FRIDAY NIGHT

Tina had called Eric on the way home from work and told him it was a girls night out.  He was pretty upset that Tina would not be sharing her Friday night with him and gave her a few choice words.  This just added fuel to the relatively subdued fire that was starting to burn inside of Tina.  Eric was possessive and at times borderline controlling.  Tina always just accepted this as part of the male-female relationship.  She knew it was wrong and contempt grew each time Eric exercised his male dominance.  

Tina was supposed to meet Helena at her place at 8pm to drive together over to Milk.  It was 7:50pm and Tina was staring into her closet.  At the present time, the only ensemble she was able to put together was a black lace bra and dark jeans.  “How does one dress to a lesbian bar?” she asked herself.  Tina knew Helena was a lesbian and Helena often confided in Tina about her many relationships, most of which were fleeting.   Tina, however, never stepped foot in any type of gay bar.  The thought process that went into putting together her clothing for the night was nothing short of ridiculous.  She wanted to appear confident, yet approachable.  She wanted to appear conservative, but feminine.  She wanted to appear sexy, but straight.  Finally, she grabbed a black sleeveless top and a casual blazer.  She was going to a business meeting after all.

At 8:30, Tina finally arrived at Helena’s.  Helena, of course, was dressed to kill in a tight, form-fitting red shirt and black wide-legged pants.  “Wow”, Tina said.  “You look great! Is this how you normally dress when you go out?”

“Of course Tina”, Helena responded with a soft chuckle.  “You never know when you are going to meet your soulmate.  Here, have a drink before we leave.  It will loosen you up.”

Helena poured two glasses of wine and handed one to Tina.  As they sat on the balcony overlooking the Pacific Ocean, Helena started to tell Tina about her business meeting.

“I really think this is the opportunity that is going to separate me from the burden of being apart of my bloody family”, Helena vented.  “Mother will finally see that I am a serious business woman who can hold my own”.  

Tina knew Helena it in her to make it on her own.  But having money never hurt anyone, especially when it came to starting up a business from scratch.

“So who is this business partner your meeting?”, Tina asked.

“Well, she already owns one business, a small cafe in West Hollywood called The Planet.  From what I hear, the place is relatively successful and has quite a dedicated crowd of usuals.”

“Sounds pretty good Helena”, Tina replied.  “I hope it works out for you.”

On that sentiment, the ladies set out into the night and headed to Milk.  

The line was fairly long as Helena and Tina arrived, but Helena marched right up to the front of the line.  “Helena Peabody…I’m on the list”.  The bouncer looked down at his clipboard and casually lifted the rope to let Helena and Tina in.  “Have a good night ladies”, he said.

The club was hopping and the music was loud.  Tina could feel the many eyes turn and look at her as they walked through the club.  She crossed her arms subconsciously and looked down.  

Helena turned around to say something and saw Tina’s body language.  “You alright? Don’t worry, you should be flattered.”

“I’m fine”, Tina replied.  As much as she felt out of place, she felt something else.  The butterflies in her stomach were ones of excitement and she felt her heart beat faster.  She looked up and let out a sigh of relief.  For the first time in a long while, she felt like she could breathe.