Sarah & Allison Enter Stage Lonely
(Introducing Ginny, another creation of Lady Shay. There are plans for her.)
-Donal
It was Sunday morning and the West Catholic soccer team was leaving for the State Tournament. Sarah stood beside the bus and sniffled, just a little, hoping to get some sympathy from Allison and Rikki. "What's the matter, Munchkin?"
"I'm lonely already."
"Don't worry. If we make it to the championship game, we'll only be gone a week. If we lose, we'll be home sooner. You won't wither away in seven days, will you?"
"I just might," sniffling again.
Exhibiting no sympathy at all, "What'cha think Rik? Should we give her something to remember us by 'til we get back?"
"I think she's earned it," with a wink.
"OK, Munchkin. Close your eyes."
"Close my eyes? Why?"
" 'Cause what we have in mind is very special and we want you to be surprised."
Sarah closed her eyes and stood there, "OK."
Allison closed on one cheek, Rikki the other. Allison held up three fingers. Then two. Then one. When there were none, they leaned in and gave Sarah a monkey kiss (braaaaaaap). Sarah's eyes flew open and she scrubbed her cheeks. "I'll get you for that."
"Then our work here is done. See you when we get back." Allison kissed her on the lips; Rikki kissed her on the nose, and they walked towards the bus door. Allison was nattily dressed in her burgundy pant suit, gleaming white blouse, and ribbon in her hair; her usual outfit for away games. Rikki had on a black suit and gold turtleneck.
The soccer team was dressed like young models going on a photo shoot because of the school dress code. They were required to wear a nice knee-length skirt, Bermuda-style shorts, or pants with a jacket or blazer when traveling to away games or tournaments. The coaches went over the dress code before the season started, but, inevitably, there was someone, usually a freshman, that the captains had to take aside and discuss their fashion sense.
The team's first game in the tournament was Monday morning. If they won, they would play again on Wednesday. The semi-finals were Thursday and the championship game was Friday. Allison and Rikki were roommates and promised to call every night, take lots of pictures, and send postcards.
Sarah spent the rest of the day doing her chores and finishing up her homework assignments. Due to their schedules, it was not unusual for Allison and her to be apart for a day or two. For nearby games, the soccer or basketball team came back afterwards. Sometimes Sarah rode with Allison's parents to pick her up. Games farther away might require an overnight stay, occasionally two. Being on the cheerleader squad, Sarah went to all the away football games and some of the away basketball games. The exception was state tournament.
She was about to get ready for bed when the phone rang. Her mom called up, "Honey, It's Allison."
Running to pick up the cordless phone in her parent's bedroom, "I've got it, Mom." She heard the click of her mom hanging up the downstairs extension, "Hey, girl."
"Greetings from the penthouse floor of the Shan yos'Galan Dormitory."
"Greetings yourself. How's the digs?"
"Very posh. I don't have a lot of time. We have the first game tomorrow and Coach has called 'Lights out' in five minutes. Rikki and I just wanted to check in and let you know we're thinking of you."
"Good luck tomorrow, Cha'trez. You too, Rikki.
"Thanks, Sarah."
"Thanks, Munchkin. Talk at 'cha tomorrow. 'Night."
Sarah was glad to hear from Allison and Rikki. She could sleep now that she knew that they had arrived safely.
Monday went by normally. There were no problems at school. Sarah cooked dinner and worked on her homework when she got home. After she cleaned up, Sarah sat watching TV with her mom and dad. When the phone rang, her mom said, "It's probably Ally. Go Ahead."
"Thanks, Mom." Sarah picked up the phone and heard a riot of sound, "Hello, Black residence."
"Hey, Munchkin. We beat Northeast 4-1."
"Congrats."
"We scored early and often. I got two goals and Rikki got an assist too. We tied with Northeast when we played them before, so we had an incentive to do well."
"Sounds like you're having a party?"
"Coach said we deserved to make a little noise."
"What're you doing tomorrow?"
"Since we won't know who we're playing 'til tomorrow afternoon, we can't really practice. Coach wants us to run some laps to get loose and then we can do 'touristy' things."
"Did you send me a postcard?"
