5 comments/ 24794 views/ 9 favorites Continue The Legacy By: BOSTONFICTIONWRITER Wealthy lesbian woman befriends and helps a homeless woman. They called her the cat woman, albeit she only had three cats. Maybe, they called her cat woman because she fed stray cats and a cat or two always lingered by her back doorstep meowing for her attention and affection, hoping for some food, too. Her name was Jenna Charles. Ever since her long-time lover and companion, Ruth Charles, died of breast cancer three years ago, she lived alone on Beacon Street, near the corner of Charles Street, in the house that Ruth's grandfather, Ulysses Charles, a retired and successful, black banker, built more than 100 years ago, long before she was born. Back then, he was one of the few men, albeit black men, who helped other black men with loans to buy homes and businesses. Just as a black man was refused a loan at a white bank, and women were refused loans at any bank, for that matter, Ulysses Charles didn't loan money to white men, for fear of not being paid and having no recourse in a white society to collect his money. Nonetheless, he filled the niche that made him as rich as many of his white Brahmin banker counterparts, who lived beside him on Beacon Hill and those others who inhabited Back Bay. Only, because of the times and the color of his skin, he was never accepted in their closed knit community, even after he built one of the premier homes on Beacon Hill. Had the citizenry known that a black man had invaded their small, elite, and aristocratic community and bought property there, they would have burnt his house to the ground, but he survived being burnt out by staying to himself and not trying to be invited to where he wasn't wanted and didn't belong. Besides, with the homes so close together, if they burned one, they burned them all. Matter of fact, his neighbors thought that his family of blacks were the servants and not the owners. Pretending he was the butler of the house and in charge in the owner's absence, any time anyone came calling, he'd tell them that Ulysses Charles and family were on an extended vacation in Europe. Just as it was easy to be noticed back then and in that high society community, a time long before computers and with the long arm of the Internet invading everyone's privacy, it was easy to disappear, too. Ulysses Charles made a lot of money at a time when there was a lot of money to be made. When labor was cheap and before federal income taxes accessed penalties on its citizens, no expense was spare with the construction of this sweet Victorian mansion. Directly across from the Boston Common and only a block away from the Public Garden, the golden dome of the State House shone down the hill upon this stately home. Yet, this story isn't about Ulysses Charles, it's about his granddaughter, Ruth Charles, and about the legacy that she started and wanted continued by passing it on to Jenna Charles. "Continue the legacy," was all that Ruth whispered to Jenna before she died. Jenna knew what she meant, of course, she needn't have said any more than that. Attuned to one another, as lifetime partners, they always knew the other's meaning, sometimes without words. She kissed Ruth on the lips and bade her a last good-bye, while waiting, as the monitor flat lined an alarm, and watched, as the doctor declared the time of death. The doctors could have prolonged her life a few more weeks or months but not without a great deal of discomfort, angst, and agony for the both of them. Ruth had already made her last wishes known by signing a document not to resuscitate. Jenna couldn't stay to watch any longer and needed to leave, before they covered Ruth's body with a sheet and wheeled her to the morgue. Her lingering illness and subsequent death had been a depressing conclusion to a full and happy life. Talking about it at great length beforehand, Ruth was ready and prepared to go and she died quietly and quickly. It had been difficult enough to make the final details of the funeral arrangements that morning. Jenna felt so helpless seeing her best friend, her lover, and her longtime companion lying there so still and so quiet, as if she was sleeping. Yet, she was glad that she was finally at peace. Jenna stayed home for months before venturing out on the streets of Boston again. Haunted by the memory of Ruth, having grown uncomfortable staying in that big and empty house without her, she regularly fled her home and her familiar surroundings for other distractions to occupy her thoughts from missing Ruth. Her home was too much of a beautiful place to abandon for long, though, but she needed the time away from the house they shared to clear her head and get over the loss of her mentor. From her rooftop garden to the right, she had a clear view of the Esplanade and the Charles River and to her immediate left she overlooked the Boston Common and the Public Garden. She loved this area of Boston because she didn't need a car and she let, Peter, the chauffeur go when Ruth died. Having a chauffeur and an automobile was Ruth's idea. Unlike Jenna who enjoyed a brisk stroll through the park, Ruth was obese and didn't like to walk. Jenna gave Peter the car, a pristine blue Bentley, that he washed every week, waxed regularly, and cared for, as if it was his own. She didn't care much for cars, for driving, or being driven. Besides, she could walk anywhere she needed to go in the city from where she lived. She lived in the middle of the city, the Back Bay and on the Beacon Hill area of Boston where the elite once lived like royalty in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. She loved the quaintness, the charm, and the character of the area with each house compacted side by side, so much like a picturesque cover of a Hallmark greeting card. Every house was distinctly different and, every year, professors would take their engineering students for a walking tour around the area to point out different architectural styles. An artist made a small fortune on reproducing the doors of Boston, each door was as different as the resident who lived behind them. Artists made hundreds of paintings and photographers made thousands of prints of the homes, and tourist could never take enough photographs of the area. She loved the charm of Boston's history that was so rich with art and culture. As did her house, every house and every block had a story to tell and secrets to reveal. In a house originally built and designed for a large family, her grand surroundings afforded her an unprecedented level of privacy. With the loss of Ruth, her self-imposed prison wasn't so horrible, but to her, it was unbearable. She lived in opulent but understated luxury, but it wasn't the same without having Ruth there to share it with her. She missed her biting remarks, her off the cuff humor, and her laugh. In the way she acted, irreverently funny, she reminded her of a black Bette Midler. As soon as you entered the foyer of the four storied home with its high ceilings, large rooms, original fancy woodwork, hardwood floors, mahogany woodwork, chandeliered ceilings, pocket doors, ornate decorations of the period with beveled and stained glass, oriental carpets, and with a fireplace in nearly every room, you knew that this was not only a historic house but also a house of distinction. With everything antique and in as new condition, once you crossed the threshold and entered the home, it felt surreal, as if you were suddenly living in the way the rich lived back in the late 1800's and early 1900's. The reception hall, with its grand winding staircase, domed 18' ceiling, and Tiffany chandelier, paid tribute to a slower time past. The unrelenting tick, tick, tick and melodious chime from the 100-plus-year-old grandfather clock filled the house of the passing time that titillated your imagination and reminded you what it was like to live back then. With every piece of furniture and fixture restored and true to the period, time stood still here. With no expense spared and nothing but the best, an antique dealer would kill to auction the original prized pieces that resided in this museum like house. Once inside the house and for the length of your visit, you felt thrown back to the Victorian period, an age of calm elegance. The noise of modern day with all the cars, traffic, and congestion assaulted