The pizza deliveryman had come and gone. Blair placed the piping hot pizza in the oven to keep warm while she waited. Her nervous energy took her to her laptop, where she kept clicking on the various apps to see if there were any updates. She knew it was unrealistic to expect the police to have captured Hank in the short time since she’d seen the breaking story. Maribel hadn’t been gone that long, but that didn’t stop Blair from entering the panic zone.
The mudroom door opened, and Maribel walked in with her hands deep in her pockets. Blair sighed in relief.
“The pizza is in the oven. How are Danella and Lucritia?”
“They’re good, but I’m worried. Hank is hopped up on something, and that makes him dangerous. I turned on the radio and heard more about the shooting. He’s got a high-capacity shotgun.”
“A what?”
“A shotgun that holds up to twenty-five rounds, counting the one in the chamber. A person can do a lot of damage with one of those. They’re almost as bad as automatic weapons.”
“Of course he has a gun like that. Nobody gives a shit who they sell their guns to. Convicted felons. No problem. Private dealers don’t even have to do background checks at gun shows.”
“That’s not true. Washington State requires checks on all purchases.”
“Whatever. So we’re an enlightened state. That doesn’t mean they can’t get someone without a record to purchase for them. I read that in a lot of instances, the clerks don’t care. A person will come in, point out a gun, and then someone else will buy it. Or he bought it from a corrupt person at a home-based commercial gun dealer. There are no shortages of those assholes. People ignore the laws. You did when you gave Lucritia a shotgun. How is that any worse than any of the other dishonest gun dealers?”
“I’m going to ignore that dig because I know you’re upset right now. Can we eat the pizza and have a nice evening, please?”
“Shit. I keep having to apologize. I know you aren’t the problem. I’m just so frustrated and scared. I don’t know what I would do if…” Blair walked to Maribel and brushed her hand across her cheek. Her words were choked as she finished. “…if something happened to you.” A half-hearted chuckle slid out. “I’ve only just started getting you to see the truth about gun control. We can’t have my powers of persuasion interrupted, now can we?” She kissed Maribel on the mouth and offered, “Truce?”
“Just so you know, I gave Danella a shotgun for protection. If it weren’t for the fact that she was tagged a drug dealer, I wouldn’t be breaking the law. State law allows for the temporary transfer of a gun to a person to prevent harm. One thing you are right about. Hank is dangerous, and I wanted to make sure they were armed.”
“I am tempted to make one more remark, but I won’t because I’m starved and don’t want you to kick my ass to the curb.” Blair kissed Maribel again, grinned, and then danced away.
“No matter how exasperating you can be, I would never kick you to the curb. I need someone to challenge me now and again. More importantly, you need someone to challenge you, too.”
“You may be right. I never thought I’d end up dating a modern-day Annie Oakley. You are perfect in every other way. How in the world am I going to reconcile my complete aversion to guns? I’ve always imagined settling down with another pacifist, having a few kids, and strictly prohibiting them from hanging out with kids whose parents owned guns. It goes without saying that I never would have envisioned allowing a firearm in my home.”
“Compromise. Isn’t any decent relationship based on that premise?”
“Relationship?” Blair tested out the word. Yes, she supposed it fit.
“I was hoping what we’re doing isn’t casual dating. It’s not, is it?”
“No, it’s not. Relationship is the right word.” Blair smiled.
†
Maribel was getting used to how Blair dealt with stress and fear. That didn’t mean her digs didn’t hurt, but at least she understood they were not coming from a place of anger toward her. She supposed if she tried to look at things from Blair’s perspective, she wouldn’t be very comfortable with guns, either.
Regardless of how diametrically opposed they were on this one issue, Blair was an addiction she had a hard time resisting. Not only did they need to cross the wide divide on gun control, but it seemed like politics in general was a particularly dangerous area of discussion. Ironically it was Maribel’s lukewarm views that were the issue.
As Maribel and Blair sat outside enjoying a second beer, Blair had started down the perilous road. Tossing out the bait, Maribel had innocently answered, not realizing where it would lead.
“I can’t understand the Log Cabin Republicans. Frankly, I can’t understand how anyone in the LGBTQ community would think it was a good idea to support this president. Please tell me you didn’t vote for him.”
“No, I didn’t. Pa might have. I never asked.”
“Whew. I don’t think that whatever we’ve started would survive if you’d voted for that appalling excuse for a leader. I can honestly say I hate the man.”
“I didn’t vote. I wasn’t enamored with either choice, so I stayed home that year.” Maribel shrugged as if it were no big deal.
The look of disbelief with a hint of disappointment on Blair’s face was puzzling to Maribel. “Why are you looking at me like that? A lot of people I know didn’t vote.”
“You know that by not voting, you helped to elect that asswipe? I blame those of you who stayed home more than the lifelong Republicans. I can almost understand that sort of loyalty. Almost.”
“So, I was supposed to vote for someone I didn’t support because I hated the other choice?”
“Yes. Are you at least sorry you didn’t now? Knowing what’s happened.”
