Karen Marlowe discovers that her co-worker Jason is a transvestite. Karen uses this information to take control of Jason's life. In private, Karen helps transform Jason into the beautiful and confident Jasmine that she has always wanted. But in public, Karen forces Jason to make some difficult, life-style altering decisions as she slowly starts feminizing Jason's clothing and hair styles.

The author would like to acknowledge and thank Riottgrrl for proofreading and helping to prepare this manuscript.

 

Jasmine Cally Vail – The Awakening

by

G. L. Hudson

 

 

CHAPTER ONE

 

Today was the day. The first day of our new careers. I steered my BMW into the parking deck, lowered my window and slid my parking pass into the automatic gate controller. The gate rose and I drove beneath it to my new parking space. The sign in front of the space had the name Karen Marlowe stenciled on it. I smiled. I put the car in park and looked over at Jasmine.

"We're here. Ready for our first day, Jasmine?"

"I am at your beck and call, Ms. Marlowe," she answered. Her smile was as large as mine.

"Ok then, let's have at it."

I stepped out of the car and reached behind the front seat to pull out my attaché and purse. Jasmine stepped out, smoothed the front of her skirt and slipped the strap of her purse over her shoulder. We walked across the parking deck to the elevators, our heels clicking on the hard concrete, and when we reached the elevators I pushed the button. Upon its arrival, we stepped in and I pushed the button for the seventh floor. I smiled to myself – the seventh floor was where this all started - although it was a different building in a different city. The bell chimed and the doors opened. I led Jasmine down the carpeted hallway to our office.

The door had a simple title in a simple font written across the center. Karen Marlowe Attorney at Law. I slipped the key in the door and opened it for our first day in business. The cool air from the air conditioning unit greeted us. I began walking towards my small office in the rear, "Jasmine, can you get the coffee started, please?" I never looked around to see if Jasmine had heard. She responded with a short, "Yes Ma'am," as I continued towards my office.

I was psyched. This was what I had always wanted, my own small law firm. Maybe someday I would take on a partner. Maybe even two. But today it was just the two of us. I was the lawyer and Jasmine, my lover and best friend, was my secretary and paralegal. I sat behind my desk and opened my lower right-hand desk drawer. I dropped my purse inside and slid the drawer closed. It made a quiet, but solid thud as it came to a stop. The sound of quality. I had insisted that we buy quality office equipment. I had told Jasmine that first appearances would be very important. When potential clients walked in that door, the surroundings and the people, Jasmine and I, had to exude professionalism and confidence. I looked around the office and was satisfied. We had decorated tastefully, everything looked professional and had an aura of quality and money to it.

I turned on my computer and while waiting for it to boot up, I glanced out the window into the deep blue sky. It was going to be a beautiful day, not too hot and not too humid. I could see the cars and people passing along in front of our building. The computer beeped and asked for my password. I admired my latest manicure as my fingers flew over the keyboard. Even a manicure was not too small a detail in this highly competitive business world. I had chosen a French manicure, featuring clean white lines across the tips of my nails. And I had insisted on Jasmine using a bright red polish on are her slightly longer nails. Professionally manicured nails featuring a highly feminine red color to draw attention to them would suit Jasmine well as she greeted our new clients.

Jasmine walked in with two steaming mugs of coffee. She placed one on the engraved coaster on my desk, and held the other in both of her hands as she sat down in the chair across from my desk. She crossed her legs and gave her skirt a quick tug to pull it down just over the top of her knee. She waited for me to take a sip of my coffee and they asked, "Is it ok?"

I noticed the marks that my lipstick left on the edge of my mug. I licked my lips and could taste the coffee. "It's fine sweetie. Or should I say Ms. Vail. We need to remain professional in the office," I reminded her as well as myself.

"Absolutely, Ms. Marlowe." Jasmine smiled. She looked beautiful. Her red hair was full of tight curls and cascaded down around her face. Gold hoop earrings peaked out behind the curls, and swung ever so slightly as she tilted her head. "So what do you think? Are you ready for your first day?"

"I've never been so psyched in my life," I answered. "This is going to be grand. I have a great feeling about this. We're going to love being our own bosses."

Jasmine giggled and tossed her head to chase a curl out of the way. "While we're here you are the boss, and I am the help. So Ms. Marlowe, what would you like me to do first?"

I picked up my coffee mug and held it in both hands. I leaned back in my leather chair and thought a moment as I again looked at the lipstick mark. I took a sip and then leaned forward to set the mug back on its coaster. "Well, its not exactly like we're backed up with clients, is it?"

Jasmine's dimples showed as she smiled. She had the prettiest smile. She gave her head a slow nod in the negative direction.

"Why don't you start with the telephone company and check on our ad in the yellow pages. I don't believe the stationary with our letterhead has arrived, give them a call if you would, please. Check with the building super and ask if he needs anything else from us as far as transferring utilities into our name. Go over our move-in list and make sure everything is handled," I told her.

"Will that be all, Ms. Marlowe?" she asked dutifully.

"That will be all, Ms. Vail." Jasmine stood and walked out of my office. As she walked out, I watched her hips sway ever so slightly beneath the clinging silk skirt that she was wearing. Her stockings had a seam down the back and I noticed that they were perfectly straight. Her ivory blouse was a perfect match for her patterned skirt. She looked beautiful and professional.

I swiveled my chair around and faced my computer. No email. I looked out the window again and admired the view. My mind began to wander. Here I was in my own office in my own law firm. Even if it was only Jasmine and me, it was still a law firm in my mind. She had looked so pretty as she walked out that door. It was amazing how far she had come. It was amazing how far we had both come. It seemed like only yesterday that we had first met …

 

 

I had been out of law school for three months. The job market stunk, and I had received no positive leads on any of the numerous resumés that I had sent out. I was still living with my college roommate Gloria, and I really wanted to move into my own apartment. I had just broke up with my boyfriend of 6 months and I was rather depressed about everything. I was using my spare time to study for my board exams, but it just didn't fill up all the spare time that I had.

I was starting to go out at nights with Gloria just to have something to do. I had been living with Gloria for two years. She had advertised for a female roommate and as most college students, I was short on money and needed a roommate to share expenses. I called her number and she invited me over. She gave me a quick tour, set forth her rules and expectations and everything sounded ok. Then she explained that she was a lesbian. Not that it was a big deal, and not that she was looking for roommate for sexual games, but she wanted me to know up front. She would be occasionally bringing home friends and she didn't want any complaints about it from her roommate. If it was going to be a problem, she wanted to nip it in the bud. It was fine by me and I moved in two days later.

Gloria pretty much went her way and I pretty much went my way. We got along quite well, and never had any problems that lasted more than 24 hours. Gloria had chosen her apartment because it was in the gay area of town. There were several gay bars in the area, and her favorite was across the street. During my college days, I had occasionally joined her on a Saturday evening across the street at Glitter. Glitter catered to both male and female patrons. They ran a decent grill and served a good BLT sandwich until 8:00 P.M. each night. After 8:00, the bar usually began to fill up. The guys pretty much stayed to one side of the bar, and the girls on the other. There were occasional flare-ups, but they never led to much trouble. In the back was a large dance floor and a small stage. Once a week they used the stage for karaoke, three times a week they had a disc jockey, Monday nights they had football and Saturday nights, they had a late drag show after the disc jockey finished.

It was a pleasant bar during the week and a high energy bar on weekends. I was one of the few people who felt comfortable on both sides of the bar. The regular girls soon learned my preferences and were polite and left me alone. The guys had little interest in me except for the cross-dressers. They liked to talk with me for some reason. I was polite, but had no interest in them. Especially the ugly ones. The sight of them drove me crazy. But I have to admit, there was one guy who was really cute. He looked and acted so much like a girl that newcomers had no idea that he wasn't a girl. I didn't mind talking with her. She called herself Tara.

As much as I liked the bar, I was starting to spend too much time there. I really needed a job, a new apartment, new clothes and a love life. As I said, I was beginning to get a bit depressed.

