Belinda Ch. 02

"It was all they had. Hey, what do I care," came Rachel's reply. "It's a vehicle. I needed a vehicle that's a vehicle and frankly, they're practical cars, OK?"

Rachel seemed a bit agitated. Belinda offered a hug and Rachel hugged back. Then she said, "Sorry, sweetness, the flight was horrid, I didn't WANT a mini-van but that was all they had and traffic was...." She hesitated but as her sentence was interrupted, her hugging got tighter. Then she continued, "I could use a glass of wine and a long hot shower. Join me?"

The shower came first. It was one of the least sexual showers they had ever taken. Really just some washing up and a few kisses. The wine was far more romantic and Belinda had picked up some nice little munchies to go with it. Rachel was famished but didn't want a big meal. The little pigs in blankets, mini quiches and scallops in bacon were perfect. She gobbled them up, speaking little between bites and sips of chardonnay. As she satisfied her dietary needs, Belinda satisfied her relaxation need by giving her a foot massage. Rachel felt she had gone done on that plane and was in heaven. The grapes were a nice touch too, but, fruit? Feh.

As Rachel relaxed, Belinda just stared at her face and her body which was wrapped loosely in a terry robe that Belinda had picked up for Rachel's stay overs. Was she falling in love? Was Rachel the person she was meant to be with or was it Carl? Belinda considered just how shitty life could be when you had to make such important decisions, but for tonight, for this weekend, she was Rachel's. Well, and Carl's who would also be at the party. UGH!

"You have a look of perplextion," observed Rachel. Then she added, "Is that a real word?"

"I have no idea," answered Belinda, "probably not, but hey, the English language is bendable. Look how many words have been added that didn't exist before."

"Yeah, but for some reason, scholars still refuse to accept the contraction 'ain't'. What the hell is up with that. It's been used for centuries. Do you have another bottle of this chardonnay?"

"I have several. It's the discount stuff at Trader Joe's," said Belinda as she went over and got a second bottle. "It's really terrific wine and very inexpensive. I stock up."

"Pour away. So, tell me about this party. Does Eddie know I'll be there?" Rachel asked as she handed over her glass. One of the things Rachel loved about Belinda was, none of this pretentious wine glass crap. If you want a drink, drink from a normal glass that will go nicely in a dishwasher. A 16 oz. glass simply saves the effort of pouring so often. Rachel smiled at this. Belinda was simply so very down to earth.

"Well, no. I haven't told Eddie. Why bother? It's more fun to see his expression when you walk in. I mean, he knows about the party, we told him," said Belinda adding, "he HATES surprises. His girlfriend Edwina will be there. It'll be even MORE fun to see his expression if she's standing next to him."

"Oh you have to be kidding. Is that REALLY her name? Edwina?" Rachel was on the verge of a laughing fit. "Please, is that a nick name that you guys gave her or is it real?"

"Real. Honest to God!" said Belinda, beginning to laugh herself. "We all were amazed that he actually was dating a women with, not only a rather uncommon name, but that it was so close to his. I mean, shit, what are the odds of THAT?!?"

They both laughed over that, and as they talked, they began to laugh harder. Rachel was first, "Hi, I'm Eddie. This is my girlfriend, Eddie!"

"So, we can't wait to meet Eddie. So, how did you guys meet and, honestly we never knew you were gay!" added Belinda.

"I'm picturing a frail looking spinster type," said Rachel. "Please tell me she's not. If she is, I'll probably have a spasm and die, right here."

"Honestly, she's very hot," replied Belinda. "I mean, R-E-A-L-L-Y hot. We were convinced for a while that she was a high paid call girl that Eddie hired just to convince us he really was dating someone." Then Belinda paused and added, "You keep your hands off her, OK? She's not nearly as hot as you and she might be tempted. I couldn't deal with you stealing my brother's girlfriend and worse yet, his girlfriend stealing MY girlfriend."

Rachel gazed into Belinda's eyes for a few seconds, leaned forward and took Belinda's face in her hands and said, so tenderly and lovingly, "If she's that hot, she's fair game."

For a brief second Belinda wanted to scream, cry and slap Rachel until she saw that sparkle in her eye and the smile break out on Rachel's face. Both began to howl with laughter and Rachel leaned back and said, "Please rub the left foot again and maybe I'll tickle your coochie later."

"Give it here," said Belinda and she took the left foot in her hands and nearly gave Rachel an orgasm.

