Lou Silver thought burnt orange was such an odd color choice for the walls of her favorite coffee shop. Granted, it gave the place warmth, but it also seemed almost too warm and maybe just a bit pretentious. She sat alone in the back at a table for two near a power strip with her laptop open and a cup of coffee beside her. She knew she was going to be there for hours, so she had ordered what she always ordered—a bottomless cup of Seattle dark roast, not because she was particularly fond of Seattle coffee, but because that was the darkest coffee they currently had on tap.
The conversation level in the café was never intrusive regardless of the size of the crowd, and it all blended into white noise for her. She was happy to be away from her office and the knocks on her door that were a constant distraction, office hours or not. She loved her job and was happy with the progress of her career. She was on tenure track at a big university in a good-sized town, just two hundred miles from Chicago, her favorite city and a place she escaped to as often as she could. But sometimes, the demands from the students became too much and she had to get away. She was sure there were students in the café—it was a college town, after all—but none of them were her students, so they left her alone.
She had brought her laptop with the sole purpose of writing her novel, the same one no one knew she was working on. Growing up, she had been a fan of Tolkien and fantasy novels in general and had always wanted to create her own world inhabited by the strange creatures of her imagination. In the world she was creating, people walked into each other’s dreams and changed things for the dreamer, sometimes for the better, other times not—it depended on the dream walker and whether they were good or if they had been manipulated by an as-yet-unnamed force who was using them to do their bidding. The book was a special passion of hers that she had been writing and rewriting for years. She hadn’t completed it yet, between life intruding on her writing time or just not being satisfied with the revisions. The book had been such a constant in her life that it had lasted longer than her previous two relationships and had even, barely, survived a flood. It was constant and invincible, it seemed to her, and she knew the book really wanted to be written, as odd as that might sound to some. Now her novel was reaching chapter twelve and her coffee cup had been refilled three times in the last two hours. She was thoroughly caffeinated but figured she would end up drinking at least two more cups before she left.
She looked up from her writing and noticed a man in uniform had taken the table in front of her. He was wearing army fatigues and khaki-colored boots and his sandy blond hair was cut in a high and tight that made his ears stick out. There wasn’t a military base around for miles, so she figured he must be a student in the ROTC program on campus. When she realized she was staring at the back of his head she shifted her gaze back to her laptop and her mostly empty cup, thinking that if she was going to be this easily distracted, she should probably call it a day.
Just as she was packing everything in her satchel and was standing to leave, the young man in uniform stood too and smiled at her when he noticed she was looking. When Lou smiled back, she realized her mistake: the soldier wasn’t a young man at all but a young woman. Over the girl’s left breast pocket was emblazoned US Army and over the right was Bolen. She actually had the audacity to blatantly look Lou over and nodded and grinned. Lou tried not to roll her eyes at the girl’s boldness. She had no desire to flirt with, much less date, someone who didn’t even look old enough to drink. Lou just gave her a weak smile, then quickly left, lest she give the girl a chance to ask her out, which she would have to politely refuse, for many reasons. Just the same, it was nice to know she could still get such looks from girls half her age. It definitely did a lot for her ego, if not her libido.
Lou threw her satchel into the back seat of her Jeep Wrangler and climbed in behind the wheel. Her car was pushing twenty years old but she was reluctant to get a new one, even if she could now afford it. The blue Jeep was holding up well, despite how much she abused it. When she turned the key the Check Engine light came on and her mileage readout reminded her that she was desperately in need of an oil change. But her tank was full, and considering how much gas the Jeep ate, that was saying something. The satchel sat on the back seat amongst empty paper coffee cups from a fast food place near her little house and her gym bag. Seeing it reminded her that she needed to take it inside and wash the contents—she’d be teaching at the Wushuguan that weekend, and it wouldn’t do to show up smelling like used sweat socks.
* * *
With her gear slung over her shoulder, Lou was about to leave the Wushuguan after the class she taught on Saturdays when she heard one of her students call her name—a retired librarian in her sixties who wanted to learn kung fu for kicks, she had said, before laughing at her own joke. Lou had laughed with her, liking the older woman instantly. Now, at the sound of her name, Lou turned around with a smile. “Yes, Mrs. Adams?”
