Italian Stallion

Janice Bartley — Italian Stallion

I live in The Bronx, New York. This is my friend Alex, and she’s going to help me tell my story to you tonight. I want people to see me as a bright, intelligent, and, of course, a sexy woman. [audience cheers and applause] 

My story is about my first real relationship. [chuckle] It was in the summer in New Jersey. At a camp called Camp Oakhurst. I used to go there to swim and do activities. [chuckles] One day, I was hanging out with my friends in the dining hall. I noticed an older guy with black hair and a great smile. He was an Italian stallion. [audience laughter and applause] I was looking at him, [chuckles] he was looking at me. He was checking me out. [audience laughter]

During the next two weeks, we talked a lot, and we got to know each other. We laughed, and we had a good time. On our last night, we had our first kiss. [audience laughter and applause] Let me tell you. It was good. [audience laughter and applause] It made me feel good because I was 26 years old and I never had a boyfriend. It also made me sad because I might not see him again. 

After I got home, I kept thinking about him. [chuckle] A week later, the phone rang. It was him. I was excited, happy. I was dancing. After that, we started dating. We went out to movies, out to eat. He’d come and pick me up in his car, and we’d park. [audience laughter] After a while, we got pretty serious. It was really good. Finally, we started talking about sex. [audience chuckle] I thought it would never happen. But one day, he asked me to spend the night for New Year’s Eve. I thought, ​“Oh, my God” because I was still living with my parents. And he was older than me. So, [chuckles] I wrote a letter to my mom. I told my mom he was having a party. And people were staying over. [audience chuckle] And that I would be sleeping on the couch. But I knew I wouldn’t be sleeping on the couch. [audience laughter] My mom said, ​“Okay, you can go.” My sister and my home attendant drove me to his house. On the way to his house, I was excited, happy, and anxious. My heart was going boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. Because I knew it was going to be my first everything. And I was worried that I could please him and that he could please me. [audience laughter]

When we arrived to his house, his house was beautiful. And everything was in place. His dining room was set up so amazing. He had a bottle of wine. [applause] [chuckles] And he prepared seafood for me. And being the man that he is, he invited my sister and my home attendant to have dinner with us. And everything was magnifico. [laughs] After dinner, we moved to the living room and had conversation. It was nice. But my heart was still boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. I looked at him and he looked at me. And I could read his mind. And after a while, my home attendant and my sister were out of there. [audience chuckle] I won’t go into details, but I will tell you this. It was the best New Year’s I ever had. [chuckles] [audience cheers and applause] I want people to know that even though I have a disability, I can still move. [audience cheers and applause] And I also realized that someone could see me for the real woman that I am and not just my disability. Thank you.