Delicate Touches Pt. 03

"Would the lady in the black jacket in the corner like to say a few words?"

Stella winced and then got to her feet. As she made her way past Bill she smiled at him and then she was approaching the front and she shook his hand.

"Saint Kilda or Armadale?" he greeted her.

"Stella from Elwood," she replied.

Stella faced the people and then recognised three people halfway down and clutched the chair in front of her.

"Hiya, I'm Stella from Elwood and I'd like to thank Bill for his contribution but as my sponsor says all the time, you're better late than never."

A ripple of laughter sounded and she was rewarded by the tight grimace on Bill's face as she went on a few seconds later.

"It's the first time I've been to this meeting but I've been coming to meetings for the last five years and I've just been told that this three to five years mental sobriety is now five to seven for me. I came into this fellowship thinking I could blitz this like my bar exam but I was half pissed then and how I made it through the exam is beyond me. I think they just looked at me and thought if we don't pass this one she'll just keep coming back for more," she paused.

"And that's the way it was for me, I kept going back for more. I was always a fighter. I've fought some impossible cases in court and won quite a few of those cases but the one fight I couldn't win was with alcohol. I had all kinds of grand theories, the magic formula, counting your drinks, don't drink before five and then it was don't drink before midday, and that came down to don't drink before nine and finally," she paused.

"It was just try not to fuck up too badly today because by the end of my drinking I was a top up drunk. My briefcase was always heavier in the morning than the evening because I carried extra booze in it. I drank in courthouse toilets, out the back of the courthouse and on one occasion I bumped into my client who was in court after being busted for drink driving. He just looked at me and said, 'Jesus, I'm fucked,' and not even that could shame me into stopping," she glanced at Linda and was rewarded with a smile.

"In the end I found myself in a back alley in Melbourne sharing a bottle of cheap port with one of the raincoat brigade, which wasn't unusual for me. I'd been there before more than once but this one time I had what I now know is a psychic change. It was like I was standing outside myself and seeing this woman who had become a stranger to me. I had always thought myself to be intelligent, sophisticated, the kind of woman who could turn heads in a pub or club and when I started drinking way back when I was a teenager I was all of that," she paused.

"I had a reputation for being able to seduce any woman, a male colleague once told a group of friends at a pub that I could seduce the Virgin Mary and for that I used to thank alcohol because it gave me the courage to make a move on a woman but by the end of my drinking I couldn't even pick up a prostitute," she smiled crookedly and Linda smiled in return.

"I'd stopped going to pubs and clubs because I knew I'd get into a fight with some woman when I made a move on her girlfriend. I drank at home with the curtains drawn and I didn't sleep, I just passed out in my clothes and when I woke in the morning I didn't shower. I'd douse myself in perfume and convince myself I was in control. My employers had already had me in for a quiet chat, so it was only a matter of time before they let me go," she bowed her head.

"But that morning in the pissing rain I met myself as I really was when this dirty old drunk handed me a bottle and said, 'under those fucking clothes you're just like me, but without a cock,' and I kind of laughed but then I stopped laughing because he was right. I was him, the only reason I wasn't on the streets was because my mother paid half my rent every month. That day I went home and for the first time in years I didn't have a drink. I just sat there and let it all unwind and at about midnight I finally called Alcoholics Anonymous and spoke to Rosalyn. She was the first person I'd spoken to who knew what it was like to hide behind a façade of respectability. I always remember her words, 'the only difference between the drunk in the penthouse and the drunk in the Fitzroy Gardens is the price of the bottle."

She fiddled with her cuff.

"I'd like to say I came out of rehab and everything was hunky dory but like many of us I had to give it a lash, just one last time to make sure I wasn't overreacting. In the space of eighteen hours I lost my license for twelve months, was suspended from the bar for three months and fined a total of twelve hundred dollars for my exploits. That's one expensive drink," she glanced at the clock on the wall.

"But I'm taking up time and there's still plenty of it left. These days I'm sober, I do my regular meetings and I missed my regular one last night so I'm here tonight, late but I'm here. I have my license back, I'm practising law again and I took out a mortgage on a house a few years ago. I'm on my way to interview another housemate, I just accepted one woman last night and would you believe it? Another woman wants to move in as well, these days I am responsible, I pay my bills before they're due and I'm willing to accept my part when I do something wrong," she looked around the room.

