26 A New Opportunity
July 16, 2013 - Day 11 of the CruiseJanine"So I was thinking - and please forgive me if I'm overstepping my boundaries - that if you're serious about our relationship, and getting back into teaching, that you should apply for the vacant position in our Mathematics department. Mr. Peterson, our Trigonometry teacher, just retired, and his spot is still open," Janine said, walking paw-in-paw with Scott along the shaded trail. Their pace was slow and leisurely, allowing Juno to stop every couple of minutes to snap photos of the local flora and fauna.The attractive stallion stopped in his tracks. "You're serious?" He asked, arching a disbelieving eyebrow. "You'd do that for me, after only a week of knowing me?""Of course I would, Sexy," the mare said, pressing her lean body against his sensually and placing a sweet kiss on his lips. "You're the most amazing guy I've ever met, and there is no way in Hell I'm going to let you slip through my fingers now.""Not that I'm complaining, but isn't it almost time for the school year to start? Is there time for all that? I'd need to apply, get my resume in, interview, house hunt, relocate, and get to know the area so I don't get lost on my way to work," he said, scratching his head awkwardly."I spoke to my boss already," Janine explained. "If you're interested, you have a Skype interview set up for ten AM local time tomorrow. Just get your resume in before then. As for a place to stay, well... I know it's sudden, but you could stay with me, and we could carpool to work. I'd help you pack up your things, and with the drive from Dayton to Marblecliff.""Janine, wow, I don't know what to say," Scott said, unable to hide his excitement. "Thank you!""If you really want to thank me, Stud, you can take me back to your room when we get back to the ship and show me how grateful you really are," she said softly, her breath tickling the inside of his ear and sending shivers down his spine."Ye - Yes, ma'am," he said, clearing his throat.
As the trio crested the hill, she saw a familiar face and smiled."Lilly!" She called out, waving at the liger woman."Sisy!" Juno shouted, tucking her camera away and running full-sprint toward her new friend.Lilly tuned as she watched the kangaroo mouse bounce back down the trail toward the filly. As she met the smiling face that called her name she said, "Well if it isn't the pony parade. What brings a sophisticated couple like you out into the wilds of Kauai?""Just taking in the sights. I heard the falls are gorgeous. There was no way I was going to pass this by without letting Juno get some great pics," the equine woman said. "Plus, I thought it might be kind of romantic." She rested her head on Scott's shoulder as she spoke, gripping his paw tighter. "Looks like you and Sisy had the same idea - minus the romance part, that is.""She saw the photos online and just had to have them. I just saw a good chance to jump off a cliff. Speaking of stupid ideas, where's flyboy? Haven't seen him since yesterday morning.""Flyboy?" Scott asked, confused. Janine just shrugged, equally lost."Shit," She shook her head as she tried to remember his name, "The mouse guy, Larry, that was it. He's a nice guy, we kind of hit it off. Either that or Jack hit it off for us." The liger winked at the couple.Giggling, Janine replied, "Really now? I don't know him that well, but judging by how his daughter is turning out, he must be." She paused for a moment, trying to recall if she had heard anything about Mr. O'Donnell's plans for the afternoon. "I'm not really sure what he's up to. Probably something with his kids."The
three adults stood together in awkward silence for a minute before she added, "Lilly? Are you still interested in teaching?"The liger shrugged as she answered, "Once I get something in my head it's stuck there until I get it done. I got my resume out there, but the fact that I have no previous teaching experience..." She paused for a moment and mumbled, "Like keeping a bunch of shit-brained soldiers up-to-date in the latest tech is an easy task." She took a deep breath before continuing, "They look past the ten-plus years of practical knowledge, hundreds of hours of training, and small stack of industry standard certifications for those that have the teaching degree and only a fundamental understanding of the real-world applications. Hell, if I could get past the paper shuffle, I might have a chance. For now it's just more bit jobs doing pent testing for asshats that don't understand network security.""I see," the mare nodded in understanding. "This might sound a little crazy, but -"Lilly cocked her eyebrow as she looked at the mare, "I am getting ready to jump off a cliff into a pond below. Let's hear your crazy idea and see if it's any better.""I can't make any promises, but that look in your eyes when you asked about Larry tells me you have a little more than just a passing interest in him," Janine paused, gauging the liger's reaction. When the other woman didn't deny it, she continued. "If you're interesting in pursuing something with Mr. O'Donnell, and trying your paw at teaching, my school has a Comp Sci teaching position we desperately need to fill.""You know you don't need to use the mouse as bait," the liger said with a smirk, "I looked up that school of yours after talking to him. Whether I get a job teaching or not, I still have Sisy to think about. If there's an opening I could be a fit for, all the better." She tilted her head for a moment, "Though it would be interesting to look him up if I end up out that way." A smile crept across her face as she spoke. "But aren't you getting close to the start of the year? I was thinking I might have to wait till next summer to give it a go again. We kind of got side tracked on the details this year."Janine chuckled as the liger responded. "I'm sorry," she said, "I didn't mean to make it seem like Larry was
