Wow. It was over just like that. Decky now had twenty-four hours to figure out how to handle Lizzie. She had been gay less than eight hours. She wasn’t quite sure what all that entailed, but Decky was sure that life would never again be as it was before Charlie.
Decky hobbled over to the walk-in closet door. She remembered a pair of crutches left there from the last episode with her ankle. Grabbing the crutches and some towels, she made her way to the sink. She looked in the mirror.
Well, I don’t look any different. There’s no red flashing sign saying Lesbian on my forehead.
Under the sink, Decky located an old two-gallon plastic bucket. With bucket in hand, she crossed to the large cabinet by the shower. Opening the top doors revealed a wet bar; complete with ice machine, which she used to fill the bucket. Like an old pro, she crutched to the shower door with the bucket securely in hand.
She placed the bucket on the shower floor. Decky stepped into the shower, sat down on the ledge and let the multiple shower heads beat down her tired, sore muscles. When the bucket was full, Decky plunged her now multicolored, swollen ankle into the frigid water. She gasped at the shock, but held her ground. She’d been here before. Well, not exactly here. Not in this state of mind, with all this shit to deal with.
“Calgon, take me away.”
Leaning her head back, she closed her eyes and within seconds, Charlie was in her arms. She held her close as Charlie’s body released time and time again. With each jolt and catch of Charlie’s breath, a strange sensation crept across Decky’s chest.
“This is fucking amazing, literally.”
“Decky, are you talking to yourself again?”
Decky’s eyes popped open. There on the other side of the glass shower door stood Charlie, draped in a bed sheet, looking even more beautiful than she remembered.
“I’m sorry, did I wake you?” Decky said, as she tried to stand, then gave up and leaned against the glass.
“No, I guess I heard the water running, because I woke up needing to potty. I hope you don’t mind”
“No, go right ahead.” Decky giggled turning around to give Charlie some privacy.
“I already did. Why are you laughing?”
“You said potty, only moms say potty. I didn’t expect you to say…. How long have you been standing there?”
“I have umpteen nieces and nephews. I say potty. Long enough to see that you were in deep thought. Are you okay? I mean in the light of day things sometimes look different.” Charlie stared at the floor as if afraid of what was coming next.
Decky opened the door to the shower. “Well, I did have one question. All I know about ‘coming out,’ as they say, I learned from the Ellen Show. So, when do you get your new toaster?”
Charlie met Decky’s gaze, seeing the grin on her face and the want in her eyes. When Decky extended her hand, Charlie dropped the sheet, stepped into the shower and was all at once enveloped, in the warm water and Decky’s hands all over her body.
#
After the shower, Decky dressed quickly and headed downstairs to start the coffee. Charlie, still wrapped in a towel, sat on the bed talking to Brenda. Charlie was evading Brenda’s questions, with the excuse that Decky was going to help her look at some real estate offerings, since she couldn’t stay with Brenda and Chip indefinitely.
“Well, it’s obvious she knows houses. Have you seen this place?” Charlie was saying as she waved at Decky descending in the elevator.
After recovering the mislaid crutches and a few items of clothing from the elevator, Decky started the coffee. By the time Charlie came down the stairs, Decky was seated on a stool at the kitchen island, sipping her first cup of java. She had found one of Decky’s old three-quarter-sleeve baseball undershirts and some sweats. The shirt, thin from wear, was too big and so were the sweats Charlie had rolled up at the waist. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail. Decky couldn’t get over how Charlie seemed to look different each time she saw her. Each look was unique, fresh, and no less attractive. What she really marveled at was the way her heart pounded each time Charlie walked into view.
“Decky, if you are going to stare at me and say nothing every time I walk in a room, we may have a problem.”
“Good morning, Charlene. Would you care for some coffee?”
“That’s much better. How about some breakfast? I’m starved.”
Decky started to get up from the stool, but Charlie waved her off.
“Stay there. Just tell me what you want and where it is. I think I can handle the rest. I’m quite the cook.”
“Oh good, I was afraid I would go out and find a lesbian that couldn’t cook and there we would be, the two of us, together, starving.”
“You are really quite the smartass, aren’t you?” Charlie came over to Decky, stepping between her legs, pressing in close. “Now what do you want to eat?”
Decky grinned. Charlie exasperated said, “For breakfast! … I have created a monster.”
Breakfast was finally accomplished through much flirting and innuendo. They worked side by side, Decky chopping and preparing while sitting at the kitchen island, with Charlie at the stove. They decided to eat out on the deck, with Charlie insisting that Decky put her ankle up with ice, while Charlie did the serving.
Decky hadn’t realized how hungry she was. The omelet was either the best she had ever eaten, or she was near starvation and hadn’t recognized it.
“Damn, girl. You can cook!”
