by Shannon Cook
Ian gulped loudly. "What do you mean?" he asked nervously as he looked each of the men.
The four men glared at him. One was a very muscular man that was clenching his fist. "Did you or didn't you attack a woman?" that man asked.
Ian looked around the room for someone to help him. All he discovered was that every other prisoner was staring him down.
"Answer him when he asks you a question!" another man shouted.
"I never put my hands on my wife!" Ian lied.
The most muscular man of the group shoved Ian right to the floor and got on top of him. "LIAR!" he screamed. "You are a filthy pig!"
Ian began to cry. He flashed back to his entire marriage with Mandy, and every terrible thing he had done to her. He pleaded with the man to get off of him.
Five security guards came rushing over and pulled the man off of Ian. "What have we told you?" one guard asked the man. "We told you this behavior needs to stop!"
The man glared at Ian as the guards were taking him away. "I'm not done with you yet!"
Another guard took Ian back to his cell and locked him in. His cellmate was sitting on his bed. "How was breakfast?"
Ian was still shaking. "Who knows?" he asked.
"Word spreads fast in this place." the man said. He got up and whispered in Ian's ear. "I'd watch my back if I were you. Nobody likes a wife beater or a baby killer, and you're both!"
Ian looked in that man's eye. This man was serious. "They can't really do anything that bad to me in here.!" he paused for a moment, "Can they?"
The man laughed. "Last week, one man killed another man in here." He patted Ian on the shoulder. "I'll give you a month at most before someone does the same to you."
For the rest of the day, Ian just laid on his bed staring at the ceiling. Every now and then, when a guard would be walking by with another prisoner, the prisoner would start yelling terrible things at Ian.
He took his pillow and covered his head trying to block out the world around him.
Back at Mandy's house, Kate and Jasmine came over to celebrate Mandy's victory. The three women stood around the large kitchen island as Jasmine popped open a bottle of champagne and poured it into tall flutes.
Jasmine raised her glass. "Here's to a new beginning!"
The three of them toasted their glasses and took a drink. Kate and Mandy smiled at each other. Jasmine could see the passion in their eyes while they looked into each other's eyes.
"Is there something going on between you two?" Jasmine asked.
"No." Mandy responded disappointingly.
"You two would make a beautiful couple." Jasmine told them.
"I agree!" Kate said as she winked at Mandy.
Mandy smiled at Kate. She has had romantic feelings towards Kate, now she finally knew Kate felt the same way. She wanted to ask Kate to start dating her, but she wanted to wait until they were alone.
Jasmine smiled at both of them and asked. "You know, you too are very attractive women. Both inside and out!"
Mandy and Kate both blushed. "Why thank you!" Kate replied.
"I'm going to say this from the bottom of my heart," Jasmine paused. "Why haven't you asked each other out yet? I can see in your eyes you both have feelings for each other."
Mandy and Kate looked at each other. Their eyes were both asking "Why not?" to the other one.
Mandy sighed. "I just got out of a horrific marriage."
"That's fair enough." Kate smiled. "Honestly, I'm scared."
"Why are you scared?" Mandy asked.
"My previous relationship wasn't so good." Kate put her head down. "My previous girlfriend kept stealing from me. She used the my money and would go on shopping sprees."
Mandy and Jasmine's jaw dropped. "That's horrible!" Mandy stated.
"Her name was Veronica." Kate told them. "One night, her and I got into a heated argument about her taking my money. She stormed out of my apartment, got into my car and sped off down the road."
"What happened next?" Mandy asked.
"She ended up crashing my car." Kate responded. "She completely totaled it! She survived, but the moment she pulled out of the driveway I reported the vehicle as stolen."
"Did she get arrested?" Jasmine inquired.
"Yes, but she didn't get sent to jail." Kate told them. "They sent her to a mental institution somewhere in the New England states."
Jasmine raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Why way out there?"
"There wasn't anyplace in this state that had the room." Kate informed Jasmine. "It's a crazy world we live in!"
