Chapter 20: The River - Before the Event

Sunday mid-afternoon, January 19, 2003

I was out waiting in the garage for a good five minutes when the young ladies graced me with their presence, and I could tell something was up by how they were acting. I was at the passenger door of my Camry, when Lyndy walked up to me. She thanked me for getting her car warmed up, and reached and kissed me on the cheek. I told her it was not a problem and that she could thank me like that anytime she liked.

She smiled back at that comment, but looked at Kaleigh when we heard her slyly say, "We'll see if she can thank you like that or not in the future, my good man." She arched one of her eyebrows as she looked between the two of us. I was taken back a bit at her comment and stance, but then she cracked up laughing. Lyndy chuckled at Kaleigh and then smacked me on the arm, turned and ran to her car in the light rain. I held the door for Kaleigh to get in the car, and she pinched my butt as she slipped down past me into the car.

"Hey, hey, careful with the merchandise!" I half-heartedly exclaimed at the small 'horse-bite' on my tail, as I shut her door and walked around the back of my car.

I heard Kaleigh shout from inside the car, "I've paid for the merchandise, so I can sample it when and however I like." As I opened my door, she continued with a smile, "You got a problem with that old-man?"

"I may have, and just remember, paybacks can be heaven or they can be 'H-E-double hockey sticks', if you get MY meaning," I quickly replied back, hoping to get the upper hand in this war of words.

"Oooh, I'm sooooo scared! ... Plus, I'm not that impressed by your spelling with sports equipment either," she fired back as she flapped her hands in mock terror.

I laughed at her face and expressions but didn't want this to end with her getting the final word in this small verbal battle. I backed the car out of her parents' garage, and when I turned to drive down the hill to her house, I stared straight ahead and said in a quiet, even-keeled voice, "Using an offshoot of words that Lyndy's dad might use from the pulpit; you, my pretty young one, won't know the time, place or content of my dastardly payback. You best remain on guard, as a thief comes when the homeowners are away or unprepared." Kaleigh didn't say a word in reply; she just stared at me as she sat sideways in the car for the short trip down the driveway.

I half expected her to hit the garage door opener for me, when we got close to her house, but she sat motionless, staring at me. I reached over to the passenger visor, hit the button and then rested my hand on her leg, and looked at her for the first time on this short journey. I was completely puzzled at her vague expression, as I was thinking we were in the middle of a fun run of verbal barbs, so as I rubbed her leg, I asked her, "Cat got your tongue, baby?"

"You, you aren't gonna do, try anything that I don't want, or uh, won't like, are you? You're not, right?" Kaleigh looked and sounded scared, like the little girl who saw the boogie man in her closet at night. She had barely moved a muscle, other than her mouth and vocal cords.

"What? No, God no! What is going on in your pretty little head right now, baby? I'd never do anything to you. I thought we were just having some fun with each other there. Why did you think I'd do something like that?" I turned to her and ran my hands up her arms to her shoulders to pull her in tight across the center console.

"Oh Mike," she exhaled in relief. "You just, your voice, your tone just ... just triggered a bad memory because it uh, sounded like that creep guy on the night he uh, raped me. He, he talked like ... easy, quiet but deliberate and with, uh, bad intentions. Oh Mike, I know you're not like him and wouldn't hurt me. I just ... froze, panicked at that sound." She started to sob a little but I think my holding her helped her maintain her composure.

"Kaleigh, I didn't know that. I was just playing with you. I was just trying to one-up your previous 'so scared' comment, with your hands flopping around. I'm sorry baby. It certainly wasn't my intent," I whispered to her as I rubbed her back.

She pulled back from me, and suddenly had her bright, all the world's my oyster type smile, and said, "It's OK, Mike. I'm good, I'm OK. I know you didn't mean anything by it."

It was a little disconcerting for me to see her switch from one major emotion to another, seemingly at the drop of a hat like that, but I was glad to see the happy Kaleigh back with me so quick. It was a good thing too, as Lyndy came bounding into the garage and banged on my driver's window, which semi-scared the crap out of me.

As I opened the door, I said to both of them, "Both of you better watch out now. You scared the crap out of me there Lyndy. Trouble, big-time trouble!" Both of the young ladies gave me a big 'woooow' sounding reply and we headed into Kaleigh's house, with Lyndy pushing me up the two steps into the kitchen.

