Petra the Small

In her own soft voice Petra said, "Just promise me this isn't just a dream I'm having. Promise me that you really will be back tomorrow."

"I promise."

"Oh, but what if Jenny has already made plans for us for tomorrow night?"

"You have to eat, don't you?"

The door opened a little and Jenny said, "If I bring a date, can we join you two for dinner?"

They laughed and hugged and Tom went home. Jenny and Petra sat up until four in the morning talking.

Day Two ...

At nine o'clock in the morning Jenny's phone rang. She knew it was Tom before she had touched the phone. As she lifted the phone Petra opened the door and asked, "Is it Tom?" Jenny smiled and said, "Good morning, Tom."

It was Tom. He talked with Jenny for a minute then with Petra for three minutes. Jenny watched her friend almost dancing with the phone. When she hung up, she was bubbling.

"Tom found a company that needs someone immediately for their accounting department. It sounds like a perfect fit for me. I can interview this afternoon if I want the job."

Jenny smiled and asked, "And do you want the job?"

"Jenny, I have wanted Tom all my life. I asked him every tough question I could think of last night, and he passed. I feel like I've known him all my life. I love kissing him. I love being kissed by him. He's the right size. His goals in life are much like mine. I never realized how much I hurt about not ever being in a relationship, a romantic relationship. Then he stood up and said what he said and I wished I had a tape recorder going so I could save that speech for the rest of my life. I want the job. I want to go home, pack up everything I have and move here." She took a breath. "Oh, my God. I have to find a place to live."

"No you don't." Jenny smiled. "The truth is I brought you here because I wanted you to move here and live with me. You can still do that, even for three hundred and sixty four days."

Petra sat down on the floor. Jenny sat with her. They hugged and sat silently for a long time. Finally Jenny said, "Let's go get something for breakfast."

In a flash they were dressed and out the door. A few minutes later they were in IHOP eating, laughing, talking and planning. Petra paid for breakfast. As they drove back to the house Petra asked, "Which bedroom is mine?"

They laughed some more and Jenny answered, "Which ever one you want except mine." Back home they found a message from Tom saying he would pick Petra up for the interview at twelve-forty. Petra spent some time picking out the most professional of all the clothes she brought on vacation. It wasn't quite right, but would just have to do.

At exactly twelve-forty, the doorbell rang.

Tom ushered Petra to his car, a red Miata, and away they went. Nineteen minutes later, they pulled up in front of a building with a huge sign on the front: "Peterson's Gates." Tom got out of the car and opened the door for Petra.

"When you get inside, ask for Harvey. He's expecting you."

When she opened the door, Harvey was standing right there. She suddenly remembered him from the party. He stuck out his hand and said, "Come with me into my office."

He led the way into a big office that had gates and pictures of gates all over it. There was a single chair behind the desk and a single matching chair in front of the desk. Harvey didn't mention the party. He talked business, and about the person his company needed. Ten minutes later Harvey said, "The job is yours if you want it. Here is what I can offer as compensation."

He handed her a typed page outlining the benefits package and the salary. It amounted to a 24% raise over what she was already making. She stood up and shook his hand.

"Does that mean you'll work for me?"

"That depends. When do you want me to start?"

"I know you have to go back to Lincoln and finish up there, and you have to move. How about one month from today?"

"Done!" She smiled wide at him and said, "I can't believe this happened so fast."

"Believe it. I'm really happy for both you and Tom."

"Thank you."

Back in Tom's car she pulled a small notebook out of her purse and started making notes. She paid no attention to where they were driving, until the car stopped. She looked up and saw that they were not at Jenny's house. They were in front of another southwestern style house with three willow trees in the front. It looked very new.

"Where are we?" she asked.

"My place."

He opened her door and they went into the house. It was sparsely furnished, but with wonderful taste. He gave her the tour and when they reached the master bedroom, Petra almost had her heart stop. She had two equally terrifying thoughts.

"He wants to take me to bed!" "He'll see me naked!"

Tom turned and walked out of the bedroom. Petra followed, almost breathing a sigh of relief. When they were back in the living room, Tom turned to her and said, "I only showed you the master bedroom because I am an honest man. I know that to expect you to want to be there now would be foolish. We have only known each other since yesterday. However, I do want you to know that I do want you there. I'm certain I am in love with you."

