MRS. WAGSTAFF: THE WICKED WIDOW OF WAVERLY WAY

Chapter Two

The next day, after Jake had departed, Jane went to her mother and confessed spying on her, and seeing her and Jake the night before. Her mother, being a wise and warm-hearted woman, did not do what many mothers would have done in such a situation––that is, scold Jane and tell her she'd been bad for spying. No, Jane's mother told her exactly what she had witnessed.

"Jane," said her mother, very matter-of-factly, "You know very well what we were doing. We were having sex. You've had some sex education in school, and what you saw is what sex looks like, although people can do it lots of different ways. It's been many years since your father died. I liked to have sex with him and I miss him a lot. It's not the same with my men friends, but it's better than nothing. I think you're old enough to understand that. That's why I left my door unlocked last night." There was a grin on Emily's face and a twinkle in her eyes. Once again, Jane was shocked. "You mean you wanted me to see you? You made all that noise so I would hear you?" Jane was incredulous.

"Yes, my dear," said Emily. "Now that you're eighteen, you're certainly old enough to know about such things. And I wanted you to know that I'm not some old maid. I do have a sex life."

"You certainly do," said Jane. "I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it. So, Mother, you've been doing this all these years, with all those other men who used to stay overnight? How come I never realized it?" she asked out loud in wonder.

Emily said, "Well, I concentrated on being discrete. I didn't want you to know about all of this until you were older. So I held myself in and told my men friends to keep quiet too. Last night, with Jake, I decided to let it all out. I'm glad you heard and watched. I was beginning to wonder about you, Jane, but I'm glad to see you have a normal curiosity and interest in sex."

"Well," confessed Jane, "I've been interested in sex for a long time. It's all my friends talk about. But I didn't want you to know. My friends always talk about it in whispers, like it's not something we should discuss openly. I just listen, but sometimes I'll admit I do get turned on by it, so in bed at night, I...sometimes touch myself." Jane blushed at this confession.

"That's okay," said Emily, nodding. "So do I when I don't have a man around. It's only natural, Jane."

Jane went on. "But, Mother, from the diagrams and discussions in sex ed class, it all seemed so dry and dull. I couldn't even imagine letting some boy do that to me. But it sure looked like you enjoyed it last night with...Jake, is it? Anyway, you two really seemed to enjoy yourselves."

"We did," said Emily. "We do! And we're probably going to do it again, real soon! And, Jane, I'll leave the door unlocked again. After all, there's only so much you can learn from books and diagrams––and dull old sex ed class." Jane nodded in appreciation of her mother's openness and honesty. And true to her word, from that day on, Jane's mother provided Jane with many nights of interesting sexual activity for her to observe. Jane's understanding of what actually happened during sex––both the activity and the language––increased dramatically.

Jane was a very good student. In fact, she was a straight-A student, even winning many academic awards in her small Illinois town of Barrettville. This included spelling bees and essay contests. She loved books, and spent many hours reading and studying. Once her mother had revealed her enthusiasm for sex, Jane decided to research the topic and find out more than just the basics that she'd learned in sex ed class.

Luckily, the neighborhood public library was in walking distance of Jane's home. Jane often spent her afternoons there, doing homework, reading, and checking out books on subjects that interested her. After her mother's revelation, Jane immediately went to the library and looked up "sex" in the card catalogue and was surprised at the large number of titles marked "for adults only." But, luckily, Jane was an adult now, so that restriction wouldn't be a problem. She perused the library shelves and quickly discovered many hidden treasures––both non-fiction and fiction. The non-fiction books increased her knowledge of the actual physical aspects of sexual intercourse, far beyond the simple coverage she had received in sex ed class. But it was the fiction that she discovered––the vast array of erotic novels––that truly opened her eyes to the world of sexual pleasures.

She learned that women throughout history, women of all social stations and personalities were curious about sex and had explored its mysteries in their own adventurous ways. She consumed stories and tales about sex as she were preparing for a huge test––a life test that she knew was soon approaching. Indeed, Jane read so many sex books and erotic novels that she began to imagine herself as one of the sexy heroines from one of these books.

On day, Jane went home and told her mother of her efforts. "I wanted to find out more about sex, Mother. So I've been reading a lot about it. But I think you're right. There's nothing like seeing it for real, and I thank you for that. One day, I'd like to try it for myself."

Emily bit her lip. "Yes, you probably will, dear. I guess it's time to take you to a gynecologist and see about getting you fixed up with some sort of birth control. If you're going to start experimenting, you don't want to get pregnant until you're ready for it and want it." And true to her word, Emily did just that, making certain that Jane was protected before she began her sexual experimentation.