<! Love Can Be Weird>

<! By Mongoose750, mongoose750@yahoo.com>

<! A Quirky Love Story>

Pastor Ron Williamson sat in his pastor’s study of the Baptist church he resides at in the Midwest. It was 10:25 a.m. on a Tuesday morning, pre-marital counseling day. Some days he looks forward to it, while on others it is a major hassle. When he started his pastorate with this congregation five years ago, he told his staff and the rest of his flock that he was going to change a few things (which always makes congregations nervous), one of them being the rules regarding marriages at the church. Being alarmed at the high divorce rate in the country, and especially at the church, Pastor Ron (as he is called by his congregation) instituted a mandatory pre-marital counseling program consisting of six one-hour sessions with the prospective couple. At first, this was met with the usual complaints, threats to leave and go somewhere else, blah, blah, blah, but in the end, the program achieved maximum success. In fact, because of the counseling program, there hasn’t been any separations or divorces in five years.

Pastor Ron remembered a quote he read from a magazine some time ago, “Most people spend more time selecting their kitchen appliances than they do a marriage partner.” Dwelling on the awful reality of this statement, he was relived this program was successful of separating the serious couples from the “iffy” couples who got together for sappy, even ridiculous reasons (“it felt so right,” “he gives me everything I want,” “she’s may be my last chance to be happy,” etc.).

He glanced again at the clock; it was 10:29 a.m. He adjusted the photo on his desk of his wife and three children. With another one on the way, a second son, he noted that he would soon need to replace that picture. He looked up, his thoughts interrupted by the turning of the doorknob.

Here we go, he thought.

Two people walked into the pastor’s study. The first one was a tall woman, about 5’11 or so, fair complexion, short black hair, slim build, not plump nor a Popsicle stick. She wore a dark purple tee shirt with a pair of dark blue khaki shorts and Dr. Scholl’s exercise sandals on her feet. Covering it all was a lightweight cotton gray jacket that went down to her knees. That was rather unusual considering that it was a nice warm day outside.

Her face was a small oval with what he would call a “perpetual smile” on her face. From what he knew of her, she was always in a good mood, even in the morning. For Pastor Ron, it took two cups of tea, plus an extra ten minutes of solitude before he could say hello to his wife, much less smile to anybody. From the way her legs looked, they look like the owner either is an athlete or works out on a daily basis. Using those legs, she walked into the room with an appearance of confidence, indicating that she knew what she was doing; a good sign. You do not jump into wedded bliss ignorant. The divorce courts are full of people like that.

A step behind the woman followed a man. He was an inch or two shorter than the woman who proceeded after him was. He was of African-American decent primarily, his skin a dark brown hue. His build was slim as well, but not quite as athletic as his potential bride. He looked like he took good care of himself though. He wore a blue polo shirt and regular blue jeans and Nikeâ running shoes, nothing fancy. He wore his short hair in a nice wave hairstyle, a sign that either he takes pride in his appearance or she does. He walked into the room reflecting the same knowledge he knew what was going on, but not as boldly as his wife-to-be.

Pastor Ron quietly thanked his interpersonal communications professor for teaching him how simple observation along with body language can tell you a lot about a person before the actual communication begins. He made a small gesture to the couple to have a seat in the two easy chairs placed in front of his desk. While the man sat in the chair in pretty much a “normal” fashion, the woman using her same boldness sat in the chair, kicked off both shoes, and crossed one leg over the other. From the way she did this, she appeared eager to get started, and probably goes without shoes quite a bit, considering she kicked them off like they were a nuisance instead of just making herself more comfortable.

Enough observation, the pastor thought, time to get started.

“And here we have Janelle Edwards and Benjamin Parker, due to be in wedded bliss on July 17 of this year,” Pastor Ron said. “I’ve had my eye on you two. Both of you are rather active in the church’s singles’ Sunday school class, along with a few other ministries in the church. That’s pretty good considering you two became members just last year.”

“Yeah, we didn’t waste time,” Janelle said.

“Well I say this to everyone who comes to me for these sessions, active or inactive to cover the bases. Do both of you understand the purpose for these sessions?” Pastor Ron asked.

“Yes we do,” Janelle and Benjamin said.

“Good, now we can begin,” the pastor said. “Let’s just start with the most basic of questions, how did you two meet?”

There was a brief silence, during which Benjamin and Janelle gave each other a puzzled look. They shifted uncomfortably in their seats for another few seconds until Benjamin finally said, “Er, that’s a long story.”

Pastor Ron was stunned for a moment. The one thing most prospective couples don’t have any problem with is explaining how they met. Usually they give the information willingly and with a smile towards each other. Some couples do it with a giggle and a glassy-eyed stare at each other that sometimes makes the pastor want to gag.

“Well we have some time,” the pastor said, “go ahead, and explain it to me.”

Janelle with a frown tapped her right index finger to her lips in a show of thought, and then with a smile blurted out, “we met at the Spring Festival.” Benjamin quickly shook his head with agreement. Then they sat there, expecting that response to be a sufficient answer to his question.

Pastor Ron was still puzzled. Something was definitely wrong here. The suddenly hesitancy about how this couple met was unexpected, but then again, pastors are trained to deal with the unexpected. It was roughly the last year at this time that he heard another unusual story about another couple in his congregation. Some rich student wanted this woman so bad he developed a twisted ploy where he made the woman’s boyfriend to break up with her, then he sent three men to rough her up, so he could come to her rescue. What happened instead was the woman, an accomplished kick boxer, sent all three men to the hospital, reconciled with her boyfriend later that night, and came one step short of putting the mastermind in traction himself. The woman told him later that it was his recent sermon on mercy and resisting revenge that kept her from performing that final act. The pastor thought that was one of his worst sermons. He was glad to see something good come out of it. Moreover, even though he shuddered at the severity of the injuries she gave the three men, he applauded her for taking her stand. Crimes against women are another thing the pastor does not stand for.

