Journeys - SF10

by Meagher, Susan X

  "Hi," Ryan said, as though she had fully expected her partner to join her.

  "You weren't in the middle of anything important, were you?"

  "As a matter of fact I was thinking of one of the most important scientific discoveries of our time," she said firmly.

  "What was it, sweetheart?" Jamie asked when it became clear that Ryan was being playful.

  "I was thinking about you," she said softly as she trailed her fingers down Jamie's grinning face.

  "Oh, I thought you were doing some math thingies," she chided gently.

  "I was," she assured her. "I was thinking of your name and assigning numbers to it. You know like 'j' is the tenth letter of the alphabet and so on?"

  "Uhh, yeah, I guess I see what you mean."

  "Then I took all of the values, and I added them all together, but that didn't do much for me. So then I multiplied the numbers in your first name together and then did the same for your last name. When I subtracted one from the other I thought I might be onto something. So, I did the same for my name. And do you know what I found?"

  "No…I'm quite sure I don't have any idea."

  "I found absolutely nothing," she admitted with a quirky grin. "But it was fun to think about your name for…" she paused as she looked at her watch quickly, "45 minutes."

  Jamie reached over and placed her hand over Ryan's chin. Tugging lightly, she turned her face until it was in exactly the same position as her own. She scooted just a little bit closer and laced her fingers through the dark hair as she started to kiss her. Her hand moved softly through the inky strands until it rested on Ryan's smooth cheek. As she lifted her head she whispered, "Having you spend your time like that is more meaningful to me than if you had written me a sonnet."

  "Touch me like that again," Ryan asked in a voice that was just a hair above a whisper.

  "With my fingers in your hair?"

  "Uh-huh, and on my cheek," she instructed as she closed her eyes and waited for the gentle touch.

  Even more softly this time, Jamie ran her fingers all through the ebony tresses and trailed them lightly over Ryan's cheek. She dipped her head and kissed her soft lips again and again until her partner was moaning with desire. "I love it when you touch my face with your hands while you kiss me," Ryan whispered. "It feels so intimate."

  "I love it too," Jamie whispered as she closed her eyes and started to nibble on Ryan's soft lips. Her touch was fleeting, and incredibly gentle, but after a few seconds Ryan's mouth opened slowly and she drew Jamie's tongue in. Now the intensity began to build as Ryan wrapped her arms around her partner and pulled her on top of her body. Her mouth was fully open now as she hungrily sucked and nipped on Jamie's darting tongue. Grasping Ryan's flushed face with both of her hands, Jamie pulled up just a bit and gasped out, "Do you mind if we get stuck in traffic?"

  "There could not be anything further from my mind right now," she replied softly. "I need to feel your touch, Jamie. Love me," she urged, and Jamie immediately decided that a little traffic paled in comparison to the chance to love the luscious woman who gazed up at her.

  An hour later they struggled out of the tangle of sheets and got into the shower together. "Have I told you in the last five minutes what a devastatingly wonderful lover you are?" Jamie asked as she rested her head on Ryan's chest to protect her face from the needle-sharp spray.

  "Five minutes?" she said reflectively. "I don't think so. But if Mia's home, she could probably repeat some of your enthusiastic praise."

  "You know she's with her family, silly. If there was a chance she would have come home I would have closed the door. I had a feeling I was going to ravage you this afternoon."

  "Did you now?"

  "Yep. I was thinking about your sexy body, and the way you smell, the whole time I was studying. It was a struggle to stay in the library as long as I did."

  "Well, I'm very proud of you," Ryan said, kissing her nose. "Just for that, I'll give you another tumble before we go to bed."

  "If you use that tongue like you just did, you can tumble me anywhere, anytime," she enthused.

  "My tongue might have gotten me into trouble today," Ryan ventured, having decided to get the issue out of the way.

  "What do you mean?"

  "I invited someone over for dinner tomorrow without checking with you first."

  "Oh, I forgot," Jamie said. "So did I!"

  "Who did you invite?" Ryan asked.

