do?”
Van stopped when she stood next to Natalie and whispered in her ear, “Do you like what you see?” she asked.
Natalie sputtered. Had Van read her mind? “Excuse me? What did you say?”
“The fountain. Do you like the fountain?”
“Oh, you mean the fountain ! Yes, I love it.” Natalie was mortified at what she had been thinking; she tried to play it off. “Did you design it?”
“I did.”
“Oh? How interesting.” Great, Natalie, you dumbass. Think of something to say.
Natalie turned to Mary, silently imploring her to say something.
“Aren’t you guys located off Highway Three? I’ve never been there, though I’ve heard it’s lovely,” Mary jumped in.
Van smiled politely. “Thank you. Natalie, could I talk to you for a minute?” She drew her out a couple of feet away.
Natalie felt a little lightheaded. “Yes?” Had she even managed more than two-syllable words since she met this woman?
“Will you go out to dinner with me tonight?”
“No.” Natalie flushed and stuttered when she saw the disappointed look on Van’s face.
“No. I mean, I can’t go tonight. I can the next night, though.”
“Okay, then.” Her smile lit her eyes, and Natalie felt her knees turn to Jell-O.
“There you two are!” Natalie’s mother came running up, shopping bags swinging on her arms. “I need help with some of the other things I’ve bought.”
Mary took two bags from her. “Colleen, this is Van. Van, this is Natalie’s mother, Colleen.”
“Nice to meet you, Colleen.”
“You too.” Natalie’s mother looked at her, then Van and back again. “Uh, oh.”
*
Natalie waited until her mother and Mary were seated in the living room sipping a glass of wine before she decided she would get this conversation out of the way. She had successfully evaded their questions about Van and wanted to put her thoughts in order first. Her dreams and house were haunted by the lovely Sarah, and she’d finally broken through the wall of denial she’d been living behind for most of her life.
She was in the process of mentally preparing her speech, the bombshell she was about to drop when she felt her mother’s eyes swing over to her. Natalie paused for a minute and jumped in.“I have something to tell you.”
They both looked at her. “Okay, shoot.”
“I think I’m a lesbian.”
Mary paused for a second and took a sip of her drink. Her mother continued to look at her directly. Neither said anything.
“Did you hear what I just said?” Natalie raised her voice a little. “I said I’m a lesbian.”
Silence.
“Mom? Mary? Say something.”
“Oh, honey,” said her mother. “It took you long enough.”
Mary sipped her wine. “I’ve often wondered. But what brought this on? Is this because of what Jason did to you?”
“What do you mean it took me long enough?” Natalie asked crossly. “I didn’t even think about it until recently. You’ve often wondered? Why didn’t anybody tell me ?”
“Well, as much as I love you, Nat, I’m not leaving my husband.”
Natalie spun around. “ What ?”
“She’s only kidding, sweetheart. Now tell us, dear, how you came to this epiphany.”
“God, I’m embarrassed at how cliché this all sounds. But, here goes. I never thought about boys at all while I was in school. I just never could see what the whole fuss was about. I just accepted the fact that I was the class geek and concentrated on my grades. It’s not as if anyone wanted to date me anyway.”
“You were adorable, Natalie.” Her mother jumped to her defense.
“Mom. I had acne and braces. I stayed in my room all the time.”
“But you outgrew all that,” Mary said.
“Yes, I did, later. By the time I was finishing college I had still put everything I had into my studies and then painting. I just thought I was a late bloomer.”
Her mother’s tone was gentle. “Honey, do you remember when you used to watch Lost in Space reruns when you were growing up? What was that
Van stopped when she stood next to Natalie and whispered in her ear, “Do you like what you see?” she asked.
Natalie sputtered. Had Van read her mind? “Excuse me? What did you say?”
“The fountain. Do you like the fountain?”
“Oh, you mean the fountain ! Yes, I love it.” Natalie was mortified at what she had been thinking; she tried to play it off. “Did you design it?”
“I did.”
“Oh? How interesting.” Great, Natalie, you dumbass. Think of something to say.
Natalie turned to Mary, silently imploring her to say something.
“Aren’t you guys located off Highway Three? I’ve never been there, though I’ve heard it’s lovely,” Mary jumped in.
Van smiled politely. “Thank you. Natalie, could I talk to you for a minute?” She drew her out a couple of feet away.
Natalie felt a little lightheaded. “Yes?” Had she even managed more than two-syllable words since she met this woman?
“Will you go out to dinner with me tonight?”
“No.” Natalie flushed and stuttered when she saw the disappointed look on Van’s face.
“No. I mean, I can’t go tonight. I can the next night, though.”
“Okay, then.” Her smile lit her eyes, and Natalie felt her knees turn to Jell-O.
“There you two are!” Natalie’s mother came running up, shopping bags swinging on her arms. “I need help with some of the other things I’ve bought.”
Mary took two bags from her. “Colleen, this is Van. Van, this is Natalie’s mother, Colleen.”
“Nice to meet you, Colleen.”
“You too.” Natalie’s mother looked at her, then Van and back again. “Uh, oh.”
*
Natalie waited until her mother and Mary were seated in the living room sipping a glass of wine before she decided she would get this conversation out of the way. She had successfully evaded their questions about Van and wanted to put her thoughts in order first. Her dreams and house were haunted by the lovely Sarah, and she’d finally broken through the wall of denial she’d been living behind for most of her life.
She was in the process of mentally preparing her speech, the bombshell she was about to drop when she felt her mother’s eyes swing over to her. Natalie paused for a minute and jumped in.“I have something to tell you.”
They both looked at her. “Okay, shoot.”
“I think I’m a lesbian.”
Mary paused for a second and took a sip of her drink. Her mother continued to look at her directly. Neither said anything.
“Did you hear what I just said?” Natalie raised her voice a little. “I said I’m a lesbian.”
Silence.
“Mom? Mary? Say something.”
“Oh, honey,” said her mother. “It took you long enough.”
Mary sipped her wine. “I’ve often wondered. But what brought this on? Is this because of what Jason did to you?”
“What do you mean it took me long enough?” Natalie asked crossly. “I didn’t even think about it until recently. You’ve often wondered? Why didn’t anybody tell me ?”
“Well, as much as I love you, Nat, I’m not leaving my husband.”
Natalie spun around. “ What ?”
“She’s only kidding, sweetheart. Now tell us, dear, how you came to this epiphany.”
“God, I’m embarrassed at how cliché this all sounds. But, here goes. I never thought about boys at all while I was in school. I just never could see what the whole fuss was about. I just accepted the fact that I was the class geek and concentrated on my grades. It’s not as if anyone wanted to date me anyway.”
“You were adorable, Natalie.” Her mother jumped to her defense.
“Mom. I had acne and braces. I stayed in my room all the time.”
“But you outgrew all that,” Mary said.
“Yes, I did, later. By the time I was finishing college I had still put everything I had into my studies and then painting. I just thought I was a late bloomer.”
Her mother’s tone was gentle. “Honey, do you remember when you used to watch Lost in Space reruns when you were growing up? What was that
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