But luck finally turned in my direction. I was called for an interview. It was with a large multi-national corporation. I spent the day in half a dozen interviews and I thought I held my own. I received a polite thank you at the end of the day and was warned that it would be a couple of weeks before they would get back to me. Corporate law wasn't the reason that I had entered law school, and it wasn't exactly what I wanted, but then I was in no position to be picky. I really wanted a job that paid money.

They called me back about two weeks later and I went through another round of interviews. They said they were interested in me, but again they would need another couple of weeks to finish other interviews, review everyone's opinions, run the flag up the flag pole, check with the local astrologer and run background checks. No wonder I never liked corporate law or corporations. But I really wanted the job. I needed the job.

I must have passed the background check because an offer was extended. I took it immediately. It didn't pay enough, the perks were weak, the potential boss looked like a crook and there were no other female attorneys. It was rather obvious that they had a quota to fill, and I was it. But I took the job. It was contingent on me passing my boards, but that was always understood.

So I started on a Monday. I arrived 30 minutes early and it took twenty minutes to find a parking space. I marched into the Human Resources office and announced my presence.

"Welcome, Ms. Marlowe. My name is Megan and I work for the HR director, Mr. Kleber. Would you like a cup of coffee?" Megan was very perky and friendly. I wasn't sure if she were trustworthy or not, but I didn't think she would poison my coffee on the very first day. I accepted her offer. She brought me the coffee then said, "Would you follow me this way? We have a ton of paperwork to fill out before we can get you to your new job."

She led me to a small conference room. The room had a table that was too large. I wondered how they even got it in the door. We had to squeeze against the wall to get around the table to a couple of chairs. The table was stacked with papers. "Don't worry," said Megan. "You won't have to fill out all of these forms, just the majority of them." She tried to laugh but only a pathetic snort came out. I took a seat and set down my styrofoam cup.

"Bring 'em on," I said. And she did. I had to fill out another employment form, insurance forms for teeth, for eyes, for general health, for prescriptions, for chiropractors and medical secrecy, confidentiality, CIA and loyalty oaths to the health industry. But I couldn't complain too much. Even though everyone in the world would know all about me, at lease I would have health coverage. There were a lot of people out there who had nothing.

"This is a form for United Way," Megan announced as she slid it under my pen.

"This form is already filled out," I complained.

"I know, were just trying to save you a little time," she said in the least sincere voice I had ever heard. The box for maximum contribution had already been checked. I hadn't even started work and they were already taking back my meager salary. But what could I do? I bit my lower lip and signed.

I filled out some confidentiality forms, and a patent release form. 'What in the world was I going to patent?' I asked myself. They even had me sign a morality agreement. If I did or said anything that reflected negatively on the company, I would be fired. I signed for a parking place in the garage. If I ran over any pedestrians, or stored an old 1976 pick-up on blocks in my parking space, I would be fined. I was amazed at how many forms a corporation could think up.

"That's all of the forms," Megan finally announced. "Now here is your employee handbook. Oops, I forgot. Here, you have to sign this form that says you received your handbook." My eyes rolled into the back of my head and looked for some light at the end of this tunnel. It was still dark. "Oh, and that reminds me, you also have to sign for your employee safety manual." Megan smiled as if she really enjoyed torturing helpless employees. I had the distinct feeling she also enjoyed pulling the wings off flies.

Finally, it came to an end. I thought I was going to be led to my new office and meet my fellow co-workers. Wrong! "Do you have any questions so far?" she asked me.

A grimace crossed my face and I politely responded, "Not yet."

"Good," she said. "Now we have a couple of tapes to show you. We have to go to another room for that. Follow me," she said cheerfully. I think she was cheerful because she didn't have to sit through the tapes.

It took 90 minutes to cover the tapes on office rules, safety, building evacuation in case of fire, tornados, hurricanes, earthquakes, terrorists, sabotage, irate employees with guns knives or bombs, bomb scares, biological, chemical or radiological attacks or in the event someone from Jehovah's Witnesses showed up at the front door wanting to convert the sinners.

I hadn't been there half a day and they were already grinding me up in their corporate extruder. Megan then took me to the security department on the first floor. I had my picture taken and laminated onto a piece of plastic with both a magnetic strip and an embedded RFID chip. The security officer attached a pretty pink string to it and told me to wear it around my neck when I was in the building. "I'm not sure this pink string will go well with my pearls," I joked. The officer just stared at me. He didn't know what to say.

"Well that is what they give us to put on the badges. I don't have anything else," he mumbled.

It was becoming obvious to me that you were not allowed to bring a sense of humor into the building. "Just joking," I said. "This will be fine." He sort of smiled, actually he grimaced, and told Megan that he was finished.

Ten minutes before noon, Megan led me to the law department. It was located on the seventh floor. She slid her security badge in the slot next to the door and quickly pulled it out. The LED switched from red to green and I heard a click. Megan grabbed the handle on the door and pulled it open. We walked over to the first desk we found and Megan introduced me. "Lisa, this is Karen Marlowe, she is our new lawyer. Karen, this is Lisa. Lisa is the executive office manager for the Law Department."

I extended my hand and took Lisa's hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you Lisa," I said.

"We're sure glad to see you, Karen. We thought HR had forgotten about us." It was an obvious dig and it came with a slight perfunctory smile.

Megan understood the comment. "Ok, then. Karen is all yours." She turned on her heels and headed out the door.

"Karen, your new office is over here," and she began leading me towards the back of the room. "We'll be heading over to the cafeteria and lunch in about 5 minutes. Do you know where it is?"

Lisa was very formal and official in her tone of voice, but I thought I sensed a bit of honesty and maybe even kindness. My first impression of Lisa was a workaholic from 8:00 to 5:00, but a good person outside of work. Of course, it wouldn't be the first time, nor the last time that I was wrong about someone.

"No, I'm afraid not," I answered.

"Why don't you drop off your things, and then we can walk over for lunch. I'll introduce you to a few of the girls, and after lunch I can help you get situated."

"Thanks, that would be wonderful. Can I use the little girls room before we go?"

"Sure." She pointed across the room, "The ladies room is over there. When you finish, come up front to my desk and we'll head over to lunch."

I walked over to the ladies room and was duly impressed. It was large, clean, well lit and had comfortable chairs for those tough days when you just had to relax for a few minutes. I used the toilet, changed my panty liner, washed my hands and tidied up my make up. I slung my purse over my shoulder and walked out to Lisa's desk.

Lisa gave me a warm smile and asked, "Ready?" I nodded yes. Two other girls were standing by her desk. "Karen this Jasmine, she is the paralegal for environmental services, and this is Terri, she handles all of the domestic real estate services." Both girls showed their pearly whites and we shook hands. They both seemed very nice at first blush. "Shall we be off, then?"

Lisa led the way out the door with the other two girls following and me bringing up the rear. Once in the main hallway we headed towards the elevators. Jasmine turned to me and asked, "What areas will you be working in?"

"I'm not real sure, yet. I haven't met with Mr. Pearson." Pearson was the law director. "When I interviewed he said that he needed help with consumer litigation, HR and contracts. So I'm not sure which area I'll be working with."

Contracts," Jasmine announced. "We're desperate for help there. If he puts you in litigation I'll kill the stupid idiot." She didn't even smile when she said it. I guessed that maybe they really did need help in contracts.

The elevator arrived and we went down to the second floor and walked over to the cafeteria. It seemed to be a typical corporate cafeteria. Lots of plastic and stainless steel, no acoustics and uncleaned tables spread around the room. Lisa again led the way. "Karen, here are the trays and utensils. That carousel over there handles salads, jellos, cottage cheese, fruit and the like. Over here are the specials, and they're listed on the board up there." She pointed in the general direction of the chalkboard. "Around the side of that carousel is the grill. You can order hamburgers, fries and the like. There is a small freezer over this way, and you can get ice cream and fudgesicles. When you pick up your food you need to go over to the check out counter. You have two choices; either cash or give them your security card and they will charge your meal. You will get a bill twice a month if you decide to charge your meal. And when you're through, we usually sit at that table over at the window. Ok?"

