I told Gina "Hell, yes, I'm interested!" Gina is intriguing -- besides being almost the same size and body type as me, she's quite beautiful, with her long blonde hair and blue eyes. We seem to get along great, but there's an air of mystery about her. She said she'd tell me more, though, so maybe that will clear it up. And, I absolutely ADORE her Texas twang! We kept talking as she ate, then we paid, and went outside to our cars. Standing in the bright sun, I looked at her and grinned "Gina, don't get me wrong, but aren't you worried that I might be an axe murderer or something?" She laughed, and said "Girl, I can tell by yer tight shorts and tank top that ya ain't carryin' no weapons, and 'sides, what's th' odds of 2 murderers bein' in th' same place?" She winked, and we both giggled. As we were getting ready to go, she warned "Now, ya gotta be prepared -- yer fixin' t' get yer socks blown clean off!"
We drove out, and she turned in a tree-lined driveway, going up a slight incline about a quarter-mile. I could see the San Juan mountains rising up in the east, and the Animas valley behind us, with the river snaking through it. She came to a clearing, and when I passed the trees, I hit my brakes and stared.
This isn't some little house out in the woods. It's a magnificent 2-story house, with an attached garage. There's a large lawn, with a circular drive, and a wide porch around the front door. The second story has a full-length balcony, with 4 sets of French doors and picture windows spaced across the front. Gina had pulled to the side of the garage, opened the doors with a remote, and was standing there waiting for me, a big, dimpled smile on her face.
I parked beside her, and as I was getting out, I said "Damn, woman, there's no way I'll be able to afford THIS!" She laughed, and said "Yeah, kinda imposin', ain't it? Well, c'mon in, and I'll give ya th' scoop." We walked in through the garage door, and down a short hall -- this place is awesome! The first floor is all open -- there's a full kitchen, and a dining table by the back window. An island separates the kitchen from the living room, and a huge stone fireplace dominates the far wall. On each side of the fireplace, there's a small wet bar by the front wall, and a full bath and a closet are along the back wall. Across the back wall, large windows, and sliding glass doors open up to a deck, complete with built-in hot tub. In the back yard, about 25 yards out, sits an in-ground swimming pool. A wide staircase in front of the kitchen leads up to what I assume are the bedrooms. Various furniture is in the living room, with a large leather couch facing the deck, and in front of the couch is a massive TV, stereo, and a console showing the view from 6 security cameras, all sitting on a low table. The floors are all hardwood, except the kitchen, that has granite tiles.
Gina motioned to the couch, and told me to get comfy, and asked "D'ya want somethin' to drink? Wine, or soda, or somethin'?" I said a glass of wine would be nice, so she poured two glasses and brought them over to the couch. Handing me one, we both took a sip -- mmmm, chardonnay, one of my favorites. She sat her glass on the coffee table, and said "Tammy, sit back, this is a WILD story I'm gonna tell ya."
GINA:
Well, here goes!
I started "First, I gotta tell ya, yer th' first person I've ever invited out here durin' my roommate search. I've talked to several others, but I just had a good feelin' about ya back in th' restaurant. I didn't give ya any details, since I don't really want to advertise it to everybody. Y'see, Tammy, I OWN this house, and th' 25 acres it sits on." Tammy's eyes got big, and I giggled. Continuing, I said "My Granpa Jake originally had this place built, back in th' 90s. He had a ranch in Texas, about 15 or 20,000 acres I think, then one day, they found a huge oil field on his property. Ol' Jake was suddenly a real-life Jed Clampett! He ended up sellin' th' ranch to th' oil company, but kept half th' mineral rights, and th' money is still comin' in from that. I never really got to know my Granpa. My folks kinda kept him away from us, I s'pose since he wasn't into all their religious bullshit."