"Mailed one after we got back from the game."
"Thanks. Is Rikki there?"
"Sure. Hey Rik, Sarah wants to speak at 'cha."
A moment later, "Hey, Sarah. How's things at home?"
"Fine, AngelFace. I wanted to congratulate you on your assist. I understand defenders don't get many. Having fun?"
"Yea. It's the first time I've played in a tournament like this."
"Well, I guess I'll let you get back to the party. Tell Ally I love her and I'll talk to you tomorrow."
"Night, Sarah."
Sarah hung up and told her parents that Allison and Rikki's team had won. She excused herself and went up to bed.
Tuesday's dawn brought mixed blessings. Allison was one day closer to being home, but Sarah missed her more. She walked through school in a bit of a fog. Fortunately, her teachers chose to leave her alone. What Sarah missed was the cuddle time. Being enfolded in Allison's arms and softly kissing was very comforting.
Sarah's mom saw that she was distracted and kicked her out of the kitchen, "I'll cook. Your mind isn't on what you're doing and Ally would never forgive me if I let you get hurt cooking."
"OK, Mom." When Allison called later, Sarah put up a brave front. She didn't want to distract her before their next game. Allison and Rikki talked excitedly about the places they'd been and the sights they'd seen. They'd mailed postcards to Sarah, Allison's parents, Rikki's mom, and anyone else they could think of.
Sarah had a definite ache in her heart Wednesday morning. Her mom saw that she was more distracted than yesterday. She drew Sarah down onto her lap and hugged her close for a few minutes, "I know you miss Ally terribly. Hang on a few more days and she'll be home."
"Thanks, Mom. I know that in my head, but my heart isn't listening."
"I'm on call at the hospital tonight, so I may not be home 'til late. Why don't you invite someone over to keep you company?"
"I'll think about it."
Sarah managed to make it through her morning classes until AP English, just before lunch. It was time for final projects to be assigned, "...Partners – Sarah Black and Jennifer Browning, subject: 'Poetry in the 20th Century'..."
Sarah looked for Ginny after class, "Do you have lunch period now?"
Ginny looked up, "Sure do. What'cha got in mind?"
"I thought we might start laying out our project and I could use the company."
"Sounds like a plan. Let's go."
They sat down at an empty table after going through the line. The menu today was mystery meat and red gravy, mixed vegetables, a limp salad with mystery dressing, and milk. Ginny remarked, "It looks like the cafeteria outdid themselves today. I hope it's nutritious 'cause it sure doesn't look good."
"Word. Any ideas on the project?"
"It turns out that Mrs. Deering may have made it easy for us." Ginny pulled a slim volume out of her backpack and handed it to Sarah. It was titled 'Reflections on a Life' by JBB. "It turns out that I may have some small expertise in this area."
"This is you?"
"My latest."
"How many other volumes are there?"
"Three."
"Are you any good?"
"Well, I'm not independently wealthy, but the royalty checks allow me to do things I couldn't do otherwise."
"And your mom and dad are OK with that?"
"They got me started writing as a way of keeping busy when they were deployed. When it turned out I was a good writer, they were insufferably pleased. They put some limits on how I spend my royalties, but, by and large, they trust me not to do something stupid."
"Must be nice."
"Sometimes it is and sometimes it's not. Remember, I have to deal with fan mail, personal appearances, contracts, publishers, etc."
"Don't you have a lawyer or agent to handle some of the headaches?"
"Yea, but they still need my input at times. Mom or Dad need to sign contracts 'cause I'm still 'under age'. What a bummer."
While they were talking, another senior passed by and made a comment about Ginny slumming with the juniors. Ginny looked around, "Did you just hear a cow mooing? I didn't know they let animals on campus." The senior slunk off and Sarah laughed.
Sarah noticed that lunch was almost over, "My dad is out of town and my mom has to work late at the hospital, do you wanna come over after school and work on the project?"
"Sounds like a plan. Can I bring anything?"
"Nothing, unless you want to bring a change of clothes and stay overnight, I think we can scare up something for breakfast."
"How long has Allison been gone?"
"Four days."
