Best Bi Short Stories, page 1
Best Bi Short Stories
Bisexual Fiction
edited by
Sheela Lambert
Published by
Gressive Press
An Imprint of Circlet Press, Inc.
Cambridge, MA
Copyright
Best Bi Short Stories: Bisexual Fiction edited by Sheela Lambert
Copyright © 2014 by Circlet Press, Inc.
Cover Art Copyright © 2014 by Tr3gi | Dreamstime.com
Published by Gressive Press, an imprint of Circlet Press, Inc.
39 Hurlbut Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
The electronic version was produced in-house at Circlet Press, using the Writer2ePub plugin for OpenOffice and Sigil epub editing software.
Please report any problems you find with the ebook to us by visiting the Bug Report section of our web site (www.circlet.com).
Print ISBN: 978-1-61390-088-8
Electronic ISBN: 978-1-61390-089-5
License Notes
Please do not support online piracy of copyrighted works. This ebook is licensed for the personal enjoyment of the purchaser only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, or if you received this ebook copied from a friend or by other means, please support the writers who made it possible by purchasing a copy yourself. Thank you for your support.
Dedication
Best Bi Short Stories is dedicated to my mother, who, as it turns out, was bi and would have enjoyed every story.
Contents
Introduction by Sheela Lambert
Dual Citizenship by Storm Grant
Alone, As Always by Jenny Corvette
Companions by Kate Durré
Pennies in the Well by Rob Barton
The Decision by Ammy Achenbach
Coyote Takes a Trip by Deborah Miranda
The Lottery by Florence Ivy
Angels Dance by James Williams
The Idiom of Orchids by Camille Thomas
Mother Knows Best by Charles Bright
“…Leave a Light on for Ya” by Gretchen Turner
Dragon’s Daughter by Cecilia Tan
Pride/Prejudice by Ann Herendeen
Challenger Deep by Kathleen Bradean
Mr. Greene by Ours M. Hugh
Art Making by Kate Evans
Friends and Neighbours by Jacqueline Applebee
Memory Lane by Sheela Lambert
Naked in the World by Geer Austin
Alex the Dragon by Jan Steckel
Face to Face by J.R. Yussuf
Xessex by Katherine V. Forrest
Inland Passage by Jane Rule
Acknowledgments
Contributors
Introduction
Bisexuality in fiction is more often hinted at than fully explored. Oblique references, tantalizing clues, a line here, a detail there, but we are often left reading between the lines. The stories in this book don’t hold back: the bisexuality of their characters is on the page. Best Bi Short Stories represents a first in literature: a collection of short stories where the same-sex attractions of its characters don’t negate the opposite sex ones and vice versa. But this is not the typical bisexuality seen in literature: this book brooks no stereotypes.
Bisexual stories make fascinating fodder for fiction. The creativity of our writers have taken this to the next level by sifting it through their imaginations and coming up with exciting, mysterious, inventive ideas that weave bisexuality through the tapestry of their subconscious into a captivating piece of fiction. This anthology offers a smorgasbord of genres that each show bi characters through their own unique prism: mystery/noir, vampire, sci-fi, historical fiction, experimental, micro-fiction, magical realism, slash fiction, as well as contemporary bi fiction. The world created by each author is extraordinary and specific, drawing the reader in.
Best Bi Short Stories has a variety of new bisexual characters we haven’t seen in literature before, characters that leap off the page and into the reader’s imagination. In “Alone, As Always” an abused wife falls for a mysterious woman; “Pennies in the Well” is a love letter written by a civil war soldier to a soldier on another battlefield; “The Idiom of Orchids” features a mysterious woman who seduces with exotic flowers; “Angel’s Dance” involves a bisexual vampire contacting his long lost lover about a sticky issue; in “Dual Citizenship” a wisecracking detective debates whether to team up with a new partner; “Companions” is about a tavern barmaid who falls for a shy soldier with a secret in Medieval England; “Mother Knows Best” is a piece about a man dying of AIDS whose ultra-religious relatives are driving him crazy; an elderly woman in a nursing home remembers her glory days as an activist marching in Pride Parades in “Memory Lane,” two high school boys are confused by their mutual attraction in “Naked in the World;” “Alex the Dragon” features a bi dyke who appears to be acquiring dragon-like characteristics; “Challenger Deep” is about a daughter who travels to an exotic island to fulfill a father’s last request and experiences a transformation; “Friends and Neighbors” shows an old codger making friends with the boi next door; a man is obsessed by a woman and her ambiguous painting in “Mr. Greene,” and more. Transgender characters captured the imagination of a good half dozen of our writers, illustrating that transgender people are very much a part of the bi community.
