Together
Again
by Katie
PART 7
"There's no way I'm spending my first non-hectic Friday night
alone, no sir," Madison thought to herself as she sat in the lonely house, now that
her mother was out on a date with Katie. She then spent the next fifteen minutes searching
the main floor and her room for Carrie's number…
[Aha, here it is. I wonder if Carrie already made plans for the night. It IS Friday after
all, not to mention it's already 7 p.m., but she did say that she'd like to hang out, so
maybe she just got home from practice and hasn't made any plans yet.] Madison went over to
her bed and sat lightly on the edge as she reached for the phone…
"Hello is Carrie there?"
"Oh hey Madison, I'll go get her."
"Hey Danielle. How you doing?" [How the heck did Danielle know it was me!? She
either knows my voice pattern or, a more logical reason, they have caller I.D.]
"I'm okay, just got out of my practice uniform, actually. I shouldn't keep you
waiting, I'll go get Carrie."
"Thanks Danielle." [Well, that's good, at least she's home. Oh God, what if she
already has someone over or something, I'm going to feel like such a--]
Before Madison could continue her thought, a quick "Hello?" interrupted it.
"Hi, Carrie."
"..Hi.." [Hello Madison?! She doesn't know who you are! Say it's you!]
"Oh sorry, this is Madison by the way."
"Oh, hey." Carrie's voice quickly became more upbeat. [Wow, this is definitely a
good sign. Now continue the conversation Mad Marie, you can do this and remember, you DO
have a girlfriend, even though she's kind of mad and perturbed at the moment.]
"Umm…I was wondering if you weren't busy, if you'd like to come over, we could
do a little research for our project and afterwards we could maybe watch a movie and/or
order a pizza or something." Madison was so nervous, though she wasn't sure why. This
wasn't a date, just a casual meeting between school acquaintances, nothing much.
There was a slight nanosecond of silence. [Please don't say no, please!]
"I'd love to. I just got back from Blockbuster's and I'd much rather watch them
without `golden child' Danielle and my parents…and besides, you're right. It would be
a good idea if we worked on our project and everything." Madison couldn't tell, but
Carrie was glowing and blushing so much, she almost resembled a red light bulb. Carrie was
so excited, but she never expected anything from it. No one knows that Madison is gay and
at this point, Carrie's intentions were only to become better friends and classmates.
"Okay, if you want then, I'll order the pizza and by the time you come over here, it
should be here. Do you have any requests?"
"I'd love to kiss you and tell you that you're an amazing person and I'd love to get
to know you more."
But what Madison heard was, "Anything's fine really. Oh, except for anchovies, green
peppers, and pineapple because I'm allergic to those."
"Alright, I think I can accommodate to those requests. How about I get cheese and
pepperoni?"
"That would be just fine."
"So, how you come over here in like 30 minutes? That should be enough time for the
pizza guy to come, plus it'll give me a chance to straighten the house up." Madison
kept thinking to herself, "Why does this feel like a date? It's not, but then why
does it feel like one?"
"Sure, I'll be over then. I just have to jump in the shower. Practice was a killer
today, but we needed the workout. Oh, there's something you forgot."
[Oh crap, what DID I forget?]
"What's that?"
"Umm…your address."
"OH YEAH that might help huh?" Madison didn't wait for a response, because it
was for the most part a rhetorical question. "It's 1435 Pine Road. Our house is just
about the only Victorian one left, so it shouldn't be too hard to find. My black BMW
beetle is in the driveway, if that helps."
"Yeah, it does. Alrighty then, I'll be over in a half hour, talk to you soon.
Bye."
"Bye Carrie."
After each of the girls hung up the phone, they both had a large case of butterflies.
Meanwhile…
Jessie and Katie were just about finished with their amazing dinner. Katie decided to take
her out to this really nice restaurant called Mi Amor Siempre. The lighting set a very
romantic mood and I guess so did the name of the restaurant, which means `My Love Always.'
