Chapter 2

“You wish?” she said, as I saw a smile come to her face for the first time since this thing started.

“Since you’ve left ‘shitforbrains, ‘ are you keeping his name or what?” I asked.

She laughed so hard at my moniker for her ex, she had to pull over.

“Yeah, for now – it’s a lot of trouble changing your name back, so I guess I’m Elizabeth Mendenhall for the short term. Thanks again for coming to get me, Ken – I owe you one!”

“More than one, I think, sis!” I said.

Back in Springfield, it was very late – or very early, and after bringing in her stuff, quickly showed her my two-bedroom apartment, and we each went to bed. I had to get up to attend a couple classes, so I left a note for Liz to tell her where I’d gone off to, and to call me if she needed anything.

As expected, I got a call -- around noon.

“Hey, beautiful – how are you doing today?” I asked.

“Hey, second husband, you left a message, so being the dutiful wife, I thought I’d call to tell you that I love you, and to ask when you’d be home?” she said.

“Well, wife of five days, I should be home in an hour, do you want me to bring home anything from the market?” I said.

“Mom asked dad that so many times, didn’t she Davey?” she said.

“Yes, she did a lot – I’ll bring home some food for lunch, OK?” I replied.

“Sounds good, already providing your wife with sustenance, see ya?”

“See ya, Lizzie,” I said.

“Lizzie – who’s Lizzie?” my best friend Alex asked, having been listening in surreptitiously.

“Uh, my girlfriend from back in Brighton, I went and got her and we ... live together now, in my apartment?” I said, trying to remember what had been said so far.

“You never said you had a girl back home?” Alex pressed.

“You never asked! She asked me to come get her, she was ready to move in?”

Oh, shit, deeper and deeper – with every lie!

“When do I get to meet her, David?” he questioned.

“In a couple days, she’s still settling in?”

“Where’s she sleeping?” Alex asked, with lechery in his voice.

“In my ... bed, of course! Where else?” I replied.

“So, David Anthony is a player, after all – do you at least have a picture of her?” he pursued.

I started digging in my wallet, and pulled out a year-old picture of my sister Liz and showed it to Alex.

“Wow, David strikes gold – does she have a sister?”

“Yeah, she’s married and living in Seattle, with three kids!” I said.

“How long have you known her, dude?”

“Alex, we’re 23 years old, stop calling me dude, OK?”

“Aren’t we touchy?”

“I need to go, bye!” I said.

I stopped by a Taco Bell and got us some food and came home to a place that looked fabulous, even smelling better than when I left, only three hours earlier.

“Honey, I’m home – with lunch, your favorite!” I yelled.

She came out in just a t-shirt and some daisy dukes, she was not wearing a brassiere. The t-shirt had a picture on the front of some kids dancing, and a couple of older looking really hot babes, all redheads! I have no recollection where I got that.

“Wow, you look so hot, Elizabeth – if you weren’t my sister, I would love to give you a kiss right now?” I said.

“Well, we are married, so what’s wrong with a little kiss?” she said, it sounding more like a foregone conclusion, as opposed to a dare or something.

I moved forward and gave her a peck on the lips, and sat down to eat.

“Taco Bell, you remembered! I love you, hubby!” she said, grabbing my hand.