Noelle did not own a computer. Therefore, Lorella was unable to email her. Since Noelle had been the one to call her so far, she felt she should do the calling herself this time. It was late Saturday morning. Trevor and Shayla sat in the living room talking when she placed the call from her room.
“I’m so glad you called,” Noelle told her, sounding genuinely pleased.
“Oh, good. I mean, I’m glad you’re glad since you just saw me two days ago,” said Lorella.
“I could never not be glad to see you or hear from you.”
“Would you like to get together today?”
“I’d love to. What would you like to do?”
“I haven’t anything specific in mind. Any suggestions?”
“Sure. Why don’t we go to one of the local swimming pools? There’s one not too far from where you are,” Noelle said.
And so Lorella waited impatiently for Noelle to arrive, nearly an hour later, excited at the idea of seeing the gorgeous woman again. She quickly stepped out of her room when she heard the knock on the door.
“Oh, guess who’s here?” Shayla said playfully, winking at a grinning Lorella.
She opened the door to find Noelle, hot as ever. Her pulse surged as she stepped back to let her into the house. A round of hellos was exchanged with everyone smiling, though Shayla quickly dropped hers. She could see that Noelle was strikingly beautiful despite her tomboyish appearance, yet she felt an immediate discomfort in her presence. One she couldn’t quite explain or understand. It was there just the same, though she held her tongue, not wanting to be rude. It was none of her business anyway. Especially since they had to get down to business and let Lorella know what was going on.
“Lorella,” Trevor began, voice dripping with seriousness. “We were going to tell you this later, but with me hanging with Shayla so much and you with Noelle, I think now’s a good time to bring it up.”
“Bring what up?” asked Lorella, brows furrowed with curiosity. She sat down on the couch next to Shayla while Noelle sat in the chair.
Gazing across Shayla at his sister, he said, “Well, I know this is a horrible thing to spring on you. Especially after I told you to take all the time you need here. But Shayla and I have really gotten serious about each other.”
“Oh,” said Lorella, brows rising. “Engaged, are you?”
The others laughed.
“No, not exactly,” said Trevor, continuing in his down-to-business voice, “but that may happen one day. For now, however, we’ve talked things over and we agree it’d be best for me to move into Shayla’s place.”
Jackpot! thought Noelle. This was just the break she needed!
Lorella hadn’t expected this, and at first, she didn’t say anything. Her brother never got too serious about anyone or anything but his work and hobbies. She simply stared at him, unsure of what to make of the situation. Then it hit her that she couldn’t afford to stay in the house by herself. “I’m happy for you both, but as cheap as the rents are here, I just don’t have the kind of money it’d take to stay here right now,” she explained, “so I think it’d be best if I went back home and found a new place there.”
“I spoke with Mom and Dad, and they said they’d gladly pay to fly you back. They also said you could stay with them until you found a place. That won’t take long. You know how plentiful apartments are there and…”
“Excuse me,” Noelle said. “I don’t mean to rudely cut you off, Trev, but Lorella could always stay with me until she’s ready to return to Nevada.”
“Ah, now there’s an idea,” Trevor said hopefully. “I’d hate to rush you out of Oregon as much as I know you like it better back home.”
“Oh, I don’t know about that,” Lorella said doubtfully, sinking Noelle’s heart. “That’s awfully generous of you, Noelle, but I would only be imposing on you.”
“How in the world would you possibly be doing that?” Noelle said, trying not to sound desperate or pushy.
“Well, for one, I don’t drive. Therefore, I’d need you to take me into the city to run errands such as picking up groceries if it wouldn’t be imposing on you.”
“You wouldn’t be imposing at all. Then once it gets cold, if you still decide you’d prefer the desert over our fresh mountain air, so be it.”
“Yeah,” Trevor added. “You could just call Mom and Dad, and they’d have you on a plane within a day or two.”
Lorella did a quick run-through of the pros and cons in her mind between staying and leaving, then said, “Well, when are you moving in with Shayla?”
