Page 71 of In Her Own Way
“And if she doesn’t believe you?” Jessica said. “That’s something else entirely. But I believe you, Victoria.” Jessica laughed. “I feel like I want to call you Vic now.”
“Go for it. It’s fine. A lot of people do.”
“Okay,” Jessica smiled, hoping Vic could hear it on her end. “As you’re telling me all this, you sound sincere. And something I learned at some point is that we often lie to ourselves for self-preservation. You know? Like you didn’t allow yourself to see what you were doing to this B person.”
“Hmm,” Vic said. Jessica had obviously hit home on something. “Are you sure you’re not a counselor or something?”
“Teaching is part counseling, I’ve discovered,” Jessica said. “So, maybe you could figure out what the lie is that you kept hidden. It could simply be the embarrassment over the new kink. Or it could stem all the way back to childhood.”
“Oh, God, we’re not going there,” Vic said. “My mom left my dad and me when I was ten. My dad tried to help me, but, you know, that huge rejection from my own mother is still…”
Jessica sat bolt upright. Victoria was crying. “Oh, hun, I’m so sorry I brought that up.”
“It always goes back to childhood, doesn’t it?” Vic laughed. “Maybe I do need a therapist or something.” Jessica heard the distinct sounds of Vic blowing her nose. “One of my friends back home, no, actually, two of them go to this BDSM-friendly psychologist. Maybe I can…” Vic was obviously choked up again.
“You keep referring to it as ‘back home,’” Jessica said. “That speaks volumes. I think you like it there, but this misstep has tripped you up majorly.”
“I have a lot to think about,” Victoria said. “You’re a saint for listening to me. Can we, uh…”
“Talk again?” Jessica offered.
“Yes.”
“We can. Evenings are best for me,” Jessica said. “You know, with school and chaperoning and all.”
“You’re busy,” Vic said. “Erin won’t let me set foot in the storage facility again. She’s hired an outside company, but she’s insisting on continuing to pay me.”
“Wow, that’s generous. I mean, it’s the least she could do, right? I mean, I hate to say this, but that taser gun thing could have been a very different kind of gun.”
There was a brief silence on the other end. “I know.”
“But it wasn’t,” Jessica said. “So, we thank the universe, take the win, and we move on.”
“Yes, Ma’am,” Vic said, and Jessica definitely heard the smile behind it. “Moving on. Getting my shit together. Making amends.”
“That’s the spirit,” Jessica said. “So, tomorrow evening? Same time-ish? You call me this time?”
“Perfect,” Victoria said. “And I want to thank you for being so gentle with me.”
“I’ve got you,” Jessica said, feeling protective.
“I think you do.”
They spent a few more minutes wrapping up their call, then Jessica flopped back onto the couch. She was totally energized after talking with Victoria and made quick work of the lit magazine flyer, emailing it off to KC. The next thing she did was go down the rabbit hole researching lactation kinks. It was a fascinating kink, but maybe not one she’d want to take all the way to actually lactating. Could it be a soft limit, maybe? She needed to think about it some more.
~~~
Jessica carried her energized feeling into school the next day and straight into the parent conference that afternoon. Mrs. Baker, Josalyn’s mother, was right on time, and once they were both seated in student desks facing each other, Jessica gave a quick summary of Josalyn’s progress.
“English 9 is going well for Josalyn,” Jessica said. “She’s attentive in class and participates when I ask her to, but she is a bit reticent, I’ve noticed. Probably nothing to be concerned about, but it is something to work on. Being able to advocate and speak up for yourself is an important skill to have.”
“It is,” Mrs. Baker said.
Jessica handed her a printout of Josalyn’s current grades. “She’s doing well. She has an A in my class.” She waited. There had to be a reason other than grades that this mom was sitting in her classroom after school.
And there was. Jessica’s smile faded as she watched Mrs. Baker pull the Trans grammar worksheet out of her bag. “Joss was floored by this.”
“Okay,” Jessica said cautiously. Dread spread through her. She was finally seeing the repercussions of her bold move.
