The Girls of Central Valley High

"How about you, anyone special in your life?" Moira asked.

"There was," Hannah answered. "I mean, I was living with someone up in San Francisco for a while, but in the end we really weren't right for each other."

"Well, better that you learned that before it went any further," Moira remarked. "Do you still live up there?"

'Divorce,' Hannah thought before answering yes, 'it had to have been a divorce.'

"I left Central Valley a few years back myself," Moira offered. "In fact, I'm not all that far from you, just east of San Jose."

"Are you still teaching?" Hannah inquired.

"Oh yes, I love it too much to stop," Moira replied. "I was lucky enough to get a teaching position at a small private school, one much more progressive than Central Valley. Still, I do sometimes miss my life here, which was why I decided to come back for Homecoming."

That prompted Hannah to share the story of how she had been talked into coming herself.

"Oh no, I'm keeping you from your friend, aren't I?" Moira asked.

"Actually no," Hannah replied. "Her youngest came down with a fever late Thursday night and she texted me yesterday morning saying that even though he was feeling better, she still didn't feel right leaving him. Of course by that time I was just about here and it made no sense to turn around."

"That's too bad, but perfectly understandable," Moira noted. "Motherhood has its responsibilities. Still, I'm glad that you didn't turn around."

A scuffle of chairs behind them caused both to look, the noise having been made by three women getting up from the closest table. A glance around them showed mostly empty seats at the other tables, evidence that people were finally leaving and moving on to other events.

"I guess its time to go," Hannah said.

"It appears so," Moira agreed. "Where are you going next?"

"I was just planning to go for a walk," Hannah replied. "As good as some of the food was, it was also pretty rich."

"That it was," Moira agreed, then added after a pause, "Would you like some company?"

"I think that I would," Hannah said after her own short pause.

-=-=-=-

The resort was situated a good ten miles out of town, with the nearest neighbor half that distance away. So it wasn't difficult for the two woman to find a path they could traverse in private. The afternoon sun was quite warm, so neither felt the need to stop at their room to pick up a jacket or sweater. Talking as they walked, they compared notes of where their lives had taken them over the last ten years.

"Well I took a year off after graduating from Central Valley," Hannah said after listening to Moira's story.

"Trying to find yourself?" Moira quipped, meaning it as a joke more than anything else.

"Partly," Hannah replied, not taking it as such, "but mostly I just wanted to let life slow down a bit, or perhaps maybe just let everyone else catch up. Looking back, if I could change one thing, it would've been not skipping grades like I did. I regret not having had friends my own age growing up."

"Well, you had your friend, Deborah," Moira stated, "but wait, she was older too, wasn't she?"

"Chronologically, yes," Hannah chuckled, "but in many way, Debbie was, and still is, perpetually sixteen."

"And yourself?" Moira asked, a bit of mirth in her own tone.

"In some ways I think I'm already middle aged, at least, I sometimes feel that way," Hannah answered.

"Age is a state of mind," Moira offered, "at least once you reach adulthood. After that, it's what you make of it."

"I guess that's true, at least in your case," Hannah said, adding how young she had thought the history teacher had been back in high school.

"Thirty? You're kidding, right?" Moira said.

Hannah just shook her head to show she wasn't, as Moira thanked her for the compliment.

"Even now I still can't believe that you're forty-seven or..." Hannah started to say, only to be interrupted.

"Forty-nine actually," the older woman corrected her. "I had to repeat a grade along the line due to illness."

"Damn," Hannah said in disbelief.

Hannah moved on to a brief summary of her college years, and the few jobs she had after that while she tried to find one that really suited her.

"So how did you wind up in San Francisco?" Moira asked as they made another turn onto a new walkway.

"You know the old saying, where thou goest?" Hannah grinned.

"Ah, the things we do for love," Moira smiled back.

"And then, when things between us fell apart, I found that I was still at least in love with the city. At least enough that I couldn't imagine moving away. Besides, I had my associate's position at Abrams, McCord and Young, which I wasn't about to walk away from. So I found a place of my own and stayed," Hannah explained.

They walked a bit further and Hannah inquired what led to Moira leaving Central Valley. Was the new school just a golden opportunity or was there more to it?

