GREETING SARAH

They had decided, he and Vicki that is had decided, that Thanksgiving would be at his place, at 'the house' this year. He was a good and avid cook and didn't mind at all when Vicki told, kind of asked, him if it were okay if she were to bring a guest.

"No," Vicki interjected into their phone conversation immediately, "It's not a girl friend of mine; so, get your mind out of the gutter."

"Didn't say a word!" he said with an obvious chuckle in his voice.

"You don't have to; I know you, Graham!" she shot back at him.

Vicki, Victoria and Graham Warren were fraternal twins. They had spent a life time, up to this point, up to this year, together. They were always that close. Then at the age of 37, they decided to go their separate ways with their housing. It had mostly been Vicki's idea. She volunteered to get her own apartment.

In that conversation, she mentioned that since she'd 'come out' and declared to friends the fact that she was 'lesbian' she wanted a bit of freedom to practice her lifestyle.

She got a grin on her face at that time, and said: "Graham, I'm simply tired of knowing that you have your ear to the wall in the next room listening for heavy breathing."

"Am not!" he shot back at her. "I have a bedroom cam installed in your room and don't need to have my ear to the wall at all."

At that point, Vicki simply whacked her twin brother on the shoulder, as he doubled over in laughter at his own wit.

Their move had worked well for them, and they each settled down to a lifestyle that pleased them. It didn't disturb their closeness at all. For Thanksgiving they were both looking forward to being together.

"I'll be happy to meet your friend!" he said.

The Warren twins, as they had been known in their neighborhood, had grown up together, gone to schools together and were both attracted to similar things. At this point in their lives, Graham was a tenured professor of international politics and history at the local state university, while Vicki held a similar position at the also local woman's college.

They often worked out together. Both were on the smaller side, though Vicki's fairly large breasts made her certainly a stand out. They sported dark, short hair, and were a very attractive couple.

In contrast to Vicki, with her freely declared and joyful sexual outlet, Graham was a bit shy about such matters. He wasn't the outgoing sexual person that his sister was. He was, it seems, more of a romantic and that very thought kept him from getting too quickly and deeply involved just in sexual matters, whereas for Vicki such matters were one of the joys of her life. Graham was simply more subdued.

Graham had been up early that day to do his preparations. He had baked pies the day before, when they'd had the conversation about Vicki bringing a 'friend' for Thanksgiving. Today he was up to his elbows in turkey, stuffing and singing along with the music that he had accompanying his tasks.

He had a taste for older folk music, and was currently listening to 'Peter, Paul and Mary'.

"Don't you just love them, Ghandi?" he asked of his large tabby.

Mahatma Ghandi gave an appreciative noise and Graham went on singing along with the music, as he worked toward getting the dinner ready.

When everything seemed to be under control with the cooking, he began to set the dining room table, setting it for three people, and using the best of their Mother's china.

When the house split came for Vicki and Graham, he had gotten, in the process, the house to live in, since they were not completely sure at the time that living apart was what they actually wanted. Over the course of the year that it had been, he had made it uniquely his own in decoration and arrangement.

The doorbell rang at 11:00 AM, the time that they'd agreed on for Vicki to arrive.

He went to the door and opening it, grinned and spread his arms wide for his sister. She went into his hug and kissed him lightly.

"You know that you don't have to ring the doorbell!" he said.

"Graham, it's your home and I respect that," she said.

"But who is this that you bring to my home and my table?" he asked softly.

Sarah Nkomu was from Africa. She had fled her own country, when her father's political fortunes went downhill, and, as far as she knew, she was the only one of the family to survive the upheaval. She was, at that time, 27 years old and had obtained a temporary work visa. She was trained with credentials in the same field that both Vicki and Graham shared and was able to get a temporary 'teaching assistant' position at the college where Vicki taught.

(That was, by the way, the lowest rung on the academic ladder at the school, but it was a job —- at least a temporary one —- in the U.S. and she appreciated it.)

Sarah was a lovely, lovely young woman. She was shorter that either Vicki or Graham. She was startlingly, beautifully black in color. She had hair that was only a small roll of fuzz along her scalp, leaving her looking almost bald. She wore huge, gold hoop earrings and had a world winning smile, which she trained on Graham, as they met.

