Bird Of A Feather

"Maybe," ,answered Emilia, absolute sincerity shining in her hazel eyes. "Because I want to. Now come here."

"Uh, uh, all I have on me right now is like ten dollars."

"Whatever. Now pull my panties down."

"What?"

"You heard me. Pull them down. Just...lock your door first. Go ahead."

Luela hesitated, stared. Briskly, she moved to the door, then returned to face Emilia.

"How should I-" ,Luela stuttered. "What's the matter, Luela?" ,her friend smiled playfully. "Don't wear underwear, so you don't know how to take it off?"

Luela breathed deeply, her face becoming flushed, her vulva engorged. She lowered herself before Emilia. Once on her knees, Luela began to stare at the light blue panties. Slowly, she reached toward Emilia's hips, then proceeded to gently tug the garment down. Luela did not look at her model's sex at first, but instead watched her hands pull the panties to Emilia's knees. Only when they arrived, stretched like a hammock, did she look. For a long moment Luela was mesmerized, entranced with the young woman's fastidiously groomed brown hair. She uttered, how beautiful you are, how perfect. Feeling embarrassed, foolish, Luela rose to face Emilia. She did not see that her friend's legs were shaking, her belly quivering.

"You know, it's funny." ,Emilia whispered nervously, her breath increasing the warmth of Luela's face. "I used to think that it would be okay to be naked in front of another girl because you couldn't really tell if I was excited, because excitement, on the outside, looks exactly like embarrassment. But I guess I'm too embarrassed to show my excitement, or my tendency to be embarrassed, too socially manipulated- Am I making any kind of sense?"

Luela smiled softly, and nodded.

"But I realize now," ,Emilia continued. "That its okay. You know? I mean, its not like we get these erections like-"

"We get erections." ,Luela interrupted.

"We do? Oh my God, just look at me standing here, all half naked, and stuff. Luela, am I beautiful, tell me the truth?"

"Yes, Emmy you are beautiful."

"Oh man, I must be like bright red. Anyway, Lue, I realize that I'm...okay. I can get excited. I am excited, and I think I'm afraid, and I don't know what to do. Tell me what to do, Luela. Tell me about...it. What is it about...down there?"

"I like women, Em." ,smiled Luela, fighting the tremendous force that demanded that she throw her arms around the splendence before her. "Down there is the beginning and the end of woman. Hell, of everything."

"Why mine, specifically?"

"Because...I like the woman in you."

Emilia pressed her lips, like a child, to Luela's. By her feet she saw what her companion had rendered so far.

"The woman in me huh?" ,Emilia, noticing that the artist was also looking toward the work in progress. ""You make me prettier than I really am."

"Take my word for it, Emmy. You are beautiful." "Beautiful, yeah. So what was that...you were saying, about how we get erections too?"

"You want me to show you? ,breathed Luela against the other's cheek.

"Okay." ,Emilia whispered, reaching her arms around the other.

From a quarter after three to six that evening, Luela had explained -and demonstrated- everything. They began by exchanging kiss for kiss, caress for caress, then graduated to specific exploration. For the next hour after that Luela discussed auto-manipulation, demonstrating on both herself and her partner. She had preface the explanation on ownership of one's body upon revealing her shaved vulva, leaving both to wonder if the lesson was somehow foretold through some subconscious level of fantasy. Emilia learned quickly, and spent a half hour to herself. From there the couple moved into unfamiliar territory. Neither Luela, nor Emilia ever performed, let alone received cunnelingus. Boldly, Luela made the first attempt at it. That act alone occupied nearly over an hour, both spirits afloat, above and beyond. When it came time for Emilia to try, she flatly refused to even make the attempt. Although Luela understood her companion's reluctance, tiny moths of disappointment and betrayal fluttered in the pit of her stomach. A quiet grew between them as they lay naked and moist. Emilia realized how unfair it was to not even try. Before Luela was aware of it, Emilia had reached a finger into her friend's vagina. She watched as Emilia brought it to her open mouth, then watched as she sucked the moisture from her fingers. A moment later Emilia found herself orally gratifying Luela. She giggled joyfully, amazed at the actual succulence. Ten minutes later she had eased her body around so that she could allow Luela to indulge her simultaneously. Emilia's giggling sputtered into silence. Gradually from that it silenced passed anxious harmonious breaths, multiplying with each minute.