The next morning Rachel had gotten up first and prepared breakfast. Everything was ready, but not cooked that way it would be fresh when Belinda woke up. She watched some TV, had a cup of coffee and even dozed just a bit. It had been a very good night. After the amazing foot massage, Rachel had massaged Belinda, but not her foot. They had kissed, A LOT and Rachel's hands had gone over Belinda's body so many times she almost feared that she rubbed off a layer of skin, but it was so gentle and loving, if she had, so what? Belinda didn't seem to mind. Her fingers and then her lips had made Belinda squirm and then nearly cry out in delight. When Belinda tried to reciprocate, Rachel had stopped her saying, "You already got me off with your loving treatment earlier. My feet, my whole being was satisfied by just how you loved me."

It had made Belinda somewhat wonder if Rachel was falling in love as well. Rachel never really divulged her feelings. Oh, true affection? No question. A sincere desire to be with her? Unquestionable. But did Rachel LOVE her? Belinda was really getting sick and tired of this conflict within her own mind and decided that, there was no need what-so-ever to bring it up again. She shot the thoughts in the heart, buried them deeply and.....knew within 24 hours she'd be going over this again.

Belinda got up, staggered into the living room and found Rachel sitting on her couch snoozing. She leaned in and kissed her on the neck where it was exposed, letting her tongue slip out just a bit to taste this magnificent woman. Rachel shot up nearly pinching Belinda's face between her shoulder and cheek. It startled both women and Belinda actually fell over after losing her balance. Seeing this, Rachel jumped up and helped her to her feet asking if she was alright alternately with saying how sorry she was. Belinda just laughed it off and then growled slightly under her breath. She couldn't blame Rachel, but, SHIT...

Rachel finally made the breakfast that she had gotten ready and Belinda was delighted by the gesture and in truth, it was delicious, though she never really loved bacon bits in her eggs, especially if there was actual bacon strips on the side, but she was not about to bitch over such a trivial matter. Rachel had done such a good job AND insisted on cleaning up what little hadn't already been cleaned up. It was a perfect morning.

"So, what did you get Eddie for his birthday?" inquired Rachel.

"Season tickets to the Hartford Whalers Hockey."

"Wow, are they any good?" asked Rachel.

"The team no longer exists," answered Belinda. "Eddie is a big hockey fan. As a joke I got him these tickets. They were a pretty cool team from what I've been told, but I don't care about hockey. The thing is, I got him season tickets to games that will never be played."

"I'm not sure I get it," admitted Rachel. "What's the joke?"

"The team does NOT exist anymore. The tickets are meaningless."

Rachel pondered this whole scenario for a few minutes and then simply said, "Oh, sure. Ok." She then just let the subject die. However, she then asked, "Could you take me to someplace good. I should get him something also. I mean, nothing as wonderful as YOUR gift," she rolled her eyes and continued, "but SOMETHING."

Belinda caught the eye roll but figured it best to just let the subject slip away. They made plans and went off to shop for Eddie. Rachel, not knowing Eddie THAT well, though better than many, opted for a gift card to Victoria's Secret. A combination of practical (for Edwina) and joke gift.

The night of the party was upon them. They left Belinda's house and headed for the restaurant where the party was being held. 'Jason's' had a nice private room, plenty of space for about 50 people, but they wouldn't have that many. Still, it was comfortable and the food was quite good. As they drove, Belinda suddenly had a near panic attack, shot up in the driver's seat and gasped so loudly that Rachel was startled.

"WHAT? WHAT IS IT?!?" queried Rachel on the verge of panic herself.

Belinda gasped again, took several deep breaths and then pulled over to the side of the road as she collected her thoughts. Rachel grabbed her hand and begged, "What, what is it?"

"MY PARENTS!" came the reply. "My parents are going to be there."

Rachel started to say, "so what..." but then recalled Palm Springs and began to laugh uncontrollably. It was a combination of nerves and seeing the humor in everything. Rachel was on a different plain at this point. Belinda was hitting the ground hard and her breathing was out of control. "Why don't I carry paper bags in the car for just such an occasion?" she asked herself as she tried desperately to get her breathing under control before she hyperventilated. Then she looked at Rachel who was still in spasms, laughing.

"What the FUCK is so funny?" Belinda demaded.

"Are you KIDDING ME?" was the reply. "First off, I really don't believe they'll remember me. If you recall, there were a bunch of us and it was a bit dark and it was several years ago. But HOLY SHIT, the look on your face right now is just....."

"JUST WHAT?"