Despite her relatively short stature, she was fairly large in the bust and had a pretty, rounded butt. Sarah was a beauty, an exotic beauty.

"Welcome!" Graham said, extending his hand but receiving a hug from Sarah instead. During the hug he just grinned at Vicki, who gave him a grin in return.

"Well, come in," Graham said with positive joy. "We'll be ready soon and I have a bottle of white, Mosel wine to toast the day."

"This is such a joyful custom of your country," Sarah said. "Taking time to give thanks for life and for bounties. I like that!"

"I'll drink to that," Graham said and they did indeed have a toast then.

A DINNER CONVERSATION: SARAH'S DIFFICULTY

First, at Vicki's request, Graham took Sarah, with Vicki accompanying, on a tour of the house. It was a lovely, large Victorian. They were both, Vicki and Graham, proud of the house and loved to show it off to friends.

Sarah was enchanted with the house, and said so.

"It was Momma's pride and joy," Vicki said, smiling at Graham.

"We have many happy memories of living, growing up in this house," Graham added.

"What a blessing that is," Sarah said, now with a tear glowing in her eye.

"Oh, sweetie," Vicki said, hugging Sarah, "We're not trying to make you feel bad here."

"It's not that," Sarah said, "It's so wonderful of you to share this with me! It's the first time that I've felt anything resembling happiness with the idea of 'home' for such a long time."

Vicki continued to hug Sarah and let her have her sadness. At one point, she opened her arms to invite Graham into the hug, and it ended being a hug for the three of them.

"I'm sorry for being emotional," Sarah said but Graham cut her off: "No, you be emotional; we're just happy to have you with us today. It's a reason for us to give thanks."

"And it smells so good!" Vicki said, causing Sarah to laugh and Graham to grin.

"Well," Graham said then, with a flourish, "It's about all ready."

Turning to Sarah he said: "Sarah, it's a typical American Thanksgiving Day feast. It's turkey and stuffing, potatoes, veggies, yams, cranberry sauce and pies."

"All made by the wonderful chef in residence," Vicki added, and they all smiled.

"So," Graham went on, "Let's begin with another toast."

They raised their glasses. Graham proposed the toast: "Here's to friends making Thanksgiving even better!"

They all drank to that. At that point, Sarah asked to be excused to wash her face. Graham showed her where the main floor bathroom was and she went there.

When Vicki and Graham were alone, he said: "Why in God's name don't you put a move on her? She's gorgeous!"

"I know," Vicki said, sighing, "But she doesn't swing that way. We've talked and I can always tell."

"Gorgeous!" Graham said.

"You go get her!" Vicki said then and they shared a laugh, as he said: "Yes, old slow but sure Graham and a beauty like that! I guess!"

"Don't you sell yourself short, bro," Vicki said, planting a kiss on his cheek. "You are handsomeness itself!"

He grinned back at her, as they heard Sarah returning.

When Sarah returned, Graham showed them to the dining room and they sat and Graham offered a Thanksgiving prayer. Before praying, he told Sarah that he was going to and that it was their custom, an expression of their faith.

"Yes," Sarah said, "My father's party at home was the Christian party, and that's one of the things that got him into trouble with the government."

In the prayer, Graham gave thanks for friends and family, mentioning Vicki and Sarah by name and then for family past and present, mentioning his and Vicki's Mom and Dad and also Sarah's family.

"Ready?" he asked when the praying was done.

"Ready!" both women said at the same time.

He went to the kitchen then and fetched the meal, one bowl after another. Both Sarah and Vicki were enchanted with Graham's efforts. They sat then and enjoyed their meal.

During the dinner, Sarah enquired about U.S. Thanksgiving customs and Vicki and Graham went into some of the background of the feast, mentioning the pilgrims and also that the holiday had been established by President Abraham Lincoln, and then regularized by President Franklin Roosevelt.

"Oh, yes," Sarah said, "Mr Lincoln, and Mr Roosevelt; we have heard of them in our tiny country."