It was a quarter after six when they hurriedly, happily, washed their faces together at the bathroom sink. Luela checked the time. Her parents would be home soon. The two young women stood before the threshold to Luela's room, nervous smiles and clasped hands with fitful fingers. Luela wanted Emilia to stay, but wouldn't say so. Nor would she assume that her sensually inspired companion was ready to face them in this new light. Rosy cheeked and charged ecstatic, Emilia hadn't the slightest clue what to do or say next. With every line of neural communication firing from id to ego, the only message to get through was that her body was still tingling in some places. Luela moved toward the front door. Emilia followed. A moment passed without a single word exchanged. They stood together at the door, faces cast downward, and their feet toe to toe. Presently, Luela leaned in slowly to kiss Emilia's cheek. From outside came the twilight medley of the mocking bird perched atop the swamp maple in the dooryard. Emilia returned the kiss, then reached her arms around Luela. The mocking bird sang its rendition of the knighting gale's night song, bridging each measure with its own dulcet trill. After the fourth measure, the lovers relinquished their embrace. Luela shrugged, then leaned against the door. Emilia also shrugged, and leaned against the door.

"So." ,said Emilia.

"So?" ,answered Luela.

The mocking bird, its own captive audience, improvised with a gold finch inspired eer chic o ree.

"Wow, I can't believe I'm a lesbian! This is so cool. God, I can't wait to tell Janey, and all them. Man! Stephen is goin to freak! Luela? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Emmy. Maybe, maybe we should talk about this some more."

"Sure. Whatever. Wait. So then, I can't tell anyone at school?"

"Uh...no, not yet."

Luela stepped back from the door, and opened it.

"That's cool. Hey, I have to tell you something. I thought that us...doing it, would change everything. But you know what? I feel like everything is going to be just like it was, except a little different. Does that make sense? Do you know what I mean?"

"Yeah. I think so."

"Cool." ,smiled Emilia, standing between Luela and the open door. "Okay, so I'll see you in school tomorrow?"

"Yep."

"Mums the word on our little secret?"

"Our little secret is safe with me."

Still smiling, Emilia stepped onto the front walk. After three steps she turned immediately around. Drawing close to Luela, Emilia scanned the windows next door, across the street, then gave her companion a great wet open kiss on the mouth. With that she scurried to her car and left. Had she really said that, Luela wondered. It was just as well. Luela herself had no social immersion experience. So far, she's only been homosexual in the privacy of her own...room. Then again, she wouldn't consider herself a fish out of water either. Three words, Luela thought, worst-case scenario? A little name-calling, a lot of name-calling, excommunication? Or perhaps it would be all right, particularly if there were more people like Emilia, who believed it was hip to be gay. Or maybe, in the whole damn school, its just Emilia who thinks like that. Well...I suppose I could humor her for a while.

Luela listened a while longer to the mimicked knighting gale lullaby before finally closing the door. As she shuffled back toward the kitchen end of the hall, Luela returned her attention inward, to their conversation the day before.. Second to serial killers, teenagers are the most heartless creatures on the planet. Luela smiled as she turned into the kitchen. The thought now striking her as funny, more amusing than ironic. Maybe cruel is the better word. Luela peered into the refrigerator, retreved an apple, then closed the door. While taking her first mouthful of the fruit's flesh, Luela thought an image of the goddess Diana conjuring Acteon the hunter into the hunted, and felt suddenly inspired to start work on a self-portrait.