“Momma said she couldn’t help us catch a man, but she could sure show us how to keep one. It doesn’t seem to apply to women or at least in my case anyway.”
“Maybe your luck will change,” Decky said, just before taking in another mouthful.
Charlie put down her fork and looked out over the Sound. She took a deep breath and started to speak, “Decky, you and I have just complicated our lives in ways you may not yet fully understand. You especially have much to lose if this keeps going.”
“I am not a child. I came into this with my eyes open. If you remember it was my idea.”
Charlie met Decky’s eyes, “That’s today, last night. Just you and me in this bubble you’ve built, where nobody knows. At least you don’t have a real job.” Decky started to take offense at the last remark, but thought better of it as Charlie continued, “What about your son, your parents, your friends? They will find out. Are you ready to face that?”
“To quote a great southern icon, ‘I’ll worry about that tomorrow. After all, tomorrow is another day.” Decky laid the southern drawl on heavy and for effect.
“Be serious, Scarlet.” Charlie was trying to make a point, but it was hard to stifle a laugh.
“I am being serious. Let’s just live in the glow of the moment, this moment might be all we get.”
“That glow you’re feeling is just hormones. We’re coming up on forty. It’s supposed to be our sexual prime. It too shall pass.” Charlie smiled, as she proceeded, “You are too much the romantic and quite dramatic, I might add.”
“Decky Bradshaw, you are a complete hopeless case of pure shameless romanticism, I believe Dr. Jones said to me in undergrad.”
“Wow! Way back then, and yet you haven’t been jaded by age and experience.”
“Of course I’m jaded. We all are, if we’ve lived at all, but not now, in this moment.”
“Decky, you don’t understand. I am just trying to prepare you for the moments that come after this.”
“Charlie, I know how hard this is going to be. Believe me, you have no idea what I’m about to face. However, for the next several hours, it’s just you and me in this ‘bubble,’ as you called it. We can waste the day worrying about tomorrow or spend it like there’s no tomorrow. We have a choice.”
Charlie stood up and walked to the deck railing. With her back still turned, she said softly, “What are your intentions here, with me, I mean?”
“Come here and I’ll tell you.”
Charlie didn’t move. “No, I can’t let you t
ouch me right now.”
Decky sat up straight in her chair, pulling her injured ankle off of its resting place and onto the floor. “Ouch! Why not?”
Charlie wheeled on her, “Because we’re like magnets. Like fucking bunnies. Because I can’t control myself when you touch me!”
Decky laughed out loud, “Like fucking bunnies, that’s good.”
“Stop laughing,” but Charlie was laughing too. “You know it’s true. What could possibly have come over two well educated women, in their late thirties, to cause us to behave this way?”
“You said it was hormones earlier,” Decky quipped.
Charlie was pacing back and forth in front of the table. “Oh, no, this is more than hormones. I mean I can understand you, it being your first time with a woman. You are a very quick study by the way.”
“Thank you.”
“The first time is like, wow, what have I been doing wasting my time with men.”
Charlie was on a roll now. Decky could only sit and watch as Charlie gathered the facts and tried to solve their dilemma like a math problem. The professor was at work.
“But me, I’ve had sex with women, not a lot, but enough to know that this is different. Hell, my last relationship ended because I supposedly did not like sex enough. Judging by last night, I’d say that is a completely false accusation.”
Decky chimed in, “I would have to agree with you.”
“So all things being equal, the only variable in this equation is you. After what I’ve just been through, I will not allow someone to have that much control over my emotions again, not without some ground rules.”
“Okay,” Decky leaned in closer, “What are they?”
“Last night, not withstanding, I do not sleep around. I don’t do open relationships. So if you think that in a couple of weeks you’ll start looking around for some more fish to fry, tell me now. It would be okay, I mean, we could just go our separate ways no harm done.” She only paused long enough to catch her breath, “Listen to me. Now you’re going to think I’m one of those psycho lesbians who latch on to you like a leech. You know the old joke, ‘What does a lesbian bring on the second date?’’’
“A U-Haul,” Decky answered.
“See even the straight girl knows that one.” Charlie stopped pacing and leaned on the back of the chair she had once been sitting in. She hung her head down with a moan, “Oh, I don’t know,” returning her eyes to meet Decky’s, “you’re different, this feels different. I am afraid to let this happen, whatever it is.”
Decky sat back. She looked at Charlie for a long time before answering, “You are right. I am new at this, but newness aside; I have been in relationships before. I even had my heart broken to the point I never thought I would feel that way again. This is different, and not because you are a woman, but because I think this is what it was supposed to feel like all along.”
Charlie sighed, “This has all happened so fast. I swore I would not do this again.”
Decky stood up and hobbled on one leg and a crutch until she was facing Charlie, but not touching her. “You’re not doing it again and neither am I. We are doing it right for the first time, together.”
“Can I trust you, Decky Bradshaw?”
