The Learning of Bliss

[DesDownunder]

The Learning of Bliss

By DesDownunder ?2009

I thought I had understood, but I hadn't. I was stimulated without appreciating the real nature of his beauty. All that interested me was being with him, being able to touch him, and have him touch me. This I understood was bliss but I didn't need the word to describe the way I felt. Words were not necessary for the experience, only for the summary which would come, after we did.

At barely sixteen, we were not so entranced with the prospect of eternal love, indeed love was not something either of us had considered in the course of our desires. Neither of us had yet ventured into the thoughts of corruption which would render our desire as lust. We were innocents in that, as much as we were we guilty of enjoying the physical sensations we received at the hands of each other. We were working at becoming lascivious, but we had not mastered objectivity of our emotions. We observed only our own pleasure.

As we walked away from the River Torrens and the shrubs that had hidden us from view, we could see the skyline of Adelaide's taller buildings glistening in the afternoon sunlight. It was the same sunlight that now fell on both of us and I could see the horrid little pimples on his face which I had found so attractive earlier. I looked at his dull mousy-brown hair and his nose was also straighter than I had thought and his lips fell short of the fullness they once seemed to possess.

He looked at me and asked, "What?"

"Nothing," I replied, "just looking."

"At me?" he exclaimed.

"Sorry I was just wondering."

"Wondering what?" he asked, but I could tell he was thinking.

I could hardly tell him I was wondering why I had ever found him attractive when he added, "I really enjoyed what we did. Did you?"

I nodded my head at him in agreement and he grinned at me with an infectious smile from his curling lips, which had me grinning back to him.

"You want to do it again?" he asked.

"When, do you mean now?"

"Why not?"

Suddenly he seemed attractive once again, perhaps even more attractive than when I first watched him at school.

"I think I like you?a lot," he said.

We stopped and stared at each other, I dismissed my earlier summary of his features and realised they were not as important as his daring to reveal his feelings for me. Somewhere inside me I felt something melt, and overflow into my consciousness. His skin glowed in the sunlight which highlighted the blond tips of his brown hair. He was alive and stood in front of me, looking at me, smiling, but more than anything else, he told me he liked me. How could I not like him?

"I like you too," I heard myself say in a quiet shy voice.

"In that case why don't you sleep over at my place tonight?" he asked me with his big brown eyes wide open.

"I'd love to," I said as we grasped each other's hands and ran towards his house.

We had become more than just friends and once again words were supplanted by feelings. We were learning, and loved every minute

.

[Trab]

Nice. Quite deep, really, particularly for flash fiction.

[Cole Parker]

Wonderful vignette of the richness and one of the many textures of life, in a few words we can all relate to.

C

[Camy]

Beautifully observed and written, Des.

Bravo!

Camy

[Bruin Fisher]

A lovely episode, beautifully described.

Thanks for posting it, Des - masterful.

How different my life might have been if I'd had early experience like this. Now I'm going to go find a swamp to sit in and cry.

[DesDownunder]

Thanks for the comments, much appreciated.

Goodness knows where this one came from, it certainly wasn't from my past.

I was just about to go to bed when it began typing itself.

Is there room for me in the swamp Bruin?

[Bruin Fisher]

My swamp's a bit cramped but if you don't mind snuggling up...

[Steven Keiths]

Des, this was a beautiful piece. You said so much. An ode to beginnings.

[TracyMN]

Oh cripe! This has been sitting here all this time....I need to add this section to my regular rounds, thanks goodness for newcomers, as it is Gee who got me over here only to find a list of stuff I would have jumped on if I had known it was here. If I were President, EVERYBODY would have to notify me.

This is a lovely piece Des, and I so remember these merry-go-rounds-in-a-minute in my own adolescence. It's a confusing and magical time, and truly when we learn how tricky our own minds and emotions can be, and begin to decide what kind of person we want to be in the face of it.

Thanks for your effort, and for a touching read.

Tracy