Ginny knew about Sarah's and Allison's relationship, heard the need in Sarah's voice, "Thanks. That will cut down on the commute and I can drive us to school. I'll stop by my house, pick up some things, and meet you at your house about 4:30." They cleaned off their trays and separated for their afternoon classes.
They met again for AP History. Mr. van Heening talked about the aftermath of the Gulf War for a few minutes. Another student asked him about the final exam. He said he was substituting a 10 page paper, in APS format, for the final exam. The topic was 'What You Can Learn from History'. Ginny looked over at Sarah and winked. Mr. van Heening gave them the URL for a website where they could learn about the APS format.
Sarah dropped the mail next to the phone and took a quick shower when she got home from school. There was a message on the answering machine from her mom reminding her that she would be home late from the hospital. Sarah called her to check in and let her know that Ginny was coming over. She pulled out her Algebra book and started on her homework. She was finishing up the last problem when the doorbell rang.
"Hey, Ginny. Welcome to my humble abode."
"Hey yourself, girl. Nice crib. Where can I dump my stuff?"
Sarah walked Ginny through the kitchen, where she left her books, and up the stairs, "You can use my brother's room?"
"OK. What were you working on?" Ginny dropped her bag on the bed and headed back downstairs.
"I just finished my Algebra assignment. Have you given any more thought to the English paper?"
"Sure did. How 'bout I cover recent trends and you look at the history. After all, wouldn't Mr. van Heening say that you can't know where you're going until you know where you've been?"
"I was thinking along the same lines. Any poets of 'note' you think I should be sure to cover?" They sat down at the computer and started surfing the Web for articles on poetry in general and specific poets too. They found some good ones and printed them out for inclusion in the bibliography. They also visited the APS format website.
"I'm hungry. Anything to eat?"
"Go ahead and raid the 'frig if you want. I'm OK for now."
Ginny suspected Sarah was hurting more than she let on. Sarah loved cooking and constantly regaled everyone with new recipes she'd learned and how they'd been received. As an athlete, Sarah was rarely not hungry. Ginny prepared a platter of sandwiches, a bowl of chips, and a pitcher of iced tea. Returning to the den, "Break time."
"I told you I was OK."
"Bull...! I know you miss Allison a lot. You have to eat if you're going to give her a proper greeting when she get's home."
"But..."
"No buts. Eat." Sarah came over and sat on the couch next to Ginny. She picked up one of the sandwiches and took a bite. Ginny took a bite of hers and when she looked up; Sarah was picking up another sandwich. ("She must have inhaled the other one.") They ate and drank tea and talked about the English and History papers.
They were doing the dishes when the phone rang. "Hello, Black residence."
"Evening, Lover. We won again."
"That's great. Who did you play?"
"Pius X. The score was 5-2. I scored two more goals and Rikki got another assist."
"Outstanding. Have you played them before?"
"No. We scored early again and they couldn't catch up."
"Do you know who you play tomorrow?"
"West Central. They were state runners-up last year."
"Sounds like a tough game. What are you two foot-loose and fancy-free ladies going to do the rest of the night?"
"Rikki and I are going to study West Central for a bit and then we need to crack the books."
"Good luck tomorrow." Then, more softly, "I love you, Cha'trez."
"I love you too."
"I'm going to need a lot of good, old-fashioned lovin' when you get home."
"I think I can handle that. 'Night, Love."
"Night." Sarah put the phone down and saw a postcard on top of the mail. It was a picture of one of the sights in the city where they were. She turned it over. Allison had written on it, 'Thinking of you, Munchkin'. It was signed 'Sunshine & Rikki'. Sarah broke down and cried.
Ginny walked over, took the postcard from Sarah, and set it down. She wrapped her arms around Sarah and hugged her close. Sarah clung to her, shaking, "I miss her so much, Ginny."
"I know." Ginny let her cry for awhile. When it seemed like Sarah was slowing down, "Why don't you go to bed? I'll be up in a minute." She got a napkin, dried Sarah's tears, and held it up to her nose, "Blow." She turned Sarah around and pushed her towards the stairs.
