Naked Jaybird
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Chapter Thirty Elizabeth was enjoying getting more involved with activities on campus. She was meeting new interesting people, experiencing life to its fullest, and getting more and more opportunities to reveal her exhibitionist tendencies. She became politically active, joining a campus political party, and like many young people, it was a liberal group set on social justice reform. She was swept up with the passion those in the group displayed. The group would meet up from time to time to discuss local and campus politics, lobby for environmental causes, or just talk about what they read on political blogs. The campus administration was under severe budget constraints from the recession and budget cuts from the state capitol. In response, they cut the health care plans for many of the campus employees, many of which were blue collar service industry workers. In response, Elizabeth and her political group set out to protest the administration’s draconian cuts by marching in front of the dean’s office. The group assembled on Friday morning, signs in hand, and began their chants, “Don’t you dare – cut health care!” A local TV reporter came to cover the event and interview some of the protestors, including Elizabeth. After getting a few sound bites from Elizabeth, the reporter began to pack up his things. “Do you think this will make the evening news?” asked Elizabeth. “This is an important issue that really deserves some coverage.” “I don’t know,” replied the reporter. “I agree its an important story, but its not a very sexy one. It may get bumped if there is a big car accident or a shooting. That’s the way television journalism is these days. If a story isn’t sexy, its not going to air.” Elizabeth frowned in frustration. This was an important issue that more people needed to know about. If they could publicize how the school was cutting health care for its poorest workers – while not even asking its richest employees to take a paycut – public sentiment could help them change things. If only the news station would air the story! But how could she ensure coverage? “Will this make the story sexy enough?” she asked as she whipped off her shirt. Onlookers quickly noticed and began to applaud. Elizabeth smiled at the reporter as she unbuttoned her bra and threw it at the camera. She turned to the appreciative onlookers and made her case. “How is indecent to be nude in public, but not indecent to cut the health care to the people that pick up our trash, serve us our meals and fix our buildings? This administration is engaging in naked greed and its time for us to reveal the truth!!!!” The crowd roared in approval as the reporter quickly motioned for the cameraman to begin rolling. Elizabeth continued her chants, urging the crowd to join her. She loved being swept up in the passion of the issue, but she also loved the attention she was getting for her naked breasts. At one point, she even looked up to the dean’s office and saw him looking at her in horror. She gave him a quick wave and blew him a kiss as she continued her chant. The story aired on the news that night, complete with Elizabeth’s topless protest (censored of course). Elizabeth was pleased that she had the confidence to not only speak on the subject, but be topless in front of that crowd. It felt very empowering to have that kind of control. And she was glad she had given publicity to an issue she cared about. The next day, Elizabeth heard a knock on the door. She opened up and was surprised to see her mother standing there. “Elizabeth, we need to talk.” Elizabeth and her mother had never been very close, mostly because it seemed like her mom had always sheltered her too much. There was a distance between them. Her mother seemed very distraught however, and Elizabeth still cared about her. She let her in and went to prepare some hot tea. “I saw you on the news last night,” said her mother sternly. “Oh,” replied Elizabeth. She felt as if she was punched in the gut. She knew people would see the news story, but she hadn’t really realized that would include people she knew, including loved ones. She was now remorseful at the possible embarrassment she had caused her parents. “Elizabeth, I understand college is a liberating place where you can be a free spirit,” lectured her mother. “But you have to realize your actions have consequences.” “I know,” replied Elizabeth glumly. “I was just caught up in the moment.” “You have to think about the consequences. What if some prospective employer sees that video of your prancing around topless in public? What if someone has pictures of that naked graduation stunt you pulled? And god knows what other stunts you have pulled.” Elizabeth reflected upon all the public nudity adventures she had experienced. She had certainly risked her reputation through these stunts. She might be compromising her future through these silly adventures. Maybe her mother was right. After all, Elizabeth had even warned herself before college that it was time for her to end her exhibitionist