Love is Where One Finds It

FOREWORD:

The three series I am currently developing are grouped as the St. John's Church Community Series. They are primarily focused on Empowering and/or Empowered Women! The current stories are Lost Girls Find Life, The Day In My Life I Became Me, and Love Is Where One Finds It.

While 100% fiction, these stories are based on many similar actual events observed in the past. The average US citizen does not fully comprehend how pervasive child and women abuse is throughout America in everyday life. Many secret safe houses are located in numerous large and medium sized American cities, where women and their children successfully hide from their abusers.

Some of these safe houses also monitor the "Rape Hot Lines" for local police departments. The secret safe houses must also have volunteer teachers on-site for the younger children until they can be safely relocated to another safe area where they can attend regular public schools again.

Candy_Kane54's Virginiaverse Series provided the impetus for my commencing to write the St. John's stories. CK was so supportive when I approached her requesting editorial help and guidance since my previous writing experience was limited to Technical Manuals and Protocols. There definitely would not have been any St. John's stories without CK's soothing personality and help when I became frustrated.

I internally smiled as I began reading CK's lesbian romance stories, which reminded me of entering corporate America many years ago. A host of senior-level female executives were 'ROOMMATES' for years, ranging in ages from 40 to 50 years old. I developed trusting friendships with several of these roommates, who later shared the true status of their same-sex relationship with me. Two particularly close friends lived their entire adult lives together as roommates in denial since they could not openly love their partner.

This corporate denial of same-sex relationships was a bit similar to CK's Virginiaverse Military Series before President Bill Clinton's "don't ask, don't tell" policy. Therefore, I specifically chose to highlight Abandonment and Abuse Leading to Empowerment in the St. John's story series. This can be viewed as a different aspect or view of the same issue(s), which primarily affects females.

A few comments on previous stories have been quite helpful, such as "This Sucks." Unfortunately, "This Sucks" was not defined as my writing, which should improve with CK's help. If the story sucked because the person was not interested in the topic of "empowering females from their childhood," then it's best they choose not to read my stories!

Women Can Attain Whatever They Desire, Which Only Requires Solid Encouragement Starting In Their Youth!

Prologue: This is my third erotic story group on Literotica. As always, I am totally indebted to Candy_Kane54 (CK) for providing critical editing suggestions, style advice, and general encouragement in writing this Lesbian Romance story.

CHICAGO:

Trezula Montique-Madison (Trez) attended a major Manufacturing and Engineering (M & E) Design Conference in Chicago. This was her first long-distance travel in the three years following her husband's accidental death caused by a drunk driver. She is a thirty-five-year-old Design Engineer at a multinational tech company - SEE TECH, and was currently based out of Corporate Headquarters in Seattle. WA.

Trez's appearance was striking primarily due to her height of just a shade over six feet tall. She was French-Canadian originally from Montreal, with a hint of Scandinavian ethnic heritage. This blended heritage resulted in her startling blue eyes, coupled with an olive complexion and jet black hair.

Trez had lived in the Seattle area most of her life; her family had relocated there from Montreal when she was six years old due to her dad's business promotion. Her late husband had also been her best friend in life after Trez's family settled into the greater Seattle community. On her first day of school, the two had met and later realized their families lived in the same Seattle suburb.

Subsequently, their families became quite close. Her late husband had been active in Trez's life from the early age of six until his untimely death at thirty-two, almost three years ago. They had been married for seven wonderful years before the fatal accident. Before that, they were a committed couple for several years prior to marrying. They also attended the same university for five years, so they had been very close friends for most of their lives before getting married.

Trez was utterly devastated by her husband's death and was just now slowly getting back on track after nearly three years of internal mourning. Her parents had returned home to Montreal after her father's retirement but had rushed to her side upon learning of the fatal accident. They stayed with her for six weeks following the funeral and then returned to their home in Montreal. Therefore, she was now alone in Seattle with just her warm memories of family and a too brief seven-year marriage.

