Collective Identity, page 14
part #4 of Commitment Series
"Fine. Where's Cat?" Billie asked, a little more abruptly than she intended.
"Billie, is everything all right?" Jen asked.
"Everything's fine Jen. What are you doing there so late?"
"I'm having an affair with Cat. What the hell do you think I'm doing here?" Jen replied sharply.
Realizing she had over reacted, Billie apologized. "Jen, I'm sorry. I'm just tired. Really, where is Cat?" she asked.
"Cat is tucking the kids into bed. Billie, let me put your mind at ease, I'm here making arrangements with Cat about the kids staying with Fred and me for the next few days. It seems she managed to find a replacement at work after all."
Billie's spirits soared, but at the same time, she realized she had acted like a fool to their best friend. "Jen, I'm really sorry. I was being a jealous fool. I'm sorry," she said again.
"Billie, you know I love you and Cat very much. I would give my life for you if necessary, but your maniacal life style is too much for the likes of me! No, you two definitely deserve each other. I wouldn't touch what you two have with a ten foot pole. Besides, you'd rip my head off and feed it to me if I tried!" Jen said, chuckling.
"Jen, what would we do without you?"
"I don't know, and I don't plan on giving you the chance to find out. You're stuck with me, Big Guy!"
"I can think of worst things to have stuck to me, my friend. So, is my wife there or not?" Billie asked.
"Yep, I think I hear her coming down the stairs right now. Oh yeah, here she is," Jen said.
"Don't tell her it's me. I want to have a little fun with her," Billie said.
Jen handed the phone to Cat.
“Who is it?” Cat asked softly, receiving a shrug from Jen in response.
"Hello?" Cat said into the receiver.
Billie started to breathe heavily into the phone, partially covering the receiver with her hand.
"Hello? Who is this?" Cat asked.
"Heh...heh...heh...little girl. Wanna have some fun?" Billie asked in a raspy voice.
"Who is this? Cat asked. She looked at Jen, who was grinning ear to ear.
"Know what I wanna do to you...heh, heh, heh...," Billie continued.
"You are one sick person," Cat started to rant.
"I wanna make you naked...and cover you with whipped cream...heh, heh, heh...," Billie teased.
"I'll contact the police if you call here again," Cat said, slamming down the receiver.
"Cat!" yelled Jen, catching the receiver just before it hung up the phone. She took it out of Cat's hand and held her hand over the mouthpiece. "It's Billie!" she whispered.
Cat's eyes opened wide. "Oh yeah?" she asked, raising one eyebrow at her friend. Cat took the receiver back from Jen and held it to her ear. "Okay. Okay, you want to have some fun? Fine, but I run the show, you got that?" Cat asked.
"Anything you say, my sweet," said Billie, still disguising her voice.
"All right. First, we make sure our spouses are out of the way. By the way, are you married?" Cat asked.
Jen was just about busting a gut in the background.
"Billie suddenly realized that Cat was onto her. "Oh, I'm very married, but my wife will never find out."
"Good," Cat answered, now knowing that this game had turned from one of teasing to one of seduction. "Now, take your clothes off, and I'll do the same," Cat continued.
Billie was dumbstruck. "Huh?" she asked.
"I said, take your clothes off. Here Jen, hold my shirt and bra while I slip off my panties," Cat said with the receiver near enough for Billie to hear.
Jen was doubled over with laughter.
"Ahhhh...what are you doing?" Billie asked.
"I'm taking my clothes off. Aren't you?" Cat asked.
"Ahhhh...Cat, Jen is there," Billie said, giving up the ruse.
"I know she is. I kind of thought...you know, the more the merrier," Cat said casually, causing Jen to cringe.
"Cat, I'm only kidding," Billie said desperately.
"Really? I'm not!"
"Damn it, Cat, put Jen on the phone," Billie demanded.
Cat grinned broadly as she handed the phone to Jen.
"Yes?" Jen said.
"Jen, tell me she isn't naked," Billie said.
Jen looked at a fully clothed Cat and said quite flippantly, "Okay, she isn't naked."
"Jen, I'm not fooling any more. Don't bullshit me," Billie warned.
"Billie, you asked me to tell you that she wasn't naked, so I did. What else would you like me to say?"
