by Tey Holden
Kate placed her arms around Jo’s neck. “I hate to disagree. You look good in any color.” When Kate kissed her, Jo grinned. “I always thought myself very lucky for reeling you in, but I know one day someone will stop by and say something like ‘ah, yes, Jo McCallister, there are a couple of statues of her at West Point, and now we’re looking into building a third somewhere near the Pentagon.’”
Jo laughed. “No, baby. I assure you there are no statues.”
“Well, just the same. If that Lorraine ever shows up to claim you—.”
“There’s nothing to claim here. I’m very taken, in heart and soul.” Jo held Kate’s gaze, wrapped her arms around her waist, and kissed her, wondering if there was any doubt in Kate’s mind that she belonged to anyone else but her.
“You’ll also be happy to know that the pay is very good.”
“Really?”
“Yes. It’s a federal government job with all sorts of benefits. They said that they don’t have anything to match what would be my Army pay, but I think we could get by on $96,000 a year for the next four years. What do you think?” Jo said sarcastically.
“Are you kidding me?” Kate opened her eyes in shock.
“No, they’re offering me a GS-14. The next grade up is a GS-15, but that’s the Director’s grade. I’ll be the project supervisor.”
“Oh, my God!” She threw her arms around Jo’s neck and then took her hands and danced around with her.
Jo grinned. “I told you we could do this. Let’s call a taxi and go to a fancy restaurant in town to celebrate.”
“Wow, I’m still stunned. I can’t even think!”
Jo wrapped her arms around her. “We’ve only just begun, baby.” Kate snuggled to her, and her eyes filled with tears. “Why the tears?”
“Happy tears, just happy tears.” They hugged. “When do you have to report to work?” Kate asked.
“I know you have to be in Nashville early July, so I told them I could start right around then. So, that means we should head that way and be there in June, to have time to—.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll get on it. I’ll look for a campground where we can rent by the month.”
“Katie, we can’t live in the RV while you’re attending school. Just look for a place where we can stay a month or so until we find a place near campus. I’d like us to be walking distance to school because I know you will have to put in long hours, and you shouldn’t waste time commuting.”
“What about the RV?”
“We’ll store it somewhere until we decide what to do with it.”
“You’re not planning on selling it, are you?”
“If we’re not going to use it, I think we should think about selling it. It’s a machine, and if it’s not used it will go bad, plus we can get good money for it if we sell it now. We can almost pay one year’s tuition with what we get from it.”
“You asked me to wait on selling the ranch, can I ask you to wait on selling the RV? Just for a little while?”
Jo didn’t see a point arguing about the RV. It was obvious that it held sentimental value for Kate and that it was too soon to move away again from yet another loved thing. Eventually, she too, would realize that keeping it did not make sense once they got into their work and study routine. But for now, it was okay to keep it for a little longer. “Sure, there’s no need to rush into anything, and whatever we decide to do with it will not be my decision only. We’ll decide together. Plus, we still have time to enjoy it. I think we can continue our trip up the coast of California and then head back inland. How’s that for a plan?”
“Awesome! Let’s plan the route tonight after we come back from our celebration dinner.”
Jo laughed, thrilled to see the very budget-conscientious Kate, all of a sudden, forget all her financial worries. “Yes, time to celebrate. Let me make a reservation.”
Jo made the reservation, and they took a taxi to one of the upscale restaurants near the shore. After dinner, they walked along the boardwalk by the shore. Kate had worn a green/blue halter-top dress that brought out the green in her eyes. Her exposed tanned shoulders in contrast with the color of her eyes could only be matched to the sandy beach and the turquoise colors of the ocean behind them. Jo was mesmerized most of the night looking at her. “I have no idea when you bought that dress, but you look like a goddess.”
Kate grinned. “I can tell you like it by the way you’ve been looking at me all night. I don’t own many dresses. I got this one in Phoenix. I thought there might be a special occasion to wear it. I guess I was right. You look pretty awesome yourself.”
“Thank you, and if I may clarify, it’s not so much the dress. The dress only accentuates the gorgeous woman wearing it.” Jo stopped and pulled Kate closer to her. “You take my breath away, Ms. Nolan.”
“I know what you mean. I’m on fire just looking at you, Ms. McCallister.”
Jo chuckled. “There’s not much to a pair of tan pants and a black short-sleeve blouse.”
“Precisely my point, I wasn’t talking about the outfit.” Kate combed back a few strands of Jo’s hair that had come loose with the wind. Jo stopped and pulled Kate to her.
“I think we better hurry back to the RV. I have a fire to put out.” Jo said, her eyes burning with desire.
Kate laughed. “I’m glad we had a good dinner, it’s going to take a while to put out a certain fire tonight.”
***
Even after the extended night of passionate love, Jo had trouble disentangling herself from Kate’s arms in the morning. “Good morning,” she said radiantly, still basking on the previous night’s deeds. As she tried to pull away from the bed, Kate wrapped her arms around her and pressed her body against hers.
“Where are you going, lover girl?”
Jo grinned. She loved to see Kate enthralled in passion and holding on to her. “Mad Rabbit, I’m going to make breakfast. Are you hungry?”
