Mandy Makes a Man of Mark

Mark could only shake his head. When his mother and her friends had found out nearly four years earlier that Mr. Kennedy had defeated Mr. Nixon in the presidential election, they had lamented that it was close to the end of the world as they had known it - a Catholic in the White House. And while none of the four women had been mean-spirited enough to speak ill of the late President Kennedy since his tragic death by assassination the previous year, none of them appeared overly upset either. Mark also pondered what his mother's reaction would be should an African-American become President, but this notion seemed too far-fetched to ever happen. Mark doubted that would happen in his lifetime, or even at all.

The conversation turned to another favored topic of the four women; sin and the perpetrators of sin, most notably a certain Mandy Mathers. Mark thought it was fortunate that they were in Miami Florida in 1964 rather that Salem Massachusetts in 1692, otherwise poor Mandy would be almost be certainly be tried and burned at the stake for witchcraft, given the way his mother and her friends were carrying on.

"I don't know how you tolerate living across the street from that awful woman, Phyllis," sympathized Mrs. Jones.

"It isn't easy Agnes," said Phyllis. "We try to raise our children correctly, and then she moves in ..."

"I was returning your large baking tray the other day and I happened to see into Mandy Mathers' living room," said Mrs. Smith. "She and the girls were having dinner - those TV dinners - sitting on the couch, watching one of those terrible shows where teenagers dance around to music. How could any family eat in such an undignified way, watching television, no table and no saying Grace?"

As his mother and her three friends all agreed that this was terrible and could only lead to the complete disintegration of the fabric of society, Mark thought about how Mrs. Smith had seen into Mandy Mathers' living room. It was not possible to see in that room of the house from casually passing by, the only way Mrs. Smith could have seen what she saw was by actively looking through the windows. So, spying into a house was perfectly okay according to the four women - but what the owner of the said house and her two daughters did there and which was of nobody's business but their own - was not. That made a lot of sense.

"And it's not only at her house where Mandy Mathers is a problem," said Mrs. Jones. "She works at that dreadful car dealership in town as a secretary wearing those awful miniskirts. No doubt the only reason she got that job is so men would be enticed onto the lot to buy an automobile. Those girls have no doubt never had a father in their life, and not only does their mother work instead of raising them probably, she works in a disreputable car dealership causing even more sin."

Mark shook his head. While he obviously did not know the details of Mandy Mathers' finances, he thought that she no doubt needed the job to pay bills, the mortgage and put food on the table. And Donna and Jodie were both aged 18, so hardly young children who needed to be 'raised properly'. However, this seemingly did not enter the minds of the four women, who agreed vigorously that Mandy's employment situation could only raise the wrath of God.

"I was in the pharmacy getting a prescription filled a few weeks ago," said Mrs. Brown. "I was standing there waiting, when in walks Mandy Mathers - dressed in a miniskirt as usual - with the two girls. And without shame, she and her daughters walk up to a male pharmacist and ask for sanitary napkins."

"Oh, how dreadful!" exclaimed Phyllis, with Mrs. Smith and Mrs. Jones expressing similar sentiments.

Mrs. Brown continued the story. "And it didn't end there. Mandy also purchased a new sanitary belt, telling the pharmacist that the elastic in her old one was wearing out. Then she and the girls purchased toilet paper, and left carrying their purchases quite openly, with no sense of shame at all."

Like a group of hens at a farm yard, the other women conferred their disapproval at how terrible it was that three women purchased feminine hygiene products and toilet paper and left the pharmacy without getting these items wrapped in brown paper for discretion. Phyllis and her three friends would never behave with such terrible indiscretion and risk the anger of God.

Mark thought that God probably had more important things to worry about than Mandy, Donna and Jodie purchasing female products and toilet paper and failing to have these private purchases wrapped in brown paper before leaving the store. Mark also wished he was not within earshot of a discussion about private female things, as he really did not want to hear about these matters. Backing slowly away, Mark failed to look where he was going and bumped into somebody, the small collision jolting him out of his thoughts.

"I am sorry," he began as he turned around, then his voice trailed away as his eyes took in the person he had collided with, and that person was none other than Mandy Mathers herself.

