Hollie Morgan wept silently as the casket was lowered into the ground. She was gone forever, leaving a hole that she didn’t think could ever be completely filled. Her lover’s body would be consumed by the earth and for the first time in over forty years, she was completely alone. Trying to clear her mind of the sorrow, she tried to find a good memory, and her mind went back to where it all began… *****Hollie had been raised in a small town in middle America, in a household that held very traditional ideas and views about the places of men and women in society. It wasn’t an especially religious household but she could remember very clearly, her parents’ disdain at learning that this celebrity or that was not heterosexual, saying that it was weird and sinful and unnatural. Such formed her own opinions about sexuality, girls liked boys and boys liked girls, it was no more complicated than that.She knew she was attractive, pretty even; at 5’ 5” she was neither short nor tall. She was pleased with her figure — trim but not skinny, her breasts full and round but not what she considered large, her tummy flat and toned, her hips nicely proportioned and she had, she thought, nice legs. Her skin was pale and clear, with a few freckles on her cheeks and shoulders from having spent long days in the summer sun; she had long, wavy blonde hair that had a slight tint of red to it in a certain light, hazel eyes, and a small, slightly upturned nose. But she had always been conflicted about how she felt about boys. Sure, she had dated a few but she never was able to find that feeling she believed would tell her on which path she belonged. You know, sexually.It got worse through college. She lived in a dorm her first year, her friends trying to fix her up with lots of different guys but her confusion only grew. She had heard about some of her friends and classmates fooling around with each other, pushing boundaries, and discovering new worlds. Her own upbringing had so cemented those traditional ideals in her, she could not even contemplate doing something like that.It should be mentioned that these events are not taking place in the present day. Hollie graduated college with a Bachelor of Arts in the spring of 1956. She was twenty-three years old.Returning home for the summer, she returned to the same job she’d had every summer, as a clerk in her hometown’s only drugstore. She desperately wanted to be a teacher but lacked the confidence to strike out into the world alone, preferring instead to stay close to home, living with her parents until she could find the job that would allow her to gain her independence.A few weeks into summer, she was cleaning and restocking shelves in the small souvenir section of the store. Like many such stores in small towns, the drugstore stocked more than just drugs, medicines, and the like. She looked up as she heard the bell over the doorway ring; a tall, well-dressed woman had entered. She looked matronly, almost regal in her appearance, her short, dark hair perfectly coiffed, her make-up done just so, her dress obviously expensive as were her shoes. Hollie got up and walked over, greeting her customer, “Good morning, how can I help you today?” Why were her knees shaking?“Good morning, dear,” this alluring stranger said, “I was hoping you might have something for my stomach, I have a long day on the road ahead of me and I’m feeling a bit unwell, I’m afraid.”“Certainly ma’am, right this way.” Hollie led her to the aisle that had the small collection of stomach remedies and turned to return to her tasks.“Excuse me, miss,” she heard, as she cleaned the bottom shelf, “this lovely crystal bell, is it locally made? I’m always looking for handcrafted items for my home and it is just lovely.” Hollie explained that it was made a couple of towns away in a small glass shop and that several local stores carried their wares. Normally quite shy, Hollie found herself willing and eager to talk to this intriguing woman, they made small talk as she browsed.“Tell me, dear, is that a school ring? What college is it from?” the customer asked. Hollie told her about being Eryaman Escort a recent graduate, and about wanting to become a teacher. “You may be in luck,” she said, “I am on my way to the west coast. I’m the new headmistress at a private school in Eugene, Oregon and we’re expanding. My first task is to start sorting through applications for new teachers.” She handed Hollie a card. “Send me your CV, I might have something for you.”Hollie was thrilled — such an opportunity and it had just fallen out of the sky! She thanked the customer, Miss Adele Hollingsworth according to the card, rang her through, and wished her well on her trip. “I look forward to hearing from you,” Miss Hollingsworth said as she left the store.Hollie was pretty much useless for the next few days, so excited she was about the prospect of moving away and starting her life. She sent her CV and a copy of her transcript to the school the same day, hoping beyond hope that she would be selected. Three weeks to the day after she had met Miss Hollingsworth, the drugstore phone rang.“Hollie, it’s for you!” called the pharmacist, “a Miss Hollingsworth.” She could scarcely believe it.“Hello?” she said into the phone. “Good morning, Hollie, Adele Hollingsworth from Oak Hill School, how are you today?” She could hardly control herself, she was so excited.