Jessie ordered pasta primavera and Katie ordered chicken alfredo. With wine in hand and
conversation and love in the air, the two women couldn't have been happier. Katie was
definitely being the pure romantic, whispering sweet things into Jessie's ear. Jessie felt
like she was in heaven and everything with Katie was just a dream, but it wasn't. This was
all real and they were both living the dream. Both Katie and Jessie were dressed quite
nicely. Jessie had on a long black skirt with a light blue top. She put her hair up into a
bun, leaving a little bit of hair out to shape the frame of her face. Nonetheless, she
looked stunning regardless. Katie was wearing slightly tight fitting pair of khakis,
don't worry, they looked classy, and a gray ¾ sleeve button down shirt and she let her
hair just let her hair down, with a part slightly off to one side. While they were still
waiting for their bill, Katie could tell that Jessie was in her own world, not necessarily
bored or anything, but in her own peaceful place.
"Hey babe," Katie whispered. "What ya thinkin' about?"
"Oh, it's nothing."
"You can tell me, you know."
"Well, you're going to think it's stupid." Even though Jessie and Katie were in
their mid-forties, whenever Jess was around Katie, she was taken back to that time where
they were still teens. Both girls, definitely women now, both remained as vibrant as they
were in their youth, just a little older looking.
"No I won't, I promise Jess."
"Ok, ok, I'll tell you…I was just thinking of one of Bryan Adams' songs, it
reminded me of how I feel right now."
"Oh, that isn't worth laughing about. Wait, which song is it?"
"Heaven."
"Oh, didn't the late DJ Sammy remix that song in the early 2000's?"
"Yeah, he did. I like the original better, but that's just my opinion."
"I don't really remember the words too well." Katie was obviously lying, all
through college, that song was all over the radio and in the local clubs. She would never
forget that song because it was the song that got her really interested in techno music,
even though it was considered oldies music by today's youth. "Why don't you sing me a
few bars?"
Jessie knew perfectly well that Katie knew all of the lyrics, but she wanted to hear them
from her. After debating it for a few seconds, she agreed.
"Alright, but just because I love you." When Jessie said those three small
words, Katie was taken back. At first, Jessie just said it as something lighthearted to
say; she didn't realize the magnitude of her own words. They'd been dating again for about
two months now and up until this moment, neither one had said anything about love. It had
been so long since they'd last said those words to each other.
"…Do you really mean that Jess?"
"Yeah, I'll sing some for you."
"No, I mean about you loving me. Did you really mean it?"
"Well, yeah, I did. I do mean it Katie. These past two months have made me realize
how much I missed you and that I love spending time with you."
"Yeah, I know. I don't know how long it's been since I've felt this happy. And
Jess?"
"Yes Katie?"
"I love you too." Now both of them were smiling. Katie then pulled Jessie close
to her so that Jess was kind of leaning on Katie, and she began to softly sing.
"Oh thinkin' about our younger years
There was only you and me – we were young and wild and free
Now nothin' can take you away from me
We've been down that road before – but that's over now
You keep me comin' back for more
Baby you're all that I want when you're lying in my arms
I'm findin' it hard to believe we're in heaven
Cuz love is all that I need and I found it there in your heart
It isn't too hard to see we're in heaven
Oh once in your life you find someone
Who will turn your world around
Bring you up when you're feelin' down
Now nothing can change what you mean to me
There's a lot that I could say
But just hold me now – cuz our love will light the way
I've been waitin' for so long
For something to arrive – for love to come along
Now our dreams are coming true – thru the good times and the bad
I'll be standing there by you"
"Oh Jess, I love you so much, I always have. I know I screwed up in the past, but
trust me, I'm going to more than willingly make it up to you now and forever."
These words puzzled Jessie very much. She knew Katie was apologizing about the past, but
what did she mean when she said, "I'm going to more than willingly make it up to you
now and forever?"