your senses, as soon as you walked out the front door; a jolting reminder that it was today and not yesteryear. Wishing they could stay, wishing they could live here, those who visited the home, did not want to leave. It was a house that when constructed cost fifteen thousand dollars to build, a lot of money back then. With the appreciated value in Boston's real estate market made more valuable by the desirable location, the immaculate condition of the property, and the preservation of its history, it was now worth more than fifteen million dollars, still a lot of money today. Moreover, if you were to liquidate the antiques and artwork that resided within at auction, her property and the value of her possessions skyrocketed to more than 50 million dollars. Then, there were the stocks and the bonds that Ruth's father left Ruth and that Ruth had now left Jenna. When accounting for all of that, her fortune climbed to, depending on the condition of the market, of course, more than three hundred million dollars. Ruth gave Jenna strict instructions to never liquidate the investment portfolio, but instead to buy and to nurture it with a watchful eye to what current events did to the condition of the market and invest accordingly. Ruth kept abreast of local and world conditions that could positively and adversely affect her investment portfolio and, because of her keen insight of human nature and world events, she had been a savvy investor, quadrupling her wealth. Passing along what she learned, she taught Jenna well. "Let it work for you, Jenna, and you will have no worries in your retirement. If I am to die before you," she said prophetically before she became ill, "continue my legacy of helping women." It was the legacy they both shared and the legacy that gave them joy. Their wealth meant nothing to them personally; they merely used it as a vehicle to help other women in need. Except for the ostentation of the period house, there were no fancy cars, expensive trips, or embarrassing displays of wealth. Matter of fact, if you were to pass by Jenna on the street, you'd never suspect she was so wealthy. Instead of filled with extravagance, her life was filled with responsibility, duty, functions, and charities. Like Ruth before her, Jenna was a shrewd and savvy investor increasing her stock portfolio significantly higher than the 9% rate of return that the market earned each year. Considering her wealth, she was frugal with her money and did not squander it foolishly. Each year, she made and saved more than she spent and that allowed her wealth to grow exponentially, as if it were a mushroom cloud on the vast horizon. She lived well but not extravagantly. Her modest lifestyle grew her net worth rather than diminished it. After Ruth died, Jenna didn't want to live alone. Besides, the premise of continuing the legacy wouldn't allow her to live a solitary life. It was not her choice or her intention to live without love and without sex. She was still a young and vibrant enough of a woman to have a lover and to continue the legacy. Unfortunately, being alone and being lonely had just happened. It wasn't easy trusting people when you were that rich and she didn't want to open her door, and welcome someone to her bed, who was only after her money and who wouldn't continue the legacy after she was gone. She needed to find that special someone, as Ruth had found her. Only, it wasn't so easy. Her life wasn't the same without Ruth and she so terribly missed her friend that she could not bear to think of herself with another woman. She had always been a heterosexual woman, that is, until she met Ruth. She wasn't a lesbian, never had a lesbian experience, didn't even have lesbian thoughts, until she met Ruth, and then it just happened. Still, even if asked point blank if she was lesbian, she'd be hard pressed to admit she was. The way she looked at it was that she loved Ruth, who happened to be a woman. Something changed deep inside her when she met Ruth. She had never met anyone like her before. Ruth was smart, confident, and kind. Unlike any man she had known, Ruth was good to her. How could she not fall in love with her? It was the loving and caring relationship she always yearned to have with a man, but found with a woman. Now, the thoughts of her bedding and being with a man, as she had done early in her sexual development, disgusted her, as much of the thoughts of her being with another woman did, now that Ruth was gone. She and Ruth married long before Ruth had taken ill and Jenna took Ruth's name. At the time, same sex marriages had just become legal in Massachusetts. Ruth, fifteen years older than Jenna, shared plans of adopting a baby girl. They had even agreed upon the name, Ashleigh. Yet, it was not to be, once Ruth became ill and never recovered. The cancer sucked the life out of her. When Ruth died, Jenna lost all interest in the things she loved, entertaining, the arts, and charities. Now, except for her daily walks and the work that she does at the women's shelter, she stays home tending to her garden and reading. Abstaining from sex, she was celibate and remained that way out of some convoluted respect to Ruth's memory. She never loved anyone as much as she loved Ruth. They had been together for fifteen years. She had friends, of course. Unfortunately, the older she grew, the less she socialized, and the less she was invited to parties and functions. She drifted away from actively participating in life and from seeking the company of others. She became reclusively aloof hiding out in the familiar luxury of her home. Rather than hire a cook and a maid, preferring to live alone, twice daily, she dined at the Ritz Carlton, which was only two blocks from her house, once in the afternoon for high tea and later in the evening for dinner. When Ruth died her friends encouraged her to sell her big brownstone home and live at one of the penthouse suites that the Ritz had newly designed, constructed, and decorated. By living at the Ritz, they figured that she'd rub elbows with others in her class and hopefully meet someone special. She bought the suite, but couldn't bring herself to live there or to sell Ruth's beloved family home. The house held too many good memories of the times they shared together. She sub-leased her penthouse suite at the Ritz to some Boston Red Sox baseball player, who only used it when he was in Boston, which was not very often, especially after he had been traded to the New York Yankees and then to the Los Angeles Dodgers. She was content to stay home alone with her cats, named Queen Anne, because she was a haughty cat, Miss Priss, because she was a fussy cat, and Back Bay, because she found her roaming Back Bay homeless and hungry. Back Bay was a scrappy black cat. Jenna was a sucker for the downtrodden and Back Bay was her favorite cat because, as she was once homeless, she was a survivor. With her dominant nature, Back Bay appeared stronger than the other two cats and in that way, she reminded her of herself. Rejecting the black banking empire his father had built, Ruth's father worked for IBM before retiring. That was where he met a lanky, redheaded, pimple and freckled faced, annoying boy of a man, named Billie who bored everyone to tears talking about a language that no one cared about and no one understood. Everyone who worked at IBM made fun of Billie. Before geek was coined a term to describe computer nerds, they thought him odd and weird. A genius, who bordered on insanity and who smelled from not bathing regularly, Billie wrote programs for IBM but was savvy enough to keep the licenses in the name of his company. When Big Blue thought that the personal computer would change the world and that the world revolved around IBM, they were right, that is, until they lost their vision. In the early '80's, IBM spent millions of dollars advertising their personal computer with their Charlie Chaplin impersonator ads only to give up on the idea of a computer in every house and foolishly gave away the rights to the operating language, PC-DOS, to the odd, redheaded boy. A new technology that they had invested so much time, effort, and money, they foolishly, but later ruefully discarded, without second thoughts, to this annoying boy, just to, finally, rid them of him and of it. He and his language were odd and they wanted no part of this