The Peek-A-Boo Effect

Miami University, Fall 1967

This is a true story. Names have been changed, but places and dates have not.

I always tried to have an 8 am class. It forced me to get up. I usually hated getting up that early, but for me, the Tuesday and Thursday 8 a.m. organic chemistry 241 lecture was the focus of my entire week. It was the only time in my life I ever looked forward to a class this early. The classroom was a tiered lecture hall with an entrance beside the professor's podium; I positioned myself for a perfect view.

My focus was on that front entrance, waiting for Evelyn June Marlowe, who called herself Gigi. If I were there early, she would walk right past me every class day to her seat two rows behind me. This was the 1960s, and not that many women went into science. Gigi was one of five women in a lecture class of over 100. She was very obvious.

Gigi was a tall beauty; her dark hair swept over one eye, which helped frame her light complexion. She always wore a tight-knit top that accentuated her large bust and highlighted her thin waist. I don’t remember her wearing anything but a pleated mini skirt. Every time she walked past me and up the risers to her seat, I held my breath. Sometimes she would give me a hint of a smile as she walked by. And boys being boys, we referred to the class as orgasm chemistry.

I dug out the campus directory and found her name and her dorm room number in Richard Hall. I called Linda, a high school classmate who lived down the hall from Gigi, to ask if Gigi had a boyfriend. "Most weekends she stays in her room.” I really found this hard to believe.

I finally talked myself into calling. I told Gigi, "I’m the guy who sits two rows in front of you in organic chemistry." She agreed to a Friday night date. I hung up the phone, just as the door to my dorm room swung open.

"Today I saw the most beautiful girl at Miami," announced Gary.

I fought back a smile, "I have a date with her on Friday night."

Gary burst into laughter. "Ethan, not a chance.”

Gary smirked, "If you're really serious, what does she look like?"

I smiled, "Tall, dark features, light complexion, and dark hair that covers one eye, like a peek-a-boo. Great body."

Gary shook his head, "That description could apply to lots of women, man. It doesn't mean a thing."

"It’s Gigi, you’ll see."

"I doubt it," Gary said, shaking his head.

I didn't gloat, I was sure he was talking about Gigi, "We'll be at The Purity (a local bar) at seven-thirty. You two stay just long enough to get a good look."

Friday night finally arrived. I had somehow convinced my other roommate, Larry, to lend me his Triumph TR-4, a small sports car that I hoped would make me seem cooler than I felt.

Gigi was waiting outside the entrance when I arrived at The Purity. As we walked back to a small booth, I looked around, hoping someone I knew was there. We had just sat down across from each other when Gary and Larry showed up, looking shocked. Gary's face was everything I could have hoped for.

“Hey, guys, this is Gigi. Gigi, these are my roommates, Gary and Larry."

Gary was speechless. When he finally spoke, he could barely get any words out, "So you... You’re the Gigi Ethan has been talking about."

I stood up and patted Gary on the shoulder. "Alright, off you go. We have things to discuss." I shooed them away, feeling like a conquering hero, even if only for 30 seconds.

We talked about our hometowns. Gigi was from Akron; her father was a chemical engineer at Goodyear. My mother worked as a chemist at Procter & Gamble.

Gigi told me she was majoring in the Clinical Diagnostics Track (CDT), a four-year program: three years on campus and one year as an internship at a hospital. Gigi had hoped to do her internship at the Cleveland Clinic so she could live at home and cut down on expenses.

Then, out of left field, Gigi asked me, “Ethan, are you a virgin, and don’t lie to me?”

I was stunned, “Does it matter?”

“I want to tell you a story about my boyfriend and me. We started dating in high school and have been in a long-distance relationship ever since I went off to Miami. I only see him once every couple of months. Like almost any couple that has been dating this long, it usually means they become sexually active. We were both virgins when we started to date, and we took each other’s virginity.

“It took a while before he was able to learn to pleasure me, and by pleasure I mean giving me great climaxes.”

“I’m not sure while you’re telling me all this, but yes, I’m a virgin.”

“I just want to know how much training I might have to do with you.”