Kate kissed her shoulder blade and replied. “Yes, very.”
“I thought so. Last night was pretty intensive.”
“Any complaints?” Kate asked.
“That word does not exist in my dictionary.” She kissed her again.
“Good. I don’t think I can improve on that performance.” Kate cuddled to the loving arms around her and then looked up to the face of the woman she loved.
“There’s no improvement possible,” Jo said and Kate kissed her passionately trying still to pull her down to the bed with her. “Baby, if you keep this up, there will be no breakfast.”
“Okay, go. I need food, and I need to go to the bathroom.”
When breakfast was ready, Kate poured coffee for the two of them and sat down to eat the food that Jo had just placed on the table.
They ate quietly at first since they were both starving. After they had filled their bellies, they talked about the trip. “Hey, why don’t we skip LA and drive straight to Sequoia and Yosemite National Parks and then head back inland and start the trek towards Nashville,” Jo said while clearing the plates off the table.
“Sounds good, but after we leave Yosemite, can we check out Napa?” Kate asked as she got up to get the map from the passenger seat pocket. “Here, let’s plan the rest of the trip.” Kate opened the map on the table. “Let’s see. After Sequoia, we can head for the coast again and go up to Big Sur, then Monterey and then Napa and Sonoma. On the way back inland, we can stop at Tahoe and Yosemite. That makes for an awesome trip.”
“Yes, that sounds great,” Jo said.
“I still feel bad that we can’t continue to Alaska!” Kate pouted.
“It will all be there, waiting for us, when you’re done with school.”
***
After a wonderful trip to all the places they had talked about, they finally arrived in Nashville early in June. Jo was the type that needed to have everything in place before starting any task.
As planned, they looked for the closest campground available near the city. From there, they started making the n
ecessary arrangements to secure more adequate living arrangements and a storage facility for the RV.
A week later, through a realtor, they found a two-bedroom house only a few blocks away from the medical campus. It was an older house that had been renovated.
“I knew it was going to be something like this because it’s what’s available around the university. However, this house is much better compared to where I lived before.” Kate tried to add a positive note. “We can even store the RV in the back, so that will save us money,” she added, trying to convince Jo that the place was okay.
“It’s too small,” Jo said.
“It’s bigger than the RV. It has two bedrooms. We could make the smaller bedroom into an office, and I could study there.”
Jo liked Kate’s idea. “We’re going to need two cars. It’s not close enough for you to walk,” Jo added.
“Well, let’s not go crazy on the car matter, and let’s just get one car and see how we do. You can drop me off in the mornings, and then I’ll call you to come and get me in the evenings.”
“Kate, I’ll be at work until at least five in the evening. What if you need to come home before I get off work?”
“I doubt it. I’ve told you my hours will be long, and if I needed to come home early, I could always take the bus, I’m sure it’s only a few stops away. Don’t worry about any of that because it’s not going to happen. I think I may be coming home much later than you.” Kate pursed her lips sadly, knowing that such would be the case.
“Do you really like it? The lease is for one year. If we find something better later, we can move.”
“Jo, let’s take it. Look, the appliances are new and, I like the counter between the kitchen and the dining area.” Kate talked while going around the living room. “It’s cute and has everything we need.” She looked at Jo and smiled.
“Okay! If you like it, let’s do it then.”
After signing the lease, they shopped for the essential furnishings for their bedroom and living room. Once they moved in, the furniture arrived, and they began to shop for accents and details to make the house feel more like home.
“I think it’s taking shape. We’ve come a long way, baby. Haven’t we?” Jo asked.
“Yes, but I have always been happy along the way,” Kate replied, taking in her surroundings as a whole.
“Come here, I want to show you something,” Jo called her to the small passage from the kitchen to the end of the hallway.
“What is it?”
“Ta-da!” Jo opened the sliding closet doors to reveal the washer and dryer. Kate laughed.
“At least now we get to do our laundry at home. All you’re going to have to worry about is studying. I’ll take care of everything else.”
“Is that what you think it’s going to happen?” Kate asked seriously.
Jo never liked Kate’s serious look because she knew she had stepped into trouble. “Well, I just want to make it easy for you so that you can have time to study.”
“And the fact that you’ll be working you ass off all day long doesn’t count?”
Jo was quiet. “It’s different.”
“I don’t see the difference. We’ll both cook, clean, do laundry, and groceries.”
“Okay.” Jo was smart enough to know when arguments were pointless. Time would determine the daily affairs. She let this one go to placate Kate, who obviously needed to feel like she was contributing in one way or another.
***
Jo started her new job on the same day that Kate began medical school. On that day, Jo arrived home around six in the evening and began preparing their dinner. Kate arrived about an hour later. When she arrived, Jo was in the living room watching the news on the television.
“Hello!”
Jo got up and kissed her. “Dr. Nolan, what are you doing home? I was waiting for you to call me to pick you up. How did you get here?”
Kate placed her backpack on the dining table and looked in the pots on the stove. She took a spoon and tasted the beef. “Umm, yummy! It so happens that there is a free bus for students. It brings me to the corner, and the ride is about ten minutes long. Can we eat already? I’m starving.”