oddity anymore. Big Blue was big business and Billie was not part of their team. He wasn't their type of employee, the company controlled employee that IBM wanted and was accustomed to having. The higher and, in hindsight, misguided powers at IBM decided to put their effort into business computers instead of home computers. Besides, that lanky, redheaded, pimple and freckled faced, annoying boy never conformed to their standards by wearing the required white shirt, black pants, and black tie. Certainly, he was not one of them. Certainly, he would not amount to anything. Certainly, that software that he so highly regarded was a waste of his time and their money. Let him have it and good riddance to him. Billie renamed his PC-DOS software MS-DOS and, with a few friends he met at MIT and a few investors who shared his vision, he created Microsoft and became better known as the richest man in the world, Bill Gates. Billie's passion for innovation impressed Ruth's father. He had never met anyone so focused, devoted, and smart. With his nose pressed to the glass watching Billie work his magic with numbers and with the new age invention of personal computers, Ruth's father believed the vision that Billie espoused. Bill Gates had so irritated the management at IBM that when Microsoft went public, Ruth's father invested all of his stock portfolio in Billie's new software company. The rest is history and is the reason why Ruth and, now, Jenna never had to work a day in their lives or worry about money. Jenna loved to walk and she so looked forward to the simple routine of walking from her house on Beacon Hill to the library at Copley Square, aptly named, the Copley Square Public Library. She loved to read and read a book a day. It was her daily ritual that she enjoyed returning the one book she borrowed and read that day for a new book to read the next. The borrowing of another new book and the returning of the other read book each day, gave her a reason to walk and it was a nice walk down the forever busy Newbury Street. There was always something new to look at on Newbury Street with all the boutiques and shops. Never did she borrow more than one book because she never knew in advance what she'd want to read tomorrow; it depended on her mood that day. The walk across Beacon Street and through part of the Boston Common, across Charles Street and through the length of the Public Gardens, across Arlington Street, down Newbury Street, across Berkeley Street and continuing to the next block, Clarendon Street, is a 10 block roundtrip downhill trip there and an uphill trek back. The daily constitutional maintained her good health with positive spirits and the clarity of a sound mind. Besides, her favorite part of the walk was at the end, at Clarendon Street, where she met and befriended, a young woman, named of all names, Ashleigh. Before Ruth had taken ill and died, she and Jenna had wanted to adopt a baby, a daughter, and to name her Ashleigh. It was fateful that she would befriend a woman so aptly named and Jenna viewed the meeting as more than a coincidence. Firmly believing that there's a reason for everything, she looked upon the chance encounter as kismet. The friendship gave Jenna something to look forward to everyday. The interest in someone else replaced the self-pity that consumed her with the loss of Ruth and the self-indulgence that, oftentimes, happens to someone, who has unlimited wealth at their disposal and too much time on their hands. Continue The Legacy Ashleigh, a petite and pretty, twenty-something-year-old blonde with shiny, blue eyes, was homeless. She held up the door jam at Store 24, where she panhandled, begging those, who passed her by, for spare change and cigarettes. Jenna, nearly twenty years her senior, started out giving her loose change that quickly escalated to a few dollars, then a ten replaced a five dollar bill and, now twenty dollars was her normal daily donation, before Ashleigh confided in Jenna that she was pregnant. Certainly, Jenna could afford to give Ashleigh twenty dollars a day, even more, had it not been for the fear of ruining their friendship. Certainly, she didn't want Ashleigh to know that she was wealthy, but she suspected that she knew, anyway. Anyone and everyone was wealthy compared to poor, little Ashleigh. Yet, even though Ashleigh had nothing, not even a roof over her head, Jenna recognized that Ashleigh had false pride, much like she had when she was a woman her age. She knew that if she came on too strong, Ashleigh would either resist her financial friendship, and/or disappear finding another street corner to haunt, or would play her by accepting whatever charity she could get from her, thereby trading her offers of friendship for money and ending their symbiotic relationship of friendship and trust. Either way was not an appealing alternative to blossoming the emerging new friendship that Jenna so looked forward to having with the young woman. She decided to take it slow, until Ashleigh bonded more with her emotionally and needed her, as much as Jenna needed her friendship, and as much as Ashleigh depended on her financially. "This is the last day I'll be seeing you," Ashleigh said with a smile to Jenna with mixed emotions of sadness and happiness. She was so pretty when she smiled. Jenna imagined how much prettier she'd be with some tender loving care, a warm bath, her hair done, makeup, and some clean clothes. "Why, Dear?" She expected the worst figuring that the girl had been arrested and was heading off to jail for loitering, panhandling, pandering, prostitution or worse. Immediately, she thought that she'd telephone her lawyer and give Ashleigh whatever legal help she needed. With her money, power, and influence, Ashleigh wouldn't spend more than an hour in a jail cell. Suddenly and selfishly, Jenna felt lonely that her friend was abandoning her and her door jam at Store 24. Emptiness consumed her like hunger with the thought that she wouldn't have Ashleigh there at the end of her walk to occupy a few minutes of her time with some light conversation. Jenna so looked forward to seeing her every day and had hoped that their friendship would blossom and lead to more than just a few minutes of dialogue. Presently, Ashleigh was her only contact with humanity and without her there, she felt that she'd fade away into herself becoming even more reclusive. Jenna looked at the woman, while waiting for her to explain. She was so frightfully thin, looking as if she had not eaten in a week. "I'm getting back with my man," she said with a contagious smile that enveloped Jenna making her happy to see her continue with a better life, hopefully. "That's nice, dear," said Jenna suddenly saddened by the realization that she may never see this girl again, a fixture at this street corner for so many months. "I want you to know," she delayed Jenna's escape by touching her arm. "That I didn't use any of the money you gave me to buy drugs." She wiped her nose with her sleeve and Jenna handed her a clean tissue from her pocket. "Thanks," she said blowing her nose hard and loud. "I've been clean and sober for more than three months, now." She gently hugged her stomach with her hands, "Since the doctor at the clinic told me the good news. And I stopped smoking and drinking, too, to protect my baby." "That's wonderful, dear." Jenna opened her purse, pulled out a one hundred dollar bill, and placed it in her hand. "Thank you," she said accepting Jenna's charity. Then, when she looked down at the money and saw that it was a hundred dollars, she threw her arms around Jenna's neck, hugged her, and kissed her on the cheek. The pedestrians who pass by looked at this homeless girl hugging this woman of obvious wealth and position with horror. Maybe they figured she was her mother or aunt. Who knows what they thought? Certainly, they'd never suspect Jenna of being a recruiter and wanting and needing to recruit another young woman to continue the legacy that was established by Ruth and now passed on to her to continue. Only, now that Ashleigh was getting back with her man and pregnant with child, she'd wouldn't be a good candidate for the continuation of Ruth and Jenna's legacy. "You're welcome, Dear," said Jenna returning her hug and feeling nothing, but Ashleigh's bones and another loss of someone taken prematurely from her