That July, Adrienne and Juliet, with the help of Caroline and Ted, moved to the west coast and settled into their new home, in Portland, Oregon. The Portland Chamber Orchestra had offered to set them up in an apartment, but Adrienne was concerned about the issues it might raise for the other tenants with her practicing all the time. And so, with one of the board member's help, they found a cute one-bedroom house to rent on the northwest side of town.
The house had a fenced in yard and was partially furnished, so the girls didn't need to transport much of their own belongings. However, when Caroline suggested they not take Adrienne's bed, the girls put their feet down.
"There are just too many good memories in that bed for us to leave it behind," Adrienne argued on the bed's behalf.
Juliet was quick to support the claim. "And it's very comfortable to sleep in, too," she added with a nudge and a wink. And so, the bed was packed into the moving van, along with some of their furniture and clothing, and Adrienne's hatchback in tow.
The girls also brought with them two newly framed photos of them as Cecily and Algernon; mementos from one of their 'Wildest,' and 'loopiest' days ever. The one with them standing side by side, with Juliet's hand upon Adrienne's forearm, ended up hanging in the main room, just right of the kitchen. As for the one with Juliet sitting on the bench, and Adrienne kneeling at her feet, staring adoringly up at her... That one, they hung in their bedroom.
Choosing to move out west that July turned out to be a very good decision. It gave them a few weeks to settle in and explore the city. They took full advantage of the time, hitting a few clubs, dining out at various cafes and restaurants, and then afterward debating which ones were their favorites.
"All this time, and I only now find out you don't like spicy food!" Adrienne bemoaned, after she'd ordered some hot Indian cuisine.
"I like spicy sex," Juliet retorted, playfully. Adrienne shook her head in disbelief. "If you had to choose between sex and food, you'd die of hunger."
"Yep," Juliet happily agreed. "Speaking of which, I'm feeling a bit horny." And after lunch, it was off for home and a merry romp in the sheets.
That first month in Portland was golden. Adrienne's schedule was fairly light and they totally had fun, sleeping in, making love in the afternoon, and then again at night. And then going out to concerts and plays, bookstores and boutiques...and lots of dancing. To Juliet's delight, Adrienne was developing into quite the dance partner out on the floor.
One reason for this is that they had discovered a very popular alternative club not too far from their neighborhood. It hosted gay and lesbian nights, trans nights, costume contests, themed music events, and even karaoke and open mic nights. It was the first place in the city where Juliet performed in public. It was karaoke night, and when Juliet asked Adrienne what she'd like to hear, Adrienne answered "Rollin' in the Deep." She then had to remind Juliet that she had heard her sing it in their early days, during the run of their college musical.
"Oh yeah," Juliet drawled, "And then you ditched me for that Lilith girl."
"I didn't ditch you!" Adrienne whined. Though she had come awfully close.
The place was always packed, as Portland was a fairly progressive city when it came to accepting alternative lifestyles, and that detail was becoming more and more important to Adrienne and Juliet, as they immersed themselves in this world where sexual orientation and race and gender were astonishingly complex and diverse. They attended their first Pride event, and each bought pride t-shirts and flags.
Living together in Portland gave the girls the inspiration and confidence they needed to more fully explore the lesbian lifestyle and consider how much of it made sense for them. They were technically in a lesbian relationship, and anyone who met them pegged them as gay. And yet, they hadn't really talked 'labels' and to what degree they mattered.
To a friend at the theatre, Juliet had said, "We met, and just fell in love. And it was pretty much fated that we were going to be together."
For Juliet, it was that simple. But not for others, and certainly not for her mother. Clarissa clearly did not approve of Juliet's relationship with Adrienne. It was perplexing to Juliet because she wasn't sure if it sprang from a deep-seeded homophobia or if she just didn't like Adrienne. It seemed impossible that anyone could dislike her partner.
Of course, Adrienne never told Juliet that she had paid a visit to her mother.
And so, life moved into September, and Adrienne's workload kicked into high gear. While her pay was decent, it didn't leave them much to save away. And so, they relied on Juliet's bank savings, and occasional influxes of cash from her father, which made life for them so much easier.
They were extremely grateful to have Ted Langford's financial support. Of course, Adrienne felt a bit like a freeloader accepting the money, but she knew that it would enable her and Juliet to focus on bettering their lives and becoming more independent down the road.
Juliet did manage to get into a local theatre company that staged new and experimental works. It wasn't her forte, for she preferred classical theatre, but she was welcomed into the group and felt that the improvisatory approach would help hone her skills. Also, with Adrienne's encouragement, she found a vocal coach to help her continue to develop her singing voice.
Juliet received a cut of the house and a small stipend, but the pay was little more than pocket change. Yet no matter how small a role she had, Adrienne came to see every performance she was in. Unless it conflicted with her own commitments.
"So, who were those hooded figures banging those sticks and chanting?" Adrienne asked, after sitting through an obscure production, loosely based on Shakespeare, or someone who may have been Shakespeare. In it, Juliet played an array of characters.
"They were supposed to represent the Greek chorus."
"Oh."
And Juliet attended Adrienne 's very first chamber concert, which was a wonder to behold. Of course, Juliet was given a complimentary ticket, which made her feel very special.
"We should form our own Mutual Admiration Society,'" Juliet liked to tell Adrienne.
As often happens in the real world, the girls were noticed by men, as well as the occasional woman. Not that they kept count, but Juliet was fending off much more attention than Adrienne, and while flattering to her ego, it was also annoying.
Anyone who truly got to know the girls, could clearly see that their loyalty and devotion to each other was rock solid. As for the sex, well, it too, stayed fresh and loving as ever.
However, that fall, things began to get a little stressful. Adrienne was now extremely busy with the fall/winter season, and with her rehearsing days and Juliet rehearsing evenings, they would go long stretches without having quality time together. Sometimes, Adrienne would come home just too tired for energetic bouts of sex, which meant she often ended up on the receiving end in the bedroom.
Juliet didn't mind at all. Even when Adrienne wasn't up for sex, she was the most loving and affectionate partner Juliet could ever wish for.
Adrienne also had to put in a good deal of time at home running through her cello parts, and since she had the more demanding schedule, Juliet became the one to do most of the cooking and caring for their home. It was an easy division of labor, for not only was Juliet a decent cook, she enjoyed cooking and preparing meals for the two of them. It was one more way that the girls developed a true sense of what it meant to be a couple, and what it took for two young, struggling artists to forge a life together.
Adrienne and Nadia also kept in touch. Though Nadia was in Germany, she never failed to remind Adrienne that upon her return, the two of them would tackle and record the complete Beethoven cello sonatas. They even discussed forming a quintet.