"I'll say!" Mandy responded. "Is there any place my father can go?"
Kate and Jasmine stared silently towards Mandy. "Is he really that terrible?" Kate asked Mandy.
"Yes, he is."
Kate could tell that Mandy was beginning to become upset with the thought of her father. So, she quickly changed the subject. "Did you see the look on Ian's face when he realized he was going to jail?"
Mandy laughed. "Yes! it felt so good knowing that spoiled little daddy's boy got what he deserved!"
The three women ended up going through three bottles of champagne that evening. Even though Mandy was drunk, she told her guests "Sleep on my couch tonight. I will not have you two driving home! You're both too drunk to drive!"
Chapter 12
Kate kept coming over to Mandy's house to check up on her every day. The two women would sit and have deep conversations over coffee, and their friendship ended up growing stronger with every passing day.
One afternoon when they were cuddled up on the couch together, Kate said to Mandy "You know, I didn't always live in Minnesota, I used to live in Alabama."
Mandy flashed back to what officer James said to her years ago. About how his sister had moved far away, and her being a lesbian. Then she remembered him saying his sister's name was Kate! Could this be the same Kate he was talking about? No, it just can't be she thought to herself.
"Oh really?" Mandy responded in shock. "I'm originally from Alabama."
Kate smiled. "Did you leave for the same reason I left?" she asked. "Their views on people like us are horrible!"
"No." Mandy replied. "My husband's job moved him here."
Kate pulled out her phone and began scrolling through the photos. "I like it better here, but I do miss my family." she found a picture of her and her mother from a couple years ago. "That's my mom." She showed the photo to Mandy. "She would give the shirt off her back to anyone who might need it."
Mandy's eyes widened when she saw the photo of Kate's mother. "I know her!" she responded excitedly! "Your bother, James rescued me from the mental hospital my father had taken me to when he found out I'm a lesbian!"
"You're kidding me!" Kate was amazed. "But, how do you know my mom?" she asked curiously.
Mandy smiled. "Your brother James knew I was terrified of my father, so he asked your mom if I could stay with her for a while."
Kate sat back in amazement. She couldn't comprehend how this coincidence made the world so small! Now she felt like she's known Mandy for many years because of everything her mother had told her about her special house guest!
However, her mother never told Kate her house guest's name, or the real reason they were staying with her.
"Well isn't this a small world!" Kate laughed. "You know, my mom couldn't say more good things about you even if she tried. You were like a second daughter to her. She enjoyed you so much!"
The two women went quiet and just stared at each other. Looking deep into each other's eyes.
"Are you seeing anyone right now? Mandy asked softly.
"I'm looking at you right now." Kate smiled.
Mandy laughed. "No, I mean are you dating anyone right now?"
"I knew what you meant." Kate laughed. "I'm actually single. I can't seem the find the right woman."
Mandy started to blush. "Would you consider going out with me?" she asked bashfully.
Kate got really excited! "Of course!" she passiona
tely responded! The two women jumped up and gave each other a big hug. "I was actually hoping you'd ask."
"You know, you could've asked me too." Mandy jokingly stated.
"Yes I know, but I'm sick and tired of always being rejected."
The excitement was overpowering Mandy! She was so filled up with joy! Much more than she had experienced in these past years of her life. She couldn't control herself! "You should move in with me!" she blurted out.
Kate was taken aback. "What?"
"Oh, what am I doing? I'm sorry." Mandy apologized. "What was I thinking, we literally just started dating!"
Kate thought for a moment. "I do spend more time here then I do my own place. Why don't you move in with me at my apartment?"
Mandy looked around at her multi-million dollar home. "I would, but I just can't give this place up. Not everyone is able to get a million dollar home for free!"
Kate nodded in agreement. "That is true. Yeah! I'll move in with you!" she said happily. "Besides, I think we've been dating for a while now. We just finally made it official."
"That is true." Mandy said. She noticed Kate was checking her out. "What's on your mind?"
