Awakenings - SF1 (6 page)

"Tell ya what," Jamie offered, "I owe my grandfather a visit (not mentioning that she had seen him 3 days ago). He's right off Nob Hill. Where do you have to go?"

"I work near the Castro and that's not very close to Nob Hill," she said.

"It's close enough for me. This car eats real estate faster than you can imagine," she teased.

"I really don't want to inconvenience you," Ryan said. But Jamie could see the hopeful look in those blue eyes and knew that she would not mind walking to the Castro in order to satisfy it.

"It's really no bother, Ryan. I would love to have dinner with my grandfather. I don't see him nearly enough." While she spoke she pulled her tiny Star Tac phone from the glove box and dialed the number she knew by heart.

He answered on the 2nd ring. "Hi Poppa, it's Jamie," she told him needlessly. "How would you like me to treat you to dinner at the Tadich Grill tonight?" After he enthusiastically agreed, the two women settled down for their drive.

They meandered through the hills of Oakland, looking at the plethora of monstrous new homes that dotted the hillside since the devastating fire that consumed the whole area 6 years earlier.

"Wow, I haven't been up here since people started rebuilding," said Jamie.

"It's really kind of a mess esthetically," Ryan said, "but that's what happens when people get a big insurance settlement. They build to the lot lines."

"You seem to know a lot about this area."

"Yeah, I guess I do," she said thoughtfully. "My father is a firefighter in the City. We used to come up here and look around after the fire. Kind of a busman's holiday," she admitted.

"Oh, did your father fight this fire?" Jamie inquired

"No, he doesn't fight fires any longer. He is the cook for Battalion 13 in the Mission District," Ryan stated with a tinge of pride in her voice.

"Wow, I can't imagine cooking for all of those hungry firemen," Jamie said with a laugh.

"Firefighters," Ryan corrected.

"Oops, sorry," Jamie said.

"That's okay. Actually they are all men in his battalion. But the City has quite a number of women in the ranks now."

They continued to chat about nothing in particular until Ryan began guiding them down to the highway that would take them to the City. She was a good, careful driver, but she drove as fast as she could, given the conditions. Jamie noticed how she was able to move the car effortlessly through the growing traffic. She found herself sliding sideways in her seat so that she could watch Ryan as she drove. Ryan still had a look of total pleasure on her face.
It is really cute how she accepted this little bit of happiness
, Jamie mused
. She doesn't seem afraid to really let herself go-even with a stranger
, she thought
. Well, clearly, she doesn't mind letting herself go with strangers after that little demonstration on the street today
, she reflected with a slight tinge of disapproval.
I wish I could be that free and unconcerned about things though. But I can't believe she was kissing a woman like that right in the middle of a busy street. I wouldn't kiss Jack like that on the street. Actually, I don't kiss Jack like that at home, anymore,
she thought with a touch of envy
.

As they crossed the Bay Bridge leading to San Francisco Jamie let herself relax in her seat and just take in the beautiful view of the City.
I feel so peaceful and happy, she thought.
She turned to look at Ryan again and was met with another charming smile from that beautiful face. Again she felt a chill roll down her whole body
. Jeez, Jamie will you please get a grip!
she chastised herself.

Since it was only 3:40 Ryan took Market all the way to The Castro. Jamie could tell that she chose the slow route to prolong her test drive
. I think she has gotten more pleasure from this car in an hour than I have in 2 years. It's kind of nice to see things through such appreciative eyes.

Ryan again offered to go directly to Jamie's grandfather's place and take Muni to her job, but Jamie insisted that she go directly to work. Ryan did not offer any details on her job and Jamie was in too relaxed a mood to do her usual cross-examination so she just relaxed an enjoyed the next few minutes.

"So, are you still up for a visit to the coffeehouse this week? Ryan asked as they neared the Castro.

"Absolutely," Jamie replied decisively.

As they pulled up to a rare empty meter Ryan tugged her organizer out of her black nylon book bag.

Jamie noticed that they were parked in front of a Blockbuster Video store. "Is this where you work?" she asked tentatively.

"Huh? Oh, no," Ryan replied absently. She pointed vaguely down the street as she continued to peruse her schedule. "I work a little down the street. Okay," she finally said. "I'm free from 10:00 to noon and from 6:00 to 9:00 tomorrow. On Friday my schedule is about the same as today. Are any of those times good for you?"

Jamie thought for just a moment before she chose the Thursday from 6-9 PM slot. "Do you want to get dinner before we go, or do they serve food there?" she inquired.