“I don’t agree with how he’s running the country, but I can’t say a lot has changed for me personally.”
“Yet. How can you care so much about people like Danella, Lucritia, Mr. Simpson, yet not care how we’re treating immigrants? The hate seems to exponentially grow each day with his rhetoric. This is not the world you want. I know that about you. It doesn’t compute.”
Maribel shook her head. “I’m one vote. Insignificant, really. Especially since Washington State never votes red, so what does it matter?”
“It matters because millions of people had those same thoughts and look what happened. You better vote in 2020.”
“Okay, I will. If it means that much to you.”
“Don’t do it for me. Do it because it’s important.”
Maribel pinned Blair with a look of adoration. “I admire your passion. You’re like a beautiful fire, burning so bright. The yellow, orange, and red flames reaching to the sky as the wood pops and crackles. Your words are always punctuated by the pops and crackles. It gives them an extra punch. That’s why you’re going to be so good at the rally. People will listen to you. I’m not like that.”
“But you could be. You have passions. They just aren’t the same as mine. I know you love Lucritia. Now envision her one day realizing she’s in the wrong body. She wants to go in the military, but they say no because she’s transgender. Or maybe she identifies as a lesbian. Then, she goes to high school and a couple of boys beat the snot out of her. They’re wearing MAGA hats and calling her a dyke. Screaming she’s unnatural. Not worthy of living. Doesn’t that make you want to fight for her?”
“Of course.”
Blair took Maribel’s hand and pinned her with a pain-filled gaze. “That’s the world we live in now, because that’s the hate that he’s not only brought to the surface but fed and stoked. Don’t believe me? Do your own research on hate crimes. Mass shootings. White Nationalism. It’s all there. And, don’t even get me started on climate change. Lucritia might not have a world to live in by the time she’s old and gray.”
“Isn’t it possible that’s the other side of the coin, the liberal side doing a different kind of fear mongering and stoking of the fires?”
“Do the research, that’s all I ask.”
“Can we get back to getting to know each other without venturing into politics?”
Blair laughed. “Okay, tell me more about your father. He sounds interesting.”
†
Talking with Maribel about her father gave Blair a whole different perspective on people who embraced a set of beliefs so foreign to her own. Maribel had forced her to put her own views under a microscope, and the picture wasn’t free from another kind of virus. Hating every single person who had voted for the president was no longer possible. Maribel’s father was a kind man who had clearly loved his daughter and tried to do the best he could to make sure she had a good life. That was apparent with the stories she told.
Maribel had a special smile when she talked about her father. “Pa was with me for every single competition I ever entered. All the way until the end when he was no longer physically able to get out of bed. He was good at supporting my shooting, but he floundered when I hit puberty. I got my period early, and it was a disaster.”
“No parent excels at those discussions because they always accompany the sex talk.”
“Oh, we never had the sex talk. He figured since I was a lesbian, he didn’t have to worry about me getting pregnant.”
“He knew you were a lesbian at…how old were you when you got your period?”
“I was ten and yeah, it was obvious even before I declared I didn’t want to marry a boy.”
“So, what happened?”
“I never cried as a little girl. Even when I would skin my knee or fall out of a tree. But when I went to the bathroom one day and saw the blood in my underwear I went running to my pa. I thought I had a terrible disease and I was going to die.”
“I can see how that would have been terrifying.”
“Pa grabbed a clean rag and a new pair of underwear. He told me to stuff the rag inside the panties. He assured me I wasn’t dying, and he was gonna get something for me. I’m standing there with tears streaming down my face, and I just nod and do what he says. He’s my pa, and if he’s says I’m not dying, well that’s the gospel. I believe him and begin to calm down.”
“Why do I think there’s more to this story?”
“Oh, there is.” Maribel chuckled. “I’m washing out my blood-soaked panties, and he comes back about fifteen minutes later. He’d gone to one of the neighbors, and she gave him a half-filled box of tampons. It was a variety pack.”
“Oh shit, no. I wasn’t allowed to use tampons until I was at least fifteen.”
“Oh, yes. He hands me the box and says I gotta plug the hole. Now, remember, I’m ten so I blink at him and ask, ‘what hole, Pa?’ He shuffles and points to his private parts and says, ‘ya got a hole somewhere in there,’ and he points again to his crotch. ‘My butthole?’ I ask.”
Blair began to laugh so hard she snorted. “No way.”
“Yes way. He says, ‘no, the other one.’ So, I ask, ‘how am I gonna pee out that hole, Pa, if I plug it up?’”
Holding her stomach, Blair shook with laughter. “Did he give instructions on how to use the tampons?”
“I still hadn’t quite figured out which hole to plug. Innocently, I asked, ‘I got three holes, Pa? Do you have three holes, too?’ He said, ‘yeah, you have three holes and if you put your finger down there, you’ll find the other hole.’ He told me girls are special ’cause they have one more hole than boys.”
“You know this conversation is priceless.”