"Ok." I walked over to the salad carousel and picked up a plain lettuce salad with a few bits of tomato and cucumber on it. I splashed some Italian dressing on it, picked up a small dish of cottage cheese and paid cash. I was the first one through the lines and I guessed as to which table Lisa had been pointing towards. I must have been correct, because the other girls soon joined me.

"Light eater?" Terri asked.

"Not usually, just low on cash right now. I don't want to start charging anything until I can get my finances in order."

"Money tight?"

"Yeah, that's part of it. But the other part is I just don't know where I stand yet. I want to find my own apartment, I need to buy some more work clothes, and I have a load of school loans to pay off. Up until now, since I haven't been working, I haven't been paying off the bills. But now that I'm working I have to start making payments."

Terri looked understanding and sympathetic. "If I can be nosy, how much does it cost to go to school these days."

"Well, its not just school, tuition, books and all, but it is the cost of living also. Room, board, transportation, and the lot. Suffice it to stay I have over $30,000 in loans I have to pay off."

"Wow," she said. "That makes things a bit tougher. I've wished I could make the salary that you lawyers make, but you certainly come in with some heavy baggage."

I just smiled. Already I was one of "them". I was one of the high paid people. I wished she hadn't said that. I didn't have any friends here, and I definitely didn't consider myself one of "them" high paid people. Jasmine and Lisa quickly joined us.

"So how is the first day going?" Jasmine asked.

"So far I've spent a grand total of ten minutes in the law department. I never knew there were so many HR forms to sign."

"Don't worry," Lisa said. "Most of that HR crap is behind you. They have to be the most worthless group of human beings on the face of this planet. I swear the only requirement for working in HR is that you have to fail at every other job first." Jasmine and Terri added an 'amen' and I had to giggle. Lisa noticed my giggling and she added, "I'm not kidding. They're worthless."

"Where are you from?" Jasmine asked.

"Cincinnati," I answered.

"What brings you here?"

"Law school. I got a little financial help and so here I am. Although I have to say, that financial help was very little. I'd hate to see where I would be without some of that help."

"School loans?" Jasmine asked.

"Big time," Terri answered for me. I also gave an affirmative head shake. "Are you married? Terri changed the subject.

"Nope," I answered as I flashed my bare ring finger.

"Steady?"

I shook my head no.

"Well there you go," and Jasmine gave a head nod towards a man walking down the aisle with his food tray. He was young kid, I thought. He was short, probably no more than 5'5" and very thin. He had a very pretty face, almost feminine.

"Who is he?" I asked.

"New kid," Terri chirped. "Kind of a dual position. He is a paralegal, but also seems to be a whiz with computers. They sent him down to IT for a couple of months and now he's back in our department."

"What's he do?"

"He does paralegal for real estate and he handles all of our PC problems," Lisa said. "I'll introduce you to him this afternoon. He handles all the security, passwords and such, plus equipment and network problems that you might have. I'll have him show you how everything is networked and how to handle the day to day fun of printers, fax machines and the rest."

"So what do you think?" Jasmine said. "What do you make of him?"

"What do you mean?"

"Do you think he is gay?"

"Gay?"

"Yeah, look at him," Terri said. "He's a real pretty boy. Never says a word to any of the girls. Looks pretty small and effeminate to me."

"Some of the other girls have their doubts as well," Jasmine added.

I was hoping Lisa, as the office manger, would stop this gossip but she was also waiting for my opinion. "I don't know," I said. "He looks very young. How old is he?"

"Twenty two," answered Lisa. "He has a high school education and a two year degree at one of the local vocational techs."

"Well that might explain why he doesn't talk with any of the girls. Everyone is older than him. Plus, you said he just started?" Jasmine nodded. "Well he is probably a bit overwhelmed and unsure of himself. It takes a while to become accustomed to new surroundings. I know I'm still a bit unsure of things."

"But you haven't been here a full day yet," Terri said. "He's been here four months. That's a big difference."

"That's still not a lot of time."

"So, you haven't given us your opinion. Do you think he's gay?" Jasmine was prodding me for an answer.

"I don't know," I said. "Yeah, he looks like a pretty boy, but that doesn't mean anything. I'd hate to say something negative about someone that I've never met."

"Well, you'll get to meet him this afternoon," Jasmine pointed out. "Check him out and tell us what you think."

"There you go," added Terri. "Your first assignment is evaluate the new boy and report back to us at lunch tomorrow."

I grimaced. My first day there and the office girls were already trying to pull me into their petty office gossip. I felt sorry for the boy. He hadn't been there four months and they were already sniping behind his back. I worried what they might do behind my back. I had spent many an hour in a gay bar and I had seen many a gay man. He had the looks for possibly being gay, but I didn't see it in his mannerisms. As young as he was, I really thought his problem was simply shyness. But being my first day, and not wanting to alienate the girls, I agreed to give them my evaluation the next day.

We finished lunch and took our trays over to the conveyor belt and sent them on their way into the kitchen. We took a leisurely stroll around the foyer overlooking the first floor and did a bit of people watching. Even though it was still lunch, there were lots of people walking in and out of the lobby down below.

"Do you work out?" Jasmine asked.

"Not much," I confessed. "Partly because of the amount of time I spend on school and studies and partly because of money. I can't afford to join a gym."

"Well if you want, you can join me for aerobics after work. The company has a nice gym on sublevel 1, and Monday, Tuesday and Thursday they have aerobics from 5 to 6. Its free."

"Well ok. Thanks, I'll think about it."

"Also, a couple of us single girls stop and have a cocktail across the street on Friday nights. We don't stay long, unless of course we get lucky. It's an interesting place for single girls."

I smiled, "Thanks. I might take you up on that. It kind of depends on how well I can get settled in."

"I'll check back on Friday to see if you're interested. Well, let's start heading back to the office."

I followed her as we walked up the 5 flights to the seventh floor. Jasmine used her security card to clear us into the law department, and then she led me back to my office. "There you go. Good luck and welcome to the company." She turned to walk out of my office, then stopped and turned around, "And don't forget your homework assignment. Let us know what you think."

"I will," I promised.

I sat down and started looking through the desk drawers and playing with the computer. Lisa stopped by a few minutes later. "Karen, this is Mr. Pearson." Lisa turned and left.

Mr. Pearson was a tall, good-looking man. He was probably in his fifties, but very athletic looking. He looked like a real, corporate power broker. He walked towards me and held out his hand. I reached over my desk and shook his hand. "Welcome, Karen. We're glad you took us up on our offer. I hate to say this, but we are under staffed and over worked, so we're going to throw you into the fray immediately. Why don't you come down to my office and I'll give you some insight into what we need."

I followed Mr. Pearson out the door and into the open work area. There were several work cubicles, but the cubicle walls were only 4 feet high. The area was very open. Mr. Pearson silently led me around the room, never saying a word to the secretaries and paralegals. Then we went to the offices around the perimeter of the room and he introduced me to the other lawyers. We worked our way around the room and eventually made it to his corner office.

His office was about twice the size of everyone else's. He had a large mahogany desk, and a beautiful credenza behind it. Across the room, he had a sofa and two wing back chairs, with a low coffee table between them. There was a stack of papers on the coffee table. "Come over here and take a seat, Karen. Can I get you some coffee or a soft drink?"

I was a bit dry. "If it isn't too much trouble, I'll take a diet coke," I answered.

"Not at all, he said." He closed his office door part way, and there was a counter with a sink behind the door. Under the sink he had a small refrigerator. He took out a diet coke and turned towards me, "Would you like a glass?"

"Can is fine."

He returned to the sitting area, handed me the coke and then took a seat on the sofa. "Well then, let's get to work. I have a lot I'd like to cover with you." He took a sheet of paper off the top of the stack and handed it to me. "This is the organizational chart. I have you reporting to John Taylor and I would like you to help out on two general areas; government contracts and HR issues to make sure that we are compliant with all federal, state and local requirements. It's going to be a handful."