There are also a few handpicked, previously published stories by notable authors, that you may have missed which feature wonderful bisexual characters. Jane Rule, whose bisexual novel, Desert of the Heart, was made into the classic les/bi film Desert Hearts, contributed “Inland Passage,” a story about two widows who meet and fall for each other on a cruise ship. Although this story contains some ‘politically incorrect’ elements, I thought it should be included because of its historical value. Pillar of lesbian literature Katherine Forrest, whose Kate Delafield Mystery Series fills the shelves of queer women everywhere, dreamed up a beautiful alien who ignites unexpected passion in a disfigured space station captain in the sci-fi tale “Xessex.” Circlet Press founder Cecilia Tan, known for her Magic University Series, imagines a Chinese-American college student who falls for an elusive, immortal goddess in “The Dragon’s Daughter.” Star of Two Spirit Literature, Deborah Miranda, created a homeless, but cocky, Native American graffiti artist who recovers his mojo after an unexpected bus incident in “Coyote Takes a Trip.” And the author of Phyllida and the Brotherhood of Phillander, Ann Herendeen, reveals the hidden bisexuality of Mr. Darcy and ‘best friend’ Charles Bingley from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, in a humorous and sexy chapter from her Lammy Award finalist slash fiction novel, Pride/Prejudice: A Novel of Mr. Darcy, Elizabeth Bennet and their Forbidden Lovers.
This book tries to avoid stereotypical bisexual characters and plotlines that have already been done to death. Is there anyone who has not read a story with a bisexual character who is two-timing their lover, is painted as shallow by engaging in a threesome, is a deceptive and manipulative liar or a sexy bimbo? As editor, I steered clear of stories that relied too heavily on infidelity or the surprise reveal of a same-sex attraction for their only source of drama. BBSS forges new territory with characters we haven’t seen before and plotlines with a twist. Yet this book is far from the fictional counterpart to a politically correct bisexual essay. The characters in this book are unpredictable, multifaceted and run the gamut of ages, personalities, situations and time periods.
This is the first book of bisexual short stories ever published. Anthologies of gay, lesbian, straight or mixed short stories abound. There are even a handful of anthologies of bisexual erotica or personal biographical stories; but none of bi literary fiction, before now. Until recently, bi-inspired literary creations were few and far between and took a lot of detective work and good “bidar” to ferret out from the sea of literature. In fact, many lesbian, gay or even general short story collections contain stories with bi characters, but one must wade through to find them. Unfortunately, once found, the bisexual characters and storylines in literature are not as varied as gay, lesbian or straight ones and often fall into predictable bisexual stereotypes.
Best Bi Short Stories breaks that mold. We have showcased a rich variety of fascinating bisexual characters, storylines and themes, written in multiple genres and writing styles, all in one book. A buffet of bisexual literature, it’s full of lively, unique characters, human emotions, discoveries, mystery, vulnerability, unexpected twists, courage and creativity.
Bisexual people have long been deprived of literary role models, characters that mirror their lives or explore new and previously unimagined directions. This book helps to fill that gap while entertaining anyone who enjoys good stories.
We also hope this book will inspire writers and publishers to create and publish more complex bi characters and storylines that avoid overused stereotypes and break new, more interesting ground.
Dual Citizenship by Storm Grant
“I have another meeting to go to, Detective Connor. I’m going to leave you alone for about fifteen minutes.” Captain Grandy stands and I glance up at him. What kind of job interview is this? Sure, I want to be the American half of the Integrated Border Enforcement Team, but still…
Grandy holds up the thin manila folder. “I’m going to leave this confidential file o
Okay. He’s trying to tell me something. “Is there something I should—?”
“Just read the file, Connor. Fifteen minutes. I’ll be back.”
So I read the file. It’s about the guy I’d be replacing, Detective Washington, plus some stuff about his Mountie partner. The file is pretty vague, but I manage to read between the lines. I’m sort of inclined that way.
Good to his word, Grandy comes back in fifteen minutes, asks me if I have any questions. I’m not sure where to start so I go with silence, just looking at him. The silence stretches. Finally Grandy says, “The Mountie and Washington. They were pretty close. Spent a lot of time together, both on the job and off. Now that you’ve looked at the file, do you think you can work with this Mountie?”
I tap the file against my thigh, playing for time. I look just to the right of Grandy’s shoulder, not making complete eye contact, “So. The Mountie. Something queer about him?” I say finally, careful of my wording. It’s hard to ask when the rule is “don’t.” As in “Don’t ask. Don’t tell.”
Grandy harrumphs. Won’t meet my eyes directly either. He’s probably wondering about the two holes in my left earlobe. “Well, I think I can say for pretty sure that he’s…” Grandy pauses, searches for the right word, then does meet my eyes, “…Canadian. You don’t have a problem with... Canadians, do you?”
“No sir. Got a cousin who’s... Canadian. Not a problem.” I fail to mention I’ve...been to Canada a few times myself since splitting with the ex-wife. Thinking about this, it occurs to me to ask, “Was Detective Washington... Canadian, too?”
Grandy looks uncomfortable, then runs a finger inside his shirt collar even though the top button is undone and his tie loosened. “That’s not an easy question, Connor. Washington may have had, er, dual citizenship, but if so, he kept it pretty quiet. To outward appearances, he was more your all-American boy.”
And that precludes what, exactly, I think. But out loud I say, “No problem, Lieutenant. I’ve worked with... persons of alternative nationality before.”
