Loving Her
by
L.E. Harvey
Loving Her
Copyright 2009 L.E. Harvey
Published by: Vanilla Heart Publishing
www.vanillaheartbooksandauthors.com
10121 Evergreen Way, 25-156
Everett, WA 98204 USA
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system without written permission from the publisher, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to places, events, or persons living or dead is purely coincidental.
ISBN: 978-1-935407-11-9
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 First Edition
First Printing, January 2009
Printed in the United States of America
Loving Her
by
L.E. Harvey
Dedication
To Chelle: You believed in me when I didn’t even believe in myself. Thank you for your honesty, your help, and your support. This would never have come to fruition if not for you.
Acknowledgements
To Kimberlee, of VHP. Like Chelle, without you, this book would not be in existence. I thank you endlessly for supporting someone to write fiction when they haven’t written fiction in over a decade.
Thank you for all your support through my insecurities in this process. You are more than a publisher. I appreciate all your help, your support, your kindness, and your faith in me. It is with my deepest gratitude that I thank you and give you this book.
For the Sake of Love
She lay on the futon, wrapped up in her blue chenille blanket, not moving. Her ‘80’s ballads CD played “Every rose has its thorn.” She couldn’t even count how many times she heard it today. She didn’t care. It was a dreary, cold, rainy night. She wanted to move, but she couldn’t. She couldn’t do anything. Her bruises, wounds and injuries were tremendous. No words could describe her pain and misery; no actions could take that pain and misery away.
They met at a pizza parlor, when the cute little blonde walked hurriedly by trying to attend to all her tables. It was Philadelphia, a college city, on a Friday night. Of course, it was jammed. A male college student behind the counter handed Linda her two pies too soon. She wanted to see the blonde again, but she had disappeared into the sea of faces. Linda handed the young guy the money, took her pies and went outside. Amazingly enough, as she walked out the backdoor, there was the little blonde cutie smoking. She didn’t reach five feet tall. Her shiny, sun colored hair was pulled back into a short pony tail. Her dark blue eyes reflected the stars in the night sky. Both girls paused a moment and smiled sheepishly at each other.
“Hi,” Linda said. Linda’s voice was deep and raspy. Not very feminine, but it was somehow very attractive to Katie.
“Hi, I’m Katie,” the little blonde spoke. Her voice was as cute and bubbly as her face.
“I’m Linda,” Linda replied. She was fishing for something, anything clever to say, but nothing came to her. ”Busy night, huh?” It was pathetic, but at least it started a conversation.
“Yeah,” Katie replied. “Fridays always are. Hopefully I won’t have to put up with this for much longer, though.”
“Oh? How come?”
“I’m a third year vet student at U Penn. Next year is all my clinical rotations and being on-call, so I can’t work here much longer. Thank God!” Katie chuckled.
Linda smiled. “Good for you. I hope – ”
The young guy from behind the counter came out and told Katie she was needed inside.
“I guess I gotta go,” Katie said hesitantly.
“Wait,” Linda begged. Quickly, she grabbed a pen out of her pocket and leaned on the pizza boxes and wrote her number on a napkin. “Here’s my number. If you ever get a free moment and want to – Uhh..Ummm – hang out, just – uhhh – call me – if you want to.” She thought she must have sounded like a babbling idiot, and she didn’t know if Katie understood her level of interest, but Linda prayed she did.
Katie’s face lit up brighter than the moon that hung over her head. “Thanks!” She took the napkin, folded it, put in her pocket, and disappeared quickly.
Two weeks later, Katie and Linda were on their first date, walking through University City District after a very filling dinner at the restaurant of the Culinary School at Walnut Hill College. The conversation had been flowing smoothly all night. It was getting late, but neither girl knew it, they were enjoying themselves too much. As they walked in the crisp October night air, Katie’s watch beeped, signaling that it was midnight.
“I should get back. I have class early in the morning.”
“Ok,” Linda said softly.
As they headed back to Katie’s dorm, Katie mustered up the guts and took Linda’s hand. Now, silently, they walked hand in hand.
At Katie’s building, they turned towards each other. In a typical, predictable way, they both told each other what a great time they had, and they fidgeted awkwardly. Finally, Linda leaned in, and gently kissed Katie. It was like nothing either one had ever experienced. It was soft and gentle. It was warm and sensuous. It sent a shock through both of their spines. It was an amazing feeling that neither wanted to end.
“Ok, so how do you all know each other?” Katie asked eagerly. She was so excited to meet everyone in the group and to get to know them. All of these ladies were important to Linda, so they were important to her.
“Well, Linda’s been my mechanic since we moved here,” Liz started. Katie was surprised. Here was this beautiful, tall, slender, elegant red-head, and surprisingly, she had a strong southern accent. “I just happened to call her out of the phone book. She did such a great job on my truck, and we just hit it off.”
“So, obviously, I met Jen through Liz,” Linda said quietly to her new girlfriend. Linda was nervous. It had been so long since she had been with someone again. It had been so long since she had introduced someone to the group. The gang’s reaction to Katie tonight meant everything to Linda.
“And,” Maria with her heavy Puerto Rican accent chimed in next. Katie was starting to wonder if there was anyone in this group who didn’t have an accent. “I was neighbors with Jen eons ago. She lived here for many years, and we had a great friendship. She moved away, but we stayed in touch. I was so thrilled when she moved back. She and Liz would come and visit. And after Liz met Linda, they introduced me.” Maria was a short, heavy-set Hispanic woman. She was clearly older than the others, yet she sat there with her arm around Stephania. Although not terribly “butch,” Maria was definitely the more masculine of the two. They were an unusual, but very cute pair.