The discussion lasted almost two hours. He threw so many things at me that I thought I was buried already. But he was a really nice man. I decided immediately that I liked him. It was an intense 2 hours, in that I was overwhelmed with all of the new work and details. At the end of the meeting, I literally waddled to the rest room.

After recovering my composure, I returned to my office and started to sort through some of the numerous files Mr. Pearson had given me. I had barely started when I heard a knock on my door. It was Jasmine and the boy computer specialist. "Ms. Marlowe, do you have a few minutes?"

"Sure Jasmine, come in."

"Ms. Marlowe, this Jason Vail. He is our department's expert on computers, and he is here to give you an orientation to our computer systems. Do you have time to see him now?"

"Yea, now is as good as any time," I said. I stood and offered my hand to Jason, "Hi Jason, It's a pleasure to meet you." He took my hand in a very tentative grasp and we shook.

"Nice to me you too," he said. It was obvious that he was very nervous.

"I will leave you two to your work then," Jasmine said. She gave me a quick wink before she turned and walked out the door.

"Well Jason, how do you want to do this?"

"It would be best if you sat in front of the computer and I walk you through the different steps. It usually works better if you do all of the entries yourself."

"Sounds good, Jason. Why don't you slide that chair over here, and sit beside me."

Jason grabbed one of my chairs and started pushing it. The chair caught on a seam in the carpet and tipped over. He almost went over with the chair. "Sorry." He picked up the chair and pulled it over rather than push it. It came along much better that way. I slid up closer to the keyboard so that he could also get closer. He still set up his chair a long way behind me.

"Jason, you can slide up closer. It will be easier to see."

"Ok," and he slid 2 millimeters closer. I just smiled to myself.

"Where do we start?" I asked.

"Let's set up your computer for all of your passwords. You will have to tell me your password. We often come in before work, or late at night and load new updates. We need to know your password to do that."

"How long does it need to be?"

"Five to 8 characters and we like to have a mixture of letters and numbers."

I thought for a minute and came up with a neat idea. "Jason, what is your middle name?"

"Mine? James."

"And when were you born?"

"May 15, 1982."

"Ok, how about james82?"

I looked over my shoulder and I could see him turning red. "Yea, that's ok."

"And it will help you remember it also. Right?"

"Uhh, yea. Cool."

"Ok, what do I do?" Jason James Vail then walked me through several screens, typing in my new password as we went along. We set up defaults, set up icons for the different law databases that I would use on a regular basis, initialized my e-mail, set up nicknames, printers, fax interfaces, calendars and on and on. It went quite well. Normally, computers always jump up and bite you on even the simplest set-ups, but Jason knew what he was doing.

As we moved along, I made small talk during waiting periods. "How long have you worked here Jason?"

"About 4 months."

"Are you from here?"

"Yea, I grew up in Evansville, one of the Chicago suburbs."

"Still live there?"

"For the time being. I'm not sure how much longer I'll be there."

"Where did you go to school?"

"The local vocational school, Evansville Technical."

"Any brothers or sisters?"

"'One of each."

"Are you close?"

"Sort of. My brother and I are. He's only one year behind me. I love my sister, but we aren't really that close."

"That's too bad," I said.

"Well it's tough," he said. "She's moderately autistic, and has her good days and bad days."

That caught me by surprise. "I'm sorry to hear that." He sort of shrugged his shoulders and that was the end of our small talk. I was going to ask him about girl friends, but I couldn't bring it up.

Jason finished up with the orientation and pushed his chair back. I stood with him and shook hands. "Thanks Jason. If I have any problems, how do I get hold of you?"

"My phone extension is on your list over here, and my desk is out front by Terri." He pulled his chair back to its original position and left. I went back to my pile of folders that Mr. Pearson had given me.

The next time I looked up it was 5:00. Terri and Jasmine each knocked on my door and said goodnight as they headed out. I stayed until about 7:00 P.M. I was getting hungry and my eyes were starting to burn. It was time to turn out the lights and head home.

 

 

CHAPTER TWO

The next morning I drove my rust bucket around the parking deck twice before I found my parking spot. It wasn't very close to the office, but it was all mine. Cool! I was on the corporate ladder. The perks were starting to come. The pay sucked, but you have to start at the bottom I told myself.

I walked in the office at 7:15 and found no one there. I searched around in the twilight of security lights until I found the light switch. I went to my office and logged on to my computer. I spent the next half hour surfing my favorite news sites. A little before 8:00, I started on my stack of files. I worked through the first file, taking notes and making a list of items I wanted to check into.

I finished the first file at 8:30 and decide it was time for a break. I walked through the office and said good morning to Lisa, Terri and Jasmine. I even made a slight detour so that I could walk by Jason's cubicle and say good morning. On the way to the rest room I noticed that the lights were dark in all of the lawyer's offices. When I returned, I made it a point to stop by Lisa's desk. "I don't see any lights on in the other lawyer's office. Am I missing a meeting?"

"Not to worry. None of them show up until 9:00."

"I thought work hours started at 8:00," I said.

"Not for lawyers. They might work later than most, but they certainly don't start at the same time that we do."

"And nobody says anything?" I asked.

"What can they do? Sue them?" She shrugged her shoulders and went back to her computer. As I walked away I noticed she was looking at a Hollywood gossip site. In fact, I walked through the office area and noticed that not one of the girls looked like she was actually working. I went to the kitchenette, got my coffee and went back to my office … and my work.

And I did work. About 9:30 I heard a few hellos out in the office as some of the other lawyers began to arrive. None of them stuck their head in the door to say 'morning. All of the other lawyers were men. I was starting to wonder if I would be the 'odd-girl-out'. I quickly decided that I would do everything I could to keep that from happening. I left my office and walked by every lawyer's office and poked my head in to say good morning. I think I surprised a couple of them.

No one bothered me for the rest of the morning. At noon, Jasmine knocked on my door. "Lunch time," she announced. "Are you going to join us?"

"Sure thing," I said. "Give me a minute first. I have to make a stop." I stopped by the rest room, finished my business, freshened my lipstick and met the girls by Lisa's desk.

"So how is it going?" Jasmine asked.

"Ok. I'm still looking through the files that Mr. Pearson gave me yesterday. I'm only about one third of the way through the stack."

"Well that's why you get the big bucks," Terri said.

We all went through the lunch line and sat down at our usual table. "Did you see Linda this morning?" Lisa asked.

"Who's Linda?" I asked.

"She's the office bimbo in advertising," Jasmine said.

"Yea, I saw her," Terri said. "Jenny came by and said Linda had the god-ugliest blouse you've ever seen. See-through fuchsia. I had to go check it out. It was hideous. She had a black bra and no cami. Pathetic. I thought I was going to barf." She made a motion of poking her finger down her throat.

"That's what I heard," said Lisa. "I can't believe Nadine didn't send her home."

"So who is she chasing?" asked Terri.

"Rumor has it, some married guy. McInnis, McGinnis or something like that."

"What happened to her last paramour?"

"Probably still getting penicillin shots." All three laughed. I did too. It was mean, but kind of funny.

"So Karen, what did you learn yesterday?"

"About what?"

"You know, Jason. Is he gay?"

"I noticed that you guys were sitting awful close together," Jasmine teased.

"Come on, is he gay or is … he … gay?" Terri emphasized her last three words.

"I don't know. I don't think so."

"What do you mean, you don't know?"

"Didn't you ask him?" They all laughed.

"Yea right, I'm just going to come out and say, "By the way Jason, you gay?' "

"Sure."

"Why not? Don't be bashful. Be forceful. That's how you get ahead in this company."

"Well, to be honest I was working my way towards asking if he had a girlfriend or anything, but I got thrown off the track."

"How?"

"I was asking if he had any siblings, and he told me about his autistic sister."

"Oh." That quieted them for a moment.

Just then, Jason came walking down the aisle and passed our table. "Hi," he said.

We returned his salutation. As he passed our table Jasmine said, "Look at that ass. He's swishing. He's gay."

