Before Ryan knew what hit her, Jordan had jumped into her arms, and it was only her quick reflexes that allowed her to catch her teammate. The long, lean legs wrapped around Ryan's waist, as the blonde repeatedly thrust her arm into the air in triumph. Ryan gave her an enthusiastic squeeze, but patted her back after just a few seconds. "We have to be good sports, Jordan. Hop down so we can shake hands."
"I like it up here," she said with a joyful grin on her face. "Now I know how Shaquille O'Neal feels."
A rather firm slap on the butt got her to release her hold, and they politely shook hands with their vanquished opponents. Ryan stood near the center of the court and let the bright lights warm her for a moment as her teammates streamed into the locker room. She lifted her head and gazed all around the gym, just trying to soak up the moment. As her eyes traveled around, they landed on a thin, dark-haired woman who was watching her intently. As soon as Ryan looked at her, the woman rose from her seat and walked quickly towards the exit. Sara! She was pleased to see her old friend, but puzzled to see her in the stands. Guess I'll find out what's going on after I change.
The celebration continued into the locker room, where everyone took showers for a change since they were all going to the party. Jamie told Ryan that she would leave as soon as the game was over, but that she needn't be in a rush to leave. They played around in the open shower area, teasing and congratulating each other with much more enthusiasm than usual. It soon became clear that no one wanted to leave the protective environment of the team, so Ryan finally reminded them that there was a house full of food and drink just waiting for them. That did the trick, as they all dashed out of the room and began fighting over hair dryers.
Most of the women had brought street clothes to wear to the party. Since they had all taken their hair out of the restrictive ponytails or braids that they normally wore, they looked like an entirely different group of women when they showed up at the already hopping celebration.
Ryan immediately noticed that some of the cousins were paying rapt attention as they came in, but she had no intention of discouraging them. The boyos could do a lot worse than these women, she thought sagely, her fondness for her teammates having grown with each game.
As soon as she spied her, Jamie rushed over to congratulate Ryan. Jordan was also the recipient of a kiss from Jamie, but Ryan could see her looking around for a friendlier version as soon as Jamie pulled away. Moments later, Mia came scampering up. She took Jordan by the hand and started to lead her into the library, informing her friends, "I have to give her a private congratulations for her stellar play." Her sexy grin left no doubt that the private talk would go on for a while, so Ryan went into the kitchen to help Jamie with the food.
They had decided to order in rather than cook themselves, so Jamie had secured trays of cold cuts and platters of antipasto from Ryan's favorite, Lucca Deli in Oakland. She was pleased beyond words when they went into the kitchen to find that her Aunt Deirdre had baked a massive sheet cake and decorated it with a large rendition of a volleyball, the dark blue 'Cal' script outlined in gold. "This is gorgeous!" she cried as she gave her grinning aunt a hug. Her Aunt Deirdre had been the family baker all of Ryan's life, and her skills had been embellished in direct proportion to the massive numbers of cakes required in a family that commemorated every occasion with one.
Her aunt blushed a little as she gazed reflectively at her creation. "It's not bad at all," she agreed. "And with a slight modification, I can use the design for basketball in a few months!"
Ryan made her way around the room, welcoming every relative. When she reached the chairs in front of the library, she was stunned to see Jennie talking seriously with Catherine. As soon as Jennie spied her, she came over and hugged her tightly.
"I had no idea you were coming tonight!" Ryan cried as she gave her a firm squeeze. "How did you get here?"
"Jamie called me yesterday and asked if I wanted to come. She stopped by and got me on the way over. It was so much fun, Ryan," she said animatedly. "It was really cool to see you guys play!"
"With all of those tall O'Flahertys, I didn't see you. I'm really glad you got to come," she said sincerely. Checking her watch, she queried, "Do you have permission to be out after curfew?"
"Yes, Ryan," she said dutifully. "Mrs. Evans was just going to give me a ride home."
She bent down to kiss her young friend and asked, "Do you have plans for Thanksgiving?"
