Awakenings - SF1 Read online

  Psych class sounds like it's going to be fun at least. It's nice to take a class where you get to interact with humans. Living humans, she added as an afterthought as she considered her anatomy class. She thought about her psych partner, Jamie. She really was cute with that little blush she got when I teased her. But God! she thought with a laugh. She sure did seem nervous around me. I wonder what that was all about. It's hard to tell if she was really interested or really nervous. I guess it could be that I'm gay but if that bothered her why would she take a class about lesbians? I'm pretty sure she's straight, but you never know...Now Ryan, you know you shouldn't feed or taunt the straight girls, she reminded herself with a little laugh. Actually she had nothing against trying to change the minds of straight women. It just seemed like an awful lot of trouble when you lived in San Francisco. Ryan was nothing if not pragmatic, and it seemed a waste of her valuable time given all of the eligible, willing women she encountered. And now it was so common for straight women to approach her for a brief tryst that she could maintain a steady diet of them if she so chose. Things really have changed in the last few years, she thought. It's kind of nice to be the current fad. She assumed that lesbianism would die out as a hip thing to do in a few years, but she was more than willing to ride the wave while it lasted.

  "Let's go Duff...I'll race you to the car!" She hoped they were home by the time her father noticed that his truck was missing or else it would be both a car wash and a dog wash this afternoon.

  Jamie arrived at her psych class about 5 minutes early. She secretly hoped that Ryan would be there early too, and they could chat for a few minutes. Relax, Jamie, it's a long semester. Initially she was pleased, but her pleasure turned quickly to pique when she saw Ryan. Her long lithe body was casually slumped in a small desk looking up at another student, female of course, leaning over her. The look on her face was one of passive bemusement. The woman flirting with her was pretty cute, too, Jamie thought. About 5'6", dark skin, with coal black hair pulled back into a braid. Ryan watched the woman with polite interest. After a few more moments, Professor Levy made her way into the room. Jamie saw Ryan take her felt tipped pen and write a phone number right on the palm of the woman's hand. The recipient of this little gift looked extremely pleased and a bit smug as she made her way back to her desk. Ryan slowly turned her gaze to the left and made eye contact with Jamie. Her face broke in to that damned grin again and Jamie could not help but smile back with the same intensity, completely forgetting her pique.

  As Ryan turned back to look at the professor, Jamie studied her critically. Today her outfit was quite a bit more casual than Monday's ensemble had been. Faded denim overalls covered a form fitting red tank top. Red high top basketball shoes, and a red Nike cap, backwards again, completed her look. Ryan's black hair was pulled into another ponytail and peeked out of the bottom of the bill of her cap. Jamie looked at her own clothes with a smirk. A mint green sleeveless sweater covered by a matching long sleeved cardigan topped tight stretch Capri chinos. A new pair of delicate black leather sandals graced her feet. We certainly don't look like we're going to the same event, Jamie thought wryly.

  She was angry with Ryan for spending her time flirting with another woman even though she knew she was being completely irrational. I wanted to use that time to arrange to get together for these projects, Jamie thought righteously. Right, Jamie, she chided herself. It's the second class meeting and you don't even know what the projects are. This is really urgent.

  The professor called them to attention during her musings. She shook her head a bit and tried to focus.

  "Good morning everyone. I trust you were all able to meet up with your partners on Monday. Sorry that I went a bit long and was not able to arrange those meetings in a more organized fashion. Let's make up for that by starting out with introductions."

  She continued, "I would like each of you to spend a few minutes describing yourself. You can talk about anything that you think is important. Remember, this does not have to be a coming out party, but if you want to discuss your sexual orientation I would like you to feel comfortable to. Why don't we start with you?" she pointed at a young man sitting near the door.

  He blushed a bit, but did as he was asked. "I'm Scott Williams. I'm a senior psych major. I plan on going to graduate school next year and hopefully I will one day become a psychologist. I was interested in this class because I want to be comfortable working with disparate groups of people. I am straight but not narrow," he said with a grin.