“Now, here’s where it gets interesting,” Stephania said. Stephania was another tall, regal, graceful, and exotic looking woman. “I’ve known Linda for… five years? six years?”
“Yeah, something like that,” Linda interrupted.
“So, anyway, one day, these gals were all getting together for something… Poker night…”
Linda broke out into laughter. “Steph, when have we EVER had a poker night? It was my annual Super Bowl party, dumbass!”
“Oh, that’s right.” Stephania was very animated, and even somewhat dramatic in her speech and hand gestures. She was also the joker of the group. “So, Linda invited me over, along with Liz, Jen, Donna and Maria. Well, I saw Maria, and I instantly fell in love!”
Donna chuckled, “You were just drunk. She still keeps you that way so you don’t leave!” Donna could be sharp as well, although her wit wasn’t always as quick as Steph’s.
“And Donna knows each and every one of us from having bailed us out,” Steph snapped back.
“Shit, how do I know you guys?” Donna asked between laughs.
“Donna!” everyone exclaimed.
“One name: Heather,” Linda said flatly.
“Oh shit! I forgot about her.” Donna paused and turned to Katie. “See, I was dating this girl for about 2 months. She was a client of Linda’s. She got a really good job opportunity out in Chicago, so she just left.”
“Taking pity on her as a homeless, loveless, friendless cop, we allowed Donna to stay in the group,” Steph cracked.
“Nice, thanks Steph. Next time you call me, you ain’t gettin’ shit!”
“It was a short relationship, but Linda had gotten to know Donna best because of Heather. So, kind of like Stephania, Linda brought her to hang out with us and she just stuck. The difference was, Donna didn’t hit on any of us,” Liz chuckled.
Stephania couldn’t help but notice that Katie had started looking at her rather intensely. Being the comedian that she was, Stephania just started staring back, but with a rather comical expression.
“I am so sorry,” Katie said. “You just look so familiar. I’m just sitting her trying to place your face.”
“Well now I’m gonna seem like a pompous ass,” Stephania replied. “You have seen me, I’m sure. I’m a model. You can place my face all over Philadelphia, and other cities too!”
“A model? That is so neat! I’ve never met any kind of celebrity before,” Katie said excitedly. “I’m from Iowa. There are no celebrities there,” she chuckled.
“Well, one day you’ll be the celebrity of your town,” Linda said, squeezing her new girl. “You’ll be that girl who went to an Ivy-league vet school and did something with her life!”
“I think it’s great that you’re a vet student,” Liz said.
“Thanks,” Katie said.
“Now you know someone who can care for your herd,” Stephania joked. The table broke out into laughter.
“Herd?” Katie asked.
“We have seven cats,” Liz explained.
“Seven?” Katie was in shock. “Wow. That is amazing,” Katie said with great enthusiasm. “I’ll be more than happy to help out with the troops. And maybe if you know any good rescue organizations here in the city, we can work something out there too!”
Everyone at the table started turning, winking, and even nodding to each other. Katie was a keeper.
With that, Liz raised her glass and said, “To Katie!”
Semester’s end found Katie moving into Linda’s apartment. Katie’s new “lesbian family” of Maria, Stephania, Liz, Jen, and Donna helped with the move. Linda’s circle had accepted Katie with open arms, and all were excited for the new couple. Moving wasn’t too bad since Katie did not have much to move in. She had the bare minimum, as that was all her parents would allow her to have. After getting things settled, the seven girls sat down to a pizza dinner, compliments of Katie. They just started to enjoy their meal when the phone rang. Linda jumped up and answered.
“Hello?” Her raspy voice was clearly not what the person on the other end had expected.
“Oh – uh – hi. Is Katherine available please?”
“Sure, hang on.” Linda put the phone down and walked over to Katie. “It’s for you, babe,” she whispered and she brushed a kiss on Katie’s beautiful cheek.
Katie rose, and picked up the phone. “Hello? Oh, hi Mom.” She paused. “Yes, that was Linda, my new roommate.”
“Roommate?” Stephania asked Linda.
“Yeah. Katie’s parents are tough. Her dad is a pastor, so she has to watch what she says. It sucks,” Linda whispered in reply.
In the background, the group heard Katie’s conversation. “No, mom, she doesn’t smoke. No, she doesn’t have throat cancer. That is her normal voice.” Katie was speaking tersely: she was obviously annoyed by her mother’s questions. “Yes, mom, I know she has a deep voice. But that’s – ” The rest of the gang could only imagine what was being said on the other end. Katie just stood silently, knowing there was nothing that could be said to her mother. Finally, she just yes’d her mother and eventually hung up the phone.
“Everything ok, honey?” Linda asked as she put her arm around her love.
Katie sighed. “Yeah.”
“Your father is a pastor?” Jen asked. Jen was the quiet one of group. The question, and the tone of her voice were obviously concerned, and the fact that she spoke up meant that she took this very seriously.
“Yeah,” Katie cautiously answered.
“How do you plan on explaining this to your parents?” Stephania asked.
“Well, my parents are in Iowa. If I can find work here in Philly after I graduate, then I won’t have to answer to them anymore.”
“There is a ton of work to be had around here,” Maria said. “I’m sure you’ll be fine.”
“Of course she will,” Linda said, pulling Katie close to her. “She’s bright and talented. If she can do everything she’s doing now, she’ll be fine. She’s awesome.”
“There’s no doubt that she is,” Jen said warily. “I’m still uneasy about this whole thing, though…”
The rest of the school year went well for the young couple. Katie was a strong student, and the relationship was also strong. They truly loved each other. They were devoted. It seemed nothing was going to ruin their happiness.