Kate was zoning out, admiring Mandy. For the first time in all of her life, she felt deeply in love. "I love you." Kate simply replied.
Mandy smiled and gave Kate a tight hug. "I love you more. You saved literally my life."
"I think it's the other way around."
Mandy was confused. What did Kate mean by that? "How did I save your life?" Mandy asked Kate.
"I was starting to give up on love. That was until I met you." Kate smiled.
Within the next week, Kate and Mandy moved all of Kate's stuff into the house. "I'm so glad you agreed to move in with me." Mandy told Kate as she kissed her soft lips.
Kate took a seat in the recliner and reclined back. "I spend most of my time over here anyway. Why pay rent when I'm hardly ever at my apartment anyway?" she winked. "Besides, this will make it easier on me to make sure you're safe."
Mandy squeezed in next to her girlfriend on the recliner. "This is the safest I've felt in years. Thank you." She placed her head on Kate's breasts and started to drift off to sleep.
Kate ran her fingers through Mandy's hair and held her close. Eventually, Kate fell asleep as well.
The two women slept for a couple of hours and woke up later that evening. Kate was the first to wake up after their nap. She looked outside, and it was dark. Mandy was still sound asleep. "Hey," she said softly shaking Mandy awake. "Hey! Babe, let's go to bed."
Mandy opened her eyes slowly and looked around. She hadn't realized she had fallen asleep. "Did I fall asleep?" she asked while wiping the sleep out of her eyes.
"Yes, and we were asleep for a couple of hours!"
"Oh my!" Mandy responded in shock!
Kate held Mandy's hand. "Let's have a little dinner, then go to bed."
Mandy let out a big yawn. "That sounds like a great idea."
They got up from the recliner and went into the kitchen. The two women each made themselves a sandwich and ate it before they went up to their master bedroom. Mandy barely made it into the room before she collapsed onto the bed, and fell right back to sleep.
Kate laughed. "Oh, okay. I guess helping me move was exhausting wasn't it!" Kate got changed in her pajamas and got into bed with Mandy. She kissed Mandy's forehead.
Mandy smiled. For the first time, in a long time, Mandy felt safe enough to sleep soundly in her own bed. She figured that if she didn't tell her mother about the divorce, there was no way her father would know.
Kate cuddled up close to her girlfriend, holding her tightly as she fell asleep. Mandy was sound asleep, with a big smile on her face.
The next morning, the two women went out to breakfast to celebrate their new relationship. The waitress came over and asked for their orders. Mandy and Kate couldn't help but notice the waitress giving them judgmental looks.
Kate wasn't going to take it! "Excuse me," she said to the waitress. "What seems to be the problem?"
The waitress was shocked Kate read her body langue so well! "Problem, what problem?" she asked nervously.
"What is bothering you?" Kate snapped.
"Kate, please." Mandy pleaded quietly.
"NO!" Kate shouted. "Listen, lady," she snarled at the waitress. "Why are you giving me and my girlfriend dirty looks?"
"I think you two should leave." the waitress calmly said.
"Wait, why should we leave?" Kate asked.
"We don't like to serve your kind here!" the waitress snapped back.
Kate and Mandy couldn't believe this! Mandy shook her head. She wasn't going to take this discrimination any more in her life! She jumped up from her seat and shouted "Let me see the manager!"
Kate looked at Mandy in shock, but she was proud of her girlfriend for sticking up for what was right!
The waitress narrowed her eyes and glared at the two women. "One moment." She turned and walked into the back.
A few minutes later, the manager came out from the back with the waitress. The manager was a tough looking man with lots of muscles and a ton of tattoos. He was missing both legs and he needed to use a wheelchair to get around. They approached Kate and Mandy's table. "What seems to be the problem ladies?" he asked.
"She told us that you don't serve our kind here!" Kate told the man while pointing at the waitress.
The man looked at Kate and Mandy, then he looked at the waitress. "Why wouldn't we serve their kind? We've never had problems serving other women here." he asked the waitress.
