Eternal Love

by Max Howell

  Then an official called for the finalists in the 100 metres, and lined them up in their lane positions.

  Lane 1 A. Tani

  Lane 2 A. Eminente

  Lane 3 R. Hanley

  Lane 4 M. Jamieson

  Lane 5 J. Devitt

  Lane 6 G. Chapman

  Lane 7 L. Patterson

  Lane 8 W. Woolsey

  All the others were in their sweat suits. Mark Just threw a towel around his shoulders, his muscles rippling for all to see. He had always swum this way, it was his trade-mark.

  The swimmers took their positions behind the blocks, and he looked up in the stands and made eye contact with Terry and Faith. He nodded to each of them. He looked again at Faith.

  When the gun went off, all the swimmers left the blocks almost simultaneously, though Mark and John Devitt were not among the first to hit the water. However it soon became a two-man race, with Devitt and Mark hitting the turn at 25.4 sec. To the astonishment of the 5,500 capacity crowd in the new Olympic pool, John Devitt surged ahead by a yard with 25 metres to go, putting in an heroic effort in his attempt to make history. Faith and Terry looked on in disbelief at the course of events.

  Mark sized up the situation and, showing the courage of a great champion, started to close the gap. As they both surged to the finish their arms went up together, but Mark’s was a split-second ahead. Mark won, but had to break his own world record in the process, recording 55.4 sec.

  As soon as he touched Mark thrust his arm in the air in exultation. He had not only won but had broken his own world record. As he looked up in the stands both Terry and Faith were crying unabashedly, cheering and yelling at the same time. As he got out of the pool he ran to the railing, and they ran down and embraced him.

  “You did it, Mark, you did it!” cried Faith, as he turned to acknowledge the cheers of the capacity crowd. It was Australia’s first gold medal at the Games, and there was a collective pride that could be sensed among the spectators. Not only had Mark won, but John Devitt had placed second and Gary Chapman third. It was an Australian sweep in the 100 metres.

  Not long thereafter the medals were presented, and the crowd rose as “God Save the Queen” was played, and the Australian flag was hoisted for each of the places. Mark felt an emotional surge as he mounted the podium. As he looked around, he thought, I am the best in the world at something. At this moment in time, I am superior to everyone else. He looked at Faith, and saw the innocence in her eyes, the look of love and admiration so obvious on her face.

  When he had changed, he went up to the stands and the three of them just held on to one another, and then they each turned the gold medal over and over again. He then turned to Faith and said, “Faith, I feel the need to get away. It has been such a strain. I would like to go for a walk. Will you come with me?”

  “Of course, Mark,” she replied. “Like you, I feel such a relief that it is all over. I would love a walk.”

  “Terry,” said Mark, “do you mind if we disappear?”

  “Not at all, you deserve it. But do not forget to-morrow are the heats of the 4 x 200m freestyle relay. So do not tire yourself out.”

  “Have no fear of that. See you later, Terry, and thanks again for everything you have done.”

  “It is the greatest moment of my life, Mark, and I thank you.”

  Mark and Faith left the swimming pool complex together, arm in arm, scarcely saying a word, just wandering aimlessly, sometimes sitting on a park bench and holding hands.

  “It is so nice,” Mark said, “to be with you and not to have the thought of the 100 metres running through my mind, or having to leave you for training.”

  “Yes, Mark, but I have not missed anything. I have been perfectly happy just knowing you love me.”

  Again he took her in his arms, oblivious to others around him. As he drew her towards him, he felt her firm breasts against him, and his hand slid down to feel her waist and the top of her buttocks. He felt a tremor of excitement at this initial exploration of her body, and he noticed her eyes and mouth open slightly in compliance. “It feels so good to have you against me, Faith, I have never felt this close to anyone,” said Mark, his hand feeling the small of her back and pulling her gently towards him again.

  “Mark, I wish we could stay this way forever.”

  “You not only look different, but you feel different when you are out of that chocolate brown Sydney Girls’ High uniform,” Mark joked. “I wonder who chooses those dreadful colours? It is a wonder those straw hats are not eaten by the birds.” As he said it, he stood back and admired her in her new dress. The red and green shades of the floral brought out the colour in her face, and the higher heels of her neat white shoes accentuated the line of her legs. She reminded him of a young colt, shy and nervous, angular and beautiful.

