Meeting Her Pt. 06: Revelations

I continued. "I agree she is ambitious, and add that, after a bad experience, she is far less likely to repeat a mistake. But that cuts the other way as well, I am sure that her child's future will be a priority for her, and I am confident she will meet all her priorities."

He extended the subject. "Have your future plans changed since our talk?" He was really asking how well I knew Isabel.

"No. I am very aware of my needs. As I said when you hired me, my future is well-mapped, I have made it clear to all who matter. I like what I do and I am mindful that society is made better when my work helps worthwhile schools survive. My previous career gave me sufficient funds to comfortably exceed my modest needs. But I need other challenges, that is who I am. So now I am in a position to pursue those specialized challenges without deviating, and to be empowered to help others as I am helping you. So my plans have not changed... although I admit I have had cause to reassess... I might shift the timeline... but reached the same decision. To be blunt about it, why should I make some wife miserable, dragging her around, when I am confident I will find something like love while doing my job."

Curtis grinned at that, he was undoubtably thinking of Nancy, who had been a pleasure for us both. He nodded and raised his glass. "To meeting the challenges we choose," he said in a toast. I mirrored his actions, and after we had drained our brandy sniffers, we were both off to bed.

When we parted I was sure we would never be boss and employee again, but would be friends who could discuss many things without the constraints. He really was a intelligent and likable man who could not let it show because of his position.

-

The schedule for breakfast was more informal. So was the conversation, Elle probed a bit about relationships, in hopes of getting her own children to share. Curtis said Nancy didn't have to answer that, both he and Isabel said it not casual conversation right now. I said that, as the "new guy in the college" my social contact was casual. I explained that with my plan for a career, it would be unfair to even think about anything long term.

Nora and Marty agreed with that, in their school settings, relationships were not really a good idea, they spent a lot of time at their studies. Nora especially, even today women in engineering had to be "above" relationships, because of the general bias against females in engineering offices and the field.

Nora managed to grab me for a short conversation about movies. We both agreed that films like "Blazing Saddles," "A Clockwork Orange" and "Last Tango" could not be made today or shown properly. 'Clean' violence, like bullets killing groups of folks right away without suffering, was okay, in fact it was almost mandatory. But watching "Blazing Saddles" with all the cuts society required destroyed the film. Curtis and Elle agreed, films from the seventies, eighties and nineties were much better. If Spike Lee was starting today, and made a "Do The Right Thing" as his first movie, he would not make a second one.

Elle said that even quality porn was history, that "Deep Throat" and "Miss Jones" were real films. Her parents had seen "Behind The Green Door" once in a university student union at a flagship state school with a much higher larger student body than Hillside. But now, with the internet and generic lower budgets, the entire market segment had gone away.

I talked about how I blamed DVDs. "The videotape market had explosive growth because of porn movies, that closed out the porn theaters which were always in the margins, operating 'under community standards.' But video had a copying problem which always capped the market, no DA would protect a porno studio from unauthorized duplication of the product, and the public didn't really care. With revenue capped production costs were also capped. Then DVDs came on the scene, and while there were porn DVDs sold, the powers in the Blu Ray industry set the upper bar on quality when they announced they would not allow Blu Ray porn to exist. That left the internet, where the product is more sex scenes, fewer films with a script. The pincer movement on both ends meant low revenue, reduced production values to the lowest level."

Isabel mentioned that we had talked about my laserdisc collection with some uncut versions, including "Blazing Saddles."

The discussion wandered after that.

-

While I was packing in my room after breakfast, Nora came to see me. She wondered about watching some uncut versions of movies.

I had to mention that they were well short of HD resolution, but that was not and issue for her.

"I was kind of hoping for some time Monday or Tuesday? My sister and I are traveling out-of-state the first week in January for a short legal thing, and I know about your convention."

I said I would consider it and check my schedule. I knew the time was no issue, but I wondered about how Isabel and Nancy might view me spending time with Nora.

Nora said she knew I was not looking for a long term thing, but we got along well so she had to wonder about being "a special type of friend" during time off at the holidays and the summer.

"No strings, just fun," she said. "We would not have to go out anywhere, I am a girl who likes to have fun in an informal setting, like watching those great movies... and doing other things as a couple. I am a big girl, if you prefer Daddy would not know, that is fine. Look, I do know you had a talk last night... late. I do not have a boyfriend for the reasons I mentioned. Are you seeing anybody?"

"I would like that, but as it happens I am seeing somebody... two women, actually. It is no secret, they both know the facts, and they know it is casual. But as you can see..."

"I wonder if I know either of them? Look, I understand being responsible, so you might want to talk to them about any change, or any third party. I actually respect that more than you know. So keep me in mind, in Spring, or if it makes sense I will be here until MLK, except for 3 days after next weekend. Keep me in mind, either just to watch... or maybe more. I would be interested."

I admitted that both of my friends could change unexpectedly, and I promised to keep her in mind. We were on the fourth floor, so nobody else was around. As we left my room and turned the corner pointed to some mistletoe that was not there last night. So she gave me another kiss with a touch of tongue, and this time I returned the favor. Together things went a little deeper. Hands roamed, she made she I knew she was not wearing a bra. We both knew we were "sealing" her proposition with me, giving me a preview of "the boss's friendly daughter with mutual benefits."

-

As I drove Nancy home we exchanged our experiences. Marty had been a gentleman at all times with her, she laughed when she said she wrote it off to her being older. Well, she had a point there. She did enjoy some time when Isabel came to her room before breakfast and crawled into bed, both with their PJs on. They had to talk about their latest things: Isabel asked about Getty's death and Nancy asked about the baby. Nancy admitted that she pulled down Isabel's PJ bottoms and gave her some kisses on the belly as she talked to the baby. It was something non-sexual she had to do, and it pleased both of them.

