Chapter 5
Linda and Claire became friends over the next few days. They learned quickly the many ways to give each other pleasure and having so openly given their bodies, they found it easy to speak freely to each other about their feelings.
Unlike Claire, Linda had been brought up in the city, in a ghetto, where heroin, prostitutes, and poverty were common, yet surprisingly perhaps, she had had a more innocent childhood than her friend, and it was by her own volition that she had come to Mr. John's community, filled with loathing at the sexual and drunken life around her.
In contrast to her massive, lovely frame, Linda had been a quiet, studious girl, interested in her studies and totally unaware of the attractiveness of her black body. Her first and only experience with sex, prior to her night with Claire that is, had taken place after she had come to the Estate.
She had gone to visit her father who was sick and was in danger of dying.
Heedless of the danger, as she always was, Linda had taken a very late bus home, not arriving till after midnight. At the corner of her block there was a gang of boys hanging around at the local bar, their arms encircling a few whores, who draped themselves all over them.
Linda was going to hurry by without looking when one of the boys called out her name and raced up to her.
"Hey, remember me? We went to school together," he shouted. "Linda Baker, dig it!" he said, turning to the crowd. "This chick and me, man, we used to be friends." Linda recognized him, but they'd never been friends. In fact, he'd always struck her as an obnoxious bore.
"Come on," he said, grabbing her arm and leading her toward the bar. "Let me introduce you to everybody. I had some wild dreams about you."
Linda could smell the alcohol on his breath and could see that they were all drunk.
Awkwardly, Linda nodded as he began reeling off their names. They snickered at her dress. "What do you look like underneath that penguin suit," one of the girls asked slyly and pinched her rear.
"Hey man, did you ever get into her?" somebody asked the former schoolmate.
Another boy, who'd apparently had enough reeled forward, and Linda without thinking caught him just before he hit the ground.
"Man, you can see what she wants," the whore cried.
"Honey, put your arms around me," a huge fellow whispered and grabbed her.
"I really have to go," Linda stuttered, "my father's very sick and I have to see him."
"Linda, honey, now why you want to treat us like that?" the skinny boy jived mockingly. "Now that just ain't polite. You a fuckin' old maid, now you supposed to love us. Maybe you think you too good for us. That it, baby?"
"No," Linda wailed, terrified. "But it's late and I need to go," she repeated.
"Hey, don't you like us?" the prostitute asked. "Man, she is too good for you. You got to pay or you don't get nothin' right?"
"Shit," she don't scare me," another girl said and slapped Linda across the face. "Whatsa matter, you scared of me? Come on!" she grabbed Linda toward her so that her giant tits rubbed up against Linda's. "Let's see if you're so pure," and despite Linda's protests she dragged her to an alley adjoining the bar where hidden in the darkness Linda was to be abused.
As two of the boys held her squirming body down and the prostitute leaning over her with a knife threatened to slash her throat if she made a sound, the biggest boy and the strongest, unzipped his pants and revealed an enormous cock.
The skinny boy eagerly lifted up Linda's cloak and ignoring her pleas, undid her stockings and ripped off her underpants.
One after another, the boys mounted her and plunged their pricks into her cunt which was soon moistened by not only her irrepressible excitement, but also her virgin blood.
The prostitute delicately started cutting Linda's dress. Carefully she cut out two circles around Linda's breasts, leaving them shielded only by the white bra.
The whore rapidly massaged her own exposed slit as she did this and urged Linda to mouth it as she squatted above her.
Linda, the knife near her skin, was afraid to refuse. Her eyes closed, she forced herself to lick the hole that hovered over her, which soon wiggled uncontrollably accompanied by urgent moans from the girl.
Linda had never told the story before and Claire, who had listened to her, felt a surge of sympathy and friendship well up inside of her.
They had both led lonely, sheltered lives, though they were brought up miles apart, and both had paid for the sins of others while still young and inexperienced. Claire had never had a close friend, someone she could talk to freely, and who cared for her and needed her. Though they were different colors, they were sisters, laughing, playing, loving and confiding in each other. A small piece of the bareness of the Estate was filled for each by the other.
About the only thing the two sisters disagreed about was Mr. O'Conner, who Claire thought a smug, self-satisfied man of questionable character. Linda, following the rather unusual incident in the dining room, had fallen madly in love with him, but during the next couple of days he seemed to completely ignore her.
"If I could only be alone with him, outside the Grounds," Linda complained. "He would see that I'm worthy of him."