“I’m aware of the Spring Festival. The university holds one every year, and hundreds of students and people from the community attend the event. But for the purposes of this session, I need a little more detail. In order to have a structure for me to work with, I need a proper foundation. Not every single detail, but enough for me to have an idea. Now the last time I checked, the Spring Festival was a perfectly legal activity. So just tell me how you met, and we’ll go on from there,” Pastor Ron said.

Again, Janelle and Benjamin gave each other a funny look, and after a long moment, Benjamin let out a breath and began. “Well this is how we met . . .”

“You mean to tell me that you’ve attended this school for the last three years, and you never attended the Spring Festival?” Jessie Booker asked Benjamin.

“Yeah, on the weekend before Spring Break, this is the place to be,” Kevin Coffman said.

Both Jessie and Kevin have been longtime friends of Benjamin. The trio tended to balance themselves out with Jessie a 6’3 skinny built black man, the Advertising major, being the outgoing one, Kevin, a shorter white man of a stockier build at 5,5, being the easy-going, relaxed one, majoring in History, and Benjamin, the dead-set, serious one, majoring in Mathematics. After much coaxing and convincing him that he’s so far along in his class that it would take the professor a week to catch up with him, Jessie and Kevin got Benjamin to do something that he doesn’t do very often – an outside activity.

“You remember my game plan, don’t you guys?” Benjamin said. “It’s basically get in school, get my major, get out, and get my career as quickly as possible.”

“We know, we know,” Kevin said, “ but you need to schedule your time for some fun. Getting together to play Field OPPS online is one thing, but you need to interact with other people sometime so you don’t become a total hermit.”

“Besides,” Jessie said, “I invited some guests.”

“If you’re trying to set us up on blind dates again, Jessie-” Benjamin threatened.

“NO, no, nothing like that. Besides, I only did that once, and I learned my lesson, believe me. No, these were a group of ladies who just happened to be hanging around the Student Union building when I went to buy a school sweatshirt at the bookstore last Tuesday. One of them happened to ask me about the Spring Festival, I told them what it was about, and that my two friends and I were going. They said it sounded like a great idea and proposed meeting at this spot at 8 o’clock. I agreed and that was it.”

“It’s not a dating set-up, it’s just a group of people getting together and having fun. You do remember what fun is, don’t you, Benjamin?” Kevin said.

“Yes I know what fun is, Kevin, and I actually have been known to have some every once in a while. It’s just that my studies don’t allow me to always go partying on the weekend, unlike some people.” Benjamin glared at Jessie.

“Hey, I don’t go out every weekend, I just go out more weekends than you,” Jessie said. “Besides, what are you talking about with your busy studies? You finish your homework before class is even out.”

“I still have to check it to make sure it’s right.”

“Aw man, you’re unbelievable! Do you mean to tell me-” Jessie stopped when he saw three figures approaching? “Here they come. Time to be on our best behavior.”

“Best behavior? What are you talking about – ow!” Benjamin rubbed his side. “Kevin, what’d you do that for?”

“That means you need to be on your best behavior, Ben. In other words, lighten up a little. We’re not asking you to get stinking drunk; we’re asking you to enjoy yourself. Smile, at least.”

“All right, Kevin, I’ll have fun.”

As the three ladies approached, Jessie, being true to his major and future career, made the introductions.

“Ladies, you know who I am, and this is Kevin, our future historian, and this is Benjamin, our budding mathematician, the man who becomes the teacher you love to hate.” The three women had a nice laugh at the last line. Benjamin gave Jessie a funny look.

“I’m not going to be a teacher- ow!” Benjamin turned to give Kevin that same look. Kevin just smiled at him.

“Fun, remember?” Kevin said.

Jessie continued with the introductions. “Gentlemen, these ladies are, from right to left, Maria and Tracey, two ladies who will someday make it a blessing to be sick.” Both ladies respectively took a vow; Maria, a 5’6 Hispanic woman with long black hair and a stocky build, not fat, but one that appeared to be muscular. Tracey was a 5’5 blonde with a skinny frame, which seemed to match the long straight hair that hangs down her back.

“A blessing to be sick?” Kevin asked.

“We’re nursing majors,” Maria said.

“I forgot to add, Tracey is a reserve player on our ladies basketball team, while Maria throws the shot put on our track team,” Jessie added.

“I consider my training for the shot put essential for dealing with problem patients,” Maria said with a smile.

“And last, but not least, this is Janelle, a future physical therapy major who will snap your joints back into shape. She could probably pop them out too, so don’t mess with her.”

“Ta-daah!” Janelle said.

The group was dressed in blue jeans, jean shorts, tee shirts, sweatshirts, windbreakers, and athletic shoes respectively, but it was Janelle’s outfit that caught the guys by surprise. Janelle was wearing a black sleeveless blouse with a short black skirt that hung down to the knees with a five-inch split for mobility. Underneath she wore sheer black leggings that stopped an inch or two above the ankle. Covering the outfit, she was wearing a burgundy duster that also hung down to her knees. And to top things off, she was barefoot, highlighted by the leggings and the black toenail polish she wore on her feet. The whole outfit caught the men’s attention.

“I call this my ninja look,” Janelle said. She noticed Kevin was looking not at her, but down at her feet. “I forgot my shoes, I left them at home.”

“You’re always leaving your shoes at home,” Maria said. “I’m beginning to wonder if you have any at home at all.”

“I have a few,” Janelle said. “I just choose not to wear them, that’s all.”

“But won’t that bother you,” Kevin asked, “the ground and everything?”

“Why should it bother me, its just dirt.”

“Yeah, that’s true, but-”

“Let’s go boys and girls,” Jessie interrupted. “Kevin, you and Janelle can discuss proper footwear on the way to the festival.”

As they started over to the festival, Janelle gave a small smile to her girlfriends. She was used to these types of questions. She walked over to Benjamin and smiled.

“You’re not going to teach?”

“Huh?” Benjamin said.

“You’re not going to teach after you get your math degree?”

“No, I was going to find a career that involved dealing with numbers, like perhaps analysis or something, then that would be it.”

“I like math.”

That got Benjamin’s attention. “You do?”

