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Subject: {ASSM} Once More With Feelings - Chapter 29 NEW! {Night Hawk} (ff time travel rom, cons)
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"Once More With Feelings"

An ongoing saga by (the) Night Hawk
(C) 2004/2005 by (the) Night Hawk

Chapter 29: Leaving on a Jet Plane


"I have to go pee!"

I looked guiltily at Sister Gabe to see if she heard me and saw her waving 
her hand at me and mouthing 'Go!  Quickly!'

With a glance at the DC-8 sitting on the tarmac outside the window, I dashed 
off to the ladies' restroom, where I quickly locked myself in a cubicle, 
pulled down my panties, and sat down, my hands trembling as I tore off a 
length of tissue.

The restroom door closed again.  "Pete?  Are you okay?"  Wendy called.

I wiped unnecessarily then pulled up my panties, smoothed down my skirt, and 
composed myself.

I smiled at Wendy as I emerged and proceeded to wash my hands.  "I'm fine, 
Love.  I just had to pee."

Wendy caught my hands and looked into my eyes.  "Honey?" she asked in a 
concerned tone.

I felt my eyes tearing up. "I.  I. don't like to fly," I confessed, a catch 
in my voice.

"You've flown before?" she asked.  I nodded.  "So what did you used to do 
when you flew?" she asked curiously.

"About six or seven scotches," I replied with a nervous giggle.

Her mouth opened for a moment, then she smiled.  "Well, I don't think we can 
get a scotch for you right now," she said, pushing me back into a cubicle 
and locking the door, "but I may have something else for you that will 
 help."  She put two fingers in her mouth, wetting them with her spit then 
turned her face up to me.  "Kiss me!" she commanded, and as I moved closer, 
I felt her flip up my skirt and yank the crotch of my panties to one side 
with one hand as the spit-wet fingers slipped between my thighs.

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

On Monday, the 10th of March, Wendy and I were busy writing exams.  It was 
the end of another semester for us.  The team, because we were going to be 
leaving on Wednesday, had to write all their exams in one day.  A very long 
day.  The rest of the school had all week for the semester finals.  Einstein 
was writing exams as well, but his were midterms.  By a rare twist, his 
March break would start the same time as ours, though he only had a week 
off, whereas Wendy and I had a two-week break before our next semester of 
study started.  I was sort of glad the basketball team had filled its ranks 
without needing Wendy, Annette, or any of the other girls from the 
volleyball team.  Something sporty must have hit the school as the 
basketball team was winning over three quarters of their games.  Compared to 
the previous year with two wins for the entire season, this was spectacular!

I'm not sure who was more surprised that we were headed to the volleyball 
Nationals - the Canadian public or the nuns who ran, maintained, and taught 
at St. Ursula's.  Every day after exams, our team was encouraged to go out 
and get some fresh air!  Yeah.  Sister Elizabeth wanted us out mingling with 
the public in London.

Robert Denure had changed the rear signs on all of his company's city busses 
to a banner showing our unofficial Saints logo (the one with the lopsided 
halo), a team picture of us taken before the Regionals, and just two words 
in between.  "Go Saints!"

Annette, Mandy, Wendy, and I spent a lot of time traveling, switching from 
one bus to another, and usually ending up for a bite at the White Oaks mall. 
It had quickly become our favorite gathering place though we did also 
frequent the Wellington Square mall in downtown London.  Wendy thought it 
was all great fun.  Traveling by bus and seeing all the sights of London 
were dream trips for her.  We had ridden the busses enough during our last 
break, but I think coming from her Mennonite background, plus the fact the 
Saints were treated as royalty on Robert's busses was still new enough to 
her to make her love it.  There were so many routes and so many busses; we 
never took the same route twice.  Her enthusiasm was contagious, and between 
meeting people and shaking hands, we decided to spend a bit of time visiting 
the local hospitals as well.  When she heard about that, Sister Elizabeth 
encouraged all the team members to stop by the hospitals and nursing homes 
to meet those who couldn't get out to meet us.  The only part of this I didn't 
enjoy was a trip to the cardiac ward at Victoria hospital.  The only real 
difference was that it was and looked newer in 1975 than when I died there 
in 2003, but the memory rush of smells and sounds was almost overwhelming to 
me and made me more than a bit uneasy.

University Hospital was easier to take as it was even newer, and it was a 
teaching hospital.  I wanted to tell my friends that in less than four 
years, singer and actress, Della Reese, would be flown here from Los Angeles 
after suffering a near-fatal aneurysm.  I remember she had been scheduled to 
sing on the Tonight Show when she collapsed during rehearsal.  University 
Hospital was one of two hospitals in the world that had perfected the brain 
surgery necessary to handle this.  After her recovery, she would do a free 
concert for the staff of the hospital, and the proceeds from tickets sold to 
others would be donated to the hospital's research fund.

~~~

Dr. Charles Drake was a world-renowned neurosurgeon at University Hospital 
(known in later years as LHSC- University Campus) and Chair of the 
Department of Clinical Neurological Sciences at the University of Western 
Ontario.  He perfected, documented, and taught surgical techniques on the 
repair of ruptured brain aneurysms.  Dr. Drake passed away Sept. 15, 1998. 
He had personally performed the two surgeries on Della, which allowed her to 
make a full recovery and resume her career.

~~~

Sister Elizabeth still held fast to her public statement of not giving team 
members preferred status.  But as she explained, based on our hospital and 
nursing home visits, our exam schedule and having to spend two days away 
from school ... Hey, any way she wanted to rationalize it was fine with me. 
I still had a bit of a cynical side to me, and I knew other schools were 
bending rules way past the breaking point.  To her credit, though, Sister 
Elizabeth's bending of the rules was required due to both our unplanned 
absence later in the week and the need for us girls to write all our exams. 
The team was allowed to write exams under the watchful eye of our teachers 
in a single, marathon one-day session.

In some ways it was proof that none of us had neglected our studies, though 
I was exhausted at the end of the day.  I expected reasonably good marks, 
partly on the strength of having been through some of this before, and I 
expected Einstein to do well in his exams, also, but this was the first time 
through for Wendy.  She took it in stride and sat to write her exams with me 
with the confidence of a real genius.  God, I loved her!

Annette, generous to a fault, paid for our meals away from the school.  She 
claimed her dad gave her the money to spend on her friends, but I knew she 
was taking it from her own allowance.  Yeah, her allowance was probably 
large enough she wouldn't notice what little she spent on us, but it still 
bothered me.  Wendy and I had everything we needed at the school from our 
scholarships and also through the generosity of the Alumnae Association, but 
there were times when a bit of pocket money would come in handy.

When we got back Monday night, I called Dad and explained to him how I felt 
I was abusing Annette's friendship.  Mike was quick to pick up on my dilemma 
and drove to the school that same night with $300 in twenties.  He said to 
split it with Wendy - just some pocket money.  Wow!  In 1975 that was big 
and deep pockets!  Of course we both protested, but Mike insisted.  He told 
us that, since the store had gone into high-end retail in such a big way 
after my idea of putting the Bose speakers on display, he could now easily 
afford it - and he knew that we had no other way of earning money.