“Hollie, my staff and I have reviewed your CV, your grades are very good, we were hoping you’d agree to a telephone interview.” An interview over the phone? She had never heard of such a thing and she told Adele so. “Normally we do our interviews in person but sometimes that can prevent one from finding the right candidate. As I have already met you, I’m sure a phone interview will do just nicely. Are you available later this afternoon?”“I get off work at three o’clock, I can be home and ready anytime after 3:15,” she said nervously.“Fine dear,” she heard, “we will call you at 3:30 sharp. Until then, dear.” The line clicked dead.Hollie hung up the phone, rushed over, and hugged Mr. Beckett the pharmacist, “I have an interview to be a teacher!” she squealed. “I can’t believe it!” Mr. Beckett just laughed and hugged her back. He and his wife didn’t have any children, they had sort of adopted Hollie as their own.“Good for you!” he said. He was genuinely pleased for her, as hard as it would be to see her leave. Hollie skipped around the rest of the day. At about 2:30, he told her to go home and calm down for her interview.She got home, told her mom the good news, and refused to go any further than six feet from the phone. It rang at precisely 3:30; twenty minutes later she learned that she was the newest staff member of Oak Hill School.The rest of the summer just flew by. When she wasn’t working, Hollie busied herself at the library, learning as much as she could about the area to which she would be moving. Two weeks before Labor Day, a week after her twenty-fourth birthday, her bags were packed, and she and her parents piled into the family Chevy and headed for Oregon. While there, they found her a place to live and helped her get some used furniture. Good-byes were hard and tearful. As she watched her parents’ car disappear around the corner, she sighed and wiped away her tears.She showed up a bit early for her first day, the Wednesday before Labor Day. Adele took her on a quick tour of the small school, finishing at a small classroom on the first floor. “And this is your classroom,” Adele said. My classroom, she thought, MY classroom. Beside the tall windows stood a short-haired blonde woman, a few years older than Hollie.“This is Anne Foster, our Kindergarten teacher,” said Adele, “she is also my Deputy Headmistress. She will be your mentor for your first year with us. If you have questions or problems or need advice, go to her first.” Hollie crossed the room and shook Anne’s hand.They were of similar height and build, but it turned out Anne was twelve years her senior. They talked about themselves, their families, and what it was like teaching at a small private school. Hollie was immediately Sincan Escort impressed by Anne; she was easy to talk to and possessed an obvious wealth of experience for Hollie to tap into. She would learn much from her mentor. Little did she know just how much.The first day of school began bright and sunny but by lunchtime, the skies had darkened. By the time classes had finished, it was starting to rain. “No problem,” thought Hollie, “I have a raincoat and an umbrella, it’s only a ten-minute walk home.” She finished clearing up her classroom, grabbed her raincoat and umbrella, waved to Anne as she passed by her classroom and headed home. She had made it no further than the school’s front gate when the skies opened up, the rain coming down in torrents. She stopped for a moment before deciding to turn tail and run back to the school. By the time she got inside, enough rain had gotten inside her raincoat to completely soak her blouse.Just inside the foyer, Anne watched as her protégé blasted through the front doors, her hair soaked, raindrops standing on her fresh, unblemished skin. She felt an unfamiliar stirring inside her. Anne had never been married. She came very close once, calling it off a week before she was due to be married. She had been intimate with men before and since but, while she enjoyed sex, it wasn’t the experience she had always hoped it might be. Looking at Hollie now, she wondered if she might now know why.Hollie dropped her umbrella and shed her raincoat, droplets of water flying everywhere, including all over Anne. Realizing this, she apologized profusely, “Oh, I’m so sorry Anne!” she stepped back appalled. “God damn it, I’m soaked! Fuck!” she cried, then fell silent, shocked at her choice of expletives. Young ladies didn’t say such things in public in 1956; certainly, schoolteachers did not. She looked at Anne, aghast. “Oh, I’m sorry, I’ve never said that word before, not where anyone can hear me!”“Relax, Sweetie,” she laughed, “I have heard the word before.” Anne laughed and picked up the raincoat, shaking the water from it. “This didn’t do a very good job,” she said. “Come with me, I have a towel in my classroom.” She reached out her hand and Hollie instinctively took it. Anne’s hand was warm and soft, she had never held a woman’s hand and was surprised by its strength as Anne led her to her classroom. Hollie took the offered towel and began drying her hair, then patting her blouse down trying to soak up some of the water. That unfamiliar stirring came back to Anne’s insides, this time stronger; she felt a warmth in her core she hadn’t felt in a long time.In 1956, women’s undergarments were not the brightly colored, lacy, alluring things they are today. Hollie didn’t need the support a bra provided. Her breasts were still firm and not so large that they swung to and fro when she moved so she most often opted for a camisole under her blouses. That was normally okay but now she was soaked. Her nipples grew erect as she felt the chill, standing out very obviously against her blouse. There was no mistake this time, Anne was getting aroused by her young colleague.