"If anyone is struggling and thinking, oh it's all right for her, she's got the nice clothes and the job. Give it time, it takes time to get as bad as we got and it takes time to get better, I've just started seeing a woman and there's a part of me that wants to jump right in but she's as smart as me, she doesn't want to move into my place. I was the woman who could always find a willing partner to snuggle up to at night but when I came back after my brief lapse my sponsor told me if I was going to make it I'd need to close my legs and mouth, and open my eyes and ears. It's been five years and at this point in time I feel like I'm starting over with women all over again. She has her own place and I've got to accept that it is what it is right now. I don't know where it leads but as long as I stay sober I know I can handle this and I hope I haven't bothered or offended anyone," she turned and shook the chairperson's hand.

It might have been her imagination but the applause seemed a little louder than it was for Bill and indeed afterwards she got the impression that her response to his snarky comment had been the right one.

"You and I might have a mutual friend," Linda approached her after the meeting as she prepared to take her leave.

"Yeah?" Stella ran her eyes over her curvaceous figure.

"Mei Lin?"

Stella's eyes widened slightly.

"Oh, you know her?"

"We only just met this morning, I invited her back for coffee."

"I've only just met her last night, we had coffee together as well," Stella glanced past her for a moment.

"Can I speak to you, alone?"

"Sure," she nodded, "walk me to my car."

***

Mei Lin looked down at her phone as the friend request from Linda came through. She was sitting in the chair opposite her mother and father. He was his usual stoic self as he flicked through news items on his phone but her mother was sitting forward and looked decidedly anxious.

She accepted the friend request and then clicked the link to post a quick message of thanks on her phone along with a happy face.

"Who is this woman? Why are you moving out?"

"Mum," she glanced up, "I'm nineteen, I start uni next week, and if I'm accepted as a model the agency is in the city. It's a forty five minute trip on the train just to get into the city and this house in Elwood is much closer."

"Elwood is in Saint Kilda," her mother glanced at her husband.

"The area has changed," he frowned, "it is a rich area and Elwood is next door to Saint Kilda."

"It still has hookers."

"The hookers are all in brothels," Mei Lin reminded her, "there are two in Bayswater, one is on the other side of the creek," she glanced at the clock on the wall.

"She's a lawyer and Nicki is a photographer.

"Is she lesbian?"

Mei Lin's father looked at his wife as if she'd grown an extra head.

"Why is that so important to you?" he addressed her in Malaysian.

"This is Australia, not Malaysia," he went back to his phone, "how many times do you need me to remind you?"

Mei Lin tapped out a message on her phone as her father went on.

"I'm sure it will work out but if not," he glanced at her momentarily, "you have a place here, that is all I have to say on the matter."

Mei Lin murmured her thanks as she looked at the message she'd just sent.

Mei Lin: Please don't out yourself to mum, she's a major homophobe.

She smiled and leaned back against the sofa chair as she contemplated her mother, who seemed to be at a loss after that last rebuke. She eventually got up and went through to the kitchen, as was her habit whenever she'd been outfoxed. Mei Lin actually contemplated opening up to her father but he had started playing Candy Crush on his phone and she didn't want to disturb him.

She rose and went through to her room to get her knapsack, which held a change of clothes, some makeup and her laptop. Her phone beeped again and she read the Facebook message.

Linda: Hi! Turns out we have a mutual friend now. She'll tell you about it herself.

Mei Lin perched on the edge of the bed as she contemplated the message. Who was this mutual friend? She went over the two hours she'd spent in Linda's home after taking her home. She'd hesitated when Linda invited her in, sizing up the situation with the information she'd gleaned. Was this woman gay? Did she have someone waiting inside? Documentary crime shows on Foxtel did mention that a female victim could be enticed into a trap by an older woman. It was only when she suggested having coffee on the verandah out the front that she agreed and she was glad she'd accepted the invitation.

