Chapter 10: Charli Redux

My routine was simple: Monday evenings I swam, Tuesdays and Thursdays I went to school, Wednesday evenings I loafed around the house and read or watched TV, and Friday nights I went out and had a few drinks and socialized. Mom had gently reminded me I had to meet someone before I could fall in love.

Friday, the 19th of January, 1996 is a date that I will always remember because of Charli. I was at Sulli's that night, tipping back a few beers and playing pool, when out of the corner of my eye I noticed a large group enter the back room. When one of the two tallest ones turned I recognized Christine, and right beside her stood Charli. I'd memorized her shape and the way she stood, proud and confident, and my stomach gave a lurch. Her hair was a bit longer, but there was no mistaking her profile.

'Please dear God don't let her see me!' I silently prayed, but it was Christine who led the group to my table in the corner of the room.

"Hey, Hani!" Christine said rather loudly, "How have you been?"

Everyone was staring at me, but I smiled and said, "Fine. How about you?"

"You remember Charli, right?" she asked, "and this is Maggie," pulling a smaller blond girl to her side. Pointing at each in turn, she added, "That's Barb, Linda, Gloria and Stephy."

I waved for the waitress and gestured for them to sit, looking them over. All were dressed warmly and comfortably for a night on the town. Maggie was the shortest of the group, blond and blue-eyed and rather cute. Barb was tall and stocky, auburn-haired with dark eyes. Linda had green eyes and light brown hair similar to mine, and was slimly built with just a hint of breasts under her shirt. Gloria had very dark, almost black, hair with eyes to match and an interesting smile, like she was privy to secrets unknown to anyone else in the world. Stephy had very long, dark brown hair and bright blue eyes, but she looked uncomfortable, glancing around her constantly.

And then there was Charli; the hair was a bit longer, curly with a hint of reddish highlights. The dark chocolate pools of her eyes hadn't changed a bit, nor had her shy smile when she looked at me. Her lips were the same, very inviting and kissable, and I felt my panties dampening. I pulled my eyes away; why torture myself?

The beers came and I paid for the round by handing the waitress a twenty.

Christine nudged me and softly asked, "That phony ID still holding up?" and laughed out loud when I nodded and grinned.

Christine and Maggie stood to dance a few minutes later, and Barb and Linda went with them. Gloria bent to Stephy and whispered something in her ear, and Stephy smiled.

Gloria said, "We'll be back in a minute," and walked away with Stephy in tow.

I knew that girls sometimes used the restrooms to have a quick make-out session, and smiled at the thought

Charli asked, "What are you smiling about?"

She had slid closer to me, and her soft hand closed over mine.

"Where they're going, I guess," I said.

"Does that interest you?" she asked.

"Not right now," I answered. "I'd rather dance."

Charli smiled and stood, holding her hand out in invitation; I took it and followed her to the dance floor. Once more in her arms, memories of our other night flowed through my mind with ease, startling in their clarity. Charli's scent was almost the same, filling my nostrils with a sense of calm. Her body hadn't changed much, and her breasts still pressed lightly against my chest. I closed my eyes and tucked my chin into the hollow of her neck, letting my hands drift lower to ride on her hips.

We danced the set, all slow ones, and I became familiar once again with steps and movements that were exclusively Charli's, erotic and innocent together. At the end of the last song, she held my face in her hands and slowly kissed me full on the mouth, very softly. Then she stepped back slowly, took my hand and led me back to the table. I was pleasantly stunned.

Barb and Linda had returned, but Christine and Maggie were still on the floor; I had no idea where Stephy and Gloria had gone.

Charli sat next to me and patted my leg. "Did you drive tonight?" she asked. I nodded yes and finished swallowing. "I'll be right back," she said, and walked out to the dance floor.

A short time later, she was back and putting on her coat. "I talked to Christine; you want to come with me?" she asked, looking at me.

I couldn't read her expression, but I could tell she wanted something. Whether I could provide that something I didn't know. I nodded, left a tip on the table and shrugged into my parka.

On the way to my car she said, "North on Washington," and remained silent until we crossed the Interstate. With the balky heater and the temperature outside, I was just beginning to thaw when she said, "Turn right here and go slow."