He turned and went into the kitchen. Petra followed. He opened the refrigerator and asked, "Can I offer you something to drink?"

"Do you have anything diet?"

"Diet Coke, Diet Pepsi, water, or juice?"

"Diet Coke, please."

He opened two, poured them into glasses and they sat at the table. "Have you given any thought as to how you'll get all your stuff from Lincoln to here?"

"I can't afford a moving company. I guess I'll rent one of those drive-it-yourself trucks and drive it myself."

"Here is what I'm thinking. Let's say that two or three of us fly back to Lincoln when you're ready, we rent a truck, load it and while you drive your car, we follow in the truck."

"I suppose you have all this arranged?"

"All we need are the dates and I'll book the tickets."

"Who are the two or three who will come with you?"

"Jenny plans to go back with you and help pack and get you ready. Harvey and Jerry and I will fly back about a week later and do the heavy stuff. None of us has ever been to Lincoln, so be prepared to take us to the best eatery in town."

"I hardly know you guys. I can't let you use your vacation time to help me move."

"If Harvey or Jerry was your brother or your uncle, would you let him?"

"I don't have a brother or an uncle, so I can't answer that question."

"You have all the brothers, uncles, aunts and sisters you ever wanted now. You are a part of the family you met yesterday. The only one who isn't related to you yet out of all those you met yesterday is me. And I plan to be related in three hundred and sixty-three days."

Petra sat her Diet Coke on the table as tears trickled down her cheeks. She got up from her chair and sat down in Tom's lap. With her arms around his neck and shoulders, she planted a kiss on his lips.

When it ended, she said, "I am looking forward to that."

They kissed for some time. Then Tom remembered something and stood up suddenly. If she hadn't been quick, she would have ended up sitting on the floor.

"What?" She said.

"I forgot. I was supposed to call Jenny."

He found the phone, called Jenny and told her that Petra was moving. Then Petra took the phone and talked with Jenny for ten minutes. When she hung up, she told Tom they needed to go back to Jenny's.

Before they left the house, Petra walked back to the master bedroom and stood looking at the bed. Tom followed her in but didn't say anything. When they walked out to the car, Petra said, "I wanted another look. I've never been in a man's bedroom for the night and I wanted to see where it was going to happen."

Tom grinned all the way to Jenny's.

The next two days were spent in family meetings, parties, and getting things planned for her move. She had arranged to change her ticket so she could return to Lincoln a couple days early. Jenny arranged to travel with her.

Lincoln ...

When they walked into Petra's place in Lincoln, Petra started to cry. Jenny asked why.

"I thought I was happy here. Now I look at it and it's cold, empty, and there wasn't any happiness here at all."

Jenny cried too. Then they got to work. They got lots of boxes and trash bags and started going through everything Petra owned. The next morning Petra drove to work and gave her two week's notice. Her boss was so upset, he had payroll write her a check and she was terminated on the spot. What he didn't know was that payroll followed company policy and paid her for the two weeks she would have worked, as well as what she was owed.

After she deposited the check, they went out for lunch and then called Tom. They let him know that as soon as he and Jerry could get there they were ready to move. Tom called back before they were ready for dinner and let them know that their movers were arriving in two days. Petra called and arranged for a rental truck to be picked up on the morning after the guys arrived.

That evening Petra took Jenny to two great restaurants, asking her which she thought the men would like. They both agreed that the men would most likely love a place called "Steaks!" that served huge slabs of steak, baked potatoes, and corn on the cob. They also had big-screen TV's tuned to sporting events, and waitresses that showed lots of skin. On their way back to Petra's house of boxes, Petra got worried.

"If Tom is gonna like "Steaks!" he's going to be really disappointed when he undresses me."

"If a big breasted woman was what Tom wanted to date and marry, don't you think he could find one?"

"Well, yes. I'm sure he could. But why is he interested in me?"

"I've known Tom for almost eight months. I've never seen or heard of him dating anyone. I have heard him talk about wanting a wife. I've also heard him talk about how important family is to him."

