by Darla Baker
“Hmm, that’s not very private. And the water can get a bit choppy. Are you sure?”
“We’re on a houseboat. If we need privacy for some reason, we can come inside. I’m not saying we’ll need privacy, if you know what I mean. We can start there, and if it gets too busy, we can always move.”
Amara maneuvers the houseboat toward a thick tree limb, and they tie up securely enough to enjoy the water for a few hours.
Amara removes her black capris and a white tank to reveal a stunning white bikini that’s been hiding just inches from Thalia during the entire trip. Amara reaches up and touches Thalia’s chin.
“I think you better close that gaping mouth before bugs start flying in.” Amara smirks.
Without removing her hand from Thalia’s chin, she steps in and closes the gap between them and captures Thalia’s lips in a feather soft kiss. She releases Thalia’s chin and takes a step back, gazing intensely into Thalia’s eyes, and finding a searing arousal. “Thalia dear, you make me feel things I’ve never felt before. I’m not sure what to do with these feelings.”
“That makes two of us.”
“Come, let’s get into the hot tub, and talk for a bit.”
“Oh, God, I love a hot tub,” Thalia confesses as she sinks into one of the curved seats. Her eyes are focused on Amara’s smooth, tan legs as she climbs in after her. When Amara’s legs wrap around hers, her clit instantly begins to throb.
“I have a confession to make. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you since I first saw you right here, on top of this boat, the day of the raft-up.” Amara looks a bit embarrassed at the admission.
“Same here. I had a dream last night that really rattled me.”
“Tell me about it.”
“I will. But first, I’d like to get to know you a little better.”
“Okay, here’s what we’ll do. You ask a question, and I’ll answer. And then I’ll ask a question, and you’ll answer. Lather, rinse, repeat.”
“That’s sort of formal, isn’t it?”
“Perhaps. But it works.”
“Okay. The first question, tell me about your last relationship.”
“Why do women always start there? It’s so predictable.”
“Because it’s important to assess the rebound factor as soon as possible. And you just wasted your turn on a lame question.”
“You play dirty.” Amara splashes Thalia and then flashes a big smile. “Or at least I hope you do.”
“You’re stalling.”
“Guilty. My last relationship lasted about three months, and it was over about six or seven months ago. She was a student at UK, and I met her at a concert at Rupp Arena. I was there with my brother Andor, and Kris–that was her name–was seated next to me. We hit it off during the concert, and I asked her out on a date. She’s about ten years younger than I am and at the time, I didn’t think the age difference mattered. But when we went out with her friends, I felt more like her chaperone than her girlfriend. She didn’t feel any more comfortable with my friends. So we ended it fairly quickly, no hard feelings. We haven’t kept in touch. It just didn’t make sense. We have nothing in common except our sexual orientation and a mild attraction. So how’d I do?”
“Fine. Now tell me about your most significant relationship. The one that lasted the longest, was most intense, broke your heart—any or all of the above.”
“Whew, you just jump right in with both feet don’t you. Okay, let me think. I haven’t had any long-term relationships. The longest lasted about a year and a half. She left me for someone else, but our relationship was over by then, so I wasn’t devastated or anything. We just didn’t have a lot of sparks between us. I’ve done a fair amount of casual dating. But my work on the horse farm is more important to me than my love life. As silly and cliché as it sounds, I have to say my biggest heartbreak was my first crush. It’s really a classic story. Girl meets girl and realizes she’s a lesbian and in love with her best friend. Her best friend is straight and falls in love with the popular boy in school. Heartbreak ensues, but she eventually recovers. Her name was Sophia. She was an exchange student from France. We were sophomores in high school. She went back to France at the end of the school year, and I never heard from her again. But thanks to her, I knew I was a lesbian.” Amara continues, “Now it’s my turn to ask a question. What’s your favorite food?”
“Really? I’ve asked you two very serious questions, and all you want to know is my favorite food?”