“On the first. This place is paid for till then, of course,” Trevor replied.
“That’s next week. I think I’d like to take a few days to think it over.”
“No problem,” said Trevor. Then he smiled impishly. “It’s strictly up to you, though I have a feeling Noelle here is going to try to persuade you to stick around a while.”
Noelle chuckled and said to Lorella, “Don’t worry, I won’t be too pushy, although I will admit I’ve come to enjoy your company.”
Lorella felt herself blush. Trevor looked at Shayla and smiled, though Shayla’s expression remained neutral as she focused on a spot on the carpet.
“For now,” Noelle said with an eager clap of her hands, “why don’t we head for the pool before going to my place?”
“Sounds like a plan to me,” Lorella said, rising from the couch. “If I’m going to be going to your place afterward rather than coming back here, I should take a few things with me.”
Once they were in Lorella’s room where the others couldn’t hear, Noelle suggested a change of clothes, a toothbrush, and other necessities. “You just never know,” Noelle pointed out. “If we decide we don’t feel like making the long drive back later on…”
Lorella smiled and returned the kiss that Noelle bent over to give her. It was a quick kiss yet full of promise. Giggling, Lorella packed what she needed while Noelle stood stunned at how well things were going. Must be meant to be, she reasoned to herself.
The pool was crowded and wild. There were at least a dozen small children who were about as ecstatic as an adult would be that had just learned they had won a million dollars, screaming and flailing around as their mothers, most heavy and tired appearing, remained rather oblivious to the loud ruckus.
“My God, what chaos,” Noelle moaned with disappointment and annoyance as they approached the fence that surrounded the pool.
“Yeah, there really is no such thing as peace in the city,” Lorella added.
“Tell me about it! I’m so glad I don’t live here. I couldn’t even stand it in a house. Houses can be just as noisy as apartments.”
“You got that right. You may not hear your neighbor’s TV or footsteps in a house, but you sure do hear other things like dogs and kids.”
“Yep,” Noelle said with a knowing nod. “And their car doors and their car stereos and so on and so forth.”
Lorella laughed. “Still want to take a dip?”
“I guess so,” Noelle said hesitantly before they stripped down to their suits, Noelle’s a black one-piece, and Lorella’s a gold metallic bikini with colorful trim. They could barely get down the steps of the pool before they were assaulted with head-splitting squeals and shouts, not to mention splashed at.
“Are these kids’ moms deaf or what? Look at them just standing there as if they were all alone on a peaceful lakefront,” said Noelle.
It was true. The mothers seemed to be staring into space, totally unaware of their presence. Only a few of them went to grab a child here and a child there who wasn’t a very good swimmer.
Lorella shrugged. “Maybe they’re a bit overwhelmed. Or maybe they’re just plain old worn out. Ow!”
“Hey! That wasn’t nice,” Noelle said sternly. She turned to Lorella to ask if she was okay.
Lorella nodded. “They just got water in my eye.”
“Come on,” Noelle said angrily. “We’d find more fun and refreshment just by holding a hose over our heads at the cabin.”
“You want to leave now?”
“Definitely. I didn’t come here to get splashed and have my ear screamed in,” Noelle said loud enough for the mothers to hear.
The mothers were now looking at Noelle, but remained silent in their zombie-like state as the kids raged on with a seemingly endless supply of energy.
They tied their towels around their waists, and as they went through the gate and towards the parking lot, two young guys wearing briefs and carrying towels passed them. “Ooh!” said one of them, eyeing Lorella hungrily.
“Pretty, ain’t she?” Noelle asked with a touch of sarcasm and disgust.
“Oh yeah,” drooled the other one.
“Well, she’s all mine!” Noelle spat back, surprising Lorella with her anger.
Once they were backing out of the parking lot, Lorella asked, “So does today make you glad you never had kids of your own?”
Noelle nodded. “I’m glad, yes, but I would’ve taught my kids some manners and to respect others.”
They rode in silence a while till Noelle said, “You know, I am really getting sick of these bigots around here.”
