A Quiet Lady's Place 03.1: Clancy

Raleigh teared up, "You are such a wonderful person, Clancy, and I also consider you my new best friend."

Clancy quipped, "Girl, we must tart you up for the special Sunday Jazz Hour event, and I know just the place. It is a second-time-around shop whose proceeds help feed people in need. I have stopped in the shop on a few occasions, making food donations. I met a volunteer named Bertha, who also does alterations on the side, so we can work with her"

Raleigh nervously asked, "How much will it cost? I am on a very tight budget."

"We should be able to do the dresses complete with Bertha's alterations for $40 to $50 each. I have a few nice black clutches, which are a must for Sunday Jazz," Clancy replied. "Do you have any black low or medium-heeled dress shoes and black thigh-high stockings?"

Raleigh looked sad, "I do not have any nice dressy clothes. Maybe you should go without me."

"No!" snapped Clancy. She quickly apologized for raising her voice.

Clancy continued, "We will find one nice outfit for you, including shoes, stockings, and a thong. You will use this outfit whenever nice dressing up is required. Most stylish cocktail dresses have built-in bras. We will ask Bertha, the volunteer lady, to help us locate a nice medium-priced lingerie shop for thongs and stockings.

"Once your tarting-up ensemble is done, the dressy clothes will always hang here in the guest bedroom closet. We may be out late for social events, possibly snatching a glass of wine undercover. It is safer and best for you to stay here on those nights."

SUNDAY JAZZ HOUR:

The two girls had an uneventful ten days at GU before it was time for the Sunday Jazz Hour at the club. They spent that time mostly working out and getting in shape together. Clancy planned to run the 800m, and Raleigh wanted to join the 4 X 400m relay team. They ran long distances together almost daily, preparing for the upcoming track season and improving their stamina. All of Clancy and Raleigh's classes were going well since both girls excelled academically.

Clancy and Raleigh found nice basic outfits at the Second Time Around shop. Clancy explained their invite for the Sunday Jazz Hour to Bertha was the reason they wanted to look perfect. She had previously mentioned Raleigh's financial situation to Bertha, asking her to give them the best deal possible.

Bertha was so thrilled with Clancy's caring actions for Raleigh that she called in a few favors. She could outfit them for just the cost of their Second Time Around dresses. The Lingerie Shop/Shoe Palace would provide matching clutches, shoes, thigh-high silk stockings, and thongs free of charge but with one request. They wanted to take photos of Clancy and Raleigh at the Jazz Hour. Clancy and Raleigh were okay with pictures taken of them, so she phoned Jeremy and explained their situation.

Jeremy returned her call, "Thomas, the owner, is delighted with a brief photo session at the Jazz Club, especially if the lingerie shop publicizes the Sunday Jazz Hour. I am so happy you are coming on Sunday, Clancy, and I hope we will have time to talk more."

At 3:00 PM Sunday, Clancy and Raleigh were hotly dolled up as they strode elegantly into the Jazz Club. With all eyes glued to them, Clancy sought out Jeremy, giving him a hug and a soft kiss on the cheek. Raleigh also greeted Jeremy with a hug and kiss, who was rendered speechless by their grace and style. He was very proud, leading them to his especially reserved guest table.

Thomas came over and said hello, totally enthralled with their attire. He informed them the Lingerie/Palace photographer was already here to take photos before the jazz group started playing. Thomas loved the thank-you kiss that Clancy and Raleigh gave Jeremy, so he asked them to re-enact it for a photo.

The photographer finished her quick shoot, thanking Clancy and Raleigh. She told the girls they looked spectacular in all of her shots. She then left, saying Bertha would contact them early next week and arrange a time for the two of them to view the pictures.

Everything quickly settled down after the photo shoot, although Clancy and Raleigh received a few stares and glares from the AKA table of twelve girls.

Thomas was all smiles since photos from the shoot would undoubtedly help boost business for the Jazz Club.

Jeremy was very attentive to the two girls and asked, "Can one of my teammates sit with you when he gets here? His name is Rory Nelson, and he loves Jazz. He is a fresher football player like me, hoping to make the varsity team this year."

Raleigh answered, "Definitely yes to a fellow footie!"

Clancy added, "Any friend of yours is welcome at our table!"

Jeremy thanked the girls for their kindness. "I will bring Rory over to your table when he arrives. It should be about thirty minutes."

During a quiet moment, Thomas came over. He queried Clancy, "I hear you are a wine connoisseur and would like your opinion on this bottle. I won a twelve-bottle case of this wine from my local distributor on a football bet. I am not a wine expert, so I am not familiar with the brand or vintage."