I turned around in my chair to look at him go by. I never saw his butt, because I noticed the stud at the table two behind us. He saw me looking and gave me a brief smile. I snapped a neck muscle as I twisted around back to my table.

"It does look a little swishy," Lisa said. "I have to admit, he has one of the cutest little noses that I've ever seen. But I'm just not sure, Jasmine."

"No doubt, no doubt. Right Terri?"

"Absolutely."

"Karen?" I didn't answer. "Yoo hoo! Karen? Are you still with us?"

"Who's that guy two tables behind us?" I had only seen a glimpse of him, but his eyes were beautiful.

"Which one?" Lisa asked.

"Two tables behind me and looking this way."

"Ooooh," whispered Jasmine. "Mikey from sales."

"And who is Mikey?"

"He's single," Terri teased.

"Again," said Lisa.

'No!"

"Yep. I think it lasted less than a year. Rumor is he isn't exactly home material. The dog likes to get off the porch and roam."

"Woof, woof,"

"I wonder how big that dog is?" Everyone broke out laughing.

I was intrigued. Those eyes were beautiful. "Where might the sales department be located?" I asked.

Jasmine rolled her eyes and grinned. "Girl, you've only been here one day and your sniffing around already?"

"Absolutely not," I said. "I'm just making sure that I don't accidentally wander through the wrong part of this building." Jasmine almost choked.

The rest of the afternoon my mind kept wandering back to those eyes. I worked until 7:00 P.M. before I went home and made myself a TV dinner.

The next day I arrived at 7:00 and surfed the news outlets until 7:45, and then dug into my pile of files. John Taylor, my immediate boss called around 9:00 and asked if I could meet with him at 10:00. We spent the rest of the morning prioritizing my cases. I was hoping to be asked to join him for lunch, but he never asked. So I asked him. "Are you going to the cafeteria for lunch?"

He brushed me off. "I'm sorry, I'll be working through lunch today. I have a huge back log." I decided he could come in before 9:00 if he had that much of a backlog. He left each night before I did. I went to lunch with the girls, but I made it a point to come back as early as possible to see if he was really working through lunch. He wasn't anywhere in sight.

The rest of my week went by fast. The routine was about the same. Friday, Jasmine asked if I wanted to join her for a drink at the bar across the street. I had nothing else to do, and so I agreed. "Great, I'll stop and get you about 5:30. There is no need to get there too early."

At 5:20, Jasmine picked me up and we strolled across the street to Malloy's 'Old Style' Tavern. I thought Old Style had something to do with the décor. I found out it was a new micro-brewery beer. So what the heck, I tried a 'new' Old-Style. We found a booth near the back and sat down. We had just begun rating the men, when I saw him. Mikey was there. I lost track of the conversation and Jasmine notice immediately.

"Who is he?" as she turned around to look. "Oh." She picked him out right away. "Well, how are you going to move on him?"

"Who?"

"Duh. Do I look that ignorant?"

"I don't know. What do I do?"

"Let me see." She slid out of the booth and sat down on my side of the booth. She slid next to me. "Let me watch for a minute." We watched him as he talked with a couple of guys. Every once in a while they would laugh and then each of them would take a quick glance around at the crowd. It was hard to tell if they were looking to see who was there, or looking to see who was watching them. There were obviously some large egos in action.

"He's talking with two other sales guys. I think the one on the left is married. I'm not sure."

"Do you know anything about him?"

Jasmine slid a little closer to me. She patted me on the back of my hand and then left her hand on mine. "I can find out anything in this company. It might take a couple of days, and I might have to kill a few people, but I can do it."

I started laughing. "Don't kill anyone on my account. Only if they deserve it."

"What do you want to know?"

"Only the basics; height, weight, mother's maiden name and the size of his … bank account."

"Ah yes. Just the basics. Well, it's going to cost you."

"How much?" I asked.

"For starters, can you give me a ride home tonight?"

"I'm not sure that's a wise idea."

"Why?"

"The rust might stain your skirt."

She grasped my hand, almost as if we were holding hands, and wiggled it back and forth. "I'll take the chance if it is ok with you. How's your drink? Would you like another? I'll buy."

"Sure."

Jasmine squeezed me on the shoulder as she slipped out of the booth and headed towards the bar. Then I received the shock of the night. Mikey walked over to my table. "Hi, I'm Mike Nichols. I've seen you around the office this week. Are you our new hot-shot lawyer?'

I was a bit flustered. "I don't know about the hot-shot part, but I am new to the company."

"I'ld like to welcome you to the company. May I buy you a drink?"

"Yea. Oh wait, no." I really was flustered. "I have a drink coming."

"I'm sorry to hear that. I was looking forward to buying you a drink. Could I at least ask you your name?"

"I'm sorry. I've forgotten my manners. I'm Karen Marlowe, and I extended my hand. Where do you work Mr. Nichols?"

"Sixth floor, sales department. I'm responsible for international sales."

"Really? Do you travel overseas?"

"A little bit. I usually make two trips a year to Europe and one or two to Asia. Are you a traveler?"

"Unfortunately, no. I'd love to go to Europe, but so far my traveling has been limited to Six Flags." Just as the conversation was starting to show some promise, Jasmine returned. She handed me my drink and sat down next to me. "Have you met?" I asked. They both gave a negative head shake. "Mike Nichols, this is Jasmine. Jasmine works with me in the law department."

They shook hands. There was a short, awkward silence and then Mike decided to back away. "Well, I should get back to my friends. It was nice meeting you Jasmine, and Karen welcome to our company. I hope I see more of you."

Nice double entendre I thought. "It was nice meeting you also. I'd like to see more of you also." I gave him a nice smile. He smiled and shook his head. We both understood. He gave me a quick wave and walked back to his friends.

Jasmine gave me a sly smile. "Couldn't wait for me? You had to go out and do your own reconnaissance?"

"The opportunity presented its self and I acted upon it."

We spent another hour at the tavern, had another drink and then I hit my limit. It had been a long week and I wasn't used to the pace. I was tired and the three beers that I had drunk were enough to put me under. I decided that I had better give Jasmine a ride home while I still could.

We walked back to my rust-bucket and the air helped wake me up. Jasmine gave me directions as I took her home. When we arrived at her home, she reached over and squeezed my leg. Then she rubbed my leg a couple times and said, "Thanks, Karen. See you on Monday."

It took me another 45 minutes to drive home. I decided that I had to start looking for my own apartment. Something closer to work. I walked in the door just as Gloria was walking out. "I'm going to Glitter. Want to join me?"

"Sorry, I'm beat." I made my self a quick salad and crawled into bed.

 

CHAPTER THREE

Monday morning I arrived at my desk and laid the Sunday paper out. I started going through the apartments-for-rent section, hi-liting or circling the ads that looked promising. My desk was covered with the papers and my notes, when I tried to log onto the computer to search one of the web sites that were mentioned. The computer couldn't find anything out in the virtual world. My connection or something was dead.

I called Jason and asked him to come help. Jason arrived and said, "Good morning. What's the problem?"

"I tried to pull up a web site on local apartments but nothing comes up. I tried a couple of my bookmarks and they're all dead, too."

Jason walked behind my desk and sat down. "Let's start over. I'll reboot and log on as the administrator and see what happens." He shut down the computer and then had to wait a couple of minutes while it went through its normal re-boot protocol. He looked at all of the papers spread across my desk. "Are you looking for a new apartment?"

"Yea. I need something closer to work."

"When you're ready to move, let me know. I'd be glad to help you."

I didn't know what to say. Most people don't volunteer that quickly for work. "Thanks, I don't have much to move, but I'll keep you in mind."

"Everyone thinks they don't have much to move until they actually start boxing stuff and getting ready. Then you're always surprised at how much more junk there really is. Keep me in mind. I really wouldn't mind helping you."

The computer came up and Jason started diagnosing my problem. He only took about 5 minutes to get me up and running again.

That week I began to form my routine. I came in well before the other employees. Jason was usually second in, but almost a half hour after me. I would surf the net for news and entertainment items. I usually had lunch with the girls, and they spent the lunch hour gossiping and tearing down everyone else in the company. Their favorite targets were Linda in advertising, and Jason the 'queer'.