Mandy was dressed in a sky blue blouse and a miniskirt of matching color that came well above her knees, her long dark hair falling down over her shoulders, kept back from her face with a sky blue headband. Mandy gave Mark a smile, this making her attractive face even prettier. "That's okay Mark," she said, before holding up the square plastic container she carried. "How about you try one of the lamingtons I baked for the sale today?"

"Lamingtons?" Mark asked.

Mandy took the lid off the container and held it towards Mark. Inside were a number of small square cakes, coated in chocolate and shredded coconut. "Yes, these are lamingtons," said Mandy. "They're an Australian cake; sponge cake dipped in chocolate and covered in coconut."

"Thanks Mrs. Mathers, they look great," said Mark, reaching into the container and taking one of the lamingtons, before biting into it, loving the taste of the sponge cake, chocolate and coconut. "This is really nice," he said.

Mandy smiled. "Thank you Mark, I'm glad you like it. Donna and Jodie helped me make them, but the girls seemed more interested in cleaning out the bowls afterwards. I think my daughters would prefer to eat raw cake mixture than actual cakes."

Mandy and Mark both laughed, Mark finishing off the lamington with great enthusiasm. "You're a really good cook, Mrs. Mathers."

"Oh, I wouldn't say that," said Mandy modestly. "Although your father said the same thing about my lamingtons just before I drove here this morning."

"Dad had one of these?" Mark asked.

Mandy nodded. "Oh yes. He'd was just taking a break from working in his garage and he said hello just as I was about to leave to drive here. I could see he had his eye on the lamingtons, and I couldn't resist giving one to him. He said it was the best cake he had ever eaten."

Before Mark could respond, he could sense something behind him and turned around. There was his mother, hands-on-hips, glaring at both he and at Mandy. Her posse of friends were likewise glaring in disapproval, as Mark realized that his mother must have overheard every word spoken.

"Good morning, Phyllis," said Mandy, maintaining politeness. However, Phyllis ignored the greeting and continued to glower.

"Well, I'd better go and put these on one of the stalls," said Mandy. "I'll see you later Mark."

"See you later, Mrs. Mathers," said Mark as Mandy went on her way.

The young man turned back to his mother, Phyllis glaring at Mark in complete disapproval. Mark sighed. It was going to be a long day.

*

Phyllis Richards' bad mood at her son and at her husband for not only associating with the woman across the road but accepting food from the temptress and praising her expertise at baking too continued all weekend and into the next week too.

However, Phyllis Richards' complete disapproval of Mandy Mathers had the effect of Mark becoming more interested in their neighbor. The young man had obviously always thought Mandy was nice looking, but as she was forbidden, it served to make her all the more desirable. Both on Monday and Tuesday before school Mark had feasted his eyes on the stunning woman across the street as she left for work, admiring her silky brown hair, her pretty face and her fine, slim figure with her ample breasts accentuated by her blouse and her shapely bottom and long legs accentuated by her mini-skirt. Pretty Mandy Mathers soon found her way into Mark's dreams, and each morning the young man found he had to take a colder than usual shower to get himself calmed down upon waking.

On the Wednesday morning, however, Mark emerged from his house to go to school when he saw a mini-skirted Mandy Mathers in her driveway looking under the hood of her car and quite frustrated, obviously having some sort of mechanical problem. Mark's heart raced in anticipation. His attractive neighbor had a problem. And he could be the knight to her damsel in distress. On trembling legs, the young man walked across the street.

"Is everything okay, Mrs. Mathers?" Mark enquired.

"Oh morning, Mark," said Mandy, removing her head from under the hood. "My car has broken down, I was reversing out and then it started making strange noises. I think it's the fan belt, but I'm no mechanic. You don't happen to know anything about cars, do you?"

"As a matter of fact, I do," said Mark. "My father taught my brother and I the basics of car maintenance when we got our licenses, and there's workshop in school. Would you like me to take a look?"

"Yes please, if that's okay," said Mandy.

"It's not a problem at all," said Mark, looking under the hood of Mandy's car and confirming right away that a broken fan-belt was the problem. "You were right, it is your fan-belt. Do you have a spare belt? I can change it for you, if you like?"

"Well thank you Mark," said Mandy. "I have a spare in the garage. As long as it's okay with you, I don't want you to be late for school."

