Mission Impossible - One Giant Leap

A girl sits down in her bedroom staring off into the distance, thinking. 'I was always different. Was it because I was highly intelligent? Erm...No. Was it because I was very good-looking? Nope, the fashion houses weren't exactly beating down my door. Or was it because I was extremely talented? Not by a long shot! Mum always said that I was her 'special little girl', but all mums say that, don't they? Nah, I was a pretty average 15 year old apart from the almost 'TINY' fact that - I'm lesbian. Not that she knows this, but she was kinda right'.

The girl's best friend broke the silence.
"Jamie!" She suddenly said, "What do 'your people' do?"
"Huh? "
"What do' your people' do? You know, builders build, and teachers teach. What do they do?" Her friend asked looking puzzled.
"I don't know. Being lesbian is just part of your life, it's not like a job. I don't know. You don't really have to do anything- just fancy girls, I suppose. Don't worry, I won't be radically changing overnight!" I reassured her.
She's a bit daft sometimes my best mate Cathy, but I've known her for absolutely ages. She finds it a bit hard to get her head around it sometimes, but she's really good. I think she has difficulty saying the words: Lesbian, gay and homosexual, so she'd always say 'your people' - I guess some things will never change.
Cathy turned to me and said, "Maybe you should find out more about 'your people'"
Hmm. She had a point there, 'What sort of things did gay people do?'
"I'll get a magazine, there must be one out there." I told her, that's that decided then, but my next thought was - 'where do I start looking?'.

The very next day I checked out my local newspaper shop, dear old 'MISTER PATEL'S'. His shop stocked everything!!! But there were no gay or lesbian magazines to be seen. I tried looking in all the shops that sold magazines up and down my high street - and that's a lot of shops, but still no luck! So I gave up for the day, I was starting to loose hope - what is there for gay and lesbian people in little towns, if I can't find one lousy magazine!

The next day I woke up bright and early to get the bus, I was going to check out the next town's big shopping centre 'BROADWAY'. Twenty-five minutes later I'd arrived, on the search yet again for the magazine. I tried the many newsagents, supermarkets and even our old favourite 'Woolworths' and still nothing. Through the many, many racks and shelves of all sorts of magazines: Teen magazines to women's magazines to Sport, and Sci-Fi magazines. Who would have known it would be so difficult! But there was one shop left -'WHSMITH'. I crossed my fingers, this time (just in case) and headed in. 

I went straight to the magazine section, seeing pretty much more of the same magazines I saw in all the other shops. But then in the corner at the top, there they were - a handful of gay magazines. Looking closer, you could see they were mostly boys ones though - but this was a start, actually seeing any at all. At the end of the row there was one, a solitary lesbian magazine - 'DIVA'. It was amazing! On the front it had this picture of a woman, OH MY GOD! In a red shirt, in-a-red-shirt! That isn't no 'ordinary' red shirt, red shirts don't look like that on normal people. But that red shirt on HER...It was amazing! Now I found it though, I quickly realised I couldn't even reach it - I was only 5 foot 3! My heart sunk, as I walked out to get back on the bus back home, as it would have been too embarrassing to ask someone to get it from the top shelf for me.

I rang Cathy to see what she thought.
"You've found one, great! Have you read it yet?" she asked.
"Well, erm. Not yet. It was up on the top shelf, I couldn't even reach it!"
"You would have to be a midget wouldn't you?" Cathy laughed.
"It's not funny" I protested.
"But anyway, what's it doing on the top shelf? Isn't that where PORNO MAGS live? Sounds a bit spicy! Wow, if your mum found it - she'd go MENTAL!"
"Nah, I think they just put it up there to stop kids getting at them."
"Gosh, you must have gotten some looks!?!" Cathy said amazed.
"Yeah, people thought I was trying to sneak a look at porno! God, it was sooo embarrassing!!!" I cringed.
"But I'm gonna go back, I'm gonna get it!"

