The Epiphany of Bryan Whiting

~ Prologue ~

Bryan sat at the Plaza bar staring into his scotch whiskey. He was glad that his old friend, Quentin, was still in town and had some free time. A friend since high school, he was someone whom Bryan trusted, especially when it came to advice about women. This was the second time he had asked him for advice about Jenny. The first time, it was for advice about sex; more correctly, the lack of sex. This time was more serious, however. He was now seeking advice about love, farewells, and reunions. It had been 5 weeks since Jenny left town.

"She went to Haiti again?" Quentin asked.

"Yeah, for a summer outreach project," Bryan answered. "Then she's going to Paris for a year of study."

"Wow, that sucks," Quentin consoled him. "Do you think she'll come back?"

"I hope so," Bryan said, but there was doubt in his voice. "Who knows? Maybe I'll have a post-doc by then."

"You could go with her," Quentin offered. "You could always go back to school later."

"Drop out now?" Bryan shook his head. "I just finished my Master's degree. Melvin would be furious."

"I don't know what to tell you, man," Quentin said. "She has really gotten under your skin."

Quentin was absolutely correct, Jenny had seriously gotten under Bryan's skin. He had tried to stay objective about their relationship, their epic love affair, but he had fallen for her. It was just too hard not to. Jenny was smart, pretty, and selfless; all virtuous traits. She was also voluptuous, smoking hot, and insatiable; even better traits. No woman had ever affected him like this before. Admittedly, there were not that many to compare her with, but Jenny was the real deal. They had forged strong bonds through shared experiences, sexual and otherwise. But perhaps most importantly, he thought he had gained some insight about what made her tick.

"Quentin," Bryan started, "have you ever experienced an epiphany?"

"Epiphany?" Quentin asked. "What the hell is that?"

"An epiphany is that moment of revelation when the meaning of one of life's mysteries becomes clear," Bryan lectured. "Have you ever had one?"

"Hell no," Quentin scoffed. "All of life is a mystery to me."

Bryan fell silent as he remembered his mysterious journey of discovery with Jenny.

~ The Faculty Social ~

The invitation was in Bryan's mailbox: a faculty social at 4:00 on Friday afternoon. It was just his second week in graduate school and he was still trying to figure out who everyone was. A social would be a great opportunity to meet the other graduate students and faculty. The invitation was from Professor James Hill, the department chair. Bryan felt a bit of pride swelling inside with the acceptance that the invitation represented.

On Friday, Bryan was teaching a morning laboratory section of sophomores. Part of his financial aid package was employment as a teaching assistant. It was unusual for a graduate student with an academic fellowship to also work as a T.A., but Professor Hill had asked if he would be willing to do so. It seems that a good percentage of the graduate students were from outside the United States. Bryan was a local boy who had completed his baccalaureate with an exceptionally high GPA and Professor Hill was bending the rules. Bryan's net stipend would be a bit higher in exchange for his native English language and intelligence.

After lunch, Bryan went to his own afternoon class in advanced calculus. He returned to his office, on schedule, at 3:00 to help one of the sophomores with a homework problem. Bryan enjoyed the academic environment and it showed. He actually looked forward to working with underclassmen, something that many graduate students struggled with. He guessed that is why Professor Hill recruited his services.

When the antique wall clock buzzed at 4:00, Bryan closed his calculus book and asked his office mate if he was going to the social. Tran looked up from his book and shook his head no, without saying a word.

"There will probably be girls there," Bryan said.

Tran didn't look up or say anything in response. Bryan wondered how hard it must be to be a stranger in a strange land.

Hopping on his bicycle, Bryan rode over to the faculty club. It was early September and still warm for this part of the country. This was a major Midwestern University and the campus architecture reflected its heritage. Bryan parked his bicycle and walked inside. The social was being held in the great hall on the second floor.

As Bryan entered the hall, he was greeted by Shirley, the department administrative assistant. Shirley was the matriarch, something that Bryan recognized the first day of school. Shirley knew everybody and everything, and really ran the show, a fact that Professor Hill readily admitted. If she ever decided to retire, there would be departmental chaos. No one else knew how to run the ancient copy machine favored by some of the eldest faculty. It seemed as though the personal computer revolution had totally passed some of them by.

"Here are the name tags," Shirley said.