The tiny gray-haired woman was pulling a taller, younger woman along beside her. “Louise, I wanted to introduce you to my daughter. She just retired from the service, so I’ll actually get to see her more often.” Mrs. Adams smiled and then said, “This is Stephanie.”
Stephanie looked Lou over. “Nice to meet you. Mom talks about you a lot. I mean, how much she likes your class.”
Stephanie smiled, somewhat shyly, Lou thought. Lou checked her out as she was shaking her hand. She was about her height, so that would make her about five seven. She was slender and athletic looking with good definition. There was a lot of power in her handshake. Lou liked that show of strength. Her hair was cropped short, not a high and tight exactly, but close. Lou knew the military only required that enlisted women keep their hair neat and trim and pulled back, so the short style was all Stephanie’s choice. Lou immediately pegged Stephanie as gay—not just because of her hairstyle, although some lesbian clichés were true, but for the way she had cruised Lou a few seconds ago. Stephanie apparently liked what she saw, which was flattering, but Lou couldn’t say the same.
Butch women, no matter how much she appreciated them for their strength of character, their physical prowess, and their ability to fix things that she herself could not…well, she had never been attracted to them.
“Nice to meet you too, Stephanie. And”—she turned to Mrs. Adams—“I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself.”
“Oh, I am. You are such a good teacher. You have a lot of patience for clumsy old ladies like me.” Mrs. Adams lightly touched Lou’s arm in emphasis. Stephanie just looked indulgently at her mother.
“Mrs. Adams, you’re not clumsy. We all learn at our own pace and you’re doing very well. You’ll be kung fu fighting in no time.” Lou smiled at them both. Mrs. Adams was one of her favorite students.
“That’s what I tell her, but she won’t listen to me.” Stephanie directed her words at her mother while glancing at Lou. “Mom, you just have to be more confident in your own abilities. You’ll get it in time.”
Lou laughed. “And that’s what I tell her but it hasn’t sunk in yet.”
“With you two in my corner, maybe I can take on Rocky.” Mrs. Adams did a fake fighting hand gesture and a kick, making Lou and Stephanie laugh.
“And you would probably win. He didn’t know kung fu.”
“Quite true. Well, it was good talking with you, but we need to get. I just wanted to brag about my firstborn.”
“As you should.” Lou bowed to Mrs. Adams, who returned the gesture, then turned to Stephanie. “And sorry I forgot to mention it earlier, but thank you for your service.” She offered her hand.
Stephanie shook her hand and gave her another smile, this one with more confidence. “That’s okay. It’s almost hard to hear sometimes, as it isn’t always meant sincerely, just something people say. But I think you actually mean it.”
“I do mean it. My father was a veteran of two wars, and I’ve always had a deep respect for our troops, whether I believed in the war they were sent to fight or not.”
Stephanie rolled her eyes. “Don’t get me started. I agree with you. I love my country and was proud to serve it, and would die for it if I had to, but I wanted it to be for a good reason. I’m not the only person in uniform who feels that way. Listen to me—I said don’t get me started.”
“It’s okay. I understand.”
“If you two want to discuss politics,” Mrs. Adams interjected, “do it some other time. We still have to stop by the store. See you tomorrow, Louise.” Mrs. Adams smiled and waved, then grabbed her daughter’s sleeve and made to walk toward the door, but Stephanie stayed where she was.
Stephanie looked at Lou and quickly said, “I would like that, actually. To do this again. Can I buy you a cup of coffee sometime? And you can call me Steve.”
Lou hesitated. Stephanie seemed nice and she had been a bit lonely in the past year since starting the job at Prairieland State. She wasn’t in the market for a girlfriend, but someone to have coffee and talk politics with might be a welcome find. Why not? Sometimes coffee was just coffee, right? “Sure, I’m free Tuesday afternoons, if that works for you. And call me Lou.”
Steve’s grin got bigger. “Okay, Lou, that sounds good. How do I reach you?”
“Your mother has my number.”
“Okay.”
