Chapter 8

After our conversation with Shelly, her attitude and emotional well-being seemed to stabilize. The three of us ate lunch together every day, and were joined nearly every day by Eddie. The constant stream of females that passed our table during lunch period was a source of amusement for us all.

My classes were difficult but not impossible. With Nollie's help, I was able to understand about ninety-five percent of the material.

Mrs. Baines had her baby, a boy, and we got substitute teachers. Most of them were bored and from out of the district, and we didn't learn much.

Gym was a constant hassle; Nollie's refusal to bend to Mrs. Oliver's wishes resulted in the two of us being assigned additional locker-room duties - picking up towels and sweeping the floor - which made us late getting home almost every day. She checked to see I had a bra in place every day too, which made me feel creepy.

The weather got gradually colder and the leaves started falling from the trees. We raked them into piles and burned them next to the curb, and the kids managed to scatter them everywhere before the piles were lit. It was fun rolling in the leaves with Nollie, and getting a handful down my shirt. It was fun paying her back, too.

Sean and I drained the pool for the winter and installed the plastic cover, and put away all the deck chairs and things in the garage. The twins were whiny for a few days, but eventually accepted the fact. The only thing we had to look forward to was the week off we'd have during the Thanksgiving holiday.

In late September the results of Sean's test were returned. He had scored an almost unheard of 167, making him a near genius. He was offered the chance to skip the rest of eighth grade and be promoted - pending his adequate performance - to ninth. He was excited, and then disappointed when Mom and Sue got into a big argument over whether he was too young. After a lot of yelling and indecision, Sue finally agreed to let him go.

We were told to pick him up and deliver him every day, regardless of where we slept. That made for an earlier departure for us, and a little less time to dress and eat in the mornings. We made the adjustments gladly. I could tell he wasn't bored with school any longer.

On November 5th, we got our first snowfall for the year; fourteen inches of very wet and sticky stuff.

The Friday before our Thanksgiving week holiday was supposed to start, we had a guest for dinner at Nollie's house. Emily introduced her as Dr. Ann Lewis, her personal physician. She had short gray hair and big blue eyes, and her no-nonsense attitude showed very clearly. She wore her glasses on a chain around her neck, and toyed with them constantly. She listened with interest as Nollie outlined her plan to become a nurse, and agreed it was a good choice. After she left, we learned we had appointments to see her on the following Monday. Emily assured us it was never too early in life to have a good Doctor handy, so we agreed to go.

I shoveled the snow from our driveway on Saturday; we'd had another three inches overnight, and Monday afternoon about one o'clock we left for Fargo and Ann's office. We arrived about two-thirty; it had started snowing again. We filled out a health questionnaire and at three, Ann motioned us into the examining room.

She said, "Thank goodness you two are my last patients for the day. Why don't we make this easy for everybody? You guys take your clothes off and I'll go get a cup of coffee."

"Together?" I asked nervously.

"Of course, silly," she replied. "You've seen her naked before, haven't you?"

We got undressed and donned the backless gowns on the table, and after a few minutes she returned.

"Who wants to go first?" she asked.

Nollie said, "I will," and Dr. Lewis told her to sit on the table. I took the only chair and watched.

While Dr. Lewis was checking Nollie's blood pressure and peering into her ears, a nurse came in and drew blood from both of us. The stethoscope on her chest came next, and Nollie shivered.

"I know it's cold, I'm sorry," Dr. Lewis said.

She tested Nollie's reflexes with a pink rubber hammer, and poked and prodded her stomach, then ran her fingertips over her breasts. I giggled when I saw the nipples react; Nollie was very sensitive to touch. Ten minutes later it was time for the pelvic exam, and Nollie reclined on the table.

Nollie put her feet in the stirrups and Dr. Lewis said, "This might sting a little. I'll be as quick as I can."

She took a tube of gel from a nearby drawer, and coated the end of the speculum. Nollie grimaced in discomfort when the doctor parted her hair and slipped it inside, but ten seconds later it was over.

Dr. Lewis handed a bunch of tissues to Nollie and said, "We're done." Nollie started wiping the goo from between her legs and Dr. Lewis pointed at me and said, "Your turn."

Nollie and I exchanged places, and I got a thorough going-over. When she used the speculum on me, it stung a bit and I felt extra pressure for a few seconds. Then the feeling disappeared, and she patted my knee.

"Ok, get dressed and sit in the waiting room," she said, "and I'll be with you in a minute."

Nollie already had her clothes on, and waited for me to dress. We waited about fifteen minutes, and Dr. Lewis came out of a side door into the waiting room.

Dr. Lewis walked to where we were sitting and said, "I've got a great idea. I want to get the hell out of here; it's been a long day. I'd like to take you both to dinner. We can talk while we eat, and then you can go home." We nodded, and she said, "Give me a minute to lock up, and we'll take my car."

She took us to a Chinese place that was almost deserted. She ordered several dishes I'd never heard of, and reassured us we'd like them. The mustard was too hot, but other than that we enjoyed a few bites of everything on the table. I got a doggie bag and stashed the remaining egg rolls, hoping for a midnight snack.

