“Not Homecoming” (Story 6, Excerpt 4)

The following excerpt is the fourth part of “Not Homecoming”. You can read the first part here. You can read the second part here. You can read the third part here.

“Let’s get some breakfast,” said Arthur.

He didn’t seem mad or disappointed, just calm and concerned about why I was crying.

“Will egg and cheese make you feel better?” He asked.

Finally, Arthur had an idea that I really liked. We got dressed, and he drove us to the shopping center in West Caldwell with the bagel place and the Quick Chek.

Part of me felt like I was on vacation, and another part of me felt like I was home. I had been to these stores so many times that even the cashier at the bagel place still remembered my name and greeted me when we entered. He even started to make my usual sandwich before I could order it.

I smiled for that first time that day. In New Jersey, I was royalty.

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“Not Homecoming” (Story 6, Excerpt 3)

The following excerpt is the third part of “Not Homecoming”. You can read the first part here. You can read the second part here.

When we got to his house, Arthur went inside first to make sure his mom was gone. Arthur lived here with his mom, his older sister, and his sister’s fiancé; the couple lived in a separate apartment on the second floor. His mom was going out of town for the weekend, and his sister didn’t care if I spent the night.

Arthur’s house was about fifteen minutes from the house where I grew up but where I no longer lived. I was almost home.

I stood outside in the dark driveway, waiting for Arthur and wondering if Theo would really call. I tried not to raise my expectations. He probably lost the piece of paper on the train. Maybe a stranger, who had found my number on the floor in the aisle, would call.

Arthur returned to the front door and waved his hand, signaling for me to enter. We ran up the stairs to his bedroom, and Arthur pushed me down on his bed and started to kiss me. I loved kissing Arthur, but would this be the moment? Had he taken a Viagra?

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“Not Homecoming” (Story 6, Excerpt 2)

The following excerpt is the second part of “Not Homecoming”. You can read the first part here.

With Theo gone, I could worry more about what my weekend with Arthur would bring.

Arthur and I had been dating for more than a year but we still retained our virginity. We had done everything besides sex, but I was usually on the receiving end.

Don’t get me wrong; I wanted to please Arthur, but trying to please him was difficult and exhausting. I never knew what I was doing wrong.

I could go down on him for forty-five minutes, and nothing would happen. Most of the time, his penis would become soft, and I would ask him what I could do to make it better. He never knew, and I never wanted to embarrass him further.

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“Not Homecoming” (Story 6, Excerpt 1)

The following excerpt is the first part of “Not Homecoming”. You can read the second part here.

When I returned to my apartment after Friday’s final class, I asked my roommate Courtney to do the special stretches with me.

At a local video store, we had found an instructional DVD that showed women how to stretch in preparation for sex. Of course, we bought it, not only because we laughed when we saw it but also because we were curious. I thought I should be prepared for Arthur, and I wanted to impress him with my limberness.

Wearing sweatpants, Courtney and I sat on the floor in the common room. We decided to do the stretches for exactly ten minutes so that I would have enough time to shave my legs, wash, condition, and blow-dry my hair, and then to ask Courtney to do my makeup the way I liked it for formal events.

The most painful stretch was the Groin Grimace, aptly named for the way we reacted to it. For this stretch, we had to lie on our backs, lift our legs and feet off the floor, and press the soles of our feet together. While bending our knees outward, we had to pull our heels in to our groin, and then press our knees to the floor, as much as we could. I could only hold this stretch for sixteen of the recommended thirty seconds.

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