Read Ch 2 on my page first- this completes it....

(click) (tap) oops. (scrape)

But before I opened my mouth, I took a good look at my sweetie. I was her first date in years. She was my first date in 15 years. She didn't trust people, oft rejected, was easily hurt. I was honored to be a part of her life. Her trust extended to sharing her life in great detail, all beliefs and philosophies and experiences.
There she was. Raven blue-black hair, Three Stooges Moe haircut. Streaked with pink and green. Since she changed her haircolor every couple of days, I assume it was a Noreen spray color, but had never asked. My favorite was a crewcut a year ago, colored orange with black leopard spots.Low black hiking shoes, thick gray socks rolled down to the top of the shoe. Between, a Ford Pinto green pleather miniskirt, no underwear. I hadn't seen, I'd been informed a long time ago it was never present, nor the slightest trace of hair tolerated. Short pink crepe belly shirt with short sleeves, no buttons, open to below her breasts. No bra, not that I had to be informed, these were never worn as well. Left arm, past mid forearm, covered with spangly bracelets, right arm with some to 4 inches past the wrist. Rings? Can't count that high, including a ringwatch on her thumb. Black leather studded dog collar with tags. A charm bracelet on the left ankle, several fine bracelets on the other. Eyebrow studs, nostril ring, diamond nostril stud, lip ring, tongue stud. Thirty piercings in all including 5 in her nipples- she had cautiously flashed me at times in pizza places- three below that I hadn't seen, that she was saving for a special occasion. The rest were in her ears, plus a belly button ring. Her body was covered, about 25%, with tattoos, full color gems, each significant in subject and placement, she had shown and explained all of them but one. She had saved a fairly large one, integrated with the three piercings, depilating the area almost daily, for a special occasion. Complete, she was aiming for 50% coverage of her body with ink. Her smile- braces; she had just gotten dental insurance, and had opted for the colored ones with pink wires for a few extra bucks. Makeup? Like a first-time fourteen year old. At one time I had seen her with rainbow mylar false eyelashes like Tookie the Clown at Hannaford. She had gone through much getting dressed, to make this a special night. Thin as a crackhead, 5'4", flatchested, narrow hipped, straight legs, I imagined a pretty face, if you could find it with the glare. June Bridals extra sized items with sleeves to wear of the wedding
My sweetie. She looked like she had been caught in a nasty shrapnel filled industrial accident at a Crayola factory after escaping a concentration camp with a talentless barber. Blind men shielded their eyes on her approach. She interfered with TV and radio reception as she passed, with so much metal in and on her person. You could find her from Earth, were she lost on the moon, with a $29.95 K-Mart metal detector. When she walked, it sounded like someone carelessly carrying a box of assorted hardware. If someone reacted badly, or made a comment, she would be off for days, upset that she isn't accepted for herself. Rejection of her and her self-expression was unforgiveable. She's very sensitive, very easily hurt. I always rejoiced in her various looks, changes, and finds. At work, she was more conservative in dress and decoration, though still way too strange for a lot of people. With me she always let loose. She always made me smile.
That's me, though. I loved her for her flamboyant self expression, her creativity. It was obvious, with a woman this age, that there had to be some problems there. But she was bright, and up, and fun, and overt. I found it refreshing and enjoyed everything she showed me, everything she cared to share. Chatterbox, yes, and she wasn't that interested in people and things outside herself and her own experiences, but everyone is that way to some extent, her knob was twisted a tad more to the right.
I looked, I drank it in, I breathed deeply, the small, small ball of fire in my stomach dissipating. She had tried. Really hard. She explained it all. Not the brightest light in the string, she had used techniques of phobia clinics and psychologists to overcome her aversion to my disgusting disfigurement nonetheless, creatively and instinctively. She had made frequent contact, had visualized and roleplayed, and even tried to masturbate and stimulate her breasts with a knuckle to get used to the idea. I was honored, for she did, considering who she was, put out an awful lot of effort to make this work. I placed my left hand on her shoulder, trying to conceal my right behind me, and bent to look into her face, and told her how honored I was, and praised her effort and her goodness, for being the person she was. I appreciated her honesty. She was so very kind, with the best of intentions. I made it all okay. I don't think she understood how her manner of expression could have upset me, she was just explaining her important feelings, people should understand. No use making her feel bad. She was innocent. Her commentary revealed that she saw her aversion as a fault, a lack, that needed to be corrected. Her open way of expressing it...was just her way, like she expressed everything to me.
Perhaps twenty years from now, she would be ready, but by that time she would be fifty, I would be old and infirm, and being with me would make her face another impossible barrier, her own mortality. With me, she would never be ready. Sad, for I'm almost certain I'm the only person she will ever find so accepting of her. Masturbation had been her only romantic outlet for years. And I couldn't face a romantic relationship wearing a glove, like some modern day Elephant Man.
"Are we still friends?" I asked, looking at her face, hopefully. "I don't think I could bear not having you for a friend. I enjoy talking with you so much. Just looking at you always makes me happy. I love listening to you. You want to go watch the movie, honey? I'll sit on your right." She nodded. And smiled. Yep, all better.
"Yeah, I really want to see this movie." We walked inside....about a foot apart, me to the right, right hand in my pocket. An incredible woman.
" Isn't this a beautiful night? You look terrific tonight, sweetie. Pink and green, your favorite colors. New lip ring, too...."