Chapter 174

“Edepol nunc nos tempus est malas peioris fieri.”
(Now’s the time for bad girls to become worse still.) —Plautus, Miles Gloriosus, 1218

DONNA FOUND CINDY AND ME cuddled up naked and asleep in her bed. Her response was to undress and crawl in with us. Next to Cindy.

“Are you okay, sweetie?” she whispered in Cindy’s ear.

“Um-hum.” Cindy wiggled a little so she could turn and kiss Donna. “It’s a little sore but I really liked it.”

“Jacob is a thoughtful lover.”

“I didn’t really give him time to think,” Cindy giggled. “Better see if he’s okay.”

“I’m fine, lovers,” I whispered. “I’m a little overwhelmed by the love and energy of this girl, but I’m fine.”

“Good. Then maybe you can get up and help me get birthday dinner ready for Desi.”

“Oh, my gosh. We’re celebrating today?”

“Why wait until next weekend when she’ll be in the chaos of dress rehearsals and getting ready to perform? Her birthday is Tuesday and it’s almost impossible to see her in the evenings,” Donna said.

“Well, let’s try to make tonight special then,” I said. “You awake enough to help, Piper?”

“Yeah. When can we make love again?”

“Better see how you’re walking before we decide that,” I laughed.

Cindy was walking a little gingerly. Beca noticed right away.

“Cindy, do you need some loving care of your private parts?” she whispered as we stood at the sink washing vegetables for the salad. “I have some soothing cream I could apply for you.”

“Oh, I already got creamed,” Cindy giggled. I couldn’t believe how relaxed my girlfriends were about sharing their sex lives. But I suppose Cindy had been in bed with Beca and me when we were satisfying each other and we’d both had our tongues in Cindy’s vagina. When it came down to it, I guess we don’t have many secrets from each other. It was interesting, though, that Cindy hadn’t told anyone we’d had anal sex. She was just letting it be assumed we’d had vaginal sex. That would make for interesting revelations eventually. “Maybe you could ... um ... you know...”

“Make love to you later?” Beca supplied. Cindy blushed and nodded.

“Will you make love to me tonight, Beca?”

“Oh, yeah.”

“Happy birthday, Desiree! We love you!” we all shouted when she finally got home.

“Oh! Thank you! I’m so tired. I look a wreck. How can you love me?”

Girlfriend in distress! The pod went into action. Desi was swept along in a sea of girls to be showered, massaged, and pampered. When she came out of the bedroom in a big fluffy robe, we fed her from the five different souffles we had prepared. Beca made Desi’s favorite carrot cake with lemon cream cheese frosting. And I finally got to hold my girlfriend in my lap as she ate her birthday cake.

“You seem unusually stressed by this show,” I said as I petted her hair and held her close. “What’s the problem, love?”

“It’s our new director. Or the play. I don’t know which. For the past three years we’ve done almost exclusively musicals or interesting experimental things. This director dove right in with Shakespeare! And it’s like we all have to prove ourselves all over again. After all the work we’ve done with bits from Twelfth Night the past two years, I still didn’t get cast as Olivia. There’s not a chance I’d be cast as Viola with these tits. I was lucky to get the part of Maria, Olivia’s gentlewoman. Not that it isn’t a fun part. She’s one of the best of Shakespeare’s bawdy women. But Henderson seems to be blaming me for anything that happens. Malvolio forgets a line and suddenly it’s because I miscued him. It’s frustrating!”

Desi finally got the story off her chest and we were all sympathetic.

“It’s probably good practice for you,” Donna said. “Next year, you’ll have a new director, teachers, competition for parts, and philosophy of performance to deal with. Don’t let a new director get you down, honey. Look at it as a head start on dealing with a new environment.”

“Yeah. I’m just venting. But you know what Henderson said to me today?” Desi said. It was obvious she wasn’t quite through venting. “He called me aside when I was painting the dungeon set and had a bandana around my head and paint on my nose. He looked at me and sniffed. ‘I don’t know why the National School of the Arts would be interested in you,’ he said. ‘Try not to ruin the performance for anyone else when their theater director attends the show.’ I couldn’t believe he was singling me out as the possible cause of ruining the performance for others. And when was anyone going to let me know Ava Parrish was coming to the show? Why is she coming? Maybe they do have an interest in someone else.”