"I would have to say a bit of both," Moira said as she stepped ahead of the younger woman when the path began to narrow. "The offer had been there for a while; an old college professor was the Dean of Admissions and had previously recommended me for the next opening. Then, as I was considering it, I had that ... well, the details aren't important. Lets just say that relations between Hazel Fletcher and myself reached a point where she suggested I might be happier elsewhere."

Hannah was curious as to what had happened, but felt it wasn't right to pry.

They followed a winding curve and began the trek back.

"You know, I was just thinking. Even though it was ten years ago, I feel a bit bad that I didn't inquire as to why you were failing my class," Moira said. "I've never thought myself one of those teachers who think their students only matter between the period bells. So I don't know why I acted like one in your case."

"I think talking to you about it back then would've only made things worse," Hannah said as the path again widened and she moved back up alongside Moira.

"Why does that sound like it was something more serious than a crush on some boy?" Moira asked, now feeling worse that she never inquired.

Hannah didn't respond, but her expression gave Moira an answer.

"You know something?" Moira said, shaking her head as she did so. "It's really none of my business and, after all, it was ten years ago. So I'm sorry for bringing it up."

Looking ahead at the path before them, Moira didn't realize, at least until she'd gone a half dozen more steps, that Hannah had unexpectedly stopped and was now again behind her. Turning to see what was wrong, she found the younger woman just standing there, a look of conflict on her face.

"Hannah, is something wrong?" Moira asked as she took a few steps back.

"I don't know why this is so hard to say," Hannah said, "I mean it's not like it's even a secret anymore."

"I don't understand," Moira said.

"That term, the one where I began failing your class," Hannah said, "that was the term I realized that I was more interested in girls than guys - or at least the point where I was willing to finally accept it."

"I see," Moira said, trying to keep her reaction as neutral as possible. "And I'm guessing that the person who made you realize that was in my class."

Hannah nodded her head yes.

Recalling what she had said earlier about probably not being able to remember the boy when she thought that was what Hannah was alluding to, Moira figured the same probably applied to the girl as well.

"Did you and this girl ever...?" Moira asked, hoping she wasn't crossing a line. But Hannah had opened the door with her statement, so she couldn't expect her not to be a bit curious.

"No, in fact she never even knew," Hannah answered. "I didn't even kiss a girl until well after high school."

Moira combined that when something Hannah had said before and, putting one and one together, came up with three.

"That friend, the one you that invited you down for Homecoming," Moira asked, "was she the one, the one you were in love with?"

"Deborah?" Hannah said in surprise and then laughed. "Oh hell no."

Deborah, Hannah further explained, was so into guys that she considered oral sex little more than foreplay and usually spread her legs by a third date. In fact, that cavalier attitude was what had led to her getting married at nineteen when, as she so charmingly put it, the bloody rubber broke. No, Deborah was her best friend and she could honestly say she loved her, but just not in that way.

Although she was pretty sure of the answer, Moira asked the other question that had come to her.

"The lover you followed to San Francisco?" she asked.

"Angela," Hannah confirmed. "If you're wondering if I'm still into girls or if it was just a phase, the answer is, yes, I'm still into girls. I couldn't imagine being otherwise."

"Okay," Moira simply said. "So shall we continue our walk?"

"I wasn't sure if you still would want to," Hannah said.

"Hannah, just your saying that makes me think that there have been some people in your life that have treated you differently after you've told them," Moira replied. "All I can say is that was their loss. Who you love is no one else's business and as long as you are happy in your life, then I'm happy for you."

There was another long pause as that look of contemplation again filled the younger woman's face.

"Would you still feel that way," she said, more hesitation in her voice, "if I told you that the person I was in love with back then, the one who made me realize what I was, was you?"

"Me?" Moira asked, a look of total surprise filling her face.

"You were the one I couldn't get out of my head," Hannah confessed, "and when I laid in bed at night I...well I'm sure you can imagine."

"You had sexual fantasies about me?" Moira asked, wanting to be sure what she was saying.

"Yes," Hannah answered, her head dropping just a bit as if in shame.