Their meal was pleasant and put them in a mood to talk.

It was during the conversation that Vicki asked, softly, since it was a difficult subject: "Sarah, how is your campaign going?"

Graham simply looked on and Vicki explained: "Sarah's short term work visa is running out and a date has been set in a month or so to deport her."

"Oh," he said, "Isn't that dangerous?"

"It can be," Sarah said quietly. She thought for a few seconds and answered Vicki's enquiry.

"It's not going well! There is so much, how do you call it? 'red tape' and my request is not apparently being given a very positive reception."

"Damn," Vick said, "You are such a good and talented teacher; you need to stay here and teach."

"I know," Sarah said with some regret in her voice, "But the college administration says that there's not much they can do."

"When will a final decision be made?" Vicki asked then.

"I'm afraid that it's already been made; I've received a letter that tells me to be ready for leaving the country in six weeks."

"Ohh," Vicki said and moved to hug Sarah, whose eyes had begun to mist up at that point.

It was then that Graham said something that changed the situation among these three friends totally. It was taken, at first, by both Vicki and Sarah, as a joke on his part, and they laughed. It was only that Graham wasn't joking at all.

When Vicki and Sarah had broken up their hug, Graham said: "Then, Sarah, why not marry me?"

Their initial reaction, both for Vicki and for Sarah was stunned silence. Then

Vicki exploded into laughter immediately, followed quickly by Sarah.

"Graham," Vicki admonished, "We're being serious here!"

And it was then that things changed. Vicki certainly knew Graham well enough to know when he was serious and when he wasn't. She gave him one look and realized that he was indeed being serious.

"So am I!" he said softly.

"Graham!" Vicki exploded! She hesitated then, thought a bit and fairly exploded again: "The very thing! It's brilliant! It's wonderful! It'll work too!"

Sarah was looking on not knowing exactly what was going on and not knowing, just then, what to do.

"I ... uh ... don't understand!" Sarah said.

Vicki turned to her and said: "Marry Graham, like he says and you can stay in this country, since you are the wife of a citizen."

"Really?" Sarah said.

"Really!" Graham and Vicki both replied, grinning at each other.

"It will be in name only," Graham hastened to explain. "We'll be married and you'll come to live here. I'm not trying to be devious here or anything."

Sarah, still taken aback said softly: "I know you're not. Will it? Can it work?"

Vicki nodded, and Graham said a sure "Yes, it will; yes, it can!"

"For immigrations's sake," Graham went on, "We need to be showing that the marriage is a real one. Then we can wait for, say, a half year or so and then be quietly divorced and your status will be secure."

"Ohhhhhhhhhhh!" Sarah yelled at that point and went first to Vicki and then to Graham for a hug, kissing each of them on the cheek in the process. "This is wonderful! This is more than I can dream! This is so nice!"

Graham and Vicki both grinned at Sarah, who was beginning to show signs of just sobbing. She sat down in her chair and kind of tried to take it all in, it was so new and unexpected. Yet, it seemed to be a great answer to the dilemma.

"You'll do that for me?" Sarah asked, wiping tears from her eyes again but for a different reason this time.

"Of course, he will!" Vicki said, and Graham nodded in assent. "It was his idea and it's a great one."

"What a Thanksgiving this is turning out to be for me," Sarah said softly, and then she was crying in earnest.

Both Vicki and Graham went to comfort her. They both held her at that point, and a smiling Vicki, with tears now in her eyes, mouthed to Graham: "I love you!" She got a return: "I love you too!"

When Sarah had calmed down, Vicki interjected:

"Okay, we need to plan this!"

"Yes," Graham said. Then with a flourish added: "And we need to get an engagement ring this weekend to start making this real.

Sarah sat, so overwhelmed by the idea that she couldn't, at least just then, speak. She put her hand over her mouth and giggled into it, pleased with the way that this was turning out, and at the thought of a ring, and still hovering between giggling in joy and just crying. It was an emotional afternoon for all of them.

ARRANGEMENTS:

The reality of what they were proposing only sank in slowly with Sarah. She continued to be, once she actually realized that both Graham and Vicki were serious about their proposal, weepy about it, about how wonderful they were being.