Lorella looked at her, confused.
“Those damn bigoted bumper stickers I’ve been seeing on nearly every other car. They’re gearing up to try to ban gay marriages in this state during the fall elections, and I’m getting it in mind to start fighting back somehow.”
“But what can you do? It’s a hell of a fight when most people hate gays, as sad as it is.”
“True, but we can’t just sit back and do nothing. When the building is burning, do you simply stand there and let the flames engulf you, or do you fight to escape?”
“The laws really are twisted,” Lorella agreed. “So much so that one has to wonder if it’s deliberately designed to be that way. What should be legal isn’t and vice versa.”
“You got that right,” Noelle said, nodding. “And things aren’t always enforced, either. Just because the law says you have a right to free speech doesn’t mean the courts will allow you to say or write something if they don’t want to hear it, and just because the law says you don’t have the right to disturb the peace doesn’t mean people will do a damn thing to get these car stereos off the road.”
“You have a point there. Makes me wonder just what it will take before someone lifts a finger to restore some of the peace in this world. Think they’ll do anything when they get so loud that they’re breaking windows regularly?”
“No. I think the cops will simply tell people that while they sympathize with them, there’s nothing they can do about it, so perhaps they oughta invest in Plexiglas windows or relocate.”
“Like everyone will just be able to run right out and do that!” Lorella exclaimed, shaking her head.
“Hey, I’m a cop, but I’ll be the first to admit that the law is really twisted. In some places, self-defense is illegal. This means that if someone’s trying to kill you, you’re expected to just stand there and let them do it. If you don’t and you kill them instead, you’re the one who’ll go down for murder.”
“Good God! And what if you just beat the shit out of them?”
“Then while the asshole may get charged with attempted murder, you’ll be charged with assault.”
“That’s crazy!”
“I don’t remember where it was,” Noelle began, “but in some other state, a woman was raped by this guy at his house. The next day, she returned with a gun and a knife, giving him an ultimatum. His two choices were either to cut it off himself or to have her shoot it off. Naturally, he wouldn’t cut it, so she shot it off, and what happened? She went down for murder while he got off scot-free.”
Lorella eyed Noelle incredulously.
“What would you do if it happened to you?”
Lorella thought for a moment, then said, “Sorry, but I’d have to fight back. I think it would be a natural reflex anyway. If I turned the other cheek and simply walked away, never killing or harming him and protecting future victims while giving him what he deserved, I may never get a second chance. If I went to prison, sooner or later, there’d be an opportunity to escape if I kissed a little ass and earned the trust of the people there. It’s a crazy world, though, it really is.”
“Yes, ma’am, it is,” Noelle agreed. “Why do women in third-world countries have kids they can’t afford?”
“That’s a good one to ask. After all, they can’t feed, clothe, house, educate, or provide medical attention for them,” Lorella pointed out.
“Instead, they’d rather go through certain organizations to get others to foot the bill for them.”
“They don’t need money sent to them. What they need is a whole lot of birth control. Especially if they’re not going to control themselves and exercise some common sense, restraint, and…”
Noelle suddenly slammed on the brakes, cutting Lorella’s words off.
If Lorella hadn’t been wearing her seatbelt, she would have hit the windshield. “What! What’s wrong?”
Noelle pulled the vehicle to the side of the road and glanced back behind them. Lorella followed her gaze, but didn’t see anything but a few stores.
“What is it?” she asked again.
Noelle studied the strip intently, eyes wide with what appeared to be both disbelief and dread. Finally, she shook her head and turned to face Lorella. “Nothing. I just thought I saw someone I once knew.”
“Well, they must’ve made a hell of an impression on you when you knew them to have stopped like that.”
“It was just someone I helped send away a year or so ago,” Noelle said, thinking quickly. “I just didn’t think they’d be released so soon if it’s them that I saw.”
“We were just talking about how twisted the law is,” Lorella reminded her. “You know how it is. People get out of jail early who shouldn’t, while those who deserve a break don’t get any. What did they do?”
