In the Know

Sequel to "The Temperature of Tears."

In the know

Julie broke the silence by leaving for a moment and returning with a bottle of wine.  She remembered where it was, from secret rendezvous with her cousin long ago.

There appeared to be no answers to their imponderables.

When they had shared a glass or two, Julie felt such an outpouring of trust for Rachelle that she broached a new topic of which she had absolutely never before spoken.

“Why do guys buzz around you like flies, and other girls never get a second glance?  I mean, I didn't used to put out, but even when I did, it didn't happen for me.  'N it's not everybody, either... it's just that some girls have that 'Look.'” 

Rachelle had so much experience of imponderables and intractable evils that this one question spoke to the core of her being; she knew an answer, and she was empowered at the thought of bringing SOME perspective to the discussion they must eventually have with their guys.

“Julie, it CAN happen for you, but you were so zoned in on Chad.” 

“Bull-SHIT...  How do you figure?”  Julie didn't see how it could possibly be true that it could happen for her.

“OK Julie, you remember when you fucked Professor Busch blind all those times?”  Rachelle could count on it she would not offend, because of the current circumstance.

“Yes.” Julie answered fairly truthfully.  It was not an experience she would ever forget.

“Do you remember why you got turned on to him?” 

“You mean the TA who got fucked into a cum coma?”  Julie was puzzled how this could be relevant.

“Jules, didn't SHE have 'the look?'”  Rachelle was working from inference here, but she was certain she could guess what had happened.  Experience counts.

“Hmm, yes she did.”  OK, maybe Rachelle was laying the groundwork for a syllogistic argument, thought Julie.

“Now think back to the start of the semester.”  Rachelle had a long way to go on this one, but she was confident it would play out to real certainty.  “When did she get 'the look?'  Was it right before the 'cum coma?'”

Now it was Julie's turn to contemplate.  No, the TA had not started the semester with 'the look,' but on balance, it had only been two or three meets before she had blossomed.  Still, the look she had given him had not coincided with her new attractiveness and confidence... it had come later in the semester.  “OK, you're right.”  The conclusion that Julie drew was that the two must not be connected.

Rachelle continued in order to answer unspoken doubts, by adding more information.  “There's a trick to it, and Dr. Busch played it to great advantage.  First, I gotta explain the mechanics of it, then I have to come back and explain about Dr. Busch and YOU.”

Rachelle paused before continuing.  “Back when I started university, I didn't have the look either.  My boyfriend Mark did something that made it happen.  What happened was, we'd been going out for about a month and a half, and he was fucking me pretty good, when one night he turned me over on my front, and made me lay flat out on the bed.  Then he took two fingers, and reached inside and found something on the front of my vagina.  I don't know if it was a fold, or something that held the pleats together and kept them from expanding, but he scratched me almost to the mouth, and made me bleed.  It hurt so much I cried out.  'N he was callous about it too... 'NOW you're not a virgin,' he said.  It made me cry, 'cause he had hurt me AND he didn't care.” 

This was VERY personal information, but if Julie was indiscreet, Rachelle knew that she had all that dirt about Dr. Busch to spread around, and Julie wasn't likely to speak of it in any other context.

“After that, guys seemed to know I liked and wanted sex, without even asking.  I finally realized that I had a gap in my crotch that made me look like a slut, and the only reason I stayed with him, was that he could ruin me with his Dad's political connections.  He can make it so I can never get a good job anywhere.  All he has to do is give a few people a bad recommendation, and they'll start a rumor going that I can never stop.”  This was true enough, and it somewhat explained many injustices in the world.

“So why didn't Dr. Busch do that to me?” Julie asked.  “He's a fucking anatomy teacher!” 

“Did he teach the class anything about that?”  It was Rachelle's turn to ask a question. 

“Not in so many words, but now that you explain, I can understand the mechanics are possible.  However, it's probably material you don't get to, until higher classes. “  A lifetime of not being the smartest person in the room had taught Julie not to question the truth.  Julie felt like the whole world had just been explained, without answering her question at all.  “But that doesn't explain why he didn't do it for me!” 

“I'm coming to that.”  Rachelle had to smile inwardly that Julie's motive was so evident from her choice of language.  She was pleased to have gotten this far in her explanation without bitter words of controversy.  “He did that to his TA, but she didn't agree with his argument, that IT was the reason guys were getting interested now.  They must have had some kind of fight, leading to her thinking she won in some way.  What I'm thinking, is that he called a shot, and did it to someone else she knew about.  Then he made her fuck him again, for a victory lap, and he may have used one of those foreign desensitizing creams (you know, the ones that have cocaine in them?) to be sure and really get her off, so she'd respect him to the bone.  That's all I can figure.”

Julie was impressed.  “So he only does it for girls he wants to make into women, and he didn't really like me?” 

“Jules, if drug dealers can do it and spies can do it, so can a full grown Doctoral Professor of Anatomy at a University.  It could be something as simple as proving he had self control, or simply not wanting to do it to everybody just so he wouldn't get caught.  I don't really know EVERYTHING.” 

“Does Jerry know about this?” was Julie's amateur response. 

This brought tears to Rachelle's eyes.  “Ya THINK, Julie?” she replied.  “It's not common knowledge.  Jerry is sooo smart, but he's never had women to experiment with.  Now if you want to think about someone besides yourSELF for a second, what do I have to GIVE him now?  Mine's GONE!”  Julie could be such an idiot.  It was minutes before she realized that Julie didn't know that Chad had already learned about Dr. Busch.

For her own part, Julie had enough sense to shut up for a moment and contemplate.  Rachelle must have been torn up inside when Mark did that to her.  In her own corner, Rachelle had just pointed out that there WAS... (OK, there MIGHT BE,) something left to give to Chad.  But it was going to be harder than ever to explain themselves to their guys.  That must be why even Rachelle had been silent not so long ago.  “Rachelle, I never knew how sad you were,” she offered.  “I can't believe you're being such a good friend.” 

In vino veritas... “I can't believe it either, Jules.”  They really needed to retire until the next day.  “I love you Julie,” she said.  Good, bad or otherwise, she had a feeling that Julie's ignorance would challenge her life in the near future.  Still, it was good to let random chance cry havoc against the fates for a change.  Julie might turn out to be a cunning animal.  

[Series now continued at "Time Casts No Shadow."]