"Annie & Ivory"
Something was happening to Ivory Tran that had not happened in a very,
very long while (if ever): she was no longer interested in women.
Actually, that was not accurate—she was just not interested in any other
women. One had so captivated her (and in so many ways) and so entangled
her thoughts and actions that every other girl out there seemed flimsy,
like a wet sheet of paper. She could look at them and know that
somewhere there was beauty and perhaps a good sexual time, but it was
just not the same feeling. She had glanced at the sun, and now electric
lamps seemed dull.
Ancelin Yi knew very little of Ivory's longings, in spite of the fact
that she was the very object of the girl's pining. She had taken Ivory
into consideration, as she did with all other people she did not know.
Ancelin was cautious and insecure; she had been badly hurt by somebody
close to her for many years, and it had taken many a year more to heal
from it. Ivory was nice and very polite towards her, and acted as though
the world revolved around Ancelin (she paid her great attention and her
eyes seemed to light up whenever they were together), but something told
her to hold back, take it easy, see what happens.
By the time August ended and September began in Stanton, Ivory and
Ancelin ("Annie" she permanently dubbed her) were friends and spent
quite a bit of time together. "Annie" had warmed up to Ivory and trusted
her to a small degree. She was an excellent sparring partner and always
had something nice to say about the taller woman, especially if she lost
matches. Ivory shied away from talking about herself (except for
egotistical spurts), and especially hated talking about her home life.
Ancelin understood only too well, and was content to hear and observe
what came.
Of course, since Ivory was just as infamous as she was nice to look at,
rumors came to Ancelin's ears faster than Tran could dispel them. Some
said that she was a punk, part of a gang, and had been shot in a small
war. Others said she worked in an underground street-fighting arena and
had beaten many people sore. Still others said she had raped people, but
most everybody agreed or believed that she was a sexoholic, whether they
called her a whore or simply someone experienced with bedding people—or
rather, women. Ancelin hated rumors but she had to consider a few of
them.
"Hey, Annie-pants!" greeted Ivory one day at lunch. The girls shared a
lunch and one class together, and more often than not they had gotten
acquainted after school, so familiarity was not new. Ancelin gave her
friend a hollow smile.
"Hi, Ivory." (Ivory insisted on being called by her full name instead of
Ive or Ivy)
"Guess what?" said Ivory, her face beaming with happiness. Ancelin
couldn't help but mirror it.
"What?"
"I made the soccer team! I'm on! Of course, it was more or less
expected, but suffice to say I was a bit excited nonetheless."
"That's good," replied her friend. "I guess I can come out to watch you
play."
"You better," said Ivory, her voice very serious. "We're gonna snag us a
championship this year. I hope we fight Rodgerson's for top seed this
year. I've never gotten the chance to take them in a championship game;
last year it was Dale Spalding. You know, it's kind of a dream of mine
to have a great big classic bout between rival schools over the trophy.
Like in the movies, y'know? And I have a feeling we'll get to do it this
year." Ancelin smiled.
"I hope so." Ivory grinned and decided to do what she had came for.
"So, Wednesday... boring day of the week, huh? Can't wait for Friday?"
"I don't mind."
"I can't," moaned the girl. She slumped a bit and sipped at her juice
drink. "I've been dragging my feet all this week. It's really been
shitty since Monday. I tell you, when Friday gets here...... well, you
may excuse me if I wanna leave your kendo class early." Ancelin
chuckled, softly and politely, and said that she'd understand.
"So you have big plans this weekend?" she asked. Ivory looked right at
her (or rather her profile since Ancelin was staring down at a book she
had brought) and smiled gently.
"I was hoping so."
"Oh?"
"Yeah. A hot date I've been looking forward to for a very long time."
"With who?" Ivory nearly burst with happiness and excitement. This was
going better than she had thought.
"With you," she whispered, "I hope." Ancelin noticeably turned red. Her
ears looked pinker than normal. She drew in a breath and rubbed her
eyes.
"Oh, like... between friends."