ways. On the other hand, who was her mother to tell her what to do? She had always been such a fuddy-duddy. She was always there to end Elizabeth’s fun. She was just so conservative. How could Elizabeth make her mother understand how freeing and exhilarating it was to be naked in public? “Elizabeth, I want you to see something,” continued her mother as she pulled out a small photo album out of her purse. “I know you must think I don’t understand and I’m being too hard on you. But I want you to look at this.” Her mother opened up the album and Elizabeth saw an old photo of a beautiful young woman standing completely naked in front of the St. Louis Arch. Elizabeth was puzzled. “What is this?” she asked. “That is me. Forty years ago,” her mother replied. Elizabeth was stunned. THAT was her mother? The young woman was so beautiful, so daring, so brave. Her naked body shone in the bright sun as she stood brazenly in front of a national landmark and onlookers. Elizabeth could not believe that young exhibitionist was her mother. Her mother turned the page and there was a picture of that same young woman standing completely naked on the observation deck of the Sears Tower in Chicago. Then a photo of her standing naked at Mount Rushmore. And a naked photo at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington. “Jeez mom, did you ever keep your clothes on?” laughed Elizabeth. “I was a bit of an exhibitionist back then,” smiled her mother. “Those were some fun times. The sexual revolution was underway and I was pushing my sexual boundaries. It was a way for me to be a feminist and stick it in the face of the establishment, while also living out my fantasies.” “So…why did you stop?” “See this picture here?” Elizabeth’s mom asked as she pointed to a photo of her standing naked in a supermarket. “Right after a friend of mine took this photo, I ran right into the head of an advertising firm I was hoping to work for after graduating. I was mortified. And beyond that, he called the cops. They arrested me and I had to spend the night in jail.” She sighed. “I was engaged to a nice young man. When he found out about my arrest, and all my other exhibitionist stunts, he broke it off with me. My career plans were ruined, my marriage plans were ruined. Even my friendship with the girl that took all these photos was ruined after she was arrested with me.” “Did you ever tell grandma? I’m sure she would understand,” said Elizabeth, thinking back on the nudist secret her grandmother had revealed to her. “Oh no, I was much too mortified to tell anyone. In fact, I was so ashamed that someone from my hometown would find out I had to move to a totally different community. That’s where I met your dad, and I never told him about my past. I never again stripped in public.” Things were beginning to make sense to Elizabeth now. This is why her mother was so overprotective of her. She wanted to shield her from the same humiliation she had suffered. That was why she was so conservative and uptight now. “You have to realize that when you get naked like this, people will get the wrong idea about you. That could close doors to opportunities you may want later in life. It may cost you relationships, careers, your dreams,” pleaded her mother. “I understand mother,” replied Elizabeth forlornly. “I promise I won’t be so reckless in the future.” “Thank you,” smiled her mother as they embraced. “Now, how bout you open up a bottle of wine and we catch up on all that you’ve been up to?” Elizabeth opened up a bottle of wine and for the first time in ages, opened up to her mother. She told her about classes, about her performance in the play, on her new confidence. Elizabeth was sad that her naked adventures were a thing of the past, but she was glad that her mother had opened up to her. She hoped they could become closer now that they both realized they had once had a common past. One bottle became two and soon it was like Elizabeth and her mother were old friends. They laughed as they recounted stories of the past and Elizabeth’s mom began to tell Elizabeth amazing stories of brazen public nudity from her youth. Elizabeth was quite impressed and shocked really that her conservative mother had once been such a wild child. “Oh, I better use the ladies room,” laughed Elizabeth’s mom. “If I laugh anymore, I’m going to wet myself for sure.” Elizabeth smiled as her mother left the room. Elizabeth flipped through some more of her mother’s exhibitionist photos. Her mother had been strikingly beautiful. And quite daring, even moreso than Elizabeth. She fixed herself another drink. When she looked up, she was sure she was hallucinating. Her mother was standing before her, completely naked. “Mom! What are you doing?” “I’m sorry dear, but telling all these stories really stirred something inside me. I wanted to get more comfortable. I knew you wouldn’t mind,” she laughed. Elizabeth appreciated her mother becoming comfortable with her own nudity again and she admired how well she had maintained her physique. She had always kept a thin figure and never really seemed to