Bryan wrote his name on a tag and put it on his shirt. He scanned the hall and spotted his advisor, Professor Melvin Turner. Professor Turner was chatting with a female student. The young woman glanced over and caught his gaze. Bryan was momentarily transfixed as he took in her stature. She was about 5'-6", brunette, curvaceous, with a pretty face. It's amazing how quickly a man can take inventory. She flashed him a wide bright smile that invited a visit and conversation.

Shirley noticed Bryan's paralysis and followed his gaze.

"Her name is Jenny," she said. "She's a really nice girl, you should go say hello."

"Ummm...Right, ok," Bryan stuttered.

Bryan headed for the refreshment table; he suddenly felt thirsty. This was apparently an ice cream social, there was only vanilla ice cream and root beer. Bryan could have used a real beer, but this wasn't the time or place to start drinking. He mixed himself a float and started working through the crowd. Professor Hill spotted him and introduced him to some colleagues.

"This is Mr. Bryan Whiting, one of our new graduate students, and recipient of an academic fellowship," Professor Hill announced. "He is also one of our best teaching assistants."

"Welcome aboard," one of the emeritus faculty members said.

"Yes, yes, welcome indeed," said another, with his hand extended. "And what will your Ph.D. dissertation reveal?" he asked.

"I haven't given it much thought yet, sir," said Bryan, accepting the man's gesture of friendship. "I'm still trying to find the restrooms!"

The old men laughed at Bryan's joke, lame as it was. Bryan told his brief life story to the group and they seemed to accept him. After a while, Bryan excused himself and continued his social walkabout. There were a few other graduate students present and he introduced himself to them. Most of them were quiet and timid, but polite. Well, except for Carl, who was neither. Carl was a German national attending the University. He was a graduate student in another department and this was their introduction. Bryan and Carl lamented about the lack of alcohol and made plans to go drink some real beer, real soon. Bryan continued his social tour and eventually found his advisor, who was still talking with Jenny.

"There you are," Professor Turner said. "We've been waiting for you. Jenny, this is the man I was telling you about."

"Hi, I'm Bryan Whiting," Bryan said, extending his hand to greet the young woman.

"Hi, I'm Jennifer Kinsman," she replied, taking his hand.

Her grip was firm and warm, not the traditional limp hand courtesy. She smiled widely, her sienna brown eyes looking directly into his. Bryan felt her sparks; he was sending a few of his own.

"Jenny is our new office assistant and just started this past week," Professor Turner continued. "She's just returned to the U.S. and joined us on a work-study stipend. She is learning office procedures from Shirley."

Bryan didn't hear the rest of Melvin's introduction. Jenny finally released Bryan's hand and turned towards Professor Turner. Bryan followed her lead and tried to focus on Melvin's words.

"...so Jenny will be taking care of classroom materials, if she can figure out that old copy machine," Melvin intoned.

"Sounds kind of messy," Bryan said, shooting a quick glance at Jenny.

"Oh yes, that old machine is messy, but some people refuse to give it up," Melvin continued. "I swear some of these old birds have never used a computer."

Jenny returned Bryan's glance with a quick smile. The obvious attraction between them was not lost on Melvin.

"Well then, I see that you two have hit it off. I'll take my leave so that you can plan your wedding," Melvin winked at Jenny.

"Professor!" Jenny exclaimed in faux shock and pushed the old man's arm.

Professor Turner chuckled and went to go refill his root beer float. Bryan turned to Jenny and found his composure.

"I haven't bought an engagement ring yet," Bryan quipped. "What style to you prefer?"

Jenny laughed and lightly squeezed Bryan's arm. He began feeling more at ease as they continued their conversation. He learned that she was from a neighboring state and was a senior in French language arts. Her voice was sweet and melodic, and she spoke with a cadence he was not familiar with. It wasn't quite an accent, per se, but definitely different from the typical Midwestern pattern. Bryan was curious about her travels outside of the country.

"Where did you go this summer?" Bryan asked.

"I was in Haiti," Jenny replied. "With an outreach program in Pignon."

"Wow, that's cool," Bryan said. "I guess the French came in handy down there."

"Wi," she continued. "Mwen pale Kreyòle."

Bryan clearly didn't understand her.

"Creole," Jenny said. "I also speak Haitian Creole."

That explained the unusual speech pattern, Bryan thought. Jenny shared her involvement in building a public school, waving her hands expressively to describe the Haitian people. Bryan gave her a bit more personal space to avoid being hit as she shared her story. Jenny, however, didn't want the space and kept creeping closer to him. It made for an odd kind of dance, one which ended in laughter.

