The One That Got Away Read Free Page A

magnet for baby dykes—you were one, once. Isn’t that what the B.D. stands for?” Annalise giggled, and winked at me. “Should we tell her about the damn book?”
    â€œ The Dam Book ?” I had heard of dental dams. Could there possibly be an entire book about them?
    Ellen laughed. “We call it ‘the damn book’ because it’s caused a lot of arguments among our friends. The real title is The Persistent Desire: A Femme-Butch Reader .”
    I followed them over to the Anthology section. Ellen frowned. “It’s not here.”
    â€œMaybe it’s in Sexuality,” Annalise said.
    â€œBut it’s an anthology,” Ellen protested.
    â€œOh, please. Not everyone is as organized as you are, Pumpkin Toes.” She looked at her watch. “Hey, we’d better get going if we’re going to be at my mother’s on time.”
    â€œB.D., give me your phone number,” Ellen said. “Maybe we can all meet for coffee or something.”
    I watched as she entered my number into a device she was holding in her hand.
    â€œThis is an iPhone,” Ellen said. “One day everyone will have one.”
    â€œMy honey loves her toys,” Annalise said.
    â€œLisey!”
    â€œWhat? I’m talking about that thing in your hand, not the stuff in the box at home.”
    I saw that no one was in the Lesbian Erotica section, so I went over there. I stood in front of the shelf and decided to take just a quick peek at Fisting with Finesse . I jumped when Annalise, who had come up behind me said, “No, B.D., that’s Lesbian Sex 102. You need Lesbian Sex 101. Try this.” She pulled a book off the shelf and handed it to me— What Lesbians Do in Bed (and Other Places): Step-by-Step Techniques Anyone Can Emulate .
    In the time-honored tradition of hiding the one thing you are really embarrassed about buying, I began piling up other books as I moved methodically along the shelves, selecting something from every section except Gay Male Erotica and Addiction/Recovery.
    I chose The Lesbian Quiz Book from the Self-Help shelf. I had always enjoyed the quizzes in women’s magazines. I liked filling in surveys too. I opened the book to the table of contents.
    Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â  “What Kind of Women Are You Really Looking For?
    Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â  What Kind of Woman Is Looking for You?
    Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â  Rate Your PC Savvy.
    Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â  Top or Bottom?
    Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â  Sex: How Do You Measure Up?”
    I turned to “Weigh In on the Butch-Femme Scale”:
    Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â  1. To find a Phillips screwdriver, you would go to:
    Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â  a) A hardware store.
    Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â  b) A man named Phillip.
    Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â  2. If you had to buy a chemise, you would look for it in:
    Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â  a) An antique furniture shop.
    Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â  b) A lingerie boutique.
    In Sociology an index card bearing a staff recommendation was taped to the shelf beneath Unseen Yet Omnipresent: Queer Infiltration of Popular Culture by Maxine Huff. “Huff is HOT!” had been added to the bottom of the card in bright pink Magic Marker. I looked at the author’s portrait. The woman in the black and white photograph made me think of a pixie with PMS.A fringe