Chapter 6

Tuesday we got up late and loafed around, then went to the pool. The stage was occupied by a pair of women who were talking about "Personal Power," and demonstrating martial arts moves. From what I was able to overhear, it was mainly for women who lived in larger cities.

We were splashing our feet in the water when a cute little blond girl walked over and said, "Hi! My name's Angie!"

She was looking at Nollie's chest as she spoke, and Nollie cleared her throat. Angie was about five feet tall, and looked about thirteen years old. A wisp of hair was evident at the top of her mons, and her plum-sized breasts were topped by puffy little nipples.

"Hi, " I said, "I'm Sarah, and this is Nora," pointing to Nollie.

"Nice to meetcha," Angie said. "How old are you?"

This question seemed to be directed at Nollie, and she answered, "I'm seventeen; Sarah's sixteen."

About this time another little nymph appeared, and Angie said, "This is Dixie. You guys wanna fool around some?"

A wide-eyed Nollie asked, "Does your mother know where you are?"

"Of course!" Angie answered indignantly.

Nollie decided to defuse Angie's anger by putting her hand on my leg, then leaned forward and confidentially said, "We're in love. People in love don't fool around."

Disappointed, Angie asked, "Not even a little?"

I said, "Not even a little."

Nollie added, "If I was closer to your age and not in love with Sarah here, I might consider it." I think she said that so the girls wouldn't think they were ugly. A twelve or thirteen-year-old has a very fragile ego.

Angie asked, "Are you sure you won't?"

Nollie chuckled and said, "No thanks; maybe some other time."

I nodded and Angie said, "Ok, see ya later, then!" and took Dixie's hand.

They walked away and Nollie muttered, "Was I ever that young?"

I laughed and said, "Probably. I'll bet you were just as cute, too," which earned me a slap on the leg.

For the rest of the week, we walked the grounds and splashed in the pool in the mornings, and after lunch we took a nap in our tent. The naps always included some quiet loving sex, and I was getting accustomed to being nude around strangers. The four of us usually ate supper together, and I got a chance to see a different side of Mom and Sue. There was affection and love between the two, and they weren't shy about showing it. They didn't get explicit, but by the way they held hands when they walked and leaned their heads together to talk, it was obvious to anyone they were a couple.

Evenings were spent dancing, either with Mom and Sue or in the company of new-found friends, and we shared the occasional bottle of wine. Nollie and I both drank sparingly; I didn't like the way it made my head feel the morning after.

On Wednesday night there was a big bonfire, and everybody gathered around and sang old folk songs. Three women took turns playing their guitars and singing, and we all clapped our hands in time to the beat. It's hard to describe the sound of a thousand women singing in harmony - well, semi-harmony, anyway.

On two of the nights, we walked to the top of one of the hills and gazed at the moon and stars. Nollie would stand behind me and wrap her arms around me, sometimes nibbling on my earlobes. We didn't talk much; it was enough for me to be with her and know she cared.

The weather was very cooperative until the last day, and as I crawled out of the tent that Friday morning, I realized I was getting very wet. Nollie and I ran to the outside showers, and bumped butts with twenty or so other women who were getting ready to go home. We used our last two towels to dry off and got dressed. Mom threw a pair of rain slickers across the space between our tents, and we put them on over our shorts.

Dismantling the tents we got caught in a downpour, and we were thoroughly soaked by the time everything was in the van. The road out was full of ruts, and we slipped and slid our way out to the main road. I was sitting on the floor, huddled under a dry quilt with chattering teeth, when I felt the van lurch and Nollie ended up in my lap. We both giggled, but we were miserable.

Mom solved the problem with common sense; as soon as were over the river and back on the Interstate, she pulled off at the first exit and got a motel room. We used their washer and dryer to get a few things dry enough to wear in comfort, and slept the night between clean sheets and warm covers. I was too tired to even think of sex.

Before dawn the next morning we were back on the highway, but we hadn't gone very far before the van started making a horrible screeching noise.

Mom said, "Oh, Shit!", and pulled to the side of the highway. Sue opened the hood and looked, but said she couldn't see anything wrong. Mom tried to drive a little further, but no matter what speed she tried, the noise was still there. We couldn't see a sign for an exit or anything else; just farm fields on both sides.

Mom said,"Damn Damn Damn!", and we stopped at the side of the highway and waited.

An hour later, a State Trooper pulled in behind us. He checked Mom's license and registration, and called a tow truck. The back seat of the truck was cramped and dirty, and we rode in silence. The driver dropped the van at a service station near the exit, and offered to drive us to the nearest motel. Mom accepted, and we checked in.

Mom made some phone calls, and we learned that the van had a broken CV joint. The part wasn't in stock and the guy at the station was apologetic, but said there'd be no way he could get it fixed before Monday.

We endured the next two days in boredom. Trying to watch TV made my eyes ache, and we ate our meals in the local equivalent of a greasy spoon. The food was tasteless and bland, no matter how much pepper or salt I added. Mom and Sue got into an argument over who had serviced the van last, and the atmosphere in the motel room got tense and uncomfortable.

There was a liquor store within walking distance, and Mom and Sue filled a cooler with beer. Nollie and I walked around town when we could, to get away from the two of them.

We saw a sign that said, "Dempsey, pop .623," and Nollie laughed, "You suppose the count is accurate?"

I smiled, but I didn't think it was too funny.

All day Sunday, Mom tried to call Emily every half-hour, and returned to the room each time with a sad look on her face.