Both Wendy and I showered him with kisses, and Tuesday evening it was Wendy 
and I who treated Annette and Mandy to supper at the Swiss Chalet on Dundas.

Annette protested, of course, but Wendy and I stuck firmly to our guns.  We 
said we didn't want to feel like poor relatives, and the least Annette could 
do was allow us a little bit of dignity.  With an exasperated sigh, Annette 
gave in.  Mandy's family wasn't wealthy and she only had a little 
independent income herself, but she was Annette's lover, and if I was 
reading the signs right, the two of them would be together for life.

When we got back to the school Tuesday night, we were surprised to find our 
suitcases packed and a note from Sister Gabe informing us that Wednesday 
morning we would be flying out of London International Airport on our way to 
Ottawa.  Wendy squealed with delight and jumped my bones on the spot!  She 
had never been in a plane before.  Flying, however, not an experience I 
cared for.  From a purely logical standpoint, planes weigh more than air, 
and gravity has steadfast rules about leaving the ground.  It wasn't a fear 
of flying, just a preference not to.  I couldn't say anything because this 
body had so far never been any higher than the seven floors the escalators 
could take me in the Simpson Sears building in downtown London.  I resigned 
myself to the inevitable.

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

At eight o'clock, we were standing on the tarmac of the London Airport, 
waving goodbye to our families and friends.  A DC-8 was waiting for us to 
board.  Marvelous, just fucking marvelous.



It wasn't that I felt my life was going to be in peril; on the contrary, the 
DC-8s had a great safety record.  In the past I used to fortify myself with 
a few stiff drinks before taking off, but obviously this was not going to be 
possible.  I sighed and when it came time to board.  After my mild panic 
attack - calmed somewhat by Wendy - I sighed and walked out with the rest of 
the team.

The London Airport was "international" by name mostly.  In the past, DC-8s 
had flown from here to Europe, but these days the only 'international 
flights' were to the US.  The runway wasn't big enough to handle the 747s 
that by this time dominated the skies, but it was handy for most flights in 
and around North America.

Father Ed and Sister Elizabeth were booked on this flight, and to no one's 
great surprise, Jim Blake and Brett Faison were onboard as well.  Both Linda 
and Julie came this time, and an anonymous donor had paid for a few of our 
classmates to come and cheer us on.  Amazing which ones they were, too!  Oz 
was among them, keeping a smile on Krissy's face.  And of course, Robert 
Denure was present.

More surprising was seeing Dr. Parker making his way down the aisle.  He 
smiled at us as he strolled by and sat next to Robert.  How was London going 
to function with everybody gone?

At nine o'clock the turbines picked up speed, and we felt the plane start to 
move.  We were on our way.  We taxied down to the end of the runway, and 
looking out the window, I realized we would be just clearing Fanshawe Lake 
and Park as we departed.  I told Wendy to keep an eye out the window and 
watch, as one of our favorite memory places would fall away beneath us as we 
started to climb.  Fanshawe, the Park, and the Maze, where Wendy had shared 
her first kiss with Einstein, showing her how much she turned him on!

Soon the bumpiness of the runway disappeared and now we felt just the four 
jet engines as they fought Newton's law of gravity and won their right to be 
airborne.

Wendy couldn't drag her eyes away from the sights visible outside the plane. 
Her nose was glued to the window as she watched the farms and fields getting 
smaller and smaller.  She was so excited her nails were digging into the 
palm of my hand.  We broke through the clouds into a crystal clear sky, but 
still Wendy didn't avert her gaze.  It was a beautiful day for flying. 
Moderate cloud cover meant that between views of the land below, we would be 
entering and exiting the large fluffy clumps that hung in the sky.

"I feel like an angel," whispered Wendy to the window.  "I'm touching the 
clouds.  Oh, if I could just walk on them," she sighed.

I wasn't going to be the one to shatter her dreams with the hard facts of 
gravity vs. low-density cloud formations.  We had leveled out and were now 
moving along at a decent speed, yet Wendy hadn't even undone her seatbelt. 
When the stewardess walked by asking if we would like a drink, I looked at 
Robert's Canadian Club whisky and sighed.  Then I asked for a ginger ale for 
both Wendy and myself.  The stewardess smiled and asked if this was Wendy's 
first time.  I smirked.  "Her first time flying, yes."

The stewardess chuckled and moved on.  Since the flight was not going to 
take us through any time zones and would only last about 90 minutes, there 
was no meal on the plane - just peanuts and hard candy.  The hard candy was, 
of course, for helping with ear popping necessitated by the changes in air 
pressure.  Linda and Julie made their way over to us to chat, but it was 
very one sided.  They were both amused at Wendy's fascination.  I promised 
myself that one day I would take her for a ride on the Concorde, assuming I 
would have the money when that plane rolled out for its debut.  I had never 
been on it myself.  I knew the ticket prices were exorbitantly expensive, 
but I knew Wendy would love to see the curvature of the earth, which I had 
heard you could see from the Concorde.  Besides, flying at six miles high as 
we were now as opposed to 12 miles high and faster than the speed of sound, 
would still be defying gravity, but this I would gladly endure for my lover.

I sipped at my ginger ale and listened to the growing excitement around me. 
Wendy's drink remained untouched.  Before I had a chance to think about it, 
I heard the captain ask us to return our chairs to an upright position, 
fasten our seatbelts, and extinguish all cigarettes.  Wendy hadn't undone 
her seatbelt, nor reclined her chair, and for that matter, neither had I! 
My drink tray was down, but the stewardess, seeing my predicament, came and 
took my empty cup and Wendy's still-full one.  Then she raised my tray, 
smiled at me, and walked away.

I could hear the jets switch as we began our descent.  I would have looked 
as well, just to see our nation's capital come into view, but that would do 
nothing but remind me that I was still way too high to just step out without 
Newton's gravity and his related laws of acceleration earthward kicking in. 
I just held onto Wendy's hand and listened to her running commentary about 
the rivers and the roads and how big the buildings were getting.  Just full 
of great news, she is.

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

The touchdown at Macdonald-Cartier International Airport was textbook 
perfect, and finally Wendy pried herself from the window already asking if 
we could ride on the other side on the way home so she could see everything 
she had missed from this side.  I shook my head in wonder and then reminded 
her that, in order to see what she had not seen the first time, it would be 
best if we sat in the same seats again since we would be headed in the 
opposite direction!

"Oh!" she said.  "I didn't think of that!  I love you, Pete," she added. 
"You're so good to me!"

ME???  What had I done?  Not that I was going to try and change her mind!

Since we had not left the country, there was no need to go through customs, 
and we picked up our luggage and headed for the waiting bus.  There were 
other standard yellow school busses waiting to pick up other teams, but 
Robert had called in a favor, and we were escorted to a travel coach.

