We’ll Meet Again Someday

As soon as there was enough light, Riana stepped outside the guesthouse with a small white box tucked carefully under her arm and placed it on the ground. Through teary eyes, she retrieved the shovel that was leaning against the corner of the house and picked out a spot in the back corner of the yard in which to dig. The dry desert soil was nearly as hard as cement and made digging extremely difficult. The early Sunday morning was already warm, with the promise of intense heat to come, and she was beginning to sweat. Just then, the back door opened and Audra emerged in a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. Riana didn’t fail to notice how good she looked despite her state of grief. The jeans weren’t tight, but they weren’t loose either. The blue shirt brought out the vivid blue in her eyes. Damn, she looked good for someone dressed so casually and who wasn’t wearing any makeup at all. “Riana?” Audra simply said, glancing at the box. “Blondie’s gone. I thought this would be the best spot for him, away from anything you’ve planted and such.” Audra gazed at Riana’s reddened eyes, and just when Riana thought Audra might argue, she said, “Here, give it to me.” It took a few seconds for Riana to realize what Audra had in mind, and then she handed her the shovel. Audra began digging, and in no time, she’d dug a sufficient hole. Riana was almost as embarrassed as she was impressed by how effortlessly the task had seemed for her. In the same time it had taken her to dig a few inches, Audra had dug nearly two feet. Riana stooped, picked up the little white box, and placed it in the hole, tears now running freely down her cheeks. “So long, little guy,” she sobbed. Audra filled in the hole as Riana watched with a mixture of sorrow and gratitude. When she was done, she turned to face Riana with what appeared to be a surprising amount of sympathy and concern on her face. Riana suddenly thought of last night. Did Audra know anything? “Are you going to be alright?” Audra asked. Riana nodded. “Thank you, Audra.” Audra went back into the house, and Riana returned to the guesthouse, where she lay on the bed sobbing. She remembered the young Blondie and how much of a fun friend the playful, affectionate, and intelligent little animal had been. She would miss him immensely. A knock on the door startled her from her memories. “Come in,” she said, sitting upright on the bed. Audra promptly opened the door, stepped inside, then shut the door behind her. “Feeling any better?” she asked. Riana simply shrugged. “Well, how about a little scenic drive to take your mind off things?” Riana looked at Audra as if she had no idea what that meant. “As in accompanying you, James, and Emma to the stables you go to on Sundays?” “No, not quite,” Audra said slowly, as if she were speaking to a small child. “James and Emma agreed to go to the stables by themselves while you and I take a drive somewhere.” Riana was stunned. Why in the world would Audra want to give her the time of day? Suddenly, she suspected that it must have something to do with last night. “That’s really nice of you, but I don’t want to take away from your weekend family time.” “It will be just this one time. Besides, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss those little shops in the older section of Scottsdale. There are a lot of cute gift shops there and nice places to eat. I wouldn’t mind doing some window shopping and maybe even some actual shopping.” “I don’t have much money right now,” Riana said, still surprised by the offer and unsure if there was a hidden catch or not. “I’ll take care of it,” Audra said. Despite her mood and her wariness as to just what Audra’s true intentions might be, she’d be lying if she said she didn’t like the idea of spending time with her. And alone, too. “Okay, I accept the offer.” “Good,” Audra said with a smile. “It’s going to be a hot one out there today, so dress accordingly, then go around to the driveway in ten minutes, and we’ll head out.” Audra left Riana to get ready for their date. But was it really a date? No, they were just going out to stores as they did with their friends at times. Then again, who did she think she was kidding? Audra was following her heart and not her head, and she knew it. She knew she wasn’t doing this just to cheer Riana up. Perhaps that was part of it, but it certainly wasn’t all of it. The simple fact was that she wanted to be with her, and the loss of her pet seemed like the perfect opportunity to get her alone. She hated to admit it and sound selfish even to herself, but she was glad that the rat had died on the weekend. Riana walked around to the front of the house. The garage door was open, and Audra was rummaging around in the trunk of her Camry. She now wore shorts