Iowa, 1954

I fucking hate soybeans.

I hate their stupid fucking plants with their pretentious fucking leaves.

I hate the way they grow in neat, little lines close to the ground. Their glossy sprouts swaying casually in the breeze like they aren't the biggest cock block in the midwest.

Because of FUCKING soybeans, I had to walk TWO MILES to Larry Balmer's field because he's the only saint who planted corn in this god-forsaken county this year. It seemed like after the war, all the farmer sons who came back started planting soy. My own dad owned the general store and proudly proclaimed, "The U.S. dominates the world soy industry!" I said, "Who gives a shit when only the cows eat it?" Then I got slapped for saying "shit".

I hiked up my dress as I hopped the split rail fence between the Masons' properties. Unfortunately, I stepped in a pile of sand from a huge ant hill on the other side, the sand filling my shoe. Tomorrow I'll have to start the wash early so my mother doesn't see my dirty socks.

The half-moon didn't provide nearly the light I was counting on. I had my little brother's Eveready flashlight in hand (easy to sneak out of his Boy Scout bag), but I knew I couldn't turn it on until after I passed Sue Ann Reynold's house. Her grandmother lived with them and liked to sit up late smoking on the back porch and minding everyone else's business.

That's the thing about small towns. Everyone is all up in everyone else's shit. They've got nothing better to do than wonder why Mary Beth wore her blue dress on a date with Bobby Carter, but not the pink bow in her hair like she had when she went out with Nathaniel Schurt. They gossiped louder than blue jay's then sat in church on Sunday and shamed their neighbors when the preacher spoke about gossip being a deadly sin.

My sins would certainly be the hottest gossip in town if anyone knew. And they could NEVER know. Not until I was long gone. Which is why I needed the goddamn farmers to plant fucking corn.

"What are you thinking so hard about there, beautiful?"

"Ahhhh!!" I tripped forward over some loose dirt and screeched as the voice, and person behind it, surprised me in the dark. The tree line behind the neighborhood houses I had been passing through obscured the moonlight completely. "What the fuck, Lou?! You scared the shit outta me!"

"Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?" I felt her warm hands wrap around my waist as she breathed into my ear from behind. She pulled me flush against her body, immediately igniting the fire in mine.

"No, Lou. I only kiss you."

I felt her smile on the skin of my neck as she kissed me below my right ear. Then her strong hands spun me around, yanked me close, and her hot mouth engulfed me. My brother's Eveready slipped out of my hand as I reached up to tangle my fingers in her dark, curly hair.

Lou was unlike any woman in town. Born Louisa Jean Scott, she pulled her dress off at three years old and went screaming up the church aisle that she wanted pants forever. Since that day, she'd never worn a dress or skirt. She was as rough and tumble as they came; fighting, running, digging in the mud, anything outdoors or anything loud, Lou was right in the middle of it. She worked afternoons in her uncle's shop and could fix anything with a motor.

And Lou was all mine.

Not that anyone knew, of course. Good, Christian Eileen Ruth had no business sneaking out to the corn fields to mess up her perfect, blonde curls or get dirt all over the back of her blue cotton dress...but here I was.

"I missed you," I breathed into her open mouth.

"I've missed you too, baby. I've thought of you every moment."

I pulled back to try and catch the moonlight on her face. "Honest? Or are you pulling my leg?"

Lou's hands ran down the small of my back, over my ass, and cupped the back of my thighs over my full skirt. Her eyes were even with mine as she bent down to grip me. "Every moment." She dropped her voice lower, "And you know exactly which ways I want to pull your legs."

I shuddered. "Then get to it. I'm ready to burst."

She grinned with mischief as her hands pulled against my thighs harder, plucking me from the ground. I squealed and wrapped my legs around her waist. Even though she'd carried me many times, I thought for sure this position would tip us. But Lou proved stronger than even my wildest fantasies.

"My lady," she teased, "Shall I carry thee to bed?"

"What, you've got a four-poster stashed in Balmer's field?"

Lou kissed my cheek, "Nah, but I did bring an old horse blanket this time. So hopefully we don't ruin that pretty dress."

I rolled my eyes, "You hate dresses."

Lou's body moved with the force of her head shake, "No way, baby. I just love dresses...when they're on you."

I blushed, not that the half-moon would betray me by showing Lou my red cheeks.