“For what, Gigi?”

“Don’t be dumb, Ethan. The one thing that attracted me to you is your intelligence.” I was a 20-year-old horny college student, and my mind was racing. Was she serious, or was she just cock teasing me?

The evening ended too soon. After leaving The Purity, the Triumph's low profile posed a challenge, and Gigi struggled to get into the passenger seat. I held the door and tried not to look, but couldn’t help but stare at her long legs.

I drove the Triumph back to Richard Hall in the South Quad. Gigi leaned over and kissed me, and at the same time, her hand found my crotch and started to massage my dick.

Take it out, Ethan. I want to see it.”

“I want to make sure what you said.”

“Take out your dick.” I had such a hard on, I had trouble fishing it out of my underwear. When I finally released it, the dick was standing at attention like the proud soldier he was.

“Very impressive, Ethan. Of course, the only other one I have ever seen is my boyfriend. You are considerably larger than he is.

Gigi did something totally unexpected; she leaned over and started to perform oral sex in me, a blow job. This was the 1960’s, guys talked about blow jobs, but I actually knew no guy who had ever gotten a blow job. It’s not hard to guess what happened next. I came in about 15 seconds. The most beautiful girl I had ever seen was treating my dick like her own personal lollypop.

I wasn’t sure what to do, do I tell her I’m cumming. I just sat there and enjoyed myself. It didn’t bother Gigi a bit. She took my load and kept sucking. She swallowed the entire load, or at least I thought.

Gigi had to brace herself to exit the car. Her height and those long legs made it awkward, and she struggled to get out of the seat. I helped her as I took her elbow; my eyes were drawn to the top of her hose and black garters. Finally standing on the sidewalk, she turned, gave me a polite smile, and said, "Thank you." Finally standing on the sidewalk, she turned and gave me a deep French kiss. Her kiss was very salty, and I assumed it was from my cum.

The next morning, Gary strolled in, radiating a mixture of sorry/not sorry.

"I'm just going to say it," Gary began, “You weren't dreaming. She's real. The most beautiful girl I've ever seen."

Larry, lying in his bed, grunted his agreement. "The only girl I've ever seen who makes any class sound interesting. So, seriously, how did it go? Did you, did you hold hands? Did you get a kiss?"

I put down my textbook and told them about the polite conversation, the facts about Akron and Goodyear, and her major.

"And then?" Larry asked.

I couldn’t tell the truth. I wasn’t going to kiss and tell, and besides, they wouldn’t believe me anyway. I shrug, trying to sound nonchalant. "Then I took her back to her dorm. She got out of the car, looked me straight in the eye, and said, 'Thank you.'"

Gary and Larry looked disappointed.

Gary asked. 'Just thank you?"

"That's it," I shrugged my shoulders. "It was the nicest, politest, and clearest rejection a guy could ever hope for. I drove the Triumph back, put it back in its spot, and that was that."

Larry said softly. "Well, you had a date with the most beautiful girl at Miami. In my book, it's a win, even if it was a one-and-done."

I made a pained look on my face, “It doesn’t seem like it.” I wasn’t going to tell them I had another date with Gigi the next night.

The next day, I signed out my 1962 Studebaker Lark from the impounding lot at the university and drove it to Gigi’s dorm. As I pulled up, Gigi opened the passenger door, brought one leg, hiked her skirt up, fluffed it, and jumped in. I wasn’t sure what to say: “You aren’t wearing underwear.”

“I never do. I love the feeling of being naked under my skirt. She snuggled up to me and planted a nice kiss on my cheek.

“You also shave your pubic area, why?”

My boyfriend wouldn’t go down on me if he’s going to get a mouthful of pubic hair. Ethan, I’ve been thinking about this all day. I am really hot to trot. Find a place we can park privately. I have so much to teach you.”

There was a spot outside of Oxford that was a dead end with only a couple of houses. When we got there, I turned the car around so if anybody came down the road, I could just drive out.

“Take off your shorts.” As I pulled down my shorts, Gig straddled me. She began to rub her wet pussy up and down on my dick.