and a sleeveless top, just like Riana was wearing. “All set?” Audra asked once she spotted her. Riana nodded. “Are you sure James and Emma are okay with this?” “I’m sure.” Audra shut the trunk. “Okay, I’d say that pretty much gets things out of the way. Hop in.” Once they were on the road, Audra turned up the air conditioner. They rode in silence for a while, then Audra asked, “So how long did you have your rat?” “Two years.” “Two years?” Riana nodded. “That’s about how long they usually live.” A few more minutes of quiet passed, then Riana asked, “How come you have no pets?” “Because we’re in and out so much, we thought it best not to bother, though Emma’s been wanting a small animal of her own.” “Well, rats are my number one recommendation, with gerbils and hamsters being the last.” “Oh yeah?” Riana nodded. “I’d go with mice or guinea pigs if I didn’t want rats, although mice stink pretty bad. You’ve gotta set up an air cleaner with them.” “So why did you decide not to have kids of your own? Don’t lesbians sometimes adopt or have artificial insemination?” “Too much work and money. Why only one kid for you? Did you decide one was enough or what?” “Actually, we wanted to try adding a son to our family, but that wasn’t possible once I was diagnosed with uterine cancer and had to have a hysterectomy a year after Emma was born.” “Oh.” “By then, I was pretty tied up with going to the police academy and all that anyway.” “You were tied up?” “Pretty much.” “Did Judith untie you?” Audra flashed a grin, keeping her eyes on the road. “Wow, you remember that too.” “Oh yes, I remember. How could I forget some of the shit you and Mark pulled on me? Judith and I were talking just the other day about that weird message you left on the answering machine with my voice all stuttering or whatever it was you did to manipulate the tape.” “I edited bits and pieces of your voice onto another tape and ran it all together,” Riana told her. Then, practically in the same breath, she said, “I didn’t know you were still in touch with Judith.” “Yeah, there are a lot of things you don’t know about me, Riana.” Riana glanced over at Audra and studied her profile. “You gonna let me in on some of those things, like why we’re here in the first place?” “I already told you why,” Audra said, marveling at just how perceptive Riana could be. They arrived at a string of shops in Old Scottsdale not long afterward and spent the next hour browsing through an array of different stores. Most of the shops consisted of souvenirs, clothes, antiques, and other collectibles. Afterward, they settled on a buffet-style restaurant for lunch. They decided to skip the soup and salad and instead filled their trays with a variety of meats, pastas, and veggies. They slid into a booth and began to eat. “Wow, it’s like we almost have the whole place to ourselves,” Audra said. “Almost,” Riana agreed, eyeing the only other diners seated several booths away. They ate quietly at first, then Audra asked how long it had taken Riana to grow her hair. “Just over four years from the shoulders.” “That’s it?” Audra asked, surprised. Riana nodded. “After a year, it was to my chest, the next to my waist, the next to my ass, the next just past it. I’m getting pretty sick of it, though.” “I suppose it must be a lot of work.” “And heavy, too. I’m thinking of cutting it and dying it burgundy.” “You got me fired, you know.” Riana nearly choked on her mouthful of chicken at the sudden change of subject. So there was a reason Audra had taken her out. Instinct told her to play dumb. “What?” “From the apartment complex,” Audra said, eyeing Riana intently. “How could I have done that?” “Oh, perhaps it was by that wonderful survey you sent the property owners—the one where you said I propositioned some of the tenants.” Riana tried not to look guilty, but she sure felt it. Her nerves began to rattle. “But don’t worry,” Audra added. “You ended up doing me a favor, though I suppose I’d have quit that scene soon enough and gone to the academy anyway.” “As I said,” Riana paused to take a sip of her soda, “you look mighty fine in uniform.” An unmistakable smile formed on Audra’s lips as she casually leaned back in her booth, one arm on the table, toying with her cup. What amazed Riana was that the smile was definitely one of flattery and amusement, not sarcasm. A warmth began to spread in Riana’s groin. She then said, “So is that it? I mean, you certainly wouldn’t be caught dead having lunch with a lesbo, so is the reason for all this to tell me I got you fired, even though the survey was Mark’s idea?” Audra exhaled deeply, then said, “Well, as you said, it’s been many years, so it’s all in the past.” The other customers slid out of their booth and left a moment later. “We’re the restaurant’s sole patrons