“Okay now I am even more confused.” I mumbled at the implication of Gaia’s gift as I left the room to retrieve some coffee for the both of us.
I returned to the living room to find Allison studying the gift careful. I handed her a cup of coffee and settled in next to her. She took a long sip of the brew and set her cup down and then set down my mug as well. “Okay let me see if I can explain this.” She offered tenderly. “Now let me see if I can remember this.” She said as she held up the dream catchers. “It is a little difficult because Gaia herself is missing a lot of her traditions. At the time she was born the Catholics were converting her people. So a great deal of the folklore was passed on in secret. Similar to slaves on plantations. If I am reading these correctly then they are for children.”
“Excuse me?” My eyes widen as she finally said what I had suspected since this conversation began.
“One for a boy and the other is for a girl.” Allison explained as she pointed to the beadwork. “But they are mirrors.”
“Twins?” I said with a smile.
“Apparently.” Allison responded as she shook her head in dismay.
“So this is Gaia’s way of telling us that we are going to be parents.” I smiled at the thought. “I think it is a little early in our relationship to be talking about this.” I offered. “And it is not like it is going to happen by accident despite your boasting in the emergency room.”
“You’re right.” Allison agreed and put Gaia’s gift in the bedroom closet.
We let the conversation go for now and then we focused on what little time we had left together. For the next few days we rarely left the bedroom. We made love continuously until it was time for me to drive Allison to Logan Airport. She waited until the final boarding call for her flight to California before leaving my side. She kissed with such passion I thought my already unsteady legs would give out entirely. As she made her way to the gate I noticed the shocked expressions on some people’s faces and I didn’t care. I wanted the world to know that I loved this woman. “Get over it.” I snapped at one woman who seemed overly horrified.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Allison’s absence proved to be both painful and interesting. She called me the moment she landed and we each expressed how we were already missing the other. I knew deep in my heart that we would not only survive this but we would also become closer because of it. We spoke to each other two or three times a day and thanks to modern technology we also exchanged some rather intimate emails. The day prior to the start of the new semester I was greeted with another surprise. One that I was quite unprepared for. I had been working on the finishing touches to the first draft of our manuscript when suddenly a loud crash from downstairs alarmed me. I raced out the door and down the staircase to my old apartment. Just inside the doorway I found a petite red head picking up the shattered remains of something as she cursed loudly. The new tenant had arrived with a bang.
“Need a hand?” I offered as I approached her. She looked up as her piercing green eyes stared back and I gasped in recognition.
“Stephanie?” She responded with equal surprise.
“Caroline?” I gasped.
Caroline Jennings was the woman who would be subletting my apartment. This was more than a little bit of a surprise. This had the potential of becoming a full-fledged disaster. Caroline and I had met at Yale and became very close. In fact one night we became a little too close. It was one of my nights of drunken experimentation. The memory came flooding back to me. That night in her dorm room with our bodies wrapped together in passion as we kissed. If there was a God Caroline would develop total amnesia right on the spot and forget about that night. Forget how I ran away and never spoke to her again.
“What a surprise.” Caroline offered with a smile. “You don’t by any chance have a broom do you?” Caroline asked quickly easing the tension between us.
“There is one in the closet over there.” I explained as I released a sigh of relief. I rushed over to the tiny closet off of the kitchen and quickly retrieved the broom and dustpan. “I’ll get this while you unload your stuff when I’m finished I can give you a hand.” I offered cheerfully.
“Thanks.” Caroline agreed and left me alone I quickly swept up the broken glass and deposited the remains into the trash. I replaced the broom and dustpan and then joined Caroline outside as she began to unload the UHaul. We didn’t really speak much as we carefully unloaded her belongings. There was more than I had expected and I began to wonder how long Caroline planned on staying. The only real exchange of dialogue occurred as we brought in her futon. Even then the chatter was limited to which would be the best way to maneuver the piece of furniture into the apartment.
Once everything was unloaded I began to help her unpack. “You seem to know this place pretty well. Do you live in the building?” She asked.
“You could say that.” I laughed slightly. “This is or this was my apartment.” I explained not really certain that I would ever be moving back down here.
“Oh?” She responded in a curious tone.
“I’m taking care of Allison’s I mean Professor Kendell’s place while she is away.” I explained as a faint blush crept across my cheeks.
“I see.” She responded slyly. “Tell me is there any chance Professor Kendell will choose to stay in California?”
“No.” I answered with a slight harshness.
“Too bad.” She sighed. “I was hoping to be picked up by Haven full time. Positions are becoming harder to find these days.”
“I know.” I answered slightly more relaxed. “I just joined the staff last fall.”
“Ah so you were the one who beat me out of the position.”
“Sorry.” I apologized.
We engaged in more chitchat while we unpacked her boxes. I offered to follow her so I could drive her back after she returned the van. After this was done I drove her back to the house. “You must allow me to thank you for all you have done for me today.” She offered politely. “Let me take you to dinner and we can catch up on everything.”
Her offer seemed innocent enough and she seemed to lack any animosity towards me so I agreed. It felt nice to be able to mend some fences from my past. We agreed on getting take out from the Chinese restaurant. As we were sitting on the futon in what was now her apartment eating Kung Pao Chicken, Caroline filled me in on what she had been up to since Yale. It seemed to me that Caroline moved around a great deal. “How is Peter?” She asked suddenly bringing the conversation to a halt. I knew why she was asking, it hadn’t taken me very long to figure out that Caroline was gay. This gaydar stuff really works.
“At the moment he hates me.” I answered slowly. “We broke up a few months ago and it didn’t end very well.”
“Really?” She cooed. “After all of this time? I know that the two of you had been friends for a long time I wasn’t surprised when I heard the two of you became an item. What happened?” She began caress my thigh as she spoke. I pulled away slightly not wanting to hurt her again as I had done years ago.
“I came out.” I answered her directly.
“Well it’s about time.” She applauded as she inched slightly closer to me. “You know I was very hurt by you.”