She whispered in my ear, “My God, you feel so good.”

“Don’t tease me, Gigi.”

“You’re going to have to do something for me before I take your virginity.”

“What’s that?”

“I want an orgasm.”

“Put it up you.”

“Oh, Ethan, you really are ignorant about me. My best orgasms are from oral sex. I want you to perform it on me. I’ll teach you.” With that, she jumped off my lap and positioned herself on the front seat on her back with her legs spread. It’s the closest I had ever been to a willing pussy.

“Take the bulb out of the dome light. Now open your door and stand on the road and lean over so you can lick me.” With that, Gigi spread her labia.

“Bring your tongue to the top of my pussy. That’s it. Do you feel that hard object? That’s my clitoris. Contrary to what you boys think, this is where my pleasure is located. Objects feel good up me, but I need this to really enjoy sex. Start slow and tease me. When my hips start moving, put two fingers up me and slowly stroke the front of my pussy. Oh, that’s it. Now don’t stop till I tell you to.” Gigi narrated what I was doing like a play-by-play announcer.

I did just what she told me to. I had no idea what I was doing, but I must have done something right. It was like my tongue was riding a bucking bronco. She came incredibly hard. After she finally told me to stop, she gasped, “My God, that’s the strongest one yet.”

“I guess you want to finally lose your virginity?” as she sat up, I got back in the car. Gigi straddled me again. “We are going to take this slowly. You’re considerably bigger than my boyfriend, and I really don’t know how this is going to go.”

I thought great, she promised me sex, and now she’s going to find a way not to deliver. Just then, she reached around, grabbed my dick, and put my glans on her wet opening.

“Ethan, don’t move. Let me control everything.” Slowly, I mean very slowly, she started to lower herself on my huge erection. Once again, she started to do a play-by-play description of what she was feeling.

“I can feel Ethan’s dick stretch my tight little pussy. Wow, that hurts. Now, as I slowly lower myself, the pain is less once inside me. OH, that actually feels good. I’m now speeding up. Each stroke feels really good, the deeper I go. This is incredible; I’ve never had a dick feel this good. OH, I’ve never come this close. For God's sake, Ethan, start moving. Yes, that’s it.” Gigi grabbed my face and gave me a great wet kiss.

At this point, I came. What a great way to lose my virginity. Not so great for Gigi.

“Damn it, Ethan, I think I was about to orgasm. You couldn’t wait a little longer?”

“I just lost my V card with the most beautiful girl I have ever known. It’s lucky I didn’t cum as soon as I was in you.”

“OK, OK. I’m hungry, let’s go back and hit Tuffy’s and share a toasted roll.” Tuffy was a small on-campus restaurant that made the best toasted roll anywhere.

We cleaned up and drove back to town. This was a pattern with Gigi: have sex, and then get something to eat. I wasn’t prepared for what was about to happen. When we got to Tuffy’s and snuggled into one of the tight booths, Gigi started to critique our night. She did this almost every time we had sex.

“I think you did great tonight for a totally inexperienced virgin. You definitely have potential, and your cock felt better than I expected. You need to go slower and gentler with your tongue when you perform on me. You also need to last longer. I almost orgasmed from just penetration.”

“Have you ever orgasmed from, as you call it, penetration?”

“Never.”

“Are you saying your boyfriend brought you off by oral only?”

“No, sometimes he would play with my clit with a couple of fingers in me. Here’s what I want to do: Weekdays, we’ll catch as catch can. We’ll find places where we can get each other off orally. Me first and then you.”

“Why you first, Gigi?”

“If you’re anything like my boyfriend, you’ll lose interest after you cum. I can promise you I wouldn’t. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday you’ll pick me up with your rust bucket, and we’ll find someplace to fuck.”

“I have a strange question for you, Gigi. I noticed you always have a reason why you don’t want me to fondle your boobs. Why?”

“I hate to have my tits played with. Is that a problem?”

“No, just asking.”

“I don’t get it. You are fucking me, actually lost your virginity to me, and you’re concerned you can’t play with my breasts.”