“Yes. I always liked taking those problems and putting all my effort into finding the solution. I always saw it as a classic struggle between the question that stands there in defiance, and the answer that demands to be known.”

That is interesting, Benjamin thought, he never thought of the practice of solving math equations as a study in conflict before.

“So what kept you from choosing mathematics as a major?” he asked.

“I found my talents are more suited for other things,” Janelle said. “Like knowing what makes things tick.”

“Which explains why you’re interested in physical therapy. Actually, I figured you were more of a theater or art major.”

Janelle laughed. “You would be surprised how many people make that assumption. Let me guess, it was the outfit, wasn’t it?”

“Actually more of the lack of outfit.”

“Ah yes, the “no-shoes” look. Well, it is not so much of a fashion statement as it is a lifestyle choice. Sometimes on a blue moon I’ll wear a pair, and just watch everybody freak out.”

“What about sandals?”

“What about them? Footwear for me has always been an all-or-nothing deal. Either you wear shoes or you don’t. I don’t, so that’s that.”

“Here we are everybody, the Spring Festival,” Jessie said. “Let’s sample all its wares and drink in every experience.”

“Oh, shut up,” Benjamin said. “Kevin, did you let him get a hold of one of your Shakespeare and poetry books again?”

“Not this time,” Kevin said.

“I’m the guilty party,” Tracey said. “It was a new book of poetry, and he practically begged to borrow it from me.”

“Woman, you have no idea what you have unleashed,” Kevin replied. “Now we’ll be hearing this stuff all night.”

The group walked through all the stands and exhibits of the festival. Almost everyone took an interest or participated in the things the festival had to offer, except for Janelle and Benjamin. As they neared the middle of the festival area, there was an exhibit that had a growing line of people coming from it. Overhead was the banner “Test Your Strength and Skill Against Samson, the Arm-Wrestling King! Only $5.” The banner also said (in smaller print) that any winners receive a $25 prize.

“You don’t suppose it’s the same guy that they had here last year?” Tracey asked Maria.

“It shouldn’t be. I heard he quit after last year.” Maria said.

“Well one way or the other we’ll find out. C’mon Ben,” Janelle said, as she walked to join the line of men leading to the arm-wrestling contest.

Benjamin was at first surprised by the use of the name “Ben.” Only his closest friends call him by that name. Secondly, while he sometimes competes in a few physical activities, he is well aware that arm-wrestling is not one of them.

“Janelle,” Benjamin was starting to say, “I’m not really good at this-”

“Ben honey, I’m not asking you to participate in this. This is for me,” Janelle said.

While Benjamin was surprised by Janelle’s statement, Jessie asked Maria and Tracey about the change of arm-wrestlers that year.

“Why did the other guy quit?” Jessie said.

“I was the reason he quit,” Janelle turned around in line and said. Some of the men further ahead of her heard her and smiled. What was fascinating to the three guys was that some of the men behind her in line suddenly turned and walked toward the other contest exhibits.

“What happened, you two were in a bad relationship?” Kevin asked.

Janelle smiled at Kevin and just nodded her head. “Yeah, I guess you could say we had a bad relationship. We had a disagreement about who held the most power. He lost, so he left.”

Kevin stared at Janelle, blinking his eyes. Maria pulled him aside and told him, “Kevin, there’s a little more to Janelle than meets the eye. You’ll see.”

As the line slowly moved to the contest, Janelle said, “Oh Ben, I hope this new guy is better than the other one they had for the last three years.”

“Er, I prefer to go by Benjamin.”

“Do your closest friends and family call you Ben?”

“Yeah.”

“I thought so. Anyway, Ben, this place is the only reason I come to this festival. How many times have you been here, not the arm-wrestling, but the festival?”

“This is my first time.”

“First time? Why is that?”

“I guess I’m not a festival-going person. I found other things to do to occupy my time, like making sure I’m caught up with my studies.”

“Oh Ben, we need to change that a little bit.”

“It’s Benjamin.”

“Not anymore.” Janelle smiled at him, despite the look Benjamin gave her.

When they finally reached the booth, “Samson” had just defeated another victim. He started to boast, “Who can stand before the mighty Samson? Who else is willing to test their mettle against me?”

Kevin turned to Tracey. “It sounds like he read the same book you lent Jessie.”

Tracey shrugged. “He’s probably just an English Literature major. You know how they are.”

Samson continued his lengthy monologue, then turned and faced Benjamin and Janelle. Pointing his finger at Benjamin, he said, “You sir! Are you the man who has the grit and fortitude to challenge the mighty Samson?”

“Uh, well, no, I’m here to-” Benjamin sputtered. Janelle got in front of him.

“I am the one who has the grit and fortitude to face you, Samson. Now stand fast and prepare to face the power that is woman.”

“A fair maiden,” Samson said. “Should you even be here? Come; do not embarrass yourself in front of your friends. Leave and retain your dignity.”

Preparing to take her seat, Janelle said, “I hope you’re better than the man they had here last year.”

“I propose to you that I am twice the man he is.”

“We’ll see about that. By the way, do you mind if I take off my jacket?” She already started pulling off her sleeves.

“By all means, milady, go ahead and shed your-”

What Samson, the three guys and some of the others present who are not familiar with Janelle were astounded as they saw what her duster had covered up. Two finely developed muscular arms. A few more of the men behind her in line departed to pursue other interests. The arms were well cut, and there was nothing soft about them.

Samson managed to recover well enough to retain his speech. Putting his arm on the table, he said to Janelle, “Have at thee.”

The two gripped, adjusted their arms, and stared at each other. A third party, the man who collected the money said, “Go!”

To the untrained eye, it appeared to be two people sitting at the table, staring at each other, holding hands in a weird position. If one looked at the face of Samson, however, one could tell from the small beads of sweat and lines of strain on his face that things are not going as well as he thought. After a few moments, Janelle, who never lost her gaze at Samson’s eyes, smiled and spoke to him in a low voice.