She carried me along the back treeline as we headed out toward the Balmer's property. We had to be silent as we passed a few houses. I kept my legs and arms firmly wrapped around her, occasionally kissing her neck or nipping her earlobe. She responded by pinching my butt or groaning low in her chest. I liked teasing.

"Lee, you're killing me," she whined.

"How much further?"

"Not far," Lou responded, "There's a few trees in this yard, then the corn there will put us out of sight."

I tried to see where she meant but couldn't make it out in the half darkness. "How can you see?"

She shrugged, "Lots of nighttime sneaking."

I smacked her arm, "Hey!"

Lou laughed, "I'm teasing! Only with you, baby."

I knew Lou was only teasing, but I also knew I wasn't her only like she was mine. That was fine with me though. I didn't care so long as I had her all to myself now.

As we neared the corn field, the nighttime noises began to fade slightly. Crickets chirped, but they preferred to hide near the bushes and the croaking of toads from the irrigation channels was dampened by the taller crops. Insects buzzed around us, but nothing a little swat wouldn't shoo away.

It was hot and sticky out. The light breeze was too light and too far between drafts of relief. I was beginning to think this was a bad night, until Lou carried me through one more line of corn. When we squeezed through the stalks to a deep section of the field, I saw what Lou had set up.

A thick, rough blanket lay in between the rows of corn with a pile of sunflowers next to it. A kerosene lantern burned low a few feet away, attracting some moths to its light. On the blanket were a dark brown bottle and a small handkerchief. I recognized it as one of Lou's that she kept around the shop, but this one was clean and ironed.

"Lou...what-?"

She slowly set me down next to the blanket and wrapped her hand around mine. "I wanted tonight to be special. I want you to know what you mean to me."

Her nervousness suddenly had me tense. "I-I love it. But why tonight?"

She took a deep breath and pulled me to sit on the blanket. Pushing the clean handkerchief at me, I could see it contained something. I knelt up on my knees by her and slowly unfolded the neatly pressed fabric. Out fell two bus tickets.

My jaw dropped.

"You...you've saved enough?"

Lou's smile was tight, "Yeah. Didn't take as long as I thought. And my uncle gave me a bonus. I think he knows it's time I left."

My fingers reached for the thick paper covered in glossy print. I balked at the price, printed right on it. Lou told me how much they were, but seeing it, seeing the paper that represented how much money she'd spent still sent a shiver up my arm. I read over the ticket information again. Even though we'd discussed it a hundred times, fantasized about it more, it didn't feel real.

"San Francisco?"

"Uncle Frank tells me it's a great city and you've always said you wanted to be on the west coast. He already wrote to his friend and he's willing to try me out in his garage for a while, at least until we can get on our feet." She started rambling, "And you can write and actually get published! I have enough for an apartment for a couple of months. It's not uncommon for young women to live together in cities. No one would care. And as far as-"

I pressed my finger to her lips. "Louisa Jean, are you asking me to run away with you?" I quirked an eyebrow at her.

In the lantern light, her features were softened, thrown into warmth and flickering shadows. It seemed the whole night was waiting for her response. The cricket who'd been loudly protesting our presence a moment ago, sat silent now.

Lou inhaled, "I know there are certain things, certain things I can't give you. Marriage. Kids. But-" she unfolded the end of the kerchief and underneath was a beautiful, silver locket. "But, I can give you my love. Forever. I love you, Eileen."

My mouth was hanging open. I could feel it, but I couldn't bring myself to care. Lou's perfect face was crossed with worry. Pushing my skirt out of the way, I rose to my knees higher to get closer to her. I brushed one hand over the side of her face, then the other, cradling her in my hands.

"I love you too, Lou. More than marriage or kids or my reputation from gossiping neighbors. I love you so much it hurts. I don't know anything about San Francisco, but if you're there, that's where I want to be."

Lou launched forward out of my grasp and crashed our lips together harder than she ever kissed me before. Her tongue found its way to mine and her strong arms pulled me in so tightly I almost couldn't breathe, but it still wasn't enough.

Frantically, my fingers found the buttons on her shirt. Our aggressive kiss was impossible to break, I felt her teeth slip across my lips. I groaned. Yanking her shirt out of her pants took a few good pulls, but when it was free, I was rewarded with the sight of her erect nipples.

"Fuck. No bra?"

"What?" She seemed dazed by our kissing.