After she was out of sight, Ginny made sure the doors were locked and the lights were out. She checked on Sarah, who was huddled under the covers. Ginny pulled a sleep shirt out of her bag and took a shower. When she was done, it didn't look like Sarah had moved. Ginny turned out the light and closed the bedroom door. She picked up the corner of the blanket and slipped in behind Sarah.
Sarah tensed as Ginny enfolded her. Ginny whispered, "No funny business, just cuddle time." Sarah relaxed a bit and pulled Ginny's arms tighter. "Sleep now, my friend."
When she got home, Sarah's mom looked for the girls. She saw a bag sitting on the bed in her son's room, but nobody was sleeping there. She cracked open Sarah's bedroom door and peeked around it. There were two heads visible above the covers that seemed to be asleep. Slipping in, she kissed each one on the cheek, deciding to talk to the girls in the morning.
Ginny woke up when she heard someone outside the bedroom door. It took her a moment to remember that she was at Sarah's house, in Sarah's bed, with her arms wrapped around Sarah. When she tried to pull her arms away, Sarah resisted. Ginny whispered, "May I have my arms back? I need to go to the bathroom." Sarah relaxed but didn't wake up.
Rather than go back to bed and risk waking Sarah, Ginny went looking for coffee. She turned the corner into the kitchen to find Sarah's mom sitting at the counter, "Morning, Ginny. Sarah still asleep?"
"Yes, ma'am. I thought I'd let her sleep as long as possible. You may not remember but I met you once at a party Sarah and Allison threw a few months ago. I was hoping to be able to talk to you before we left for school. Coffee?"
"On the counter. Cups are in the cabinet above."
After Ginny had her cup and taken a couple of sips, "Now, Ginny. How can I help you?"
Taking a deep breath, "Can you recommend an OB-GYN for me?"
"I can. Why don't you tell me why you need one?"
"It was a summer fling. It ended when he wanted a commitment I wasn't prepared to give him. I started feeling queasy in the morning and did an EPT stick last week. It was positive."
"You're going to keep the baby? Have you told the father or your parents?"
Ginny noticed that Sarah's mom didn't mention birth control. "I wanted to wait until I'd seen a doctor before I told him or my parents. Yes, I want to keep the baby."
"I think I remember Sarah saying your parents are in the military?"
"That's right. Both are deployed in Iraq. Dad is a tank commander and Mom is a Predator operator."
"Does Sarah know?"
"No. Not yet."
"I'll have a name for you when you leave for school. I'll call ahead and set it up. Would today after school be OK?"
"Thanks. That would be fine."
"I wanted to thank you for keeping Sarah company last night. I saw the two of you in bed together after I got home."
"I assure you it was just cuddling, Dr. Black. Sarah found a postcard from Allison in the mail after she talked to her on the phone and broke down. I hugged her and let her cry. When she was cried out, I pushed her towards the stairs. I thought she still needed to be held close, which is why I got in bed with her after my shower. She was a little restless, but I think she slept OK."
"I believe you. I saw your bag on the other bed. Sarah trusts you and I do too. I'd hoped Sarah would be able to last 'til Ally got home, but I'm glad you were here. Did you make any progress on your English project?"
"We got the basic outline done. Another couple of days and we should have it done."
"That's good. I imagine Sarah promised you breakfast and I hope she's hungry when she comes down. I could use some help getting it ready?"
"It would be my pleasure." They dove into the refrigerator and started pulling out fixings. When Sarah came into the kitchen, scrubbing the sleep out of her eyes, Ginny set a glass of juice in front of her.
"Morning, Mom...Ginny. I wondered where you'd gotten to when I woke up. Your bed looked like it had already been made up."
"Sorry about that, Sarah. I tend to be an early riser since I have farther to go to get to school. Did you sleep OK?"
"Yea. Someone kept me warm all night."
"Really?! I wonder who it was."
"Don't know. But I'd like to thank her."
"I'm sure she knows that you appreciate it."
"What's for breakfast, Momster?"
After breakfast, the girls cleaned up and got ready for school. On the way out the door, Sarah's mom handed Ginny a piece of paper. On it was a name, address, and a time. She whispered in Ginny's ear, "If Sarah asks you over again tonight, it's ok with me."
