Ellen's Tale Pt. 03

"You and me both," she glanced at the coffee table where she'd put the folders earlier, "I've actually got a voucher for a spa weekend out at Daylesford. I got it six months ago as an anniversary present from my mother in law but if you want to take it then feel free."

"I'll consider it," Kym dropped her hands, "okay, before I drag these leftovers out of the fridge, do you have any food allergies?"

"None except for porridge, it's a hangup from my childhood. My mum was born in Scotland and she used to insist we eat it the Scottish way. I can't even look at a bowl of porridge without thinking of a bowl of sick."

"Ew," Kym shuddered, "nasty but there's no porridge here, I use rolled oats for Anzac biscuits," she rose and stretched again.

"Alright, how's about you sort through your paperwork and I'll get dinner ready, the kids are both away for the night, the oldest son is at his girlfriend's joint and my daughter is having a sleepover at her friend's place."

"I could give you a hand," she pulled her eyes from Kym's crotch.

"Don't bother, just go through the paperwork and try to arrange it in order of priority. I'll be in the kitchen if you need me," and with that she left the room, leaving Anna with the paperwork.

Anna nodded as she began methodically going through the paperwork. There was the mortgage, the loan agreement, bank statements and other related stuff. It was only when she was going through the insurance policy that she noted a clause that stated in the event of either party being the subject of criminal proceedings that the policy would expire, unless, she read further.

"What've you found?" Kym leaned against the bench.

"A clause in the insurance policy," she replied, "if either of us is subject to criminal proceedings then the policy expires unless the other party takes on the responsibility for the mortgage."

"That's pretty standard operating procedure," she replied, "what're you thinking?"

"It gives me grounds to push a little harder for a better deal. I hate to come off as the bitch in this affair but I've got more leverage than I thought."

"Nothing wrong with taking advantage," she shrugged, "I was in a different position because he really was a basket case and as it turned out he was able to get the help he needed."

Anna fiddled with her cuffs for a few moments as she arranged the thoughts into a coherent sentence.

"Still," she frowned, "it's quite tempting, I could see Ritchie going along with it if he actually goes into witness protection. He can't contact his family or friends if he's in the program so there's no chance he'll be dropping in."

"Assuming he gets accepted of course, I mean, would his life be in danger if he talked?"

"From what I've been told, yes. It's a major gun running operation and that cop who was just arrested is involved. I can't tell you more because Gitti swore me to secrecy."

"Don't then," their eyes met, "a little bit of knowledge can be dangerous and too much can be life threatening," she turned as the microwave pinged.

"The only thing holding me back is it's too spontaneous."

"You don't do spontaneity?" Kym glanced at her.

"No," she exhaled and put her palms on the bench, "it's one of my many faults. I'm regulated, I have a time and a place for everything under the sun, lists for lists and then there's another list," she looked past her.

"I hate surprise parties and whenever visitors just drop in I'm the one running around trying to do the drinks and find the right food, it even extends to my sex life."

"Sex life?" Kym stirred the food in the dish.

"Yeah, I see characters on telly having a one night stand and I'm always on the edge of my seat because it's such a turn on. I wish I could be free like that, you know? Just go out and pick up a guy and just take him home. I have to date a guy about six times before we get to sex, it's almost painful now I think about it."

"It's more common than you think," Kym started doling out the food, "we look for security and we women also have to be aware that physically, we're at a disadvantage."

"My mum is the same but as she got older she became a little freer, maybe it's something I'll grow out of," she looked at the food.

"I can't believe I just said that."

"What?" Kym doled out more food.

"About one night stands, you're the only other person on the planet who knows that about me."

"Relax," Kym smiled crookedly, "your secret is safe with me," she put the dish to one side.

"Okay, dinner is ready, honeyed chicken, rice and stir friend veggies, let's eat."

***

Ellen packed the last of the figurines into the box and looked at the tables arranged in a semi circle. She didn't have to pack the tables away on Saturday because the AA group preferred the format but on Thursday she had to fold the legs and put them and the chairs away. It was something she was so used to she could almost do it in her sleep but the last couple of weeks she'd had Anna helping out and it was surprising how accustomed she'd become to this new variation.