I tried to get the other lawyers to recognize that I was actually employed at the same company as they were. Not a single one of them ever invited me to lunch. I tried to invite them on several occasions, and only once did anyone of them join me.

In the afternoon, Jason usually stopped by and asked if I wanted to walk down the hall to the vending machines and get a soft drink. More often than not he volunteered to buy me a drink. Jasmine would stop in several times a day to say hello or drop off some work. She would usually stay and talk a few minutes. But other than that, no one bothered with me. I was feeling ignored. I was not making friends very fast.

On Thursday, Mikey stopped by. He knocked on my door late in the afternoon. "Hey, anyone home?"

"Come in. I haven't seen you in a while. Been busy?"

"Yea. I had to make a quick overnight trip to New York on Tuesday. They keep you busy around here."

"Yea, I guess so."

"So how are you doing? Getting into the swing of things?"

"Pretty much. I'm still doing my initial review on several of my cases, but I'm working my way towards the bottom of the pile."

"Good, I'm sure you'll get on top of everything soon enough," and he gave me a devilish grin. I caught his meaning. "So, I was wondering."

"You were? I'm glad to see that you're inquisitive."

"Yea, well it keeps me going. But what I was really wondering about is whether or not you might be free on Saturday night?"

"Lawyers are never free. But some times we are a bargain."

He actually chuckled at that joke. "Well yea, I was looking for a bargain. I was wondering if you might be interested in dinner. Maybe we could go dancing or catch a show afterwards. Whatever you prefer."

"Sure, I think I can find some free time. Dancing might be fun."

"Well, … ahh … good. What say I pick you up around 6:00?"

"That sounds fine."

He sighed a breath of relief. "So where do I pick you up?"

I gave him my address and he left for his office. I was feeling great. Finally, I was getting some social life. It wasn't two minutes after Mikey left and Jasmine came to my office. "You look like you're smiling. Catch a mouse?"

"Maybe."

"Well, I hope it wasn't a rat." That comment threw me. "Did he ask you out on a date?"

"Yep. Saturday night. Dinner and dancing."

"Oooh, that sounds nice. Does that mean your dance card is open for Friday?"

"I guess so. We could stop for a drink across the street if you want."

"I was thinking of another spot, about two blocks away, Bridgette's. Does that sound ok?"

"Sure. What time?"

"5:30 ok?"

And so I had two nights planned for the upcoming weekend. Life was getting even better.

 

It ended up being an interesting weekend. Bridgette's was a girl's bar. It was becoming apparent that Jasmine had another agenda. We took a booth away from the bar and the busy area of the bar. She bought the drinks and after the second drink, joined me on my side of the booth. We faced the front of the bar and she kept a running dialog about the girls coming in the front door. She made a point of patting my hand or knee, or rubbing against my shoulder as we talked.

I had lived with a lesbian for a couple of years. I never had any type of quarrel with anyone's lifestyle. But I was not attracted to Jasmine. Yet, I couldn't say no to her. I couldn't come out and say 'Stop, I'm not interested'. I know I was leading her on with no intention of getting together with her, but I was afraid to say no. I needed her as a friend at work. My social life was thin as it was. I couldn't afford to lose anyone at this time. Or so I thought. So, although I didn't actually encourage her, I didn't stop her.

We had dinner at the bar, just sandwiches and fries. We stayed until about 10:00. Jasmine asked for a ride home and I obliged. When we arrived at her apartment she invited me in for a night cap. I was ready for her. I had begun leading her on at Bridgette's that I was starting my period. I told her I was feeling 'pre-menstrual' and I just wasn't in the mood for a drink. I was going to have to be more elusive in the future if I wanted to keep her friendship, but not have to bed her.

Saturday wasn't much better. I was infatuated with Mikey, his eyes were gorgeous. But he seemed to be just as interested in his ego as he was in me. But like I said, I was infatuated. We went to a great restaurant, and Mikey put out the bucks. Shrimp cocktails, lobster, expensive wine and chocolate death. Then we went to a local club that was also upscale. Mikey was a pretty good dancer. But all through the night he always managed to run into old girl friends and guy friends. He had no problem leaving me hanging for 5 or 10 minutes as he talked with his old buddies.

At least he wasn't quite as pushy as Jasmine at the end of the night. He asked if I wanted to stop by his apartment and I declined. He only asked once and didn't bring it up again. When he dropped me off at my apartment he managed to hang around trying for an invite. I used my 'premenstrual' excuse on him and he politely accepted it. He asked if I had a nice evening and I admitted that I had. "Maybe we could do something again next weekend?"

"Sure," I encouraged him.

Sunday I got serious about apartment hunting. I made a few calls and drove over to two apartments. I liked the first one that I saw, and began negotiating. After all, isn't that what lawyers do? On Monday I was back at work and sending over personal information for the apartment manager to check out. By Thursday I had been accepted. Jasmine again asked me out on Friday night, and I had the perfect excuse. I had to go close the deal on my apartment before I lost it to someone else. I asked for a raincheck and she gladly obliged me. I had made it a point to remain polite and friendly with her all week, but I tried not to get alone with her.

Jason was still the only man in my department who would give me more than the time of day. I was getting to the point where I found him in mid-afternoon and asked him to walk down and get a soft drink. I mentioned that I had found an apartment. "When will you be moving in?" he asked.

"Not this weekend but next weekend."

"Would you like some help moving in? I would be happy to help."

I was hoping to get Mikey to help me. "Thanks, but I'm not sure if I'll need help. Can I let you know next week? Is that too late for your schedule?" I had a strong hunch that Jason's weekends weren't booked very full.

"Sure he said. I'll check back with you on Monday. Ok?"

"Ok."

Mikey and I went out again on Saturday. Again he took me to a very nice restaurant. And he did pay more attention to me. We didn't run into nearly as many old friends, and I made sure by insisting on going to a dance club in my old neighborhood. Not Glitter, but one of the straight clubs. He didn't have any friends in that neighborhood.

As the evening wore on, I was pleased with his attention and demeanor. I was starting to melt a little bit, and I even thought that I might take him tonight. Then I asked him if he could help me move next weekend. Nope. Too busy. Plans with his buddies. Golfing or some other garbage. I was pissed. It was obvious that he sure wasn't ready for any commitment. And so neither was I. I did give in and give him a goodnight kiss. It was almost a goodnight handshake, but I was still interested in him. I thought he still had potential, so I didn't slam the door shut.

I arrived at work on Monday, still peeved at Mikey. Jason arrived around 7:30 and he immediately came to my office. "Morning. Have a nice weekend?"

"It was ok," I answered half-heartedly. "How about you?"

"Boring. My brother was in town and I didn't do much."

"Sorry to hear that."

"I was checking back to see if you needed any help moving this weekend."

"Thanks, it's really nice of you to offer. Yes I could use some help. Do you mind?"

"Not at all. That's why I'm here. When do you want to move?"

"Early Saturday, ok? Say 9:00 or 10:00?"

"I can be there at 9:00. Where do you live?" I told him, then he added, "By the way, I don't have a car. All I can offer is a willing back."

"That would be great, I'll take it." He smiled and returned to his desk. He really was a nice kid. At lunch the girls were still putting him down behind his back. I probably should have said something, but the girls were the only people who even acknowledged my existence at work. So I kind of played along with them. Jasmine was probably the meanest. She was constantly calling him swishy and sissy. She made fun of his clothes and how he talked. I thought Lisa, being the office manager, should have said something, but she let it continue, and she actually threw in a few insults herself.

I continued to try to break into the old-boys club, but I was having no luck. The other lawyers always split for lunch and I never earned an invitation. I was starting to get the message – 'No girls allowed'. Mikey never showed up all week. I guess he didn't want to take a chance on having to help me move. The only person who could talk nicely to me and not insult others was Jason. And Jason wasn't the person I was interested in.

But Jason was the only person who showed up on Saturday. Jason arrived exactly on time. "Good morning," he said as he presented me with cinnamon rolls.

