Shari Holds a Torch: Another Ode

Velma Blount appeared wearing an old t-shirt and shorts. Her freakishly thin 6'2" frame filled the doorway. "Hey there, kid! Come on in!" She said as she held the door open and stepped aside. The girl went through a mudroom to the kitchen. She put her purse down on the counter and stood there as if she was unsure of what to do next. "I know you haven't started class yet, but how's college life so far?"

"Oh, it's okay I guess. My parents helped me move most of my stuff to the dorm. I talked to Becky some while she unpacked."

"So you met your roommate, huh? You both get along, or is it too early to tell?"

"Yeah, her name is Becky Karceski. She went to Talcott but we didn't have any classes together."

"Don't think I know her either. Probably one of Diane's students, or Dorrie's." Velma said, referring to Miss Lusby and Mrs. Horton. "I've had a busy day myself--district wide meeting over at Walker High today. Why don't you go into the living room and have a seat?"

The towering butch woman followed Shari into the living room. Some movie was playing on the television, but the volume was turned down so low, the girl could barely hear it. Shari sat on the sofa but Velma remained standing. "We gym teachers are better at sports than cooking, but something tells me you already know that."

Shari rolled her eyes, feigning irritation. "Ha, ha!"

"And something else tells me you wouldn't mind if I called out for pizza. What do you want on it besides anchovies?"

Shari's eyes widened comically. "Ugh, GROSS! Are you serious?"

Now it was Velma's turn to feign irritation. Her masculine looking face hardened and she sighed. "Fine. Pepperoni it is, then. You want something to drink while we're waiting? I stopped at the A&P on my way home and picked up a six pack of Pepsi, or..." The prodigious woman hesitated for a second or two. "Since you're not in high school anymore...would you rather have a beer instead?"

"Uh, yeah, that would be fine." Shari said.

"Let me make the call first and I'll be right back." Velma said.

Shari sat back against the sofa and stared at the television set, her beautiful face basking in its familiar flickering light. She didn't bother getting up to turn up the volume or change the channel. Instead, she listened to the sound of her former teacher's voice resonating from the kitchen where the phone was. Velma's voice, though deep and terse, was obviously female. But there was something about it that was different from most women's voices. There was a pitch and intonation that reflected her athleticism and confidence. It was unflinchingly butch, and to Shari Keefer, it was oddly attractive.

"Is there anything good on the idiot box?"

Shari looked over with a start. She felt the cushion sink when Velma sat down beside her. She handed the girl a beer and took a drink of her own. "Oh, uh...I don't know. I wasn't really paying attention."

"I see not much has changed since you've been in my class." Velma teased. The girl rolled her eyes again.

*****

When the pizza arrived, Shari and Velma ate while they watched TV. By the time they were finished eating, Shari started on her third beer. She went off to use the bathroom, and when she came back, Velma had already taken the leftovers back into the kitchen. A blissful tingle resonated through the girl's body and she laughed at the sight of her former teacher dropping the bottle opener when she reached inside the refrigerator for another beer.

"Didn't think I was that funny looking, Keefer." Velma took a drink and offered the bottle to her young guest. "You want another?"

"Ha, no, I think I've had enough for now."

Shari returned to the sofa. She heard Velma saying something about needing to use the bathroom. The girl sat alone watching an old movie on channel 4. She left the volume turned down, and now she guessed that Velma was in another room; her bedroom or one of the two spares. She could hear the sound of a drawer being pulled out and unseen things being rustled and disturbed.

The towering butch reappeared a few minutes later. She had something in her hand which she held out to Shari. "Coach Linley asked me to pick up an order he placed for the PE department...that new sporting goods store downtown." The girl took it and saw that it was a book. But the subject wasn't sports related. As a matter of fact, it was far from it. Shari looked confused. "There's a bookstore nearby, one street over, so I decided to go inside and take a look around."

The Price of Salt by Claire Morgan. It was a paperback that looked like it had been lightly used, but otherwise still in very good condition. The illustration on the cover, featured a racy depiction of two well dressed women and a man. The man, shown much smaller, receded into the background. His face was a mask of shock or maybe jealousy. It was hard to tell. And it was obvious to Shari that the two women appeared to be sharing an intimate moment--the prelude to a tender embrace or maybe a kiss.