"If it's your thing," Tran said coolly. She nudged forward, and
whispered quite seductively, "But I'd much rather go out with you as
a... girlfriend."
"Oh." Ancelin froze in her place, looking very uncomfortable. So few
people noticed her as anything other than a cold, lonely karate queen
that she had been taken aback by regular attention, and since she was
convinced that the only person who had ever loved her in her life was
her mother (she was very nearly right), the shock had now tripled. She
didn't know what was harder to swallow: somebody was romantically
interested in her, or the fact that it was another girl. Yet
practically, Ancelin might've been more comfortable with that
arrangement, since...
"I don't see what one night would hurt," she whispered at last. Ivory,
trying hard not to squeal, gave a very happy smile and nearly kissed
Ancelin right then.
"Awesome," she managed. "Well, I'll be by your house on Friday." (They
had already visited each others' homes) "Maybe we can even spend the
whole weekend together, if you'd like."
"I would," admitted Yi quietly and honestly, "but we'll see. I hope you
don't mean we'll... stay over."
"Nah, we can just meet every day." Ancelin's blush faded, but not her
smile.
"I'd like that."
.........
Ancelin lived in a small, slightly weary house with her mother, aunt,
uncle, and cousin. Her father had been an only child and so everyone was
on her mother's side; she loved and respected them all but had a
certain, definite connection with her mom. The house was her aunt and
uncle's; they had been kind enough to allow their sister (and
sister-in-law) and niece to live in with them. Ancelin's father was
serving time in prison, and good riddance, her family had said.
"You put up with him for ten years," her uncle had sighed as he
confronted his sister. "I don't see how you managed to do it!"
"Well... he was the father of my baby." The conversation went nowhere
and it didn't need to, now that Mrs. Yi was free and in a house where
she was loved. Ancelin resented her father and had not liked him much
while she lived with him (her grandparents on his side, though no longer
with them, had been much nicer), but like her mother she could not
easily abandon family. It took a long battle, a lot of love from the
aunt and uncle, and a bit of sense to wrench free from that life, and
now Mrs. Yi was beginning to feel content and liberated again. She had
dated since the divorce and arrest of her husband very rarely; all dates
were thoroughly screened by her daughter, then her brother, then her
sister-in-law.
Presently, her mother was single and getting very good at horticulture.
She had keen gardening senses and was just getting into a bustling
business that she liked, and of course she spent many happy hours
outdoors, whether in rain or shine. Her skin began to glow again and her
health improved, although the small house she lived in still looked
queer on the inside. Mrs. Yi was not a good interior decorator; her
sister-in-law wrote medical transcriptions and her brother was an
electrician. The family was well-off enough for Ancelin to fully
concentrate on her studies and athleticism, but a job for her was not
too far off.
While her mother was whiling away the afternoon in the yard outside,
Ancelin came out with some water and a question. Her mother, barely
twice her age, was beginning to look young and beautiful again, and all
scars from her marriage were healing. Ancelin lovingly handed her mother
the glass, got a thanks, and cleared her throat.
"Isn't it a lovely day outside?" said her mother, a smile on her face.
Ancelin nodded.
"Yes, it's not often we get days like this. I have a feeling the evening
will be just as pleasant. ...Mother?"
"Yes, dear?" Mrs. Yi stopped her activities and sat down, giving her
attention to her daughter.
"Um, speaking of this evening, ah... I've got a date for the weekend."
"Oh, really? Somebody you met?"
"Yes," she said truthfully. Mrs. Yi believed she knew better than to ask
if it was somebody from school, but she would be proven wrong.
"How long have you known this person?"
"About a month. I met them... ah... after school." And it was true
enough—Tran and Yi did not become fully acquainted until the kendo
after-school class.
"Ah, that's good. And did you ask them out?"
"No, other way around. Uh... they said they wanted to spend the weekend
together."
"You won't be sleeping over, right?" asked her mother, her voice not too
firm.
"Uh, no, no, we'll just meet."
