History Lesson

She paused for a moment. "I had this friend, Christa, and we were pretty close. We had a couple of sleepovers; you know, girls' stuff. All pretty innocent, but I think that's when I realized there was something different about how I felt.

"I should say that I'm from a really small town in Illinois. It sucked, being different."

She stopped to take a sip of her iced tea.

"Anyway, we were at my house one night, and my parents were out. We snuck a couple of my dad's beers, and went to my room to watch a movie. I don't remember what it was, but at some point, we were sitting on my bed, and we started talking about boys, and how far we'd gone with them. I told her I thought there was something wrong with me because kissing boys wasn't any fun for me. I guess she thought that I just didn't know what I was doing, because she offered to 'practice' with me. I remember just staring at her, like... really?"

She stopped again and pushed away a lock of her hair that had fallen across her face. She had a strange expression on her face, and I said, "Hey, that's fine, I think I get it... you don't have to say anymore-"

"No, it's okay, now that I've started, I'd actually like to get this out. Sheila's heard it of course, but it would be good for you to know too, umm, if we're gonna be friends. It helps explain things."

"Okay," I nodded, gratified that she was offering her friendship.

After a deep breath, she continued, "It was so awkward! We started to move, and we both tilted the same way, which made us laugh, and we backed off. She said, 'Come on it's just for educational purposes, right?' Maybe for her, anyway." She laughed shakily. "So we leaned in again and started kissing. The minute our lips touched, I felt like my body was on fire. I had no idea. I couldn't control myself. I just knew I wanted more. We stopped for a moment and looked at each other. I had just reached out to cup her cheek with my hand and was leaning to kiss her again, when at that exact moment, my mother opened the door to my room."

"Oh my God," I said.

"That's exactly what she said. But a lot louder. Of course, my dad came running, and the two of them just stood there, staring at us. It was awful. I mean, we were fully clothed, but... finally, my mother's whole demeanor changed, right in front of me. It looked like she just shut down. Her face looked like it was carved out of wood." Jenny closed her eyes, remembering. "Finally, she told Christa to get her things and that she should go home. Christa never even said a word, she just grabbed her bag and left. Dad drove her home. Mom gave me the 'we will talk about this later' speech and then she literally locked me in my room."

At this point, Sheila was holding her hand and rubbing her back. After another shaky breath, Jenny continued.

"My mother didn't even speak to me at breakfast. I went to school and Christa wouldn't look at me. We had been pretty close, and now it was obvious that we weren't. I found out later that when some of our supposed friends asked why, she told them that I had made a pass at her."

"And she was your friend? How cruel, Jenny, that's awful."

"You're not kidding. Remember, this was a small Midwestern town. The story made it around school instantly. From that point forward, when I wasn't being teased or bullied, I was ostracized. I got all the comments from the jocks about how they could make a 'real woman' out of me. And the girls were worse. But my parents? They dragged me to our preacher, who lectured me over and over about the 'sins of the flesh.' While he stared at my boobs." She shuddered. They took me to one therapist after another, convinced that they just needed to 'fix' me.

"To be honest, I thought they were going to send me to one of those 'conversion therapy' camps after graduation, but somehow, I convinced them to let me start college in the summer."

"Dwliwch chi, do those places still exist?" I was aghast.

She nodded. "Yep. You'd be surprised."

"Puritanical fucks," Sheila mumbled, and I couldn't help a snort of laughter. She glanced at me and grinned.

Jenny gave her a wry smile before continuing. "Fortunately, I had good enough grades for a partial scholarship and at least my dad tried to help. There was no way he was going to go against my mother, but he did take me aside and promised to help with tuition as much as he could."

Sheila gave her a brief side hug.

"So, I kept my head down that summer, just went to class, and tried to put everything behind me. My mother would call every night, probably just to be sure I was in my dorm room. If I wanted to go to the library in the evening, I had to call her first. Which sucked because that's where I spent most of my time, either studying or reading. I wound up doing a lot of reading. I couldn't stand being alone in my room.

"Of course, it was a single dorm. No roommates for me, oh no! Fall semester was pretty much the same. I had to go home for Thanksgiving, and I'm not sure we spoke more than a few words the whole time. Christmas was even worse. I thought about inventing a boyfriend but decided I wasn't that good of a liar, and I knew my mother would insist on meeting him. Anyway, I finally got back to school and as fate would have it, met Sheila in... what was it, a gender studies elective?"