"I remembered the one day, several months ago, when you came a half hour late to class. You said Miss Tunison wrote you a pass to the library. You said you were supposed to be working on a Gothic Fiction assignment, but you lost track of the time."

"I was reading this book by Sheridan LeFanu." Shari said. "Miss Tunison told me that I would learn a whole lot more spending extra time in the library than I would in your stupid class."

"You are mine, you shall be mine. You and I are one forever..."

Shari, bewildered, said: "What?"

"You were reading Carmilla." Velma said. "You had it with you when you came by that Friday afternoon to complete a makeup for the zero I gave you. I was curious, so I had a look." Velma paused and then said. "I opened it to the page your bookmark was on. The words sort of jumped out at me."

The blond beauty's mouth stretched in a sheepish semi-grin and she shook her head. "God, that was so stupid." She lamented. "Miss Tunison didn't actually say any of that."

"Miss Tunison has been teaching at Talcott for several years, and I'm certain she's taught English classes longer than that. You think I didn't already know?"

"I don't know why I said all that stuff." Shari muttered. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean any of it."

"And I know a bright young lady when I see one." Velma said. "A beautiful young lady who loves to read and is curious..." Velma's voice trailed off. Shari felt the butch woman's clear blue eyes, like chips of pure ice, encircling her in their gaze.

Velma Blount put her arm around Shari. Her hand went to the girl's shoulder, and like the woman on the cover of that book, she gave it a tender squeeze.

"I didn't mean to pry when I opened the book you were reading, but..." Velma's voice trailed off again. She got up and switched the television off and returned to her seat beside Shari.

"It's okay." The girl said. "We were discussing romance in Gothic Fiction and Miss Tunison leant me the book to use for the assignment. I don't think the school would have a book like that in the library."

Velma finished the rest of her beer and laughed. "Well, it's different--the bit I read anyway."

"Is that why you wanted to give me this book?" Shari asked. Her eyes settled on the words at the bottom of the illustration. "The novel of a love society forbids..."

"I thought since your classes are starting soon..." The butch woman paused, trying to think of what to say next. "College is exciting and different--no gym class every day. It can feel a little overwhelming, like you're out of step and you don't fit in. Believe it or not, I felt the same way when I started."

"Where did you go to college?" Shari asked. "You never told me."

"Illinois State. That was a long, long time ago." Velma said. "It was rough being away from home. I never felt like I fit in. Not in high school or college."

A look of incredulity crossed Shari's lovely face. "But you were in GAA and you won Best Female Athlete for three years!"

Velma Blount, teacher at Talcott High for almost 25 years, was once a student and graduate of the school affectionately called Harrier Country. Through past conversations, Shari would listen while her gym teacher recounted tales from her distant teenage past. It was a world of saddle shoes with ankle socks and skirts with hemlines extending past the knee. Girls were not allowed to wear jeans or "slacks," as Velma called them, to school back then. A date to the student mixer often ended up in a parked car beneath the shroud of endless night sky.

Not that Velma Blount knew anything about that. As a teenager, she always seemed to be stuck at home and dateless on a Friday or Saturday night. Dating was something only the popular kids did. Cheerleaders and jocks would gravitate towards each other; their natural good looks were like magnets. Even the kids who weren't athletically inclined or involved in any after school clubs seemed to have no problems fitting in and finding each other.

The Girls' Athletic Association was the closest thing a teen like Velma had for competitive sports. The club was extremely popular. Pins and letters were routinely awarded to the best athletes. By senior year, Velma had one of the most decorated sweaters in the whole school. But even though plenty of girls (cheerleaders included) participated, membership in GAA carried a stigma.

No one seemed to shoulder the burden of that stigma more than Velma Blount. With her unusual height and overly slim frame, she was unstoppable in sports like basketball and volleyball. She could easily run a mile in 4 minutes, but none of these natural talents endeared herself with the boys. Velma didn't mind. She never cared about what any boys thought. Her mind, and her eyes, were focused on the girls.

"There's more to life than just sports." Velma said. "There's your classes, for one thing, and getting used to life on campus. Sometimes when I had nothing better to do, I would read a lot of...books like that. I realized over time that I wasn't alone. There were others like me out there...and I just had to find them."

"So did you?" Shari asked.