Monday morning at nine o'clock, the mechanic delivered the van to the motel and gave Mom the bill. She looked at it, sighed, and handed him her credit card. Twenty minutes later we were back on Interstate, and Mom was driving very fast.

By nightfall, we were back in Madison and in a motel. We ate, and during the meal I noticed a smile or two from Mom and Sue. That night, we listened in awe as Mom and Sue made love on their bed, a scant five feet away. After the covers shifted for the final time, we heard, "Go to sleep now, girls."

We did, but not before quietly getting the sheets damp ourselves.

We got home about three in the afternoon.

Mom immediately entered the house, calling, "Sean? Girls?" She came back out and said, "They're not here!"

We unloaded the van and parked it in the driveway, and Nollie and I went to my room for a shower. We got dressed and went downstairs, and Mom had the phone in her hand.

"Still no answer at Em's place," she said.

I heard a car pull up, and a moment later the kitchen was filled with screeching twins. During the ensuing babble, Sean appeared at the door, followed by Emily. Fifteen minutes later, everyone got settled down and the adults sat at the island. Nollie and I leaned against the wall and listened.

Sue started the conversation with, "What happened?"

Emily replied, "Your ex - Carl I think it is - dropped the kids off here about three o'clock Friday afternoon. Mrs. Niemeyer, the neighbor, was kind enough to call me. I came and got them."

"That son of a bitch! I told him on the phone he'd have to keep them for the extra days!" Sue cried.

"It wasn't a problem," Emily said, "They enjoyed the zoo in Fargo, and Sean is quite the smart boy. He likes my library, and there weren't any behavior problems."

"How did you know we were home?" Mom asked.

Emily nodded her head toward the neighbor's and said, "Mrs. Niemeyer called me at work."

Mom shook her head in disgust and said to Sue, "Remind me to take a phone book next time we go somewhere, will you?"

Emily ate supper with us, then drove Nollie home.

I kissed Nollie at the door, and she patted my butt and said, "See you tomorrow."

I went to my room and fell into bed.

Nollie and I worked hard the next two days to catch up with the laundry and cleaning. Mom was back at work, and Sue was going over her teaching materials in preparation for the coming year. Nollie suggested we clean one house at a time, and we found working together was fun. We were able to catch a few hours of sun at the pool in the afternoons, and make very private love for the first time in a week.

We knew school was going to start in less than three weeks, and we both worked on our clothes. Mom took us to the mall one evening, and I found I was now officially a 34-B. B cup or not, I wasn't going to wear one of the damn things unless I had to.

The remaining days flew by, and we arranged for Nollie to pick me up on the days when she didn't spend the night at my house. We spent as much time as possible alone, much of that nude at the lakes. Sean came with us a few times, but he was very perceptive in knowing when we needed to be by ourselves. We never made love; the fear of being caught in the open was too great for both of us. We did share some nice kisses, though.

The night before the first day of school, I thought of how I would react when the news got out - and I knew it would - that Nollie and I were a pair. The boys I could always deal with; I would simply ignore their comments. I knew quite a few girls though, and I hoped they would be neutral, if not supportive. I also knew what happened at sleepovers and get-togethers, even of very young girls; it had happened to me. The driving curiosity, the itch and ache of tiny breasts, the tingles between the legs. Would they remember those things the way I had?

Nollie and I had talked at length with Emily, and the overwhelming conclusion we reached was, "show no shame." If anyone thought either of us to be ambivalent, they wouldn't show any mercy. The teachers would be a different story; their job was to teach and not pass personal judgment on the students. They did, however, watch how students interacted with one another so as to avoid trouble in their classrooms. I wouldn't make the trouble, but I might have to deal with it. I drifted to sleep with that nagging thought in the back of my mind.

I ate a quick breakfast in the morning and was ready for Nollie when she pulled up. The weather was forecast to be cool and I'd added a sweater to my outfit of skirt and blouse. I also had to wear my loafers instead of the desired sandals, but I knew my rings were where they were supposed to be.

The kids were long gone on their bus, and I locked the door behind me as I left the house.

The drive was very short and we were about ten minutes early, and we parked on the street. Parking in the student lot was by permit only, and reserved for upperclassmen. Eldridge operated what was called a district school, which meant students from a wide area surrounding the town had to attend. Kids from Dunston, Sterling, Amory and other towns crowded the sidewalks.

Mr. Richards, the Principal, was standing in the doorway with four or five other teachers and yelling, "Come on, people! State your name and grade, and we'll give you your schedules and get you inside to your homerooms!"

I gave my information to Ms. Osgood and she said, "That's me, room 124. Here's your schedule, Sarah."

I took the offered paper and glanced at it. My classes were scattered all over the building, and I'd be lucky not to be late to at least one for the first week.

I met Nollie in the hall as soon as I got inside and she asked, "Where is room 250? I've got a Mr.Wallace for Homeroom."

"Up the stairs and to your left, second door down," I replied. "I'm in 124 with Osgood."

"Shit!" she said, grinning. " Maybe we can get better locker assignments."

We exchanged goodbyes and I walked down the hall toward 124. I was already feeling lonesome.

I had first period English with Ms. Osgood, so I stayed in the room along with several others when the bell rang. Second period was Government, with Miss Connor, and Nollie wasn't in that class either. We bumped into each other going into the door of 256, scheduled as Geometry II. The alphabetic seating preferred by Mr. Prentiss found me in the last seat of the left-hand row, and Nollie in the middle of the third row. Great! I'd get to see her back for fifty-five minutes!