It was close to lunchtime by the time we were all on board and headed for 
our hotel, but Robert assured us there was a great restaurant at the hotel, 
and we could eat as soon as we were settled in.

It wasn't the Royal York, but then, what could be?  We were billeted in the 
nearly new Holiday Inn, just 15 minutes from Carleton University.  Carleton 
was located on a new campus between the Rideau River and the Rideau Canal on 
125 acres of prime real estate.  It had moved there less than 25 years ago, 
and the grounds and buildings were still pristine.  We would have loved to 
explore the University properly, especially as some of the seniors were 
hoping to get accepted here.  Hell, if we'd had the time I think most of us 
would have explored the entire city.  This was Ottawa - rich in cultural 
history and home of the National Archives and the museums, but alas, our 
wishes took second place to the tournament this trip.  However, as we 
discovered at lunch, the high school teams competing in the next two days 
had all been invited to sit in the gallery at the House of Commons at the 
Parliament buildings.

Unlike the older, smaller rooms we had shared at the Royal York, the Holiday 
Inn had been well booked in advance, and we were four to the spacious rooms 
for the team players.  Julie and Linda had a room of their own, but Wendy 
and I had to share a room with two other players.  As captain of the team 
and a senior, Annette had first choice of roommates, and it came as no 
surprise that Mandy, Wendy and I would join her for the nights we would be 
staying there.

The room was large with a separate makeup counter and mirror outside of the 
oversized bathroom.  We had our bags stuffed into the closet, our uniforms 
hung up, and we were dressed in our Sunday outfits for lunch at the 
insistence of Sister Elizabeth.  Lunch was good - a light fare with lots of 
fresh fruit and thinly sliced ham and beef from the sandwich buffet.

We were in a reserved section of the restaurant that held not only the 
players and school personnel, but also parents and fans from London who had 
flown either with us or to join us for this final stage of the tournaments. 
I didn't recognize half of them.

When Sister Elizabeth announced we were to go to the Parliament buildings, I 
could hear more than a few groans.  There were museums that would have been 
much more interesting, as well as the National Gallery of Arts.  I knew that 
in my first life, I had never been very interested in politics - rarely even 
bothering to vote.  However, now I was interested in the man who was the 
Prime Minister of the country - Pierre Elliot Trudeau.  This man I knew a 
lot about.  A life dedicated to becoming a politician and having enough 
education for four people, he had set his ambitions while he was young and 
had realized them in a way that few others could ever hope for.  Many in my 
other life had claimed him to be one of the greatest leaders of our country, 
though my opinion of him was not nearly as flattering.  I believe he had 
been largely responsible for the fractured relationship between the 
Anglophones and Francophones in Canada, which led to a decades-long battle 
for separation from Canada by Quebec.

The press glamorized him, enjoying his defiant attitude toward old 
institutions.  He wore sandals in the Canada's House of Commons, dated 
celebrities such as Barbara Streisand, Kim Cattrall, Liona Boyd, and Margot 
Kidder, used obscenities to insult his opponents, and one time, did a 
pirouette behind the back of Queen Elizabeth II.

He had frolicked in Jamaica, sworn in the House, and was a notorious 
womanizer before he married a much younger woman -from much older money - 
Margaret Sinclair in 1971.  Their marriage didn't last.  She left after only 
13, fed up with the beatings that the so-called free press hushed up. 
Despite all his charisma, the action that really turned me against him was, 
after an election loss to Joe Clark and his Conservative party in 1979, he 
managed to call a vote of non-confidence within six months of Clark's term 
in office.  This was after the Iranians had captured the American Embassy 
and were still holding 66 hostages out of the 90 Americans who were 
stationed there.  Thirteen had managed to avoid capture and hid out in the 
Canadian Embassy while passports and other documents were drawn up by the 
CIA to help them escape the country.

Clark was briefed daily on the developments, and since an election had been 
called; he had to keep Trudeau in the information loop.  Trudeau, true to 
form, used the information as a way to humiliate Clark, daily asking in 
public what Clark was going to do about the situation in Iran, knowing full 
well that Clark could not respond until the 13 Americans were out of danger. 
In this, my second chance at life, I despised the man even more for showing 
character traits that too closely resembled what I was like in my previous 
life.

Our bus arrived at the House of Commons, and we were seated in the Gallery, 
though we could as well have watched the silly political games live on 
television.  Two weeks earlier cameras had been installed in the House and 
daily broadcasts of parliamentary procedures were made public.  Either way I 
was seething as I sat between Annette and Wendy.  Having seen too many 
self-serving hypocrites sit in the chair of the Prime Minister, I mumbled 
under my breath that the person who held the highest office in the land 
should have the interests of the people guiding him.  I must have mumbled 
louder than I thought as Annette looked at me and said, "Or her."

I smiled at Annette, grateful for her insight, but I knew that the only 
woman who would hold the reins of power in the next quarter century would be 
Kim Campbell.  She would be given the job by default on the resignation of a 
future Prime Minister but would then lead her party to such a stunning and 
humiliating defeat in the next election only a few months later that the 
chances of a woman again soon becoming Prime Minister ranged from slim to 
none.

I grumbled all the way through the question period aching and itching to ask 
a few questions of my own.  When Trudeau slurred one of his opponents with 
yet another disparaging remark toward females, I rose up in my seat to shout 
down at the arrogant prick, but Wendy and Annette both grabbed me and pulled 
me back down into my seat.

Annette looked me square in the eyes and said, "Keep your mouth shut Patti! 
We're here to play a tournament.  If you make a scene, you'll be kicked off 
the team.  One day we'll run the government and we'll be able to fix things, 
but right now, concentrate on the team."

I bit the inside of my cheek to prevent myself from speaking, but nodded 
that I would remain quiet.  However, Linda and Julie had moved towards me as 
well, and the commotion had caught the attention of the Speaker of the 
House.

We weren't the only team who had been sent to the House to listen in on our 
government in action.  One of the runners for the Speaker whispered to him, 
and the next thing I heard was the voice of the Speaker, James Alexander 
Jerome, as he announced to the members present that in the Gallery were the 
finalists in the Girls Senior High School Volleyball Tournament.  We 
received a mild round of applause, and then Question Time resumed.  Julie 
and Linda walked me out followed by Wendy, Annette, and Mandy.

We prowled the halls for nearly an hour before our teammates came to find 
us.  Thankfully, Sister Elizabeth and Father Ed were busy with the 
supporters of the Saints back at the Holiday Inn.  Sister Gabe was with us, 
though, and gently took me by the arm and walked with me.

With her arm through mine, Sister Gabe walked me away from the others after 
telling Wendy I was all right and designating Linda and Julie to get 
everyone on the bus and back to the hotel.  I wondered for a brief moment 
how we were going to get back with the bus gone, but I was with Sister Gabe. 
This was a nun who I trusted, maybe more than anyone outside of our private 
group.  She seemed to know her way around the parliament buildings, and her 
nun's habit seemed to magically open doors for us as we wandered from the 
main building to official offices via the underground tunnels.  I was 
starting to wonder what was up when finally she found a place for us to sit 
and talk.

