by Laurie Ames
Helen walked into her house and pulled out a big blue vase to hold the lilacs. She breathed in deep the intoxicating scent, enjoying a bit of aromatherapy as she placed the big vase in the middle of the kitchen island. Helen thought back trying to remember the last time anyone had given her flowers. When you own a flower shop, they are the last thing people think you want, but actually if the truth be told, she always loved getting a beautiful bouquet. She always thought Toni had the most amazing green eyes and Helen was very much an eye person. If a person had nice eyes Helen was drawn into them—after all they are the windows to the soul. Helen decided she would take a coffee around to Toni's Health food store tomorrow and invite her over for her girl’s luncheon on Sunday, as a special thank you for the flowers.
As Helen sat at her kitchen island eating tuna casserole and sipping white wine, she stared at the lilacs that triggered memories from her past. Back to a time when she was a student at the California College of Arts in San Francisco, where she met Erin Varner, a fellow student. Helen had developed a very close relationship with Erin. They had shared a small apartment together on the top story of a house in San Francisco, located a ten-minute bike ride from the College. Erin and Helen were much more than just roommates, they were intimate lesbian lovers. Helen began to drift further back into these long past memories. These were precious memories that she has not shared with anyone in her present life except for her dear friend Lily. Lilly was also a lesbian, but not one to shout it from the roof tops. About three years ago Helen had gone to Lily's bed and breakfast at the Early Bird Inn to have dinner with Lily. They ended up having a great night filled with wine and laughs, during which Helen found herself revealing her past life to Lily, almost like a confession of sorts.
They exchanged stories, sometimes crying out loud but mostly laughing together in the same night. Helen had gotten pretty tipsy and had not been that drunk in many years. She begged Lily to keep her confession of her past life between the two of them. Just before Helen passed out on Lily's couch, Lily assured Helen that her secret would always be safe with her. Lily tucked her in with a comfy warm blanket, before making her own way to bed with a slightly wobbly step. The two of them never again discussed the secret Helen had revealed to Lily that night. Helen felt it was another time and another life that she wanted to keep in the past. If the truth be told, she knew deep down in her heart that she had never felt as much love and passion as she did with Erin. They kept their relationship secret and being two young women, they did not want to draw attention from unwanted sources. They were two women out exploring the world beyond the home front, both spreading their wings and learning how to fly solo in the big world beyond the comforts of home. Their friendship had soon blossomed far beyond just friends. Both Helen and Erin had hopes of one day becoming artists that would make their mark in the world of art. They enjoyed fanciful dreams of maybe owning an art studio together some day, teaching art classes, selling their art, and living happily ever after together. But this was not meant to be, Erin moved back to Toronto, Canada, where she was from, once school had ended.
And the long-distance relationship was not in the cards for them—they chose different paths down the road of life. Helen cherished the precious memories that she had of making passionate sweaty love with Erin, wrapped up together in sheer bliss, feelings of harmony oozing from their limbs, and the incredible orgasms, oh it felt so right at the time. It seemed like another lifetime ago, when she last heard Erin's bubbly laugh resonating through their apartment. It used to fill their home with a light warm feeling filling up all the rooms, making it a cozy home filled with love and joy. Hearing that laugh always filled Helen with comfort and a sense of bliss, she felt she was where she was meant to be—with Erin—nothing in her life ever felt that right again—until the birth of her daughter, Forest.
Helen began to try to convince herself that what she had with Erin was nothing more than a young woman sexually experimenting, it was nothing more—or was it? Helen knew deep within her sole that she had buried her sexual feeling towards women a long time ago, trying to deny that they existed, tuning them out. She had chosen to live the life of a straight woman, getting married, having a child, and now here she sits alone with her thoughts and her lilacs. Suddenly the phone begins to ring—drawing Helen out of her walk down memory lane and back into the present. “Hi Lily” replied Helen as she answered her phone.
“I hope I am not calling at a bad time” replied Lily.
“No you are not bothering me, I was just sitting here sipping on a glass of wine, finishing off my leftover tuna casserole, nothing exciting” Helen replied.
“I got your message for the girl’s luncheon on Sunday, I am just calling to say I am in, and I was going to make my Caesar salad with the homemade dressing you like—what do you think?” asked Lily.
“You know I can't turn down your Caesar salad, that is something I will look forward to munching on.”
“Okay now that I have bribed you with my salad offering, I was wondering if I could bring along a woman that is staying here, she is a photographer taking pictures of the area, for the travel magazine—Small Towns of America—have you heard of it?
“Yes I have heard of the magazine and yes you are more than welcome to bring your photographer, as your date” replied Helen with a grin.
“Thanks, I think you will like her—Molly Garth, she is so sweet, we really connect with each other. We actually started chatting on guess where—Golden Dates—believe it or not. I would like to introduce her to my best buddies, you know—introduce her to a couple of my favorite women—that live in the small towns of America.
“Well it sounds like the sooner I get myself up and running on that Golden Dates the better.”
They both shared a little laugh. “Have you spoken to Val yet?”