"Jeeeennnnnnn," Billie threatened with her tone of voice.
"Okay, okay, I give. I value life too much to continue with this. All right, you want the truth?"
"Yes."
"She's naked," Jen said, covering the receiver with her hand and laughing out loud.
"Put Cat back on the phone. Now!"
Jen handed the phone back to Cat. "She is really pissed," Jen said, with her hand over the receiver once more.
"Hello sweetheart," Cat said with a sugary sweet voice.
"Caaaaaaat! I am not very happy right now! Damn it Cat, tell me you're not naked," Billie demanded.
Cat finally decided to end the joke. "Billie, calm down. Sheesh, you started all this. No, I'm not naked. Look, if you can't take a joke, then don't start one, okay?" she said.
Billie took a deep breath. "I'm sorry," she said into the receiver. "Damn, but I miss you, Cat. The thought of you naked with another woman. Well, damn it, it makes my blood boil!" she exclaimed.
"Billie, we're talking about Jen here," Cat said, getting a What am I, chopped liver? look from Jen.
"I said I was sorry, really I am. Look, Jen tells me you found a replacement for your surgeries," Billie said, changing the subject.
"Yes, I did. Grandma Jo and I will be catching an early afternoon flight tomorrow to Charleston. It arrives at the airport at three-thirty p.m., Charleston time. Can you pick us up?" Cat asked.
"You bet. We'll be there," Billie replied.
"Good. How are you settling in?" Cat inquired.
"You didn't warn me about the house. Wow! It's magnificent. Our whole home can just about fit in the entry way!" Billie explained.
"Yeah, I know. We used to love to slide down the banisters when my sisters and I were small. It is kind of overwhelming, but it's pretty comfortable," Cat said.
"It seems to be," Billie agreed. "Look, love, kiss the kids for me, okay? I love you, Cat, and I miss you so much. Alex and I will be at the airport in time for your flight. I can't wait to hold you in my arms again," Billie finished.
"I love you too, sweetheart. Okay, I'll see you tomorrow afternoon," Cat said.
"Kiss Jen for me, okay?" Billie added sincerely.
"I will...on the lips!" Cat said, chuckling loud enough for Billie to hear.
"You will pay for that, woman!" Billie warned.
"Oh, I'm counting on it!" Cat replied. "See you tomorrow. Bye!"
"Good bye my love," Billie said as she hung up the phone and returned to Alex in the kitchen.
Chapter 14
Billie returned to the kitchen to find Alex putting her saucer in the dishwasher. "How are Caitlain and the children?" Alex asked.
"They're fine, and I've got some good news. Cat found someone to cover her surgeries, so she and Jo will be flying out tomorrow. They'll arrive at the airport here in Charleston around three-thirty p.m."
Alex smiled broadly. "That is good news," she said. "What do you say we celebrate with a glass of wine while we relax in the parlor for a while?"
"Sure," Billie agreed as she stepped aside to allow Alex to lead the way. As Billie followed behind the older woman she admired the poise and grace with which the elderly grandmother carried herself. As they reached the parlor, Alex walked directly to the wet bar in the corner of the room, while Billie scanned the countless family photographs that adorned the walls.
Silence prevailed as Alex busied herself choosing a wine, allowing Billie time to become acquainted with the ancestors that had been long lost to her. At least Alex hoped they were ancestors. After pouring two glasses of wine, Alex carried them over to where Billie was admiring the photographs. She silently handed one of the glasses to Billie, as she too examined the portrait Billie was looking at.
"That is your great, great Uncle Samuel Spirakis," Alex provided.
"Thank you," Billie responded as she accepted the wine. "Are all of these people ancestors?" she asked without taking her eyes from the pictures.
"Every one of them," replied Alex. "Over there is my mama and daddy–Elizabeth and Jonathan Spirakis. My mama died from cholera when I was quite young and Daddy raised me by myself. He never remarried. He said this land and his baby daughter were the only things he needed in life," she recalled as mist filled her eyes.
Billie watched the older woman as she spoke of her father. "He must have loved you very much," she commented.
Alex wiped the corner of her eye. "Yes he did. That one right there," she indicated by pointing, "is my Uncle Edward. He's the one who sent me away when I was heavy with child. That would never have happened if my daddy hadn't died a year earlier. Life would be so much different for me now if he hadn't died when he did."