"Yeah, dinner would be great. I have to work afterward so that will be the only time I have to eat. I don't think they serve anything substantial enough for me at the coffeehouse, so we should probably go somewhere else for dinner. Do you have any suggestions?"

"You start work after 9 p.m.?" she asked in surprise.

"Yep. Open all night," she said with a smile.

"How much time do you think we need to spend at the coffeehouse?" Jamie inquired, momentarily too fragmented to inquire about Ryan's job.

"Well, since we have to write a paper we should probably hang out for a bit, you know look at the books, observe the subjects in their native environment," she teased.

"Why don't you come to my house and I'll cook dinner for us. That'll save time," she said helpfully.

"Are you always this nice Jamie, or do you just take pity on starving lesbians?"

"Well, I'm generally pretty nice. And you certainly don't look like you're starving," she added as she passed a gaze at Ryan's solid form.

"You've got me there," she agreed. "I don't miss many meals," she patted her flat stomach. "Let me get your address so I can get to work. My clients hate to be kept waiting."

Clients...working late at night... what in the hell does she do?

On Thursday at 5 p.m. Jamie pulled into her driveway, fresh from a visit to her favorite market. She was stunned and a bit dismayed to see Jack's Honda Accord parked in front of the house. "Oh shit, not tonight!" she moaned aloud. "Ryan will be here soon!"

She grabbed her grocery bags and made her way into the house. Jack was sitting in the kitchen with Cassie, drinking a Coke and looking very relaxed. Jamie pasted on a smile and greeted him as she put her bags down on the marble counter.

"To what do I owe the honor?" she asked as she crossed the kitchen and kissed him.

He rose and enveloped her in a hug. "I had to drop off some research at the office and I figured this would be a good place to ride out rush hour. I thought we could have dinner before I have to head back," he said as he began to investigate the contents of her bags. "Ooo, this looks good," he said as he pulled out the fresh pasta and the marinara sauce. "What are you making?"

"Oh honey I would love to, but I have a classmate coming for dinner. We're working on a special project together and we need the time to discuss it," she said with more regret than she really felt.

"What kind of projects do you have for English classes?" he asked absently, as he continued to poke through the bags.

Jamie was unreasonably annoyed at his interest in her purchases. She began to take the items out of his hands as he removed them from the bags. She put the salad ingredients on the counter by the double stainless steel sinks, and placed the pasta and sauce in the refrigerator. She snagged the chocolate gelato and placed it in the freezer. As he looked longingly at a fresh loaf of Italian bread, she took pity on him and relented. "I can try to make you a little something before she gets here," she said tentatively.

He gave her his little puppy dog look as he said, "I don't want to put you out, Jamie."

Cassie made her presence known by saying, "Jack, why don't you let me take you out to dinner. You and I don't get to spend much time together, what with Jamie monopolizing all of your time".

Jamie was completely grateful to her roommate for this unexpectedly thoughtful offer. Jack looked like he wanted to refuse, but when Jamie just looked at him with a blank expression he shrugged his broad shoulders and said, "Okay Cassie. That would be great. Can we wait until Jamie's guest gets here so I can have at least a few minutes with my girlfriend?"

"Sure Jack, I'll be up in my room. Call me when you're ready."

Jack sat back down as Jamie began to prepare dinner. He chatted about his day and updated her on the progress of his law review article. Jamie tried to stay interested, but the intricacies of the R.I.C.O. laws as applied to the violation of restraining orders against protest groups did not really hold her attention. She was also very nervous about Jack meeting Ryan
. Why didn't I think this through more thoroughly? Now this will be a whole big thing. God, I hope she doesn't look too gay tonight.

Jamie handed Jack plates and silverware, followed by napkins and place mats. "You may as well make yourself useful, honey".

"I guess this is good preparation for married life," he admitted. "I suppose this will be my job until I train one of our little tow headed offspring to do it."

Jamie was surprised and touched at his train of thought. Jack did not often speak of his vision of their future. He usually spoke of his future career or things they would do together. But it was rare for him to speak of having children.

"Are kids important to you Jack?" she asked after a while.

"Well, yeah, I guess they are. I've just assumed we would have a few. Aren't they important to you?" he asked with a note of shock as he turned to look at her.

"Oh, yeah," Jamie agreed as a genuine smile lit up her face. "I would love to have a raft of little blonde copies of you," she said as she drew near and placed her arms around his neck.

