The Trip to the Airport

The Trip to the Airport

[Author's Note: This is a related story to events mentioned in Chapter 13 of the Soccer Moms series. You don't have to have read that story to get the gist of this story. I have enough information to make this a stand-alone story. But I think you will get more out of it if you know more about these characters which would come from having read the Soccer Moms series. And for anyone who already read the Soccer Moms series, some of this will be repetitive. It was necessary to give enough background for anyone who didn't. As I was getting ready to submit Chapter 13, this side story first came to my mind. That was over 16 months ago. So, re-reading the first part of this story might still be worth your time to help refresh your recollection.

Special thanks to Ronin for his editing assistance. He not only fixed my many grammatical errors but made some content suggestions that improved the overall story.]

Megan York had spent her four years in college having a lot of fun. And that had included a lot of sex. Most of that sex had been with other women. She had really enjoyed it, but things changed after graduation. Back then, if you wanted to have children, you married a man and had a family. That was just how it was. She never really questioned the societal convention; she just went along with it because she thought that was what she was supposed to do.

She chalked up her college experiences to experimentation in the safe environment of college. Later, in the "real world" she dated some men until she finally met Harold Sims. He was charming and suave and she felt as if marrying Harold and having a family with him was exactly what she wanted.

And for a while it seemed as if it was what she wanted. They only had one child, a daughter named Kelly. Harold made good money and Megan did not have to work. When things had started to get a little boring in their marriage, Megan had gotten breast augmentation surgery, giving her a forty-two inch DD chest that seemed to help revitalize her and Harold's love life. For a while. Over time though, even this was not enough to keep the spark going.

Kelly was an amazing soccer player and there was a premiere team in a nearby town. When Kelly was thirteen, Megan took her to the tryouts and she made the team. Another family had a daughter the same age who was also on that team. That child's name was Katie Rogers.

Her parents, Carol and Paul Rogers, were nice enough people. Over the next few years, Kelly and Katie continued to be teammates and so Megan and Harold got to know Carol and Paul. To Megan, Carol and Paul seemed like the textbook suburban couple. Carol was always very nice and very helpful. Everyone liked Carol, including Megan. However, if she had to pick a word to describe Carol, it would have been "hausfrau." To Megan, Carol was the stereotypical soccer mom.

One day, Megan found out that Harold was cheating on her with some young woman at his office. Surprisingly enough, Megan felt relief. Megan and Harold were able to work out a fair settlement without too much trouble. Jen Smith, the mother of a new girl on the team that year, was involved with the legal program at a community college not too far away. She knew some attorneys and helped Megan and Harold find representation that mediated their issues rather than fighting over everything and having both parties end up with nothing but large legal bills.

When she became single again, Megan Sims was looking to recapture some of what Megan York had experienced. The problem for her was how to go about doing that. She found an answer in a most unlikely place, her daughter's soccer practices.

Jen Smith's daughter, Melanie, had been an excellent addition to the team. And Melanie and Katie Rogers, Carol's daughter, had become instant friends. So it seemed natural enough that Carol and Jen would also become friends.

It was during that spring season, with the divorce finalized and Megan trying to figure out how she might find someone who would be willing to engage in some sapphic love, that Megan started to notice just how close Carol Rogers and Jen Smith had become. Then, Jen Smith showed up with a girlfriend and Carol Rogers seemed very out of sorts. Megan started to put one and one together based on all the facts that she knew.

The soccer team had an unusual aspect. It was part of the "Blue Lightning Way" as their organization's founder put it. The girls would usually play two-day tournaments against other, high caliber teams. The first day, the games would be recorded. That night, all the girls slept in one suite. The coach went over the films and talked about tactics and strategy for the next day. Then they all went to bed, chaperoned by the coach and two parents. This meant that the other parents would be alone that night.

Jen Smith was a widow and Carol's husband Paul had a job that did not allow him to come to most games. During the previous fall season Carol and Jen had been sharing a room. This was not unheard of within the group. And with Jen being a single mother, it made sense financially. Plus, they were now such good friends and their daughters were so tight, no one really thought anything of it.