Mrs. Adams shook her head. “I can’t take you anywhere. Are you done flirting with pretty girls now? I have things to do.” Her pronouncement broke the sudden tension and made them all laugh.
“You say that like I do this all the time.” Steve looked at Lou and declared, “I don’t—do this all the time, I mean.”
Lou just laughed. “I believe you. I think you should do as your mother says now. We’ll talk later.”
“Good-bye, Louise. Come along.”
Mother and daughter left, but not before Steve got in one final smile at Lou. Lou shook her head and smiled back. Well, this was an interesting development.
* * *
Steve was lost in thought as she drove her mother home. Her mother was perfectly capable of driving herself, but Steve knew she enjoyed this time they shared together. She stole a glance at her mother, who was looking out the window.
Her mother pointed to an empty storefront. “Did you see they closed the old Myer’s Pharmacy? Ever since those chains came in, we’ve been losing them left and right.”
“We didn’t have that many family-owned drugstores to begin with.” Just the same, Steve afforded the building in question a glance as they passed by. Sure enough, the windows were now dark and there was an abandoned look about the place.
Her mother turned to her with a look of mild reproof. “I mean mom-and-pop stores in general, not drugstores specifically. It’s just a shame, is all. It’s been there since before I was born. Hell, since my grandmother was born. I hate that I have to use the new place. It feels wrong somehow.”
“I’m sure it does, but things change. Whether you’re ready for them to or not.” Steve reached up and touched the Capricorn pendant on the necklace she wore. She fingered it a moment, then realized what she was doing and stopped. She forced a note of levity into her voice. “Well, at least the ice cream shop’s still here. We could always stop in. I’ll buy you a waffle cone.” Steve smiled over at her mother.
“Stop trying to make me fat! I’ve lost twelve pounds since I started working with Lou, and I mean to keep it off.”
“Really? Good job. Thank you for introducing me to her, by the way.”
“Well, obviously your way wasn’t working.”
Steve said nothing, just grinned at her mother’s words. After all, she couldn’t deny the truth of them.
Her mother pointed a finger at her and declared, “You be nice to her. She’s a great girl and you make sure you treat her with the utmost respect. ’Course, if you don’t, I’m sure she could handle it. But I mean it, Stephanie.”
“Jeez, simmer down. You know I always treat women with respect. You and dad taught me well. And yes, I agree, if I didn’t, I’m quite sure she could put me on my back in no time at all.” Steve’s mind started to drift at the possibilities and she almost missed the turn onto her mother’s street.
“Stop daydreaming about my kung fu instructor—you almost missed my turn. Child, I swear.” She shook her head in exasperation, but there was a smile on her face.
“Oh, sorry.” Steve made the turn just before they passed it and she admonished herself to focus. When they pulled into her mother’s driveway, she didn’t move to get out of the car. “Well, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow morning. What’s on the menu for tomorrow night, anyway?”
“Weren’t you paying attention in the store? We weren’t there but five minutes ago. I swear, when you’ve got a woman on your mind, that’s all you can think about.”
Steve chuckled at her mother’s assessment. “What can I say? Lou’s more interesting than pot roast.”
“I would go with that, if you’re looking for things to say to impress her. All women like to know they’re more interesting than a cut of beef.” Her mother winked at her.
Amused, Steve asked, “Is that how Dad captured your heart?” She knew the real story but liked to get her mother going.
Her mother put her head back on the seat and looked wistful. “I’ll never forget the time he looked at me and said, Lorraine, you are like the perfect filet mignon. Small and juicy and you always leave me wanting more.” She signed at the memory. “That man had a way with words.”
Steve gave in to the laughter, then pointed toward her mother’s door and said, “Go, get out of my car!”
“What a way to talk to your mother.” She tsked but that didn’t stop her from leaning over and kissing Steve on the cheek. “See you tomorrow, sweets. Love you.”
As her mom was climbing out of the car, Steve replied, “Love you too, crazy lady.” Steve shook her head as her mother curtsied at her remark, then walked up to her front door. Steve stayed where she was until she saw that her mother was safely inside, then pulled out of the driveway and headed home.