Friends And Live Ins Pt 02

Smokey Saga #66:

"

Friends And Live-Ins

" (part two)

*****

So as I explained in part one's intro, this is one Saga—not a story and its sequel—split into two parts, as I felt Readers would prefer it in this form rather than a big long single piece. This is part two, with the second sex scene towards the end. Just to reiterate: not a sequel, just a continuation that picks up right where the first part left off. Happy reading.

*****

The Conversation—My Dinner With Dora

Saturday, August 13th, 2016, 5:40 p.m.

"Well, lovely to meet you too, Savanna! Okay, well, why don't you go ahead and have a seat on the sofa for me, and we'll just chat."

"Sure, you got it."

"Do you want a snack or drink or something?"

"Yeah, a drink sounds nice."

"Great. Le'ssee, I've got water, Coke, milk, apple juice, grape juice and tea."

"Coke, please."

"Coke it is! I'll grab one for me too here...there we go.

"A'right, now, Savanna, I hope you don't mind if I just take some notes here while I ask you my questions."

"I'd have it no other way. It is your place, after all."

"And you feel just as free to ask me anything you want too. I want to be such an open book that you can't even see my spine."

"Heh! Okay."

"So, I guess I'll tell you a little bit about me, uh...so yes, I'm Dora—and please, no jokes about me being an explorer. I've been hearing them since I was 15. I'm not Mexican, and I don't have a monkey named Boots. I don't have a monkey named anything. But yes. My name is Dora Katie Cunningham, I'm 31, I'm a lesbian—single—and I've lived here for about five years. My old roommate just moved out. And I'm a receptionist in a doctor's office for geriatrics. It's a nice job. It just doesn't pay enough for me to live on my own. Hence..."

"Right, gotcha. All right, well: Savanna Babs Carlen, but I actually prefer Savvy; like to think it fits—wink wink—28 as of this May, and I work at the Angels supermarket on Boulder Street. So I could really benefit from a place like this, 'cause it's right nearby."

"Okay, great. Now, Savanna—or, Savvy—some of these questions I'm gonna ask you might seem a little personal. But please keep in mind that if this works out and I end up choosing you, we

are

gonna be living together. So I feel it important to share a lot about ourselves early on, and get to know each other really well, to make the best decision for everyone."

"Oh, I can handle personal. I'm an open book too. Nothing to hide, nothing to be ashamed of. Bring it right on."

"All right, so, you said you work at the supermarket. And so, how much is your annual salary?"

"Annual? I'd say probably around thirty grand."

"Oh, terrific. That's pretty close to what I make too. Do you have any children or pets?"

"No, ma'am. No kids, human or otherwise, no spouse, no significant other. I'm free as a bird."

"That's good. Not that I discriminate against parents or pet owners, but they need and deserve more space. This apartment's just most suitable for a couple roomies. We can entertain, have dates and guests over and all. We just shouldn't let it go much further than that.

"So, do you have a steady set schedule at Angels?"

"Not really, no. Our schedules are printed up by the week, and they're always a little different. Actually, my Saturdays are usually longer, but today they let me off early, so I just came right over. Like I said, it's a pretty close distance."

"Okay, no problem. Do you drink or smoke at all?"

"Smoke, no. Drink, sometimes at bars or clubs or whatever."

"Good. Smoking's prohibited in our units. And it's

technically

permitted on the balcony, but still frowned upon. They're not crazy about letting people cook outside on the grill, but they allow it. And I don't keep alcohol around unless company's coming over.

"So then, my Savvy friend...would you consider yourself more a morning person or night person?"

"Oh, that's easy: night. All the way. I love going out on my off nights, especially to parties and that kinda thing."

"All right, well, that's good. I'm a night person too. If one of us was a morning person, then our sleep rhythms might end up clashing. I don't usually go out at night though, I like to stay in. Work on my drawings and stuff like that."

"Drawings? You an artist?"

"Well, not a professional one. Hoping to be one day! But it's just my most passionate hobby for now. You have any favorite hobbies?"

"Yeah, I like to bowl. I'm in a fall-to-spring league that meets on Saturday nights. Lucky for me, my job's pretty flexible about that. Of course, that doesn't start till October, so I won't have to run off and cut this short or anything."

"Oh, cool! Are you good?"

"I'm okay. We do tenpins, and I usually break triple digits. The thing is, though, I can only use the ten-pound balls. If I use one any heavier than that, I dent the lane. Any lighter, my fingers get stuck and I go right down the lane

with

it."