The summer came. Despite Katie’s obligations, her parents insisted that she return to Iowa for the summer. Katie tried to tell them that she had a summer job at an animal hospital, and she really wanted the experience for school. No luck. She tried to convince them that she needed to stay to help pay her part of the rent. Since Linda owned her own shop, and was successful as a mechanic, they wouldn’t hear it. They had already bought the plane tickets, there was no debating it.
Sadly, the day came for the two lovers to separate for 2 months.
“One last thing,” Katie said as she packed the last of her clothes. “I’m not allowed to have the internet at home. Dad says it’s sinful. So we’ll have to write by snail mail.”
“Damn,” Linda whispered, fighting back the tears. She paused a moment and took a deep breath. “Ok, whatever I have to do. I’ve always told you I’d do anything and everything for you.”
Katie looked at her beautiful Linda. A tall, thin statuesque woman, who couldn’t fight it any more, the tears ran down her face. Katie walked over to her and embraced her. Linda’s 5’8” height and very thin stature definitely made their embrace awkward. Katie ran her fingers through Linda’s short, black hair. “It’s ok, sweetheart,” Katie whispered.
They told each other that they loved each other, kissed briefly, and in the blink of an eye, Katie was on her way to Iowa.
The summer dragged for both girls. They wrote each other daily. Katie was always sure to get her letters from Linda before her parents would see them. The day before Katie left to return to PA, though, she never got a letter. She thought it was odd, but figured Linda was planning a surprise. After what seemed like an endless separation, Katie finally found herself on a plane back to Philly.
The reunion was full of happy tears and laughter. It was an extremely sweet and precious moment for the girls.
They quickly returned to their routine; life got back to normal with work, preparing for school, friends, and love. Everything in their lives appeared to be predictable again. Katie’s third night home brought a question to Linda’s mind. At dinner, Linda asked, “Hey, honey, did you ever get my card your last day at your parents’?”
“No,” Katie said. “I never got anything.”
“Huh, that’s odd,” Linda said. “It was a card, with something special inside.”
“No, babe. Never got it.”
“Maybe it got lost in the mail,” Linda speculated.
They both agreed it was unusual, but they dismissed it.
Katie’s first day of class raised a lot of questions. As Dr. Miller read through roll call, her name never came up. As was typical, the professor asked if anyone had been missed. Katie said she had been. Even Dr. Miller thought this was odd. He knew Katie well: she was one of his best students; and she had a great disposition to match. He asked her to meet with him after lecture.
Katie gathered her books and headed towards Dr. Miller’s desk. “Katie,” he said, “I have you down as having withdrawn, for the entire semester.”
“What?” Katie was in shock. Dr. Miller could see fear, confusion and anger in her eyes.
“I don’t know, that was the information that was given to me. If you didn’t withdraw, then you need to find out from the registrar what’s going on. I thought it was odd that you, of all my students withdrew, but I thought maybe something happened at home…”
“No. Nothing at all. I would never…” She didn’t even know what to say or think. She needed to collect herself. She took a deep breath. “Ok, let me go talk to the registrar, and fix this. I will be in lab tonight, I promise,” she said with fierce determination.
“Ok, Katie. I’m glad to hear it,” Dr. Miller smiled.
At the registrar, there was no explanation for the withdrawal.
“Is it possible you had me confused with another Katherine Wolfe? I mean this is a big University and…”
“No,” the woman behind the counter said. “I looked you up by your social security number. I mean, we can re-register you, but a stop was made on the original payment. So, we need you to pay for the semester, plus there will be an additional fee for re-registration.”
“Wait, what?” Katie was getting furious.
“I’m sorry. It’s University policy that you have to pay an addi-”
“No, I got that. That’s not my question.” Katie interrupted. ”A stop was made on my payment?”
“Yes.” The woman was getting short, not understanding what Katie’s problem was. After all, she had to have done this herself. “Damn students”, she thought to herself.
Katie was beyond confused. She was determined, though. Nothing was going to stop her. She was too close to achieving her dream.
“Ok,” Katie sighed. “Please re-register me. I can have the money by tomorrow, if that’s ok.”
“That’ll be fine,” the woman stated.
Within minutes, Katie was enrolled again. She had to get home, and quickly, to call the bank before her evening lab.
“Thank you for calling First Union Bank, this is Maryellen, how can I help you?” Thank goodness. The voice was familiar.
“Hi Maryellen, this is Katie Wolfe.”
“Hi, Katie! How are you?”
“Good, thanks. Listen, I have a question.”
“Ok, shoot,” Maryellen said sweetly.
“I just spoke to the registrar at school and they said a stop had been made on my tuition payment.”
“Yeah. Your mom told me you were very sick, and weren’t able to go back to school. She said that you had asked her to make the stop for you…”
There was a moment of silence. Katie could not believe what she was hearing. What had her mother done?
“No, Maryellen. I’m fine. I’m back at school, so please process everything.”
“Oh, well, I’m glad to hear you’re feeling better. I’ll get back to sending the money to the University in the morning.”
“Maryellen, I’m going to need a bit more money. The school said there is an additional fee.”
“Ok, honey. I’ll contact them, find out how much more they need and process it accordingly.”
“Thanks, Maryellen. I appreciate it. Do you have my phone number here in case you need it?”
“Ummm…Let me look. Ah, yes, here it is. I’ll call if there are any problems, but I wouldn’t worry if I were you.”
“Ok, thanks.”
“You’re welcome, sweetie. Have a great day.”
“Thanks. You too.” Katie was running late. She’d have to call mom after lab.
“Mom, why did you stop payment on my tuition?” Katie was getting angry. She was not going to let her avoid answering these questions.
