In The Garden Of Snakes (An Erotic Summer Tryst) Read Free Page B

left him unimpressed. “What
are you doing there?”
    “Education. I might teach.”
    “You seem unsure.”
    Everyone’s eyes were on me.
“I’m…probably.”
    “Teaching what?”
    “Elementary school.”
    “Was that your decision or your parents?”
    I glanced at Carmen, hoping that she would
intervene and save me from this interrogation. She had just crammed
a spoonful of mashed potatoes into her mouth. “I…a…it was my
decision.” Actually, it hadn’t been at all. I didn’t know what I
wanted as a future career, but I had to do something, and going to
school would get me out of the house and away from my mother.
    “I see.” He took a sip of wine, eyeing me. A
slightly perplexed, yet interested expression was on his face.
    “Teaching is a marvelous occupation,” said
Rose. “You mustn’t frown on it, Joseph.”
    “I’m not. If it was what she really wanted to
do. I don’t get the feeling it is.”
    “She’s young,” said Roberta. “She’ll figure
it out.”
    “What the hell is Mercy College anyway?”
asked Sonya.
    I was going to speak, but Carmen beat me to
it. “Religious shit.”
    “Oh…fun.” She rolled her eyes. “Good times
will be happening there.”
    “There’s nothing wrong with religious
colleges,” said Uncle Henry. “An education is an education.”
    “I beg to differ,” said Joseph. “An education
is supposed to open your mind, broaden your horizons. It shouldn’t
reinforce limited thinking.”
    “Tell that to congress,” quipped Grandpa
Fred.
    “Don’t get me started,” warned Joseph.
    “No talk of God or politics at the dinner
table,” said Constance. “Quit offending our houseguest. If you
don’t stop, I’ll make you eat in the kitchen.” She winked at me,
smiling.
    Joseph glanced at her. “That leaves us with
almost nothing to talk about, honey.”
    “Oh, that’s not true.”
    I was thankful that the focus was off me for
the moment. I hated feeling singled out and questioned. After
dinner, Carmen and I watched a movie with Christian and Sonya,
while Abby and Madison scampered in and out, always with animals at
their feet. When the show was over, Carmen and I went to the
kitchen and shared a slice of coconut cake, which was delicious. We
went for a walk in the gardens afterward.
    Carmen skipped ahead down the path. “Let’s
see who’s up to mischief, shall we?”
    I ran to catch up. “What do you mean?”
    “Shhh…” She held a finger to her mouth.
“Someone’s always doing something they’re not supposed to at High
Bridge.” We approached the art studio; the barn-like structure was
hidden in the furthest corner of the garden, near the woods. “I bet
naughty things are happening in here.”
    “How do you know?”
    She giggled, “Be quiet now.”
    We peeked through a window at the dimly
illuminated interior. Easels and art supplies took up the space
with huge canvases stacked against the walls. Drop cloths were all
over the floor.
    “Oh,” she whispered. “I see ‘em. Gotcha.” A
naked couple was on a blanket, kissing. It looked like Sonya and
Christian. “I knew it,” Carmen giggled. “Those dirty birds. For
shame.”
    Sonya sat on him. Then she thrust her hips
back and forth. He gripped her, guiding her as she threw her head
back and moaned, the sound echoing in the cavernous space. Her
breasts bounced with the motion of her body; the nipples looked
like hard pieces of candy.
    I glanced at Carmen. “W-we shouldn’t be
watching this.”
    “Why not? What else is there to do?”
    “Oh, God, baby, fuck me,” a male voice
moaned.
    The muscles in my tummy contracted, an
eruption of tingles fanning out to every region of my body. I knew
it was wrong to sneak up on people and watch an act of intimacy,
but…it was exciting. I’d never seen R rated movies before or read
books with sex in them. The only breasts I had ever experienced
were my own, up until today. I stared at them often after a bath or
a shower, marveling at their