Chanitok, L.I.

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Monday morning had come again. The yellow school buses were lined up along the curb in front of Chanitok High, under the partially cloudy sky. The students were returning to class.

Saturday night was past. Normally, the beautiful girl who’d been crowned as Homecoming Queen on Saturday night would now be another nice looking Senior Class girl, carrying her books to class.

The equally nice looking girls, who hadn’t received as many votes as she, now carried their own books to class.

The guys they’d dated and danced with on Saturday night, both vertically and horizontally, were also returning to classes. Today they would all remain vertical.

This morning, Gwen thought, everything seems no different than on any other Monday.

As always, many of her classmates were shouting, laughing and talking dirty about what they’d done on Saturday night, either at the Motel, or other places. Gwen wondered how many of them were at all concerned about Marge and Dave.

Others spoke quietly to each other, or said nothing.

She heard one boy say, “I don’t know how to deal with this. How are we supposed to behave?”

Gwen was among the quiet ones. She carried her books along the corridors, heading toward her locker among the crowd of noisy students. As she approached her locker, she saw Jimmy standing there. The locker he’d been assigned, when he’d enrolled two weeks earlier, just happened to be beside hers.

She remembered a few days after he’d enrolled, they’d both been here at their lockers, at lunchtime.

He’d said to her, “I see this school’s Homecoming Dance is coming up.”

“That’s right.” She’d said in a perky way, “And I haven’t got a date.”

“I’ve also heard,” he told her, “that some of the students have actually rented rooms in a nearby Motel, for afterwards.”

“Well actually,” she continued being perky, “it’s not the kids who rent them. It’s a lot of parents who chip in for the rooms. They’d prefer to know that we’ll be having safe sex in a secure and comfortable environment, instead of making out in back seats.”

“You said ‘We.” He asked with a smile, “Are you planning to take part in any of that?”

She smiled back. “I would, if I can get a date.”

“Then how’d you like to go with me?”

“Well.” she told him, “Since you are a new student here, I think it would be polite for me, to do what I can, to help make you feel welcomed.”

On Saturday night, the Homecoming Dance had ended at 9 PM. Within an hour many of the couples who’d attended the Dance, were doing the horizontal dance, inside the motel rooms that their parents had rented.

While they’d danced horizontally, in a bed in room 103, Jimmy told Gwen, “I think we’d both like it even more, if we danced this way with each other, regularly.”

“’Regularly’? You want to be my steady boyfriend?”

“What do you say?”

”Maybe I will. I don’t know. I’ll have to think it over I’ll let you know on Monday.”

Now, on the Monday morning after the Homecoming Dance, Gwen saw Jimmy standing beside his locker. She perked up, and hurried over to the boy with a smile on her face.

No. She thought, Remember Marge and Dave. We’re not supposed to smile.
She came up to the boy, unable to not smile, and opened her locker.

“Good morning Jimmy.” She said, “Thank you for the date on Saturday night. I had a really great time.”

He smiled back. “So did I. Thank you.”

She told him, “I’ve been thinking about what you said, about us going steady.”

“So have I.”

“Well my Mom doesn’t like the fact that we were all getting laid in motel rooms. She thinks that was just too sleazy. So next Saturday, she’d like you to come over to our house and spend the night with me there, in my room, in my own bed.”

“Your mother?”

“Yeah. You see, here in Chanitok, a lot of parents let their daughters’ boyfriends spend the night at their house, and sleep in their daughters’ beds; or the girls spend the nights in their boyfriend’s’ home and lay them in their beds.”

“You’re kidding? You’re mother lets your boyfriends have sex with you in your own bed?”

“Well, until now, I’ve never laid a boy in my bed before. You’ll be the first. But I’ve had sex with boys in their beds. That is with their parents’ permission, of course.”

“Of course. I have your mother’s permission to have sex with you?”

“More than permission Jimmy; you’ve got her invitation. You did say you want us to go steady.”

“I did.” Now he’d stopped smiling. “I’m really not sure about that.”

She stopped smiling. “You’re not? But we had a really great time on Saturday night. We both enjoyed the dancing, and the crowning of the Homecoming Queen, and the sex was terrific.”

“That’s it Gwen. The sex.”

“Why? What’s the problem? We were both practicing safe sex. I’m not dating anyone else, and you’re new here. If there was a girl you were horizontal with back where you came from, you’ll just have to accept the fact that it’s over.”

“There’s no other girl.”

“Then what’s the problem?”

“The problem is,” He looked around. “Believe it or not,” He lowered his voice, “I’m actually a Born Again Christian.”

She began to chuckle. “You are? I thought that none of you Born Again guys were supposed to have sex with any girls, until you get married. The first time you ‘enter into her sacred place’, is actually supposed to be on your wedding night?”

“Right.” He nodded uncomfortably. “What I was doing with you on Saturday night, is what we call ‘giving in to temptation’, or ‘straying’; or maybe ‘backsliding’.”

She told him, “What we were doing on Saturday night is nothing to feel bad about, or ashamed about. Are you listening to everybody here? They’re all telling each other about the great sex we were all having. That’s what you should be doing too.”

Then she called out, “Hey everyone! Jimmy and me here, were having great sex with each other on Saturday night!”

A few of the kids standing around them, glanced at them for a moment. Then they returned their attention to each other.

“See.” She said, “Nobody here thinks there’s anything wrong with it.”

“Sure Gwen. The sex was great. I’ll never forget it, but that wasn’t all I remember from Saturday night. I remember the crowning of the Homecoming Queen.”

She stopped grinning.

“Right. Marge and Dave. We all feel terrible about it.”

“I heard about it on the News yesterday morning. Then after that I turned on my TV, and watched Reverend Robert Barnette.”

She gasped softly. Then she spoke seriously. “You mean ‘Bible Banging Bob’?”

