"Kate and Jenya" by A. Craig Newman © 2012
Writer's Notes:
The challenge here was to write something from the point of view of a character completely different from me. It had to be something I could never imagine myself doing. Pregnancy and childbirth felt a bit trite, so I searched for something else. When I landed on the germ of this story and started writing, I went nuts with the details. The original version of this story was quite explicit and goes on for many more pages. But, I re-evaluated and decided that "less is more". I chose poignancy over pornography, and I'm proud of the result. Enjoy!
-ACN
The challenge here was to write something from the point of view of a character completely different from me. It had to be something I could never imagine myself doing. Pregnancy and childbirth felt a bit trite, so I searched for something else. When I landed on the germ of this story and started writing, I went nuts with the details. The original version of this story was quite explicit and goes on for many more pages. But, I re-evaluated and decided that "less is more". I chose poignancy over pornography, and I'm proud of the result. Enjoy!
-ACN
Kate stole a glance at her watch as Jenya talked on about how she was glad for Kate to have this opportunity, yet sad that it would take her away. The time seemed to be slipping away from the new friends who tried to hold on to these last moments together. Oh sure, one would surely write and the other would write back. There would be phone calls and maybe even visits from time to time. But Kate would be attending a different school with a different curriculum and different people, states away from Jenya. These things had ways of diverting one’s attention and energy. The length and frequency of the calls would diminish; the letters would eventually ebb more than flow. Few friendships could survive a change like this one. Kate willed the clock to tick slower. She needed more time.
Jenya laughed and so did Kate, who was completely clueless as to the reason for the laughter. When questioned about what she thought of her new school, she talked on about the classes, the pretty grounds, and all the cute guys she saw. When Jenya laughed again, Kate lost track about what she was saying, not that she had a firm hold on it in the first place. The guys might be nice to look at, but she has already got a great one in Daniel, Jenya reminded her. Kate smiled at that and sipped some more of her beer. Daniel was great, that was for certain. She was as happy to have him as Jenya was for her man, Terry. Jenya smiled. Kate lost her train of thought again.
They sat in quiet for a few moments. Kate sipped at her beer and felt the can get lighter and lighter. She could not have another or she would be in no shape to drive home. This had to be the last. She had to leave soon.
She closed her eyes and breathed deep. The scent of lilac and vanilla washed over her and painted an image on her mind that always made her smile. The first time she had noticed that scent Jenya was using a body spray in the locker room after an aerobics class. Who would get her to go to aerobics now?
Kate hung her head and began to cry. The moments were being stripped away, one by one, and no amount of wishing or hoping was going to stop that. Good academic move or not, she would lose her new friendship. She would lose her Jenya. She would lose her opportunity.
In her darkness, she felt Jenya’s arms go around her. Kate tasted her own salty tears as she heard Jenya’s own sobs and smelled her perfume. The two sat that way for a long minute, side by side and in each other’s arms. When the embrace failed to stop the passage of time, Kate knew it was time to let go. Some things were meant to be stolen. Fighting that fact was useless.
She stood up and said she was leaving. Jenya smiled weakly as she dried her own tears and nodded. Kate wiped her cheeks as dry as she could with her hands as she walked towards the door. In front of the door, she stopped, faced Jenya again and smiled. Jenya lovingly wiped Kate’s cheek dry. Then, she opened her arms saying, “Last chance”.
Kate realized that this was exactly that – her last chance. In another moment, the door behind her would separate them as surely as the miles would the next day. So with all the other moments gone, she decided to hold tight to this last one and take her chance. She wrapped her arms around Jenya and kissed her for the first time.
The kiss was unexpected, but Jenya didn’t fight it. Her arms were open for a hug, but now she seemed to be unsure of what to do with them. Her body tensed under the surprise. Rigid and slightly numb, it seemed to want to resist the sensations of what she was experiencing. But there were too many.
Kate’s body was pressing against her own. Jenya could feel their breasts touch. By no means a foreign sensation for these two friends had hugged countless times in the past. But Jenya had never thought of this specific feeling before. Now, it seemed so obvious to her, she fleetingly wondered how she had missed it before. Gentle hands caressed the small of her back, pulling their bodies closer together. Jenya heard Kate exhale slowly and felt the soft, warm breeze spill across her cheek and along her neck. Some time after appreciating all the other sensations, she began to truly feel the kiss. Like the first true sip of wine after appreciating its scent and hue, these lips on her own now seemed all the more potent. The kiss seemed to have a power all its own. But beneath the softness of Kate’s lips, there was tension. Jenya felt the struggle in Kate through the delicate moment that held them both in a spell. Absent of any thought or decision, Jenya’s body began to relax. She set her hands on Kate’s cheeks and the tension seemed to vanish with the mere touch. Lost in the moment, Jenya reciprocated the kiss.
Kate and Jenya’s lips separated, soundlessly. Unable to look in to Jenya dark eyes at this moment, Kate looked down. Jenya kissed her head and caressed it with her cheek. Still caught in Kate’s embrace, Jenya let her hands rested on Kate’s shoulders. The two stood in silence, swaying slightly from side to side.
“Don’t ask me those questions you’re thinking,” Kate said after a minute of silent swaying.
“And what questions do you think I have?”
“Probably different variations on ‘Why?’, ‘What about tomorrow?’, and ‘What about the boys?’”
Jenya pushed back Kate’s brunette hair away from her face as she manually tilted her head up. “I wasn’t thinking any of that, hon,” She said, staring into Kate’s brown eyes. “Remember, ‘Don’t look for tomorrow’s answers today.’” It was a quote from a story covered in the English class the day the duo met. They used it often when they gave up on dealing with any particular subject for the time being.
