Granger 03
- This article is a Biography
- Chapter 03 - Ethel makes her entrance
Therefore I hope your patience has not become exhausted, but I also hope you have followed me so far despite your murmurs, "What's all this to do with Ethel?"
I was still going strong with Mary when Ethel takes the stage. I had spent the holiday period after Xmas 1927 with her. This was followed by a deep snowfall so that I had to go down to visit by train, by the old Colne Valley line. She came to the station to greet me. As usual we enjoyed one another. I was then 24 and Mary was now on the wrong side of forty, but still attractive. Although I had practised no reserve and so far as I know, neither did she, she did not become pregnant. No doubt if she had done so I would have married her, but until that seemingly unlikely event occurred, there was no other link but our mutual love and attraction for one another.
Little did I guess that would be our last Christmas holiday together, at that time while we were there together, the snow melted rapidly, causing the river Colne, which flowed at the bottom of her garden, to flood and over spill its banks so much so that one night, as we lay together on the couch, the waters were lapping at the door, it was a toss up whether they would come inside before morning dawned. Luckily, they were going down when we got up next morning, but there was water everywhere outside as far as one could see. I got some camera shots of the floods.
During the period when I had been squiring Mary, I gained my certificate, which gave me an increase in pay, although I had to change my place of work, with a new Authority, and of course, new lodgings, which after a time I changed, to another lodge where there were three other men lodgers. I still lodged away from home during the week and went home on my motor cycle on the Friday to return on the Monday morning. One lodger brought me some old copies of an erotic publication which was new to me. It was called "London Life"
I was thrilled to find lots of things inside to interest me, and also to learn that I was in no way unique in my wishes and desires. Here were articles on tiny waists, tight lacing and high heels, make up, gloves and even earrings and nose rings too. What is more, there were many letters from correspondents giving their experiences in wearing stilt like heels, of heights I had never seen, or guessed possible, and there were adverts from firms selling shoes and boots with heels of 6 inches or higher. There were letters from correspondents describing the joys of tight lacing, of waists of unbelievable tenuity, and sometimes illustrations to prove the story. One wrote about the delightful feel of creaseless kid gloves up to the elbows, of boots, laced or buttoned up to the knees or even the thighs, and their experience wearing them.
Usually I would be away down in the workshop at the bottom of' the garden, making things, or else developing photographs, often, while doing so, putting in earrings and lacing my corsets, while I stood in high heeled shoes, for I was in the dark room. I knew this would keep outsiders out of sight.
Ethel, at that time was courting while working in Woolworths, to put by money for her marriage. I remember pulling her leg when she was reading out a list of things she had to get ready for a day out with him, and as she read down the list she said "Ground sheet." So I said, "What do you need that for?" Although I could guess anyhow, but she had made a slip and I jumped on it. She went through into the shop and when she returned I chirped up to ask her if she had the ground sheet with her ready for use. I didn't know much about her, other than I had seen her about the place fairly frequently. She was a girl, short, flat-chested, rather prominent teeth, with short shingled hair, rather vivid colouring, with heels about 2 inches high, a typical Twiggy. But she had a temper as I discovered. She had a towel in her hand and with it she slashed me across the face. She told me afterwards that she was sorry as soon as she had done it, but to me it was like a red rag to a bull.
I rose quickly and grabbed her, and swiftly put her face down over my knees, where despite her struggles I administered several hard slaps across her little bottom. When I released her she tried to hit me again, but I held both her hands so when she kicked out I told her that next time it would be her bare bottom that would be slapped for she had only got back what she had given.
Now the old saying, "Dogs, Women and Walnut trees, the more they're beaten, the better they bee's." This may be true, but from that moment something had passed between us, and I saw her as a woman to be coaxed and wheedled, and perhaps loved, for maybe I glimpsed the possibilities there might be in her slender form, for her lips, if nothing else, were made to be kissed. Soon she was sitting beside me while I finished the game of double patience I had started when she slapped me. It was too cold to go down to the workshop, so we spent the evening together on the chair before the fire. That was my first real meeting with Ethel.
She said was going away to meet her fiancé that week end and I told that I hoped to see Mary soon. She knew all about that, as my mother had spilled the beans.
She lived about 3 miles from us in the country, and I soon got in the habit of running her home on my motor cycle on the 'Flapper Bracket' as we called it, and she would give me a friendly kiss of thanks for my trouble.
Then one weekend she came back in tears, I dragged out the fact that her man had deserted her for another woman, leaving her high and dry. I could not resist saying that perhaps she had not set out her stall properly to keep him on the hook. At which she bridled with temper, asking what I knew about it. I replied to that by saying that I knew what would keep most men interested with women even if she did not, or some men pretended otherwise. I could tell her, but wouldn't anyway, for she would most likely fly into a temper again. She said, "I know what men want and they've had it, they are anxious to leave."