“With all your heart desires.”
“That sounds like a line from a play.” Charlie smiled up at her.
“It is, but it’s still true.” They were being drawn closer.
Charlie was teasing her now, “Got any other lines?”
“If you kiss me once, you’ll never stop.”
“Oh, that’s a good one.”
The space between them disappeared, the magnets having gotten too close. Decky sat down on the edge of the table and pulled Charlie to her. They melted into a tender kiss, immersed in the emotions of the previous conversation. A longing, profound in both women, was being fed for the first time.
Charlie finally put her hands on Decky’s chest, pushed back and gasped for air. Both of their chests were heaving now. “Air, I need air.”
A breathless Decky could only nod.
Charlie put her head on Decky’s chest. They stayed like that until their breathing subsided. Holding Charlie felt so natural. It was as if this was the piece Decky had been missing her whole life. Decky wanted to say something. She wanted to tell Charlie that she had already decided she would never let her go, but how would it sound. Would Charlie think she was crazy? The words kept screaming in her head. The only way to stop it was just to get it out.
Decky kissed the top of Charlie’s head. Gently placing her hand under Charlie’s chin, she turned her face up to hers. They looked deep into each other’s eyes, then Decky began, “I have to tell you something. I know it’s going to sound crazy, but I need to say it.”
“Uh-huh,” Charlie waited.
“I have only known you for a few hours, and yet, I feel so at home with you. It’s like I have always known you. I can’t explain it. I know that two days ago I did not believe in love at first sight, but I have to tell you, if this isn’t love then I don’t know what it is. So, there, I said it, I’m already in love with you Charlie.”
Charlie had the most serious look on her face. She was biting her lip while studying Decky’s face. Her eyes darted back and forth, as if seeking a clue to the truth. Decky was about to panic, when Charlie finally sighed and spoke, “Oh, hell. I’m already in love with you, too.”
Decky smiled so broadly it hurt. She bent to kiss Charlie, but Charlie placed her fingertips against Decky’s lips. Decky thought Charlie’s eyes looked as if she were about to cry, causing a pain to flash across Decky’s chest. God, she looked so helpless.
Charlie cleared her throat, “Please God, Decky, don’t break my heart.”
Decky took Charlie’s hands in hers and pressed them up between her breasts. “I promise you, your heart is safe with me.” Then she grinned, that boyish grin that seemed to melt Charlie’s fears away, “Your heart is safe, but the other parts of your body are in danger of a severe ravishing.”
Charlie said nothing. She merely pulled away and started into the house. Decky watched Charlie as she made her way toward the spiral staircase. She was on the second step when she turned to Decky. Slowly she peeled the shirt over her head. Without a word, she crooked her finger at Decky and disappeared up the stairs.
#
The lovemaking was slower, not so frantic. Decky took the time to explore Charlie’s body more thoroughly. She found that the small of Charlie’s back and the base of her neck were favorite places. When her hand was in the small of Charlie’s back, as they moved in rhythm together, she felt wholeness long absent from her life. When she kissed Charlie’s neck, small sounds of pleasure emitted from Charlie, which pleased Decky immensely.
They slept tangled together for several hours. Decky woke to see it was one o’clock, as her stomach growled loudly. This sex stuff sure made you hungry she thought. Charlie stirred and opened her eyes.
Decky smiled at her, “Your eyes are so big and blue when you wake up. They have the look of childlike wonder. I bet you were a beautiful baby.”
Charlie smiled and yawned. “A hungry baby. And so are you, judging from the sounds coming from your belly.”
“Lunch then, but first I need another shower. Care to join me?”
“No,” Charlie pulled the covers from Decky, pushing her toward the side of the bed. “You go first, or I’ll never get anything to eat.”
Decky hobbled up from the bed. She was laughing as she headed for the bathroom. Assuming an air of superiority in her voice, she called back over her shoulder, “You’re probably right, considering you can’t keep your hands off me.”
Charlie threw a pillow at her.
#
When Decky made it down to the kitchen, Charlie had cleaned up the breakfast dishes and was in the process of making a salad. “I found this stuff in the fridge. I hope a salad sounds good.”
“It does. How about adding some shrimp? Add Thousand Island, Captai
n’s Wafers, and you have my favorite lunch. How did you know?”
“That sounds great. Sit down. I’ll take care of it.” Charlie spun around in a circle, “Where are the shrimp?”
“I keep shrimp in packages in the freezer, the one in the pantry. They are already seasoned and cleaned. All you have to do is drop them in the steamer for a few minutes.”
Charlie followed Decky’s finger to the doors at the back of the kitchen. The double doors to the pantry were carved to look like a tree trunk and limbs. Stained glass formed the leaves, sky and surrounding beach scene. Upon closer inspection, Charlie could see that names were written on each leaf.
Out on the Sound Page 5
