Delicate Touches Pt. 07

In this chapter we return to Mei Lin and Stevie as they go on their first date. In researching the background material for this chapter I discovered to my shock that whilst there are plenty of chicken and champagne breakfasts after a balloon flight, there's no brunch. I therefore took a little artistic license and wrote brunch into the story.

Stevie rose when the doorbell rang and straightened the collar as she walked to the door, she had managed to settle herself down over the last hour or so. Why was it that she could get on stage in front of crowds that weren't always so friendly or energetic with no second thought and yet a simple date filled her with doubt? She opened the door and Mei Lin smiled as she nudged her glasses, she ran a casual eye over Mei Lin's outfit.

The white blouse caught her eye straight away, it had a ruffled front held closed at the top with one of those old fashioned bowties. A tan cardigan complemented the blouse, cut low in a U-shape, the five buttons holding it closed were below her breasts. The cardigan not only showed off the ruffles it also drew attention to her large breasts and hourglass waist, which was cinched with a wide black leather belt ornately decorated with twin buckles. It hid the waistband of a white, three-quarter length pleated skirt, the cream stockings adding a subtle contrast and the flat black shoes matching the belt and bowtie.

Mei Lin nudged at her glasses as she stepped over the threshold.

"You ready?"

"Yeah, um, sure, you look beautiful."

Denis yapped and bounded over to her but lost traction on the polished floorboards, she hit Mei Lin's leg and Mei Lin grinned as she squatted down to greet her.

"And look at you, what a beautiful dog."

"The owner is a bit sad though," Stevie spoke up.

"No she's not," Mei Lin nuzzled Denis's ears,"she's beautiful," she rose and studied Stevie's outfit for a few moments and then touched her collar, "you haven't got a tie for that?" Mei Lin moved further inside and Stevie shook her head as she closed the door behind them.

"I do but it doesn't look right."

"Show me what you have?" Mei Lin moved past her.

"Show you my bedroom?"

"Yeah, unless you've got another woman hidden in there."

"No women in there," she sighed, "unless you're counting the pin up girl."

Stevie led her into the bedroom, she hadn't even made the bed and she jerked the duvet over the sheet as Mei Lin looked around.

"It's kind of small."

"Yeah, a bit of a dog box."

Denis leapt up onto the bed and wagged her tail as she turned to look at them.

"Oh, she's found her bed."

"No, it's not her bed," Stevie pointed to the dog basket, "bed."

Denis yapped back at her as Mei Lin opened the wardrobe and looked at her selection of clothes. She flicked at the only tie she possessed and then plucked down the braces dangling from the rail for a closer look, by the time she turned back, Stevie had succeeded in getting Denis into her basket on the floor.

"I'm going to take you shopping one Friday night," she calmly turned around and flung the braces onto the bed and set her handbag down.

"Well there's nothing for it," she smiled and raising her hands to her throat, started undoing the bowtie.

"What are you doing?"

"What women have been doing for thousands of years," she finished undoing it, "helping each other out, don't worry I brought a back up along," she flicked the bow tie off her neck and glanced at her handbag.

"Now, let's get you presentable," she looped the tie around her neck, "I always try to make myself look nice when I go out, even if I'm just ducking down to the milk bar for bread and milk," Mei Lin folded the collar up and fastened the top two buttons.

"I read an article by some feminist writer online who rambled on about women being slaves to fashion, and we should all just embrace ourselves just the way we are," she started tying the bowtie as she went on.

"I get the logic, love thyself but what if you don't like who you are? I know that before I moved into Stella's place I was frightened of putting a foot wrong in case I upset mum," their eyes met for a moment or two, "but I have to live with me for the rest of my life," she finished tying the bowtie and then straightened it.

"If you don't like who you are then change yourself. You can't change other people, Stella has said that a few times. She's right, you can't change other people because people hate being meddled with but we can change ourselves," she folded the collar down and pushed the tie up to her throat.

"If I live my life according to the dictates of everyone around me then I'll never please anyone and I'll wind up a miserable old woman," she took a step back and picked up the braces.

"Okay, now we're talking," she hooked one brace onto her waistband and then fastened the other one before turning her around to fasten them at the back.

"I was going to wear the braces but I thought them too," she bit her lip, "too mannish."