"Ha! Well, I'm sure everyone could do without either of those things happening. Bet it's easier to get a strike that way, though."

"Yeah, easier...against the rules, and it won't count, but, yes."

"Okay, so now let's see, uh...oh, yes. Miss Savvy, do you have any allergies?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary."

"Any of what you might call strange or unusual habits?"

"Hmm...well, I crack my knuckles a lot."

"...If that's the worst of it, I think you and I are gonna get along just

fine

."

"Well...I like to eat ice cream right out of a carton too."

"Well, fair enough; maybe we'll just get our own cartons. So! Do you tend to have a lot of guests, overnight or otherwise?"

"Nah. I like to just go out and have fun. It doesn't happen often, but if I meet or hook up with someone, I usually end up at their place."

"All right. Would you consider yourself neat, messy, or somewhere in between?"

"Hee hee...well, I'm inclined to say neat to stay on good terms, but I'm the worst, most transparent liar alive. When I try to tell a lie, you can practically

see

it right through my teeth. So the

truth

is, I'm not disastrously messy, but somewhere in between."

"That's okay; I wouldn't automatically disqualify you if you happened to be a little messy. I should really stress, though—common sense while it may be—this apartment needs to stay in at least decently presentable shape. Most of the time we're left to our own, but now and then we need the maintenance people to come fix something, and sometimes the landlord comes too. And, well, if the place is a pigsty...you can probably see where that ends up going."

"Eviction city?"

"Well, hopefully we'll get a warning first, but yeah, if we screw up one too many times, that is the final consequence.

"Okay, Savanna, next questy: how's your personal hygiene?"

"Oh, terrific. That I can say without fear of being caught in a lie; I take

excellent

care of myself. Shower and brush my teeth at least one to two times every day, keep myself nicely groomed, and always wear something freshly laundered."

"Fabulous! Well, I'll tell you that this complex has great water heating. You can stand in the shower here for

ever

and the water will not drop in temperature. And even better, it's included in the rent. So bathe all you want. Flush all you like. Heck, brush your teeth

three

times and wash your hands while you're at it. Use the H2O to your heart's content. But do please remember there's only one bathroom."

"I don't think that'll be a problem; I'm not known for monopolizing utilities."

"'Atta girl. How about TV?"

"Oh, I love TV. But if someone else is using it, that's fine, I can use my computer. Isn't technology wonderful?"

"Indeed...what're some of your favorite shows?"

"Hm, let's see...I like Last Man On Earth, Shameless, Mr. Robot, Impractical Jokers, Mom, Orange Is The New Black..."

"Oh yeah, some good o—

shut

the hicc-up! Orange Is Th—...I

love

Orange Is The New Black!"

"Yeah, huh? Not that they all are, but there's something about a bad dirty girl that...kinda makes

me

wanna be bad and dirty

with

her."

"You...wanna b—...ahem! D'you happen to, uh...be a lesbian too, Savanna? If that's okay to ask?"

"I'm bi, technically. But yeah, lately, I have been leaning more towards the chicks."

"That's...

awesome

..."

"I guess. But women can be pretty challenging too."

"Huh! God, don't I know that."

"Yeah; I mean, straight girls—or ones who

claim

they're 'straight'—think it's okay to hate guys and say the nastiest crap about 'em. And I haven't had the best luck with dudes either, but really...these chicks should try dating each

other

and see how much fun that is."

"Omigod, you just totally took the words right outta my mouth. I mean, my best friend and old roommate's straight; she

loves

guys. But yeah, I've definitely sat around and listened to how a lot of 'em talk about men. And y'know, as a lesbian, that's a little awkward. I kinda just wanna jump in there and yell at 'em, 'Yeah, well, y'know what?

We

aren't such a picnic either!' But they wouldn't understand. Gay guys seem to like each other a whole lot more than those straight chicks do."

"Right?? Oh, God, now you just reminded me of something that happened in high school. Honest-to-goodness true story, Dora: my eleventh-grade math teacher was a man, and we all thought he was actually gay at first. 'Cause he...just...well, 'acted' like a gay guy, I guess. But then one day I left after class, and realized I forgot something, so I went back in. And there's a woman there with him. And I said, 'Who's she?' And he goes, 'This is my wife.' And I'm all like, 'But I thought you were, you know...' And he goes, 'Do me a favor, please don't tell anyone I'm really straight.' And I go, 'Why??'"

"Wh—yeah, why? That'd be the first thing outta my mouth too."