“You know, you’re not quite as good as the guy you replaced, but I think you have better potential, along with a better personality. Just keep at it, and you will be better than he. Please keep that monologue and flowery speech, I like it. Well, I would continue my conversation with you, but I have a man to impress, so . . .”

Janelle gradually put Samson’s arm down to the table. Maria, Tracey, and some of the ladies who were with their boyfriends in line cheered. Kevin, Jessie, and Benjamin clapped their hands, more stunned than excited.

Samson did not miss a beat. “Zounds, it looks like we have a woman who is more than a mere match for Samson. A true valkyrie indeed.”

After they shook hands, Samson (whose real name is Sam) pulled Janelle over and asked her, in his normal voice, “Hey, you wouldn’t happen to be that woman who beat up those gang members last year, would you?”

“No, I’m not, but I’m dying to meet her,” Janelle said. “You’ve be surprised how many times I’ve been asked that.”

“Yeah, I’d love to meet her too,” Sam said. “You think your man is impressed?”

“If not now, he soon will be. He’s mine, but he just doesn’t know it yet.”

“I’m sure he’ll find out soon. Take care. I’ll see you next year.”

“Count on it.”

Janelle collected her prize money, and with the rest of the group, walked back to the center of the festival area. “Well, I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m finished for the evening.”

Jessie was surprised. “Why do you want to go so soon? There’s still the other half of the festival to discover.”

“I’ve seen the other half, same old thing. The arm-wrestling contest is the only reason I came. Hey, let’s check out that ice cream stand over there. I want to get a cone before I leave.”

“Maybe you could treat,” Jessie said.

“Dream on.”

While they were walking to the ice cream stand, Janelle motioned Tracey and Maria over to her.

“Okay Tracey, I want you to find out everything you can about Benjamin. His likes, dislikes, hobbies if he has any, etc. Maria, you have the easier job of finding out if he has a girlfriend, has an interest in somebody, has a pen pal, that sort of thing.”

“Why do I have the hard job?” Tracey said.

“Because you are a whiz at finding out necessary information,” Janelle said. “You never let me or Maria down yet. Perhaps you should consider journalism instead of nursing. Maria’s job may be easier because I don’t think he goes out much.”

“Consider it done, Janelle. How soon do you need it?” Tracey asked.

“I’d like to have it as soon as possible, but I understand that the less social guys are a little tougher, so as soon as you can. Maria, any problems with your assignment?”

“No, getting information from Jessie is about as easy as turning a faucet. You’re really interested in this guy, Janelle?”

“Yeah, I want him. Let’s join the guys before they notice anything funny.”

“They have no clue,” Tracey said.

“One can’t be too careful,” Maria said.

It turned out that Janelle did spring for everyone’s ice cream cone that night. They came to some nearby benches, sat down, and talked about they festival’s experiences. Kevin still had some questions for Janelle.

“Janelle, what do you do in cases like this? I mean, ice cream stands, they have sticky spots where they drop ice cream and stuff.”

“Okay Kevin, let’s explain it this way,” Janelle said. “You wear shoes, right?”

“Yes.”

“Do you step in mud puddles?”

“No.”

“So what do you do when you encounter one?”

“I step over them. Oh. Duh! Okay, one more question and I’ll leave you alone.”

“I doubt that because you’ll have more questions tomorrow,” Janelle said, laughing, “but go ahead, shoot.”

“About you beating Samson tonight, I don’t know how to say it other than this, but how did you do it?”

“The old-fashioned way.” She walked over to Kevin and put her hand on his shoulder. “You have a lot of questions about me, and I don’t mind you asking, I really don’t. But I have a word of advice that will be helpful for you later on. Think outside of the box.”

“Think outside of the box?”

“Yeah, think outside of the barriers society has put up in your mind. It will answer a whole lot of questions for you. There is not much difference between you walking around with shoes and me walking barefoot, except I like to feel the earth under my feet. Of course, there are plenty of things,” she gestured to the ice cream covered sidewalk, “that neither of us want underneath our feet. And as for beating Samson, you’ll be surprised what a little exercise can do.”

“I can see that. And with that, I’m going to get another ice cream cone. Thanks for the treat on the first one.”

After seeing Kevin go off to get his second cone, Janelle looked over to the bench where her friends were having an animated conversation with Jessie. Good, she thought, they’re already doing their work. Kevin will probably join them when he returns. Then she looked over to find Benjamin sitting on another bench, tying his shoe. Janelle walked over to him. Benjamin was putting the finishing touches on his right shoe when suddenly he saw the bare toes of Janelle in front of it. Slowly he looked up to find Janelle smiling down at him.

“Ben,” she said.

“It’s Benjamin,” he said.

“Oh, Ben, we need to change that.”

“Why?”

“Never mind. What are you going to do now?”

“Well, I plan on joining the rest of the group, then see the rest of the festival.”

“Why? You’re not too crazy about it.”

“I know, but my two friends practically begged me to come.”

“I see. I’m taking off. I’ll see you later Ben.”

“My name is-”

“Give it up. I’ll see you later,” she said, as she waved goodbye and headed back towards the university dorms.

“Why does she call me Ben?” Benjamin asked himself.

“Why that’s a wonderful story,” Pastor Ron said. “Why would you guys be ashamed of that? I can think of worse ways to meet than that. Now was that so bad?”

“No,” they both said, rather hesitantly.

“Good. Now you can tell me about your first date.”

The pastor was not prepared for the horror-stricken expression on each of their faces. This was not making sense. What could be so frightening about a first date that would be that traumatic? He’s heard plenty of stories about disastrous first dates. How could theirs be that different?

This is going to be a long hour, he told himself.

Janelle after a couple of false starts finally got the ball rolling.

“Well, it wasn’t a date so much, it was- let me start over. It started when-”

“So what else have you found out about him?” Janelle asked.

“Let’s see. On Thursdays, they get together and play computer war games online,” Tracey said. “That almost qualifies him for being a computer nerd, doesn’t it?”

“No, nerds don’t have a life. They also don’t interact well in public. Besides, you should try one of those computer war games, you might like it.”

“Geez, Janelle, does everything with you always involve some type of fighting or conflict?”

