Backstory
Mark is 18, orphaned at 8. Very shy, no experience with girls beyond kissing.
5' 11", 150 pounds. Skinny and gangly.
Grew up in a smallish Michigan town, 90% white.
Did well in school and on the SAT, won scholarship to a Detroit university. Student body still majority white, but more balanced than his high school.
Befriended by two black Senior coeds who undertook his sexual education; slowly, in a show-and-tell manner. "His girls," Candace and Keisha.
A Psychology grad student from a historically-black sorority is enlisted to continue it. Mark learned of this 4 days ago, and that there'll be an interview he must pass.
It's October 2005.
Try to remember yourself at 18 as you read on.
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About noon my cellphone rang, a local number I didn't recognize (it must be
her
!), "H-hello?"
"Hello, Mark. Rita Dominic at Zeta Phi." A sexy accent I couldn't place. There's an exchange student in my dorm from Ghana, and Rita's accent kind of sounded like his: British English as spoken by Africans; you see it on TV sometimes.
"Hello, Miss Dominic," I said, an octave deeper than normal, trying to sound more confident than I felt. (Because I felt like I could throw up, truth be told, so many butterflies in my stomach.)
"Are we still on for 4 o'clock?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Good, I'll meet you in the café in the student union. Wear your Domino's uniform. And boxers."
"Yes, ma'am, I'll be there." She hung up without saying goodbye.
What kind of woman is this?
So sure of herself on the phone: not even asking if it was me, not making 4:00 an option, and directing me what to
wear
, down to my underwear! Expecting no complaint, then not even saying goodbye.
But the girls had set this up for me, and I didn't think they'd send me into a situation where I'd be hurt or ridiculed or anything. The direction of my nightmares the last three nights notwithstanding, I was eager to meet some of the ladies at Zeta Phi to see if I hit it off with any of them, whatever that process looked like.
At 3:50 I was in the café drinking a hot chocolate. Sitting in the far corner, back to the wall, where I could see the large entrance area that opens out into the student union. Trying not to look too eager, glancing up only occasionally. 3:55, no Rita. 4:00, no Rita. 4:05, no Rita. Now I was starting to get worried: was I in the right place? There's only one "café in the student union." Was the time on my phone right? I didn't wear a watch, so I asked the girl at the counter: yes, it's 4:06. Probably a power trip then and she's being "fashionably late."
At 4:09 I saw her, and like Candace had said in her note, there was no missing her. Tall, maybe as tall as me or even a bit more in those heels. Dark skinned,
very
dark, like from-Africa dark. Curvaceous body, solid, not thin or lithe. Not big either, but with the hips of an African fertility goddess.
Her clothes were an explosion of reds tending to burgundy. A jacket-and-skirt affair in something stiff like wool. All angles and sharp lines. I supposed this was a "power suit" for women, worn in a business environment. For when you wanted to make a statement.
And a large-brimmed hat, also red. The kind that's more fashion statement than functional. Floppy, the brim being a stiff mesh-type material, see-through. The front flopped (or folded?) down over much of her face, almost like a veil.
"Hello, Mark." No mention of being late.
"Hello, Miss Dominic."
"You may call me Rita." Not, 'you
can
call me Rita,' like anyone else would say, but you
may
. This woman is definitely in charge of herself and her interactions with others.
"So, tell me about yourself, Mark."
I proceeded to tell her about Ann Arbor, parents died when I was young, foster homes, group home, full-ride scholarship at WSU. I thought about telling her about Candace and Keisha and our budding friendship, but figured she already knew that. I didn't pick up any kind of
Oh you poor thing
vibe when I was telling her about being an orphan and foster care. She was listening, but more coldly processing than reacting.
"You must've gotten good grades in high school to get that scholarship. SAT scores?"
"Yes, ma'am, A's and B's. I aced the Math part of the SAT, and scored 99
th
percentile on the Verbal."
"Impressive." Not, '
impressive!'
, just a flat, 'impressive.'
"And what are you studying here?"
"Engineering, probably will be Mechanical, but I'm keeping my options open for now."
"Understandable. That's a good choice, Engineering, for a smart young man like you." That caused me to blush a bit.
"Have you ever had a girlfriend, Mark?"
"No, ma'am, not like a long-term girlfriend. I've only been on a few dates."
"And these dates, did they quickly escalate sexually?"
"No, ma'am. I—I'm still a virgin," which she knew already, or she wouldn't be interviewing me.
"But on a first date, have you ever felt a girl's breasts, or put your hands down her pants?"
"No ma'am, I'm too shy to do anything like that! Unless I've really gotten to know a girl and she signals that's what she wants."
"Good, I like the way you phrased that. But you
have
touched a girl's breasts and vagina, haven't you?"
I blushed at the mention of those two words in a public area, and wished Miss Rita would keep her voice down. But she didn't seem to much care what was overheard or by whom. "Yes, ma'am, once. The same girl."
"And you just decided you'd touch her like that." Accusing, not leading.