Sunday 22 March 2015

Sunday, March 22, 2015 -

Journey to Love

by Susan Thomas
Published: Jan 29, 2015
Words: 39,054
Category: domestic discipline, romance
Orientation: M/F
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OPENING EXTRACT
When Kathy Anderton discovered dating as a young teenager she also discovered just how eager teenage boys were to have sex. As she was the daughter of a young single mother, that scared her and she began to wonder why a girl had to be so willing to get her knickers off just to keep a boyfriend.

One day Ellis, her boyfriend said, "Well I really like you Kathy but if you're not prepared to...."

She felt resentful. "Well I really like you Ellis but if that's how you feel..."

Ellis had a brief moment of randy hope before Kathy walked off waving goodbye. Unsure what to do about dating any other boy, she moaned about it to Kelly, a nice girl she often sat next to in class.

"Why do I have to have sex just to go out with him? I just don't want to. I don't feel ready."

Her friend replied quietly, "I'm not allowed to date boys on their own. My parents don't think I'm old enough and my church discourages it. Why don't you come to my church? There are loads of kids our age and we all have a good time."

The church was a friendly charismatic Anglican church with a great many families and a policy about dating - don't date, go out in groups. Kathy happily fell in with this enjoying the company of boys in a mixed group and feeling happier and unpressured. She wasn't really a believer but she was accepted just as she was. Her mum was happy about it and Kathy enjoyed the various youth activities.

Kathy's mum wasn't in fact unmarried. She had gone touring North America during a gap year and at just eighteen had met, married and fallen pregnant to a young American man. Kathy was six months old when the responsibility of being a husband and father had sent him scurrying for the hills never to be seen again. Kathy's mum had fled back to England to a family that promptly disowned her. Their view was she had married a foreigner in a foreign country without their permission; she had made her bed and must now lie on it. Knocked down but not destroyed she set to and worked hard to build a life for herself and her daughter. In spite of having no qualifications beyond A-level she managed to work her way up to quite a well-paid job, bought a flat and although she had to be careful with money, managed a reasonable life for the two of them.

Was Kathy a perfect daughter? She was, as all daughters are, a mixture of adorable and a pain. Sometimes they had screaming rows. Sometimes Kathy was grounded. Sometimes they laughed and talked together without any barriers. A normal relationship. Kathy's mum, Annie, was relieved that Kathy was wary of a sexual relationship with boys.