"Patricia, I see a fire in you that God had to have lit.  Maybe that's why 
you ended up with us at St. Ursula's.  Perhaps that too was His plan, so you 
could be tempered and focused for when you leave our fold."

I was going to say something, but Sister Gabe gently placed a finger on my 
lips.

"Patti, this isn't a movie where at the last minute you are going to decide 
the best work you can do is as a nun.  You can and will do a lot more if you 
can work the system from outside of a convent.  I've met girls like you 
before."  My ears perked up when I heard that, but I was pretty sure this 
was not about my 'rebirth' seven months ago or even my selection of Wendy, 
another girl, as a preferred sexual partner.

"I turned fifty-four a few weeks ago, Patti.  I was born and raised in 
Holland, and by the time Hitler started his rise to power, all I was focused 
on were my dreams of going to the Olympics as a swimmer.  My grades in 
school were sufficient, but I never really tried to improve them.  All I 
wanted to do was swim.  I raced bicycles with the boys through the week and 
swam every day.  I was very na�ve.  When the war broke out, I was barely 20. 
I had been to the XI Olympiad in 1936 and won both a Silver and a Bronze for 
our team out of the 17 medals Holland won.

But, Patti, Hitler had already led the National Socialist Party to power in 
1933.  Instead of looking at the growing danger of the Third Reich, which 
was started the same year as the Nazis came to power; all I could see were 
my dreams of the Olympics.  I believed I could do better in the next Olympic 
games, so I practiced harder and longer.  I had finished school by the time 
the 11th Olympic games were over, and I confess I was a bit of a flirt 
afterwards.  I was 16 and free.  I worked part time in my parents' bakery 
and dated many boys."  Sister Gabe paused and blushed.

"Too many boys according to my father," she continued.  "Actually nearly 
every boy in our town," she added with a laugh, "and I was not a tease.  I 
was not exactly innocent, but times were different, as they are for each 
generation."  She sighed and patted my arm.  "I had my head buried in my own 
dreams, Patti.  All I could think about was having fun and training.  I 
fully planned on going to another Olympics and then becoming a coach.  I 
never saw 1939 coming, and one day I turned around and we had been invaded. 
Many countries were."

"Many of my boyfriends soon either disappeared or were taken for labor 
camps."  She paused as a tear grew in her eye.  "Then my mother and father 
were taken and later executed.  I was gone that day so I never got a chance 
to even tell them how much I loved them.  That might have also saved me as 
young women were not overlooked, Patti.  While I had enjoyed the attention 
of the young men in our town, I did not welcome what the Nazis brought or 
would have wanted from me.  The safest bet was to leave, but so many of my 
teammates joined the resistance that I did as well.  I had no home or 
family, and I did not want to become a play toy for German soldiers."

"Most of my friends from the resistance were killed as time passed and there 
were prices on the heads of the rest of us.  The underground had special and 
often difficult assignments for skilled athletes like me.  I was an 
information courier, and as a swimmer, I would often have to slip into the 
channel and swim to a small boat three or four miles from shore and then 
swim back again."

"On land one of the safest ways for us girls to travel around was to be 
dressed in a nun's habit.  This meant we had to lop off our hair, but that 
was a small sacrifice.  When the Canadians landed in Holland, the need for 
my skills was over, but the war was still going on, and I still had a price 
on my head.  The Canadians spirited me out of the country and helped me get 
to Canada.  My life had been shattered, Patti, and after four years of 
pretending to be a nun, I joined the Sisters of St. Ursula."

I was speechless.  The nun who I thought I knew so well turned out to have 
lived a life that would scare me to death.  I gave her a hug as tears formed 
in my own eyes and I told her that I was glad she had survived.

"The reason I'm telling you this, Patti, is so you will not be blind to what 
goes on around you.  I've seen how you notice more things than the other 
girls, and you are quick to react to something that is not right.  I wish I 
had been more like you.  But sometimes you have to pick your battles, and 
right now is not the time for you to tackle government double standards when 
it comes to women.  I've seen you influence people without forcing an issue. 
However, your powers of subtle persuasion still need to be honed so you can 
slip - like the resistance - into the ranks of the powerful and make changes 
to better your sisters.  Become a powerful lawyer, then fight them in their 
courts and on their laws."

Hmm.  A lawyer.  In my first life I had not had a high opinion of lawyers 
but I could see where Sister Gabe was making sense, and it was something I 
had suggested to Einstein as a possible future career for myself.  We walked 
a bit more, and then Sister Gabe said we should be heading back and had 
someone call us a cab.

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

After supper, in our room, I told Wendy, Annette and Mandy most of what 
Sister Gabe had told me.  We were all gaining a deeper respect for our 
coach!

Annette was intrigued.  Wendy was confused.

"Why not become a politician?"  Wendy asked.

"Because most people don't trust politicians," said Mandy.

"You know that there are many areas of law you could go into if you go this 
route," said Annette.  "You could become a corporate lawyer or a criminal 
lawyer or even a prosecutor.  I think it would be kind of neat to be a 
feminist rights activist or a public defender for people who aren't being 
treated fairly by the government."

The one thing we did all agree on was that we could make a difference if we 
figured out our goals now and started to work towards them.  "Who better to 
protect the rights of us outsiders," I asked, "than us?"

It was still well before lights out, and I knew that Annette and Mandy had 
some plans.  Since we couldn't very well leave, we were already planning on 
an early night!  Annette called room service and had some bottles of juice 
brought up, which we paid for, and then we went to tell Sister Elizabeth 
that we were going to turn in early.  Because we were invited, and it would 
have been impolite to refuse, we joined Sister Elizabeth and Sister Gabe 
along with Father Ed, Robert, Jim, and Brent in the dining room for a cup of 
tea.  Linda and Julie had gone out to catch a live play, knowing that Dr. 
Parker was with us.

As we were sipping our tea, bedeviled with horny thoughts that only four 
young, hormone-driven minds could conjure running through our heads, Dr. 
Parker showed up to join us.  He pulled up a chair between Wendy and me.  I 
think the exhibitionistic show we had given him last week had made us 
fantasies in his mind!  Having once been an old man, I could pretty well 
figure out what he would like to be doing with Wendy and me.  It made me 
smile.  A man was going to be the recipient of just that kind of attention, 
but that would be Einstein not our beloved doctor.

"Hey Doc, can you explain to Wendy and me why politicians are such 
 assholes?"  I asked this quietly, but I guess my timing could have been a 
bit better as he had just started sipping his drink.  He snorted and quickly 
grabbed a napkin to catch what had sprayed out his nose.  Of course this 
brought a lot of attention to our end of the table.

Wendy pounded him on the back as he coughed and spluttered, while Bob rushed 
over with the nuns following right behind.  The good doctor assured them he 
was all right, and then after Wendy finally stopped beating on his back and 
the red had left his face, he said, "Nothing like a good gin rinse to clear 
out the sinus cavities."

