by Roslyn Bane
Two hours later they were on their way home and passed the time discussing the movie. Sam pulled into the garage. “Do you want to come inside?”
“I need to get going. I have to be up early to round in the hospital tomorrow, and I’m on call the next 24 hours. I’m supposed to be within twenty minutes of the hospital when on call, so I’ll be staying home tomorrow and doing some chores. I had fun tonight, Sam. Enjoy the rest of the weekend. Would you like to come over for dinner on Wednesday? Swing by after work.”
“Sure, I’d like that. I’ll see you then.” Kris pulled out of the driveway and waved as she drove away. Sam waited until her lights disappeared before going inside.
Chapter Thirty-five
SUNDAY AFTERNOON SAM WALKED back and forth across the lawn, pushing the mower. Her hair, damp with sweat, clung to her neck. She watched when motorcyclists and bicyclists rode by. I want to ride again. I should check to see if it’s possible. It’s the brake foot, not the gears. It would need a hand brake. That seems easy enough. Sam refocused her attention when the blue and chrome bike pulled into her driveway. The rider lifted their visor and Sam smiled broadly when she realized it was Kris.
Kris called to her over the rumbling of the engine. “Come on. Get your gear. Let’s go for a ride.”
Sam shut off the mower and hurried over. “You’re looking good.” The bright blue sky had a few small puffy clouds drifting by. “It’s a great day for a ride.”
“It is. Go change into some long pants. Will you be able to get a boot on?”
“I haven’t tried. It’s supposed to fit.”
“Well go check. I brought an extra helmet, in case yours isn’t unpacked yet. I’ll put your mower away. Go on. Time’s a wasting.”
Sam hurried inside, washed her hands and face, and rummaged in her closet for some jeans. She searched for her boots, and sat on the bed to try them on. Think about this. You don’t usually ride on the back. What do you know about how she rides? Don’t be silly. She’s not going to be reckless. I’ll ask her to stop if she is. It took a few minutes for Sam to get the boot on her prosthetic foot.
“Sam, are you okay?” Kris called from downstairs.
“I am. I had a little trouble, but I’m good. Do you want some water before we go?”
“I have a couple in the saddle bag. We can stop and get something to eat if you haven’t eaten yet.”
“That sounds good.” Sam locked up her house and closed the garage door. After they donned helmets and climbed on, Kris started the bike. The familiar growl of a bike, vibrating with power beneath Sam caused her heart to pound. As the bike began to move, she hesitated for a moment before placing her hands on Kris’ waist. Kris accelerated the bike smoothly, and as the bike picked up speed, Sam had to wrap her arms around Kris. Oh, her abs are firm. She smells good. What is that? Orange and maybe ginger? Mmm. Stop it. Stop sniffing her. She’ll think you’re a creep.
Sam refocused and realized they were on a county highway with light traffic. They flew down the road, the air warm and balmy against her body. It was a tonic to her soul, as it blew away her fears and doubts. She smiled when Kris leaned the bike into the turns, hugging the curves. The scenery whizzed by and the longer they rode, the more Sam relaxed. Her mind emptied of deadlines, and appointments, meetings with counselors, and the guilt of losing her men blew away like feathers in the wind.
Kris slowed the bike and pulled into a small parking lot. “Are you hungry? This place has great subs, and homemade fries.”
“That sounds good.”
Kris switched off the bike and held it steady while Sam got off. She dismounted and they headed inside. After ordering sandwiches at the counter, they filled their cups with sweet tea and sat at one of the booths. The plastic table top was well worn but spotless. The vinyl-covered bench seats were bumpy and creaked as they sat down. From an old jukebox, Garth Brooks sang about having friends in low places. “That was fun. Thanks for inviting me.”
“My pleasure. It was much too nice a day to spend all day doing chores.”
“It is beautiful out. How was your day yesterday? Did you have to go in?”
“Yes. I did an emergency appendectomy, and rounded on patients. I spent most of the day at home getting chores done.”