now,” Audra said. “So now you don’t have to be paranoid about being overheard, even though this isn’t exactly the dark ages.” Audra’s brows furrowed. “Hmmm?” “I said it’s not the dark ages. In other words, most of us have heard it all before, and no one can hang you for whatever dirty little secrets we may spill to one another—although you do have my word when I say I’ll be discreet.” “There’s nothing to be discreet about.” Riana studied Audra for a moment. “Is that because you don’t feel like talking, or because you have no secrets to share?” Audra shrugged as she finished the last of her food. She was either leaving Riana to wonder, or she was seriously considering bringing up something she wouldn’t tell just anyone. Riana didn’t want to seem pushy, as curious as she was. She also wasn’t sure whether or not Audra knew she’d been in the house, but the more time that passed without her mentioning it, the more she believed she didn’t. “Is everything okay here?” They were both slightly startled. So caught up in their thoughts were they that they hadn’t even noticed the waitress approaching. “Sure,” Audra said. “I’m fine if she is.” “I’m fine, thank you,” Riana told the waitress. “We’re just finishing our coffee.” The waitress scribbled on her pad, tore off a sheet, and placed it face down on the table. Audra snatched it up quickly, glanced at it, then opened her purse and began counting money. “My treat,” she said, glancing back up at Riana for a second. “I’ll leave the tip,” Riana said, placing a few bills at the end of the table by the wall. She took a sip of coffee. “Can I ask you just one question?” Audra hesitated, then said, “As long as one question doesn’t really mean ten.” “Have you ever had an affair or wanted to?” “That’s two questions.” “More like a two-in-one.” “No, I’ve never had an affair.” Riana gazed into Audra’s eyes for a moment before saying, “Ah, but you’ve wanted to.” Audra’s brows rose a notch. What was this girl, psychic? “Don’t worry. We’ve all thought about it at one time or another.” Without thinking, Audra found herself asking, “But did you only think of it, or did you actually do it?” “Me, I’m an adventurer, so I had to do it. Amberlyn kind of knew, though, and when we discussed it a while after the so-called fling began, she said she was okay with it because it was only sex.” “Only sex?” Riana nodded. “I mean, sure, I had feelings for Shontelle, but it was mostly a sex thing. Amberlyn was the one I loved—probably the only one I ever will love, no matter what I may feel for anyone else in the future, if I have a future.” “If?” “I’m not exactly getting any younger. I may look a little younger than I am, and I may not be that big, but still, it’s a lot easier to meet people when you’re young and skinny, be it for a relationship or just for fun.” The two sat in silence for a few moments, then Riana went on. “I know you’re curious, so I’ll tell you at least the main highlights.” Audra smiled. Is that what she figured? Well, alright—so maybe she was at least a tiny bit curious. “I like living on the edge, taking chances, that sort of thing. The same old, same old can get awfully boring in time, even if it’s good. A few years after meeting Amberlyn, I began to want some variety in my life. I thought about people who lived double lives and wondered what it was like. I pictured myself as one of them more and more—especially when I met Shontelle. I asked my friends what they thought about us having an affair. They said that what Amberlyn didn’t know wouldn’t hurt her, even though she did know. I couldn’t have kept a secret from Amberlyn if I tried. She was the only one I could really open up to and pour my heart out to.” “How long did you see each other?” “Eight years.” “How often did you get together?” “Once a week. Sometimes two weeks would go by before she’d swing by and take me to her place. She had her own house.” “What happened to her?” “She killed someone and went to prison.” Audra blinked in surprise. “Just kidding,” Riana laughed. “She moved out of state.” “How did you feel about that?” Audra asked, trying to sound somewhat bored with the conversation. “Okay. I was sick of her by then, and I doubt she’d have moved if she wasn’t sick of me as well. We kept in touch by phone and email, but even that got old after a while.” “And then?” “And then I was content to live with the same old, same old. It was comfortable and familiar, after all.” “And now?” “Now I’m open to whatever fate may bring. What about you?” Audra shrugged, something she was obviously good at. Riana smiled as they slid out of their booth and said, “Take a walk on the wild side, Stace. You just might like it there.” “But what if I couldn’t get back to this side?” They exited the restaurant. “Then maybe you simply weren’t meant to come back.”