“Pulled off a string of burglaries.” They drove off with Noelle thinking, No, it couldn’t have been her. Could it have? Nah, the only reason she wasn’t where I left her was that animals got to her first. That’s all, just the animals.
“I’m telling you, it was Noelle! And she saw me, too!” Eshoni paced her sister’s living room frantically.
“Relax, sis. You’re safe here,” Orianne gently assured her. “She didn’t follow you here, did she?”
Eshoni shook her head and sat down on the couch next to her sister. “Not that I’m aware of. I don’t see how she could’ve turned around so easily on the road she was on because it was a one-way street. I think she had someone with her. At least I thought I saw someone in the passenger seat, anyway.”
“Well, she can’t get to you here, so there’s no need to worry.”
“Yeah, I suppose. It was just freaky seeing the familiar vehicle, then seeing it screech to a stop, then seeing her turn to stare at me. And it’s even freakier to know she thought she killed me.”
“I’m sure it must be, honey,” her sister said, massaging her shoulder with her hand.
“I wonder if she’ll want to hunt me down now that she knows I’m alive for fear of me going forth with what she did.”
“I don’t think she will. I think she thinks that you would’ve done so by now if you were going to. She probably feels the same way you did in that it’d be a waste of time on your part with her being a cop. They still do protect their own, you know.”
Eshoni nodded solemnly. “I still wonder if I should’ve at least tried to do something. I mean, even if no one believed me, at least I would’ve spoken up and brought her craziness to attention. That way, if she went on to attack others, there’d at least be some mention of her violent behavior on record. That is, unless they conveniently failed to log the report.”
They sat in silence for a moment. Eventually, Orianne asked, “So what are you going to do?”
Eshoni chewed on her nails thoughtfully, one of her habits that had driven Noelle, the lady cop who had swept her off her feet with her good looks and hearty laughter, utterly crazy. “I don’t know. I just don’t know.”
Clad in nothing but a hot pink string bikini, Lorella poured two tall glasses of soda on the kitchenette’s counter in Noelle’s cabin. Noelle watched from the recliner in the adjoining room. She admired the girl’s body and the way her long hair cascaded down her front and back. It brushed her buttocks teasingly, and her breasts poked through the streaming tresses at times, quickly becoming covered with hair once again and leaving Noelle to look forward to another fleeting glimpse.
Lorella carried the sodas into the living area. She first handed Noelle her glass, then sat nearby on the couch with her own. She was not looking forward to discussing what Noelle had brought up several times over the weekend, but she knew they would eventually. She only hoped she wouldn’t pressure her to do anything she didn’t want to do. They’d had a fun weekend filled with romantic picnics - undisturbed this time - fun sex, interesting talks, and entertaining movies. She didn’t want anything to spoil it.
“How about you and I teach some of these bigots a lesson tonight for once and for all,” Noelle said, just as she expected. “It’s Sunday night. Most folks will be turning in earlier.”
“But how?” asked Lorella.
“It’s simple. We spray paint the word ‘bigot’ on their trunks or even the sides of their vehicles. That’ll make them think twice before publicly displaying their ignorance and hatred.”
“I don’t know. I despise these people, too, Noelle. They make me sick. Most of them have nothing nice to say at all, and I don’t want to hear it any more than you do, but they have a right to express themselves just as we do, and we can’t go around vandalizing their vehicles just because their values differ from ours.”
Noelle looked frustrated. “I’d say it’s for a worthy cause in this case. If a white person harms a person who isn’t white, the white person is made to pay for it, as they should be. Well, I’m tired of so many people being excused from the shit they put gays and lesbians through. Why do you suppose that is, Lorella?”
“Because society is warped, and like it or not, dishing shit at gays and lesbians is not illegal or seen as discrimination any more than dishing shit at pedophiles is seen that way.”
“So what do we do? Just sit back and take it? I hate to break it to you, girl, but it’s when you sit back and do nothing at all that you tend to get railroaded.”