Ginny turned to Sarah's mom and hugged her, "Thanks for having me over, Dr. Black."
"Our pleasure, Ginny. Come back soon."
Sarah asked Ginny to have lunch with her again after English. After they'd made it through the line and sat down, Sarah asked, "Do you wanna come over and work on the English project after school?"
"OK. I have an errand to run after school, but as soon as I get done, I'm there. Maybe we can work on the History paper too."
"Sounds like a plan." Ginny noticed that Sarah seemed happy. Maybe she'd be OK tonight.
Sarah's mom met her at the door when she got home, "Hey there, Sweetness. How was your day?"
"Pretty good. I hope it was OK that I invited Ginny over again."
"No problem. I'm still on-call, so I may have to leave."
"We'll be ok if you do. We're going to work on our English project and possibly History too."
"Ginny didn't come with you?"
"Nope, she said she had an errand to run after school and would come over when she was done." Sarah's mom didn't let on that she knew what Ginny was doing.
"OK. I'm cooking, so why don't you get started on your homework. Dinner will be in about an hour."
"I'm going to take a shower first."
Sarah's mom knew today was the cusp of the week. If Allison's team won, and Sarah could make it through tonight, she would make it through Friday by anticipating Allison's return on Saturday. She'd already set Allison's postcard aside and would give it to her after Allison's call. Sarah came down dressed in shorts and a T-shirt and got started on her assignments.
Ginny showed up about a half-hour later. Sarah let her in with a hug, "Ready to wax poetic?"
"Hunh?"
"Ready to make a serious dent in the project?"
"Sure. Dinner should be in 30 minutes or so." When Sarah wasn't looking, Ginny handed her mom a slip of paper. She opened it, read it, and nodded. Ginny knew they would talk about it sometime tonight.
"Good. I'm hungry." They set the table and got started. Sarah's mom warned them a few minutes ahead so they could clear their books off the table. The three women had a good meal and companionable conversation. Sarah and Ginny cleared the table, did the dishes, and dug into their project.
They had an outline and the bibliography done when the phone rang. Sarah ran to pick it up, "Black residence."
She heard Allison and Rikki yell, "We did it, Munchkin. We won."
"That's great. Congratulations. What was the score?"
"1-0. We scored early and played defense the rest of the game. The Rikkinator was a demon."
Sarah turned to tell her mom and Ginny the score. "Who scored the goal?"
"I did."
"That makes five, so far. Doesn't it?"
"Something like that. I'm just glad we made it to the championship game."
"Who do you play?"
"We just found out, Raven-Lyon. They were state champs last year."
"Can you beat them?"
"I think so. It will be a close game. Who's been keeping you company besides your mom?"
"Ginny Browning. We got teamed for an English paper on poetry and thought we would cooperate on our History paper too."
"I like her. Maybe we should introduce her to Rikki?"
"A definite possibility. Have to think about it. Do you know when you'll be back Saturday?"
"Sometime in the afternoon. I'll know more tomorrow."
"I love you."
"I love you too, Sweetness. Just one more day and I'll be back."
" G'night, Love. Good luck tomorrow."
"Thanks. Good night to you."
When Sarah had hung up the phone, her mom handed her two postcards, "I forgot to give you these when you got home."
"Thanks, Mom." Sarah turned one of the postcards over. Allison had written on it 'Thinking of you'. The other read 'Missing you terribly'. Her mom and Ginny got Sarah in a hug sandwich and just stood there. When they released her, she turned towards the stairs, "I'm going to bed."
"That's fine, Darling. Have a good night." Sarah's mom turned to Ginny, "You probably should stay with her. Let me know if she breaks down. I want to make sure she gets some rest tonight."
"No problem," and headed upstairs too.
Ginny slipped into bed behind Sarah after a shower. Sarah tensed when Ginny wrapped her arms around her, "Relax, Sarah. Remember, no funny business, just cuddling. Go to sleep." Sarah relaxed and her breathing grew regular.
Ginny woke up to the sound of Sarah crying. "What's up, Sweets?"
"I'm lonely. I miss Ally. I'm sorry I woke you up. I tried to be quiet."