“No, some things with me also involve passion as well.”

The two women were sitting in Janelle’s dorm room at the university. It was Saturday afternoon, the day after the Spring Festival. As is customary on college campuses, half the dorms were empty, because the students were going their separate ways to best spend Spring Break. Some saw this as a time to go back home, like Tracey, who has her bags packed and was ready to return to her home state of Indiana to see her parents. Others saw this as an opportunity to visit one of the many beaches in the country, like Maria, who took this opportunity to visit a beach that didn’t have half of the country’s student population, like Daytona Beach. Maria instead went with some friends to visit a more remote beach in Georgia.

The rest, like Janelle, who either do not have anywhere to go, or have no desire to go anywhere else, take the advantage of a quiet campus. No classes, a chance to sleep late, catch up on homework, get a head start on research papers, and in her case, have a chance to get herself more acquainted with Benjamin.

“There’s something else you should know,” Tracey said, as she prepared to go. “Benjamin has a “mission” of sorts that he’s almost obsessed with.”

“A mission?” Janelle asked.

“Yeah, he plans are ‘get in school, get his degree, get out, get a career.’ Do not pass Go, do not collect $200, that sort of thing.”

“This was his goal for his four years here?”

“Yeah, but he’s not looking forward to next year. He has nothing left but electives. You would think as hard as he’s going at it, he would be out in three years.”

“So math is a passion with him?”

“It sounds a little sick to me, but I guess you could call it that. What were Maria’s results?”

“It’s what you would expect. His last girlfriend was back in high school, and I imagine with this “mission” of his, he never took the time to see about getting one in college.”

“Sounds like a serious case,” Tracey said.

“I like them serious,” Janelle replied. She and Tracey hugged each other, and then Tracey grabbed her suitcase and made her way down the stairs of the dorm to her car. Janelle sat back and mentally went through Benjamin’s daily schedule.

Because of Spring Break, a skeleton crew ran the cafeteria, and the hours were changed to be earlier than usual. From her information, Benjamin always eats dinner down there, usually with his friends. However, his two friends were going to be gone half the week, leaving him to fend for himself. Checking her watch, she saw that dinnertime would be starting by the time she got over there. Since this was to be a casual occasion, she saw no need to change the red sweats she put on that day. She did pause to pull the legs down on her sweat pants; the ladies of the lunch crew sometimes have a fit when they see her come with no shoes. She did it all the time, she thought, why would they complain about it now?

When she arrived at the cafeteria and got her meal, she saw Benjamin at a table eating by himself. Excellent. She started walking over to the table and sat across from him.

“Hello Ben,” she said.

“Why do you call me that? My name is Benjamin.”

“Because you’re a Ben, not a Benjamin.”

“Excuse me?”

“A name can signify a lot of things, even the long version of a name. Tell me, what does the name ‘Benjamin’ signify to you?”

“Uh, Benjamin Franklin?”

“Also known as ‘Ben Franklin.’ Textbook definitions of the name aside, the name ‘Benjamin’ sounds formal, stiff. The name ‘Ben’ on the other hand, has more flexibility. It still sounds serious, but it’s not as serious as a heart attack.”

“I never thought of it that way before.” Benjamin sat lost in thought for a moment, then he noticed the way Janelle was looking at him and decided to change the subject. “So why are you still here?”

“I’m not that crazy about the beach, I can see my family any weekend, and I have other things on campus to keep me occupied.” Janelle couldn’t help smiling as she looked intently at Benjamin when she said that last part. “Why are you here?”

“Same reasons, I guess.” Benjamin was starting to feel a little flushed, and he found himself drinking half of his coke in one gulp.

“I know it’s not to catch up on your math. From what I understand of your position, in some of your classes, you’re waiting about a week for your professors to catch up.”

“Well, yeah, but, uh, but uh, there’s always, uh,” Benjamin was feeling a little uncomfortable. He couldn’t finish the last part of his meal, and he went for another drink of his coke, only to realize that he already drained it five seconds ago. In addition, he thought this cafeteria was well air conditioned when he got here . . .

Janelle, still not taking her eyes off Benjamin, smiled and turned her body to the side and propped her bare left foot on the seat next to her. “You know Ben, we have this whole week and the whole campus to ourselves.”

“I got to go,” Benjamin interrupted. His mind raced for a reason, then he looked at his empty coke glass. “I need to get another drink.”

“Oh, don’t go anywhere, Ben, I’ll get it for you.” Then Janelle was up and halfway to the drink stand before Benjamin could protest. She shortly returned with two glasses of coke. “I noticed you’re rather thirsty, so I got you two cokes.”

“Thanks.” After taking a long sip and feeling a little renewed, he attempted to get the spotlight off him. “So what things do you have to do on campus?”

If Janelle was thrown off by the change in conversation, she didn’t show it. “Well, I have a paper I need to put the finishing touches to, I need to finish reading one book for a particular class, and I also have to help my judo instructor teach some new recruits this week.”

“Judo? I mean, you take Judo?”

“Yes, I have been involved in Judo for years. I’m a black belt.”

“So that explains how you beat that guy last night.”

“No, lifting weights daily explains how I beat that guy last night. If I flipped him if he made a pass at me, then that would be judo. No, this was brute strength.”

“Is that why you wear sleeves all the time?” Benjamin saw his opening to gaining the balance of power in the conversation and took it.

Janelle smiled again, and nodded her head. “Very perceptive Ben! Yes, that’s why I wear long sleeves whenever possible. Muscular arms on a woman can draw undue attention. My legs I work on more than my arms, but they aren’t as noticeable. I guess guys don’t want to know that I can beat them up.”

“Why do you lift weights?” Benjamin asked.

“Why? Because I like feeling strong, Ben. And when you feel strong, it makes you more confident. I never liked the idea of playing the ‘poor, helpless female’ that many of the guys drool over around here. With feeling strong, plus the self confidence that my martial arts training has gave me, I feel I can do anything I want, or if necessary, take it.”

