“Did you tell everybody? Everybody back home, that is?” I asked in the shower the next morning. We weren’t the first to put two people in one of these showers, but it was my first time certainly, and I felt that everyone in the entire bathroom was staring at us through the walls of the stall.
“Only my mother,” he said. “I didn’t want her to worry.”
Everyone was back in the room when we got back from the shower, including Grace and Becky, and we had to endure constant teasing, including several calls for a private performance (which Caleb rewarded only by a passionate kiss), before they would turn their backs so we could get dressed. River never did turn her back, instead making critical comments about Caleb’s physique while he dressed. He didn’t seem to mind, tho, being too busy leering at me.
“Bobbi? Is something wrong… Oh, Bobbi, Caleb!!” She said, suddenly realizing what my stupid grin indicated and running forward, “Oh, I will have to call the pastor. He told me I had to, right away. Your pastor that is Caleb. He said something about a feast. Oh, I’m so excited.”
We went upstairs and started packing, getting rather distracted. “Well, I’ve… oh,” said mother, backing out into the hall.
“It’s OK, Mother, we’re just kissing!” I laughed.
“No, dear,” she said, coming back into the room, “I have done that, and it isn’t ‘just kissing’. But I didn’t mind, I was just leaving you alone. Do it all over the house, for all I care. I have waited so long for this.” She hugged me, then stopped, startled. “But, oh, would you like me to leave ou alone? I could go next door, I mean, you were in the dorm last night, and then the train…” she stopped when she saw my look, and then said, “In the dorm? With two roomates? Well, in my day…” she said, and wandered off.
“Should we tell her?” I asked, and Caleb shook his head.
“Not yet,” he said, “now, where were we?”
An hour later we had some of my stuff packed up and made a trip over to his room. His mom greeted us, “Oh, Bobbi, I am so glad he finally decided to take you to his bed. I understand why he couldn’t before, but still, I don’t know how he did it. The pastor called, dear, he says the ‘feast’ will start at six o’clock tonight, here. And they are calling everyone, so you don’t need to, Bobbi.”
“Thanks, Mom,” I said, and kissed her.
“I think we will go put this stuff away now, Mom.”
“Yes, dear,” she said, “And I will stay downstairs until you come back down.” Caleb blushed, but, well, he is a boy.
The party was exhausting. I had found parties hard when I was a boy just being myself, but having to act as a girl was incredibly difficult. And I was fantastically embarassed. I mean, everone knew why this party was today, and where I was going tonight.
“Hey Bobbi,” Jenny said, finding me in a corner, “enjoying the party?”
“I don’t think I am supposed to Jen’s. I think it is supposed to embarass me.”
’Oh, poor sister. Getting the boy of her dreams, and she has to put up with some little party.“ I stared at her, at the challenging look in her eyes.
“Hey, I think I want some of those delicious wings,” I said, “And I have hardly talked to Grace all evening. Want to come with me?”
It was three hours later, and people were starting to leave, when Jenny said, “Hey, I have to go, anyone want to come with me?”
“Sure,” I said, along with a couple of other girls. When it was my turn I said, “Oh, no!”
Everyone turned to look, “Oh, poor Caleb!” One of the girls said, and,
“Do you have your pads?” asked Jenny.
“They’re in my backpack, in Caleb’s… in our room,” I said. “Oh, no.”
“What?” Caleb said, when the last guest had left and we were back in his room.
“I’m sorry,” I said.
“Well, it’s not your fault,” he said.
“We can still kiss,” I said. And we did.
“What are you doing?” He asked, the next morning.
’Getting dressed for breakfast,“ I said, puzzled.
“Why?” He asked.
“Well, because…” I looked at him, “you mean you want me to…?”
“Of course.”
“But your father..”
“Will be in his underwear, I will be in my underwear, and my mother, well you know what she wears. Besides, I already told them.”
“You did?” I said, turning pink.
“Yes, now let’s go.”
Well, the good book said, ’submit and obey, so I did.
“Good morning dear,” His mother said, kissing me.
His father looked up from his paper, but said nothing. He never was much of a morning person.
“So, have you told her, dear?” His mother said.
“Told me what?” I said.
“Well, in a couple of weeks we are going to move.”
I nodded my head. I had expected as much. I knew he had plenty of money, and so would probably want for us to have an apartment in town… “Hey Jens!” I said, as she came bursting through the back door. She waved at me excitedly,
“I’m here,” She said to Mrs Jones… the older Mrs Jones, I thought, blushing to myself, “What can I do?” Jenny asked.
“If you would do the toast, dear.”
“Ok,” Jenny said.
“Come for breakfast, Jenny?” I asked.
“Oh, yes, Mrs Jones asked me last night. She said she thought you could use the company.”
“You were saying, dear, Mrs. Jones prompted Caleb.”
“To Colorado.”
Jenny’s coming had so interuppted my train of thought, that I didn’t catch what he meant. “What about Colorado?” I asked.
“We are going to move to Colorado.”
Jenny and I both stared at him in shock. “Colorado?” I said, “Why”.
“It’s where the group is, now, and we are ready to move into trials.”
“Trials?”
“We think we have the physics of what happened figured out, and we are ready to start, well, testing it. I can do my carpentry as well there as here. And then we will be closer for when…”
I fled upstairs, to his bed. I think I would have fled across to my house if I had thought of it in time. I threw myself on the bed, sobbing. Jenny was the first to come up.
“Oh, Bobbi,” she said, laying next to me and crying, “Oh, Bobbi, don’t go!”
I hugged her, and we lay together for a long time before I heard a voice, saying “Bobbi?”
I rolled over, sat up, and dried my tears. “Bobbi?” He said again. My husband. My poor, hurt husband. I got up and hugged him, smashing my breasts against his chest… my breasts that belonged to some other girl somewhere.
“But Bobbi,” he said, my ever logical and stupid husband, “we have to try. Our parents and our freinds won’t be safe. And we don’t know what happened to… to the others, and if they want to come back.”
“I know!” I screamed, “Do you think I don’t know that! Haven’t we discussed it, day after day? I know, we know. It is what we have to do. But it is so hard! I’m a girl, remember, we cry when we face issues, but then we go on. Now, I’m hungry. Are you hungry, Jens? By the way, I thought you were eating breakfast dressed like me now?”
It almost made up for the shock to see her face turn quite so pink. Caleb took pity on her and said, “Maybe next time Jens.”
“I hear they have lovely weather in Colorado,” His mother said, “At least it is beautiful. I don’t know that I care for all that snow.” We all laughed, the speech was so typical Mrs.Jones.
“Jenny,” Said Caleb, leaning over the table, “I have plenty of money to fly you out. Would you like to come for Christmas with us?”
“Oh, could I?” She asked, “Oh, that would be wonderful. My friends will be so jealous.”
“Bring one,” Caleb said, and she went excstatic.
“Thanks,” I said, leaning over to Caleb.
“No problem,” he said, “she’s my sister now, too. And she always was my best friends sister.”