“When you put it that way, it sounds kind of silly.”

“Here’s the big picture, Ethan. Keep getting better at pleasuring me the way I want it, and we could become a couple. Are you good with that?”

“Absolutely. I’ll do anything you want me to.”

“I’m not ready to tell anybody we’re a couple. In organic chemistry class, just nod. I do have a little surprise. When I walk past you, turn and look up when I sit in my seat. One more thing, you need to find someplace after class where we can meet alone, if you understand. Just come out of class and lead the way, I’ll follow you.”

Now I had to find a place to perform oral sex on her, if I did understand her.

I was in my seat Tuesday morning when Gigi passed by, giving me a faint smile. I slowly turned around to watch Gigi sit down. As she sat down, she spread her legs and lifted her skirt for a beat. She flashed me right in class. I have no idea what the chem prof talked about, but I still remember the raging erection she gave me.

The class finally ended. I headed for the Alumni Library. I had found an isolated spot in the book stacks. As I turned with Gigi in tow, she grabbed and kissed me.

“I’ve been thinking about this since the last time we were together.” She positioned her foot on a chair, lifted her skirt, exposing herself. “OK, Ethan, I’m not going to wait.”

“In this position?”

“I’ve done it in this position. Let’s see if you’ve learned anything.”

Gigi leaned back and really opened up her pubic area. I was able to find her hard little clit. I slowly licked it, teased it. When her hips started to move, I slowly put two fingers up her hungry, wet pussy. As she started to moan, she covered her mouth to mute any sounds she was making. She came very quickly; she really was turned on.

“Wow, you’re a fast learner. I felt that all the way to my bones. OK, take out little Ethan and let me get you off.”

Little Ethan was more like medium-sized Ethan. As I took it out, I saw her eyes widen.

“Holy shit, Ethan, I guess it’s the lighting, but you look bigger than I remember.”

“Turn around, Gigi, and kneel on the chair. Lean over and stick your ass up in the air.”

“OK, but don’t you dare get little Ethan near my anus.”

Gigi put her hand between her legs and slowly guided me inside her. I could hear her gasp. She slowly moved her hips to meet my very slow thrusts. I brought my right hand around, and my middle finger started to lightly rub her still hard clit.

“Oh my god, Ethan, what are you doing? Just don’t stop.” I slowly trusted farther and farther up her while increasing the speed of rubbing her clit. In just a couple of minutes, she came. She actually bit her arm to suppress her sounds. I came right after she finished.

“We have to talk, Ethan. I’m not sure what happened. I’ve never been able to get a second orgasm. For that matter, that’s the first orgasm from penetration. I need to do this without having to stay quiet. Damn, you’re a fast study. Let’s meet up here after chemistry every Tuesday and Thursday.”

“You know we might get caught.”

“Come on, Ethan, that’s part of the thrill. For the life of me, I don’t know how you do it, but you make me do things I would never do with another man.”

“Gigi, you took my virginity. I never forced you into anything.”

“That’s not what I meant. It’s this feeling I get when I see you. It’s like I can’t control myself. I have a boyfriend back home. It took months before I would even hold his hand. I go out with you one time, and I’m performing oral sex on you.”

“Are you breaking up with me?”

“Are you crazy, Ethan? I’m not breaking up with you. If anything, I’d like to step it up a notch. I want us to meet here Monday through Thursday. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, I want you to drive me out in the country.”

“Gigi, that’s every day.”

“That sounds about right. Ethan, do you have a problem having sex every day with the girl of your dreams?”

And so we were fucking our brains out in the Alumni Library. Gigi had a real increase in her sex drive. Because I was in college during the 1960s, I had no idea that a woman could get more than one orgasm during a sex act. I’m a guy; one is our number. She really got turned on by the more daring the act.

The next day after our chemistry class, Gigi took me to another part of the library. She positioned herself so it looked like she was reading a book on a shelf. She raised her skirt and stuck her ass out.

“Put it up me now, Ethan.” No foreplay, in fact, I think the daring of this act was the foreplay. “Ethan, grab a book and act like you’re reading it.” As I started to reach around to rub her clit she said, “Don’t.”