life. "Thank you," she said again and breaking off her hug. "I've been saving the money," she looked around as if she didn't want anyone to hear her secret, "for my baby." She looked at Jenna and smiled. "I'm pregnant and, you know what, it's a girl." Deducing that she was pregnant by the information of her sudden doctor's visit, what she said about having stopped smoking and drinking to protect her baby, and noticing the obvious bulge beneath her clothes, Jenna already deduced that she was pregnant and she smiled at Ashleigh's innocence, as well as her good news. "I'm so happy for you, Ashleigh." "And you know what else," said Ashleigh smiling again, beaming actually, while looking down and running a slow hand over her stomach, before looking up and making eye contact with Jenna. "I'm going to name her Jenna, after you." "Oh, how delightful," said Jenna smiling at Ashleigh. She lost her smile suddenly when, upon closer inspection, she looked down at the girl and noticed the disarray of her clothes and the condition of her person. Jenna knew that Ashleigh and her baby were not getting the proper nutrition or medical care that she needed for her to have a healthy child. "Do you have a place to stay?" "No, not, yet, but we're working with an agency to help us." "And where is your young man, now?" Jenna looked over her shoulder thinking he may be with her. "Is he nearby?" "Bobby? His name is Bobby," she said with a smile that showed that she was in love. "He's at the shelter taking a shower. I gave him some money to buy new clothes, a suit and a tie, so that he could get a job." She smiled a smile that made Jena smile. "He has a job interview today." "Wonderful," said Jenna. She hoped what she said was true and that he didn't just take her money to buy drugs. "I just know he'll get this job." Ashleigh looked so determinedly hopeful. "I just know it." She nodded her head, as if that would reinforce her belief and convince her that everything would be okay. "Things are finally turning around for us." She touched Jenna's hand and squeezed it with her dirty, little hand. "I'm so happy." "Well, I hope things work out for you, Dear. Good luck with your baby," she said turning to leave. Jenna noticed the looks of the people, who passed by them, circumventing Ashleigh in their haste to move away from her and to make their escape without touching her. Ashleigh, either oblivious or accustomed to their looks of disgust and distain, concentrated her attention on Jenna. "Thank you for your kindness," she said letting go of Jenna's hand. "Good-bye," she waved after her, as Jenna turned the corner. Weeks passed without Jenna seeing Ashleigh. Although, she was happy that her man, Bobby, obviously had, finally, found employment and they, apparently, had found housing, she missed the simple pleasure of chatting with her street urchin of a friend. Besides, she was beginning to have feelings for her and was beginning to imagine her life with Ashleigh playing an important role, as the next potential candidate to continue the legacy. Ashleigh reminded her so much of herself, when she was a young woman her age. If nothing else, Ashleigh gave her reason to get up and go out for a walk and to keep her in touch with reality. Now, without her daily conversations with Ashleigh, Jenna could go days and weeks without human contact with anyone, other than the doorman, the waiter, the concierge, and the manager at the Ritz Carlton Hotel. Nonetheless, she was happy that her friend was getting her life back together. She probably should have given her e-mail address, so that Ashleigh could have sent her a note with photos of the baby and of her new apartment. Unfortunately, despite being happy for her good news, she was saddened by the news of losing her friend and she didn't think of giving her e-mail address to her at the time. Today, a new day with the grey skies of winter giving way to the blue skies of spring, Jenna had a bounce to her step. The sunshine felt good on her face and warmed more than her person, it warmed her mood. She was immensely enjoying her walk to the library with sidewalks that were finally free of ice and snow and was in good spirits, that is, until she saw Ashleigh standing at her familiar spot panhandling. Happy to see her but saddened by the sight of her, it was a bittersweet sighting. At first, she was excitedly happy to see her young friend, until she walked closer. "Ashleigh..." Ashleigh's worse than usual appearance cut Jenna's question short. She was going to ask her what she was doing back but changed her question to, "...what happened to you?" Ashleigh avoided Jenna's direct eye contact. She had a black-eye, a mouse on her cheek, and a bandage dirtied with dried blood on her forehead and on her right hand. "Bobby didn't get the job," she sniffed. She wiggle wiped her nose with the back of her dirty hand and sniffed again, only harder this time. She looked cold and sickly. The dried blood that caked beneath her nose held back the mucous like a dam. "He took my money. All of it," she said with a nervous shiver and darting eyes. Jenna wondered if she was high on drugs. "You poor dear," said Jenna touching her arm. As soon as Jenna touched her, Ashleigh started crying and covered her grimy face with her dirty hands. Jenna stepped forward and hugged her. She was a mess. Yet, as soon as Jenna hugged her, she felt Ashleigh's tough veneer crumble. Suddenly, she turned into a young, frightened little girl that she always was beneath her brave facade, instead of a do-whatever-you-must-to-survive homeless woman. "I told him that I needed the money for the baby, but he laughed and said, what baby? That was when he beat me and pushed me down the stairs and left me there to die." She took a step forward and sobbed in Jenna's jacket. Jenna put her chin on her head and hugged her, while pedestrians on the sidewalk circumvented them, as if they were navigating to enter an express toll booth on either side of them. "There, there, now, Ashleigh. Everything will be alright." "No, it won't," she said looking up at Jenna with a face full of hurt and disappointment. "I woke up in the hospital and when they kept giving me drugs for my pain, I ran out of there. I had enough of drugs ruining everything and destroying my life. No drugs, no more drugs for me. I'm done with drugs." She stepped back and held her face in her dirty hands and shaking and sobbing spoke through her tears. "I lost my baby. My baby...she's gone. Little baby Jenna is dead." Beyond despair, Ashleigh looked up at Jenna with a look of hopelessness. As if looking at herself in a mirror, Jenna recognized the look. It was a sadly familiar look that Jenna had seen before on the faces of too many women, including her own. Now, to see the same look on Ashleigh's face, the look broke Jenna's heart. The look pushed her to take action, something that she had the means, influence, and power to do. Much in the way of a fairy Godmother, Jenna could change Ashleigh's life forever with a wave of her hand. Only, would Ashleigh accept her help or reject it and her? It was the same scenario that Jenna faced when Ruth proposed her plan to Jenna so many years before. Able to see both sides of it now, Jenna wondered what Ashleigh would do. She felt the color drain from her face, replaced with renewed rage for men who beat women. Now, she had even more determined conviction to help the women that these angry men took out their frustrations by beating them. She saw so many victims; every year she gave of herself and her money to women's shelters, and, every year, there were more women requiring food, shelter, jobs, training, and needing protective care from the men they did nothing to but love. Ashleigh, to her, was her special case and Jenna couldn't bring herself to drop her off at a shelter, abandon her, and leave her there alone to eventually return to the streets. Even in her unkempt condition, it was obvious that she was an attractive woman and was a potential victim for rape or worse. More than that though, seeing her again, after such a long absence, it was obvious that she loved her. She loved Ashleigh and because of that, she was determined to help her. Besides, many of the shelters weren't safe. Although, they were staffed by paid employees and volunteers, many of the women who used the shelters were criminals, tough