CRANKSHAFT
By BLACK CHERRY
CHAPTER
THREE
“I
was born under a wandering star..”
Leather
slowly emerged from the haze of sleep. The sun was coming up over the
hills in the distance and the light kissed at the corners of the bedroom
creating prisms and ghosts. The wind had picked up outside, and the wind
chimes that lined the wrap around porch were tinkling like the voices of
faeries. Winter was coming.
Leather
stretched feeling her limbs popping and creaking; she smiled to herself
recalling how the stiffness was earned. She patted the sleeping blonde,
and propped her ear on her had to watch her sleeping angel. She is an
angel, Leather mused. Sharon was so beautiful, so sexy and she really
knows how to fuck!
It
had been a long time since Leather had shared her bed with a woman. Too
long. The last woman she had in her bed, had been her wife, Carrie.
She missed her so badly it ached. The ache was a constant part of her
soul, and after Carrie’s death, Leather became walled in and tough as
the garment of choice she wore. That’s why they called her Leather.
The
dark rider was tired of clumsy fumbling in the backs of cars, or bathroom
stalls in the gay bars. She needed something solid in her life, but just
didn’t know where to find it anymore. She'd lost herself in the cold of
loneliness for so long that she'd forgotten what it felt like to be warm
again.
She
smiled as she thought about Sharon. She was a sweet girl, extremely
energetic and a babbling airhead when she was nervous; all endearing
qualities.
Leather
puzzled, “What’s she doing out here on the road alone?”
“I
am leaving my girlfriend”, a sleepy voice muttered.
Leather
started, she didn’t realize she had spoken out loud. “Uh, okay…you
are?” she asked.
“Yeah,”
Sharon said sadly. “It’s been over for a while, but it’s been hard
to just leave.”
“She
cheat?”
Sharon
nodded. “With my boss.”
“Holy
shit!” Leather chuckled, “Well, you deserve better.”
Sharon
sat up and caressed Leather’s arm, “I know I do.” She smiled at
Leather. The dark woman smiled shyly and looked up at the wall clock.
“Well...
it’s after 8. The Garage’ll be open. Let’s get you a tow, eh?” she
said, as she got out of bed and headed for the bathroom.
Sharon’s
face fell with a pout. She wanted to lay in bed and cuddle with her dark
rider. Damn.
Later.
Yes.
She smiled and got out of bed looking around. Where are my panties?
**
Leather
lit the old gas stove to heat some coffee for herself and her doubtful
guest. She felt strangely perky as she wiped the cups out and sat them on
the nook and chuckled when
she saw that she had set the mud flap girls cup out for Sharon. The tall
raven-haired woman with blue diamond eyes caught herself whistling a tune
as she poured out the caffinated java. “I am sure my angel takes cream
and sugar, “ she said as she sat out the half and half.
“Actually,
I take mine black—like my leather,” a sexy voice said from across the
room.
Leather
looked up, she raised an eyebrow and shot a grin at Sharon who was now
dressed.
She
met her half way and put the cup in her hand. “You got a jacket, baby
girl? Cold front came through last night.”
“Uh,
no…all I have is this. My luggage is in my truck.”
“Here,”
said Leather as she opened the door to the back mud-room, “You can wear
one of these—“ she brought out a denim jacket. “They were
Carrie’s, er—my wife’s-- but—“
“Are
you sure? I wouldn’t want
to intrude on your memories of her,” Sharon said cautiously.
“No,
no. I’m fine. I mean—it’s fine. I mean, you won’t.” Leather
said, turning toward the sink and gazing out the window for a long moment.
She then felt a warm hand on her shoulder and felt a pair of arms wrap
themselves around her. She didn’t move, she just accepted the hug
quietly. It felt good. How’d she know?
After a long silence, Leather finally spoke. “Sharon, we’d
better get your truck towed into the garage.”
“Okay.
How long do you think it will take him to fix it?”
“I
don’t know. Are you in a rush to get back on the road?” Leather asked,
with more disappointment in her voice than she wanted to reveal.
“No.
I’m not in any kind of rush at all,” Sharon reassured.
The
dark woman smiled. “Well it could take him a week to ten days to get
that part in.”
”That long?” puzzled the blonde.
“Maybe,”
Leather replied, taking her hand and kissing it.
“What
am I supposed to do for two weeks?!” Sharon asked, looking worried.
“Uh,
well—you could stick around here?” Leather said, half stating, half
asking. She wanted Sharon to stay.
“Really?”
Sharon beamed.
“Really.”
Leather smiled back.
**
“Yep,
young lady, I can have it fixed for you in a few days—once I get the
part in,” said Red Mitchell, owner and operator of the Last Chance Gas
Station. He was an older man, dressed in warm flannels and the typical
grandpa uniform of John Deer baseball cap and suspenders.
