Chapter 25

"Hey guys, remember the girl that I know that came over and looked at your drawings for the art show?" Traci came into the living room carrying the cordless phone.

"You mean Karen?" said Greg as he looked up from the book he was reading.

"That's her. She is showing some of her work at the Gay Pride Celebration that is going on down at the park this weekend. She is asking if we would want to come down and support her?"

"Sure!" was Mandy's reply. "She was so nice to help me out when I was just starting. I would love to go give her some support now."

Traci gave them both a grin and went back to the receiver, assuring the girl on the other end that they would all be there. As soon as she had ended the conversation, she came in to sit with the others.

"Karen is really nervous. She hasn't ever felt that her work was good enough to show until some of her friends finally convinced her. She is really looking for moral support more than anything."

Mandy could understand her completely. Even with all the positive feedback she received for her works, she still felt insecure about it. "I'm more than happy to help out someone else like others have for me. I'm curious though, isn't the Gay Pride thing an odd place to display your work for the first time?"

Traci looked at her lover for a moment. "Didn't you know that Karen is a lesbian?" Mandy shook her head. "Well she is. She doesn't advertise it, but she has had a female lover for as long as I have known her."

"Wasn't she checking out Greg when she was here?"

"I think she appreciates the human form, whether male or female. I imagine that she was looking at Greg for the hunk he is, kinda like if you notice another woman who is sexy. It doesn't mean you want to run out and sleep with her."

Greg piped up then. "Well if you don't want to sleep with this sexy woman you are talking about, then can I?" Mandy didn't hesitate to throw a pillow at him for that remark.

Mandy continued to voice her thoughts. "In Karen's case, it doesn't matter in the least to me. I'm just glad to know about it before I said something that would've made me look stupid."

"And that explains why she would be showing at the festival then," added Greg.

Heather and Adrian had asked to take Jenni for the weekend so Friday night, Mandy dropped her off at their apartment. Then, she came home and had a nice dinner with her lovers before spending some time relaxing and playing grab-ass in the hot tub. Of course this led to some wild and very satisfying sex, ending with Greg wilting cock still stuffed firmly into Traci's well-used pussy. Mandy, who was almost recovered from the orgasms she had experienced, slowly got up and grabbed washrags and towels to help clean up the other two. Deciding that they were too tired to really clean up, they just pulled the sheet over themselves and drifted into a very satisfied sleep.

They all pulled themselves out of bed the next morning and slipped into the shower as soon as everyone had taken the time to do their personal abolitions. By the time they ate and dressed, it was closer to mid-morning than when the Celebration opened. They succeeded to get past the protesters that came to let their opinions be known and wandered into the area.

They were just wandering through, looking at the displays, when some guy came up to them. The girls were looking at some literature on a table while Greg was standing to the side. The man came up to Greg and asked if he was interested in a date later. Greg told him that he appreciated the compliment, but that he didn't go that way.

"What are you doing here then?" the guy asked somewhat aggressively.

"We," and Greg pointed to his two lovers, Mandy showing her pregnancy now, "... are here to check out a friend's artwork and lend her some moral support."

The guy then wandered off saying something about "breeders", continuing to look for a date for the evening.

Greg shook it off. This was an event that he probably wouldn't have come to except for Karen. And that really wasn't right to his thinking. They all three enjoyed wandering through fairs, flea markets and special occasions. Why should they have avoided this one? Was it because of who put it on and who the crowd was? He silently chided himself for thinking like that and vowed to be sure to make it to the next one as well.

When he told the other two what he had been thinking, they agreed with him. It was not a conscious decision to avoid them, but rather a thought that they probably wouldn't be interested. And they had to admit that they were wrong. There was not much difference between this and say the Founder's Day celebration. Some of the displays were geared for the Gay community, naturally, but many of the other ones were just the same as they would be anywhere.

After wandering around for a while, they finally found Karen and her booth. She worked mainly in sculpture, but her pieces were elegant in their form. As soon as she saw the trio, she came over and gave them all a hug. "You can't imagine how nervous I am today," she told them.

