I had to get away. I'd spent my entire life up to this point in that little town. Sure, little towns can be nice, they are quiet, relatively safe, easy to get around. They also have their drawbacks, such as everyone knowing (or thinking they know) your business, not having nearly as many opportunities, and often knowing only what exists inside your little bubble.
The town I lived in was a small, conservative, rural area in the Midwest. With a population of around 20,000, it wasn't the smallest town in the area, but for me it felt suffocating.
My name is Charlotte, and I knew from a fairly young age that I wasn't interested in boys. The problem was that I was "different" and my "kind" were always talked about very negatively by the local residents. I did my best to hide my sexual preference all through school until I attended college at a smaller university.
That's where I met Denise. She was a fellow freshman and we both found ourselves in the same predicament. It was the weekend before classes began and I was trying to familiarize myself with where my classes were. I was in one of the buildings searching for one of my classrooms, but couldn't seem to find it. I had passed by Denise and couldn't help but notice how pretty she was. She looked to be about my height, so 5' 7"ish, and had an athletic build that was in contrast to my more curvy, non-athletic body. Her hair was a much darker brown than mine too and it was pulled back into a ponytail that day. When I passed by her, she was on the phone, so I continued on with my search.
I was starting to get frustrated and decided to return to the main entrance. As I descended the flight of stairs, Denise was sitting on a bench, staring at her schedule with a look of confusion. I wasn't known
for being outgoing, but I decided to see if I could help. It turns out that we were both looking for the same room. The situation made us laugh, and after some deliberation, we decided to venture to the main office to hopefully get some assistance.
We chatted on our walk and discovered that we had a lot in common, including one very particular preference. We had each grown up about an hour away from campus, but in opposite directions. We had both hoped that being away, even if it wasn't actually that far, would lead us to find more people like ourselves. Listen to me, talking like we are some kind of aliens from another planet. What's sad is that this is the way we were raised. If you weren't white, straight and christian, then you were in for a bad time. Everyone around me thought this way, even my parents.
Needless to say, that when I met Denise, it felt too good to be true. We bonded instantly and spent a lot of our free time together. Our relationship really blossomed when we both attended a small gay pride event on campus. It was my first time publicly expressing who I really was and I felt both so incredibly free and absolutely terrified. I expressed my fear to Denise and luckily, I had her with me to literally hold my hand. The feeling of having her hand joined with mine gave me butterflies and filled me with joy. I couldn't wipe the smile from my face.
"Charlotte, thank you so much for coming with me. It means so much to me."
"I'm glad you suggested this. It feels great to be around others who feel like we do. I wouldn't want to be here with anyone else."
"I feel the same way. Charlotte...I, uhm..."
I wasn't sure what she was trying to say, but it became instantly clear a second later.
Denise leaned in a placed a gentle kiss on my lips. Oh my god! The surge of emotion that consumed me was like nothing I'd ever felt. Loud cheering and applause broke out around us as we kissed. When our lips finally separated, Denise asked me if I'd be her girlfriend. Of course I said yes!
Things were finally better, but I can't say they were great. We both had to hide our relationship from our families, which made trips back home interesting. It wasn't like we broadcast the fact that we were a couple around campus either, but my parents were paying for my college, and it was my ticket out of that shit hole little town.
Luckily, bringing my girlfriend home for several days was much easier than I assume trying to bring a boy home would be. We were pretty much left unsupervised for the entire time. My parents worked full time, so we had the house to ourselves through the day. We could lounge around naked if we chose and be as physical as we wanted. We practiced restraint once the parents were home, but bedtime was a completely different story. After all, she was just a friend from school. My parents didn't have to know, nor would they ever assume, what we did when her and I slept in the same bed.
We had been together for all 4 years of college. Things between us were amazing and my life had never felt better. I had found a decent part time job in order to save money for our getaway after graduation. I envisioned that Denise and I would run off and start our new lives together.