"No, it's perfectly okay," said Mark, delighted at this opportunity to help out Mandy. He followed Mandy into the garage admiring her legs and the shape of her bottom through her mini-skirt where she found a spare fan belt and they returned to the car. Mark got the toolbox from the car's trunk, and got to work. Soon the new fan-belt was fitted, and Mandy's car was up and running again.

"Thank you so much, Mark," said Mandy. "I see that you got an A plus in workshop."

"It was nothing," said Mark modestly as he closed the hood of the car. "It's my pleasure."

"You've got grease all over your hands," said Mandy. "Come inside, and wash it off."

"Thanks Mrs. Mathers," said Mark, going with Mandy inside her house and into the bathroom, where he scrubbed off the grease, oil and dirt.

"I imagine you've missed your bus, Mark," said Mandy when he returned, looking at the wall clock.

Mark also looked at the clock, and realized he would be late for school. "Yeah, I'll have to hurry."

Mandy smiled. "How about I give you a ride to school?"

"Oh no, Mrs. Mathers, I don't want to put you to any trouble," said Mark.

"Please, it's the least I can do after you helped me so much this morning," said Mandy. "I don't want you to get a tardy slip on my account, and it's on my way in any case."

"Okay then, thanks Mrs. Mathers," said Mark, going with Mandy as she locked up her house and got into the car, Mark in the passenger seat. Mandy started the engine, depressed the clutch and put the car into reverse, backing down the driveway. Changing the car into first, Mandy drove away down the street, rapidly changing gears as she reached top speed. One thing Mandy and Mark failed to notice was the twitching curtains at the front of Mark's house, his mother's face a mask of horror. Not only was her teenage son associating with the shameless single mother across the road, he was in her car. Phyllis patted her chest, suffering heart palpitations from the shock of it all.

On the drive on the way to school, Mark enjoyed talking with Mandy about a variety of things, and not only was she a pretty and nice lady, she was interesting too. Mark was sorry when the school came into sight and Mandy pulled into the parking area.

"Thanks again for the lift, Mrs. Mathers," said Mark.

"Once again it was the least I could do to thank you for fixing my car this morning," Mandy assured him. "I'll get the guys in the workshop to have a look at it today to make sure there are no other little problems lurking under the hood. I'm sure they won't mind, they're always so nice to me."

Mark thought that if he was lucky enough to work with Mandy Mathers he would be nice to her too, but of course did not say so. He instead opened the door and stepped out of the car. "Have a nice day Mrs. Mathers," he said.

"You have a nice day too, Mark," said Mandy. "Oh and Mark, please call me Mandy."

"Mandy?" Mark was taken aback. He had never called any of his parents' friends by their Christian names before, not that Mandy was friends with his parents.

"Yes, please call me Mandy," Mandy affirmed. "It is my name, and everyone calls me Mandy. Well, except for Donna and Jodie of course, they call me Mom. And my Mom always insists on calling me Amanda."

"Okay then, Mandy," said Mark. "I guess I'll see you later."

"See you later, Mark," said Mandy, reversing out of her parking space and driving away, giving Mark a friendly wave.

Mark waved back, and noticed that a number of boys were looking at him in envy and awe at his having been driven to school by such an attractive older woman. The sense of pride combined with his delight at spending time in Mandy's company during the drive to school, and his sense of satisfaction at coming to her rescue that morning to make the day one of his best ever, Mark walking around feeling like he was floating on a cloud.

*

Mark's sense of euphoria dissipated somewhat on his way home as the thought that his mother might have seen his interaction with Mandy Mathers that morning occurred to him. As he stepped in through the front door that afternoon, Mark thought he was going to get a lecture from his mother, but it seemed that she had seen nothing as she said nothing and Mark relaxed somewhat.

However, later that evening, Mark got a bit of a surprise when Reverend Steele and his wife arrived for dinner. Mark's father was also surprised that his wife had invited Mr. and Mrs. Steele for dinner that day, and Harry was not overly pleased. After a long day, Harry wanted only to watch the news on television and eat his dinner in peace, not play host to the preacher and his wife.

