Foreword
The beginning of a new series set in the "SoulMates Saga" Universe. Gold is a reader who asked me if `Future's Imperfect' would be the last story in the series. I said there would be one more after it and more before. He admired me for being able to write the stories. He said he had ideas, but had no experience in fleshing them out. I offered to collaborate. We decided to use the other two schools in the Sarah/Allison/Rikki/Ginny universe, create some new characters and here we are.
--Donal
It was the first day of school at Washington High and Lisa Toms stood beside the main door, wondering what the hell had gone wrong this past summer.
She'd been dating Mark. He was a great guy (at least that's what everybody told her), but something kept bothering her. Lisa'd heard the stories about a girl from Central dating another girl from West Catholic from some of the other girls but, since being a lesbian was the farthest thing from her mind, she'd barely listened to the rumors. She started noticing other girls when she went to the mall with her parents, however, and masturbating to their images in her bed, at night. When Lisa realized what was happening to her, she decided she had to break up with Mark.
It wasn't pretty. They were sitting on a picnic table, watching the sunset over the lake, not talking. Mark innocently asked, "Lis, what's wrong?"
Lisa couldn't look at him, "I think we need to break up."
Mark was surprised, "Why?"
Still not looking, "I'm going through some things in my life and I don't feel a connection to you any more."
"There's someone else, isn't there?!"
"No. I swear."
"Then tell me why!"
"I can't," Lisa said, almost whispering by this point.
"I don't believe you. Good-bye!" Mark hopped off the table and started walking away.
"Wait, Mark. Don't leave me here." But he didn't stop or look back.
Lisa cried as she pulled out her cellphone, "Mom, it's me. Can you pick me up?" She listened for a moment, "I'm at the picnic tables down by the lake." After a moment more, "Thanks, Mom. See you in a few minutes." Lisa closed her phone, hung her head, and sobbed.
When her mom arrived to pick her up, she found her daughter with her head down on the picnic table crying. She lifted Lisa's head and cradled it on her shoulder, "What's wrong, Honey?"
Lisa answered, stopping to sniffle part way through, "I broke up with Mark."
And of course, being a mother, she was very worried, "But why did you break up with him? He seemed to be a wonderful boy, who really seemed to care about you."
Lisa sobbed, "Mom, can we talk about this at home, please," With tears streaming down her face?
"Sure Sweetheart. Let's get in the car and we can talk at home."
After they got home, Lisa went upstairs to her bedroom to change and think about what she would tell her mother and father about the decision that she had finally come to. As Lisa was headed upstairs, her mother went to see her husband and let him know that she was back from picking Lisa up.
Lisa was lying in bed when her mother knocked on the door. "Come in, Mom."
"Honey, still sad?" her mother asked, very worried about her. She had never seen her daughter in this state before.
As she walked in, Lisa got up and hugged her mom before she started. Her mother was startled but hugged her back. Lisa sat down and started explaining to her mom about why she broke up with Mark. "Mom, remember this past summer when we went to the mall to window shop and just enjoy ourselves?"
"Yes, I remember dear. Why?"
"Well, instead of looking at the boys walking around, I started looking at the girls and wondering what it would be like to kiss them. Mom, I've never had these feelings before and I'm scared. The reason that I broke up with Mark is because of these feelings.
Her mother sighed, "Sweetheart, you're going through some changes in your life that I can try to help you with."
"You mean you're not angry or disgusted with me because I have these feelings for other girls instead of boys," Lisa asked in wonder.
"Lisa, what I am going to tell you, your father already knows, but I would prefer it if you didn't tell anyone else. Okay?" Her mother almost whispered.
"Sure Mom, no problem."
Her mother continued, "When I was in high school, I had a boyfriend like you. Over the summer break after I finished my junior year, I got really close to my best friend, Judy. Well, we had a lot of sleepovers and one night, we wanted to find out what it would be like to kiss another girl. Judy came over and started to kiss me very tenderly and I responded. Well, one thing led to another and we fell in love with each other." Her mother was very quiet but continued, "I broke up with my boyfriend and for the next few months Judy and I fell deeper in love with each other. We tried to keep it a secret from our friends and family but one night while we were making love, Judy's mother surprised us. She was very upset and banned me from seeing Judy again, with the exception of school."
When Lisa looked at her mother, she was surprised to see tears flowing down her cheeks. "At the end of the school year, we both graduated and Judy, along with her parents, moved out of the area. I never heard from her again and every now and then I think about what could have been." Her mother was very quiet when she ended the story.
"Mom, I'm so sorry!" Lisa stood up and went to hug her mom.
Her mother then told her, "Lisa, your father and I will support you in anything you do, but I want you to realize that society in general does tend to frown upon lesbians. Unless you have very understanding friends, it will be very hard for you at first. You may lose quite a number of them. You may make some new friends." Her mother then came over to her, hugged her and asked "Honey, is there a girl that you are interested in?"
