A Sex And The City Story

This story takes place during the 1st season episode “Bay of Married Pigs”

Clad in a pair of sweatpants and her Harvard sweatshirt, Miranda Hobbes stretched her muscles as she looked out on the small park’s baseball field. Officially, participation in her law firm’s annual softball game was voluntary, but not a single lawyer dared to miss it. Not if they ever planned to make partner one day. It wasn’t enough to be smart, talented and ambitious, you had to be part of the social circle as well.

The thirty-two year old redhead was determined to make her way into that circle, no matter what it took. She’d even gone so far as to let another lawyer at the firm set her up on a blind date for the game so as not to stand out as a loner at another corporate function. The only man she’d been seeing of late was Skipper Johnson, a web site creator ten years her junior. Their mutual friend, Carrie Bradshaw had introduced the two of them, but the relationship was based more on sex than anything else, at least in Miranda’s case. Nice as Skipper was, both in the sack and out of it, he wasn’t the type to really fit in at the game.

“Miranda, I was afraid you wouldn’t come,” Jeff said as he spotted Miranda in front of the bleachers and walked over to her.

“Alright,” Miranda said with a sigh of resignation, “Let get it over with.”

Jeff replied with a nod and motioned for Miranda to follow him past the benches toward the third base line. She quickly spotted the figure that her co-worker was heading toward. About her height, with dark hair cut just as short as her own, her date was also wearing sweats.

“Miranda, this is Syd,” Jeff said as he confirmed the redhead’s observation. “Syd, this is Miranda.”

With a warm smile, Syd reached out to shake Miranda’s hand. A little stunned, Miranda automatically reached out to reciprocate.

“Look at the two of you,” Jeff beamed and they shook hands, “it’s a perfect match.”

A heartbeat passed as Miranda and Syd looked at each other, then Jeff excused himself, giving Syd a thumbs up as he did. As he headed back toward the bleachers, Syd said it was nice to meet Miranda.

“You too,” Miranda replied, still feeling awkward. “I’ll tell you what, I’m going to get a soda. You want a soda? I’m gonna get us a soda.”

Not giving Syd any option but to agree, Miranda quickly turned and headed after Jeff, who had only gone about twenty feet.

“Jeff!” she called out to him.

“Pretty great, huh?” Jeff said as he turned and waited for Miranda to catch up to him. “Can I pick ‘em or what?”

“Yeah,” Miranda said, then added in a stronger tone, “I’m not gay.”

“Seriously?” Jeff replied, taking a long look at Miranda.

The look on her face said that she was indeed serious.

“I’ve been with the firm eight months,” Jeff said in way of explanation, “I haven’t once seen you with a guy.”

“Circumstantial Jeff,” Miranda said, “I’m single. Christ, when did being single translate into being gay?”

“Shit!” Jeff said, finally realizing his error as he looked past Miranda to where Syd was still waiting. “Do you want me to go over there and...”

“No, I’ll do it,” Miranda said, thinking it would be easier on the misinformed lesbian if it came from her.

Giving Jeff one last how could you come to that conclusion look, Miranda marched back over to Syd and told her the bad news. She was glad the other woman had a sense of humor equal to her own and they both had a good laugh over the mix-up. Deciding to make the best of it, they both stayed for the game and wound up having a good time.

In fact, by the end of the game, they were having more than a good time as Syd at third base and Miranda behind the plate, brought in the final two outs with a double play. An exuberant rush filled both of them and, wrapped up in the excitement, they shared a victory hug and high five as Syd ran down the third base line. The play had caught everyone’s attention, including the senior partner who, with his wife, came over to congratulate them.

“That was quite a play, ladies,” he said as Miranda and Syd sat on a bench cooling down with some bottled water.

“It’s all about teamwork, Charles,” Miranda casually offered, still filled with the excitement of winning.

“Chip,” the senior partner corrected her.

“Chip,” Miranda repeated, suddenly realizing that she had just been bumped up the firm’s social ladder.

“Listen, my wife and I are having a little dinner party on the 12th,” Chip said, “just some couples, nothing fancy. We’d both love it if you both could make it.”

“We’d love to,” Miranda automatically responded, much to Syd’s surprise.

Syd looked at Miranda again and saw the look of happiness on her face. Not knowing what else to say, she just smiled and took another drink from her water bottle. Then she sort of giggled and nodded her head yes.

In her two years at the firm, the senior partner had barely even talked to her. Now suddenly, it’s “Chip” and she’s being invited to dinner. Miranda was determined to make partner, even if she had to be part of a lesbian couple to do it.

