by Jay, Donna
The spiel was so out of character, Kelly couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Her mouth fell open. “You didn’t?”
“Nah, I didn't tell her about your warts. They're safe with me.”
Even though Nicole meant well, her comment wiped the smile off Kelly’s face. What if Kelly had caught an STD? The woman she went down on could’ve been a player. It would explain why she hadn’t resisted Kelly’s advances.
“That’s not funny, girlfriend. What if I caught something nasty?”
“You mean like the flu?”
“No, I mean Chlamydia, genital warts, or worse.”
Compassion flashed in Nicole’s eyes. “Oh, honey. I’m so sorry.” She squeezed Kelly’s hand, her touch warm and comforting. “Come on, let’s figure this out.”
After changing out of her jeans and into a lilac mini-dress, Kelly met Nicole in the living room.
The small fan in the corner did little to lower the temperature. Not that it mattered. Kelly loved the warmer months, and even if she didn’t, right then, the heat was the least of her worries.
Kelly lit a lavender scented incense stick and inhaled deeply before dropping into the chair with her name on it. Not literally, of course, but the one she took from her childhood home, with her mother’s blessing.
With the click of a button the room fell silent. Nicole tossed the stereo remote on the coffee table and levelled her gaze on Kelly. “Okay, let’s start with who we can cross off the list.”
Without thought, Kelly replied, “Murray, he was outside the bathroom.”
Amusement danced in Nicole’s eyes. “Right, and unless you’ve changed teams, I think we can safely rule out all men who attended the party. Agreed?”
“Agreed.” Kelly returned Nicole’s smirk. “The only penis I saw last night belonged to your boyfriend.”
Nicole’s eyes went wide, then she shook her head and laughed. “I told him to put some pants on.” She pointed to her eyes. “Focus. Next person.”
“Grace, one of Paula’s boarders. She was out photographing a wedding.”
“How late are photographers supposed to stay at a wedding reception?” Nicole asked. “Isn’t it possible she arrived home and you didn’t see her? Perhaps she slipped inside and went straight to bed.”
“It’s possible,” Kelly replied, unsure why she hadn’t thought of that.
“You’d been drinking, right?’ Nicole asked.
“Correct.”
“Is there any chance you snuck into the wrong room?”
Needing a minute to think, Kelly took a swig of her juice. The cool liquid sat in the pit of her stomach like a block of ice. A slither of doubt crept up her spine.
Glancing at the ceiling as if a movie was playing across it, she pictured the three doors opposite the bathroom. Paula’s in the middle, Grace’s closest to the living room, Lucy’s on the other side.
What if she’d been so anxious to get to Paula’s room she’d stopped short and gone into Grace’s room? Grace could’ve been fast asleep, until Kelly stumbled upon her.
That couldn’t be it. She shook her head trying to dispel the thought. Kelly remembered racing head first into the bathroom, or perhaps it felt that way because seeing Paula when she’d least expected had fuddled her mind.
“I don’t know, I suppose it could have been Grace, but I’m ninety percent certain I went into the right room.”
“Okay,” Nicole replied. “For arguments sake, we’ll rule out Grace for the time being. Is there anyone you can think of? Someone who might’ve passed out in Paula’s bed, perhaps they drank too much and needed to lie down.”
And just like that, things got worse. “Colette.”
Sitting up tall, Nicole looked down her nose and spoke in a posh voice. “As in Paula’s mightier than thou stuck up P.A. you can barely tolerate?”
“The very one.”
“Well shit.” Nicole slumped back against the sofa. “No wonder you look like someone pissed in your Wheaties.”
The comment made Kelly chuckle. She loved her best friend and appreciated her attempt to make Kelly laugh. The jibe also took her back to her childhood, when her mother had insisted Kelly and her sister eat Weetbix for breakfast as it was the breakfast of champions.
“What makes you say Colette?” Nicole’s question put an end to Kelly’s brief trip down memory lane. “From what you’ve told me, I can’t imagine Miss Proper drinking to excess.”