"Hannah, you were sixteen years old," Moira said reassuringly. "Do you have any idea how many students have sexual thoughts about their teachers, regardless of their gender? It's perfectly normal."

That the teacher didn't seem upset in the least by the revelation that her former student used to masturbate with her in mind sent a huge wave of relief washing over Hannah. It had been years since she'd thought of Mrs. Takahashi, but running into her unexpectedly had brought those memories back with a vengeance - and with them the terrifying fear that if Moira had known about it, she would've looked at the younger woman with disgust. Yet despite that, she had felt compelled to confess it.

Moira waited for the last look of worry to completely fade from Hannah's face, then brought up an item of more immediate concern that who thought what about who a decade ago.

"I don't know about you, but I'm suddenly reminded of how much I had to drink at brunch and I don't quite fancy squatting somewhere in the bushes," Moira said, a touch of urgency in her tone. "My room isn't that far from here, so do you mind if we make a little detour before heading back to the main complex?"

She hadn't really thought about it, but Moira's comment caused Hannah to recall how many mimosas she'd consumed as well. The feeling wasn't yet uncomfortable, but a trip to the ladies room didn't sound like a bad idea.

-=-=-=-

"You're staying here?" Hannah asked in surprise ten minutes later as they stood outside the two-level chalet.

Situated on the extreme edge of the property were four stand alone buildings that served as couples only housing. Usually reserved by newlyweds or those seeking a private romantic getaway, they were, from what Hannah remembered from reading on the resort's website, quite expensive.

"Well, it's not much, but it'll do," Moira said, causing Hannah to look at her with confusion until she realized the older woman was trying to be funny.

"Even with the discount, this had to cost a bundle," Hannah heard herself say much too loud.

"Actually, it's not costing me more than a regular room back in the main complex," Moira replied.

"How did you manage that?" Hannah asked.

"Both of Mr. Reeves's granddaughters go to the school where I teach," Moira explained. "Evidently, someone took note of that when I made my reservation and moved me to one of the chalets. I didn't find out about it until I checked in yesterday. I told them it wasn't necessary, but they said that 'the boss' was adamant about it, so here I am."

"Lucky you," Hannah said as she looked at the small house again.

"I hate to rush you," Moira said as she started to look slightly uncomfortable, "but I really need to..."

With no need to say more, the older woman disappeared through a set of sliding patio doors, leaving them open behind her for Hannah. Her need not as urgent, Hannah walked to the lower entrance at a much more leisurely pace.

-=-=-=-

Stepping inside, Hannah paused in surprise. The lower half of the house was divided into two halves, a small living space with a circular couch in front of a fireplace and a...a what? She really wasn't sure what you call it because bathroom really seemed too common a word.

Wood paneled on one wall and lined with floor to ceiling mirrors on a third of the other, the space was almost as large as her studio apartment back home. The floor was carpeted and, at the far end, she could see a glass enclosed shower, a sauna room for two and what one normally thought of as a bathroom, inside of which she would later see was a toilet and a small wall mounted sink.

The biggest surprise was the large ten by twenty pool built right into the floor in the center of the room. Four foot deep, it had a ladder leading down into it on the left side, opposite the mirrored section of the wall.

"Unbelievable," Hannah said in a low voice.

After a few minutes, Hannah heard Moira's footsteps behind her as she exited the bathroom. Unlike the clear glass of the other mini-rooms, the small cubicle had a smoked glass door. Even in a setting such as this, some things still required a bit of privacy. A privacy the younger woman now also made use of.

"So, what do you think of it?" Moira asked Hannah as she exited the bathroom and found the older woman standing by the pool. "Don't you just love it?"

"What's not to love?" Hannah asked in return. "I especially love the pool. Back home, I have to go to the YWCA a half mile away if I want to swim. If I had one of these I'd be in it every day."

"I know, I was in it last night and again this morning," Moira replied. "You can easily get spoiled by something like this."

"I bet," Hannah agreed as she stood by the other end, looking down into the clear blue tinted water.

"I just had a thought," Moira said, taking a few steps along her side of the pool toward the broader walkway at the other end. "Why don't we take a dip? You'll love it."