"Nothing for it," she picked the box up and carried it to the door.

Her phone beeped and she took it out to read the notification from Anna. It was a Facebook post that showed two plates of food on a coffee table with two glasses of wine.

Nothing like leftovers... with wine... but everything goes with wine!

She liked the post but stared at it for a few seconds as she imagined the scene. Kym had seemed to have a reserved sophistication that only came with age. People her age could fake it but sooner or later people saw through it and came to their own judgement.

Was she jealous?

It was a hard question to answer. The short answer was no because there had been no flirting and they did live in close proximity to each other but deep down she felt a slight twinge of envy because if this was Kym's way of seduction then it far outshone the seduction she'd been subjected to over the years. She could count on the fingers of one hand the number of candlelight dinners she'd had.

Still, at least she's making a move, Ellen frowned as she folded a second table.

She held onto that thought while she put the tables and chairs away but as she loaded the boxes into her car she found herself imagining what might come afterwards. Granted, Kym was advising her on property settlement options but how long would that really take?

Probably not long at all, she grimaced as she loaded the last box into the car, but who am I to get jealous anyway?

She glanced down at her phone as a text came through from Tabitha.

Tabitha: Don't forget my sleepover tomorrow night, I have to bring party pies.

"Shit," she winced, "I forgot about that."

Ellen: Thanks for reminding me! I totally forgot!

Tabitha: Okay, are you on your way home?

Ellen: Going home via Kmart, see you soon, rascal.

Some twenty minutes later she was stepping into Kmart in Boronia, she was so focused on getting party pies and fighting with intermittent daydreams that she didn't notice the woman until she took a step back and nearly collided with her.

"Sorry, excuse my two left feet," she smiled.

The woman stared at her and then looked past her as if remembering something.

The woman stared at her, "Ellen? It is Ellen isn't it?"

"Um, yeah," Ellen stared at her and noted the long auburn hair framing an oval-shaped face, and the memory came back with a rush.

"Jacinda, Jacinda Ward, sorry I had a mental blackout there."

"I became a Knight and now I'm back to Ward after my divorce."

"Wow," she looked her up and down, "it's been fucking years and years."

Twelve years ago Jacinda had been one of her girlfriends in school. She'd been kind of portly and quite nervous, she'd worn reading glasses back then and she let her eyes play over her for a few seconds.

She had a slim figure that was accentuated by the tight black jeans and long green cardigan over a crisp white blouse with elaborate stitching on the collar and placket. The blouse was buttoned to the top and adorned with a brooch of faux pearls in the shape of a flower. She let her eyes move down to the cardigan, which had a matching belt tied in a loose knot. A pair of knee-high black boots completed the outfit.

"Twelve years ago," Ellen finally spoke.

"No, it was eleven years ago," Jacinda replied, "and you'd just got your first tattoo."

"I've got a few nowadays, I'm growing old disgracefully."

"Are you with someone now?"

"No, not anymore, left my bastard ex husband and took our daughter with me. What about you?"

"No children, it was a short lived marriage but it was something I had to go through on my journey of self discovery."

"Meaning?"

"I'm gay," she smiled slyly, "it took four and a half years of marriage to work out that the reason I was so unhappy had nothing to do with my husband and everything to do with my sexuality. We still see each other a couple of times a year, Gary's new wife is really sweet."

"Well, I don't see my ex husband unless I go to the cemetery," she grimaced, "long story with a sad ending but I'm glad you found yourself. It took me a few years before I realised I was gay as well, I've just ended it with a woman the other night."

"Well, this is a coincidence, me too," she replied, "no, seriously. We had a big fight, we fought over a few things the last few months but when she told me that it wasn't working for her I told her to go back home and come back when it was working for her and that was three weeks ago."

"It's my third day," Ellen replied.

Jacinda opened her mouth to reply but Ellen reached out to guide her forwards as a woman with two kids and a baby moved past her. The woman was texting and trying to control a shopping trolley as well as keep an eye on two kids intent on exploring every item on the shelf.

"Elvis, Ringo, quit that or I'll give you something to cry about!"

Jacinda's eyes shifted and a crooked smile drifted over her face as the family moved past them and it was only when the woman was out of earshot that she murmured.

