An Island Between Us

by K'Anne Meinel

  “I’m just sad that some kid is going to put his feet up on these ledges and mar them,” Barbara said as she pointed out the frame she was putting on the porch.

  “Well, if we don’t rent these out, we don’t make money, and we’ll have to put up with all types of different personalities. Have you thought about the ads we’ll put out?”

  “That’s our winter occupation,” Barbara answered, but she had thought about it, remembering other ads they had seen in newspapers and magazines over the years. She’d written to see what their rates were after finding their addresses at the library. This would allow them to budget for the ads. The summer cabin went up amazingly quickly with the cut wood and not having to deal with uneven logs. They’d learned a lot from building the main cabin. Marion had put in a fireplace, much like the one in their cabin, only smaller. They had built around the large stove after laboriously scrubbing it down with steel wool because it would have been too big to fit through the doorway. Bunks went up on either side of the fireplace and they looked forward to buying more cabinets for the captain’s kitchen and stove. The cabinets that had been lost at sea were for their own cabin, and the few they found were too damaged by the salt water to use for anything other than the storage shed they built. Without their warped doors they made fine shelves. As Marion and the children stretched the mosquito netting for the windows and porch, they realized they were almost finished with this cabin. Except for the roof, they were done and looked forward to building the next one after what they had learned. The next one was a ways away, so none of their campers had next-door neighbors and would get some privacy. It already had a foundation, and Marion had started on the fireplace. With each project, they got better and quicker at their tasks.

  “I just want to finish the roof,” Barbara lamented as they waited weeks for the insurance claim to be paid. When they heard that the barge master had gotten his check, they demanded that he replace the supplies they had lost, including the shingles. It was frustrating waiting as they made their weekly trip to Franklin to pick up mail, supplies, and pallets. As summer waned, the number of pallets had decreased, and they worried about this free supply of wood drying up.

  “I think these will do,” Marion said, trying to grapple a twin-sized mattress onto the boat without pitching it into the water. Barbara grabbed it to slant it awkwardly on top of the other one they had wrestled on board.

  “Why can’t I have one of those?” Brenda asked as she protectively covered the library books she had been allowed to borrow that day. They all looked forward to the times they traveled to the next town over and got access to the library. The boys were reading adventure novels and telling them all about the stories by the fire as they ate their supper every night. It really made for excellent family time, and both Marion and Barbara were pleased with how well the boys were reading, how enthused they were, and how far they had come in just the few months they had been on the island.

  “We have our first egg!” Marion announced the next day, displaying an egg from their own chickens she had managed to find. She’d thought they were old enough at six months and was pleased to see the first of what she hoped would be many eggs.

  “About time,” Barbara teased. “They haven’t been pulling their weight.” They’d been bringing eggs over once a week from Franklin as they waited for their own chickens to start laying.

  Finally, they got the shingles and wood on the barge, but it was very near the end of summer. They had the crew offload the supplies under the trees and hauled the shingles in batches up to their cabin. It was hard work as the barge had also brought them full-sized mattresses wrapped in tarps. They had three sets, and they set these up first after getting them through the doorways and around the fireplace into the bedrooms they were destined for.

  “This makes me long for the rest of our things,” Marion admitted as she looked at the made beds after finally unpacking the sheets from their boxes. She turned reluctantly to help Barbara on the roof.

  “We can make a trip to Massachusetts and empty our storage unit. I’d love not to have that bill to pay every month,” Barbara admitted, wondering when they would have the time to make that trip.

  “But then we’d have to visit family, and I don’t know that I want to do that,” she said as they made their way outdoors to start nailing down the shingles. The letters they received hadn’t endeared her to the in-laws.

  “They don’t have to know we were even there,” Barbara told her as she set up the ladder. They’d made it with two long boards and shorter cross boards on both sides, so the ladder could be used from either side. She was angry at her own mother since her brother, Brent hadn’t been allowed to come up that summer. They could have used his unpaid help.