“No I haven't, but thanks for reminding me. I will give her a call tonight. I am happy to hear that you have found a companion Lily, I look forward to meeting Miss Molly on Sunday. I am also going to invite Toni—the woman that owns Green Living Health Food store. She came into the shop today and bought a bouquet of lilacs for her date, but that apparently got cancelled. When I got home, I found the bouquet on a chair on my front porch—she didn't want them to go to waste, so she left them for me. So, I am going to go over to her shop tomorrow and invite her over on Sunday as a thank you for the flowers” replied Helen. “Well it sounds like I am not the only one that is going to have a date on Sunday” replied Lily with a chuckle.
“Ha-ha you are too funny” remarked Helen. “All right I am going to let you go now, I have to go and make sure my cook (Ted) isn't burning the dinner for the guests, I will see you on Sunday, bye for now.” Helen exchanged good-byes with Lily and hung up her phone.
Chapter 3. The Girl's Luncheon
“So Molly how long have you been working as a photographer for the magazine?” asked Rita as she took a sip of her glass of red wine.
“My business partner and I have been publishing the magazine for five years now, James Deckler, is his name, he is a journalist by trade, we run out of Barre city, Vermont” replied Molly with a smile across the large patio table towards Rita.
“You are the owner of the magazine and paper? I am sorry, I didn't know” replied Rita with a smile.
“Yes, my business partner and I have been good friends for many years, since James and I were both young, working at the Chicago Tribune together. I remained at the Chicago Tribune, as a photographer, while James moved out to Barre years ago with his new bride at the time. Barre is the hometown of Ruth, Jame's wife. They met in Chicago when he was doing a piece on the Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art, where Ruth worked as a tour guide part-time while she was attending college. He found more than his story at the museum that day. So looking for a partner to start the magazine and paper with, he contacted me with his proposal, and the next thing I knew I was leaving Chicago and heading to a new city, Barre, Vermont, to begin a new life.
I first w
ent there for a weekend visit, staying with James and his family while he gave me the tour of the building, he was interested in buying with a partner to start the travel magazine—Small American towns, and a small local paper—The Barre City Herald. I fell in love with the state of Vermont, on that visit, especially Barre city. So, I went back to Chicago and called James a day later to say I was in. And well that's how I ended up in this neck of the woods” replied Molly as she smiled around the table at all the faces looking her way.
“I for one am certainly glad that you took James up on his offer—I say cheers to that business deal” replied Lily as she rose her glass in a toast, clanging glasses began chiming around the table.
“Molly with a slight blush on her cheeks thanked the other women for making her feel welcome at this wonderful girl's luncheon.
Lily announced that Molly had invited her to join her at a cottage “Wapanachee cottage” on Lake Morey for a week this summer. She talked about the lovely pics of it that Molly showed her on her laptop. The setting was lovely, and the cottage was huge, with four bedrooms, there was also a little guest cottage, and even a hot tub on the back deck facing onto the lake! Lily explained how Molly got such a good deal on it through a friend in Barre, who is a real estate agent—they had made a trade. In return for getting the cottage for a week, Molly is doing a photo shoot of real estate properties in and around Barre, for her friend, including the Wapanachee cottage, as Eve is going to be selling it as well. Lily was looking forward to getting a break from the Inn and having a change of scenery and spending some quality time with Molly. I think it would be a fun idea to do a girl's weekend at Lake Morey, there is certainly plenty of room for everyone. I will send the details of where and when and directions to Lily once I get it all set up. My friend Eve said it will probably be in late August when we will get use of the cottage. I would love for all of you to come and spend the weekend with us. Just bring yourselves—that includes you too Toni—take a couple of days away from your shop” replied Molly smiling over at Toni.
“Thanks so much for the invite, I really appreciate it” answered Toni softly as she took a sip of her Corona. It turned out that Molly and Toni were friends, when Toni used to work at “Gavin's Health Food Store” in Barre city, before she moved to Woodstock and opened her own store. They both spent a good amount of time laughing and sharing stories of their past—enjoying reminiscing with one another.
All the ladies were excited about the thought of getting together and spending not just a few hours together, but a whole fun filled weekend in each other’s company. Everyone seemed like they were looking forward to this girl's weekend at Morey Lake—all except one—Val. She was still being pretty quiet; it was as if her mind was elsewhere. No one wanted to push the issue in trying to get Val to spill the beans about what was on her mind—her close friends knew she would talk when she was good and ready. Val knew that her three best friends would be there for her if she needed them at a moment's notice. But for now, Val was keeping quiet. The other women thought maybe she was suffering from having an empty nest now that both her sons were off at college, and her husband Brian was often away because he was a long-haul truck driver, which would take him away for sometimes a week or more at a time. In the past her husband was caught picking up more than just the cargo for his truck—other women to be precise. But for some reason Val would forgive him or simply turn the other cheek in denial.
The women enjoyed dining on grilled chicken breast, grilled yams, with Lily's yummy Caesar salad, and Val's angel food cake with berries and whipped cream on top. Along with an assortment of cold refreshments to wash it all down with. Rita supplied them with some wine coolers, along with some bottles of corona that she knew the host was partial to. Toni had brought Helen a lovely gift basket that was made up of a great assortment of Herbal teas, including a couple of boxes of Helen's personal favorite, Bengal Tiger Spice Tea. As Helen began to clear away the dishes, Toni got up and gave her a hand to take them into the kitchen.