If only Jessie knew that tonight would change everything, for better or worse. That, and
Katie had been fumbling with a small black box in her pocket the whole night…
Later that night…(Madison's POV)
Despite my initial instincts, I decided to take a quick shower after ordering the pizza. I
take really fast showers, so I still had maybe 15 minutes to spare before Carrie would
come. For some weird reason, I raided my closet for something good looking to wear. I'm
not sure why I had this need to find something better than what I was already wearing that
day, my new pair of Dickies and a blue polo. Anyways, I ended up wearing one of my more
`feminine' outfits consisting of a pair of khakis flares and a white peasant top. It
didn't look too shabby as I looked into the mirror. My hair was just towel dried, messy,
but clever. I guess I always have this look like I just woke up yet took forty minutes to
get ready. I wonder if I should clean my room. I mean, my laptop is in my room, but I
could always bring it up so we could just work at the table or something. I guess I should
and besides, that's one less chore I have to do this weekend.
7:40-ish
*Ding, dong *
Oh, that must be Carrie, or the pizza guy, one of the two.
It was the pizza guy. Darn.
"Umm…that'll be $ 8.99 please." The guy then handed me the ridiculously hot
pizza box and I handed him a $10.
"Keep the change."
"Thanks."
I was just about to shut the door when a green '28 mustang parked right by the house.
Carrie. I quickly left the door to go set the pizza down, so I could greet her without a
pizza box in my hands. When I got to the door, I was completely stunned. There stood
Carrie Blackstone, she had dressed more casually for tonight. She was wearing a pair of
black Dickies, a pair of white and black vans, a hot pink t-shirt with a black O'Neil
hoodie over it. Dammit, I should have just kept my Dickies and polo! I don't think Carrie
minded too much that I was dressed a little bit nicer than usual.
"Nice outfit, it looks good on you." That was defiantly better than a regular
`hey' or `hello.'
"Thanks. You look good too. I'm lovin' the black hoodie, it's cool."
"Thank you. Oh I hope you like older movies. When I went to Blockbuster's, there
weren't any good new releases." Before I answered, I led Carrie into the house,
towards the kitchen.
"I'm sure whatever you got will be fine. We better eat now before the pizza gets
cold. After we can go downstairs to do some research then watch the movie or movies. How
does that sound?"
"Sounds great. I brought some stuff we could look through."
"Ok. So, what would you like to drink? We have pop, water, juice, milk, and
lemonade."
"Wow, that's a lot to chose from. Let's see…I'll just have some water
please."
"Alright."
For the next twenty minutes, we ate the pizza, which was really good by the way, and just
talked about minimal conversation things like school.
"Thanks for the pizza."
"It was no problem, you can thank my mom. She's the one who left the money."
"Maybe I will. Where is she by the way?"
"She's out to dinner with…a friend of hers." Hopefully that didn't seem too
obvious. "Oh, and speaking of my mom, she told me to tell you that she wants you to
come by her office tomorrow before the competition. She'll be in her office around
9."
I knew that would make a very uncomfortable situation. By the look in Carrie's face, I
could tell that she wasn't sure if she should go into detail or not for why she had to see
my mom, but also, she didn't know how much I knew, which wasn't anything.
"…Umm…wow, you can tell your mom that I'll be in to see her then."
"Ok. Sorry about that. I didn't mean to make things awkward, but when I mentioned
that we were doing a project together and wanted me to tell you to come see her."
"So, how much DID she tell you, about the fact that I have to see her tomorrow?"
"Not much. All I know is that you're one of her patients. Why? Is there something I
should know?"
"…Well, there's something wrong with my heart. I don't like a lot of people
knowing about it because I don't want anyone feeling sorry for me. If anything, it's only
made me more strong willed. Your mom has really helped me a lot with both the physical
aspects but she's also been really great with me mentally. I kind of consider your mom a
mentor, I mean after all, she was the only person I ever really felt comfortable enough to
discuss my sexual preferences."