  They discussed their plans as the children carried sheet after sheet of shingles up the ladder, taking turns bringing them up one or two at a time. Hammering down the sheets, they were pleased with how nice it looked over the tarpaper. They got it on just in time as they listened to the rain coming down on their finished roof that next day. The sound of rain on the tarp had been a worrisome thing as they worried about moisture and drips warping the wood. Water could work its way into things they hadn’t even thought to protect, so they had to be careful. They were cozy in their unfinished cabin as Marion and Barbara listened to the children working on their school work. The adults applied a second coating to the inside of their logs to finish them off, giving them a shiny finish and preserving them from bugs and wear and tear. It wasn’t perfect, it wasn’t even the best cabin either had ever seen, but it was their own, and they had built it using their very own hands. Each of them had calluses that had built up over the blisters as the work continued.

  “How come we didn’t get summer vacation?” Richard asked as they tucked the boys into the bunk beds that night. They had fought over who got the top bunk but had agreed to six months for each of the boys before they switched.

  “Living on the island is like a summer vacation,” his mother told him with a smile. “Next summer, you won’t have to study as much, but I’m sure you won’t want to give up reading,” she said as she took his book away and set it on the table Marion had built next to their bed. “Now, go to sleep right away, and no cheating,” she advised him as she gave him a kiss good night. She reached out and gave Brian’s arm an affectionate squeeze as she left the room and peeked in on Brenda with a smile and a wave.

  Marion reached up to give Brian a hug and a kiss. “Now, turn this light out,” she said as she tucked him in. He was nearly nine and looking more and more like his father every day. The memories the children had of time spent with their father were fading. She turned the lamp down to barely a flicker as she closed the door behind her and went to tuck Brenda in.

  “Can I keep Barkley with me?” the little girl asked plaintively. She had her own room for the first time in her life that she could remember, and she was frightened.

  “Yes, but not on the bed,” Marion told her as she pushed the pup off the new bed and onto the floor. She sighed, knowing it wouldn’t be the last time. He looked up, disgruntled with her, then sighed and settled onto the floor. Going to need a nice rag rug, she thought distractedly as she gave Brenda a hug and a kiss. She didn’t leave the lamp on but did leave the door ajar, so the pup could get out into the main room if he wanted. Feathers had refused to come in, knowing her place was outside protecting their animals, but they thought maybe she missed the tent they had finally dismantled, washed, dried out, and put into storage. She had lived in it with them long enough that it maybe would take time to adjust to having the cabin.

  Marion had heard Barbara in the bathroom, just a closet of a room, which held their bath with the shower attached. Both were still not working but were ready and waiting for the day when they would be hooked up. Plumbing Today had told how easy it was to install the plumbing and hookups. Either it had lied, or the writers had never had to deal with an island that didn’t want indoor plumbing. Still, as she listened to rain
on their roof while she brushed her teeth and changed into her pajamas, she was pleased about living indoors again and not being eaten alive by mosquitos and other bugs. Barbara had even gotten the toilet hooked up to the septic tank that had been so painful to dig and install. Because the water wasn’t hooked up, they had to prime the toilet with a bucket of water but sitting on the throne had never been such a treat. There were no more sharp edges from the bucket they had used before, and the toilet paper that wasn’t damp from the elements or trailed over the campsite by kittens, raccoons, or curious rodents, which was a blessing. Camping out was overrated, she thought as she washed up. If she never had to do that again, she’d be pleased.

  As Marion entered their bedroom and locked the door, she remembered how pleased Barbara had been to hang the sturdy door with a working lock the other day. She smiled as she gazed on the larger woman already in bed and reading Plumbing Today by lantern light. Barbara looked up and returned the smile.

  “Well, here we are,” Marion murmured softly, still not sure the half logs would keep the sound from entering the next room, the bathroom, Brenda’s room, and the boys’ room.