“Sure, I thought you would be getting home later, and I already ate, but let me warm that up for you.”
“No, don’t worry, I’ll do it.”
“I tried to leave earlier, but there seemed to be no end to the lecture. Next time, I’ll just get up and leave. I’m sorry, baby.”
“Why would you do that? You stay as long as you need, and I’ll come to pick you up. I’d rather do that than have you take a bus if it’s late,” Jo said in a serious tone.
“I don’t like being late when I know you’re at home.” Kate sat to eat once her meal was reheated.
“Well, that’s going to have to change. You’ll need to accept that we have different schedules now. We both knew that your schedule would be crazy. So we adapt. You need to do what you need to do, whatever it takes. I don’t want you to feel rushed or to feel that you have to do this or that here.” Jo came and sat with her. “There will be times when my work will also require me to put in extra hours. It’s all right. The important thing is that at the end of the day, we come home and we share time together, even if it’s just to cuddle in bed and sleep. This may be a tough time in our lives, but we’ll get through it together.” Jo cupped her chin and kissed her. “Eat now. Whoever gets home first makes dinner, or orders out. If my job or your classes keep us out late, we text each other, and that’s that. And if you’re in the middle of an open heart surgery, don’t bother to text,” Jo teased.
“Stop it!” Kate got up and kissed her. “What did I ever do to deserve you is beyond me, Jo McCallister, but I adore you.”
“Are we going to talk while you eat dinner, or is this going to be another mad rabbit take over?” Jo asked, grinning.
“Let me eat first. Your mad rabbit needs nourishment. We can save the talking for after our mad rabbit frenzy.”
“I like your plan. One day of school, and look how much smarter you’re already!” Jo kidded.
***
As expected, life became hectic. Kate’s hours were long, and Jo preferred to put extra time at work rather than go home to an empty house. The extra time she put in worked to her advantage because she was always ahead on her work.
Jo had a supervisory position, which meant that she had to deal with the administrative matters of her office in addition to all the technical duties of engineering. She also had to travel to different locations to inspect projects, and occasionally had to attend seminars and conferences.
Kate’s world revolved around her classes, study hours, study groups, and later with the clinical aspects of her chosen career. Study sessions were long and were often all-nighters. Sometimes they were at the university library and other times at someone’s home. The home sessions were so long that people would crash wherever they were studying. These usually happened when there was an upcoming test.
Kate hated to tell Jo that she would be out for the night. It just didn’t feel right even though Jo reassured her that it was all right. To make Kate feel better, Jo surprised her by rearranging the house. She moved the sofa and chair in the living room to the small bedroom and bought L shaped sofas for the living room, so that anyone wanting to stay could sleep there overnight.
When Kate called to tell her that she was coming home early, Jo was waiting for her by the door.
“What’s going on? Are you hiding someone in there?” Kate asked in jest.
“Nope, I just have a surprise for you.” Jo grinned.
“What are you up to, my little devil? Are you not wearing any underwear?”
“Now, why didn’t I think of that?” She laughed.
When Kate walked inside, she was surprised. “What’s this?
“Your very own study area where you can have your study groups over and hold your sessions. What do you think?”
“Oh, Jo, it’s amazing!” Sh
e turned and hugged her.
“I thought you might need more sitting and sleeping areas for people to be comfy and stay overnight.”
Kate said nothing and kept her arm around Jo’s waist. “I hadn’t had the group over because I didn’t want you to arrive home or be home and have the house full of people you don’t know. I remembered what you said about Lorraine and her parties.
“Studying is not a party, plus I have our room to go to and read, watch TV, work, or sleep. I don’t even need to come out to the bathroom because we have a bathroom in the room. And about having strangers over, let’s solve that problem. This weekend invite your study group over. I’ll make chili and cornbread, and I’ll start to get to know them. How’s that?”
“That would be awesome.”
“And don’t ever compare yourself to Lorraine, please. Her parties were filled with people drinking and doing drugs. You will be studying here with your friends. That’s as different as heaven and hell. I also like the idea that you’re here, at home, and not somewhere else.”
Kate smiled and kissed her. “Are you sure?” Jo said nothing and raised an eyebrow. “Okay, okay. I’ll invite them.”
Over the years, their home became the center of their world and also the home base of all the study groups. Jo developed a unique camaraderie with Kate’s friends, and often cooked for them when they were swamped with schoolwork. Everyone loved Jo and the way she loved and cared for Kate.
When it was study time, everybody retreated to his or her respective areas. There were many times when Jo went to bed alone, and Kate would join her hours later after everyone had either left or crashed on the living room sofas for the night. When she came to bed, Kate would fall asleep the minute her face touched the pillow but never before she had snuggled to Jo. No matter how tired she was, she always craved Jo’s warmth. Jo either took her in her arms or spooned her. There were other times when, although late and tired, they still found time to make love with Kate falling asleep immediately after.
Before leaving for work in the mornings, Jo always made a huge pot of coffee. She always left the house smiling, seeing what she called ‘the corpses on the sofas.’ It became customary for her to bang the door closed as she left as a wake-up call for everyone.