But Carol's reaction to Jen's new girlfriend started to raise questions in Megan's mind. She had seen this in college, when someone began to have feelings for someone else who thought the sex was just recreational. So, everyone else just assumed that Carol was sad about having less time with her best friend. It would never cross anyone's mind that Carol and Jen might have been lovers. Not Carol. Not the vanilla hausfrau. That thought never crept into anyone's mind, except Megan's.

When the next fall season started, Megan learned she had been right. Carol and Jen had been hooking up at the tournaments the previous year. Now that Jen had a girlfriend, Megan decided to try to put some moves on Carol. As it turned out, Carol was trying to put some moves on Megan. They ended up having sex a few times. It was not earth shattering, but it gave Megan that old swagger back that she'd had in college.

They had only been intimate a few times and neither was looking for a relationship. That season was the last for the team. Soon Kelly and Katie were going to different colleges and Megan and Carol did not come into contact with each other. Neither one sought out the other for more fun. It became just a pleasant memory for Megan.

It had been over a year and a half since they had last spoken directly to each other. There was a Facebook group from the old team and so everyone had been keeping up with everyone else. Megan knew that Carol's daughter and Jen Smith's daughter had gone on to the same college. Jen Smith was still living with that woman who had "broken up" Carol and Jen. Carol and Paul were still together. Megan had not wanted any new relationships but she did have a few friends with benefits. Life had gone on, like it always does.

So that one day, when out of the blue the caller ID on her phone showed that Carol Rogers was calling, it initially brought back some fond memories. Megan answered the phone very airily, "So, to what do I owe the pleasure Carol Rogers?"

However, as soon as Carol started speaking, Megan could hear in Carol's voice that something was very wrong and this was not a social call. "Megan, I'm sorry to bother you. I don't know if you heard about that accident with the plane. Well, Paul was on that plane. They don't know anything yet and I haven't been able to reach Paul. I know it's a lot to ask, but I had come to the airport to pick him up and to be honest, I really do not want to be here all alone waiting for them to get me in touch with him."

"Oh my God, Carol. I will come right away. Just stay where you are and I'll be there as soon as I can. Which airline is it?"

"Thanks Megan."

"Don't mention it sweetheart. Just stay positive and I'll be there in a bit." Carol mentioned which airline and Megan grabbed her keys and went to her car.

Megan began making calls as she drove to the airport. She called a number of the other moms from the old Blue Lightning Team and asked them to call some others. Word spread and people were already organizing to be of whatever help would be needed and they all waited for more news.

Megan arrived about 45 minutes after Carol had called her. Carol immediately worried about how fast Megan must have driven to get there so quick; but was so happy to see her. When one of the airline employees tried to tell Megan that only family was supposed to be there, she pushed right past and went right up to Carol. They hugged and Carol finally felt that she had enough support to let it all out. She began to cry and Megan did her best to try to soothe her.

As the time went by Megan got a hold of Carol's oldest daughter, Abigail. She was on her way to the airport as well, but Megan convinced her to go to her parents' home and get things ready there. Megan would see to Carol and they would call as soon as they had news.

Eventually, someone came into the lounge area where the families were waiting for news. She handed a new list to the person in charge. She looked it over and looked around. Carol noticed she stopped looking around after they made eye contact. At first, the woman was not walking toward Carol and so she was initially relieved. The woman instead went to the Chaplain. Then they both turned and walked toward Carol.

Megan noticed this too and took Carol's hand. First the employee introduced the Chaplain as Reverend Swan. Then she said "Ms. Rogers I am afraid I have to inform you that it has been confirmed that your husband Paul did not survive the accident."

Carol collapsed onto Megan and began to cry uncontrollably. Megan put her arms around Carol and tried to be of any comfort she could. The Reverend said, "Ms. Rogers, I am so very sorry for your loss. If there is anything I can do please just ask." Megan said "Thank you Reverend. We'll let you know."

