____________________________________________________________________
A reflective look
coming to the father’s face,
“I guess maybe you can if you’re,
uh…”
His mind touching on a past memory,
the reflective look
now replaced with a crooked smile.
“Sometimes, yes.
Sometimes,
if you’re in the right position
you can see a female’s sex organs.”
A bit confused by
the see-sawing of his father’s
demeanor
“What’s it look like,”
the son asked,
“the female’s sex organ?”
Uh-oh!
___________________________________________________________________
Sex Ed 4: Circa 1944
While a single man,
when at that first time
of “being in the right position,”
the father’s initial thought had been,
What the hell is all that stuff?
Now,
not wanting to delve that
deeply into the vagina of a woman
and, most certainly,
not wanting to delve that deeply into
the vagina of a woman along
with his ten year old son.
So…
“What’s it look like,”
the son asked,
“the female’s sex organ?”
So,
when in doubt change the subject.
Avoiding his son’s question,
lighting another cigarette,
“That’s not important now!”
the father said,
“When you’re older,
you’ll just have to see,
uh,
find out for yourself!
But for now,”
stated impatiently,
and certainly not put forth as a question,
“do you mind if we just go on!”
Feeling chastised,
the boy nodded his head.
Thumbing through “The Joy of Sex”,
finding the diagram of a vagina
with lines drawn pointing to a glossary.
“Okay, then.”
Inhaling deeply.
“The female sex organ is called,”
the eraser tapping the female’s V,
“at least what you can see is called,”
his eyes following the line to the side,
“the vulva.”
The boy giggled.
A note of impatience in his voice,
“Did I say something funny?”
“It’s just that what you called it…”
Looking at the word alongside the eraser,
“Vulva?” the father questioned.
“Yeah, don’t’ya think that’s a funny word?”
Staring at his son…
His son’s eyes dropping…
After a few long seconds,
muttering,
“I suppose it is.”
Drawing on the cigarette,
“Anyway, when the man,
uh, when the male has an erection,”
hesitantly, “he puts it,”
wanting clarity here,
“he puts it into…”
Buying a few seconds,
puffing on the cigarette,
“You remember about erections,
don’t you?”
Yeah, the boy thought,
I remember ‘bout boners.
“Yeah,” the boy said.
Looking closely at his son,
satisfied that he was taking the lecture seriously,
continuing with what he considered the most difficult part:
“When the male has an erection,”
correcting himself,
“When the male has a
‘not having to urinate’ erection,
he’ll,”
inhale.
“ ‘If’ the female wants him to!”
Exhale.
“ ‘If’ the female lets him!”
Inhale… exhale.
“The male will put his erection,
uh, his penis into the female’s,
uh, vulva.
Only now,
inside the vulva it’s called,”
consulting the glossary,
“inside the vulva it’s called,”
pointing to the cutaway,
“a vagina.
And when the male’s penis…”
Oh, God!
Hesitating,
inhaling,
exhaling,
“when the male’s penis,”
the father’s hand covering his eyes,
"is in the female’s vagina,
it’s what’s called…”
Fucking, the boy thought.
“Intercourse.” The father said.
