I always liked art at school, don’t get me wrong I’m no expert and I wouldn’t make a living out of it or even make a profit, it’s all just for fun.
So when my mum ask me if I would go to a night class in figure drawing and painting with her I said “Yes” , not knowing then were it would lead me.
The class was run by an old friend of mum’s called Gareth, I have met him a few times at home and we all had talked and showed each other our humble efforts.
So he was the one who rang mum up and asked her if she and I wanted to go to his new group meeting at 7.30 on Tuesdays at the local college.
I found it a bit embarrassing at the time for many reasons, firstly only being 18 at the time then drawing a nude model with my mum there and even worse still , Gareth’s son was also in the class. Andrew Gareth’s son is only a year older than me, we went to the same school together, but even worse than that he had this huge crush on me even through his best friend was at that time my boyfriend.
The one I had lost my virginity to, three years before.
So I was a little nervous to say the least.
Anyway we had been going for four weeks and I had stopped worrying and was really enjoying myself, even getting on with Andrew up to a point.
Through he was sometimes a bit childish and cheeky to me, but I guess that’s being male at that age and I only liked much older men even then through didn’t know it at the time.
The fifth Tuesday we arrived as normal to be greeted by Gareth and Andrew with very long faces.
Gareth could not stop apologising saying he was trying to contact us at home to tell us the night had been cancelled,due to the Model Sophie not being able to make it because she had been sick that very evening.
No mobiles then... We were the first to arrive that night, so he was dreading telling everyone it was all cancelled as some people came a long way to his class.
He was in a bit of a state.
Mum really felt sorry for him, see hated to let people down herself. I could see her trying to find a solution to this.
Then she said it.
All of a sudden she came out and said it.
“You can do it Aby.”
“What?” “No mum! “I can’t!! “Yes you can.
It’s the best option, and we can’t let all the class down, I will be with you all the time.”
Gareth said he was so grateful and we could have the rest of the classes for free as a thank you. “That’s nice of you,” mum told him, “and were can Aby change?”
He showed us to a small room with a curtain at one end of the room, there was a bench and some clothes pegs on the wall, On one of them was a bath robe, “You can wear this when you get undressed Aby,” he said.
“Thanks again Aby,” he said.
“Come out when you are ready.”
And he was gone. Mum closed the curtain behind him and told me she would help me undress. “No mum,” I said, “I can manage myself, thanks.”
“Come on then people will be waiting.”
“No pressure,” then I said, pulling off my t-shirt and placing it on the bench.
“I can’t do it,” I said. “Yes you can, Be brave Aby.”
What choice did I have?
I can’t let people down can I?
So I undid my jeans and pushed them down and stepping out of them I gave them to mum to fold up.
I froze then.
Standing in only my bra and Knickers, I couldn’t move.
It was Mum who reached out and undid my bra keeping hold of it while I took it off then placing it on the bench with the rest of my clothes, all folded neatly.
“Come on Aby.
The quicker you get undressed, the quicker you can put the bathrobe on.”
“Yes,” I said, “but then I got to take it off again in front of all the class including Andrew.”
“Don’t worry about him,” mum said, “he likes you.”
“I know that’s what I’m worried about.”
“Ok mum,” I said and pushed my knickers down and off.
“Oh!” she said taking them and folding them as she put them on the pile, “You’ve shaved it all.”
I went bright red, and didn’t speak.
“It won’t matter, let’s take our places.”
I only just got the robe on and was still doing it up as mum pulled the curtain open.
“Ready?” she said, but not waiting for an answer she went into the main room followed closely behind by me.
Gareth said thanks again to mum and me, and then he addressed the class, “Ladies and gentlemen.
As you all now by now Sophie can’t make it tonight because of sickness.
but Aby has very kindly offered to stand in and save the night and thanks also to Aby’s mum for the idea.”
Everyone clapped and it was now my turn to feel sick as all the eyes in the room were on me. Gareth told me he would take my robe, so I just took it off and handed it to him looking down at my feet as I did it.
He showed me to the couch and said to sit down with my arms at my side and my legs slightly apart and to hold as still as I can.
I took the pose still looking down, not wanting to look directly at anyone;
I felt shy and a bit naughty too.
After a while Gareth came over to me and told me to have a stretch before the next pose, he wanted to know if I liked posing.
By this point I have to say I was getting slowly more into it and I told him I was.
Then he said would I like to do more modelling for the class in future as Sophie had told him she would like a break for a bit, when someone could be found to replace her.
Well right then on the spur of the moment I said I would.
So that’s how I got into modelling.
I found myself naked a lot after that in front of people and not always posing either but I will tell you more about that later.

No reproduction without permission Copyright Poemmaker 2008