Chapter 34

BRENDA WENT BACK to Salter Monday morning. She laughingly said she wanted to be sure Ardith didn’t run away before they left. But there was more than that. They’d devised a plan. If any flag was raised about Ardith in a relationship with a student, it would be with Dennis. That was just part of the sexist way Iowans thought. No one would bat an eye about Brenda, Ardith, and Amy going away together. Other than those girls they’d actually been involved with, no one really suspected that the girls had been intimate with each other. They were just girlfriends—not girlfriends.

Ardith did have a momentary thought of running away, but instead she clung to Brenda and lost herself in loving her.

“I know it’s just nerves, but I’m all jittery about this weekend. Brenda, this is only my second relationship. Everybody expects the teacher or coach to be older and experienced and generally more mature. I’m not! George and Rebecca were my first and only relationship before I started teaching,” Ardith said as she cuddled with Brenda Wednesday night.

“What happened with them?”

“Well, they got engaged. They invited me to stay with them, but when a couple becomes engaged, anyone else really becomes a third wheel. Good for a tricycle, but not so good for a relationship. I stayed with them, right up until the wedding, then I moved to Bartley while they went on their honeymoon. My first year living in Bartley was really sad and lonely.”

“That’s so sad,” Brenda said, as she hugged and petted her girlfriend. “I’m just so glad you came to Bartley where we could fall in love.”

“It took me a while. Not really as long as I expected. By the end of our first season, I wanted to go home with you all and become one of the girlfriends.”

“Where are George and Rebecca now?” Brenda asked.

“In Des Moines. George is a good bit older than Rebecca and me. He finished law school the year before we graduated and joined a firm there. I have a godson, Nathaniel, whom I see once in a while. I had dinner with them a few weeks ago when George was handling any interference from the District Attorney in my involvement with you all. He kept me on the straight and narrow until I broke with Bartley and brought you here with me. He’s still my attorney.”

“Oh, I’m glad you are friends! It makes me so sad when people break up and then don’t even like each other afterward,” Brenda said. “Having Tori break up with the girlfriends was a little hard, but we all knew from the beginning that she wanted something that wasn’t there with Dennis and the rest of us. It was a lot harder when Judith just slipped away from us. It was like we kept wondering where she went.”

“Where did she go?”

“She’s been dating Carl, a guy in her class. She says it’s not serious, but he’s the only one she’s seeing. Diane is heading off to Red River and Leanne is on her way to Northwestern in Illinois. Rosie has kind of started a relationship with Liz Larson. I’m afraid she’s in for her first real heartbreak. Liz says she’s bi, but I think she’s got her eye out for a guy.”

“Well, if this doesn’t work out, I don’t know what the result will be. Even if we’d never progressed to this point, I can’t imagine losing touch with the five of you. You’d just be on my list of people I want to be around.”

“We love you, Ardith. Not everyone is at the same place, but we’re all on the same page. We just want to have the story turn out with a happy ending.”

“Mmm. That sounds like fun,” Ardith said as they kissed. Before long, the conversation was shelved and a happy ending was imminent.

Thursday morning, the two hit a rest stop on I-35 north of Des Moines. Amy rushed from her car to meet her girlfriends as Gransy quietly stood by, smiling. After they had used the facilities, Ardith handed Gransy the key to her apartment in Salter.

“Help yourself to absolutely anything in the refrigerator or cupboards,” Ardith said. “There isn’t much, but it’s all yours.”

“It will make a good place to launch my search from. I’m sure I’ll be able to find someplace for us all to live this week,” Gransy said, hugging each of the three girls.

“The lease is up at the end of the month, so all I have to do is give thirty days’ notice and we’re clear,” Ardith said.

“Dear, don’t you worry about a thing. I’ll take care of Salter. You take care of your girlfriends. And drive carefully out there!”

“It’s almost 500 miles,” Brenda said. “I’m more worried about Dennis, Natalie, and Lana. We can find a motel and stop for the night on the way up. They plan to make the entire drive in one day.”

“Remember, no cell phone while you’re driving,” Gransy said needlessly. They started edging toward Brenda’s car. “I love you!” Gransy called after them. They all responded and waved. Then they were off.

