Sabina's Pursuit of The Holy Grail

I was daydreaming in school, thinking about how I could convince John, to pay for a trip to Jerusalem. The city wasn’t safe for a girl to travel alone, and I didn’t want my parents to come with me, as I had an objective that could get them in trouble. Could I use religious zeal as my reason for going? John would be happy if I visited the holy city of his ancestry, since he is a devout Jew.

While I was busy daydreaming, Joshua approached me. Joshua was every teenage girl’s dream: Good looks, charming, a first-team player in rugby, soccer, and cricket. But, he wasn’t my cuppa tea. I wasn’t particularly interested in sex or boys, and my good looks were more of a curse, as boys kept approaching me.

“So, I am having this party on Friday night … Would you like to come?” Joshua asked.

“But Josh, I thought you were playing Rugby on Saturday morning?” I could tell that my reply made Joshua uneasy, but he found himself.

“Well, I guess I’m doing both,” Josh replied.

“That’s okay, you’re still young and should be fine,” I said.

“So umm, do you want to come?” Joshua asked nervously.

Did I? The answer was a definite no. Taking substances to disbalance the chemical responses in my brain, what a dumb idea! But then I remembered something. My secret half-brother, Eric Orchard, liked Lindsey, from my class. If Lindsey was going to the party, I could help my brother out. Eric has suffered from depression, from growing up without a father. While partnering Eric with Lindsey wasn’t necessarily the best long-term solution, I wanted to see him happy.

“Are Lindsey McGowan and Eric Orchard coming to the party?” I asked.

Joshua looked at me with a puzzled expression, and replied, “Yeah, Lindsey said she was thrilled to come. As for Eric, why do you ask? No-one likes him.”

I considered telling Joshua, that there was more to life than good looks and success. But I realised that such a prissy approach wouldn’t yield any favourable results. Instead, I took Joshua’s hand, looked him in the eyes and spoke with a soft voice. “Please invite him for my sake, he is lonely, and he won’t cause any trouble.”

I could sense that Joshua was aroused when I held his hand. While this was a bit off-putting to me, it was also a relief. It pained me to reject someone who liked me. But Joshua was merely sexually attracted to me, and he would be fine. I studied Joshua’s face to get a hint of his thought-pattern, and, eventually, he spoke. “Yes, you can bring your gay friend to the party if you want.” I thought of pointing out that Eric wasn’t gay, but I didn’t. It served everyone better, if Joshua perceived Eric to be gay, and not a competitor for my affection.