Ch 3
The kiss was soft. Impulsive but soft. Beatrice's hand went to Ava's cheek as if making sure she wasn't dreaming. She let herself feel the softness of Ava's lips with her own. Ava was kissing her back. It took a second to realize she hadn't even asked if she could. She merely had. Beatrice pulled back. "I'm sorry… I don't know… I'm not…" Their faces were too close still. Her hand hadn't dropped from Ava's face. She noticed Ava had taken her other hand in hers and was running her fingers over it. "I should have asked… if it was ok." She looked into Ava's eyes and was rewarded with the deepest brown color tinged with gold she had ever seen. She stopped breathing.
"It's ok Bea." Ava spoke and brought her lips closer to Beatrice's. Her hands were warm, fingers never stopped moving. "I pretty much wanted to kiss you since I saw you."
"You did?"
"Duh." She laughed. "You don't realize you're hot af do you?" There was a rising blush on Beatrice's cheeks, deeper than the heat she'd felt as they'd kissed. Ava smiled.
Well done Ava… locked yourself out. On the first day! Fuck! The first what? Ten minutes? Shit. She was berating herself. Her adopted mom Jillian had been concerned but supportive of her choice to move out. She knew that Ava needed to assert more independence, not that she was cloistered. She had all the freedoms she could want while living at home. She also had a solid support system and as much love as she could have ever imagined for herself. It had been a Godsend for Jillian to have met her at the orphanage when she was 13. She'd spent so much time there that she had given up on ever leaving there before aging out. Her condition hadn't made things easier either. She'd been slowly (too fucking slow) been regaining use of her limbs, sensations after the accident that had landed her there in the first place. The nuns could only do so much. Between the number of able-bodied children to care for and the limits of funding, it was luck of the draw who cared for her on a daily basis. Some nuns were kinder than others. Physical therapy was also limited.
When Jillian came into the orphanage with her son Michael in tow, it was simply to make a donation. Nothing more. She was known for them throughout different children's organizations in the area. Her work in medicine and research afforded her the ability to help out children that hadn't been as fortunate as her own son. He had been born with a congenital disease and had spent many formative years in hospital beds. Her perseverance at finding some form of treatment to extend what should have been a short life led to small but albeit crucial genome discoveries. He wasn't 100% healthy still but he would be. So she gave, when she could, in person. That day, Ava had been in the sunroom in her worn-out wheelchair. The nun had bathed her and indulged her in some time outside of her bed. She had gone off to look after others and would be back to wheel her back for lunch. Ava had a book in her lap. Her hands able to hold it and turn the pages. A small miracle that kind of motor skill. But it thrilled her and made her smile. Until it didn't. The book slipped off her lap and landed on the floor when she tried turning the page. "Shit!" She cursed.
"You're not supposed to say that."
She looked up to find a blond boy she'd never seen just standing by the room's entrance. She was pretty sure he was close to her age, but she couldn't recall having ever seen his face. Maybe he's new. "I get a pass."
"How come?" He stepped further into the room and was looking around first then met her eyes.
"Cause I have wheels so it makes me special." He smiled.
"Wheels don't make you special." He shook his head.
"Excuse me? They most certainly do." Ava was amused and smiled. He wasn't shy and he wasn't scared. Most kids that came near her were one of the other. There were some who were cruel too.
"No. They don't. I had wheels. It didn't make me special." He shrugged his shoulders. "It was just part of me. Part of what I needed to be."
"Really?" She stared at him. Ava wasn't sure what to make of his tone. He wasn't being unkind, just matter of fact. "Well look Buddha, I'm all for enlightenment but I'm still in wheels and I say it makes me special." He smiled at her then got even closer. He stuck his hand out.
"I'm Michael."
"Ava." She moved her arm and was able to shake his hand lightly. He squeezed her hand normally, not thinking she was weak or fragile like many did. She smiled at him. "So, you're new."
"Only visiting."
"Ahh… Foster fail?" He laughed.
"No." He shook his head. "My mum is… helping kids. I came with her." He let go of Ava's hand and put his in his pockets. "You live here."
"No shit Sherlock." She smiled again. She liked him. "What gave it away?"
"I'm smart that way." He laughed. He then bent down and picked up the book she had dropped. He read the cover. "The Three Musketeers. I've read this. It's quite good." He didn't hand it back. He was looking at her intently.
"I like it." She wondered what was going through his mind. "I can't really do much so I like to read about people who can." She didn't know why she said it. He nodded. From somewhere in the corridor, she heard a woman's voice calling the boy's name.
"It seems I've been found out." He smiled and turned when a lovely woman with slightly darker blond hair came in. She was positively regal in stature by Ava's standards. Much different to the nuns. "Hi mum. I was hanging out with my new friend, Ava. Ava, meet my mum, Dr. Jillian Salvius." He made eye contact with both of them and took a slight step away from Ava, while still keeping her book in his hands.
"I see. I told you not to wander off. But then again, why would you heed me?" She walked up to Ava and stuck out her hand much like he had done. "Ava, it's pleasure to meet you. I hope my son hasn't been a bother." She took the extended hand and felt the same strength behind it as when Michael had offered his.
