"Well, This is it. The very last box." Julia smiled as she brought the last box of Christmas decor from the attic.
"Finally! Baby, I swear, we have enough Christmas tree lights and garland to cover all of Sycamore Street." Mary Jo joked as she riffled through yet another box of ornaments.
"Oh, hush. I just wanted to make sure that the house was all made up nice for Payne and Suzanne. Besides, I love going through this stuff. Such special memories." Julia wept sentimentally as she plopped down in her chaise lounge and began untangling yet another string of lights.
Mary Jo smiled at the excitement in her loves voice. With Payne in New York and Suzanne in Tokyo with Perky, it had been a whole year since Julia had seen them last. Mary Jo knew that she missed them desperately and she was going all out to make this visit the best one they ever had. This was the first Christmas in years that all of Julia's family would be in the same room, at the same time. It was also the first Christmas that they would be spending as a couple and she intended to make it as special as she could.
A couple. Mary Jo still could not believe it.
It had been exactly four months since she had had the nerve to confess her feelings to Julia. Four months since they had become lovers and four months later they could not get enough of each other. She could very easily say that they were in love.
"Oh, look at this!", the joy in Julia's voice knocking her out of her thoughts. She was holding up a painted ornament, a ssmile lighting up her features.
"It's the first ornament Payne ever made for me. How dear." Julia said as she put it aside and began riffling through the box, in search of more nostalgia.
Mary Jo smiled as she shifted through a box of tangled garland. She smirked when her fingers happened upon a sprig of mistletoe. Taking it out of the box, Mary Jo shifted her attention to the woman innocently hooking bulbs across from her. Rising up from her seat, Mary Jo crept up to Julia with a Cheshire grin.
"Look.",Mary Jo said as she showed her finding to her lover.
Julia looked up and smiled wide when she saw the sprig of mistletoe dangling above her head.
"Something tells me you expecting me to kiss you just because you got that little old mistletoe in your hand." Julia said shaking her head.
"Baby, it's tradition." Mary Jo persuaded.
"Well, who am I to mess with tradition?", Julia said rhetorically as she rose from her seat and slipped into Mary Jo's arms, their lips meeting in a gentle kiss.
Mary Jo groaned as Julia ever so slightly deepened the kiss. Their tongues, teeth and lips collided together in a passionate concerto. Nimble fingers tangled in ginger curls as small hands cupped the firm roundness of Julia's derrière. Mary Jo slowly walked them over to the couch and pulled the limber brunette to straddle her lap as their kisses became frantic.
They were so caught up in each other that neither noticed the door creek open as Suzanne stormed into the room.
"Excuse me! Excuse me! What in the Sam hell is going on in here?", a shrill voice exclaimed as the front door slammed shut, knocking the two women back into reality.
Julia jolted off of Mary Jo's lap and stared wide eyed at her younger sister.
"Suzanne! What are you doing here? You weren't supposed to be in until next week!", Julia exclaimed as she did up the askew buttons on her blouse.
"Mother surprised me with an earlier flight. She waned on about how lonesome you were. Funny, but, you certainly don't seem all broken up!", Suzanne said dripping with sarcasm.
"You should have called before just dropping in! I wasn't expecting you until next week!", Julia shouted.
"I wanted to surprise you! But I guess the joke was on me.", Suzanne smirked as she strode over to the couch to sit next to a shell shocked Mary Jo.
"So, Mary Jo, I never had you to be pegged a homosapian. You know you people are always trying to convert us straight people. Can't you just stick to your own kind. And why Julia? She is, well, excuse me but not the ripest peach on the tree.", Suzanne said boisterously.
"Suzanne, the word would be homosexual and yes, I guess I am one and no, I am not converting Julia. She is way past that. As for her ripeness, she is perfectly refreshing.", Mary Jo said defensively.
"Well, this is really something, I tell you. I mean I figured this menopause thing had Julia going crazy but I had no idea that she would start going through a midlife crisis.", Suzanne preached on.
"Suzanne! Listen to yourself! I am fine. I am not going through a midlife crisis. I am not a homosapian. And while I may have a few years on you, you best believe that I will always be the ripest peach on our family tree. I love Mary Jo and we have been seeing each other for months. This is not exactly how I wanted you to find out but you sort of just stumbled into it.", Julia confessed, giving her sister a stern look.
"Well, Julia, I never. What about all those years with Hayden? Was this what chased Reese away? How could this be? How could the very womb the birthed me birth a homosexual?", Suzanne said panic coloring her words.