"Wow, I had no idea. My mom never really talks much about her patients. I'm glad my
mom's been a good mentor for somebody."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, my mom's great to me, she really is, but when it comes to actually being there
to listen to me and being there for me, she's not the greatest. For most parent/child
talks, I go talk to my Uncle Eli or my Aunt Grace. Mom's always so busy, oh well, I guess
I'll be able to deal, I've been doing pretty good for the past 17 years."
"Oh Madison, I'm so sorry. I think I have a certain understanding of how you feel.
Though it's not close, I feel your pain. At least you don't have two parents who'd rather
spend more time with your older, perfect sister, than with you."
"You know what Care, I think that with each other's help, we'll get through this.
Now, before we both start crying up a storm, let's go start working on our project."
"Okay."
"Yeah, sure. My laptop is in the basement."
We headed towards the basement.
"What's behind that other door?"
"Oh, that's the studio. My Uncle Eli and his band use it a lot, especially with the
material for their 4th album."
"That's awesome. What's the name of the band?"
"Average Jo. They started out as a mix between punk and hard rock, but now they've
eased up on the punk, mostly because they're kind of too old for it now. But I never said
that."
She laughed. "Don't worry, I won't say anything."
"Do you want me to show you around?"
"That would be great."
I led her into the studio. I showed her the soundboards and told her about the microphones
and all of that stuff.
"Wow, this is all really cool. So are all of these instruments your uncle's and his
bands?"
"Actually they're mine. The blue DW drum set and the black and white Fender Strat
bass guitar are gifts from my Aunt Grace; the Sony keyboard is from my Aunt Zoë, the
white Fender Strat is from my Uncle Eli and I bought the two Taylor acoustics, mostly from
the money I won from skateboarding, although my mom doesn't know that. She thinks that I
got the money for those from my job Ben's Music Center." Just for clarification, Ben
is the bass guitarist in Average Jo. He's pretty cool.
"Wow, that's awesome. So, I'm guessing you're pretty good then."
"I guess you could say that. I still have a lot to learn though."
"I'm sure you're just being modest." Then there was a short period of an odd
silence.
"So…we better get working on our research."
"Good idea Care."
Until around 9 p.m. Carrie and I worked on the research for our paper. We had SO much
info, we already had already written four pages of our report.
"Whoa, I don't think we need any more stuff for our report. This is so great that we
finished it in advance. Now tomorrow we can just have fun skating." Carrie was really
happy about our results, but I wasn't. It was great that we got more than enough written
for our paper, but how could I explain it to Kelly? If she ever found out that we already
finished the paper, she'll freak. Carrie could probably see the lack of comfort I was
feeling after we finished.
"Hey Madison, what's wrong?"
"Oh, it's nothing really." She didn't buy it and quite frankly, I don't think I
would have either.
"Wait, you didn't cancel any plans for tomorrow, did you?"
"Well," I started. "I sort of had plans to see this play in the city with
Kelly tomorrow, but I canceled because of our project. She wasn't too happy about it if
you know what I mean, and now I don't know how she'd take it if she found out that we
already finished and I spent all of tomorrow skating instead of hanging out with
her."
"I'm sorry that you had to cancel on your friend. If she's really your friend, she'll
understand. Besides, it's not like she owns you or something, like you're going out;
you're just friends and friends understand." Holy ----! Oh Carrie, if only you
knew…
"…Yeah, I guess you have a point. How about we watch the movie now?"
"I brought 13 Ghosts, Memento, and But I'm a Cheerleader. Do any of those sound good
to you?"
"Let me see…I've seen 13 Ghosts and Memento, but I haven't seen But I'm a
Cheerleader. What's it about?"
"Well, from what I read on the box, it's just supposed to be a hilarious movie about
a girl who figures out who she is or something like that. It sounded like it could be
pretty good. Some of the older skaters I know say its one of the classic cult films of the
late `90s."
