I was a bright lad who had had a sheltered life.

I diligently cruised through school and university.

But then it all went pear-shaped.
– Or should that be almond-shaped?

MESMER-EYES by Suzie Dalkin

Part 1 (of 3) – Eyes Right

I’d always been well aware of girls in my early school years, and sometimes thought that I had more in common with them than with the rough lads in my class.

However, evolution has ensured that boys and girls avoid each other until the time is right so, along with my peers, I just tended to ignore them even if I sometimes envied them for their clothes.

Then, years later, I was at a boys’ secondary school when teenage hormones kicked in and lack of opportunity conspired to make me a late starter in normal boy-girl interactions. So it wasn’t until the informality of college life that I was released into the real world. However, I found girlfriend acquisition hard and wished they would ask me out. I did eventually manage to get a date, but only thanks to great efforts from my friends to prime the pump, so to speak. But after that one brief fling I never had much luck with the girls and sort of gave up looking, missing out on the fun my fellow students seemed to be having during the rest of my college years.

After finishing my chemistry degree, my first permanent job was as a chemist with a small paint manufacturer in a Midlands city. I’d landed the job in the June, as soon as I had graduated, though it had been conditionally arranged for months. Unfortunately, the company was bought out within weeks and my services were no longer required.

So, having rented a bedsit on the strength of my chemist’s salary, I needed another job quickly and took a temporary one with a large department store. This was in the days when department stores were still prospering.

The store’s seven retail floors gave employment to more than a thousand staff but, for the busy Christmas period and the subsequent January sale, their numbers could swell dramatically.

And that’s where I came in, because my job would be packing their range of upmarket Christmas food hampers, which were full of stuff that ordinary people had never even heard of, let alone tasted.

Now, as this was the biggest and poshest store in the city, everything about it was... big and posh, and the larger of its two public restaurants, the Upper Crust, was a sight to behold. It occupied more than a third of the top floor and could have accommodated three or more tennis courts if only the ceiling had been a bit higher (ok – a lot higher!)

But a more remarkable thing about the Upper Crust was that its kitchen was shared with the staff canteen – and the canteen was even larger than its neighbour. However, their respective menus and personnel were very different. Refined young ladies in smart waitress uniforms would say “Is there anything I could bring you, Madam?”, on one side while, a few yards away, canteen ladies of more mature years would be saying to the next person in the queue “What would you like, luv?”, in the strong local accent.

I’d experienced the dining facilities at schools, colleges and factories (the latter when doing summer jobs while still a student) where the diners would mostly be similarly dressed and nobody would stand out, whereas here there was a huge mixture of people in varied clothing.

There were many smartly-dressed shop assistants who all wore the store name badge, warehouse people in brown coats, drivers in blue suits with embroidered logos, as well as the security men in their grey uniforms and matching peaked caps. Then there were the people in the franchise booths which were set up as separate shops and whose mostly female staff would be wearing their company’s usually distinctive uniform.

But standing out amongst all of those would be the painted goddesses of the cosmetics department, which took up half of the ground floor. And. being the most prestigious store in the city, it managed to attract the best-looking ‘beauty consultants’ in the city, who would garner a lot of sneaky glances whenever a group of them appeared in the canteen queue.

So there I was, walking into the canteen at mid-morning on my first day, and not knowing what I’d see in there. I found myself following a group of very attractive girls to the end of the servery queue. Their immaculate makeup and tailored dresses gave me a clue that they must be cosmetics girls.

I have to say that I was enjoying the view straight ahead of me somewhat, rather than looking at the food display as I neared it. Then I was woken from my lewd thoughts by a jovial lady who said “What would you like, dear?” Luckily I managed to stop myself saying “One of them, please!”

I then turned my eyes right to see the vast display of food options. I was dithering over what to choose when a voice from behind me said “Hurry up, love, some of us are wasting away back here. Why don’t you just order a sausage sandwich then we can order ours!”

I looked round and said “Sorry,” to her – she was another stunning cosmetics girl with yet another next to her. I was now flustered, or rather even more flustered, so I went with her recommendation. While the hot sausages were being expertly sliced, she said to the canteen lady “Can you make that three, please?”, and then to me she said “You must be new, then.”

