February 15, 2006.

A modern Adam and Eve

by Bаυеr Wеstеrеn

The following story is dedicated to Dwayne and Lеаnnе Bеll, creators and editors of Body in Mind on their anniversary. If you don't have a love like this, you're not living.

Adam was born and raised not unlike any number of kids in the world. He grew up a rather sheltered but happy life in the southern US. Whаtеvеr Adаm desired was provided for him, and he knew no real pain or suffering.

All that changed, however, when one day Adam's father sent him to fetch a baseball glove from his father's room. Adam loved playing catch with his father. His dad told him that it was probably sitting on the bookshelf by the window. So, Adam rushed upstairs to the bedroom. He didn't notice the glove on the shelf right away, so he scanned around the rest of the room to see if he could find it. His eyes soon fell upon the old wooden chest that sat against one wall of the room. Adam's father had told him on many occasions that certain things needed to be private to a person, and the contents of the wooden chest was one of those things for him.

Adam had never paid much attention to the chest before, but today was definitely different. Sitting on top was a magazine. On the cover was a woman, perhaps the most beautiful woman that Adam had ever seen. She was smiling a radiant smile, and her golden yellow hair fell in splashes of brilliance over her bare shoulders. In one hand, she held some fruit. The woman seemed to be calling Adam to her with her brilliant green eyes. With hesitation, Adam went over to the chest and picked up the magazine. He was captivated by the woman's gaze. As he opened the magazine, Adam's legs went soft and his heart lept into his throat. The photograph of the woman on the cover only showed her head and shoulders. However, every single page inside showed the blonde woman as well as several other women completely nude. Adam had never seen anything like this in his life. He wondered if there were more magazines inside the chest. Slowly, he lifted the lid and saw that not only were there more magazines inside, but that the chest was completely filled to the top.

Adam was so wrapped up in his new discovery that he didn't hear his father enter the room.

"What are you doing!" his father nearly screamed.

Adam couldn't move. He couldn't even breathe. He had been caught doing the one thing that his father had forbade. Now he knew he would be punished. He could have never imagined how severely he was to be punished, though. Not only was he grounded, and banished from his parents room, but his father put a lock on the door so that he was permanently barred from entering the room. What happened next confused Adam more than anything. His father sat him down to have a "talk".

"Adam, I want to talk to you about what you saw in my room," his father said. "The reason that I did not want you to see what was in that chest was because someone your age just isn't ready to deal with things like that. There are laws that forbid people under 18 from looking at the types of magazines you saw."

Adam didn't understand why there would be a law forbidding people from looking at such beautiful images, but he didn't ask his father. Even at ten years old, he could read something in his father's eyes told him that he didn't know the reason any more than Adam did. What could cause someone to be so ashamed about looking at beautiful women that he should hide those images in a chest and, if ever discovered, do everything in his power to hide them even more? Adam just didn't get it.

As Adаm grew older, his confusion didn't diminish. When he became a teenager, he began to get the natural urges of a teenage boy. However, Adam wasn't ashamed of his new feelings. He would openely admire the beautiful girls at his school. And he would compliment them whenever he got the chance. He also realized that he was the exception to the rule. He knew that most of the other boys in his school admired the girls as well, but that they did so with quick, sideways glances. No one else was as open about their admiration as was Adam. He would also hear the boys in the bathrooms talk about certain girls. The things they said made Adam angry. Why would they talk so negatively about such beautiful creatures? Why did they talk about doing such horrible things to them? Adam soon realized that this was another of life's difficult questions to answer. He slowly decided to ignore what other people thought and focus on his own beliefs and judgements.

Whеn Adаm went off to college, he had decided to become a photographer. He had wanted to create images such as the ones he saw in the magazines his father had so many years ago. So, Adam enrolled in as many art and photography classes as he could. He began to post messages on the walls around his campus advertising his search for models. It wasn't long before he began taking his first nude photographs. And then, one afternoon, he met Eve.

Eve had grown up in a household much like Adam's. As a child, she was always told that she was "cute" or "pretty". She liked the way she looked, and by the time she entered high school, she had perfected her morning routine. She never wore the globs of makeup that so many of the girls at school wore. She didn't feel like she should hide her natural beauty. Instead, she wore just enough to highlight her natural radiance. She knew the boys at school looked at her, even those that tried to hide it, and she felt great that they did. She would smile back and acknowledge every stare and furtive glance. Many people were jealous of Eve, but she didn't seem to care. She was happy with herself and that's all that mattered to her.