"Oh, good. Well, if you're asking for my permission, then you certainly
may. I'd like to meet this gentleman before you do leave, though." And
here, of course, was the moment of truth. Ancelin's mother didn't imply
her date would be male out of ignorance; she was indirectly asking
whether it was man or woman—not that she suspected Ancelin was gay, she
just wanted to know.
"Um... mother... uh... my date's, uh... it's with another girl."
"Is it?" she replied casually. "Oh, well, I'm sorry—it was my mistake.
You should've specified, but it's partly my fault as well. Anyway, I
hope you have a good time. You'll be... careful, right?" Ancelin became
flush as her mother implied another thing. Both women had been hurt by
somebody close to them—they had been hurt again and again for ten
years—and so exercising caution was something they had gotten into.
Ancelin remembered the rumors about Ivory and managed to tell the truth.
"Yes, of course, mother."
"That's good. Oh, would you like to help me in the garden? Or is your
homework finished?"
"Almost. I'm taking a break."
"Why not come outside and do it? The weather's too good and the house is
always so dark—and we won't have weather like this for much longer."
"Yeah..." Ancelin brought out what was left of her history homework and
set about to it. Her mother resumed her work as well, never prodding
Ancelin any more than she needed. Dating another girl did not
necessarily make her a lesbian, and even if it did, would she change?
Minutely, maybe, but Ancelin was still herself and for the greater,
would remain.
Two days later, Mrs. Yi met Ivory Tran for the first time (her brother,
sister-in-law, and nephew were not involved). Ivory had to compose
herself as she saw the older woman, because even though her ex-husband
had put her through a lot of grief, she still looked very lovely and
attractive. Ancelin had gotten much of her beauty from her mother, so it
took a lot of discipline for Ivory to remain on task. She was more
polite and engaging than she had been in years (wanting the first
impression to go well), and tried very hard not to use vulgarity or
bragging or anything else that would offend the mother of her would-be
girlfriend. For the record, Mrs. Yi liked Ivory and believed she and her
daughter would have a great time.
.........
"Holy fucking shit, Annie!" yelped Tran once the two were well on their
way. "Your mom's hot! Now I see where you get it!" Ancelin just smiled
humbly.
"D'accord, and thanks. She is very beautiful, especially now."
"I'll say! What does she do?"
"She's a horticulturist."
"Ah, plant lady, eh? Nice hobby. What do you wanna do when you grow up?"
"I'm not sure yet," she sighed. "Something in athletics, perhaps. Maybe
I'll teach kendo and karate." Ivory gave a gentle smile and, very
smoothly, went for the taller girl's hand.
"Well I could help you with that." They both turned red, one after the
other. Ancelin looked down at how Ivory entwined her fingers into her
hand, but didn't let go. It felt nice and electric, and quite sensual
for such a small gesture. The question of the hour popped out soon.
"Ivory... do you really want to be my girlfriend?"
"Yeah!" exclaimed the blonde (her hair had been dyed).
"Seriously?" Ivory slowed down and looked deep into Ancelin's face. The
woman was very pretty up close, and like her, she had let her hair down.
If that glorious mane of chocolate-chestnut hair was not enough to
entice her, the warmth of "Annie's" humble smile and her pleasantly wise
outlook would.
"Of course," she replied gently, no longer sounding arrogant. "I fell in
love with you the moment I saw you. I kinda had a huge crush on you
since, and now I can't even look at another woman and feel the same
way."
"I think we're going too fast," whispered Ancelin seriously. Ivory took
a step backwards, let go of her hand, and nodded.
"Oh, sorry. I'm usually pretty aggressive anyway. Do I make you
uncomfortable?"
"Sometimes," she said, hugging herself—but she said it with a cute
smile. "I've heard... rumors about you."
"Oh, those!" Ivory groaned and rolled her eyes, and resumed her walk
full stride. "Most of those are just made up by stupid people. I've
heard em' myself and I don't like it. It's mostly bullshit, believe me."
"But is any of it true?"
"I'd say that there's truth in them," stated Ivory wisely. "It may not
be true, but it might've been based on truth. Like for example, my, er,
physical nature. Well, I'm only violent to other violent people; I'm
really quite soft on sweethearts like you." (Ancelin shied away humbly)
"Well, what about the rumor going about that you've been shot?"