Lorella hated to admit it to herself, but Noelle certainly did have a point. Sit quietly and still, and people really will continue to walk all over you. Sometimes you simply couldn’t turn the other cheek. Did she really want to send the wrong message by doing just that?
As if she’d read her mind, Noelle said, “Sweetie, not fighting back is saying it’s okay. Is it okay? Is it?”
“No, of course not. I just hate to resort to such measures.”
“Me too, but sometimes one has to. Sometimes that’s what it takes. Look how far resorting to such extremes has gotten others. Sometimes wrongs really do make rights, like it or not.”
Lorella thought about it for a few moments, then asked, “So what do we do?”
“We go out late at night when there are fewer people around to see us. If we do get caught, just remember that I’m a cop. I’ll be protected. And because you’re connected to me, you’ll be protected as well.”
“So what do we do, have me jump out and spray paint while you drive to each car we spot with a bumper sticker?”
Noelle shook her head. “You need to be the one driving.”
“But I don’t drive!”
“That’s okay. I can teach you. A crash course to enable you to drive from driveway to driveway at night in a small town will be plenty simple enough. I need to do the painting because, with my height and shape, and shorter hair, I can easily be mistaken for a guy, should any night owls be up and about to see me. You’re a little too short and curvy to be pegged as a guy.”
“Even so,” said Lorella, “every one out of every two to three vehicles has these things. You’re talking thousands and thousands of them.”
“Maybe so, and maybe they’ll never change, but the least we can do is get as many cars as we can and show them what can happen if you publicly bash certain people. Why make public discrimination easy for them? I don’t expect to ever change the world, but the least we can do is put a little fear into them to encourage them to keep their opinions to their own damn selves. Understand? They don’t have to like us, Lorella, but they do have to accept and respect us, and part of being more tolerant means leaving others to live their own lives as they see fit. They need to be taught that they can still be themselves while allowing others to be who they are.”
“But they don’t get it, and it seems they never will. They think that the more rights we gain, the more they’re obligated to be like us.”
“I know they think that, and that’s not the point. I don’t care if they think they’re expected to follow in our footsteps or not. I care about them freely, legally, and openly, being so damn hateful, ignorant, and discriminatory. That’s all I care about. Not what they think. Thoughts are harmless as opposed to actions.”
Lorella didn’t like the idea of going out on a vandalism spree and taking such risks. Yet life was about taking risks, and some of them had a driving force behind them that made it all the more worthwhile. “Okay, I’m in,” she finally said.
They used some roads that rarely got any traffic on them for Noelle to show Lorella the basics of driving.
“I do not like this at all, Noelle,” she said.
“I know you don’t, but if you do this with me, I promise I’ll make it up to you,” Noelle said, leaning over from the passenger seat to kiss her.
“I’m sure you will, but don’t you have any friends who would be willing to help you with this one?”
“Friends?” Noelle asked almost as if she wasn’t sure what the word meant. “Nah, I don’t really bother too much with so-called friends. I’d rather have just acquaintances and believe me when I say I have a zillion of those.”
“Why not friends?”
“The world’s full of phony, back-stabbing hypocrites, that’s why,” Noelle said with a dismissive wave of her hand.
“It sure seems that way at times,” Lorella said in agreement.
And so they carried out their plans as they had discussed earlier. Lorella felt very nervous and uncomfortable behind the wheel of the large SUV. She had been the one to purchase the cans of spray paint with cash, and they hit as many cars as they could, in which no people were around. That seemed to be dozens. If they’d been seen by anyone, they were unaware of it.
After what seemed like many hours, Lorella was finally dropped off at the house at 2:30. Noelle had made her promise several times never to tell anyone about the mission they had been on. She was exhausted as she opened the door to the darkened house from which Trevor had already cleared a lot of stuff.
She didn’t even shower. She simply had a few cheese crackers, checked for messages, and then fell into bed. She had conflicting emotions as she was drifting off to sleep. She wasn’t happy with the way Noelle had pressured her, nor with the way she had given in to her without standing a firmer ground. Yet at the same time, she hoped they really had shaken up the bigots of Klamath Falls!