"You really are serious about marrying me?" Sarah finally asked Graham.

"Totally!" he said and she wept again and was in his arms, joined there by Vicki.

"We need to conspire now," Vicki said.

"Yes," Graham agreed, and his agreement was followed quickly by Sarah's, who was becoming adjusted to the idea and beginning to be really excited about the possibility.

"Yes," Graham said, confirming what he'd already proposed, and now finding it a great idea. "A ring this weekend. We're going to make this look really good."

"Fine," Vicki said, "A ring!"

Sarah grinned again at the thought of a ring. It was like the door to the entire idea, and the ring itself seemed to her to make it something that was certainly going to happen.

"Tomorrow?" he asked.

"Yes," Sarah said. "I can pay."

"Nonsense!" Vicki said, "He's going to be the groom; he gets to pay."

Graham agreed with a nod and Sarah, in a total holiday mood by now, simply grinned and clapped her hands.

"Let's take a look upstairs," Graham said, "We'll pick out a room for you."

"Oh, yes," Sarah said, realizing that she needed indeed to be living there with Graham, once this was accomplished.

They trooped upstairs and Graham showed them around. There was a large suite of rooms that fairly matched the master suite for appointments. (In the past his Mom and Dad each had their own suite of rooms. They were interlocking and both lovely. Graham was using his Dad's suite as the master bedroom and was now proposing to put Sarah in his Mom's suite next door to him.)

When they went into the suite that was going to be Sarah's, they found Ghandi already sleeping on the bed.

"See," Vicki said, "He's here to welcome you to your new digs!"

Sarah clapped her hands in joy and gave the contented cat some ear and back scratches, which were shown to be appreciated by the level of purring sounds coming from Ghandi.

They looked the suite over and Sarah indicated how pleased she was with it. Graham proceeded to show her where the towels for that room were kept and promised to get, the next day, bathroom items that were needed: soap, shampoo etc.

"Just make a list for me of what you use."

Sarah indicated that she'd do that for him.

They went back downstairs then for dessert, finally. Graham had coffee for them and pie. They sat down then and talked about the move itself.

"Why not go ahead and move your stuff today, this weekend?" Vicki asked. "Is that okay with you, Graham?"

"Great!" he said. "We can get you settled and within the next two weeks we'll have the big event! Wedding bells!"

He turned and said: "Hear that, Ghandi?", who had appeared curious about the uproar that was going on. " We're going to have a lady of the house here already next week."

As though on cue, Ghandi made cat noises, seeming to agree.

"See!" Graham said, "He agrees with the program."

At that point Vicki and Sarah decided that they'd go to Sarah's room, almost a garret, and begin to pack her things to get them ready to move. Graham saw them to the door.

"Vick," he said, "I'll have some leftovers from the turkey and all for you."

He turned to Sarah then and said: "I'll have the same for you but it'll be here waiting for you."

The idea of what they were willing to do, and the way that he'd said that the leftovers would be waiting there for her, once again overwhelmed Sarah, who stopped and collected a weepy hug from Graham.

The thought ran through his mind, like lightning, as he was hugging Sarah, about how great it felt to have her smashed up against him. He was aware of everything: breasts, thighs and the lovely, lovely smell of her. He quickly pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind, with the message to himself: "Think about that later!"

"Thank you, Graham," Sarah whispered. "This is the single nicest thing that anyone has ever done for me! I swear it is!"

"You're welcome, love," he said, using the word innocently, yet it made an immediate impression on Sarah, when he said it. She internalized that, in much the same way that Graham had internalized how it felt to have Sarah pinned up against him.

Then it was doorway hugs for Sarah and Vicki, and finally Vicki and Graham were hugging each other.

"Thanks for this," Vicki whispered to him.


"Welcome!" he whispered back.

Then he said to the two of them: "I'll be waiting for you."

They both agreed and left to get Sarah's things in order.

While they were gone, Graham went about putting clean sheets on the bed, and clean towels and wash cloths in the bathroom for Sarah. Ghandi gave him a hand at those tasks.