Sheila nodded. "And the rest, as they say, is history."

"Stealing my lines now, are you? I'm the history professional here," I laughed, trying to give Jenny a moment.

She took a sip of her tea, as I added, "But seriously," and it wasn't hard to let my emotions show through a little bit. "Thank you for sharing that. I know it wasn't easy." I looked at both of them. "Really. Thank you for showing that much trust in me."

Sheila gave Jenny another side hug, and Jenny smiled and gave me a small nod.

I looked around and located our waitress. She was the same one as last week, and it was like she had a sixth sense because she never bothered us during Jenny's entire story. I nodded at her, and she came over.

The rest of the evening was spent enjoying another good meal. Jenny did wind up getting the fish, and Sheila got her burger again. I ordered the Caprese Chicken. Naturally, Jenny had to try it and declared it her new favorite. Sheila and I shared a laugh over that one.

When it was time for dessert, I was surprised to learn that neither of them had ever tried Key Lime Pie. I ordered two slices, and coffee for myself. Jenny took a speculative bite, then proceeded to wolf hers down. Sheila still had more than half of hers left. Jenny looked pityingly at her.

"Oh my god, you brat!" She laughed and shook her head, as she slid her plate in from of Jenny.

Sated for the moment, Jenny pushed her plate away. "Little girls' room for me," she announced, and headed off.

We were silent for a moment or two, when Sheila looked at me.

"I know what you're going to ask when she gets back, and I know what Jenny will say. To be honest, she gets excited about these dinners, probably because she doesn't really get out and do anything except work. The rest of the time she's at home. It's not that I don't like you, Ieuan, but this is more Jenny's thing... and really, she seems to be coming out of her shell more since we've met you.

"Plus, I have just so much schoolwork as you know, and Dr. Pearson on my ass. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm cool with you guys being friends and hanging out. I mean it's not like she's gonna be attracted to you, right?" She laughed. "It's fine if you want to hang out sometimes."

I ignored the (possibly) unintentional dig, and just said, "Thank you, Sheila. I promise that the last thing I want is to cause any friction between you two. But I have to admit, that hanging out with you, both of you, has been great. My sister has been after me forever to get off my arse and meet people. And I get that you're crazy busy. I remember what it was like to be a grad student, trust me."

Jenny returned to the table at that moment and looked at us a little quizzically.

"Just tellin' Ieuan here that it's cool if you guys want to hang out if I'm like, busy with schoolwork or something. 'Kay, babes?"

"Umm... okay, I guess so," Jenny replied, a little uncertainly.

Sheila nodded, then changed the subject. "You know, I never did ask - is it Dr. Davies?"

"Just barely. The ink is still wet on the diploma. But please don't call me that!"

Sheila grinned. "No promises." She looked at her watch. "We should probably head out, babes," she said.

We said our goodbyes, with no plans for any further get-togethers being discussed.

><><><><><

Hank picked his head up and looked at me as I walked in the door. "Come on, buddy. Quick walk around the block?"

He considered briefly, then decided in the affirmative. We did just that, a short stroll around the neighborhood. Staring up at the night sky once more, I thought, "Livvie, rwy'n dy golli di..." Hank pushed against my leg.

><><><><><

Chapter 3

I was deep into another typical week of teaching, grading, and student counseling, when I got a phone call.

"Hi, umm... it's me. Jenny." She sounded nervous.

"Hi Jenny, how are you?" I was happy she'd called, and didn't even know why yet.

"Oh, fine... I, hmm... well, I know we didn't say anything after last time, but... I was hoping... we could... err, have our dinner this weekend? No big deal if you're busy, I don't want to impose or anything, I just thought..." the words tumbled out, all in a rush.

"No, that's fine, I'd... quite like that, actually," I said quietly.

"Oh! Okay, great! Okay, see you then! Bye!" The line went dead before I had a chance to ask when or where. I chuckled to myself when the text came.

> Same place, same time? Facepalm emoji.

> Lol, works for me. Winky face.

> Smiley face.

><><><><><

After my weekly racquetball match with Rogers, he said he did in fact have Sheila in one of his classes. I told him who her advisor was, and he nodded.

"Brenda is strict but very good; she's fortunate."

"And her girlfriend is lovely," he added with a wink.

