We’ll Meet Again Someday

Riana was walking her bike through the gate at the side of the house and into the backyard two days later when Audra emerged from the back of the house carrying a box. What caught Riana’s attention most of all wasn’t the large box she carried, but Audra’s attire instead. Audra was dressed in a full police uniform—and she looked damn fine in it, too. “My, my, don’t you look nice today, Officer.” “Do I?” Audra said, almost smiling. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail that covered the collar of her shirt. “Oh, yes,” Riana assured her. “I should’ve figured as much too, since you said you weren’t managing apartments anymore, and with your husband being a jail cop and all that. Besides, it’s the perfect job for those who like to be in charge, right? Where’s your beat?” “County jail.” “You’re a corrections officer?” Audra nodded. “That’s a scary thought—being locked in a cell with you in charge.” “Then you’d better stay out of trouble,” Audra said, again almost smiling. Riana leaned her bike against the wall of the guesthouse, gazed at the package Audra held, and said, “For me?” Audra nodded. “It just arrived. How about we open it together inside?” “Okay, we can do that. Phoenix’s finest has to make sure there’s no contraband, right?” Riana could see that Audra didn’t appreciate her humor as she unlocked the guesthouse and stepped inside the cool room. Audra studied Riana, clad in athletic wear, as she opened the package. “Oh, detergent! It’s laundry detergent,” Riana said. Audra eyed the large container. “Wow, that’s enough detergent to last for years.” “Oh, please—can we make a deal?” Riana asked hopefully. “We keep this in the house for you to use whenever you want, and I do a load or two—usually just one load, since I don’t always do my blanket—every Saturday when I clean.” Audra looked thoughtful, and just when Riana thought she might not say anything, she said, “I don’t know. I’m not sure that would be a very good idea.” “I think it’d be a great idea! It’d help us both. You wouldn’t need detergent for quite a while unless you don’t like this brand. Also, bringing back groceries by bike is one thing, but hauling laundry to and from laundromats is another—especially with this big old bucket. You wouldn’t want it all to go to waste now, would you?” With much reluctance, Audra finally relented. “Okay, but this is it, Riana. First, I let you use the pool, and now this.” “I promise I won’t ask for anything else.” Audra took the bucket back to the house, leaving Riana to wonder if she was now even more vulnerable with Audra being in law enforcement. She’d proven years ago that she didn’t always do things by the book—by getting involved in her problems with others, and especially by giving Andrea her new address. She’d had the power to screw her at the complex, and she had used and abused that power at will. And now the possibilities seemed endless. Later on, Audra found herself thinking about Riana. It seemed like she was on her mind constantly. It was all she could do to keep from finding some excuse to go out back and see her. Sometimes she wondered if she ought to just come out and surprise Riana with the truth. Other times, she felt frustrated by her feelings and was tempted to do something to drive her away if she couldn’t just come out and bluntly ask her to leave. She was ordinarily a very outspoken person, but things were different with Riana. James was a very perceptive guy, and he could see that she’d been distracted and preoccupied since Riana’s arrival. She was pretty sure he could sense that she was attracted to her in ways she wasn’t used to. He seemed to be okay with it—probably because it was another woman. But Audra still wasn’t okay. She was, but she wasn’t. Her world, as she’d always known it, was about being attracted to the opposite sex. Yet Riana had changed all that years ago when she least expected it. Then, after Riana left the apartment complex, life had gone on as usual, and she hadn’t felt this way toward any other woman from then on. And now Riana had come back into her life to rekindle those old and unfamiliar feelings. At her age, she didn’t need to “get off.” Other things were more important to her. But she felt a stirring within her that was different from anything she’d ever felt with James. Just being close to Riana would be plenty satisfying. Yet she would have to settle for only doing so in her imagination and go on living as the straight-and-narrow Audra Abbington everyone knew and expected her to be. Still, whenever she focused her mind on a particular task, it wasn’t long before images of Riana disrupted whatever she was concentrating on. She’d be lying if she said she didn’t like it just as much as she hated it. It wasn’t that she didn’t still love James, but she’d also be lying if she said that age and the number of years they’d been together hadn’t changed things. The love stuck, but the lust wore off, like playing a favorite song over and over until it eventually got old. Unlike most men she’d been with or heard about from others, James was good in bed and cared about his child. He also had a heart of gold. But every new coin eventually lost its shine, didn’t it? Audra was like most people in that she naturally sought to associate with those who were similar in appearance to herself, as well as with similar personalities, hobbies, and interests. Yet she was captivated by Riana’s differences. She admired—even envied—the unique, chance-taking adventurer. Riana might think ahead in some cases, but she obviously had no idea what town—or even what state—she might be in a few months or a few years from now. Riana told James she’d thought about moving to Puerto Rico at one time. Audra, however, knew that in the years to come she herself would be right where she’d always been: in Phoenix, Arizona. Audra felt that her life was incredibly ordinary. She went to the same old job every day to babysit criminals, half of whom should be shot dead. She liked her job, and as Riana had pointed out, she liked to be in charge. She liked the feeling of power she felt every time she donned her uniform, but things were always the same. Riana, on the other hand, never seemed to know what her job as a professional contest entrant might produce, even though she did the same things every day. Maybe she’d win more laundry detergent, or maybe a trip. Or maybe she’d win a million dollars and leave the city. And her. Screw it, Audra thought to herself. Riana was bad news, no matter what she looked like and no matter how intriguing she might be. She’d really shafted her in the end, and it wasn’t by having the judge side with her. She never cared about that—that was Andrea’s problem, not hers. She’d only gone along to court so she could see Riana one last time. But then Riana had done something both horrible and unforgivable. Maybe she hadn’t understood the magnitude of the consequences her actions had brought, and maybe she’d even done her a favor in the end, but the fact was she’d still done what she’d done. Therefore, there was absolutely no reason to play nicey-nicey where Riana was concerned. And she would remind herself of this every time she felt her curiosity growing, her heart warming, her desire climbing. Riana was lying in bed, awaiting sleep. She yawned, and as she let the constant whirring of the air conditioner lull her into a state of drowsiness, she remembered one last prank she and Mark had pulled on Audra after she—and then he—left the apartment complex for good. It brought a smile of amusement to her lips even now. Mark had called the office about some deposit money he felt was owed to him after he moved out, but Audra wouldn’t budge on the issue. She’d clearly made up her mind and was going to stick to her decision, as she said on the recording Riana was making while they talked. Riana remained quiet as Audra and Mark spoke. Mark realized that getting his money back would be hopeless, but he sure tried while he had the chance. “Have you seen Riana anywhere?” Mark asked. “No. No, I haven’t seen her,” Audra replied. “You must miss her.” “I…” Audra began with a laugh, caught off guard by the sudden change of subject. “You know, residents move on. They do what they gotta do, so…” “Yeah, I suppose.” “Look, Mark, is there anything else I can do for you? If not, I’m really tied up, and I should be getting around to other tasks.” “You’re tied up?” Mark asked. “Uh-huh,” Audra replied. “Did Judith untie you?” “Okay, Mark,” said the no-nonsense Audra. Mark finished that discussion with a round of hearty laughter, at which point Audra hung up on him. Riana then edited only Audra’s voice so she appeared to be stuttering as she spoke, then played it back on the office’s answering machine when she knew the office would be closed.