"Don't worry about it. I'm sure she misses you too."
"I can't help it. My heart feels like its breaking."
"It's OK. Go ahead and cry." Sarah turned around and buried her face in Ginny's shoulder. When she couldn't seem to stop, Ginny grew concerned. "I'll be right back." She disengaged herself and went out into the hall.
Knocking on the door of Sarah's parents' bedroom, she heard, "Come in, Ginny."
"I'm sorry to disturb you."
"No problem. What's up?"
"Sarah's crying and can't seem to stop."
"I was afraid of that. Let's go see if we can't settle her down." They returned to Sarah's room and her mom drew Sarah up onto her lap. "Feeling bad, Darling?"
"I can't get Allison out of my mind. I miss her so much."
"Can you get back to sleep?"
"I don't think so."
"Do you want me to help you?"
"Yes, please."
Sarah's mom turned to Ginny, "What I'm going to do is not a secret, but it is something we would prefer to keep in the family. For a school project, Sarah implanted a post-hypnotic suggestion that allows me to put her to sleep. It is very safe. I've looked into it and I'm satisfied."
"I appreciate your faith in me and I will keep your trust. Can anyone else put her under?"
"Sarah herself, Allison, and her mom and only if she feels safe. The girls understand that one of us moms has to be in the room if they're going to activate the trigger. Let me settle her and we'll talk some more."
"OK."
Sarah's mom caressed the back of Sarah's neck and whispered, "Forest glade, Darling. Sleep now, Darling." Sarah relaxed on her mom's lap and her breathing grew regular again. Sarah's arms wrapped around her mom's neck and her cheek rested on her mom's shoulder. Her mom had one hand behind Sarah's head and ran the other hand up and down her back.
"How long will Sarah sleep?"
"A couple of hours, more if we're lucky. I read the doctor's note, but why don't you tell me what happened."
"When I got to the doctor's office, they had me fill out the usual insurance and history forms. The nurse measured my height, weight, blood pressure, etc. The doctor re-ran the pregnancy test, which was positive. After that, they did an ultrasound. The doctor figures I'm about six weeks along. They also tested me for HIV and STD's. I have an appointment for next week."
"Dr. Short is very good. We refer to each other all the time. So, you're going to keep the baby?"
"Yes."
"You're going to tell the father and your parents as soon as possible? I would wait to tell Sarah until after Allison gets back. Are you going to be able to finish school?"
"Yes. It'll be close, but I think so. I'll set it up with my teachers in case I have to pull out early."
"Why don't we try to get some more sleep. Help me lay her down?" Ginny helped Sarah's mom lay her down on the bed and spooned up behind her. Sarah's mom drew up the blanket. "Let her sleep as long as possible. I'll write you a note for school. I'm on call, so if I have to leave, I'll let you know. 'Night." She kissed each of the girls on the cheek.
" 'Night, Dr. Black. Thanks."
Ginny woke up about 8. She had breakfast with Sarah's mom and started working on their outline for the English paper. Sarah's mom told her that she'd already called the school to tell them they wouldn't be in today.
"I'm afraid Sarah is going to be very brittle today."
"We'll just have to keep an eye on her." About 9, Sarah's mom got a call and had to leave. She promised to call and check on them when she could.
Sarah woke up about 10:30. Ginny set a glass of juice in front of her. "Your mom got called out and will check with us when she can. She's called school to tell them we won't be there today."
"Sounds like she's been busy. What've you been doing?"
"I got started on fleshing out my part of the English paper. We can hit the school website to get our assignments."
"We can do that."
"Hungry?"
"Not really. Why?"
"You need a shower." Ginny took one of Sarah's hands in each of hers and led her upstairs. With no hint of modesty, Ginny skinned out of her sleep shirt and turned to Sarah. Grabbing the bottom of Sarah's T-shirt, Ginny lifted it over her head. Pushing Sarah's shorts down, Ginny started filling the Jacuzzi before leading her to the shower. She reached around and turned on the water, "Temperature OK?"
"A little cold," and reached to adjust the taps. Sarah took the washcloth and soap while Ginny grabbed the shampoo. She lathered up Sarah's hair, massaging her scalp, combing her fingers through it.