They swayed again, this time looking into each other’s eyes. This time, when Kate leaned in to kiss her, Jenya accepted instantly. But this did not have the longevity of its predecessor. When they parted, Jenya began to kiss along Kate’s cheek and down her neck. Kate moaned slightly in her ear before whispering, “I have to go.” Jenya stopped and hugged Kate tightly, burying her face in Kate’s hair and breathing deeply. Eventually, the hug loosened and they stood apart for the first time in what felt like hours.
Jenya opened the door and leaned on it, gazing at Kate. Kate stepped into the hall and promised to call when she was settled. They exchanged goodbyes and parting glances before the door closed.
Jenya laughed and so did Kate, who was completely clueless as to the reason for the laughter. When questioned about what she thought of her new school, she talked on about the classes, the pretty grounds, and all the cute guys she saw. When Jenya laughed again, Kate lost track about what she was saying, not that she had a firm hold on it in the first place. The guys might be nice to look at, but she has already got a great one in Daniel, Jenya reminded her. Kate smiled at that and sipped some more of her beer. Daniel was great, that was for certain. She was as happy to have him as Jenya was for her man, Terry. Jenya smiled. Kate lost her train of thought again.
They sat in quiet for a few moments. Kate sipped at her beer and felt the can get lighter and lighter. She could not have another or she would be in no shape to drive home. This had to be the last. She had to leave soon.
She closed her eyes and breathed deep. The scent of lilac and vanilla washed over her and painted an image on her mind that always made her smile. The first time she had noticed that scent Jenya was using a body spray in the locker room after an aerobics class. Who would get her to go to aerobics now?
Kate hung her head and began to cry. The moments were being stripped away, one by one, and no amount of wishing or hoping was going to stop that. Good academic move or not, she would lose her new friendship. She would lose her Jenya. She would lose her opportunity.
In her darkness, she felt Jenya’s arms go around her. Kate tasted her own salty tears as she heard Jenya’s own sobs and smelled her perfume. The two sat that way for a long minute, side by side and in each other’s arms. When the embrace failed to stop the passage of time, Kate knew it was time to let go. Some things were meant to be stolen. Fighting that fact was useless.
She stood up and said she was leaving. Jenya smiled weakly as she dried her own tears and nodded. Kate wiped her cheeks as dry as she could with her hands as she walked towards the door. In front of the door, she stopped, faced Jenya again and smiled. Jenya lovingly wiped Kate’s cheek dry. Then, she opened her arms saying, “Last chance”.
Kate realized that this was exactly that – her last chance. In another moment, the door behind her would separate them as surely as the miles would the next day. So with all the other moments gone, she decided to hold tight to this last one and take her chance. She wrapped her arms around Jenya and kissed her for the first time.
The kiss was unexpected, but Jenya didn’t fight it. Her arms were open for a hug, but now she seemed to be unsure of what to do with them. Her body tensed under the surprise. Rigid and slightly numb, it seemed to want to resist the sensations of what she was experiencing. But there were too many.
Kate’s body was pressing against her own. Jenya could feel their breasts touch. By no means a foreign sensation for these two friends had hugged countless times in the past. But Jenya had never thought of this specific feeling before. Now, it seemed so obvious to her, she fleetingly wondered how she had missed it before. Gentle hands caressed the small of her back, pulling their bodies closer together. Jenya heard Kate exhale slowly and felt the soft, warm breeze spill across her cheek and along her neck. Some time after appreciating all the other sensations, she began to truly feel the kiss. Like the first true sip of wine after appreciating its scent and hue, these lips on her own now seemed all the more potent. The kiss seemed to have a power all its own. But beneath the softness of Kate’s lips, there was tension. Jenya felt the struggle in Kate through the delicate moment that held them both in a spell. Absent of any thought or decision, Jenya’s body began to relax. She set her hands on Kate’s cheeks and the tension seemed to vanish with the mere touch. Lost in the moment, Jenya reciprocated the kiss.
Kate and Jenya’s lips separated, soundlessly. Unable to look in to Jenya dark eyes at this moment, Kate looked down. Jenya kissed her head and caressed it with her cheek. Still caught in Kate’s embrace, Jenya let her hands rested on Kate’s shoulders. The two stood in silence, swaying slightly from side to side.
“Don’t ask me those questions you’re thinking,” Kate said after a minute of silent swaying.
“And what questions do you think I have?”
“Probably different variations on ‘Why?’, ‘What about tomorrow?’, and ‘What about the boys?’”
Jenya pushed back Kate’s brunette hair away from her face as she manually tilted her head up. “I wasn’t thinking any of that, hon,” She said, staring into Kate’s brown eyes. “Remember, ‘Don’t look for tomorrow’s answers today.’” It was a quote from a story covered in the English class the day the duo met. They used it often when they gave up on dealing with any particular subject for the time being.
They swayed again, this time looking into each other’s eyes. This time, when Kate leaned in to kiss her, Jenya accepted instantly. But this did not have the longevity of its predecessor. When they parted, Jenya began to kiss along Kate’s cheek and down her neck. Kate moaned slightly in her ear before whispering, “I have to go.” Jenya stopped and hugged Kate tightly, burying her face in Kate’s hair and breathing deeply. Eventually, the hug loosened and they stood apart for the first time in what felt like hours.
Jenya opened the door and leaned on it, gazing at Kate. Kate stepped into the hall and promised to call when she was settled. They exchanged goodbyes and parting glances before the door closed.