  “I also prefer you in your Australian uniform to that grey suit they made you wear at Sydney Technical High School, Mark,” Faith replied.

  “Well, our days of wearing uniforms are over. You will be through high school in a few months, and next year hopefully you will be at Sydney Teachers’ College. As for me, my fate may be decided in the next few days. Some Americans have been trying to see Terry, but he told them to wait until the 100 was over. He did not want any distractions, and I do not blame him. As I said, I am so relieved it is over, and I cannot believe I got the gold medal.” He pulled it out of his pocket, and they both fondled it. It shone beautifully in the sun, and they passed it lovingly from one to the other. “I do not think I will ever have a thrill to equal this in swimming,” he said. “I just could not believe the roar of the crowd as I finished, and to look up and see you and Terry crying. I can never forget those moments.”

  “It was a fantastic moment, Mark. I am so very proud of you, but then all of Australia is now proud of you.” She moved close to him again, and kissed him on the neck. “What do you think will happen to us, Mark?” She frowned slightly as she asked the question, because they had both avoided discussing the possibility of his going to the United States.

  “I do not know, Faith, I really do not know. It has not happened yet, and all I can do is wait and see. But if it does happen, and I go off on an American scholarship, I do not know how I can stand it. I shudder to think what it will be like four years away from you, but as you know we have no money and we are too young to be married. I do not even want to think about it, but I do know this. I do not wish to be like other people, I want to be like myself, and I will keep myself for you. I sort of feel you are innocence itself, you are perfection to me, you represent supreme and complete love, and there is nothing that I could ever do to tarnish the faith you have in me. So if I do go overseas I will keep myself for you.”

  Faith burst out crying, her body shaking with the emotion. “Oh Mark,” she said, the tears rolling down her face, “that is so beautiful, the way you said it. I feel the same way. I want to be different also. I feel our love is perfect, and nothing should happen to disturb the beauty of it all. It will be terrible being away from you, but I will wait for you also.” They held on to one another, secure in their love and commitment.

  “I must get back to the Village,” said Mark. “I have to rest up for the relay to-morrow. We are not supposed to walk on the pavement, but I am the only swimmer who runs a lot, so it does not bother me. Let us walk to the Village, it is not far away.”

  They had been walking arm in arm to this point, occasionally stopping to come into each other’s arms, walking through Melbourne’s many parks, and looking at the tenement houses that reminded them both of some areas of Sydney. It was strange, in a way, Mark thought. He had just broken a world record, received a gold medal with thousands cheering him. Yet children were still playing on the streets, people were walking by unconcerned, cars were travelling in all directions. Life was going on normally, most people blissfully unaware that his whole life had been changed by what had happened. It occurred to him again how lonely the life of an athlete was, and how great events are pe
rformed in relative isolation.

  He bade farewell to Faith when they reached the Village, but almost as soon as he walked in he was overwhelmed. People rushed up and congratulated him, people he did not know from many countries. He felt very proud, but a little uncomfortable, for it seemed as he walked towards the Australia quarters that all heads were turning towards him, and people were whispering and pointing to him. It was an unusual feeling. He was a celebrity.

  When he got to the Australian section of the Village there were banners that had been hastily prepared. “Congratulations, Mark - Gold For Aussie”, read one banner, while another proclaimed “1, 2, 3 in the 100 - Australia Rules The Waves”. Everyone wanted to see his medal, which he was eager to show, but he was quite happy on the other hand to get to his room. His room-mates were already there, resting on their beds.

  Each congratulated him again, and John Devitt and Gary Chapman passed around their silver and bronze medals, and each was carefully scrutinised.

  “It is hard to believe,” said Gary, “that we swept the 100. Has it ever happened before that any country has done that?”

  “I do not think so,” replied John, “and it is a great thing for the swim team. Everyone will be encouraged by it.”

  “Well,” said Mark, “I do not know about you blokes but I am happy it is all over. Now let us win the 200 relay.”

