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I’ve got you up here and I—”
    “And you don’t know what to do.”
    “Well I know I can’t do this!”
    “Why not.”
    “For God’s sake why do you think, Mrs. Robinson.”
    She shrugged. “I suppose you don’t find me particularly desirable,”
    she said.
    “Oh no,” Benjamin said, taking a step toward the bed. “No. That has nothing to do with it.”
    “You don’t have to—”
    “Look,” Benjamin said. “Mrs. Robinson. I think—I think you’re the most attractive woman of all my parents’ friends. I mean that. I find you desirable. But I— For God’s sake can you imagine my parents?” He held his arms up beside him.
    “What?”

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    “Can you imagine what they’d say if they just saw us here in this room right now?”
    “What would they say,” she said.
    “I have no idea, Mrs. Robinson. But for God’s sake. They’ve brought me up. They’ve made a good life for me. And I think they deserve better than this. I think they deserve a little better than jumping into bed with the partner’s wife.”
    She nodded.
    “So it’s nothing to do with you. But I respect my parents. I appreciate what they’ve—”
    “Benjamin?” she said, looking up at him.
    “What.”
    “Would you think I was being forward if I asked you a rather personal question?”
    “Oh no,” Benjamin said. “You can ask me anything you want. I’d be happy to—”
    “Are you a virgin?” she said.
    “What?”
    “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want.”
    Benjamin frowned at her. “Am I a virgin.” he said.
    She nodded.
    Benjamin continued to frown at her and finally she smiled. “All right,”
    she said. “You don’t have to tell me.”
    “Well what do you think,” he said.
    “I don’t know,” she said. “I guess you probably are.”
    “Come on,” Benjamin said.
    “Well aren’t you?”
    “Of course I’m not.”
    “It’s nothing you should be ashamed of, Benjamin,” she said, dropping her bra beside her on the bed.
    “What?”

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    She folded her arms over her breasts and leaned her head back against the wall. “I mean I wish you’d just admit to me you’re a little bit frightened of being with a woman instead of...”
    “What?”
    “I wish you’d just tell me you don’t think you’d be able to go through with it rather than...”
    Benjamin shook his head. “Look,” he said. “You’re missing the point.”
    “I don’t think so.”
    “Well you are,” he said. “The point is that I come from a family where we trust each other.”
    Mrs. Robinson brought her head up and smiled slightly. “Come on,”
    she said.
    “What?”
    “Now look,” she said. “I’m sure there isn’t a man living who wasn’t a little scared his first time.”
    “But it’s not!”
    “Benjamin there’s no reason to be scared of me.”
    “Do you really believe that?” he said, taking another step toward the bed. “Do you really believe I’ve never done this thing before?”
    “Well,” she said, “I think it’s pretty obvious you haven’t. You don’t have the slightest idea what to do. You’re nervous and awkward. You can’t even—”
    “Oh my God,” Benjamin said.
    “I mean just because you might be inadequate in one way doesn’t—”
    “Inadequate?!”
    She nodded, then it was quiet. Benjamin stared at her as she frowned down at one of her breasts. “Well,” she said finally, straightening up and putting one foot down on the floor. “I guess I’d better be—”
    “Stay on that bed,” Benjamin said. He removed his coat quickly and dropped it on the floor. Then he began unbuttoning his shirt. He walked to the bed to sit down beside her, then reached behind her head to remove several bobby pins. Mrs. Robinson shook her head and her hair fell down around her shoulders. Benjamin finishedtaking off his shirt and dropped it on the floor. Then he put his arms around The Graduate
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    her and eased her down onto her back on the bed. He kissed