They also talked about me, especially the mistletoe trap they laid. Nancy said that it was our first kiss. Isabel said she was unsure about us co-authors, considering how we first met last year. Isabel knew the high points of that meeting, including Nancy's overnight in my bed.

Isabel asked Nancy bluntly, "You mean you were in bed, he was naked, and he never tried to kiss you on the lips?"

"Well, if you put it that way, it is true. But lips might have touched other places when we woke up, in some ways parts of him were very kissable. It was my first time 'for the team' and I really felt I had... well, maybe I should say I got the urge to help him smile before breakfast. That doesn't count as kissing, does it?"

Isabel thought a moment. "No, I guess it doesn't. I'm sorry you were put in that position."

"Actually, I'm not. He was nice, actually all three guys were nice... better than Getty or most of the guys I have wasted my life on. Call it a lesson learned. He says it didn't bring him here... but I have to say I am glad he came. He has changed my world. I am faculty! Plus, he praises me at every opportunity. It is a real change for me, an eye-opener."

Isabel admitted to Nancy that she surprised me in my room when we arrived yesterday, it was the reason she did not meet up at the door. She made it seem casual and normal instead of naked. She explained that such "ambush" games were a part of the holidays for Elle, because of her marriage. She fancied herself as a matchmaker, from the days of her youth. (I knew it was more than that, but it was not my place to say anything.)

Isabel's marriage was not discussed.

When I dropped Nancy at her house I asked about kissing. She said she had to work on that, I should ask her again next year, and not until I had satisfied her at least once. She was smiling so we both thought we knew the answer, but she just had to wait.

We both agreed that we had a different view of the Brumhulds now. New faculty might be aided by a similar experience, in a social setting Curtis was very different and that would help him with his image of the guy looking down from the top floor of the Hightower building. However, for those folks already on campus who had an opinion of him, the benefit would be lost.

-

After I got home I called Isabel about Nora's proposition. She was fine with it. "I am busy. My sister could use another friendly face. Go ahead."

"I was thinking she might want to stay overnight and do other things," I said.

Isabel answered. "Okay, let me rephrase... I am busy. My sister could use another friendly face... to sit on. Can you think of anybody safer and better for her to play naked with? I know you already have somebody else, so adding Nora hardly stretches our relationship that way. I do appreciate your asking, it is sweet."

"I guess I don't understand sisters. I heard they fight."

"She is my sister! Okay, some sisters are a problem, especially if they are close age-wise. We are ten years apart, so she never stole my Barbie doll. You will not steal her or ruin her except in a good way, raising her expectations, showing her good guys are still loose out there. I have already shown her the bad example. If she knew about us she would have asked me first, but she didn't so she didn't."

I didn't ask about Nora and Curtis, I figured that was not my business. But Isabel threw in one other thing.

"You should probably be aware that Nora is straight. She did Calculus in high school, but no tennis and no dates wearing skirts. No dates for Homecoming or Prom. She is not a virgin, she knows the basic moves, but even in college she prioritized studies over sex. When she got an itch she had a few study friends that did the job, but they had to measure up to her academic standards first."

Next I called Nancy. She was very busy from today until the convention, busy enough that she was ignoring the whole New Year thing. She actually sounded excited about what she was working on, but she had a lot to do.

I said I might have a one-shot visit overnight, somebody I knew. She was fine with that, as long as we were still on for the convention. "I am very excited, it will be the second January when I am sleeping with you with Hillside picking up the tab. I am so looking forward to it."

I also agreed, outside of "my friend's" maybe overnight visit I was busy until the convention. The long days without any students around was really needed to crank out the research.

-

Early the first Monday of the New Year, Isabel flew to Nevada with her sister Nora for company. They said it was a break for them, a time when they could both get away. But actually it was something else. Their destination was Carson City, not Reno or Las Vegas. Isabel went directly to the state courthouse on Monday morning as planned, and then again for the brief hearing on Wednesday afternoon. It was all arranged by the fixer. She presented her case and would get the papers from the Court in about 2 weeks.

The girls were back with their parents in the mansion Wednesday night. They all celebrated Isabel's declaration of freedom from the man who was not her husband, thanks to Ivan. However, the plan was to keep the news "in the family" until the day after MLK.

-

While Isabel was in Carson City, Jorge was in Las Vegas having a terrible time. His Mother asked for a copy of his marriage documents and he faced a frustrating mystery that he could not find anything, there was no record of any sort. Doubt was creeping into his brain, he could not understand it.

While Jorge was there he was inundated with men and women who tried to give him flyers advertising things a man alone might be interested in: food, gambling and girls. At times he was approached at a rate of about one a minute. It took very little time for him to get frustrated and start discarding the papers, so of course he discarded without reading the one that was a notice to appear at a court hearing in Carson City. That presentation and Jorge's distinct curse as he discarded the papers was filmed, carefully trimmed and presented for the court hearing on Wednesday. It was an ambush but it did not improve the judge's mood when Jorge didn't appear when called. With no opposition on an open-and-shut case the judge granted Isabel's petition.

Jorge put another fruitless, frustrating week into trying to get some evidence or documents that he was, in fact, married. Finally he seriously doubted the man he trusted most in the world: himself. Under pressure from his mother he decided on "plan B" for his wife and made plans that crossed the line. He had lost a great deal of time he could have spent creating lies for the research that was now overdue, but as things turned out, it really did not matter.

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