Jenny had noticed Bryan when he arrived. She wondered if this was the guy that Shirley had told her about. He was about 6 foot, wiry, but wore his jeans really well. He had boyish looks, with long curly sandy-colored hair, and wore a pair of wire rim glasses over denim blue eyes. Glasses were to be expected, she reasoned, he was a graduate engineering student. She decided to give him a nice smile when he gazed in her direction.

Jenny returned her focus to Professor Turner who was blathering on about who was who in the department. She gave him most of her attention, but monitored Bryan's movements in the hall. Bryan seemed friendly as he talked with the faculty and students. This was quite a bit different from her ex-boyfriend, Tony. Tony was not all that friendly with other people. She had decided to break it off with him 6 months ago because they seemed to argue all the time. It wasn't all misery, of course, and at times, she still missed him. Jenny's day dream faded and she again found Professor Turner's voice: "Jenny, this is the man I was telling you about..."

Bryan had given up trying to escape Jenny's waving arms. Being closer to her afforded him some added benefits. She smelled really good, a clean fragrance, not heavily perfumed. Jenny was more well-endowed than he realized. She was wearing a knit top that revealed all of the underlying curves. He also noticed that her brassiere didn't completely restrain its cargo. He found himself a bit distracted as her breasts moved, not quite in time, with the rest of her body. Her hips and legs were neither fat nor skinny. In fact, she looked really hot. He was beginning to wonder what she might look like without her clothes on.

Bryan forced himself to look at her face. She was explaining that she had to leave soon for a meeting with a French study group.

"On Friday night?" Bryan asked.

"Oh, it's a social occasion. One of the girls has a birthday this weekend," Jenny explained. "Say, why don't you meet up with us later on?"

"I'm not sure I'd fit in with that crowd," Bryan hedged.

"Don't worry," Jenny reassured him. "The group will break up early. We can have a beer later, if you want."

Carl was close enough to hear beer being mentioned and burst into the conversation.

"Hey! That's a great idea! Let's all go have some beer!" Carl was clearly excited.

"Ok, that sounds good. Let's all meet at 10:00 over at the Plaza," Bryan offered.

"À plus tard," Jenny said, squeezing Bryan's hand.

~ At The Plaza ~

Bryan walked into the Plaza and immediately found Carl. It wasn't too difficult, Carl had gathered a loud group around him. He bought a beer and toasted to good health with the boisterous bunch. Carl was not really as obnoxious as he first seemed. He was in a partying mindset and approached it with gusto. When Bryan was able to engage him in more serious discussion, he found Carl to be very thoughtful and intelligent. He took a liking to his new German friend.

Jenny walked in with Ingrid, one of the girls in her study group. Ingrid was as tall as Bryan, blonde, and very athletic looking. Jenny introduced Ingrid to Bryan and Carl and explained she was an exchange student from Sweden. What happened next went according to plan: Carl's excitement over beer was eclipsed only by his excitement over Swedish girls.

"You planned this out, didn't you?" Bryan accused Jenny of manipulating the situation.

"Not really," Jenny lied. "I told Ingrid I was meeting you and Carl, and she seemed interested. Besides, it's her birthday and this gives us a chance to be more alone." Jenny's logic was flawless.

Bryan and Jenny found a booth and sat down. They shared a burger and onion rings and more details about themselves. Bryan played guitar and saxophone and was a member of the University marching band. He was a geek at heart, enjoying mathematics and science and building stuff for fun. Details about Bryan's love life, or lack of it, remained secret for now. Jenny revealed some health issues, notably scoliosis which had left her back slightly deformed. Even after surgery as a teenager to treat the condition, she still experienced discomfort at times. Jenny was more open about her past relationships and revealed her recent break up with Tony.

"He's not going to punch me out if he sees us together, is he?" Bryan asked.

"Probably not," Jenny said. "He doesn't live around here."

Jenny explained how they argued all the time, but didn't say about what. Bryan didn't ask for any details, that was a private matter. They were both excited to learn they liked the same kind of music: hard rock. They also enjoyed the same movies. Jenny was enjoying Bryan's company and reached for his hand. She thought that this might be the start of a good relationship, only time would tell. She looked up at Bryan's face to try and gauge his mood. The hunger in his eyes was palpable.