  He's really cute, thought Jamie. I wonder if I should say I'm a psych major, too. That's at least a reasonable explanation for taking this course.

  The students continued in order. The woman Ryan had been flirting with introduced herself as Chitra Chuisapor. She was a psych major also and she also dropped the "L" bomb. Jamie paid very close attention as she noticed that every person disclosed his or her sexual preference. Oh, I don't want to do this, she thought nervously as her turn loomed near.

  Ryan took her turn next. "Hi, I'm Ryan O'Flaherty," she announced with that smile again. "I'm a junior biology major and this is my first semester at Cal. I'm interested in this class because I have not done much reading on the lesbian experience and I think there is a lot to learn. I have done a lot of fieldwork, however," she added with one waggling eyebrow.

  That comment brought a laugh from the professor and the rest of the class.

  Jamie had listened raptly while Ryan spoke. Does she have an accent? It doesn't sound strong and I only notice it on certain words, she thought. I'll have to ask her, she thought as she happily considered conversing with Ryan again.

  Jamie was interested to hear 4 women declare that they could not claim a sexual orientation. Each of them had a variation on the statement that they were open to a wide variety of experiences and did not like to feel limited by a label. Hmmm, that's interesting. It must feel strange not to feel one way or the other. I wonder if they're really gay, but don't want to be thought of that way. I can't blame them, she thought. That must really be a difficult life.

  Finally it was Jamie's turn. "Hi, I'm Jamie Evans," she began nervously. "I'm a junior English major. I'm engaged to a guy who is a 3rd year at Stanford law school." She shot a glance at Ryan hoping to see surprise, but was greeting with a calm, encouraging gaze. "I don't have a particular reason for taking the class other than the fact that I have not taken any other psych classes and it fit my schedule really well," she admitted sheepishly.

  Well, that went okay, she thought as the next woman began to speak. I hope I wasn't too obvious, talking about Jack like that, but I don't want anyone to get the wrong impression.

  After all 20 of them had introduced themselves, Linda spoke again. "I'm really glad to meet all of you. I think we'll have a great semester. Now let's discuss our projects. I would like each pair to choose 3 of the following activities. You will need to write a short paper on each of these projects. I need each of you to do your own paper because you will have different reactions to the activity. The activities are as follows:

  visit a lesbian coffeehouse or bookstore

  spend a day in The Castro

  attend some films during the gay and lesbian film festival

  if you're straight you can play gay for a day with your partner

  visit a lesbian bar if you're over 21

  volunteer in a lesbian community organization for a day

  "Now, I'll allow you to use the last 15 minutes of class to discuss the activities with your partner. See you all on Friday."

  Jamie watched Ryan pull her long form from the small desk. She stood at her full height and gracefully began to stretch her back out. Jamie approached her from the side and gave her a small smile.

  "Were these desks made for a grade school, or what?" Ryan asked as she bent over from the waist and let her fingers tickle the linoleum.

  "I don't know, they seem just right to me."

  Ryan looked her over from top to bottom appraising her as if for the first
time. "Well, you're about the size I was in grade school, so I've made my point," she said with a laugh.

  "Hey, don't make fun of the height impaired," Jamie said with a scowl as she crossed her arms across her chest and tried to look intimidating.

  "I would not dream of making fun of you, Jamie," those serious blue eyes answered.

  "Right," Jamie said, with her mouth suddenly a little dry. "So which of these project do you think we should tackle?"

  "Well," Ryan drawled, "do any of them particularly interest you?"

  "Um, I guess I could do any of them," Jamie replied. "But since you said you have a busy schedule, maybe you should decide."

  "Well, we live on different sides of the bay so it might be easier to do the things that would keep us in the east bay most of the time. We could go to a women's bookstore in Oakland, and I know of a good lesbian community organization right here in Berkeley. You're not 21 yet are you?" she asked a little hesitantly.

  "Is it that obvious?" Jamie whined.

  "Well, it is a little, but I figured if you were a junior, there was a pretty good chance that you were about 20," she reasoned.