Trez's Department Director allowed her to take as much time as needed to recover and heal. She was a senior design engineer, so she could perform many of her work tasks from home. She only worked in the office on Fridays for the first year after her loss. However, she never participated in any of the company's social activities. Trez chose not to attend most of these activities because many of the single males began asking her out less than two months after her husband's funeral. It was apparent they viewed her as 'vulnerable and being an easy lay' as a recent widow.

After her being continually isolated for more than two years, Trez's director was really concerned about her mental health. Trez basically worked and constantly mourned her husband, with no other activities besides distance running to relieve her stress. Finally, he convinced her to attend a one-week Manufacturing and Engineering Design trade show in Chicago.

The conference was for six days, with the exhibit booths open for four days. On the 3rd day of the meeting, Trez felt it had been a mistake for her to attend this trade show. She was constantly being hit on by men in this male-dominated engineering profession due to her unique beauty and height. Trez's initial response to these personal intrusions was to completely shut the guys down and walk briskly away.

It was primarily for this reason that she did not attend any of the social functions. Trez felt miserably isolated, sad for being seemingly confined to her room in a prison-like atmosphere. She had basically brought her despair to Chicago with her since she similarly lived in a self-imposed exile in her Seattle townhouse.

Trez phoned her department director in Seattle, who completely understood her sadness at being alone in Chicago, not knowing anyone. Therefore he agreed that she could depart the conference later that evening, immediately following the New Design Theory and Technology round table discussions.

Once that session ended, Trez took a quick lunch at the hotel buffet and then Uber to the airport for her evening flight departure. She carefully chose her lunch selections and then looked all around for a quiet place to eat and thankfully saw a table for four with just one lady seated who appeared to have some Black American ethnic heritage. She walked over and 'introduced herself as Trez', asking to share the table?

The lady stood and responded that "I am Sarah, and of course Trez can share the table as I am here alone."

When Trez was fully seated, she asked Sarah, "Are you attending the M & E conference?" to which Sarah answered "Yes."

Both ladies continued their relaxing conversation about the M & E meeting while casually dining. Trez learned that Sarah was the Executive VP at her company and had more of a business background than engineering like herself. She also found out that Sarah's company headquarters was located in Northern Florida on the East Coast near the Atlantic Ocean. They joked about their lives being lived on two oceans separated by the entire USA. They were really enjoying themselves discussing business-related events at the Trade Show, as well as their companies.

Just as Trez felt comfortable enough to mention that she was a widow trying to regain her footing in life, they were interrupted. An arrogant guy came over and sat at their table without first asking them if it was okay. He immediately began throwing out pick-up lines about hitting the bars, along with sexist jokes, which threw cold water on the rapport Sarah and Trez had started to feel.

Sarah had a session to attend immediately following lunch and invited Trez to meet her later for dinner if she was free? However, Trez explained that her flight to Seattle departed in five hours, and she was heading directly to ORD after lunch. As they were walking away from the obnoxious guy at their table, Sarah and Trez said their goodbyes. They also commented about how it was lovely sharing lunch together, with Trez feeling a bit sad watching Sarah's back as she walked away.

Trez was at the boarding gate for her Seattle flight when she thought, wow, Sarah was such a nice lady, and they did not exchange any contact information. She had experienced several brief moments of happiness while talking with Sarah. Trez hoped that fate would intervene, and they would possibly meet again at another trade show in the future.

Meanwhile, Sarah had finished her Business Management session. She reflected warmly on meeting Trez, who seemed to be a nice lady. Sarah would have really enjoyed talking with her longer over dinner that evening. She had sensed a vacuum within Trez, who occasionally seemed a bit far away from their conversation, as if in another dimension.

Alas, their sharing lunch was history now, so she would have room service for dinner and prepare for her early morning departure to JAX.

