Chapter 2, Wing Chun
Debbie and Helen quickly became fast friends. Debbie's parents agreed to let her take martial arts training, especially once they heard the news about what had happened on the basketball courts. Debbie's father was nearly pulling his hair out after he heard what happened. He vowed to quit his job and monitor Debbie everywhere she went, but his mother talked some sense into him. They followed up on the suggestions of the female cop who had helped Debbie and they bought her some snug sports bras that kept her cleavage in check. Debbie's mother was embarrassed to admit that she had been so caught up in work and her own life she had completely overlooked the sprouting that had taken place in her daughter. Debbie clocked in at a large 32 C cup at her first fitting! Her mother smacked herself on the head, how could she have missed that?! They got Debbie outfitted in some bras that really compressed her breasts, and they bought her some bigger button downs and cardigans for school. That was a good step in helping keep their daughter from being singled out as "Debbie big boobs."
Next, they enrolled Debbie in Wing Chun classes. Helen and Debbie would go to classes together three times a week, and Helen often came over to practice with Debbie and to teach her new moves and techniques. The girls quickly rose in the ranks, and they even participated in some regional demonstrations of the ancient Chinese martial art. Debbie grew up tall and slender, just like Helen. Despite the amazing growth of her breasts, her hips never really filled out and she remained a narrow, lanky girl who was top heavy. Helen never seemed to progress past a modest A cup, but she never seemed jealous or envious of Debbie's size. Helen was not a jealous type of girl.
Helen was a great role model for their daughter. Her mother was a professor at Springfield College and she taught classes in Women's Studies. She had raised her daughter to be a strong, good girl. Helen had a love of academics that rivaled Debbie's, and on Saturday morning the two girls could often be found in the local library poring over nonfiction books on history, world travel, and martial arts. They liked to read about all sorts of different places in the world and imagine living there. They had lots of long conversations about the future, and Helen always transmitted the inspiring teachings of her mother about how women were powerful and equal to men. She told Debbie that Debbie could be anything she wanted, even a Navy SEAL, because there were no barriers for women except in their own mind. They practiced meditation, visualizing breaking down these barriers and taking the world by storm. Debbie knew all sorts of stories about wonderful women and their achievements, the kind of stories that weren't in the history books but were important nonetheless.
As their friendship deepened they would have slumber parties over at Helen's house. Helen's mom would pop corn right from the kernel and show them documentary films that she used in her college classes. It was always fun and inspiring. Helen's mom also started taking them on weekend road trips as the girls got older and Helen was preparing to go to college. She took them to all sorts of colleges, from Smith to Wellesley, Mount Holyoke, Vassar, Dartmouth, and even Harvard. Helen's mom belonged to an elite group of Massachusetts based feminists, and as the girls grew in maturity far beyond their peers, she invited them to some of the less radical meetings.
It was a wonderful way for a girl to grow up. A true New England experience and one of the reasons that parents strained their budget and paid for the high real estate and taxes. Sure they all complained about "Tax-achusetts" and grumbled every time the prices went up at the local grocer that provided only locally sourced, 100% organic foodstuffs, but deep down in their heart they knew they were doing the best for their children. Why live somewhere cheap and give their kids a life filled with cheap experiences when they could pay a little more and raise their kids to be elite women? The choice was easy.
Of course, all good things must come to an end. Before long it was time for Helen to graduate and leave her best friend. They spent that last summer together exploring the beautiful wilderness of Massachusetts, going on lots of nature hikes and even taking a special trip together to Cape Cod. It had been one of the most beautiful friendships ever, but Helen was now 18 years old and it was time for her to go to college. She had settled on Vassar College, a small liberal arts school in Poughkeepsie, New York, about a two hour train ride from the big city. Debbie was only fourteen, and she would not be able to go visit her friend on her own. She knew their time together was at an end, and it was very sad indeed.
Her parents had given her special permission to take an overnight trip alone with Helen to the Cape, and they enjoyed playing and splashing around together as if they were little girls again, building sand castles and sharing an ice cream cone and a lobster roll so big it seemed like there must have been a whole family of lobsters tucked away inside. That night, as they stayed up late in their bungalow talking, Helen shared with Debbie how scared she was of going away to college. Debbie wished that she could tell her not to go. She wanted to urge her to stay at home and go to Springfield College where her mother worked and she could have free tuition. That way they would never have to stop being friends. But Debbie knew that she couldn't do that so she kept her mouth shut on that point and tried to comfort her friend, telling her that college would be so exciting and there would be so many sophisticated people to meet. "You'll even find a new best friend," Debbie said sadly, secretly hoping it wasn't true.
The next day, before they left on the drive home, they stopped at a small bazaar where local artists were selling their goods. Helen picked out a beautiful, handcrafter silver sailboat charm. It had a small, shiny stone embedded in its center. "I want you to have this Debbie," Helen told her. "Whenever you wear it, think about me and this wonderful summer we shared together. I'm going to miss you so much," Helen hugged her and cried.
