Discovering Women

In 1950 the boy's world was mostly populated by women. Men were there as well but they were like forces of nature dark, incomprehensible, moving around making deep sounds. Women had red painted nails, they had permed hair, they had bosoms smelling of babies. They spoke often, mostly pleasantly, their words left a dryish lipstick taste on the boy's lips. When they kicked off their high heels the damp odour of their nylon stockinged feet had a strange allure. There were little girls, small feral things with glittering, gathering eyes and they sometimes bit. The boy wanted one of these but did not know how to acquire her. So he touched her hair and she slapped him away. That night he slept with the sting of her eyes cuddled in his arms.