"When Granpa Jake died a few years back, he left everything to his only son, my dad. Dad kept th' place up, hopin' t' retire here himself. With some legal mumbo-jumbo, Dad still had th' mineral rights, and it was all hunky-dory. That is, 'til some drunk bastard killed both my folks in a car wreck back in January." Tammy gasped, and, putting her hand on my arm, said she was sorry to hear that. I smiled, and said "Aw, it's okay. T' tell ya th' truth, me and my folks never got along too good, anyway. I was always th' 'Black Sheep'."
Taking a long drink, I kept going "I had a brother, Mark, but he got killed in Afghanistan 3 years ago by a roadside bomb. That left lil' ol' me as th' sole heir. After I got all th' funeral shit outta th' way, an' th' old bitches with fried chicken stopped comin' by, I met with our lawyer, Jerry, for th' will readin'."
Okay, time for the biggie!
Are ya ready?
Looking in her green eyes, I said "Tammy, 'sides this house, last time I checked, I'm worth 'bout $150 million."
Tammy's jaw dropped as she stared at me. I laughed, and said "Yep. That's just 'bout how I looked when Jerry told me that! I collapsed in a chair in his office, and it took a stiff shot of whiskey 'fore I got my senses back. So, after Jerry told me 'bout this place, I drove up here, checked it out and loved it, so I moved here in February. Anyway, that's my Reader's Digest version of th' story. But lemme tell ya this -- it gets lonely as hell out here by myself, and that's why I'm hopin' t' get somebody like you t' move in, 'cause I'm tired of talkin' to myself."
"One last thing, while ya think 'bout it...we can talk 'bout rent later, but honestly, I ain't gonna try and squeeze a lotta money outta ya. Ya can help with th' bills if ya want, but shit, I got money runnin' out my ass, so I ain't gonna worry 'bout it."
TAMMY:
I sat there, dumbfounded. It's just so much to process. Low rent, a fantastic house, a genuine, down-to-earth roommate (not some snooty rich bitch) ...yeah, I think I can do that! BUT, there's one thing I have to do first.
Taking a huge gulp of wine, I stared at the floor for a second, trying to get my thoughts straight.
You've GOT to do this, even if it means she kicks you out.
I said "Gina, thanks for trusting me enough to tell me that incredible story! God, I can't imagine how you must have felt, finding out about the money. And, yes, I'd love to be your roommate, because you're smart, have a wicked sense of humor, and obviously aren't letting it go to your head. But now, I have to tell YOU something. Now, I swear I won't ever try to let what I am do anything to hurt our friendship, but...well...Gina, I'm a lesbian. I've..." Three fingers came up and pressed on my lips, silencing me. Looking at Gina, her dimpled smile was beaming. She squealed "Ohmygod, ohmygod, I can't believe it! Shit! This is just fuckin' fantastic! Tammy, I'm gay, too!" She moved her hand, and her soft lips gently kissed me. Our eyes met, twinkling with the possibilities we were both imagining, and we hugged tightly, then kissed again, still tentative but more forcefully.
Still in a hug, we pulled our faces back, staring deep into each other's eyes. Gina said "I was gonna wait and spring that on ya later, but oh, wow, this is th' best thing that's happened to me in a long time." She released me from the hug, and I laughed out loud, watching her bounce up and down, clapping her hands. I could ALMOST make out what she was saying as she bounced, but it was hard, since it was all one long string -- "ohmygodicantbelieveititsmydreamcometrueomygod!" Then she blushed, realizing how silly she was, and leaned over for a quick kiss. She grabbed our glasses, refilled them, and sat back down. We toasted 'To new friends and awesome new adventures', and had a sip of the wonderful wine.
Gina said "Well, roomie, I guess now that it's settled, we oughta get yer cute lil' butt moved in," we went to the garage and pulled our cars in. I opened my Outback hatch, and we started unloading things to the living room. I had all my stuff in the car -- I'd been staying in a hotel until I found a place. Once we had everything inside, Gina closed the garage doors, and handed me an extra remote control to leave in my car.
GINA:
