Chapter 6: Reciprocated

Cia was still doing what she was best at: eating, pooping, being adorable, and most of all, sleeping. After her nap, Rei had created a delicious dinner using the limited facilities of the motel room, shocking T.

“How did you DO that?”

“I have to travel often in my work, and I have learned that eating out is dangerous to my waistline. And I don’t want to be buying different-sized suits for court.”

T, speaking seriously, “Rei, I think we need to talk.”

“Nope.”

“What do you mean, ‘nope’?”

“I’m going to take your clothes off, and bathe you, like you bathed me. THEN, we can talk.”

“Oh, you don’t have to do that.”

“It’s not what I have to do, it’s what I WANT to do. It’s been too long since somebody did anything like wash my feet. I loved it. Just let me reciprocate. I’m going to run the hot water, let’s get undressed, and I’m going to spoil you.”

In the bottom of the sink cabinet, Rei found a couple more bars of the hotel soap, sufficient to clean T from top to bottom. And, there were miniature bottles of a semi-respectable brand of shampoo and conditioner.

“I’m going to wash your hair, hon, I’m afraid it’s kind of necessary. I’m going to step back so you can get your head wet from the overhead shower.”

While T soaked her head, Rei removed her clothes. There was plenty of extra room in the jetted whirlpool tub, so she sat behind T so her curly hair was right in front of her face and began lathering.

“I love your hair, it’s so full and curly. It’s naturally that way, isn’t it?”

“Oh, yeah, there’s some African-Americans back in my family history. I don’t have all the details. You sure you don’t mind washing me like this?”

“Of course not, this is fun! To tell you the honest truth, this isn’t the first time I’ve enjoyed having a gorgeous young woman naked in my arms. I hope that doesn’t put you off.”

“No, not at all. Although, to be honest, not only am I younger than you, I haven’t had ANY naked people in my arms. Except for you, that is.”

“That’s crazy! You’re beautiful. Time to rinse, I’ll stand up, then you. This tub is slippery with the soap, so let me brace you.”

After they figured out how to get the warm water rinsing them clean from overhead, T faced Rei, grasped her head in both hands, and kissed her.

“Naked in my arms is where I want you, sweetie. Let’s dry each other off and go snuggle in the bed.”

Lawyering

“I guess I tell you some more about myself, T. I had a fairly normal upbringing, my parents were married and together until they died when I was in college. They left me enough to pay for my graduate school and to pass the Arizona Bar Exam.

“It’s different going to law school in this century, now the women students are in the majority. But the students who want to be lawyers are, in my experience, still arrogant and competitive assholes. Which is a long way of saying, I didn’t have a lot of luck dating while studying law.

“Also, law school is a bitch, they assign a thousand pages or more to read every week. If you can’t read, understand, and summarize all that very quickly, you’re toast. And the students are so competitive. The women can be arrogant assholes too.

“I just quit trying to be socially active. And then, as a beginning lawyer, I’ve had to work myself to death to get established. Again, at the cost of my social life. There’s an amazing percentage of trained lawyers who quit practicing after a few years and do something else, because the workload can be crushing.