"Oh crap, I left the chicken and things out in my car. Can you run out and get it please?" Lyndy asked me with full blown puppy dog eyes.

"Sure, ask the guy to run out in the rain to get stuff. I see how it is," I replied with as much false indignation as I could muster.

Kaleigh was laughing again, as Lyndy laid it on thick with her slow southern drawl, "Oh pretty, pretty please get it for us. I'm just sooo afraid of melting out there in that rain, you know, being all sugar and spice, and everything nice."

"Ok, Ok, just stop, stop! My brain can't take any more of your psychological warfare at the moment!" I exclaimed as I held my head in mock pain.

Lyndy rushed over to me and kissed me on the cheek again when I agreed to her request, which set Kaleigh off in fake outrage once more as she could barely get out, "Lyndyyyy, sta-oop horning in on my man or you'll be sorry."

As I turned to walk back outside, I couldn't hold my laughter while saying, "Ladies, ladies please, there's no need for such recriminations. We're all good, aren't we?"

Both Kaleigh and Lyndy were giggling and I thought I heard one or both of them say, "We're good, actually more than good," as I shut the door behind me. I thought that these two ladies were in cahoots about something as I walked out to her Toyota Corolla to get the leftovers from lunch. I just wasn't sure what these two beauties were up to.

The weather definitely was taking a turn for the worse again. The temperature, I remembered from my car's display, was 34 degrees, and the drizzle was now a little shower. This combination was a good recipe for disaster here in Alabama. We just don't have the bad weather equipment or resources that northern locals regularly employ. Even in the 15ish seconds it took me to get the food from her car, this cold rain had started a chill in my bones.

While I was outside, both ladies changed out of their Sunday dresses. As I put the food in her fridge, Kaleigh came out of her bedroom in a pair of blue jeans and her pink cashmere sweater. Like a typical southerner, she didn't have any shoes or socks on her feet. Lyndy came out of the guest room shortly afterwards, in a pair of light green sweatpants, and a large white Alabama sweatshirt. She had on a pair of small fuzzy brown slippers too. Seeing Lyndy with her own slippers here at Kaleigh's house activated my memories of Kaleigh's comments regarding her girlfriends, and how they helped her after her trauma at Troy.

The three of us watched CMT videos on Kaleigh's large TV, and talked about their longtime friendship. Kaleigh laid her head down on my lap as I sat on her tanned leather sofa. Lyndy reclined in the large, Brookstone massaging chair, just off the side of the couch.

Kaleigh and Lyndy had known each other since they were five or six, and went to school together all throughout high school. Lyndy and the Timdals moved away from the Lakeview community, and Hepzibah Baptist Church, when her dad took over a dying church in Northport when Lyndy was 13. Pastor Jim reclaimed the leadership position at Hepzibah in 2000, and Lyndy reclaimed her position as Kaleigh's very best friend. Lyndy was flabbergasted when I told her that my apartment complex was just about a quarter mile from her dad's former church.

When Garth Brooks' The River came on the TV, our discussion turned to how Kaleigh really relied on Lyndy, when she returned home from Troy. Both of them related how they would take the words to this song and relate how her experience there was just an unexpected bend in the river with major league rapids that Kaleigh would have to ride out. They related how they would talk for hours, cry over things and give comfort to each other. Lyndy said she felt like she was almost there with Kaleigh during that time. Kaleigh said she shared more details of that event with Lyndy than she did with any other person, even her therapist.

As both ladies talked about this event, I recalled several past statements or conversations I had with Kaleigh about this experience, and her limited past sexual experiences. With her perceptual radar working on high, Kaleigh sensed my brain processing this current conversation, along with my prior information. She looked up at me, rolled her eyes towards Lyndy and barely nodded towards her. She non-verbally confirmed my suspicions, that Lyndy was the girl, or one of them at least, that she experimented with, and still had sexual feelings or desires for. Listening to them, I could easily tell that both girls cared deeply about each other.

When Lyndy got up to use the bathroom, Kaleigh wormed up beside me and whispered, "I knew you would realize that Lyndy was my special girlfriend. Are you OK with her hanging around me, around us, knowing that about us?" She ran her left hand across my cheek, and I kissed her palm lightly before I took it in my hands.