They paused as the waitress brought over their sandwiches and a basket of hand-cut French fries. Kris swiped a few fries while Sam bit into her shrimp po’boy. “Mmm, that’s good.” They were silent for a few minutes while they ate.
Sam wiped her mouth on her napkin and cleared her throat. “Kris, I like spending time with you. I feel a connection with you that I haven’t felt for a while. I’d like to spend more time with you when our schedules permit.”
“That sounds great. We have a lot in common. It would be fun to have someone to pal around with.” Kris placed several fries on her plate and sprinkled cider vinegar on them. She took a fry and started to nibble on it.
“I need to tell you something though. I feel it’s important for you to know this before we start to spend more time together.”
Kris put the fry back on her plate. “This sounds serious.”
“It might affect our friendship. I hope not, but if it does, I’d rather know now. I’m a lesbian.”
Kris picked up her napkin and wiped her fingers off. “I see. And you’re afraid that I wouldn’t want to associate with you.”
“It’s been known to happen. When homosexuals reveal themselves to straight people, they often lose that relationship.”
“Well, then I guess it’s a good thing I’m not straight.” Kris picked up two fries, munched happily and watched the emotions as they showed on Sam’s face.
“You’re not? I didn’t realize. I usually get a feeling.” Like the butterflies I’m feeling now.
“Ah, yes. The gaydar. If you’re anything like me, my gaydar was jammed after my injury.”
“But you had a boyfriend. The first time I had dinner at your place you said something about your roommate moving out.”
Kris was silent for a few moments trying to remember the conversation “I said she moved out.”
“I guess I missed the ‘she’ part.”
“Seems like it. Sam, I have to tell you. I do enjoy spending time with you. I’m not looking for a relationship, or should I say an intimate relationship. Just a friend.”
“Me too. Well, here’s to friendship.” Sam lifted her glass of sweet tea and tapped it to Kris’ when she did the same.
“To friendship.” Kris sipped her sweet tea. “Tell me something about the Klines. You’re close to them, so they must have accepted that you’re a lesbian. When did you know?”
“They have. Let’s see, when did I know I was gay? Bobbie Martin kissed me in ninth grade when we were arguing about me wanting to be a Marine. He told me I couldn’t be one because only men could be Marines. I pointed out to him that there were women marines, he said I couldn’t be a pilot. I argued with him, showed him articles on women pilots in the military. Not one to admit defeat he kept arguing and said girls couldn’t think about anything but kissing. He reached over and grabbed me, and did his best to jam his tongue into my mouth.”
Kris gasped, “Oh God, what did you do?”
“Kneed him in the balls, followed by an uppercut, and finished with a punch to the eye.”
Kris looked at her, the surprise evident in her voice. “Really?”
“It all happened very fast.”
Kris laughed. “Did you get in trouble?”
“At first for fighting, but Jim said the boy started it by grabbing me. His parents said, ‘It was just a kiss,’ but Jim stuck to his guns and said, so if he had grabbed my breasts would that be okay? What if it was their daughter? They got the point pretty quick. I believe he got a three-day suspension and the reputation for being beat up by a girl. I had an afternoon of detention, and the Klines took me out to dinner to celebrate standing up for myself. I was surprised by that. I realized they had my back. It was a great feeling. Anyh
ow, the day it happened when I got home, I was so upset, I got sick. They thought it was because of the fight. I was totally disgusted by the entire ordeal.”
“The funny thing was two days later I was at a friend’s house after softball tryouts. We were up in Valerie’s room working on a history project when she leaned over and kissed me. I thought my head was going to blow off. My heart started pounding. I felt like someone had pulled on my stomach from below. A quick hard tug that released a kaleidoscope of butterflies in my stomach and left me giddy. It was a gentle peck on the lips. She pulled back, and we stared at each other. We leaned in for another kiss. I can remember the feel of her hair tickling the side of my face, the touch of her lips on mine, soft and full, with a taste of berries from her lip balm. We spent the next 20 minutes or so kissing, gradually getting a little more daring.
