A Queer Turn of Events

  by Lisa Lees

"Alone at last," said Jami, sitting down with her mug of tea.

Carys let out a long sigh as she let her tea bag drip into her cup. "I know. We haven't had much time to ourselves this past month or so, have we? It's quite a change."

"We've done what needed to be done," said Tam. "Where would Sandy or Rachel be right now if we hadn't moved to a bigger place? And Kay's depending on us, too, even though she's living in our old apartment."

"It was kind of cozy there," said Jami, reaching out to run her finger over Tam's hand.

"Yes, it was," agreed Carys, as she sat down. She sipped her tea and thought for a moment. "I know we just got settled in here, but I'm afraid we need to think about what we're going to do when we move next time. We probably have at most seven more months here. This figuring out the future stuff has become a lot more complicated, because what the three of us do now affects a bunch more people."

"Sandy and Crystal may be able to move out on their own by then," mused Tam, "but Rachel's totally adrift right now. Regardless, they all need to know a lot sooner than seven months what we plan to do."

"And that," said Jami, "means that the three of us, individually, have to decide what we're doing longer term." She swirled the tea around her cup and finished it off.

"We haven't had much time to ourselves, have we?"

It's such a nice day.

"True," said Tam. "If I'm going to grad school next year, I need to get my butt in gear A-S-A-P."

"And I don't know what the fuck I need to do, because I don't know what the fuck I'm going to do." Carys let out another long sigh.

"Do we have to talk about this right now?" said Jami, reaching across the table to grab one of Carys's fingers.

"And what would Jami-cat like to do on this fine fall day?"

"How about we go for a long walk, and have lunch somewhere, and I don't know, maybe see a play or something tonight? I'm sure we'll talk about some of the heavy stuff while we're out, but then it won't seem so much like a council of doom."

"A council of doom?" said Tam. "Are you worried about something, Jami?"

Jami looked out the window, gnawed on her lip for a moment, then said, "It's just, as you say Car, we absolutely have to move again before too long, and we haven't answered any of the big questions about our future."

Carys looked at Jami. There's something you're not telling us, she thought. As if in response, Jami looked down at the table.

"Okay, Jami," said Carys. "Let's go for a walk."

Tam, who was getting pretty good at reading Carys and Jami, said, "We don't have to decide this today. We do have a couple of months. I need to decide by the end of the term whether I'm going to apply to grad school, so I can ask professors to write letters of recommendation. But like I said when we were on the Chicago trip, I don't have to go to grad school next year, even if I decide that's definitely what I want to do."

"But one of us has to decide something," said Jami. "You're the only one of us with a clear path ahead." She looked out the window again. "My path is looking kind of murky."

Carys stood up. "Let's walk. Now." They put their mugs on the counter and headed for the door.

"Are you worried about something?"

"That's what I was thinking!"

"You're not getting depressed again, are you Jami?" asked Carys.

"No, something is bugging me, but I'd rather not talk about it now, please?"

"Sure. Would you like to hear an idea I have for Wizzy Wig?"

"Of course," said Jami, smiling now.

"Then we'll talk about what to do later. Eat and go see a play, or go see a play and eat," said Tam.

"It's too bad nobody does dinner theater around here," said Jami.

"That's what I was thinking!" said Carys, as she started to explain the idea she had.

Jami nodded, chewing on her lip.

"I could go downstairs," said Tam, "if the two of you want to talk. I'm okay with that."

"No!" Jami grabbed Tam's hand. "I'm scared. I'm really, really scared. I'm beyond scared."

"What's this about, Jami?" asked Carys, sitting on the bed.

"I spend a lot of time poking around the 'net. There's an amazing amount of information out there, more than most people realize. Sometimes I put together bits from here and there and make a larger picture. I put together a picture a few days ago that is scaring me to death, because it's ugly, and I'm in it."

"What picture, Jami?" asked Tam, sitting on the other side of her.

"I think somebody made me, made me the way I am." She looked from Tam to Carys. "It may have been a mistake. Maybe I escaped. Maybe my parents, the people who raised me, maybe they took me away. But I think if the people who are doing this find me... if they find me, they'll kill me."

"I'm beyond scared!"