The Adam & Eve Trilogy

Chapter Four-5

As Laura listened intently to the end of the story, she smiled and held out her hand for Stephen to hold.

“Leslie was great about it, she didn’t make fun of me, said it happens sometimes, not to worry about it. It was the most embarrassing and totally humiliating experience in my life. OK. You’re next…”

Laura took a deep breath and began.

“Okay… It was my senior year of college and after three years of auditioning I was finally cast in my first leading role as Abigail in “The Crucible”. It was the most important production of the year on our college’s main stage and was to be directed by the Chairman of the Drama Department. It was the juiciest female role in the play. All the Professors of Drama, adjunct faculty and all the other students thought I was pretty, but stupid, and all thought I couldn’t act. Because I was a Christian everyone in the program ostracized me, thought I was a Jesus freak. I didn’t help, I was so prim and proper, dressed very conservatively, didn’t go to class parties, didn’t drink, didn’t smoke, everyone thought I was boring, nobody hung out with me. All the boys knew I wouldn’t put out, so I never had a boyfriend. So you can imagine my excitement when I saw my name at the top of the cast list on the Chairman of the Drama Department’s door. All the girls were so envious when I got the role; it gave them another reason to hate me. Being cast as Abigail was my one shot to really show the school how talented I really was, my moment to shine. Rehearsals went great; I had a terrific rapport with the actor playing John Procter. He was in the graduate school getting his MFA; he really took me under his win. He was a really nice guy and a terrific actor. We had a mild flirtation going on, which helped us create the reality between our characters on stage. I thought nothing of it. Besides, everyone knew he was gay. I’d have to say rehearsing that play was the highlight of my life. I enjoyed it so. I was very busy, I had put aside all my chores at home, I dropped out of all my church activities, my grades were slipping a bit, I couldn’t help out in the day care anymore during church services, which was getting my parents terribly annoyed at me, especially my Father. I guess they never realized how important the play was to me. The whole experience was so overwhelming. I wanted to show everyone that I could be a good actor; I was so stressed out about it. My parents didn’t help by harping at me all the time during the four weeks of rehearsals. It all came to a head during tech week. I was living at home at the time and we had extremely late nights during the technical rehearsals of the show and I could tell they were angry at me for coming home after midnight every night that week. I figured it would all be worth it though. I imagined them coming to opening night on Friday, seeing my performance and being so proud of me. The final dress on Thursday was both the best and worst night of my life. After we ran the show without stopping under the lights with full costume, the director gave us notes. At the end he singled me out, in front of the whole cast, on my performance. He said in all his years directing shows at the university he’d never seen such a transformation in a student, how he admired my commitment to the role, that I should feel proud of my ability as an actor. It was the nicest thing anyone had ever said to me. Before I left he told me privately he was recommending me for the part of Ophelia in the next main stage production of “Hamlet”. I couldn’t have been more excited, like I had finally found my calling in life… A few of the cast members congratulated me and we went out for a drink – it was the first time anyone had invited me to go anywhere; I felt like I finally fit in somewhere. I got home around 2 in the morning and turned on the light and my father startled me, waiting for me in the dark. He sat there in his favorite chair, where he sat while he wrote his sermons and said quite calmly, ’Laura, have you been a dirty girl tonight?’”

Laura’s voice became increasingly shaky, tears filling her eyes at the memory.

“That’s what he always called me as a little girl when I had done something naughty, which usually led to him giving me a spanking.”

“What are you doing, Daddy? You scared me!”

“You’ve been out late four times this week.”

“Yes, Daddy. I told you already so perhaps you’ve forgotten. The opening of the show is Friday and I was going to be out late all week rehearsing the show.”

I thought that would be the end of it but then he started shouting.

“Are you having carnal relations before marriage? Are you having dirty s*x with that man in the play? Your mother and I didn’t raise you to be some sort of slut, acting as that man’s w***e in the play, staying out late, coming home smelling of booze. Is that what you’ve become, Laura? I’m paying for you to go to college so they can train you to be w***e! Is that what you are Laura? A w***e!”

“Even though I ran into my room, slammed the door, locked it and covered my ears, I could still hear his voice through the door screaming at me. The lights in the neighbor’s house went on so I’m sure they too heard the story of how my parents had sneaked into the back of the theater, wanting to know what was keeping me out so late every night. They watched my scene with John Procter and in their ignorance and fear, started imagining that the play was real and I was actually having s*x with him.”

Laura paused in telling her story, trying to gather the strength to finish it.

“The next morning I was so mad at them I just wanted to get out of the house, but they grabbed me and sat me down at the kitchen table… my dad said he called the Chairman of the Drama Department and complained so the school had me removed from the production. It was a huge scandal. My understudy took over my role. I’m sure she did fine. I don’t really know because I never went back to the university. I’m sorry I lied to you earlier, Stephen, I was a drama major it’s true, but I never got my degree. I was too ashamed and humiliated to go back to class.”

