We all feel so lucky, but it may be a case of 'it's not what you know but who you know'. It turns out that our mother Eloise and Professor Susan Beech were best friends as they studied clarinet together. More than that, they are still best friends. We members of the Lesbian Clarinet Quartet, Les clarinettistes, are having our tutorials with Professor Susan and she is a drop-dead-gorgeous blonde, so much so that I feel attracted to her.
Our course starts with a comprehensive revision of grades 5, 6, 7 and 8 of the ABRSM syllabus. We all agree it is curious, because those very grades were the entry criteria to the course and our auditions used the same exam music. Although we want to be challenged, in order to continue our development as clarinetists, we like the gentle & familiar start to the course because it helps us settle in.
In private, after our first tutorial, we compare first impressions of Professor Susan and confess that all our gaydars were giving signals that she is lesbian. It kind of makes sense because, other than our father, we have never seen or heard of our mum dating a man. Chelsea asks Hazel & Lily if their gaydars have ever suggested our mum might be gay and they both go quiet. Our suspicions raised, we coax them for an answer and they admit their gaydars did respond to her. We couldn't be more delighted and in a sacred 'pinky circle' we promise to keep our conspiracy theory to ourselves!
Over time, as we practice together with other girls in ad hoc ensembles, we become friendly with a few of them. Our gaydars help us choose our new friends with care, after all, we want to come out when we are ready not because someone lets it slip out. During our second year, when our little group has doubled in size, Mum asks if we have any plans to come out and form a lesbian sorority. We love the idea and after a few days we decide. Mum offers to start things off by inviting Professor Susan to dinner to advise us on our next steps. There's no going back now!
The night before our dinner with Professor Susan, pre-outing concerns make us nervous and we are only coming out to one person, who might be a lesbian, what is it going to be like coming out completely? Mum does her best to help us regain our serenity, convincing us yet again that it is to her friend, off campus and in private. We may never know whether it is intentional but in reassuring us, she makes a slip by reminding us that the professor was her lover while they were at RLSM, so she is as sure as it is possible to be that she will not betray our confidences.
When the doorbell rings at the expected time we all go to the front door with Mum. She opens the door with a beaming smile and her open arms invite the lovely Professor into her arms. We are all smiling but stand silently, a little embarrassed, while she steps right into Mum's embrace, locking lips and body with her in a way that removes all possible doubts about her sexuality. What follows next is even more surprising, one by one each of us receives the same intimate embrace and kiss on the lips. I, for one, melt into her with tears of relief that our secret is safe with her and a quick glance to the other three, wiping their eyes, confirms that they feel the same.
While Mum is absent in the kitchen, the Professor surprises us by asking that we address her informally as Susan and then, in a whisper, tells us not to worry about the sorority. Referring lovingly to our Mum, she tells us that she and our Mum had tried to form a lesbian sorority when they were students at the RLSM, but their attempt was too avant garde and it didn't get anywhere. They had come out to the faculty for no reason, but their revelation didn't spread. Our collective sighs of relief are almost audible.
As we sit down to enjoy the company and our meal, I notice such a collective warmth in the room and smile to myself. Susan informs Mum that she has told us about their effort to form a lesbian sorority and was about to bring them up to date with events since our Mum invited her to dinner. Mum smiles with a nod and Susan tells us that the RLSM faculty have been discussing the matter recently, mainly because the faculty consider RLSM to be mainstream and in this academic year there are significantly more than the four lesbians she has the pleasure of dining with this evening.
Susan tells us that the whole faculty are committed to having the RLSM within the law but also within the spirit of the law and wish to institute both a lesbian sorority and a gay fraternity. We all gasp and clap our hands with delight. Continuing she adds that she would like to invite all her sisters present, i.e. Eloise and we four students, to join her as a steering committee for the sorority. We are delighted but worried about coming out before we are ready. Susan asks us not to worry as details of the steering committee and its members will be kept secret until the sorority is ready to be announced and she anticipates that will be at the start of our final year.
After dinner we sit and chat until Susan says it is time for her to go. It's been a lovely evening and I feel guilty to feel pleased that Susan is leaving, but I soothe my conscience by reflecting on the reason; I'm hoping for another intimate hug and kiss on my lips from her. The front door isn't opened and with all four of us seemingly of the same mind, the parting takes noticeably longer than the greeting, as everyone enjoys the intimacy, I even get my bottom caressed! Later, after reflecting on the evening for a while Mum kisses us all goodnight intimately, just as Susan had done.