“Katherine, darling, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t lie to me!” Katie shouted into the phone. “Maryellen at the bank told me YOU told her to stop the payment. Why?” All Linda could do was stand behind Katie and gently rub her back. She had never seen her girlfriend so angry, but it was justifiable. Unfortunately, there was nothing she could say or do to ease Katie’s pain.
“Katherine, dear, I wish-”
“Mom, I wish you wouldn’t lie! Why would you try to take away my dream of becoming a vet? Why, and especially now? Because I’m too close? Because your little girl is about to have a career and you regret not finishing college?”
“Katherine, how dare you speak to your mother that way! Your father and I were completely justified in what we did!”
“Dad? You got dad in on this? Why? What the hell is going on?”
“Katherine!” her mother scolded.
“I don’t care, mom! I want an answer!”
“You are not the same, Katherine. I don’t like this new you. Being in that city has changed you, and not for the better. You need to come home, get away from all that sinful, liberal mind-washing stuff,” her mother said sternly.
“No, mom. I am not going anywhere. My life is here. You cannot continue to control me. I will not live under your roof until I marry some stupid guy from Daddy’s church!” Katie hung up. She didn’t know what else to do. She fell to her knees and sobbed. Linda bent down with her, and wrapped her arms around Katie. With nothing left to say, she just held her close and kissed Katie’s head, wishing with every rub on her back that she could take her lover’s pain away.
A few weeks had gone by since Katie’s confrontation with her mom. School was going well. Tough and exhausting, but well. Katie was starting to feel like a real doctor. Katie hadn’t spoken to her parents since that night, and she didn’t care. Until one day, when she got a distressed call from Linda on her cell phone.
“Babe, what’s wrong?” Katie asked.
“Katie, please,” Linda struggled to speak through the tears and sniffling. “Please, just come home. It’s an emergency. I need you here as soon as possible.” It was mid-afternoon. Linda should have been at the shop. Katie could hear ‘80’s music in the background. Normally, Linda plays that in the morning as she’s getting ready. “Why would she be playing it now?” Katie wondered.
“Ok, I’ll get there as soon as I can, honey. I love you.”
“Me too,” Linda sniffled. That was odd. Linda always said “I love you” back. Something had to be wrong. Katie quickly found Dr. Miller, and explained that there was an emergency at home. Knowing that Katie wouldn’t leave class without a reason, he let her go, even though it wasn’t ideal.
Katie came home and found her parents standing over Linda.
“Oh my God…” Katie was floored. Linda was huddled on her knees on the floor. Katie didn’t see the beginnings of a black eye around Linda’s left, dark brown eye. She also didn’t know that Linda had cuts and bruises on her arms and legs underneath her clothing. No one knew how violent Katie’s parents could be. Linda knew now, though. Linda’s right leg had been kicked so hard in the knee, Linda couldn’t move. “What the hell have you done to her?” Katie asked.
“We have done nothing to her. The real question is, what has she done to you?” Katie’s father barked.
Linda just sat there, not moving, crying hysterically.
“She didn’t do anything to me, dad!” Katie shouted back.
“That’s a lie!” Her mother screamed. “We know about your – about how she, she…perverted you!” Her mother broke down into hysterics. Through her sobs she said, “We know. We saw one of her letters. It came after you left. We saw the ‘romantic getaway’ cruise thing that witch sent you! You would never have done that before! She twisted you! She turned you to her perverted ways!”
“Perverted me?” Katie asked in a quieter tone.
“They-” Linda was trying so desperately to speak, but it was difficult. “They think I hurt you - I ruined you,” she sniffled.
“No!” Katie shouted as she stepped towards her parents. “She didn’t ruin me. She makes me happy! She supports me! She takes care of me! She-”
“You see that? She even has you brainwashed!” Katie’s father shouted with conviction.
“Dad, I’m not brainwashed.” Katie said in a calmer, more rational tone. “She – This – Linda isn’t my first girlfriend, dad. You only think I haven’t dated, because that’s what you wanted to believe. You remember my friend Samantha, from high school? She was my first girlfriend, dad. I’ve always been this way.”
“No, no you haven’t!” Her mother screamed with tears racing down her face.
“You are only saying that to cover up for this…pervert,” Mr. Wolfe shouted and pointed down towards Linda.
“Dad, stop it!” Katie shouted. “Stop saying that shit about her. It’s not true. I love her!”
“That’s it,” Katie’s mother said sternly. She walked over and grabbed Katie’s arm and started dragging Katie out. Katie’s size was her downfall. As much as she fought, her small structure was not enough to combat her mother’s strength.
“No!” Linda shouted. “Katie! Please don’t…” she pleaded from the bottom of her heart. “I love you!” Linda shouted. She tried to get up, but the pain was too much. Mr. Wolfe stepped over Linda and helped his wife drag their only daughter out of the sinful house.
She lay on the futon, wrapped up in her blue chenille blanket, not moving. Her ‘80’s ballads CD played “Every rose has its thorn.” She couldn’t even count how many times she heard it today. She didn’t care. It was a dreary, cold, rainy night. She wanted to move, but she couldn’t. She couldn’t do anything. Her bruises, wounds and injuries were tremendous. No words could describe her pain and misery; no actions could take that pain and misery away.
Linda just lay there, wishing there was something she could have done earlier. She went over all these wonderful, powerful statements in her head. Things that she wished she would have said to Katie’s parents. It was too late now. She had no idea where Katie was or if she was safe. She hated herself for not stopping Katie’s parents. They hurt her and there was nothing Linda could do. Not now, anyway. She simply lay in her own pain and misery, ignoring the outside world. She didn’t even know what time it was. She guessed simply because the day had turned from grey and miserable to black and miserable.