Billie looked contemplatively at the older woman. "You may not have met Jo if he hadn't," she pointed out.
Alex's eyes met and held Billie's for several moments as she saw the truth in her statement. A silent nod was her reply.
Not expecting Alex to elaborate, Billie returned her attention to the portraits. "So who are these other people?" Billie asked, captivated by the wall of faces.
"To be honest with you, darlin' I don't really know. This wall has been decorated with portraits by four generations of Spirakis kin. Some of them date back to the 1800's," she replied.
"How many of them have you added?"
"Well, there's mama and daddy, and of course, Uncle Edward, although I'm amazed his portrait is still there. Josie has threatened to tear it down and burn it for years now!" she joked. "Oh, and that one over there, the one of the young girl is me at ten years of age," she pointed out.
Billie walked over to stand in front of the portrait and gasped as she realized it was like looking at a photograph of herself at that age.
"What is it, darlin?" Alex asked.
Billie looked at Alex. "That could be me," she replied. "My fifth grade photograph is almost an exact copy of that portrait."
Alex reached forward to cup the side of Billie's face with her palm. "Well of course it could, sugar. If you are who I think you are, it makes total sense," she explained.
Billie turned her face into Alex's hand and placed a gentle kiss in the palm before turning back to look into exact copies of her own blue eyes.
"Are you all right, Billie?" she asked.
Billie nodded then took a few steps away. "All of this is just a bit overwhelming," she replied. "Throughout my entire life, I have had no sense of roots. My parents went out of their way to avoid discussing relatives. I guess I didn't know what I was missing until now. Seeing this wall of portraits makes me realize that each of us comes from a long line of people who have lived and died... people with a history, many of them nameless – lost in time. Each person on this wall has their own unique genealogy. If I am truly who you think I am, then I am one of them," she continued, pointing to the wall.
"If I am one of them, I have a real family name and a real family history. My son has a real lineage. The whole concept is mind boggling," she admitted.
Alex's heart swelled with pride as she watched Billie wrestle with the complex notion of an ancestry she hadn't know she possessed. Alex took Billie by the elbow and led her to two overstuffed chairs in front of the fireplace. She motioned for her to sit as she returned to the wet bar to retrieve the bottle of wine.
Billie sat down and relaxed in the appointed chair as Alex refilled their glasses. A sigh of relief escaped her lips.
"That's Josie's favorite chair," noted Alex. "I can't tell you how many hours we have spent sitting right here, reading, and discussing historical events," Alex reminisced as she refilled Billie's wine glass.
Billie smiled at the loving look on Alex's face. "The two of you have been together for a long time," she observed. "The love you have for each other is tangible."
"We've been together for more than fifty years," Alex responded. "I can still remember the first time I laid eyes on her. I arrived at the American Embassy in Saigon, to help with decipherin’ some code. I was just a youngster at the time. I was in my mid-twenties, as was Josie. I was so taken by the brash Yankee I could hardly speak.” Alex paused and smiled at a memory that had come to her mind.
"So you had the child after you broke the code? Were you with Jo at the time?"
"Yes… and no to your questions. I went back home after we broke the code, while Josie threw herself into the war effort. We didn't meet again for another five years at an historical convention that my family was sponsoring here in Charleston, about a year after I had given birth to the child. The spark was still there, Billie. I took one look at her from across the room and realized my feelings for her were as fresh as they were when we parted way five years earlier. I knew without a doubt that my heart no longer belonged to me," Alex explained.
"Obviously, she felt the same way about you."
"Well, not right away," Alex chuckled. When we met for the first time in Saigon, she saw me as an intrusion the military hired to spy on her and invade her space. You see, she really didn't ask for an interpreter. I was kinda forced on her by the government. So, being quite the rogue, young Josephine Wycliffe decided right there and then that she was going to use her charm not only to control me in the office, but also in bed!" Alex exclaimed as Billie laughed.
Alex lightly slapped the back of Billie's hand for emphasis. "Well, you can imagine her surprise when I was having no part of her plan! In fact, she was quite insulted one day when I picked her up bodily and tossed her aside after she had backed me into a corner and propositioned me!"
"Oh, my god! I wish I had been there to witness that!" Billie laughed.