“What can I say? I’m easy to please.” Amara waggles her eyebrows suggestively.
“And shameless.” Thalia grins. “Italian. I like pasta, cheese, red sauce, and wine. I like meatballs and all sorts of seafood and shellfish. Speaking of food, I’m ready to get out of here and have some lunch. Donuts don’t exactly stick to your ribs.”
AMARA OPENS THE refrigerator and pulls out a couple of beers. She hands one to Thalia, who is standing behind her to get a good look at the contents. “Thanks. So what’s on the menu?”
“How do you feel about a salad with feta cheese and olives and some hummus and pita chips?”
“Sounds good to me. What can I do to help?”
“Just sit down and let’s continue our conversation.”
“Okay, it was my turn to ask a question. Did you dream about me last night?”
Amara looks at Thalia with a puzzled expression. “That’s an unusual question. I rarely remember my dreams if I even have them. And if I do happen to remember a dream, I don’t remember much. To my knowledge, I didn’t dream of you last night. Why? Did you dream of me?”
Thalia takes a sip of her beer contemplating how she wants to answer this question. “Yes, I did. But before I give you any details, I want you to answer another question. Do you feel some sort of… I don’t know… vibe when we’re near each other?”
Amara sets the salad, hummus and pita chips on the counter and sits next to Thalia. She’s squinting at Thalia as if she’s on trial. “Do you remember the day of the raft-up when you came onto my boat looking for your friends?”
Thalia nods.
“As soon as I saw you, I felt something… unexpected. I don’t know how to explain it. I asked your friend about you. She gave me your name and said you’re a sex therapist and also lucky with the ladies. As soon as she mentioned your name, I knew I would see you again at our appointment on Monday. I’m telling you, at that moment, I needed to see you again. I must see more of you.”
Thalia sets her fork down and takes Amara’s hand in hers. She raises it to her lips for a soft kiss. Amara turns toward Thalia and closes the gap between them to place a tentative kiss on her lips. Thalia deepens the kiss and pulls her off the stool, guiding her to the sofa.
They begin to explore each other with their hands, never losing contact with their lips. The feeling in Thalia’s stomach is so overwhelming she has to end the contact. Amara seems grateful for the break.
“Do you feel it?” Thalia asks, catching her breath.
Amara grasps Thalia’s hands and leans in to rest her forehead on Thalia’s. “I think we may have something special between us. I’ve—it’s not just physical. I feel as if I can hear your thoughts. I can’t tell where my thoughts and feelings end and yours begin. I know that sounds silly, like a lesbian cliché. But I don’t know any other way to explain it.”
“You don’t have to. I feel it too. I would like nothing better than to make love with you right now. But I want to wait. All I’ve been doing for the past five years is jumping from one bed to the next, not taking any time to get to know the person before we’ve stripped our clothes off in a frenzy of sex and sweat and orgasms and then parted never to see each other again. The dreams I had last night got me thinking. Maybe it’s you or maybe it’s just the right time in my life. I don’t know what it is. What I do know is that I’d like to get to know you better before we jump into bed together.”
Amara gives Thalia a gentle kiss and sighs. “I want that too. I’m finding it v
ery hard to resist you. But I feel the same.” Amara motions her hands back and forth between them. “This is special. And it’s worth some frustration now to see where this leads. I told you, the horse farm has been my lover. I’ve not bothered to date casually, much less date seriously. I don’t have a lot of practice or experience.”
“I was with a woman for eight years. She left me for someone else five years ago. Since then, it’s been only one-night-stands for me. Numerous one-night-stands. If we’re going to do this right, I have to be exclusive. I’m not going to date or hook-up with anyone while we are dating. Do you think you can do the same?”
“Yes, I can. Like I said, I’ve not dated much.”
Thalia exhales sharply. “Okay, good. Whew. Where do we go from here?”
“My family is having their annual barbecue a week from today at the horse farm. Would you be my date?”
