Saturday, April 18th, 1953
11:15 a.m.
The sound of a light rain shower hitting the window woke Therese from her sleep, without a doubt one of her favorite ways to wake in the morning. However when she woke up this time, she was alone in bed. Hadn't Carol just been there? She passed a hand under the covers to find the now wrinkled sheets mostly cool. There was some rustling coming from the living room and the scent of bacon frying. Next to the bed was Carol's red plaid robe, neatly folded on top of the mahogany nightstand next to where Therese had been sleeping.
Just as Therese finished tying the robe closed, the bedroom door opened. Carol entered, as casually dressed as one could expect to find her on a Saturday morning in a cashmere sweater and skirt, carrying a tray with plates, mugs, and a single red tulip in a small glass vase.
"Carol," Therese sighed, "you didn't have to do that."
"I wanted to bring you breakfast in bed."
She placed the tray on the bed and with a quick gesture, motioned for Therese to join her. She leaned back against the headboard, lifting the tray to stabilize it as she sat beside her. She kicked off her heels and tucked her feet under the comforter, angled in the direction where Therese had been sleeping moments earlier, into a space that was still warm. The tray held two plates of flapjacks and bacon as well as two steaming mugs of lightly sweetened coffee. Carol took a plate and a coffee before passing off the tray to Therese.
"Looks delicious, but honestly, you didn't - " Therese stopped herself. It was no good trying to tell Carol she didn't have to do something. She was trying so hard for her, giving one hundred and ten percent. Before Therese could even take a bite, Carol had already demolished half a flapjacks. "You must have been hungry."
Carol smiled as she took another bite, chewed, and covered her mouth as she started to speak. "Sorry, darling, yesterday I was nothing more than a bundle of nerves. All day fretting over the lawyers, over - over whether you'd show up for tea, and then dinner. I simply couldn't eat a bite." Therese took a sip of coffee and stilled. "That's not to say I probably didn't drink a quart of rye." Carol teased.
They ate in relative silence, Carol finishing first and then pushing her plate on the nightstand. Therese took her time to savor each bite as Carol watched.
"What did you want to do today?"
"I have to go to my apartment." Therese matter-of-factly stated.
"Oh."
"No," Therese put her plate down and took Carol's hand, not realizing that her tone sounded much harsher than intended, "I mean, I need to stop by my apartment and pick up some things."
"Ah." Carol relaxed.
"You can come with me. If you don't have plans, that is."
"All right." Carol's thumb traced the inner curve of Therese's hand, occasionally wandering down onto her palm. "You could move everything today, if that's more convenient for you. Or, we could always hire a mover if necessary."
"I don't," Therese paused, looking down at their joined hands resting in the bed, "have much aside from suitcases of clothes and boxes of photos and books. It shouldn't take too long."
"No furniture?"
"No, it came furnished."
"Well then," Carol said as she smoothed out her skirt, "this shouldn't take too long, as you say." She brought their joined hands to her lips and kissed the back of Therese's hand.
Carol and Therese made it to the apartment by mid-afternoon, not expecting much in the way of packing. They took a taxi over with some extra suitcases and a couple of boxes from Carol's recent move to get started. Therese felt a bit self-conscious sitting in the cab wearing the same clothes she had on yesterday. Not that anyone would notice except for Carol.
As soon as they arrived, Therese spoke with her landlady who was irked to say the least about having an apartment to occupy less than two weeks before the end of the month. Either way, Therese couldn't be bothered by her demeanor and entered the apartment with Carol to begin packing and tidying up.
By the time most of the apartment had been packed up, it was well after ten. Therese was exhausted from cleaning, Carol from folding clothes and then packing them into suitcases. There really wasn't much, but it was tedious and neither had had enough sleep the previous night. Carol insisted they take a break around five in order for her to call to Abby and let her know where she was. They walked over a few blocks to the Horn & Hardart on 59th for a quick dinner and shared a strawberry shortcake with cream. By eight-thirty, they strolled back toward Therese's to finish.
As Therese unlocked the front door, Carol paused in the entryway. "What if we spent the night here?" asked Carol, "Just for the hell of it. A last hurrah. Then tomorrow we take everything home."