"He told me about how his parents and brother died when he was young. Being forced to live with people he didn't know and who really didn't want him was hard."

"I knew he had no biological family, but not what happened."

"I wasn't asked to keep anything he told me a secret, so I guess it would be ok if I shared with you. Tom was at camp one summer when he was ten. His parents and brother were driving up to the camp to pick him up and then go on vacation together. Their car was hit by a drunk driver and shoved off a mountain road. The car fell over a hundred feet, killing all three of them.

After the funeral he went to live with his father's parents. His grandfather was one of those men who believed that hard work was what men were supposed to do, so that is what Tom got."

"Oh."

"When he told me, I cried. No one should lose their whole family like that."

"Petra, I've never asked before but I'm going to ask now. I've known you almost six and a half years. In all that time, I've never seen you get a letter from your family, even a phone call. I never saw you go home for the holidays or anything. What happened?"

"When I was all packed and ready to leave for college, my Dad took me off to the side and said, "Petra, you are going off to a new life. Leave the old life and only look ahead." When I had been at school a week I wrote them a letter. Four days later it came back. It was marked, "Undeliverable" in my Dad's handwriting. I tried calling a few times but they changed the phone number to unlisted or something and every letter I sent came back, so I quit writing after a year. I cried every time I sent them a letter and I cried more when they came back.

During that first summer, I took a week and drove home. The door was locked, and no one would come to the door. To this day I don't know what happened. If I hadn't gotten that apartment, and found you as my roommate, I think I would have died."

Jenny took her in her arms and they both cried.

When the men arrived, there were lots of hugs and kisses at the airport. Jerry and Tom both kissed both women and Jerry walked out of the airport with his arm around Jenny just like Tom's arm was around Petra. The men explained that Harvey hadn't made the trip because his company had just gotten a huge rush order for a new housing area, but that Harvey and the others would be there to help unload when they arrived.

Petra had left her car at home. No one had ever sat in the back seat and she believed it wasn't big enough to hold the men in anything like comfort. She had rented a mini-van and Jenny was the driver. The people at the rental agency would not rent the van to Petra if she was to be the driver... she was too small.

They were given a half-hour tour that Petra had devised to cover sights she thought men would want to see. They drove past the University of Nebraska football stadium and saw the skyline of downtown Lincoln. Then Jenny headed for "Steaks!" and the promised great meal.

Petra was a little surprised when both men asked the hostess to seat their group in a room away from the big screen TVs.

Jerry explained, "We didn't fly all this way to watch television. We came to be with you."

The hostess showed them to a small private room -- ideal for them. Petra and Jenny filled them in on the packing, the rental truck situation, and let it be known that they were happy to be at the beginning of this adventure. Their meals arrived and they ate most of the meal in relative silence. The food was really good and they were really hungry. Three or four times during the meal, Petra noticed that Jerry had reached over and touched Jenny. She first saw him touch her shoulder, and then a bit later saw him put his hand on her leg. She lost focus when Tom put his hand on her leg.

It was another first for Petra. She didn't jump, but almost. As his hand rested on her leg, she noticed that it felt heavy. Not uncomfortable, but heavy. Then she noticed how warm it was. Not hot, not unpleasant, just warm. She thought about what it meant his hand on her leg. She came to a lot of judgments about what it might mean, but she didn't know what it meant.

"Tom," she said softly, "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure. What is it?"

He also spoke softly, and leaned towards her.

"I don't quite know how to say this, or ask this. I've never had someone put their hand on my leg before. I don't know what it is supposed to mean."

Tom sat still for a few seconds. Then he answered. "I don't know what it means, for anyone but me, right now, in this time and place, but I can tell you what it means to me right now."

Petra nodded.

"It means I want you to know that I love being with you. I'm glad to be here. I want you to know that I love you, but I'm still a bit scared to say the words."

Petra was looking into Tom's eyes and saw that he spoke the truth. Suddenly she heard Jerry speaking and realized they weren't alone.

"It means I want you to know I love being here with you. I'm glad to be here. I want you to know that I love you and I'm scared to say the words." Jerry said, looking into Jenny's eyes.