"Rinse." Sarah stood under the water. Ginny lathered up Sarah's hair again and used some of the bubbles to wash her back. "Rinse again." Sarah stood under the water again until all the soap and shampoo was gone. "My turn." Switching places with Sarah, Ginny picked up the washcloth and soap.
After they were done, Ginny turned off the Jacuzzi faucet and started the jets, "Sit with me awhile?"
"OK." Ginny drew Sarah down to sit in front of her. She started combing out Sarah's hair. When she was done, they switched places. When Sarah was done combing out Ginny's hair, she took one of Sarah's hands in each of hers and leaned back.
They relaxed and soaked until the phone rang. Sarah ran to pick up the extension. "Hello, Black residence."
"Hi, Honey. It's Mom."
"Hi, Momster. What's up?"
"Just wanted to check in. It looks like I'll be home for dinner. What have you two ladies been up to?"
"I slept until about 10:30. I guess Ginny worked on our English paper before that. We had a shower and were soaking in the Jacuzzi when you called. I guess we'll have lunch and work on homework 'til you get home. What's on the menu?"
"There's a lasagna in the 'frig to heat up. There are fixings for a salad and apple pie ala mode for dessert. I should be able to make it by 5:30."
"We'll be ready. Are you going to be able to stay in?"
"Hopefully, but I'm still on call. See you later, darling. Be safe."
"Bye, Mom." Sarah went looking for Ginny. She found the Jacuzzi emptied and the bathroom cleaned up. Ginny was in the bedroom, dressing. "Mom said she should be home about 5:30. How 'bout some lunch?"
"I'll hit the 'frig while you get dressed."
Ginny had a can of soup heating and was making sandwiches by the time Sarah made it downstairs. They talked about the History paper while they ate. After cleaning up, they got to work on the English project. Near dinner time, Sarah put the lasagna in to heat and both of them fixed the salad. Sarah's mom pulled up at 5:15.
Ginny and Sarah met her at the door, "Hi, Mom...Dr. Black. How was your day?"
"Let's just say I'm glad I'm not on-call all the time."
"Dinner will be ready in a few minutes. The mail is next to your chair in the living room. Why don't you go sit down and I'll bring you some iced tea." Her mom was sorting through the mail when she set the glass of iced tea down.
"Thanks Honey. Did you get a postcard from Allison and Rikki?"
"Sure did."
"You OK?"
"I think so. I'm a little shaky but I think I'll make it to tomorrow. Why don't you wash up?"
Sarah, her mom, and Ginny sat down and enjoyed the salad and lasagna. They discussed the girls' progress on the English and History papers and what they were including. Ginny got out one of her poetry volumes to show Sarah's mom. Ginny talked about structured vs. free form verse. Sarah related what she'd found out about such poets as Robert Frost and Elizabeth Barrett Browning.
They moved into the living room for dessert. Sarah's mom put the apple pie in the microwave to warm it up before scooping the ice cream onto it. They talked some more about history repeating itself and learning where you'd been. The phone rang and Sarah ran to pick it up. "Black residence."
"We did it, Munchkin. We won."
"Outstanding. Congrats." Turning to her mom and Ginny, "They won."
Her mom asked, "What was the score?"
"What was the score?"
"3-2. It was tied at the end of regulation and we won on penalty kicks."
"How many did you score?"
"One of the goals and what turned out to be the winning penalty kick. Our goalie was playing in the stratosphere."
"That's my Sunshine."
"There's more. Guess who was named Tournament MVP?"
"You?"
"Right, and Rikki was named to the All-Tournament Team."
"I'm so proud of both of you."
"Me too...Me too."
"We'll have to celebrate when you get back."
"They tell us we should be back between 3 and 4 tomorrow afternoon."
"I think we can manage to have someone meet you. Go celebrate and I'll see you tomorrow."
" 'Night, Munchkin."
Sarah was very happy when she hung up. They watched TV and talked some more. Sarah's mom finally pled tiredness and went to bed. Sarah and Ginny stayed up a little longer before going to bed themselves. Ginny had changed into her sleep shirt and was about to climb into Sarah's brother's bed when Sarah called her into her bedroom.
