VI. Genetic Puzzle

'Hi Mom, it seems that I'll take a week off in a month time or so, and hopefully come to you and Dad. Apparently, Breta is also free at the time and will join me if you don't mind. She already heard plenty about both of you and can't wait to meet you in person. Is that all right?

Actually, I must warn you not to overreact at the time you see her; she's not that type of a neighbourhood girl, you know, she's very different in a way, but I'm sure, you'll love her. And especially Dad. Ok Mom, I'll keep you informed on our plans. Take care, Rob.'

He smiled as he sealed the envelope. His father George, retired army colonel, has always been attracted to taller women. Robin recalled when he was a child, they used to argued as Mom was jealous seeing her husband's eyes followed all girls and women more than six feet tall. She couldn't forget an incident happened long before Rob was born. His father, then young and handsome lieutenant, already married, fell in love with a legged barmaid from Bristol who was six feet two or three. He even left family with her, but pretty soon came back begging for parole. When asked by Robin's mother why he dumped 'the whore double his height,' he said she was stupid as a wood and her only interest was shopping. It took a long time for Mom, a petit 5'2" blonde from Sussex, to forgive her rebellious husband who, by the way, was not much taller than herself - just about 5'3" or so.

Rob obviously inherited his not very impressive height from both his parents, but he never thought that father's fix towards tall women could be genetically transmitted too. His mom, however, wasn't that sure and warmed him when he met Margie that due to six inches difference in height she might have been not an ideal match for him. Robin only smiled, but mothers are never wrong, and family life didn't last long. Whatever the reason.

After the trip to Italy Rob became suspicious that dad's nature indeed overcame his apparent indifferent attitude towards women's heights. He found himself enormously excited whenever he saw not just a tall woman, but super-extra-tall woman, his woman, especially on heels. All of a sudden, he liked to feel small next to her, and the word diminutive didn't sound offensive anymore.

On her birthday, he presented her black silk single piece lingerie with matching stockings and belt with suspensions. He couldn't find the item in shops, even in Long Tall Sally near Baker Street, so he spent a fortune to have it custom made, but the result was worth it. When after candlelight dinner in a French restaurant they came to her flat and she tried the gift, he asked her to put her highest heels on.

'Well, maybe you right,' she answered looking at a full height mirror. 'My thighs becoming a little fat, so let's try and make them look slimmer.'

When she came back to the room wearing her 8-inch mules, Robin's mouth froze open. Never before has he seen anything more sexually tempting. He stood up, came closer to her, embraced her upper thighs with both his hand, and craned his neck looking up at her stomach wrapped in black. As he did, he felt her knee against his crotch, and his chin touched sleek fabric covered her pubis. 'You're seducing me,' he said.

Later, when they rested on her double-king size bed, and he tenderly caressed her long, long body, he told her his father's story. Oddly enough, he added, looks I'm in the same league.

'I've noticed that already,' said Breta. 'I wish I was a psychologist and knew why did you prefer me to thousands other girls? Don't get me wrong, I love the fact, but can you explain why it was me, a woman who stands almost twice your height?'

'I really don't know. I just liked you from the very first sight, remember? By the way, at the time I didn't know you were so tall. And now... You're different. I love to feel your height, love to look up at you... It's indescribable, I suppose. Consider it a perversion of a sort...'

'Quite a common perversion,' she said.

'What do you mean?'

'I noticed that almost all men just melt down standing next to me. I don't think all of them find me sexually attractive, so the reason must be in my height. Even the tallest guys I've seen never missed a chance to compare themselves with me and became very excited to lose'.

'Who was the tallest guy you've met by the way?'

'An 18 years old American boy. He stood just a little over seven feet and played college basketball. It was back in Stockholm. I was 16 then and was just about to reach my current height, so he was a full head shorter. He approached me at my classmate's birthday party and declared that I was a perfect match for him. I replied that I didn't like him at all, and that was true. He wasn't upset a bit and asked me to pose for a picture together, which I agreed. I still have the photo somewhere by the way.'

She stood up and opened a cupboard. It was of a standard size, so she lowered on he knees to reach a midsection. After a short search, she produced a wooden box and brought it to the bed where Robin still lied enjoying her awesome height and grace of the way she moved. There were dozens of old pictures in the box, but she couldn't find the one.

'It doesn't matter,' she finally gave up searching. 'I remember him being really big and absolutely amazed by the fact that top of his head only reached up to my neck. On the picture, he looked up at me with that stupid expression of unbelief, very funny, you know... Robin knew: he felt that his own face looked the same way every time he'd observed Breta's frame from the lowness of his height.