Chapter 4

Later that night, Penny went to the master bedroom while Lars watched a football game on the twenty-five-inch color TV in the living room. Mae was sitting at the dresser, rubbing cold cream into her skin. She wore a pale green sleeping gown under a flowered robe. Mae smiled when she saw Penny in the mirror. "Yes, dear?" She plucked a tissue from a box.

"Mother-I want to talk privately with you. It's serious."

"Oh ... well, we're private here. What's the matter, baby?"

Penny sat on the edge of the bed behind her mother. They looked at each other in the mirror facing Mae. Penny pretended to be nervous and hesitant. She clasped and unclasped her hands in her lap. "Could-could I talk to you about sex?"

"Of course." But Mae's voice changed-became subtly formal. She rubbed her face vigorously with the tissue.

Penny wore only a thin pink mini-robe. She had just come from a shower. The ends of her long reddish-brown hair were damp. The robe clung to her wet skin in places-her nipples were obvious. Penny provocatively let her robe slip open and show her pussy. She said, "Well ... I like boys, and they like me, and when I go out on dates we do things sometimes."

Mae's voice came frozen: "What things?"

"Well ... kissing a lot, of course, and feeling a lot ... touching. They like to feel me up. I've got a nice body. These things...." Penny opened her robe and exposed her big, lovely breasts. Her nipples were vivid pink buttons. She palmed the underside of each breast and lifted slightly. "Boys just love to play with these."

"Penny! Cover yourself! You mustn't-You mustn't talk that way. You mustn't let boys take liberties with your body!"

"But-"

"You must have self-respect and dignity. Sex is not a nice thing for a respectable girl to-to permit. One thing leads to another."

"I know. I touch boys, when they touch me."

"What-what do you mean?"

"I feel their ... their pricks."

"Penny! Never use dirty words like that! You should be ashamed of yourself. And decent girls do not touch boys there! Never! That's disgusting!"

"I guess I know what you'll have to say about sucking, in that case." Penny clinically watched her mother's reflection.

Mae seemed frozen. "Have you done it? You mustn't EVER DO IT!"

"Why not?"

"Penny! How can you ever think of putting a boy's thing in your mouth? It's revolting! Have you?"

Penny smiled and avoided answering. "I do like to get my hands on them. It feels funny when they grow."

"Oh, no ... you mustn't!"

"Don't you and Lars play around with each other? Don't you ever do things with his thing?"

"No! Lars is a gentleman. We never indulge in perversions." Mae's lips pressed together. She avoided Penny's curiously mocking gaze.

Penny sighed. "I knew you'd react this way." She was sad.

"I am old-fashioned, dear, and I'm proud of it. I expect you to behave properly, too. You are not to go out with boys, from now on, if you have had intimate touchings with them."

"Mother!"

"And I must know-have you ... sucked?"

"Once. I could lie to you, Mother, but I'm being honest. I wish you'd be honest with me."

"I am, dear! Believe me, sucking is something I would never do! And I do not want you to ever try it again!"

Penny slumped. She sent Mae a scathing, contemptuous look. "Thank you for your time." She stood up and started for the door.

"Penny!" Mae half turned on the padded bench before her makeup table. But Penny did not respond. She went out into the hall. Mae watched her daughter go with a mixture of relief and alarm ... a sense of failure and guilt. She looked at herself in the mirror and began to cry.