prostitutes, drug users, and crazies. Even though Ashleigh confessed her drug use, Jenna could tell she wasn't like the others. She had been around enough of them to recognize the good ones from the bad ones and it was obvious to her that Ashleigh only needed a bit of loving care that Jenna could give her to turn her life around. Residents virtually had to have eyes in the back of their heads before closing your eyes for the night in a shelter to survive. Another woman would steal anything you had of value or murder you, while you slept. "I haven't had lunch, yet..." she said putting her arm around Ashleigh and brushing a strand of greasy hair from her face, along with a tear. Ashleigh's tears streaked the accumulated dirt making her face appear older and tracking it with thick, black dirty trails that resembled age lines. She put a finger beneath her chin lifting it up to look into her tear-filled, blue eyes, "...and I'm famished." She smiled at her with the delicious thought of her next suggestion. "Would you join me for lunch?" "Me? Have lunch with you?" Happiness replaced sadness when Ashleigh looked down at herself. She wiped her tears from her face with both her dirty hands and suddenly reddened with embarrassment. "Nah, look at me. I'm a mess," she said looking back up at Jenna. "I smell," she said. She rubbed the back of her dirty hand at her nose and snuffed back her snots. "They always throw me out of eating joints when I walk in asking to use the lady's room." She looked down at herself, again. "They'd never want me to actually sit down and eat a meal." "I can assure you that the place where we'll lunch will not deny you service," said Jenna with her head held haughtily high. "Sure," she smiled. "Okay, I haven't eaten, yet, today or yesterday, I think." She smiled, again. "I could eat something." She leaned into Jenna and whispered. "And I have to pee like a racehorse." Jenna laughed at Ashleigh's simplicity and together, they walked the length of Newbury Street. Those who walked towards them and behind them quickened their step to avoid contact with Ashleigh by walking to the other side of Jenna and, as they passed, they turned to stare. Enjoying the attention and feeling like she was playing the celebrity being in the company of her diamond in the rough with Ashleigh on her arm, Jenna, full of compassion and love, ignored their stares of horror. When they reached the end of Newbury Street, Jenna turned to her left and motioned for Ashleigh to follow. "This way, Dear," she said, as the doorman held open the door for her. "I can't go in there," she said in a hoarse whisper, while taking a step back. "Why not, Dear? "This is the Ritz." Ashleigh took another step back, looked up at the splendor of the building, and gave Jenna a panicked look. Jenna stepped towards her, took her beneath her arm, and pulled her forward. "I can assure you the food here is very good." "No, it's not the food," she said looking down at her torn jacket, stained blouse, soiled pants, and dirty shoes, "I'm too embarrassed to eat in their restaurant." She looked down at herself, again. "Look at me. I'm a mess." She appealed to Jenna with a frightened look. "I'm so...dirty," she said disappearing within her rags, while running a hand through her wild, matted hair. "Nonsense," said Jenna pulling her forward purposefully. "We'll get a room, a suite, and order room service, so that you won't have to mingle with the other guests." She smiled at her homeless friend, "No one will see you. I can assure you of that, that is, until we're ready to be seen and ready to be noticed." Reluctantly, Ashleigh followed Jenna inside the posh hotel. Once inside, Jenna approached the front desk with Ashleigh tagging behind. "Yes, Madam," said the front desk clerk to Jenna, while eying Ashleigh with a stare that could have chilled a red hot charcoal briquette. "How may I help you?" "I'd like a room, a suite if you have one available." He looked at Ashleigh again, who tried her best to disappear in the background by standing behind Jenna, before redirecting his attention to Jenna. "I'm sorry, Madam, but we are full," he said with a thin smile and raising his chin victoriously. "We have no rooms available," he said looking at Ashleigh again, who turned away ready to flee. "Shall I reserve a room for you at another hotel?" He picked up the telephone, ready to make the call for her. "I see," she said feeling the sudden chill of his stare and chilling him with hers, "a room at another hotel will not do and won't be necessary." She smiled, "And what is your name?" "Paolo, Madam, at your service," she imagined him bowing his head and clicking his heels. "May I see the manager, Paolo?" Jenna reached out took Ashleigh's hand, squeezed it, and pulled her to her side. "Of course, Madam, one moment, please." The clerk disappeared around back and reappeared with the manager. Jenna couldn't quite hear the clerk whisper his fears to the manager, but she was certain of the outcome. The clerk reappeared with the manager and as soon as the manager rounded the corner, he recognized his guest. "Ms. Charles, how nice to see you, again," said the manager stepping out from behind the desk to greet her. Shaking hands with Jenna, he gave Ashleigh an inappropriate look. "Is there a problem?" He gave her another stern stare. "Should I summon the police?" "Heavens no, of course not, Michael. This is my guest. I want a room, a suite, if you have one available, for my friend and me." Her mouth ran away with her thoughts, as she smiled her delicious smile. "Ashleigh is my new special project." She turned to Ashleigh, "Ashleigh, this is Michael, the manager of the hotel. His job is to make us happy." She turned to him, "Isn't that right, Michael? Isn't that your job?" She smiled, "To make us happy?" "Yes, of course," he said with a forced smile to Jenna looking from her to Ashleigh and back again, "however I can be of service to you, Ms. Charles and your special guest. I'm delighted to make you happy. That's my job." He smiled to Ashleigh and said, "My pleasure to meet you, Ms. Ashleigh." He looked at Jenna again and she held her ground returning his stare. "You want a suite. Wouldn't you be more comfortable with a room in back?" "A room overlooking the alleyway? No, that will never do, Michael. I want a corner suite overlooking Newbury Street, the Public Garden, and the Boston Common, something higher up. I never tire of that view." Continue The Legacy "Of course," he said quickly walking around the desk and checking his computer. "It appears we just had a cancellation and now have a vacancy," he said shooting a quick look of disdain at his front desk clerk. He stepped from around the front desk and handed her a key. She followed him to the desk. "No, need, Ms. Charles, I'll register you. Will there be anything else?" "Yes, I haven't eaten. I'm famished. Please have Chef Pierre prepare us a special buffet, an assortment of goodies with lots of fruits and veggies." "Right away, Ms. Charles." She turned to Ashleigh. "Do you like chocolate, Dear?" Ashleigh nodded her head, yes. "And include an assortment of pastry confections," she said to the manager. "Would you like wine of a specific vintage, Ms. Charles?" "Wine?" Jenna turned and looked at Ashleigh. "No, no alcohol. Tea, yes, we'll have tea. Bring us two pots of Earl Grey tea." "Yes, Ms. Charles. May I assist you with anything else?" "Yes, you may. In an hour, after we've eaten, please send up Priscilla from the boutique. My guest will need new clothes, a complete seasonal wardrobe. Also, around the same time have James come up from the salon to do her hair and Suzanne to give her a manicure and pedicure. Oh, and send Theresa up to do her eyebrows and makeup, and who is that girl who does the hair removal?" "You mean, of course," said Michael, "the esthetician?" "Yes," said Jenna. "Lydia?" "Yes, Lydia, of course. Ashleigh will need a complete spa treatment." "Of course, Ms. Charles. Will there be anything else?" "I think we are fine for the time being." She looked at Ashleigh. "Oh, where is your public restroom for my friend to use?" "I can hold it until we get to the room," whispered Ashleigh to Jenna tugging on her sleeve and smiling a smile of embarrassment at Michael, as she just started doing the pee dance. "Do you require assistance with your