"Kind of." Her smile faded as she finished her thought. "My mom won't let me come home. The other girls can't go home either, so we're having turkey for dinner at the house."
"That won't cut it, small fry. You're coming to my house. I'll call your housemother in the morning and tell her I'll be up to get you at around 10:30. I've got to leave for Colorado by three, but one of my brothers will take you home, okay?"
"Like I'd say no to that?" she asked, her sweet face beaming up at her friend. She tossed her small arms around Ryan's waist and said, "It'll be so nice not to get yelled at on Thanksgiving."
Ryan and Jamie made their way around the room, chatting with each relative and teammate for a few minutes. There were so many in attendance that Catherine had returned by the time they were finished. "Good party, eh, Catherine?" Ryan asked as she joined her on the loveseat.
"Excellent as usual, Ryan. I've been to some pretty impressive parties, but I never have more fun than I do when I'm with your family."
"Well, I'll let you in on a little secret," she whispered as she leaned over to speak into her ear. "Our parties weren't much fun at all until you started attending. You're the key."
Catherine gave her a little kiss on the cheek and said, "You are such a sweetheart, Ryan. I don't think I'll ever be sure if Jamie's really a lesbian or if your charms were just too much to resist."
"I guess it doesn't really matter, Catherine, because I'm going to keep her too occupied to even consider that question for the rest of her life."
"You're pretty confident of that, aren't you?" she asked, her eyes focusing sharply on Ryan.
"Yes. There's not a doubt in my mind," she admitted. "Some things you just know, Catherine." She looked at the still thoughtful expression on her motherin-law's face and asked, "Did you feel that way about Jim?"
The blonde head shook slowly as she admitted, "I wasn't nearly as mature as you and Jamie are now, Ryan. Jim was my first serious boyfriend, and I don't think I had any idea how I should have felt."
"What about now?" Ryan asked, sensing that Catherine wanted to talk.
She laughed, with a touch of derision in her voice. "I suppose I should be as mature as you are now, but I'm not sure that I am," she admitted. "I know I have a deep bond with Jim, but I'm quite sure I don't feel what you feel for Jamie." She sighed heavily and leaned her head back against the sofa. "I don't know if it's possible to be optimistic when you've had as many betrayals and disappointments as we have had, Ryan. I think I have to be willing to accept less."
"I don't like the sound of that, Catherine," Ryan admitted. "How can you open yourself fully to someone that you don't trust?" She scooted to the edge of the cushion so that she could turn and face her motherin-law. "Being completely vulnerable with Jamie is what makes it possible for us to really love one another, Catherine. I hate to think of you setting yourself up in a situation where you think you have to settle for less than that. You really don't!" Her eyes were burning with intensity as she said, "You are a fantastic woman, Catherine! Any man with an iota of sense would realize that, and do whatever he had to do to convince you that he loved you. You deserve--no, it's your birthright--to be loved completely. Please don't settle for less."
Catherine nodded slowly, touched that her daughter-in-law cared enough for her to feel so strongly about this. "I think I know that, Ryan. Sometimes I lose track of what my needs are, but I think I'm doing better in this area. I won't go back to Jim unless I can trust him. It's just not worth it." She looked at Ryan for a long minute, her hand lifting to gently stroke her flu
shed cheek, "I swear you are the best thing to ever happen to our family."
"I know I'm partial, but I think Jamie's the best thing to happen to your family," she teased. "But speaking of family, when can I pick you up on Thursday?"
"Ryan, I give in to nearly every one of your demands, but I'm putting my foot down this time. I'll drive myself, dear, and I promise to behave and not drink too much."
"That's not why…"
"I know you care about me, but I'd feel better if I drove. I know you and Jamie have to leave early for your road trip, and I don't want any of your brothers to have to chauffeur me."
"Okay," Ryan said, seeing that Catherine was adamant about this. "We'll see you on Thursday then."
"What time should I come?"
