Copies of this story may not be made for distribution, be publishing or copied to another webpage without explicit permission from the author. All characters in the story are at least 18 years old.
* * * * *
It was a dreary May morn when Alice first suspected her daughter Amy was a lesbian. Amy had dated a few boys in high school but it seemed as soon as they got really interested Amy would drop them. She seemed to spend more time with her girlfriends than the guys who hung around in their band group. Amy played a flute in the school band and had made the all-county band squad. That morning Alice had discovered Amy's flute and sheet music on the kitchen counter long after her daughter had left for school. She knew Amy needed the flute so she hurried to get dressed and jump in her car to take it to her before the school bus left for the overnight trip to the band performance.
As Alice walked out the door she accidentally dropped the folder containing the sheet music which caused the sheets of paper to scatter about her kitchen floor. She grabbed the music sheets and other pieces of paper and stopped when she found a handwritten letter. She knew she should not read it but a mother's curiosity overpowered her.
"Amy,
I've notice how you look at me during band practice and I know you feel the same way about me as I do you. I think about you night and day and have trouble concentrating when I'm in class especially if you are in the same room. I've felt this way about you since the 10th grade but have been afraid to say anything. Now that we are about to graduate high school and head to college I felt it was time to say it. "I LOVE YOU!"
If I wrong about this please tear this letter up and that will be it. But, if I'm right wear your red blouse tomorrow for our trip to the band performance. I'll be waiting impatiently hoping to see you in red."
Alice smiled thinking some boy had sent the letter. That was until she saw the signature at the bottom.
"Love and kisses,
Carla."
CARLA! Alice panicked seeing the girl's name. Carla was one of Amy's best friends and had spent many a sleepover at her house. Surely, she did not think her Amy was interested in girls. She tried to place the letter in the middle of the stack of paper so Amy would not know she had read the letter. Why didn't Amy tear up the letter? She grabbed her car keys and looked at the clock. 9:00AM. the bus was supposed to leave in 30 minutes. She sped out the door and sped in her car to the high school
Alice pulled into the large parking lot and saw the bus and a few kids standing around it. She grabbed the flute case and the folder and ran up to the bus just as the driver was closing the door. She knocked on it until he opened it. "I need to give this to my daughter." The driver waved her inside and she moved quickly up the steps and back through the bus. She saw the surprised look on her daughter's face.
"Mom," Amy expelled.
Alice handed her the flute and folder. "You forgot these."
"Oh God, thanks for bringing them" Amy said. Her mind had been blank since receiving the letter from Carla. She was lucky she still remembered her own name.
"Well. Have a good trip," Alice said as she leaned over to kiss her daughter on her cheek. As she pulled back she noticed the girl sitting next to Amy.
"Hello Mrs. Garrett," Carla said smiling.
"Carla," Alice said surprised. She then turned quickly and saw the red blouse Amy was wearing. Her face turned white and she didn't know what to say. Finally she said, "Amy I don't think you should go on this trip."
"What?" Amy asked not believing she would say such a thing. At dinner last night the whole family including her younger sister Ellen were all excited about the trip. Even her dad Bill who hardly ever said much about her band involvement was happy.
"Don't go," the frightened mom whispered.
"Mom, you have to get off the bus," Amy said embarrassed that her mother would be saying such a thing.
"I'm sorry Ma'am but we are leaving now," the band leader said to the woman standing in the aisle.
"What?" Alice said turning around. The band director took her arm and gently pulled her down and off the bus.
"Don't worry she will be OK," he laughed. Alice stood back as the doors closed and the bus pulled away. Maybe she was over reacting? Girls sometimes say these things to each other. She shivered when she remembered her first experience with a female many years ago.
It was her first year at college when she tried out for the swim team. She was a pretty good swimmer in high school but was not sure she could compete on the College level. The final cuts were going to be made the next day and she knew she had to do well at this practice. She was not dating anyone at the time and did not pick up on how their young swim coach Erika smiled at her as she came out of the water, "Alice would you see me before you leave today?"
Alice froze thinking she was going to give her the bad news today. "Sure coach," she said with a frightened look. For the rest of the practice Alice gave her all and even won a few of the heats. She glanced upward out of the water and saw the coach smiling more and more at her. Good. Maybe I've done so well she will tell me I made the team. Alice thought.
She was still in her tight one piece bathing suit when she knocked on the coach's office door. The coach yelled to come in and Alice nervously walked inside. The coach got up from her desk and closed and locked the door. Alice stood shivering with her hands clasped together as the coach came and stood next to her.