RELUCTANT PRESS

The class discussion that followed was really quite interesting. Some of my classmates saw it as a bit of a lark and were amused while others felt it was an affront to male sexuality. "I'd hate a boyfriend like THAT," remarked Peggy Staples witheringly.

"Oh, come off it," said Sue scornfully, "it's only an actor's role; I see nothing wrong with it at all." Sue was my girlfriend and something of a catch too, I don't mind telling you. Turning round to me, she said with a broad grin, "YOU'D make a marvelous Juliet, you know."

I must confess, my heart beat a little faster but I merely raised my brows at her and shrugged. I decided not to tell her about Saturday although I half wanted to; I'm sure she wouldn't have felt threatened by it as Peggy, no doubt, would have been. I found myself wondering how she would have reacted but I was by no means sure enough of her to chance it. I knew that her Mom was also pally with Doreen but the chances of a 'leak' of the escapade via Doreen to Sue's Mom and then to Sue herself, I felt, was a fairly long shot.

The real risk was the whole beastly class getting to hear of it. I have half hinted that I don't think I am an utter coward but to face up to a bunch of scornful peers when one is sixteen is quite a daunting thing and a five minute conversation with any sixteen year old should convince you of this. The peer group is more potent than God Himself, or, in these egalitarian times, God Herself: lets settle for 'Itself. At the time, I was attending a dual medium school where English classes were shared with our Afrikaans speaking compatriots and Frik Du Plessis' final judgment and dismissal of the boy actors was a, "Jislasik, maar hulle moes laf gewees het."

For sure, if the class got wind of Saturday, I was a goner! On Friday morning there was a note from Sue in my locker; we each had a key to the other's locker for just this purpose.

'Dugsie Darling,

I MUST see you today after School at our usual place. I think you are a beast not to have told ME about your SOOPER Saturday stunt.

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JOYCE'S GIRLS

BY JOYCE

I love you, I love you, I LOVE you and what I say three times is true!

Sue'

Her note stopped me in my tracks all right. With thudding heart I read it again and again. Even my mouth had gone a bit dry. I felt Doreen had no right to bring other people into it without asking me first, not that Sue was an 'other people' she was pretty special, but soon it could be all over town and the Frics and the Peggy's of it would have a field day of making my life a misery. I hurried to Sue's locker and left her a hastily scribbled note:

"My Darlingest,

If you dare tell a single solitary soul I shall divorce you and that will be very terrible because I will still love you and I will die. See you at the usual place. Love, love and more LOVE. Dugsie.

During the course of that morning there was no chance for any kind of tete-a-tete; once, from a distance, she made a pursing movement of her lips in my direction which I construed to mean a promised kiss... oh, Heaven! I can still feel her warm breasts pressed against me when we did exchange the occasional kiss.

Our trysting place was painfully, if not exquisitely, traditional the Lane behind the church.

Sue was already waiting as I hurried there, satchel in hand.

"Dugsie, you beast, why didn't you tell me of your Saturday's stunt. Doreen told Mom all about it last night when she came to dinner ah, my Juliet," she said, clowning a

swoon.

"Now stop your teasing," I said a little crossly. "Doreen and Mom thought it would be a bit of a lark, that's all, but I'm beginning to regret it now, I can tell you."

"If you spoil it all through any kind of silliness, I'll never speak to you again; come here, I want to give you a kiss. Only one boy in a million would have the spunk and the imagination to take off those dreadful biddies that go to

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