"You know, Catherine, I think it's about time I let you in on another secret. We don't have starting times for our parties--I just make them up for you. When people feel like being around each other, they head on over. That's the best I can tell you." She shrugged her broad shoulders and gave Catherine a helpless look.
"All right," she chuckled, "but I should warn you that I might be there while you're still in your pajamas."
"Not a problem," Ryan laughed. "I'll give you a key!"
Everyone with a job wandered off a little after eleven, but most of the volleyball team was still dancing at midnight. There were enough hands remaining to make the clean-up move quickly, and by 12:30 the place was presentable again. Ryan's teammates finally got the hint and started to walk to their respective homes. Conor offered to give a ride to two of the women who lived a bit farther out, and after enthusiastic thank yous and goodbyes, the last of the guests sauntered out at 12:45.
Jamie switched off the kitchen light as she grasped Ryan's hand to make their way towards the stairs. They turned off the lights in the parlor as they rounded the corner, and were about halfway up the stairs when they heard a small crash and a loud string of profanity coming from the kitchen.
Ryan flicked the lights back on and ran back downstairs to find her cousin Dermot jumping on one foot as he held the other in both of his hands. "What's the idea of turning off the lights?" he demanded irately.
"Umm, everybody's gone, Dermot. Everyone except you and Amy," she pointed out as her teammate blushed furiously. "Did you come with your parents?"
"No, I rode over with Dec. Liam and Padraig came in Liam's car. Either Declan assumed I was with the others, or he ditched me!" he said indignantly.
"No problem. You can borrow my car. I'll be home tomorrow afternoon, so I can pick it up then."
"Aw jeez, Ryan, I hate to take your car," he muttered.
"It's fine, Dermot. Amy could use a lift anyway, right?"
"Yeah. It's about three miles. That's a little far at this time of night."
"You haven't had much to drink, have you, Dermot?" his cousin asked.
"Well, I hadn't planned on driving, so I had quite a few…" he admitted.
"I didn't drink at all," Amy said brightly. "I could take you home."
"You two work out your own plans," Ryan said, as she tossed her keys to Amy. "Just don't drive my car if you've been drinking, and call your mother if you're not going home," she commanded her cousin.
Now it was Dermot's turn to blush, but Amy wasn't far behind. "Thanks, Ryan," he said gratefully. "You're a lifesaver."
"My pleasure," she insisted. "Have fun, you two," she smiled as she gave them both hugs.
Ryan saw them out the front door and locked up again. By the time she got up to her room, Jamie was already in bed. "Dermot and Amy?" she gaped, her mouth wide open.
"Yep. Surprised the hell out of me too."
"Well if you can't get the prize of the O'Flaherty clan, Dermot's not a bad choice," she mused.
"Aw, am I really the prize?" Ryan asked as she climbed onto the bed fully clothed.
"No, but Maeve won't let your father go…" she'd started to say when the full-scale tickle assault caused her to lose her ability to speak.
"Ouch!" Ryan cried as she flopped back down onto her pillow. "What in the heck?" She stuck her hand under the pillow to pull the hard object out from beneath it. "What is this?" she asked with a quizzical look at her partner, pulling the leather-covered book onto her lap.
"Open it and see," Jamie said as her face turned up into a grin.
Ryan did so, enormously pleased to find that Jamie had made her a scrapbook of the entire volleyball season. She had included the small articles about each game that had appeared in the campus newspaper as well as the tiny snippets from the Chronicle. She had also included the roster from each game that she had attended, along with her ticket stub. Ryan was delighted to note that her partner had even gone to the trouble of obtaining the press release from the NCAA that announced Ryan's selection as the student athlete for the month of October. The facing page showed the attractive certificate they had sent her commemorating the event.
A nice 8x10 of the entire team took up one page, but the rest of the pages were filled with candid shots that Jamie had taken in the locker room and at the post-game parties at their house.
"I'll add the pictures from this party when I have them developed," she said from over Ryan's shoulder.