Jim spoke up and asked why he had choked in the first place.

Shit!  If the Doc repeated what I said.

"Patti was just asking if being a hemorrhoid was a prerequisite for going 
into politics."

Thank you Doctor!

Sister Gabe grinned at me, though.  I'm pretty sure that she knew the exact 
words I had used.

"Sure seems that way," said Robert.

"Actually," said Brett, "I'd like to hear what the doctor thinks about 
 that."

Jim echoed the sentiment and then caught the eye of the waitress, and 
pointing to the Labatt's sign on the wall and held up two fingers pointing 
to himself and Brett.  Father Ed gently elbowed him in the ribs and a third 
finger went up.  The nuns were too busy looking at Doctor Parker to notice, 
but I had seen him, and he winked at me.  Man, there sure were a lot of 
people winking at me in this lifetime!

"It's all a matter of perception," Doc Parker said, "but the main problem 
stems from anal retention."

Chairs were quickly shuffled closer as Doctor Parker started to explain his 
theory.  Even Sister Elizabeth seemed anxious to hear his explanation.  I 
wished right then and there that I had the verbal skills of Doctor Gary 
Parker.  His finesse with the English language had just allowed him to say 
that our elected officials didn't give a shit, and nobody seemed to notice. 
Or maybe they did and just didn't comment, because of who said it.

The waitress brought the three beers over and Father Ed protested that Jim 
needn't have bought him a beer.

"Nonsense," said Jim.  "It's my pleasure, and you aren't going to be driving 
tonight,"

Father Ed thanked him, and Doc Parker started his story.

"People are under the mistaken notion that once politicians are elected, 
their job is to represent those who elected them, their constituents.  The 
sad truth, however, is that they are only there to ensure their party grows 
stronger - to never voice dissent with their party.  From the day they are 
elected, a politician's only job is to get re-elected, and they will spend 
all their subsequent time to that end.  An election has to be called before 
the end of the five-year term; however, if they are riding high in the 
polls, they will start a debate with the opposition and then make a 
declaration that the public should decide, thereby ensuring themselves a 
shot at another five-year run."

"Laws passed during a politician's time in office are never based on what is 
good for the people but rather for special interest groups that they can 
count on for support in the next election.  You'll notice that more 
government work gets done in those areas where there is a member of the 
ruling party or in an area where they believe their candidate can win in the 
next election.  It's a logistics game and a gamble all at the same time. 
Extra funding will go to health care and schooling, and a nuisance tax will 
be removed, all of this timed to be still in the memory of the voter when 
the election is called.  If ever a politician did something like 'represent' 
the will of the voters, it would send the whole system into a chaotic shut 
down."

Bob and the Doc both got bar drinks and then he picked up his story.

"I hate to burst any bubbles for the young ladies at the table," he said, 
"but you will see that it costs much more to get a politician elected than 
most of them will actually earn.  Politics is primarily a power trip, and 
except for some lower level positions where graft is a possibility, it's not 
used much for monetary gain of the actual politician.  Higher level 
politicians, like cabinet members or members with a portfolio, usually come 
from rich families well established in the country's history or the already 
independently wealthy.  There are of course exceptions, and a local person 
with a working background can get elected, but you won't see them get into a 
position of power such as a minister with portfolio.  They will be delegated 
to be what we call 'back benchers,' and they will sit there warming the seat 
and just wait for the handful of men and women who really run the country to 
tell them how to vote."

"Then why would these people want to be elected in the first place?" asked 
Wendy.  "If the job doesn't pay much and they spend so much to get it, why 
bother?"

A silence descended at the table.  Wendy had unknowingly touched on the one 
thing no one wanted to say out loud.  My Wendy had stood up and shouted, 
"The Emperor is wearing no clothes!"

Jim put down his beer and fumbled through his pockets for a cigarette, 
surprising me as it was the first time I had ever seen him smoke.

Brett just swirled the remnants of his beer in his glass and stared at the 
undulating patterns.

The nuns sat silently and Father Ed closed his eyes.  Bob looked downright 
angry.

"Wendy," Doctor Parker said.  "The government brings in the new laws and 
changes the old ones.  They decide where money will be spent, and how.  They 
keep their hands relatively clean, of course, but they spread the word to 
their families and friends of their families.  This is how they pay back the 
support for getting elected, at the same time making sure that their 
families reap rewards in other ways.  A new road is going through some land, 
and before the road gets announced, one of their friends has bought the 
land, which the government will now buy from them at an inflated price. 
That Olympic stadium being built in Montreal?  The last I heard, the 
supplier who won the contract for the concrete is being paid seven times as 
much for it as what it would cost you or me.  It's a long and twisted road, 
Wendy and it gets more twisted every year."

"But that's not right," said Wendy.  "Why doesn't somebody tell?"

"Who are we going to tell it to, Wendy?" asked Bob.  "The government?"

"And if we shouted it from the rooftops, demanding an election be called," 
said Jim, "do you think their counterparts from the other party are such 
fine, upstanding politicians that they wouldn't do the same?"

"'There are only three parties to choose from," said Brett, "and only two of 
those parties have ever run the government.  We just vote for the devil we 
know."

"The smartest and most successful crooks don't go to jail, Wendy," said Doc 
Parker, "they go into politics."

Wendy had tears in her eyes.  "It's just not fair."

I took Wendy's hand and apologized for putting such a wet blanket on the 
night before the tournament.  Sister Elizabeth nodded and I took Wendy back 
to our room.  Annette and Mandy joined us five minutes later.

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

"If I was undecided before," said Annette, "I'm not now.  I'm going to get 
my law degree and spend my life exposing this and try to change the system."

"You should start making a name for yourself now then," I said.  "The better 
people know you as a person of integrity, the better your chances will be to 
get support for what you want to do."

"How do we do that?" asked Mandy.

I knew the answer to that one.  "Get involved in good causes.  Something 
non-political and one that politicians can't horn in on - like what we did 
with our hair.  Raising money always leaves the door open for corruption, 
but you can't buy hair, and you can't buy quality time for people stuck in 
hospitals or nursing homes.  Convince others to join you.  Let people see 
that you don't mind getting your hands dirty.  Don't delegate if you aren't 
doing it yourself."

We continued talking about the changes we would make as we showered and got 
ready for bed.  I was just explaining about the need to stay away from 
radical groups when a knock came to our door.  Thinking it was Linda or 
Julie checking in on us, or possibly one of the nuns, I opened the door.

Three girls dove for cover as Doctor Parker stood there with his black bag. 
He chuckled as Annette and Mandy stuck their heads out from underneath the 
covers.  Wendy, having seen who it was, had stopped trying to hide and just 
sat cross-legged on our bed.  The thin baby doll she was wearing was nearly 
transparent, but she felt no shame with her body.  I guess my months of 
adoring her and telling her how beautiful she was had paid off big time. 
Especially for Doctor Parker!

"Annette," said the good doctor.  "I've seen you nude since the day you were 
born.  Are you turning shy on me now?"