"Nice to meet you. And not at all. We were discussing literature and my accessories." She smiled and looked at him. His grin could not have been wider.
"Hmm…" Jillian looked at Michael who shrugged. She turned back to Ava. "I was going to take Michael to lunch, would you like to join us?"
"Uh… I don't know if I'm allowed." Ava answered honestly as she'd never been asked such a thing in her years here.
"I'm sure we can arrange it." Jillian spoke matter of fact. "If Michael hasn't offended you by now, then I need to get to know how formidable you truly are Ava."
"I'm not…" Beatrice blinked at her. They still hadn't moved – neither closer nor further away.
"You are." Ava said. "That face, those eyes… and that body." She made a sound that could only be interpreted as appreciative. "If I had been in any less of a hurry to pee, I'd probably have kissed you first." Beatrice looked at her and then they both started laughing.
"I can't tell if I should thank your bladder or not."
"Let's go with not. Cause you kissed me… once… and you've stopped." She sighed as she looked at Beatrice's lips. "I wouldn't have stopped kissing you if I'd gone first."
"I'd like to kiss you again…" Beatrice surprised herself.
"No one is stopping you."
"Ok there's kissing finally…" Mary was sitting with her feet up on the desk. Beatrice had finished the third glass even though it hadn't been completely full to begin with. She was cradling it in her hands and staring at the wall. "You know… you're young… not a nun… you can kiss people all you want Grandma." Beatrice shook her head.
"Not without consent." Mary groaned. "Consent is important. I can't just go kissing every girl I fancy."
"You fancy her?" Mary was still working on her third glass. She would occasionally look through the one-way to see what was going on in the club. So far it was filling up nicely and it looked good.
"Yes.. I fancy her… and I take offense at the grandmother comment."
"Duly noted." She had hoped for something like this when she offered the place to Ava. She wouldn't admit it to Beatrice. It wouldn't be helpful. She'd only admitted it to Shannon because they were married and her wife could read her like a book. Ava wasn't Beatrice's type. Not that her friend had a type. The women she had dated (using the term very loosely) had been distinct in everything. From professions (one was a dancer, another a lawyer) to looks (very feminine to somewhat masculine presenting). Some might say, like Camila, that she'd been exploring to see what she preferred. But Mary still stuck by her initial assessment. Beatrice was checking off a list. As with anything she had done since she was little, she'd treated dating like an efficient task to be completed. It left little room for surprise and adventure, let alone romance. But after meeting Ava, Mary knew in her gut that she needed to do something to put them together. She didn't expect a marriage proposal or a happily ever after for the two of them, but she knew there would be something. An unexpected magical something that might get Beatrice out of her head and into living. Truly living. If anyone could do that, it would be Ava who had managed to wriggle herself into everyone's hearts down at the soup kitchen. From the moment she stepped foot in the place, she had been a marvel. "Please tell me you kept kissing her."
Beatrice closed her eyes. There was a serenity laced with a satisfaction Mary hadn't seen on her friend in all the years. "Yes. I kept kissing her."
"Like third base…. Or?" Mary made a batting motion followed by a click of her tongue and crowd cheering noises.
"So crude." Beatrice didn't open her eyes but she smiled and blushed. "No. No home run. I don't… I don't think I could have done that."
"Why not?" She looked at Mary then.
"That's not me." It hadn't been for lack of desire. Their kissing had been slow, then passionate. "I'm… not like that. Besides, she's our tenant."
"She's an adult. And not naïve." Mary put her glass down. "You're allowed to have fun, you know?"
"I know." She admitted out loud. "But I still have… boundaries."
It took less than a month for Jillian to decide to adopt Ava. And it only took that long because she wanted to ask if it was something Ava wanted. She and Michael had developed a true friendship. He would take the bus to see her at least three times per week after school. She and Michael would arrange for Ava to visit with them on weekends. At first, Ava had hesitated. She didn't want to inconvenience them as she had needs that she wasn't sure Jillian understood. But in the end, Ava relented. The smile on her face when she woke up someplace other than the orphanage was all Jillian could have hoped for.
After the preliminary paperwork was approved, and Ava had moved into her new room in Jillian's house, she had a conversation that would change Ava's life even more so. She stepped into her daughter's (the joy that word brought her was deep) room after knocking on the open door. Ava was sitting by the window in a new motorized wheelchair that Michael had insisted on. "Ava. Could we talk a minute?"
She turned from the window and nodded. There were moments when she still thought this would all be taken away and it took a second to breathe. "What's up?" Jillian took a seat on the armchair Michael had also insisted on so he could hang out without needing to sit on Ava's bed (he said).
"Remember the physical exams a couple of weeks ago."
"Yeah, the ones where they prodded places no one should?" Ava laughed. Her doctor visits the last few years had been rudimentary at best. Jillian had taken her to specialists to see where her health was overall including the paralysis.
"Yes, those. What if I told you that, in all the prodding, they sorted out that maybe… with one or two operations, we could restore even more mobility?"
"Yeah ok…" She laughed. Jillian didn't. "Wait… you're not joking? Holy fuck." Jillian gave her a look. "Right sorry… but… wait… how?"
