Androdgyny--An Erotic Memoir

by Lee Dorsey

  My alarm went off at six o’clock. I was never one to lie in bed once that obnoxious noise would rouse me from my sleep. I was out of bed, in the shower and downstairs in ten minutes. As usual, Jenny was halfway through preparing our breakfast. There wasn’t too much conversation. Once the food was on the table, we both ate as fast as we could, grabbed our notebooks and ran to the subway station.

  We had about a half hour to kill. We stopped at the restaurant that is located near both of our theatres and had coffee. With ten minutes to spare, we left the restaurant. Stopping briefly on the sidewalk, we kissed and headed in our respective directions. As I was approaching the theater, the young man I had kissed in the Juliet scene yesterday was walking toward me. As we approached the theater door, he took hold of the handle and held it open for me. We walked into the lobby together. We began walking toward the stairs that led to the classroom. As we reached the top stair, he turned to me, put out his hand and said, "My name is Colin, what’s yours?”

  "My name is Androgyny,” I informed him.

  As we continued down the stairs he said, "I was impressed with your interpretation of Juliet. Have you been doing theater very long?”

  I didn’t know exactly how to answer that question, so without specifics, I said, "I began doing theater about two years ago in college. What about you?”

  We stopped just outside the classroom. He said, "I did a lot of theater in college and a season of summer stock. I managed to get my Equity Card before coming to New York. I realized that I didn’t have any contacts here, so I thought it would be expedient to take classes at the school and make some.”

  We entered the classroom and took the seats we had occupied yesterday. Ms. LaBonti was seated in the center of the room reading a book. After a few moments, she closed the book and stood. That was her signal that the class was about to begin.

  "Good morning, everyone,” she said. "Today we are going to work on improvisations. I will be giving you a story outline. Then I will assign you a character in the story. You will take on that characterization within the scene. The actors will be required to give the story a beginning, middle and an end. At the conclusion of each improvisation, we will go around the class and get comments. Are there any questions?” She paused for a few moments. "Good. Let’s begin.”

  She divided the class into groups of four. Each exercise was not to last longer than ten minutes. Ms. LaBonti said she would time them. She said that she would give us a two-minute signal to conclude the scene. She passed out pieces of paper. A few paragraphs outlined the story. Each of us also had the name of the character we were to play. I was a teenage girl in high school who managed to get herself pregnant. The scene was between my brother, sister and boyfriend. We were to discuss what I should do. My boyfriend wanted me to have an abortion, my sister wanted me to keep the child, quit school and get a job. My brother who happened to be my boyfriend’s best friend argued for the abortion. I was afraid to tell my parents.

  Ms. LaBonti was interested in two things. First, she wanted to see how we moved in the scene. Secondly, she was interested in how well we developed the character we were playing. At the end of the exercise, she solicited comments from the class. Then she added her comments. She queried each one of us on the backgrounds of our characters. This was something that none of the others had taken into consideration.

  When it came my turn, she asked me how old I was when I first noticed boys. Then she wanted to know how long I had been having sex with my boyfriend. She wanted me to graphically describe the events that led up to my having sex with him on that particular evening.

  Since, for the past two years, I’ve had a very active sex life. I wasn’t shy about discussing sex. I began to answer her questions. When I got to the evening where he impregnated me, I decided to get descriptive. "We had just attended a movie. There were some love scenes in the film that got both of our hormones active. Afterward, we got into his car. He drove to a secluded spot that we were both familiar. We had been there several times before. There was always a ritual that we followed. After he would turn off the engine and put out the car lights, he would move close to me and we would kiss. He would run his hand over my body beginning with my breasts. With the other hand he would release my bra. Then he would open my blouse and expose them. He would begin to kiss my neck and slowly move down to the breasts. Once his tongue touched my nipples, they became erect. At the same time, he put his hand under my dress and began to massage my pussy. When I was wet, which was almost immediately, his hand found the elastic in my panties. With my help, he slipped them down. I turned around and threw my left leg over the back of the car seat. He loosened his belt and removed his pants and underwear. He lowered his body on mine. I could feel his penis entering my wet vagina. He moved in and out of me about a half dozen times. In only a few moments, he uncontrollably came. We lay in that position for several minutes. Finally, he rose up and handed me a box of Kleenex to wipe off. Then he took them back from me. He cleaned off his penis. We got dressed and he drove me home. I would like to add that having sex with him was not fulfilling for me.” I took a pause. I looked around the room. "That’s about how it happened.”

  Ms. LaBonti and the class had sat silently as I explained how my character was impregnated. For several moments, no one said anything. I don’t think they could register everything I had just told them. Some were in a state of shock that I was so revealing in describing the pregnancy.

  Ms. LaBonti spoke first. "Your graphic description of that scene was very believable. That’s exactly the kind of detail I want each of you to imagine when you are playing a scene in one of the improvisations. That was excellent, Androgyny.”

  We took a lunch break. As I was walking up the stairs, Colin approached me. "May I interest you in having lunch with me?” he asked.

  "Sure, why not,” I responded.

  We walked out the door. Colin turned in the opposite direction from the restaurant I was familiar. "Where are we going?” I inquired.