Unexpectedly, there was a knock at the door. Linda wondered who it could be. She figured it was late, and it was disgusting out, so who would be outside now? She didn’t move. Maybe it was just a mistake. The knocking continued. Slowly, painfully, Linda pushed the blanket off and put her box of tissues down. The knocking crescendoed.
“Ok, ok, I’m coming…” Linda mumbled angrily. It was extremely difficult and painful as she rose from the futon and tried to walk. It was more of a stumbling limp that finally got her to the door. Slowly, with curiosity, Linda opened the door. ”Oh my God”, she whispered. She couldn’t believe what she saw. There, standing, shivering and soaked was Katie, wrapped up in a blanket, Donna held her. Donna’s police uniform was almost as drenched as Katie.
“Holy shit! What did they do to you?” Donna asked in horror.
“I’m…I’m fine,” Linda said softly. “What happened?”
Katie stood silently. She simply could not find the words to express all that had happened in the past hours.
“Don’t worry about it,” Donna spoke for Katie. “The important thing is Katie is home now and you both are safe.” Donna was damn good at her job, even with her friends. Donna nudged Katie forward. Katie gently fell into Linda’s arms and the two embraced. They held onto each other tightly. Despite the pain, neither one was letting go. Ever.
A Day in the Life
Donna had been in the shower for… God knows how long now. She went over every inch of her legs with the razor several times. She wanted to be sure she hadn’t missed a thing. This was her first date in… six months? She normally didn’t get this involved in primping herself. She wanted to impress this girl. Maybe this one would be different. Maybe this one would be it. After convincing herself that if she shaved any more, she wouldn’t have any skin left, she quickly reapplied her body wash and washed one last time. She had given herself three hours for this. One hour in the shower, one hour to get dressed and try to put on make-up, and one hour to get there. She turned off the water, slid back the plastic shower curtain, and grabbed her blue Egyptian cotton towel.
She looked up at the clock as she dried off. “Great, she thought to herself,” only 50 minutes in the shower. That’s ten extra minutes for trying to look like a girl.”
Stepping out of the steamy shower, Donna reached for her anti-frizz gel. This was the only part she had down-pat. Her tight blonde curls required the same treatment every morning. Anti-frizz stuff, followed by a light application of gel, for lift, and to keep the curls tight. Ok, hair is done.
Now for the tough stuff. Donna did not use make-up, ever. Except for weddings, funerals and first dates. Since all of her friends were gay or already married, that significantly lowered her chances of beautifying herself. As for funerals, it had been just over a year since the last one. Pretty lucky. As for first dates, well, that went without saying. Hoping that she knew what she was doing, and wouldn’t turn out looking like an Oompaloompa, Donna applied her face cream. The she attempted to use her concealer. “Gotta hide those damn bags under my eyes,” she thought. Next came the… the… Damn it! She decided to go with the powder foundation, although she simply didn’t know if that was the best way to go. After trying to blend it, and make it appear natural, the applications for eyes, cheeks and lips were easy; she only had one eye shadow, one blush and one lipstick. Ok, done. Forty-five minutes later. Not bad. She put on her traditional black skirt. The only skirt she owned. Used for all the same purposes as the make-up. She buttoned her white, button-down dress shirt, tucked it in and… voila! She kind of looked feminine. Truthfully, she felt like a fool. Maybe this chick wouldn’t even notice. Maybe she would. Donna would never know. Armed and ready to go, she said good-bye to Taffy, her calico cat; and left, nervously hoping that this was her last first date.
“So, what do you do?” The dreaded question. Fran had chocolate-colored hair. It was thick and straight, beautiful and shiny. She could be a hair model. Her skin was perfect. She had make-up on, but it was very subtle. Just enough to emphasize all the right features. Clearly, Fran was one of those naturally, effortlessly beautiful women. Donna was intimidated.
“Uh… I’m a cop. Actually, I’m a narcotics detective,” Donna said hesitantly.
“Oh?” Fran seemed intrigued.
“Yeah. It keeps my on my toes, ya never know what’s gonna happen.” Donna paused for a moment. Fran just stared at her with deep, seduced interest. “Especially with my friends.”
Fran chuckled. “What do you mean?
“My friends needed a cop, so I took the job,” Donna feigned a light chuckle as she spoke. There was an awkward moment of silence. “Like, today,” Donna explained, “My friend Jen fell down the stairs. She has MS. She called me to help. It’s all about the connections,” Donna feigned another chuckle. She’d do anything for her friends. Being called for an emergency was part of her job, familiarity or not. Then, Donna realized she had made herself out to sound like some kind of hero.
“Oooh,” Fran said excitedly.
“Oh, no. It’s not as glamorous as they’d have you think,” Donna stammered to correct the misconception she had just created. “It’s long hours. It’s either terribly boring or terribly straining. I mean, really, it’s pretty rare that you have a good day.”
“Oh, I’m sure.”
Donna paused a moment. She sighed heavily. As she did, Fran cocked her head and looked at her inquisitively with her deep, rich, infinite brown eyes. “Look, Fran, I’m gonna be honest with you.”
“Ok?”
“I’m a city cop. It’s tough. It’s tough on me and it’s even tougher on my partner. It’s stressful as hell and it’s lonely. I’m lonely.”
Fran leaned in over the table. Softly she said, “Truthfully, I don’t think I could handle that kind of strain. Especially with all the traveling I do for work. Not being around and not knowing if you’re ok would be too much. But, from all my traveling, I’m lonely, too.So for tonight, let’s just both not be lonely,” she said.
Donna didn’t say anything. “Great”, she thought to herself, “another one. Oh well, this seems to be my pattern.”