After dinner, Reverend Steele went outside with Mark and they sat on the porch swing and had a long talk. Reverend Steele spoke of how Mark was now a young man, and how in society today there were many temptations to distract young men and lead them away from the Lord's path. Some were tests by the Lord himself, others were the work of darker forces. The preacher then mentioned that some of the worst conveyors of sin and temptation were those people who appeared to be nice, either in looks or personality, but sought to corrupt those around them. The clergyman of course did not name any of these corrupting people, but Mark could easily guess who Reverend Steele was talking about. Mark realized that his mother must have seen what had happened with Mandy that morning, and this was the reason for the unexpected visit of the preacher and his wife.

Mark maintained politeness for the duration of the conversation, agreeing with everything that Reverend Steele said and promising he would be careful to avoid sin and temptation, before the evening wound up. However, in bed that night Mark's thoughts of Mandy dressed in one of her mini-skirts found their way into his dreams, and when Mark awoke on Thursday morning his bedclothes resembled a tent.

*

If Phyllis had wanted her son to avoid associating with Mandy, she got her wish on Thursday as busy days for both her son and the woman across the road ensured their paths did not cross. However, in the evening Mark was up in his room studying when he heard Mandy's car pull in across the road.

Putting down his history textbook, Mark walked to the window and glanced out, where Mandy and her daughters were returning from some errand. Mark watched the attractive brunette, blonde and redheaded trio, all wearing short-sleeve blouses and miniskirts, their hair held back by matching headbands close the garage door and walk to the front door of their house.

Then Mark's eyes went wide as Mandy reached behind herself to adjust the hem of her miniskirt, Mark feeling his groin expanding as he caught a glimpse of the light blue cotton of Mandy's panties. Mandy adjusting her miniskirt seemed to cause some sort of subconscious herd reaction in the girls. First Donna adjusted her skirt, Mark seeing the pretty blonde's white panties and then it was Jodie's turn, Mark seeing his attractive red-haired classmate's pink panties as they went inside and the door closed behind them.

With his groin expanded to maximum capacity, Mark found it more than a little hard to study history from this point. And when he went to bed, Mandy and this time her daughters too found their way into his dreams, causing him to once more awaken with tent-like bedclothes.

*

Friday - a day that started with perfect blue skies and bright sunshine but became humid and overcast in the afternoon - had a different routine to most Fridays. School finished at lunch time for a teachers' meeting, and Mark had the house to himself. Harry had finished work early, and he and Phyllis had gone to visit some friends who lived a considerable distance away for dinner, meaning they would not be back until late. Mark was glad not to be accompanying his parents, as the woman looked somewhat like a hippopotamus and had a personality to match.

Mark felt his heart flutter as Mandy returned home from work, Mark seeing that she was wearing a lemon-colored blouse and matching mini-skirt, with a headband of the same color holding her luxurious dark brown hair in place.

No sooner had Mandy returned than her daughters went out. Donna's boyfriend Jeff picked her up, then Tammy arrived to pick up Jodie. Both Donna and her boyfriend and Jodie and Tammy were going to a drive-in movie, and would be out for most of the evening. Mark watched as Jeff opened the car door for Donna, and Tammy did the same for Jodie, Tammy placing her hand onto Jodie's back to guide her into the vehicle.

Again, Mark was puzzled by this interaction between the two girls. He had also never heard of two girls going to a drive-in movie together either, unless they were both part of a double date with two boys. His older sister Diane would go to see movies with her girlfriends, but they would always go to the cinema, never two of them together to the drive-in.

Mark's musings over Jodie and her perplexing friendship with tomboy Tammy were interrupted by the friendly greeting of the girl's mother. "Hello Mark."

Mark turned around and saw the attractive brunette standing at her mailbox, a smile on her pretty face. "Oh hi, Mrs. Mathers - I mean Mandy," he said. "How was your day?"

"Oh, pretty good," said Mandy. She glanced at the sky with big gray clouds. "It looks like we might get some rain."

"I don't think so," said Mark. "The clouds look a bit high in the sky for rain and ..."

Mark's voice trailed off as a massive fork of lightning filled the sky followed by an almighty crash of thunder and rain began to fall from the clouds.

"Well, that was a wrong call of history if ever there was one, Mark," laughed Mandy. Her smile then faded, replaced by a look of frustration. "Darn it, my laundry! Mark, could you please give me a hand?"

"Sure," said Mark, glad to help his neighbor again, running after Mandy to the back of her house to rescue her washing, admiring the way her lemon-colored mini-skirt bounced up and down as she did so.