Gayle called Rusty's cell phone and the only thing she said was "room 10". She had checked into the motel and after waiting for Rusty for over an hours, she was giving up hope that the woman would join her. She had decided to wait one more hour, and then she would leave. When she heard a light knock on the door, her heart clutched. She looked through the peep-glass and eased the door open."I should be angry at you for making me think you were not going to come" Gayle scolded with a smile. "But since you went through the trouble of taking your scarf off, I'll let it go." She took the flowers that Rusty handed her. Rusty sat a paper bag on the counter. Gayle just stared at the tall figure dressed in a form fitting black top, tan slacks with a thin belt, and black dress shoes. Rusty stood silently watching Gayle who had on a summer dress and wore a necklace with matching bangles.
"To be honest, I started not to come. It's still too light outside, but it's summer so it'll not get much darker" Rusty explained.
"You're still worried about my mother finding out?" Gayle asked moving slowly to the woman who looked so good in dressier clothes.
She had seen Rusty in cut off sweats when she was soaked with perspiration and her labido had responded just as much as it was now. The woman was just sexy, no, more sensual because it was just natural. When her eyes finally moved upward, she saw appreciation in the sparkling eyes checking out her attire. When she was less than a step away, Rusty held out a hand and she stepped into those strong arms. Finally she was being held without restraint, well with less, because she was the one this time holding back. She wanted Rusty now, but didn't want to rush it. Rusty gently kissed Gayle's cheek and let her own cheek rest there for a moment and then held her tighter. Neither of them wanted to move from the embrace. Just as their lips were about to meet, there was a knock at the door. They looked at each other shaking their heads, wondering who would be knocking at a motel room door. Rusty walked over and looked through the peep but didn't recognize the man on the other side of the door. Gayle had shock on her face because she did recognize the man.
"It's my cousin, Ben. He must have followed me" Gayle said angrily. The knock came again but a little harder this time. When Gayle reached for the door, Rusty stopped her and motioned for her to wait in the bathroom. After a harder knock, she went reluctantly. A voice from outside, said to open the door, he wanted to talk to Gayle. Rusty told the uninvited visitor to go away. Rapid and harder knocks, made Rusty open the door. She didn't want anyone to make a complaint about the noise. She cracked the door and asked what did he want. He pushed against the door, but Rusty using all her strength kept him from forcing his way inside. Then a harder push sent her backwards and off balance. She was surprised to see a second man enter the room.
"If you don't leave right now, I'm going to call the police."
"I've come for Gayle" Ben said and called out Gayle's name as he tried to move pass Rusty.
"Back up and get out" Rusty said angrily. She stood between the two men and the bathroom.The men moved away from each other, trying to split her focus. The unknown guy looked familiar and then Rusty figured he was Vanessa's father because of the resemblance. "This is unlawful entry" Rusty was saying when she was rushed by the silent man. Gayle heard the scuffle and came out of the bathroom to find Rusty fighting with Vanessa's father while Ben was advancing toward her. Ben grabbed her by the arm and was pulling her toward the door.
"Take your hands off me Ben. I'm not going with you" Gayle said trying to break the grip her cousin had on her wrist. He was skinny but strong. Gayle looked frantically at Rusty who had blood running from her nose. That made Gayle much angrier and she struck out at her cousin. He still held her wrist and continued to pull her toward the door.
"If you don't release me, I'll scream and someone will call the police."
"Go ahead. But I don't think you'll want the police because you don't want it made public that you were in a motel room with her. Now come on. Your mama might not take you to court if you leave with me without any more fuss."
"I'm a grown woman Ben. You have no right to do this" Gayle said with tears in her voice.
Gayle was concerned for Rusty who was bleeding and trading shoves with Wayne, Vanessa's father. How dare they treat them like this. She screamed when Rusty was smacked hard with an open hand. She clawed at Ben's face but he held her off and had reached the door. Wayne looked inside the handbag on the dresser, saw Gayle's license, so took the bag as he followed them outside. He turned and looked back at Rusty who had fallen to one knee after the smack. He called her a dyke bitch, spit at her and turned away. Ben was shoving Gayle into his car. Suddenly there was a crash and a groan. Gayle and Ben saw Wayne fall to the ground. Rusty was standing over him with a broken lamp in her hands. Luckily, most of the force from the swung lamp had hit the car. Rusty had started around the car when her foot was grabbed and she went down hard. Her head was still woozy from the hits inside the room and her body was sore because some had been more than shoves and slaps. Wayne was wobbly and went down again when she kicked him in a knee. By that time, the motel desk clerk had come out and shouted that he had called the police. Gayle had gotten out of the car while Ben was undecided whether he should help the other guy or leave before the police arrived. Rusty was thinking she should have taken more than sparing lessons. The jerk wouldn't stay down. He hit her in the gut and a fist hit her jaw making her go down again, striking her head against the tar. Wayne forced Gayle into the car and told her if she didn't sit still, he'd pound on the dyke some more. When she nodded, her ex-lover removed the car keys from the handbag before dropping it in her lap. He got in Gayle's vehicle and they drove off leaving Rusty bleeding in the motel parking lot.