So, the night continued just like any other first date. Then, as had happened so often in the past for Donna she took this girl home, and spent the night temporarily easing her loneliness knowing that it would return in the morning. Thus the night – and the potential – ended.
Linda looked worn.
“What is going on?” Donna asked. It was rare that Donna had a day off, but she needed this break. She had been putting in tons of overtime, and she was long overdue. Donna and Linda routinely, if not religiously, had lunch on Donna’s day off.
Linda’s head rested wearily on her right hand. “I just hate not having Katie around. There is so much that I had wanted to with her this summer. Like Liz’s car shows…” She sighed heavily. “And I have to fucking watch what I write in my letters to her because of her damn parents. I don’t feel like I’m 32, I feel like I’m 15.”
“I know,” Donna said as she reached across the cafe table and rubbed Linda’s arm. They both adored all of their friends, but for some reason, they knew how to comfort and understand each other in ways that no one else could. One lone tear, quickly followed by others, raced downward on Linda’s face. “Hey, this is it for Katie. After these next few weeks, you’re gonna be stuck with her forever. You’ll be sick of her!”
Linda sniffled as she chuckled. “Yeah… I can’t wait.” Donna looked at her best friend with her soft, sky blue eyes. Linda had been through hell the past two years. She was finally happy and now this happened. Donna sighed right along with Linda.
“We’ll get you through this.” If Donna said it, Linda knew that her friend would not disappoint her.
“Donna!” His voice called out above the bustling morning rush in the office. Donna turned around to see, John, her partner.
“Hey! What’s up?” Donna fought her way through the sea of blue to get to him. John was the stereotypical cop. Think of Dennis Franz of NYPD Blue and that was John, pretty much to a ‘T.’ John actually rivaled Donna in height. He was balding and the little forest that did remain on his head was mainly a misty grey. His eyes were lighter and softer than Donna’s. Weight was definitely an issue for John, but he still did his job just as well as any young, healthy rookie.
“How’d it go the other night?” John loved his partner, and just wanted to see her happy. He had hoped that this one would work out.
“The unusual,” Donna said matter-of-factly.
John’s faced dropped. “Oh, man. I’m sorry.” He put his arm around her. “Well, Beth wanted me to invite to our house for dinner tonight. She has an idea for you.”
“An idea? Should I be afraid?” Donna could say anything to John; they had an incredibly strong friendship within the department, as well as on a personal level.
“Well, she was planning on cooking. So… maybe,” John joked. They both laughed. Beth, John’s wife, was well-known for her extraordinary cooking. The fear with Beth’s cooking was in getting as big as John.
“I just went out yesterday with Linda, now this…”
“Oh come on. It’s just us.”
Donna paused for a moment. She had nothing to go home to. Well, just Taffy and one lonely cactus. “Ok,” Donna agreed.
The two grabbed their supplies and assignments and got into their car and drove into their day.
Beth’s apricot Cornish Game Hen was to die for. Smothered in apricot juice and pieces of apricot, the meat was juicy and tender. With sides of Caesar salad, baby carrots and corn, the meal was extravagant for Donna. She typically heated frozen meals, ate fast food or whatever left-overs she could muster. Donna was not overweight. She was fortunate enough to eat poorly, but metabolized her food well. She was curvy, but her weight was ideal. Defined musculature in her arms, legs and abdomen kept her looking good, despite her eating habits.
“Ok, enough small talk,” Beth said. Beth was a sweet, middle aged woman. She was on the hefty size, though not obese. Her hair was a combination of wheat and grey all curled and entangled. It was short in length, just barely reaching her ears. Her eyes were a soft brown, but clearly aged. Small wrinkles made their ways around her eyes, forehead and mouth. Her lips were too thin for lipstick, but she tried anyway. She had a homey, mid-western, matronly aura about her. No matter what she did, she couldn’t offend anyone; she always came across so sweet and caring. “It’s time to get down to business.”
Donna laughed and looked down. There was one tiny piece of apricot left. Maybe if she tried to eat it, she would distract herself long enough to ignore this conversation.
John said, “Look, Donna, we don’t want to force you into anything. You know we love you like our daughter. This is your choice; we just want you to know we’re thinking about you.”
This threw Donna off. They were her family, outside of the group. Normally they never interfered with her private life. They accepted Donna wholeheartedly which was greatly appreciated in a job full of men and when lesbians still fought prejudice. To find people who never passed judgment on her made more of an impression on Donna than they could ever imagine. They were like parents, which were welcomed since Donna had lost her parents years ago.
“Donna, do you remember I told you my friend Julia’s daughter is gay?” Beth asked.
“Yeah?” Donna said hesitantly.
“Donna,” John interrupted. “Brynn is single.”
“Oh, Jesus, John!” Donna said as she buried her head in her hands.
“No, hear me out.” Normally, he was a fountain of stability and reason. Perhaps this wouldn’t be too bad. “Brynn is a local cop up in Doylestown. She lives like you do.”
“Brynn’s a cop?” Donna’s peered up from just above her hands. That probably meant that Julia’s deceased husband had been a cop.
“Yes,” Beth said. “Ralph and John went to the academy together. Just like you, Brynn followed in her father’s footsteps. You know us police families.”
Donna did. She also came from a police family. It seemed that all police families were somehow connected. It was an unusual, almost incestuous grouping of people.
“Donna, we’re not saying you and Brynn have a date tomorrow. We just want you to know. If you ever want, just tell us and we’ll call Julia, and arrange everything. We just don’t want to see you continue in this pattern,” John said with soft sympathy and concern. It was obvious he did love her like a daughter.
“Thank you. I don’t want to continue like this. I hate this damn cycle. It’s just that… Not many women want to sign on for what’s involved. And going out once in a blue moon just sucks. I’m 29, dammit! I want to build a life with someone.”
