AUTHOR'S NOTE: This story takes place sometime in the past, shortly after the events in Shari Holds a Torch. This is my entry for the 2017 Winter Holiday Contest. If you enjoyed it, please remember to vote--also, please check out my other stories featuring these two characters. As always, if butch femme pairings and large age differences are not your thing, please skip this story. For everyone else...Enjoy, and Happy Holidays!
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The start of Christmas vacation is probably the most magical time of the year for every student and teacher in Thatcher Blake. Winter has officially arrived, bringing blasts of icy wind while downy flakes flutter from the heavens, casting everything it touches in a blanket of glittering white snow. Just about everyone is busy discussing the latest toys and trinkets they hope to find underneath the tree when the big day comes. And every inch of public space in Thatcher Blake is festooned with baubles, garlands, and colorful lights. The sight of such brimming festivity is enough to bring the biggest Scrooge a genuine feeling of goodwill and joy.
But the very best part of Christmas vacation is always the beginning. The last day at Talcott High School was a lot of fun. Some classes had little parties while other teachers decided to show films and allow their students an opportunity to catch up on late assignments before the start of two whole weeks of freedom lasting until the day after New Year's. Velma Blount could hardly wait for the last bell to ring!
Miss Velma Blount has been teaching PE at Talcott for almost 25 years. She is a 47 year old athletic butch woman who towers over her students at 6'2". It was no secret that most of her students are intimidated by her. Truth be told, some of them were actually afraid of her. Maybe it was the somewhat weathered and severe features of her masculine face. Or maybe it was the way her light sandy hair was always cut in that very short pageboy style with blunt bangs. The style actually made her look pretty menacing. In fact, her fitness and stature were known to put the fear of God himself in some of her high-maintenance students.
And speaking of God, Velma was looking forward to the annual Christmas party her women's bible study group was putting on tomorrow night. The group is small and secretive, consisting mainly of teachers from different schools in the area. Occasionally some other women would join the group, but their membership was always short lived. A few years ago, a nice young woman joined their group for a while. She worked at one of the dime stores downtown, and she even brought a few of her friends along that year. That really livened up their group of stuffy middle-aged women!
Every year the Christmas party is held at a different member's house. Regular meetings and services take place in the basement of a modest little church downtown. But when it came to the Christmas parties, things always inevitably got a bit...rowdy. For the second year in a row, the group decided the party would be held at Jude Horst's place. She has this beautiful Queen Anne house on a double lot on the far edge of town just outside Harmony. The place is perfect! Besides, last year's party was such a success; it didn't take much to persuade Jude to host again. She absolutely loved that sort of thing.
Velma's thick brows furrowed as she bitterly recalled last year's party. She stopped by this little bookstore after school one day, and she struck up a conversation with the clerk behind the counter. What was her name? Oh, yeah...Hayley. She wasn't exactly Velma's type, but she was cute and she seemed to like the gym teacher's company. They saw each other two more times before Velma asked Hayley if she'd like to come along to the Christmas party.
But what started out as a fun filled night turned out disastrous. For a short while, Velma had questioned whether she was reading more into the young lady's smiles and moves than she intended. As the night wore on, Velma was feeling a lot of Christmas cheer. Whether this had anything to do with all the beer and punch she'd drunk was up for interpretation. Just the same, the towering old dyke thought that her date was really interested in her. But later on when she took Hayley upstairs and made love to her, the young lady became disgusted when she realized that Velma expected her to reciprocate.
Hayley jumped out of bed, threw on her clothes, and bolted out of the house. Velma never saw her again after that. Several weeks later, Coach Linley asked if she'd drop by the bookstore to pick up an order he'd placed for the school. She cornered one of her colleagues, Mrs. Horton, to do it instead. She thought about asking Miss Lusby, but Velma figured that if Hayley was working that day, it would be less awkward to send Mrs. Horton. After all, married women are mundane and less threatening.
But that was last Christmas. Velma had someone different now; someone sweet and very beautiful. That someone was her ex-student, Shari Keefer, the only student she ever took a genuine liking to. A smile spread across Velma's rugged face anytime she thought about Shari. It seemed like only yesterday when the towering gym teacher began to form a strong bond with the girl. Ah, she was always so wry and winsome...and sweet! She still is.