Linda turned out to be a virtual goldmine of information about sex, sexuality and relationships in general. When the clouds gathered overhead they moved inside and sat on the couch and it was on that battered leather couch that she finally opened up and told another human being her inner turmoil when it came to sexual attraction. She half expected Linda to either laugh, frown or say something only a mother would say but instead she'd listened as if Mei Lin was the only person on the planet.

She glanced at her reflection. The only modification to the outfit she'd worn this morning was the jacket. The coat she wore now was a three-quarter length camel coat with a matching belt. She fiddled with the collar, recalling Linda's fingers on the collar that morning as she complimented her on the blouse when she was standing at the front door saying goodbye.

"Love the blouse, it's so unusual, kind of eighties with a modern touch."

It occurred to Mei Lin as she drove back along Bayswater Road that if Linda had unbuttoned her blouse she wouldn't have been able to resist.

The door chime caused her to sit upright and she pushed the thought out of her mind as she grabbed her knapsack.

"Okay," she murmured, "let's do this."

She turned out the light and picked up her pace as she heard her father going through to the front door and by the time she reached the entrance Stella was already inside and greeting her father. She was wearing the same style of coat but in dark blue over a ruffled tuxedo blouse tucked into black jeans, a pair of ankle boots completed the ensemble. Stella grinned at Mei Lin as her mother came through to check out this new woman.

"Hey, you ready?"

"Yeah, just grabbing my bag," she paused and then introduced her mother to Stella.

"Pleased to meet you," Stella extended her hand.

Her eyes shifted to Mei Lin as she released her mother's hand.

"Nice blouse," her eyes drifted further down, "nice boots but have you got something more formal, like what you'd wear to job interview? A skirt, trousers?"

"A job interview?"

"I'll explain in the car," she smiled, "have you?"

"Of course," she took a step back, "this way?"

Stella followed her into the room and Mei Lin tossed the knapsack onto the bed and flung open the wardrobe. Stella moved to the foot of the bed and stared at the statue of the Virgin Mary and just above it a picture of the current pope.

"Very Catholic," she grinned, "I went to a Catholic school."

"Will this be okay?" Mei Lin pulled out a black pencil skirt and a grey pencil skirt with pale grey pinstripes, "or this?"

"The black," she eyed it, "that's quite a collection you have there," she rounded the bed and stopped in front of the wardrobe, "you've got a touch of style there, sweetie."

Mei Lin replaced the grey skirt and packed the black skirt along with a waistcoat that Stella took off the rail but just as she took a necklace from the top of the bedside drawers she recalled the dildo in the bottom drawer of her bedside drawers. If she was going to be away for a night there was a slight chance her mother might find the dildo if she went in to do the cleaning as she did more often than not.

"Sorry," she took it out and went to stuff it in the knapsack, "if my mum finds this she'll tell the bloody priest and then she'll nag me until I go to confession." she stopped as Stella pulled the jacket out and slung it over her arm.

"No need to apologise, my first ever girlfriend was a Catholic. I know all about the wrath of nuns and priests. Some of the ones at school could put the fear of God into the devil himself."

"Are you a Catholic?" Mei Lin stuffed the dildo into the knapsack and zipped it closed.

"Me? No, I went to a Catholic school because my mum's girlfriend had money and apart from the ban on sex education it was a pretty decent education. I got the Catholic one at school and the secular one at home and there was the added bonus of meeting Melissa."

She inclined her head and closed the wardrobe doors.

"Shall we?"

They said their goodbyes to her parents and headed for the car.

"How was your meeting?"

"Pretty good," Stella unlocked the passenger door for her and hung the jacket from the coat hook at the back, "I was asked to speak. Not sure if I made sense but it is what it is," she stepped away from the car.

It was only when Stella started the engine that Mei Lin asked the question.

"So, this job interview? What is it?"

"Oh that," she eased away from the kerb, "I met a friend of yours at the meeting tonight, Linda from South Croydon?"

"She was at the meeting?" Mei Lin stared at her, "I didn't know she went to meetings."

"So, how's your modelling thing looking? Have you heard any news?"

"Um, no, that's the problem with these agencies so I was told by another applicant. They can put you on the books but then not call you for six months so I'll need to find other work like a café or maybe an office."

"Uh huh," Stella glanced at her, "Linda said you were an office temp for a while."