SEATTLE:

Trez's loneliness and despair quickly reared their ugly heads a week after being back at home. She now worked in the office two days a week and then the remainder of her time from her townhouse.

She had sold their family home immediately following the funeral since she could not fathom living in it alone. However, her leased townhouse was also quite lonely and cold, especially during the dreary wet Seattle winters. After about nine months, Trez realized she needed to relocate to another area of the US to preserve her sanity. Returning to her parents' home in Montreal was definitely not a viable option.

Sometimes, when depressed with a heavy heart, she would think warmly of her brief lunch with Sarah in Chicago. On her final day at the meeting, the lunch with Sarah had been the most she had laughed since her husband's death. If only they had exchanged contact details. She could at least phone her and say hello!

Trez was called to her director's office for a project report when she decided to also approach him regarding a transfer. He agreed with her thoughts that being in a new environment could dramatically speed up her healing process.

SEE TECH had recently been awarded a contract with a company based in Augusta, GA, Hight & MacMurphy Foundry, which manufactured many items, including bombs for DOD. The company had just been awarded a new Defense Contract and wanted to evaluate potential production engineering design changes.

Although Augusta was a small city of approximately two hundred thousand, it was centrally located between Savannah on the Atlantic Ocean and Atlanta on the west, near the Alabama border. If Trez accepted the two-year assignment, she could live anywhere within a one-hundred-fifty-mile radius of Augusta. However, she would need to live in Augusta for the first one or two months while acclimating herself to the company's protocols and working with their current in house engineering design team.

Trez accepted the assignment on a two-year term basis. The company would pay all her relocation costs, including the broken lease fees in Seattle. After a week in Augusta, Trez was not particularly happy with the culture. She did avail herself to learning as much as possible on the Master's Golf History.

Trez also became somewhat friendly with a nineteen-year-old girl working in the engineering office. The young girl's name was Mary Beth Jones, and her only job seemed to be running errands, making copies, or bringing coffee for the office staff.

Mary Beth was fascinated by Trez, primarily because of her height, as well as she was the only female engineer at the company. During one of their conversations, Trez explained to Mary Beth that she was not actually working for the Augusta company. She was just here on a two-year contract from her home company, SEE TECH in Seattle.

"Wow, you are a long ways from home!" commented Mary Beth.

Mary Beth stopped in Trez's office most mornings, asking if she wanted coffee, to which she usually replied no. Finally, after many such requests, Trez said, "Come on Mary Beth, let's walk together for coffee."

A stunned Mary Beth, "You want to walk with me?"

Trez questioned, "Why not?"

Mary Beth answered, "I am nobody to most of the people who work here. The company pays me just a bare minimum wage to run errands and other menial tasks. My family is mostly poor country people, and I help with paying their bills and buying food with my meager earnings."

Trez felt really touched by Mary Beth's being so open with her that she questioned the validity of her own depression for the past three years. This young girl's self-worth had been suppressed by the local society for her entire life, and yet she seemed happy and emotionally stable.

They often talked as they met at lunch or walking for coffee, so one day, Trez asked, "May I call you MB because Mary Beth is a mouth full?"

Mary Beth loved her middle name, so she said, "You can call me Beth."

Trez replied, "Okay," and from that moment on she was Beth.

Beth was quite helpful to Trez, showing her around the Augusta area and giving her directions to various places. Beth seemed quite proud of their budding friendship, so Trez never offered her money or bought her anything substantial. However, she occasionally paid for Beth's morning coffee and brought her small gifts from flea markets and such.

Trez learned that Beth was witty, intelligent, and really desired to improve her lot in life. However, she was being unjustly held back. Trez gave Beth small tasks to help with the project and showed her what needed to be done. Trez then stood back and watched her complete these little tasks on her own.

One month into the Augusta project, 'Trez had a revelation!'

When relocating to a more permanent residence next month, most likely Savannah, she would need someone at the Augusta facility to help her with items she occasionally used remotely for the project. Trez immediately phoned her director, updating him on her progress. She then added that she'd like to move the local office run-a-round girl to her operating budget.