"I think they look great," she stepped back, "okay, belt next," she moved past her and took down a belt from a belt rack, "black belt," she handed it to her and studied her wardrobe whilst Stevie slid the belt through her belt loops.

"Yep, we need to take you shopping for sure," she lifted a black overcoat from the rack on the door and turned around to look at her.

"Better, how does it look to you?" Mei Lin laid the coat on the bed and took the brooch out of her handbag, "if you don't like it then fine, I can live with that."

"It looks great," Stevie stared at herself in the mirror, "thank you," she glanced at the brooch in Mei Lin's hand, "that's the brooch Stella bought you."

"Yeah, I thought it was appropriate for today, breaking new ground," she slipped the pin through the blouse and then closed it, "doing something I've never done before," and seeing Stevie's upraised eyebrow she smiled.

"Going on a balloon flight is something I've never done before."

"Thank you," Stevie finally managed.

"You're welcome."

Some five minutes later they left the house and Stevie felt as if she'd left her worries behind her as she settled into the passenger seat. Mei Lin attached the phone to the holder but just as she was about to tap in the address Stevie spoke up.

"I know the way there, just play music instead."

***

Mia put the phone down and looked at Nicki who had just donned the white shirt and black trousers she'd worn last night after having a shower. Mia was still in her dressing gown and she put her foot up on the coffee table, the dressing gown fell off her leg giving Nicki a perfect view of her vagina. She smiled as she massaged her foot.

"Looks like Stevie and Mei Lin are on their way."

"Yeah, I have to head back home and grab a black tie for work."

"So they won't let you wear the white one?"

"No, he's pretty strict when it comes to the uniform," she replied, "I usually have a spare one in my locker at work but I took it home to wash it on Friday arvo."

"Yeah, I've had bosses like that before," she rose from the couch, "tell you what I'll let you borrow one of my black ties in exchange for a favour."

"What's the favour?" Nicki stepped back to let her pass.

"If you run me to Ruby's on the way to work so I can pick up my baby you can borrow one of my ties," she headed for her bedroom and glanced over her shoulder.

"I want it back though, so consider this my way of giving you an opportunity to come back again," she grinned.

"Yeah, I can do that," Nicki followed her into the bedroom.

Mia opened up her wardrobe. Nicki had noticed it last night but because they'd been having sex she hadn't had a chance to look at it properly, and in daylight. It was a built-in wardrobe and she moved closer to look at it, the wardrobe had been built after the house was built judging by the lines in the ceiling and floor. The wardrobe put hers to shame but Mei Lin could probably give her a run for her money.

"Who built the wardrobe?" Nicki asked as Mia selected a plain black tie.

"Danny, my ex," she looped the tie around her neck and proceeded to tie it, "it's about the only nice thing I remember about Danny. He fucked my best friend behind my back and then suggested we get together for a threesome."

"What a dick," Nicki looked down as Mia worked on the knot.

"Well, yeah, that's his claim to fame, a dick and fuck all else," she replied.

"You've got a head for fashion."

"I do all right but I'm taking hints off Mei Lin though, that woman knows how to dress," their eyes met and she leaned over to kiss Nicki on the lips.

"Thank you for last night, my first night with a woman was everything I expected and more."

"I was trying to impress you."

"Remember what I told you last night," she locked her arms around her neck, "start out the way you intend to continue and it might last the distance but if we overextend and make promises we can't keep then we're doomed," she kissed her again.

"There will be a second date, just not tonight," she stared into her eyes.

"So, what do you say?"

"Thank you, for the tie and the timely warning, I'm a classic for overdoing shit."

"You and me both. Remember my boundaries," she released her and then stepped to one side, "but if you want to impress me a coffee would go down nice, I'll do the breakfast seeing as it's my joint," she moved past her and then slapped her butt cheek.

***

Balloon flights have been a popular tourist attraction in Australia for years thanks to the climate and the cleaner air. The vast majority of them take place in the early morning and the passengers can sometimes help to inflate the balloon and even put it away later. Many of them include a chicken and champagne breakfast, usually at a winery and the competition is fierce but this company had hit on a new feature. The chicken and champagne brunch, it meant they could double their flights and their profits fairly quickly and it had certainly caught on thanks to slick marketing.