At around the time of Eve's graduation, her mother died tragically. Eve had planned on moving out of the house and into a dorm when she left for college, even though the campus was less than half an hour from her home. However, after her mother passed away, her father told her he wanted her to stay at home to save money on the already expensive tuition. Reluctantly, she agreed. As time went on, Eve began to desire more financial freedom. Her father had always provided for her but now money was not so abundant as before. It was with this desire in mind that led her to Dаntе's Dеn.

As can probably be imagined, Dаntе's Dеn was what some call a "gentlemen's club". Eve was introduced to the Den by Luke, the manager. Luke had noticed Eve one day on the college campus and immediately liked what he saw. In no time at all, he had her willing to try out as a dancer at his club. She loved it. Being admired for her beauty, even while half-naked came naturally to Eve. She quickly became a favorite with the patrons.

One evening, while Eve was dancing, she caught sight of someone she never expected to see. Sitting off in the corner of the club, was her own father. It was obvious that he had noticed her first, for he had a blank look of dismay on his face. Eve could only imagine that his initial expression was most likely one of shock. She continued her dance until it was time for her first break. When she left the stage, and went to where her father had been, he was gone. She knew he would be at home waiting for her.

With her heart hammering in her chest, Eve unlocked the front door to her house and went inside. Her father was waiting at the kitchen table.

"Hі Dаddy," she said quietly.

Her father only looked at her. The silence hurt more than the words she knew were to come.

"How could you?" he muttered. "My own daughter, in a place like that, taking off her clothes in front of strangers?"

"You're not a stranger," Eve replied defiantly. She knew he would disapprove of her dancing at the Den, so Eve had never mentioned it. But to have him hypocritically condemn her for being there was too much. "Besides, what's wrong with having people admire me for my looks?"

"It's not people's admiration that I'm afraid of.." her dad said.

"Well, I can't control what people think, but I'm not dancing for them either."

"Who do you dance for then, yourself?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I do. I like how I feel when I'm up on that stage. I like the fact that some of the people watching me are happy to see me. That I bring some sort of joy to their lives just by the fact that they can look at me. Now, if some people go their and are too ashamed to even admit it, that they lurk in the shadows, I feel sorry for them. I love you Daddy, but if you are the type of person that is going to be ashamed of for who I am and who you are, then I guess I'll just have to leave." And just that abruptly, Eve decided to move out of the house.

She found an apartment that fit her budget not far from the college campus. However, as time went on, the money she made dancing didn't cover her expenses. She needed another source of income, and found it taped to the outside wall of her apartment building. It was from a local photographer looking for nude models. Eve knew that she could make some rather decent money by modelling. So, she decided to answer the ad.

Adam answered the knock at his door. It was mid-morning, and he was going over some of the latest prints he had just developed. When he opened the door, he was left speechless. Before him stood the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She was even more beautiful than the woman in that magazine from his childhood. Her eyes sparkled with a confidence and a beauty that Adam had never imagined possible. She was the first to speak.

"Hi, Adam? My name's Eve. I'm here about your ad for models?"

"Yes, of course, come on in. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude, but you just took my breath away for a moment."

Eve smiled and blushed slightly. The absolute sincerity with which he had said this was a shock, even to her. As she entered his apartment, Eve could feel Adam's intense gaze upon her. She was completely used to strangers looking at her, but somehow, when Adam looked at her she felt like they weren't strangers. She felt that they completely understood one another, without uttering a single word. She had never given the thought of soul-mates much consideration before, but now that she was here with him, that was the only words that described the connection she felt.

"So, Eve, usually before I even think about photographing someone, I like to get to know them a little first. Tell me a little about yourself."

"Well, my life recently has been an interesting journey, but something tells me you might be able to understand."

"I think I might, Eve, I think I just might."

Epilogue

This is how Adam and Eve, two unique souls drifted from seeming Paradise into Purgatory and finally into each others paths. Eve was right. They were soul-mates. They understood each other completely. Perhaps they were the only people that could understand each other. And from that day on they never left each others side.

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