"That's true," she replied, and she moved her shirt around enough to
prove it. Ancelin saw the two scars and hissed in pain. She could
empathize with that.
"How did you...?"
"Wouldn't that be going too fast?" Ancelin immediately apologized, but
Ivory just laughed. "Oh, it's okay. I'm not always so sensitive about
it. It's just... if I told you, I'd ruin the date, and I don't wanna do
that!"
"Oh." Ancelin smiled very broadly, then asked one more question. "Well,
ah... if it won't ruin the date, would you tell me whether any other
rumor is true or not?"
"There's only one other I'm aware of, and I think it'd ruin things."
"Then we'll save it for another day."
"Right, good. Well, where do you want to go? I know a few places, but
I'd like to see where you hang out. Maybe we can try out each other's
activities and see if they interest us."
"Okay." It was a grand idea, so Ancelin led the way and Ivory
followed—and on the next day, the roles switched. Ivory showed Ancelin
some of the places she liked. By Sunday evening, the girls knew a lot
more about each other and were very comfortable together. Ivory was
definitely in love with Ancelin by that point, and although she was
inclined to not let her relationships last long, she desperately wanted
to make exception this time. Ancelin was still unsure, but since her
"girlfriend" was willing to take it slow, she had plenty of time and no
pressure to find out.
Late that evening, as the sun went down and the gray clouds made way for
the dark and the stars, Ivory walked Ancelin home, saying very little
except for small comments about the neighborhood. Neither woman lived in
a particularly inviting place, though Ancelin's at least had a good lawn
and yard (Ivory lived in the suburbs and was accustomed to steel and
stone), and the air was cleaner and clearer. Tran really envied her.
Mrs. Yi was still outside, attending to some last things with the front
porch light on, when Ivory brought her daughter home. She had become
more or less accustomed to the young girl as well (although Ivory's
hairstyle and color shifted), and greeted her politely as she spotted
them both.
"Did you have a good time?" she asked them both. Ancelin answered in
French—"Oui, mere! A la bonne heure."—and Ivory in Ivory-eese—"Yes
indeed!"
"Hmm, that's good. Well, I'll meet you back inside, Ancelin. It's
getting dark and I don't want to use any more power." With that she
stood and bowed politely before leaving the two girls. Ivory took
Ancelin's back, turned so that she was facing the house, and parted her
then-black hair from her face, all in what seemed like a single gesture.
"Have I told you how cool your mom is?"
"Yes," Ancelin grinned, "and I agree every time."
"You really love her, huh?"
"With all my heart." Ivory paused and smiled. Her grip became gentle as
she pulled herself a little closer.
"I envy you, Annie. Your house is better, your family's better... you're
pretty and athletic, and you're cool and wise to boot." (Ancelin blushed
when she was called wise, but probably because it sounded embarrassing)
"I mean... I can see my crush is well-justified."
"Uh... merci." Ivory resumed her smile and took another step. Her eyes,
flashing gently in two colors, met Ancelin's. In the back of her mind,
she wondered if the girl's mother was spying on them, waiting to see
what would happen. Her chest began to thud. She couldn't remember if any
of her past lovers made her chest thud. Her hand became wet as well.
That was definitely new.
"Bonsoir, Ivory," whispered Ancelin. She swallowed.
"Wo ai ni, Annie."
"What does that mean?" Ivory took a breath, and without saying a word,
she leaned forward and kissed Ancelin on her lips.
"It means... good night," she whispered. Shakily, Ivory smiled and
walked away, trying to keep cool and not look back. Ancelin shuddered,
but not from disgust or cold. She trudged awkwardly to her house, opened
the door, and closed it with a sigh. Her mother was in the shower.
Ancelin made her way to her room, and after closing the door, she rubbed
her face. The mirror in her room said she looked no different, but she
had changed—she knew it. And she liked it.
Ivory Tran sang for joy the whole way home.
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