"I managed to ward off nearly all of her advances. I kind of gave in the day we broke the code, but only for one kiss. Believe you me, darlin', for the few weeks we worked together before that day, it was a challenge working with Josie. Like I told ya, I found myself attracted to her the moment I laid eyes on her, but a proper lady has standards to uphold, so as much as I wanted to, I didn't give in to her advances," Alex explained.
"So you met again, five years later, and bang, it just happened?" Billie asked in anticipation.
"Love at first sight all over again. At least for me, anyway," replied Alex.
"And what about for Jo?" Billie prompted.
Alex took a sip from her wine and pressed the back of her head into the chair cushion as she stared into the recesses of her memories. "Like I said, darlin', in the beginning, Josie's goal was to seduce me into cooperation, but I know in my heart that it was I who seduced her... not with my body, but with my soul. After breaking the code, there was no reason for me to stay in Saigon, so we said our goodbyes. As we parted, I swear I saw tears in her eyes...tears she quickly covered with her signature aviator sunglasses that always seemed to be within arm's reach."
Alex smiled as she recalled her next memory. "I was so hopin' she'd ask me to stay. In a last ditch effort, I leaned in and placed a very light, but tender kiss on her lips while saying good bye."
"What happened next?" Billie asked, captivated by the story.
Alex looked at Billie and cocked one eyebrow. "That stubborn, Yankee pride of hers got in the way. After I kissed her, she took a step back, shoved those blasted sunglasses onto her face and told me to get out of there. I knew she was trying hard not to allow her emotions to get to her, and I guess I should have called her on it, but like I said, a lady has standards. That was the last I saw of her for five years."
Billie sipped her wine then recounted their second meeting. "Okay, let me see if I understand this," Billie said. "You're thrown together in the heat of war, discover there is a mutual attraction that neither of you acted on...," she began.
"Correction, dear, Josie acted on it, quite brazenly I might add! I was the one who resisted. You know, the southern standards thing," Alex interrupted.
"Right. Josie acted, you resisted. So where was I? Oh, yeah, you part company even though it is obvious to both of you that there was something deep between you, then five years later, you meet again at a party."
Alex smiled broadly. "Oh yes. And it didn't take long for Ms. Wycliffe to find her way into my heart all over again, and into my bedroom, I might add," she said, blushing a deep crimson red as she refilled both wineglasses. "From then on, we were inseparable. I joined Josie's lecture circuit as an interpreter and traveled everywhere with her. There was no goin' back at that point."
Billie grinned as she noticed the blush that had nicely colored Alex's face. Leaning her elbow on the arm of the chair, she rested her chin on her hand and looked at Alex. "So what happened to the 'a lady's got standards' thing?" she asked, grinning ear to ear.
Alex looked into her wine glass, and coyly glanced at Billie between her eyelashes. "Well, a lot had happened to me in that five years that made me realize there was much more to life than one's reputation. My heart meant more to me than my reputation ever would. Never had that fact become more real to me than when my uncle hid me away during my pregnancy. I felt shamed and degraded, all for the sake of appearances and my family's reputation.
"Don't you see? When Josie came back into my life, my heart looked beyond the fact that she was a woman, and a Yankee woman at that! It looked beyond the fact that my uncle would be horrified that I was one of 'those' women, and beyond the fact that he would have to endure the scrutiny of friends, family and neighbors. I looked beyond all of that into the greenest eyes I had ever seen, and willingly allowed myself to drown in their depths. Standards be damned! I was in love, and that was all that mattered," Alex explained.
"And Ida?" Billie asked, leaving the question hanging.
Alex nodded her head and sipped her wine. "Ida was our gift from God, Billie. As soon as Josie and I committed ourselves to each other, I told her about the child I had borne. She was nail-spittin' angry at the stable hand who attacked me, and at my uncle for beatin’ the tar out of me and treatin' me like a common whore. It took a long time for her to get over the hurt she felt for me. It took even longer to get over the anger she felt toward my Uncle for shipping me off to Aunt Edna's and hiding me away like the embarrassment he thought I was," Alex said, a frown crossing her features at the painful memories. Shaking it off, she looked back to Billie, and paused to reminisce. A faraway happy look entered her eyes.