It was a fair assessment, but Kelly couldn’t get the hushed conversation outside the bathroom door out of her mind. “When Paula was looking for Colette, Murray informed her Colette had a headache and needed to lie down.”
For a moment, neither of them spoke, both lost in their own thoughts.
Nicole tapped a purple fingernail against her lip. “That’s not to say it was her. I can’t imagine such an uptight woman taking a nap in her boss’s bed.”
Wanting to believe that was the case, Kelly grabbed hold of Nicole’s logic and held tight. “You’re right, I think we can cross her off the list of maybes.”
“But imagine if it was!” Wide-eyed, Nicole looked excited by the prospect.
Not wanting to imagine anything of the sort, Kelly groaned. “Please, let’s not.”
Unperturbed, Nicole bounced on the balls of her feet, the sofa jiggling in time to her excitement. “I just had an epiphany. This is a perfect example of the power of the mind. The person you were with could’ve been someone heinous, yet, you were totally into it because in your mind’s eye the woman was hot.” She slapped her hands on her thighs. “This is living proof; the brain is the biggest sex organ.”
If Nicole thought her epiphany was supposed to make Kelly feel better, she was wrong. In fact, she was so far off track she might as well have been on a train to Auckland.
“Not helping.” Kelly mirrored Nicole’s actions from earlier and pointed to her eyes. “Focus.”
“Oops, sorry, I got carried away. What other babes were there?” Nicole asked.
One name sprung to mind. “Lucy, Paula’s other boarder. She made a comment about sneaking off to bed, but I think she was only joking. She likes to tease me.”
“Ooohh.” Nicole’s ears perked up and Kelly could’ve sworn she saw them twitch.
“Is this the flatmate you think is sexy? Black hair, purple streaks?”
A frustrated sigh escaped Kelly. “Sure, she’s gorgeous, but that doesn’t mean I want to bang her any more than you want to bang every dude you find attractive. ”
Nicole quirked an eyebrow.
Chuckling, Kelly shook her head. “I should start calling you piglet. You and Steve truly are perfect for each other.”
A dreamy look twinkled in Nicole’s eyes. “Yes, we are, and we have you to thank for that. But, honey, this is about you, not us.”
Sobering, they continued to hash out names.
Murray was out for obvious reasons. Colette, possible, but unlikely. Lucy and Grace, also possible but highly unlikely.
“Who else do you remember being there before you…you know?” Nicole put her glass on the coffee table.
“A few people I don’t recall meeting before. Paula’s best friend, Ashleigh.” At least she assumed she was still there, but it had been hard to make out the faces of the remaining guests who had been huddled around the brazier.
“Oh, and another woman from Paula’s work. I’m pretty sure her name’s Kate.”
Kelly had only met her briefly but according to Paula, Kate changed partners as often as she changed her underwear, and she didn’t discriminate between men and women. She was somewhat a plain Jane, so she obviously had qualities that attracted both genders to her bed.
Hopefully, that quality was more than being an easy lay because then that would be just plain sad. She’d heard of people with low self-esteem sleeping around as a way of boosting their feelings of self-worth, yet it often had the opposite effect.
Come to think of it, Kate appeared to have been on her own. At least Kelly did
n’t see anyone who might’ve been her date. Perhaps she was turning over a new leaf, not that it was any of Kelly’s concern.
Frustrated, Kelly sat forward and ran her finger through a ring of condensation on the wooden coffee table.
“We’re no closer to discovering who the person is than when we started this conversation.”
“You’re right.” Nicole gave Kelly a sad smile. “We’re running around in circles. I’m here for you though. And honey, it might be best if you chalk it up to experience and let it go.”
“I can’t just let it go. What if I have a disease?” Kelly buried her head in her hands, not caring that her fingers were covered in the watery remnants from her glass of juice.
Nicole walked over to the armchair, crouched down in front of Kelly, and held her hands. “I’m sure you’ll be fine, but we need to find out if you have anything nasty. Make an appointment with the doc and I’ll come with you.”