"I don't know," Hannah replied, the tone of her response showing it to be half hearted.

"There are plenty of towels," Moira said, pointing out an excessively large pile of them on a bench against the wall, "and it's heated." she added as an incentive.

"I don't have a suit," Hannah said in an even less convincing voice.

"Do we really need suits?" Moira asked, the look on her face saying more than her words. "After all, it's just us girls here."

Hannah didn't miss Moira's use of we instead of you, obviously she intended to swim nude as well. If she was comfortable doing so after Hannah's earlier revelation, how could she offend her by saying she wasn't?

"Okay," she relented, "it sounds like fun."

"It will be," Moira smiled.

At that, the Moira slipped off her vest, dropping it on the floor where it wouldn't get wet. Then, as casually as could be, she began to undo her blouse, quickly working her way down the line of buttons until she was able to slip that off as well.

Now clad only in her bra and slacks, she glanced at Hannah who was still standing there fully clothed, the expression on her face saying "Well?"

Hannah hadn't even realized that she had been staring. The sight of the woman she had spent countless classroom hours, and nearly just as many evening ones, mentally disrobing, now doing so for real only a dozen feet away, had totally mesmerized her. She now wondered if maybe this wasn't so good an idea after all.

After a heartbeat's pause, Moira turned her gaze away from Hannah and, reaching to the clasp between the hemispheres of her bra, undid it. She tossed the simple white bra in the direction of her shirt and vest, bringing her hand back to her rounded breasts to rub them for the briefest of moments - her fingers running across the light flesh and the darker nipples in one quick motion.

Snapping out of her trance, Hannah finally started to move, reaching up to each shoulder and sliding off the straps of her dress. With only a band of elastic around her waist holding it on, it took little effort to remove the sundress and lay it, as Moira had done, far enough away from the pool to keep dry. The backless bra, held on with clear adhesive, took even less effort, leaving the younger woman in only her panties and shoes. The latter took but a long breath, the panties only half that. By the time she turned and looked up, Moira was as naked as she was.

The body before her was a decade older than the one she had once fantasized about and, while it didn't look like that of the thirty year old she'd once taken Moira to be, neither did it match what she imagined a woman pushing fifty to have. There were some lines and slight bulges that attested to age, but overall it was a body still worthy of appreciation. Obviously, the teacher took the health and care of her body seriously.

Out of the corner of her eye, Hannah could see her own body reflected in the mirror beyond the pool. She probably didn't take as serious as attitude toward body care as Moira did, but she had the forgiving advantage of young. Her breasts were smaller and her nipples lighter, but they stood firm and strong. She had always been proud of them.

She also noticed that Moira had far less hair than she did over her pubic mound. Hers was the result of careful trimming, but in the case of the older woman it seemed more of a natural occurrence. In that she envied her.

"Shall we?" Moira said, taking a step toward the pool.

There, in a fluid motion, she dropped down, first to her knees, then onto her backside, sliding feet first into the warm water. Hannah, after using a hair tie she'd gotten from her bag to tie back her locks, followed suite, electing to use the ladder alongside, holding the railing as she lowered herself.

'This is nice,' Hannah thought as the warmth of the water encompassed her body.

The two of them began to swim around each other, each respecting the other's space as they moved side to side. They kept it up for about a quarter of an hour, until, after complimenting Hannah on her swimming ability, Moira suggested a little race between them.

"Just a quick couple of laps back and forth down the length of the pool," she proposed, "that is, if you don't mind losing to an old lady."

"Pretty sure of yourself, aren't you?" Hannah asked with a smile.

"Always," Moira smiled back.

They settled on three laps and took up position on the far end.

"On three," Moira said as they braced themselves against the wall. "One ... Two ... Three!"

In a burst of speed, both women kicked off and sped down the length of the pool. Almost in unison, they reached the other end and turned fast. It was quickly obvious that they were evenly matched, but in the last lap youth seemed to win out.

"You win," Moira said as, reaching their starting point a few seconds behind Hannah, she skid up along the side of the pool and grabbed hold of the tiled edge.

"Only by a hair," said Hannah, who had pulled herself up out of the water and was now sitting on the rim.