Janelle said the last part in a hushed whisper, again staring intensely at Benjamin. “Now, I believe before you got thirsty, there was this matter of this whole campus belonging to ourselves for the whole week.”

“I got to go, I just remembered something, bye.” Benjamin grabbed his tray, and shot up from his seat, heading for the exit before Janelle could say anything. She just sat back and smiled.

“You’re mine, Ben,” she said. She picked up her tray, and after disposing of it, returned to her dorm room.

Despite Janelle’s assessment, Benjamin was not reachable for the next two days. She was able to contact him by phone later that Saturday evening, but five minutes later, he said he had to go do homework, which she knew was a lie, because Benjamin does not have homework. The following calls after that were taken by his answering machine. Further observation indicated that he never left his dorm room in those two days either.

In spite of all Janelle’s weight lifting and martial art training, the one lesson she did not learn in regards of dealing with people is patience. When Tuesday rolled around and she discovered that Benjamin again did not show up at the cafeteria for dinner, she had enough. Back at her dorm room, she put on an oversized men’s white dress shirt, rolling up the sleeves at the elbows, and a pair of her nicest blue jeans. No shoes, of course. She looked herself over in a full-length mirror hanging on her closet door, then left to make her way to Benjamin’s dormitory.

Because of Spring Break, the dormitories were sparsely populated, meaning there was less security to deal with. As Janelle reached the floor that Benjamin’s dorm was on, and approached the door, she saw a couple of pizza boxes sitting outside, waiting to be thrown out. Sneaky little thing, Janelle said to herself, and then knocked on the door.

Benjamin answered the door in jean shorts, a tee shirt, white socks, running shoes, and a pencil perched behind his right ear. As Janelle expected, he was shocked to see her.

“Janelle!” He said. “What a surprise!”

“Hello Ben,” she said, coming in before he had a chance to invite or not invite her in. Pointing to a pizza box, she said, “I noticed you weren’t at dinner in the cafeteria the last couple of days.”

“I just had a craving for pizza,” Benjamin said.

“Yes, I know about those cravings,” Janelle said. She was not in the mood for being subtle.

“Ah, I was in the middle of something. Is there something you want?”

“Well yes; I want you, Ben.” Janelle walked closer to Benjamin, her brown eyes staring intensely into Benjamin’s.

“You what?” Benjamin forced out, not quite believing what he heard.

“You heard me. I said I want you, Ben.” She displayed a devilish smile. “What are you going to do about it? You don’t have anywhere to go, do you?”

Benjamin suddenly lost the power of speech. “Ah, well, uh, I guh-guh-guh-”

“I said you don’t have anywhere to go. Nowhere but here with me.” She put her right hand to his cheek and started stroking it. She leaned her face closer to his and whispered, “Do you?”

Benjamin still found coherent speech impossible. “Nuh, uh, b-b-b-but-”

“Shhhh,” Janelle said, reaching back with her right foot and closing the door behind her.

Janelle’s original intention was to come over and to just have another talk with Benjamin, and to lessen the charm a little. However, the two days of near non-contact had left her inpatient, mixed in with a little anger, and a growing, hungering level of lust.

Benjamin finally found his voice. “What are you doing?”

“Kissing you,” Janelle said. He pulled Benjamin close, who despite putting up a struggle, was no match for Janelle’s grip as she kissed him deeply. In fact, it seemed to him, the more he put up a struggle, the more she liked it.

“Come on, baby, relax and let go,” she said. She hugged Benjamin tightly, which reminded him of a python encircling its victim.

“Janelle, please, urkkk!” Benjamin whispered, but was cut off from speech as she forced her tongue, into his mouth.

Becoming increasingly caught up in the heat of the moment, Janelle using her brute strength raised Benjamin up and slowly lower him down until he was lying with his back on the ground. At that point, Janelle’s kisses became more frequent and more savage, kissing him around his mouth and his neck. She hugged him again, tightly, then as suddenly as it came, she stopped, and rose up on her knees. Benjamin was speechless, not knowing what to say to his Amazonian captor smiling down at him.

“You must understand, you’re mine now, Ben,” she said softly. “And I don’t plan on letting you go.”

On later reflection, Janelle would say that she’s not sure what came over her at that moment. She started looking up and down at Benjamin, then suddenly started loosening his belt and unbuttoning his shorts.

“Janelle, what are you doing? Please stop, no!” Benjamin begged, but with sudden speed and one brutal tug, she pulled his shorts and briefs down to his knees, leaving him exposed.

“See, you want me,” Janelle said, foundling him. To Benjamin, the passionate attack has aroused him, of course, but this was not what he intended. After Janelle examined her handiwork, she slowly started unbuckling her belt, savoring the moment.

Benjamin felt like he was in a fog, like a bad dream that he could not wake up from, no matter how he tried. He tried reaching with his hands to push Janelle off, to pull his shorts up, to do something to stop this from happening. Janelle, still sitting on her knees on his ankles was safely out of reach until she finished pulling her pants and panties down. Then without warning, she sprung forward, pinning Benjamin’s hands down, and showering him with more kisses around the mouth and neck.

“Gonna make you mine,” Janelle whispered in his ear, then released his left wrist momentarily. Though he was a virgin, Benjamin knew enough basic biology, plus that “talk” from his mom and dad to know what was happening, especially when he felt the contact and penetration. He started to yell “No!” but was silenced again by Janelle’s French kisses as she began to raise up and down, slowly at first, then increased in speed. If one observed what was going on, it would be a shock to realize that Janelle was a virgin too, but it couldn’t be recognized from the way she acted.

After a few moments that seemed more like minutes, Janelle released Benjamin from her kiss, reared back, and screamed. Although the action nearly scared Benjamin to death, he followed with some cries of his own. It was a strange mixture of pain followed by the biggest sense of pleasure and release he had ever known. After she finished screaming, Janelle fell back unto Benjamin’s chest, her own chest heaving with exhaustion. Benjamin was exhausted too, though he couldn’t comprehend why, he just laid there. Then again, in the state of denial that his mind has entered, he wasn’t ready to comprehend anything.