><><><><><

Sunday afternoon arrived, taking far too long. I was thinking about getting dressed when my phone rang.

"Ieuan? It's Jenny. I'm so sorry, Sheila isn't going to be able to make it, and she took the car. I think I'm going to have to cancel our dinner." She sounded upset.

"Don't be silly. I'll come pick you up, no trouble."

"Really?" Her tone brightened immediately.

"Of course. Text me your address and I'll see you in about an hour?"

"Okay! Thanks!"

The text arrived, followed by a string of emojis that I'd have to get Linnet to decipher for me later. I sent her a thumbs-up and headed for the shower.

Precisely 55 minutes later, I pulled up in front of a complex that was popular with students. I walked up to the third-floor apartment and knocked.

"Hi, Ieuan! You could have texted, I'd have walked down," she said, opening the door. She looked very pretty.

"Nonsense. If nothing else, my parents taught me a few manners," I said piously and offered my arm.

She giggled and we headed down.

We headed toward the car, and as we got closer, her pace slowed down and her eyes got wide.

"Oh my gosh, Ieuan, is that yours?" she exclaimed excitedly. She had only seen my truck before.

I grinned like a teenager. "Yep. Your chariot awaits!" I opened the door for her and flourished my arm dramatically.

She climbed in and sighed as she sank into the soft leather. She gazed around at the 50-year-old interior in wonder.

"This is amazing! What is it?"

"1970 Plymouth Satellite. But wait for the best bit," I grinned and turned the key.

Her eyes got even wider and her smile threatened to split her face as the big V-8 rumbled to life and she heard the muted thunder of the dual exhaust.

"Can I drive it, pleeeease?" she begged. Puppy-dog eyes were engaged, in full force.

I pointed at the floor shifter for the 4-speed transmission. "Can you drive a manual?"

I struggled not to laugh at the crestfallen expression on her face. Then she brightened.

"Maybe you could teach me?" she asked, hopefully.

"I suppose I could, but not in this. Maybe in my truck," I offered. She nodded, happy again.

"If I'm being honest, I'm pleasantly surprised by your reaction. Most girls could care less, and would just think 'boys and their toys.'"

She laughed. "Well remember, I'm from small town middle America. If the boys weren't driving 4-wheel drive pickups, they had muscle cars."

I had intended to drive us to dinner, but her excitement was so infectious, I had to devise a new plan. So instead of heading straight to the restaurant, I took a left turn toward the interstate. She looked at me questioningly as we took the northbound ramp.

"Just hang on," I grinned.

She shrieked with glee as the acceleration forced us back into our seats. Traffic was light, so I let her scream (the car, not Jenny) to about 90, then backed off.

"That was amazing! Do it again!" she clapped her hands in joy, bouncing in the seat.

So, I took the next exit, passed over the interstate, and jumped back onto the southbound ramp for a repeat performance.

"Wooooooo hoooooo!" she yelled as we flew down the highway. Luck was with us, and no flashing lights appeared. She grinned at me like a kid, face flushed with excitement. We exited again and headed for the restaurant at a bit more sedate pace.

Once again, I was lucky to find an empty parking place. As I walked around to help Jenny from the car, a 60-ish couple stopped to look. The man said, "Wow, that's a gorgeous vehicle." His wife added, "And such a lovely couple!" As I lifted her out, she noticed Jenny's condition. "And congratulations are in order, I see!" she gushed.

"Oh, we're not..." I started.

Jenny just grabbed my arm in both of hers. "Thank you so much!" she gushed. She and the woman chatted briefly about babies and whatnot, while I showed her husband around the car.

After a few minutes, the two women hugged, and as they walked away, Jenny wished them a lovely evening.

I looked at her, puzzled, as she tugged me toward the restaurant.

"Shh!" she whispered. "Don't spoil the moment!"

Moment? I gave up and let her drag me along.

><><><><><

As was becoming our habit, Jenny ordered the same meal I had the previous week, and I got something different, mostly for the enjoyment of watching her try it. As we waited, for our meals, Jenny gradually got quiet. She started to speak, paused, then started again.

"Ieuan, I don't mean to pry, but do you think you might ever want to talk about..." and she reached over to tap the gold band that I still wore on my left hand. "I just... I remember the first time we met, when we were, umm, when we misjudged you maybe a little?" She gave me a crooked grin. "And you said that I reminded you of someone. I've been thinking, and... well, I don't want to assume, but if you wanted to talk about it, I'm a pretty good listener," she finished softly.