Graduation was about a month away. I was concerned because I had tried to discuss what would happen next with Denise, but she kept evading the subject. I kept thinking that surely we were on the same page, but I had to know for sure. So one night when she was over at my dorm room, I brought up the subject. That would be the last time I saw Denise until graduation.
She told me that she wanted to experience all that her new freedom could offer her. She wanted to meet new people and have more life experiences before settling down or having to answer to anyone. I understood, but it still broke my heart. I was devastated and had no idea what I was going to do. I saw her for the last time as she walked across the stage to receive her degree. My parents were there and it was extremely difficult to put on a show to make everything appear to be ok.
After graduation I unfortunately moved back home. I found a job somewhat related to my field of study, which was IT, and I used the earnings to save for my solo "escape". My plan was to work for a year and as the date neared, I couldn't wait to make my move. I searched the internet for jobs that were in my field of study and that were far away from my hometown. I applied at several places and received interest from a few. I set up interviews, learned a little about each location and checked on apartments in those areas. After the first interview I was offered a healthy salary so I made reservations at a hotel, and finally bought a one way plane ticket to the east coast.
The night before I left, I told my parents the truth. I was a lesbian. Denise had been my girlfriend, and that I was leaving. As you can image, they did not take it well. They were "disgusted" with me and felt betrayed. Lucky for them, after that night, they'd never have to see me again.
————————/\-/\ ————————
I'd been in the city for a month. I had a good job that paid well and had many opportunities for advancement. I had a small but nice apartment that was close to work and it was located in a nice neighborhood. I could be myself and no one seemed to be bothered by it. Life was great!
I had been so busy with getting settled into my new job and getting my new apartment in order, that I hadn't really had a chance to check out my new neighborhood. I'd been mainly visiting the big box stores for items such as furniture, housewares, and groceries. While I could always find what I needed, getting to them was often a hassle. The traffic could get rather crazy and it ate into my precious time. I knew there were likely some local businesses that could meet my needs. I was in need of a few groceries so I decided to see what was nearby. I did a quick internet search for groceries in my area and found a promising result that was only a few blocks away. It was a lovely August evening so I laced up my sneakers, grabbed my backpack, and headed out the door.
When I walked in I was greeted by a polite gentleman behind the counter.
"Good afternoon, ma'am! How can I help you?"
"Hi! I'm new to the area and I just wanted to see what you had to offer. I'm just going to browse a bit."
"Excellent. Well, welcome to Lawson's Grocery and to the neighborhood. My name is Dante, and if you need any assistance, just holler."
"Great! Thanks!"
I couldn't get over the selection of stuff they had! For a smaller market, they had a very diverse assortment of products. Between this place, the butcher around the corner from me, and the produce shop a block down, I might be able to avoid the supermarket completely.
I found the stuff I needed and made my way to the front.
"Did you find everything ok?"
"I did! This place has an amazing selection."
"Thank you. My parents started this business many years ago and when they passed, I inherited it and have been expanding as the years go on."
"Well, you're doing a fine job. You'll definitely be seeing more of me."
"We like to hear that!"
I had just started to gather my bags when I met another friendly "employee".
"Well hello there! Aren't you adorable? What's your name?"
I reached my hand out and the cutest black cat rubbed it's cheek against my fingers.
"That's Simone."
"Simone. That's a pretty name for a pretty kitty. It's nice to meet you, Simone. I'm Charlotte."
"How about that, Simone? We made a new friend."
Simone looked back at Dante then turned her attention back to me. She rubbed against my hand and began purring.
"It was a pleasure meeting you both. I'll definitely be seeing you again soon."
"You have a wonderful day, Charlotte."
I waved goodbye and started my short journey back to my apartment.
Over the course of the next several weeks, I had become very familiar with all that my neighborhood had to offer. I was thoroughly enjoying all the different restaurants and shops as well as all of the friendly people I had met. Life was so much more enjoyable here than it had ever been back home.