When she finally caught her breath, Janelle kissed Benjamin lightly on the lips. “Wow, that was nice.” She got dressed, went into Benjamin’s bathroom, came back out with a washcloth and cleaned Benjamin off, and then pulled his briefs and shorts back on. She walked to the door.

“We’ll have to try that again sometime,” she giggled, then opened the door to leave. “I’ll see you soon. Goodbye Ben.” She closed the door and was gone.

Benjamin was still laying on the floor trying to understand what just happened to him. When he finally did rise, he shakily got up, went to his bedroom, and went to bed, without changing clothes, locking the door, or turning the light off. He fell asleep with thoughts of . . .nothing.

It wasn’t until Wednesday afternoon that Benjamin relised what happened to him. He was raped. A woman raped him. It seemed to fit into the working definition of what a rape was; she wanted sex, he didn’t, she forced herself on him, he couldn’t fight her off. An equally scary thought that entered his mind; she could do it again. Until Spring Break is over, and the campus is fully populated again, he will just have to barricade himself in his dorm room, and not to let anybody in except for the pizza guy. Of that he should feel safe, because nobody is here to drop by for a visit until Thursday or Friday when Jessie and Kevin get back, plus the pizza guy doesn’t even come in the door, he just stands in the doorway.

The funny thing about this, he thought to himself is that he actually liked Janelle. He liked her aggressiveness, her forwardness, even her eccentric habits of being barefoot all the time. But what only a few people knew, not even his two close friends, was that he was painfully shy with women in terms of romance. As far as being friends with them, no problem, but when his feelings approach those being more than friendship, he freezes, his mind goes blank, and he runs and hides. He figured that after he graduated college, he would put his energies into taking care of that problem. He also figured on being a virgin until the night of his honeymoon too, but that didn’t seem to be the case anymore.

“Now I have a borderline nymphomaniac after me,” he said aloud.

Aside from deciding on a hermit-like existence for the rest of the week, if for some reason he has to encounter her again, he’s not going down without a fight. From what he knew about the subject, rape victims have a tendency to feel helpless after the act was done. Benjamin didn’t count himself as the exception; he has never felt this vulnerable before. But he has also heard of rape victims who fought back and won. He didn’t have a game plan for that, but he’ll figure out something. He estimated he could stay in his dorm for about three or four days without going stir crazy. In that time, he should be finished with all his math work for the remainder of the semester, except for tests and quizzes.

On Thursday evening, his plan was going without a hitch. He finished off one math class he had for the semester. He wouldn’t have to even show up, except for the final exam. Despite the events of a few days ago, he felt a sense of accomplishment about that at least. He checked his watch. Time to order dinner. He glanced at the phone number for his favorite pizza place, then called and made his usual order for delivery. Maybe some extra cheese on the toppings will be a nice change of pace.

He was sitting on his couch watching one of his favorite game shows when he heard the door knock. He checked his watch again; right on time, but he couldn’t be too careful.

“Who is it?” He said.

“Pizza man,” said a muffled voice from the other side of the door.

Good, now he can indulge himself, watch a movie, and go to bed. He hasn’t heard anything from Kevin or Jessie, so they’ll probably be in tomorrow, he thought. He retrieved his wallet from the nightstand in his bedroom, and with his head down, walked to the door looking in his wallet to see if he had enough to pay the delivery guy the 15 percent along with the total price of the pizza. He opened the door; his head was still pointed down as he shuffled through the number of bills in his wallet. After he finished counting and was ready to pull the money out, he glanced over his wallet and noticed something unusual.

The delivery guy was wearing no shoes.

With a cold spear of dread, he slowly looked up into the smiling face of Janelle holding his pizza. Suddenly in the space of a second, he remembered a story he heard from a history class about an impenetrable castle on a mountain that an enemy army was trying to invade. Then one day, one of the soldiers noticed a dog, a pet belonging to the king or one of the officials, come down at a particular time to get a drink of water. Eventually, that army was able to trace the path the dog has taken to get into the castle and defeat the enemy. He also remembered the story of the Trojan Horse in the war between Greece and Troy, and how that ended up. Moreover, here was Janelle, holding his “Trojan pizza.” Maybe she took that history class too.

She was wearing a white tank top along with a pair of blue jean shorts. He couldn’t help but notice the muscular development of her legs. They looked as powerful if not more so than her arms. It seemed like the whole woman seemed to glow with power. No wonder she covered everything but her feet most of the time. A body like that could stop traffic.

Before he could think about doing it, she shot through the door before he could think of closing it. He backed up a couple of steps as she put the pizza on a nearby table.

“Here’s your pizza, Ben,” she said. “You really need to go on a healthier diet than eating pizzas all the time.”

“Like I said, I had a particular craving for pizza,” Benjamin said, inching for the door. He had a small window of opportunity here, to run out the door, and hide somewhere in the dormitory. Maybe he could make it to a nearby phone, call campus security and tell them about an intruder in his dorm, and leave it in their hands. “What do you need?”

“To finish what we started Tuesday,” she said, and then as if she read her mind, took her left hand and pushed the door shut. She noticed the shocked expression on Benjamin’s face, and then added, “You weren’t thinking of going somewhere, were you? Not after I paid the pizza man and gave him a five dollar tip.”

“Janelle, listen to me, you don’t want to do this,” Benjamin said, in a last ditch effort to reason with Janelle. “What happened Tuesday was an accident. Please don’t force me to do anything rash.”

Janelle smiled back as she approached Benjamin with the gracefulness and stealth of a cat. “Ben, listen to me, I want to do this. Tuesday may have been an accident, but it was one of the best accidents I’ve been involved in. Besides, if you could have stopped me, you would’ve succeeded already. So instead of doing anything “rash,” just sit back and enjoy it. I know I will.”

Benjamin glanced toward the bedroom. If he could make it in there, he might be able to call the campus police on the phone extension there. He made a break for it, but he felt the strong arms of Janelle lift him up and drop him on the couch.

“Do you treat all your dates this way?” Benjamin said.