And that’s how I ended up, a couple of hours into my first day, sitting with some of the best-looking girls in the store – and no doubt some of the men around me were wondering “How did he manage that?”

I was the centre of attention on the cosmetics girls’ table but I suspected some of the younger girls were checking out the new talent while the older ones were mothering me. Not that any appeared to be very old but, since it was their job to make women look younger and prettier, it made sense that they’d do it to themselves.

I was both amazed at my good fortune and somewhat overawed at the same time.

They were soon into interrogation mode. “What brings you here? Which department are you in? How old are you? Do you have a girlfriend?” etcetera. And not one of them asked which football team I supported!

Chris, the girl I’d spoken to first, and Sue, who had been with her in the queue, were one side of me and were mostly doing the asking while the others soon got bored with the newcomer and began to chat amongst themselves about Nina’s new boyfriend and how far she’d let him go the night before.

As we were all on the same staggered break times, we’d all see the same people each time and so the next morning I found Chris and Sue alone on their table and they waved me over to them. I joined them in tucking into our sausage sandwiches, which were wonderful, even if the idea of goddesses tucking into sausage sarnies didn’t seem right.

Sue and Chris were both very attentive as well as attractive, and I soon learned that they were sisters and shared a flat not far from mine. In fact we all travelled to and from work on the same bus route. So that led to us all coming to work together every day and becoming friends.

One day, we were in the canteen with me on one side of the table and Sue and Chris on the other when, after a slight lull in the conversation, Sue said “You know, Joe, your eyes are amazing. They’re wasted on a lad. If you were a girl I would just love giving you a makeover. They’d be killer eyes. I just wish mine were that lovely."

But before I could say “But yours ARE lovely Sue,” Chris had chipped in with “I’ve been thinking that myself. You’ve no right to have eyes like that.”

I didn’t know what to say.

On the way back to my corner of the warehouse I popped to the loo on the menswear floor and, while washing my hands, looked at my eyes in the mirror. I’d never noticed before, but I could see that they were rather distinctive. I’d only ever had the one girlfriend but she had never mentioned them. Mind, she was blind as a bat and dumped me because I refused to go out with her if she was driving!

One of the menswear guys then came to use the handbasin next to mine, looked at me via the mirror and said “If I had amazing eyes like those, I’d be admiring them too!”

I said “Thanks, I think!”, and left fairly quickly.

At the lunch break and on the way home, nothing more was said about my eyes so I hoped the topic would go away but at the bus stop the next morning, the girls said they’d been discussing me the previous evening, and I had a good idea what it had been about. They then invited me to their flat that evening for a chat, which sounded both interesting and ominous, but, for good or ill, I agreed anyway.

So I apprehensively turned up, having brought a bottle of wine, just in case it might be needed!

As it happened, they had one open and it was already half empty so there was a good chance mine might follow it too.

The girls, in jeans and with minimal makeup rather than the official paint job, still looked wonderful, and I had to tell them so. They both came over and kissed me on the cheek before Sue said “You’re bound to have been wondering what all this is about, so we won’t beat around the bush.

“We’ve both got to know you and like you over the last few weeks and we have a proposition for you.

“Correct us if we’re wrong but we think you must be struggling to afford your flat on what they pay you in that dead-end job.”

“I wouldn’t say that, but things are starting to get a bit tight.”

“Well, we have a spare bedroom that’s doing nothing. So we’d be happy for you to move in with us for a week or two to see how we get on, with a view to you moving in longer-term and letting your bedsit go. We’d only ask you to pay us what rent you can afford until you get a better job.”

Chris then added “...As long as you do your fair share of the housework and don’t do too many obnoxious male things! Which I wouldn’t expect as I don’t think you’re like that.”

Well, that wasn’t what I was expecting, but it was a no-brainer. And what bloke wouldn’t want to share a flat with two good-looking girls?

So I responded enthusiastically and this time it was me kissing them and we all refilled our glasses to toast our new life together.