“I can’t believe we’re on our way! A whole week away with my lovers!” Amy cried.

Ardith had drawn the position of first driver for this leg. Amy got shotgun and Brenda rode in the back seat. They’d agreed that they needed to all ride where no one was tempted to make out while the other was driving. Still, they were all excited to be together.

“I wish we were all going together,” Brenda said.

“The plan Dennis worked out is for the best,” Ardith said. “Not having me appear in Bartley at all was the best idea. No one would question you and me leaving Salter, or Amy and Gransy taking off for a week. And no one will bat an eye at Dennis, Natalie, and Lana taking off on a graduation trip. Besides, can you imagine all six of us crammed into Dennis’s RAV4? I’m not saying we couldn’t, but with all our gear, it would make for a cramped and unpleasant ten or twelve hours.”

“That’s true,” Amy said. “But I still miss them.”

“You spent the night with them last night, silly,” Brenda said. “I’ve been gone since Monday and still have to wait until tomorrow.”

“Um ... You know, this will be the first time I’ve spent the night with any of you but Brenda. Let’s not start on how much we miss the others,” Ardith laughed.

“Am I really your girlfriend?” Amy asked.

“I sure hope so, Sweetheart,” Ardith answered. “We just need to take our time and learn to relax with each other. The same is true of Dennis, Natalie, and Lana. I have ... um ... fantasies of being with all of you and it’s still too overwhelming to comprehend. I’m glad the three of us have a night together before the rest get there.”

They stopped at a large grocery store on the northwest corner of Minneapolis in a town called Maple Grove. They carefully shopped according to Amy’s list of groceries. When the other three joined them the next day, they would bring frozen casseroles from the crew’s Sunday cooking, and other items they could bring from home. According to their information, there was a kitchen, pans, and dishes at the cabin, but no groceries to speak of within twenty miles. They needed to bring everything with them.

It was still only mid-afternoon, so they decided to push on to Princeton where Ardith had found what she termed “The last settlement before we get there.” It had a small motel and a restaurant nearby. They dropped their packs in the room and scuttled out of it as if they were afraid to go in while it was still daylight. Instead, they went for a walk and ended up at Merlin’s Family Restaurant, only to find out it was closed except for breakfast and lunch.

“Well, we can try that tomorrow morning,” Brenda laughed. “Let’s get the car and go over into town. The lady at the desk said there were restaurants over there a couple of miles away. I wouldn’t mind walking, but I don’t think I want to walk through a strange place on the way home after dark.”

“I agree,” Amy said. “This place seems so huge for a small town. It’s like someone just added a few streets to Bartley.”

“The main town is east of us. Apparently, we’re on the bypass,” Ardith said. “But I’m with you. Let’s go.”

They got to the car and drove to the main drag through town. There were more closely spaced shops on the street and it looked more like a typical midwestern town than the area where they were staying. It wasn’t long before they decided on the Frontier Steak House.

It’s fair to say they dawdled over their meal. They ordered dinner in courses and finished with dessert just as their waitress came to the table to tell them it was almost nine o’clock and they were closing. They paid their check and drove back to the motel.

“It’s not a seedy motel in the city,” Ardith declared, taking a big breath. “It’s not like we rented it by the hour.”

“It’s a rustic bit of Americana in an out-of-the-way territory that deserves to be explored,” Brenda laughed. “I read that on the brochure in the office when we checked in.”

“Ardith,” Amy said, putting her hands on her former teacher’s shoulders and turning her toward her. She was an inch taller than their newest girlfriend now, having gone up an inch after season ended. “Lana told us something that we all promised to remember. In fact, she made us memorize it. It’s something you told us when Dennis kind of rescued Lana. ‘No’ means no. ‘Stop’ means no. ‘I’m tired’ means no. ‘Not now’ means no. ‘I’m not sure’ means no. ‘I don’t know’ means no. ‘I’m not ready’ means no. ‘I’m not protected’ means no. ‘No’ does not mean ‘convince me.’ If it’s not a yes, it’s not consent. We all promised each other to abide by that. And we’ll all promise you. No matter how much we ‘want’ to play and do sex things with you, none of us will try to convince you. We want you to take your own time and move at the pace that’s comfortable for you. Okay?”