Lara entered her mother's bedroom to use her laptop. She wanted to look up nudist resorts to see if any had job openings.
A search found many listings of resorts, but none of them posted their job openings. Very few existed in her area of Charleston, South Carolina. But there were several in Florida, and even several more in California.
California intrigued her. She had heard that California was a place where people could live as they pleased, quite unlike the more conservative, traditional state as South Carolina. Getting to California would present a big hurdle to overcome, especially if she planned to do it fully nude.
She still had no plans on how she was going to get to a nudist resort without having a car. Being nude, she couldn't actually take the bus or ride a bicycle, or even walk. The more she thought about it, the more problems she encountered. She wondered if throwing out all her clothes was a good idea, at least at this point.
Before turning off the computer, she managed to write down phone numbers of several nudist resorts around the country.
She walked back into her bedroom, and began calling up resorts on her cellphone.
A woman answered.
"Uh, Hello, is this Sun County Resorts?" Lara asked.
"Yes?"
"I'm looking for a job, and wondered if there were any openings there?"
"Sorry, not at this moment."
"Oh. OK, thanks".
She tried another number, a resort in Arizona. A man answered.
"Hi, my named is Lara, and I'm looking for work and wanted to know if there are any job openings there?"
"Not right now, but you might want to check back next Spring, we're building a new restaurant and adding more rooms."
"Oh, OK, thanks."
"Sure, no problem."
Lara hung up.
She called several more numbers, but every one she called all gave her the same answer. There were no job openings. It seemed very disappointing, but she knew that nudist resorts did employ people and that it would only be a matter of time when they would need to hire someone. She still held on to hope.
Lara took a deep breath and exhaled, then propped her head with her hand and thought more about her future.
At this point in her life, every day she remained at home was another day she failed to begin her life as an adult.
Lara thought about Julia leaving for Fort Wayne soon. Her only friend would be gone any day now. She wondered if she could hitch a ride with Julia, at least to some nudist resort somewhere. But she'd be hundreds of miles from home, with no money, no place to stay, and no clothes either.
Nonetheless, she felt like time was wasting. She needed a plan.
She picked up the phone and dialed Julia's cell phone.
Several rings went by, until it finally went into voice mail. Lara hung up without leaving a message.
Frustrated, she laid down on her bed.
She thought about Teresa.
Somehow the one memory that stood out the most was when they both graduated sixth grade and spent summer vacation together. It was an evening, and they were at Teresa's house.
* * *
Teresa's mother spent several years of abuse at the hands of her former husband. She held on to her marriage because she wasn't working and relied on his income to take care of Teresa and herself. After the divorce, she saw to it that her daughter would never be subservient to a man. She pushed Teresa to excel in both academics and athletics. And because Teresa was taller and more physical than most girls her age, she radiated an aura of confidence and assertion that all kids respected.
She didn't want Teresa to feel as if she needed men, or worse, tolerate the abuse of a man. She didn't necessarily want Teresa to be a lesbian or bisexual, she wanted Teresa to make that decision. She just wanted Teresa to be in total control of her sexuality, and not fall prey to her own desires.
Teresa had already discovered masturbation well before she and Lara became friends. And with Teresa's mother being a nudist, and having encouraged Teresa to be a nudist as well, she wasn't at all shy about touching herself openly. Her mother was torn between wanting Teresa to keep her auto-erotica confined to the bedroom, and with wanting to encourage Teresa to be sexually liberated and free. She tried to insist that Teresa show some restraint and politeness, but there were also times when she just let it go.
* * *
But what Lara remembered the most was when the two were seated on the couch watching a movie inside Teresa's house. Teresa's mother relaxed in her recliner nearby. Both Teresa and Lara had a blanket over them, but were fully nude underneath. Teresa's mom was nude also.
The cover of a blanket was all that Teresa needed to explore her sexuality in the early part of their relationship.
Lara did the best she could to contain herself while allowing Teresa to explore and experiment.
Teresa's mother would reach for the handle on her recliner to sit herself back up. Just as quickly, Teresa would pull her hand away from Lara. Both tried to look as if nothing were happening. But Teresa's mother was not naive. She knew what was going on.
She chose to let it go, however. Teresa's mother welcomed her daughter's exploration into sexuality, hoping she would learn to be proud of it and be in full control of it. But she had little concern for Lara. As far as she was concerned, if Lara's mother didn't care, then she didn't care either.
However in the months and years following, she would warn Teresa against touching herself and Lara in public. But Teresa loved what amount of control she already held over Lara. Teresa would become more determined, more confident, and would develop an acute appetite for both control and sex.
Ch. 9: Looking For a Job, Remembering Teresa
