As children, all five of us were required to walk to school just as our parents had. My middle brother, Jonny (do not ever call him Jonathan) was the jokester, good/bad seed, singular. Walking home from school, he always would dilly-dally and be at least 30-plus minutes late getting home. Then in middle school, at age 14, he started getting home from school at light-speed...every day. I was almost 8 years old. Our home was, just a house to me. We all had our own bedrooms upstairs and there were 4 bathrooms including my parents. Downstairs, there was a guest washroom that was mostly 'taboo' to us kids, but not forbidden. It was good sized and first-class...always sparkling with hand-towells of amazing quality, milled soap; always brand new, and a beautiful Persian rug of value. Anyway, I began to notice Jonny's new routine. Straight home quickly, fast into the front door and a bee-line to the guest washroom, turning on the fan, locking the door, and staying there for 20+ minutes. I couldn't imagine what it meant. Same routine day after day. Then, I decided to investigate. When nobody was around, I snuck into the washroom and started noising around. Nothing. Then a thought. I lifted the rug and "bang!" A magazine. It was called "Tail Ends". The cover was of a girls butt wearing a bikini. What in the world is this? My further perusal answered. Page after page of pretty girls touching their toes, or laying on their side, or in position to play leap-frog...entirely naked. My eyes were confused and popping out of my head! This was stuff only a gynecologist could see...good old big ones, big old good ones, chubby ones, purple ones, slim ones, pudgy ones, pink ones, brown/pink contrasting ones, flappy ones, Monarch Butterfly jobbbies....variety sharing a common bond...one size fits all. I stoled the magazine and hid it in the trash outside. Told no one...just watched...The routine stopped.
~ SP ~