Gigi started to rub herself. This made sex so much easier. She took care of her own pleasure, and I would take care of mine. More than once, somebody would walk by a couple of aisles from us. Gigi never broke a stroke.

Weekends became crazy. I would pick her up at her dorm and drive to “our” spot in the country. More than once, she would lean over the bench seat of my car and slowly rub herself while I was still driving. I could hear her breath speed up, and I was sure she was getting an early start. When I finally stopped, I couldn’t pull off my pants and stick little Ethan up her quick enough.

Gigi was able to get at least two orgasms at first. She was able to go full vocal. When we first started to have sex, Gigi struggled with my size; now she was yelling harder and deeper. She was so loud that my ears rang the next day.

When we finished our first round, Gigi would sit on my lap, rub her wet pussy on me, and kiss me. This would always result in me getting an erection. When she felt little Ethan get hard, she would swing back over the seat, pull up her dress, and expose herself. The problem was that it was harder and harder to cum. I would grab her hips and slam little Ethan up her as hard as I could. You would have thought this might turn her off, but it only resulted in Gigi cumming harder.

This weekend pattern went on for several weeks until Gigi told me, “My brother Bill and his friend are going home for the weekend. I’m hoping you could join me for a lost weekend at their apartment.” This was 1967, and Miami had a strict policy about living off campus. No women could ever live off campus, but men could live off campus if they lived in a fraternity house, and there were a very limited number of off-campus apartments that men could rent. Gigi’s brother was renting one of those apartments.

As I walked up to an apartment on South Church Street, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Even before I knocked, the door swung open, but nobody was at the door. A voice from behind the door said, “Get in, Ethan.” As the door swung shut, Gigi was behind it, totally naked. She ran up to me and quickly started to undress me. “You know, Ethan, you’re the first man to see me naked.”

“Not even your boyfriend?”

“Not even Derrick.”

After she completely stripped me, I said, “Are you going to model that lovely outfit you have on?”

With that, she went to the middle of the room and did a beautiful pirouette. “I guess all those ballet lessons finally paid off.”

Gigi’s body might have been more beautiful than her face. This was the 60s, and Playboy magazine hadn’t yet published a woman showing her pubic area. It was also the first totally naked woman I had ever seen in pictures or in person.

Gigi’s breasts were large and pear-shaped. The weight of her breasts created a beautiful curve on their undersides. Her nipples were hard. She had a flat stomach that continued to her slightly rounded pubic mound, which was completely shaved. I could see a hint of her labia at the bottom of her mound. As she spun around, her ass was firm and high-set, a perfect, heart-shaped silhouette.

“Gigi, were you an athlete in high school?”

“Why do you ask?”

“Your perfectly shaped ass. You have an ass of an athlete.”

“I was a dancer. I studied ballet for years, but when my tutu became a fourfour I quit. Lie down on the floor and satisfy me.”

As I got on my back, her legs straddled my face. I started to lick her clit. I noticed her inner labia was red and was so swollen that it opened up her vagina. Her clit was poking out of its hood. I started to put my tongue in her vaginal opening. I could feel her jump. When I reached her exposed clit I puckered my lips and sucked it in, flicking it with my tongue. Gigi started to lick little Ethan, mostly on the underside of the glans. It was a race to see who could cum first. It felt as if Gig was convulsing on top of me.

Gigi had taken in as much of little Ethan as she had ever. She started to make guttural sounds, which felt great and made me cum. She wasn’t ready for my load and started to choke, which killed her orgasm.

“Damn Ethan, you know how to kill a good time.”

“I really thought you could tell I was about to cum.”

“Not when I’m getting pleasure like that. You’re lucky I didn’t bite your dick off.”

Gigi decided we weren’t going to wear clothes in the apartment. So it was obvious to Gigi when little Ethan was ready to go again, and she never missed the opportunity.

“Ethan, have you ever read the Kama Sutra?”

“No, what is it?”