The 12th came and Miranda and Syd, who was really being a good sport about all of it, showed up at Chip’s lavish upper East Side apartment. It turned out to be everything Miranda had hoped it would be. Over dinner they all discussed the issues of the day and, for what she felt like was the first time, her opinions were listened to. By the time the night was over and Chip saw the pseudo-lesbian couple out, Miranda was sure she had just moved one step closer to partner.

“Thank you very much, we had a really great time,” Miranda said as they reached the door.

“As did we all,” Chip said and then added as Syd walked ahead. “She is a real find.”

“Oh,” Miranda replied, a fleeting look of guilt on her face.

“We’ll have to do this again real soon,” the senior partner went on, not having noticed his employee’s expression.

Miranda hesitated a moment, then told Syd she’d meet her at the elevator. Taking a deep breath, she turned back to her boss and said that they really couldn’t do it again.

“Syd and I aren’t really a couple,” Miranda confessed. “In fact, we’re not even really lesbians. Well, Syd is, I’m not. I just took advantage of the situation to bend your ear about my work at the firm.”

“Shrewd move, Counselor,” Chip said, “but no harm done. My wife will be disappointed though, she was looking to add a lesbian couple to our circle.”

With that, he turned and headed back to his other dinner guests.

As Miranda and Syd rode the elevator back down, Miranda considered how much easier her life would be if she were in a couple, any couple. On impulse, she leaned over and kissed Syd on the mouth. It was a simple kiss, more than she would give a girlfriend, but less than she would a lover.

“Yup, definitely straight,” Miranda said as she broke the kiss.

“Yeah, you are,” Syd agreed, a small touch of regret in her voice.

“Sorry,” Miranda said to Syd, glad at least she had finally been honest about it.

Syd didn’t reply verbally, but just smiled as if to say, it was okay.

The two women were silent the rest of the way down to the lobby. Late as it was, Miranda really wasn’t tired and considered calling Carrie, and her other best friends, Charlotte York and Samantha Jones. Then she remembered they had gone to a house warming party over on the West Side. Calling Skipper was also a possibility. With his puppy dog devotion, he’d rush over to her apartment whatever the hour to keep her warm.

“I did have a good time,” Syd said as they stepped out onto the street, interrupting Miranda’s musings.

“I did too,” Miranda smiled. “I really appreciate you going through all of this for me.”

As before, Syd just smiled as to say it was nothing.

“Would you like to share a cab home?” Miranda asked, thinking that paying her fare was the least she could do.

“Nah, I only live about ten blocks from here,” the dark haired woman replied. “It’s such a nice night I think I’ll walk.”

With that, she said good-night and turned in the direction of downtown. Miranda watched her go for about a quarter-block, then made an impulsive decision.

“Syd, wait up!” she called out as she sprinted down the street, catching up with her date.

Syd was surprised, but didn’t say anything, waiting to see why Miranda had called out. It took a second for the attorney to catch her breath.

“We’re going in the same direction, would you like some company?”

“I’d like that,” Syd said with her broadest smile of the evening.

With the pretense of their being a couple now behind them, Miranda found it was a lot easier to enjoy Syd’s company. She’d been surprised to discover at the dinner party that the pet store clerk was quite articulate when she wanted to be and while she wasn’t a career woman like Carrie or her other close friends, Syd was just as interesting. Over the last ten years, she’d had a dozen different jobs and lived in six different cities. All in different parts of the country.

The blocks quickly faded behind them as they continued some of the discussions that had begun around the dinner table. Much too soon, they were standing at the steps leading up to the six story walk-up that Syd called home. Miranda found herself sorry that the night was already over and wished that there were a way she could make it last longer.

“I really want to thank you again for tonight,” Miranda said. “You’ve really been a much better sport about it all than I think I might’ve been.”

“I had a lot of fun,” Syd smiled, repeating her sentiments of earlier. “It’s not that often that I get to meet people like that.”

“Well I still owe you one,” Miranda smiled back.

“Would you like to come up for coffee?” Syd unexpectedly asked.

“I’d love to,” Miranda replied, the words out of her mouth before she’d even thought about the question.

With that, Syd led her date for the evening up the stoop and continued up the five floors of stairs beyond it. Somehow, Miranda just knew her apartment would wind up being on the uppermost floor. The prewar building didn’t have an elevator.

“Be it ever so humble, this is it,” Syd said as she opened the door and then stepped aside to let the lawyer precede her.

Miranda took two steps inside, taking a moment to let her eyes adjust to the moonlight coming in from the large skylight above. Then the room grew brighter as Syd hit a light switch behind her and two soft fluorescent lights came to life.

“It’s quite lovely,” Miranda said as she turned her head and took in the large studio apartment.

