The Outsider Copyright 2009 by EC EC's Erotic Art & Fiction - http://www.ecgraphicarts.com/ EC's deviantART collection - http://caligula20171.deviantart.com/ (warnings: language, adult themes, public nudity, sex between adults) Chapter 21 – A perfect job for Ruthie January ended on an ominous note for both Mike and Ruthie. Mike received an e-mail from his sister telling him that his parents had held a garage sale and sold off about half of their furniture. Even more disconcerting was the news that Mr. Sinclair had given Mike’s sister all of his LP’s and instructed her to sell them on the Internet. She found a collector that bought the entire collection, along with the record player. Once the sale was final and the records were shipped to the buyer, Mr. Sinclair told his daughter that she needed to declare the sale as income in her own name and that he would reimburse her if she had to pay any taxes. Mike talked to his sister on the phone about what was happening to his parents. She was very worried, especially after disposing the LP’s. The collection was one of their father’s most prized possessions and would be irreplaceable, but he seemed very glad to be rid of it. At the end of their conversation she commented: “It’s pretty obvious Dad’s liquidating. He’s trying to get rid of everything in the house that anybody could want. At the rate he’s going, I wouldn’t put it past him to pawn the car.” ---------- While Mike was worrying about his parents’ vanishing finances, it seemed that both of Ruthie’s parents were determined to pressure her already rattled nerves. During their usual Friday conversation at the end of January, Ruthie’s mother relayed several pieces of bad news in a single day: that a cousin in Sinaloa had been murdered and was found hanging from a bridge, that her hours at work had been cut and she probably would have to move to a one-room apartment, and that Gerardo’s baby had a genetic problem and was in the hospital. Worst of all, Ruthie’s younger cousin Alex disappeared for several days and then showed up seriously beaten. Ruthie suspected the worst, that Alex had been “jumped” into the gang he was hoping to join. Ruthie’s mother doubted that, but admitted that Alex was getting into some serious trouble and his parents were in total denial about it. Anyhow, something was not well between Ruthie’s uncle and his wife, because he was gone most of the time. Ruthie suspected her uncle’s absence must have been part of the reason he seemed so detached from what was happening to his youngest son. The problems at home were wearing on Doña Lisette. She was less pleasant to talk to than ever. Her reaction was what Ruthie expected: she assumed that God was angry at her for some reason and it was up to her to figure out what she had done wrong. She speculated over the phone that perhaps her faith was being tested because the “end times” was approaching. Ruthie rolled her eyes, but as always, held her tongue. Nor was the re-surfacing of Ruthie’s father, Jake Burns, doing anything to reduce her anxiety. He talked to her a couple of times and started dropping hints that she needed to leave California and move to Nebraska. On the surface he was trying to be practical, but Ruthie knew that he had an ulterior motive. If he could get his daughter to return to his house, he would have a free babysitter to look after Jake Jr. while he went out with his new girlfriend. Oh yes…just what Ruthie needed, to go to Lincoln and sit home on the weekends taking care of Debra’s kid. By the end of January, Ruthie dreaded talking to either of her parents. Each was totally screwed up and both were projecting their problems and anxieties onto their daughter through guilt-tripping her. At times Ruthie wished she could somehow force Jake and Lisette to get back together so they make each other’s life miserable instead of making hers miserable. More often she just wished they’d both vanish. She was very resentful that life had made her the offspring of such a pair of idiots. ---------- The ominous news from his parents’ house prompted Mike to treasure his relationship with Ruthie more than ever. He was careful to make sure that she was always happy with him, even if that meant leaving her alone at times. As much as he would have liked her to be in his room continuously, he tried not to pressure her to come over, knowing that pressuring her to spend time with him would have the opposite result. He understood that he needed to be careful not to smother her or take up too much of her time… that she needed space and there were times she needed to be by herself. That was the most valuable lesson that he managed to carry away from his relationship with Lisa: that the moment Ruthie felt obligated to spend time with him against her wishes; that would be the beginning of the end of the relationship. She would have to want to spend time with him. He was smart enough to know that. Although she spent somewhat less time with him than she had the previous semester, Ruthie still was with Mike a lot and continued to rely on him for transportation, walking her back and forth to the library after dark, and as a companion during most of her meals. He also remained the only person with whom she really could have a conversation and who could help keep her thoughts grounded in