Thalia puts a death grip on her beer bottle. “Your family is Greek, right?”
“Yes. Why? Is that a problem? Do you have something against Greeks?”
“No, it’s not that. “‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding’ suddenly flashed in front of me. How does your dad feel about Windex?”
Amara laughs and swats Thalia on the arm. “Oh, you think you’re so funny. My family will love you. And they’ll want to hear all your sex therapy stories too.”
“Great. I feel much better now,” she says sarcastically as she loosens her grip on the beer.
Sassy and Grace are dancing around the room clearly needing to do their business. “Let’s head back to the dock. We can do dinner tonight.”
Thalia nods her agreement. “Perfect. I have one more question for you?”
“Yeah, what’s that?”
Thalia flashes Amara a big smile. “Did you get your money’s worth?”
CHAPTER TWELVE
THALIA UNSTRAPS HERSELF from the teeter table and heads out for her morning kayak. It’s supposed to rain today, but hopefully not until she’s finished.
She climbs into her kayak and paddles with a steady stroking rhythm. So far, the clouds are still only threatening rain, and the water is smooth as glass. Thalia uses kayaking for the cardio and strength workout. But more importantly, she uses it to clear her mind before she meets with her clients.
Standing in the kitchenette getting her coffee, she hears René arrive. She pours another mug of coffee and tosses in the cream and sugar she insists on using and carries both mugs out into the reception area. Thalia sits down in the chair in front of René’s desk and resists the temptation to prop her feet up, remembering how much she hates it.
“How was Arkansas?”
“Thanks for the coffee. It was good. Derrick and I spent a long time talking about our options, and we made some decisions that I think will work for both of us.”
“Are you going to tell me the decision or is it a state secret?”
René breaks out into a smile and holds her left hand up in the air and wiggles her fingers. “We got engaged!”
Thalia’s mouth opens, but no words come out.
“Don’t just sit there looking like a fish out of water. Congratulate me. Hug me. Say something.”
“I’m so happy for you!” Thalia stands up and walks around to pull her into a tight embrace. “Did you set a date?”
“Not a firm date.”
Thalia’s heart is thumping in her chest. “Are you moving back to Arkansas?”
“No.”
“Whew! Don’t scare me like that. So what’s the plan?”
“Derrick is going to continue to work in his new job for a year so he can add management experience to his résumé. About three months before the year is up, he’ll start looking for a comparable job in this area. Hopefully, he will be able to find a job here quickly. As soon as he gets an offer, he’ll move here. We’ll set a date and plan the wedding once he’s settled here and in his new job. If all goes well, we should be getting married in December of next year. Or maybe we’ll wait and get married on Valentine’s Day.”
“What if he doesn’t find a job as quickly as planned?”
“We talked about that. No matter what happens, he’s moving here before the end of August next year. We will be okay financially if he’s not working for a while. Of course, if he doesn’t get a job fairly quickly, we’ll start getting on each other’s nerves.” René laughs.
Thalia nods in understanding. “I’m so happy for you. Long distance is rough. But at least now you know when he’ll move here. And you’re getting married! Now, do you want to hear about my weekend?”
René sits up in her chair and puts her elbows on her desk, resting her chin on her folded hands. “Hmm… do I really want to hear another story about one of your hook-ups? Or was it more than one this weekend?”
“You’re going to eat those words.”
“Do tell.”
Thalia rolls her eyes at René’s sarcastic tone. “I’ve met someone. We’ve decided to date each other exclusively, and I’m meeting her family next Sunday.”
“What? Did someone kidnap my sister and replace her with a look-alike? Have I stepped into some sort of an alternate reality?”
“No. I can assure you I am your sister, and this is the same reality you left on Friday. Do you remember Amara who came in last Monday?”
“I remember that you fell on your ass when you saw her.”
“You’ll never let me live that down, will you?”
“I hadn’t planned on it. How did she go from client to girlfriend in less than a week’s time?”
