Dar and Kerry Series - Short Stories Read online

  "No.. it's all right." Dar shook her head. "I don't feel it.. I just tend to run off at the mouth when I've had a few glasses of anything." She gave her friend a light shrug. "Sorry."

  Kerry patted her arm. "It's okay.. I think it's really cute." She confided. "Turn left up there, and it's three blocks down on the right hand side."

  "I know." Dar muttered, as she navigated through the very busy traffic. "Jesus, it's a mess down here."

  Kerry regarded her lover out of the corner of her eyes, approving the deep green sweater she'd put on over a collared shirt, which was tucked into her black slacks. The sweater was plain, but had pretty embroidery around the neck and cuffs, stylized birds chasing each other around and around in bold, clear colors. "I really like that sweater." She commented, reaching over to trace the embroidery. "It looks really good on you." Snug, but not too snug, in fact. She mused.

  "Thanks.. you look pretty hot yourself." Dar commented casually. "Here we go." She pulled into a small parking lot adjacent to an old fashioned, two story concrete building. The back half of the structure seemed to have been converted into a church, based on the stained glass windows, and that part faced the sea. "Must look nice inside during sunrise."

  "Mm.'" Kerry agreed, feeling a little nervous now that they were here. Was this such a good idea? She really had no idea how to act, given the open nature of the church, or what kind of beliefs or services they'd have. The pastor had mentioned music, and when she'd told him her own denomination, he'd said she'd feel comfortable, but… She exhaled.

  "You okay?" Dar studied her.

  "Yeah… " Kerry folded her arms across her chest. "I've just never…um… this is really stupid, but I've never been in a place where mostly everyone was gay before."

  "Oh." Dar chuckled. "Relax.. just act normally… they don't stamp your forehead when you go in." She got out of the car and twitched her sweater straight, then she waited for Kerry to join her. "You're going to think everyone's looking at you, so just relax, because they are. "

  "Comforting. Thank you." Kerry nodded, sighing.

  "Just think of what it was like for you the first couple days at work." Her companion reassured her.

  "You've been down here… to South Beach before, I take it." Kerry inquired, as they started to walk across the lot, joining a small stream of others.

  "Yes." Dar answered readily. "I used to cruise some of the bars down here in my younger years." She returned the appraising glances they were getting from some of the other attendees.

  "Did you take your high school ring of then, Grandma?" Kerry poked her gently. "Listen to you.. 'in my younger years… yeah, when we had to walk to school uphill, both ways.. "

  "Kerry.. " Dar put an arm around her and leaned closer. "Being a Miami native means you never, ever have to walk to school uphill." She reminded her. "Unless you live under the highway overpass."

  They laughed, and entered the building, nodding at the tall young man who was courteously holding the door open for them.

  ************************************************

  It was weird. Kerry found her eyes flicking here and there, her eyes absorbing the collection of assorted couples and singles assembled in the chapel. That, at least, was mildly familiar, being roughly square, with a raised platform at one end, and rows of pews stretching across the floor. The pews were donated from various building projects from other churches, she noticed, and in one case, a temple. They were a mixture of woods and sizes, but no one seemed to mind. Missing were the typical Bibles, but there were hymnbooks, and she took one, thumbing through its well-worn pages to see old favorites and some she didn't know.

  She and Dar were sitting about mid way on the left hand side, and as the room filled, she watched her lover's alert and interested eyes watching everything.

  Of course, half the room, the female half, was also watching her. Kerry felt a mixture of pride and consternation at the veiled, and in some cases, not so veiled looks of lust directed at her companion, but Dar seemed oblivious.

  Or maybe not. She felt a warm arm slide around her shoulders as Dar leaned closer, on the pretext of studying her hymnbook. "So. What's that?"

  The pastor's arrival interrupted her somewhat meandering description of basic holiday services, and they both turned their attention to the man. He was of medium height, with sandy brown hair and pale colored eyes, about their age. He gave everyone a friendly smile, then launched into a short sermon.