“I know,” Beth said in a quiet, nurturing tone. “That’s why we brought this up. Brynn would understand. Brynn has a good head on her shoulders.”
“She’s not your typical dramatic lesbian?” Donna asked. It was a joke, but there was definitely truth to it. Drama just made Donna’s encounters with women ten times worse than was necessary.
John laughed heartily. “No, no. She’s mellow, like Julia. That girl has a good head on her shoulders.”
“I’ll think about it,” Donna said. She didn’t really mean it. This was not what she wanted. Not now, anyway.
It was probably 10 or 11 at night when the phone rang. Donna didn’t notice the exact time. She had gone to bed early because she had a long shift the next day, and it started early. Wearily, Donna slapped her hand around on the nightstand until she found the phone. “Hullo?” Her voice was tired and scratchy.
“Donna,” the voice on the other line whispered. They sounded upset. Donna thought she heard sniffling.
“Hullo?” Donna was never known for her eloquent speaking. Her exhaustion was obvious this time as her patience was wearing thin.
“Donna, it’s Katie.” Katie was whispering and barely audible. She was definitely upset.
“Katie? What the hell is going on?” Donna was getting progressively loud while Katie got progressively softer.
“Donna… Please, be quiet. Please, I need your help. Can you come here?”
“Where’s here?” Donna asked. Her concern was growing exponentially.
“Third and Chestnut.”
“Why are you all the way down there?”
“I can’t tell you. Go to 3160. And please, get some back up and come in uniform.” Katie hung up.
“Damn it!” Donna exclaimed. This was bad, she just knew it. This was not like Katie. Tiredly, Donna got up and got ready. She left as quickly as her tired feet would let her.
Donna arrived with two other officers at a cheap motel about 45 minutes later. It was dark. All three walked in. Donna asked the clerk for room 3160. He pointed her in the general direction. Donna led the way down the dingy hall. They eventually found room 3160. She whispered to the male officers, “Look, this is a friend of mine. I appreciate you guys working with me on this. Just please let me lead, k?” The two male officers nodded.
She knocked on the door. “Philadelphia police.” She waited a moment, but heard nothing. “Police, open up!” Almost immediately the door creaked open. There was a middle aged couple standing there.
“Can we help you, officer?” The man asked quietly.
“My name is Detective White, sir. I am with the Philadelphia Police Department. We received a complaint, so I need to investigate.”
“A complaint for here?” The wife asked in a high-pitched tone. “It’s just us.”
“I’m sure,” Donna said shortly. “I received a call, I have to investigate.”
“Ma’am, please,” the man pleaded, “we’re just a middle-aged couple visiting the city. We have an early flight to catch. I promise there’s nothing going on.”
“I received a call, I must investigate,” Donna said firmly. “If I find nothing, I will leave you folks alone. Until then, it is my duty to investigate the complaint.” Donna said, her anger was obvious in her tone.
“Fine,” the man relented. He opened the door; they both stepped back, and let Donna in.
Donna looked around the main bedroom. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. The couple was right behind Donna.
“Do you see…” The wife started to talk.
“Miss, why don’t you and your husband sit over there in those chairs until I’m done?” Donna ordered.
The couple reluctantly obeyed. The male officers herding them from behind were too intimidating for the couple to disregard the orders.
After re-scanning the bedroom, Donna checked out the closet. There seemed to be quite a bit of luggage, but she thought maybe they over-packed. She was beginning to doubt Katie’s distress call. She looked around and noticed there was a closed door. The light was shining through the bottom crack of the door. Slowly, she placed her hand on the knob and opened the door. It was the bathroom. As the door opened, it revealed Katie, on the floor, duct-taped to the toilet bowl, with a Bible in front of her. Katie’s cell phone and a pencil lay on her lap: the way she contacted Donna.
“Katie!” Donna shouted. She took one step, knelt down and began to release her friend. Katie was pale, her eyes were blood shot, and she was still crying. She sobbed so hard she was struggling for breath. “Are you ok?” Donna asked softly. Katie could hardly muster the strength to nod yes. “Do you want to press charges?” As she cut the tape off, Donna noticed there were hand marks on Katie’s wrists, and a bruise was starting to come through on her jaw. Katie still fought to catch one deep breath. “Katie, honey, I need to know if you want to press charges?” Katie paused a moment, then weakly nodded yes. Katie was freed by this point. Gently, Donna helped Katie stand up. “Sit here, and I’ll help you down to the car,” Donna said softly, and she kissed Katie on the forehead. “You’re safe now. I’ll get you back to Linda as soon as I can, ok?”
Donna slowly walked away. She hated to leave Katie, even for a second. Donna walked back into the bed room, Katie’s parents still sitting there, the two male police officers hovering over them. They knew they had been caught. “Mr. and Mrs. Wolfe, you are under arrest for assault and kidnapping. I am going to read you your rights as provided by law.”It was surreal for the Wolfe’s. It was as if they were on some TV police show. The two male officers handcuffed them, guided them to their patrol car and locked them in. Donna went back to where Katie was seated and helped her hobble to the front seat of her personal car.
After a couple of hours of processing, Donna took Katie back home. They knocked on Linda’s door. No answer. Donna knocked again. It was raining and she wanted Katie inside, warm and safe, as soon as possible. Donna kept knocking, for what seemed an eternity. They heard Linda mumbling and then the door finally opened. Linda stood there, she too had been assaulted. Linda was a tough girl, the sight of her like this frightened Donna. “Holy shit,” Donna whispered. Gently, she nudged Katie forward. Katie and Linda awkwardly fell into each other and held onto each other for dear life. Donna sat back, and watched with happiness.