"Well, he tells me ironically, his job's actually more secure with people thinking he's gay. I had no idea about this, but...well, apparently, schools are running rampant with accusations against male teachers with their female students. Whether the teachers've actually

done

anything or not. Now, y'know, obviously, if a teacher

does

take advantage of a student, he should be punished for it. I mean, that's just common sense. And it does happen. But then there're guy teachers who don't misbehave, but if a girl student just

says

they do, their career's ruined anyway. Even if she's lying. And even if he doesn't get put away, there's a good chance he'll never teach again."

"You're kidding me! That's...horrible!"

"I wish I was. But like I said, it's ironic. As short a time as ten years ago, I have a feeling really being gay could

cost

a teacher his job."

"I think you're right. But y'know, in a way, I like to think of it as a victory. The world's still changing, in a lot of ways for the better. I think every generation sees us—and not just us,

all

LGBTQs—a little more enlightened. We may never have complete 100% vindication, but I like the way things are going. It may be dark in the closet, but it's just getting brighter and brighter when you come out."

"That's a beautiful thought."

"Thanks! 'S one of my staples, cup half-full and all that.

"Gosh, you know, Savvy, I'm actually starting to get pretty hungry. Can I offer you something to eat?"

"Oh! Even better! Can we order in Chinese? I

love

Chinese. My treat!"

"Ooh...how can I possibly turn that down?"

...

"Tip on my card; that's fine."

"Well, aren't you the Generous Judy. Thank you so much, Savvy."

"Hey, thank

you

for giving me an impromptu interview."

"Aw, shucks. Well, hey, it'll be a while before they get here. Care for a tour?"

"Sounds great."

"Sweet! I— ...

"

Oops

, uh...excuse me. That's a little embarrassing."

"Not really; we're human, and still ladies. Human ladies do that. Nothing to be embarrassed about; 's just what happens when we drink soda. If they feed you someplace like India, or, eh...China...they take it as a compliment. I don't think there's anything wrong with it, or that it's unladylike. In fact, watch; I can do it on command." ...

"HA! That's great! That's hilarious! You're truly talented!"

"And funny, too. I could make you laugh all day."

"Oh,

really?

...Well, we might just have to, eh...put that theory to the test.

"Ahem! Well! Let's, uh, go ahead and get on with the tour. First off, 'course, here we are in the living room. Room of...y'know, living, and all. There's the main TV, entertainment system, some nice board games under there, in, uh...in case we get 'board'...please jump in anytime at all if my jokes get too corny. Sturdy generous-sized coffee table to do...basically whatever we...want on...um...

"An-anyway, moving on...then here's the dining room area—and the ceiling light with the dimmer—which I use if I'm not watching TV. Like, if I wanna read, do a puzzle, draw, play jacks or cards or whatever, this is where that happens. But if I'm eating in the living room, I

have

to turn the TV on. It's like a compulsion."

"Nice...and there's the kitchen, I see."

"Absolutely. See, it's got this nice little nook open in the middle. Two light switches, one on either side, and all your basic appliances. Dunno how much cooking you do, but you can make most anything you want in here."

"Heh! Well, you saw what I wanted to do for dinner. There's kind of an indication of how much cooking I do."

"'Kay, well, we probably won't have to do a ton of cleaning in here then. So now down the hallway, here's the bathroom: toilet, shower, two-way mirror with a cabinet, nice little closet for towels and toiletries, your standard john setup...

"Then over here's the little laundry area, with the washer and dryer. It's pretty tiny, but there's enough room to do your clothes inside. And finally, that brings us to the best part: certainly not least but last, the bedrooms. This one on the right's mine, the one with all the stuff in it. And of course, the empty one's for my new roomie. They both have windows and nice big closets—I already came out of mine—and they're both the same size. Go ahead, have a look."

"Ooh, looks comfy...may I?"

"Of course! Give her a spin."

"Mmm...nice. Cotton pillows?"

"Close. Cotton mattress. Goose down pillows."

"Oooh, God, now I

really

hope you pick me to be your roomie, hee hee!"

"

Oh, I don't think you have too much to worry about

."

"Huh?"

"Nothing. Nothing. C'mon, I'll show you my room. I know it may be hard to get outta that bed now—"

"Ohhh, you're not wrong about that."

"Heh! Well, remember, we do have Chinese on the way."

"Ah—right; up I go!"