"Okay." Therese nodded. "You don't mind slumming it with me tonight then?" Carol spotted a brief moment of panic on Therese's face, worry that sleeping here wouldn't be good enough for her. Thinking back to their trip, her apartment honestly wasn't much worse than some of the hotels they stayed in.
"Ha! That's not a worry."
Upon entering the apartment, Carol looked at the austere wooden-framed twin bed angled against the freshly painted wall. She figured Therese didn't have the best memories in this apartment, all those dreary nights alone. It was the same reason she didn't mind in the least the fact she and Harge were selling the house: a farewell to all those bitter remembrances of the past. For Therese, there were those nights when Richard had come over and conveniently invited himself to take over the entire bed, positioned on his back, snoring so loudly Therese could never sleep. She remembered a very annoyed Therese telling her this one day in the car on the way through Defiance.
"I think I could manage to share a twin bed for one last night. Besides, sleeping in a double bed with you?" Therese quipped, "A lady might get spoiled."
"As you should be." Carol winked. She made her way over to the small bed to turn down the covers. The blankets were thinner than the sumptuous down comforter Carol had, the pillow flatter, but it was still the place where her Therese had slept so many nights all by herself. "I'll just go freshen up."
Carol wandered down the tiny hallway to the bathroom to start getting ready for bed. Outside, she could hear Therese scurry around the apartment as soon as the bathroom door was shut. The poor dear, she thought as she rubbed some cold cream on her face that she found next to the sink. She did her best to hurry so that Therese wouldn't feel too pressured to have everything perfectly in place. In doing so, she snagged one of her stockings when trying to free it from its clasp. Perhaps she could borrow some from Therese in the morning if the tear was too noticeable. Earrings and a silver ring were left in a small bowl on a shelf where they couldn't be missed the next day. In no time, makeup was scrubbed off, hair brushed, jewelry removed, and hairline somewhat damp from a deep facial cleaning.
Without saying a word, Carol stood in the doorway as she watched Therese scramble around the room. She was utterly oblivious as Carol stood there in nothing more than a cream-colored silk slip; the strap of the right shoulder precariously clinging to her skin, her weight shifted to one foot as she leaned against the doorframe, merely observing. Her arms were running over with her clothing as she didn't know where to put them; however, it was too much wonderful entertainment to see Therese in the bedroom putting things away in a flurry movement.
"You know, silly, we're just going to pack up the rest tomorrow, so no use stashing things here or there."
Therese abruptly turned around to see Carol watching her. "I didn't want to seem like a complete slob."
"Nonsense." Carol tossed her folded clothes onto a pile other garments on a nearby chair. "Do you have a robe or anything…" she trailed off while looking around the room.
"We packed it already."
Even for mid-April, there was still a chill in the air. It briefly snowed only a few days prior, and there was a prevalent dampness everywhere. Hopefully it would be the last snow of the year. Therese hadn't thought to heat the apartment when they arrived; she didn't think they'd be spending the night when they could be over on Madison Avenue. Carol glanced back at her stack of clothes and walked over to find the grey and red cashmere sweater she had been wearing earlier. She salvaged it from the pile, quickly rolling up the bottom hem before shimmying it over her head, raising arms, shifting her hips back and forth as she tugged the soft fabric over her. She was cold, but didn't complain too much about it. Although Carol did her best to encourage Therese to hurry up. Carol made herself comfortable on the bed with her long legs curled underneath her, staring off at now empty bookshelves.
Therese walked over to the bed and leaned over to kiss Carol on the cheek, balancing her weight with a hand pressing on the bed and resting against the side of her leg. "You are so beautiful. Even in just a slip and sweater."
The hand on the outside of her silk-covered thigh wandered down and inward beneath the fabric to tease a spot at mid-thigh. Carol grabbed hold of the hand between her legs, stopping it from going any further and firmly returned the kiss. "I'm freezing. Go get ready and come back here; you can warm me up then." Therese gave her a sly look and promptly stood to go change and made her way toward the bathroom. Carol heard her take a detour to the kitchen, and after what sounded like rummaging, Therese returned to the bedroom to put Carol's cigarette case and an old glass as an impromptu ashtray on the bedside table. "I'll just be a moment."
