Disclaimer: Annie Kenyon and Liza Winthrop are the property of author Nancy Garden. This story is based on her novel Annie on My Mind, and is my ideas of what the lives of Annie and Liza are like twelve years after the book ends.

"Annie!" Liza Winthrop called to her beloved partner, Annie Kenyon. "Phone for you!"

"Who is it?" Annie's voice floated in from the living room. Annie was a singer, a mezzo-soprano, and whenever she raised her voice above normal speaking level it took on a richness and purity that everyone admired. Especially Liza.

"It's Tim. Your director?"

Annie trudged in from the living room, their cat Isabelle in her arms. "What does he want?"

Liza rolled her eyes, pretending to be mildly annoyed. "What am I, your secretary? You talk to him."

Annie stuck her tongue out at Liza, who promptly poked her in the nose. Annie stifled a giggle as she shifted Isabelle to one arm and took the phone with her right hand.

"Tim?. . . Fine, and you?" Annie listened for a moment, then let out a long sigh. It couldn't be good news. "Tim, Liza and I are leaving for vacation and . . .Maine! I told you weeks ago! . . . Well, we're supposed to leave on Thursday, right after Liza turns her grades in. . . . She teaches architecture, Tim, don't change the subject. . . Three weeks. Why?. . . Yes, that's true, but. . ." Another sigh. "All right. All right, Tim. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Annie?" Liza asked suspiciously as Annie hung up the phone. "Why did you say you'd see him tomorrow?"

Annie rolled her eyes. "They're tacking an extra weekend on to the show. "

"Can they do that?"

"Apparently they can. Oh, Lize, I'm so sorry. I know you were really looking forward to leaving right after your grades were done. We'll leave on Sunday, right after the matinee, I promise." Liza had flopped down into one of the kitchen chairs and was looking pathetically up at Annie. Annie sat on the floor at her feet and placed her chin gingerly on Liza's knee like a sheepdog. "Please don't be mad, Lize. We'll still get two and a half weeks at the cabin."

"I guess." Liza sighed. "What about your folks?"

"Oh, no!" Annie stood up so fast she almost dropped Isabelle. The cat leapt from her arms and ran away into the hallway. "I forgot! Oh, and they were going to bring Nana this year!"

"Nana? And how were we going to explain to Nana that you and I have a cabin together? Most roommates don't, you know."

"Lize, quit it. A lot of friends take vacations together."

"I know. I was joking."

"It doesn't still bother you, does it? That my folks decided not to tell her?"

"No. Not at all." Liza's voice was sincere.

"I'll call them tonight. You're not mad, are you?"

Liza shook her head. "Just disappointed. I was really looking forward to seeing Ms Stevenson and Ms Widmer again."

Annie smiled at the mention of Liza's old teachers' names. "Me too. It's only four extra days, though."

Liza pouted. "I guess so."

"Come on," Annie said, taking her hand and lifting her up onto her feet. "You'll be late for your class."

Liza grudgingly picked up her bag, in which she had stored her thirty- two students' research papers. She had spent the weekend grading them, and was to hand them back to her Basics of Architecture class that morning. She was not looking forward to hearing complaints from the students that hadn't done well.

Annie walked her to the door and kissed her goodbye on the front step.

"Are you driving or taking the T?" Annie asked.

"I'll drive. I already missed one bus and the next one won't come in time. Besides, I'll get plenty of exercise next week at the cabin."

Liza and Annie lived off of Cambridge Street, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Often Liza would take the Red Line to work at MIT, but it required either a very long walk to either the Central or Harvard subway stop or a wait for the 69 bus to take you to the Harvard stop, a bus that only came once every half hour. If you missed one, you had to resign yourself to either walking or being late.

Annie watched Liza get into the car that was parked outside their house. They lived on the first level of a white three-decker on a relatively quiet street. Most nights you couldn't even hear the traffic zooming up and down busy Cambridge Street.

As Annie watched Liza drive away, she decided she'd make something special for dinner to make up for the extra show she had to do. She would go to the poultry shop, the one that Liza called the "dead chicken store" because of its sign that said "Live Poultry, Fresh Killed." She'd buy a chicken to stuff and and she'd even make Liza's favorite, butternut squash. That would occupy Annie's day. That and the two voice lessons she taught on Monday. But her first student didn't come until noon, so she ushered Isabelle back in the house, grabbed her purse and set off for the store.

She bought her chicken and then detoured to the Star Market to buy squash, stuffing mix, and a bottle of wine. As she walked down Cambridge Street, she remembered the first time she had come to Cambridge to visit Liza, when she was doing her undergrad work at MIT. Liza had taken her down Cambridge Street, remarking that there was every kind of store on that one road. They'd laughed at the oddity of the tombstone store's display of headstones, right there out for show like new cars. Annie had taken a picture of the New Deal Fish Market and the warehouse-style furniture store next to it, telling Liza that she was going to try to convince her friends that she had gone back in time to the 50's.

