conversation with Miss Stevens a
number of times, even thinking
that her former teacher might
reveal something very personal.
"I'm… having second thoughts
about going into teaching on
account of what they're doing to
Mr. Ulster." Darren Ulster was the
band director who had taken
Rhonda Markosky's place at
Westfield High School.
"What do you mean? What's going
on with Mr. Ulster?"
"There was this article in the
paper last month about a guy
who's being kicked out of the
reserves because he's gay. The
article mentioned that his partner
was the band director at
Westfield."
Louise had had an inkling that
Darren was gay, but these were
things they all left at home.
"So the next thing we know, the
new superintendent announces at a
school board meeting that Mr.
Ulster's contract won't be
renewed for next year. And since
Mr. Ulster doesn't have tenure, he
can't fight it. Mom sent me all the
clippings because I was in the
band. Of course, she and Dad have
no idea just how close to home
this all hits for me."
The retired teacher was appalled
at this news. Gay teachers weren't
exactly visible in their county, but
there had never before been a
case in which one was fired.
"Surely Mr. Meyer and the school
board won't let that happen." Ted
Meyer was principal at Westfield,
and Louise's longtime friend. "Mr.
Ulster's done a wonderful job and
the students seem to like him a
lot."
"I don't know, Miss Stevens. The
school board keeps talking about
what a good job this new
superintendent is doing, so it's
starting to sound like he can do
whatever he wants."
For Louise, the serious turn of
conversation had taken her focus
from the game. Stepping aside,
she waved a foursome through.
"So you're concerned that being
gay will be a problem for you if
you go into teaching?"
"Well, yeah. It's not fair that
somebody can do a good job and
be successful and still get fired
for something that has nothing to
do with teaching. I mean, it's not
like he's even said anything at
school. Even if he had of, he
didn't do anything wrong." The
frustration was evident in the
young girl's voice.
"You're right, it isn't fair. I…”
Louise shook her head in
disbelief, "I just don't think Ted
Meyer's going to let that happen."
"There's a school board meeting
right after my semester ends, and
a couple of the band parents have
asked to speak on Mr. Ulster's
behalf. I was thinking I might try
to get on the agenda."
"Really? What would you say?"
"Basically, I'd tell them that I
think that gay students need
positive role models at school. I
was scared to death of what I was
feeling back in high school, and
there wasn't anybody at all that I
could talk to about it."
Though it hadn't been said as a
rebuke, Louise couldn't help but
feel guilty at her secret. What was
worse in her mind was that she
knew that the girl probably
suspected the truth, but was too
respectful to ask.
"That would be a very courageous
thing to do, Michelle."
"Yeah, but first, I have to tell my
parents. I was thinking about
saying something when we got
back to Pittsburgh on Sunday.
We'll only have a couple of hours
to talk before I have to get back
to school, but I think I should tell
them in person."
The older woman waved another
group through. Louise felt
honored to be among the few
people this young girl trusted with
her most closely held secret. She
remembered well what it was like
would react. After college, she'd
told one of her brothers, and he
told the other one, but she'd
never talked to her parents. They
knew, she guessed; she brought
Rhonda to Wheeling almost every
time she visited and they always
shared a room. But it was never
discussed.
"Those are big steps, Michelle.
You won't be able to take any of it
back, you know."
The girl nodded grimly. "I think
my parents will be okay. I mean,
it's not like this is going to come
out of the blue or anything. But it
pretty much guarantees that I'll
never be able to go back to
Westmoreland County to teach."
"Unless you and the others
convince the board that this is
stupid to even consider. They'll all
be the laughing stock of the
civilized world. This kind of thing
just doesn't happen anymore." At
least, Louise hoped it wouldn't
happen; not to Darren, and
certainly not at the place where
she'd taught for 39 years.
Louise looked up to see the
familiar blonde driving their way.
"You guys tired, or have you lost
all your balls?" the pro quipped,
coming to a stop in front of their
cart.
"Neither," the tall woman
answered. "We're just talking
about something serious is all."
Marty picked up right away on her
partner's tone and knew it wasn't
something to joke about. "Is there
anything I can do?"
