Jodi had a few minor side effects from the medicine they implanted, but she was otherwise healing well. The bouts of nausea and the metallic taste in her mouth improved when she added enzymes and eliminated gluten from her diet. Her attitude was much improved, and she did as much in the way of activity as her body would allow. She was still somewhat uncomfortable from the surgeries.
She had an offer on her business but decided to turn it down. “I’m going to have to have something to do if—when—I get better? Right?” she said to me. I did have to promise that if she didn’t make it, I would sell the business and give the money to her kids. It wasn’t an easy promise to make. But I did it. The thought hurt my heart.
We’d gone to a couple of movies and a to a play. It was all I could do not to reach for Jodi’s hand, but I was a good girl and kept my own hands safely in my lap. The thing I had missed the most when Jodi had pulled back, her humor, returned in full force.
I returned to work and went back to sleeping at my own house. As much as I missed waking up in the same apartment as Jodi, it was so good to sleep in my own bed instead of on Jodi’s secondhand couch. Cindy was promoted to manager so I could work half days and spend the rest of the time with Jodi.
“Want to go to the mall?” Jodi asked
We had spent most of Sunday in her apartment binging Orange is the New Black on Netflix. I was learning all about the gay lifestyle—of women in prison anyway. Actually, I liked the kissing scenes and was pleasantly surprised that they turned me on.
“I’m going a little stir-crazy today. I thought maybe we could walk around the mall, get a little exercise.”
“Sure,” I said. “Let me just grab my purse.”
I drove and we chitchatted along the way. I pulled in front of the main entrance and we did two laps around the mall at a slow but steady pace before deciding to check out the new bookstore.
We went our separate ways once inside. I wanted to check out the woman loving woman books. I thought a little education wasn’t a bad thing. I hadn’t given up on Jodi and I being together some day. And I figured I should know what I was doing. I thumbed through a couple of books, absorbing the information.
When I was finished, I went in search of Jodi. I found her in the self-help section. I looked at the title of the book she was holding, How to Find What You’re Looking For.
“Are you looking for a man?” I joked.
“No,” she answered. “I’m looking for a woman.”
“I’m a woman.”
She smiled. “Can I ask you a question?” she asked coyly, playing along.
“Sure.”
“Are you single?”
I hesitated. Legally, not yet. In my heart, very much so. “Yes.”
She plowed on. “Do you like girls? I mean…if you like girls, can I buy you a drink? And if you don’t, well, can I buy you a drink?”
“You’re a girl and I like you.”
“Close enough.”
“But you aren’t supposed to drink.”
She put her finger to her lip. “Shhh.” She leaned forward and kissed me softly on the lips. “I’ll buy you a cup of coffee then.”
I was at a momentary loss for words. We were in the middle of a bookstore and she had kissed me. And I didn’t care who saw it.
“Was that okay?” she asked me.
“Okay that you kissed me or was your technique okay? Yes, and oh yes. And I think you owe me a cup of coffee.”
Her face lit up with a smile. I’m sure mine was just as bright. She slid her arm through mine and we walked to the coffee shop around the corner. I didn’t know what the kiss meant, if it was the start of something, but I was anxious to find out.