Jan closed the heavy wooden door and then leaned against it and sighed deeply. What a morning, she thought. First Bob, her husband of over twenty years, lost his briefcase. She'd found it for him and was trying to get breakfast ready, when Eric, her eldest, announced he was quitting his job. This provoked a fight with his father that Jan broke up only by stepping between them. Janie, her middle child, had then come into the kitchen with both hands filled with clothes and wailed that she had nothing to wear. Finally, the twins were fighting over the red toothbrush all the while the pancakes were burning. Thus began another typical morning at the Hobson residence. Bob had left for work having barely eaten after a final threat to his son; he hadn't even remembered to give Jan a peck on the cheek. Eric had stormed out of the house cursing all adults, despite the fact that she'd interceded for him. Janie had finally left for school in something approaching appropriate dress after Jan had sent her to change no less than three times. Janie hadn't eaten either, and had accused her mother of being "a hopelessly old fashioned prude". Meanwhile, the twins made a complete mess in the kitchen by throwing syrup-coated pancake pieces at one another. Jan had barely had them cleaned up and redressed when their bus arrived.
Jan usually loved the mornings, the time when the big house was so peaceful after everyone had left, but this morning she felt depressed. Her birthday was coming up in two weeks and no one had yet said a word. She caught her reflection in the hall mirror and took a moment to study herself. She was average in most every way, average height, average weight, brown hair and brown eyes. Her bust was quite big for her frame and in her younger days had been a source of pride. But time, gravity, and four children had not been kind. Similarly, her hips were wide and her legs just a little too full, and her waist still carried some of the extra inches from her last pregnancy, inches she hadn't been able to lose in nine years. As she stood there in her flannel dressing gown, her reflection in the mirror seemed to smirk back at her: "suburban housewife". And unappreciated, she thought. They don't appreciate you. With a sigh of resignation, she trudged into the kitchen and began to clean up the morning mess.
Jan had been married twenty years to the same man. She and Bob had lived in the same house for eighteen of those years, and overall she thought they'd been very happy. The first two years had been the roughest, and in many ways the best years of her marriage. Jan had worked to put Bob through his last year at Columbia. They'd lived in a rent-controlled studio in New York City, they'd been very much in love, and sex had been frequent and satisfying. Eric had been born in the city and Janie had been conceived there. After Bob graduated, and while Jan was still pregnant with the twins, they moved to suburbia.
After the twins were born, it took a while for Jan to lose the extra pounds she'd gained during her pregnancy. Meanwhile, Bob's interest in sex dropped dramatically, and with it his romantic inclinations. Sex had become routine for them years ago -- Friday nights almost on schedule -- but these days she and Bob seemed to be out of the habit altogether. He still loved her, she was sure, but he showed it less and less frequently, and with less and less enthusiasm even when he found the time to be affectionate. Not good, she thought, it's not good at all. She was nearing forty and had never wanted sex more. Over two months had passed since the last time and she hungered for it. But Bob was stressed at work and fighting with Eric and the list of excuses was endless. I'm hurting, she thought. Bob's lack of interest was hurting her self-esteem.
Now Jan chuckled as she realized she'd been standing in front of the empty sink for several minutes, wiping the same plate dry again and again as she pondered her life. She thought of moving to the bedroom to find a novel and her vibrator. "Big Blue", as she affectionately called her toy, had become her best friend, her masturbation interludes with the vibrator almost an obsession. The vibrator, at least, was always there for her. Never completely satisfactory, but at least she had orgasms. She couldn't imagine living without orgasms. She was currently exploring something new in the novels she read: many of the novels she now read had bisexual or even lesbian themes, novels written by women about women. Women authors seemed to more easily know what would turn on other women. During the past year, as Jan's dissatisfaction with her sex-life had increased, she'd also become aware that many of her erotic fantasies centered on women. Only fantasies, of course. She couldn't imagine herself in bed with a woman. Or at least she couldn't imagine herself in bed with a woman and be comfortable with it. No, that wasn't right either. She could imagine herself with a woman, even imagine the sex, but she couldn't imagine herself searching for something like that. Suburban housewife, she thought. Conventional suburban housewife surrounded by barbed wire. The image made her feel depressed again.
She put the plate away and was turning to go upstairs, when a big green Suburban followed by a sleek red Corvette pulled into the driveway of the empty house next door. Jan immediately recognized the Suburban was Shelly's.