"Okay, let's pop it in. Do you want some popcorn or something?"
"No, that's ok. Coach said we all have to watch what we eat, until the season is over
with anyways, so I'll pass. Thanks for the offer though."
"I guess you have a point, Coach Jones has been on everyone's cases to get off our
summer diets as he'd like to call them and get back into serious training."
"I see. They only want us to be at our optimum level."
"Yeah, that's true."
We probably would have continued to talk about sports, but the movie started. Things were
going pretty good. We were both at opposite ends of the couch. Every once in awhile I
glanced over at Carrie's direction, she was hugging one of the pillows. At that moment,
she looked cute, really cute. When I focused back into the movie, I thought I was going to
crap my pants or something. The cheerleader is…going to a gay camp! Holy Mother!
"Whoa! Carrie, they didn't say anything about THIS on the back of the cover, did
it???"
"NO, unless I can't read or something. Holy crap. I didn't think this movie was going
to be anything like this. I'm sorry, if you want, we could watch something else." I
could sense the fear in her eyes, she really didn't know about it.
"It's ok Care, maybe this'll turn out to be funny, I hope."
"Yeah, but if this is offending you in any way, just say the word and we'll watch
something else." I think the reason behind that sentence was because she was gay and
she doesn't know that I am.
With that, we continued to watch in mostly silence, unless there was a need to laugh. The
movie was pretty funny and I guess I could see why it was such a cult classic. I couldn't
help but notice how hard Carrie tried to not let it show how interested she was in the
movie, especially when the two main girls started making out. Then again, I was doing the
same thing; only I had to try harder, because no one knows about Kelly and I.
By the time the movie was over, it was rounding 11:17 p.m. Carrie knows as well as I do
that if you're involved in a school sport, there's an 11:30 curfew. So she went downstairs
to grab her bag while I rewound the tape.
"Well, thanks for having me over tonight. I had a really good time. I guess I'll see
you tomorrow then." I could tell Carrie was a little disappointed that the night had
to end, despite the fact that we really didn't get a chance to talk. I felt the same way
though. Carrie's a really cool, nice, sweet person that I'd love to become friends with.
"Oh yeah, it's no problem. Thanks for saving me from Ralph today. I am forever
indebted to you." I then reached out my hands making them surround Carrie's, I closed
my eyes and bowed. I thought it would just be funny, but a weird vibe came from it. I
could feel Carrie's hands slightly tremble, but in a good way. To tell you the truth, it
actually made me a little scared. I wasn't scared that she liked me, but that I might like
her back. After about a minute I came up from my bow and released my hands from hers.
Carrie was blushing slightly. "Well, I better get going, don't want to miss curfew
and all. My parents would just LOVE that. Remember, 12:30 tomorrow. Okay?"
"Yeah, don't worry. I'll be there. Night Care."
Carrie then responded with a simple, "Good night Madison." This followed a quick
hug. I don't want to admit this, but it was like there was an instant connection between
us. I wasn't quite sure what to make of it and I'm still not sure. I like Kelly, a lot,
but I don't know anymore.
I watched from the door as she walked to her car. Carrie had a slight skip to her walk,
like she had just had an amazing time/moment. Tomorrow will be a lot of fun, but I better
call Kelly, just to make sure she first hears anything from me.
Later that night…
Katie couldn't believe it. She was going to propose and everything was going to be
perfect, assuming that Jessie would say yes, that is. Their evening ended with a walk in
the park. The ring Katie picked out was amazing. It was a heart-shaped diamond with two
circular diamonds, one on each side of the heart and the stones were on a silver band.