  “Yes,” said John, “it is a pity there is no 4 x 100 relay. We would have wiped the field in that one. Why don’t they have a 4 x 100?”

  “I have no idea,” said Mark, “but let us win the 4 x 200 whether it makes sense or not.”

  “Yes, let us do that,” said John. “I would like one of those gold medals too”.

  The next day were the heats of the 4 x 200 metres freestyle relay, but he was not required to swim, the coaches deciding to give him a rest. Those in the heat were John Devitt, Murray Garretty, Graham Hamilton and Gary Chapman. The final was on Monday evening, December 3, and the swimmers selected for the final were Mark Jamieson, John Devitt, Murray Rose and Kevin O’Halloran. It was a formidable team.

  In the first leg of the 200 relay final the 19-year old Western Australian O’Halloran put Australia ahead of the U.S.S.R. and the U.S.A. by swimming 2 min 6.8 sec. John Devitt put Australia 5 metres ahead with an excellent time of 2 min 6.4 sec., swimming faster than the outstanding American, George Breen, in the process. Until three weeks before the Games John had never beaten 2 min. 10 sec. Murray Rose then swam a brilliant 2 min. 6 sec., and Mark swam the final leg in the fastest time of all, 2 min. 04.4 sec., completely demolishing his famous American opponent Ford Konno. The time, 8 min. 23.6 sec., was a new world and Olympic record. The Courier-Mail reported on the race:

  Our ‘human torpedoes’ just about swamped the opposition with their backwash to beat the world record by nine-tenths of a second with an 8 min 23.6 sec. swim.

  The time was 7.5 seconds better than the Olympic record set at Helsinki in 1952 by America.

  The placings were: Australia, first; U.S.A., second and the U.S.S.R., third. The third-place finish gave the U.S.S.R. its first medal in Olympic swimming competition.

  It was another stirring victory for Australia, and all the swimmers jumped in the water and embraced one another. Mark was prouder in some ways of his relay gold. Team victories give a different satisfaction, he thought, as if you are all pulling together for your country, each doing his bit. He enjoyed the comradeship, as they laughed and put their arms around each other and raised their hands to acknowledge the applause of the crowd. As they stood on the podium and the anthem was played, their smiles showed their satisfaction: the good-looking Granville boy John Devitt, who honed his techniques swimming against water from a factory, the shy West Australian Kevin O’Halloran, the golden boy Murray Rose, all close friends through their combined achievements. There was an element of unfairness, however, as Murray Garretty, Gary Chapman and Graham Hamilton had swum the heats, and Mark felt they should have shared in the victory.

  When it was all over, Mark had two gold medals, well beyond his wildest dreams, and when he went into the stands he was greeted effusively by Terry, and Faith fell into his arms.

  That night, Mark took Faith out, as he had promised, but it was in the Olympic Village. Mark had obtained permission for Faith to stay in the Australian women’s quarters, so she had brought her night-dress and a change of clothing for the occasion. Her relatives thoroughly approved of her night in the Village. Mark and Faith ate to their heart’s content in the Olympic dining hall, walked around the Village and then later in the evening they went to the recreation area and danced until the music stopped. He had never danced much before, and neither had Faith, but their bodies merged beautifully, each responding to the other’s rhythm. Mark brought her body towards his, and again he felt a surge as her breasts came into contact with his chest, and his hands were mesmerised by the movements of her waist. He felt himself stirred sexually, and so did Faith, as she felt his strong arms around her and could feel his lower body come in contact with hers. Oh my God, she thought, I love him so, I feel his power, his manliness. As they whirled around the floor again and again she felt she was in a dream world, transported away from the earth, in the arms of her lover, rotating, twirling and circling as if they were lost in time and space. The moments were so beautiful that hardly a word was exchanged, and when the music stopped they just seemed to drift away, and found a remote corner of the village where there were no lights and their moments of love could not be intruded upon.