“When it was time for me to go, I ran the first few blocks, and then ended up walking through the park for an hour remembering everything. That giddy, drunk feeling wouldn’t leave. I couldn’t sleep that night. Things started to make sense. No matter how much I had tried to be attracted to boys, it didn’t work. It didn’t feel right. As the other girls were going boy crazy, I was indifferent to them. Boys were just there. Some were fun and nice, but there was no attraction. But that kiss, that first kiss with Valerie, and things finally clicked.”
“Wait, is this the same Valerie from Luigi’s?”
“One and the same.” Sam felt the blush rise to her cheeks. “We quietly dated. Everyone thought we were hanging out together, but we were dating. Her family moved away two years later. I was crushed. It was about that time that Nancy, my foster mom, realized I was gay. She hugged me, told me it would be rough for a while and that in time I would find someone else.”
“Oh, that’s great.”
“They’ve been very good to me. Sometimes I feel guilty for what they gave up to take care of me. I appreciate it, but I feel guilty.”
“So…are you and Valerie still close?”
“Old friends. She and her wife own two restaurants here, and a tavern somewhere in the mountains. They met down here on vacation when I was in the Academy. They’ve been together since.”
They cleaned up their debris on the table and walked outside to the bike. Kris looked up at the sky. “Looks like a storm’s brewing, I think we should head right back. If we’re lucky, we’ll be back before it hits.”
“You think so? It took us two hours to get here.”
“We’re only an hour away. I won’t take such a scenic route on the way home if it’s all right with you.”
“Let’s go.” They climbed onto the bike, Sam wrapped her arms around Kris’ waist, and they headed home. Kris is gay. How could I have missed that? Of course, she is…she was reading AJ’s books.
Chapter Thirty-six
SAM PARKED THE MUSTANG and climbed out. She pulled on a daypack and glanced around. “I love this area. I first came to Point Lookout when I was in high school. Jim brought my foster sister, Lauren, and me here because we were arguing too much.”
“He brought you to the seashore because you were arguing?” Kris strapped on a fanny pack as they headed to the trailhead.
“We camped in a tent on the beach. Had to tote water back and forth. Cooked over a fire. We had sand everywhere. We did most of the work, and he sat back and watched. He had a tent next to us. It was so miserably hot. The flies and mosquitos treated us like a smorgasbord. He didn’t intervene when we argued. He let us figure out that we needed to work together to get things done.”
“Ah, teamwork.”
“At that time, it was more like misery loves company. One night a big storm came up. The wind was buffeting the tent. Lightning flashed, and the thunder was deafening. We could hear the surf raging but had no idea how close it was.”
“Sounds terrifying.”
“We were camped well above the high tide line, so we were safe from the water. But we clung to each other and reassured each other and got through the storm. The next day we felt like survivors. We had a new found appreciation for each other.”
Kris whispered, “That’s great. Oh, look over there, about two o’clock, beneath the scrub pine, egrets are feeding.” They stopped and admired the white birds and watched as one cocked its head, and like a flash plunged its beak into the marsh water and came up with a small fish. The bird waded away as soon as it spotted them.
They hiked for about an hour stopping frequently to observe the herons, egrets, and black skimmers that were abundant. They found an old sea turtle nest and saw racerunner lizards along the path. They spotted a downed tree and stopped to rest. Kris was stooping to sit down when a snake slithered out from next to the log. “Ayyyyyyeeee.”
She sprung away and was down the trail fifteen yards before she stopped and heard Sam laughing. “Relax. It’s a black racer snake. They’re not poisonous.”
“I don’t care. It’s still a snake. Where did it go?”
Sam pointed to the side of the trail, “That way. It was almost as fast as you were.” She gestured at the ground near Kris’ feet. “You need to tie your boot.”
Kris looked down and startled seeing the laces, coiled around her ankle. Sam saw her flinch and burst into peals of laughter again. Kris shook her head and bent over to lace up.
Oh good lord look at her butt. And her legs. Those are the holy grail of legs. Sam fumbled trying to retrieve a water bottle from her pack. She felt overly warm. She guzzled the water trying to wash the blush from her face before Kris noticed. As Kris approached, she held out the bottle, “Want some?”