luggage, Ms. Charles?" "No, we have no luggage." "Very well," said Michael snapping his fingers at the front desk attendant. "Escort Ms. Charles and her guest to their suite." "Yes, Sir." "That won't be necessary, Michael," said Jenna. "I know my way," she said turning and heading for the elevator. Once in the room, Jenna had the personal maid that came with the suite draw Ashleigh a bath, a bubble bath. Ashleigh was already sitting on the toilet peeing. "Let me know when you are in the tub, Dear, and I'll gather up your things." "Okay," she said over the splash of her body hitting the warm water, "I'm in." Jenna entered the bathroom and surveyed the dirty rags that littered the floor. "Do you have any personal effects that you want saved?" "Just the hundred bucks you handed me earlier." Jenna removed the hundred from Ashleigh's coat pocket with her fingertips and placed the money on the bathroom vanity table. She handed the mess of rags to the maid. "Discard these, please." "Yes, Madam. Thank you, Madam." Jenna loitered in the bathroom watching Ashleigh bathe. "Do you mind if I stay to chat?" Jenna pulled up a stool. "We've never had the chance to really talk about things." "No, not at all," she said with a blush. "Thank you," she said with another blush. "It's been a while, since I had a bath. "You're welcome, Dear." Jenna was so taken with this sweet, young girl and her blushing endeared her even more to her heart. "I've taken lots of showers but this," she looked around, "this is nice, real nice." She looked around the bathroom, again. "This bathroom is the size of an apartment. It could sleep eight people," she laughed. She put the soap to her nose. "And these little soaps smell so good. I love them." Jenna couldn't help but notice the dirt marks across Ashleigh's back, shoulders, and neck. "May I do your back for you?" "Sure, yeah, that'd be nice." She lathered up a brush with soap and scrubbed away the dirt and grime. "How long have you been homeless?" "Two years, two months, and a day." Jenna wasn't surprised by her answer. Just as she knew the exact amount of time she was homeless, she had similarly exacting replies from other homeless women, even down to the hour. She couldn't help but stare at Ashleigh's breasts. She was a definite C cup, maybe even a small D cup. Ruth had D cup breasts. Jenna was barely a B cup and was very attracted to big breasted women. Yet, Ashleigh was so petite that the size of her breasts startled her and, at the same time, fascinated her. She had no idea she was so busty by the raggedy clothes she wore. She moved the brush around in the water trying to dissipate the bubbles hoping to see more of her breasts and, maybe, her nipples. The sight of her naked, with the water revealing bits and pieces of her was erotic. Yet, the water was so dirty that it was difficult to see anything, at all. "Ashleigh, Dear, maybe you should drain the water and shower off the soap." They have a wonderful steam shower that will do you a world of good. "Yeah, the water really is black, isn't it?" Her face flushed with embarrassment. "I've showered as often as I could at the shelter, but I can't always get a bed and it's not always safe to leave your stuff unattended. I always try and sponge whenever I get to use the women's restroom, but it's been a while since I've had a real bath," she said again. "This feels so nice and so warm that I want to stay here forever." She shivered. "I've been so cold for so long, that I can never seem to get warm enough and this warm water feels so good." She looked at Emma and said with a laugh, "There's only so much of yourself that you can clean using the sink of the MacDonald's ladies room, before the manager threatens to call the police and throws you out." "I'll have the maid turn up the heat." Jenna disappeared for a few seconds and returned to watch Ashleigh step from the tub. She slipped a towel around her shoulders, before escorting her to the steam shower, helping her to activate the controls that controlled the spray jets. Jenna stood watching Ashleigh rinse off through the foggy glass. When she was done, she greeted her with a plush, oversized bath towel, while helping her to dry. Not since Ruth died had Jenna had any interest in sex and now with Ashleigh standing naked not a foot away from her, her interest sparked her desire, quickened her pulse, and stole her thoughts. Ashleigh had massive breasts with huge nipples. Her pussy was covered with a full bush of dripping wet blonde hair, now darkened from the water. Even though she was a bit emaciated, Jenna discerned that she once had a wonderful figure. Where Ruth's breasts sagged from the weight of them and from age, Ashleigh's breasts stood proud. Jenna was fascinated with her breast. She wanted to reach out and touch them, feel them, and caress them. She wished she could feel her nipple in her mouth, as she made love to her. It's been a long while since she's felt such desire and Ashleigh was unleashing it. Jenna helped towel her dry with the huge, plush bath towels that the hotel supplied. It excited her to feel Ashleigh's naked body through the towel. She felt so small in her arms and it felt good to feel Ashleigh's breast, stomach, and buttocks through the towel. She had not touched another woman like this since Ruth. Matter of fact, Ruth was the only woman she ever touched. Now Ashleigh was the first woman she had seen naked, other than Ruth, in almost 20 years. She held out a thick, white terrycloth robe that came with the room and that had the Ritz logo on the breast. "Slip this on, so you don't catch a chill, Dear." She handed her matching slippers, "Here, slip these on, too." "Wow, that's neat that they give you slippers with the robe." Ashleigh tucked her face in the robe. "It's so soft and it smells so clean and fresh." "Room service." A knock at the door announced the food cart and the maid, back from throwing out Ashleigh's rags. Jenna opened the door and stepped aside allowing the waiter to wheel in the cart and set the table. The maid scurried in the bathroom to quickly tidy it and supply it with fresh towels. Ashleigh stood looking like a little girl mummified within the white plush of terrycloth. She could nearly have wrapped the robe around her twice, she was so small and emaciated. She was so sickening thin and ghostly pale that she blended in with the white bathrobe. "There's so much food," she said looking at Jenna, as if she was a little girl on Christmas morning. "Is all that food for us?" "Yes, Dear. Come sit here and help yourself." Ashleigh gorged herself on the food, while Jenna sipped her tea and watched her with intent curiosity and fascination. Half an hour later, another knock at the door delivered James, Theresa, Suzanne, and Lydia from the salon downstairs. "Perfect timing," said Jenna standing to greet them. "We just finished eating. James, Theresa, Suzanne, and Lydia thank you all for coming up on such short notice." "Oh, anything for you, Jenna, Sweets," said James. "I have a special friend I would like you all to meet." She turned. "Ashleigh this is James from the salon downstairs. He'll be doing your hair. Theresa will be doing your eyebrows and makeup. Suzanne will give you a manicure and a pedicure, and Lydia will help you with hair removal." "I ain't never had a pedicure before. I used to always give myself manicures but," she looked at her nails, "not for a long time." Another knock delivered Priscilla and the suite was abuzz with people and activity. "Hi Priscilla, how are you?" "Great Jenna," she said giving her a hug. "It is so nice to see you out and about again, like your old self, before Ruthie took ill." "Yes, well," she looked to Ashleigh, "I have a new project. Ashleigh, this is Priscilla. She'll be selecting your wardrobe." Ashleigh tried to turn her head but James, working on her color, turned it back. "Don't turn, Sweets," said James turning back Ashleigh's head. "Nice to meet you," she said turning her eyes and without turning her head. "Ashleigh what are your sizes?" Priscilla asked with pencil and pad in hand. "Well, I used to be a size 4 but my clothes are swimming off me now." "Let's make everything size 4," said Jenna. "She'll be eating regularly now. I'm sure that her normal weight will return very quickly." She laughed. "Now that she's in my charge, I'll fatten her up with all of this