“I know. But wait, it gets better. So, I’m smart enough to figure out that I need to remove the outer paper on one of the tampons. I’m even smart enough to figure out that I need to find the smallest tampon to plug the little hole I discover. Oh, and as a side note, that discovery leads to other joys.” Maribel grinned. “But what I don’t figure out until later is that I needed to remove the cardboard on the tampon.”
“How in the world did you ever figure out you were supposed to remove the cardboard?” Blair asked.
“I must have been walking strangely afterward, and then I told my pa I’d plugged the hole, but something didn’t feel right. Finally, he got the neighbor to come by. By this time, he figured he needed to bring in the cavalry. He found a way to get me sanitary napkins after that.”
“Thanks for telling me that story.”
“Your turn. Tell me something funny from your childhood,” Maribel implored.
“I don’t think I can beat your story, but I can tell you something embarrassing from high school.”
“Deal.”
†
With each hour Maribel spent with Blair, her affection grew. They’d sat on the back porch, telling story after story, and laughing until their sides hurt. As Maribel stood outside of the guest bedroom, readying herself to say goodnight to Blair, she experienced a different sort of ache than the one in her side from so much laughter.
All of Maribel’s awkwardness came rushing forward. She had no idea what to do. Should she kiss her goodnight and let nature take its course? A course she very much wanted to lead to them sharing a bed. Fortunately, Blair did not let the pause ruin their evening. Her boldness was one more thing that Maribel admired about her.
“Do you want me to retire to the guest bedroom?”
Maribel gulped air. “No.”
Blair took Maribel’s hand and tugged her toward the master suite. “I think it’s time you showed me that third hole of yours.”
The joke broke the tension enough for Maribel to laugh and allow herself to be led to her own bedroom.
“I sleep in the nude sometimes,” Maribel blurted.
Blair chuckled. “Good to know.”
“Are you sure?” Maribel asked.
“Oh, yes. I want to know what joys you discovered after you found your hole.”
“I’m never going to live down that story, am I?”
Blair looked at Maribel, and the arousal was so evident in her eyes. “Seriously, I want to make love to you, and I want your hands all over my body. Your mouth, too. It’s all I can think of right now.” She proceeded to pull the T-shirt over her head and Maribel followed suit.
With their clothes co-mingling in a small pile on the carpet at the foot of Maribel’s king-sized bed, Maribel reached for Blair. Naked, the two women came together, and Maribel began exploring Blair’s mouth. She sucked gently on Blair’s bottom lip, taking her time before asking for entrance with her tongue.
Maribel’s moan merged with Blair’s, and Maribel experienced a rush of awakening so powerful her body vibrated with excitement. The kiss turned almost frantic as Blair indicated her need to find the bed, subtly moving Maribel closer to the edge.
Maribel broke the kiss and yanked the covers down while adeptly pushing Blair onto the bed and then climbing on top. She immediately rolled Blair so that the entire length of her naked body rested on top of Maribel, and then she began to caress her ass while reaching behind and brushing her fingers against the entrance to Blair’s vagina.
Feeling the wetness, Maribel continued her stroking as Blair’s body began to move in sync with the rhythm of Maribel’s caresses. She could almost feel how close Blair was to a climax as she whispered in her ear, “Tell me what you need. What you want.”
Blair’s breathless response was almost instantaneous. “Keep doing what you’re doing.”
Maribel let her fingers travel farther, barely brushing against Blair’s clit, teasing her with the fleeting connection. Maribel maneuvered Blair’s body until she had easier access to stroke Blair from behind and reach her clit as her fingers slid easily along her pussy lips. When she thought Blair was about to tumble over the cliff, Maribel pushed her middle finger inside and luxuriated in the contractions as they pulsed around her finger. It was such a glorious sensation, and Maribel reached a new height when she heard Blair cry out in ecstasy.
“Oooooh, fuck, so good, so good,” Blair exclaimed before her body stilled on top of Maribel.
Maribel carefully removed her finger and wrapped her arms around Blair, holding her tenderly while kissing her with reverence.
Blair shifted to Maribel’s neck and began to kiss her pulse point. As she moved down Maribel’s body, stopping at various spots, Maribel began to squirm.
Blair took one of Maribel’s nipples in her mouth and started to lick and suck. Maribel’s breasts had always been an especially sensitive part of her body. Sandy had joked once about there being an invisible thread between Maribel’s breasts and clit. Pull on one and the other spasmed. That had embarrassed Maribel, but it was true. Maribel was so close to a climax that she was lost in the flurry of feelings and almost did not register Blair moving lower. As soon as Blair’s tongue hit Maribel’s clit, Maribel bucked upward. Unfortunately, the movement was so forceful her pussy hit the edge of Blair’s mouth.
“Oops, better watch out before I lose a tooth,” Blair quipped. “How about I give you forewarning? I’m about ready to suck you until you scream my name. Ready?”
Maribel nodded and Blair proceeded to do as she warned. She responded exactly as Blair had predicted and came so hard, she did in fact call out Blair’s name.
As Blair lay in Maribel’s arms, she lifted her head and grinned, then declared, “I still haven’t found that hole yet. I guess round two is necessary.”
Maribel began to laugh and had a hard time stopping.