“Why do you think there are only two cows in all that pasture, there’s room for hundreds. Where are their friends?” I asked as we sped up Route 7 on our way to Tanglewood. “Same reason there are no farms in Manhattan,” Torrance replied. I thought about her response for a moment. “Well, I bet we could put some multilevel pasture land in midtown, put it in a parking garage. It could be a petting zoo and steak house. We could make a fortune.” “We should stop and pick up some wine and food before we get to Lenox. The woman from the B&B said there’s a deli a mile or two up the road.” “Check,” I replied, pleased that Torrance was thinking ahead for the both of us. I looked over at the passenger seat, a shot of electricity bursting through my head at the good fortune of having this superior creature next to me. Her hair was in a ponytail and she had brought her long legs up against the dashboard, surveying the farmland around us. Ours had been a swift courtship, a fast and for me oddly natural tumble into couplehood. We weren’t playing any games with each other, none of the usual posing and positioning. I, of course, rose to the moment and did my best at charming and wining and dining, but it had been easy, unforced, a challenge rather than a manipulation. Torrance for her part had knocked me out, that someone so confident and drop dead sexy could be mellow and self doubting and also, well, motherly. She seemed to like taking care of us, thinking through our dates, our evenings, making things easy. And now, sitting in a rental car, Massachusetts under our wheels, we were on a weekend together. For me, weekends were what you did with women you had been seeing for a long time, with people you already shared laundry with. And yet, three weeks in, here we were. The utter maturity of the act thrilled me. “What do you see in me?” I surprised myself by asking. “Well at first it was your enormous cock,” she replied deadpan. “And then your intelligence and wit won me over.” I stalled for a moment, considering the implications of her reply. I knew she was being cute and droll, but I did consider myself smart. But if she had been sarcastic about that, did that mean I was dumb? Or worse, perhaps, average? And even more troubling, what did that say about my penis? I had always considered it at the worst average, and more likely on the large side. I was, afterall, above average in height, and solicited testimonials by former sexual partners had implied largeness. She quickly smiled, perhaps reacting to the anguish on my face. “Simon, I see handsome and strong, and funny.” “And?” I prompted. She paused for a beat. “And an enormous penis and oversized intelligence.” I smiled, basking in the oddly satisfying force of the solicited compliment. “Your turn,” she said. “I love your enormous penis too,” I replied. “No, wait, your really big vagina. That’s it.” “Big isn’t really a positive attribute where vaginas are concerned,” she replied. “You’re right. I knew that. Your teeny-weeny wee-little love hole.” “That is disgusting,” she said. “The deli’s ahead,” she nodded. “Let’s pull in.” At the end of the evening, after resting with Torrance on the lawn of Tanglewood, serenaded by the Boston Pops and surrounded by the candles, food and other couples, we held hands in the dark walking back to the car. The sky was filled with stars, bright against a black sky, nothing like the filmy halfglow which sat above Manhattan like just another city accessory. Here the woods and ground and sky felt connected, and in the sharp chilled air Torrance pushed her body against mine. “This is nice,” I said, stopping us in the parking lot and surprising myself at the sincerity of my words. I smiled at her, and went to kiss her. “I know,” she said when our lips separated. “It is nice.” She smiled at me then and slid her hand into the back pocket of my jeans. It made me feel like a teenager at summer camp, thrilled and young and unbelievably grateful to be with this girl. “What are you thinking?” she asked as we started walking. “You have a look on your face like you just aced something.” I laughed. “I didn’t realize I transmitted my thoughts so easily.” I looked up at the sky for a moment and then at Torrance. “I’m just happy,” I said.