reality. Mike’s willingness to hear Ruthie out was especially important any day she had talked to either of her parents, because she suffered mood swings and depression after hanging up. It was only because of Mike that Ruthie could keep her anxiety attacks under control. ---------- During the first month of the semester, Ruthie and Jen established their routine in the room. The novelty of being naked around Jen wore off within a couple of days; Ruthie was able to be naked in her side of the room as much as she wanted and not have to worry about disapproving stares or unpleasant comments. She felt very grateful to have a roommate around whom she could be herself. Jen’s habit of hanging out in the room wearing only a shirt helped Ruthie feel at ease being totally nude. Jen’s attitude about nudity was much more casual than Ruthie’s. Ruthie was a true nudist, determined to be naked as much as possible, just for the sake of being naked. Even if she was cold or there was risk involved, she still wanted to be naked. For Jen the issue was simply a matter of comfort. She had no particular desire to be outside in the nude, using a swimming suit did not bother her, and she did wear her “knickers” during the day. At the beginning Ruthie described some of her streaking adventures to her roommate. Jen responded that she had never streaked just for the fun of it. Two years before she once rode on her bicycle “starkers” as part of a demonstration against global warming, but she was with a bunch of other people and the protest only lasted a few minutes. She found Ruthie’s fascination with having nude outdoor adventures very odd, but had the courtesy not to criticize. Most nights the two roommates had their “quiet time” ritual. Ruthie noticed that Jen always looking towards the left when she stood at the window. Jen once explained that she was looking across the Pacific Ocean towards her home in New Zealand. She was so much anticipating going back. From what her roommate had told Ruthie about the country, she could certainly understand why. From way Jen had described New Zealand, it sounded like a true paradise compared to the crowded state of California. During their “quiet time” Ruthie never wore any clothing, even if she was cold. Jen usually wore just her t-shirt. If it was warm enough sometimes she stood at the window fully nude, which for Ruthie was a treat. Jen always stood with her hands or elbows on the windowsill. She leaned over and supported her weight with her arms. As she sat on the bed just a few feet behind Jen, Ruthie’s eyes usually were fixed on her roommate’s large bare bottom. She never tired of looking at Jen’s attractive figure. She loved studying Jen’s butt whenever she had her back turned, not just during “quiet time”. Jen always covered herself up with a blanket when she went to bed. However, she was a restless sleeper that moved about a lot in the night. Normally within an hour or so she had the covers wadded up and pushed to the floor. Ruthie suspected that was why she normally wore the t-shirt to sleep in, to avoid waking up cold in the middle of the night after she uncovered herself. The room was dimly lit when they slept, because Jen liked having a nightlight near the door in case she needed to go to the bathroom. If Ruthie woke up in the middle of the night, she could stare at her roommate as much as she wanted in the faint illumination coming from the nightlight. Often, if Jen was sleeping with her back towards Ruthie, the freshman gently rubbed her clit and indulged in fantasy. There were times she imagined herself fondling and kissing those bottom-cheeks. She wanted to rub her face against Jen’s backside, to feel the smooth soft skin of those lovely large mounds of flesh. There were times she fantasized about Jen sitting in a chair and making Ruthie kneel in front, instructing her to kiss the insides of her thick thighs and then…slowly she would guide the freshman’s face closer and closer to her lovely vulva… “You be a good girl now, and make me cum…” Ruthie rubbed herself faster and faster. Cum…oh yes…cum…cum… She always felt very guilty afterwards. It was a good thing Mike was not present to see what she was doing. ---------- In spite of being a compatible roommate, Jen was not a gregarious person. It was clear that she never would warm up to Ruthie, although she always tried to treat her with respect. To some extent Jen indulged the freshman by letting her talk, which took up some of her time. She rightly saw Ruthie as a very vulnerable girl who had been traumatized by the atrocious treatment she had received the previous semester from Shannon. Even though Jen did not want Ruthie as a close friend, she did feel that Ruthie deserved to be treated decently. There were times, however, when the girl’s chatting about her major and her barista job got on her roommate’s nerves. By the beginning of February Jen was just starting to contemplate how she could get Ruthie to talk less without hurting her feelings too badly. A nice option would be to see if there was any way she could get her to fill up some spare time in the afternoons and have her out of the room. It turned out there was a possible solution. Jen was working as an assistant for one of the art department instructors and knew that he was looking for a student to pose for two