"No, but thank you." Louise cast
her a look that said she'd explain
later, and both women watched
the golf pro disappear to the next
hole.
"That was really nice of her to
stop," the youth remarked.
"Yeah, that's the way Marty is.
I'm lucky to have her… for a
friend," she quickly added.
"Hey, Petie!" The golf pro
squatted down to greet the
excited terrier. "I'm home, Lou!"
She heard her lover talking in the
study.
"He can't do this, can he?" Louise had finally reached Ted Meyer at
his home to get to the bottom of
the Darren Ulster mess. "I just
think this is awful, Ted. What kind
of message does that send to the
kids who are starting to deal with
this kind of thing? And what does
it tell them about how they should
treat people!"
Marty tiptoed into the room and
sat down on the couch. She could
hear the exasperation in Louise's
voice, and couldn't imagine what
had her so upset.
"So when is the hearing?" Without a word to her lover, the taller
woman lovingly ran her hand
through the blonde hair. "Who's
going to speak on his behalf?"
The golf pro couldn't piece
together what the conversation
was about, but she'd never seen
Louise so obviously irritated.
"Look, Ted… I need to talk to
someone here about this before I
make a decision, but if there's
anything at all I can do to help
Darren, I will." Her voice held a
barely perceptible shake. "Yes, I
think it does."
"What is it, Lou? What's wrong?"
Louise related the tale from
Michelle and the confirmation
from her former boss. "Michelle's
going to lay it all on the line to
speak up about this at the school
board meeting. I tell you, it makes
me ashamed."
"Lou, you have nothing to be
ashamed of. You and Rhonda lived
in a different time."
"I know, but that 19-year-old
girl's risking everything because
she wants to do what's right, and
I'm still sitting on this big secret,
hiding my head because I'm too
afraid to speak up."
"This isn't your battle,
sweetheart."
"But it is, Marty. Battles like this
belong to all of us. I've just never
had the nerve to do my part."
Louise gulped to gather her
courage. "I want to help him, and I
think I should."
Marty tried to convince her that
she didn't have to do this, but in
the end, Louise made the difficult
decision to journey to Greensburg
to speak to the board. Even their
friends Shirley and Linda, who
had also taught in the county's
school system, had thrown in their
support. In the three years since
they'd left Pennsylvania, they'd
reveled in their newfound
freedom.
By the time she'd made up her
mind, Ted Meyer had been unable
to add Louise's name onto the
board's agenda at the last minute;
instead, he promised to relinquish
to her his allotted time. So like all
of the others, she would be given
four minutes to state her support
for Darren Ulster.
"Call me when you get there,"
Marty asked as they pulled to the
curb at Southwest Florida
Regional Airport.
"I will."
"And call me tonight when it's
finished." She squeezed the long
slender hand one more time.
"I will, sweetheart. I love you."
Leaning across the car seat, she
planted a sweet kiss on her
partner's cheek. Louise knew that
her lover sometimes struggled
when she was confronted with the
specter of Rhonda. She wanted
Marty to know how much she
appreciated her extraordinary
effort to accept all of this. "Thank
you for being so understanding."
The next 24 hours would be
grueling for the 64-year-old
woman. Louise was set to fly to
Pittsburgh, changing planes in
Charlotte. Ted would meet her
plane and the two of them would
hopefully grab a quick bite to eat
before going to the school board
meeting. When it was over, she'd
stay the night at his home, and his
wife Dottie would drive her back
to Pittsburgh in the morning to
catch an early flight home.
Under other circumstances, she'd
have enjoyed a chance to visit the
school and see some of her
former colleagues. But she'd
promised Marty that she'd go
with her to the Christmas party at
the club tomorrow night; and
besides, after the remarks she'd
make tonight, she wasn't sure she
could face her fellow teachers.
Wouldn't some of them be
surprised to know that the two old
maids had been cavorting for 31
years, she thought, chuckling to
herself.
"Does this feel good?" Louise
asked as she rubbed her friend's
aching feet. Rhonda stood for
most of the day, usually moving
back and forth across the band
room to work with individual
students or instrument sections.
