Bipartisan Action by Jennifer Anthony

     Kyoko was confused and conflicted after a recent outing with her four best friends. When she’d confessed that she’d dumped a woman for being a conservative, Allison had accused her of being close-minded.
      Her friend had a point. Wasn’t a liberal supposed to be open-minded?
      So she’d decided to give Elise a second chance. And when the woman suggested Juliette for dinner, Kyoko gave herself a mental pat on the back. She clearly had been too hasty – the woman had good taste.
      Her date sat just beneath the chalkboard drink menu and the two illuminated signs that read “Charcuterie” and “Boucherie.” The votive candle flickered light across the woman’s full lips and raisin-black eyes. Kyoko resisted the urge to reach across the table and touch her. She was smoking hot. If only they could avoid any conversation about politics.
      Elise had ordered Lillet Fizzes for both of them, and insisted on taking long sips from her glass, teasing Kyoko with her eyes. Even the slow, deliberate way she ate her Steak aux Poivres was somehow sexy, even though Kyoko was a vegetarian.
      “Sure you don’t want a bite?” Elise asked her. “I know you don’t eat meat, but it’s grass-fed.”
      “Thanks, but I’m fine with my pasta,” Kyoko said. “Although I’m impressed that you care about animals.”
      “So,” Elise said, resting her fork on her plate. “I thought for sure I wasn’t going to see you again.”
      “You know what? Maybe I will try a bite,” Kyoko said. Even if she had to tuck the meat in her napkin, she was willing to do almost anything to derail this sudden change of topic.
      The woman laughed softly. “Good try. Come on, be honest. When I told you I was a conservative on our last date, you nearly bolted in the middle of dinner!”
      Although Kyoko loved a good argument at work, she didn’t like to feel cornered on a date. And a second date, no less!
      “Okay, never mind,” Elise said. She sawed off another bite of her steak, and added, with fork in midair, “I just hated to think you wouldn’t date me because I’m a Republican.”
      She popped the piece of steak into her mouth and resumed the slow, deliberate chewing. Kyoko relaxed again, mesmerized by the woman’s mouth. She shook her head to snap herself out of the trance.
      She had to know. “Would you ever not date someone because they were a Democrat?” she asked.
      “Absolutely not,” the woman replied. She took another sip of her beverage. “Especially someone as beautiful as you.”
      Well. Once again, the woman had shown she had exquisite taste.
      But as much as Kyoko wanted to dismiss politics and just fall into the glow of the date, the lawyer in her was demanding answers. “But you must have a deal breaker,” Kyoko said. “What’s your tipping point? I mean, clearly I’m a Democrat and you’re still willing to date me. But what is the one belief I could have that would make you give up?”
      “Honestly, I don’t date along party lines. For me, the deal breaker is if someone is a horrible person.”
      Kyoko nodded. A thoughtful – and smart – return.
      “How about you?” Elise asked her.
      Kyoko shrugged.
      “Come on,” Elise urged, with a smile. “If you asked that question, I’m guessing you have a tipping point. What is it?”
      “Okay,” Kyoko said. “I respect that you’re a Republican. I mean, just because you’re a lesbian doesn’t mean you don’t get choices. But the tipping point would be if you were to tell me what I can do with my body.”
      “Fair enough,” Elise said. “But I wouldn’t. Because even within party lines, you can have differing opinions. And that is something I feel strongly about.”
      Kyoko was still left to wonder which of the Republican ideals Elise strongly agreed with. But for the moment, her stance on a woman’s choice was heartening. And, she reminded herself, as a liberal she should strive to be open-minded. She popped some pasta into her mouth and chewed thoughtfully with her eyes closed.
      “But,” Elise started.
      Kyoko’s eyes popped back open to find Elise leaning across the table, her shirt drooped low and revealing some impressive cleavage.
      “You look gorgeous tonight. So I’m hoping later on you’ll let me tell you what I’d like to do to your body.”
      “Well now,” Kyoko said. “I think we’re ready for some bipartisan action.”