"I told you before, I'm good with whatever you've done before we met, and seeing the connection you two have and how you both feed off each other, I wouldn't want to prevent you from continuing what you have right now." I continued to rub her hands and arms, as I tried to show her I was truly fine with her current relation with Lyndy.

As I told Kaleigh that I loved her, 'warts' and all, Lyndy walked up beside and stared down at us until we both looked up at her. For several moments, she silently looked back and forth between us; then she meekly said, "He knows, doesn't he? Is he OK with it, with us? Oh God, I'm..." as her voice started to quiver.

"Mike's good with us, sweetie. He figured it out faster than I thought he would ... but he loves me and we're OK," Kaleigh said, interrupting Lyndy's initial rant before it got going. "Come, sit down here," she continued as she patted my lap, wanting Lyndy to sit right close to us.

She slowly stepped between our legs and eased herself down onto my lap, but held her body up, away from my chest. Where Kaleigh was a toned and solid, 115 pounds, Lyndy was slender, and barely 100 pounds soaking wet. She had a relatively flat bottom with an almost too large, for her frame, pair of C-D cup breasts. Her thick, dirty blonde hair was cut in an attractive 'Jennifer Aniston' style cut. Her pale blue eyes were wet, as she appeared near tears.

Kaleigh put a hand on her thigh, and I rest my left hand on top of it, while reaching around her slim waist with my right arm. Kaleigh moved her left hand up to Lyndy's face and said, "I didn't tell him it was you, Lyndy. I, umm ... we just talked about what went on at Troy and a little afterward when, uh when I uh, told Mike about my girl-girl sexual experiences. I told him, how some girlfriends helped me realize, uh, showed me what good gentle sex could feel like. Honest to God Lyndy, I didn't mention any names to him."

Lyndy sniffled some but didn't start to cry, as she looked back and forth between us. Not wanting to intrude more than necessary on this personal conversation, I softly, yet quickly said, "She never mentioned any names to me, Lyndy."

"Lyndy, we have something special here. You showed me, helped me more than you know, and I'd DIE if you're upset with me. God Lyndy, don't hate me!" Kaleigh was on the verge of tears herself now. It was tough on me as well, seeing these two girls in obvious distress.

Lyndy leaned over and grabbed Kaleigh around her shoulders and pulled her tight. She squeaked out, "I don't hate you Kaleigh. I was just ... just surprised at, at being discovered here. Oh Kaka, I love you and won't ever hate you."

Lyndy rocked her body, along with Kaleigh, while sitting on my lap for a good 30 seconds. I kept my hands in place, on Kaleigh's hand and around Lyndy's waist, until she pushed away from Kaleigh and turned towards me. I let my right arm fall away from her waist, as she looked down at me. I looked back at her tear stained face, with damp eyes as well.

She used her shirt sleeve to wipe her eyes and then said to me, "We love each other, but we're not lesbians or anything. We just shared some things. We, I wanted to help her, with her fears of sex and touching, and uh, and we did other things. Oh God, I'm so."

"Lyndy," I stopped her, "I'll tell you the same thing I told Kaleigh. I'm OK with what you two have done. Your past has made her, and you, the people you are now. I'm uh, glad ... yeah, glad you were there for her and helped best you could. I love her and I'm very grateful to you, to all her friends really, for helping her." I pulled her down onto my chest as I finished, and Kaleigh lunged over at us, knocking us over into the arm of her leather sofa.

When we settled down from our group hug, Kaleigh looked at Lyndy, who was resting her head on my shoulder and said, "Mike said it was OK if we continued to um, play every so often." She paused and took a deep breath before continuing, "Gawd Lyndy, he makes me feel sooo good, but I told him that my 'girlfriend', you, uh, we gave each other a different kind of wonderful feelings. Are you, we still OK on that?"

Lyndy pulled her head off my shoulder and looked down at me with a puzzled expression, and then looked back and forth between us a few times before saying, "I, ohh ... I think I'd like that, I think." She looked at me for about ten seconds and started to blush before she turned to Kaleigh and said, "We do have fun, don't we?"

Kaleigh smiled and nodded slightly, as Lyndy took a deep breath and said, "Me and Bryant, we are just starting to do things, and I'm glad I've done some things with you Kaleigh, so I can tell him what makes me feel good. The uh ... oh God, the, I'm, I'm just worried about doing things to him, having him feel as good as me. I feel like an idi."