bait - he definitely isn't. He's a great guy that deserves the chance to be happy. The fact that I think you and I could be friends, can help you out, and potentially fill a need at my job are just bonuses. But you are interested, I take it?"Lilly turned and began to walk down the path again, "Let me see. I meet a nice couple on a cruise, one just happened to need a teacher, that would give me an inside track on a job. There is a good school involved for my mouse. There is a half-assed chance I might fit in within the community," she snickered for a moment, "as if. Then on top of all that, there there is another adorable mouse with a... fine-looking single father. To tell you the truth, I'm not seeing much of a downside to giving it a try. What do you need from me?""You got a resume handy?" the equine woman asked."What format? If you need hard copies, they're back on she ship. Everything else I can send from my phone."Janine fished a business card out of her purse and passed it over to her friend. "Cecilia's my boss. Send your resume to her ASAP. She's got a Skype interview lined up with Scott for ten o'clock tomorrow; hopefully, she can work you in after she talks with him.""Ten A.M. tomorrow," She said as she staped a picture of the card with her phone and instantly started tapping on the small slide out keyboard, "Kind of short notice. Feels like the good old army days." She looked up at Janine and added, "Might want to let her know where the random resume she just got came from. And if you don't mind, don't let Squeaky know; I don't want to get her hopes up.""Don't worry, I'll even keep Juno out of the loop," the mare said understandingly. "And yeah, I know it was short notice. Sorry about that, but the idea just came to me when you mentioned how well things went with Larry. Hey, if you get the job and need a place while you try and get settled in, Joel's about to move away to college. You and Sisy could take his room."Lilly chuckled for a moment, "Look, quick ideas and decisions have run my life up till now, one more isn't going to hurt. And as for the room, unless you have space for six I think I can handle that one. We're a pretty wild bunch."Janine's eyes practically bulged out of her sockets. "Five kids? What are you, Angelina Jolie? Are they all adopted, or are some of them biologically yours?"Lilly laughed at the expression on the mare's face. "Three of them might as well be kids sometimes. That little mouse over there somehow managed to get me and my old teammate in on a crazy idea of her own. It's a long story, and if we end up in Marblecliff, I'm sure you'll never hear the end of it.""You know, even though we've known each other for such a short period of time, I'm genuinely afraid to ask," Scott groaned. "Please, don't tell me. Just keep it to yourself until then." The playful smirk on his face showed that he was only halfway joking, but it didn't save him from the elbow to the ribs by his girlfriend."Be nice," Janine hissed.The liger snickered at the two, "I'll let you know if you offend me, and give him a prize while I'm at it." As she looked down the trail at the two cubs, each taking pictures of everything in their path, she asked, "So did you two come for the sights or you up for some cliff diving?""We're just here for Juno to get in some good pics, and to spend time together," Janine replied. "I'm not sure I'd be setting the right example for my scouts if I came back with something broken."Lilly looked over her shoulder at the couple and smiled. "If you didn't break something you didn't have enough fun. Wait, I got it," she paused for a moment then added, "Come on, everyone's doing it."The mare looked over at Scott, wondering what their new friend was up to, but he could only shrug in response. "Don't look at me," he said. "I've known her just as long as you have. But I get the feeling it's going to be something reckless, stupid... and fun." A playful smirk formed on his lips as he finished the thought."You don't have to do anything you don't want to, Jenny. You have the right to wimp out of whatever you want."As the couple followed the liger - maybe to their dooms - Janine responded, "I won't, but I am curious to see what you have in mind.""Scotty's got it about right. Reckless, stupid and fun. Jump off a cliff to the river below. The waterfall has dug it out deep enough to make it generally safe to do, as long as you know how to dive and swim," Lilly said as she followed the cubs toward their destination, "I wouldn't recommend it for the weak of heart or young kids. It's not really that big of a drop, I've done higher.""If Joel can do it, I suppose... I guess it'll be all right," she answered."Oh, that's right," Scott said, "your brother is a champion diver. "It's too bad he isn't here; I bet he would