"There are some nerves that seem… compressed… not entirely damaged beyond repair. We think… the other doctors and I… that with a couple of surgeries, perhaps some stem cell therapy but we can address that as needed of course… I think we can get you out of that chair in a year." Ava's eyes filled with tears and for the first time in her life she believed in a power higher than humans. She pushed the chair forward and nearly launched herself at Jillian in the biggest hug she could muster. Jillian let out an oof at the impact then a small chuckle. "I will take that as a yes."
Lilith was grumbling at half carrying Beatrice to her apartment. She had gone to Mary's office to let her know that everything was going smoothly when she came across a very drunk Beatrice on the couch.
"What the fuck Mary? Thought you banned her from work."
"Does it look like I'm working Lilith darling." Beatrice's cheeks were rosy pink.
"Fuck's sake."
"Yeah… she's not working. Just having an existential crisis." Mary had been finishing paperwork and filing it away. "Can you get her upstairs?"
"Me? No."
"Lilith…" Mary was giving her the pretty please tone. "Plop her on her couch and get her a bucket just in case."
"How is it you get her drunk and I have to haul her arse upstairs?"
"Because I'm the boss… and she won't put up a fuss with you."
"That is… very true." Beatrice smiled as she spoke. Lilith groaned and helped Beatrice to her feet.
"I'm not carrying you. I'm helping you. If you fall, I'm letting you."
"Lilith," Mary warned.
"Fine. I'll pick you up after you fall but you'll have bruises to remind you to not drink with Mary." It took almost 15 minutes to get Beatrice balanced enough to get up the stairs to her place. Lilith set her against the wall as she dug out the keys from one of Beatrice's pockets. Suddenly, the door opposite Beatrice's opened.
"Hey, Bea is that… Oh. Hi." Lilith looked at the smaller woman up and down. She was wearing a light blue shorts pajama set with unicorns on it.
"Hello." Lilith deadpanned.
"Ava!" Beatrice opened her eyes and gave the biggest smile. Lilith looked at her and then back to the diminutive brown-haired girl with a worried expression on her face. She half smiled as the light went off in her head.
"Hello, Ava." Lilith brought her hand out of Beatrice's pocket and extended it to Ava who was debating taking it. "I'm Lilith. Beatrice's friend and coworker. She had a little to drink. Thought I'd help her out."
"Oh. Ok. Sure… of course. Hi." Ava took Lilith's hand to find a set of keys being handed off.
"She's all yours." Lilith started to walk away then turned around. "Make sure there's a bucket in case she decides to expel her… poor choices." She turned away and headed down the stairs. Beatrice slid down the wall as Ava watched and went back to their first encounter.
Ava had decided that she could get the rest of the boxes up from her car at least. Then she could try to reach someone to get her into her apartment. It wasn't until all of the boxes were cluttering the hall that she realized she had no phone either. Fuuuck! She ran her hands over her face. Trying to knock on the apartment across from her led nowhere. "Fuck it." It was early in the day really, but she figured it wouldn't hurt to go down to the bar on the first floor and see about having something cold and preferably alcoholic. It wasn't until she walked through the door that she also remembered where her wallet was. She almost walked out when a curly-haired girl bounced up to her.
"Are you here for the interviews? What's your name?" She had a clipboard with her.
"Umm hi… I'm Ava… but no. Not here for interviews."
"Oh… well we're not open for a while yet." She didn't usher her out but didn't say anything to invite her in. Ava decided to take a chance.
"I just moved in upstairs… and already I locked myself out and managed to lock my phone and my wallet in my new place. So I can't really go anywhere or call anyone to help me. And I'm really thirsty but have zero money on me." The other girl smiled at her and nodded.
"Well… Bea should be around and she has keys to your place so she can let you in." She looked at her watch. "Hmm.. she might have stepped out though. She has the day off so likely the gym… anyways, I'm Camila. Come on in and I'll get you a beer." She turned on her heel and walked ahead of Ava who wasted no time in following.
"I thought you were closed."
"We are… but if you're the new girl upstairs it wouldn't be friendly of me to turn you away." She glanced over her shoulder and gave Ava an up-and-down look. "Plus you're cute." Ava laughed.
"So are you." She figured maybe her luck was changing. "I think I've seen you here before. I've only come in a few times though."
"I tend to be here all the time so it is very possible." Camila went behind the bar and started pouring a beer from the tap. "I think I would have flirted though." Ava laughed.
"Maybe I didn't make much of an impression."
"I have a hard time thinking that." She put down a coaster and then the pint glass. Camily took another longer look at Ava. "Ok… you're friends wit Mary." Ava tilted her head. "I remember now."
"You remember me?" Camila nodded.
"Yup. I was told no." She laughed. She put her elbows on the bar and looked at Ava closely. "Upstairs… across from Bea…" There was a gleam in her eyes. "Of course… yes. Absolutely!" She gave a loud ha and then proceeded to pour herself a pint.
"Ok wait... I don't get it. Care to rewind that a little." Camila shook her head.
"Trust me… you'll get it." She brought her glass in front of Ava's. "Cheers."