Mei Lin blushed as she recalled telling Linda that and a bit more, specifically about office manager who'd caught her eye, the oh so sexy Brenda.

"Yeah, I did," she shifted in her seat, "is that all she said?"

"That and a bit more," she grinned, "don't worry, it's nothing embarrassing, she seemed quite taken by you," she glanced at her, "I know you don't have references and I didn't ask for any, but in her words I couldn't go wrong with you."

"Oh," Mei Lin felt the colour in her cheeks, "I was only there for two hours, she seemed really nice and down to earth."

"Yeah I get that impression myself, a straight shooter as they say, but this might swing both ways then," she came to a halt at Bayfield Road.

"I've been asked to put together a team to handle immigration cases, the senior partners are keen to make their mark. Most of the team have already been short listed but we're needing a few office temps for making calls, filing paperwork and general secretarial duties."

"I've done that kind of stuff before," Mei Lin replied.

"Okay, and the reason I didn't say anything in front of your parents was because I didn't want to risk them putting pressure on you," she glanced at her, "Linda did mention that about your mum although I didn't press her on the issue because it's not my business."

They picked up speed as she spoke again.

"And you aren't upset that she told me that?"

"No, of course not," Mei Lin replied, "I've already told you something about mum, she's not happy that I'm thinking of moving out anyway."

"Well you're the last one to flee the nest, mothers are funny like that."

"How many hours would it be?"

"At the moment the two positions are full time but we can hire one full timer and two or three part timers. Have you got your class schedule?"

"It's on the laptop and in the cloud."

"Perfect, okay we'll talk more about it once you've seen the place."

Nevertheless, she did mention the pay for fifteen hours a week, which could be spread over five and a half days and Mei Lin did stare at her as they sat at the traffic lights.

"That's a lot of money."

"Well yeah, but it's a profession that pays a lot of money and if you take this room at my joint then you'll be giving me anything from two hundred and thirty to two hundred and fifty."

Mei Lin merely nodded as she went through the mental calculations and then Stella was inching forward as the filter right turned green and the car in front surged forward its tyres squealing as the driver roared around into Canterbury Road.

***

Nicki pulled her helmet off as she pushed down the kickstand on her motorbike and pulled the right hand glove off with her teeth as Amanda opened the front door of her house. Their eyes met for a few moments and Nicki's eyes narrowed as she took in the silk dressing gown over a nightie.

"Be with you in a minute," she stayed on her bike, "I need to make a call."

"To who?" Amanda leaned on the door jamb.

"Darren," she mumbled.

"Oh," Amanda stepped back, "cool, you want a drink?"

"Whatever," Nicki unzipped her leather jacket and pulling out the phone, tapped the screen and punched in her code. She'd intended dropping by her house on the way back from a friend's place in Footscray but then Amanda called and wanted to know if she was coming over. She'd almost said no or not yet because she wanted to check if a letter had arrived but when she sounded frantic Nicki changed her mind and headed over to Amanda's place in the northern suburb of Rosanna.

"Call Darren," she spoke clearly.

"Calling Darren," the AI replied.

The phone rang three times but it was not Darren who answered the phone.

"Hi, Nicki," Roberta answered, "Darren's in the toilet, do you want me to give him the phone?"

"No, it's fine," Nicki swung her leg over the bike, "can you do me a huge favour and see if there's a letter from Tafe?"

"Sure, um, okay," Roberta swung her legs off the bed, "just wait a few moments, I'm in Darren's room," she glanced down at herself, "I've just got to put on a dressing gown so don't hang up."

"No worries, sorry about all this."

Roberta however didn't reply as she dropped the phone and picked up a dressing gown that was draped over a chair but the smell caused her to wrinkle her nose.

"Fucking Jesus, Darren. Can't you wash clothes?" Roberta called out.

She picked up the cream blouse she'd worn earlier and slipped it over herself and fastened it with a couple of buttons.

"Sorry about that," she picked up the phone, "I had to put on my blouse, his dressing gown reeks of dope and sweat," she stepped out of the bedroom.

"Yeah, I've been trying to train him up for his washing machine license," Nicki chuckled, "but I'm afraid that's your department now."

"What do you mean?" Roberta stared at the toilet door as she drew nearer to it.