"I think I can understand," was Mandy's reply. "But your work is fantastic. I think you should enter the next Artist's competition. Mr. Harrington would probably love what you do."

"You really think so?"

"I sure do. I know I like your work more than some that I have seen in his gallery. Matter of fact, I would like to buy that one over there." It was a smaller piece, a set of five different sized 'stems' that twisted around each other, giving the sculpture a flowing effect.

Karen looked at the one that Mandy pointed to. "Tell you what. I will trade it to you for a portrait of me and my partner, Dani. Would you be interested in a trade like that?"

"That doesn't seem fair. You spent a lot of time and effort on that."

"Yeah, but I love your work and want one of your originals. And I am the one who made the offer you know."

Mandy smiled at the other woman. "You have got yourself a deal. Let me know when you two can come over and we will do it."

Karen looked a little apprehensive. "You want us to come over, where your neighbors will see?"

Greg stepped up then. "First of all, we don't give a damn what the neighbors or anyone else thinks. You and Dani are more than welcome any time you want to come by. You are our friend and friends are always welcome."

"Thanks Greg. We don't usually go anyone's house together unless it is another gay or lesbian couple. Some folks don't understand."

Traci put her hand on her friend's arm. "We are all in agreement. After what has been printed about us, why should we worry if a lesbian couple comes over?"

Yeah, I guess. I saw all that crap. I knew you guys didn't do all the things they said, but I couldn't believe what they put you all through."

Then a young woman approached them. She was shorter than Mandy and had beautiful dark, wavy hair that fell down just past her shoulders. She had piercing dark eyes set in a round face. She was a little overweight, but she carried herself well. She walked up to Karen and took her hand.

"Are you the friends that Karen has told me so much about?" she asked, looking at the trio.

"You must be Dani," Mandy said holding out her hand in greeting. "I'm very glad to meet you."

Karen made the introductions. Dani shook hands with them all while she looked intently at each.

"You don't seem bothered at all by our orientation."

Greg looked at her. "Ahhh... Should we be?"

"We meet so many people who are shocked or disgusted by who we are or what they think we do. It is just surprising to see straight people that aren't bothered by it all."

Karen interrupted. "Sweety, these people are different. I have never seen any of them judge someone for what or who they are. It is what people do and how they act that counts."

Dani looked abashed. "I'm sorry. You folks have been very nice to Karen. I guess when I had to run the gauntlet to get back in here, it just put me in a bad mood."

She went on to tell them all that Nicholas Wilson had gathered a bunch of his gay-hating disciples out on the edges of the gathering and was looking for his bullhorn when she managed to get through. They were all carrying signs that accused gays and lesbians of all sorts of horrible and false things. Looking at Mandy's expanding belly, she said that one of the things said was that gays hate all pregnant women because the gays can't have children and any woman pregnant should be scared that they would be dragged to an abortion clinic and their babies taken.

"Do I look scared to be here?" was Mandy's only comment. Then the trio told about the fiasco with Wilson they had experienced at the Founder's Day festival. Karen and Dani both remembered reading about it and Dani was surprised to learn that they all had been there in the middle of it.

They all heard a ruckus start at the edge of the park. Wilson and his gang of protesters had crossed the line and come into the marked areas of the park to 'preach'. Greg and the rest moved over to where the confrontation was happening.

A group of gay men had formed a line and were refusing to allow the protesters to get any closer. The protesters in return were trying to push their way into the park. It was starting to get ugly and Greg turned to get them out of the way when one of the protesters shoved him and knocked him off balance. He fell into a couple of the gay defenders, who kept him upright.

Wilson saw what happened, and figured that since they were outnumbered, the best plan was to stop any violence other than verbal. Walking up he recognized the trio from before and then proceeded to try and make examples of them as being the models of sinful lifestyles.

"These three are fornicators that support the killing of babies and allowing our young people to have unnatural and lustful carnal relations! Now they are among the Sodomites giving their support to their abdominal lifestyle! They go against God and his commandments and must be saved from the fires of hell!" He started to put his hands on Mandy and Greg stepped in front of her.

"You touch her and you won't have a hand left to pray with," he growled at the older man.