Annette giggled and sat upright, uncovering Mandy in the process.

"You left some worried coaches back in the dining room," he said.  "I've 
been asked to give you something to help you sleep if you want it."

Wendy looked at me, and I just shook my head.  "Not for us Doc.  Thanks for 
asking, but we'll get to sleep.  We certainly don't want to be groggy 
tomorrow, and I for one don't want anything showing up on my blood test 
afterwards!"

"That goes for Mandy and me as well," said Annette.  "All I need to get to 
sleep is somebody special to hug and cuddle with!"

Mandy blushed a dozen shades of red as the good doctor looked behind him 
then asked if Annette was expecting company.

Annette giggled again.  "Now Doctor Parker, you've known for quite a few 
years that I won't be looking to men for love.  I already have what I want," 
she said as she wrapped her arm around Mandy.

"Well, you can't blame an old man for hoping he could substitute for a young 
girl's missing lover," said Doc Parker with a big smile.

"Hey, that's not right," said Wendy indignantly.

"What's that Babe?"  I asked her.

"Poor Doctor Parker comes all the way up here to help us sleep better and we 
don't offer him something in return."

I couldn't figure out what she was talking about.  This wasn't our room at 
the school, so we had no tea or a pot to boil it in, then I saw the doctor's 
face break open in a giant smile.  I looked back at Wendy who had taken off 
her top and exposed her beautiful tits for him.

"Maybe this will give you something to dream about tonight, Doctor," she 
said.

I started to laugh when I saw Annette lift off her top as well and then 
Mandy did, too, leaving me the only one covered.  'What the hell', I 
thought, 'sometimes it's easier to go with the flow,' so with a swift jerk 
and tug, my t-shirt ended up on the bed.  The good doctor now had four pairs 
of puppy-dog noses to dream about tonight!

He looked slowly from one to another, committing the sight to memory, and 
with a smile and a twinkle in his eyes that let us know he appreciated the 
show, he thanked us, wished us good night, and backed out the door.

I jumped on Wendy when the door was locked.  "You've turned into a regular 
little nymph haven't you?"  I asked as I kneaded her boobs.

"I learned from the best," she giggled in response.  I'm sure that Annette 
and Mandy would have said something in response, but they were busy doing 
oral exams of each other's tonsils.

I turned off the light, and with only a light shining from the bathroom, I 
made sweet gentle love to my lover, while sounds from the other bed hinted 
at similar actions.

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

We were woken by our eight o'clock wake-up call and performed our ablutions, 
rotating smoothly through the bathroom with the familiar ease of teammates.

I was almost dressed as Wendy emerged from the bathroom wearing only her 
panties and vigorously toweling her hair.  "Honey?"  I said.

There was a muffled "Hmmf?"

"Show us your boobs?"

She pulled her shoulders back, thrusting her breasts in the direction of my 
voice then peeked from beneath the towel.

I grinned at Annette, who was sitting quietly on the bed.  "Would you 
believe six months ago my Honey was so shy she even got changed in the 
bathroom?  Mmmff!"  A damp towel had somehow wrapped itself around my head.

"Oooo!  I'm gonna get you for that!"  Wendy said indignantly.

I pulled the towel off and smiled at her as she stood, hands on hips and 
glaring at me.  "Goodie!"  I exclaimed.  "Tonight?"

"When you least expect it," she replied darkly, turning to get dressed.

I moved to wrap my arms around her from behind and whispered, "I love you," 
in her ear.

She leaned back on me and hummed contentedly.

"Hey, you two, get a room!"  Annette called.

"We got a room," Wendy replied dreamily, "and you're in it!"

"All right, don't get a room, just get dressed!  Breakfast's in five!"  As 
Annette was saying this, Mandy emerged from the bathroom looking puzzled.

"What?" she asked.  "What did I miss?"

"Later," Annette laughed, "Right now, we gotta hustle."

The team was left alone to eat around two long tables jammed together, and 
between drinks of fresh orange juice and nibbling at soft boiled eggs into 
which we dunked our toast soldiers, (inch-wide strips of lightly toasted 
bread), Annette explained the strategy for the day.

Breakfast was really light, as we knew we had a full day of playing ahead of 
us.  The thought of losing in the first round never crossed anyone's mind. 
We had proven ourselves to be the best from Ontario, which was the largest 
province population wise, but as Annette reminded us all, nobody had ever 
anticipated our school would even make it to the city finals.

"We've had fun, girls," she said, "but frankly, I'll be glad when this week 
is over and we can go back to a normal life."  Several of us murmured our 
agreement.

"We know that all the teams that play against us will be expecting something 
wild and outlandish when we come out of the dressing room onto the floor," 
continued Annette.  "However!"  She paused, waiting for everybody's full 
attention.  "Mr. Blake informed me before breakfast that there will be a lot 
of scouts in the stands today - scouts for universities and even some from 
the Olympic Games Committee."

I mentally kicked myself.  I had thought previously that in three years I'd 
have a chance at a choice not open to me in my first life.  College or 
university.  I had ruled out an athletic scholarship to either because I 
hadn't planned on my life taking this turn with the volleyball team.  I was 
pretty sure that Wendy would get an academic scholarship based on her 
brains.  I was getting good marks myself since I had started to apply 
myself, but I doubted that I was anywhere near Wendy's aptitude.  She 
grasped it all so quickly and easily while I usually struggled to understand 
it.  Mike and Ann would normally never have been able to afford the tuition 
for me to attend St. Ursula's.  That had only come about because I had been 
referred and accepted as a troubled Catholic teen by Father Robert.  Shit! 
What a wonderful memory to come back to me on the first day of the National 
tournament.

Somewhere along the line I had dreamt of going on to higher education with 
Wendy, but while I might get a student loan for college, university was out 
of the question.  The tuition alone would take decades to repay.  College 
was strictly applied arts and sciences, and a two or three-year program 
would give me a diploma with which I could land a decent job.  University 
was for the three degrees above zero, a BS, an MS, and a PhD.  Or as I used 
to say in my other life, Bull Shit, More Shit, and Piled higher and Deeper. 
Colleges didn't offer athletic scholarships.  In fact they offered very few 
scholarships at all.  I sighed.  My inner mind told me to leave my destiny 
in the hands of the Goddess, and I would land on my feet somewhere.  What I 
owed to myself and to my team right now was my full concentration on what we 
would do in the next two days.  Slowly I tuned back in to what Annette was 
saying.

"So, we need to prove we didn't win because of hair color or makeup tricks," 
Annette was saying.  "We're going to play the next two days in standard 
uniform without any extras.  Let them see what the Saints really look like 
and how we play!"

A cheer went up from the table!

The adults left us alone while we finished breakfast in a subdued, 
introspective silence.  Now was not the time to coach, suggest, or plan 
strategy.  We had been playing as a team now for nearly six months - two 
months longer than any St. Ursula's team before us.