Clancy looked excitedly at the bottle, "Oh, My! This exquisite 2010 Liber Pater Graves Cabernet costs approximately $40,000 a case wholesale. This 750ml bottle would easily retail for $4,300 if you could find it in the USA! How in the world did you win a case of this wine on a football bet?"

"Are you serious, Clancy?" Thomas asked, roaring in laughter. "I must return the case to him!" Thomas added, "I know it is difficult to enjoy the Jazz Hour without a glass of wine. How about I gift you a bottle of our best-selling Cabernet Sauvignon for you and Raleigh to enjoy at home?"

Clancy, "Thank you, Thomas. However, as friends, we cannot accept such a gift. Inviting us to the Sunday Jazz Hour is all the thanks we need. But if your distributor friend offers us a nice bottle of his bestselling Bordeaux, we will happily accept his generosity."

Raleigh agreed, "You are a wonderful person and have treated us special, so we cannot accept a gift for helping a friend. I also feel that you respect your distributor quite dearly, being willing to part with this exquisite case of Bordeaux. You are an absolute gentleman with whom we are so proud to feel a friendship. Based on your kindness and honor, Clancy and I are definitely in the perfect Jazz Club."

"Will you please take a photo of Clancy and me accepting the bottle from Jeremy? I bet Clancy's mom and dad would just love to have a photo of us with this expensive wine for their home when they retire," Raleigh said with a nice smile.

Clancy shook her head slowly, "Surely, this must have been a unique situation with your friend. No distributor would likely inventory any Liber Pater Grave wines. Their wines' current retail price ranges are anywhere from $54,000 to $420,000/case of 12 X 750ml bottles!"

Suddenly, a loud squeal, "There are my two beautiful models," as a fully decked-out Bertha strutted dramatically into the Jazz Club!

Clancy immediately introduced Bertha to Thomas and Jeremy as the designer of her and Raleigh's cocktail dress ensembles. She was also the lady that organized the mini-Photo-Shoot. Bertha gave both guys friendly, warm hugs as they complimented her on outfitting the girls for today's event.

Thomas turned to Bertha, "Please stay and join the girls enjoying more Sunday Jazz while I fetch you a nice glass of wine."

Taking Clancy's hand, Thomas asked, "Please come with me and select a nice wine for Bertha."

Clancy queried Bertha, "Do you prefer a heartier, dryer, or lighter red wine?"

A flustered Bertha responded bashfully, "I have not experienced drinking much wine in the past, so I would like a glass of a dryer white wine."

"Done," answered Clancy.

Looking in Thomas's walk-in cooler, Clancy spied a 'Patrice Moreux' Pouilly-Fume Cuvee Prestige 'Les Benedictins' from a good year. "This bottle will be perfect for Bertha, which she will undoubtedly enjoy," Clancy offered. "Also, do you have a nice brand of non-alcoholic Red Wine since Bertha should not have to drink alone her first time here?"

Thomas, "I have a case of non-alcoholic Red which is from the same distributor; he had previously asked the Jazz Club to sample our customers on its taste. We have many GU students as customers, mostly under the age of 21, so it's logical to stock a good non-alcoholic wine and NA beer. We should explore this NA-Wine now while the Jazz Club's wine connoisseur is on-site?"

"You are a sly devil, Thomas." Clancy joked.

Thomas was happy catering to his guest table of three delightful ladies. Bertha enjoyed her two glasses of Fume and was now definitely a convert to slightly flinty white wines. Clancy and Raleigh seemed pleased with their non-alcoholic Red, saying it was a tasty, full-bodied wine despite not having alcohol.

A few minutes later, a knock-out handsome guy walked into the Jazz Club, seemingly searching for someone. Raleigh took a long look and then walked over to him, "Are you, Rory?"

"Yes, I am Rory, so you must be Raleigh! I am delighted meeting you after Jer ... Jeremy has talked so much about you and Clancy."

Raleigh brought Rory to the table, "Clancy and Bertha, this is Rory, Jeremy's friend who will sit with us for the rest of this evening." Everyone said their hellos and the various fun conversation(s) continued with Rory now included.

A few minutes later, another person joined their table for a brief visit. He was Anthony, the Jazz Club's alcohol distributor. Somehow, he had taken a football game bet with Thomas for a twelve-bottle case of French Boudreaux and lost. He thought the wine he'd bet Thomas on was nice, probably at $120/bottle. So Anthony was stunned to learn the case he paid Thomas with actually costs 4,300 USDSD/bottle!

