Emmy's 18th Birthday
It is 1978. Disco rules the airwaves. Iran teeters towards revolution and New York City was still recovering from the Fiscal Crisis of 1975 and the Black Out of 1977. Inflation, economic stagnation, and malaise take their toll on post-Viet Nam America. It is a turbulent time to come of age.
1-Preparation and Anticipation
Sunday, May 21, 1978
"Since your 18th birthday last week was so disappointing," Emmy's mother, Grace, started with an assumption, "And your father and I have that Memorial Day thing with the Lonegans," followed by a new bit of information. Who the heck were the Lonegans? "Chester Bradley would like to take you out on the town in the City on Thursday. I told him not to let you have too much alcohol."
Emmy was annoyed that her mother assumed her birthday had been disappointing. Her mother was right, Emmy's notorious lack of a social life was well commented upon. There was no one she could really call a close friend, certainly no boyfriends, so no party. Emmy would have felt better just staying in, but her dad insisted on taking her out for her first legal drink. The young woman awkwardly sipped on a rum and coke while her father polished off three bourbons on the rocks. She appreciated the effort and intent of her father, but it did not hide how generally empty her life was.
It also annoyed Emmy that her mother had ditched her only daughter for this milestone birthday. Grace said she needed to catch up with an old college friend. Emmy had been closer to her mother, who was always there, than her father, who was frequently away on business. When he was home, she seemed to be last on his list of priorities. The times when her dad was home were the times Emmy learned to entertain herself, he demanded all of Grace's attention then. A glass of wine at the kitchen table with her mother would have meant more than a bad tasting coke in a smokey bar with her dad and a room of creepy old men.
She was finally annoyed that her mother was trying to control how much she had to drink when she was legal. All that annoyance was overwhelmed by the tidal wave of joy brought on by the knowledge that Chester Bradley wanted to take her out on the town. Not to the zoo or some museum, but out in the grown-up world.
She really hoped he would rape her. Emmy snapped herself out of it. The box of erotica had gotten to her. But she did hope to have sex with him. Rough sex would be great, too. This might actually happen! If he wanted her that way. What if he didn't? What if he was just being nice? How could she make sure he did want her?
"So, your father and I will be leaving Tuesday," Emmy heard her mother say. It was Sunday now and her birthday celebration was Thursday. "And be back the Tuesday after. Possibly Wednesday if we're really having fun."
Emmy had no idea what was going on. She should pay better attention.
"You weren't paying attention, were you?" her mother asked patiently.
"No," Emmy confessed. "Sorry, Mom."
"I know it seems like we dropped this all on you, but we talked about this at Josh Zimmerman's Bar Mitzvah," the older beauty said patiently.
"Mom, that was three years ago," the young blonde protested. She tried to recall that day. What she most remembered was a cute 22-year-old hitting on her until her dad scared him off.
"I know, but the plans haven't changed," her mother rebutted cheerily.
"Is this that sailing thing?" Emmy finally had some recollection.
"See, you do remember!" Her mother clapped her hands together.
"Kind of," Emmy was trying to remember more about it other than they were going sailing.
"The Lonegans have a yacht and we are going with them and a few friends to Isula di Schiavi, stuffy old grownup stuff." They had planned this three years ago and never thought to bring it up again until now? "Gin and tonics and pinochle, that sort of thing."
"Okay," Emmy said, realizing she would be parentless for at least a week. "I'm on my own?"
"You're eighteen and soon off to college," the older beauty said dismissively. And what did she mean off to college? "I think this is a good test of your responsibility. You've got finals on Monday and Tuesday and can skip the rest of the week if you want. It's not like you are going to hang out with all your pals. Just call in sick and pretend you're me."
"Should I take the train into the city?" Emmy switched to logistical problems.
"Oh, heavens no!" her mother exclaimed at the thought of her beautiful daughter riding the train alone. "Chester Bradley will come for you."
"Mom?" There was something Emmy had always wanted to ask. "Why do we call him Chester Bradley and not Chester or Mr. Bradley?"
A look of puzzlement crossed her mother's lovely face. Emmy sometimes forgot that her mother was a beautiful woman.
"We just always have," Grace said with a sigh. "Obviously, he knew your father before your father met me. That's how we were introduced, and it always had such a nice flow to it."
"Chester Bradley." Emmy said, trying out the feel of it. "Does have a nice ring to it."
"Chester Bradley," her mother echoed.
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Tuesday, May 23, 1978
The quiet blonde breezed through her two days of finals. Emmy might not be social, but she was smart. If she had really tried, Emmy could have achieved a 4.0 gpa, but she only really put effort into the subjects that interested her. The idea that she was finished with high school forever was still sinking in, this was a huge milestone in her life that just seemed like another Tuesday. She felt that the big event, bigger than the graduation ceremony on Saturday that she was planning to skip, was seeing Chester Bradley.
Grace and Eddie left on schedule and Emmy had a boring Tuesday night watching Happy Days, Laverne and Shirley and Three's Company. She turned it off when she saw they had on a summer fill-in instead of Soap. The blonde teen curled up naked in bed and reread her favorite parts of The Story of O. The amount of anal sex in the Story of O made it Emmy's favorite smut, even if some other parts didn't do it as much for her. She just could not really get into whipping for the sake of whipping. Whipping as punishment or for training she could see. But she felt the girl should have to do something to earn that much pain. She thought she would do something bad just to see what it felt like, though.