  Jamie was pleased that Ryan had listened to her so attentively. "You're a junior also," she observed, "but I take it you are past the age of majority."

  "Quite," Ryan admitted. She was not forthcoming with any more information, but Jamie let it pass as she decided she could grill her later.

  "So that eliminates going to a bar. What about the film festival?" Jamie asked.

  "I might be able to squeeze some films in," Ryan said hesitantly. "But as I recall, most of them are at night. I usually work at night, so that might be kind of tough."

  "That's okay," said Jamie. "There are still 4 other activities that we can do. And lucky for you I am obviously straight, so we can do the 'play gay for a day' thing," she teased.

  "Do you think it's...obvious?" asked Ryan as she cocked her head a little and looked at Jamie very dubiously.

  "Um, err, ah, well, yeah," stammered Jamie in alarm. "Don't you?"

  "Yeah, it is," Ryan said as she leaned her head back and laughed heartily.

  "You're teasing me again, Ryan," she said while tapping her foot and narrowing her eyes.

  "Well, it is kind of fun, Jamie, but I'll stop if it bothers you," she replied sincerely.

  "No, I'm used to being the butt of jokes. I think it comes with the height thing," she admitted sheepishly.

  "How about I make it up to you by buying you some coffee later," Ryan offered. "Actually, if you're free we could go to 'Daughters of Sappho' later and get one of our activities out of the way today."

  "Alright, that would be fun," Jamie agreed. Actually she had planned on going shopping with Cassie later, but she was sure she could put that off until next week.

  "I've got a lab until 2:00. Could you meet then?" she asked.

  "Yeah, I can go get my car and pick you up. Where do you want to meet?"

  "How about right in front of Cafe Roma?"

  "Okay," Jamie agreed. "See you at 2:00."

  The morning passed slowly for Jamie. First, a long rather rambling lecture on Wordsworth followed by a slow walk home for lunch. She was pensive during her walk, thinking a jumble of thoughts about her psych class in general and her new partner in particular.

  She really seems sweet and funny. I hope we can become friends, she mused. She is so different from anyone else that I know. She just seems so self-assured. I wonder what Jack would think of her? For that matter I wonder what Jack will think of this class? I know I should have told him, but he did not directly ask me what I was taking this term. I don't have to tell him everything about my life, do I?

  Jamie knew that she was trying to convince herself of something. She was really uncertain of what Jack's reaction would be to the class. For that matter she had no idea what he thought of gay people in general since it was not a topic they had ever discussed.

  Well it's not like there has been a reason to discuss gay people. We don't know any as a couple. And all of the gay people I know are hairdressers or decorators, so that's kind of expected. Of course I would never have guessed that some of those women in the class were gay. For that matter I would never guess that Ryan was either...if she wasn't such a flirt that is! I can't believe she was already hitting on someone from class. Of course, it looked like that woman was doing most of the hitting. Maybe Ryan was just being polite. She actually might be one of those 'all talk, no action types'.

  After a quick lunch, Jamie settled down in one of the overstuffed chairs in the sunny living room and did some reading for her '20th Century American Women Writers' class. At 1:45 pm she hopped into the Porsche and took off for Cafe Roma. She had removed the convertible top and her short blonde hair blew in the light breeze. She gazed at herself in the rear view mirror appraisingly. Her hair was cut in a relatively short style, about 3 inches long on top, tapering to about an inch at the base of her neck. She had cut her long hair when she was a freshman. Jack was none too happy about that event, but she had grown tired of spending so much time keeping it looking good. Now she could wash it and not even bother to blow it dry if she so chose.

  Jamie was thin and in relatively good shape. A generous layer of flesh that gave her a youthful appearance covered her muscles. Jack teased her about her baby fat but he really enjoyed being held by that soft yet firm body. Luckily she had never had to work out to maintain her figure. Her activity level and relatively low caloric intake saw to that. She had a good golfer's body, flexible, strong and lean but not overly muscular.