  "I asked Ally," Jamie informed her. "She called yesterday when we were at the game, and I jotted her number down on my way out of the house today." She looked at Ryan carefully and asked, "You don't mind that I called her, do you? She asked to speak with either of us."

  "No," Ryan said, shaking her head. "I don't mind." She knew she was speaking too soon, and she also realized that she did, in fact, mind that Jamie had spoken with Ally, but she thought that was childish and didn't want to admit it. "Why did you invite her?"

  "She sounded sad," Jamie revealed. "She called to wish us a happy Thanksgiving, and when I asked her what she was doing, she said nothing. I knew you wouldn't want her to be alone, so I asked her." She looked up at Ryan with her guileless green eyes and asked, "Did I do okay?"

  "Of course you did," Ryan sighed, giving her a gentle hug. "It's always a good thing to offer to share our family with people who don't have one. You did great, babe."

  Jamie giggled a little and revealed, "It felt kinda cool, honey. I've never done that before, you know. I never took anyone except Jack to my house for a holiday. It wouldn't have occurred to me."

  "I'm glad it occurred to you now," Ryan said decisively.

  "Who did you ask?" Jamie queried.

  "Well, I partially asked Sara," she said. "But she won't come unless you ask her. She took what I said last time very seriously, Jamie, and she wants to make sure that she won't harm our relationship if she comes over."

  Jamie's brow furrowed and she asked, "Do you think it will hurt us to socialize with her?"

  "No, I don't anymore," she said. "I know I'll have feelings for her for a very long time, but I know I'll never act on them. I'm feeling totally secure these days, babe, and I hope you are, too."

  "I am," Jamie smiled. "I'm feeling very secure, and very well loved."

  "And you don't mind calling her?"

  "No. I think that's probably a good idea, anyway. The last time we spoke I wasn't very friendly."

  "You are one in a trillion," Ryan said happily.

  "You're a very generous grader," Jamie teased.

  "No I'm not. You deserve a straight A average in the girlfriend department," she insisted as she placed an enthusiastic kiss on her lips.

  Since so many people were expected, Martin decided that they needed five turkeys. While the churchgoers were at Mass, Conor and Rory got all of the barbeques going-two with mesquite and two with regular charcoal. Martin had put the biggest of the birds in the oven before Mass, so when they returned the whole house was permeated by the intense aroma of the roasting fowl. "My mouth is watering, and it's only 10:15!" Ryan moaned. "How will I be able to wait?"

  "I can make you a little something," Martin offered, but she would not hear of it.

  "I want to be famished by the time we eat. I'm going to put on a display the likes of which you've never witnessed!" she predicted.

  "Maybe I should have gotten six turkeys," Martin mused.

  "I can load up on the dressing and sweet potatoes," Ryan assured him. "You know how I love Thanksgiving, Da. For the last week I put myself to sleep by thinking of Thanksgiving dinner. I swear I've been looking forward to this meal for a month!"

  Part Ten

  Catherine arrived just a few minutes after they returned from Mass. As Ryan went to the door to welcome her she gazed at her fondly, slightly in awe of her impeccable style. That day's outfit consisted of an incredibly soft-looking cashmere turtleneck sweater that was just the color of French vanilla ice cream. A delicate gold chain belt hung rather low on her hips, accentuating her
small waist. Chocolate brown suede slacks covered her legs, and darker brown suede boots finished off the look. As usual, she wore just the right amount of perfume for Ryan's tastes, the distinctive scent only noticeable when one actually hugged her. "You look absolutely wonderful, Catherine," she said sincerely, as she took in her delicate fragrance.

  "Thank you, Ryan. I normally wouldn't wear slacks on Thanksgiving, but I wanted to be able to chase my little pumpkin around the house without worrying about my stockings."

  "You really do look lovely, Mom," Jamie agreed enthusiastically. "I like it when you look more casual."

  "I like it too," she said decisively. "It makes me feel younger, and I need all the help I can get around you two."