We finished our breakfast, slipped on our jackets, and picked up our bags, 
each girl with her own thoughts.  We were a quiet group on the bus as well, 
small murmurs was the extent of our conversations.  Even the adults were 
strangely quiet.  Somehow everybody knew that, as far as we had come, for 
all the trophies that now sat in the new display case at school, this was 
the final and ultimate test.  We had proven ourselves best in the city, best 
in the region, and finally best in the province.  But, if ever an 'also ran' 
team had the fortitude to win best in the country, it was this team.

Carlton University housed close to 20,000 students.  Over 1,500 staff 
members made this university one of the best in the country.  Being so 
relatively new, it was in immaculate condition.  But we hardly noticed it. 
As we got off our bus, it wasn't with smiling faces, but it wasn't with sad 
faces either.  I suppose determination would be the best description, as I'm 
sure we looked like a team that had come to win.

Linda and Julie checked us out as we changed into our uniforms, while Sister 
Gabe sat quietly in the corner.  The time for coaching was over, and we 
didn't even need to be told to have fun and just play our game.  A 
collective mindset had joined us all together and in less than a half hour 
we - and the rest of Canada - would see just how good we really were.

Just before it was time to head out to the floor, a soft knock was heard, 
and after a quick check to see that we were all dressed, Sister Gabe opened 
the door to allow Sister Elizabeth and Father Ed in.

Their faces were as solemn as ours.  Sister Elizabeth spoke first.

"Ladies, I know this has been a long road for you, and you have made our 
school, our convent, and our beliefs shine with pride.  You represent the 
best of our ideals.  In victory you have been gracious.  When dealt some 
harsh blows, you did not resort to violence or name-calling.  You have 
proven yourself winners and ladies.  I'm sure that I do not have to tell you 
that you will all still be the best in the eyes of our school even if you 
should not win this last tournament.  I know you all too well to think you 
would believe me.  I pray for your safety and the peace of mind to get 
through this."

Father Ed nodded and picked up where she left off.  "Heavenly Father, you 
have favored our school with a team divinely inspired.  We do not understand 
why, but thank you for each and every one of your children whom you have 
brought together for this challenge.  We are indebted forever for your 
grace, and we accept your wisdom.  What happens now is in your hands and 
through the talents you have given your children.  We pray for their safety 
and ask you to allow these young ladies to continue to do for others as they 
have, in your name, Amen."

I realized I was clutching Wendy's hand, though I couldn't see it very well. 
My eyes were misted as I echoed Father Ed's "Amen."

We remained standing long after Father Ed and Sister Elizabeth left the 
room.  Finally, with a sniffle, Annette cleared her throat and said, "Well, 
girls, let's go do what we came here to do!  Give them all a taste of 
Ontario's best!"

You'd think we were hunters on a quest from the war whoop that echoed 
throughout the large gym as we entered.  It came from the bottom of our 
souls, and with our heads held high, we hit the court.

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

CBC television was filming the entire tournament, and they had more cameras 
there than I had ever seen at one time in either life.  Ten teams were 
squaring off for the first round, two games at a time, four teams at a time. 
It was a test of patience for our team, as we were not in the first blind 
draw.  We sat for 90 minutes and watched Nova Scotia blow away Alberta, 
while Manitoba was whipped into submission by Quebec.  It was the teams from 
Quebec and BC that I figured we would be squaring off against in the end as 
they had the second and third largest cities, and talent pools, in the 
country.

It took Nova Scotia three sets to knock Alberta out of their chance at the 
semi-finals, but Quebec required only two sets to bury Manitoba.  I decided 
that the team players from Quebec were the biggest and tallest players we 
had ever seen.  I guess a diet of poutine - fries covered with gravy and 
cheese curds - must have had something to do with that.  I had tried it once 
in my other life, but even for my then-jaded taste buds, it was too fatty. 
All of the teams seemed to look big compared to us, but I needed to remember 
that St. Ursula's only fielded one team comprised of juniors and seniors. 
We didn't have enough grade nine and ten students to put together a separate 
junior team nor did the upper grades have enough for a full-fledged 
senior-only team.  The teams we were seeing here came from schools where 
they seriously outnumbered us in the talent pool!

The first elimination round was over.  After giving the officials a 
ten-minute break and the staff time to clean the floors, we were up.

On the court beside us, the team from Vancouver, British Columbia, was 
facing Newfoundland's entry.  I wanted to watch the BC team, but we were 
facing Saskatchewan, and I was not going to take my eyes off our own game 
for anything!  None of my teammates were going to either!

The whistle blew and the first volley sailed over the net right into my 
hands.  Well, sort of.  I knew I couldn't block or spike on the first 
volley, but I could scare some religion into the girls from the middle of 
Canada.  As the ball came over the net, I jumped up under it and volleyed it 
back up and behind me trusting in my teammates.  Well-placed trust, too, as 
I stepped to the side just in time to see the ball just clearing the net and 
entering Saskatchewan territory at a downward angle.  They didn't have a 
chance to spike or block it as whoever was behind me had taken the time to 
find an empty area.  It was volleyed back to us without a second touch on 
their side, and from behind me I heard Annette say, "Mine!" as she stepped 
forward and leapt up into the air to spike it back down for our first point. 
She winked at me as she took her place again and mouthed, "Thanks."  I 
winked back at her.

For half the team, I knew this would be their last chance to play and win at 
a high school level.

Our first National match ended with a 25-2 and a 25-3 match win for us, 
adding to our unbeaten streak.  BC was struggling a bit with Newfoundland, 
and it took them three sets to finally take the next step towards the cup.

There was simply no other way to do this National tournament without having 
two teams play solo for the first elimination round.  We couldn't get all 
ten teams on the court at once, and putting four against four would still 
have left a single game at the end.  Jim had been right; we had a lot more 
time to rest between sets, and we sat for another 60 minutes and watched the 
potato province of Prince Edward Island knock New Brunswick out in two sets.

The official whistle blew and the announcements were made as to the teams 
who would be playing for the next round.  We had made it, as had Quebec, BC, 
PEI, and Nova Scotia.  Based on the number of sets and the points, 
Newfoundland was going to get the 'wildcard' spot.  And it was finally time 
for lunch.

Aside from water, we hadn't had anything since breakfast, and we had sat for 
nearly four hours while playing for just one hour.  Chaperones from the 
university appeared to take us to their cafeteria.  I suppose the rules were 
quite strict about all of us having equal chances.  I noticed that the teams 
were kept apart and only coaches and floor staff were allowed to sit with 
the teams.  While Sister Gabe, Linda, and Julie had a regular lunch, all of 
us girls decided on the roasted chicken, which was surprisingly moist, and 
we added some raw vegetables to our plates but drank only water.  We were 
not about to chance anything.

After lunch we were escorted back to our change room where we rested, 
showered, and changed into fresh underwear and clean uniforms.

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

At two o'clock we were on the floor again.  Four of the ten original teams 
were gone, six survivors.  There had been some major changes made while we 
were out to lunch.  There were now three nets instead of two, so it was 
going to be a one-game match for all of us.  And four of us would meet again 
tomorrow.

