Do it with Passion or Not at All

adopted herrell cousin 27 firefighter transwoman

[andrewplewis]

“You need any help with that?”

[miriamherrell-blog]

“Oh, I tend to need lots of help. Just not with this in particular. Paperwork is my strong suit.” She grinned. “Thanks, though, Andy.”

[cherrybombfiona-deactivated2016]

“Moody’s? No joke? I just started working there.” Fiona hadn’t expected that. A pleased smile came to her face when she saw that Miriam was receptive and understanding about being queer. It wasn’t something she’d explicitly mentioned to many people here yet–it seemed like a topic that most avoided. Nodding, she smoked until the other finished speaking before she responded. “Yeah, that’s what I heard. About Perry I mean. I haven’t had a chance to check it out, but my motorcycle’s fixed now, so I might have to give it a try.”

[miriamherrell-blog]

“Oh, awesome!” She smiled. “I really do love Mel -- she’s just better off in a kitchen than an office.” Flicking the ash off her cigarette, Miriam shook her head. “No, honey, Perry is just full of straight dudes who want their dick sucked through a glory hole. The one club that can even be considered LGBT friendly is not very friendly at all.” Sighing, she added, “You’re better off going to Portland, but it’s an almost four hour drive. I used to make a weekend of it, before I moved to New York, but since my transition I haven’t really felt comfortable going back there.” After all, gay people could be transphobic too, and she didn’t need that kind of negativity in her life.

[beccatucks]

“It’d be boring if it didn’t.” 

[miriamherrell-blog]

“Sometimes, I would definitely prefer boring. Less stressful on my cardiac system.”

[cherrybombfiona-deactivated2016]

“I think that’s a very noble thing. Do you have another job that pays, then?” Surely she did, but Fiona had difficulty guessing what the firefighter would possibly do for her day job. At the question, the younger girl shrugged. “It’s just…different from what I’m used to. I’ve mostly lived in big cities and this place is tiny. I feel like everyone’s all in my business already. There isn’t that much to do...and there doesn’t seem to be much of a gay community either.”

[miriamherrell-blog]

“Oh, yeah. I use my MBA to help Mel keep Moody’s up and running -- I don’t know if you’ve met her yet. I’m the silent business associate who never quite mastered the art of being silent.” She giggled. “Yeah, small towns are like that -- and you’re definitely going to have to go a bit further abroad than Perry for an LGBT night scene. Most people here in Bayside act like the word ‘gay’ is contagious.”

[alexamurry]

“Who? Sebastian? He drives me insane but he’s a good bartender.” She sighed, rolling her eyes. “I didn’t even know you two knew each other. Let me know if I need to bury his body for fucking with you.”

[miriamherrell-blog]

“Know is such a broad term. We’re acquaintances. Mostly here at The Bar, of course. But I do appreciate the offer. Does that make you the Slytherin to my Hufflepuff?” She smiled cheekily.

[cherrybombfiona-deactivated2016]

“A firefighter? That is beyond awesome.” Fiona admitted with a grin. She’d never met a female firefighter before and it was cool to see a woman kicking ass and saving lives. “I am, yeah. It’s not too bad.”

[miriamherrell-blog]

“I like it -- I mean, it’s volunteer, so I don’t make any money doing it, but it’s rewarding. We don’t have very many fires, anyway.” She grinned ruefully. “You don’t sound so certain. Having a hard time settling in?”

[alexamurry]

“You call me your best friend. I call you the dork I can’t get rid of.”

[miriamherrell-blog]

“Well, if you wanna be that way, I can take myself off to a different bar and spend my hard earned paycheck there.” She made a fake pouty face. “You’re, like, the only person in this town I can count on to be nice to me without wanting something, though. Even your new bartender is only nice because he thinks it will get him laid. I think. Not sure what his deal is yet.”

[alexamurry]

“You call me your best friend. I call you the dork I can’t get rid of.”

[miriamherrell-blog]

“Well, if you wanna be that way, I can take myself off to a different bar and spend my hard earned paycheck there.” She made a fake pouty face. “You’re, like, the only person in this town I can count on to be nice to me without wanting something, though. Even your new bartender is only nice because he thinks it will get him laid. I think. Not sure what his deal is yet.”

[cherrybombfiona-deactivated2016]

“Thank you.” Fiona smiled, taking what was given to her and placing the cigarette between her lips. She quickly lit it and handed the lighter back over to the stranger before leaning against the wall of the diner. The young blonde took a drag and exhaled before speaking again. “You saved my sanity just now.”

[miriamherrell-blog]

“I understand the feeling completely. There’s irony, of course, in being a firefighter that smokes, but as long as I pass my yearly physicals  I don’t really care.” Miriam glanced sideways, taking a long pull off her own lit cigarette. “I haven’t seen you around, girlie. You new to town? Settling in okay?”

[alexamurry]

“Bullshit.” She snorted. “You would have gone in there and turned into Mr.Clean, regardless.”

[miriamherrell-blog]

“Tsk, tsk, Alexa. I’m hurt. I would be Mrs. Clean, thanks very much.” Miriam flattened a hand over her chest with a dramatic sigh. “And you call yourself my best friend?”

[kosher-sebastian-deactivated201]

“I’ll be however old you want me to be, Miss.” He was enjoying himself far too much. 

[miriamherrell-blog]

“That’s creepy, kid, really creepy.”

[cherrybombfiona-deactivated2016]

“You don’t happen to have a cigarette I can bum, do you?”

[miriamherrell-blog]

“Why, yes, yes I do. Here ya go.” She handed over a cig and a lighter.

[beccatucks]

“Long time no see, stranger.”

[miriamherrell-blog]

“Well, you know how it is. Life gets busy.”

[kosher-sebastian-deactivated201]

He looked her up and down. “I can definitely see that.” He made no effort to hide his flirting.

[miriamherrell-blog]

Chewing on her straw, Miriam returned the once-over, allowing her eyes to linger on Seb’s arms. Arching one eyebrow, she asked, “So, you’re, what, eighteen? Nineteen? Jailbait either way.” She’d better step off now -- he was a newcomer and looked like the type to be an asshole if she led him on for too long. (Granted, almost every white boy she didn’t know well looked like he could be that type.)

[alexamurry]

“That is not nice.” She replied, shaking her head. “We don’t speak ill of the dead.”

[miriamherrell-blog]

“No, you don’t. I have no such reservations -- Mel is lucky she’s cute, or my ass would have walked the first time I saw that office.”

[kosher-sebastian-deactivated201]

“You’re brutal,” he chuckled. He stuck his hand out over the bar counter. “I’m Sebastian, and I think this might be the start to an interesting friendship.”

[miriamherrell-blog]

“Miriam,” she smiled, giving him a high five instead of a shake. “And everything I do is interesting. I don’t like boring.”

[alexanderherrell-deactivated201]

“I know yours too. Mirms, I babysat you and my brothers since I was fifteen. Sometimes I still feel like I do.” He said the last part more to himself. “Musical genius?” He snorted. “Are your hearing yourself right?” He laughed out loud, “I’ll tell you way, I’ll put in a tip bucket and then we’ll see how many you get.”

[miriamherrell-blog]

“Aaaand time to change the subject. You keeping the tavern open for Thanksgiving this year, or have you finally got a girl who wants to take you home to meet the family?” Since most of the girls in Bayside were apparently not to his liking -- the man was gorgeous (which she was allowed to think because, hello, adopted) and past thirty, and still single. That had to be the reason.