  They had to drive to Berkeley to pick up Jordan and Jennie, and Ryan noticed that her teammate was a little reserved when they picked her up. She assumed it would be hard for Jordan to get into the spirit of the party, but she hoped that the informal nature of the day would loosen her up and let her enjoy herself.

  When they arrived at the big craftsman style house where Jennie was staying, Ryan was amazed when her friend came down the stairs. Jennie was smiling so brightly that she looked giddy. She had on a baby blue cardigan sweater over a white turtleneck and a pair of navy blue wool slacks. The slacks were at least one size too large, and about two inches too long, but Ryan had never seen her young friend dressed so normally. "You look really nice, Jen," she said appreciatively. Ryan had noticed that Jennie had not shaved her head in several weeks, and the blonde fuzz that she was sporting made her look a bit like a Chia pet, but she thought it best not to comment too much on her appearance or her style choices. She knew that one of Jennie's favorite methods of rebellion was through her "look," and she wanted neither to encourage or discourage her in that regard. So she made it a point to comment only if Jennie did something different, just to show that she was paying attention.

  "Thanks," she blushed as Ryan gave her a hug. "I borrowed the pants, but the sweater is really mine," she said proudly.

  "Well, you look great," Ryan insisted as they walked through the living room.

  Jennie stuck her head into the small den where four high-school-aged girls were watching TV. "Bye, guys," she called out. "Have fun today."

  "You too, Jen," one of the young women replied. The others sat up attentively when they spied Ryan in the doorway. "Who's your friend?" one of them asked.

  Jennie grasped Ryan's hand and pulled her into the room. "This is my friend Ryan I told you guys about," she said, as she looked up at the tall woman.

  "Hi," the oldest-looking girl said in a tone that Ryan recognized but no longer sought out.

  "This is J.C.," Jennie said as she introduced the woman. "And that's Maggie and Skylar."

  "Why don't you two hang out for a while?" J.C. suggested in a near-sultry voice.

  "Gotta go," Ryan said quickly. "My lover's waiting in the car."

  "Oh, Jamie's here too?" Jennie asked.

  "Yep. We're just waiting for you." Ryan put her hand on Jennie's back to guide her out. "Nice to meet you all," she said politely.

  "You too," J.C. said, but she managed to make it sound like a proposition.

  On the way down the sidewalk Jennie laughed as she said, "Well at least they won't think I'm a total nerd."

  "Huh? What do you mean?"

  "I told them that you were coming to take me to dinner, and I said you were really gorgeous. They didn't believe me, but I think you changed their minds," she giggled, sounding just like the 14-year-old that she was.

  The house was bursting at the seams when they arrived, and they were all amazed at the massive display of appetizers that the aunts had prepared. But even though Ryan was starving, she steadfastly refused all of the proffered dishes. "I want turkey, gravy, dressing, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, and cranberry sauce," she maintained. "I refuse to surrender my appetite to any other foodstuffs."

  Catherine was carrying the baby around and as they passed, Ryan gave her a pointed look and said, "Time for a change, Catherine. Want me to do it?"

  "Oh no, I can handle it," she said easily. She found the diaper bag by Maeve, and the older woman insisted on helping her. They took the baby down to Ryan's room and got her settled as Catherine worked on her diaper-changing skills. "So, how are things going, Maeve? I trust married life is treating you well."

  "Oh yes," she enthused. "It's better than I could have dreamed. I hope Moira's working on Mam to assure her that Martin is the dream both Fionnuala and I have always said he was."

  "Why is there such bad blood there, Maeve? I can't imagine a mother wanting a better husband for her daughter."