Anthony further explained, "Our Company imported a 'Special Order' with a previous order for French Wines. I mistakenly took the customer's special Liber Pater Graves wine order to pay off my bet with Thomas."

Anthony was overjoyed at Thomas's honesty and saving his life from the huge mistake. As a graceful thank you, he brought a nice twelve-bottle case of Bordeaux Red for his bet with Thomas and a second case for Clancy and Raleigh to share at home.

Thomas, Jeremy, Raleigh, Bertha, and Clancy thanked Anthony profusely, saying this is how real friends treat one another. Although Thomas and Anthony had a business relationship, anyone closely observing their interactions could easily see their refreshing friendship. Today's inspiring moment displayed the unbreakable bond and value of true friendship and respect.

As the Sunday evening Jazz Hour finished at 8:00 PM, Thomas asked everyone at the guest table to join him for a nice dinner next week. He would discuss the exact date and time with Jeremy, who would inform Clancy. As the owner, Thomas occasionally arranged to take a Saturday night off, and Jeremy did not work Saturdays. So Thomas proposed this coming Saturday for a nice dinner and maybe dancing later.

Nodding at Raleigh and Bertha, Clancy stated, "Saturday is great for us."

Raleigh asked, "Rory do you have any plans for Saturday night?"

He answered, "Not anything, so I am good for a Saturday evening outing with three stunning ladies."

Of course, Raleigh being Raleigh hit Rory back with, "Okay, lover boy, cool your jets!" with everyone having a great laugh.

On their ride home, Clancy and Raleigh talked about how Bertha had surprised them by dropping in and how she was warmly welcomed by Thomas, seemingly with a twinkle in his eye. Clancy admitted to being intrigued by Jeremy, thinking she might date him if asked. Raleigh commented that while she got on okay with Rory, she was not interested in dating anyone at the moment. However, she did anticipate enjoying a nice group dinner on Saturday night.

The girls needed to visit Bertha on Tuesday or Wednesday since Raleigh had to update her wardrobe with one more cocktail dress ensemble. They had briefly discussed this with Bertha on their drive home Sunday night. Bertha had two other outfits in mind for Raleigh that she could mix-n-match, making three nice combinations.

***

Raleigh had befriended a quiet, studious girl in the bio-physics lecture hall who opened up a little after their third joint session. Her name was Jeanette Rae Meadows, a charming, slightly tall blonde from Mobile, AL.

Jeanette was also a 4.00 GPA student on an academic scholarship. Raleigh learned that she was a fast runner and was willing to try out for the 4 X 400m relay team with her. Jeanette was committed if they both made the 4 X 400m team. But she seemed reluctant to agree or commit to running the 400m relay without Raleigh as a teammate.

Jeanette joined Raleigh and Clancy for their regular Friday lunch date. She was a doll, and Clancy immediately liked her quiet yet confident demeanor. Clancy suggested Jeanette start running with them for the next two weeks, building up her strength. Once Jeanette was up to speed and endurance, they would ask Jeremy to time them on wind sprints one day after football practice was over. The DC weather was still mild for late September into early October, so they could comfortably run outside.

Thomas chose a trendy Maryland Seafood spot for their evening out, having a limo collect the girls at Clancy's apartment. This was Bertha's first time at Clancy's place, and she was suitably impressed with its quaintness.

As they walked toward the restaurant, Clancy firmly grabbed Jeremy's arm with the others strolling alongside in a loose group. Thus began a great evening of conversation and awesome food, followed by dancing.

Clancy mentioned the girls' practice plans to Jeremy. "Raleigh and I, along with a new friend, Jeanette, are trying out for the track team. Could you and possibly Rory time us on some wind sprints? I also want to run a full-out 800m since I have not competed in several months."

Jeremy agreed to help them, "Thursday would be great since there are no classes at GU that day. What will Raleigh and the other girl Jeanette run?"

Raleigh answered, "Jeanette and I hope to join the 4 X 400m relay team. We both feel we are fast, but haven't run on a competitive relay team before."

Rory piped in, "I ran the 4 X 400m for many years in high school before settling on football as my sport. I can help you and Jeanette with good techniques for passing the baton, voice commands, and reading the track."

Raleigh gave Rory a nice hug, "You are such a wonderful guy, and thanks very much for your offer to help us."

Bertha winked at Raleigh, "Thomas, let's go watch them practice for a while before you open the club. If it's okay with everyone, we can all meet at the field track at 1:00 PM."