age. For the first time in her life, Elizabeth began to see a lot of herself in her mother. “Well, are you going to join me or are you going to make me feel stupid for being the only one naked?” asked her mother. After collecting her sense, Elizabeth quickly disrobed and sat there naked with her mother, drinking a glass of wine. Under different circumstances, this might have been awkward, but at the time, it felt like the most natural thing in the world. “How far away is your campus? We should streak it!” exclaimed her mother. “Mother, are you serious? You just lectured me about how I should stop exposing myself to protect my future!” said a bewildered Elizabeth. “Oh honey, forget what I said. You only live once. And I feel more alive right now than I have for thirty years. Are you going to show me where campus is or am I going to have to find it myself?” Elizabeth just shook her head and laughed as her mom made her way for the door. It was well past midnight at this point, but being a college campus there were still sure to be students coming home from the bars. But Elizabeth and her mother were both too drunk to care at this point. They both strode confidently out the door and walked past the parking lot. Just then, a car drove past on a nearby street and Elizabeth’s mother immediately ducked behind a bush with Elizabeth ducking behind her. “Maybe this wasn’t such a great idea after all,” whispered Elizabeth’s mother. “We can head back,” replied Elizabeth. “I think that’s enough adventure for tonight.” Elizabeth’s heart was racing at this point. She had been naked like this before in public, but this time she feared for her mother more than she feared for herself. The added pressure gave brought back an excitement to her nude streak that she hadn’t experienced in awhile. She could feel herself getting moist at the danger of getting caught, and she immediately became embarrassed to be sexually aroused in front of her own mother. “Okay, I’ll follow you back to the apartment,” whispered Elizabeth’s mother. “On the count of three. One…two….” Just then a pack of guys came out of nowhere towing a small keg of beer. They set it down in the parking lot right between where Elizabeth and her mother were crouching and her apartment. “Okay bros, we’re going to finish the rest of this keg, no questions asked,” declared one of the guys as he proceeded to fill his cup and chug the entire beer in a matter of second. Elizabeth and her mother both sat crouched naked behind a bush as they watched these boys chug beers. After several minutes, Elizabeth’s mother had enough. “This is ridiculous, we can’t wait here all night. Who knows how long these boys will take. Besides, someone could catch us crouching here. We have to make a run for it,” pleaded Elizabeth’s mother. “Let’s just wait a few more minutes. I don’t want to risk being seen by them. Besides, who knows what they might do with a pair of naked women. Its too dangerous.” “Nonsense,” replied Elizabeth’s mother. “Let me show you how its done.” With that, Elizabeth’s mother got up from behind the bush and strode confidently to the young men. “Can I get a beer?” she asked. “Whoa, am I hammered or is there a hot naked chick asking me for a beer?” laughed one of the guys. “Both,” replied Elizabeth’s mother with a smile. “Now am I gonna get a beer or not?” Elizabeth watched incredulously as her mother chugged a beer completely naked in front of this pack of college. Before she knew what was going on, the guys had lifted her mother upside down so she could do a naked keg stand. Elizabeth could not have been more shocked. “This is the greatest night of my life,” proclaimed one of the guys as he slapped Elizabeth’s mother on her naked ass. Elizabeth could tell that her mother was getting quite aroused by the attention and she wondered how many times she had pulled this stunt in her younger days. “Well boys, its been fun, but I gotta get home and get some sleep. You better finish that keg,” teased Elizabeth’s mother. “No problem,” laughed one of the guys. “Thanks so much for the show.” “Elizabeth!” called her mother. “Are you going to get out from behind that bush and walk me home or what?” Elizabeth was mortified as she stood up from behind the bush. The guys hooted and hollered and Elizabeth was embarrassed to be seen like this in front of her mother. She had been seen naked in public many times, but with her mother there, she was suddenly modest. “Race you back to the apartment Lizzie!” yelled her mother as she dashed back across the parking lot. Elizabeth raced to catch up with her. Elizabeth’s mother ran back into the apartment laughing hysterically with Elizabeth close behind. “Elizabeth, this is the greatest night of my life. Thank you so much. I am so sorry I ever tried to stifle who you are. Life is about taking risks. If you play it safe all the time, you are not living life.” Elizabeth smiled and hugged her naked mother. “Thank you mother.” “Thank you Elizabeth. Be naked as much as you can. It’s the best way to feel alive.”
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