This story has been adapted from entries from diaries entrusted to me after my mother's death. I have 'changed names' to protect the innocent or guilty depending on your point of view and I have added a fair bit of poetic licence to add substance. This excerpt continues the story telling how my mother became a 'woman' as she put it.
This next entry from my mother's diaries was approximately three weeks after her adventure with Mr Dromby in the summer of 1955. The factory where she worked was starting their two week summer break which coincided with harvest time for the local farms. My mum had helped out on her Uncle Jim's small holding every year since her early teens. Normally she and my Aunt Joan would stay over for two weeks as a form of holiday.
Uncle Jim was her father's younger brother and had married a much richer woman; his wife Kathryn was an artist and illustrated books and their marriage had caused a bit of scandal at the time as Jim had been a general labourer and farm hand. Jim had served in the Coldstream Guards during the war. He stood at 6'4" very tall for the time and was still an imposing figure. He worked part time as a special constable and was normally picked for duty on Friday nights as a one man crowd control. They had a daughter, Kathy, who was six years older than my mother; she had inherited her mother's talent for art.
Aunt Kathryn had inherited the house with the small holding when her parents died and although her income from illustrations covered most expenses Jim also worked as a mechanic for a local garage. Two years earlier Aunt Kathryn had died suddenly leaving Uncle Jim and Cousin Kathy to run the small holding.
This year only Mum was staying as her sister was holidaying with her fiancés family in London and Jim had arranged for most of the work to be handled by a local farmer who had brought in heavy machinery for his farm and there would not be the need for so many farm hands.
As soon as the factory closed on the Friday afternoon Mum still dressed in her factory overalls cycled the eight miles to Uncle Jim's and arrived just before five o'clock; the heat of the day hadn't subsided and she could feel sweat trickling down her back. She dismounted a short way from the house and pushed her bike through the gate and stood it against a fence. She heard voices from the side of the house where the kitchen door was so wandered around to find her uncle and cousin.
Mum pushed the door open and called, "Hello!"
Kathy rushed over and gave her a hug, "Hello Beth, Dad is just getting ready to go on duty, and so we have the evening to ourselves."
Mum heard a rustling in the hallway then Uncle Jim walked in, "Hello Beth, I'm off to sort out the Eton hoorays tonight. Don't let this one lead you astray!"
"Don't be cheeky," answered Kathy.
He leant down and kissed her cheek, "Don't wait up for me you two. You have a busy day tomorrow!" he said as he headed out the door.
Kathy showed Mum to her room and told her to come down for some tea once she had unpacked. This year Mum had the whole second bedroom to herself and Kathy had put a big double bed in there dressed in crisp white sheets. After the long day at work and the cycle over in the heat of the day Mum felt she needed a good wash but she unpacked and headed downstairs as instructed.
As they sat and chatted over tea and cake Kathy asked if Mum had been seeing any special young men. Trying to seem as innocent as possible Mum avoided the question just saying she was still waiting for her knight in shining armour.
"Don't wait too long or you will miss out on all the fun!" laughed Kathy.
"What do you mean?" asked Mum as innocently as she could.
Kathy looked at her closely and smiled, "Elizabeth Brimley, you know exactly what I mean, if the village gossip is to be believed."
Mum blushed, "What have they said?"
Kathy laughed again, "By the way you blushed I think you might have some idea. You and your friend Alice stayed in the local hotel and a couple of young men happened to have another room?"
Mum protested, "Nothing happened!"
"Well as you didn't drop in to see me and you're Uncle Jim, I can only presume you had something better to do or to hide," smiled Kathy.
Mum gave in and said, "Alice and Harry wanted to be alone so I just went along to make up the numbers with Fred Storey. We just kissed and cuddled."
Kathy laughed out loud, "So you're still a virgin then?" she asked.
"Yes, of course," protested Mum.
"I'm only teasing you," said Kathy putting her arm around Mum's shoulders, "I wouldn't tell tales to your mother!"
"Come on we have some chores to do before I get you to tell me anymore tales about your love life," said Kathy changing the subject.
They went out to the yard and fed the chickens and locked them in the hen house then went to tackle the pigs. Mum slipped and fell in the mud and slurry left by the pigs; she was covered in slimy mud and muddy water seeped under her overalls and began soaking into her underwear.
Once she had stopped laughing Kathy said, "We had better draw you a bath, but take those overalls off before you go back inside, I don't want you smelling the house out!"