“Lorella.”
Lorella pulled her gaze from the rippling pond water she had been gazing at and glanced behind her. But it wasn’t Noelle she saw. It was Madison! Tall, not-as-good-looking, but wonderfully sweet Madison.
“Maddie!” Lorella exclaimed gleefully, addressing her by the nickname she usually called her. She went closer to her. “Oh, how I’ve missed you!” And even closer.
But something wasn’t right. Madison looked different. It was almost as if she were made of glass. Lorella could see the pines and junipers right through her!
“You have to leave. It’s very important,” Madison told her.
“What?” asked Lorella with confusion.
“Stay away from her and get out of here! She’s bad news, sweetheart, very bad news. There’s nothing for you here. Go back home.” Madison’s voice began to fade as did her apparition.
“No!” cried Lorella. “Come back! Oh, Maddie, don’t go. Not now. I miss you too much!”
The knock on the bedroom door was what made Lorella realize she had cried out in her sleep. She quickly sat upright, heart pounding. “Y-yeah,” she stammered breathlessly.
“It’s Trev. You okay in there?”
“Yes, I’m fine. Just another dream.”
She got up to use the bathroom, then went to find Trevor munching on a donut in the kitchen. “How are you, stranger? Where’s Shayla?”
“At work. I just came to get more stuff. How was your weekend?”
The events of last night came slowly trickling into mind. “Okay. It was kind of fun, actually.”
“Kind of?”
Lorella chuckled.
“Have you decided what you’re going to do yet?” he asked through a mouthful of food.
“Oh my God! I forgot all about that.”
“Then you couldn’t have had too boring a weekend.”
Although she wasn’t sure it was the right thing, she told her brother that perhaps she would stay with Noelle until the weather turned cold.
“That’s in about five to six weeks from now, though most of September’s pretty nice.”
“Unless she changes her mind, I’m sure she won’t mind having me cleared out by the first. Remember, I don’t have much here anyway.”
“I’m sure she won’t change her mind, but she’ll try to change yours as far as going back home goes. She really likes you. I can tell.”
“Yeah?” Lorella asked with a smile.
Trevor nodded. “Shayla thinks she’s obsessed with you.”
Lorella’s brows furrowed curiously. “Really? Why would she think that?”
Trevor shrugged, then gulped down a glass of chocolate milk. “She just does, I guess,” he said when he was done. “But that’s okay, she’s a lousy judge of character. She thought I’d turn out to be a waste of time at first and a bore in bed.”
Lorella heard her cell phone ringing in her room and went to answer it. It was Noelle.
“Hi there, cutie, how ya doing?”
“Great. I just got up a little while ago, and I’m speaking with Trevor. He just stopped in to get more stuff.”
“Yeah?”
“Well, if your offer still stands, I guess I wouldn’t mind spending the rest of the summer in a mountain cabin.”
“That’s terrific!” Noelle exclaimed so loud that Lorella had to pull the phone away from her ear. “I’m thrilled to know you’ve decided to stay.”
“Yes, but only till the weather gets cold. If you’d rather not have just a summer fling, I’ll certainly understand and I’ll…”
“Oh, no, no, don’t worry about it. It’s okay, sweets. Whatever you say is fine. I’m at work right now getting ready to leave the tower for lunch and I…”
“Lunch?!” Lorella exclaimed. “I didn’t realize I slept so late. I’m sorry to cut you off in surprise, but you’re leaving for lunch?”
“Yes, and I could be there at your place around 6:00 and bring you back here then if you’d like.”
Not having much time to really think about it, Lorella said, “Uh, yeah, sure. Sure. That would be fine. It’ll give me the day to catch up on some work.”
Trevor left with some boxes a short while after Lorella hung up with Noelle. As soon as Lorella sat down with her laptop, she remembered the dream with Madison warning her to leave.
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