Rivers and Brooks 32 (Final Chapter)

Lisa and I were floored by our visitor. If she had not brought the documentation she had, we would not have believed her for a second. I wanted to tell Mom or Dad, but Lisa said they might get the police involved. They didn’t meet Ms. Simms but, if they had they would see that she’s not dangerous or anything like that. Maybe she’s just off-kilter? We got on the web and went to the link she gave us and found there were a few additional chapters after the ones she gave us. There was even a chapter that documented her visit to our house. Looking at the story, it’s amazing. There are things in there we forgot. I cried, of course, when I read the part about Bryan. The whole thing is weird … and she wants us to do something interesting! What if we don’t? Are we all just gonna disappear? No pressure!

Lisa had taken guitar lessons once, and a few days later she got the guitar out of the closet. Then, she dressed in some ragged jeans and top and started looking for an empty coffee can. She got all this stuff together and was out the door. I yelled after her, “Where will you be?”

“Just down the street on the corner.”

Uh oh. She gonna be a street musician?

With everyone gone, I took the chance to study my math. It wasn’t hard, but I had a chance at making 100% in the class and didn’t want to blow it. Yeah, I know, an “A” is an “A”, whether it’s 90%, 100%, or anywhere in between, but I felt compelled to make a perfect score. I studied for an hour and Lisa was still gone, so I decided to go check on her.

I drove down the street and there she was, playing guitar and singing. She had the coffee can next to her; I assumed it was for donations. I parked my car and approached her as she finished a song. “Lisa, what were you singing?”

“I was singing a sad song called, ‘If I Had It To Do All Over, I’d Do It All Over You’.”

“You’re insane.”

“Yeah, I guess. Before that, I sang a country tune called, ‘Don’t Run Through the Screen Door, Mama; You’ll strain Yourself’.”

“Do people seem to like your music?”

“No, but that’s the point.”

“What?!”

“Look at the writing on the coffee can.”

She had written in letters big enough for people to see from their cars, “Hush Money.”

“Lisa, you have got to be kidding!”

“Well, I’ve collected about $150.00. It’s a wealthy part of town, and they like good music. I guess they figure they’ll hear some if they can get me to hush!”

“Wow! Well, if it’s ‘hush money’, don’t you think you’ve collected enough to hush?”

“I guess so. It’s kinda hot out here anyway. I just hope our writer thinks this is interesting.”

“I think it falls into the category of ‘outrageous’. Are you coming home?”

”Yeah. I’m just trying to make sure we’re not a fairy tale.”

“We might be stuck with that, with our lust for Laura.”

“You know she didn’t mean that kind of fairy!”

“Yeah, see you at home.”

I headed home and my phone beeped. “Hello, Laura!”

“Sarah, how about dinner tonight?”

“I eat dinner almost every night! What’s up?”

“Can I pick you up for a date at Floyd's?”

“Is the pope a catholic?”

“I think so, why?”

“Laura, seriously?”

“Yeah, I know. Pick you up at 6PM.”

“OK, bye.”

Yes!!! I’m going to dinner with the most beautiful girl in the world! Gotta go pick out something to wear now! Something easy to take off. I smiled at my own little joke. But, she is so beautiful! Oh, I wonder if our writer will think lesbian sex is interesting. She’s actually married to a man! I would like to ask her why she took an interest in me. The website she gave us was mostly cross-dressers and transsexuals. I didn’t really qualify. I wondered if it would be rude to ask her why she interested in the subject. Maybe she used to be a man! If so, you couldn’t tell. I surely don’t want to be rude to my writer! No telling what she could cause to happen!

If she’s not into lesbian sex she’ll just have to deal with it … I hope. What if Laura thinks I’m too straight-laced to have sex? I think I can calm those fears if she kisses me. Oh, wow! Did you hear that … “kisses me”? What is the matter with me? I sound like a teen-aged boy! Oh, I’ll bet it’s those male hormones Lisa and I got from our mothers. That was pretty weird, but I guess it makes sense.

I got home and found the perfect outfit. It was a short (almost too short) red dress with tiny sequins on it. They reflected light with every move I made. I added a necklace to draw attention to the low neckline of the dress and spiral earrings to draw attention to the fact that I have ears. I finished it off with the highest heels I had. I realized when she saw me, any doubts about my wanting a more than platonic friendship would be gone. I hoped I wasn’t being too forward.

Laura showed up at my house at exactly the appointed time. She drove us to Floyd’s and told the receptionist, “Reservation for Lake”.

“Right this way, ladies.”

Any concerns about the way I was dressed disappeared. Laura was in a mini-dress and heels also. It was almost like we were running a contest to see whose dress could be shorter. There must have been a dozen pairs of eyes on us as we walked to our table.