When it was moving day and time for Helen to go off to college, Debbie found herself unable to get out of bed to say goodbye. She told her mom she had come down with a cold, and everyone understood. Sometimes parting is more than just sweet sorrow, sometimes it is just a pain in the ass. Debbie put the charm Helen had given her on a necklace and wore it religiously. The two girls wrote letters back and forth for a while, but before long Debbie was the only one writing. Her long, three paged letters written in her neat, tidy script were answered with postcards signed by Helen. Before long there weren't even signatures, just postage stamps. Then they kept coming altogether.
"Don't worry sweetie," her dad tried to comfort her one day. "Helen will be home for the summer and you two will have time to reconnect." But Helen did not come home that summer. She had decided to do a study abroad in Milan instead. Debbie had been spending some time with Helen's mom, but she cut off all communication with the family after that summer. It was just too painful. She stopped wearing her necklace, putting it away in a small box and burying it in the back of her closet. She didn't need Helen anyway.
By the time she reached 17 and was a junior in high school, thinking about her own life and where she might want to go to college (Definitely not Vassar!), Debbie had grown into an extremely attractive, independent young lady. She was aloof and kept to herself, refusing to make any close friends after her experience with Helen. But just because she didn't have many female friends didn't mean she was lacking in male admirers. Debbie was not only beautiful but she was intelligent and athletic. She was extremely well read, and by this point she had obtained her black belt in Wing Chun. She got asked on lots of dates and she usually said yes, just to pass the time really. She found most of the boys at her school extremely boring and none of them ever got past the first date.
Debbie was surprised one day when one of the only black kids at her school, a quiet, bookish fellow who also kept to himself, named Herald, asked her out on a date. She said sure, like always, but this time she was actually a bit interested to see what would pan out.
That evening, Herald showed up in his dad's old pickup truck, the black paint peeling, and took her out to Chef Wayne's Big Mamou. It was an upbeat little Cajun hole in the wall
that served a mean gumbo and authentic crawfish etoufee. It was a lot of fun, and Herald was good friends with the owner who brought them out plenty of off the menu Louisiana favorites and even let them indulge in a little brandy he kept hidden behind the register. Hey, Laissez les bons temps rouler, it was a creole joint after all!
Her cheeks hot from the heat of the food and her first sips of brandy, Debbie was having the time of her life and feeling really interested in Herald. Not only had he introduced her to some cool Southern bayou food, but he was really smart and extremely mature. He was nothing like all the other boys she had been out on dates with, and she was not what he had expected from a young black man, a group with whom she had very little interaction with up until now. They spent the dinner gazing just a bit tipsily into each other's eyes and discussing their favorite poets and what colleges they were planning to attend until Chef Wayne turned the lights out on them.
"Hey lovebirds, it's closing time," he announced. "Herald, have you eaten enough to drive, boy? Your pappi would put me in a coma if you crashed his truck, and you know I couldn't let a beautiful lady like this get into the car if you're intoxicated." Herald assured him enough time had passed for the bourbon to work its way out of his system, but Chef Wayne gave him a sobriety test just to be sure. "Okay then, you put your finger on your nose and hop on one foot in a straight line across my kitchen singing your ABCs backwards, then I'll let you go." Herald passed the test just fine, but feeling worried, Chef Wayne supplied both of the kids with some strong coffee to go. "Drive safe now, you," he said, giving them both a kiss on the cheek as they got into Herald's dad's truck and drove off.
When they pulled up in front of Debbie's house it was getting pretty dark but she couldn't draw her eyes away from Herald. They sat for a moment locked in a long stare and then Debbie laughed. "Don't you want anything from me?" she asked. Herald look confused, "want anything? Like what? I told you dinner was on me, Deb." She shook her head. "No, no, I mean, don't you want a kiss or to cop a feel or something like that?" Herald laughed his butt off. Debbie looked extremely offended and made a move to hop out of his car but he put a hand on her arm to still her. "You know what Miss Debbie Brown? All I want is a friend. Is that so bad? I just want someone that I can talk to and who knows about more than the latest television programming. A buddy who can tell me more than the latest football scores. Is that fucked up, Debbie?" She shook her head no, but honestly she wasn't too sure. "Look, you know I don't have too many friends, and I don't think you do either. So what is the harm in that. Having a smart, good looking friend? It sounds great to me." He paused. "But maybe you are a shallow type? You just want some easy sex or a boyfriend to hold your hands in the hallway?"
Debbie hesitated for a second, not sure how to continue. Then she flashed Herald one of the warmest, most genuine smiles he had ever seen, and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "You know what," she said in a low whisper, "I do need a friend. A friend just like you." Herald returned her smile. "Then let's hang out again soon. I know a lot of good spots to get authentic soul food and I'd like to hear about more bad ass CIA shit."
And that concluded the best date with a man Debbie Brown would ever have.