  Maeve was pensive for a moment, trying to decide how to frame her reply. "She's never forgiven Martin for taking my sister away from home," she said sadly. "Fionnuala was just over here on a tourist visa, you know. I had met the O'Flaherty brothers at church while they were still brushing the Irish soil from their shoes," she said fondly. "We had some shirt-tail relations in common, and one of their cousins was living in the town my husband was from. We all hit it off immediately," she recalled. "My husband actually helped Francis get into the carpenter's union. We made as many calls as we could, and within a few weeks, Martin and Patrick had jobs too, and they could afford to send Malachy to school to learn his plumbing trade. I took Fi to Mass with me at the end of her little visit, and she suggested we have the boys over for tea that day. Well, by the end of the afternoon, my little sister was over the moon for Martin. She stayed past the expiration of her visa and didn't go home until Martin asked her to marry him! She had to go home then just so she could come in legally again, and my mother worked that poor girl over so badly she didn't know up from down! But her mind was made up, and as soon as she got another visa--back she came."

  "And your mother never warmed up to Martin?"

  "No, not really. They didn't ever really spend much time together since they couldn't all afford to travel to Ireland together, and my mother doesn't travel at all. So Martin and Fi would save up to send her and one of the children over every year. Martin thought it was important for the kids to know their grandparents, so it made sense to do it that way, but the result was that they've really spent very little time together. Before we traveled there together, the last time they saw each other was when we took Fi back to Ireland to bury her," she said, with a catch in her voice.

  "Well, I'm sure Moira will give a glowing recommendation," Catherine assured her. "Anyone could see how happy you both are."

  Maeve placed a hand on Catherine's shoulder and said, "I can see how sad you are today. Do you want to talk about it?"

  Before she knew what came over her, Catherine dropped her head onto Maeve's shoulder and cried her heart out, feeling like the underpinnings of her world had been ripped away.

  She cried for a long time, unable to control herself when she felt the surprisingly firm embrace enfold her. Maeve comforted her, rocking her gently until she could speak. "It's been hard to hold this inside," she sobbed. "My husband and I are going to divorce."

  "Oh, you poor, poor, thing," Maeve sighed. "Have you told Jamie?"

  "No. I didn't want to upset her today," Catherine explained. "It's their first Thanksgiving together, and I want them to have happy memories of the day."

  "But, Catherine…"

  "No, Maeve," she said firmly. "She's leaving for the airport in just a few hours. I'll tell her when she gets back from Colorado-it would be unfair to have her struggle with this while she's away."

  "You know what's best, Catherine, but are you sure she won't find out?"

  "No. Jim promised not to call her until I've spoken to her. He owes me at least that much."

  Rory was gamely showing Jennie his accordion when Ryan popped her head in to checked on them. Rory looked up and said, "Your buddy here has some musical talent that you didn't know about."

  "Really?" Ryan asked as she sat on the bed and watched Rory illustrate the proper way to play his instrument. "
What do you play?"

  "Well, I don't know much," the young woman admitted. "I started taking clarinet lessons when I was in fifth grade, but my high school doesn't have music class."

  "But do you still play?" Ryan asked.

  "No. We just rented the instrument. My mom sent it back one time when she was mad at me. I was really getting into it too." she said softly with a faraway look on her face.

  "Don't move a muscle," Ryan ordered as she dashed from the room. Two minutes later, she was back with two clarinets, one of which she handed to Jennie with a flourish. "I got this one when I was just a kid," she said fondly. "When I got better I saved up for three years until I could afford a really nice one." She held the better quality instrument out for Jennie to examine. "I'll make you a deal," she said as Jennie looked up at her with barely disguised longing. "I'll lend you my starter. If you work hard at it, and make a lot of progress, I'll give you this one for your 15th birthday."

  The stunned look that the younger woman gave her nearly made Ryan weep. "Do you really mean that?" she asked, looking like she was afraid the instrument would be ripped from her hands if she reached for it.

  "Of course I do, Jen. I don't play much anymore, and my original will be plenty good for the rare occasion I want to pick it up. I'd like this good quality instrument to be played. If you'll promise to play it-it can be yours."

  "I will, Ryan," she said with a smile bright enough to light up the room. "I don't know a lot, but I'll do my best."

  "Hey, you don't have to do this alone," Ryan said with a smile. "I'll teach you."

  "You…you will?" Years of disappointment and broken promises clouded Jennie's eyes. "But you're so busy, Ryan…"

  "I am busy, but you're worth it," she said firmly.