She burst into tears and into his arms. Petra sat stunned. She didn't know there was anything cooking between Jerry and Jenny. She didn't believe any man was ever going to say those words and now she had heard two men say them.

She watched Jenny kissing Jerry for almost a minute when she felt Tom withdraw his hand from her leg. Instantly she missed the feel of it, missed the pressure and the warmth, but more she discovered how much she missed what it meant. She grabbed his hand and started to put it back on her leg, but stopped. Instead she put it around her body as she climbed into his lap. Their lips met and she pushed her tongue into his mouth.

When the kiss ended she said, "I'm sorry it took me so long to react. Ever since I met you I have been in overwhelm. I have done things and thought about things that I had never dreamed of before. You say you love me. I trust you. I don't know why you love me, I question your sanity, but I believe you when you say it. And, I don't know what to do with it; now that I hear you say it."

Jenny was still in Jerry's lap. She said, "Well, I do. Let's pay the check and get out of here. I can think of more romantic places than a restaurant called "Steaks!"."

Jerry opened his wallet and dropped a one hundred dollar bill on the table. "I think that will cover dinner and tip quite nicely."

"But dinner was to be on me," Petra protested.

"Dessert can be your treat." He said, putting his arm around Jenny and heading for the door. Petra gave up the protest and wondered what she could possibly give them for dessert. There was nothing at home to eat except the snacks they had bought for the trip.

By the time she reached the van, she had an idea what Jerry might have been referring to as dessert.

On the way to Petra's they talked softly in the back seat, and they kissed. Jerry rode in the front passenger bucket seat and Jenny drove. Every time the van stopped at a light, Jerry leaned over and kissed her. At one point in the trip Petra had some thoughts about sending Jenny to the motel with Jerry while she and Tom stayed the night at her place. She didn't say anything about those thoughts because she also had the thought that maybe Jerry or Jenny weren't ready to take that step. When they pulled the van into Petra's driveway, it was just after ten o'clock.

Tom spoke before opening the sliding door of the van. "It's late. I can't speak for Jerry but there is something I can say for me. I want to come inside and I want to sleep with you tonight, but I know if I do, we won't get much sleep. I also know that we need to be well rested for tomorrow. So, rather than come in under the pretext of having dessert, or for just a minute, I think you better take us to wherever we are spending the night."

"I want to spend the night with you." Petra said.

"And I want to spend every night with you," Jenny said to Jerry.

"But Tom's right: if we open the van door now we won't get much sleep and tomorrow is a big day." Jerry said.

Jenny kissed Jerry. Tom kissed Petra. Jenny restarted the van and they drove to the motel a few blocks away and without either woman getting out, left them there. As Jenny pulled out of the motel parking lot she said, "That was the hardest thing I've ever done."

"Leaving him there?"

"Yes. I want to take him to bed!"

"Don't you hate it when good sense gets in the way?"

"I do tonight!"

The rest of the short ride was quiet. They went inside Petra's and got ready for bed. Petra let Jenny have the bathroom right off the master bedroom, and she took her toothbrush into the other bathroom. She took off her clothes in the bathroom and put on what she usually wore to bed, a t-shirt and fresh panties. She noticed a wet spot on the panties she took off. She was in the big bed when Jenny came out of the bathroom. She was wearing a t-shirt. She climbed into the bed and pulled the covers up. Petra shut off the lamp beside the bed. Neither went to sleep.

"Petra?"

"Yes."

"What are you going to do tomorrow night?"

"Sleep with Tom, if he still wants me to."

"Oh, I think I can safely say that he will want to."

"I can understand Jerry wanting to sleep with you, but what have I got to offer Tom? I'm as flat as an eleven-year-old boy. I don't look like a woman."

A single tear rolled down her cheek. Jenny didn't see it, but she guessed it was there.

"Turn on the light, Petra."

She did.

"You've never made love before have you?"

"Never. Tom is the only man I've ever kissed. I don't even know how."

"So, has he touched you?"

"He's held me."

"Has he put his hands on your breasts?"

"No. He's been a perfect gentleman."

"Do you want him to touch you?"

"Yes."

"Then sometime tomorrow when you kiss, gently pinch his nipple."