”“I’ll do that.”“We hear you two in the background,” Beth announced. “Now get off the line so we can talk to our husband.”Both men lau...ghed and Grant, now in a much better mood, answered “Yes, Dears.”Sabrina added, “And Ben, we need lots of fabric and sewing notions and any tailors and cobblers who want to get in on the ground floor of a good opportunity. We desperately need clothing and boots with winter coming on. We also need nails, saws and tools of all types, as well as carpenters and brick. Women were free to explore with other women as well as men experimenting and exploring with other men without guilt, shame, or fear. Partners could swap and invite others to join them with the full knowledge that all that mattered was pleasure, sensuality, and fun. The final evening of the retreat had a blow-out bash planned. The lilting rhythms of reggae and salsa music filled the air. Congas pounded out a driving, sensual beat in the background. The aromas of amazing food filled the air. I couldn’t see Papa forking over a bundle of cash for my college education when it took every penny he had just to keep the farm on a paying basis. One failed crop would cause a lot of grief; two failed crops and he’d be in hock up to his ears. And anyhow, it was obvious that, even though he didn’t hold out a lot of hope for me, he would still rather have a farmer for a son than a scholar. What good was a scholar?Well, that particular day I was hiding out in my little cubbyhole doing practice. We ended up at Two Friends, another Jazz bar, just off of Duval Street. After a few minutes there he suggested we all go to his place for drinks and a swim in his pool. My friend said she was tired and wanted to head home, telling us not to end our evening on her account. We said our goodbyes. She said something like, “You two don’t have too much fun tonight,” and was on her way. The guy, whose name I can’t remember, and I left shortly thereafter, and walked about five blocks to his house off.
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