Prior to today though, Mei Lin had shown no desire for physical contact and whilst she seemed confident online, she had the advantage of physical distance. The fact that she'd said yes at all had surprised Stevie and sent her mind racing. Was this just a date between two friends or would it develop into something deeper, perhaps not today she mused but soon?

However even that tentative line in the sand had been blurred the moment they moved towards the balloon when Mei Lin slipped a hand into the crook of her arm and kept pace with her. She had her phone in the other hand and a handbag slung over her arm. Once they were aboard and seated she had moved a little closer to Stevie and then she put an arm around Stevie's neck and took a selfie of them both. She leaned on Stevie's leg whilst she sent it to her followers with the hashtag #boarding and #upandaway. She'd lifted her elbow off Stevie's leg after that but once the balloon lifted off she nudged her glasses and grabbed her leg firmly. Stevie patted her hand reassuringly and Mei Lin slipped her hand into Stevie's as the balloon sailed higher and higher.

"Are you afraid of heights?"

"No," she stared up at the balloon, "a little first flight jitters."

The nervousness seemed to dissipate not long afterwards as the flight got under way and Stevie noticed that Mei Lin seemed quite content to stand next to her and when she moved in front of her and Stevie put her arms around her waist Mei Lin didn't even flinch. She was too busy filming the scenery as the balloon flew over the Yarra Valley.

When the balloon did touch down at the winery Mei Lin almost seemed reluctant to leave the area, preferring to film the crew and passengers as they packed the balloon for the return journey back to their launching place but eventually they headed for the restaurant. The chicken and champagne brunch was served in an alfresco setting surrounded by a Japanese garden. Mei Lin however didn't have the champagne because she was driving and her probationary licence had a zero percent blood alcohol limit.

Nevertheless, she was quite talkative and befriended not just the people sitting either side or opposite them but people further down and one of them had a particular fascination for Mei Lin because she was also a part time dressmaker. The two spent some time talking together about dressmaking in general, which left Stevie to talk to two of Mei Lin's new friends sitting opposite Stevie. Alan and Sheelagh were in their sixties and celebrating forty years together with a balloon flight. Alan had been playing guitar for years ever since high school when his hair was long and they'd been playing AC/DC covers and dreaming of the big time and indeed he thought the name of her band, Lesbomania quite bold.

"It's a word like any other word, it's only going to cause offence if you let it."

"Absolutely," he glanced at Mei Lin, "so are you gay?"

"Yeah, I am," she ran a hand through her hair.

"It's great that you have the freedom to say that openly," Sheelagh patted her hand, "back when I was young you kept it to yourself and they tended to hang around their own kind for their own protection I suppose."

She glanced briefly at Mei Lin who seemed to be engrossed in her conversation.

"It's our first date."

"Don't put all your eggs into one basket," Sheelagh told her, "keep a little for yourself, a good friend of ours got together with a young lady about the same time and she was his entire world, he stopped seeing his old friends and the only friends he had were the mutual kind. It destroyed him when she left him for someone else, oh he made it in the end but he spent five years bouncing from one city to the next."

Mei Lin returned to her side not long afterwards brimming with ideas.

"I want to try dressmaking next."

"Good for you, dear," Sheelagh patted her hand, "and if you need patterns you've got my number, I have an entire box full of patterns."

"How do you do it?" Stevie asked her an hour and a half later as they drove away from the launch site, "you made friends with just about everyone there."

"It's easy," she replied, "my auntie in Singapore told me that people love talking about themselves, so if you're amongst strangers, all you have to do is ask them about themselves and then listen to them talk. You'll learn all about them, more about the world and you won't feel so alone."

"Do you ever, feel alone?"

"I did in the seminary," she replied, "we were kept from the outside world because it's forbidden to proselytise in Malaysia. I agree it was for our own protection but it was hellish. I used to sit and read books half the night and be too tired for my lectures and prayers in the morning."

"And where are you now with the Christian thing?" Stevie asked a few minutes later.

"I'm open to change," she replied, "there might be a god or a goddess or some higher power but then again we might just be a blue dot in the outer suburbs of the Milky Way."