“I have a clean top in my locker,” she said, going to the back of her classroom. “One thing about teaching little kids, always have a change of clothes on hand. The things that come out of children can be rather appalling sometimes!” She pulled a floral print top from her locker and handed it to Hollie. “I’m afraid I don’t have anything for you to wear underneath, sorry.”“That’s okay, thank you so much!” Hollie replied, “I’ll just go to the washroom and change.”“You could just change here,” suggested Anne, her ulterior motive swirling in her brain. Hollie hesitated. “What, you think I’ll see something I haven’t seen before?”“Someone might see in the windows,” protested Hollie. Anne ended that argument by going over and drawing the blinds. She placed her hands on her hips and looked directly at Hollie.Tentatively, Hollie unbuttoned her blouse, peeling it off her still-damp skin. Her nipples were really hard now, her breasts Etlik Escort straining against her camisole. What is this feeling? she thought I should not be changing in front of Anne. Not wanting to look naïve, she continued, peeling her camisole off, now naked from the waist up. Anne tried hard not to look but she failed, casting sideways glances at the younger woman with the alluring figure. Hollie dried her bare skin and pulled on the blouse; with her back to Anne, she did up the buttons.“There, that’ll get you home,” said Anne, “you can give it back to me whenever.” Hollie nodded, picking up her wet clothes from the floor. “How about I drive you home?” she said.“Thanks,” said Hollie, grateful for Anne’s help. The rain had lessened somewhat as they ran to Anne’s car. A few minutes later, they pulled up in front of the house where Hollie was renting a small flat from an older couple. “You want to come up for a cup of tea? Perhaps something stronger?” she asked her mentor. Anne wondered if this was an opportunity she had not dared contemplate previously.“Sure,” she said, “I have no place to be tonight.” She pulled the handbrake and shut off the car. Reaching into the back seat, she retrieved her umbrella, “I think this is big enough for two.” Hollie’s umbrella was still in Anne’s classroom. They got out and walked to the side door to Hollie’s flat, their shoulders rubbing together. Once inside, Hollie filled her kettle and set it on the small burner on her hotplate.“I’ll be right back,” she said disappearing into the bathroom. She returned just as the kettle started to boil, holding the borrowed blouse in front of her. “Thanks again,” she said. Anne took it from her, placing it on top of her coat, which she had removed and set over one of the two chairs.“Is this your first place?” asked Anne, “Not a lot of room, is there?” There was a Murphy bed in one corner, a small sitting area, a counter with a few cupboards, and a refrigerator at one end. No stove, just a two-burner hot plate. The only interior door led to a small washroom.“It’s enough, for now at least, I have everything I need, and the rent is very reasonable,” replied Hollie. “It does get a bit lonely sometimes, especially when you’re new in town.” She hesitated, then said, “Maybe we could spend some time together, away from school I mean.”“Absolutely,” said Anne, coming over to hug Hollie. She smelled of powder, talc scented with roses; her scent was intoxicating. Again, that feeling inside her, stronger each time it returned.Hollie felt it too, each of them unaware that they were feeling very similar things. She tried to deny it — girls just didn’t feel like that about other girls — but there was no denying the dampness in the gusset of her panties. She shifted, hoping the feeling would pass but the shifting only rubbed the seam of her panties against her, arousing her even more. She wanted to break Anne’s hold on her, at the same time wanting it to continue. She hugged Anne back, thinking, “Should I?” Before she could decide, she felt Anne’s lips on her cheek.“We should definitely spend some more time together,” Anne said softly. She was looking directly into Hollie’s eyes now, noticing the flecks of yellow and green in her irises. When she saw her companion’s pupils dilate, she knew that was a sign of attraction to another person. She felt her own womanhood dampen; Hollie wasn’t the only one. She breathed deeply, the scent was unmistakable as it overrode the odor from her powder — she was holding a woman who was becoming sexually aroused. She decided to go for it.Hollie felt her cheeks blush as Anne stared at her, her face becoming hot as the blood rushed to the surface of her skin, betraying her wanting to deny what she was feeling. She had heard about women who were attracted to other women — she remembered her parents’ disgust at such things — she couldn’t be one of those, could she? Try as she might though, the feeling in her core would not go away, her vagina was now not just damp, it was wet and it was getting more so. She looked at Anne’s face and studied her lips, she didn’t know why her gaze fell to them, it just did. Then she looked at Anne’s eyes, her pupils dilated. She remembered from her biology classes at college that when an animal’s pupils dilated, but there was no change in lighting, it meant one of two things, fear or arousal. She knew then which of the two it was. Anne’s eyes closed and she leaned forward.