Kay smiled and waved from the front porch of the old Victorian house when Kelsey drove in the driveway. "Hi Honey!" she yelled. It was late in the day on Sunday, and Kay's naked body was dirty from a day of spring gardening. "Did you have a good trip?" she asked, as Kelsey trotted over to embraced her.
"It was the best, Mom," Kelsey said. "Raymond's really happy, and his friends are awesome. We had a blast."
"Oh, good. I was hoping he'd settle in and be comfortable down there. Good roommates are important when you're living in a new city."
"You and Daddy and me should go down sometime. We could have a party with Raymond and the boys and Ashley, and there's two girls Raymond works with that are super fun. They'd love Daddy."
"I'll ask him, Honey. Sounds like fun. Did you see some of the city with Raymond?"
Kelsey told her about the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, and the topless rally in Times Square. "It was the coolest thing, havin' out titties out right in the middle of the city like that. The woman I was talking to said it's legal in New York State, but people don't do it because you can still get arrested for other stuff."
"Yes, it's still not accepted," Kay said. "The law's
technically
on our side, in some situations."
"She told me I should talk to my State Senator. Do you know who that is?"
"Yes, Joan Fresco. I've met her."
"You
know
her?"
"Not really, your father and I met her at the school. She was talking about taxes. She's very nice."
"So how do I talk to her?"
"You'll need to call her office and make an appointment. I'm sure she's very busy, so get all your facts straight and make some notes before you go. You'll have a much better chance of getting her on your side if you make a good case."
A week later, Kelsey, Brie and Charity sat nervously on leather chairs in a small conference room at the State Office Building. Kelsey felt awkward in her high-buttoned conservative shirt, like she was covering up what she was there to talk about, but Brie and Charity were comfortable in their teacher clothes. Senator Fresco walked in, looking very businesslike in a navy-blue pinstripe skirt suit. After the introductions Kelsey launched into her argument for a more lenient bare breast law.
"I'm a Republican, girls," Senator Fresco said, when Kelsey had finished. "It'd be political suicide for me to sponsor a bill like that. New York is a blue state, but upstate, when you get away from the cities and the colleges, it's surprisingly conservative, especially out where the beaches are."
"But think how nice it would be, Joan," Kelsey said. "Wouldn't you like to be topless in the sun?"
"Kelsey, not all women have your genetic makeup." She looked around to make sure they were alone and the doors to the room were closed. "I look nothing like you girls. I was saggy when I was a teenager, and..."
"It's not a beauty contest we're here about," Kelsey said, sounding remarkably polished at politicking. "It's about freedom, and comfort, for all women, of all ages. Think how nice it would be, Joan, just to feel the sun on you like that. And even saggy girls look good on their back. Imagine yourself lying on your back on the warm sand in the summer sun. Your husband spreads sunscreen on you, all over your soft tits. Some handsome men are nearby, watching. It's like a summertime dream. You've got the power to make dreams real."
Joan had fallen under Kelsey's hypnotic spell. "I have some good friends on the Democratic side," she said. "I may be able to get one or two of them to sponsor what you're looking for. But I'll be honest, this is the kind of change that might take years, decades even. Are you in for the long fight?"
Kelsey smiled and nodded. She was.
—
Kelsey's phone rang when she was on her lunch break at work.
"Kelsey? Hi, it's Wendy."
"Wendy! Hi!"
"How's everything?" Wendy asked. "Are you and the girls good? How's my Richie?"
"Richie's as sweet as ever. Yeah, were all good. What's up, Honey?"
"So I don't really know how to ask you this, but Barb told me to just blurt it out," Wendy said, sounding nervous. "Barb said you know all about that day Austin was at the gym, with Barb and...and me."
"Sure, Honey. It's all good, you know. You're not feelin' bad about it, are you? Austin said it was super fun. He told me all about it. I think it's hilarious that he shot his load right in front of that woman."
Wendy giggled. "Good Lord, Kelsey, you do know how to lighten a mood. Yeah, looking back on it it is kind of hilarious, isn't it."
"Have you seen her since then? That woman?"
"Yup. Just a few days ago," Wendy said. "She seems kind of lonely. We talked a little. I could tell she wanted to ask about it. About Austin."
"Is she cool?" Kelsey asked. "You could talk to her some more and see if she seems cool. You guys could hook her up with Austin in the shower some day."
"Oh my God! Really? I mean, that sounds crazy..."
"It's just a thought," Kelsey said. "Is that what you called about?"
"No, it's not. So, I guess I'll just blurt it out, like I'm supposed to. I'm feeling bad that I've been with Austin twice now and Matt hasn't been with any of the younger girls. Oh my God, hearing myself say that seems so odd..."
"He's been with Ashley."
"Yes, and she was great, but...I was thinking more of...you."
Kelsey smiled. "Really? Yeah, I'm in, Honey! I was hoping."
"You were?"
"Sure! Matt's a cutie. We all kinda wanna."