"Yes, but it took a lot of patience and willingness to find an outlet or two to distract me. Reading and giving most of my energy to teaching and coaching helped. There is a small group of teacher friends I get together with. We usually meet at a church in town for bible study and other things."

Shari, still feeling a little thunderstruck by this unexpected revelation, laughed. "Other things...like what?"

"Fellowship. Sometimes we get together and do volunteer work for different organizations who ask. Sometimes we have a little party in the church basement. There are no men..."

"You mean you actually go to church? But--"

Velma sighed in exasperation. "Just because I'm not like most women, I--" She paused for a moment, trying to form her next thought. "I believe in God and so do my friends. Fitting in is hard, but learning to accept ourselves the way he made us is not just freeing, it's necessary."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it to sound that way." Shari said. "You never said anything about it before. I--I was surprised, that's all."

"I don't give all my secrets away at once." Velma said. "Half the fun in getting to know someone is getting to know a little at a time."

She was a big tough woman. The first to come along. That showed me being female meant you still could be strong...

"Thanks for the book." Shari said. She was looking down at her lap now, feeling awkward. "And for telling me some of your secrets. I know I've probably told you enough of mine already."

And though graduation meant that we had to part, she'll always be a player on the ballfield of my heart...

Shari looked up at her former teacher and their eyes met. The beautiful teen sat still, lost in Velma's glacial gaze. Shari felt the palm of her large hand close over her knee, squeezing.

"I don't mind, Shari. I've always enjoyed your company even when it wasn't on the best of terms. Besides...you and I have plenty of new secrets to share."

Unlike the song on that record Shari played in her dorm room, graduation came and went. But Shari Keefer and Velma Blount did not part. The girl, stunned by the old dyke's gaze, felt the hand deliver another squeeze. Her eyelids fluttered and she sucked in a trembling breath when she felt Velma's lips brushing against hers.

"Why don't you sit a little closer?" Velma's otherwise curt voice resonated in Shari's ear. The effect was instantaneous. The girl felt her stomach drop as if she'd suddenly plunged over the roof of a high rise. Velma kissed her former student sweetly and tenderly. "I wondered if I was ever getting a kiss tonight!"

Shari slowly opened her eyes, but she didn't reply. She was overcome by a shimmering reverberating from the pit of her stomach; the feeling of a thousand butterflies. Velma kissed Shari again. This time the kiss was more insistent, silently demanding the beautiful teen's submission. Velma's tongue entered Shari's mouth and an audible sigh erupted from the girl's throat.

Well, in gym class while the others

Talked of boys that they loved

I'd be thinking of new aches and pains

The teacher had to rub...

"I am so happy you came to see me tonight." Velma said. She kissed the girl again, and her enormous palm slowly drifted away from Shari's knee. That hand! The towering butch woman's palm felt warm and a little rough. But roughness was superficial; cleverly concealing the temperament and personality of the subject of Shari's infatuation. With each urgent kiss, Shari could feel the hand wandering further, the slightly calloused skin gliding against the top of her thigh. The girl froze up as she felt Velma's mouth pressing against her slender neck. Her body tensed and she responded with a sharp gasp.

"Everything okay, honey?" Velma softly asked. She gently turned the girl's chin to face her and delivered another tender kiss. Her hand returned to Shari's thigh now, pushing up the hem of her sundress. "You seem awfully bashful." Shari glanced down at her lap, and although she couldn't really see much besides the rumpled fabric near her waist, she could feel that powerful hand against her skin. Her flesh prickled and her breath trembled when she exhaled.

"I--I'm just..." The girl's voice trailed off.

"What you're feeling is natural, honey. And if you're still feeling nervous, that's natural too. I felt the same way the first few times."

Shari's hand sought Velma's, making contact with the bony fingers and knobby joints. She exhaled again, her breath trembling while the butch woman's hand continued its journey along the bare skin of her inner thigh. "Oh, God..."

"Hmm...what's this?" Velma softly wondered. She gathered the bunched fabric, pushing it away to reveal Shari's panties. "A little surprise for me, I hope." The sheer pink lace left almost nothing to the imagination, not that Velma minded. Her hoary blue eyes were fixed on the curls of light blond pubic hair and lovely porcelain skin beneath while her fingers found the damp, nearly soaked cotton crotch. Shari let out a whimper and she started to squirm. "Couldn't be for any silly boys...even if they had a set of written instructions, they wouldn't know what to do with it anyway."