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When the police arrived, Rusty was unconscious in the parking lot. She was taken to the hospital in an ambulance and was kept over night. She refused to give the police a statement. Gayle had registered under an alias and the desk clerk couldn't say that Rusty wasn't the one who had registered. The newspaper printed that a woman had been assaulted in a motel parking lot, but no further info was known.
After the call from the police, Nancy was almost hysterical until she saw her daughter. She immediately called one of Rusty's cousins and he took her to the hospital. Rusty had been x-rayed and sent to a room because she had a concussion. It was noon before Rusty left the hospital. Not until she was home and had soaked in her tub and awakened from a nap did she tell Nancy what had happened. She was bruised from slaps, punches and the tarred parking lot. Nancy was furious and couldn't understand why Rusty didn't tell the police who had beat her up. Rusty had told Nancy what had occurred but did not tell that Gayle was the woman she was with the previous night. Nancy asked Rusty if the woman was married and that's when Rusty told her it was Gayle but told her not to tell anyone. Robin was the only friend she would see. A week passed and Rusty's body healed. Nancy said she had not seen Gayle's car since the night of the trouble, but a car had been parked at Gayle's two days later, for about thirty minutes. The neighbor between Nancy and Gayle said Gayle's mother had driven the car, and brought a couple of suitcases from inside Gayle's house. Rusty got Robin to call Gayle's mother's number and ask for Gayle. When she was asked who was calling, Robin said she was a customer of Gayle's and wanted to know if she could do her hair. She was told that Gayle wasn't doing hair anymore and hung up on before she could say anything else. During the next few days, Rusty wasn't saying much, but had a constant look on her face that her mother and Robin had never seen before. They both were worried about what was running through Rusty's head. A week later, Gayle's mobile home had a for rent/sale sign in the window.
"This is Rusty, let me speak to Gayle" said Rusty over the phone to Gayle's mother. Her voice was placid which belied the seething anger within.
"How dare you call my home. Stay away from my daughter you conniving pervert."
"Let me speak to Gayle right now or I'm coming to your house" Rusty said after calling again because she had been hung up on.
"If you come as far as my sidewalk, I'll have you arrested for trespassing."
"I'll have Ben and Vanessa's father arrested for assault and kidnapping" Rusty said flatly. She could tell the other woman was thinking about what she had said.
"Rusty, are you okay?" Gayle asked nervously a few moments later.
"Yeah. Are you and Vanessa okay. Did they hurt you?"
"We're okay. Rusty don't come here. My mother means it, she will have you arrested."
"No she will not because she doesn't want a scandal. Where's Vanessa?"
"She's here with me. I'm so sorry Rusty for what Wayne did to you."
"Do you want to stay there? I'll come get you."
"Rusty just let it go. Mama said the mobile home is for sale. She sold my furniture. I have no place to go. I'm sorry ...."
"They can't hold you there against your will Gayle. That's kidnapping."
"Rusty, please don't come here. I'm sorry for getting you mixed up in my problems. I didn't know mama was having me followed" Gayle said almost in a whisper. Rusty could hear loud talking in the background but couldn't make out what the angry sounding voice was saying, and then the phone was abruptly hung up. Rusty made two phone calls and then told her mother she was going out. When Nancy asked where, Rusty didn't answer. ----------
Less than an hour later, Rusty got out of her car and walked up the sidewalk to a brick house. Vanessa, on the porch with some children, ran to Rusty, who kneeled and gave her a hug. Rusty asked Vanessa if her mother was in the house and received a nod. The girl looked liked she was going to cry. When asked why she was sad, Vanessa said her grandmother called her mama names. Rusty saw an older woman come to the door, so she stood up and walked toward the house.
"I told you to stay away from here" the woman said angrily. She told the other kids to go home and for Vanessa to go in the house.
"I want to see Gayle" said Rusty in a very even toned voice, but the calm before the storm, was in Rusty's eyes.
"Well you can't see her. She doesn't want to see you."
"Bring her out here and let her tell me that."
"Vanessa, didn't I tell you to go into the house. Get away from my granddaughter."
"Let me talk to Gayle so that I can see for myself that she is all right."
The summer sun was lowering and people were coming home from work.
As she called to Vanessa again, Ben and another man stepped out onto the porch. Two men emerged from the car that had parked behind Rusty. Once more Rusty said she wasn't leaving until after she talked to Gayle. The woman said something to Ben, who stuck his head inside the door and then held the screen door open as Gayle came outside. By this time a neighbor, who had just arrived home from work when Gayle's mother had first come outside, had called another neighbor and they were being nosey.