“No, unless they’re the one,” Janelle said.

“The one what?” Benjamin said.

The one and only, Janelle thought, but there’s no need to tell him that yet. Right now, she just wants to get a piece of him. Since Tuesday, her hormones have been awakened in a way that they never had been before, and she had to have him one more time. After she thrown Benjamin on the couch, she straddled him, held his face in her hands, and kissed him deeply and passionately. She was so caught up in what she was doing, she was stunned when Benjamin suddenly pushed her off his lap. She slipped off his lap, and fell down in a heap in front of the couch. Benjamin sprang off the couch, and backed away.

“Please Janelle,” Benjamin said, panting for breath, shaking off the effects of Janelle’s kiss. “Let’s think about this. How about we sit down at the table and discuss it over a couple of slices of pizza?”

The look on Janelle’s face did not show even mild interest in that idea. She had a dark look on her face, frustrated and angry that she was interrupted in her passion.

“Come here, Ben.” Janelle said, rising from the floor. “You want to “discuss things,” then come back and sit here on the couch, then we can “discuss” all you want. After we’re finished.”

Benjamin turned and ran to the bedroom, his last chance of protection, if not escape. He ran in, and closed the door, but again he was no match for Janelle’s speed and strength. She grabbed the door as it was closing, then pushed it back, sending Benjamin stumbling off-balance. She closed the door.

“The bedroom, excellent choice,” she said.

She tackled Benjamin to the floor, and then turned him over on his back, straddling him. “I’m tired of playing games, Ben, stop struggling.”

Benjamin, remembering what he decided before if this situation happened again, tried to turn and push her off. He was determined not to be a helpless victim this time. Janelle, however, had lost her patience.

“Ben, I said stop!”

Then she slapped him. It wasn’t the type of slap that stung your cheek for a minute or two. From Janelle’s powerful arms, this was a slap that made Benjamin see stars and seemed to shake his molars. His struggling stopped for a few moments which gave Janelle the time she needed to pull his shorts and briefs down, then to take her own shorts and underwear off. She fondled Ben briefly, then mounted him and began.

Benjamin recovered enough to see that she was doing it again, and once again made his attempt to struggle and find some way to throw her off. The second attempt was short-lived when Janelle slapped him again. She slapped his face a third time when it looked like he was making another attempt at escape. After the third slap, Benjamin gave up the struggle. He thought if he was slapped a few more times like that, he would be spitting out teeth.

Eventually, they both climaxed, and Janelle again fell on top of Benjamin, chest heaving, and smiling once again. Then she noticed the beginnings of a bruise on Benjamin’s cheek. She started kissing it, tenderly.

“I’m sorry I had to be so rough, Ben,” Janelle whispered into his ear, “but you wouldn’t cooperate. It would have been a lot less trouble.”

She dressed, then went into Benjamin’s bathroom to get another washrag to clean him off. After she did so, she led him back into the dining room and sat him down at one of the chairs at the table. She sat across from him, opened the pizza box, and took out two slices of pizza, giving one to Benjamin and eating the other piece herself.

“Here’s what we need to discuss, Ben,” she said. “There’s no way you can get away from me, so you shouldn’t even try. You can’t stay cooped up in your room forever. Besides, from the looks of things in the bedroom, laundry day is coming soon. We will have time to talk about other things, but let’s make one thing clear, you are mine now. We’ll discuss that, but right now, I need to go.”

She kissed Benjamin on the forehead, then headed towards the door.

“I’ll see you tomorrow at lunch in the cafeteria, okay? Bye Ben.”

Then she opened the door and let herself out.

Pastor Ron heard the account, then hit the button on his intercom.

“Sally?”

“Yes Pastor Ron?” Sally, his secretary said.

“Please cancel all my other appointments for today. Ask them if they would like to reschedule sometime later this week or at the beginning of the next week, okay?”

“Yes pastor. Anything else?”

“Yes, there is. Why don’t you go ahead and have yourself a nice long lunch after you’re through.”

“How long?”

“I don’t know. Use your own discretion.”

“Thank you, pastor.”

“Thank you, Sally.”

“You canceled all your appointments, pastor? Our hour is almost done,” Benjamin said.

“You’re right, I did cancel the rest of my appointments, but our hour is not done, not by a long shot,” Pastor Ron said, motioning for the couple who just rose in their seats to sit back down. After they sat, he directed his stern gaze to Janelle. “Do you realize that you could go to prison for what you done?”

Janelle sat looking at her hands. The smiling face was gone now.

“Rape is a crime, no matter who is doing it. There are hundreds of cases of rapes that go on in this country every year; and even though the numbers of reported cases against men are much lower, that does not excuse it. As a pastor, a counselor, and a law-abiding citizen, I would have every right to report your crime to the police. Did you think I would let that go by? Do you remember that commercial that came out a year or two ago? Do you remember the slogan? What was it, oh yeah, “‘no’ means ‘no,’ regardless of what you may think.” Look, I admire you keeping in excellent shape, I think that’s great, but whether you’re a 90 pound weakling or Xena, Warrior Princess, it doesn’t mean you have the right to take advantage of other people.”

Janelle was still looking at her hands.

“And now that this deed was done, you want me to marry you two? Marrying a person doesn’t necessarily make atonement for your past sins. That’s not what marriage is about.”

Janelle continued to look at her hands. Her hands were wet with tears.

“Pastor,” Benjamin said, “please don’t be so hard on Janelle. We reconciled it a long time ago.”

“Well, you will need to show me that,” Pastor Ron said. “Just because you say you two reconciled doesn’t always mean it is so. I’ve talked with a few couples who gave lip service to forgiving their spouses’ behavior, but what happens a year or two down the road, one spouse ends up punishing the other because they didn’t fulfill that act in their heart. I believe in forgiveness, otherwise, I would not be here, and neither would any of us. I believe in it because God does. But since I’m not God, I can’t see into your heart and know if that is really true. So, in order for me to believe this, and in order for me to join you two in marriage at this church, you need to show me.”

“All right,” Benjamin said. “I understand your point.