  "There’s a nice little deli two blocks up the street,” he said. After a few moments, he said, "That was quite a convincing description you gave of how your character got pregnant.” Then he took another short pause. "Have you ever been pregnant, may I ask?”

  I let him hang for a few moments, then I said, "No, and I never had sex in a car. I’m too sophisticated to do something like that. But I can assure you, I’m not a virgin if that’s what you’re attempting to learn.”

  Looking straight ahead, he said, "I wasn’t looking to pry into your personal life. But the dissertation you presented to the class indicated to me that you were knowledgeable in the area of fornication.”

  "I’m twenty-two years old. The majority of people my age became sexually active around the age of fifteen.” I took another slight pause. "What about you? Hasn’t someone, at some time, introduced you into the world of having sex?”

  He became a little red in the face. "Yes, it has happened on occasion. But I can assure you; I don’t climb over balconies and seduce young maidens.”

  I couldn’t resist saying, "I must say you were awfully convincing as Romeo.” We both laughed. "I might also add that you kiss very well for one who didn’t know he was going to be kissed.”

  "You kiss very well, too, I might add,” he said. "It was nice having your lips pressed against mine. I’ve thought about it often since we did that scene.” He took a slight pause. "While we were playing the scene, I found myself falling in love with you. You’re a very convincing actress.”

  "Thank you. It’s very nice of you to offer such a nice compliment,” I assured him. We had arrived at the deli and went inside. It was somewhat crowded, but we managed to get seated. He told me about growing up in Atlanta and going to college at Kennesaw State University. That’s where he became interested in the theater as a career. He told me about a play where he had the lead in his senior year. The play was entitled "Career.” It was about a young man pursuing a career in the theater, and how he suffered t
o reach his goal. Eventually, after many years of practically starving, he was cast in a Broadway production. The play ends with the man, now in his late thirties, standing in the wings about to go on stage. It’s opening night. A reporter had done an exposé on him over the months while he had been rehearsing. The reporter was very familiar with what he had gone through to attain his goal. The reporter turned to him seconds before he was about to walk onto the stage and asked, "Was it worth it?” The man turned to him and without hesitation said, "You’re damn right it was,” as he walked onto the stage to thunderous applause. "That play convinced me I wanted to be that character,” Colin said.

  I told him my experiences out in Kansas. I deleted my sexual escapades. We had a nice, quiet lunch. It was nice learning about him. The thought crossed my mind that I would like to establish something with him. As we were walking back to the theater, he surprised me. He reached out and took my hand. I looked up at him. When our eyes met, I definitely knew that this was eventually going to turn into a relationship. As we walked into the lobby of the theater, he released my hand. Obviously, he didn’t want anyone in the class to know that we had established any physical contact.

  The rest of the afternoon in class was spent having the class finish their improvisations. Most were very interesting. The majority of the students had learned what was expected from them. Overall, I believe Ms. LaBonti was pleased. Before we left the class, she gave us an assignment. She handed out scenes from various plays that were two sided. As luck would have it, I got a scene from "A Scornful Woman.” This was one of the plays that Jenny and I took from the library and had copies made. It’s an interesting short play where "Talia” confronts a bartender, "Susan,” who she has become aware of her having an affair with her husband. This was one of Jenny’s and my favorite plays. There is a wide variety of emotion. It runs the gambit from anger, to laughter, to apathy.

  I rushed to meet Jenny at our rendezvous restaurant. When I entered, she had already ordered a bottle of wine and two glasses. I told her about the play. I requested she run the scene a few times with me that evening. She said that she would be more than happy to help me. However, Ted had stopped by the theater to have lunch with her. They agreed to have dinner together. Therefore, she was going to be limited in the amount of time she would be available to spend with me.

  After a glass of wine, we took the half-filled bottle and left. We took the subway home. Jenny said that Ted was going to pick her up at seven-thirty. We had about an hour to work on the scene. Jenny wanted to spend some time getting ready for her date.

  We ran the scene twice. Each time I found different peaks and valleys in the work. I was excited to present it the next day for the class and Ms. LaBonti. Ted came by in his car. Jenny was sitting by the window when he arrived. She turned to me and said, "Don’t wait up.” It was almost like what I would say to my mother when I was going out for the evening. After giving the Ted and Jenny situation a lot thought, I came to the conclusion that it was good she had found another avenue to express herself. I also knew that it wouldn’t be long before I would be indulging myself as well.

  Chapter 7

  I decided to go to the Italian restaurant after Jenny left to have dinner. When I arrived back home, I spent about an hour going over the script. Then I went to bed. I didn’t hear Jenny come in from her date with Ted.

  In the morning, my alarm startled me awake. As usual, Jenny was down in the kitchen preparing breakfast. I took my shower, got dressed and joined Jenny in the kitchen.

  I didn’t inquire about her date with Ted. I figured, if she wanted me to know, she would tell me. We sat and had breakfast. The subject of Ted was not broached. What happened last night between Jenny and Ted was her business. Privacy is something I respect.

