shygirl351: I guess you’re a little older than me lol
shygirl351: but that’s why I’m interested
sportsfan52: you’re 13, right?
shygirl351: yup
sportsfan52: that’s a lovely age to be
sportsfan52: I’m 42 in 4 weeks
shygirl351: ok
shygirl351: thinking about that
shygirl351: yeh I’ve thought
shygirl351: it’s cool with me
sportsfan52: good
shygirl351: wanna know why?
sportsfan52: yes, if you would like to tell me
shygirl351: because you’ve got lots of experience
shygirl351: and you’re funny too
shygirl351: are you smiling right now?
sportsfan52: yes pmsl
shygirl351: me too
shygirl351: lmao
sportsfan52: sounds like we are on the same wavelength …
shygirl351: could be
He hadn’t always been like this. Far from it. He wasn’t some man in a dirty mac that hung around school playgrounds. He was a successful businessman, a man with the world at his feet. The web, he told himself, had led him astray. It was just too easy. There was no way he would ever try talking to girls of this age in real life, but in cyberspace, behind the anonymity of a made-up username or a false identity, he feared no one and nothing. The numerous social networking sites were a veritable hunting ground for curious young girls. There were hundreds of shygirl351s out there. All you had to do was log on.
It was time to move on to the next stage.
sportsfan52: The thing is, I don’t like cyber, in fact I hate it. I’m asking you real questions about your experiences, cyber is when you make it up and pretend to have sex and stupid crap like that. It’s childish and doesn’t make you feel good cos it’s all fake
shygirl351: so what do you want?
sportsfan52: I’m interested in the real thing. One on one
shygirl351: wow
sportsfan52: I have been thinking about you a lot. What it would be like to be with you in person.
shygirl351: really
shygirl351: I worried in case I was being too forward
sportsfan52: not at all. Well it depends …
sportsfan52: how far do you wanna go?
shygirl351: dunno, what do you think?
sportsfan52: well, how much do you wanna learn about SEX and everything?
shygirl351: I don’t want to get into trouble.
sportsfan52: You won’t. It’s me that gets into trouble and goes to jail if anyone finds out … it’s your body and you can do whatever you want, when you want. You don’t have anything to worry about. I’ll be gentle and considerate.
sportsfan52: I’d like to give you some homework
shygirl351: what kind of homework?
sportsfan52: sexual homework
shygirl351: lmao you’ll have to explain.
shygirl351: hello?
shygirl351: are you still there.
sportsfan52: sorry, phone ringing. brb
shygirl351: k
The phone wasn’t ringing, of course. Instead Jason Bevan had heard the sound of footsteps heading up the stairs towards the attic room where he had set up his office.
His hands swiftly moved the mouse to the task bar at the bottom of the page, replacing the open page of the chatroom with that of iTunes.
‘How’s it going, darling?’
Cynthia Bevan was wearing well for her age by most people’s standards but all her husband of fourteen years could see were the lines on her forehead, the crow’s feet beside her eyes and rolls of sagging flesh around her belly. He forced a smile.
‘Just sorting out our music collection. I found a few more old CDs that I’m loading into the computer. Once that’s done we may as well take them down the charity shop.’
‘But I might want to listen to them again.’
Bevan’s smile grew wider. His wife had never got to grips with modern technology and probably never would. ‘You’ll still be able to, Cyn. They will be right here on the computer.’
‘But that means if I want to hear an album, I’ll have to come up and sit in front of the computer. But supposing you’re working? Why can’t I just stick with the CDs?’
‘They’re old-fashioned. And besides CDs take up loads of room. The great thing about a computer is that it stays the same size no matter how many albums you load into it.’
‘I’d still rather have my CDs.’
‘Well, if you really want some songs to play downstairs, I can burn off a few tracks for you.’
‘You what?’
‘I can make another CD for you, using the music that I’ve stored on the computer.’
‘Then why don’t I just keep the original CD in the first place?’
Bevan sighed. He was getting impatient and this conversation was going nowhere. ‘Did you want something?’
‘The girls want to show you their homework. The pictures are lovely, really adorable.’
‘Okay, I’ll just finish off here and I’ll be down in a minute or two.’
‘Okay. Love you.’
‘Love you too.’
Bevan watched as his wife’s head disappeared down the trapdoor in the attic floor and vanished out of view. When he was absolutely sure that she had gone, he flicked the cursor over the task bar again until the chatroom returned. He saw with enormous relief that shygirl351 was still there.
He had to work fast. He had been interrupted at a crucial point and now needed to regain the momentum. He typed as fast as his fingers allowed.
sportsfan52: back
shygirl351: hi
shygirl351: I need the loo
shygirl351: you ok for a minute?
sportsfan52: yes
shygirl351: brb
Bevan watched the minutes ticking by on the clock in the bottom-right-hand corner of his computer screen. Any minute now his wife would begin calling him, wondering why he had not yet seen to his children. ‘Come on, come on,’ he hissed under his breath. ‘Hurry it up for fuck’s sake.’
shygirl351: back. All peed out.
sportsfan52: lol
shygirl351: so who were you talking to just now?
An ice-cold shiver raced down Bevan’s spine. His fingers were trembling above the keyboard. His head was filled with thoughts about his whole world crashing down. He could manage only a single character.
sportsfan52: ?
shygirl351: on the phone, dummy
Bevan’s relief was palpable.
sportsfan52: just the office, checking on the schedules for tomorrow’s meetings.
shygirl351: sounds dull
sportsfan52: like you would not believe
sportsfan52: listen, I have to go soon. have you given any more thought to us meeting – where & when
shygirl351: um
shygirl351: dunno
shygirl351: if it’s day, it’s hard during the week
shygirl351: Saturdays any good?
sportsfan52: sometimes – not this weekend – going away
shygirl351: um
shygirl351: so, when?
sportsfan52: I am reasonably free later this week and next week at the mo
shygirl351: wow
shygirl351: u want me to get my diary?
sportsfan52: how about Monday for Lunch
shygirl351: can’t
shygirl351: Friday maybe
shygirl351: or Thursday maybe
sportsfan52: Yes that could be good
shygirl351: which?
sportsfan52: thurs
shygirl351: ok
sportsfan52: next Thursday
shygirl351: tomorrow silly
sportsfan52: ok
shygirl351: wow, I’ve got butterflies in my stomach now
shygirl351: say we meet, yeh
shygirl351: tomorrow
sportsfan52: yes
shygirl351: what happens then?
sportsfan52: let’s wait and see – you may not like me!