“The Kama Sutra is an ancient Hindu book that is a guide to desire, love, and a fulfilling, pleasurable life. It describes some really interesting sex positions. Some are positions that really interest me. I’d like to try Splitting Bamboo. Here is what we need to do: I’m going to lie on my back with one leg stretched out, you straddle my thigh while I rest my other leg on your shoulder. I think this could really work for us. I can get the full length of little Ethan, and I can control my pleasure with my fingers. One last thing, and I can’t believe I’m saying this, gently cup one of my breasts, just don’t touch my nipples.”

As we got into the splitting bamboo position, I realized as soon as Gigi put her leg over my shoulder, her vagina really opened up.

“Listen to me, Ethan; I want to try something called tantric sex. You need to follow my lead. If I go very slowly, so do you; if I speed up, so do you, and if I stop, please stop. Don’t touch my clit; I’ll touch myself the way I want. I’m hoping to bring myself to the edge of an orgasm and pull back, with the entire time I will get pleasure. When I’m ready to orgasm, I will start to move very fast, and then I’ll stop so you don’t cum, and I can reload. I’m hoping to get several very strong orgasms.”

“So I’m not to get an orgasm so you can have several. Not much of a deal for me.”

“Believe me, Ethan, if I can pull this off, I will make it so worth your while. One last thing, slowly, very slowly put little Ethan’s head in me and then take it out. Keep this up till I tell you deeper, and when I do, put it up me just a couple of inches. There’s a spot up me that sends a bolt of electricity through me. I’ll let you know when you hit it.”

I did just what Gigi asked of me. I was able to go slow enough that I didn’t cum. I realized that when Gigi stopped rubbing her clit I should stop pumping. We kept this up for several minutes until she told me to speed up. Gigi came so hard I thought she might hyperventilate or I might cum. She held up her hand for me to stop.

Again, I pulled little Ethan out and slowly put just the glans up Gigi. After a dozen or so times, she told me to put it back where it was. I slowly slid it up a couple of inches and pumped her “spot.” When she stopped rubbing, I stopped pumping. Again, Gigi lasted several minutes till she took herself over the edge, “Oh my god, oh my god,” she screamed over and over again. Once again, she raised her hand to have me stop pumping.

Gigi did this several more times. The entire time I was squeezing one of her perfect breasts, and she didn’t seem to mind. When she was finally done, she groaned, " Mmm, “You did great, Ethan. Now satisfy yourself.” Her pussy was so wet, I had no problem sliding my entire length up her. It only took me a couple of thrusts until I came. In fact, it was more like an out-of-body experience than just sex.

“Oh, Ethan, I think I saw the face of God, and I’m not a religious person.”

That night, true to her word, Gigi didn’t put a stitch of clothes on. The problem was that I couldn’t very well put on anything, and she could see when I got sexually excited. When I got an erection, she wanted to try a new Kama Sutra position.

As we were watching TV, she noticed the start of an erection. Can you blame me? The woman of my dreams was sitting naked next to me, hugging and kissing me. She started to straddle me, taking the entire length of little Ethan. She started to move on my pubic area without losing contact. From her quick gasps, she was obviously stimulating her clit. Her movement did little for me. I was getting very little friction from her wet, stretched pussy.

Gigi really took advantage of this position by getting a couple of great orgasms. After she was satiated, she broke contact with my pubic area and started to move very quickly on my erection. It was a matter of seconds before I came.

“Well, Ethan, does this make up for our hour-long love session? I think you have a girlfriend.”

“What about Derrick?”

“I called him this afternoon and broke up with him.”

“Wow, this was kind of fast.”

“I knew you were the one.”

“Can we cut the night short? You’ve worn me out.’

“I changed the sheets on my brother’s bed before you came. Left or right?”

“Left or right what?”

“The side you want to sleep on.”

I’m about to get into bed with the most beautiful woman in the world; it doesn’t matter. You choose.”

As we were in bed, Gigi asked, “Would you like to spoon me?’ I rolled over and put my forearm between her boobs and started to fall asleep.

“Ethan, wake up, let’s not waste little Ethan’s interest in my pussy. Stick him in me.”