  “Alone at last,” Barbara agreed, putting her book down on the table. She patted the bed as she moved over for Marion to join her. They could have just as easily used the other made bed on the opposite side of the table.

  “Why do I feel like this is our first time?” Marion asked as she made her way to the bed.

  “Because we’ve been so good about waiting,” she admitted shyly. She had been the less aggressive of the two women when Marion had kissed her so long ago. She had known she was attracted but never imagined love between two women. Looking back, she realized that there had probably been lesbians throughout history, but she never thought of herself as one. Then, she had met and fallen in love with Marion. She was sad her husband had died but wondered if the fates had arranged that, so she could be free to be with this amazing woman she adored. She didn’t want to think that two good men had died so they could be together, but there it was. They had both been free to pursue other relationships. That they found each other had been nothing short of amazing as she remembered back to their first time.

  “Why’d you do that?” Barbara had asked wonderingly when Marion kissed her.

  “I think you know why I did that,” Marion said knowingly, gazing at her seriously. She’d seen the looks her friend had given her, and finding her own attraction overwhelming her, she realized she desired this woman more than she had ever desired Brian. He had been a good husband, thoughtful and a good provider, but the sex between them had been perfunctory, very vanilla, and she knew something was missing.

  “But I’m not–” Barbara began to protest for form’s sake.

  “Aren’t you?”

  Barbara had looked back at the small, attractive blonde, wondering what she had seen in the much larger brunette. Their friendship was her most cherished possession. She didn’t want to lose it over a misunderstanding. “You mean you...want...” Barbara stumbled over the words. She had had those thoughts...those unnatural thoughts for a while now but never imagined that Marion would return them. She looked hesitantly at the woman that had just kissed her. Her lips were tingling from the sensation, her fingers touching her lips wonderingly, and she really wanted more.

  Marion nodded. “Don’t you...want...?” she asked. Suddenly, she was worried. Had she just ruined her friendship with Barbara?

  Hesitant, unsure, and knowing this changed everything, Barbara nodded and began to lean in at the same time as the blonde, and they came together in another kiss. This time, neither of them was surprised. Instead, it was exploratory as each got used to the other’s ways, feeling their way and learning about the other. It was delightful as one kiss turned into two and then many. Slowly, hesitantly, Barbara began to inch her hand around Marion’s middle. Marion was also unsure of herself, despite her bravado, and she began to wrap her arms around the larger woman’s wide shoulders.

  “Mmmm,” Barbara murmured as their bodies came together. She could feel the warmth that Marion’s smaller body engendered against her own. She had this delightful little way of twitching that was arousing the brunette.

  “Oh, yes,” Marion gasped as she felt the large hands on her back, and they inched down to cup her buttocks closer. She ground down suggestively, pleased when she heard Barbara gasp.

  “Should we?” Barbara hesitated as they played for a very long time, tangled in each other’s arms and making out on the couch. Her hand had pulled Marion’s blouse from her trousers.

  “Oh, yes, we should,” Marion answered, knowing their respective children weren’t home. Her own were visiting with her in-laws, and Barbara’s son was out with his Uncle Brent.

  They retired to Barbara’s bedroom. The bed not made quite as neatly as Marion would have made it, but she didn’t care. They just wanted to get into bed together, and as they slowly removed their work clothes, they watched the other avidly, looking for any signs of regret and checking to see if the other had changed her mind as they disrobed. They were both shy about their bodies, but it was Barbara who really wished for darkness to hide her larger frame. The rolls she gained while being pregnant with Richard had never subsided, and she’d never quite lost the baby fat, but it was Marion’s body she hungered for. It was thin, svelte even, and deserved the homage Barbara paid it as she caressed, explored, and kissed the skin that was revealed as her clothes came off.

  “You are so beautiful,” Barbara murmured as she removed clothes from Marion’s smaller body.