Wilson stepped back, but then spotted Mandy's pregnancy. "Are you going to kill this one too, you vile harlot?!?"

Mandy looked horrified and Greg was about to pound this man into a pile of pious dung, but the arrival of the police saved the older man from a painful experience and Greg from time in a jail cell.

Confusion reigned as both sides tried to tell their version of what had happened. Wilson was yelling that he had the right to preach to the sinners. The participants in the festival yelled back that they had rented the park and he had no right to come in and harass them. It took over a dozen officers using nightsticks and pepper spray to get the combatants apart.

As things calmed, with the arrest of the protestors, Greg was interviewed by the police. The officer remembered him from when Olivia's abusive boyfriend, Jerry had stabbed him. "You always seem to be defending somebody, especially this girl," the officer said. Greg just blushed and admitted that he couldn't let bullies hurt others.

"Well, you can stay out of this one. There are more than enough people willing to press charges. Wilson has a tendency to work him and his followers into frenzy and do very stupid things. I'm just glad no one was seriously hurt. Just some bruises and bloodied noses."

Greg was glad not to have to be in any more publicity. He thanked the officer and helped the three women to get back to Karen's booth. They were all shaken from the events, but getting things arranged gave them something to calm their nerves. Mandy was soon back giving Greg hell for getting her out of the way.

"Honey, I know that you can handle yourself pretty well. I just didn't want that slimebag touching you, especially after the way your father was. I was seeing all the terrible things that have happened to you coming back and I wasn't going to allow that to happen," Greg told her as he held her.

Mandy accepted his reasoning, but still wasn't too happy about it. Karen, who was a very sensitive soul, was more upset about the day than she let on and decided to take down her work and head home. Dani was definitely the more militant of the two. She was still steaming about Wilson and his antics.

Mandy suggested that they come over for dinner that night. She thought she would get some sketches so she could fulfill her part of the trade. Dani wasn't too sure, but Karen talked her into it. They parted then, so Greg and Traci could get dinner started and Karen and Dani could get cleaned up before they came over.

The evening meal was simple but tasty; grilled chicken served over pasta with Alfredo sauce. A quick salad and a bottle of wine finished the meal. Karen and Dani enjoyed it and commented several times on the flavors.

After they ate, they all went to the living room so they could visit and Mandy could put some sketches down on paper. She was watching the two lovers, drawing different poses and facial expressions while still keeping up with the conversation.

The topic was naturally about what happened that day and about lifestyles in general. Dani explained that she had known she was gay from the time she was in middle school and her hormones started her thinking about sex. She had dated guys in high school just to keep up appearances and to try and hide her orientation from her parents. She had been very surprised when she had come out to her family. After the initial shock, her parents had supported her and let her know that no matter what, she was still their daughter and they loved her.

Karen admitted that she was bi, but she was just more comfortable with women. She had boyfriends in high school and had even had sex with a couple of guys during her freshman year. But she had met Dani and fell in love. They had been together for about two years and were very happy together.

Both women were interested in the dynamics of a three-way relationship. The trio took turns explaining how they had come together and how things worked for them. Traci assured them that she never felt like a third wheel. "Greg and Mandy both take great pains to make sure that I know that I am a part of their relationship, and I do the same with them."

Karen finally spoke about something that she was curious about. "Does that mean both of you girls are bi?"

Traci answered for Mandy as well as herself. "We both agree that we are only bi with each other. You and Dani are both very beautiful and sexy, but I'm just not attracted to you that way. It is different with Mandy, though. I guess with her I don't see her gender. She is just someone who I love very much."

"For me, it is a little different," added Greg. "I find you both attractive though I would never think to try and put the make on you. I am devoted to both Traci and Mandy to the exclusion of all others. It was originally Mandy's idea that I be with Traci sexually. I would never have done so without her being all for it. Once Traci was in our lives, I found that I could love both women equally."

Dani had some trouble on how this could happen; loving two equally. But she had to admit that it seemed to work for them. Karen had no problem accepting the arrangement, though she admitted that she didn't think she could do it.