"I've heard those names before."

"Parents can be cruel," she turned towards the checkout, "I've got to get back to my daughter, but we really should catch up some time soon."

"For sure," Jacinda nodded, "I've just got to grab some cordial and milk."

"Ooh, milk," Ellen straightened up, "I forgot about that."

"Lucky you ran into me," Jacinda grinned.

Ellen didn't reply to that as they made their way to the dairy aisle.

"So, what have you been doing for the last few years? Besides getting divorced and coming out."

"Lots of things," Jacinda flicked at her hair.

"Like what?"

She learned a bit more as they headed to the drinks aisle. Jacinda had gone to university to study languages and was an interpreter for the local council. She was fluent in three other languages, Mandarin, Vietnamese and Somali.

"Somali?"

"Yeah, we have a small Somali community nearby and there was a need for someone to meet up with them and communicate. The kids are great, they have better Australian accents than us but the parents can be resistant to change."

"So, you're in demand."

"More or less," she came to a halt and Ellen followed her line of sight to see the woman loading bottles of Coke, Fanta and other soft drinks into the trolley.

"Talk about sabotaging yourself, no wonder those boys are bouncing down the aisles, not that I'm one to tell a woman how to raise her kids."

"I'm so glad Tabitha isn't like them, she's a great kid and now that I'm where I am I've got a chance to let her enjoy her childhood."

"How old is she?"

"Nine and six months."

"Grade four then."

As if sensing their disapproval the woman turned and stared at them but Ellen pushed Jacinda's trolley forward and subconsciously harking back to an earlier time she escorted Jacinda past the woman, who had now turned her attention to her kids again. Back then Ellen had been Jacinda's official bodyguard, at first it had been physical after a gang of girls led by Big Denise singled the new girl out for special attention because of her owl-shaped glasses and nervous disposition. But after Ellen knocked Big Denise into the blackberry bushes in a vacant block the bullying had changed to teasing and name calling, thus necessitating an escort to and from school. She hadn't mixed much with Jacinda during school but the fact that she was on the school grounds meant that the mean girls left her alone, more or less.

The gay slurs had started then she remembered now, although she'd always thrown them back in their faces. Ellen had never been afraid of the mean girls at school, it was only when she started hanging around the bikie club that she found herself out of her depth. Even so, she glanced over at Jacinda, it was almost surreal that gay slurs had been but a foreshadowing of her life in the distant future. Not that she would've gone along with any girl on girl sex, she was too interested in boys back then.

Her phone beeped and she glanced down as the screen lit up with an incoming message. She swiped the screen a moment later to open the message from Julie.

Julie: Just finished your new blouses, check out the pictures! Let me know when you want to pick up.

She tapped the first picture. The pussybow blouse was one of two she'd ordered, the first blouse had a half collar and two buttons, the second was cut a little lower and had no collar. There were several pictures of hanging and fitted garments, the bust size of the mannequin was considerably larger. She tapped the dial icon and put the phone to her ear.

"Hiya," Julie answered on the second ring, "how's it going?"

"Just fine, I'm outside Kmart in Boronia. When can I pick up?"

"Now if you want, I'm going to Ilona's for the night anyway so I can drop it off to you."

"Um, sure, just as long as I'm not putting you out."

"Not at all," she replied.

"Okay, I'll see you at my joint. I've got the money at home."

"Whatever, no rush for the money, I know where you live anyway."

The polite coughing of the woman at the checkout caused her to look up. Jacinda had just packed her bags and was waiting for her and as she waited for the woman to process her purchases she considered her options. Tabitha was off tomorrow so she'd be up late. Julie was coming around with the blouses and, she glanced at Jacinda.

Well, why not? What can go wrong? It's not like we'll be ripping each other's clothes off.

"Would you like to come back to my joint, for a coffee or a drink?"

"Now?" Jacinda's eyes widened.

"Yeah, I've got a friend coming around with some clothes she's made me and Tab's going to be up because her school's having an in service day and so she's going to a sleepover on Friday night. No pressure, just been a while since we've seen each other and I'm at a loose end."

"Sure, why not? What can go wrong?"