  It was…interesting. Kerry got the gist of it being a plea for more tolerance in the world, and she felt it probably was better off directed outside this room, since everyone in here seemed pretty darn tolerant to her. But she appreciated the sentiment, and he made several good points about how people who are persecuted tend to turn their anger outwards, and practice the same kinds of discrimination they themselves suffer.

  Then three people got up, two men and one woman, and read some original poems they'd written. Kerry liked them a lot, and also the fact that they were contributing something of themselves to the ceremony. That seemed to her to be a good idea, and something other churches would be better off adopting. Sometimes the over usage of the old traditionals without infusing new blood made a church… well… she remembered being somewhat bored as a teenager in her own church, feeling that the people in charge really didn't have a handle on what was going on in her world.

  These people had a handle - their works spoke of the lonely feeling of standing out in a crowd, of having family turn away from you, and the last, spoken by a short, owlish looking man with horn rimmed glasses and a buzz cut, was about what it felt like to be told that God hated you.

  Kerry felt that one, but in a way it helped to hear it, because she understood she wasn't alone. She wondered briefly if someday maybe she'd have the guts to stand up there and mumble a piece of her own, then decided it would be a cold day in Hell first.

  Dar leaned over, after the man finished. "That wasn't bad."

  "Mm." Kerry agreed softly.

  "Stuff you write is better." The dark haired woman confided casually.

  Kerry felt like an icicle had suddenly grown in the pit of her stomach. "What?" She put a hand on Dar's arm, and gripped it. A suspicion formed and she felt her heart lurch. "How did you know?"

  "Uh… " The blue eyes opened wider, in consternation. "You.. you left a couple pages on the printer, I didn't… um.. " The crowd was rustling, as the choir arranged themselves up front, and she glanced around. "I'm sorry. .I didn't realize you… uh… " It was very obvious to her that Kerry was very, very upset. "Kerry, I'm sorry."

  Very slowly, she released the death grip on Dar's arm. "No… no.. It's my stupid fault… I left them on the printer." She got out. "That stuff is so personal.. I just… " Then she stopped talking, and her brow creased. "Wait a minute…you liked it?"

  Dar let out a very relieved breath. "Yeah.. that one about the wind was great." She agreed enthusiastically. "And there was kind of a long one… um.. "

  Kerry ducked her head. "That was about you, yes." She peeked at her lover, who was definitely blushing. "You really liked it?"

  Dar nodded, then straightened as the pastor resumed his podium. "I guess we've got something to talk about when we get home, eh?"

  "Yeah." Kerry smiled. "I guess we do." She felt a quiet happiness lighten her mood considerably, and she turned the hymnbook over to the page he indicated. "Okay… this is simple. They sing, you sing." She instructed Dar, holding the book up. "I like this one."

  They stood up, and waited for the choir to finish the first section, then joined in when the pastor indicated. Kerry started to sing, then stopped, as a crystal clear voice soared up from right next to her. She felt her jaw drop, and she turned to look at Dar, who was trying very hard not to start laughing. "Jesus!"

  The chorus ended, and the choir started up again. "Something wrong?" Dar inquired, a definite smirk on her angular face.

  "You can sing!" Kerry whispered incredulously. "I mean, not just sing, but lik
e… that sounded incredible."

  A light shrug. "Yeah.. well, I guess we both have hidden talents then, hmm?" Dar commented loftily, as she put her hands behind her back, and gazed around the room. Some of their neighbors were giving her interested, sideways looks, and she lifted an eyebrow at them.

  The rest of the hymns went by in a blur, and before she knew it, Kerry found herself in a log jam of people all trying to get out of the small building, and into the cool night air. Hands stopped them, though, and she found herself being introduced to a rapid succession of faces, male and female, most of whom seemed friendly, and they received quite a few invitations to coffee, conversation, and in one case, a psychic reading on the beach.