“Uh, can I like get in from the rain?” Donna asked lightly. All three slowly entered the apartment. Donna immediately ran to the linen closet to get towels. Although they were both weak, Linda and Katie just stood in the entrance, holding on to each other. Donna quickly came back, towels in hand. She gave one to Katie, and she began to dry herself off as well. “Linda, did they do this to you?” Donna asked gently.
Linda hesitated before she quietly said, “Yes.”
“Two questions,” Donna stated flatly. “Did you receive medical treatment, and do you want to press charges?”
Linda hesitated. “No, and… I don’t know.”
“Katie’s pressing charges. If you press charges as well, they would be separate from hers, but it would certainly build a stronger case. Better than just filing a report anyway.”
Linda looked down at her blonde beauty. “Is that true, sweetie?” She asked.
Slowly, Katie nodded yes.
“Donna, they’re the parents of the woman I love, but they hurt her so badly. I can’t allow anyone to hurt my woman. I will press charges,” Linda said as she sighed.
Donna advised the girls to come down to the precinct the next day to continue with the processing. The relieved couple just looked at Donna and nodded. Donna then called for an ambulance to come pick both girls up so that they could receive full medical treatment. Donna left before the paramedics arrived. As she did, she gently closed the door and let the two just enjoy being together again.
Beyond exhausted, Donna returned to the precinct, went to the lounge, and tried to sleep on the couch for a little while before she had to get going again.
John woke Donna up. “What the hell are you doing here?” He asked.
“Oh, Katie needed help. Long story,” Donna said through her groggy haze.
“Everything ok?”
“She and Linda are coming down later to make statements. I’ll explain later,” Donna said as she rubbed her eyes, and tried to sit up.“What’s our plan for today?”
“That dealer in the abandoned Rite-Way parking lot,” John said.
“Oh, The guy on Twentieth and East Erie?”
“Yeah. And you’re gonna buy,” John said. Donna had slept through the morning briefing that would have informed her of all this, so John was now her briefing.
“Ok,” Donna yawned. “I’ll go change into my street clothes.”
After Donna changed and she and John were about to head out, Donna was informed that Katie and Linda had just arrived. She couldn’t stay, though. This arrest was time-sensitive. “Send them over to Durnin,” Donna called back. “I gotta go on this bust now.” She ran out, catching up to John.
She studied his face as best she could. She had to remember every detail possible. “Yeah, I got the cash,” Donna said. She tried to play it cool, but her exhaustion from the night before was killing her. Her brain was foggy, she couldn’t concentrate. She just didn’t feel sharp.
The dealer didn’t look happy. “What’s the madda witchoo?” he barked out.
“N…Nothing,” Donna became frightened.
“Ain’tchoo did this befo’?”
“Yeah, but…” she said, and looked down. “Normally my girlfriend gets this shit. She’s got her friends. But…she’s away. I need my stuff, man. Can’t you see I’m crashing hard? I gotta get fucking high!” She thought that she could use her fatigue to her advantage. This guy wasn’t buying it. This was not going well.
“You a narc?” He asked.
“Me? Hell no!” Donna insisted. “I just want my stuff.”
“I don’t like this. How’d you get my name?”
“Word of mouth,” Donna said quietly. He had her now. John was behind the guy, probably about 50 feet. Thankfully, he didn’t notice. “My friends, I swear.”
“Gimme a name,” he demanded.
“Uh….uh….” Donna was sinking. Her exhaustion from the night before was making her forget everything she had planned to say. She noticed John had turned and was walking away. He was looking for others. That was his mistake. The dealer saw Donna was looking behind him. He turned around, grabbed a gun from under his pant leg and shot. Donna jumped on him, but it was too late. He had hit John. From underneath, the dealer flipped around and literally threw Donna off of him. He ran. Donna fell pretty hard. It was a minute before she could even try to get up. She limped over to the car as quickly as she could. “Officer down! Officer down! I need all units and a paramedic at Twentieth and East Erie now! The abandoned Rite-Way parking lot. All available units and medics now!” She screamed into the receiver. She ran over to John, threw her jacket off and applied pressure to the wound on his lower back. He was bleeding badly. She prayed. She didn’t know to whom, but she prayed. She couldn’t lose John.
Beth walked in and found Donna kneeling at John’s bed crying. Beth herself was distraught. “Donna…” Beth said weakly. Donna picked her head up from her arms. She rose to her feet as best she could and the two women embraced. Donna could only imagine what Beth was going through.
“He’s stable, but still critical. They stopped the bleeding, as you can see. He’s got an IV and they have him on oxygen,” Donna began to explain, hoping that at least some of it would absorb. “They want to get him stronger before they do more. The bullet is still in him, but they’re not completely sure where.” Beth’s sobs increased. Donna rubbed her pseudo-mother’s arm. “Where ever it is, they said, it’s ok for a short while.” Beth could hardly hold herself up. She fell onto Donna and they simply held each other and cried. “I studied this asshole’s face. The sketch artist is already working on it, and we have a street name. We’re going to get him. I swear it, Beth.”
“Doylestown Police, Precinct 6, this is Officer Racanelli.” It was Brynn.
“What were the chances?” Donna pondered. Finally, Donna spoke. “Brynn?” She asked.
“Yes?” Brynn was unsure of the voice on the other side.
“Brynn, this is Donna White. John Crenshaw’s partner in Philly…”
“Oh,” Brynn paused. It took her a moment before she realized to whom she was speaking. “Hey Donna! How’s John?”
“Not good. He was shot yesterday. He’s in the hospital – at Penn Presby. He’s stable right now, but still...”