys rode their bikes as if they had just conquered the world. Rich trailed behind looking back to see Rachel laughing at him, and then ahead to see his brother proudly gloating over losing his virginity with a six bit whore.

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