I had to comment, “Laura, you look ravishing!”

“Plain Jane little me? Sorry, but I don’t think I hold a candle to you. I’m afraid all the guys here will have a hard time digesting their food tonight. I’ll fight them off! If you want me to, that is.”

“Oh yeah. I was gonna tell you my long story about my experience with guys.”

“Yes! I was wondering how I was going to get that question asked. Thanks for making it easy for me.”

I proceeded to tell her about being raised as a boy due to my ambiguous genitalia. I went through the terrors of the locker room, the cross-dressing, the bullying, and the subsequent discovery that I was actually a genetic girl. I went on to tell about the move to Houston and the chance meeting again with Bryan, and his death just when his life was starting to improve.

When I finished, Laura sat silent for a few seconds. Finally, she said, “Then he came to me with the message I gave you. Do you realize that if someone wrote a novel like this, no one would believe it?”

“I know!” I decided not to get into our visit with Ms. Simms.

“The locker room stuff is pretty gross. Guys say it’s no big deal getting naked in front of one another. I don’t see it. I think I would throw up if I saw all that. You thought you were turned off to boys forever, yet you were starting a relationship with Bryan.”

“I really don’t think it would have gone anywhere. We were from two different worlds.”

“Yeah, sounds like it. I’m so glad I met you … all of y’all! The girls I grew up with have mostly married and/or moved away. It’s kind of difficult to make friends. You might not believe this, but I’m actually kind of shy.”

“Yeah, like you’re Plain Jane?”

“Oh, I guess my looks are passable.”

“Laura, from the first time I saw you I’ve been in awe of you. We don’t have a class system in this country, but if we did you would be ‘Royalty’. Look at me! I’m on a date with you? I feel so out of place! I’m on a date with a princess or a queen! It feels like a dream!”

“Sarah … wow! OK … maybe I’m not ‘Plain Jane’, but let’s not go too far the other way! My feelings about you and your family are kind of similar to what you just described. If you stop and think about your family you have to realize how awesome they are. Besides that, the ‘Queen’ declares them awesome!”

“I guess we have a ‘Mutual Admiration Society’.”

Laura leaned forward and looked from side to side as if she had an important secret to tell. She whispered, “Or a ‘Mutual Attraction Society’?”

“Laura, I think you got it!”

“Sarah, if you’re still not dating anyone, I’d like to know how you would feel about the two of us dating.”

“I would love it!”

“You would? Wow, here I was agonizing over whether I should even ask you.”

“Laura, I’m honored that you asked me. I’ve been in awe of you from the first time I saw you with your brother here in Floyd’s.”

She picked up her purse and opened it. “I have a little gift for you. I hope you’ll accept it as something to remember our first date.”

She handed me a tiny box, which I opened to find a necklace with a heart-shaped pendant. I picked it up to put it on and she stopped me and took the necklace. “Let me put it on you.” She got up from her chair, walked around behind me, put the necklace around my neck, and fastened it. While she was still behind me she put her hands on my shoulders and bent down to kiss me on the cheek. “I would kiss you on the lips, but not here in the restaurant. Some people are uncomfortable with PDA’s. I think they’re kinda gauche, anyway.”

I had never heard the acronym. “PDA’s?”

“Public displays of affection.”

I reached behind my neck to take off the necklace I had on already. “Laura, it’s beautiful! You didn’t need to do this!”

“It’s something I wanted to do. I wanted to get a special gift for someone who is special to me.”

“Thank you. I hope I’ve made you understand the way I feel about you. ‘Awe’ is only part of it. I’m so glad I ran into you in the dress shop. If I hadn’t, I would have wondered for the rest of my life, ‘Who was that beautiful girl?’ Laura, in addition to being in awe of you, I’m very attracted to you!”

“Then it’s definitely mutual. If we hadn’t met in the dress shop, I would have always wondered who that wonderful family was with the two beautiful daughters.”

“Laura, I won’t disagree with you at all about how wonderful my family is. We’re blessed beyond way beyond what we could expect to deserve.”

“I was devastated when I lost my parents, and it’s taking a long time to accept. I’m blessed that my father had enough insurance so that my brother and I could finish our education without being financially strained. The hardest thing I’ve had to deal with is the loneliness. I hope you don’t find me too ‘clingy’. School takes a lot of time, which is good, but sometimes the loneliness gets hard.”

So we talked. Talking with Laura was easy. All the while, I wondered when she was going to invite me to her apartment. Instead, after dinner she took me home, walked me to the door and kissed me goodnight. This was the kiss I had been anticipating, and it was everything I thought it would be. Laura was a proper lady, but she kissed me with passion. I was blushing after. “Laura, I don’t know what to say!”

“Oh, I’m sorry, I thought …. Sarah, you’re blushing! I’m so sorry. I’m such a fool. I totally misunderstood.”