"Wow, thanks," I responded a bit flabbergasted. "You didn't have to bring anything."

"It makes the morning a bit more tolerable." I poured us each a cup of coffee and we ate the rolls. He was in a hurry to get started so we began taking boxes down to the mini-van that I had rented. The first load was primarily the small boxes of clothes and dishes. Jason took the passenger seat and I drove us over to my new apartment. The new apartment complex had a 4-wheel cart, which made life much easier. We would load the cart and run it up to the fourth floor and drop off the boxes and then head down for the next load. The unloading went mush faster than the loading part.

I gave Jason a quick tour before we went down for our second load. He was duly impressed and I was happy that with his response. After all, I was a high-paid lawyer now, so I should have a nice large apartment. We finished with the first load and then went back to my old apartment and loaded the larger items; bed, dresser, sofa and my stereo system. There wasn't much else because I didn't have very much. A third trip to handle another load of boxes finished our moving part. Jason stayed around and helped me put the bed back together and also helped me set up my computer and stereo systems. He did know his way around electronics.

By 4:00 we pretty much had everything assembled, put in place or put away. Jason was walking around, surveying our job when he walked into the spare bedroom. "There is nothing in here," he said to the echo. "What are you going to do with this room?"

"I don't know. Knowing me, I'll eventually have it filled with garbage that I should throw away. But since I have the extra room, I know I'll keep stuff that I shouldn't. Eventually it will get pretty cluttered, I'm sure."

I wanted to thank Jason for his help so I asked him to dinner. "No, that's alright. You don't have to buy me a thing. I enjoyed helping."

"I insist. It's just going to be a sandwich and beer ok?"

"I guess that will be ok."

We locked up and walked a block down the street to a local corner tavern. We took a seat at the bar and both ordered a beer. We asked for a menu and placed our orders. "So Jason, what do you do for fun and recreation?"

"Not much. I'm taking care of my parent's house, so I spend most of my weekends mowing grass and fixing odds and ends around the house."

"No girl friend?"

"Not yet." He was rather quiet and didn't say anything for a couple of minutes. We sat and nursed our beers.

"So how did you end up taking care of your parent's home?"

"Mom and dad took Kara, that's my sister, to a home in Wisconsin. She's autistic and needs extra help. Rather than just dump her at the home, mom and dad bought a house nearby and visit Kara every day. They moved up there about 2 years ago. So my brother and I stayed in my parents house so we could both finish school. We both finished high school and then I started at the local vocational school. After graduating I started here at our company."

"What about your brother?"

"He's a year younger than me. He finished high school then he got a job as a surveyor. A friend of my dad's down the street got him the job. He didn't actually do the surveying, he held the pole and measured things. His company went around the country surveying high power lines for the local utilities. They traveled all over the country. He left on a Tuesday and worked through the weekend and returned the following Friday. So he worked 10 days on and then got 4 days off."

"Sounds like an interesting set up."

"It was. I had the house all to myself for almost two weeks at a time. When he came home he usually was off with his buddies and rarely stayed at the house."

"So you're at home alone for two weeks at a time?"

"Pretty much. It gives me a chance to work around the house and play with my hobby."

"You didn't say what your hobby was."

He was quiet for a couple moments and then said, "I like to work on the computer. I have a personal web site where I post pictures and have a blog and diary."

"Really? What's the address, I'd like to visit it."

"Ahhh … it's kind of personal, and pretty lame. I'd rather not tell anyone."

"But you already put it out there for the public to see."

"But it's anonymous. People who stumble across it have no idea who I really am. I'd rather keep it personal."

"Ok, it's your web site."

He was quiet for a couple moments, then said, "But anyway, that might be over pretty soon."

"What do you mean?"

"My brother lost his job, contracts came up, and he can't find anything else. He's probably going to join the army."

"That's too bad. The economy is tough. It took me 3 months to land this job."

"Yea, its tough out there." He turned quiet and didn't say much more.

We had a second beer and finished our meal. I thanked Jason for the help and he said goodnight and started towards the bus stop. I had forgotten my manners. "Jason, can I give you a ride home?"

"Not to worry, it's a long way out and not necessary. I'll see you Monday. G'night."

 

I used Sunday to return the mini-van and finish settling into my new apartment. I was really going to like it. Monday arrived and things were back to normal. At lunch the girl's quizzed me on my new apartment. "Did Mikey help you move in?" Jasmine asked.

"Nope, he was too busy with his buddies," I said sarcastically.

"They're all like that," she said. "They're only interested in one thing."

"Did you get some help from someone?" Lisa wanted to know.

"Jason was nice enough to offer to help."

"The little gay boy?" Jasmine still liked to rag on him.

"He was really nice and helpful."

"So did he tell you he's gay?"

"No he didn't, and no I don't think he is."

"Does he have a girl friend?"

"I asked, and he said no."

"He's gay," they all agreed.

"Swish, swish, swish," Jasmine added.

And that's about how the week proceeded. Mikey asked for another date on Saturday, and I agreed. After dinner and a show he took me home. He asked if he could see my new apartment. I agreed and took him up for a quick look around. Then it was almost impossible to get him out. It was mostly my fault. I was sending mixed signals. We had a nice night and I was almost ready to go to bed with him, but at the last minute I got cold feet. It was only our third date and I was still angry with him about not helping me move. I chased him out after Saturday Night Live was over

The following Monday, Jason wandered into my office about 9:00. "Have a nice weekend?"

"I guess it was ok," I said. "Nothing much to brag about. How about you."

"Well, it wasn't very good."

"I'm sorry to hear that. What happened?"

"My parents called. I am going to have to move out and find a new place to live."

"That's too bad." I said sincerely. "Why do you have to move?"

"They sold the house. I kind of knew this was coming. Eventually. But I didn't expect it yet. The house has been on the market for 4 months, and only two couples have ever looked at it. But I guess they made an offer and mom and dad accepted. I have to move out by next weekend."

"But I thought they were letting you and your brother stay there?"

"They were, but they always said it was just until we were out of school. I guess they need the money. It's expensive to take care of Kara. The government doesn't give you much help. My brother lost his job and now he's going into the army. So it works out rather well for them. I'm the only one displaced."

"Have you started looking for an apartment yet?"

"No." His tone of voice said it all. He was really down in the dumps. "I don't have any savings and so I can't afford the security deposit most places want. Once I get moved in to some place, I might be ok. They don't pay paralegals very much around here." He gave me a sheepish grin. "But mom and dad said that as soon as the house deal closes, they'll give my brother and me each $10,000. I'll be able to get started on that. The only problem is that it will probably take a month or so for everything to get closed and finalized."

"What are you going to do until then?"

"I have some friends down the street. Actually, they're old friends of mom and dad's. They have a spare room over their garage and they'll let me stay there for only $50 per week. And there is no security deposit."

"That sounds good," I said.

"But I have a big favor to ask," he said while looking at the floor and twiddling his fingers.

"If I can help, I'll be glad to do whatever I can," and I gave him an encouraging smile.

"Well … ahhh …"

"Just ask."

"You've got a spare bedroom with some empty space. Would it be ok if I stored a few boxes there until I get into my own apartment?"

"Of course. How many?"

"A dozen or so. And would it also be ok if I left a bed and dresser set?"

"Absolutely. It'll make my bedroom look like I own more furniture. Yea Jason, we can do that. When do you want to move your things over?"

"Is this weekend ok?"

"Not a problem," I told him. "Do you need help with the actual moving?"

"I could use some help with the bulky items like the mattress and dresser."

"Ok, do you want me to come over to your house on Saturday morning."

"No that won't be necessary. I have to rent a van to haul the things, so I'll stop by and pick you up. Say 9:00 A.M.?"

"That works for me. It's a date." His eyes lit up and he was looking much better. I knew how it was to have no money, so I was glad to help him out. After all, he had helped me.

