thoughts. Diane circled the sofa from behind and came around to sit beside her. Jennifer noted with satisfaction that Diane was wearing a pair of black tailored pants and a white blouse. She couldn’t wait to tell Sally.
“How are you feeling?” Diane leaned forward to get a good look at the swollen lump above Jen’s eye. “I didn’t expect to see you tonight.”
“I’m fine. And I wouldn’t have missed this night for anything,” she smiled.
Diane raised an eyebrow in reply. “Dare I ask?”
Jen waved the question aside. “Are you enjoying yourself so far?”
“It’s been interesting to see everyone.” Diane shrugged as she scanned the crowd. “I didn’t have anything else to do this weekend.” .
“So you still live in Des Moines?”
Diane nodded. “I’m surprised how many of us still do, actually. Lucy’s still here. Gina teaches up in Ames. Gail lives in Oskaloosa.”
“Oskaloosa?”
“She married a farmer or something.” Her face cracked in a wide smile. “My lover and I moved just south of Ankeny.”
“Really?” It hadn’t even occurred to her that
Diane might have a lover. “How long have you been together?”
Diane’s smile grew even wider. “Eight years,” she said proudly.
“Congratulations,” Jen said with feeling. “Why didn’t you bring her with you? I would have loved to meet her.”
Diane’s face colored. “Well, uh, she’s here. You know her,” she stuttered.
Jennifer stared at the larger woman, for the first time seeing her as someone’s lover instead of as the high school lesbian. “Who? Who is it?”
“Well,” she swallowed, dipping her head shyly. “It’s Lucy.”
Jennifer couldn’t stop her jaw from dropping. “But she’s kind of closeted, ya know? So we play it cool.”
Jennifer continued to stare. “Lucy?”
Diane’s head bobbed up and down.
“That’s fabulous.” Jennifer finally found her voice. “She’s an absolutely wonderful woman. CongratulaŹtions again.”
“Thanks.” She sat up proudly.
Amazed, Jen shook her head. “How did you two get together?”
Diane grinned broadly. “It’s a long story. But that’s part of what I wanted to talk to you about.”
Jen remembered their brief conversation earlier in the day. “Ah yes. Your ominous warning.”
“I thought you should know about a few things that happened since you moved away.”
Her curiosity piqued, Jen asked her to continue.
“That first year you were away, after Sheila marŹried that idiot and before they moved to Texas …”
Diane glanced around quickly before turning back to Jen, her voice low as she continued. “Sheila went pretty whacko when she couldn’t find you. She called everybody and anybody to try to reach you. She was a maniac. She told everyone about the two of you. Well, her version of the story, anyway.”
Jennifer digested the information slowly. “What was her version?”
“That you seduced her and fucked with her head before dumping her and running away.”
“She got married.” Jen’s voice was louder than she’d intended.
Diane waved the comment aside. “I know. And nobody really believed her version of what happened anyway. Especially when they knew how much you were always mooning over her back in school.”
Again the reminder that Jen had fooled absolutely no one in high school.
Diane hesitated for a moment. “Anyway, she finally told me a different story. One that’s probably a whole lot closer to the truth.”
Jen’s eyes narrowed. “What did she tell you?”
Diane lowered her voice. “That you two had been lovers for years. That she couldn’t handle being queer. So she married Bobby.”
A low whistle escaped her. So many times she had imagined the reason, but she’d never heard the words before now. Jen looked away briefly, considering her words. But something didn’t quite make sense.
“Why would she have told you? She wouldn’t even give you the time of day in high school.”
Diane’s cheeks
“How are you feeling?” Diane leaned forward to get a good look at the swollen lump above Jen’s eye. “I didn’t expect to see you tonight.”
“I’m fine. And I wouldn’t have missed this night for anything,” she smiled.
Diane raised an eyebrow in reply. “Dare I ask?”
Jen waved the question aside. “Are you enjoying yourself so far?”
“It’s been interesting to see everyone.” Diane shrugged as she scanned the crowd. “I didn’t have anything else to do this weekend.” .
“So you still live in Des Moines?”
Diane nodded. “I’m surprised how many of us still do, actually. Lucy’s still here. Gina teaches up in Ames. Gail lives in Oskaloosa.”
“Oskaloosa?”
“She married a farmer or something.” Her face cracked in a wide smile. “My lover and I moved just south of Ankeny.”
“Really?” It hadn’t even occurred to her that
Diane might have a lover. “How long have you been together?”
Diane’s smile grew even wider. “Eight years,” she said proudly.
“Congratulations,” Jen said with feeling. “Why didn’t you bring her with you? I would have loved to meet her.”
Diane’s face colored. “Well, uh, she’s here. You know her,” she stuttered.
Jennifer stared at the larger woman, for the first time seeing her as someone’s lover instead of as the high school lesbian. “Who? Who is it?”
“Well,” she swallowed, dipping her head shyly. “It’s Lucy.”
Jennifer couldn’t stop her jaw from dropping. “But she’s kind of closeted, ya know? So we play it cool.”
Jennifer continued to stare. “Lucy?”
Diane’s head bobbed up and down.
“That’s fabulous.” Jennifer finally found her voice. “She’s an absolutely wonderful woman. CongratulaŹtions again.”
“Thanks.” She sat up proudly.
Amazed, Jen shook her head. “How did you two get together?”
Diane grinned broadly. “It’s a long story. But that’s part of what I wanted to talk to you about.”
Jen remembered their brief conversation earlier in the day. “Ah yes. Your ominous warning.”
“I thought you should know about a few things that happened since you moved away.”
Her curiosity piqued, Jen asked her to continue.
“That first year you were away, after Sheila marŹried that idiot and before they moved to Texas …”
Diane glanced around quickly before turning back to Jen, her voice low as she continued. “Sheila went pretty whacko when she couldn’t find you. She called everybody and anybody to try to reach you. She was a maniac. She told everyone about the two of you. Well, her version of the story, anyway.”
Jennifer digested the information slowly. “What was her version?”
“That you seduced her and fucked with her head before dumping her and running away.”
“She got married.” Jen’s voice was louder than she’d intended.
Diane waved the comment aside. “I know. And nobody really believed her version of what happened anyway. Especially when they knew how much you were always mooning over her back in school.”
Again the reminder that Jen had fooled absolutely no one in high school.
Diane hesitated for a moment. “Anyway, she finally told me a different story. One that’s probably a whole lot closer to the truth.”
Jen’s eyes narrowed. “What did she tell you?”
Diane lowered her voice. “That you two had been lovers for years. That she couldn’t handle being queer. So she married Bobby.”
A low whistle escaped her. So many times she had imagined the reason, but she’d never heard the words before now. Jen looked away briefly, considering her words. But something didn’t quite make sense.
“Why would she have told you? She wouldn’t even give you the time of day in high school.”
Diane’s cheeks
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