Farm Girl

[Alana]

I wish I'd known at the time that I was playing with fire, but I didn't have much experience with that kind of situation.

The next day, Gloria tried to pick out another long dress for me, and I reached past her into the closet and grabbed her shortest, lowest cut dress. She stared at me quizzically. It was the first time I'd ever cared which dress I wore.

"My last day," I said. "Might as well give 'em a treat."

She laughed derisively.

"I knew it! You like it, you little pervert! Wait 'til I tell Mom! You can't ever complain about wearing dresses again!"

It'd felt so good being appreciated by all those lascivious guys at work, I'd forgotten what it was like to be made fun of by my family. It reminded me of how things were.

I walked into the office in my short dress, and the first thing that happened was that a guy saw me and dropped a bunch of papers on the floor. I smiled at him. I rushed over to help him pick up the papers, but he got it taken care of before I got there. Just as well. Bending over in that tiny little dress might've caused someone's head to explode.

They were giving a little party for me on my last day. Any excuse for a party would do for those guys. They bought a cake that said "We'll Miss You!", but the cake wasn't much of a surprise to me, because it was my job to order it and to go pick it up. I think the guys went to the trouble of putting out the paper plates and plastic forks themselves, though.

The party was in the break room. And there was the high stool I was expected to sit on, again. I was to be on display, me and my legs, and boy was I ever wearing the right dress for it. I finally realized what that stool reminded me of. I used to watch Fox News, and they always went out of their way to show off the lovely legs of all the women. They'd seat them in a chair with no desk anywhere near, nothing to block the view of those pretty legs. So I was meant to be on display like I was on Fox News. I guess the rotating platform hadn't arrived, yet.

I put one hand on the stool and said, "I couldn't possibly get up on this by myself. I need one of you strong men to help me up."

[Alana]

The same strong man who'd helped me before stepped forward. He grasped me by the waist once again, lifted me up and gently placed me on the stool, so as not to damage my tender little rear end.

I stared at them all, and let them feast their eyes on my legs. I scratched my shoulder and wondered what was supposed to happen next.

[Alana]

"Speech! Speech!" I heard.

I wasn't sure what to say. I crossed my legs, and even that had an audible effect. I swear I heard a fellow in the crowd say, "Mmmmmmm" as though he was enjoying a hot fudge sundae.

"Well---hello fellas," I said.

[Alana]

"We'll miss you!" said someone.

"I know. I can read."

That got a mild laugh, and I continued.

"Well, I just want to say that I couldn't ask for a sweeter bunch of guys to work for, and it's been great fun being here. Secretarial work is a lot easier than farm work, and it's not so hard on my pantyhose. How do you like my dress?"

Cheers and whistles.

"Well, that's good. I was told in no uncertain terms on Wednesday that my skirt was too long. Well, I hope I've made up for it with this dress. I certainly wouldn't want to leave here today feeling that you haven't gotten to see enough of my legs. But just in case---"

I slid my skirt back enticingly. More cheers and whistles.

[Alana]

Mr. Bellam took over and went on about how they'd miss me, and how I was more than just an attractive, leggy girl, I was a good worker and a valued member of the team, and all that. They cut the cake and brought me a piece. They wouldn't let me off the stool. Men crowded around me and talked to me until the party was over.

It's funny; I was always a shy, nervous kid, and in the office I was a different sort of person, smiling and chatting and not feeling shy at all. If you treat a person differently, it changes him. Or her.

Back in the office, Mr. Bellam said he wanted to talk to me.

"Marilyn, I want to take you to dinner tomorrow night. Just to say thanks for all your hard work."

"What! No! We can't do that! Are you crazy? I'm seventeen! We can't date!"

"What date? This is just two people having dinner, that's all. I'll pick you up at six o'clock tomorrow evening. Wear something sexy."

"Something sexy. But it's not a date? My Mom is not going for this."

"You leave her to me."

And there was the warning again, the constant reminder that he exerted considerable power over us.

I suppose you think I deserved it, being in this predicament, because of all the flirting I'd been doing at the office. All I can say is that a little innocent flirting at work is quite different from winding up trapped in a car and trapped in a dress, with a man twice your age who clearly has some things on his mind that are not so innocent.

Before I left, Mom called to ask me to pick up a gallon of milk on the way home. I wish I'd been thinking. I should've gone to a store near the office where no one knew me. Instead I waited until I got back, and went to a grocery store near the farm.

There were two boys from my high school there. And there I was in my tiny little dress.