The two women were back in about an hour and a half. This time, they had Sarah's suitcases with them, and some bags with various other objects. They took time then to get Sarah settled, with Graham showing her all that she needed, that he had ready for her: her bathroom items etc.

Sarah was still periodically overwhelmed by it and enchanted with it, and gave both Vicki and Graham a hug now and then. While hugging Graham once, she began to sob again, simply overcome again with it all.

"I can hardly bring myself to believe your goodness!" she said to him, as she clung to him, with Vicki looking on and smiling at the two of them.

Vicki announced that she had to leave then; she had, she said to them, a number of things to do and would let them get settled in.

There was a brief, awkward silence, once Vicki was gone but it was Sarah who filled it fairly quickly. When she looked at all that Graham had already done for her, she was again overcome a bit and said:

"Oh, we will be the best friends ever; I just know it!"

He smiled at her and kissed her on the forehead and spoke his agreement.

They both worked then on the clean-up, with Graham using that to show Sarah where things were to be put, giving her a chance to get better acquainted with the house and its setup.

"This house is lovely," she said, once they were finished.

"You must be tired," he said, "All of this has to have been a shock for you."

She smiled at him and said: "I am a bit."

"Would you like to lie down just a bit? I have some things to do in the library; it's where Ghandi and I hang out, you see."

"Yes," she said "I have already established a lovely relationship with Mr Ghandi!" (She giggled as she said the big tabby's name.)

"Well," he said, "Let me show you one more time, where you're suite is and I'll let you get settled for a rest. I'll be down here, whenever you're finished."

He showed her upstairs and got her an extra blanket to put on the bed to cover herself for her nap.

She stared at him for a moment, when he'd gotten everything for her and said softly: "I still can hardly believe that I've found such goodness. Both you and your lovely Vicki are being so marvelous to me. Thank you! Thank you!"

He happily received a hug from her then and whispered a "You're welcome! And I agree that we're going to be the best of friends forever!"

He left her then and went to do some reading in his den. He was there, when, later, she knocked on the door, coming to see him.

They both agreed on a snack then and together went to the kitchen and helped themselves.

What impressed Graham almost as much as anything was the way they settled down to a normal kind of 'at home' existence. It was pleasant, for both of them.

Over their light supper, they talked about what they were, at that time, teaching. Graham found himself impressed with the scope of her knowledge of their field and their talk was lively.

She also took time to fill Graham in on her background from home in Africa. It was a grim story of betrayal, upheaval and barely surviving. There was a part, of course, that she didn't talk about, her relationship with her 'man'. It was still too private a matter for her to bring up, and so, Graham had no idea.

"Ohh dear!" he said, once she'd related her story. "And only you are left?"

"Yes," she said, softly, "Only I. I was at the right place at the right time to get out and not be caught up in it, in the upheaval and in the following terror. I consider myself lucky."

"What would you like to do tonight?" he asked. "I don't mean that you have to spend all of your time with me but I was just wondering."

She smiled and said: "If I am to marry you, I guess I need to spend time with you!" She put her hand over her mouth to suppress a giggle then.

He grinned at what she said and they opted for a 'normal' evening at home.

"Shall we watch some tv?" he asked.

"Oh, I like your tv shows," she said, "And movies."

They selected a movie and watched it, with it finishing fairly late in the evening. During the movie, Ghandi sat on the couch in the family room, snuggled between the two of them, with Sarah periodically petting him and getting appreciative noises from him.

Once the movie was done, Graham asked if she needed anything else, other than what they'd done before, for her night. She said that she didn't think that she did, although she might treat herself to a late bath before bed, and they embraced at the door of her bedroom and retired.

He also made sure that she knew where he was, in case she needed anything during the night.

"Isn't she sensational, Ghandi?" Graham asked the big tabby, once they were alone. Ghandi's answer was an affirmative yowl and Graham said: "I'm glad that you agree with me. She's just gorgeous; so fine!"

The next morning they sat and talked about the day that each would have. Graham had his things to do, but they made plans for lunch and a visit to the jewelry store.