  We finished our breakfast; we cleared the table and took the train into the city. We were running a little late, so we skipped going for coffee. When I entered the lobby of the theater, Colin was talking with a group of students. When he looked in my direction, he left the group and approached me.

  "Hi. Did you get a chance to work on your scene last night?” he inquired.

  "Yes. My roommate and I went over it twice. She had a date and had to leave, but I spent another hour studying it by myself,” I told him. "What about you? Did you work on your scene?”

  "I don’t have a roommate, so I was limited to working on it alone. I think I’m ready,” he said.

  "Maybe the next time we get one of these assignments, we should team up together,” I suggested.

  "We should approach Ms. LaBonti and request that we become study partners. Do you think she’ll be receptive to the idea?” he asked.

  "All she can say is, ‘No!’ I think it’s worth a try. If you like, I’ll be glad to approach her,” I said.

  "We should probably do it together if that’s alright with you?” He gave me a questionable look.

  We walked down the stairs and into the class. The woman who sits next to me, Tanya, was to play the bartender in our scene. To get into character, I decided to use Ted dating Jenny to get my juices flowing. I experienced a certain amount of jealousy when she told me she had a date with Ted. I decided to employ the "Method.” It was like I had previously read; the actor should take something from a life experience and apply it to the character they are playing.

  I sat there with my eyes closed. I began to build up a certain amount of anger and resentment. Tanya turned to me and said, "Good Morning.”

  Without looking at her I replied, "Screw off!”

  Tanya didn’t understand why I was being so hostile. She turned away. I knew that once we began the scene she would understand my remark.

  Ms. LaBonti called the class to order. I could feel my character’s anger.

  Tanya and I were the second pair to present. Tanya took the stage first. I waited until she was in position and then I made my move. I began confronting her with venom immediately. As it was written in the scene, she just stood quietly and looked at me. When I finished my tirade, she turned the spotlight on my husband. "It takes two to tango,” she reminded me. She was right. He was a bastard. Part of the problem was my staying with him. I made her promise that she would not see him again. When things calmed down, we learned from each other that we had a lot of things in common. My character was being drawn to her. She wasn’t that bad of a person. She was lonely and my husband took advantage of that situation. At the end of the scene, we had become friends.

  Ms. LaBonti picked up on my employing the "Method” to develop my character. She commented on my believable characterization. The class criticized Tanya for not having as believable character as mine. Tanya was playing the character technically. I believe that this was something she learned in doing "Voiceovers.” Where that kind of approach works behind a microphone, however, on stage and in films where the actor has to present everything about themselves in front of an audience, it’s not as effective.

  When we finally broke for lunch, I invited Tanya to have lunch with me. I wanted her to know that the hostility I directed toward her that morning was just my getting into character. It was nothing personal. Colin was in back of us walking up the stairs. He inquired about lunch. I invited him to come along. I followed Colin’s lead. He took us to the same restaurant where we lunched yesterday.

  It’s funny. When I meet someone now, I always size them up to determine their sexual preference. I couldn’t get a read on Tanya. I watched her carefully with Colin. I wasn’t getting any vibes. It was the same when she was addressing me. At one point during the lunch, I decided to get personal. "Are you married, Tanya?” I inquired.

  "No, I’ve never been married. I’ve always had too many things going on in my life to commit to anyone,” she said.

  I found that to be an interesting answer. She used the word "anyone” which could be generic for a man or a woman. That was an interesting play on words. I wasn’t particularly interested in her sexually, but I’m always interested in learning where a person is in their s
exual orientation. I knew Colin was heterosexual the moment I kissed him in our scene.

  We had a nice lunch. I was glad to have the opportunity to apologize to Tanya for my rudeness that morning. She said she completely understood and accepted my apology. We walked together back to the theater.

  As we were walking along, I noticed an Art Gallery presenting a new exhibition. The sign in the window indicated that there was going to be wine and cheese served. There was also going to be an opportunity to meet the artist. That sounded like something I would be interested in seeing. I turned to Colin and asked, "Do you like art?”

  "Of course, I like art. Why do you ask?” he queried.

  "I was just wondering if you would like to go with me this evening to see that exhibit.” I pointed to the sign. The time the exhibit was to begin was eight o’clock.

  "Only if you’ll meet me for dinner at six-thirty,” he answered.

  "Where do you want to meet?” I asked.

  "Why not meet at the restaurant where we just had lunch. They offer a nice dinner menu,” he said.

  "You have a date.” We went back to the class and sat through several other scenes presented by the students. The scene that Colin presented was with an attractive young woman who always sits next to him. The scene was an argument between a husband who didn’t want to have children and a young wife who did. When the scene concluded, Colin’s character convinced me that he had the strongest argument. It was evident from that one scene that Colin was a much more polished professional actor than the young woman.

  After class, I rushed home and got ready for my date with Colin. I was in the shower when Jenny arrived home. She didn’t come up stairs while I was getting ready. It took me about an hour to do everything I had to do. When I finished, I walked downstairs. Jenny was sitting in the living room drinking a glass of wine.

  "How was your day?” she asked.

  "It was fine, how was yours?” as I opened a bottle of wine.