This ring was something Katie had spent a lot of time thinking about. I mean after all,
the ring was bought almost thirty years ago! That last day they spent in London together
wasn't supposed to end that way. Katie told Jessie about her past because she wanted Jess
to know all of Katie's dark secrets from her past, so they could spend their futures
together. You see, young Katie Singer was going to propose to Jessie that night, but that
obviously didn't happen. She didn't know why she kept the ring, but she just couldn't let
go of the notion that someday they might get back together. She guessed that that little
black box would just have to wait until another time, yet again…
Back at the Sammler/Walker Residence…(Jessie's POV)
Oh wow, it's already 12:30, I wonder if Madison's still up. What am I kidding?? Of course
she's still up, it's the summer and she's a teenager. I wonder how her evening went with
Carrie. I'm not sure why, but I had the strangest feeling Katie wanted to talk about
something tonight at dinner. I can't put my finger on it, but I just had this feeling.
Well, maybe she'll come around to talking about whatever it was that she was thinking
about tomorrow or something.
I went up the stairs and into my bedroom. After I turned on the light, I decided to change
into something more comfy. Even though I'm no longer a child, I still enjoy wearing
pajamas with little animals on it. Tonight it's a tee shirt and pant set that's white with
little koala bears on it. In my opinion, they're very cute. I decided to take out my
contacts and put on my glasses, then I made her way towards the basement where Madison was
most likely to be.
"Hey honey, what are you doing up this late? How was your night?" Madison was at
her computer, doing who knows what. I decided to take a seat on her bed, waiting for her
to either dismiss me or come over and join me. I know I haven't always been there for her,
but I love her with all of my heart. I'm trying my best but with my hectic work schedule,
I don't think Maddy sees it that way.
"Oh, hey Mom. I couldn't sleep so I decided to work on some of the lyrics for my
demo. My night was pretty good. How about yours? Did you just get home?"
"Well, I'm glad that you had a good night. Katie and I had a wonderful dinner and
yes, I did just get home. Hey, wanna sing me a few bars of whatever song you're working
on?" Please don't shut me out Madison.
"Wow, Katie's been keeping you out pretty late, considering you have to go to work
tomorrow morning." Madison was obviously kidding; trying to act all motherly to me. I
always get a kick out of it because when I was her age, I did the same thing to my mom.
"So, how about those lyrics? I've been dying to hear the final product since Eli told
me about your tape."
"Well, just to give you fair warning, I'm not completely satisfied with them. Maybe
you could give me your advice, if you don't mind."
"Oh, I wouldn't mind one bit."
"Alright." Madison fooled around with the computer for a minute and finally got
the song ready for playing.
From start to end, I couldn't believe my ears. I never knew Madison had this kind of
energy and talent. She completely blew me away. This song reminded me of a
combination of John Mayer and Dashboard Confessional for their acoustic guitar sounds,
she's got the voice of Michelle Branch, Avril Lavigne, and that girl from Save Ferris. But
the lyrics were pretty original, true Madison Walker style. They aren't the most complex
and she's no Carole King or Ani Difranco, but she's pretty good. Here are the lyrics.
We need to talk
Why can't everything be all right?
I'm searching deep down in my soul
To find the right answer
What happened between us?
That made us so damn crazy
I'm tossing and turning all the time
I'm still looking for that answer
It's been so long
Since you were in my arms
I miss that feeling
But the answer is nowhere near
The answer, the answer
How can I ever find the answer?
I don't know why things are so crazy
All I know is that I need you near
The answer, the answer
How can I ever find that answer?
I don't know why things are so hectic
All I know is we need each other
When you left me here
You were looking for some answers
I was supposed to make up my mind
But I still can't answer
I need you here
Right by my side
I know we both still care
So why can't we just be together???
The answer, the answer
How can I ever find the answer?
Whatever I do, it'll never satisfy you
It'll never satisfy you
The answer
The answer
The answer – I'm so sorry I can't find the right words to give you
that answer
"Wow Madison, that was amazing."
"Thanks Mom. I still don't know if I'm going to use this one on my demo, but Uncle E
and the guys all like this one the best, so I don't know. Well, I gotta get some sleep,
otherwise I'll be too tired to think tomorrow. Night Mom."
"Night Madison."