"So here we are. There's my desk, where I draw my best pictures...my wall of storage cubes with my books and toys and stuff. My own queen-size bed—they're both queens—with a full headboard, and my own personal TV to help me sleep. There's too much stuff in my closet to show you at once, but on the walls: a sewed picture my Mom made me of Garfield...there's a painting of two lions my brother gave me one year, and there's a stuffed bunny someone in my office gave me for Easter."

"Wow."

"Yeah, I keep pretty generous company. There's more stuff in those drawers too, but some of it's...kinda...private."

"Heh! Gotcha; no peeking. Tha—

oh

, God, though, what you said about the closet, that totally reminds me of one of the funniest things I ever saw in my life. Okay, so I'm watching an old episode of Rainbow Brite. Y'know, from the '80s. And, so...this was way before, uh...well, let's just say they didn't do it on purpose. But Rainbow Brite's friend, Brian, I think he's about to go to Rainbow Land, so he's in his closet at home, and-and...don't quote me on this, I don't remember what comes before it, but he says, 'I hope Mom doesn't find out about this; she says there's enough stuff in my closet now!' Then he gets on his bike and rides...

out

of the closet...on a

rainbow!

"

"HA!! That's hysterical! You

have

to find that and show it to me!"

"Oh, I'll do my best. I promise you it's real. I swear I didn't make that up."

"Well! So, there's the basic lay of the land for ya. Whaddaya think?"

"I think you have a sweet-ass pad..."

"

Wha

—oh! Oh. Sorry, I thought you said something else."

"Hee hee! No, no, I meant your apartment. And Dora, I think anyone at all'd be privileged to live with ya."

"That's...oh, that's so fantastic. Well, I...I, uh, shouldn't say anything concrete just yet, but...um...so I won't.

"Bu—oh, gosh! Y'know what? I totally forgot to show you the balcony! C'mon out. This is beautiful."

"

Whew

...that's a breathtaker a'right."

"Yeah, this is unit number 401, but as you found out, it's only two sets of steps up. That's 'cause the 200s are on the main level, where you park and all, and the 100s are down from there."

"God, that's one helluva view...how much is the rent, by the way?"

"$1,600 a month. There's a small increase every year, but it's still affordable with two of us."

"'Us'?"

"...Did-did I say 'us'?...Well, you...you know what I mean."

"Dora?"

"Yes?"

"...I think I like it here."

"Well...at the risk of jumping the gun...I dare say I think you might be a good fit."

...

"H—? What was that?"

"Wh—...oh, the food! Of course. Guess we kinda lost track of time. I forgot how hungry I was."

...

"A'right, well, we're in my living room, and we've got food, so this TV's going on. What do you feel like watching, Savvy girl?"

"Eh, I dunno. Let's surf awhile."

"...Heh! Karaoke. I've just done karaoke a couple times. It was kinda funny: the first time, a friend of mine took me and my brother Mikey to this place she knew. And you had to enter your name in the computer and pick the song you wanted to sing. And we'd never been there. So while we were putting our names in, this lady comes up behind us, and, I have to figure she knew everybody who came there, 'cause she's like, to the two of us, 'E'scuse me! Who y'all?!' Almost accusatory, y'know?? Like we weren't supposed to be there."

"Kooky. What'd you sing?"

"Oh, 'Listen To Your Heart' by Roxette. One of my

all

-time favorites."

"Nice. Me, I'm a little more partial to country. May not be the most popular genre out there, but my favorite karaoke song's 'Friends In Low Places.' That's a real crowd-pleaser, and they love to sing along with it, which makes me less jittery."

"Oh, hey, have you got the moo goo?"

"Oh, yeah, it's here somewhere with the lo mein, and the wanton, and the crispy nood—here it is. There ya go."

"Mm. Thanks, babe."

"...What?"

"Huh?"

"Thanks,

what?

"

"...What'd I say?"

"Sounded like you just called me 'babe.'"

"It did??...You might wanna get that hearing tested there, Savvy, just saying."

"Oh, no no no. I know what I heard. Dora...you

like

me, don't you?"

"Well...I mean...so far, yeah, Savanna, I believe I like you. I don't know everything about you—we just met today—but yes, from what you've shared with me so far, I think you're sweet, and nice, and likable. So yeah. I do."

"Hee hee...okay, well, then, you're welcome, babe."

"Hey, speaking of food and stuff, is it tough to work in a grocery store? I guess I'm just curious 'cause I've always been amazed how you guys know where absolutely

everything

is. I mean, there's a reason they're called

super

markets, right? They're so big, and they have thousands of things. How do you commit all that to memory?"