of his classes: both of them life-drawing courses for beginners. There happened to be a shortage of models that semester because the Art Department had cut over-time and health benefits at the beginning of January, and several of the models working in the fall had quit to look for other jobs. That meant if Ruthie wanted, she could earn some additional money working for the art department. Jen brought up the modeling job to Ruthie over lunch. She correctly assumed her roommate would be interested in any job that would actually pay her to not wear any clothing. It turned out there would be no conflict between Ruthie’s class schedule and the hours she would be working in the art building. As soon as they were done eating, Jen suggested going over to the art building and introducing Ruthie to the art instructor. Ruthie agreed. Yes, she was very interested indeed. Jen called the professor to make sure he was in his office and to give him the good news: “I think I found a model for you.” “Great! For which class?” “Both. I’m bringing her over right now.” “Jen, you’re the best!” Upon overhearing that exchange, Ruthie realized she had just committed herself without knowing any details about her new job, not even how much she would be earning. Jen led Ruthie into the art building and introduced her to an ordinary-looking man in his late 40s’. Ruthie noticed his eyes scanning her body with an approving expression. He asked her some questions about her experience with art, to which Ruthie admitted that she had no direct experience at all, just a few miscellaneous details picked up from her readings of ancient history and biblical studies. The professor then asked her how she felt about her body and nudity. Ruthie’s heart pounded when she responded that she enjoyed being naked and was used to not wearing any clothing when alone at home. “Well, this’ll be a bit different. You won’t be alone and you won’t be at home. So you think you can handle it?” “I don’t see why not. I’d think it’d be kinda fun.” Ruthie’s prospective boss directed her to a large classroom with about 40 easels. There were very large windows around the room that overlooked some tennis courts and a green space. There were no curtains on the windows, so anyone modeling would be in plain sight of people in the green space, especially at night. In the middle of the room there was a raised wooden platform that was about 2 feet higher than the floor. The professor pointed at it. “This is the models’ platform…where you’ll be spending most of your time working, at least for the next month. If the weather warms up in time, I might ask you to pose outside. So you’re still sure you can handle it?” “I don’t see why not.” “One detail. We don’t provide robes. You’ll have to bring your own robe for breaks.” “I don’t have a robe, but that’ll be OK.” “You won’t have time to get dressed during breaks. The only thing that’s practical is a robe.” Ruthie’s heart still pounded. “Is it required? To put on a robe?” “No…it’s not required…you don’t have to cover up if you don’t want. It’s just that most people do.” “I’ll be fine. If I need a robe I can always get one later on.” “OK…as long as you’re comfortable…as the model, that’s what matters; that you stay within your comfort zone.” Ruthie’s heart continued to pound, because she wanted to remain naked during the breaks and now had the approval of the instructor. Yes…this was gonna be fun! ---------- Ruthie broke the news to Mike over dinner, that she would be starting her new job with the art department the very next day. Mike was happy for Ruthie; that she had landed a job that she would enjoy, but he also was worried about what it could mean for their relationship. While it was true that Ruthie’s hours of modeling would be during the afternoons, when he also was working, it would mean that she would have less time to study during the days, which would put her under more pressure in the evenings and weekends to keep up with her coursework. ---------- Ruthie showed up at the first art class wearing a loose dress and a pair of tennis shoes. As always, she was not wearing any underwear. She already had taken off her jacket and laid it on top of her backpack, which she had set in on top of some shelves. She had brought a blanket from the dorm to sit on and placed it on the model’s platform. Ruthie leaned against the instructor’s podium while the students filed into the class and set up at their easels. Most of the students were Ruthie’s age and were evenly split between men and women. Ruthie looked at the instructor, who nodded to let her know it was time to get undressed. She kicked off her shoes and pulled the dress over her head, tossing it on top of her backpack. Totally nude, she casually walked to the model’s platform and stood quietly. Forty pairs of eyes were looking at her. She was slightly nervous, but more than anything else she was enjoying the thought of being naked in front of so many people. “I’d like to introduce you to our new class model Ruthie. She will be with us for the rest of the semester. Please show her your respect, because we are very lucky to have her. Now, for our first session with our new model, we will do a simple standing pose. Please pay attention to how the light coming from the windows illuminates her body. I expect you to