Ellen's eyes narrowed slightly as they made their way out of the store.

What is she, a mind reader?

***

Anna stretched and yawned as she mentally counted the drinks she'd had since arriving here, she was still under the limit but, she glanced at her handbag.

"Best to check I'm still under," she put a hand into her handbag and took out a breathalyser, "my sister bought it for me for Christmas last year."

"I wonder what I'd blow," Kym leaned forward to look at it.

"Oh, you'd be over for sure, but if I'm over it's a taxi."

"Or the couch," Kym patted the cushion.

Anna smirked as she blew into the breathalyser.

"I'm under," she sank back against the couch and stared at the ceiling, "it's been an entertaining night, I've certainly found some options I wasn't aware of."

"Do you feel better about your situation now?"

"Yeah," she looked at her, "all things considered," she eyed the half empty bottle of wine.

"I'm almost tempted to take up your offer of the couch."

"You're more than welcome," Kym smiled crookedly, "it's a comfortable couch, I've often just fallen asleep here at the weekend."

"That's one thing I'm finding it hard to get used to."

"What? The offer of a couch?"

"That and the fact I don't have to call my husband to tell him I won't be home tonight. I tried that trick once when I was at a girlfriend's place and got the third degree the next day. Ritchie actually thought I'd crashed at a guy's joint and when I told him that I was at Kelly's place he accused me of having an affair with my best friend," she propped her elbow on top of the couch.

"I didn't know whether to laugh or cry, the thought of Kelly and I going down on each other was just too ridiculous, but thinking that I was capable of cheating was just insulting. Ritchie was the one who had the affair and I was fool enough to forgive him."

"Been there but I never let him get away with it. My second husband was fucking his colleague and when I confronted him he came out with the classic line, but I don't love her. Honestly, I saw red and just threw his dinner against the wall, two days later he moved out but tried to get me to go to marriage counselling. I told him there was no point because we were not married anymore. Why do men try to excuse cheating with that tired excuse?"

"You weren't ever tempted to cheat as well?"

"I was but I guess it's my job that stops me. My mantra has always been two wrongs don't make a right although it can be satisfying to punch a bully in the face."

"Have you ever? Punched a bully in the face?"

"Once," she fiddled with the tie, "when I was in Year Seven, this girl had been teasing me for about six weeks. She was in the year above me and was a few inches taller, I just turned around and hit her with my school bag and it was usually loaded with text books. I gave her a blood nose and my mum picked me up from the Headmaster's office."

"What about the other girl?"

"She was spoken to but not as severely as yours truly," Kym raised a glass in salute, "I had a very vivacious mother who taught her three daughters not to take shit from anyone."

"I was never in trouble in school," she reached out and fingered Kym's tie, "I was the good girl who got good grades and was always pleasant and well mannered. I didn't even get a boyfriend until my last year and that was all she wrote."

She frowned as she felt the pattern and their eyes met moments later, she felt suddenly exposed as if she'd committed some social faux pas.

"You want to try it on?" Kym asked her.

"Um, no, I just like the feel of it. I might see if Julie can make me one in white, no, beige with the dark brown speckled pattern."

"Nothing like changing the subject though," Kym smirked.

"Huh?" Anna glanced up.

"We went from school days to my tie, that's quite a leap."

"Sorry," she let the tie go, "you were saying? About boyfriends?"

"I was a bit younger when I got my first boyfriend but to be honest boys weren't a high priority, at least not the boys in school, they were too immature," Kym smiled crookedly.

"Rodney was nice," she angled towards her, "he and I used to sit up in his room listening to music, he was the first guy I knew who could openly admit to listening to Kylie Minogue and his mother's Abba CDs. Rodney got me into Abba and I fell in love with Agnetha first and then Frida," Anna smiled slyly.

"It was bizarre now I think about it, we both got off on women but not each other so much."

"He wasn't into you or was it girls in general."

"The second one," their eyes met, "he came out the night of our senior prom, I was so proud of him because it took a lot to admit to something like that. We went to a Christian school and admitting to that kind of thing was a definite game changer. Thou shalt not covet the same sex or thou shalt burn in hell for all eternity and all that shit."

"Were you a Christian?"