'Here' was a strip mall with professional offices and shops just south of some houses; I'd come here for a physical a long time back. She pointed to the left and said, "Park here; it's not far."

Our destination was very close, the corner of the mall building and a small door flanked by tall glass windows, blanked out with paint. Over the door and under a dim fixture were the numerals one and zero, profiled in brass. She held my hand and led me inside.

She paid the cover charge and we left our coats and gloves in a coatroom, an unusual feature of so plain a place. I thought it had once been a dance studio because of the waist-high mirrors all along one wall. The lighting was extremely dark, provided by small sconces above the booths and banquettes along the wall opposite the mirrors. The only bright light came from the restroom sign at the far end, and the red "Exit" signs above the doors. Small candles burned in tiny glasses on a few tables nearest the door; the other end was being used for dancing. All in all, maybe thirty women occupied the place.

We sat in one of the darker booths away from the dance floor and ordered our drinks, and Charli scooted very close to me.

"Where are we?" I asked.

"This place is called 'The Ten', for the numbers over the door. It's a private club that just opened." After taking a sip of her drink, she continued, "I wanted to talk, and this place is much easier than Sulli's — quieter with fewer distractions."

"Okay," I said. "It's nice." After pausing to have a swallow of my beer, I asked, "What did you want to talk about?"

"Me, you; what's between us," she said.

I raised my eyebrows. "I don't know that there's anything between us ... we've danced

a few times, that's all."

She leaned closer and said quietly, "Yes, I know, but I know you are attracted to me, the way I look or the way I act; something about me draws you."

"That's true," I laughed idiotically, "but I don't see what good it does me."

She smiled. "I am drawn to you too, but I don't know why; perhaps not as much, or for different reasons, I don't know, but the need is there."

Frustrated, I said, "So what do we do now?"

She put her arm around me and kissed my cheek. "Now, we talk," she said. "Tell me about Hani."

For the next four hours or so, we talked. And drank, visited the girls' room, and danced. I told her about my schooling, my folks and my job; she spoke in hushed tones about her abbreviated marriage and her childhood, her friends and Christine.

"Christine is my cousin," she said. "Our mothers are sisters."

I felt I could ask anything, and did. "Have you and Christine slept together?"

She blushed and shook her head. "No. It didn't seem right, she and I being related, you know? And when she first ... offered to be with me, I was engaged to my husband."

"Why did you divorce him?"

She sighed. "I got pregnant right away. We'd always used condoms before, and I think my body was primed. Anyway, he went on the road to drive his truck and I stayed home with a baby in my belly. The first few weeks were great, and then I knew something was wrong. I went in to get checked, and my pregnancy was ectopic — in the tube instead of where it belonged — and they operated on me right away. I lost it, and damn near my life too."

"But why... ?"

"He came home and accused me of aborting the baby, and wouldn't listen to the doctors. He beat me up, and as soon as I could walk I left."

We shared a hug then, and I dried the tears that had formed in her eyes. "I'm sorry," I said.

"Not your fault," she replied. "There was always suspicion from Freddie because of Christine; she told her mother when she was very young about her desires, and I hung out with her, played with her when we were kids. He thought that maybe I was the same."

"Are you?" I asked. "I know I am, although I've slept with a guy too. I like it, but I prefer a woman."

She glanced around the room and said, "There are women here who would beat me or you the same as a man; to them a relationship is about power and control, and having something to fuck. I don't want that; I had it and didn't like it much."

"What do you want?"

She kissed my cheek again, pulled me a little closer to her and said, "Perhaps you; you seem gentle and kind."

I giggled. "There's a lot more to a relationship than being kind and gentle."

She swallowed deeply and said, "True, but that's a start, isn't it?"

We danced some more, and about three in the morning I drove her home. She lived in a small three-bedroom ranch on North Ninth, just above the Capitol grounds. Before she went inside, she pulled me close and kissed me.

She opened the door and asked, "Will you come see me tomorrow? In the afternoon?"

I smiled and nodded yes, then watched her until she went inside.

Driving home, I was giddy. Charli was human, with all her doubts and fears, and didn't deserve to be put on the pedestal I had mistakenly provided. My attitude toward her was one of my creation, and I had to examine it for faults as soon as possible. She'd said she was attracted to me, too, hadn't she?