Next day, after breakfast, Jane found herself making beds with Thea. She wanted to broach the subject with Thea about how a man and woman should be together, but did not know how to begin.
It seemed too unbelievable to admit that she, a woman with two children, did not know about intimate things between a man and a woman, but it was true. Thea was her friend and she needed to find these things out, but yet she could not find a way to broach the subject.
She must have seemed distracted because suddenly she realized that Thea was talking to her and she had not been listening. Thea snapped her fingers in front of her face, “Hey you, Jane, wake up. You seem to be off with the fairies this morning. I was asking you something; well really I was making an offer. But if you are too busy to listen I will stop talking and save it for another day.”
Jane brought her attention back to the now, “Sorry, I was trying to think of how to ask a complicated question. What were you saying?”
Thea said, “I suggested that I pay you back for the couple times when you minded my children, when I had to go out. I thought, maybe, I could mind David and Annie for the night so you and Vic could have a night out together, perhaps go to a movie of something. What do you think?”
The idea sounded really exciting to Jane. She said, “That sounds great, I will say it to Vic. What night is good for you?”
Thea said, “Why not tonight?”
Jane said she would check with Vic at lunchtime as he was working around the park today and would be back then.
So, when he came home for lunch, she said it to him.
Vic agreed with a wide grin, she suspected it was as much to please her as for himself, but he had told her before how he had loved going to the pictures with his friends when he lived in Alice Springs.
So tonight they decided they would go to the picture theatre in Caloundra, just the two of them, and she felt thrilled. She said to Vic that, even though they had been together for months, it felt like a first date.
When Vic went back to work she told Thea they would go and asked her for any suggestions about what to see. So, over a cup of tea, they sat down and looked at the paper together which listed the movies.
Thea pointed to a movie called “Once”, saying she had seen it a couple years ago and loved it; it was a sweet romance about an Irish busker and a European immigrant. Now the musical of it was coming to Melbourne and the movie was being re-shown as part of the publicity. So Thea said she thought that perhaps Jane would like it. Then Thea pointed to a couple of other movies and said Vic might prefer them, they were more action movies.
They each went their own way once they had confirmed arrangements. Tonight, once Vic got home, about half past five, Jane and he would get ready to go out. Thea would come to their unit at six o’clock to mind David and Anne in their own place; feed them and put them to bed once they were tired. Then Thea would bunk her children down on the lounge next to her while she watched TV until they got home.
So Jane dressed up, washing her hair, putting on lipstick and perfume the way Thea had shown her. She felt happy anticipation bubbling within her.
Then Vic was home and in fifteen minutes he was ready too. So they sat and enjoyed a beer until Thea came. Jane felt the excitement; it was her first remembered date. Tonight would be special, she would make it so.
As they were finishing their drinks there was a knock on the door. Thea, with children in tow, came in. The children settled in front of the TV to play while the three adults sat and chatted for a few minutes.
Then Thea stood and shooed them out, saying, “Go off and enjoy you night. Don’t hurry back; go out for some supper after. I will just fall asleep on the couch if I get tired.”
As they walked out to his car Vic took Jane’s hand, which she really liked. He told her how beautiful she looked, which she liked even more. He asked, ‘Do you know what you wanted to see?”
Jane said, “Thea had suggested a movie called ‘Once’ which is on at seven o’clock, but I am happy if you want to choose something else.”
Vic said, “Once sounds great to me.”
They parked the car in the town and walked up the road to the theatre. Other people were gathering in the foyer, creating an excited buzz. Vic went to the sign called ‘Box Office’, bought tickets, and handed one to her.
She read; “Once – Cinema 3”. They walked into the dim room and she chose a seat towards the front, just off to the side, it was as if her mind had unconsciously known where she wanted to sit.
She felt a thrill as the lights dimmed and watched with fascination as the advertisements for local businesses and a series of what turned out to be previews to other movies came on, all looked really exciting. Unconsciously she slipped her hand into Vic’s and snuggled into him, her head resting in the space under his neck.
