The Housewife And The Hitchiker: The Whole Story

By Stephanie Gwladferth

Kate is a student, hitching her way to Glastonbury in 1995. Julie is a newly separated housewife in her 40s, driving home. Against her better judgement, she picks Kate up and gets taken on a voyage of discovery that changes her life.

Note: This consists of two stories, one from Julie's point of view and the other telling the same events from Kate's point of view and extending the story a bit.

~~~~~ Excerpt ~~~~~

...She took a sip of the wine. “What about you? Ever tried a walk on the wild side?”

“What? Oh, you mean have I ever, um, been with a woman. No” Julie took another sip of the wine to hide her nervousness. I thought I’d got over this, why is it coming back?

“Never? Not even at school? Never ‘practise’ kissing with your best friend? Never go to your best friend’s house and compare the changes puberty was making to you both? Never spent the night spooning with a friend at a sleepover? I did all of those and whereas I was gay I’m pretty sure they weren’t”

Julie was sure her face was red as she answered. “No, I’ve never done anything like that” Though I do remember Cynthia at school talking about practising kissing with Emma. And I remember feeling jealous... She gulped some more wine to hide her discomfort. And why am I uncomfortable with this?

“Well, if you want to see what you missed out on, I’m here.” Kate said with a smile and a seductive pout.

Heart pounding, Julie replied “I thought you said I was safe with you”, smiling and laughing nervously. Did she mean that? Do I want her to have meant it?

“I said that I wouldn’t do anything that you don’t want me to. And I meant it.” She reached over to put her wine glass down, moving closer as she did. “So, what do you want, Julie? Would you like me to kiss you?”

Oh God... “I...” What do I say? “I...” Julie couldn’t speak, her voice was paralysed with the thought of where this might lead. Where do I want this to lead? I’m not a lesbian and she’s my daughter’s age! Despite her thoughts, she became aware that her head had moved up and down in a barely perceptible nod.

“Thought so.” said Kate and moved in towards her...

• Language: English
• Publisher: Stephanie Gwladferth
• Release date: Jun 27, 2018
• ISBN: 9780463823132

Stephanie Gwladferth

It's pronounce Goo-lad-verth (Welsh is spelt differently). I’ve lived in the UK for most of my life and work in education. I’ve always wanted to write but only recently managed to actually put some words to paper. Dw i’n mynd i wella, as they say in Wales. I read somewhere that 40% or so of women have had some sort of sexual relationship with another women. I thought I'd write stories about this, based on experiences and the stories of women I know.And I'm also interested in sexual ethics and the way what is right or wrong (sexually) redefines itself over the years. And how and why that happens. So, I've put that in some of my books too.

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The Housewife and the Hitchhiker

by

Stephanie Gwladferth

Artwork by Moira Nelligar

Published by Stephanie Gwladferth

Copyright 2017 Stephanie Gwladferth

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The Housewife and the Hitchhiker I:

The Housewife’s Tale

Part One: In the Car (June 1995)

She saw the girl the moment she pulled out of the service station. Standing by the side of the road with her thumb out the girl was trying to catch people’s attention, but she’d likely have stood out anyway. Long black hair surrounded a tall elfin face with a pert nose and round lips. She was beautiful. Was I ever that beautiful, even at her age? Julie thought as the car approached her, for the girl was around twentyish, maybe even a teenager still, and Julie was just the wrong side of forty. Dressed in hippy-style clothing, a headband round her brow holding her hair back, a short green mini-skirt and a diaphanous blouse that looked vaguely translucent, she would likely cause any male eye to linger. Which is probably her intention, Julie thought, more likely to get a lift that way. She disapproved. Not because the girl was trying to use her sex appeal to further her journey but because she thought it was dangerous. She’ll attract attention all right, but she might regret it. Julie had never hitchhiked herself but had read various lurid thrillers in which single girls hitching came to bad ends.

Of course I could pick her up. She surprised herself with the thought. Julie had read various other lurid thrillers in which people who picked up hitchhikers suffered for their kind impulses. She didn’t know this girl and, whereas she was intelligent enough to know that the books she read likely exaggerated risks for effect, the risk was still there. She could be a psychopath, an escaped convict on the run, a con artist or a thief… Julie looked at her face, closer now and the girl caught her eyes and smiled appealingly. Without realising that she’d made a decision, Julie put the brakes on and the car stopped just past the girl.

What have I done? Why did I stop? Julie was confused at her actions. I should drive away now, before she gets in. The key was in the ignition and half-turned when Julie caught the girl’s eyes again in the mirror. And then the girl was opening the door and sitting in the passenger seat.

Hi, I’m Kate. Thanks for the lift, I’ve been there ages.

That’s OK, Julie said as she wondered if she’d made the right decision. In the end, as she’d seen Kate’s happy smiling face in the mirror, the meanness of what she was about to do had stayed her hand. Now she had no choice. Where are you going? she asked as she pulled out into the road again.

Glastonbury, ultimately, but as far as you’re going in that direction.

Glastonbury? That’s miles away, hours of travelling. You’ll never get there tonight. For the light was starting to fade as the warm summer night came to a close.

I know, but the closer I get the earlier I’ll get there tomorrow.

I’m heading home, it’s about forty miles from here. But it’ll be dark before we get there.

That’ll be fine. I’ll find somewhere to crash and start again early tomorrow She smiled at Julie Forty miles closer, thanks to you.

Julie felt unnerved. This young girl was planning to spend the night sleeping out in the open somewhere and then hitchhike the rest of the way to Glastonbury on her own. Aren’t you worried? A pretty young girl like you, travelling on your own?

A lot of people ask me that. You get a feel for the right people. And if we let our fears stop us, we’ll be ruled and controlled by them. True liberation starts from within. She smiled at Julie again and Julie was once more struck by how beautiful she was. And thanks.

For what?

Being concerned about me. And for saying I was pretty.

I’m sure I’m not the first person to say that to you

Yeah, but they all wanted to get into my knickers. From you, it’s an honest opinion.

Julie laughed, struck by the girl’s forthrightness. So I take it you’re going to the festival

"Yeah. Heard so much about it, I thought I’d see what it was like. Besides, Oasis