He bent down willingly and began to place several tender kisses on her lips. The softness of his kisses contrasted with the slightly rough feel of the stubble on his face. She hugged him tightly and smiled as he returned the hug enthusiastically and increased the intensity of his kisses.
Uh uh, Jack
, she thought wryly.
I'm not going to change my mind no matter how turned on you try to make me.
She began to release him when the door to the living room opened and Mia and Ryan strolled in. Jamie jumped in surprise nearly hitting Jack's chin with the top of her head as she did so.

"Knock it off, lovebirds, your company is here," Mia commented, stating the obvious.

Jamie stared open-mouthed at Ryan, completely nonplussed. Slightly tousled black hair hanging loosely around her shoulders. Black leather baseball style jacket covering a tight black t-shirt. Black jeans topping sleek black low heeled leather boots. In her right hand was a shiny black motorcycle helmet.
Oh, my god. She looks like the centerfold for 'Big Dyke Magazine!'

"Hi, Jamie," the black clad vision uttered.

"Hi," Jamie eventually choked out. Jack cleared his throat as he stepped back out of Jamie's loose embrace.

"Hi, I'm Jack Townsend," he said as he extended his hand when it became clear that Jamie was not going to introduce him.

Jamie regained her composure and her manners and eventually gave proper introductions. Cassie came downstairs moments later and was included in the scene. Jamie noticed both of her roommates eyeing Ryan critically, passing raised eyebrow looks between them.
Oh shit! Mia must have told Cassie about my class. They're really giving her the once over. Not that it would be too tough to guess that she's gay,
she thought wryly
.

"So, what is this project you two are working on?" Jack asked Ryan innocently.

Ryan gave Jamie a little glance and allowed her to answer. "It's just a little project for our psych class. I'll tell you all about it later
,
Sweetheart. We've got to hurry up and eat and you two need to get going," she said to Cassie and Jack. "I'm sure you've got a ton of work to do tonight," she told Jack.

"Okay, I know when to leave," he said with a small smile. Jamie gave him another hug and a kiss as he and Cassie made their way out. Mia, however, apparently found this all too interesting and made no move to depart.

"What's for dinner?" she asked as she peeked at the pans on the stove.

Jamie came up behind her and physically removed her from her position. "Ryan and I are having pasta. You are having whatever you make for yourself after we leave," she stated with authority.

"Okay, okay," Mia laughed as she retreated. "Can I at least get a soda? And maybe a little of that bread?" she asked hopefully.

"Yes, Mia, you may have some bread," Jamie responded generously. "Then scram."

"You run a pretty tight ship around here, Jamie," Ryan said after Mia scampered out with her purloined bread.

"Those three would have eaten every bite," she replied knowledgeably with a shake of her blonde head.

"Well, I don't blame them. It smells great," Ryan said. "And I really am starving. I didn't get a proper lunch today."

"I forgot to ask you if there were any things you don't eat. I figured pasta was on almost everyone's list."

"I don't eat anything that's currently breathing," Ryan stated. "Other than that, I'll eat it."

Ryan proved herself true to her word. Jamie had made the entire two pounds of fresh pasta in order to have leftovers for lunch the next day. But Ryan acted as though her two massive helpings of pasta were the bare minimum required to keep her going. Jamie mused that she had never seen a woman eat quite so much, but her thoughts were interrupted by Ryan beginning to eye the salad bowl. Jamie pushed it over to her and Ryan bent her dark head down and ate every bite, finishing off the loaf of bread along with it.

"Do you have room for some gelato?" Jamie asked warily, knowing that her guest had to be full to bursting.

"What flavor?" Ryan asked thoughtfully.

"Chocolate," came the response.

"I've always got room for chocolate," Ryan said without hesitation.

"What flavor would you have refused?" Jamie queried her teasingly.

"I can't think of one, but you can't be too sure," Ryan replied prudently.

Jamie had only bought one pint of the freshly made gelato and as Ryan finished her second bowl she regretted that she had not bought two. "Um...have you had enough?" she asked hesitantly as Ryan leaned back in her chair with a satisfied smile on her lovely face.

"Why, is there more?" she asked as she looked around the kitchen hopefully.

"Are you teasing me again, Ryan?" Jamie asked with a tolerant smile.

"Just a little," her new friend replied. "I think that delicious dinner has managed to actually fill me up for a change," she admitted. "Not an easy task, I concede."

"You do have a healthy appetite," Jamie observed tactfully.
Healthy for a defensive end!