Last Tango In Quarantine

When we last left our favorite ladies, they had finally found their words and were settling nicely into their remodeled old farmhouse in West Yorkshire. Caroline was serving as the Head at Crow Wood Park where Kate was on the fast track to becoming the next Head of Languages.

Caroline lazily put her book on the table beside her and gently stretched in her seat. She was only a couple of chapters in and it wasn't keeping her attention. She knew it had received good reviews and Kate had enjoyed it. She wondered if she just wasn't in the right state of mind to lose her self in a book at the moment. It wasn't just the Coronavirus quarantine consuming her thoughts, it was worrying about everyone, especially Kate.

Life at the new school had been hectic for them both and Kate was insistent that they use this mandated downtime to rest and reconnect without the pressures of their daily grinds. As usual, Kate was very persuasive in her argument and Caroline was just glad she didn't have to hide her hickey from prying eyes as they were guaranteed no visitors for at least two weeks.

Caroline squinted at the sky, realizing the sun was now up over the trees, making the day feel warmer. Out of habit, she tugged at the cuff of her sweater to check the time only to remember that she wasn't wearing her watch. Kate had insisted that they fully unplug, meaning her watch and mobile were also in a quasi quarantine. But today was an exception as Kate agreed she could keep her mobile by her side so she wouldn't miss a call from her boys.

It was the first Mothering Day Caroline had spent without seeing Celia or the boys. She told herself that Lawrence would have visited had it not been for the virus, but Kate suspected otherwise because Lawrence, unhappy with the world, had been a bigger brat than usual to his mum and she noted he hadn't even sent her a text yet and it was almost lunchtime.

While Kate was worrying Lawrence might not call, Caroline was worrying about Kate. She recognized that Mother's Day was a stark reminder of her losses. Any other time she could have whisked her off somewhere as a distraction but with all but the non-essential establishments being closed, and the restaurants restricted to just take away, there were no options. So when Kate suggested reading in the garden, she agreed.

Sensing Caroline growing restless, Kate put down her book and turned to look at her wife. "Drink?"

"I'll go make us some tea in a minute. How's yours?" She gestured toward the book Kate had placed on top of her own. She noticed Kate wrinkle her nose. "What? Yours no good either?"

"I'd prefer a gin and tonic." Her confession brought a swift smile to Caroline's face. Her Caroline. Kate liked Caroline sans makeup as it was a beautiful sight anyone else rarely got to see. The fact that Caroline wasn't wearing any make up made her think she was really trying her best to relax.

Caroline peeked at the time on her phone and said, "We haven't done that at this hour since Barcelona. What a great idea. You stay put. I'll get the drinks."

Kate decided to send a brief text to her mum while she waited for Caroline's return. Realizing she didn't have her phone and feeling too content to go search for it in the house, she picked up Caroline's.

Upon opening it, she was surprised to find a fresh thread between her wife and her mum. As she scrolled through, she realized Ginika planned a visit for her Spring break, which coincided with Mother's Day, but it was scrubbed by the travel bans. Reading between the lines, she knew they'd been conspiring against her. On her behalf. For her. While she loved them both for worrying about her, she hated it at the same time. She closed Caroline's screen and put her phone back where Caroline had left it, trying to maintain her relaxed composure.

When they made eye contact as Caroline handed her the libation a few minutes later, Caroline realized that Kate's mood had flattened. "What's up?"

"Just thinking about my mum. Wondering how she's faring. Have you heard from her lately?"

Not getting any hidden context, Caroline leisurely settled back into her garden chair and took a sip of her drink before turning her attention back to her wife's question. The bubbles tickled the back of her throat as the notes of the quinine woke her taste buds. "We exchanged texts the other day. She seems fine." Caroline took another sip and then continued. "Actually, she's not fine. She wanted to surprise you over her break but then had to scrap her plans. The airline's been good, she's getting her fare refunded as she wasn't sure she could rebook this summer if this drags on that long."

"Were you going to tell me if I hadn't asked?" Caroline knew that look. She knew Kate hadn't just innocently stumbled onto their plan. "She's not still worried about me, is she?"

"No. No, no. Not really. No," Caroline stumbled over herself. "She just fancied seeing you for Mother's Day. She said she couldn't remember the last time she was with you for it and she wanted to be."

"Hmmm. I'm not buying it. Not for a minute. Sorry but I picked up your phone to text her and saw the thread. You invited her, didn't you?"

"That's. That's. Well that's not technically correct. She wanted to come for a visit and I might have suggested this weekend. Of course neither of us foresaw this corona thing. It was her idea to come in the first place." Caroline picked up her glass and looked into it as though there was a get out of jail free card hiding at its bottom.

"Caroline. Caroline," Kate repeated when her wife failed to look at her. "It's fine. It was thoughtful."

"So you're not mad then?"

"I won't lie. I always feel a twinge of sadness on this day but it's not so bad. Being here with you. It could be a lot harder." The small tear that escaped the corner of her eye belied her residual sadness but Caroline knew as long as Kate was talking about it she was coping. She often thought Kate coped better than she would have done, especially getting so close to full term this last time.

Caroline stood and silently moved to stand over Kate's chair. She held out her hand and after a beat, Kate reached up and took it, allowing Caroline to give her a gentle tug to encourage her to get up. Caroline pulled her close and silently tucked one of Kate's braids behind her ear as she moved to embrace her.

"I'm glad it's okay today." She tenderly kissed her as she ran her hands down Kate's lean back. "Truth be told, I'm glad it's been just the two of us this weekend. You might be tired of being stuck with me if this quarantine goes on too long, but for now, I just want you."

Kate pulled back a bit from their embrace, swept her wife's collar to the side as she looked at the side of her neck. Caroline noticed a mischievous smile turn up the corners of her mouth.

"What?" she asked with a growing anticipation as she felt her pulse starting to quicken.

"Looks like my work is starting to fade and we can't have that now, can we?"

"Oh thank Heavens. I really didn't want to read anymore of that book."

This was just meant to be a little diversion from all the sad headlines of late.

Hope you all stay safe and well.

Dis-Moi