The compassion in Nicole’s voice almost undid Kelly. She stifled a sob. “I can’t go to my doctor, he’s like a father to me.” She’d had the same doctor since she was a little girl. To have to explain what had happened would be embarrassing beyond belief.
“The V.D. clinic at the hospital is walk-in.” Nicole stood and picked up her cell phone. “I’ll message my boss and ask for tomorrow off.”
“Isn’t that short notice?” Kelly asked, pleased for the first time ever that she worked Saturdays and therefore had Mondays off.
“I’ll tell her it’s a family emergency.” Nicole shrugged. “It’s not far from the truth; you’re like a sister to me, Kel.”
As Nicole tapped out a message, Kelly noticed her cell phone vibrating on the chair side table. By the time she picked it up, it’d stopped ringing.
A missed call from Paula.
Resigned to her fate and prepared to face the consequences of her actions, Kelly glanced at Nicole. “I have to tell Paula.”
A sudden gust of wind blew through the front door. Kelly shuddered as though someone had walked over her grave.
For some inexplicable reason, she had the uncanny feeling her father’s ghost had entered the room, either to offer support or give her a lecture.
Nicole frowned. “That was weird.” She levelled her gaze on Kelly. “What do you hope to gain by telling Paula?”
Confused, Kelly exhaled a frustrated sigh. “What do you mean? I could have an STD. Don’t you think she deserves to know?”
“Yes. No. Damn, I don’t know.” Nicole paced the small living room, her high ponytail bouncing with each step. “I just don’t want to see you hurting any more than you already are. And, as far as I see it, telling her right now will only make matters worse.”
She came to an abrupt stop and pierced Kelly with a stare so intense Kelly almost recoiled. “Do you love her?”
When a yes or no answer didn’t immediately come to mind, Kelly took a minute to ponder the question. She cared deeply for Paula and enjoyed spending time with her. She missed her on the nights they spent apart, but couldn’t say she was in love with her. Not yet, anyway.
“I could, love her I mean, given time,” Kelly said, her voice barely above a whisper.
On a heavy exhale, Nicole’s shoulders sagged as though she was carrying Kelly’s heavy load. “Well, if you break this news to her, your time might be up. Why don’t you sleep on it, wait till you have your test results, and you’ve had more than twenty-four hours to digest everything that has happened? Then, if you still feel you owe it to Paula to tell her, knowing it’s going to hurt your relationship before it helps it, tell her. If you need me to be with you when you do so, I’ll be right by your side.”
Love for her friend flooded Kelly’s heart. Fighting back tears, she jumped to her feet and pulled Nicole into a bone crushing embrace. “Thank you.”
Needing her friends more than ever, Kelly took a step back and put a hand on Nicole’s shoulders. “Call Steve, tell him to pick up some beers and come over. We can blob out and order pizza for dinner.”
Kelly held her phone up. “I’ll text Paula and make up some cock and bull story about why I can’t see her for the next few days.”
Even though Kelly made light of the situation, she dreaded the stream of text messages that were sure to follow. She could already hear them in her head.
What were you doing out on your motorcycle if you’re unwell? Why didn’t you text me sooner, or better yet, call? How long does it take someone your age to get over a hangover?
Little did Paula know, Kelly was far from hungover and if a hangover could change the events of last night, she’d gladly take one in exchange.
Kelly sank onto her crumpled sheets and tapped out a message. “Hey there. Sorry, I’m still feeling sick, think it might be something I ate, going to have an early night. Sleep tight. Xx”
The second Kelly hit send, she groaned at her poor word choice. What she’d feasted on last night had been too intoxicating to make her sick. It was the not knowing who she’d devoured that was making her ill.
When her phone vibrated Kelly jumped as though she’d been caught in the act. Taking a deep breath, she swiped the screen and read Paula’s reply.
“Fine. Ashleigh needs me right now. We’re going out for dinner.”
Well that went better than expected. However, Kelly didn’t know whether she should feel relieved, affronted, or worried that Paula had blown her off so easily.