“There are the lovely lilacs you left for me, they make a great centerpiece for my kitchen island, but I'm sorry your date was cancelled” replied Helen as she started to rinse plates and place them into the dishwasher.
“Oh no worries, my blind date decided to give it another try with her ex-girlfriend” replied Toni smiling over at Helen as she leaned against the kitchen island. “What can I do for you to help you out?”
“Could you please go and ask the girls who wants another drink?”
“Sure, I will be right back, I am going to borrow your tray here—I am sure the girls must be getting thirsty” replied Toni as she headed towards the sliding doors to the deck.
“Hi ladies, I am taking orders for drinks—let me start with you Val—what can I get for you?” “I would love to have a citrus wine cooler, please” replied Val quietly. Toni went around the table gathering the various drink orders, and collecting empty glasses from the women, returning to Helen in the kitchen. She gave the list of drink orders and then proceeded to help Helen get the drinks prepared, then carried them out to the ladies using Helen's tray, with Helen following behind her sipping on a Corona.
“Well ladies I just want to thank the girls who put this lovely meal together, I am giving you all thumbs up on the grub and cheers to a great feast” replied Rita as she raised her glass, and once again glasses and bottles clanged in celebration of the successful meal. “Now girls I will tell you all about my big date night last-night—I know Helen has been dying to hear how it went. It started off really nice, Stan and I met at the restaurant, he was a real gentleman, pulling my chair out for me at dinner—opening doors—you know. Well as the night progressed, we left the restaurant and went to the bar in the Stanton hotel, where as it turns out we both had rooms there. There was a lounge singer singing some jazz tunes, so we danced a few times round the little dance floor and had a few more drinks and laughs. I then told him I was going to go up to my room and that I would love him to join me for a night cap in about half an hour. We were both like two school kids, I felt so pumped with excitement, Stan was such a fun and handsome man to be with, he really knew how to treat a lady! I rushed up to my room to slip into my new lilac colored lingerie gown and matching robe, and lovely heeled purple slippers that looked so adorable, but not so comfy. I got myself all fixed up and refreshed and waited for my date to arrive. When that knock on the door came my heart was racing—I jumped up and swung open the door to find my man Stan standing there before me in his pajamas and robe, holding a bucket with a bottle of champagne, two glasses, and a portable radio. He quickly entered my room and filled the room with compliments on how sexy I looked, as he poured us both a drink, plugged in his radio that he had playing some romantic smooth jazz. Well it wasn't long before we were twirling around the room dancing and laughing.”
“The next thing Stan stopped, he explained that he needed to take a Viagra pill before this went any further. I could tell he was a bit nervous, he had never taken them before, and it had been a long time since he had been romantically involved with a woman, his ex-wife to be specific. He started having problems in that area, which just added to the problems him and his ex-wife had, they just stopped trying to have sex. That was of course before the super drug Viagra was around.”
“So Stan took his passion pill and we got busy in the bed, if you know what I mean—well we were on fire, our warm bodies joined together in the heat of passion and becoming very hot and sweaty. For such a large man Stan was surprisingly gentle, worrying that he was hurting me with that giant penis of his and asking me if I was okay. I let him know I was more than okay—!” The girls were laughing through Rita's descriptive story. “We got it on—rolling around among the sheets all night long. It was all great until.... Stan’s man part would not go down—it was still standing erect the next morning. The poor man was in total stress—we finally had no choice but to call an ambulance for Stan. He was wheeled out of the hotel with his sheets pointing up to the sky in a mo
st obvious way—declaring, what was underneath them. I followed him to the hospital, eventually the poor man was all sorted there and things got back to normal—if you know what I mean. We were both so embarrassed by the whole event I don't know if there is going to be a second date with Stan the man and his big pointy part” Rita replied as she burst into laughter along with the other women at the table. “Well speaking of dates and dating—Helen why don't you go and get your laptop, and I will help you to set up your Golden Date profile—I am sure there is a Viagra filled man out there for you too!” replied Rita as she continued to laugh.
“That sounds so enticing, I just can't wait to get up and running, I am missing out on all the fun and excitement by the sounds of it” replied Helen as she stood and made her way into the house to fetch her laptop.
This was just about the time that Toni stood up and gave thanks for the lovely luncheon, but now she was going to make her way to her shop to do some sorting in her store room. Helen walked Toni out to the front and thanked her once again for coming. “Are you sure you don't want me to phone Kyle—he not only deliveries my flowers, but he is the town taxi service along with his friend Liam, I guess they went into the taxi business last fall together” replied Helen with a soft smile.
“No I am actually looking forward to the walk to the shop, it is such a lovely day for one. I did want to ask you if you would be interested in doing six small sized paintings for me, of flowers, for my shop—well at any rate I will stop in and take you for lunch next week—what about next Friday—why don't we discuss it then?” asked Toni with a grin.