SEX and growing up in a Italian Catholic Family.

 Girl Friends..........................aged..............10-12

Veronica....... At the time of my very first wedding ceremony I was attending the Palace gate convent behind the Cathedral in Exeter.  Boys played boys games with other boys and the Girls whispered to each other and giggled or did skipping while chanting some strange Rite. They also liked Oranges and Lemons and got the boys to get their heads chopped off an all that. I suppose that Veronica either liked me, or more probably, they could not find another boy willing or stupid enough to go along with their little scheme. 

My sister Teresa approached me to soften me up.  What did I know?

Veronica likes you and she wants to marry you, she said.     

YIPES! 

All you have got to do she said was to let the girls smarten you up tommorrow afternoon during Playtime and then you will get married!.      Being a bright lad I said Yes of course.    

Tommorrow came,  and I was collected by a couple of girls and told to do what I was told.  I was taken to the path at the back of  the garden and told to wait.

Veronica arrived, she looked beautiful in white dress, white ankle socks and some little flowers in her hair and a white first communion veil over her face.  She was surrounded by her Bridesmaids who fussed over her appearance and formed a line behind her.  Slowly they walked towards me and pausing only to collect me and hold my hand we walked along the path towards the steps leading to the Tennis courts. 

Here we stopped and another Boy appeared and solemnly asked me if I would take Veronica for my Bride? 

I was told to say Yes loudly, so I said Yes Loudly.  Then he turned to Veronica and asked her if she would take me for her Husband, She said Yes beautifully. 

Then everyone began crowding around Veronica congratulating her and telling her how lovely she looked an all that stuff.  

They totally ignored me, Here was I newly married and no one took the slightest bit of notice of me at all.  It was Not Fair.  I had been had,  They only wanted me for my body.  still I have never forgotten it,                          have I?

The next Girlfriend that I can remember was Diana Best, she lived nearby off Bowhay lane.  I liked her because she liked me; she was a very robust girl who was not a bit frightened of boys.  I knew a lot of the local lads, but they did not like me hanging around at first, they were very protective of their street, but Diana saw them off.  I did not have any trouble with them after that.
After school each evening I would cycle over to where she lived and ride in circles outside her house until her Mum let her out to play with me. The parents knew I was Johnny Forte’s son and tended to encourage me, in those days people thought about their daughters prospects well in advance of adolescence.

Each time we met would be a shy time for us, then something would be said and overcoming shyness off we would go, but never too far away from her Mums watchful eyes. Those eyes watched us from behind the curtains as we played. The other lads began to tease her because she began to pretty herself up for me, I noticed this in her and accepted it, I was used to dressing up for special occasions.

Diana Best initiated me to kissing, not open mouth kissing but puckered up kissing, she liked kissing a lot, so did I. You have to understand that all this Kissing was very innocent, just pursed lip stuff, but exciting enough for us at the time. I really enjoyed having Diana as a girlfriend. Her Mum liked her having me for a boyfriend. My Mum told me to be careful.

As you can see from this picture of an old lamp post, it has two arms sticking out from it.  These were ladder arms to enable the man to change the mantles, if it was a gas lamp. We used to shin up the post and swing from the arms as long as we could.        She also liked swinging off lampposts, and so did I, we used to have competitions to see who could hang on the longest, she usually won.                                                                         

12-13
My next girlfriend that I can remember was Janet Hutchings [this was a few years later I think.]  She made the first overtures through Teresa to be my girlfriend.

Tessie gave me a lot of encouragement, Tessie was always on the look out to make new friends for herself and for me.                   

I was to be honoured by being selected as Janet’s Boyfriend, WOW!

Janet Hutchings Birthday Party     

I remember Janet’s birthday Party, it must have been her 12th or 13th.
Janet was a very pretty girl; I couldn't believe my luck. Janet had an attractive face with green eyes slightly frizzy hair and freckles. I loved freckles. I turned up with my hair all brylcreamed flat. The girls were all giggly and pretty and we had a sumptuous tea of little sandwiches, fairy cakes and jelly and trifle.

Then we played games. Party games were seen as an opportunity to grow up a bit in a few hours, it certainly worked for me. We played“ Pass the parcel” and “Postman’s knock". I had looked forward to Postman’s Knock. Everybody at school talked about postman’s knock. Little boys had wet dreams about postman’s knock.
Janet’s friends happily connived that Janet and I would get a fair share of opportunities during postman’s knock. We all wanted to be called outside the door, but it was Janet’s party after all.
I thought JANET was very pretty, her smiles bothered me and my heart was very busy. What was happening inside my trousers bothered me, Oh Lord! Then it was my turn to get up and go outside the door to kiss Janet, but I didn’t dare stand up because of what was happening inside my trousers. Janet beckoned to me, and all the girls began to giggle to see the state of affairs, and I felt myself go very red in the face. Janet, however appeared delighted.

Janet got me outside the door time after time, and kissed me and kissed me, and put her tongue in my mouth, the first time that she did it I thought YUK!  Anyway I soon got the hang of it... and found out that the trouser thing was expected. Janet also placed my hand on her tiny breast; although it was a bit uncomfortable I was obliged to leave it there. I soon entered into the spirit of the party, and quite enjoyed myself. Spending half the night outside the door with her, paying forfeits. WHAT JOY! Funny, but all the girls wanted to have a go Kissing with me as well after that.

13-15

My next girlfriend Margaret Brown...Margaret Brown lived in Chestnut Avenue, Burnthouse lane. Margaret Brown was a cracker, and I fell in love with her as soon as I saw her. Margaret was quite a chubby girl, with a pretty face and a blossoming body.

I expressed my love for her with extra large cornets or a free choc-ice if no one was looking.
But best of all Margaret Brown loved me. I would be in the van ogling her, and there was she on the pavement ogling me, Oh joy.
This ogling business carried on for some months until Arthur got fed up with it, and made me to ask her out on a date. When I picked up enough courage to ask her, she said YES right away
Would you like to come up to the fields with me? She asked, No thanks I don’t fancy doing that, I said, I was thinking of all the mud in them fields. Let's go to the Pictures instead?  OK she said, my fate was sealed.

A time and a place to meet was arranged, I turned up early all turned out in my Sunday best, dressed much too warm for such a sunny day. she arrived and we duly went into the Savoy Cinema, to the Pictures. I paid for the seats, of course, and settled down with this lovely girl beside me, we munched Cadbury’s ROSES chocolates and got rather sweaty holding hands. After a little while I picked up the courage to put my arm around her and “BLISS” she snuggled into me. CRIPES! Well, it was then only a short step to our first kiss. And a soft and gentle kiss it was, I remember it well.
This led to more kissing, and we began to enjoy ourselves tremendously, nothing too naughty you understand, but quite adventurous all the same.
Film shows used to last about two hours then, and by the time we came to leave the Pictures and go home, we were both exhausted. I didn’t walk her home; she wanted to go on her own. So did I, The knot was tied.
Well, I may have gone out with her after that but I don’t remember, we continued to gaze at each other lovingly, but.. I found out. (Someone said, and I heard), they might have said it for me to hear. When she had asked me to go for a walk with her in the fields, it wasn’t to pick Daisy’s it was to do...you know what! Birds and the bees and things.
Well! I couldn’t do that; I didn’t have the faintest idea about such things, yes! I knew everybody was always making jokes about it But, do it? Nah
A little while later Margaret Brown got up the spout, and guess who everybody pointed their finger at? Yes, that’s right, ME.
It only took them about two minutes talking to me, for them to start looking elsewhere. They quickly realised I didn't have a clue. I didn’t really have much time for girls for a while after that.
I think it shook my Dad up a bit.