“That’s wonderful, Desi! My love, Livy, Rachel, and I all had special tests with recruiters and Cindy and I had to go to DC to audition before an acceptance committee. It’s part of the process. Just wait until someone comes to watch Brittany dance or she has to prepare an audition in DC!” I looked up and saw Brittany’s head come up and her mouth open. I don’t think she’d thought about any kind of special audition.

“We’re just going to make sure you are as prepared for your performances and auditions as Jacob and I are for our races or Jacob and Cindy are for their concerts,” Nanette said. “You are beautiful and talented. And unlike most of the popular actresses I hear about, you have that bonus something.”

“I can sing?”

“Yes, that. But you have a brain, too. That seems to be a missing ingredient among entertainers if you read the tabloids,” Nanette laughed.

“Who reads the tabloids?” I asked. Nanette slowly raised her hand and wiggled her fingers.

“It’s just for fun,” she complained. We all got a good laugh out of it and insisted that from now on she needed to leave her trashy reading out where the rest of us could enjoy it.

“I know you probably have a fantasy of ravishing Jacob this evening, but would you sleep with me tonight, sweetheart?” Nanette asked Desi. I was surprised but okay with that. In a couple of weeks, Desi and I would have a whole weekend together out in DC.

“You want me?” Desi asked. Nanette was not often bold in singling someone out for a night except Brittany.

“I feel like we don’t share nearly enough time together and that you need some gentle loving care tonight, not mindless sex. Not that I object to that, too, but I have magic fingers and would like to press them into every muscle in your body to make sure you are completely relaxed.”

I felt Desi shudder in my arms as she thought about a massage from Nanette.

“Yes,” she whispered.

“This is it,” Livy said as she slid beneath the sheet beside me. “I’m headed to Blacksburg tomorrow.”

“I hate to think of you making that drive all alone,” I said as I drew her into my arms.

“I won’t be alone,” Livy said. “Sophie is taking a few days off to drive with me and fly home. Isn’t that a great bonus for me? Two days with that sleek Latina dancer for company in the car? And in bed.”

“I think you’ll both enjoy that as much as I would,” I laughed. Livy’s tall athletic body had worked its magic on mine with the first touch of our lips. I wondered if that was why I was attracted to Lacie. She, too, was tall and athletic. I needed to talk to her about her testing and controlling the aptitude scores. After cross country season was over.

“I want to enjoy you now, love,” she whispered as we stroked and petted each other. “Take me around the world. If I’m a little sore and stretched when I get to Blacksburg, I’m sure they’ll understand.”

Desi’s eighteenth birthday was Tuesday and the two of us sat with Beca, Cindy, and Brittany at lunch to open our letters together. I’d been hauling mine around in my back pocket for over a week and it was kind of bent and wrinkled.

Congratulations, Jacob Thomas Hopkins!

You have attained your majority with all the rights and privileges that pertain. With rights and privileges, like the right to vote, come responsibilities. Between your eighteenth and twenty-first birthdays you are required to complete two years of National Service. You must report for basic training on or before your nineteenth birthday. The information booklet enclosed will give you details of the process and options you have.

You will also find the ten-minute survey form requesting your planned service start date (SSD) and schedule for your aptitude testing. This form must be returned no later than October 31, 2021. You must report to a Service Testing Center for aptitude testing no later than November 16, 2021. These small tasks will enable you to more successfully plan your National Service.

Should you have any questions regarding the procedure or these forms, feel free to call the Service Counseling Center. We have counselors ready to assist you and make your National Service two of the best years of your life.

Once again, congratulations!

National Service Board

P.S. It is hereby advised that you schedule your NSAT at the Capital Testing Center in Washington, DC. As this is specialized testing, please schedule your appointment in advance.

“That’s new. Em’s, Livy’s, and Rachel’s letters just told them to report to the testing center nearest to them,” I said.

“We have no idea what Joan’s letter said,” Beca giggled. “She burned it.”

“Mine has the same P.S., so apparently they are expecting me,” Desi sighed.

“I think I’d better call Dr. D before we schedule to make sure our timing is okay. She’ll smooth things over with the school if we have to miss a day of classes,” I said.

“I’m never going to get one of those letters, am I?” Cindy said. She cocked her head, puzzled. “I mean, if we go to Washington right after my birthday and I volunteer a year early, I’ll already be in service on my eighteenth birthday.”