“God, I’m so sorry, Laura. That’s a f****d up thing they did to you,” Stephen said.

“And do you know who first started calling me a dirty girl? My mother. Every time we were out and I had to use a restroom she would make me put toilet paper on the seat, she was so paranoid about getting microbes, and if I forgot she’d say, ‘Laura, have you been a dirty girl?’”

“What happened after your parents got you kicked out of the play?” Stephen asked.

“My father grew tired of seeing me moping around the house so he took me with him to a Christian book store for a book signing. That’s where we met Roger, on his promotional tour for “Lessons in Love”. He took a liking to me; we dated for six months, got married, moved here to Seaside City when he was chosen to become the pastor of Our Savior. I suppose the change was good for me, it got me out of my parent’s house at least and the possibility of having children cheered me up. You know, Leslie was right about not worrying about s*x. If I worried about that, I’d be worried all the time. In the nearly three years we’ve been married, my husband and I have had s*x only a handful of times.”

“That’s not possible. You’re so beautiful.”

“There was, of course, my wedding night, crushed under his weight, pounding at me. He was enthusiastic that night after the long months of courtship. I don’t think he noticed I was crying, he wasn’t gentle and the tearing hurt. He did notice the blood after he finished and apologized. After that night I guess he became preoccupied with his church and calling… he’s not that s****l of a person and I’m such a cold fish. Months passed and I read some silly woman’s magazine about “putting the fire back in your marriage” and one night I tried kissing him down there, though it had disgusted me, his little corkscrew top poking out of all those wild curling black hairs. It smelled unpleasant, but I tried like a good wife to do my duty. I thought he liked it at first but I think he was embarrassed that he wasn’t responding so he pulled away and said he “found it unsavory for a minister’s wife to do such things”. I was actually relieved to not have to do it.”

“Has he ever…?”

“Oh Lord no. I think he tried once, early on in our marriage, I resisted, so that was that. I suppose if it wasn’t for our desire to have children we would never… We made an appointment to try to do it Sunday night, when he gets back from his trip. I’m ovulating this weekend. Sounds romantic, doesn’t it? Planned out s*x. I’m really looking forward to it…”

“God, I’m sorry about your school, the play… and everything.”

“So who’s got the most embarrassing story?”

“You win. But it makes me happy you felt comfortable to open up to me. I feel closer to you now, Laura.”

Stephen reached out and took Laura’s hands in his and gave them a squeeze.

“You were sweet to listen to the depressing story of my life. I’ve never told anyone what happened.”

“I wish there was something we could do to help you overcome these things, to start over.”

“Maybe you can start over, but it’s too late for me. At least I have the solace of the church to turn to. There is something to be said for self-sacrifice. We started a food pantry for the poor. I visit the old and infirm at nursing homes, hospitals. I keep myself busy doing charity work. And it would be dishonest of me if I didn’t say it is partly my fault. My husband is a very nice man, he does try to be tender to me and I know he loves and cherishes me by the way he looks at me. I’m mostly cold and unresponsive to him; no wonder there’s no passion in our marriage. He’s tried to make a nice life for us. I wasn’t cut out for a life in the arts, I suppose. I still like going, though. I’m a subscriber to the Seaside City Playhouse. SCP does some cutting edge new plays and musicals, they reinterpret the classics, they’re a first-rate repertory theater. My husband and I had seats together the year before. But I guess it wasn’t for him, he wanted to drop out, thought it was a waste of time. We had a big argument, but I put my foot down, so I just renewed the one seat this season.”

“Laura…”

Stephen put his hand on her cheek and slid his fingers through her hair, looking into her eyes. Laura brushed a finger over the hair falling over the back of Stephen’s ear.

“You have the most attractive golden color to your hair, Stephen.”

Stephen leaned in and gave Laura a long tender kiss, his fingers tangled in her thick silky golden hair. Laura kissed him back just as tenderly. They leaned back onto the couch, laid together in each other’s arms and Laura drifted off to sleep. After a few minutes, Stephen carried her into his bedroom. He laid her down on the bed, took her shoes off carefully and covered her up. He didn’t remove her dress, but he took all his clothes off, put a pillow between his thighs to calm his erection and went to sleep next to her.

After a few hours, Laura awoke from an erotic dream. She was kneeling on a pillow on the floor in front of Williamson, whose naked muscular body towered above her. His shaft was uncoiled in front of her and she was stroking it with both hands over and over. The circumference of his shaft was so thick that her small hands could not completely fit around his girth. She looked up at him and spoke.