Free ALWAYS FAITHFUL by Isabella Page B

so dependant on their husbands to the point of being unable to function without them. She had gone on informs where the wife didn’t know where their life insurance policies were, who their finance companies for their automobiles were and some even had husbands that paid all the bills online from overseas. She had met one or two who were definitely the matriarch of the family, but they were rare.

    Nic wanted a partner, not a dependant. She wanted someone who would never be above or below her, but always right beside her. She wanted someone who was both independent and someone who wanted to share a life together. She knew that being with someone who was independent could be a blessing and a curse but communication was the key to any relationships survival and she thought she was a pretty good communicator. Ok, she hadn’t been doing so well with Claire, but she couldn’t figure out why. Every time she was with Claire, she became tongue-tied and babbled like a schoolgirl. What is it that throws me for a loop when I’m around her? Sure, she was beautiful, and she had all the things that Nic looked for in a woman. A great body, long brown hair, big brown eyes, soft features, and the most kissable lips she had seen in a long time. The main problem, a big one at that, was that Claire wasn’t gay. Certainly not according to Nic’s gaydar.

    There was no way she would go down that road. She had friends who tried to get with straight women. It always ended up the same–the straight woman was “just trying it out” because she had thought about it once or twice in college or had a friend she had kissed in college and she thought that she might be a lesbian. Then after a few weeks or months, she always found out she really wasn’t. The few friends it had happened to were devastated from the experience and warned her off about ever trying it for herself. Nope, no matter how beautiful the woman or how horny she was, she would just wait and find someone she connected with.

    Nic suddenly realized she hadn’t moved the whole time she was thinking about Claire. She looked around to see if anyone noticed that she hadn’t moved since getting off her bike. She didn’t want anyone thinking she was a weirdo or something. Not seeing anyone looking at her, Nic took her keys from the ignition and strode to the grassy area of the park. A soft breeze ruffled her hair and she turned to the ocean to look out over it. She loved the way the salty scent was stronger depending on the weather. It seemed the sunnier it was, the less salty it seemed. Yet when it was cold and cloudy, it was definitely different, the salt hung in the air with the mist.

    She sat on a park bench that fronted the ocean and watched as a few kids were gliding their kites in the soft breeze, just strong enough to put them aloft. She wondered what it would be like to have kids, the responsibility, the love and the time it would take to raise at least two. She never thought that she wouldn’t have kids, she just never really thought about who would carry them. Or maybe they would both carry one? However, she definitely saw herself with a couple of kids, a wife, a mini-van and a dog. She hadn’t let herself think about it since her accident, but it was time to make some decisions as far as the military was concerned. As long as she was in, she couldn’t have those things so she would have to get out if she wanted any of it.

    Her time on active duty was almost over, and she had served almost all of her time that she owed ROTC and flight school. She was looking at another six months, maybe a little longer, and then she could go to the inactive reserves or she could find a home in a National Guard unit, if she wanted to. The problem with the National Guard was that they were going overseas as fast, if not faster, than the active Marine Corps and she didn’t want to go back overseas. In fact, she wasn’t sure she wanted to go into the Reserve Corps either. She had her