Chapter 4
Monday morning arrived all too soon. The sterile environment of the clinic made Kelly shudder. A nurse ushered her into a room and, without preamble, started firing off questions.
“How many partners have you had? Have you had anal sex? Do you need a prescription for condoms? Dental dams?”
Kelly’s replies were barely above a whisper. She hung her head in shame, certain the nurse thought she was nothing more than a wanton whore, yet she was nothing of the sort.
Throughout the interrogation, at least that’s what it felt like to Kelly, Nicole remained in the room, her silent presence offering comfort. When the nurse picked up a needle, Nicole lowered her gaze, staring at the floor until the last vial had been filled with Kelly’s blood .
As soon as the nurse left the room, urine sample, vials of blood, and oral swabs in hand, Nicole shot to her feet. She paced the small room, steam practically pouring from her ears.
“Can you believe that woman?” Nicole held her hand up and looked at her palm as though reading from a script. “Have you had anal sex, Ms Bennett? Do you need condoms, Ms Bennett? Fuck, what part of you’re a lesbian did she not understand?”
The tirade was so adorable, Kelly didn’t want to burst Nicole’s righteous bubble by informing her lesbians could have anal sex, and condoms were often use for covering toys. The diatribe also gave testament to the fact Nicole didn’t snoop in Kelly’s bedroom or handbag.
The door clicked open and Nicole bolted back to the chair in the corner of the stark white room, the picture of innocence.
The nurse paid her no attention. She addressed Kelly. “We’ve got everything we need so you’re free to go.” She patted Kelly’s hand. “I applaud you for coming in. We don’t get many lesbians through these doors, and I believe that is largely due to the misconception that they are immune to sexually transmitted diseases. While your risk is certainly lower, you’re not immune.” The nurse smiled, and it softened her entire demeanour. “You really should consider using dental dams if you’re not in a committed relationship. They’ll greatly reduce your risk of contracting diseases such as Chlamydia and Trichomoniasis.”
Even though Kelly wanted to ask what the hell Trichomoniasis was, she bit her tongue to save herself from more embarrassment. She would Google the word in the privacy of her own home.
“How long will it take to get the results?” Kelly asked, certain the next few days would be the longest of her life.
“Most test results will be back within two or three days. The lab results for Trichomoniasis can take up to seven
days. However, you’ll only hear from us if you need treatment.”
The nurse walked to the door, turned the handle, and stepped aside, effectively dismissing them .
Kelly paused in the doorway. “No offense, but I hope we never meet again.”
A warm smile crinkled the corner of the nurse’s eyes. “None taken, now get out of here and don’t come back.”
Chapter 5
The following week was rather uneventful for Kelly, as far as work was concerned. Tuesday night, she went over the same scenarios with Nicole as they had on Sunday and Monday, and drew the same blank.
Wednesday evening, Steve came over and all three tossed around a few more theories. The only conclusion they came to was it could’ve been anyone, except for the two people Kelly saw after leaving the bedroom, Paula and Murray.
Paula texted every day, mostly to say her best friend was having some problems and needed her. Kelly couldn’t begrudge Paula of that, and frankly Ashleigh’s misfortune worked in Kelly’s favour.
By Thursday evening, Kelly managed to watch her favourite TV show, Family Feud, without dwelling on the weekend. The fact she hadn’t heard from the clinic was also a good sign, she hoped .
While cracking up laughing over a ridiculous answer one of the game show contestants gave, Kelly’s phone vibrated. She swiped the screen and read a text from Paula. The message surprised and delighted her in equal measure.
Smiling, she sent a text to Nicole. “Whatcha doing Friday night?”
A second after hearing Nicole’s phone chirp, Kelly’s phone was whacked out of her hand by a flying pillow. She glanced in the direction of the missile launcher.
Propped up on her elbow, spread out along the length of the sofa, Nicole pulled a face; half smile, half glare. “Hello, I’m right here.”
Determined to one up Nicole, Kelly picked up her phone and held it in the air. “This is proof people in the same room have been known to text each other. Can you believe it?”