But when Shari graduated, Velma was devastated even though she did her best not to show it. She was certain that after the graduation ceremony ended, the beautiful 19 year old senior would forget all about her old gym teacher. But to Velma's surprise, the rapport they formed grew and blossomed into an intense intimate relationship. And unlike Hayley, Shari stuck around.
After the final bell, Talcott High quickly resembled a ghost town. Everyone scrambled to their lockers and down the stairwells to freedom. Velma bundled herself up and walked briskly down the 1st floor hall, past the library and main office. A huge Christmas tree was set up inside the library by Student Commission. Velma smiled and waved at the librarian and her two assistants who were busy turning off the lights and gathering their things to leave.
Once she was outside, Velma dashed across the faculty parking lot in search of her car. She reached her car and fumbled with her keys for a minute before shutting herself in. She had an errand to run before going home. This year, each member of the bible study group was asked to bring a gift for the residents of the local Children's Home. They could choose to bring one for a girl or a boy. Velma was feeling pretty generous. She figured she'd bring a gift for both.
A light snow began falling by the time Velma reached the heart of downtown. She passed through the well-lit streets and found an empty parking spot not too far from Woolworth's, her intended destination. The store wasn't too busy when she walked in. She pulled off her mittens and stuffed them into her coat pockets as she headed for the toy department. Damn, Velma thought silently. What should I get? Jude didn't specify an age!
Velma's cold blue eyes scanned the toy shelves for a few minutes. Girls are pretty easy to buy for, she figured...aren't they? She snatched a box from one of the top shelves. It was some sort of doll; the kind that cries and wets itself. Girls like dolls...don't they? A sales clerk came over and showed Velma the new erector sets that just came in. But when she saw the box, she decided against it. Erector sets have too many small pieces that end up getting lost. She handed the doll to the clerk and spotted something much better nearby. A football!
She paid for the toys and stopped at the lunch counter for a cup of coffee and a sandwich before heading back out into the cold. When she got back in her car, Velma paused for a minute or so. She remembered that there was some new store one or two streets over. Shari mentioned it a few times. It was some dress shop, Flanders', or Finnegan's, or...
Velma whistled softly to herself as she pulled out and drove to the next light to turn. Velma and Shari have been seeing each other now for only about 6 months, but it will be their first Christmas together—sort of. On Christmas Eve, the group has planned a day of service. Velma volunteered along with Jude and several other members to serve Christmas dinner at the Children's Home. On Christmas Day, she'd spend some time with her sister, Esther, who lived about 30 miles away. As for Shari, she'd probably spend Christmas with her family.
But tomorrow night, Shari would attend the Christmas party with Velma. She'd already introduced Shari to the group, and from the first day, the others welcomed the shy young girl with open arms. Yes, that's why Velma loved this group. These women didn't judge. In fact, quite a few of them had younger partners. Most of them, like Shari, attended Blake College, but there was nothing wrong with that. Velma loved God and she loved other women—one in particular. There's nothing shameful in that!
But most people wouldn't understand. Velma knew that same sex relations were frowned upon. People think that it is a disease—a mental illness that could only be cured through intense shaming and institutionalization. And Velma was aware of the way her own students looked at her sometimes, afraid she might get too close to them. The parents were even worse. The school grapevine can be cruel, and more than once she'd heard the rumors they'd spread about her sexual predilections. That is why the bible study group was so important. The women dedicated themselves to service, prayer, and protecting each other.
After spotting the store, Velma had to drive around the block a few times before a spot finally opened up to park. Flinders. That's the name of the store. The towering gym teacher watched a woman leaving the store with a loaded shopping bag swinging from her arm. She was dressed to the nines: a gorgeous hat, wool coat, gloves, and natty heels. The woman carried a small clutch purse in her other hand. Velma grimaced as she passed the woman and headed inside. Oh, dear, Velma thought. It's going to be one of those stores!
The place sure looked fancy! In fact, it made Velma feel downright awkward and out of place. The saleswoman behind the counter seemed to sense this too and kept her distance while the masculine giantess browsed the shelves.
What kind of place is this? Velma wondered. She must've looked visibly annoyed because the saleswoman finally approached and asked her if she needed any assistance. Boy did she! The store had no racks! There were only shelves upon shelves of folded items—most of these were behind counters. Velma was just about to give up and walk out of there when she spotted a stately looking mannequin near the back of the store.
"This—ah—sweater...it's lovely! I don't suppose you have any more of these in stock?"
