The Afghan Queen: A True Story of an American Woman in Afghanistan Read Free Page B

Broadway experience. He had been walking a few feet ahead talking to Bob and was curious to know why Lela and Gin were walking behind them in the first place. Lela replied that it was because Broadway was so crowded but also because she had some personal things to discuss with Gin.
    Lela went on to explain that they were exchanging information about their erotic preferences. As she told him what these were, she and Paul became quite flushed as they remained fixed on each other’s eyes. Lela said that she knew exactly what he was thinking.
    Paul told her he was quite happy with their sex life. She loved to have her feet and back massaged and so did he. They both studied Murphy Massage and were keen on mutual practice.
    He knew from the look on her face what was coming next. “OK,” she said, “I told you all the girl talk; now you tell me the guy talk. You can massage my feet while you tell me. He massaged her feet while telling her what Bob and he had talked about.
    “After describing his preferences, Bob launched into an erotic description of how some classical music, especially Mahler’s Resurrection Symphony , affected him and Gin. They liked to make love as the intense base decibels washed over them. He had told Paul that he loved the firm, springy feel of Gin’s flesh, especially her legs.”
    Paul told Lela that guys rarely talk about such things, but he was sure women were far more open with each other. Lela kissed him passionately and said, “Paul my love, you are definitely learning more about gals than about guys.”
    His eyes glazed over as he launched into another epiphany:
    “I suggest that sex stimulates and shifts the human mind into over drive. Without male and female hormones, would people think and plan any enterprise? Does human activity depend on the prospect of sexual satisfaction?
    “The prospect of finding hidden knowledge, especially about sex, leads us on interminably. We cannot help ourselves. Just as the planets revolve around the Sun, males revolve around females. Women are our stars. Women energize us; they light our sexual fires. Sex drive, I believe, drives the human mind and intellect.
    “You’ve heard it said, ‘I had to light a fire under him before he did such and such.’ And you, Lela, love of my life, have lit a fire under me. You are my star, around whom I will rotate until our fire burns out.”
    “Paul, that’s beautiful. I’m touched by your poetry. I know how much we need each other and understand your sexual craving and mine. That’s why I need this upcoming Afghan adventure. It’s sexual, I’m sure, this craving for adventure. I’m certain it’s something I need to do. We both need this solo adventure. The search for hidden knowledge will be an adventure for us both.”

    Lela and Paul discussed resolving their sexual needs while she was away in Afghanistan, and they came up with a solution they could both agree on. Lela would choose lovers exclusively outside the U.S. Paul would do the same in the U.S., but outside the home. When she returned to their home in New Jersey, they would resume spousal sex exclusively. They agreed to exchange details of their sexual adventures in letters.
    Paul was also concerned about their teenage sons. They solved the problem by finding Dan, a teaching student at Montclair State University. He needed a room and Lela needed a housekeeper and big brother for the boys as Paul did a lot of corporate traveling and was in the process of completing an economics doctorate at the New School in New York.
    The deal they arrived at worked for everyone. Dan received room and board, plus $25 per week in exchange for minding the teenage sons and the house. The men and boys all shared the house cleaning on weekends.
    LELA AND PAUL – FIRST MEETING:
    Lela’s and Paul’s practical experience with family formation began in September 1958, with a train ride from Forest Hills to Manhattan.
    Paul was on his way to NYU Medical College. He and Lela