Their conversation continued to several topics as the six friends enjoyed a lovely Saturday evening dinner. Later, they strolled over to the lounge area and listened to the band. It was such fun with the group talking, dancing, and joking around until the band played a slow dance set.

Clancy pulled Jeremy onto the dance floor, flowing smoothly into his arms. She felt so comfortable laying her head on Jeremy's broad shoulders. She guessed he must be at least 6'3" since Clancy was nearly 6' and wearing 3" heels. Yet, Jeremy was still almost two inches above her. Clancy would often think back to those three slow dances as when she began to fall hard for Jeremy.

Today was Thursday, so Jeremy and Rory would time the three girls in sprints. The weather had warmed up nicely by 1:00 PM, with Clancy, Raleigh, and Jeanette Rae feeling comfortable in their summer track clothes. Somehow their sprint timing practice with the guys had leaked to the Women's Track Coach. She showed up to view the practice, bringing along with her two coaching assistants and two senior team members.

Clancy led the girls in some stretches and other warm-up exercises. After completing her warm-up, Clancy asked Jeremy to time her running 800m. Then they would all work together, helping Jeanette Rae and Raleigh on the relays.

Clancy blew the track and coaches away with a very fast 800m at 2:24 for a practice run. The GU coaches and team members looked at Clancy with awe as she seemed to effortlessly run 800m just 29 seconds off the world-record time. Clancy was pleased with her time, feeling she could win many races running competitively for GU once she was completely in shape.

Everyone turned their attention to Raleigh and Jeanette as they made 200m wind sprints, burning the track up. Clancy walked over and sat both girls down for a brief discussion as she naturally assumed the leadership role for their practice. Whatever she said, the two girls would completely agree with her, vigorously nodding their heads. It was apparent to anyone watching them, Clancy was a natural leader and a talented 800m runner.

Raleigh and Jeanette Rae loped back over to Rory, who began working with them again on baton passing techniques and strategies, especially vocal commands. All eyes were on the two girls and Rory as they practiced his baton-passing commands within a ten-meter space.

Rory then had the three girls stand approximately 400m apart on the track since he intended to simulate a 4 X 400m relay. Rory would run the first leg handing off to Clancy, then Clancy to Raleigh for the third leg, and Jeanette as the anchor.

Rory got set, and Jeremy clapped loudly, with Rory exploding off the mark. His handoff to Clancy was clean, and she was totally into the wind blowing into Raleigh's position. Raleigh blasted off as if she was jet-propelled, passing the baton to Jeanette as they ran stride for stride at a blinding speed. Jeanette ate up the final 400m as if it was a pint of her favorite Ben & Jerry's, leaving everyone speechless.

Both girls quickly looked to Clancy, who called them over. She casually patted them on their butts as they discussed baton-passing techniques while cooling off. Clancy felt it best to combine a visual/push pass baton technique initially since they were just starting to run in relay-type races. She stressed that setting a world record or winning a competitive race was attainable for them with effortless and fluid baton handling.

The Women's Track Coach came over and welcomed all three girls to the team. For the past hour, she had seen enough to realize these three young ladies were serious runners. She was pleased that Jeremy and Rory would continue working with them until the track team tryouts were completed.

Once all the official GU coaching staff and track team members had finished wowing Clancy, Raleigh, and Jeanette, Thomas and Bertha wandered over. They were amazed at how fast the three girls had run.

Thomas commented, "Bertha and I have been friends with three of the fastest ladies at GU without knowing it."

Bertha agreed, "You three young ladies are so amazing. Each one of you is a great student and dynamic runner. Yet, you are so nice and kind to everyone you meet. We are so happy to be your friends and will come to watch you run for GU!"

Clancy and Jeremy became a couple in late fall after their sprint practices had finished. They were in a committed, emotionally alive relationship, not seeing anyone else. However, they were not yet sexually active in their first year of dating at GU. Clancy prided herself on being a virgin and chose not to have sex with Jeremy until their relationship was rock solid. Raleigh and Jeanette were also virgins well into their fresher year at GU, with neither girl dating anyone.

CLANCY AND JEREMY ON SPRING BREAK:

Clancy first met Jeremy at the Jazz Club nearly a month after arriving at GU. She, Raleigh, and Bertha frequently socialized with Jeremy and his friends. Jeremy and Clancy dated often, slowing a bit during the Christmas break, allowing Clancy some quality time with her parents, that were visiting for the holidays. Jeremy also visited his mom in Charleston, SC, for a few days over the holiday break.