At the end of the day, her feet
were swollen and tired, and Louise
would massage them for
sometimes an hour or more.
For Rhonda, it was sure handy
having a roommate who was so
generous. And it was divine to feel
Louise Stevens' hands on her
body, even if it was only to relieve
the soreness in her feet. "It's
wonderful, Lou!"
Unbeknownst to Rhonda
Markosky, Louise relished any
excuse to run her hands along her
friend's legs, or any other body
part that seemed to need
attention. She enjoyed the fact
that their friendship included
such physical closeness.
"My shoulders and back are
what's aching tonight, though. I
had to stow all those heavy
instruments in the lockers. I'm
going to have one of the kids come
in over the summer and help me
move all the tubas and bass drums
to the bottom shelves and put the
lighter stuff up top." Today had
been their last day of school.
"You want me to rub your
shoulders?"
"You don't have to do that."
"I don't mind. Why don't you get
changed into your nightgown and
lie down on your bed? I'll come in
in a minute and see if I can work
some of the soreness out," Louise
offered innocently.
"Are you sure you don't mind?"
"No, not at all. I'll go put my
pajamas on too. That way, when
you fall asleep, I can just go on to
bed without making a lot of noise
to get ready."
"Okay, if you're sure."
A few minutes later, Rhonda was
face down on her bed with Louise
beside her, firmly kneading the
stiff muscles in her back.
"Do you, uh, want me to use some
lotion to make it feel better?"
That would mean that Rhonda
would have to lift her gown, Louise
knew.
"Sure."
Louise marveled at the expanse of
skin as Rhonda tugged the gown
above her head, laying it beside
her on the pillow. Acutely aware
that the woman was now
completely naked beneath the
covers, she warmed the lotion in
her hands before spreading it
smoothly across the broad back.
"That feels great," Rhonda
murmured.
It certainly does, Louise thought,
as her hands s
troked the
flattened planes. Pushing up from
the base of the spine, she
pressed the heels of her hands
into the taut muscles on either
side all the way to the shoulders,
trailing her fingertips softly down
the sides so that they barely
brushed the sides of Rhonda's
breasts. Each time, she began her
ascent a half-centimeter lower,
almost at the top of the beautiful,
shapely behind, not quite visible
from beneath the covers. If
Rhonda allowed her to, she would
repeat this motion for hours.
In all her life, Louise had never
been so sexually aroused. Though
she felt guilty over her own
enjoyment of this massage, she
got no signal from Rhonda to stop.
Instead, she heard a deep sigh
from the woman beneath her.
"Lou," Rhonda said softly as she
started to turn over.
At once, the taller woman leaned
back, suddenly afraid she had
crossed a line. But Rhonda rolled
completely onto her back, her
breasts now exposed in apparent
invitation. The woman's hazel eyes
were pleading, and she reached to
clasp Louise's wrists in her hands.
Louise sat frozen, afraid to move,
and afraid not to. Did Rhonda want
this too? Her answer came when
the other woman led her hands…
"Are you finished with this?" the flight attendant asked, gesturing
toward the empty cup in Louise's
hand.
"Yes, of course." Louise spotted
the airport below as they circled
to land from the north. Her life
had been full of moments of truth.
Tonight would be another.
It was after four o'clock when
she exited to baggage claim at the
Greater Pittsburgh International
Airport. Her former boss greeted
her with a warm hug. They'd
spoken not a word about what she
would say this evening, but he'd
gotten a subtle confirmation of his
suspicions when she'd asked him
to prepare a couple of
photographs from Westfield's
yearbook for presentation on a
screen.
"It's really good to see you again,
Louise. You look great. I'd say
that retirement agrees with you."
He wheeled the car into traffic
for the hour-long trip to
Greensburg.
"Thank you, Ted. I think life in
general agrees with me now. I
know that when I left here, I was
filled with sadness, and now I
have happiness back in my life
again."
"And does this happiness have a
name?" he probed gently.
"Marty." Louise knew from the
look on his face that her answer