Then their movie was on and she settled into the story. There was a man sitting on the pavement playing music and this girl came along, drawn to him and fascinated by his talent. They went to a place to make music. Now they had started singing a song together.
Jane was entranced and, as she listened to the words, she felt tears running down her cheeks. It seemed the song had been written specially for her and Vic.
“I don’t know you
But I want you
All the more for that.”
When it finished she looked at Vic through tears. “That was a song about you and me, especially about me and how I feel with you.”
It is burnt into my brain and inside I am singing it just for you.
She sang quietly in a voice that only he could hear.
“Falling slowly, eyes that know me
And I can’t go back.
You have suffered enough
And warred with yourself
It’s time that you won
Raise your hopeful voice you have a choice
You’ll make it now”
She continued speaking softly. “This song says what is important to do. Even though my mind does not know you from before I want you all the more for that. Your eyes look at me and know me and I can’t go back. We have both suffered enough, we will not war with ourselves. It is time that we win and have what we want. I will raise my hopeful voice and make a choice to have you and only you from now.
“It means we must have our full life together from now. I choose to give you all of myself. I know you want to tell me who I am before I decide about us. But, as the song says, I don’t know you but I want you all the more for that. I don’t need to know anything that came before. It is sufficient to know where I am now. Being in this place with you is the only thing I want. I know that it is more than enough to have this.
“So, from tonight, let there be no more talk of needing to know the past to decide. I know you now, I want you now. That is all that matters, that is enough for me.”
Vic felt overcome by emotion, this beautiful girl, with no knowledge of her past had chosen him now. It was more than enough for him too.
So they sat and shared the movie in solitude together. Others were there in the theatre too, but their world had only space enough for two.
They went out for supper together. It was a crowded place, but again for Jane it was a place only with space for two. She sat snuggled into Vic, feeling total trust, knowing tonight she would discover the woman within herself with this man. She told him so.
He said he was totally happy to just live in this place with her, to let the past take care of the past.
They came home to a quiet house, five people asleep. Thea woke up and stumbled off back to her own house, Vic carrying one child and Thea with the other, asleep in their arms.
Then it was just the two of them. They went and stroked and cuddled their children, both asleep in their own room.
Then Jane said, “It is time. Now show me how to become the person who really is married to you, you have chosen me and I have chosen you.”
So he brought her to their bedroom. He lifted off her dress. She stood there in the half light, wearing only her underwear.
He said. “God you look beautiful, Take of the rest of your clothes too. I want to fill my eyes with you.”
She nodded, self-conscious under his eyes, but her whole body tingling with an unknown feeling of aching desire. She turned her back to him so he could unclip her bra and then slid off her panties and turned to face him.
He led her to the bed and she lay there while he took off his own clothes. Now they lay naked, side by side. Then he gave her a long and lingering kiss before he took her breast in his mouth and stroked and caressed all her body, until finally, when she could wait no longer, he came inside her.
Slowly he moved and brought her to a place where her body was rising and falling with his, like waves in a sea. As he did she hugged him tight and kept her eyes, brimming with tears, locked on his. In that moment of pure adoration she felt him let himself go. His whole body shuddered in time with hers and as it did she was in a place of ecstasy too. It was like a first time for both of them. The physical pleasure was almost unbearable, but most wonderful was the joy she felt as their joining went on and on, she was riding on the crest of a wave in the ocean that went on and on forever.
After, as she lay dreamy in his arms, she said. “Now I understand what a man and a woman do to give pleasure to each other. What we did was far more wonderful than anything I could ever have imagined or dreamt. Can we do it again, soon?
“I am glad you showed me, it would be difficult to ask Thea about that. If this is part of being married to you, then I want this part most of all”.
Vic did not answer; he just kissed her then made love to her again. After that they both slept until sunlight and children’s chatter woke them. It was good to be a complete family. As they lay together, with their children, Jane said, “I would like to know my parents, just as my children know theirs.”