"Suzanne you know that I loved Hayden. I wouldn't trade those years with him for anything in the world. But after he died, I changed and I guess this part of me that was always dormant came alive the first time I saw Mary Jo. It shocked me too. I never expected to be attracted to her. As for Reese, we never were going to work out. I wasn't happy. I really can't believe you. No matter what I am your sister. How could you say something so callous?", Julia yelled as she stormed up the stairway and slammed herself in her bedroom.
"Well, there you go Suzanne. Now she is upset. Don't you know that this visit is all that she has talked about for months now? We have spent weeks buying food and gifts ; cleaning this place from top to bottom- all to make things nice for you all and this is how your going to act? She is your big sister! You of all people should know how much this beautiful woman deserves all the happiness in the world. Her being gay should be the last thing to matter to you of all people. She needs your support, Suzanne." Mary Jo scolded ruefully.
"Well. I just am torn all apart right now. My big sister, a woman who I have looked up to my life, is a, a lesbian? What if this gets out? I will be the all out joke of Atlanta. Heaven forbid that this gets out to the country club!" Suzanne whined.
"C'mon, Suzanne. It isn't like we go out and trollup all over Atlanta hand in hand. We do go out on dates but we are very descreet. You know how Julia is about Public displays of affection. It just gets under her skin. I respect that and that's why I save all my kisses until we are behind closed doors. Apparently after this afternoon, that is no longer sacred." , Mary Jo sighed in disbelief at Suzanne complete insolence.
"Come on, nothing. How was I supposed to know I would walk in on you and Julia playing tonsil hockey right there on the sofa...?", Suzanne reasoned.
"Well, I can't believe I am about to say this but you do have a point. Now, I am going finish taking some of this Christmas stuff out and then I will take something out for dinner. You on the other hand, need to march yourself upstairs and go apologize to your sister." Mary Jo said with her best stern glare.
Suzanne pouted and rose up from the chair, sulking slowly up the staircase.
Mary Jo smiled in satisfaction.
Julia sighed as she looked in the mirror of her vanity and she wiped e stray tears from her cheeks. It wouldn't do good for her eyes to be all swollen and puffy. She could not believe the gall of Suzanne. She had always know how close minded her own sister was but she never imagined that her offensiveness would be directed towards her. But it had and her words had stung beyond belief.
A soft tap at the door knocked her out of her thoughts.
"Come in." She said in a shaky voice.
The door slowly crept open and a hesitant Suzanne entered the room.
"Get out." Julia said bitterly as she turned back to the mirror.
"Now, Julia, don't be like that. I came up to applogize about the way I was acting." Suzanne said.
"Suzanne! How could you just throw me to wolves? After all the times I have been there for you. I supported you after Andy, Dash and Jack left. I was there when Reggie Mac stole all your money. I have defended your honer more times then I would care to confess. I am your big sister and I love you more than anything in this world. I see beauty through the selfishness and plain old ignorance that is your outward presence. Why?Why is it so hard for you to support me for a change? Love me despite what I am. Because like it or not I love her and that's not going to change." Julia preached with passion.
"I am really sorry Julia. I just didn't know what to say. Walking in on you in the arms of a woman, not to mention a dear friend was not what I expected when I decided to drop in. It completely floored me and I am still not sure that I have wrapped my head around the fact that your gay. You must know that I still love you with all my heart and even though we don't see eye to eye on a lot of things I wouldn't trade you for any other big sister in the whole world." Suzanne said.
"Oh,Suzanne." Julia said, tears streaming down her cheek as she pulled her little sister into a hug.
"It's okay, darlin'. Don't cry. It will ruin your mascara." Suzanne said as she pulled away, wiping the errant tears from Julia's cheeks.
"It's so good to have you home." Julia laughed softly.
"It's good to be here...Julia, I just have one question. How are things, you in the sheets? Isn't it better with a man than with a woman, I mean you all are missing a very important part." Suzanne asked cheekily.
"Suzanne! That's the entire point of the word lesbian. We do not need a man to, well, have a real good time...To answer your question, though, I am extremely certain that Mary Jo has turned me into a nymphette." Julia blushed.
Suzanne laughed out loud at her big sisters confession.
"Don't laugh! Now, I think we have been in here long enough. Let's go on downstairs and see what's cooking." Julia said as the two sisters left the room and headed down the stairway.