"I can't understand why you would even bother," Claire remarked disdainfully. "As far as I'm concerned, our Mr. O'Conner is an impolite arrogant bore. I only wish I could get out of going to the party, but I don't want to upset the Headmistress. I doubt if she's recovered from our last little meeting and would probably seize the first opportunity to kick me out of here before I tell anyone about it."
Claire had already observed Mr. Thomas and the principal whispering together outside her office and she feared the worst. Each certainly had the motive, if not the nerve to make trouble for her provided she didn't talk. Besides, she sometimes thought nervously, who would believe her even if she made public what had occurred.
"I wish I'd been invited," Linda complained. "I often wonder how he lives outside of here."
"Why don't you come then," Claire said, smiling. "Perhaps we could solve all our problems in one fell swoop."
"I don't understand," said Linda.
"Well, listen. You're falling in love with Mr. O'Conner, right?"
"I suppose I like Him very much."
"And I want to escape from here without a scandal," Claire continued, swept up by her own thoughts. "Everyone will be there, even the parents. Suppose we worked it so that they got to see some of the things that go on around here, without implicating us. Then the Headmistress would never be able to blame me, and I could leave here without a bad name and you might even have a chance at Mr. O'Conner."
"You mean involve the parents so that even they wouldn't talk?"
"Exactly, but of course if it doesn't work than everything will come out and we'll all be in trouble. We could even be arrested."
"Yes, but how am I going to get invited?" Linda asked. "The Headmistress would never ask me ahead of some of the others. A black, old maid with all those middle-class white mothers. She wouldn't dream of it! After all, they support the school."
"I think I might be able to persuade her," said Claire slyly.
The following day, Claire made a trip to the Headmistress' office.
"Come in," the older woman said. "What can I do for you?"
"It's about William. The young man that we punished the other day."
Yes, how could I forget. I don't know what came over me. I hoped that we would never even mention the matter again, do you understand?"
"Of course," Claire answered. "I realize that there are times when we all act very strangely. After all, we're human. Only men who are good and wise always have the right to judge."
"How true how true! Never forget it, Claire!" the principal cried, her face turning red with anger. "I've made my confessions and have been purified by humiliating myself and I hope you do the same at the next meeting."
"Well," Claire said, "I wanted to, you know, but I was thinking, what if the news got out. I mean, people do judge us, and why, your whole life could be ruined if they ever found out. I don 't speak of myself. I'm just a humble servant."
"We are all humble servants to Man," the Headmistress said sharply, looking intently at Claire.
"Yes, but what I mean is, you've attained a position of authority here, whereas I'm still young. You have a lot to lose, so I was afraid to confess what had happened to anyone here."
"That was very smart of you," the principal whispered, glaring at her threateningly.
Claire retained a pleasant, detached manner. "Why, if any of the parents somehow discovered what we did to William, they might not understand that he was a bad boy and had to be taught a lesson. You know how parents are where their children are concerned. They have no objectivity. Why William's mother, she is going to be at the fund raising party, isn't she? She might be very upset at the measures you took to correct his errant behavior."
"I!" the Headmistress shouted. "Just remember that you had a part in the whole thing as well as I did. We know about your past. I could mention certain incidents that might even lead people to suspect that it was your doing altogether, and if anything, it was I who tried to prevent you from abusing that child that you were blaming me only from the spitefulness that marks a girl of your sort. Do you believe they would take your word over mine?"
"Oh, Headmistress, you must have misunderstood me," Claire said with innocent horror at such a thought. I wouldn't think of telling anyone. I was just telling Linda last night, how you weren't yourself that afternoon and that it was certainly no reflection on your ability to run this institution."
"You told someone else about it!" the principal sputtered.
"You needn't upset yourself. Linda's a sweet girl who respects you. It would never enter her mind to say anything. It's funny though that she wasn't asked to that fund raising party, you know, for the charity drive at Mr. O'Conner's house. She admires him so much that it's a shame she can't come. You know, she's one of the few black girls here and I'm sure it would indicate how unprejudiced .this community is, how truly we believe that all people are equal, even though some of us live more grossly by the flesh than the spirit."
"Well," the Headmistress said, "it may have been an oversight not to have asked her."
"Yes, you know she's led an exemplary life. I mean, I've gotten to know her quite well and there isn't a trace of evil in her."
"Yes," Claire, I suppose we'll send her an invitation and she might help with the serving. Now you have to go. I have lots of work."
"Don't forget," Claire said cheerily, "she'll be disappointed if she can't come."