Ryan was slowly shaking her head as she surveyed the neat book. "You are the most thoughtful woman in the world," she murmured as she set the book down and pulled Jamie into her arms. "I've never kept things from my teams, and I find they just all mesh together in my mind. It'll really be nice to look back on this in future years and remember how special this group of women was."
"I'm glad you like it," Jamie said as she gave her a few sweet kisses.
"I love it. And I love you," she said, pushing her down for a proper thank you.
On Wednesday morning, Catherine was watching C-SPAN in what was becoming a new ritual for her. She had never had much interest in Jim's legal career, but her family had always been very involved in politics, and she had grown up being very aware of the importance that government held in her life. Since Jim was now serving at the highest level of government, she found her interest sparked once again, and she had taken to reading more and staying much more cognizant of the affairs of the Senate.
She was particularly interested since Jim had called her the previous evening to say that one major piece of business was scheduled before the Senate went on its extended break. He was planning on speaking against a bill that would solve part of the budget crisis by slashing funding for the National Endowment for the Arts, one of Catherine's favorite programs. She could tell how excited he was to be able to address an issue that was important to her, and she had promised that she would be watching when he got the opportunity to speak.
Having risen extra early to be sure she didn't miss anything, she smiled into her coffee as the junior Senator from California rose to speak. He looked particularly handsome, wearing a dark blue, chalk-stripe suit with a white shirt and a blue and green rep tie she had purchased for him. He spoke quite eloquently, and she smiled as she considered that some of his points were actually her own-things she had mentioned when they spoke on the phone. My God! He's trusted my opinion on this enough to use my words as his own!
She was so taken aback by this completely uncharacteristic behavior that it took her a minute to place the young red-headed woman that came up to his desk and handed him a paper, obviously feeding him some statistics that his staff wanted him to be sure to mention. Catherine blinked slowly, finally closing her eyes as the unbearably sharp pain of betrayal once again lanced her heart.
Pushing the coffee cup away, she crossed her arms and lay her head down upon them, too drained to even force herself to go upstairs. Marta passed by but didn't say anything, honoring their long-standing but unspoken agreement. She was always interested and always available to discuss any matter that Catherine chose, but Marta did her best not to interfere or intrude on her employer's privacy. Even that day, when every empathetic part of Marta wanted to find out what was wrong and help if she could
, she maintained her respectful distance.
After a long while, Catherine rose from the kitchen table and went upstairs to her office. It took her a few minutes, but she found the papers she was looking for. She sat down at her desk and composed herself as much as she could, and then with a shaking hand she uncapped her fountain pen and signed her name to the petition for divorce.
At the close of Senate business, Jim strolled into his office, whistling a tune as he passed his secretary. "Has the messenger delivered my tickets yet?" he asked.
"Yes, sir. They came just a few minutes ago. Will you need me to order a limo from the airport?"
"No, no thanks. My wife will pick me up." He smiled at the sound of that-very much liking being able to rely on Catherine again. "Will you get her on the phone for me?"
"Certainly."
He walked into his office and loosened his tie, then sank down into his large leather chair and pulled out the bottom drawer. Hooking his heels onto the wood, he leaned back in his chair and hit the speakerphone when his secretary buzzed him. "Cat?" he asked, his voice brimming with excitement.
"Yes." That was all she said…just one word…but he knew something was terribly wrong. He picked up the phone and asked, "What's wrong, honey?"
"I signed the divorce papers today, Jim. A messenger picked them up a few minutes ago. I assume you'll be served some time next week." Her voice was eerily flat, completely devoid of the warmth and affection she had evinced just the night before.
"WHAT! Cat! How can you… Why would you…?"
"I must compliment you for making things easy for me this time, Jim. At least this time I had the evidence right in front of me. It never dawned on me that I'd see your mistress on C-SPAN, but I suppose I should be happy that it happened now rather than after this weekend. Having you want to come and surprise Jamie seemed like such a nice thing…I had the illusion that we were becoming a family again," she said softly, her voice becoming ragged with emotion.
Journeys - SF10 Page 25