I put my hand to my chest. “No, Laura, you didn’t misunderstand at all!” I put my arms around her neck. I loved that kiss, and I didn’t want it to end. I would say kiss me again, but I’d keep you here all night kissing if you let me.”

She smiled, “So it’s OK.”

“Laura, it’s more than OK! It’s wonderful! I think I lov ….”

“Shhh, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Goodnight, sweetie!”

Then she left and went home. I should have known that a first date with such a lady would not end in bed. I was almost ashamed to think it might.

Mom was in the living room working on her laptop. “How was your date?”

“Great! Laura is really cool!” I pulled my pendant out just a little to show her. “She had a gift for me.”

“Oh, that’s nice, but it looks expensive!”

“It probably is. That’s how she is.”

“So you like her.”

“Oh, yeah!”

“You’re versatile.”

“After Laura, I don’t see going out with guys. Mom, she so …! She so … something!”

“Wow! You like her a lot!”

“Mom, I think I love her!”

“You didn’t tell her you love her, did you?”

“Almost, but no. I know it’s too soon. I’ll wait a bit, then I’ll tell her.”

“The waiting is supposed to make up your mind. You sound like your mind is made up!”

“Yeah, it really is.”

“OK, we’ll see.”

“I see Lisa’s car is gone. Do you know where she is?”

“She’s studying with a girlfriend.”

“Oh, OK.”

I didn’t say anything, but Lisa did very little studying because she didn’t need to. I thought the word “girlfriend” was probably very appropriate in this case. She had likely ‘found’ someone and I was glad for my sweet little cousin. Now she wouldn’t be sitting at home during the time I would be spending with Laura. Her date wouldn’t be like mine, though. If she wasn’t in bed by a certain time, she would come home.

My mom wasn’t fooled by Lisa’s “homework” story. “One thing about you two,” she continued, “we probably won’t have a lot of men coming to visit.”

“Sorry, Mom.”

“No! Don’t be sorry. Neither of y’all is likely to come home pregnant, and your dad is plenty males for this house.”

“Cool! That’s the way I see it, too!”

I started toward my room and my cell phone buzzed.

“Hello, Lisa.”

“Hi, Sarah. I’m headed home, and I’m in love.”

“What’s her name?”

“Who said it’s a ‘her’?”

“What’s his name?”

“I didn’t say it was a ‘he’. I didn’t notice if it was a he or a she.”

“Lisa, you’re full of feces.”

“Wow, it sounds nasty when you use that instead of the‘s’ word.”

“What is his or her name?”

“Taylor.”

“That could be a male or a female.”

“That’s the last name.”

“Lisa. You’re trying to drive me crazy.”

“OK, it’s ‘Amy Taylor’.”

“Did y’all study?”

“Study?”

“Didn’t you go over there to study?”

“Oh, I did say that, didn’t I? You might say we studied Anatomy.”

“Oh, I know what that means.”

“I tell you the graphic details when I get home.”

“Do you have to?”

“I figure they’ll be interesting.”

“Oh. Not that again.”

“I’m pulling up at the house now. Meet me in the bedroom.”

I went into the bedroom and she soon followed. Her face was flushed. “Lisa, your face is red!”

“Still?” She pulled some pressed powder from her purse and proceeded to cover the red. “Well, when I got there, we went to her room. She said she hadn’t had a shower yet, so I told her I would wait. She called out from the bathroom ‘come in here a minute!’ I went into the bathroom and she asked, ‘Would you like a shower?’”

“It told her I would take a shower when she finished. You will never guess what she said!”

“She probably ….”

“She said, ‘Come on, there’s plenty of room in here!’”

“So, did you go into the shower with her?”

“Yeah. I didn’t want to be rude, so ….”

“Didn’t want to be rude … yeah, that’s the reason!”

“Well, I stripped and went into the shower with her. We washed each other’s backs and got really clean.”

The End

Dear Readers: Not really “The End”. I wouldn’t leave you hanging like this. I have decided to end the novel, “Rivers and Brooks”. I will continue to write about the girls and their family in short stories. This scene will be finished in the first short story and more short stories will follow.

I’m doing this because I’ve found that short stories are read much more than novels. I’ve been told that a possible reason for this is the fear that a novel will not be finished and will leave them hanging after they have invested quite a bit of time in it. I’m wondering if another reason is the pandemic of Attention Deficit Disorder. Some discount the idea that ADD is real, but I can tell you … what was I talking about? Oh, well, forget it!

Obviously, the girls have matured quite a bit during the novel. The short stories may be rated even more for “Mature Audiences” than the novel. These two girls, however, are not likely to get into anything kinky or illegal. Hopefully, they will entertain you, though.