incorporate natural shadow into your images.” The professor turned to Ruthie and told her to stand on the platform. After she stepped up, she felt very exposed and vulnerable, almost like she was naked on a stage. She assumed a casual standing pose, one that she was sure she could hold for 20 minutes. She would have to learn how to stay motionless during more difficult poses, but that would come later. For 20 minutes she stood quietly. Her eyes moved back and forth as she glanced at the forty students who were staring at her intently. The women were mostly indifferent, but a lot of the guys seemed excited to have a real-live nude girl standing only a few feet in front of them. The instructor walked around the room to check how the drawings were progressing and to keep the male students focused on working instead of staring. When the break came, Ruthie walked over to the instructor’s podium to have a glass of water. Had she been any other model, she would have put on a robe before leaving the platform, but being the exhibitionist she was, she remained naked. She drank some water and stretched her arms over her head while the students changed their drawing papers. The professor was not sure what to make of his new model’s total lack of modesty. She was ignoring art class protocol by not using a robe when she wasn’t posing, but it was obvious that she was comfortable with her body, which was something the instructor appreciated. As long as she was at ease with her nudity, he’d respect that and have no objections if she wanted to remain uncovered throughout the breaks. Anyhow, her lack of inhibitions would serve the class well later in the spring, when the sessions would move outside so the students could practice drawing the human figure in sunlight. For the final part of her first modeling session Ruthie sat on the towel, once again in a simple pose that would be easy to maintain for 20 minutes. Already the novelty of what she was doing was starting to wear off, but hey…she was naked and she was getting paid for it. For Ruthie it didn’t get much better than that. ---------- The art instructor showed his model a sketchbook with a series of poses that would be progressively more difficult as the semester progressed. Towards the end of the course she would have to attempt to mimic frozen movement such as a jump or a run. There also were poses that would be very difficult for anyone with any modesty at all, which of course for Ruthie was not a problem. On the third day of her modeling, the instructor told Ruthie to get on her elbows and knees, facing away from most of the students. The posture forced her to lewdly expose herself, something that she loved doing. It was a real rush to feel the cool air of the classroom blowing against her vulva and anus, knowing that forty people were intently studying the most intimate part of her body. Too bad it was only forty. She wished it could have been the entire university…or better yet…the entire state of California. Yes…she truly was an exhibitionist. Although she really enjoyed what she was doing, Ruthie was surprised that she did not make any new friends as a result of her modeling job. It turned out that she did not care for any of the students in either class. The majority of the people enrolled were freshmen and sophomores that were taking the subject as an elective. Very few had any talent for drawing: most of the works produced in the classes did not look like her at all. It was obvious that some of the guys had enrolled just to have the chance to see women without their clothes. At the beginning the voyeurs stood at their easels ogling Ruthie, but as the month progressed their interest in her waned and their drawings never got any better. Most of the female students were sorority types that had thought drawing would be easier than most other subjects. Although she realized it was silly, Ruthie took it personally when, at the end of each class, she saw the multitude of sketches that were poorly done and not flattering to her. There were a few declared art majors among the group who produced much better images than most of their flaky classmates. The artists were serious about their training, but they looked at Ruthie in the detached manner as a “subject”, not very different from a bowl of fruit or any other inanimate object. Ruthie had wondered about possibly making friends with some of the more serious art majors, but personality issues, both hers and those of the art students, got in the way. As always, Ruthie’s nervous behavior and difficulty making small talk complicated her efforts to make new friends. She could not talk about art because it really did not interest her, while geology was not something the typical art major would want to hear about. Besides, the artists tended to be so wrapped up in themselves, that in comparison they made Jen look like the picture of friendliness. They were a cliquish group that did things Ruthie did not approve of, such as defacing their bodies with tattoos and piercings, and using ecstasy and pot. ---------- By the end of February Mike realized that his relationship with Ruthie had not changed as much as he had feared it would a month earlier. Her failure to make any new friends, along with her experiences with some of the male art students, kept her emotionally