Dani did tell them that she and Karen were planning to have a marriage ceremony performed by a minister at the local Universal Unitarian church. "Even though the state won't recognize it, yet, we both decided we wanted to do it for us. It is going to be a small ceremony but I would like all three of you to be present. You seem to understand just what we are and it doesn't bother you at all. You can't imagine how rare it is for us to find that."

All three instantly agreed to be there. They considered it an honor for the couple to trust them enough to let them into their lives like that.

After Dani and Karen left, Greg was more quiet than usual. When Traci asked him what was wrong, he just said he had something that he wanted to work out before he said anything.

Things were pretty quiet the next week. The Gay Pride Celebration made the papers with Wilson and his group pictured yelling at the crowd and carrying signs. The reporter kept to the facts that the protesters had been trespassing when they were arrested. Public opinion ran toward the thought that while he could protest, he had no right to intrude into an event that had done all they were supposed to in permits, etc. and were quiet in their celebration.

Wilson had to slink back under his rock when the public opinion went against him, and he as well as his followers quietly paid their fines without any fuss. He was still a loud and obnoxious voice for the anti-gay crowd however. He made the news more than once by leading protests and bible readings in front of gay-owned businesses and 'outing' people who were gay.

What finally hurt him beyond all hope of recovery was when he started to expose some very influential people who were not gay. His reasoning was that he had pictures of the community's Gay Pride Festival and any recognizable face that showed up in those photographs were considered gay.

When Greg was accused, he laughed it off. The local television station asked for his reaction and he just pointed to Mandy's bulge in her tummy as well as having both Mandy and Traci with him. But some of the others he accused were not so willing to laugh it off. He was personally sued for defamation and slander by three wealthy businessmen who claimed that he had cost them business with his lies. Wilson was defended at trial by a religious law firm but lost on every count.

When the judge handed down sentence, he was quoted in the paper. "Along with the financial judgments that the jury has awarded, I wish to add into the record that this court finds that it is beyond defensible that accusing someone of being homosexual should cause a person to lose their livelihood. A business should be judged on the merits of their product or services, not by the sexual orientation of the owner or the person who is employed there. But such is the political and social climate of the day. May the day come when accusing someone of being homosexual will cause them no harm, whether the accusation is true or not."

The gallery cheered when the trial was over. Wilson's personal wealth as well as the assets of his chapter of Operation Rescue were seized. The man was financially ruined and declared bankruptcy. That was just before he left the state.

One very unexpected and unwanted side effect of the publicity for Greg was that he started to get calls from various organizations about his views on whatever subject their group was promoting. At first it was just for his new notoriety, but word got around that he was very articulate on whatever he was talking about.

He had started by writing letters to the local papers. The free weekly paper then contacted him to write a column on the local happenings in government and the push for "liberal" causes. He agreed but promised that he would only do so when he had the time. They were happy to have what he could do since they were short on news sections to go with the entertainment and food reviews.

Things didn't slow down at home either. The girls had full schedules of their own. Mandy was still drawing as well as giving art lessons to the children at the Special Needs Charter School where Traci was volunteering for the remainder of the summer. Jenni would go with them and was a delight to the staff and many of the older students. She didn't notice that they were any different than anyone else. As long as someone was paying attention to her was all that mattered.

Greg called Mandy one afternoon and told her that he would be a little later than normal coming home from the gym, he had an errand to run. Mandy was curious but Greg wouldn't tell her what it was, but that it was to be a surprise if it all worked out.

He did come home a couple hours later, and he had a smile on his face. He still wouldn't tell either of his lovers what he had in the works, but did ask that they be able to talk that evening. Mandy told him that it might have to wait a bit since she had already asked Karen and Dani to come by and get the portrait that she had finished a few days earlier.

Greg had no problem with that and cheerfully went to set up an easel in the living room so Mandy could display the painting. Before she put a cover over it, Traci and Greg both got a first look at the finished product. It depicted the two women in profile gazing into each other's eyes. They were close enough together to have their hands together, palms touching. Mandy had captured the look of deep devotion and love the two had for each other. After admiring his lover's handiwork, he had to admit that it was one of her best.