  As they leaned against a wall Mark took Faith in his arms, and as he kissed her, her mouth opened up and he sought its inner reaches with his tongue, probing sexually, the tongue moving swiftly in and out. His penis was contracting with the emotion, and she felt his hardness as he pressed against her. His hand reached down her back, feeling her waist and her rear, and then slowly he brought his hand up and gently covered her breast. He then undid the top button of her dress, and ever so slowly felt her bare skin and the roundness of her breast, then her nipple, which was erect from her deep feelings of sexual love. He undid another button of her dress, and his mouth went over her breast, his tongue instinctively searching out the nipple, moving it sideways and round, and then sucking the breast gently. He felt her legs giving away, and he steadied her and said, “Are you all right, Faith?”

  “Yes, Mark, I am all right. It is all right. It is all so beautiful. I hoped it would be like this.” A tremor then ran through her body.

  As he kissed her breast his hand went slowly down her body, and stopped over her groin, his hand feeling the contours of her vaginal area. Then his hand went to the hem of her dress, which he lifted slightly, and brought his hand along the bare skin of her thigh until it stopped at her panties. She opened her legs, and he covered her vaginal area with his hand. Her panties were all wet, the emotions causing her internal fluids to run, and she could feel her vagina contracting, wanting the fulfillment of entry.

  He ran his finger along her panties, moving them to one side, and then slowly felt the wetness and her pubic hairs. His finger then moved inside her.

  “Oh Mark, Mark,” she cried out, as there was a momentary hurt as her hymen stretched. He quickly withdrew his hand, suddenly startled, and awoke from the current that inexorably was drawing him inside her.

  “Did I hurt you, Faith? I did not mean to. I am really sorry.”

  “No, no, it is all right. I - I think it is because I have never been touched there before, and I have read that it hurts at first. There is a membrane there that has to be broken and then everything is fine. Do not stop, Mark, it feels beautiful. But be gentle if you can.”

  “All right, but let me know if it hurts too much. I never want to hurt you.”

  “It is all right, Mark. I want you so very much. It is all right, believe me.”

  His mouth met hers again, and then both his hands moved down her back to her waist, and slowly moved over her gluteals. Both his hands went down her legs, and lifted her skirt
, then moved up the bare flesh of her thighs to the top of her panties. He felt under the elastic, and then slowly moved her underwear down her leg. When they reached her knees she helped him and took them off. He placed them in his pocket, and then his hand moved back up over her thigh, and then over her pubic area. Her legs opened up for him again. His hand was wet from her, and then he gently inserted his finger, moving it slowly around. He felt a slight resistance, and guessed this to be her membrane. Very gently and slowly he increased the movement, and then suddenly she cried out and clung to him. He noticed his finger go in further, and he was astonished at the muscular contractions which enveloped his finger. His own penis was contracting similarly. Suddenly her contractions increased, and his finger went deeper. She cried out as she reached her climax, and he felt the wonder of it all. She trembled all over, and all she could utter was: “Oh, oh, oh, it feels so wonderful.”

  He felt as if he too was going to have an orgasm, so he withdrew his finger, and took her in his arms.

  “Faith,” he said, overcome by the emotion, “I had no idea we would go this far. It is just that we have been waiting so long, and we love each other so much. I think we had better stop.”

  “Yes,” she said, “and I have wanted you so much. It was all more beautiful than I have dreamed. I am happy that it happened, Mark, and perhaps you are right. We had better stop. But it was glorious.”

  “Come and I will help you get dressed,” he said, and with no shyness he helped put on her underwear and did the buttons up on her dress. They then walked back arm in arm to the women’s quarters, where her kissed her good-night.

  “I will see you at 9 o’clock for breakfast,” were his parting words, and he waited until she had shown her credentials at the women’s quarters and then disappeared from view.

  As he walked back to his own room he felt as light as air. He felt like running and leaping. He felt so much in love, more than he had ever before. He realised he had held back his emotions during his preparation for the Games, and now they had exploded, like a volcano erupting after being dormant for years. He could not explain the feeling, but he knew what had happened was a significant point in his life. They were both virgins, and they had begun to give themselves to the other. He felt a deep sense of pride, even accomplishment, over what had happened, and as he moved his hand towards his face he smelt the distinctive fragrance of her sexual juices. He smelled her again and again as he walked home, knowing that she was with him. As he passed the light he noticed blood on his fingers and between them, and he was very moved.