rich food." "And your shoe size?" "Seven." "She's big through the bust," said Jenna. "What size are you on top, dear?" "34 C." "How tall are you?" "I'm five-five." "She needs everything, Priscilla, Dear, from lingerie to nightgowns to stockings to jackets to shoes." She looked to Ashleigh, "Which do you prefer, nightgowns or pajamas?" "Nightgowns." "Give me an hour, Jenna, and I'll return with a selection of fashions from which you can choose." "Thank you, Priscilla. And give my regards to Cynthia and Emily for me." "Oh, I will." Over the next two hours, James and Theresa worked their magic and Suzanne complimented the makeup with the nail color, while Lydia did her magic. Ashleigh looked unrecognizable. She was stunningly beautiful. "Oh, my God! I look so good," she said fawning over herself and primping in the mirror, "This can't be me. I can't believe it's me. I've never looked this good. I've never looked so beautiful." "Don't cry," said Theresa with a hug, "you'll spoil your makeup." "You were under there, Sweetie, once we plucked, cut, and colored," said James still holding his comb and mirror and stepping back to view his work from a distance. "You're gorgeous. The real Cinderella." He put a hand to his hip and laughed. "If I wasn't a gay man, I'd be asking you out for a drink." James, Theresa, Suzanne and Lydia left and Priscilla returned with a complete spring wardrobe of pastels. "I don't know which to pick," said Ashleigh holding up a flowered dress in orange chiffon, pale yellow linen pants, and a pale green cotton dress. "They are all so beautiful." Then, she looked at the price. "Jenna, this dress is six hundred dollars. I didn't pay that much for my car, when I had one." "You don't have to pick, Dear, and don't worry about the prices. This is my treat," said Jenna to Ashleigh. "We'll take them all Priscilla. Thank you." "I'll charge your account, Jenna." "Oh, and, Priscilla, Dear, we will need another wardrobe for next season, as well. Can you bring what you have, when you have it, by my house?" "It will be my pleasure, Jenna." Priscilla was the last to leave them alone to relax from a busy day. "I'm tired," said Ashleigh stretching and yawning. She looked over at the bed in the other room. "Do you think it'd be okay if I took a nap? All that food made me sleepy." She felt the soft fabric of the bedspread. "It's been a long time, since I've slept in a bed." "Sure, of course, you may." Ashleigh walked over to the king-sized bed and stretched out. Her bathrobe opened and her left breast and part of her pussy was visible to anyone looking and Jenna was looking. Jenna stood by the bed watching Ashleigh sleep before sitting on the bed and leaning against the headboard next to her. It had been a busy day for both of them. An hour passed and Jenna started dozing herself. Ashleigh opened her eyes, reached over, and took her hand. Jenna opened her eyes and looked at the woman she so desired. "I want to thank you for today. I could not have dreamed of a better day. You made me feel like Cinderella. You truly are my fairy Godmother." Jenna caressed Ashleigh's forehead and then leaned down and lightly kissed her on the lips. She reached beneath her bathrobe and gently felt her breast before fingering her nipple. Immediately, Ashleigh's nipples became erect. She had huge nipples and Jenna could not wait to take them in her mouth. "I know that I owe you for your kindness and generosity, but" she leaned herself up on her elbow and made eye contact with Emma. "You need to give me more time, Jenna. I'm not ready. This," she waved her hand over the immense room, "is overwhelming." She lifted Jenna's hand and kissed it. "I have feelings for you, but I don't know if they are the kind of feelings that you want or need." She took her hand, lifted it to her lips, and kissed it again. "I've never been with a woman before." Jenna removed her hand from her breast. "I understand, of course, Dear. There's no rush and no pressure. I'm happy to have you as my friend." Ashleigh took Jenna's hand, opened her bathrobe, and pressed it against her breast allowing Emma to cup her breast and finger her nipple. "It felt good when you did that. Lovingly gentle and not like any man who has groped me there before." She looked up at Jenna, ran her hand down her face, and lightly kissed her on the lips. "I like it when you touch me. I feel warm inside with your touch. You make me feel loved. Only, take it slow and give me time to respond to you." She looked down at Jenna's hand caressing her breast. "It's been a while since I've had sex." Suddenly, she looked sad, "It's been a while since anyone has touched me as lovingly as this." "Yes, of course," she smiled at Ashleigh, happy by her spirit renewed. Jenna was so happy that she cried tears of joy. "Okay." She nodded her head and wiping her tears away with her handkerchief. "I'll give you as much time as you need." They both fell asleep for a time holding one another, as a mother would hold her daughter. Then, Ashleigh awoke. She looked at Jenna sleeping and watched her sleep for a period. Stealthily, she explored her body hoping, no doubt, that she didn't startle her awake. By the way that she watched and touched Jenna, ever so lightly, she was curious. She felt her breast and her hips through her clothes watching to make sure that Jenna didn't awaken. Next, she lifted her skirt exposing her thighs and lifting it higher exposing her pink, silk panties. Obviously, she didn't dare touch where she was curious for fear of waking her. It wasn't until Ashleigh moved Jenna's hand down from her breast to her stomach and lower still that Jenna began to awaken. Involuntarily, in her sleep, Jenna caressed Ashleigh's pubic hair. It was a loving touch, almost non-sexual. Then, Jenna opened her eyes looking at her protégé with questioning eyes. "I was thinking," said Ashleigh looking at Jenna with a playful expression. "What if you were to give me a massage?" "I can summon Rudolfo. He gives glorious massages." "No, I'd rather you gave me the massage," said Ashleigh. "Oh, that would be lovely, Dear," said Jenna clapping her hands like a schoolgirl. "I would love to give you a massage." "That way, you know, you could explore my body without making it feel so sexual." She smiled at Jenna. "I've never had a massage, but always wanted one." "Yes, that is a wonderful idea and a marvelous beginning." Jenna got off the bed. "I noticed that there's a basket with massage oils and various crèmes in the bathroom." She walked towards the bathroom. "Let's see what they have." She turned to Ashleigh. "You're going to just love it, too. It is so very relaxing." She was still talking, when she was in the bathroom. "I'll make an appointment for us with Gina, my masseuse, for a professional massage, later in the week." When Jenna returned, Ashleigh had already removed her bathroom and was lying on her stomach naked. Jenna paused and stared at the sight of Ashleigh's nakedness. The sight of Ashleigh's buttocks with a tuft of pubic hair sticking out between her legs startled Jenna and she stopped in her tracks to stare. "Wouldn't you like a towel, Dear, to cover yourself." "Nah, I figured you've already seen me naked." "I thought Lydia was going to remove your pubic hair." "She removed everything else," laughed Ashleigh. "Besides, I've never been bald down there. I kind of like having a little something there. She trimmed it a lot." Ashleigh turned over on her back. "See." "Yes, I can see that. You had quite the bush there before." Jenna walked closer to look. "Is that a heart?" "Yeah," said Ashleigh looking down and laughing. "I thought it would be fun for her to trim my pubes in the shape of a heart. "What do you think? Does it really look like a heart? I think it kind of does." She spread her legs to reveal more of herself to Jenna. "Yes," she said suddenly feeling a bit flushed. "I love it," she said looking down at herself. "I'm never been so pampered having someone wax my legs." It had been quite some time since Jenna had seen another woman's pussy. Ruth was the only woman she was ever with and now, this young, beautiful woman is there lying naked on the bed looking so innocently vulnerable. If she didn't know Ashleigh better, she'd think she was teasing her, but she wasn't. Being homeless has taught her to be immodest, if not immoral. "I can see