Gigi woke me up at least three more times for sex that night. I couldn’t keep going on like this.

The last time I actually started to yell, “For God's sake, Gigi, let me sleep.”

“Ethan, wake up, wake up.”

“I told you, Gigi, leave me alone.’

“Ethan, it’s me, Larry. Wake up, you’re having a nightmare.”

As I opened my eyes, I found my roommate Larry standing over me.

“That was a dream? What did I say?”

“All I could understand was something about Gigi. Man, that girl threw you for a loop. Did you put my car back in its spot?”

“Yes, yes. Thanks again.”

Gary laughed, “I wouldn’t ask you how the date went, sounds like you’re having nightmares over it.”

“Actually, most of it was very pleasant, just the end went badly.”

The next couple of weeks in chemistry class, maybe it was my imagination, but I thought Gigi smiled and nodded to me as she walked by. Something she never did before.

The next week, something unexpected happened.

I was alone at a lab bench, managing the tedious process of fractional distillation. The door opened, and I looked up to see Gigi carrying a canvas bag; I knew her lab period was earlier.

She paused, and when her eyes landed on me, her expression softened into a genuine smile, not the polite one from the date. She unlocked her lab drawer, walked straight to an empty lab bench next to me, and began setting up her equipment. Gigi acted like she was here to just work.

Then she turned to me.

"Missed a lab, Marlowe?" I asked, trying to sound casual, but my hands were shaking slightly.

"Switching times," she then pulled a worn deck of cards from her tote bag. "Long wait for that reflux. Do you play cards?"

We sat on tall lab stools; the air changed between us. I can’t remember which card game we played, but I do remember Gigi started asking very personal questions.

"So, is there any history of heart disease or high blood pressure on your father's side, Ethan?" Gigi asked out of the blue, not looking up from her hand. "My grandmother had a minor stroke last year, and I need to know about inherited risk factors, especially in men."

I was completely thrown. I was being interviewed as a potential husband. I fumbled through my family's medical history, trying to sound intelligent and genetically sound.

Gigi nodded, satisfied with my answers, then leaned in slightly. She paused and briefly touched my arm, her eyes locking directly onto mine, something that I had never experienced before. "You mentioned your mother is a chemist. What about your dad? Do you have a picture of him? Is he disappointed you chose pre-med?"

"I'm not pre-med."

"I thought all you guys in class were pre-med."

"My dad died my senior year of high school."

"What did he die from?"

"He had the flu, and somehow it caused his pancreas to go haywire, at least that’s what the doctors thought. And why do you want to see a picture of him?"

“I wanted to see what you might look like in 25 years.”

Gigi shuffled the deck with dexterity. From this and the worn cards, told me she had played a lot of cards. "I told you my father is a chemical engineer at Goodyear," she confided. "He wanted me to follow him. I picked CDT because it was a way to use chemistry while doing my own thing, something with a direct human element. I'm trying to forge my own path."

Then came the news. "Actually, I'm transferring out of 241 next semester and moving down to Chem 232. I have too many lab-oriented classes with CDT, and 232 doesn't have a lab component. I need the time back."

She paused again, her eyes meeting mine. "I actually have a boyfriend back home, but I don’t think he's right for me. He doesn't understand my work ethic and the why of what I'm doing. He feels more like an obstacle than someone I can plan a future with.”

“Would that be Derrick?”

How did you know that?”

I had a dream after our date. It was so real; I don’t know what was real and what was a dream. Do you have a brother named Bill who lives in an apartment on South Church Street?”

“Yes, but you could have learned this from one of my friends. Tell me something nobody could know about me.”

“OK, you’ve read the Kama Sutra, and you would like to try the Splitting Bamboo position.”

“That’s it, Ethan. I almost broke my neck going down on you in that cramped car, and you wouldn’t even call me for a second date, and now I feel you’re stalking me.”

“Gigi, honestly, I had a dream after our date, so real it was much safer to just assume that everything was a dream. I would have loved to go on a second date with you.”

“Too late, Ethan.”