After some time, Carol was finally able to raise her head and hold back the tears. "I've got to call Abi."

Megan asked her, "Do you want me to do that for you?"

"No. She deserves to hear this news from me."

"Well, please let me speak to her when you're done."

Carol dialed the number and Abigail answered the phone. "Abi, Dad's gone. He didn't survive the crash (she could no longer say 'accident' like it was a fender-bender on the highway)."

Megan could hear the anguished cry on the other end of the line. After a bit Carol continued, "Sweety, Mrs. Sims is going to drive me home. Would you call your sisters and some of the family and let them know? You don't have to make all the calls, but any you can make would be a help."

"Sure Mom. I'll let everyone know."

"Thanks, Sweety. I love you."

"I love you too Mom."

"Now Ms. Sims wanted to say something too."

Megan took the phone from Carol. "Abi, honey I am so sorry for you dear."

Almost reflexively Abigail said "Thank you Ms. Sims."

"Look, I am going to have a few of the mothers from Katie's old Blue Lightning team come over and they can do anything you need them to do."

"Actually Mrs. Sims, that would be great. We're about to have a lot of people here and Mom and Dad hadn't planned for that so we'll need to do food shopping and what not."

"Well, when they get there honey, you're in charge. You tell them what to do and if they don't move fast enough for you, you tell them they'll have to answer to me."

"Okay Ms. Sims. Thanks."

When Carol was finally ready to leave the airport, Megan led Carol to her car and drove her home. The ride was pretty much in silence. At one point however, Carol did say, "Megan, I really want to thank you for coming. I just didn't know who to call. I haven't spoken to you since the girls finished their last soccer game together, so it was great of you to come like you did."

"Carol, I really was surprised to see you calling, but when I heard your voice, I knew that something was wrong. I think if you had called anyone from the team, they would have come just like I did. You'll see a bunch of them will be at the house when we get there trying to help. We're family. We do stuff like this. Don't think twice about it."

As they arrived at Carol's home, Megan went in to see what help she could be and make sure that everyone else was doing all they could for Carol and her daughters. And while it was true that she would have reacted the same for any other family from the old team, Megan could not deny the initial feeling she had when Carol's name first came up on the phone. Even if what they had shared had not been a life-altering experience, Carol was always going to have her own special little place in Megan's heart.

Because of the accident investigation and the need to officially confirm Paul's identity through dental records, it was two weeks before Carol was able to hold services for Paul. The other mothers from the old soccer team were helping out where they could. In this kind of a situation, it probably would have been Carol who would be organizing things, so Megan took on that role. She started referring to them as the Blue Lightning Brigade and they were all pitching in for Carol just like they knew she would have been pitching in for them.

At the viewing, there was a young woman who seemed to be by herself. She did not look familiar to Megan and she noticed two of Carol's daughters speaking to her. Megan just assumed she must have been a friend of one of them. She did notice this woman at the funeral as well. When everyone went back to the Rogers' home after the funeral, Megan was doing a lot in the kitchen. Had she been out in the living room, she might have noticed this young woman was not there for Carol's daughters, but for Carol.

At some point, Carol came into the kitchen and spoke to Megan. Carol asked, "I need to have someone driven to the airport. I know this is a big ask, but can I ask you to do it?"

"Sure Carol. That's fine. The ladies can keep helping here and I am sure Abi can answer any questions they have."

"Great. I'll go get her and meet you out front." When Megan came out she noticed that it was that same young woman in the car. Megan came around and gave Carol a hug. She asked Carol, "Not that I mind, but why did you want me to be the one to drive her?"

"Well, I know you two have something in common that might make the conversation and the drive more interesting. And I also really wanted to thank you for all that you've done for me these last two weeks."

"Oh, it was nothing dear. And I'll be back later after I drop her off."

"Just so you know, if you don't make it back, I will understand."

