When I woke up Saturday morning, I was alone, fortunately. I was feeling an enormous amount of guilt over what had happened with Bonnie the night before. I know that Rick had always treated her poorly, even taking advantage of her, and I know that we were both drunk that night, but that was still no excuse for what happened. Call it good old fashioned Catholic guilt, I guess. I had a hard time looking either of them in the eye over breakfast, even though Bonnie didn't seem too concerned, and Rick was suffering from what appeared to be a hell of a hangover, not to mention all the grief that Bonnie was giving him.
After I said my goodbyes, I went home to prepare for Saturday's party, or should I say, parties. I had to shower, clean my costume, and hopefully take a nap before the evening's festivities.
Our football organization was having it's annual end-of-the-season party for the players and cheerleaders, and for the first time ever, we had rented the back room of a local bar for a parents and coaches party. The kids party was being held in the park where we had our practice facilities, but the town would not let us have booze on public property, so the adults party had to be held elsewhere.
The kids party was a lot of fun. The usual ghosts and witches, and even a cross dressing pair of twins. The brother and sister switched uniforms. He came as a cheerleader, and she came as a football player. I'm not sure I would have had that kind of balls at 11 years old! We even built a haunted house for the kids, using a few rooms in the building. All in all, it was a big success. Except for the toddler who peed his pants when he got too scared, that is.
The adult party started at 10, and was better attended that we expected. The food was good, and plenty, and there were a lot of parents imbibing. There were even more coaches drinking, being the end of the season.
The adult costumes were, naturally, better than the kids. We had sexy witches, naughty nurses, cavemen and women, and of course, me as a Celtic warrior. Jennie, from "Football Moms, Ch. 1" came as a bar wench, showing off her fine legs, and ample cleavage, and Janis, from "The Shrew", came dressed as a nun, which I thought was rather ironic. I was still seeing both women occasionally, as none of us wanted any serious relationship right now, so having both of them there was a little awkward. Fortunately, both women were getting nicely buzzed, so there didn't seem to be a problem.
One woman that had my attention the moment she came in was the mom of one of my defensive ends, who is Japanese. At all of 4'6," and 95 lbs, He was one of the best lineman in the league. It must have been the fact that he had been studying judo almost as long as he could walk. Mom came in dressed as a dragon lady, with the silk dress, heels, etc. I had never really seen her all season, as she usually just stayed in the car when she dropped her son off and picked him up. Now I was getting a very good look!
After I got a drink, I walked up to her and introduced myself. She told me, "Yes, I know who you are. My son, Jimmy, talks about you. He likes you as a coach."
She had a heavy accent, but her voice was very sweet. I told her that her son was a pleasure to coach, and that I hoped he came out next year.
"I'm sorry", I told her, "but I don't know your name. After this whole season, I've never had the chance to talk to you."
"Yes, I know", she told me. "In Japan, where we are from, it is not the wife's place to introduce herself to other men. My name is Sue."
"Well, Sue, it is a pleasure to finally get to know you. Would you like a drink?" I asked her.
"Yes, I would like a glass of white wine, thank you," She replied.
"I hope I'm not being rude," I told her, handing her a glass of white, "but, if it's not your 'place' to introduce yourself, why are you here alone tonight?"
"Jimmy's father and I are getting divorced," She told me. "He has decided to go back to Japan."
"Without you, and your children?" I asked.
"Yes. Apparently, he doesn't like this country, and has a girlfriend back home already, and misses her greatly," She told me.
"So you are staying here?" I asked.
"Yes, I have a very good job in the consulate, and I can make enough to support us very well," She answered.
"Well, good for you. It sounds like you are better off, if I may be so bold. He doesn't sound like he wanted you to be much besides his wife, and the mother to his kids."
"He was much more concerned about himself than he was about our children," She told me. "I was just there to take care of him. I like America better, because I can be something besides a wife. I can be a woman."
As we were talking, Jennie walked by us, giving me a smile. "I hope I am not keeping you from your girlfriend," Sue told me.
"No," I laughed. "Jennie and I are just friends. We're not dating."
"Oh," She replied. "I heard her talking to some of the other mothers at a game once, and I thought that you two were... more than just friends. She said very... nice... things about you."
"Well," I told her, "We are more than just friends, but we're not serious about each other."
"I see," She said. "That is very nice about this country. In Japan, a woman can not be so open at our age. It is not considered respectful for a woman."
"Well, for all of our faults, we do tend to be a bit more open and accepting here", I told her.
"Yes, I think I like that a lot. I can explore many things that I could not, either with my husband, or in Japan," She told me.
I excused myself at this point, and proceeded to mingle and talk with others. While I was talking with Matt and Jane (The Taming of the Shrew), Janis came up, and the four of us talked for a short while.
"Can I talk to you for a minute?" Janis asked.
"Sure, what's up?"
"Who are you talking to? She's kind of cute. Is she one of the moms?"
"Yes, she's the mother of the Japanese kid on my defense. We were talking about her son, and how she's adjusting to this country. Her husband just went back to Japan, because he doesn't like the U.S.," I explained. "Do you have a problem with me talking to her? After all, you are the one who decided that you wanted to explore your new found sexuality, and didn't want to be tied down right now."
"No, I don't mind at all," She answered. "Like I said, she's cute. I just wanted to know who she is."
With that, she walked off, leaving me a bit befuddled. What was she up to?
When I went back to the bar for another drink, Jennie came up for a refill also.
"You're getting as many looks in your skirt as I am. I'm not sure I like that!" She teased.
"Oh, I think you're getting a lot more attention than I am," I told her. "Now, if I had shaved my legs..."
This made her laugh, and she said, "Yeah, you're probably right. Thank god I decided to shave mine."