The main room was a combination living room, dining room and bedroom, with a small kitchenette over to the side. On the other end, Syd explained was the entrance to the bathroom. Not that fancy, Syd added, but it did have the advantage of having a real tub instead of just the shower that builders seem to put into newer apartments to save space.

The decor of the apartment was quite eclectic, reflecting the number of different places and lives that its owner had lived over the years. Trying to come up with a way to describe it, Miranda finally decided to just call it comfortable.

“Why don’t you have a seat and I’ll get us that coffee,” Syd said as she directed Miranda to the large, overstuffed couch in the center of the room.

Miranda walked over to the couch, taking a moment to admire the two large throw pillows at each end. One carried a cable car with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background, the other a scene from Colonial Williamsburg.

“The coffee will be up in a minute,” Syd called from the kitchenette, “just coffee I’m afraid, nothing like you’re going to find at Starbucks.”

“I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Miranda replied over her shoulder as she took off her jacket and draped it over the arm of the couch.

Miranda started to sit on the couch to await the coffee, then changed her mind, deciding instead to see if Syd needed any help. Walking across the small room, she came up alongside the darker haired woman.

“That smells good,” Miranda said, thinking how sometimes her own “coffee-making” skills left a lot to be desired.

“Thanks,” Syd said as she set out two mugs from the overhead cabinet.

“Syd, do you mind if I ask you a question?” Miranda asked as she helped by taking out a small container of milk from the refrigerator.

“Sure, fire away,” Syd replied as she took out two small spoons from one of the drawers.

“Why did you really go with me tonight?” Miranda asked. “If the situation had been reversed, I have to say that I’d have been insulted to say the least. Yet you went along with it without a problem.”

“Like I said before,” Syd answered as she poured coffee into both mugs, “it seemed like an interesting thing to do and I figured it might be fun.”

“That’s it?” Miranda added, her voice reflecting a lack of belief. “And you weren’t bothered by the fact that everyone at dinner thought we were lovers?”

“Why would that bother me?” Syd smiled as she added a small bowl of sugar to the tray she had set the coffee on. “It’s not like I was being something that I’m not. I do sleep with other women after all.”

“I guess so,” Miranda replied, thinking that if anything, she was the one who had been something that she wasn’t.

“Besides,” Syd added as the corner of her smile lifted up just a little, “I kind of liked the idea of people thinking we were lovers - even if it wasn’t real.”

“Is that why you said yes?” Miranda asked, thinking of men she had accompanied to social functions in the past for the same reason.

Syd took a long minute, seeming to consider the question, then left it unanswered. Her silence, however, spoke volumes.

“I have to be honest,” Miranda said when she realized that no answer was going to be forthcoming, “when we were leaving the party, I found myself wondering what it might be like. I guess it’s a pity that you didn’t feel anything when I kissed you.”

“I never said I didn’t feel anything,” Syd offered, now ignoring the steaming mugs of coffee on the counter. “I just agreed with you that you were straight.”

“And you could tell that from just one kiss,” Miranda said, an almost undetectable trace of regret in her voice.

“I said what I thought you wanted to hear,” Syd replied. “I never really think of people as straight or gay. I think people are people and who you sleep with is a matter of choice and opportunity.”

“But you’ve never been with a man?” the redhead asked, if only to confirm her earlier assessment.

“No, but like I said, that’s a matter of choice.”

“Would it bother you if a woman you slept with also slept with men?” Miranda asked, wondering where that question had come from.

“I guess that would depend on why I was sleeping with her,” Syd answered without hesitation. “If we were in a relationship, well of course it would certainly bother me if she slept with someone else, man or woman. But if we were just having a little fun, well why should I care? Don’t you feel that way about some of the men you date?”

If she were still being honest, Miranda would have to admit that was true as well. In fact, after thinking about it for a few moments, she realized that the number of men she’d dated for just sex far out numbered those she’d felt an emotional attachment for. Skipper was only the latest example of that truism.

“Miranda, can I ask you a question now?” Syd asked, interrupting the redhead’s musings.

“Of course.”

“Do you find me attractive?”

The question took Miranda by surprise. Not that it hadn’t been one she’d asked herself. True, Syd wasn’t attractive in the way say Charlotte or Samantha was, but there definitely was something there. On reflection, she realized that it was the same quality that she saw when she looked into the mirror each morning.

“Yes, I do,” she admitted, surprised at how her pulse quickened as she said it.

“I’m glad to hear that,” Syd said as she took first one, then two steps closer, “because I think that you’re absolutely gorgeous.”

Both her words, and her proximity, made Miranda’s heart race even faster.