More excited than her director had observed in the past three years, Trez continued with her pitch. "Beth has helped me settle in Augusta and is intrinsically intelligent but held back for years as a country bumpkin. She had already taught Beth several tasks, including the most recent mini-weekly report he received."

Trez's director gave his immediate approval asking, "What can I do to help you move forward with bringing Beth on board for the project?"

Trez had massaged the numbers and felt that pay, fringe benefits, and Beth's occasional travel expenses to Savannah would add one hundred thousand dollars to her two-year budget. All of the new numbers were approved by her SEE TECH Director. Trez now needed to talk with Beth before requesting an engineering office staff meeting, including the Augusta Company's President.

The following Saturday, Trez and Beth drove to Savannah. They toured the River Walk, along with some of the city squares. While walking and talking in Savannah, Beth learned that Trez would most likely live permanently in the Savannah area. She would visit the Augusta facility once or twice monthly for two working days.

Trez realized that Beth was sad, so she stressed how much Beth had helped her acclimatize to the area and company. Most of their time together was as friends, with Beth sometimes helping her on a project. Trez now had her director's approval to transfer Beth to her department and the Seattle Company's payroll. Having Beth on board full time would allow Trez's project to operate more efficiently once she settled in Savannah?

Trez planned to proceed by the book. Therefore she had not discussed the specifics of her ideas with Beth. If someone approached Beth and asked what was happening with Trez teaching her so much about the consulting project, Beth would be totally in the dark, which was best.

Trez 'officially' asked the Engineering Director for permission to take Beth to lunch and talk with her?

"May I ask why?" the director queried.

Trez thought of her long-term goals on this contract but did not want to immediately show her hand with Beth's transfer to SEE TECH. Therefore, she answered, "It will be much clearer in a few days."

At their official lunch meeting, Trez queried Beth, "Will you transfer to SEE TECH working full-time for me while based in the Augusta office?"

Beth immediately said, "Yes!" So, Trez will now act quickly finalizing all the specifics. Trez also informed Beth, "You will need to visit Savannah a minimum of two times each month, working with me there for two or three days each visit."

Beth was ecstatic, literally walking on air saying, "Thank you so much Trez for trusting me and offering me the job working full-time with you on the design project."

Trez said that there is one more important item for Beth to consider, "The SEE TECH Augusta company contract is for two years. Then, I will move on to another project. You will need to move on to the new project with me. Also, if Beth wants to attend university one or two days a week, SEE TECH will pay all the costs, but for this financial sponsorship Beth needs to maintain a 'B' Average.

"Finally, Beth's base pay will be $35,300 annually or $17.00 per hour! She will receive other benefits such as medical insurance, paid vacation and holidays. Beth will also receive SEE TECH pro-rated retirement contributions, bonuses, and travel funds for the Savannah visits. This additional compensation perk(s) increased Beth's total pay package value to forty-five thousand dollars annually. Trez will give Beth the complete HR package after their meeting with the Augusta Company's engineering management team.

"Following the meeting, Beth will be immediately transferred to the SEE TECH payroll and specifically Trez's Augusta project budget. The Seattle Director completely agrees with Trez needing someone with access to the Augusta office and is pleased she can trust Beth's work and ethics. After finalizing Beth's hiring, Trez will arrange for her to take any accumulated vacation before switching Beth to SEE TECH's payroll."

Trez scheduled a meeting for Monday morning where everything would be made official. She expected strong opposition from the Augusta Engineering Director about Beth's move. However, all will be completely final after their meeting.

Trez asked Beth for one commitment, "Always be truthful, honest, and do her best on projects Trez assigned her. She will teach Beth, as well as provide her helpful books to study during the next two years. Once the Augusta project is completed and they are reassigned, Beth can plan on starting the online University studies!"