We’ll Meet Again Someday

The Present…

“Damn her!” Audra huffed, gazing out the spacious kitchen window and into the backyard. “What the hell does she think she’s doing?” “What? What is she doing?” asked James with concern as he entered the room. “She’s in the pool.” Before James could get the chance to insist that Riana being in the pool wasn’t hurting anything, his wife was out the door with a slam that made the whole house shake. James didn’t understand Audra’s hostility and resentment toward Riana and had suspected there was more to the story than his wife had told him. He assumed she would tell him more when she was ready to. All Audra had said so far was that Riana had been a troublemaker of sorts at the complex she once managed—prank phone calls or something of that nature. He’d tried to remind his wife that Riana had been young, and he didn’t see why she should cling to the past when Riana hadn’t done anything serious. But she had clung to it with an iron grip. So much so that he didn’t understand why his wife was against it when he suggested they have Riana move back out if her presence bothered her that much. Did she want to seek some sort of revenge on Riana or something by having her around? Nah, that couldn’t be it, he reasoned. Not for being a lonely little prankster, lesbian or not. Audra was bossy, but not vindictive. Then what was it that drove Audra the way this woman did? Outside, Riana broke through the surface of the water at the shallow end of the pool, startled by the sight of Audra’s well-muscled calves in front of her. “What in the world do you think you’re doing?” Audra shouted. “Get out of there!” Shocked, Riana climbed the steps of the pool as Audra eyed her shiny violet swimsuit with what appeared to be disapproval. Why, she didn’t know. It was the kind of one-piece suit even a prude would love. “Calm down. I was just taking a quick dip. I worked all day, then rode my bike for an hour doing errands, and I just needed a refresher.” She reached for the towel she had placed on one of the lounge chairs. “What do you think I’m going to do—contaminate the water or something? Maybe steal it and—” “When did we ever say you could use the pool?” Audra demanded, cutting her off. Riana shrugged. “When did you not?” She locked eyes with Audra’s. At a height of just under five feet, Riana was easily half a foot or more shorter. The knee-length sundress Audra wore would be close to her ankles. Audra’s hair still hung to the side in the same sexy manner it had years ago. “Come on, let’s go talk in the guesthouse. With the houses being so close in this neighborhood, we don’t need to make this everyone else’s business,” Audra said. Wrapped in the blue-and-white striped towel, Riana said, “I think they not only heard you screaming here but back at the apartment complex, too. Probably even on our old properties in Maricopa, Oregon, and California.” Audra shut the guesthouse door behind them and said in a firm voice, “You are not a part of this family, Riana.” Riana’s body stiffened. “I never expected to be. I had a family, Audra, and my family died. I don’t need a replacement. Batteries are something you replace, not families.” She studied Audra. Although her stance was as stern as usual, her eyes did seem to soften a bit, much to Riana’s surprise. She’d better soften up, because Riana wasn’t about to be bullied by this witch all over again. She’d move to the rowdiest apartment in the city if she had to before she let this hateful bitch drive her mad again. “You had property in Maricopa, Oregon, and California?” Audra asked with an expression that suggested a mixture of curiosity, surprise, and being impressed. Riana nodded. “Yes, and as soon as I get up enough money, I’m going to buy some land somewhere and dump society altogether—and the assholes that live in it. Then I’m going to live like a hermit for the rest of my life and win stuff like crazy.” “Didn’t the sale of the properties leave you anything?” Audra asked in a softer tone. Riana shook her head. “Most of it went to funeral expenses.” “Your friend didn’t have an insurance policy?” Again, Riana shook her head. “Guess you just don’t plan on dying at thirty-nine years of age. And she wasn’t a friend, Audra.” Audra continued gazing at Riana. She thought she looked beautiful, fresh-faced and natural. Her hair, loose and pulled straighter by dampness, hung just past her rear. She had rosy lips and cheeks, and the water clinging to her eyelashes made them look fuller and lovelier. Although her face showed signs of aging, she lacked wrinkles for someone her age. Audra had seen many beautiful women, yet this one stood out like no other for reasons she could never comprehend. It made her uncomfortable—scared her, even. This wasn’t normal. This wasn’t right. Not for the prim and proper Audra Abbington. But she couldn’t find it in her to make her go away. “I’d like to get dressed now,” Riana said. “Should I drop my towel and do so right now? Or would you get the wrong idea and think I was trying to seduce you?” Audra eyed Riana with her well-known serious look. She had been taught to condemn gays and lesbians and that they were evil beings who chose to be the way they were. But she knew better. Even without the increase in scientific studies proving that they didn’t choose their sexual preference any more than straights chose theirs, she knew she certainly hadn’t chosen to be attracted to this woman. But she was. And while it made her uncomfortable and she hated to think that she could find another woman appealing, did it make her an evil sinner? She didn’t think so. Riana tensed even more, confused by the darkness clouding Audra’s eyes. “Hey, I was just being a smart ass, Stace.” Better not push it, Riana realized. It wasn’t like she could just run out and get an apartment in a matter of minutes. Audra turned, put her hand on the doorknob, and said, “You can use the pool, but only once a day and for no more than twenty minutes at a time.” Riana stood there for a moment or two after Audra left. She inhaled the scent of the perfume she had left behind. Despite Audra’s wickedness, there was something about her that not even Riana could deny—something that made her warm and wet where the sun didn’t shine, just as it had many years ago. It was the first time she’d felt this way since losing Amberlyn, and she didn’t like it. Audra was a married woman who hated her kind. She wasn’t even her usual type, to begin with. Audra had the height she usually liked, but Riana tended to lean toward dark eyes and hair. She’d only been attracted to a couple of other blonds and one redhead. But she could handle it, for she was in her forties now—a time when one’s sexual appetite had mostly passed its peak. Where sex and appearance had been the focus of her younger years, comfort and security were more important to her as a middle-aged person. Nonetheless, she knew she had a thing for Audra that had begun to develop shortly after their infamous meeting. Funny how one could be attracted to someone they didn’t like. She just wouldn’t have expected to feel the same after all this time, had she known she’d meet up with her again one day. Blondie was at his door, waiting patiently to be let out. She opened it and then sat on the edge of the bed. “What do you make of this strange chick, fuzzy buddy?” The rat came hobbling over to her. The poor thing was slowing down even more and having a harder time breathing. She reached down and picked him up, placing him on her lap. His pointy nose sniffed the air and he “handcuffed” her with his snake-like tail. This was a game they’d developed long ago. “The loathsome witch at least smells good, doesn’t she?” Blondie curled up in her lap, yawned, and closed his eyes, and Riana revisited the past once again in her mind. Audra—young and vibrant, long legs striding purposefully down the complex’s maze of sidewalks. Audra—shoulder-length hair bouncing with each step, sunlight playing upon each golden strand. Audra—bubbly with laughter one minute, cross and angry the next. One thing that hadn’t changed was Audra’s energy and her sense of commanding strength and strictness.