The following Saturday I moved some of my stuff (well most of it as I didn’t have much) round the corner to the girls’ place, and I woke the next morning in a smallish but very pink bedroom which confused me for a few moments, especially as staring down at me were several cuddly toys. But no doubt, assuming my stay were to become permanent, the girls would let me modify the décor.

I heard movement, so got up, put my dressing gown on over my pyjamas and headed for the loo, after which I went into the living room where Sue was sitting in her pyjamas and Chris in a nightdress. Both were looking rather plain without makeup and with hair all over the place.

“Afternoon Joe!” said Chris, shifting her position on the sofa to let me sit down, which let me notice her lack of a bra, and a quick glance revealed that she wasn’t the only one.

“Make yourself a tea or coffee and help yourself to whatever for breakfast,” said Sue, “We don’t do formal breakfasts here.”

“Thanks!” I said. “Did you both sleep well? And are you ready to make the most of this lovely day?”

“I’ve got a slight bad head” said Sue.

“Hardly surprising, the way you were swigging it down!” her sister said.

“You can talk!”

“I’m not the one with a bad head!”

“Anyway, how’s your head Joe?” said Sue.

“Mine’s fine, but don’t forget that you both started drinking before me.”

“And you’re a man,” said Sue, “and you men can drink more than us delicate ladies.”

“Since when have you been delicate?” said Chris, laughing. “Or a lady, for that matter?”

“F*** off!”

“I love you too!”

Chris then turned to me and said “I’m sorry Joe but this is what you’re going to have to put up with. It may not be what you expected but you’ll soon get used to it. Just be prepared to give as good as you get!”

I then said “I’m shocked! Shocked! ...But I suppose I’ll cope.”

Chris added “I’m sure you will!”

So we pottered around until lunchtime, firstly by having showers, then dressing while the first one ready (me) went round to the local shop for some milk and a newspaper.

We decided we’d have a salad for lunch so we all did our bit on the preparation and had a good chat while we were eating. Then Chris and I had a little discussion – or difference of opinion – on the best ingredients for a salad. And while we were doing this I saw out of the corner of my eye that Sue had stopped eating and was just staring at me.

This was reminiscent of a previous time she’d done that and I said “Wh-a-t?”

She said “I would still love to give you a makeover and see if I’m right.”

“And I still see what you mean, Sue.”

“So, Joe,” Sue continued, “Would you like to do a favour for your beautiful flatmates and indulge us on this?”

“I’m not sure. And I’m slightly worried about what it could lead to!”

“We wouldn’t blackmail you or tell anyone else if that’s what you’re worried about,” said Sue.

“And I’d make sure she wouldn’t do anything that would embarrass you afterwards!”

“I presume it’ll all wash off in a few minutes after you’ve had your fun, won’t it?”

“Absolutely,” said Sue.

“Well, if it’ll make you happy, and since you’ve been so kind to me, I’ll let you do your worst, then!”

“I’ll have you know that I’ll be doing my very best, Joe, and thank you so much. You’re going to look so awesome! Now, would this evening be ok for you?”

“Why not, let’s get it over with.”

So, after finishing lunch and clearing it away, we decided to go for a walk to the local park and watch the kids feeding the ducks. One toddler saw me and ran towards me shouting “Daddy!”

His mother was running after him while pushing his baby buggy, saying “Come back Michael, that isn’t Daddy.”

He didn’t stop but continued running towards me so I scooped him up and said “Hello, Michael, shall we go and see your mummy?”

Mummy arrived, apologising profusely to me, then thanked me for catching him but I said, “It’s something that anyone would have done.”

I then held Michael out in front of me and said to him “I have to go now, Michael, so bye-bye.” before handing him to his mother, and Michael said “Bye-bye, Daddy.”

The girls had stopped some yards away and watched in awe as I handled the situation and as soon as mother and child were out of earshot, Chris said “You didn’t tell us you were a daddy!”

“I’m not!”

“Well, Michael seemed to think so!”

Then Sue added “I think you'd make a wonderful mother, Joe!”

We returned home and had a light meal while the appointed hour drew closer.

To be continued in part 2.

Mesmer-eyes ©2024 Suzie Dalkin

Image adapted from one supplied by pixabay.com

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