Perhaps, feeling alone, she now began to come closer to me in the chair, and I could put my arm around her uncorseted waist saying, "This is one thing of which you know nothing. Women of today do not know how to please men. They do not dress as they could if they wanted, to please men. There are things I like to find in a woman myself, and any woman I take must be prepared to give me what I want. That is why I go where I do. Not just for what you think." I think the words may have gone home to her, for from then on a change began.
When Easter came I was eager to see Mary again, so off I went once more on the winding road to Colchester , as it was in those days. We enjoyed ourselves, as we had done on previous occasions. However, when I finally kissed her "Goodbye", I did not realise that it was the end of an episode and it would be many years before I would see her again. And strangely, when I took the road, it was with thoughts of Ethel. Had she missed me, and would she be around when I got home.
She soon came in to greet me with a kiss, asking if I had had a good holiday, to which I replied that it had been very enjoyable. I wondered why she was not at work She said she had been fired, but at present was on the National Health. In fact, when the next weekend came round and she did not come in, I went over to her house to find out where she was, or if she was ill. This was so. She was alone in the house upstairs in her bedroom. Her voice called to me to come up to find her in bed, and we talked, while she held my hand. She told me she had had an accident some time before, which had injured her back, and it troubled her at times.
So, alone in the house with a young female already in bed, we sat and talked. She said "You said there were other things that might attract a man, you for instance. What do you see in Mary? She is so much older than you. What has she got that I have not got?" I told her that in Mary's case, age had little to do with the attraction. I liked a woman with a good figure and well formed breasts, walking on high heels and well corseted. I like earrings and long hair and make up amongst other things. She said, "I know you like corsets and high heels, for your have told me about you.
"Corsets! You won't catch me wearing corsets. I hate the idea, as they show the breasts off too much." I asked what was wrong with that, all women had them, and should be proud to show them. She said "Mine are very small, and I like them that way; besides which I like to feel free." I knew that for I could hardly feel them against me when she kissed me. I spent quite a long time with her, but we only kissed once or twice.
I had learned from Mary that it is better to go slowly and keep the female guessing. Keep her on the edge of suspense. Guide her gently but subtly on the path you want to take, but let her lead or think she does so. If one can discreetly turn her to it, then the road is open for adventure and she may surprise you. One must play on their emotions like picking a tune on a violin.
When I left Mary at Easter I was, although I did not know it, at the parting of the ways. While I said "Good-bye" to Mary with regret and a hopeful anticipation that I would return again within a few weeks at Whitsun, for a few mere days, at the same time I was hurrying homewards with the consoling thought that I would not be too lonely as I would have Ethel to see and talk to and kiss again. However I am certain that I never thought I would not see Mary again as I had hoped to do.
But I was in a dangerous predicament, for to keep two women would be asking for trouble, for while Mary did not know about Ethel, at least Ethel know all about Mary, for I had not hidden the fact where I went, nor what was Mary's attraction for me.
Two women, so unlike, yet each attractive in her own way; Mary with her well corseted shapely figure and high heavy bust, with her ears now well and truly pierced and wearing earrings, liking well fitting clothes and high heels, yet so much older than me, which, while it did not deter me at the moment, yet I realised that as the years went by, the difference would become more noticeable. Also she was, despite all I had done, apparently unable to conceive, for if she had done so I would have married her, and this story would never have been written.
On the other hand, there was Ethel, young, pliable and willing to learn, perhaps not a virgin, but I cared little about that, and while uncorseted and unpierced, at least, here was fertile ground to plant the seed and a challenge to me to train her, if possible, in the way I would, if she were willing to travel with me.
The choice had to be made, and Ethel brought it to a head, the day before the next holiday by saying, "What are you going to do? If you go away, then I will not be here when you come home again."
The thought of losing Ethel made the decision for me and I told her that I would be giving up and could she make it up to me, to which she declared that she was ready to do every thing she could to please me, to corset, to wear higher heels and let her hair grow, also to have her ears pierced. To seal the matter she offered herself to me and we came together for the first time. I had a most difficult and horrid task to write to Mary, who would now be expecting me, that I was not coming again, that I had loved her deeply, and still did, in fact for many years I dreamed about her. I hoped she would always remember the good time's we had had together, as I would always do. The letter was a terrible shock to her, her reply indicated, but we both made a clean break, although I often wondered what she was doing.
It was some years later that I had a photo and newspaper clipping by which I learned she was now happily remarried to someone her own age and was now living at Fordham. I was very pleased to hear this as it made me feel better.
Did I ever hear from her or see her again?
Well strange things can happen. It is a small world.
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