"Sir, look at them, they're lesbians!" the waitress stated.
The manager's face got red with anger. "So what!" he snapped at the waitress. "Homosexuals need to eat too! Why would you tell them we don't serve people like them here?"
"It's against my religion!" the waitress snapped back.
The manager pointed a firm finger in the waitress's face. "Listen here! If you have that type of view on gay people, maybe you shouldn't work for me anymore!" the manager yelled.
Kate and Mandy just looked at each other in shock. Was the manager about to fire this woman in front of them and everyone else in the restaurant?
"Let me fill you in on a little something!" the manager shouted. "I'm a bisexual! If you don't like gays maybe you shouldn't work for one!"
The waitress was surprised. She had no idea that her boss was part of the gay community. She put her head down in shame. "I'm sorry." she said quietly.
"Grab your stuff and get out!" the manager told the waitress.
She walked away with her head down as other patrons of the restaurant stared on.
The manager turned to Kate and Mandy. "I am so sorry for her behavior. What can I get you two lovely woman?"
Kate and Mandy ordered their food and the manager personally brought it out.
Kate knew she recognized the manager, but she couldn't remember exactly where from. The manager was also giving Kate the look as if he remembered her from somewhere.
"Where do I know you from?" the manager asked Kate.
"I was wondering the same thing!" Kate responded.
The manager had a flashback from a few years ago. He was in a horrific motorcycle accident on his way to work at the restaurant. He only came to at the scene for just a moment. When he did, Kate was on her knees trying to get him to respond.
Kate was also having a flashback to that day where she was the first officer to arrive on the scene to that accident! She remembered a man laying on the road, knocked unconscious. There was a surprise rain storm that day and it was difficult to see. A box truck ran a red light and plowed into the man on the motorcycle!
"I know where I know you from!" Kate and the manager both stated simultaneously.
Mandy looked at both of them. "What's going on here?" she inquired.
"Mandy, I helped this man years ago!" Kate told her. "He was in a terrible motorcycle accident."
"That's awful!" Mandy stated in
shock!
"Yes, it was pretty bad." The manager said. "I'm actually lucky to be alive."
"That you are." Kate told the man. Kate looked at Mandy. "I had to perform CPR on him until the paramedics showed up to the scene."
"Honestly, if it wasn't for you, I don't believe I'd be here today." The manager told Kate. "I may have lost my legs, but at least I'm still alive!"
Kate smiled. "I'm glad you survived."
The manager looked at Kate. "You know, I never got your name."
"My name is Kate."
"Pleasure to finally get the chance to say, thank you, Kate, from the bottom of my heart." The manager smiled. "My name is Greg."
"Nice to meet you again, Greg." Kate responded. "At least this time is a much better occasion!"
"Exactly!"
Greg went back into the kitchen area and the two women began having their meal.
While they were eating, Mandy looked up at her girlfriend "I'm so proud of you."
"For saving that man?" Kate asked Mandy.
"Yes." Mandy smiled. "You really are a hero."
"I was just doing my job." Kate said. "I don't see myself as a hero at all."
"Well, you are." Mandy reached over across the table and held Kate's hand. "You saved my life as well. You are a hero!"
Kate smiled. "Thank you."
Mandy and Kate continued eating their meal. Mandy all of a sudden put down her fork. There was still have her meal on her plate.
"Are you full already?" Kate inquired.
"No."
"Don't like the food?"
"No, the food is delicious!"
"Then what's on your mind, my dear?"
"I'm not going to tell my parents about us, or tell them that I divorced Ian." she told Kate.
"I think that's a good idea." Kate told Mandy as she reached over the table and grabbed her hand. "If they don't know, then hopefully your father won't ever come after you."
"Exactly." Mandy said in agreement. "Maybe now I can live without being in constant fear!"
Chapter 13
However, Mandy didn't realize that Ian's father knew what was going on, and was about to tell her father about it.
Ian's father Ross received the letter his son wrote about a week later. It said,