Of course, Shari said nothing. Velma's arm wrapped around the girl's diminutive frame, holding her close. Her lips pressed against Shari's, ignoring the strange taste of beer and fruity residue from her lip gloss. "Here..." She took the girl's hand, bringing it to her flat chest. Shari's palm made contact with her lover's breast, feeling the firm little swell underneath the fabric of her t-shirt yielding to her touch. Velma wasn't wearing a bra.

They shared another deep kiss and Velma's hand returned to the girl's panties. Her fingertips danced across the delicate lace. She softly whispered a command, and Shari's slender thighs fell open. "Good girl." The old dyke's voice prickled the skin around Shari's ear. Another audible sigh erupted from the teen's lips when she felt Velma's hand slide under the waistband. "Just relax, honey." They were about to share another secret.

I'd be thinking of new aches and pains the teacher had to rub...

Shari's hand cupped her lover's breast, squeezing gently, while they kissed. Velma's fingers brushed against Shari's little mound, stroking the damp curls of pubic hair for a moment or two before tracing along the cleft, teasing the girl. Soon, the exploration became more invasive and the girl melted in her former teacher's embrace, opening up to her. Velma's fingers probed between the slick inner petals. "My baby is so wet..."

The girl's body was restless, and her breaths came in quick, shallow gulps between kisses. Her shapely little hips responded to Velma's attentive touch. Shari's cheeks bloomed with fresh heat. She remembered the aches and pains that tormented her in high school whenever she went to gym class or caught sight of the masculine looking gym teacher in the hallways. But all that was behind her now. Velma's fingers teased and strummed against her clitoris, building tension, while soothing the aches of her infatuation and longing.

"Let it happen, honey, take a deep breath..." Velma's reassuring voice seemed dreamlike and distant. Shari felt lightheaded and her nerve endings shimmered with pinpricks of sensation too numerous to count. Like the stars of a distant galaxy, they multiplied, glimmering and swirling. Velma kissed her neck when the gorgeous teen began to let go. She gasped loudly, her chest heaving.

And suddenly the girl was overcome by the little death; the great release. Her mouth was open, but the sound of her cries were muffled with another deep kiss. She moaned into Velma's mouth over and over. The towering butch seemed energized with each kiss, as if she'd absorbed some of the girl's youthful essence. "God, you're making me so horny!" Her deep, brusque voice sounded guttural. "You're so beautiful!"

Now came the second wave. Beneath the glancing touch of Velma's fingertips, Shari let out another moan. She drew a trembling breath and the strong, earthy scent of arousal seemed to startle her and she tried to look away. Her cheeks were flush, the color reminiscent of pink champagne. When the last ripples came and faded away, the beautiful teen's body fell limp. Velma, still holding her young lover, grasped her chin. She gently turned the girl's head to face her and they shared another kiss.

But when they broke the kiss, Shari looked down at her lap again. The girl stood up for a moment; just long enough to let the rumpled fabric of her sundress down. She sat beside her former teacher, trying to avoid making eye contact. "Shari, honey...is there something on your mind?" Velma asked. "Whatever you say stays between the two of us and no one else."

This wasn't the first time Shari kissed her gym teacher. It wasn't the first time she'd done anything sexual. She enjoyed feeling Velma's arm around her, embracing her, holding her close while they kissed. During gym class, Shari would steal glances at the sexually ambiguous teacher, hoping no one would notice. And she would imagine what it would be like if she could be alone with Velma--truly alone.

In her mind's eye, she would see opportunity knocking when she came to see Miss Blount in the Girls' PE office, or when she was forced to run laps in the gym after school because she'd taken another zero for coming late or not wearing her gymsuit. The fantasies she'd conjure up in the bathroom or the privacy of her bed at night always resulted in a satisfying climax, sending her sweetly off to the land of dreams.

But it was still so new to her. For one thing, Miss Blount was so much older. And she certainly wasn't what anyone with a working pair of eyes would consider the least bit attractive or feminine. She acted mannish, she sounded mannish, and she looked mannish--enough to startle most of her classmate's parents on seeing her for the first time. Still, none of them knew what Shari knew. Miss Blount was often curt with her students and she had no patience for high maintenance girls or class clowns. But none of her classmates could deny that Miss Blount had her moments. There were plenty of times when was easy going, kind and...fun.