"Sleep in here with me tonight? I want to thank you for keeping me company the last two nights."
"You don't have to. That's what friends do for each other."
"Then how about one friend just wanting to keep another friend warm. One friend cuddling with another."
"I guess I can go for that." Ginny slid in under the covers and was wrapped up by Sarah's arms. It was a good feeling and too long since she'd felt it. Ginny burrowed a little deeper into Sarah's arms.
In a little while, Sarah leaned into Ginny's ear and whispered, "I think you're a big ol' fraud. You needed a cuddle too. You present this gruff exterior to the world, but every so often, what's in here (tapping her heart) peeks out. You helped me a lot over the last 2 days. Thank you."
"You're welcome. Go to sleep," and pulled Sarah's arms a little tighter. Sarah smiled. Sometime later, Sarah's mom checked on the girls and saw the reversed positions. She kissed each one on the forehead and quietly said, "Good night."
Saturday dawned bright and clear. Sarah jumped out of bed, showered, and had breakfast made before Ginny and her mom got up. It was as if someone had fed her extra vitamins. Sarah had trouble sitting still for very long. Sarah's mom finally gave up and drove them over to the school, stopping for lunch along the way. Sarah fidgeted and Ginny wrote in a notebook she pulled from her bag. The team bus finally pulled up about 3:30 and started to unload.
Sarah spotted Allison standing beside the bus and ran towards her. Allison saw Sarah and stood there with her arms open. The thud when they met could be heard by everyone and almost knocked them both down. They hugged fiercely, with Sarah's face buried under Allison's chin. Sarah looked up and pulled Rikki into the hug, "Congratulations, both of you. Welcome back."
"Thanks, Munchkin." All three sets of parents stood there and watched their girls, smiling.
When they broke the hug, Sarah called Ginny over, "Rikki, this is Ginny, a friend of mine from school. Rikki Laveque, Ginny Browning. Ginny Browning, Rikki Laveque."
Ginny hugged Rikki briefly, "I've heard a lot about you over the last couple of days."
Rikki glanced at Sarah, "If Sarah was doing the telling, you can believe about half." She winked at Ginny so Sarah couldn't see.
"Rikki?!"
Rikki broke out laughing, then Ginny, then Allison, then the parents. Sarah finally gave up and started laughing too. "I guess I deserved that."
Allison's mom broke in, "Ally, if you've got all your stuff, can we go? We have a 'Welcome Home Champs' party to attend."
"Party? Who's coming?"
"Well, Rikki and Jessica are coming. And I'll bet Sarah, Ginny, and Sarah's parents would like to come too. You can show off your Championship and MVP trophies and Rikki can show off her All-Tournament trophy."
Everyone piled into cars and drove over to Allison's house. Pizzas were ordered for the girls and the parents poached or ate from the 'frig. Everyone ooo'd and ahhh'd appropriately over the trophies. Allison and Rikki regaled everyone with a play-by-play from each of the four games.
Allison called for quiet so she could give Sarah a souvenir of the trip. "When Rikki and I saw this, we immediately thought of you." She pulled a Beanie Baby bear out of a sack. It was dressed in a soccer uniform with Allison's number on it. Around its neck was tied a charm for Sarah's bracelet.
"Oh, she's so cute. Now I have someone to keep me company when you're on a trip. Thanks, Sunshine."
"You're very welcome, Munchkin."
The party finally started to break up. Rikki and Jessica left for home.
Sarah's mom kissed her, "See you tomorrow."
Sarah hugged Ginny tightly, "Thanks for keeping me company, you old softy."
"You're welcome. I don't want my neighbors to think I've fallen off the end of the Earth, so I should visit the homestead and pick up the mail. Talk to you Monday. We can make sure the English project is ready to hand in."
Allison came over and hugged Ginny too, "Thank you for helping out the Munchkin. I owe you one."
Ginny blushed a little, "No problem."
Allison's parents went to bed with a wink, leaving the two lovers alone. The lovin' was long, slow, all consuming, and all night.
[top of page]
Copyright 2004 Donal