Nevertheless, despite that pearl of wisdom, Mei Lin was feeling decidedly anxious about the rest of the day. They had half the afternoon and she had to work the following day.

"So, you want to come in for a coffee or something cold?"

"Sure," she replied, "just nothing alcoholic, I have to drive home."

"It's a bitch being on your P plates," Stevie opened the door, "but it's not forever."

Mei Lin followed Stevie inside and while Stevie took off her overcoat and went through to her bedroom she entertained Denis with a chew toy and checked out the room. The L-shaped couch looked brand new. It was made of leather and came with a large footstool that could slide into the couch to create a larger seating area. The couch faced an open fireplace that had been sealed off with a cast iron plate, a gas heater in front obviously utilised the old chimney.

Just off to the right of the fireplace was a long cabinet with a television on top of it and a soundbar underneath. She turned to her left and looked across the room to the kitchen and the far side of the kitchen where French doors led to the backyard. She tossed the toy towards the kitchen and smiled as Denis skated after it. There was a short passageway that intersected with the passageway leading to the front door. Stevie was coming along it and she offered up a smile.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just getting my bearings," she looked at the kitchen, "it's an odd layout."

"The guy who bought it before this owner knocked down the walls about here," she indicated, "it opened this whole area up, which is one of the things I liked the most," she glanced at the fridge.

"Something to drink?"

"Yes please," she nudged her glasses.

"What do you want?"

"What have you got?"

"Coke, cordial, orange juice, and mango juice," she opened the fridge, "although I think the mango juice is past its use by date."

"Coke then," she walked to the French doors, "it's a nice backyard, not too big, not too small."

"It needs mowing," she took out the Coke, "and I haven't got a lawn mower so I'll probably pay someone to do it," she set two glasses on the bench, "I have two pet hates, lawn mowing and painting, I get more paint on me than the fucking walls."

"So, do I get the guided tour or are you going to keep me in suspense?"

"Not much to see here," Stevie shrugged and carried the Cokes over to her.

She wasn't lying. It was a basic three bedroom house although she had the option of subletting if she could find someone suitable. Nevertheless, the house was clean and relatively tidy, the only drawback was the location. On Mei Lin's suggestion though, Stevie carried the dog basket back through to the living room and set it down.

"She might sleep for a bit," she glanced at her usual spot in the corner of the couch but Mei Lin had already claimed that spot and so she pulled the futon along and put the coffee table closer to the corner. Denis of course had to sniff the coffee table and was rewarded with a biscuit that she carried back to her basket.

"Yarra Glen is such a shit of a town, the most imposing building in town is the pub, there's a racetrack and a few shops, if you're not into farming or horses then you're working in Lilydale or Healesville."

"That's why I like Elwood," Mei Lin sipped her Coke, "it's close to the city and the beach although I wouldn't be sunbathing on that beach, too many needles."

"I thought they'd cleaned them up," Stevie murmured.

"Ha ha, just read the local rag and you'll find the needle counter, it's part of some campaign they're running to clean up the beach, rubbish, dog turds, and needles."

"So the bodies are cool then?"

Mei Lin stared at her and then laughed.

"Yeah, the serial killers all breathed a sigh of relief there," she put her glass down and fumbled with the lapel of her coat.

"It's a nice coat."

"It is," Mei Lin pulled it off her shoulders, Stevie leaned forward at that moment to feel the lapel as Mei Lin pulled on a sleeve. Stevie pulled the coat down her back and Mei Lin turned slightly as she pulled her arm out of the sleeve.

"Thank you," she murmured as she pulled the coat off the other sleeve, she draped it over the back of the couch but then had to take out her phone and put it on the table.

"I bought it when I came back to Australia," she swivelled to face her, "are you comfortable there?"

"Yeah," Stevie shrugged.

"I'm probably sitting in your seat," Mei Lin reached for her glass.

"You are but it's a big couch," she smiled at her.

"Have you ever had sex on this couch?"

Stevie raised an eyebrow at that.

"It's a new couch, I only bought it last week."

"So, it's a virgin couch," Mei Lin nudged her glasses, "here's to a virgin sitting on your virgin couch."

Stevie raised her glass in salute and they drank the toast. A long silence followed and finally Stevie got up and fetching the remote control from beside the television, turned it on and switched to her Fire Stick.