Shelly Richardson was one of her circle of friends. Shelly's husband was a successful attorney, and Shelly had become a real estate agent more out of boredom than any need for money. Jan liked Shel well enough when she was acting normal, but when Shelly was in her "saleswoman" mode, she was almost unbearably outgoing. Jan watched the Corvette with mounting curiosity, wondering what sort of new neighbors she might be getting.
A tall blonde woman emerged from the sports car and approached Shelly. The blonde wore a red business suit with a short skirt and blazer, black hose and heels. Her features were aquiline, her body seeming sleek and predatory. The blonde was lithe and trim, with small high breasts and slim boyish hips and well-toned long shapely legs. She had a commanding air about her, and even at such a distance, Jan pegged her as a professional of some type, maybe a friend of Shelly's husband, Pete. Jan had always admired attractive people, especially pretty women. She found herself staring at the stranger. When the woman looked up and across the side yard, their eyes met and a thrill of excitement passed through Jan. She looked down immediately, pretending to be washing dishes. When she looked back up a moment later, the two women were gone. She tried to convince herself that she had just been embarrassed about being caught staring, but deep down she realized that the thrill she'd felt looking at and making eye contact with that woman had been sexual and elemental.
=======
Jan continued with her morning routine, and by the time she finished straightening up the twins' room it was nearly noon and she'd forgotten the incident. She was heading downstairs to the kitchen, when suddenly the doorbell rang. Who's that? she thought as she walked to the front door. When she opened the door, she found Shelly and the blonde woman standing under the portico.
Shelly smiled. "Jan, darling, it's so nice to see you." She stepped forward to hug Jan.
Jan could tell Shelly was in her saleswoman mode and she gritted her teeth and forced a smile. "Hi, Shel."
Shelly gestured towards the blonde. "Darling, this is Lynette Walker. She's thinking of buying the Peterson house."
Jan looked at the tall woman. The woman's eyes were a piercing blue, and as her eyes fixed on Jan, Jan's breath caught in her throat and she felt a spark of excitement shoot through her.
"My friends call me, Lynn," the woman said in a voice deep and raspy. A sexy bedroom voice, a voice that seemed to drip with innuendo.
"Pleased to meet you," Jan managed. She fought to break the stare and not be rude, but Lynn's eyes held hers, held her helpless as a bird caught in the hypnotic trap of a snake's eyes.
Now Shelly seemed oblivious to the sparks between the two women: "Jan, would you be a dear and talk to Lynn a few minutes about the neighborhood? I just got a beep on my cell and Charley's in trouble at school again."
Jan nodded and looked at Lynn. "Of course, won't you please come in?" She tried to keep the tremor from her voice. Her feelings were running wild, and she felt disoriented by their intensity and by the realization of their cause.
The two women entered the house and Jan ushered them into the living room. Lynn sat on the sofa and Shelly turned the wingback chair away from them and placed a call on her cell phone. Jan had to sit on the sofa with Lynn. She felt hot and nervous as she tried to avoid making eye contact with the blonde.
In a hesitant voice, Jan said: "It's a nice neighborhood, and I'm sure you'll enjoy living here."
"I'm sure I will if all my neighbors are as attractive as you are," Lynn said softly, keeping her voice low enough so that only Jan could hear.
A long time had passed since Jan had received a compliment like that, and she suddenly wished she were wearing something more attractive than her old jeans and sweat top. But why was she suddenly so interested in what this woman thought of her?
"Thank you," Jan said to Lynn.
"How much traffic do you get on this street?"
"Very little. Our children play outside all the time and we never worry about them."
Lynn smiled. "I don't have any children, but I do jog."
"Oh. Well, it's usually very quiet."
Their conversation ended abruptly when Shelly raised her voice into her cell phone. Then Shelly angrily switched the phone off and Jan could tell she was trying to compose herself before she faced them again. When Shelly finally turned to them, she had a large phony smile on her face.
"I'm so sorry, Lynn, but my son's been in a fight and they're demanding I come to get him. I'll need only about thirty minutes. Could you possibly wait for me to get back?"
"Of course."
Shelly looked at Jan. "Jan, darling, I hate to impose, but would you mind answering Lynn's questions for me, if she has any questions about the neighborhood?"
"No problem," Jan said.
"All right, I'm leaving. I'll back as soon as I can." Shelly rose and walked quickly to the door. In a moment the door closed behind her with a thud that shook the house.
