SAPPHO'S ISLE

The day of the holiday arrived, all the preparations having gone smoothly; although Clare was half expecting something to go dreadfully wrong at the last minute. She wasn't a pessimist by nature but having experienced so many recent traumas, she tended to accept them as commonplace. This was her second chance at love with another woman so up until now she had been apprehensive.

Sitting in the plane, with Amy beside her as it prepared for takeoff, she could breathe a sigh of relief; and for the next fortnight at least, could put all her troubles behind her.

Bye bye England, she thought, smiling to herself; when I come back I'll be a real lesbian.

'Are you happy? Amy asked, noticing the clandestine smile.

'You bet,' Clare replied, exhilarated, as the plane soared skywards into the cloudless blue. Soon they were crossing the English Channel and were able to relax after removing their seat-belts.

Drinks and an in-flight meal were served while they were over The Alps. Clare took some photos. It was a beautifully clear day and the pilot informed the passengers of many interesting geographical features as they flew across Europe towards Greece.

'What's Mike going to do while you're away?' Amy enquired.

'Oh, he's just working as normal and says he's going to do a bit of overtime. I don't know why he couldn't have gone somewhere too. It would have been the ideal opportunity, with Jenny looking after the kids, but he wasn't bothered. But that's the way he wants it. Talk about all work and no play...'

'...makes MIKE a dull boy.' Amy completed the sentence with her own version of the saying.

'Perhaps we should have sent him to a Greek island too.' Clare giggled, remembering one of the places she had seen in a guide book. 'I can think of one which would suit him perfectly - it's called Delos. It's uninhabited, and full of old ruins - I'm sure he'd be quite happy there!'

Amy laughed, pleased that Clare was at long last getting an opportunity to live a little, rather than just exist. She admired her carefree sense of humor, which had never quite left her, in spite of everything she'd been through with her uncaring husband.

Now it was Amy's turn to worry, or at least have certain apprehensions; it was a second chance at love for Amy too. Here she was flying off on holiday with this unhappily married woman who believed she was a lesbian. They'd booked a double room. What if it all went horribly wrong? What if Clare found she couldn't, after all, be intimate with

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