  “So are you,” Marion said, enjoying the feel of the larger body on her own. The warmth and the pressure was wonderful, and she was extremely excited.

  “Not like you,” Barbara argued as she got busy kissing along the revealed shoulders. They were small and delicate to her large hands, but she relished that she was arousing Marion, which was evidenced by the odor revealed as she removed the work pants and then, eventually, her panties. Marion’s panties were much frillier than Barbara’s own sensible cotton ones.

  Marion didn’t argue. She was too busy enjoying herself. They rolled on the bed, feeling each other’s bodies rubbing against each other, and suddenly, Marion was on top, her underwear clad body against Barbara, and she was smiling down on the brunette. “I think I’m falling in love with you,” she admitted as she pressed herself down.

  Enjoying the pressure, Barbara grunted, “That’s good.”

  “It is?” she teased, her fingers slipping inside the brassiere Barbara was wearing and touching the aroused nipple the size of a pea. She smiled at the gasp that escaped her prisoner.

  “Yes, because I’ve thought I was in love with you for a while now.” She turned Marion sideways on the bed, bringing up her leg to trap Marion between them, so she could rub, her panties becoming soused from her arousal. She didn’t care, she’d wash them out later.

  They kissed, fondled, and loved each other carefully as they learned what aroused each other. It was Barbara who first hesitantly put her fingers in Marion’s panties and touched her intimately.

  “Oh, yes,” Marion gasped, her body arching off the mattress.

  “May I remove these?” Barbara asked carefully, respectfully.

  “Please do,” Marion insisted and helped her remove the panties, pressing her body against their warmth immediately and then, realizing Barbara still wore her underwear, helping her remove them. “Oh, wow, you are amazing,” she admired. She was a big woman but in such perfect proportions. Her large breasts made Marion want to bury her face in them. In fact, she indulged, enjoying the feel of them practically smothering her as she pressed her hands on the outside and brought them together on both sides of her face. “Mmmm,” she murmured as she wiggled against Barbara.

  Having been referred to as a fat cow various times in her life, even once by her husband and his parents when they didn’t realize she could hear, she soaked up this adoration, which helped her feel confident enough to make love to he
r best friend. She desired her so, and she had never dared hope that Marion would return those feelings. To find Marion not only enjoyed her oversized body but relished it, amazed Barbara.

  Gently, she rubbed between the blonde’s legs, pleased and surprised to find the short, curly hairs were obviously trimmed away on the sides. Her own luxurious, silky bush didn’t seem to bother the blonde as they both explored. It was obvious, at least to Barbara, that Marion needed to be loved; her body was demanding it. She gently put her first finger inside, surprised that despite Marion’s petite size she wanted, needed, and demanded more, and she inserted a second finger, which made it seem tight. Two fingers made it awkward to do the exploring she wanted, but it seemed to fill the blonde as she desired, and she begged that Barbara thrust into her with them. Barbara was willing to accommodate her new lover, marveling as Marion came undone and arched up into her hand. She pushed hard against the bigger woman’s body, grabbing at her to pull her close and making it hard to thrust adequately into her to appease her impending orgasm. Marion was probably the most passionate creature Barbara had ever seen, and she watched in wonder as she kissed and fondled her as best she could. She was certain Marion wasn’t even aware as she lost her mind in the sensations she caused in her body. As she twitched and throbbed in the after throes, she pulled Barbara’s hand from her and immediately began climbing all over Barbara’s body, kissing and wriggling against her to give her the same pleasure.

  Barbara desperately wanted to taste more of Marion but didn’t know if she was up to the intimacy of going down on her. She had enjoyed that most of her husband’s rather clumsy lovemaking; however, this was a lot different. She satisfied her curiosity by bringing her two fingers up to her nose and smelling Marion’s essence. Then hesitantly, she tasted them, finding it not the least repellent. Instead, it aroused her even more, if that were possible as the blonde expressed herself against her body.