  Everyone seemed fascinated by Dar, who assumed her business face, all cool attention, and brisk politeness, until the pastor caught up to them, and offered a hand.

  "You're new." He stated frankly. "Or is this just a convenient place to catch a service?"

  "Um… actually, I called here earlier… asking about the church." Kerry answered, a little hesitantly.

  "Ah.. bathing suit and Santa hat.. I recognize your voice." The man smiled, and then gave her a wink. "Honey, you could have showed up like that, and I guarantee nobody would have minded a bit." He shook her hand. "I'm David Argnot… the pastor, plumber, and all around handyman of the church."

  That forced a chuckle from the mildly embarrassed Kerry. "Nice to meet you.. my name is Kerry.. and um… " She nodded her head towards Dar, who was fending off the choir mistress, a striking redhead almost the same height as the executive. "This is my friend Dar."

  Hearing her name Dar turned, and regarded him, her pale blue eyes standing out with startling clarity. "Nice to meet you." She held a hand out.

  He blinked. "Anyone ever tell you you've got fantastic eyes?" He took her hand and shook it gingerly. "Not to mention a killer voice."

  Dar gave him a brief smile. "Thanks… that was a nice speech you made."

  "Ah.. it was nothing." He grinned. "You should hear me when I don't have a major worldwide holiday to deal with… speaking of which… services are on Sundays, in the late afternoons, in case I hadn't mentioned it."

  "Late afternoons?" Kerry had to laugh, used to crack of dawn ceremonies at home.

  "We're hedonists, and don't pretend otherwise." He told her solemnly. "I have a standing reservation with a beach, a blanket, and a picnic basket on Sunday mornings." He rocked back and forth. "So.. how about it? You guys be back?"

  Dar gave him a crooked grin. "Depends.. do you serve refreshments?" Her eyes twinkled with amusement.

  His brows waggled. "What..do we look like Catholics to you? All that wine and cheese.. whoops.. wafers… " He took some joshing from the nearby listeners. "Nah.. just kidding… we usually get together after the service for some coffee over at the café across the street… they're used to us invading, and they make a killer seven layer dip."

  "You should drop on by." The choir mistress urged. "There's lots of good talk, and stuff… we have a great time." She turned as a short, chestnut haired woman came up, and rested her chin on the redhead's shoulder. "Right, Anne?"

  "Sure." The woman agreed. "As long as it involves orange juice and spanking." She gave Dar and Kerry a wicked grin. "Whoops.. I'm in church.. sorry about that."

  Kerry had no idea if Dar liked, disliked, or was thoroughly freaked out by the group. "Sure. Sounds like fun." She finally said, figuring she could drop by on her own, at any rate. It was strange, and not at all like what she was used to, but…the people seemed pretty nice, and she liked the pastor, who definitely had a good sense of humor.

  "Great… we'll see you guys next week, then." Pastor David smiled at them, and exhaled, loosening his collar. "Hey.. surf's up.. who's up for some midnight swimming?"

  They edged their way out, and into the emptying parking lot, under the twinkling stars of a clear tropical night. Kerry waited until they were in the car before she cleared her throat. "Um.. that wasn't meant to agree on your behalf, by the way.. I know… I mean, it's kind of a weird place.. don't feel like you're obligated in any way to go back." She explained. "I can just go back by myself.. maybe talk to some of those people.. two of the women are from the same denomination I am, so.. "

  Dar ran a hand through her dark hair, and backed the Lexus out of it's spot, then she reached over and laid an hand on Kerry's arm. "Kerry, you know I love you, right?"

  "Um… well, yes." The blond woman agreed, hesitantly.

  "Have you ever seen what piranha can do to a cow, in under a minute?" The taller woman inquired, turning onto the main street.

  Kerry's brows knit. "What in the world does that have to do with anything?" She asked. "And.. yes, I saw that Animal Planet special, thanks." She made a face. "They almost ate Crocodile Man's parts."