“Even if he were to, say, invite you to visit Canada with him?” Unbelievable. Grandy is actually blushing a little. Again with the finger in his collar.
Now I’ve seen pictures of this Mountie—there were a couple in the file—and heard the gossip ’round the station, and my unspoken response to that is, I should be so lucky. I almost start to tell Grandy again that it would be no problem for me at all, but realize that might give away the game, so instead I consider a while. I think the moment has come to lighten the mood a little, so I ask, half-joking, “Just to be clear, sir. You’re not asking me to... immigrate, are you?” Or should that be “emigrate”? Don’t know. Doesn’t matter. I look at Grandy and he’s gone the color of really good merlot.
Then he starts fiddling with his stapler behind him, loses his balance and nearly falls, knocking over his almost-empty coffee cup as he regains his footing. “No. Oh, no, Detective.” He mops up the spilled coffee with a wad of mismatched napkins; probably several years’ worth of meals eaten at his desk. “The Detroit Police Department would never make such an unethical demand of one of its officers...” He trails off realizing he’d been plain speaking for a minute there. “We would never ask anyone to... apply for dual citizenship. I just want to make sure you can work with a... Canadian.”
Grandy is really struggling now and the evil part of me is kind of enjoying this, but that’s not a good way to land this job, so I try to put him at ease. “As an officer of the law, he’s got to have the whole ‘no means no’ thing down pat, right? And I hear Canadians are very polite.”
Grandy looks relieved. “All right then. You’ve reassured me that you’ve got what it takes to do this job. Welcome aboard, Detective.”
He holds out his hand and we shake. I like him already and think I’ll enjoy working here. I hand back the file, feeling only a little bit guilty for having “borrowed” a really good picture of the Mountie and stuffing it in my jacket pocket when Grandy was out of the room. I tell myself I need it so I can identify my new partner when I see him, but it’s really so I can take it home and enjoy it while I... take a little solo trip to Canada.
Alone, As Always by Jenny Corvette
Friday AM, the day of...
He sleeps beside me, his arm draped over me like a cover on a book. I feel the hair on his arm grazing the bare skin of my stomach, which rises with each labored breath I take. A hundred times this has happened exactly this way. I’ve woken up before him, feeling his hot breath billowing against the back of my neck. He is so close to me, so physically close. Yet, I feel we are miles apart.
The feel of isolation does strange things to my mind and though I know this, I am no less a victim to my own madness. Danny, especially at strange times in the mornings, doesn’t seem to exist. And if he does, he’s a mere ghost of his former self, a holographic sliver of the man I fell in love with.
Always, a hundred times at least, I lay in bed, beneath the weight of Danny’s possessing arm. I lay in bed and think such betraying thoughts, as if to validate my grim reality and justify my future behavior.
But this morning something’s different. I can feel the other body in the room. She’s a forceful presence, as forceful as I wish I could be. Gazing at me, she knows I’m not asleep, though my eyes are tightly shut. When I open them she is closer, standing near me, staring at me with that way she has of tilting her head back and sizing me up. As if to give me a stronger sort of relevance. As if her seeing me is the proof I need to know I exist.
She bends down to whisper something in my ear.
She’s oblivious to my nudity. The backs of her fingernails brush my chin. And I’m strangely aroused.
“We need to do it now,” is what she whispers.
Her breath is warm like her faint touch. Her words are tiny breezes on the arm draped over me. Can he feel her too? Before the sentence is punctuated in my head, she’s gone.
Danny shifts beside me. “Honey,” he says, rubbing his eyes. “What time is it?”
“It’s dawn,” I tell him but I can’t be sure myself.
“Shit,” he says, because he has to get up, and rolling off his side of the bed he stretches his arms and yawns. I continue lying there, staring hard at the empty doorway like she were still there. “You getting up?” he asks, running his fingers through his hair. Danny doesn’t wait for me to answer. He walks around to my side of the bed and leans down to kiss me on the cheek. Pausing slightly, with a look of pity in his eyes, he adds, “Make me breakfast, baby.” And with a slap of my thigh he heads for the shower.
Sunday AM, five days before...
I was in the garden when she drove up in a white convertible, wearing dark shades to match her hair.
“Excuse me,” she called but I knew she was the type who never needed excusing. “Is this Hickory Street?”
I shook the dirt from my hands. “No,” there was a slight quiver in my voice, like a child in front of the classroom called on by the teacher to answer a question. “This is Maple Lane. You want the next street over.” I pointed with a dirty finger.
“Next street?”
“Yes,” I said but was really saying Please don’t go.
She didn’t listen. Within moments, she was gone.
Like she was never there at all.
Monday PM, four days before...
It was a cold autumn night and I was curled under a blanket in my favorite chair with a book when I heard the doorbell ring. Instantly my heart dropped. The doorbell wouldn’t normally evoke such a feeling of unease but I was alone this night, as Danny was in Minnesota on business. I crept to the door and spied out the peep hole.
“Who is it?” I asked but didn’t need to. I recognized her instantly.
Her voice rang out. I recognized that as well. “We met yesterday. You gave me directions. Remember?”