I got on the bus and went to 'BROADWAY' the very next day; it took me the rest of week trying to get 'DIVA MAGAZINE'! Every time I tried, something would happen and I wouldn't be able to get it in the end. I tried lots of times... I tried going in at different times, I tried picking up another magazine and then trying to get DIVA as well, I tried hiding amongst other people, and I tried going to buy it when the shop wasn't too busy - but it was no use, there was always too many people about who were watching. One time it was two women who were watching me; another time it was a man looking over my shoulder, and even one of my elderly neighbours, who decided at that very moment to have a chat when I was so close to reaching it. It was no use I couldn't do it on my own, I'd definitely need some help...so I called Cathy.

Cathy could help I knew she could. She was always that bolder and more daring than I was, and she's a good few inches taller than me - so that helps.
"Come on Cathy, please...Pretty please! Ah, come on PLEASE! It's taken all week and I still haven't bought it yet! Please! You know I'll keep bugging you until you give in, please..." I pleaded with her.
"Alright, alright! But I'm still not going for the magazine, that's down to you, but I will come with you and keep an eye out for people looking."
"Fair enough, tomorrow then."

We got on the bus on the way to 'BROADWAY'; we were wide awake (well fairly), we were determined; we were girls on a mission! We were incognito, supposedly. Blend in Cathy says, real professional-like. Rubbish! Cathy in her bright red jacket, jeans, 5 foot 8, in multicoloured paint splattered Doc Martens boots and shades; And me in a yellow top, jeans, 5 foot 3, with curly ginger hair and shades on...it's pretty hard to miss us! But we headed into WHSMITH, undeterred!
We went straight to the corner of the magazines sections, right to where the gay magazines were. We hung around for a while checking the area out as people shuffled past us, checking out the other magazines while we waited. Ten minutes later, the golden opportunity arrived... Cathy took one last look around, "OK, go on then Jamie" she whispered. I quickly started to reach up for the magazine, getting right up on tiptoes, and further still on the very ends of my toes. I had got a copy in my hand and pulled it from the shelf, though almost knocking the whole pile of them down, Phew! "OK, got it!" I whispered, and we quickly headed to the till. I had the right money in my pocket, the exact amount to save time, the shop assistant raising her eyebrows in surprise! 'Oh no' we thought, as we both started to blush. But she smiled and put the magazine in a bag for me, and off we went - Mission accomplished.

We went around to Cathy's house as her Mum was out, so we sat on the floor and had a flick through 'DIVA MAGAZINE'. I don't know what we were expecting...lots of pictures of scary big butch looking lesbians, dodgy looking photographs and lots of dildo & sex toys articles perhaps?!
"It's like a normal magazine." Cathy deduced.
"Well, What did you expect? Hardcore nudity?" I joked.
"Well, Yes!" She replied quite seriously.
"Honestly. Who's lesbian here - me or you? Is there something you ought to be telling me, Cathy?" I quizzed her.

"F**k off! No way, not on your life!" she protested.
I smiled, "Alright, Just checking!"
"It's just interesting to see, it's like a normal magazine." She was right; it had really interesting stories, important issues, fun stuff, listings, horoscopes and problem pages - it was good to see. And it wasn't a case of what did gay people do? But rather, what didn't gay people do!

Cathy suddenly had a revelation.
"You know, Jamie, 'your people', they're like socks!"
"Like socks?"
"You know, they're always around. And they come in different colours, shapes and styles!" Cathy explained.
"Something, somewhere in that explanation was really sweet! I think they'd be proud!" I smiled.
"So, when's the next issue out then?"
"Next month." I noticed from the back cover.
"WellÖonly a few more weeks to go until the next time then".
"It's not impossible. We did it once, we can do it again."
"Errr, you're on your own next time!" Cathy shouted.
"Ah! Come on Cathy! That's not fair! You've gotta help." I pleaded, but she wasn't budging.
"You know I'll keep bugging you until you give in" I told her.
Cathy put her hands up, "Not all this again. Alright, Alright! "
I gave her a big hug, "Thanks"

*~*~*
'the paperback scribbler'