have a great time. I'll go first, if it will make you feel better.""Like I said, you don't have to. I know equines are about as graceful as a sack of rocks when it comes to swimming," the liger said with a smirk, "it's about eighteen feet from the cliff to the surface, then you have to climb back up. You can always just watch the crazy like as I do yet another stupid thing this summer.""Eighteen feet? Joel does 10 yards in competition, that's..." she paused to convert the units over to feet for comparison."Thirty-three feet," Scott finished her thought for her. When his girlfriend and the other woman looked at him, surprised by how quickly he was able to work out the equation, he reminded them, "What? I teach Math, remember?""I'm going to like having you around for more than just companionship and sex," Janine teased him. "Next time we go out for dinner, you can calculate the tip."Lilly looked at the mare and said, "You have to remember, your brother trained to do that. I love the water and jumping off cliffs as much as the next guy, but I don't think I'd take on that challenge with out a little practice.""We'll see when we get there. When I think
about it, it's like jumping from a two story building into a waiting cushion. That's not so bad," Janine rationalized. Truth be told, she was still scared, but she wanted to be brave for her new friends, for her Scouts, and most importantly, for herself."I'm here if you need help," Scott assured her, squeezing her paw affectionately.When they reached the top of the ridge, the trio stopped, taking a moment to take in the natural splendor of the falls. It was definitely the most majestic thing Janine had ever seen, and she stood there, awestruck, so thankful that her little sister had a camera. The girls back home would want to see this.After a few long moments of taking in the sight, Lilly dropped her backpack by a tree and stripped off her shirt and shorts to a bathing suit and took a running start at the cliff. As she jumped she twisted her body into a spinning somersault as she plunged to the pool below, only to have her body splash gracelessly into the water at an odd angle. Several tense moments passed as the group watched the water below. She surfaced, shook some of the water out of her short hair, and shouted, "Not high enough." Then began to swim to the cliff face."You first, or me?" Scott asked."You don't have to, if you don't want," Janine told him."If you're going to do it, so am I," he retorted. "Call it 'moral support.'""I just need to prove to myself I can cut loose and be wild," she explained. "I've always been kind of an overprotective stick in the mud.""You've kind of needed to be," the stallion reassured her. "You've had to worry about raising two great kids. And you did a great job.""Well, I mainly want to do this for myself," Janine said softly. "I need to know I can be adventurous."Holding out his paw, he said, "Together, then?"Taking hold of his, the mare said, "On three... One... Two...Three!"The couple ran together towards the cliff and leapt. They both let out a shout as they fell, sucking in one last gasp for air right before making contact with the river. The impact separated them, and the water was a little cooler than she expected. She could hear her rapid heartbeat in her ears, the adrenaline surging through her body. Remembering what she had learned from her younger brother, she used her arms to paddle her way up to the surface, her hooves useless for anything other than stirring up the water. When her head surfaced, she wiped the water from her eyes, and saw Scott looking back at her."That was fun!" He laughed. "I knew you could do it. I'm proud of you, Janine."Lilly looked down at the couple from the top of the cliff and shouted, "Now if that isn't just adorable. Two waterlogged ponies splashing around in each other's arms." She shouted over her shoulder, "Get a picture of this before they drown, you two.""I already did, Miss Lilly!" Juno called back. "I used the high-speed shutter and got lots of shots on the way down!" She waved her camera over her head proudly.Lilly ruffled the filly's hair as she praised her enthusiastically, "Great job, June, They'll want to look back on this one day and remember just how stupid they can be."The small kangaroo mouse walked to the edge as she snapped a few last pictures and said, "I think I got about fifty or so of all of you. But I should have had the wide angle lens on for it, I'm missing a lot of the scenery in most of them."Lilly looked down at Cecily for a moment. "Well I guess we'll have to do it all again." She looked down at the pool below and shouted, "Need a lens change to get better shots. You up for another go?"Janine blushed, the excitement of everything, and her proximity to the warmth of Scott's strong body, causing her to become aroused. She could feel the stiffness of her erection straining against the cutoff jean shorts she was wearing, and knew that if
she got out of the water now, there would be no hiding it from the kids' eyes. She just shook her head no, and shouted back up. "I'm fine, thanks!" Then she looked at her lover and told him, "God, all this turned me on so much! Thank you for jumping with me." She rewarded him with a deep, sensual kiss. "When we get back to the boat, I am going to make love to you until you can't walk straight!"