THE
DOG AND BUTTERFLY
They met when they were very young. He was fifteen and she was fourteen. It was at a Youth for Christ Dance that she first saw him. This in itself was unusual; as Church was the last place he belonged. He wasn’t there for any real religious reasons. He was there because Pauleen had asked him to come.
Pauleen had long, deep dark black hair all up in a bun. Pauleen was cute, with a very fine body. Firm, pointed breasts and a slim waist that helped her short skirt show off her tanned, long shapely legs. Pauleen was shorter than he was, her head just even with his shoulder. They fit perfect together when they danced. They always danced close at the school dances. He liked to dance very close, much closer than the chaperon really cared for. That’s partly why he did it. He knew it was exciting for Pauleen too.
They danced, shared punch and listened to the stories about Jesus. That’s why Pauleen had asked him to come. Pauleen believed that he needed some religion in his life. She was probably right. He paid little attention to the stories, or much else that would take his attention away from Pauleen. Hormones racing, the only thing he thought about was Pauleen. He hadn’t even noticed Pauleen’s friend.
It was on the bus home from the Youth for Christ Dance that Pauleen’s friend, Beth, asked who he was. She had decided the moment she saw him at the dance that he was the one she wanted.
The bus pulled into the trailer park where Pauleen and Beth lived. They got off the bus just in front of the combination laundry and game room located in the center of the park. Beth lived closer than Pauleen, so as the three of them walked between the rows of trailers with their little manicured lawns, Pauleen introduced Beth to him. Beth smiled. Her deep blue eyes searching his, she said hello. He didn’t miss the smile, her full lips or the look of passion in her eyes. The three of them shared in idyll chat until they reached Beth’s trailer and said good-bye to Beth.
Then he walked Pauleen to her trailer. Stopping outside, they kissed. He liked to kiss. Holding her tight, he kissed her long and hard. Pauleen kissed him back, their tongue darting inside each other’s mouth. Pauleen lived with her mother. She never did say what happened to her father. Steve figured they divorced, which was the case with a lot of couples about that time. Pauleen’s mother was at work. Pauleen knew better than to invite a boy into the house while her mother was away. So they stood there, on the porch, embraced in each other’s arms kissing for the longest time. One last hug and they said good-bye.
He had a long walk ahead of him. His father’s house was on the other side of town. Walking between the rows of trailers, he passed Beth’s trailer, the laundry and game room, and out onto the road where he could begin hitching a ride home.
Beth had been secretly watching from her kitchen window as the tall blond left Pauleen’s trailer, walked past her window and out onto the street...