  As she maneuvered through the crowded streets of Berkeley she hoped to herself that Ryan would be on time. Nothing worse than having to circle around the block in this mess, she thought. Traffic was really snarled in front of her. She could see the sign for Cafe Roma about 1 1/2 blocks ahead, but her progress was glacial. As she inched closer she thought she could make out Ryan's cap bedecked head. Yeah, that's her. Wait a minute----Ryan was sitting on a short concrete post that protected the sidewalk diners from errant cars. Her overall clad legs were spread wide and between them stood Chitra from class. Her arms were around the taller woman's neck and Ryan's hands loosely encircled her waist. Chitra was bent over slightly with her mouth firmly attached to Ryan's. Her head moved slowly as she thoroughly kissed the tanned face. My God! Jamie thought. They look like they just got out of bed! I hope she's not planning on going with us, she thought angrily. I only have room for two people!

  As she got close she saw one blue eye open and catch sight of her. Ryan gently tried to remove her date from her death grip on her mouth, but she was obviously having a difficult time of it. Jamie could see the muscles of her arms tense as she firmly pushed Chitra away, giving her another little kiss as a reward. The beaming smile that she gave her was an added bonus. Chitra gave Jamie a little wave, which she returned after forcing a smile onto her face. Ryan opened the passenger side door and settled herself comfortably. She turned and met Jamie's somewhat shocked gaze and gave her a little shoulder shrug along with a delightfully crooked grin.

  "Ahh, we were just having lunch," she explained helpfully.

  "You looked like you were lunch," Jamie replied in a mock scolding tone.

  Ryan actually blushed at that comment. Jamie instantly felt a stab of regret at the sharp tone she had used. But Ryan didn't seem to mind. She lobbed back the banter, "I like to make friends in class, you never know when you need to copy someone's notes."

  "Were her notes written on her tongue?" Jamie drawled as she cast a wry glance at her project partner.

  "Um, Jamie, that didn't bother you did it?" Ryan asked a trifle tentatively.

  "Why would that bother me? You're my partner, not my girlfriend," she replied logically, secretly hoping to draw another blush from those sculpted cheeks.

  "I know, but I don't know how comfortable you are with the whole lesbian thing. I'm certain that would have bothered some women," Ryan explained.

  "This is Berkeley, Ryan,
you can't walk two feet without tripping over a lesbian!" she said good naturedly.

  "Good, I'm glad you seem comfortable with it. Now, have you ever been to a lesbian coffeehouse?"

  "No, can't say that I have. But there is a first time for everything," Jamie opined.

  They drove the short distance to the small store in Oakland just chatting about things. Ryan was very impressed with the little yellow Boxster that Jamie drove. She seemed to know a lot about cars and asked scads of questions about its engine and handling capabilities. Jamie didn't have answers for most of the questions but that didn't deter Ryan from asking more. She finally gave Ryan a little shake of her head and pulled over. As she got out Ryan looked at her with a puzzled expression.

  "Come on, Ms. NASCAR, you drive it and answer your own questions," she said as she walked around to the passenger door and opened it. Ryan gave her a dazzling grin, protesting weakly while simultaneously grabbing the windshield and the back of the driver's seat and hoisting herself gracefully over the stick and into the seat.

  Jamie began to latch the seat belt over her shoulder as Ryan carefully adjusted the rear view mirror. She dropped the belt and leaned over her to point out the somewhat hidden switch by Ryan's left thigh which adjusted the side view mirrors. As she did so she felt her arm brush against Ryan's breasts as she completed her move. A little jolt of electricity shot up her arm as the contact occurred. Yipes! she shouted to herself. Where did that come from? Next time, you better just tell her where things are, Jamie.

  Ryan settled herself comfortably and smoothly pulled away from the curve. "Oh, wow!" she nearly moaned in delight. "I have never in my life been behind the wheel of anything this delicious." She closed her eyes slightly in pleasure. Finally she turned her head a bit to lock eyes with Jamie. "I can't tell you how pleasurable this is for me," she sighed.