That weekend Mikey was on one of his trips to Europe so I had no date on Saturday. That would make things easier. Jasmine again asked me out on Friday night. I had a good excuse this time. I had joined a study group of old friends from school. We were helping each other prepare for our board exams. The exams were only one week away and we were meeting 5 nights a week. Jasmine seemed satisfied with the excuse. But she knew Mikey was out of town, so she asked about Saturday night. I told her I was helping Jason move and I had no idea when we would finish.

"The gay boy?" she said.

"Jason. I don't think he is gay. Besides, he was the only one who helped me move, so I owe him." That quieted her.

Saturday morning Jason arrived right on time and with cinnamon rolls. We had a cup of coffee with our rolls before we left for his house. It was almost a 45 minute drive through town. He backed the van into the driveway and we went inside. His parents were waiting for us. "Karen, this is my mother Janice and my father Jerry."

"It's a pleasure to meet you both," I said

"The pleasure is ours," his mother said. "Its so nice of you to help Jason. He can really use the help."

"That's right," said Jerry. "He can always use a friend. He's not like his brother."

I wondered what in the world that was all about. Jason was turning a bit red, and he ended the conversation by suggesting that we begin loading the dresser. His father helped him take it out and slide it into the van. Next they took out the bed frame and then the box springs and finally the mattress. That filled the van.

"Can the two of you handle unloading this? Do you want me to come along and help?"

"That's not necessary dad. Karen's apartment has a large 4-wheel cart and we can slide everything onto the cart. It won't be a problem." Jason almost looked relieved when his dad agreed to stay behind.

We climbed in the van and started back to my place. "Your parents seem nice." I was trying to make conversation. He shrugged his shoulders and said nothing. So I started asking about his old neighborhood and his youth. He didn't want to talk about that either. He grunted to a couple of my questions and that was that. He seemed to be in a pretty lousy mood.

"Its tough moving out isn't?"

"Sort of. It was easy enough staying at home. But there are some things that I won't miss."

"Like what?" I was trying to keep a conversation going.

"Stuff," and that ended that conversation. So we drove back to my apartment in silence.

It took us the better part of an hour to unload the van. The mattress and box springs were taken up one at a time and they were very bulky and difficult to maneuver around corners and on the elevator. We left them leaning against a wall in the spare bedroom while we went and got the dresser. It was heavier than the mattress and box springs, but not as bulky and flimsy. It rolled up much easier. The bed frame was in pieces and it was the easiest.

"Do you want to set up the bed now, or do you want to finish getting your other things," I asked.

"Let's do this later. I'd like to finish up at my house if we can."

By the time we drove back to his house it was almost 1:00. He had dozens of boxes piled up in the family room. They were heavily taped and stacked to one side. We started carrying them to the van, and they were fairly light. "Are these clothes?" I asked.

"Mostly."

"You must have a large wardrobe. You must be quite the clothes horse," I quipped.

"Well there's a few other items, like towels and sheets," he said defensively.

After the clothes we loaded his computer, CD collection and a few other items. "Aren't you going to need your computer at your other place? What will you do for entertainment at night?"

"I've got another computer," he said. "In fact, I have 3. Plus I have a small TV. I'll be alright."

We finished packing the van at 2:30. And it was packed! "Before you go, I've made a light lunch," his mother announced. "Karen, do you like tuna fish?"

"Yea, that would be great." Jason rolled his eyes at his mom, but showed me the way to the bathroom so I could wash my hands.

Lunch was delicious but at the same time it was like a horror movie. I have never heard parents belittle one child and brag about another like the Vails did. They were horrendous. I can't even put some of their put-downs on paper. Son number one, Jason, had no talent, no intelligence and no friends. Son number two, William, was a star jock, Homecoming king, and loved by all. Actually, William must not have been all that smart. He didn't get any scholarships and went to work straight out of high school. Eventually, a lousy economy and a miserable administration stranded him in the army.

I felt so sorry for Jason. His parents treated him like a leper and non-entity. His only claim to fame was he was William's brother. They talked about him like he was not even present. His autistic sister won more praise than Jason. I heard the story how Jason embarrassed himself in a swimming meet when he was only 8. I learned about the time his pants split open during at school play at the age of 9. He never had a date in his life. He was so uncoordinated he was always picked last in school gym. The neighborhood boys called him sissy and used to beat him up all the time. He must have came home with a bloody nose every other day.

I was horrified. I was shocked. I looked at Jason and he just slid lower and lower in his chair. I couldn't wait to get out of the house. I left half of my sandwich and refused dessert. I claimed that I had a study date that night and we had to get moving quickly.

It was distinctly obvious why Jason was so shy and why he had so little self-esteem. He spent an entire childhood being destroyed by his parents. I couldn't for the life of me understand why they did it to him. The only thing I could think of was his lack of physical ability. His dad was athletic looking, and many of his comments centered around athletics. He must have influenced the mother to also think son number one was a failure because he wasn't athletic. And his younger, athletic brother probably made everything worse.

Jason said almost nothing on the drive over to my house. I didn't know what to say. I couldn't very well say 'Your parents are ass-holes'. I thought I would give Jason some additional attention that night. "Jason, can you do me a favor?"

"Sure," he sniffed.

"Stop at the next 7-11. I'd like to pick up a few things. We'll need some refreshments as we put your bed together and get your other stuff stowed away."

He shocked me when he became even more defensive. "No that's ok. Please, just leave my stuff in the boxes. I'll be moving into my new apartment in no time and I don't want to unpack and re-pack. Besides, I don't want to waste your time. Please, don't bother. Its ok, really," he stammered.

"That's ok, we can keep your boxes stowed. But I would like to set up your bed and organize the bedroom so that it looks like a guest room, or at least semi-finished. That's all. Is that ok?"

"Yea, I guess that will be ok. Really, I appreciate you letting me store my stuff here, and I don't want to be a bother."

"Jason, can I say something very mean?"

He seemed stunned, and even more defensive. "Why?" he almost cried out.

"Because it needs to be said. You're parents are ass-holes. I'm sorry, but the things they said about you were totally unacceptable. It was like they were deliberately trying to hurt you. Nobody, I mean nobody, should have to suffer that from their own parents. It was like they hated you and they were trying to poison me against you also. I hated hearing what they were saying about you."

Jason remained quiet. He looked straight ahead as he continued to drive. I could see him bite his lower lip.

"Jason, I'm sorry to say bad things about your parents." I remained quiet for a moment, waiting to see if he would say anything. He remained quiet. "Jason, I want you to know that I am your friend. I have totally forgotten what your parents said, and I promise that I will never repeat anything they said. He did give me a sideway glance. There was a 7-11 coming up on the right side of the road. He pulled in and parked the car.

"What kind of beer do you like?" I asked.

"I like MGD." I bought a six-pack and some microwave popcorn, and Jason drove us to my apartment.

We arrived at my place and we unloaded the van. "Do you have to take the van back tonight I asked?"

"I'll save some money if I do," he explained.

"Ok, I'll follow you over to the rental agency and give you a ride back. Ok?"

He finally smiled a little. "Yea, I'd appreciate that. Thanks."

We turned in the car, and he even talked a bit on the way back to my place. When we returned I opened a beer and handed it to him. "How about you show me how to put your bed together." We put the bed together and stacked the boxes neatly in the closet and against the wall. I went and got come some sheets and a comforter and we made up the bed. I put a set of doilies on the dresser and stepped back. It looked habitable if need be.

Than I did something out of the clear blue. I didn't even think about what I was saying. It ended up being one of the best things I ever did. How ironic, considering some of the things I would do in the future. "Jason, would you like to spend the evening here? You can use your own bed. What do you think?"

I've never seen a face go from death and gloom to smiles so fast in my entire life. He tried to belie his enthusiasm and act incredulous that I would even ask something like that. "I'm not sure that I can impose on you after everything that you have done for me."

It was obvious how much the offer meant to him. It was impossible for him to hide his enthusiasm. "Sure you can stay, and I will not discuss it any longer. How about we pop some of that popcorn and see what's on the tube?" The huge smile beaming across his face said it all. I actually felt proud of myself.

 

(continued)

  

  

  

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