Today's Mostly True Story: Karen

F LoBuono

She wasn't particularly attractive and was a little on the chubby side. In fact, my friends derided her by calling her "Fat Karen", even though she wasn't really fat. She dressed like a hippie of her era and rarely wore make-up or fancy clothes. Her hair was dirty blonde, pin straight, and cut around her shoulders. There really wasn't anything terribly special about her except, perhaps, her ice blue eyes. But, she was sharp - razor sharp. And, she was crazy about me.

I met Karen when we were students together in college. She was a year or two behind me but, since we were both biology/pre-med majors, we shared a few courses together. Her father was a professor and taught at NY medical college. Her mother was an academic and equally well educated. So, she had those "smart genes". We became study partners and a short time later, lovers.

Whatever Karen may have lacked in physical attributes, she made up for with smarts, determination, and good humor. And, she was always eager to please - especially me.

After class, we would drive to her folk's home in Rutherford, NJ. for additional study and "extracurricular" activities. It was a great, old Victorian with lots of rooms and nooks and crannies. As I mentioned earlier, her parents were academics and eccentric, to say the least. It was not unusual to run into one or the other walking naked from room to room. They also had and smoked the best pot! In fact, for Christmas, Karen always got an ounce from their best stock. Of course, yours truly had the good fortune in sharing the bounty!

We would arrive some time in the late afternoon and go over our school work for an hour or so while we smoked some of that great pot. After getting sufficiently stoned and silly we would inevitably wind up in Karen's bed. I suppose that because she was not a "looker" she relied on her other feminine skills to make herself an incredible lover. She was so giving! Often, it seemed that all I had to do was be there and that was enough for Karen. She made virtually no demands on me except to be present in the moment. And, it was wonderful. She taught me as much about the art of making love as any woman I've ever known. She showed me how to give AND take. She was fearless. Chubby, Little, Fat Karen was quite a woman. Considering the timing, she was certainly one of the most important people in my life.

In a sense, we were lovers in the purist sense of the word. We had no expectations except to live for that particular moment. There was no talk of marriage or a future together. It was not important. We were young, free, wild, and not so innocent. And, that's all that mattered.

After school we went our separate ways and we lost touch.  I've had many lovers since and even got married. I heard that she married, too. But, we've had no contact in nearly forty years. Still, once in a while, on a dark, quiet night, I will think of her and smile.