A while back after I had gotten divorced money got a bit tight because of child support, legal bills and other things. I decided that I needed a roommate. I was renting an apartment in Boston's Back Bay which is rather pricey. Even then, over ten years ago, my monthly rent was $2400 and that didn't include a damn thing. So I went to a roommate broker and advertised. I thought if I got a female roommate I had a chance at keeping a clean apartment. I do like things picked up and I don't care for doing my own dishes let alone anyone else's. But then it occurred to me that if I had a female roommate and was dating my dates might get suspicious or even jealous so I decided to advertise for a gay woman and that, hopefully would solve all the problems.
In a college town like Boston apartment space is always at a premium and before I knew it I had over a dozen inquires through an apartment broker. He assured me that all the women claimed to be gay and understood they'd have a male roommate. So one-by-one I interviewed them until I came to Maura. Maura was a very average looking woman, certainly not a head turner. What she lacked in looks she more than made up for in personality. I remember thinking at the interview that she hardly filled my idea of what a gay woman was. But when she asked me if it was all right to have her girlfriend over for all night stays I felt she was probably telling the truth.
So Maura and I became roommates and in a very short time close friends as well. We liked so many of the same things and it was not unusual for Maura, her girlfriend Gail and I to go out for dinner together or to the free concerts on the Charles River. Today I realize that Maura was the "fem" of the two and Gail the butch. When we stayed in they'd fawn over each other and the running joke was my telling them to "get a room".
It was New Year's eve and I didn't have a date so I was staying in. I never was one to celebrate the New Year, just another day, so staying in and away from the lunatic drunks was not unusual even when I did have someone in my life. This particular year I'd stayed up, watched the Times Square thing and then had gone to bed. I was reading one of the murder mystery books I love when I heard the apartment door slam and then Maura's room door slam. Although it was muffled I could hear Maura crying. I wasn't sure what I should do but after a couple of minutes I got up and knocked on the door.
"Maura?" I said at her door. No answer to I said a little louder, "Maura are you all right?" Now I consider that particular question one of the dumber ones you can ask because it was obvious she wasn't.
"No!" Maura said between sobs and then said, "Go away!"
The terseness of her remark surprised me as it was totally unlike her to act that way. In thinking that I decide not to respect her wish and said, "Come on Maura, we're friends and remember we agreed that we could talk about anything." I thought for a second and then said, "Come on, you'll feel better." Still no response so I walked out into the living room and flopped down on the sofa and turned on the light next to it. Just as I did I heard Maura's door open. I turned my head around and saw Maura slowly walk into the living room, tears still on her cheeks and she was sobbing. Like a child who'd had a bad dream she flopped onto the couch next to me, put her face into my chest and started crying aloud again. She was crying hard. I wanted to say something but thought it would be better to just let her cry for a while.
When her crying started to lessen I asked, "What happened."
Maura lifted her head up and looked up at me with her red eyes and shook her head no. But then through her sobs she said, "Gail, she . . ." She was unable to get any more words out as she broke down crying again.
"Go head honey, just let it all out and we can talk when you're ready."
Maura cried for about another 30 seconds when she again said through her sobs, "I caught Gail with . . . with . . . she was . . . was," each time she tried to get a word out she struggled between crying and talking. Maura blew her nose into a fist of tissues she was holding, took in a really deep breath and said, "Gail was kissing another woman."
"But it's New Year's, Maura, everyone kisses everyone else at parties. You know that." I was trying to be the voice of reason and hopefully help Maura see she was being rash. I really like Gail and didn't want to see them broken up.
"You don't understand," Maura countered, "they were kissing before midnight."
I gulped and could only say, "Oh." Maura had her head on my chest again and I stroked her hair trying to calm her and figure out what to say next. Maura seemed like one of my daughters and age wise she wasn't much different. She was actually a year younger than my middle daughter who was 20 at the time. I looked upon her like one of my daughters and felt a bit protective of her that was as well. I then gave her a very fatherly kiss on top of her head.
Maura looked up and smiled and said, "Thank you."
I smiled and looked down into her eyes and replied, "For you, anything." I leaned down and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. Maura seemed a bit surprised by it but not entirely. A friendly kiss on the lips was not uncommon between us. I just sat there looking into her eyes. The expression on her face changed for a smile to a quizzical look and back to a smile. We sat there like that for a while and then I asked, "You look like you're feeling a little better. So what are you thinking?"
"Oh, I don't know," Maura replied, "I guess I'm just thinking I'm happy I've got you as a friend."
"I really care about you Maura, you know that and I love you too." Now I had never told her I loved her but I had long thought it rather obvious, a close friendship sort of love.
"And I love you too. You always seem to know what I'm thinking and what I need."
"I guess that comes from having brought up three girls." I said referring to my daughters.
"No, I think it's something else." Maura said with a bit of a grin on her face. "I think you're just a lesbian in a man's suit!"
"Well thank you, I think." I said to her and then gave her another kiss on her lips.
This time Maura's expression turned to one of deep thought. It didn't take long for me to find out what was on her mind. She put her hands on the sides of my face and pulled me down to her and gave me a really big kiss with just a bit of tongue. To say I was shocked would be to understate my feelings.
"Woah! What was that all about?" I asked in total surprise.
"I don't know but can I try it again?" Maura asked. She didn't wait for a response. She again pulled my head to hers and again gave me a kiss. This time I responded to her kiss which became even longer than the first. Maura's expression was a bit difficult to judge although it seemed to be the of the type when you have a serious question you can't figure the answer to. "Once more." She said and repeated her actions. Her kisses were actually very sweet and I was now getting into them. As the kiss continued and being the normal horny male I was I put a hand on her breast. This brought an extremely quick end to the kiss and my hand was slapped away. "Don't!" Maura said strongly.