“That’s what some people call him.”

“I saw part of that broadcast myself. Now I see where you’re coming from.”

He said, “Then I hope you understand why I have to avoid any further involvement with you. I don’t have any feelings of hostility toward you Gwen.
I think you were great, but it’s just time for me to repent.”

“That’s okay Jimmy. It was just a date with recreational sexual activity included. We were just having fun. Nothing more than you and me having fun. It’s not like we’ve made any kind of commitment.”

“I’m glad to hear you say that. I hope we might be able to at least be friends.”

“Why sure. You’re an okay guy.” She grinned, “And the next time you want to ‘stray’, my Mom’ll still be ready to welcome you to sleep over. Then in the morning, you can come with us to Church.”

The bell rang. Gwen and Jimmy headed to Homeroom. After Homeroom, Gwen’s First Period Class was American History with Ms. Morris. Jimmy was also a member of this class. He and Gwen sat on different sides of the room from one another. Katie Cabell sat just to her right.

The teacher, Ms. Morris checked the attendance sheet.

She announced uneasily, “Margaret Elkins is no longer a student.”

At their desks, the kids quieted down, looking very troubled.

One girl sobbed, “Neither is Dave.”

The woman shook her head. “I have no idea what to say about it.”

Katie spoke sharply. “Sandrell here has an idea! She actually said that she thinks Marge and Dave are in Hell!”

Now all the kids looked at her and Gwen. Ms. Morris frowned.

Katie went on. “She said it was because after the Dance they had sex, like the rest of us; and just like her!”

“That’s not what I said!” Gwen exclaimed. “I was just asking your father what the Bible has to say about it!”

“Miss Sandrell.” Ms. Morris spoke firmly. “We do not discuss what the Bible has to say about anything, either in this Class, or anywhere else on School property. To do so is in violation of the Constitutional mandate, establishing a high wall of separation between Church and State.” She now spoke with a warning tone. “To do otherwise might lead to serious consequences for anyone involved in such activity.”

Gwen nervously shook her head. “But I’m not looking for any trouble Ms. Morris.”

“Then don’t talk about it here at Chanitok High again, Miss Sandrell.”

Now Jimmy who was seated across the room from Gwen raised his hand.

The teacher asked, “What is it Mr. Davis?”

“That’s not what the Constitution says,” he hesitated. “Ms. Morris. What it actually says is, ‘Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion, nor prohibiting the free practice thereof.’”

The woman spoke with a sarcastic tone. “Thank you for clarifying things, Mr. Davis.” Then she said, “Now it’s time for us to get on to what we’re supposed to be studying.”

History Class ended and the kids were dismissed.

At lunchtime in the Cafeteria, Gwen sat at the table beside Jimmy.

“Thank you for speaking up for me.” She said, “You’re the first kid I’ve ever seen, who’s actually made Ms. Morris back down, about anything.”

“Well she was wrong with all that stuff about ‘Separation of Church and State’. Anyone who reads the Constitution knows that.”

“Listen Jimmy. I understand about you being a Born Again Christian; and not wanting to have sex with me in my own bed, because of that. Honestly, I think that’s really dumb on your part; but I’d still like to have you come over on Saturday night. Just for dinner.”

“Thank you Gwen. I’d be glad to come. Just for dinner.”

She grinned, and spoke seductively. “You’re also still welcome to stay for dessert.” She chuckled. “And for breakfast in bed. Then you’ll be welcome to come with us to Church in the morning.”

“But before I do that,” he said, “How’d you like to come with me on Wednesday night. Some of us ‘really dumb’, Born Again Christians will be getting together then.”

“You’re inviting me to attend one of your meetings?”

“If you do attend, we might find out what the Bible says, about whether Marge and Dave really are in Hell.”

That evening in the Sandrell house, the time was about an hour after Monday night’s dinner. Gwen stood in the kitchen beside her very indignant mother, helping her load the dishwasher.

“I don’t believe it!” Irene Sandrell was irritated. “He doesn’t want to spend the night with you here, making hot naked love to you in your own bed?”

“That’s what he said Mom”

The woman said, “This boy Jimmy thinks it’s okay for him to fuck you in a sleazy motel room; but he’s too good to make hot naked love to you, my very beautiful daughter, in your own bed, in your own home, which is filled with love? I’m sorry to say it Gwen, but this boy Jimmy just doesn’t sound like any kind of gentleman to me.”

Gwen shrugged. “Well it’s his loss.”

“Right. I just can’t understand why he’d want to pass you up; a beautiful young woman who’s so totally hot for him.”

“He says it’s because he’s a Born Again Christian who’s ‘gone astray’, and now it’s time for him to ‘repent’.

“You’re kidding. I didn’t think we had any of them at all, left here in Chanitok. When I was going to Chanitok High, we had a number of them among our fellow classmates. They were very annoying. They told me that my being sexually active, like you are, was a terrible sin.” She laughed. “One boy actually called me ‘defiled’.”

“Defiled?”

“That means” she laughed “’contaminated’. Like what’s left on these plates, that’s about to be washed off.”

Gwen also laughed. “You’re kidding.”

“I laughed in his face! If Jimmy or any other Born Again clown calls you that, you should laugh in his or her face too.”

“He’s invited me to attend one of their meetings.”

“Attend one of them?” The woman spoke cautiously. “Okay. It should be very interesting. Just be careful. Don’t tell anyone that you’re going to attend. After that, don’t tell anyone that you’ve attended. Don’t become Born Again yourself, and please don’t repent.”

The girl laughed. “Why would I want to do that? I like to lay boys, just as much as boys like to lay girls. I loved having Jimmy ‘defiling my sacred place’, and I’d love to have him spend time in there again, regularly.”

“Good. I don’t want you coming home a virgin.”