The revelation, the husband interview, the touch, the comparison to the existing, inadequate boyfriend, and the crushing knowledge that this was her last week in the lab, hit me with a rush of adrenaline. This was my last chance. I needed to lean in, ask her about her plans, and show her I was the man who understood her work ethic. But I just sat there, waiting for the next hand of cards, silent.

As the lab finished, Gigi put the cards away and gave me a look, an odd mixture of warmth and resignation. As Gigi left, she touched my arm again and said, "See you."

Less than a minute later, Gigi walked back in. “OK, Ethan, you really piqued my curiosity. I don’t know how you’re doing this parlor trick, but so far, you have told me things that someone might know about me. Tell me something about me that nobody should know.”

“OK, but you have to tell me if I’m right.”

We’ll see.”

“You shave your pubic area and don’t like wearing panties. My bet is that you’re not wearing anything under your skirt right now.”

Gigi pursed her lips, turned, and walked out. About a minute later, she walked back in and got close to my ear and whispered, “You’re right, and it could have been yours.”

For the next couple of months, I thought dozens of times about what I should have done to achieve a better outcome.

I only saw her once after that semester. My eventual wife and I were on one of our first dates. We were in the lobby of the Miami-Western movie theater, waiting for the first-show audience to exit. Gigi exited. I stood there, I smiled and nodded. She looked through me.

The semester ended, and Gigi vanished from my daily routine. The missed opportunity, this failure stayed with me, a bitter lesson in not seizing the moment.

A cold snap arrived with the spring semester, coating the Miami campus in a layer of snow. I was walking across the main quad, head down against the wind, when I heard my name called out.

"Ethan! I thought that was you."

I stopped, turning to find a stunning coed walking toward me with an amused smile. I soon learned she was an Elementary Education major, a refreshing change from the science crowd. I must have looked completely blank, because she laughed.

"You don't recognize me, do you?" she asked. "I'm Sarah Jennings. I used to live across the street from Larry back when you were a senior in high school."

Of course! Sarah, I'd known her since grade school, but time and college had transformed her. I grinned, surprised and thrilled. "Growing up has been really good to you," I managed.

We stood there for a couple of minutes, talking about home and our schedules. She ended the conversation with a simple, direct question.

"Why don't you call me when you get a chance?"

I went back to my dorm, gathered my courage, and called her that day. Unlike Gigi, Sarah not only agreed to a date but seemed delighted about it. On our first date, we talked for hours, and the connection was simply about rhythm. She not only understood me but also loved my quirky awkwardness. I could make her laugh easily, turning everyday events into funny moments, and I always kept a smile on her face.

We married just a few years later and have now been together for over 50 wonderful years. We built a beautiful life with two children and four grandchildren who fill our home with chaos and joy. Sarah is truly the most wonderful, caring, and vibrant woman I have ever met.

During those first months of marriage, Sarah was everything I could have wanted: patient, warm, and deeply reciprocating. Our passion was honest, tender, and intensely satisfying. One night, after a particularly fierce session that left us both breathless, Sarah leaned back, her body slick and contented, but her eyes narrowed in sweet confusion.

"Ethan," she asked, running a curious finger over my damp chest, "you told me you were a virgin before we met. But the way you touch me in places I didn’t even know I had... you're a master. You knew exactly what I needed before I even did. Tell me, where did you learn those advanced techniques?"

I just smiled, the memory of that confession sending a profound shiver through me. I thought of the dream that seemed so real. I simply shrugged, brushing a strand of hair from her damp forehead, and told her the convenient lie: "I read a lot of textbooks." I didn't normally lie to Sarah, but there was absolutely no way to explain the clinical, erotic dream education I'd received from Gigi Marlowe.

Years later, I finally asked her the big question: Why was she attracted to me?

She didn't hesitate. She smiled and said, "Your sense of humor, Ethan. You're the only person I've ever met who sees the humor in everyday events."

She gets me. She always has. And that's why, in the big picture of my life, the best thing that ever happened to me was that Gigi, with all her breathtaking beauty and expectations, "didn't get me." If she had, I would have missed out on the woman who has defined my entire life.