a
homosexual thought in their life.
Personally, I believe we’re all a little bit gay. Fifty Shades
of Gay, if you will.
Now maybe you have a clear place on the scale. Then again, maybe
you’re in a gray area. There’s nothing wrong with that.
Like many women, I absolutely adore male company and the funny
quirks of the male physique. However, that didn’t make me resistant to a
beautiful woman’s seduction when the opportunity presented itself.
Turns out I’m somewhere on the continuum where I wouldn’t
necessarily seek out the sexual company of a woman, but if the right woman
comes along, I wouldn’t say no either. Also, I might occasionally touch myself
and think about Sienna Miller. So what? I’m not sorry. I like to think she’d be
flattered; Maybe she’d even give me a proper British snog if she knew.
Many summers ago, I had an affair with a woman in Spain and- for
the record- I firmly believe it didn’t make me any gayer than I already was.
What it did make me was a more passionate, sensual, and attentive lover. It
also made me feel differently about being in my own skin. In a good way.
Before that, I had always focused on my imperfections when I
looked in the mirror. I saw the cellulite on my thighs, the stretch marks I was
sure no one else had.
But I learned men and lesbians don’t see women that way. They
see soft, inviting curves, strength, and sexiness. And sleeping with a woman
taught me how to focus on that beauty. It taught me how to see myself by
candlelight instead of always under the cheap fluorescent glare of a dressing
room.
Even if you’re not inclined to explore women sexually, it’s
worth learning how to look at yourself through more forgiving eyes. Because the
more difficult you find it to focus on beauty, the harder you must try.
Of course, your wild card lover doesn’t have to be a woman.
If you grew up in a homogenous neighborhood, there are probably
all kinds of people who you view as implicitly “other.” This initial world view
isn’t your fault in the beginning when you’re just a product of your
environment. However, if you remain closed off to people from different
backgrounds, you are limiting the person- and the lover- you might become.
For instance, I dated a black guy once… and then a few more
after that.
And since I haven’t sugar coated anything yet, allow me to start
by saying, yes, the rumors are true. On top of that, many black guys are
skilled, enthusiastic lovers.
And it’s refreshing to discover that there are men out there who
aren’t buying the bullshit that a woman has to look hungry to be sexy. In fact,
in West Africa, one of the biggest compliments a guy can give you is that
you’re shaped like a Coca Cola bottle.
Now I know I’m stereotyping here, but I’ve done my research on
this one. Heck, I’ve even been to the Motherland, and I don’t mean Mississippi.
But don’t take my word for it. Make up your own mind.
And if you’re not attracted to black guys or women, so what? Who
cares? They’re just examples.
The point is the more narrow minded you are, the more narrow
your sexual experience will be.
So be open to trying new things. Maybe you try something and you
like it. Maybe you don’t. At least you lived a little bit. At least you won’t
wake up in sixty years having wasted your youth worrying about what other
people would think if you spread your legs before date number three.
Life’s too short to live by someone else’s rules. So make your
own. Do what feels good and make love to people that interest you.
Honestly, some of the best one night stands of my life were with
people with whom the language barriers were so great we could barely understand
each other. But that doesn’t matter because love has its own language.
And anyone can become fluent in it.
Chapter
13: Kate
When I got home there were two envelopes on my bed. One was from
Penn State. The other was from Loyola Maryland.
I put them out of my mind
Alaska Angelini
Cecelia Tishy
Julie E. Czerneda
John Grisham
Jerri Drennen
Lori Smith
Peter Dickinson
Eric J. Guignard (Editor)
Michael Jecks
E. J. Fechenda