"No, not right now, Mom, but I would imagine that there will be. Are you going to let Dad know?"
"Of course, Honey. We don't keep secrets from each other. That's why we love each other so much. Why don't you get some sleep now? You look tired and can probably use it."
"Okay, Mom. There is one more thing I do want to ask you though."
"What is it, Honey," Lisa's Mom asked.
"When you fell in love with Judy, did your parents support you like you and Dad will support me," Lisa almost whispered to her mom.
Lisa then noticed that her mother almost smiled at that remark.
"Actually sweetheart, it was your grandparents who told me to follow my heart wherever it took me. I followed my heart with Judy and then years later, it led me to your father. I think being with him might have been the best thing, besides you and your brother that ever happened to me. And yes, they did support me when I fell in love with Judy. Why don't you go to sleep now? Being Saturday tomorrow, we have some time to talk with your father if you want to."
"Thanks Mom, I think I will get some sleep."
When Lisa woke up, she felt somewhat refreshed and not as bad as she had the previous day after breaking up with Mark. Since it was around breakfast time, she bounded down the stairs with some energy and as she rounded the corner she noticed that her father and mother were seated there eating breakfast.
"Hello Sweetheart, how are you doing this morning?" her mother asked her.
"I'm doing much better than I was yesterday, Mom. Thanks," She replied sheepishly.
Her father looked at her smiling, "I just got finished talking to your mother about the incident last night. She and I agree about supporting you in whatever you decide to do, so don't feel that you have to tiptoe around me. Just remember, Lisa, you can talk to me about anything just like you do your mother. We've brought you up to make decisions about your own life and hopefully you will make the right ones."
"Thanks Dad, I really do appreciate it and love you both very much! I will try and be careful whoever I decided to be with, and if I have any questions, I promise to ask one of you for help," Lisa told her parents.
"Well, now that we've had our "talk" why don't you sit down and have some breakfast with us," Her mother said patiently.
A couple of weeks later, Lisa and her Mom were out walking around the park, just enjoying themselves. Lisa's father had gone out of town for a week, so the ladies decided to have a mother and daughter day. They passed by the table that Lisa's mother had found her several weeks ago after she'd broken up with her boyfriend, but nothing was said about that.
They were just coming around a stand of trees when Lisa's mother noticed two girls, one redhead and one blonde, ahead of them, holding hands. The redhead was definitely taller but it didn't seem to matter because they looked like they were in love with each other.
Lisa's mother pointed them out and noticed the way she was looking at them. "One of these days, Mom, that will be me and my girlfriend, whoever she may be," Lisa told her mom.
"Well, Sweetheart, whoever she may be, she will be one lucky young lady because I know you will care very much for her," Lisa's mother said emphatically.
"Thanks, Mom, I really do appreciate it and you're right. The problem is, when will it happen and with whom? I really don't have any idea how to approach a girl and I don't know how to go about finding out," Lisa said somewhat sadly.
"Don't worry Lisa, when it happens, it will happen and you will be amazed at the depth of your feelings for that person."
After about another 30 minutes or so, they decided to get back into the car and go for lunch at the nearest Wendy's.
As they were sitting there eating their meals, they noticed the two girls from the park come in. They were both gorgeous and Lisa couldn't keep her eyes off them. Since Lisa had never seen them before, she knew that they didn't go to her school and, therefore, must go to one of the other schools in town.
The girls sat down only one table away and started talking about school. Lisa overheard one of them mention St. Francis. They talked about soccer, music and something that really stunned Lisa, the two of them and how they were going to come out to their friends. Since Lisa was facing them, she kept looking at them and started thinking what it would be like with either of them. But, since she knew that they were a couple, both of them were out of bounds.
Her mother had been looking at Lisa this entire time and was somewhat sad for her daughter. "Lisa, what's wrong, Honey," her mother asked her?
"Mom, I look at those girls and see how happy they are with each other. I wonder how they knew that each was attracted to girls."
Unbeknownst to Lisa, the redhead had noticed her looking at the two of them when she walked in with her girlfriend and started talking a little more quietly so she could hear what her and her mother were talking about.
"Well, Honey, they might have had previous experience and just knew what to talk about," Her mother told her.
The redhead upon hearing this was surprised and told her girlfriend about this new development. The blonde upon hearing what the mother and daughter were talking about just smiled a knowing smile at her girlfriend. They listened some more and tried to find out who this girl was and where about she lived. Since the blonde and redhead had never seen her in school, they guessed that she went to the public school about a mile from St. Francis.
Afterword:
My thanks to Donal for his support and help with this new series. If it wasn't for him, I would not have the courage to try to write and capture the essence of the Soulmates Saga Universe.
--Gold