“I’ll have to have it sent in. Could take a week.
My boy is off duck hunting, and he won’t be back ‘til Monday
next.”
“Thanks
Red,” Leather said, “Sharon is staying up at my place. If you need to
talk with her, give her a ring up there.”
“No
trouble at all. Miss Sharon, you sure was lucky Miss Jodi come along when
she did. You might have froze out on that highway last night when that
front came through,” Red said.
“Oh
yes sir, Mr. Red—I know how lucky I am.” Sharon teased, “She kept me
very warm last night,” she added sheepishly. Leather blushed. Red smiled
to himself, knowingly.
“Jodi,
the Missus told me to see if you were coming for thanksgiving vittles over
to the house, “ Red said as he took Sharon’s truck key and clipped it
to the work board.
“Oh
Red, I don’t know. It’s kind of early to make plans—I mean, I—“
Leather looked nervously at Sharon, who was studiously staring at her
shoes. “I don’t know what we’ll be doing just yet.”
“Well,
there’s plenty of room for two, “ Red added with a wink, “ Just give
us a holler over to the house if you change your minds. See you girls
later.” He lifted a hand and waved as
he headed inside his small station office.
“Yeah,
Red... see ya.”
Leather
shifted her weight from one foot to the other. She hadn’t thought about
the holidays coming up since she stopped observing them after Carrie’s
death. The Dark woman looked at Sharon who studied her curiously. “Uh,
okay, so we’re all set here then, “ Leather interjected, shyly.
“Let’s go get some breakfast over at Mike’s?”
“Sounds
good,” Sharon agreed with a smile. She knew Leather felt awkward, but
wasn’t sure if it was because of her, or something else.
Leather ushered Sharon toward the shadow and handed her helmet
to her. She got on and put her own helmet on before starting the bike.
“Hey,
why’d he call you Jodi?” Sharon said over the sound of the bike
revving, being careful not to mention the thanksgiving dinner situation at
all.
“Oh,
that…he... uh…thinks my nickname is stupid,” the dark rider
explained, slightly embarrassed. Sharon laughed softly, but didn’t want
to hurt Leather’s feelings.
“Well,
I think it’s sexy,” the blonde replied wrapping her arms around
Leather’s body and hugging her tight.
Leather
smiled to herself, then pulled out on the highway and headed east. She
opened up the bike full throttle. Turkey day, hmmmm? Well, we’ll see.
She thought as the bike sped off.
***
Mike’s
Burger shack was pretty deserted on Mondays after 11 am, so Leather and
Sharon enjoyed their breakfast tacos in the quiet.
Sharon was relieved that her truck was in good hands, and she had
one less thing to worry about. She was, however, greatly disappointed that
she couldn’t reach her ex via cell phone, work or home. The blonde was
worried about her beloved Shepard, Chango. She had left him in Fran’s
care when she left on her sabbatical.
“Sharon?”
Leather began, snapping the blonde out of her thoughts, “You okay?”
The
blonde sighed, “Yeah, I'm just worried about my dog. I can’t get hold
of my ex.”
“Oh?”
Leather murmured. “She wouldn’t—“
“Oh
no! She might forget to walk him, but she would never hurt him. She’s a
total irresponsible child,” Sharon spat, anger breaking through her
voice. “I’m just worried she’ll run off and leave him alone all
weekend when she goes to her folks for Thanksgiving.”
“Oh.”
Leather said. “About that—Are you going to try to be with your
family?”
“I
don’t have any plans. My parents are gone, and I don’t really have
anyone now. Fran and I have been over for a long time, I just finally got
the backbone to leave. This is all new to me,” Sharon shrugged.
Leather
nodded. This was all new to her too. She hadn’t celebrated holidays
since her wife died. She wasn’t even sure she would be able to hold it
together if she allowed herself to open up to anyone again, or even try
to.
“What
about you?” Sharon asked, “Are you going to be with your family? Your
parents? Siblings?”
“My
parents and I don’t talk. They weren’t thrilled at having a lesbian
for a daughter, so I am dead to them,” Leather answered sadly. “My
sister, she thinks I am going to hell, but at least she talks to me once
in a while; even if it is just to tell me how sick and depraved I am.”
“Jesus, Baby, I'm sorry,” Sharon said, as she nibbled at her taco.
“I
guess I don’t have it so bad after all. Too bad Chango isn’t here, we
could all eat thanksgiving dinner together,” she mused.
Leather
answered softly, “That’d be great.” She said as she took another
bite of her taco, smiling.
Sharon
smiled back, “Yeah?” she asked excitedly.