Sarah indicated that she had also some morning things to do but that her day was kind of free from that time on.

Shortly after that, Graham left for his errands, and Sarah took her shower and got ready for her day.

But for both of them it was a day with different attitudes. Concerns, possibilities and cares that had not been present in their lives just 24 hours before were now important.

The fact that he could expect Sarah to be 'home', when he got there, never left Graham's mind for a moment during the day. The same kind of process was going on in Sarah's mind. She was constantly mindful of Graham's goodness and willingness to take such a major step in order to, essentially, protect her from the threat of deportation. It was such a major factor in her mind. During her morning and her day, she made plans for what she wanted to do.

Graham had told her that he needed to make a visit in the afternoon to get some special material that he needed for a class.

They had a 'leftover' lunch and were off to the jewelry store. Sarah was giggly throughout the venture, telling the woman at the store that they were indeed 'getting married'. The woman offered them her congratulations and they settled on a lovely diamond solitaire that both of them liked.

Sarah kept looking at it and admiring it, and it caused her to hug Graham time after time. He began to relish the hugs and consider what a lucky guy he was turning out to be.

ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER WEEK, A DIFFERENT NIGHT:

Those were the thoughts that he went to bed with.

They used the week succeeding to get Sarah settled in. Both she and Graham were quickly aware of how pleased they actually were with the arrangement. Vicki was there frequently and she and Sarah took time now and then, during the succeeding week to ten days, to get together for coffee and talk.

The thing that impressed Graham, during that time period, was how well they got along. It seemed effortless. They were not going out of their way to be polite; it was just a good and comfortable fit.

Sarah, apart from fairly wallowing in her good fortune, took time to appreciate just about everything about Graham and the house. She found herself thinking about him more and more; they were thoughts of how good looking he was. Sarah found herself to be quickly smitten and realized that she was having a very difficult time hiding that.

She felt that she needed, wanted hugs from him all the time. Graham gave them with joy, always enjoying the feel of her nestled against him.

It was the same for Graham. He never tired of the very dark loveliness of her. He enjoyed having her around to talk to and simply interact with. He was more and more aware of her physical beauty: graceful legs and the enchanting butt, and large fairly perky breast. Apart from those things, he was simply struck by her simple facial beauty.

It was how things progressed through that succeeding time period for them.

It was at the end of that week and a half period that things actually changed.

Graham was in the kitchen early in the day. He had some morning chores to accomplish and was having coffee, after doing them. He made sure that he set out some breakfast things for Sarah, when she entered the kitchen.

"Morning," she said in a kind of shy voice.

"Sarah!" he said with joy in his voice and went to give her a morning hug, all the while thinking that she looked great in her plain, white silk robe. He was pleased that she felt so at home with the hug too.

"I have coffee and some cinnamon rolls here," he said.

"Thank you!" she said, helping herself to coffee and a roll.

They planned their day then. Sarah had a morning class that she assisted with but Graham had a heavier day. It was a morning class and also an afternoon class, plus a meeting of the academic policy committee. He indicated that he'd be home probably about six or so.

When Graham got home that afternoon, just before six PM, he entered the house and was enchanted immediately by the wonderful smell in the house.

Sarah came out of the kitchen. She was wearing a pair of tight, white capri-style pants and an over tee shirt. She also was wearing an apron. At first, Graham simply gaped at her, taking in how wonderful she looked.

"Dinner soon," she said happily and he gave her a grateful grin.

"Smells wonderful!" he said.

She took a deep breath then and spoke her mind: "Graham, you're the one who is wonderful!"

He smiled at her and thanked her for what she'd said and took her into his arms for a hug, once again mindful of how great it felt to have her pressed up against him.

"Dinner will be ready in about a half hour," she said. "Do you want a shower? Want a drink? Beer? Wine? Mixed drink?"

All the while, Ghandi was sitting and watching this exchange.

Graham turned to the cat and said: "Ghandi, are you watching me get spoiled here?"

Ghandi made an appreciative noise and both Sarah and Graham laughed.

"I think I will take a quick shower," he said, "Get some of the grime of the academe off of me."