The next day she was chilling out with her family and her parents decided to watch a movie together. It was her dad's turn to pick out the movie they would watch. Her parents were great people, but they definitely did not pick out the sort of sophisticated documentary flicks that Debbie and Helen used to watch together with Helen's mom. And that was just fine. Debbie didn't want to be reminded of Helen anyway. On a typical Saturday family movie night, Debbie's mom would make the popcorn and her dad would pick out a new local brew to try out. They always let Debbie drink as long as she was in the house with them. They were liberal parents and they thought it silly a kid could drive but couldn't take a sip of alcohol. It made no sense. A lot of times the night would end with all three of them falling asleep on the couch snuggled under some warm blankets, drunk and happy. The little yorkie would inevitably get into all the leftover popcorn while they slumbered.
Debbie's dad had a bit of a crush on the actress Eva Mendes, and he had decided that tonight was going to a be a double play: Hitch with Will Smith and Eva Mendes followed by Training Day with Denzel Washington and Eva Mendes. While they were watching Hitch, Debbie's mom kept commenting on how handsome Will Smith was and elbowing Debbie as if to say "a lot like your friend Herald, huh?" But after she was two beers deep, Debbie found that she was paying no attention whatsoever to Will Smith, but had all her attention focused on Eva Mendes. This continued through Training Day, and Debbie came to the conclusion that out of the three celebrities Eva Mendes was by far the hottest. She couldn't keep track of the plot in the second movie at all, she was so focused on Eva Mendes and all of her sexy features… her lips, her face, her rocking body. She wasn't getting wet, but she was starting to wonder if maybe she was the kind of girl that favored her own sex. "Maybe I am a lesbian?" Debbie thought. But then again she was drunk, so she brushed off the idea and fell asleep nestled between her mom and dad on the couch. Only later would she realize that this was a real changing point in her life, she had hit upon a very important realization.
The next morning everyone woke up feeling groggy. It was a Sunday and that meant that it was time for dad's big Sunday buffet: pancakes, bacon, eggs, and pan fried hash browns. Complete with a drizzle of real Vermont maple syrup on top of everything, even the eggs. Heck, that stuff was so good Debbie's dad was known to take sips of it right out the bottle, and when anyone in the house came down with a cold they would always have a shot of pure maple syrup to soothe their throat and give their body some natural medicine to fight the infection.
Once the family had saddled up at the breakfast table to eat away their hangovers, Debbie made an announcement. Her parents had been chit chatting about politics and the weather when she went ahead and just blurted it out. "Mom, Dad, I think I am gay." The conversation stopped dead silent. The only sound to break up the shock was the little yorkie yipping for a piece of bacon. This snapped Debbie's father out of his fugue. "Now why would you think that, hon?" He was giving his wife anxious glances that he hoped Debbie wasn't catching on to. (She was.) "Well, dad, I don't really know. It's just the way I feel. What if I am gay?" His dad paused for a second, drank a long sip of his coffee, and then said in a firm, don't mess with me tone, "Look, gosh darn it! In this house, I don't care if you like guys, girls, both, animals, whatever! The number one rule in this house is that we love Debbie! That is rule number one. The second rule, and this is the only other rule, is that Debbie, whatever you are just go out into the world and do something good. Got it?" Debbie nodded. Her mom began to cry, but not in a mournful way, in a loving but nervous kind of way. In a way that said, "I accept you but I am worried for what you are going to face in the future, but I will always be there no matter what." Then dad wrapped his girls in for a big bear hug and gave them lots of kisses.
The next day at school Herald told Debbie he was hungry for some real deal sushi and was wondering if she wanted to go with him to a new sushi and hibachi steak house in the area. Debbie happily agrees because she really wants to tell Herald the big news. She just knows he will understand and support her.
That night they are eating some fabulously fresh raw fish, straight from the harbor, and enjoying a cool hibachi show. They are talking about the future, wondering where hibachi chefs come from and if they know from a young age that they have a calling to do food magic. Debbie is waiting for the right time to tell Herald she is gay, but she keeps holding back, and the conversation moves to what colleges they are planning on attending. They are both seniors now and they are getting ready to make their exit out of lovely Springfield and into the big wide world. Herald really wants to go to Stanford, but Debbie is leaning towards Brown or Harvard.
"You know I would love to go to Dartmouth, but it's just too cold," Herald laughs. Debbie frowns, "How do you know that? Come on, it can't be any colder tha
n here!" Herald shrugs, "I dunno, my sister says the wind chill at Dartmouth is something else." Debbie is taken aback. She didn't even know that Herald had a sister! "Oh yeah, and she is here visiting from school. She was actually supposed to meet us here tonight, but she must be running late or something. Maybe she met up with some high school friends and blew us off," he laughs. "That would be a typical Niki thing to do!"
But Niki had not blown off the dinner. She was just running late, another typical Niki thing. About ten minutes later she stormed into the sushi bar calling out Herald's name. He looked embarrassed and raised his finger to his lips in a Shhhh gesture as he motioned her towards their table.
Niki was one sexy college senior. She was dressed in a tight leather skirt with a matching studded leather jacket that was cropped short. Underneath she wore a low cut purple velour body suit and a very bright gold necklace. On her feet were matching deep purple high heels with a very sharp point. Her hair was short and had purple frosted tips. Her nails were long purple press ons. Between her loud mouth and her even louder outfit she was quickly turning heads inside of the restaurant.
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