that it looks very much like a heart, a lovely heart." Jenna smiled, happy to have Ashleigh in her life. "It looks beautiful." "Thank you, Jenna. I like it too," said Ashleigh still looking down at herself and fondling her tuft of hair. Jenna put the massage oil in a cup and heated it in the microwave. "Well, get on your tummy so that I can give you a proper massage." Jenna applied some warm oil to Ashleigh back and shoulders rubbing it in deeply. "Jenna, this feels wonderful. You have great hands." She concentrated her massage on her neck, shoulders, and arms before gradually moving to her back and legs. She spent a considerable amount of time on her back and legs before she applied some warm oil to her buttocks. "That feels weird," she said, "but good. I've been spanked a few times before, but I've never had my ass massaged," she said laughing "You have an ass to die for, Ashleigh. I wish I was as firm." She continued massaging her gluts. "I was, once you know, when I was playing tennis regularly and swimming, before I hurt my shoulder and elbow. Now, I just walk." Continue The Legacy "Walking is good, Jenna. Maybe, we can walk together." "I'd like that." Gradually, Jenna continued the massage concentrating on Ashleigh's upper thighs and gradually continued higher. She was curious how far Ashleigh would allow her to go. She couldn't wait to give her pleasure with her fingers and mouth. "You have nice legs, firm, yet soft, and so shapely." It excited Jenna to not only see Ashleigh naked but to feel her body. It had been such a long time since she had experienced these familiar feelings of desire and intimacy, but now for another woman. Ruth had been sick for such a long time. After Ruth died, she never thought that she'd have feelings for another woman, but there was something about Ashleigh that excited her. Sure, she was young and beautiful, but it was more than that. Maybe, because she reminded her of when she was her age. "It must be from all the walking that I had to do. I couldn't stay in the same place too long without the store owners asking me to leave and threatening to call the cops on me. Store 24 was one of the few places that didn't hassle me too much." "Well, at least you derived some health benefit from being homeless." "This massage has made me horny," Ashleigh said laughing and rolling over on her back and spreading her legs a little. She put her hand to her forehead, her face was flushed, and her nipples were erect. "Yes, the intimacy of massage will do that to some people, while others will just go to sleep," said Jenna looking at Ashleigh's naked body. "What?" Ashleigh looked at Jenna staring at her. "Is there something wrong?" "Oh, contrary, I was just looking at how beautiful your body is." She smiled, "I can't wait to see it after I've fattened you up on all this rich food." "Touch me." "Touch you? What do you mean? Touch you, where, Ashleigh?" Ashleigh looked down at her pussy and back up at Jenna. "I'm curious. I want to know what it feels like to have another woman give me pleasure." "It's glorious, I can assure you. No man can make you feel the way that I can." "Men are fools. They could have us eating out of our hands, if only they took the time. Everything is rushed with men. They just want to get off." She laughed, "they shop the same way. In and out," Ashleigh made a vulgar gesture that Jenna ignored. "Much like you, I've never had a good experience with a man." "Was Ruth the only woman you were with?" "Yes," said Jenna massaging the front of Ashleigh alternating between her shoulders, arms, and thighs. "I loved Ruth with all my heart." There was a long pause, not quite an uncomfortable silence, but enough time lapsed to make Jenna wonder what Ashleigh was thinking. "I trust you to be gentle with me and I trust you to show me how to love you," she said leaning up on her elbows and looking up at Jenna. "I need to feel something pleasurable. It's been so long since I felt anything but misery. Only..." "Only, what Dear." "I'm excited, but repulsed at the same time. Do you know what I mean? I'm not repulsed by you, just by the thought of having sex with a woman." "I felt the same way, my first time. I had only been with men before Ruth. When I found Ruth, it didn't matter that she was a woman. She was so kind and so good to me that I trusted her. There was an instant connection and we developed a bond quite easily and rather quickly. I had always been heterosexual, but my experiences with men soured me against them. Ruth treated me better than anyone." "Like you're treating me, now?" "What comes around goes around, Ashleigh, you should know that living on the street." "I do, only it doesn't always apply." "In time it does. Everything balances out in time." "Touch me." "Are you sure?" Jenna stopped massaging her legs to look at her. "Yes," she said meeting her gaze. Jenna stood by the head of the bed, leaned down and kissed her, this time more deeply than she had before and Ashleigh returned her kiss. They kissed like that, French kissed, like lovers in love, with Ashleigh wrapping her thin arm around Jenna's neck pulling her closer and Jenna exploring Ashleigh's body with her hands and fingers. In the way that Ashleigh returned her kisses, she gave Jenna the go ahead to make love to her. Jenna's kiss had apparently aroused Ashleigh in the way she had never been aroused before by a woman or a man. Jenna broke off the kiss and lowered her mouth to Ashleigh's breast taking her nipple in her mouth, first one, and then the other. She felt Ashleigh's warm wetness with her fingers, as she played with her clit and explored her deeper. She moved to the end of the bed and positioned herself between Ashleigh's legs and parted her legs more giving her pleasure with her mouth, tongue, and fingers. Ashleigh held Jenna's head in her hands, stroking her hair. Jenna was gentle and loving with her tongue, lips, and mouth. She showed not only showed Ashleigh how to love another woman but also how to love her. They made love. Never had Ashleigh experienced an orgasm given by someone else until now. She never enjoyed sex before, sometimes even dreading it, knowing that it will end in just giving her boyfriend a blowjob, before he drifted off to sleep leaving her there to satisfy herself. She came hard, but it felt good. Only, Jenna didn't stop, she continued devouring Ashleigh's pussy, until she had cum again and again and, until Ashleigh could not cum anymore. "No, please, no more. Oh, my God. I never knew that it could feel so good. That was amazing, Jenna. Maybe, later tonight or tomorrow morning, you can do that again." "My pleasure, Dear." "No, Jenna, my pleasure." They laughed and Jenna fell in beside Ashleigh putting her arm around her. She thought it weird that for so many years, Ruth had played the dominant role and she the submissive and now it all turned about the other way with her playing the dominant role and Ashleigh being so submissive. "Is it okay, if it's one-side?" "Don't worry, Dear, it's okay, if it's one-sided." "I wish that I could give you as much pleasure as you gave me, but I'm not ready for that, yet, Jenna." "I know, Dear, and it's okay. Don't trouble yourself over it. It was like this for me, the first time with Ruth. I'm just so happy with what I have, which is so much more than what I had before." Jenna smiled. "I was so lonely before and it's not until what I have with you now, that I truly realize how lonely I was." "Jenna, I don't want you to expect, too much because—" "Shhh," Jenna put her fingers to her lips. "I know. Don't fret about it." "I don't want to hurt you." "I realize that. I'm a big girl. I'm the one pursuing you, after all, and that's okay. I can give you so much and do so much for you. All that I ask in return is that you be my friend. Maybe, later, you can be my lover, too." "Okay," said Ashleigh looking at her and giving her a peck on the lips. "I can do friendship. That's easy. We are friends already, after all." "Yes, we are." Jenna took her hand and kissed it. "I live not far from here, just a few blocks away. It's a big house and I am so lonely in it." She turned to Ashleigh looking deep in her eyes. "Will you come live with me?" Ashleigh looked at her without answering. "Maybe," she said softly, finally. Then, after a while, before drifting off to sleep, she answered, again. "Yes."