"You don't have to stay here Gayle. I'm going to buy your mobile home and ..."
"She's not going anywhere with you you ... I'll not let you near my daughter and granddaughter again. I'm warning you to stay away or you'll get worst than you did before."
When she said that, Gayle tried to leave the porch but was stopped by Ben. Rusty told Vanessa to get in her car and wait. She walked closer to the porch. The two men with her didn't come inside the black iron fence but would if it was necessary. When Rusty was close enough to see Gayle's face upclose, her jaw tightened. Gayle had on no make up. Her eyes were red like she'd been crying heavily and there was a bruise on her left cheek. The trailler court model looked as though she had not slept in days.
"Who hit you?" Rusty asked with teeth clinched.
"Rusty please go away" Gayle pleaded.
"That's a fresh bruise. Who hit you?" Rusty said looking at Gayle's mother. If looks could kill, Gayle's mother would have lost the stare down and crumbled into ash.
"It's nothing."
"Did you mean it when you said you love me?" Rusty asked staring into Gayle's eyes, and as she awaited the answer, she was aware of the gasp from Gayle's mother. Gayle closed her eyes. "Answer Gayle."
"Yes" Gayle replied with teary eyes that locked on Rusty's.
"Then come with me right now" Rusty said holding out her hand as she approached the two steps leading to the porch where Gayle stood beside her mother. The two guys on the porch moved as to block her.
"I love you too."
"Love, your kind don't love. You're going to burn in hell. You lured my daughter outside of town and who knows what you would have done to her if her cousin had not arrived in time" Gayle's mother said loudly in anger.
"Nothing that I didn't want done" Gayle said turning to face her mother. She pulled her arm from her mother's grasp. When Ben and the other guy closed the space to block her, the two men with Rusty came forward and stood beside her.
"My friends already want to talk to you about the motel incident" Rusty said stressing the word talk. From the look on their faces, her friends wanted to do much more than talk.
"You're not fit to raise my grandchild. If you leave here with that woman, I'll take you to court Gayle" the angry woman said as Gayle pushed through the male shoulders blocking her.
Ben looked at his aunt, hoping that she would let it drop. He didn't want to tangle with the two men. Gayle walked toward Rusty slowly, expecting something to happen. When she reached Rusty, the two women just looked into each other eyes and saw relief, and then anger flashed in Rusty's eyes because the bruise looked worse closer up. Just as Rusty took a step to move pass her, Gayle put her arms around her waist and hugged her tight. Gayle could feel some of the tention leave the body she was holding. Rusty leaned back enough to see Gayle's eyes.
"Are you okay baby?" Rusty asked warmly, amazed at how good she was feeling right that moment. Not until one of her friends cleared his throat did Rusty became aware that it was time to leave. She had let her guard down because of the presence of her friends. Now her focus was back and she noticed that several people were standing on porches and sidewalks getting a free show. Taking Gayle's hand, they walked to Rusty's car and Vanessa opened the door and hugged her mother. One of the men walked the two women to the car, while the other still stood facing the house. Gayle's mother had went inside the house when the two women first embraced. When the women turned toward the vehicle, Ben and the other guy went into the house. One friend had stood guard not knowing what to expect from the people inside that house. He wanted to break a few windows and the face of the guy who had beat on Rusty. He didn't know which one had actually hit her, because Rusty just shook her head when he asked which one. After the females were in the car with the engine running, the two men returned to their auto and both vehicles drove away. Once they were at Rusty's house, her friends insisted on staying for a while just in case Gayle's family showed up. After being well fed, and no trouble came, they hugged Rusty and told her to call if she needed them.
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Robin came over to see if Rusty and Gayle were okay. What had happened earlier was already making the rounds on the grapevine. Robin knew that the version she received was probably not accurate, so she went to find out the details for herself. After she listen to Rusty tell what really happened, she wanted to talk to her best friend alone, so they went to Rusty's bedroom.
"I have an uneasy feeling about this. Gayle's family might let this drop but Wayne can be violent as you already know. Gary knows him. He might take Gayle to court for Vanessa just to be nasty or he might come here and try to take her. He might have a bruised ego because Gayle broke up with him and is now with you, a woman."
"I'm not going to worry about what he might do. I'm not trying to take his daughter. I don't know where this thing with Gayle and me is going, but I can't stop now. I want her. I love her."
"Oh girl, wow, you've got it bad. I see it in your eyes. About time. And for a woman who has tried to avoid conflicts, you jumped right into it with this woman."
"Yeah, I don't know, it just happened."
"Just be careful" Robin told her best friend.
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