"Would you like to go for pizza tomorrow night and maybe a movie?" Bryan asked Jenny for a date. "I'm playing with the pep band at a basketball game tomorrow afternoon, but I'll be done by six."

"I'd love to," Jenny accepted his offer.

They exchanged telephone numbers and prepared to depart. Bryan gallantly offered to help Jenny with her jacket. She accepted his gesture and reached up to kiss him goodnight. Bryan was surprised, especially by the little bite she gave his lower lip.

~ Erica ~

Mercifully, the basketball game was over quickly. The home team was in the middle of a horrible losing streak and the fans were ruthless. If public flogging were legal, the head coach would have been sacrificed. Fortunately, no blood was spilled, only boos and catcalls flowed. As a member of the band, Bryan enjoyed star status. The band was the only source of entertainment in the house and the crowd showed their approval.

Bryan arrived home early. He rented a small second floor apartment in an old house just off campus. The place was kind of a dump, but it was clean and the price was right. It was a nice afternoon and he had a few hours before he'd call Jenny, so Bryan grabbed his guitar and sat on the front porch. He was working on one of his favorites, "Over The Hills and Far Away", an old Led Zeppelin tune. He didn't notice Erica walking up the stairs until she was standing right in front of him.

Erica was Bryan's next-door neighbor. She also lived on the second floor and they could see into each other's apartment. This was not necessarily a good thing, he came to realize. Erica never seemed to draw her curtains and ran around in various states of undress. Normally, Bryan might enjoy the voyeuristic show, but she seemed to lack any sense of modesty or discretion. There was also a steady stream of men in and out of her apartment and Bryan sometimes wondered if she might be hooking. He had decided ignorance was bliss and usually kept his curtains closed. Erica occasionally stopped by to make faux passes at Bryan; today was one of those days.

"When are you going to write a song for me?" Erica demanded.

"I have writer's block," Bryan played along.

"If you come over, I can release it for you," Erica suggested.

"Not tonight, I have a headache," Bryan said.

Erica frowned, then smirked at Bryan.

"You don't know what you're missing," Erica said.

Bryan was quite aware of what he was missing. He had seen Erica running around naked before and, at first, had secretly watched. She was older than he was, not exactly his type, but nice looking. He wasn't interested in trying to score with Erica, however. He had a bad case of Jenny on the mind.

Bryan went upstairs to take a shower before meeting Jenny. He used a fresh razor to get a close shave; Bryan was a Boy Scout, always prepared. As he showered, he considered the old myth about masturbating before a first date. It was supposed to help keep yourself under control, should an opportunity arise. Bryan laughed at the pun. He closed his eyes and began stroking his soapy penis in the shower. He conjured up the stored image of Jenny's breasts swaying out of time. He imagined her naked on his bed; imagined what kind of motions he could induce. Bryan's imagination was having an effect and his cock began to swell. He was no tripod, but he was certainly larger than average. He once stretched it out to 8 ½ inches long and 6 ¼ inches around at the base. Fractions of an inch were important to him when the optimistic measurement was made. When fully erect, his cock had a slight upward curve and the circumcised head was smoothly tapered. Bryan was not a virgin, but with a limited number of sexual experiences, he hadn't yet learned how to use his equipment effectively.

Bryan considered finishing, but decided to stop. He didn't really think this first date would end up in the sack. Grabbing a towel, he wrapped it around himself and headed for his bedroom. As he walked through the living area, he noticed that the curtains were open. Bryan decided to quickly peek into Erica's living room.

Erica was there, crouched down in front of the television, fiddling with something. When she stood up and went back to the sofa, Bryan saw that she was naked. He started to close the curtains, but curiosity won out. He wondered what she was doing and if she was alone. Peering inside, he saw she had put a movie into the player and was now masturbating on the sofa. He couldn't tell what she was watching, exactly, only that there were naked people on the TV screen. Had Bryan not been in an aroused state, he might have just closed the curtains.

Bryan could see her stroking her pussy with one hand and holding her tit with the other. He watched her insert one, and then two fingers into her pussy, slowly stirring them around. Standing motionless, he felt his cock grow larger, making a tent out of his towel. Bryan swallowed hard as she inserted a third finger deep inside. Erica's flush hue and shimmering thighs betrayed her arousal and approaching orgasm. No longer a bystander, Bryan began stroking himself as she furiously rubbed her clitoris.