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.
After lunch they went back to Jen's house so they could change into their hiking attire and went off to a local start park. They spent about an hour hiking up the high hill in the park. They talked about the wedding and about Katie's graduation (Melanie had graduated early the previous year but was in a program where she was going to get her master's degree as well, which was why she was still at the school).
The trail goes to the top of the hill where there is a scenic overlook. There is a large parking lot for those who drive up, daunted by the climb. A stone wall lines the parking area. The lookout had been constructed by the Conservation Corps during the 1930s. Carol and Jen walked through the parking lot at the end of the trail and went to the overlook.
Jen had arrived first. She put her hands on the wall and looked out over the valley below. When Carol arrived, she stood next to Jen. When she also put her hands on the wall, she put her one hand overtop of Jen's. They looked at each other and smiled, but then each turned to look at the view.
Without turning toward, each other Carol finally said, "It's not quite the Grand Canyon, but it is very beautiful."
"Yes. I like the green. The Canyon was beautiful but there was not really much vegetation. I don't know how much you might see there in the summer, but it was only mid-March."
They both kept staring straight ahead a little longer when Carol again spoke. "You didn't know what to call us to your boss?"
Carol had always been very easy for Jen to read. There was no hint of worry in her voice. Carol had grown confident in their relationship and so there was no sense of panic in her voice that she was afraid of where Jen was in their relationship. She was just stating this as a fact. They had agreed that if they were pressed, they could say they were girlfriends.
Jen now turned toward Carol and said, "I am not sure if 'girlfriends' is really enough anymore." Carol clasped Jen's hand she was touch and gave it a firm squeeze.
"How about when you all come back from the Graduation, instead of just dropping Melanie off, you guys can stay a night or two. Besides, since we would miss that weekend being together anyway, I'll be happy to have you spend a weeknight."
Carol turned and looking at Jen. She was always beautiful but when she was smiling, she was ever more so. Carol thought about how that smile, and the joy behind it, and idea that had caused that joy.
"That sounds like a great plan, Jen. And it's even better knowing I won't have to wait another week to see you since I'll be gone that weekend of the ceremony."
They walked hand in hand back toward the trail entrance at the end of the parking lot for the long walk back down. By the time the got back to the car, they were very tired. They had dinner delivered. After eating they snuggled up on the couch and watched television until they went to sleep. They slept late and then Carol went through her Saturday workout with Jen again. They shopped and talked and ate and held each other. They were physically intimate. But sex isn't always epic or noteworthy. Suffice it to say, when Carol finally went home Monday morning, she was very relaxed and very satisfied and very happy.
The next weekend would be the last weekend for a while. The weekend after that was Katie's graduation. Then the girls would be coming back with Carol. Once they were back it would be less than four weeks until the wedding, and Carol and Jen were pretty sure things would be too hectic for spending too much time together. And any time they would be together would be full of wedding activity. So, as they made their plans, they left several gaps of "free time" where they could decide how they might want to make use of those gaps.
Unfortunately, it was graduation season and so Jen was very busy at her job. It was Thursday night and Carol and Jen were talking on the phone. Jen said, "I don't think I can get away early tomorrow. In fact, I am probably going to be there late. Don't wait for me to have dinner."
