Soccer Women Ch 8
"Hey, I don't have anything that I have to do tomorrow afternoon. Why don't you come up for lunch and we can spend the afternoon shopping and then go for a walk at the State Park trail." Jen Smith was on the phone with Carol Rogers. This was going to be the fourth week in a row where they had plans to stay at one or the other's house beginning on Saturday and had found an excuse to start the weekend on Friday. They had been lovers in the past, but that had been a different time and a different situation. Carol had begun to explore her sexuality and a hitherto unknown bisexuality. Jen was her best friend and enthusiastic guide on Carol's journey when it first started.
It was all supposed to just be some fun and new experiences. When they started to have feelings for each other, they tried to pull things back. Carol was married and while her husband had been okay with Carol having fun with Jen (and had even joined them twice), there was no way for Carol and Jen to have anything more permanent.
In pulling back, they tried to tell themselves that this was just fun and nothing more. But that didn't work because it was becoming something more, whether they wanted to admit it or not. When an opportunity came for Jen to begin dating another woman, she took it, hoping that would be a way to end the sexual aspects of her relationship with Carol without affecting their friendship.
This did not work. Carol would come to admit that it was her fault because she was dealing with emotions she had never felt before and did not know how to process them. Their friendship was badly damaged. There was, however, one thing that had kept them from losing each other forever.
At the time when things had taken that bad turn, Carol and Jen's daughters, Katie Rogers and Melanie Smith, were best friends and teammates on a premier youth soccer team. Then Katie and Melanie were offered soccer scholarships to the same University. During this time, Katie and Melanie also fell in love with each other. Now, it was in fact only six weeks before their wedding.
It had been almost six years since Carol and Jen had first met. It was now about six weeks since they had found themselves, both single now and both together in a hotel room. It had been a blazing night of lust as if they needed to make up for all that intervening time in that one night. Life had changed dramatically for them. Carol's husband had died in a plane crash and Jen's girlfriend had run off with a younger woman. Now though, there was nothing to impede their feelings for each other. The question had been after almost 5 years from when things had gone bad, what feelings did they still have for each other?
What they found was that those feelings had remained dormant but had never gone away. And when they both allowed themselves to let those feelings out, they were just as strong as they had been. They were having "sleepovers" like they were schoolgirls. And they were both having fun and felt renewed energy as if they were that young again. They still had their lives to lead and they lived over an hour away from each other. But they were finding ways to spend more and more time together.
The previous weekend, Jen had ended up staying over Sunday night even though she had to go to work Monday morning. They had both gotten up very early so Jen could drive home and get to work. They wrapped themselves in each other's arms and kissed goodbye. As she pulled back from the kiss, Jen said "So, you're coming up to my house Saturday, right."
They both laughed and Carol said, "Right." although they both knew Friday night Carol would be in Jen's bed. So, Jen's phone call was not entirely unexpected.
Friday morning Carol got up and did her exercises for the day, showered, packed her bag and headed up to the Community College by Jen's house where Jen ran the Paralegal program for the school.
Carol arrived at 11:30 and was informed by the receptionist that Jen was at a meeting with the Assistant Dean, but that she should be back soon. Carol took a seat and waited. She heard Jen's voice coming down the hallway but there were two sets of footfalls, so she was coming back with someone one else.
When Jen turned into the office, she saw her and excitedly shouted "CAROL!"
"Sorry Jen. I know I'm a little early but I didn't want to miss any time." As Carol was talking, she noticed in her peripheral vision the other person coming behind Jen.
"No, Carol. That's fine. I'm glad you're here." At this point she turned toward the other woman and said "Amy, this is Carol Rogers. She's..." Jen hesitated on how to introduce her, but Amy saved the day.
"Carol, lovely to meet you. You're the mother of the girl that's marrying Melanie, right?"
"Yes." Carol responded. All she knew about this person was her first name was Amy, but Amy seemed to know a bit more about her.
The woman continued, "I'm Amy Savage. I've known Jen and Melanie for a long time. I knew them when they lived back East. In fact, I'm the one who brought them out here." Amy extended her hand in greeting.
Carol said "Well, it is a pleasure to meet you and thank you." Although this seemed like a non-sequitur, Carol realized that this stranger had played a huge part in her life, and Katie's. Carol knew the story of how it came to be that Jen and Melanie moved out here and ended up on the Blue Lightning Soccer Club. But Carol was now meeting the woman from the story who brought Jen and Melanie into her and Katie's lives. But for this Amy Savage, Katie would not have Melanie and Carol would not have Jen. Carol took the extended hand into her own but pulled Amy closer and put her other arm around her for a brief hug. She owed this woman too much to just simply shake her hand.
Jen and Amy were both a little surprise by this, but Amy quickly recovered. "I guess the words you were looking for Jen were 'future in-law.'" Now turning to Carol, she said, "Jen tells me you're going to lunch and then some hiking. Well, the weather is perfect so have a good time. And Carol, I guess I'll see you at the wedding."
"Absolutely. See you then Amy."
Amy turned and left, heading back to her own office. But she was pretty sure she now knew why it was that Jen seemed so much happier lately.
When they got into Jen's office and closed the door, Carol and Jen embraced. Jen looked Carol in the eye and said, "You got pretty familiar with someone you'd never met before. Should I be nervous?"
Carol knew Jen was joking but she still answered the question. "Jen if she hadn't brought you out here, you would not be in my life. Add to that Katie and Melanie would not have met. I wanted to kneel down and kiss her hand, but I thought that might have been too much."
"Yeah, maybe." They both laughed. But as they continued to hold each other in their arms, Jen said, "You know, I never thought of that before. I would not have had you in my life if she hadn't convinced me to come out here. I almost did not come. I have to get her something really special for the next Boss' Day.
They both just laughed some more and stared into each other's eyes. Finally, Carol said, "I'm famished. Didn't you say something about lunch?"
"Right. Let's go." Jen leaned in and gave Carol a peck on the lips and they headed to the door. Jen stopped at the receptionist desk to remind her that Jen would not be back after lunch and she would see her on Monday. As they walked out, Jen gave Carol the directions to where they were having lunch and they both got into their cars to head over to the restaurant.