  Dar stopped at a red light, and turned to her. "Good.. because that's what that crowd would do to you… if you went back there alone." She grinned, and chucked Kerry's chin. 'They know an innocent when they see one."

  "I am not an innocent." The blond woman protested, then she paused. "Am I? I thought they were nice… they seemed okay."

  "They were very nice, and I'm sure we'll find some great friends there." Dar reassured her. "But you gotta know the ground rules first, understand?"

  Kerry thought about that for a minute. "Oh." She chewed her lip. "You mean the social side of things… yeah, they've got that in our church too, but it's different." She reflected. "They tend more to quilting circles."

  Dar muffled a chuckle. "Well, I'm sure some of what this group does involves a quilt, at some point." She muttered. "But it was a nice service.. I'm glad we went… did it make you feel better?"

  Kerry leaned back. "Yeah.. it did… maybe it's just the going through the motions thing, I don't know…but the poetry was good, and I liked his sermon.. and that choir is not bad." She reflected. "It was really different, but I enjoyed it."

  "Good." Dar gazed out the window at the now thinned out traffic.

  They drove in silence for a bit, then Kerry glanced at her watch. "Hey.. it's after midnight."

  "Yep.. it's Christmas." Dar commented, as she turned onto the ferry terminal road.

  "It's your birthday." Kerry gently corrected her.

  The Lexus stopped at the loading ramp, as the deckhands started moving the surface down to meet the just docking ferry. "So it is." Dar leaned on the steering wheel, and regarded the choppy water. "I can't believe I'm thirty years old."

  "Given what you've accomplished, I can't belive it either." Kerry admitted. "I feel so inadequate."

  Dar blinked at her. "What?"

  "Well, Jesus, Dar… you're only two.. okay, three years older than I am.. and look what you've done already.. I mean, you're a vice president, you've got a great career, this fantastic lifestyle… you're gorgeous.. you're successful… " She threw up her hands. "It's incredible."

  Her friend regarded her seriously. "I never considered it like that."

  Kerry half smiled. "I know."

  Dar's cell phone rang, and she sighed, then pulled it out and flipped it open. "Yeah?"

  "Good morning, Dar." Mark's voice sounded annoyingly cheerful. "Merry Christmas."

  "Yeah yeah.. what's wrong?" Dar growled.

  "Nothing." The MIS Chief drawled. "I was just calling to wish my favorite corporate shark a happy birthday."

  Dar drummed her fingers on the steering wheel, and gave her blond companion a suspicious look. "And just how did you find out it was my birthday, Mark?"

  Kerry peered innocently out the window. "Gee… look at that moon, will you?"

  "A bird told me." Mark replied, the grin very evident in his voice.

  "Uh huh.. is this bird about five foot six, with blond hair and green eyes?" Dar inquired wryly.

  "Sorry, Dar.. that's secured info." The MIS chief clucked at her. "Anyway… you have a good birthday, okay? I'll see you tomorrow, at your.. uh… Christmas party."

  Uh huh. "Thanks, Mark…. I'll rememb
er this." Dar threatened, getting a wicked chuckle in response, before Mark hung up.

  Kerry was still peering out the window, apparently fascinated by the reflections off the waves.

  Dar reached over and tickled her ribs, making her jump and squeal. "Little bird, huh?"

  The cell phone rang again, and Kerry muffled a laugh as Dar sighed, then answered. It. "Yeah?" A pause. "Oh, hi Duks… yeah, thanks… I appreciate that… un huh… nope… what? Oh.. sure… hi Mariana… thank you… no, well, if I have to tell you, okay.. it's thirty." A longer pause. "Stop whining.. it's not my fault… okay, yeah, I'll see you guys tomorrow." She hit the disconnect, as the ferry docked on the island. "What did you do.. send out a message to MIAHQUSERS ALL?" She demanded.