"It's like you've seen a ghost, the ghost was someone who wasn't even dead and you were caught checking out the ghost's junk in a public place. Damn, that didn't make a whole lot of sense, but your face is priceless right now."

Belinda was calming down now. Rachel made SOME sense and it was hard to stay mad when it was Belinda herself that created this situation. Springing Rachel on Eddie would be fun, but on her parents? Nope. Not fun. Scary was the better term. Horrifying would be great.

Belinda collected herself, looked at Rachel who was wiping tears from her eyes and took her first deep breath in several minutes. She closed her eyes for a few seconds and mumbled "ohm" to herself for no apparent reason and then looked up at Rachel. "You're right. I'm being silly. They'll never remember you blowing my Dad." Then, off she drove, not fully believing what she had just said.

They pulled up to the restaurant and parked. Belinda got out, shaking. She locked the car and put the alarm on even before Rachel could get out. She undid everything, Rachel exited and then, the alarm was reactivated. They entered and upon asking, were directed to the private room. As they entered, the guests were all mingling and almost everyone had a drink. Belinda made a bee-line for the bar asking in passing what Rachel wanted. She THOUGHT she heard Madras. Well, that's what she was getting. The whole way to the bar she kept thinking that she didn't HAVE to invite Rachel. She wasn't family and no one knew her. It could be awkward for her. Belinda felt she had been selfish and Rachel was the target of her selfishness.

What bullshit.

She ordered a shot of Jameson, a White Russian and a Madras. The shot didn't leave the bar in the glass, but it did leave into Belinda. She brought the drinks back and found Rachel chatting with Belinda's cousin Dave. Dave was obviously enchanted. OF COURSE HE WAS! Rachel was amazingly beautiful and so personable. Belinda cut right in.

"Here's your drink. I hope I got it right," she somewhat lied.

"Perfect," said Rachel. She took a sip and added, "I love your cousin. Dave here was just telling me about you two beating each other up when you were kids."

Belinda agreed. "Yup, Dave was a beast. But overall, I kicked his ass."

Dave laughed and added, "Only because everytime we went at it, all I heard was, 'you should never hit a girl' and when I tried to comply with the rules, YOU would finish me off. If there was anyone who could manipulate the rules to suit their own needs, Belinda, it was you." He quickly added, "Oh, shit, I don't mean that in a bad way. Holy crap, Belinda, I love you to death, I just meant that...."

"I know what you meant," said Belinda hugging Dave and adding, "we're family and the whole PC shit doesn't apply." Then she whispered in his ear, menacingly, "I WILL kick your ass later, though."

Dave stepped back laughing, but he wondered if he should be. Belinda laughed and he figured she really was kidding, but he instinctively reached for and checked his testicles. Belinda hadn't missed that and although she didn't draw attention, she started to laugh just a little harder.

Rachel observed the exchange and simply giggled to herself. Family was fun. What more could she think.

Belinda looked about the room with Rachel standing next to her in a kind of limbo. She knew no one, had no connection (other than Belinda and Eddie and....well, the parents) to anyone else. It was awkward and Rachel really began to regret coming to this event. How in HELL would she explain her presence? Belinda's friend? Who invites a 'casual friend' to such a function? At that moment, a guy went up to Belinda and hugged her, kissed her and hugged her again. This HAD to be Carl. It was.

"Sweetie, where have you been the past few days?" Carl asked.

Belinda kissed Carl back and said, "Busy. It happens."

Rachel could clearly see that they had something special and Rachel never intended to be exclusive with Belinda, though at times Belinda seemed to hint at this. Rachel began to feel trapped and uncomfortable. For the first time, she felt like she was intruding on something loving and caring that could and should last. Rachel felt like a 'fling'. She gulped her drink down and headed for the bar.

It took Belinda a moment to notice that Rachel was gone, but once she did, she began to look for her and spotted her heading for the bar. Belinda made a second or two of small talk with Carl, kissed him, made an excuse to leave and watching Rachel, followed. When she caught up to her at the bar, she asked, "Is something wrong?"

Rachel took a deep breath and said, "I'm not sure why I'm here. You and Eddie both know me for reasons that the rest of the family might find....wrong or at the very least, uncomfortable. Your parents may or may NOT remember me and many would consider that.....VERY wrong. I love you, oh really, I love you but shit, this is not what I should be doing."

Rachel said she loved Belinda. Belinda stood with a blank look on her face, breathing heavily and wanting another shot of Jameson.