Annie's reminiscing got her all the way back home, and she was even surprised at how short a time it had taken. She let herself in and immediately got to work. She put on a Met recording of Tosca and sung along to the parts she knew as she stirred the stuffing, then mashed the squash. She had just placed the bird in the oven when her first student showed up.

Annie's two lessons, 16-year-old Martha and 17-year-old Susan, took her all the way up to when Liza was expected home from work. She walked Susan out and waved her goodbye, and since the weather was so nice, she decided to sit out and wait for Liza.

It only took ten minutes until Liza's blue Mazda turned the corner. Liza saw Annie on the porch and smiled. She got out of the car with her bag, much lighter without the weight of thirty-two term papers. She climbed the stairs to where Annie was sitting on the porch and kissed her.

"Miss me?" she asked.

"You were gone?" Annie teased. Liza pretended to swat her. Annie shrieked and ran in the house, slamming the door. She stood on her tiptoes and grinned at Annie through the narrow windows in the door.

"Oh, you are so dead!" Liza cried. She tried to push open the door but Annie was leaning against it, laughing wildly. Though they were now thirty-one years old, they often played like they were still teenagers.

"I cannot let you pass, sir," Annie said, "until I am sure that you are who you say."

Liza grinned. This was an old game from their youth, one that they both knew very well how to play. "My lady, I am Sir Kensington Kent. I am here to seek your fair hand. Please open the door in the name of the King of England."

Annie opened the door and curtseyed dramatically. "Good sir."

"My lady." Liza bowed, then in one sweeping gesture scooped Annie up in her arms. She carried her into the living room and tossed her on the sofa, then fell on the floor beside her. Both were laughing wildly.

"Ooh, what smells so good?" Liza asked.

Annie sat up and smiled. "Chicken. And you've certainly earned it, good sir knight."

Liza stood up, straightening her clothes. "If you think this means I'm going to forgive you.well, it's a good start."

Annie laughed. "It's also not ready yet. Shall we go for a walk before dinner?"

Liza shook her head. "Can't. I have to finish making up my final."

Annie sighed pathetically. "Can't you just give them all A's and be done with it?"

"I wish," Liza said. "But I think the administration would get suspicious."

"Not if you have them all say that you're the best teacher ever and they couldn't help but learn everything you taught them."

"You're right, that wouldn't make them suspicious at all." Liza said with teasing sarcasm.

"Fine," Annie pouted. "I'll go call Mom and Dad and tell them we'll have to postpone."

"Tell Nana hi for me," Liza said as she headed into her study. "She still has no clue, does she?"

"Nana's a true innocent," Annie said fondly. "I'm quite content to keep her that way."

"So am I," Liza said. "Truly."

Liza and Annie had decided long ago not to tell Annie's Nana about their relationship. Nana remained convinced that the two were best friends, and everyone was happy. For a while, Annie had wondered if she was betraying her identity and the gay community, but her family had convinced her that sparing an old woman's feelings wasn't betraying anybody. Liza had remained believing that they should be out to everyone for a bit longer, but her love for Nana had led her to agree with Annie's decision.

Annie called her family in New York and explained about the extra weekend tacked onto the run of Carmen, in which she had the title role. Everyone understood, and Annie said that she would take care of changing their train tickets. So she called Amtrak, and after being on hold for a good twenty minutes, she had everything taken care of. By then the chicken was done, so she set the table and put two candles on, and poured the wine. As she did so, she promised that she would make sure they had several evenings like this when they went on vacation to their cottage near Wells Beach, Maine. She smiled at the thought of the vacation, and at the prospect of seeing Ms Stevenson and Ms Widmer. Annie and Liza had remained good friends with Liza's teachers, at whose house they had inadvertently been "outed." The situation had formed a bond between the two couples, and they remained good friends. The older women had a house near Ogunquit, and Liza and Annie visited every summer.

"Liza! Dinner's ready!"

Liza entered the kitchen in sweats and her favorite MIT T-shirt. She saw the spread on the table and her hand involuntarily flew to her heart.

"Oh, Annie. . .it's an absolute feast! You are so wonderful." She went to Annie, took her in her arms and kissed her. "Thank you."

"Fit for a king," Annie said, blushing. She pulled out a chair and Liza sat in it. "Sit down, Your Majesty."

As Annie served the chicken, stuffing, butternut squash and Italian bread, she felt a rising sense of contentment. She was so lucky. She could hardly wait for their vacation.