“Yes.” Kris drank while Sam kicked at the log.
“Okay. Nothing else is in there. Let’s sit and have something to eat. I brought some sliced oranges, grapes, and a few granola bars.”
“That sounds good. Phew. I’m a little tired. I guess I’m not in as good a condition as I thought. I’ve been working on getting my arm back into shape I’ve neglected the rest of my body.”
“Doesn’t look like it.”
“Thanks. Sit down with me.” Kris patted the log and smiled up at Sam. “How are you feeling?” She took an orange slice from the bag Sam offered and bit into it.
“To tell you the truth I think we should head back. I think the loose surface is fatiguing my thigh muscle. I need to rest for a few minutes.” Sam grabbed a handful of grapes and started to eat them. She held one out to Kris, who leaned forward, but stopped and took it with her hand.
“Are you having pain?”
“No, it’s muscle fatigue, nothing serious. Listen to the birds, and you can still hear the surf.” They sat and enjoyed the solitude as they ate their snack. Soon human voices could be heard approaching from further down the trail. A family of four approached, and they greeted each other as they passed by. They split a granola bar and drank more water before leaving. Kris stood up quickly and repacked their gear. When Sam struggled to get up, she held out a hand and helped her up. Sam came up quicker than expected and they stood mere inches apart. Their eyes met momentarily before they both looked away.
Sam cleared her throat. “Thanks for the hand up. We should get going.”
“Sure thing. Lead the way.”
***
Kris stepped out of the shower and tugged on some cotton briefs and a tank top. She went to the kitchen, filled a glass with ice water, and checked to make sure her doors were locked. Settling into bed, she picked up her novel. Several minutes later, when it dawned on her that she’d read the same paragraph repeatedly, she put the book aside and turned off the bedside light.
As she relaxed, her mind drifted. This was a nice day. Sam is so laid back and comfortable to be around. I like that she wasn’t afraid to mention that she was starting to get achy. I would have hated for something to happen and have her have a setback. I love her laugh. It’s a deep down, come-from-the-belly laugh. I don’t even mind that it was at my expense. Damn snake. Made me shriek like a little girl. You need to be more careful. You almost took th
at grape from her hand with your mouth. Friends don’t do that. Use this time to get your head on straight and figure out what you want. I want a friendship. Renee doesn’t think Sam needs to know. I understand her concerns. I don’t know that I agree though. We’re friends. Shouldn’t I tell her? Sam has some guilt from losing her men. Will she feel guilty about what happened to me? God, what should I do? Eventually, Kris rolled onto her side and fell into a restless sleep.
Chapter Thirty-seven
SAM PUSHED OPENED THE door to the control room and peered inside. The glow of numerous computer screens cast an eerie blue light in the dimly lit room. Large box-like structures moved almost soundlessly, as mechanical arms lifted and moved them. Sam wondered what flight profiles were being run by the simulators. It took several seconds for her eyes to adjust to the decreased light. She caught the reflection of blue light off of a highly polished bald head, and she smiled before calling out. “Hey, Paul is that you?”
She watched as he spun around and a broad smile crossed his face. “Well, I’ll be. It’s my favorite Marine.” He reached a hand out to her, and they shook. “You doing okay with everything?” He gestured toward her leg.
“I’m doing well enough, thanks. I was hoping I’d be able to get some time in the flight simulator. See how I do with the unleg.” A look of confusion crossed Paul’s face. “With the prosthesis. I was hoping to give it a try.”
“Are you going to try to get back on flight status?”
“Definitely. That’s what I am trained to do.”
“Well, let’s see what I can do. With several of the squadrons deployed there is usually plenty of sim time available.” He flipped open a log book, “Hmm. Looks like tomorrow around ten hundred is open.”
Sam frowned slightly, “Do you have anything else. They have me over in headquarters, and I don’t think I can get away.”
“Ah, they have you pushing paper, Major?” She nodded. “Tell you what, if you can wait a couple of days and can come by around eighteen hundred, I’ll get you about two hours. Unofficial.”