I shifted in my seat, trying to push down the feelings. The old, familiar pain. She just waited patiently, and I knew she wouldn't push. I took another breath.

"Jenny... this is a lot. It's not something I talk about." I looked down, then back up at her. "But I'm pretty sure the same goes for you, after what you told me last week. So, since you were able to trust me..." I took a deep breath, "I want to trust you." Looking into her eyes, I asked softly, "Can I trust you?"

Once again, she reached across and took my hand. "I promise."

I nodded. "Thank you. And like you said, it will probably help you understand me better, maybe?" I raised an eyebrow questioningly at her, and she nodded.

"So, how far had I gotten in my story the other week?"

Jenny smiled. "You talked about how you came to America and stuff, and then about becoming a professor, but you skipped over the middle part."

"Right. And that's the hard part. So... I told you my dad was a professor at U of Washington?"

She nodded.

"Well, I guess it was just easier for me to go there myself after secondary - err, high school. I had no idea what I wanted to do, so I just went with the flow, more or less. Let my folks talk me into it. It's embarrassing to say now, but I didn't have a whole lot of ambition." I fiddled with my drink.

"So fast forward to the beginning of junior year. Wait, before that. I took a history elective my sophomore year and found that I actually enjoyed it. Very different than in high school."

I laughed, remembering. "I had this one teacher in high school; we would spend the class counting how many times she said, 'You know'."

"Oh my gosh, that's terrible!" Jenny cracked up.

"I know! I didn't learn a thing in that class, except by accident. Anyway, it was so different in college. As I said, it was an elective, but you could tell the professor knew his stuff, and he made it interesting! It was a revelation for me. So, I declared history as my major and asked the professor if he'd mind being my academic advisor. So that's how I met Dr. Trumbel."

Jenny nodded.

"So... ok, now back to junior year. I was taking an art history class as another elective, and that's when I met Olivia. She came in late to the first class, tripped over my foot, and dropped her backpack. Her things flew everywhere!" I smiled at the memory.

"I tried to help, but I was also trying not to laugh, and she gave me such a glare! She grabbed up her belongings, snatched the few items I'd managed to gather up out of my hand, and stomped down to the end of the row."

Jenny was getting into the story now. "So, what did you do?"

"Besides sneaking peeks at her the rest of the class?"

Jenny snickered.

"Well, I waited for her afterward as we were all filing out. I told her I was very sorry, and could I please buy her a cup of tea by way of apology. She glared at me again, and told me I could take my fake accent and my tea, and shove them both."

"Holy crap, what a bitch!" Jenny blurted, then clapped both hands over her mouth. "Sorry!"

"No, you're right," I laughed. "She did have quite a temper. Anyway, as fate would have it, I got lucky again. The professor for the class was quite interesting and quirky. She had us studying Gwen and Augustus John, a brother and sister who are two of Wales's most famous painters. They were from Tenby, which is a very picturesque village in South Wales, not far from where I was born. And my dad, being who he is, took us there quite frequently on day trips. I got a ton of brownie points from the professor during the two classes we spent discussing them, and she asked me to give an impromptu speech to the class about what I remembered growing up there."

"Oh wow! That must have been nerve-wracking!"

"You'd have thought, wouldn't you? But no, once I got past the bit about not knowing where to start, it went pretty well. I wound up enjoying it. Being comfortable in front of the class made me think about teaching history rather than just studying it."

Jenny nodded. "Ok, that makes sense! But what about Olivia?" she prodded.

The waitress interrupted us with our meals at this point. I chuckled at Jenny's exasperated expression. Once the plates were all served and we were alone again, I fiddled with my plate, deliberately taking my time. Jenny stomped her foot.

"Ieuan!"

I grinned at her. "Cywir. Err, right. Well, after my speech to the class, it was pretty obvious that I was actually Welsh. She was so cute.... She came up to me after class and was shuffling her feet in embarrassment. I think it was because she just looked so adorable that I took pity on her. I remember thinking how pretty she was. She apologized, saying she had had the worst day, and my big feet had just been the icing on the cake. I said it was fine, I deserved it and I was sorry too, and could I please take her for coffee? I promised I would never offer her tea again. She laughed, and we had our first date that afternoon."