Rachel suddenly realized what she said. The 45 seconds of silence seemed like several days. Rachel finally broke the silence by saying, "Oh my GOD, I do love you, but it might not work and you have Carl, who is great and loves you and I can't rule out a Carl in MY life and............" She stopped cold. Rambling wasn't much of an explanation.

Belinda still stood silently as her cousin Lucy came up saying, "OH MY GAWD! LINDY! WHAT THE HELL?!?!? How are YOU!"

Belinda's head snapped to the left so fast she could have broken it. She stared for a second at Cindy as if she didn't recognize her. Then said, "Oh, Lucy. Yeah, what's up? You look good. I'll talk to you later." She then ushered Rachel away to a corner and asked, "What do you mean? Where are we? Who are we? What's going on with us?"

Rachel was dumbfounded. She stood baffled for a few seconds and then asked, "So, Dave and Lucy, are they as nice as they seem to be?"

Belinda nearly screamed. "What the hell do you mean? Never mind them. You LOVE me?"

Rachel looked down at her feet, sipped some of her drink and then said, "Of COURSE, but, I mean, could we ever make it work? We both love guys. You have Carl and I would LOVE a nice guy to settle down with and....Shit, I have no idea what I'm saying. I wish I had stayed home this weekend."

Belinda just stood there. Then, suddenly, without a moment of warning, her MOTHER tapped her on the shoulder.

"Belinda, my little girl, why on Earth haven't you visited ME yet? You're DAD and I have been waiting for, what seems like FOREVER to see you. Eddie has been here for hours, well, minutes, lots of minutes and we were wondering when you were going to get here. Oh, who's your friend?"

Belinda AND Rachel wished they were wearing Depends.

"This is Rachel," Belinda began, introducing the two. "Rachel, this is my mother, Helene."

Rachel shook Helene's hand cautiously wondering if there was even a remote chance she'd be recognized. No, so far so good. Helene didn't seem to know her at all. So far, so good.

Belinda watched this exchange and the apprehension must have shown on her face because Helene said, "Belinda, honey, you feel OK?"

Belinda gulped the rest of her White Russian and managed to get the words, "Sure, uh huh," out.

"So, how do you two know each other?" asked Helene.

"Well, I was staying at the hotel Belinda works at and we just sort of hit it off." Rachel got that out quite easily. Belinda slowly could feel the color coming back to her face, unless it was simply her blushing. Rachel added, "She's a great person and it turns out we've got stuff in common. Music and shit like that." She caught herself. "Oh, sorry; my language. That was a bit out of...."

Helene cut her off saying, "No big fucking deal," and laughed. Belinda realized Mom had hit the bar a few times herself. She could swear, but NEVER the "F" bomb.

Eddie sauntered over eyeing the scene as he did. When he saw his mother laugh, he wondered just why. When he got close he interjected himself into the conversation by saying, "Mom, so you met Rachel. Nice kid, eh? I was lucky enough to meet her a week or two ago. Nice kid. Hey," and he began to direct mom away from the conversation, "did you see Uncle Jermaine. He's over by the big planter. You gotta say HI!"

"Hold your water, sonnyboy, I'm chatting here," Helene said firmly.

"And who's birthday is this?" Eddie threw the trump card.

"You're right. I'll give in, even though you know Jermaine drives me crazy with his idiotic jokes." She turned to Rachel and Belinda and walked away saying, "We WILL talk again and you have to meet Belinda's Dad. He'll LOVE you and YOU'LL love HIM!!"

As they walked away, Rachel muttered under her breath, "In a way, I already have." It made her giggle and Belinda wasn't sure how to react, thus remaining stonefaced.

Carl was being the perfect boyfriend. He'd drop over and check on Belinda, but got the vibe that he shouldn't hover; and he didn't.

As the party continued, various family member came up and introduced themselves and each time it went very well. Belinda was now quite calm and Rachel had loosened up. The alcohol didn't hurt. Four Madras's for Rachel, 3 White Russians (and two more Jameson on the sly) for Belinda. They ate well so the alcohol wasn't hitting them as hard, but it was hitting. Then DAD finally came up lead by Helene. Belinda felt herself pee a little but held the worst of it in. Her breathing on the other hand could not be slowed or hidden.

John walked up and hugged Belinda saying as he did, "MY LITTLE GIRL!" He had a nice buzz going himself. "Mom tells me you brought a friend."

Belinda said, "Dad, this is Rachel. We've only known each other a short time but we've become kind of close so I figured, she was in town, why not bring her along."