The Alpha For Her

She wasn’t sure what time it was when she was roused by a commotion in the hall. She woke disoriented and confused. It took a few moments to realize where she was. Then she went into the sitting room. There she saw Billie peeking out the door.

“What’s going on?” Jen asked.

“I – I don’t know.”

“Well, let’s go and find out.”

Billie eagerly followed Jennifer down the west end of the hall. Past the stair landing there was an arch with heavy wooden doors that were open. The way led to that tall tower they had seen. There were several other women there standing and gazing out the broad windows. Jen and Billie found a spot, and there they saw a magnificent sight.

The sun was just setting over the ocean, lighting up the ragged clouds with a silvery gold lining. The weather had changed dramatically, and a stiff wind had picked up, tearing away the cloud cover and ushering in the night. The sight was dazzling as the red sun’s light dappled in a straight line off the far, churning water, turning the whitecaps a wine red, while the wave valleys were cast in shadow. Above them, the sky was a deep azure, and the first stars were peeking through.

“Magnificent,” someone said.

The gathering then discovered that there were doors on either side of the tower, and so they streamed out to watch the splendor. The wind blew everyone’s hair, but no one seemed to care. The sun turned to rust as it dipped into the watery horizon. The breakers, crashing on the unseen rocks, sent up sprays of foam that took on that dark color and became as mesmerizing as the sunset. They could hear the wave crash, and they could even hear the spume dashing onto the rocks like pebbles. A tern flew low across the water, followed quickly by its mate.

Slowly the sun sank, and they all gazed, watching as the last orange bit seemed to hang above the water. There was a collective intake of breath, and then the light disappeared even as a furious wave crashed. There was a moment of silence, and then people began to applaud.

“Thank you,” Candy said, turning and bowing. “And for my next magical trick…”

She got some chuckles, and some guffaws as most of the people began to filter away, chatting. Candy sighed, shook her head and turned back to the vanished sunset, leaning on the railing.

“People are so strange,” she said as Jennifer took a place beside her. “It’s still quite lovely out here, despite the main act being over.”

“I know,” Jennifer said. “It’s like at the end of a play; the bows are over, the curtain closes, and everyone rushes out to go to the next thing, crowding the exits.”

“I totally agree. It’s as if they have just had a gripping emotional experience, and then they need another fix. Why won’t they just sit and let their feelings sort themselves.”

“There’s a word for that,” Jennifer said.

“Catharsis,” Billie put in. “It’s one reason why, in a musical, the orchestra plays exit music.”

“You’ve studied the theatre?” Candy asked.

“In college.”

“Hey guys,” Tomiko said, popping her head outside. “Whatcha doing?”

“Experiencing catharsis,” Jennifer said.

“Okay,” Tomiko said, shrugging, “but, when you’ve had your fill, Cook has a buffet spread out by the pool.”

And she popped out.

“I had a bag of peanuts on the plane,” Jennifer said.

“I had a snickers bar,” Candy replied.

“Soulful fulfillment is wonderful,” Billie said. “But Maslow put food on the base of his hierarchy. I could eat a horse.”

And with that, the three found their way down to the pool and the buffet that was more like a banquet. The finger-food ranged from Chinese barbecued ribs to American sliders, and a whole lot of other things in between, including,

“Fried chicken,” Jennifer said with a sigh.

Along with the rest, she and Billie indulged, but in a ladylike manner: no one piled their plates. A few of the others introduced themselves, and they seemed pleasant enough. One man, who had a funding network that was rising fast introduced himself as Billy. Billie giggled and blushed.

“That’s her name too,” Jennifer said. “Except with an ‘ie’.”

Billie and Billy laughed, then began chatting. And, as it seemed that something lit up in Billie’s eyes, Jennifer and Candy slid quietly away.

“That seems interesting,” Jennifer said.

“That’s too bad,” Candy said, “she’s cute.”

Jennifer looked at her. Candy just batted her eyes, smiled and nodded.

“I’m a lesbian,” she said.

“I’m not,” Jennifer said, trying to keep herself sounding cool.

“I know. One can tell. Still, you have a certain charm about you, and such a lovely face. So if you ever think that you’d like to experiment, just ring me.”

“You,” Jennifer said, “are amazingly, refreshingly straightforward. With some people, that trait comes off as brash. But you seem to make it feel so light and so…cool.”

“In the programming world, one has to be,” Candy replied. “That is, if one is a woman. When I started, everyone thought me pushy. So, I changed my name to Steve, Stephanie is my middle name, and began conducting business via e-mail. I went from ‘pushy’ to ‘confident’ within months.”

Jennifer laughed.

“So,” Candy said, “How are your rooms?”

“I could get used to them,” Jennifer said, nodding and grinning. “In fact, I believe that Mr. Dryzek is tempting us with a taste of success.”

“I heartily agree. And, how are you and yon Billie getting on?”

“Good. She’s a little shy, but she’s nice. Have you met your roommate?”

“Briefly,” Candy said snagging another crab puff. “I was in the sitting room, checking e-mails, when Vera popped in. We chatted some, and then she went to her room, and I haven’t seen her since. Seemed a bit brusque to me. But, then, perhaps, she too had had a long day. Still, I don’t see her about.”