Carol looked at the silver case, but for once wasn't interested in the cigarettes. She didn't feel like smoking, but a drink though, she certainly would do with maybe a beer. She wandered into the kitchen to check the icebox, finding a couple cans of beer to bring into the bedroom. She still noted the shifting light and movement from under the bathroom door, and walked over to stand outside.
"Do you have a church key somewhere?" Carol asked, fidgeting with the hem of her sweater as she waited for Therese to answer.
"Check in the drawer by the sink," said the muffled voice, "there's usually one there." She must have been washing her face, Carol gathered. She scurried into the kitchen with now frigid bare feet and rifle through the drawers. Sifting through items that were going to remain behind, Carol found an opener underneath some old pot holders and spatulas. Before bringing the metal point to her drink, she ran it under the sink for a brief rinse. Carol made two punches in the top of the steel can and took a quick sip before returning to the bed with the opener and an extra beer for Therese.
This reminded her of college with the small bed, wearing her sweater over her slip, sipping a beer from a can, waiting for that alluring roommate to come back to the room after art history class… This felt differently.
As Carol sipped her beer, Therese made her way down the hall in her ordinary polka dot pajamas. Carol warmed the moment she saw her in those familiar nightclothes, the same ones she so charmingly folded and put on the adjacent bed the morning she left for New York. Therese looked endearingly sleepy and sweet, but with her new haircut even more so.
"Beer?"
"Yes, please." Carol opened the other beer and placed it in Therese's hand. They studied one another as the drinks clinked together, sipped their beers, and smiled. "Santé." Therese scooted herself onto the bed against the wall, precariously holding her beer in her hand. Once settled, she patted her lap to motion for Carol to lie down. Beer held upright in one hand, Carol made sure she didn't spill its contents as she smiled and lay down on her back using Therese's lap as a pillow. Therese tenderly stroked her hair, occasionally trailing her finger along Carol's ear and jawbone.
"You need to let me take care of you too, you know."
Every couple of minutes, Carol would raise the can to her lips and have a sip until it was finally empty. As soon as Therese took the empty can to place on the nightstand, Carol pulled the blankets up around her hands to stay warm. Therese lovingly adjusted the covers draped over Carol, making sure arms and feet were equally covered, then wrapped her arms around Carol's shoulders and neck to hold her close. The beer can gingerly rested in her hand above Carol's shoulder. All the while, they were both perfectly quiet in each other's arms.
Carol was thoroughly moved by the love and care Therese took just in putting the blankets over her. Therese tucked in the corners around the arms, around her middle, and as far down her legs as she could. Despite her short-sleeved top, Therese wasn't as chilled as Carol and gave her as much of the covers as possible.
Carol knew then she didn't always have to be so resolute. Therese was thoughtful and loving, and she would be there for her through good and bad times. Perhaps she was young, but there was a calm about her, a peculiar patience that only comes with age. Therese kept on stroking her hair and holding her, sporadically taking sips from her beer. "Let me make you breakfast, pack your lunch, or take you to dinner. Let me pick out what you'll wear or surprise you with theater tickets. Let me make love to you." Therese leaned down to kiss her forehead for an extended moment, enjoying the contact her lips made with Carol's skin.
"Please." Carol whispered as she softly and slowly bit and kissed along the side of Therese's throat. Not a desperate plea, more of a need for Therese to not lose their connection. Therese reached her hand between them, pushing aside some of the precious blanket that kept the heat in and proceeded to hike up Carol's slip well above her hips as to not ruin or soil the delicate fabric. She was clearly pleased, yet not entirely surprised, to find Carol wore nothing else underneath. Her right hand meandered down through the wiry gold curls, dipping lower to feel her arousal, silently persuading Carol's legs to widen even more. With eyes shut, Carol relaxed her shoulders as Therese proceeded to indulge her with the utmost affection.
Carol had never before felt so loved or so needed. Most importantly, she felt no longer so alone.