"Hi, Marilyn!" said one of them, saying the name like an insult. "Nice dress, Marilyn! Nice legs! Are you wearing a tampon?"

"Leave me alone!" I said. He flipped my skirt up, but in that minidress it hardly seemed to matter. After receiving the appreciation of all those men in the office, this was another little reminder of what my life was really like.

When I got home and put the milk in the refrigerator, I said to my mother, "Mom, tomorrow night Mr. Bellam is coming over. You have to tell him I'm sick!"

"Why?"

"He wants to take me to dinner!"

"Well, that's fine."

"Mom, do you really think he just wants to eat with me? He wants to kiss me and touch me, and who knows what else!"

"Well, I see someone thinks a lot of herself. Marilyn, that man controls our future. If he says you're having dinner with him, you're having dinner with him. You can wear Gloria's aqua dress with the elastic waist."

"That short dress! That's even shorter than the dress I've got on!"

"Which I understand you chose yourself."

"It was the last day! Mom, if I wear that dress, he's gonna think---I don't even want to say what he's gonna think!"

"You heard me. You'll wear the dress and have dinner with him, and that's final!"

The night of the date, my sisters and my Mom spent a great deal of time making me look pretty. They barely finished in time when Mr. Bellam arrived.

I looked down at myself in the cute little aqua dress I was wearing. I felt sick.

"Mom, I'm not doing this."

"Oh, you're doing this. You'll have dinner with him, you'll smile at him, you'll laugh at his stupid jokes, you'll be a cute little girly girl and do whatever it takes to make him happy so her doesn't throw us off the farm. You hear me?"

"What if he gets my dress off? You think he's going to be happy with what he finds in my panties?"

"Well, then you'll just have to make sure he doesn't get your dress off, won't you?"

"Mom, I swear, when I turn eighteen I'm running away from home. Just try and run the farm without me."

"OK, if that happens we'll deal with it then. Until then, get out there and smile, Marilyn!"

I went out to meet Mr. Bellam. His gaze roamed all over my body. He just seemed to be devouring me with his eyes. I guess there was no point in asking if he liked my dress.

"I brought you a little something," he said.

I took the flowers from his hand. I looked at them, holding them close to my dress.

My sisters were nearly choking themselves trying not to laugh.

"Thank you, George. Thank you for thinking of me. Nobody else ever thinks of doing anything for me. They just want to see how much work they can get out of me, like I'm a beast of burden. They never give me any kind of a treat, or even think about my feelings. It's like they live to make me miserable. But I appreciate that you took the time to give me these flowers."

[Alana]

My mother cleared her throat abruptly.

"Have her back by nine," she said.

Dinner was uncomfortable. I was terribly nervous. We sat in a booth, only Mr. Bellam didn't sit across from me, but right next to me, incredibly close. The conversation was mostly him paying me compliments.

"That's a beautiful dress."

"Thank you," I said.

He put his hand on my thigh and started to slide my skirt back.

"Please don't do that," I said.

"Don't be coy. Any girl who wears a dress like that has no business being coy."

"You said to wear something sexy."

"Miss, could we have two martinis with dinner?"

The waitress went away to fill the order.

"Two? I can't drink! I'm seventeen!"

"Oh, don't worry about it. No one cares in this place."

"Please, I can't get drunk. What will my mother say?"

"You leave your mother to me."

The martinis arrived. I tried to protest, but he insisted. And then there were more martinis. More and more. By the time we left, I was so tipsy he had to help me to the car. He'd consumed as much alcohol as I had, but it didn't seem to affect him at all.

I didn't pay much attention to where we were going, until I saw that he was pulling up before a house.

"Where are we, George?"

"I want to show you my place."

"No! You---you can't! I can hardly walk! You---you said---something----you said---getting me---getting me back---by nine! It's after---that!"

"Come on. No arguments, now. Be a good girl."

He opened my door and pulled me up by the elbow. I reached for my purse, but I wound up grabbing the flower he'd given me, instead. He walked me to the door, me tripping and stumbling all the way.

We got inside, and he went over to turn on the lights.

I tried to take a step without his help. And the floor came up to meet me.

I'd fallen on my butt twice in the same week! Damn high heels, any way!

I looked at him. He was smiling down at me. Everything was swimming before my eyes.

"Looks like---looks like---I think---I think---I think---someone tripped---I think. I think---that's what happened."

[Alana]

"I think you may be right."

I eyed him steadily.

"You going---you going---to just---stare at me---all night?"

"You look so beautiful and sexy, I don't see how I can stop."