tied to him. Several guys enrolled in life-drawing tried to hit on Ruthie. However, it was clear the only reason they were interested in her was because they had seen her in the nude day after day and assumed that she was “easy”. Even for someone as socially inept as Ruthie, it was obvious they had no interest in getting to know her as a person. She rebuffed them by telling the truth, that she had a boyfriend. When one guy was overly insistent, she asked Mike to pick her up from class to show everyone she was indeed off-limits. She took his arm and glanced at the art student who was pressuring her. See? I told you I had a boyfriend… Mike had to take a break from his parking job to get her, so he arrived in his uniform and received a lot of hostile looks. Ruthie never realized it, but having Parking Officer # 036 come into the building finished off whatever chances she might have had connecting with someone in the art department. Nearly all of the students enrolled in the two courses had received numerous meter violation tickets from that hated “Parking Nazi”. Now everyone knew the class model was his girlfriend. Once again, even in the art department Ruthie Burns was an outsider. She didn’t belong with the art crowd any more than she belonged with any other group. She couldn’t relate to them. It seemed that, no matter what, life always pushed her back into Mike’s arms. He always was there for her…the only solid part of her existence that she could count on. He was her companion, really the only person in all of Davenport who even cared whether she lived or died. During one of her counseling sessions Dr. Hartman pointed out: “Remember, there’s a lot worse things to base a relationship on than the need for companionship.” ---------- At the end of February Doña Lisette changed apartments. She had to move out of the relatively comfortable place she had shared with Ruthie over the past six years because she no longer could afford the rent. The place she moved to was a single room unit in a complex that was considerably more run-down. She could not deal with the humiliation of having her fellow church-goers assisting her and her brother still was not speaking to her. That left only one person who could help her move: her daughter. Ruthie drafted Mike to help out. He drove his girlfriend to Salinas, rented a van, and showed up at her mother’s place. Doña Lisette was not very talkative, even though she was grateful that he had made himself available to help her with her stuff. She packed boxes while Mike and Ruthie exhausted themselves lugging cheap furniture down the steps and loading it into the van. The young couple exchanged looks the first time they saw her mother’s new apartment. Ruthie summed it up best by commenting: “This totally sucks.” They spent all afternoon exerting themselves, but finally, after four trips in the van, they had all the furniture and boxes moved. Mike returned the rental and showed up in his own car. Ruthie and her mother thanked him by having dinner ready. They ate quietly. Mike could tell that his girlfriend’s mother was depressed from being forced to let him see what had happened to her. As she ate her joyless dinner, Ruthie’s nervous eyes scanned the small dank dwelling. She was angry that, after so many years of loyal service to her employer, the only reward her mother had received was to be bumped down from full-time to part-time status. The new hours meant not only the loss of a third of her income, but also the cancellation of all her benefits. The only consolation was that she hadn’t been laid off…yet. ---------- When they returned to Davenport, the two students walked to the observatory that overlooked the Pacific Ocean. Ruthie badly wanted to be held as she tried to make sense out of what had happened that afternoon. She was very grateful to have her companion’s arms around her and his body shielding her from the cold night breezes. She pulled his hand to her lips and kissed it. I don’t know what you see in me, Mike, she thought to herself. I’m a totally sucky girlfriend. Her thoughts turned back to her mother. She mumbled: “So much for ‘el sueño americano’.” “Yeah…I guess so…” “You know…all she needs is an apartment. Just a fucking apartment. And now she can’t even have that.” Mike remained quiet. He was depressed, but his depression was changing over to anger. He knew that an era had passed, a time that working hard and being productive meant anything. His father had worked hard all his life, only to lose his house and his business. Ruthie’s mother had worked hard all her life, only to end up as a part-time employee living in squalor. It seemed that no one got ahead by working hard anymore. Across the US there were millions…tens of millions of Mr. Sinclairs and Doña Lisettes…honest people pushed into the dirt by paid- off politicians and sociopathic CEO’s… So what does all that really mean? What kind of nation are we turning into? Mike thoughts turned to his co-worker Sam Rayburn, with his lazy temperament, his plot of land in the mountains, and the daily bucket of coins that paid for his laid-back lifestyle. “That ain’t working, that’s the way you do it. Your money for nothing…” Sam was the one who had everything figured out. Everyone else that Mike knew, himself included, had been played for fools.