I felt bad that the wildcard team was up against us.  In another time, 
another place, the team from Newfoundland might have been contenders for the 
finals tomorrow, but their misfortune was to be picked to play opposite us 
for their first semifinal match.

They were two of the fastest sets we had ever played.  25-2, 25-zip.  I 
think they lost hope after the first set and you can't do that if you want 
to win.

Wendy and I set up a lot of great opportunities for the senior girls.  We 
grade nine juniors wouldn't be in consideration for scholarships, but 
Krissy, Annette, and Mandy would be, as should the other graduating seniors. 
My bets though were on Annette, Krissy, and Mandy.  They were powerful 
players as some of their spikes proved.  You simply did not want to stand in 
front of a spike by any of those three, and trying to block them was risking 
bruises and possibly broken bones.  We rotated often to keep fresh, though 
with our training under Sister Gabe and all the extra practice time, we were 
in the best physical condition ever.

After we won our match, we quietly left our court and watched Quebec finish 
taking BC out in three sets, and Nova Scotia plant the potato province, also 
in three.  The judges made their rulings.  Tomorrow morning Quebec, Nova 
Scotia and Ontario would play with the wildcard team being BC.  That didn't 
come as a big surprise as their match against Quebec had been a close one. 
We shook hands with our opponents from Newfoundland and got dressed and back 
on the bus.  Thankfully there would be no blood tests tonight.  That little 
adventure was saved for tomorrow.

There was a surprise waiting for us when the bus rolled up to the Holiday 
Inn.  Flowers had been delivered from all over!  I was surprised because I 
knew the film footage would not be seen until at least 11 o'clock with 
perhaps some of the morning action being played at six.  Then I remembered 
CBC Radio.  I checked with Jim and he confirmed my hunch.  The CBC Radio 
network, the Canada wide government broadcasting system, like their sister 
TV stations, had been giving live updates on the games the entire time we 
had been playing.  Of course in BC that meant the coverage had started at 
six a.m., but I'm sure avid fans of the BC team would have tuned in.

I sincerely hoped that all of the teams had flowers waiting for them.  Even 
the six teams that had been eliminated today had played and fought hard for 
a shot at the National title.

I was also gaining a newfound respect for professional athletes.  Since we 
had three games waiting for us the next day, there would be no tourism stuff 
tonight.  At least not the kind we wanted to do.

We showered again, which was fun as all four of us got into the single 
shower, and I started to wonder if in my previous life I had ever had so 
many showers in a year as I'd had in a month as a girl.  We slipped on our 
tracksuits and headed down for supper.  And it was a scrumptious feast! 
Roast beef, smashed potatoes with thick gravy, and steamed veggies dripping 
with enough cholesterol-saturated butter to knock a horse off its feet!  But 
it was damn good!  After, there was cherry cheesecake, and it was during the 
dessert course that Jim took it on himself to read aloud the cards and notes 
that had come with the flowers.

Most were for the team as a whole from people like the Mayor of London, 
school mates, and businesses in London, but surprisingly there were also 
many from our families.  I guess in a way we brought pride to them and they 
were basking in the vicarious glory that their daughters had made it this 
far.

The front desk started to bring up notes from telephone calls, and Brett was 
volunteered to read those out to us.  We were in good spirits.

I razzed Jim for his remark about 29 games unbeaten since it appeared we 
would play all three teams tomorrow.  He shrugged and said that since no 
team from London had ever made it to the Nationals, he was unaware of the 
rules.  In fact, in his years as the sports editor, he had never personally 
covered any girls' sports.  The Saints were a first for him.  I didn't 
bother to ask who had 'invited' him to our first game.  So, if we were to 
take the entire tournament, it would be with 32 games unbeaten, but that 
didn't dampen anyone's spirits.

I mentioned to Annette that after the games were done, we would arrive back 
in London just in time to start our semester break.  I was curious what she 
and Mandy would be doing, but she gave a mysterious smile and said she was 
sure we would be spending a lot of time together.

Being a glutton for punishment, and knowing we would not be at the school 
when the scholastic awards ceremonies were held, I asked Sister Elizabeth 
how we had fared on our marathon exam session.  I would never have thought 
of using the term 'inscrutable' when it came to describing Sister Elizabeth, 
but this time it sure seemed to fit.  She just smiled and said we had all 
passed.  The feeling slowly came over me that I was purposely being kept in 
the dark about something, and I mentioned this to Wendy.

"You worry too much, Sweetheart," she said.  "Let things happen as they 
will.  I'm happy, you should be too."

I assured my lover that I was more than happy, but I was used to wanting to 
be in control of my life rather than let others decide it all for me.

"But don't you see Pete?" she asked.  "It's because others made decisions 
for you that you are where you are today.  And who you are with."

I had to admit that I had no problems with my life the way it was right now, 
although I had some questions as to where the Goddess would guide me next, 
but I decided to take Wendy's advice and let it ride.

There were a few personal messages that came through the front desk, as 
well, including two for Wendy and me.  One was from Mike and Ann 
congratulating us; the other was from Einstein.

"Dear Peppermint & Wendy,
"I had a transistor radio with me all day with the earphone wire hidden in 
my shirt sleeve.  People kept asking me if I had a sore ear as I kept the 
earpiece in my palm!  Congratulations on your wins today.  Now blow them 
away tomorrow and I'll catch up with you during spring break."
"Love, Einstein"

That was so sweet.  Wendy and I decided we'd have to do something nice - 
very nice - to repay him for that display of affection.

Bob took most of the team on a bus tour of the city after supper as we still 
had plenty of time before curfew.  For two hours he drove us around the 
major landmarks in Ottawa.  I would have liked to have gotten out and 
explored them, but most of them were closed as it was after hours, and he 
also had his orders.  So loaded with cans of cold soda, we sat back and 
looked at the lights and sights in the capital city of Canada.  We got back 
shortly before nine and were going to head off to bed.  However, Bob caught 
Wendy and me as we got off the bus.

"I saw you girls giving up a lot of opportunities to score points yourselves 
to make the senior girls look good," he said.  We just gave him a look of 
pure innocence.  He laughed at that.

"Okay," he said.  "I'll play along.  It was all just coincidence that, 
instead of going for the net, you two just kept volleying the ball to 
Annette or Krissy or Mandy.  What I don't understand is why.  I can 
certainly afford to pay for tuition for Annette and Mandy at whatever school 
they choose to attend.  They don't need athletic scholarships."

Wendy and I both laughed at the same time.  Bob looked confused.

"Two words, Bob," I said, and then we said almost in unison, "Montreal 
Olympics!"

"Oh My God!" he said after he caught his breath.  "Imagine if one of them 
makes it onto the Olympic team.  A student from St. Ursula's!"

That's why I think I liked Robert Denure so much.  He didn't focus on his 
daughter instantly; his thoughts were on what was good for the school.  He 
was a man generous to a fault.  Both Wendy and I gave him a peck on the 
cheek before heading inside.  Ten minutes later we were fast asleep.

To be continued.

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