Mum stripped her overalls off by the kitchen door and stood just in her cotton camisole and knickers waiting for Kathy to fetch some newspaper to stand on. She felt the evening sun on her back and stretched to enjoy the warmth.
"You have a lovely figure, Beth," said Kathy as she came out of the kitchen, "You must sit for me while you are staying over."
"I'm not sure Mum and Dad would want me to pose like this," replied Mum with a smile, "I would need to put some clothes on!"
"No you should be captured in all your beauty," declared Kathy, "They won't know as the picture would be part of my private collection and only shown to close friends and art lovers."
"What about Uncle Jim, would you show him?" asked Mum.
"Yes, of course," replied Kathy, "He appreciates art and beauty and he has learnt to be very discrete."
"Can I see some of your other drawings?" asked Mum, "Before I decide."
"Yes, when you've cleaned up I will show you all of my sketches and some of my mum's which are better than mine," replied Kathy, "Now come inside and take off your muddy underwear before you go upstairs to the bathroom; I have left a dressing gown on the chair in the kitchen."
Mum slipped her camisole over her head and felt her nipples begin to harden as a cooling breeze passed through the kitchen. She wrapped the cotton dressing gown around her and pushed her knickers to the floor briefly revealing a light brown patch of neatly trimmed pubic hair before she pulled the dressing gown closed.
There was a clattering noise from outside of the kitchen window and Mum looked up to see a face peering in at her.
"Tommy Johnson, what are you doing spying on us?" shouted Kathy.
There was a shuffling sound and Tommy's head disappeared from the window and seconds later reappeared at the kitchen door. Tommy was blushing, "I wasn't spying Miss Brimley, and I was just trying to see if you were in," he mumbled, "Mr Mead sent me to tell you that we will be late tomorrow as the machine has broken down again, but we will be over about lunchtime."
"I hope you are telling the truth Tommy or my Dad will be having words with you," Kathy said sternly, "Now get off back to work, or were you expecting me to strip off for your entertainment too!" she added.
Tommy turned and began to trot away, "No thank you, Miss Brimley, I'll just be dreaming of Beth tonight," he shouted cheekily before breaking into a run.
Kathy was laughing, "he's a cheeky one that Tommy, but he has a nice body," she said, "he sat for me last harvest time".
"Kathy, did he pose complete naked for you?" asked Mum.
"Tommy was shy at first but he was willing after a little womanly persuasion!" replied Kathy with a smile.
"What did he look like?" enquired Mum.
"As I said he has a nice body but you can judge the rest for yourself from my sketches," Kathy promised, "Now go and have your bath before we get anymore gawping visitors spying on you!"
As Mum headed for the bathroom Kathy said, "I'll come and wash your hair for you when you are ready."
Ten minutes later the door of the bathroom opened as Mum lay back in the large luxurious bath relaxing; Kathy came in wearing a silk dressing gown and carrying a sketch pad. She sat opposite Mum and began drawing.
"Sit up a little so I can see your breasts above the water," said Kathy, "Just so your nipples are showing."
Mum obeyed without protesting and Kathy quickly sketched the scene. She turned the pad around and showed Mum the result, "See don't you think this looks very erotic?"
Mum smiled surprised how well Kathy's sketch had captured the curve and weight of her breasts, "You've made my titties look really good!"
"That's because they are good titties and why I want to draw the rest of your lovely body," replied Kathy, "So will you pose for me?"
"Yes, okay, as long as it is private," said Mum, "Can you wash my hair now?"
Kathy stood up and as she put her sketch pad down her dressing gown gaped and Mum caught sight of her cousin's naked full breasts and smooth navel. There was a faint red scar just above her cousin's pubic area and a large darker birth mark spreading down her left side and across her hip.
When she saw Mum looking Kathy said, "That's the scar from falling off a horse when I was fifteen, don't you remember, I ended up in hospital for weeks and when I came out they told me I probably would never have children."
"Still it means I don't need to worry about getting pregnant when I go to bed with men!" she laughed.
"How many men have you had in your bed?" asked Mum.
Kathy paused, "Since losing my cherry to my art teacher when I studied in London, I have been bedded by eight men and young Tommy."
"Did you love any of them?" asked Mum.
"Only my art teacher," replied Kathy. "But he was already married and just liked taking advantage of naive students."
"He seduced me into posing nude for him then took me before I knew what was happening, but he later taught me the art of love making during our brief affair," Kathy mused.
"Was it good the first time," Mum asked, "Or did it hurt?"