"Nevermind," I said quickly as I pressed her back to the blanket and covered her left nipple with my lips. I sucked hard, she liked it rough on her chest. My right hand pinched her other nipple and pulled it away as I rolled it lightly between my fingers. Slipping my left hand between us, I tried to undo her belt with one hand. I had this image of me stripping her so slowly, sensually. But in the end she had to help.

She kicked her boots into the dirt, then took off her belt and pants as I tugged impatiently. Of course, underneath, she wore nothing but the hair God gave her. It was beautiful. I pressed her back down then crawled between her legs. It was amazing how much her scent, her sweat, could turn me on. Lou squirmed a bit as I got comfortable on the hard ground. There was a little pebble under my right knee, poking me slightly, but I ignored it as I caught my arms under Lou's thighs. She groaned as my tongue pushed through her bush to make contact with her hot skin. I could feel where the top of her slit started and I knew that's where she'd want me, but I stole a few moments for myself in her depths. She was hot, impossibly hot, and getting wet fast.

I licked deep, pressing her thighs open further to accommodate my head. Lou's voice carried away on the fickle breeze, a string of profanity and desire. I lifted my eyes to watch her writhe. The horse blanket had to be terribly scratchy under her ass, but I wasn't slowing down and she wasn't complaining.

"Lee, damn," she gasped. Her fingers threaded in my blonde curls, which were now undoubtedly frizzy, as she pulled me closer. I obliged by focusing my attention on her clitoris.

The humid air blew around us, kicking up some dust and the smell of hay from the blanket. Lou went quiet, but her hips kept rolling her center to my face. I tried to focus as a smile threatened to steal my lips from her. My imagination was running wild. We could do this. We could run away together, get a little apartment in a city where no one cared what we did, we could fuck in a real bed. No more corn field trysts. I licked her harder through my own fantasy.

"Fuck, yes!" She hollered a little too loudly as she released against my face. I gripped her thighs hard so she couldn't wiggle away as I finished her off.

When I felt the muscles in her inner thigh begin to tremble, I backed off. Trailing kisses away from her heat, I looked up to catch her beautiful, light eyes.

"Good?"

Lou pulled a hand from my hair and ran it through her own. I could see the sweat on her brow and on the little hairs clinging to her face. "So good. You're always good, baby."

"Good enough to take across the country?"

Lou sat up surprisingly fast and hooked her hands under my arms to pull me up by her. "I'd take you anywhere," she kissed me. "And not just because you're good at that."

I laughed as she kept pulling me up higher and wiggled her way down to get under me more. Smoothly, she slid her hands up my legs, over my thighs, and up to the top of my briefs around my tummy as I straddled her. She urged me up as she tugged my underwear down.

"No girdle tonight?" she teased as I adjusted to help her strip me.

"Nope."

"Completely indecent," she laughed as she tossed my lace-trimmed briefs aside. "Now come here." Her fingers pried me up higher on my knees and she encouraged me to slide up over her chest.

I gathered my skirt up in my arms. One of my brown saddle shoes was untied and caused me to get stuck for a second, but she shimmied until I was directly over her face. She slid her fingers from behind my knees to my butt and pulled me down onto her mouth.

Kneeling over Lou while she licked me into oblivion was perfection. I could just make out her forehead and eyes under the material of my skirt, which I was desperately trying to keep out of the way. She took a long, slow lick up the length of me, her eyes closing in pleasure. I shivered.

"Please, Lou!"

"Mmmmhmm," she moaned into me. Her fingers pulled me down a bit more and I made full contact with her tongue.

"Yes!"

She encouraged me to move my hips as she licked.

The breeze blew through again, but it just barely cooled my brow enough to provide any relief. It was still so humid. I was sweating through my bra, the pointy cups shaking as Lou forced me up and down on her tongue. A tingle ran up my spine from the base of my tailbone as she found a particularly good spot. It usually took me a while to finish. Lou liked it fast and hard, I needed a more patient approach...an approach she had perfected.

Her fingers dug into my ass cheeks as she kept me moving. My thighs started to ache and there was definitely another pebble under my knee, but we didn't stop. I rode her face for several minutes before she pushed me up and off. I squealed as I fell forward onto my hands and Lou slipped under me. Behind me, she took advantage of my fall and pushed my skirt up to expose my butt.

SMACK!

"Lou!"

She chuckled, "There was a mosquito on your cheek."

"Bullshit."

SMACK! She slapped it again.