And with that Carol turned and walked back into the house. Megan stood for a second and was confused by Carol's behavior and the cryptic words she had used. Megan got into the car and started to drive the young woman to the airport.

As she started the car, Megan introduced herself. "Hello dear, my name is Megan Sims. I am a friend of the family."

"Hi Megan. My name is Jessica Williams. I am a friend of the family as well."

Megan drove off and for a while nothing more was said. Megan was still going over a number of things in her mind. Who was this person and what was her relationship to Carol and Paul? And what had Carol meant about the two women having something in common? It had to be more than just they were both friends of the family. And why did Carol think that Megan wouldn't be back after dropping this woman off at the airport?

Deciding that she needed more information, Megan started with some innocent small talk.

"It was a lovely service, wasn't it?"

"Yes. It was."

"How do you know the family?"

"I met Carol and Paul a little over a year ago when they came to see their daughter play a soccer game at the same university I am attending. Carol and I are Facebook friends and we talk a lot over the phone as well. To be honest, I actually only met with them in person that one time."

That seemed very strange to Megan. How did they meet and why, with such an apparently limited relationship, would this woman come for a funeral? But what she said was, "Well, that was very nice of you to come all this way for Carol. And Paul."

"Yes. Well, Carol is an amazing woman and she has really been a great help to me."

"Really, how so?" This information had only raised more questions for Megan.

"It's hard to explain. It's just...she believed in me. Not many adults have and she has this ability to draw you in and make you feel special. Do you know what I mean?"

"Yes Jessica, I do." Megan was thinking how shocked Jessica would be if she knew that Carol had drawn Megan in physically as well. But there was no need to bring that up.

Still, Megan had not gotten any information that would explain why Carol had asked her to drive the younger woman to the airport or what they might possibly have in common. Megan began to pepper Jessica with questions trying to figure out what this commonality might be.

Jessica was willing to answer direct questions, but she was not providing any context. And none of her answers helped Megan understand what Carol had meant. It was beginning to be a little frustrating for Megan.

Finally, after a brief silence, Jessica decided to ask a question of her own. "Megan, you seem to be trying to get at some information in a roundabout way. Maybe you can just ask me directly."

"If I knew what to ask I would. Carol acted very strangely with all this. She made a point of asking me, specifically, to take you to the airport, but said she was thanking me for all I have done. And when I said I would come right back after taking you, she said she would understand if I couldn't come back until tomorrow. She also said that we had something in common that would make the trip interesting, but so far, I am not sure what it is that we supposedly have in common. I'm just starting to think she must just be so stressed out she's not making any sense."

"Wait, Carol specifically asked you to take me to the airport?"

"Yes."

"And she said we had something in common that would make the trip interesting?"

"Yes. Like it would be something interesting to talk about."

"And she said if you couldn't make it back today, she would understand?"

"Yes." Megan was really starting to get frustrated now. She had been asking questions for over twenty minutes and got nowhere and now this young woman seemed to get getting answers with every question.

"Huh." was all Jessica said. But there was a tone to it that made Megan think Jessica had solved the riddle.

So, with a tone matching her frustration Megan asked Jessica, "Do you know something that I don't?"

"Actually, I am pretty sure I know something that you definitely do know."

"Oh really? What would that be?"

"That you had sex with Carol Rogers."

Megan's head snapped right as she looked at Jessica. This also made the car swerve a little and a horn blasted out from the lane next to her. She got the car back under control then got herself back under control. She was not sure exactly how to respond so she was non-committal when she said, "And what would make you think that?"

Jessica looked over at Megan and smiled saying, "Because that's what we have in common. I've had sex with her too."

Once again Megan's head snapped over to the right, staring at Jessica in disbelief. Again, the car shimmied but again Megan got the car back under control. However, before she could begin to even think about how to respond to this revelation, Jessica continued, "And I think Carol was not completely honest with you. You said she asked you to take me to the airport, but my flight isn't until tomorrow. I need a ride to my hotel near the airport, not the airport itself."