OFF-TANGENT(A Lesbian Story)

Chapter Sixteen

"You said you were going to call me today. I have been waiting for hours..." Mika called Kiefer from the depot. He sounded grumpy when he answered.

"It is still today," Mika cut him off. "And I am home... at least at the airport. Could you please come and get me? I don't want to walk nor take the tricycle this late."

"You are here? In Dumaguete?" His voice had risen with gladness.

Mika felt her heart contract. "Yes. Kiefer, please come. I need to talk to you."

"I'll just throw on some clothes. I'll be there in a few minutes."

Mika chose a bench outside the main door of the airport and sat down with relief. It was a pleasant night--- the heat of the day had dissipated, leaving a warm breeze that brought the sharp scent of the ocean nearby and that of newly sharp cut grass to her nose. She tried to concentrate on the smells, to still the hammering of her heart. This was not going to be easy. She had to be very careful with the words she will use. She was sure she is going to hurt Kiefer. She was thinking of getting this done less painfully. She might not be able to marry him, but she still cared about him.

It was nearly twenty minutes before Kiefer's car pulled up. Mika had been getting restless. As soon as the car appeared she hurried towards it.

Before the reported could say anything, Kiefer greeted her with an enthusiastic kiss. Guiltily, she remembered the scene at the Macapagal Airport. Was it possible that Kiefer might identify the smell of Vic's perfume, still clinging to her hair.... to her skin? Then again, he did not seem to notice anything unusual.

She tried to will herself to feel the way a woman should react in the arms of the man she loved. But it was different. Kiefer's kisses lacked the power to make her feel like melted steel, ready to be molded to a man's command...

"Did you get your story?" he asked. "I supposed, you will be at the station all day tomorrow putting it together."

"I would not be surprised. Jeron will want it on air as soon as possible." She braced herself for Kiefer's protest, and then remembered that it did not matter anymore. "Will you come up for coffee? I really need to talk to you."

"I can't , honey. I have to be on the road early in the morning."

"On the road?" She was puzzled.

"Yes. You caught me just as I was getting into bed. I tried to tell you about it last night. Dad had planned to go to Bacolod this weekend to talk to an important client, but his ulcer kicked up again and his doctor does not want him to go. So he is sending me instead." He sounded half frightened and half proud. "Just think, Mika. In a few months you can go with me on trips like this."

It hurt a little, to see his boyish pleasure in the trip and know that she was going to shatter it.

"Kiefer, this is really important. It will just take a few minutes..."

"I am really tired, Mika. We'll talk when I get back, and you can tell me all about your trip."

Mika raised her eyebrows. What does he take me for... a child at show and tell?

"Uhmmm....I hope you would think very seriously about giving up your work at the radio station while I am gone. I am afraid your job will interfere with our lives." He opened her door and helped her out. "But we can talk about it on Tuesday when I get home, too. This weekend is a big step for us, honey. If I am successful in making this deal, there is no telling what comes next."

"Kiefer, I can't marry you" Mika said, unwilling to let it go on any longer.

There was a long silence. Kiefer's forehead knotted, as if he was trying to translate what the girl in front of him had just said.