"Got it that time," the smile in her voice was evident as I stayed there on my hands and knees, ass completely exposed to the night.

"Yeah yeah," I tried to get up, but I felt her hand push the space between my shoulder blades.

"Stay there for me?"

Unsure, but trusting her implicitly, I nodded.

Her fingers slipped under me as the weight of her body pressed along my back. I planted my hands more firmly as I felt her rest on me. Those talented fingers caught my clitoris for a moment, then she used two of them to press inside me.

"Oh!" I gasped in pleasure.

"I wanted to try something new, is this okay?"

Furiously I nodded as my groans increased with her pressure. "Please, Lou!"

Her left hand rested on the blanket next to mine, her mouth by my ear whispering encouragement, as her right hand delved two fingers in and out of my soaked pussy. Both mine and Lou's curls were sticking to my sweaty face as I rocked back onto her hand. Everything felt hot, thick, and amazing. I caught stars at the corner of my vision, either from dehydration or pleasure, I wasn't sure.

"Yes, Lee, you feel so good. My fingers inside you, filling you..."

Gasping, I hooked my little finger over her hand that lay next to mine. Her groan of appreciation as I sank back once more onto her did it. I fell over the edge with her name on my lips and her lips on my cheek.

I collapsed forward onto the blanket as Lou pulled her fingers free. She quickly turned me over and kissed me so thoroughly that I got dizzy again. Her hands pulled at me as though she couldn't keep me close enough.

"Lou?" I managed to get her attention as she kissed my throat. Her blue eyes looked up, not that I could see their proper color in the lantern light. "You okay?"

She released her tight hold on my body and relaxed back to the blanket. "I'm just so glad you're coming with me. I -well I was worried you'd turn me down when it finally came to it."

Rolling to lay my head on her shoulder, my calf hit something hard and I remembered the brown bottle she brought. I reached down to grab it then settled on her. "Of course I want to come with you. San Francisco, hmm?"

"Yup." She took the bottle from me, popped the cork and passed it back. I took a long swig of her dad's homebrewed wine and handed the bottle back with a little hiccup. She grinned and sipped.

"I'm excited to see it. Too bad we can't get married at the city hall like Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio. That would be so romantic."

"What?" She side-eyed me.

"In San Francisco! They got married there this year. Honestly, Lou, don't you ever read a magazine?"

"Not the kind pretty girls like yourself should be reading," she said with a sleazy grin.

I smacked her arm, "Oh you!"

"Hey!" she protested, "You like that I read those! You wouldn't be nearly as satisfied if I didn't. How else would I have known about your clitoris?"

"Okay, please don't ruin the moment by talking about clitorises. I am glad your uncle isn't as legalistic as the rest of this Christian town. But you should probably burn those magazine's you've got hidden at the shop before we leave."

"Agreed."

With sweat still trickling down our backs, we packed up the blanket, bottle, and Lou tucked the tickets safely into her pocket. She fastened the locket around my neck, promising to get our pictures taken to put inside as soon as we got to San Francisco. We made our way back through the fields, hand in hand, until she split off for her house and I snuck back over the Mason's fence. I briefly searched the ground for my brother's flashlight, but couldn't find it in the dark. I'd have to leave him some money to replace it when I left.

Collapsing into my bed in the wee hours of the morning, I stretched my tired body and grinned at the memory of Lou's fingers. In less than a week we'd be in the city together, alone, and far from the judgemental eyes of family and congregation.

...

That week at church, I couldn't keep my eyes off Lou. She sat with her family four rows in front of us with one of her father's old hats on. Despite her masculine dress, she was still a woman in church and a hat was a social requirement. My mother made me wear a silly green hat with white flowers on the rim. It looked like something my grandma would wear rather than the more modern hats I saw in magazines, but it was the traditional style that appealed to my mom.

"Eileen, stop fidgeting!" she scolded me quietly.

"Yes, ma'am."

Lou turned slightly, obviously catching our voices and flashed me a sneaky smile before turning her attention back to the minister. This week he was ranting against "commies". Last week it had been desegregation.

I didn't understand how he could be so angry. His red face ballooned up as he called different U.S. cities our Sodom and Gomorrah, sweat trickled down his brow and spit flew from his mouth. I gagged a bit and fluttered my fan faster to cool off my own face. The congregation was silent as he railed on. Occasionally someone would cough or shuffle a shoe. A baby cried. It was stifling.