Our plates had been cleared when she said, "Down to business, ok?" After getting our nods, she said, "You are both healthy. Your blood work won't be back for a couple of days, but I don't see any problems there. You're both tampon users, but I see no evidence of bruising or abrasions in your vaginas. Are you together? Sexually, I mean?"

Nollie said, "Yes ma'am," and I nodded my head.

Dr. Lewis giggled and said, "Please call me Ann. I've known your mother since she was pregnant with you."

Nollie and I smiled at her, and she continued, "You're going to have to watch for yeast infections. For some reason, woman-to woman sex has a higher incidence of those. Keep your fingernails trimmed short and filed smooth. Anything you put inside yourself has got to be clean also. Use lots of warm soapy water on your toys and things; you understand?"

I blushed bright pink and Ann looked at me and said, "Why are you embarrassed? A lot of women use them."

"I never have," I replied.

She smiled and said, "Just because you haven't doesn't mean that you won't want to try one someday, does it?"

I noticed Nollie blushing too, and said, "We might."

Ann said, "If you do and like it, that's fine. If not, that's ok too. I'm your doctor now, and I'm going to be the one you come to if you notice anything out of the ordinary - unusually heavy cramps or bleeding, pain you don't know the reason for, and stuff like that."

Nollie said, "Our periods are like clockwork, and within a few days of each other."

Ann smiled and said, "That's good. Any changes, you come see me right away."

We both replied ok, and she said, "The last thing I noticed was that you both have partial hymens, probably because of tampon use. Do you want me to snip them for you?"

"Snip them?" I asked.

Ann said, "Yes. I put a bit of cream that deadens the nerves on the area, and use my trusty pocket-knife."

We roared with laughter. She'd said it with such a straight face, we couldn't help it.

"No, really its quite simple," she said. "I use a scalpel. It takes about five seconds. If you are going to use a toy, it will minimize the discomfort." There was a long pause and she added, "It will make it a lot easier in case there's a boy involved, too."

Nollie said, "I'll think about it."

"I don't think I'm ready for that," I said.

"Well, you know one of your options," she said. "If you have any questions, call me. I like to take good care of my girls. Now, let's get you out of here and on your way home before your mother thinks I kidnapped you."

She drove us back to Nollie's car, and waved as she drove off. It was still snowing lightly, and Nollie was very careful.

About halfway home Nollie asked, "What do you want to do tonight?"

"I want to make love with you," I said, "but I need a shower first. It feels like my pussy was drenched in Elmer's glue."

I stayed at Nollie's for the next two days, then she took me home on Wednesday at noon. Sean had shoveled the snow from the sidewalk, and somebody had used the snow-blower to clear a path to the garage. The twins were making fudge under their mother's supervision, and Mom was in the process of making stuffing. I checked my room for any disturbances or missing items, and was pleased to find none. After a quick supper of pancakes and scrambled eggs, I went to my room.

I was used to sleeping with Nollie's warm body next to mine, and I woke up several times during the night. I made a trip to the bathroom, and went to look out the window. There was a rime of frost on the pane, and I wrote our initials on it with my fingertip. I cleared a small spot nearby, and looked out.

The moon was nearly full, and the glow off the snow gave the yard a ghostly look. I stood there a few minutes, remembering the summer. The spot of grass behind the shed, where we'd shared our first kiss. And maybe a bit more, but I wasn't complaining. The pool, so empty and forbidding at the moment, but so warm and inviting when shared with someone you loved. There were lots of things that could be done under the water, even if the twins were watching. I turned away and sought the comfort of my bed.

Before I was able to get under the covers, I had a memory of about two weeks earlier. It was a 'my house' night, and we'd made love twice before sleep. I'd gotten up to pee, like I had tonight, and when I'd returned Nollie was in full view. My bed is near the window, and whatever starlight or moonlight was available had coated her from head to foot.

She was lying on her back, with her legs slightly apart. She'd pushed her pillow away, and her head was tipped to one side. Her right hand was splayed on her leg, with her ring and little fingers flat on her thigh. Her middle finger was buried between her labia and her leg on the right hand side, and her index finger was hooked into the cleft of her slit, right at the very top. Her left arm was tucked across her chest. And the thumb of her left hand was in her mouth, with the rest of the fingers tightly shut. A vision of a sleeping child. I'd covered her and kissed her hand, and cuddled closely. On this night, I had to hug my pillow.

Thanksgiving was held at my house, and Emily and Nollie arrived early. The pies were still in the oven, and the aroma of pumpkin and apple filled the house. We gathered around the island about one o'clock in the afternoon and stuffed ourselves. We took a nap after dinner, which led to playing, which led to me locking the door. Nollie and I said a very private goodbye, and I spent the rest of the week with my family.

Monday morning, Sean and I climbed into Nollie's car for the ride to school.

I got a kiss and returned it, and Nollie said, "You're looking very pretty today."

Sean said, "Thanks sis. I didn't know you cared."

We giggled, and Nollie said, "Less than four weeks until Christmas. I can't wait!"