“It’s sort of a long story. But I’ll give you the short version for now. I didn’t tell you before you left, but I ran into Amara at the marina on Wednesday. She said her friend worked things out, and he wasn’t going to need therapy after all. Then the animal shelter had a fundraiser on Saturday, and she showed up there. I was working a puppy kissing booth.” Thalia raises her hand. “Don’t ask. And Amara came up and planted a kiss on me.”
“That was bold of her.”
“Well, to be fair, it wasn’t our first kiss. We actually had a bit of a moment on her houseboat on Wednesday. But I’m trying to keep the story short so let me continue.”
“Continue. I’ll keep quiet.”
“I told her if she wanted to kiss me, it would cost her more than five dollars. So she wrote me a check for ten thousand dollars.”
“Wow!”
“Yeah. Anyway, we agreed to go out on a date on Sunday where she could collect her expensive kiss.”
“There is no way you stopped at just a kiss with that gorgeous woman who has you so rattled you fell on your ass.”
“Believe it or not, sis, we didn’t make it past first base. Well, we might have tried to steal second, but we stopped ourselves.”
René shakes her head. “Wow! I don’t know what to say. You haven’t actually dated anyone since Diane. Are you ready for this?”
“I think so. Amara makes me feel things I’ve never felt before, not even with Diane. I owe it to myself to give it a shot. I won’t lie to you. I’m scared. But I’m almost more afraid to let this opportunity pass.”
“Good for you. My fingers are crossed.”
“Thanks.” Thalia stands up and gives René a hug before heading into her office to begin the day.
THALIA IS SITTING at her desk finishing up her session notes and checking her email before she heads over to the church where she facilitates the lesbian coming out support group. She leans back in her chair and replays some of today’s sessions.
Robin came in for an extra session. She’s still coming in on Thursday. After last Thursday’s session where Charley attended, it seemed prudent to provide Robin additional support. She came without Charley this time, which, under the circumstances, was probably a good idea. Charley has moved into the house her parents purchased for her. Thalia’s not sure if their relationship will make it through this crisis with Charley’s dad.
Her second session with Erica/Eric went well. They are just getting s
tarted peeling away all of the layers of issues that a transgendered individual needs to address. It is neither an easy nor a quick journey.
Thalia checks the clock on the wall and realizes it’s time to head out.
She arrives at the church and heads into the building to the room where the group meets each Monday evening. Attendance tends to be a little bit lower in the summer when people are taking vacations and enjoying the warm weather. Thalia counts five people milling around, waiting for the meeting to start. She takes a seat in the circle and glances up at the door to find Charley walking into the room. Well, this is a good sign. Thalia stands up from her chair to greet her.
“I’m so happy to see you here. Come on in and get something to drink and find a seat. We’ll be getting started shortly.” Thalia places her arm on Charley’s back and guides her over to the refreshment table.
“I’m not sure why I’m here. I’ve moved out of Robin’s house and into the one my parents purchased for me.”
“Yes, I know. Robin told me. Let’s take our seats.”
Thalia takes her seat, which signals the others in the group to do the same.
She starts the meeting. “Good evening, everyone. We have a new person joining us tonight so I’d like to begin the meeting by having us go around the room and state your name, how long you’ve been coming to this meeting and how long you’ve been out. Let’s start with you, Linda, and go around clockwise.”
“Hi, I’m Linda. I’ve been coming to the meeting for three months, and I’ve been out for six months.”
“Hi, I’m Reanna. I’ve been coming to the meeting for about a year, and I’ve been out for a few weeks.”
“Hi, I’m Debbie. I’ve been coming to the meeting for about a year, and I’ve been out for two years.”
“Hi, I’m Charley. This is my first meeting, and I’ve been with my wife for eight years, but I’m not a lesbian.”
Thalia takes in the expressions on the faces of the other women.
“Hi, I’m Gina. I’ve been coming to the meeting for one month, and I’ve been out for six months.”
