Lana and her boss went out to California for a three-day buying trip. It was the first time in the six months we’d been together that we would spend a night apart. “I’ll miss you so much,” she assured me the morning of her flight out. I didn’t want to let her go.

I checked the flight status, and ten minutes after her plane had landed, I phoned her to welcome her to California. The call went to voice mail. I tried calling several times over the next few hours with the same result. Late in the afternoon I got an email.

Darling! I’m borrowing Josh’s laptop. Stupid me forgot to bring my phone charger, and the flight sapped my phone. I’ll try to buy a new charger soon, but we’re so busy. You’d love California. The nice weather. So many pretty pretty girls. Honestly I feel like a sea cow. All my love. Your Lana.

I tried calling again around midnight, which would only be nine o’clock her time, but still voice mail. By midnight her time her mailbox was full. I fretted for two more days. It seemed like weeks.

On the afternoon of the third day I got a call. “I’m back.”

“Oh, Lana, I’ve missed you so much. I was so worried. Where are you? At the airport? Should I pick you up?”

“I’m at my apartment. Come see me, okay?”

“At your apartment? How come there?”

“Come over, okay?”

I said okay and she said goodbye and the connection ended.

On the cab ride to her apartment, I tried to figure out why she’d go there. We’d been living in my apartment for the last five months. She’d cleaned out her apartment long ago, but the lease still had a few months to run, and she hadn’t given it up. It didn’t make sense. Nothing made sense. The cab ride seemed to take forever.

I rang the bell and she buzzed me in. I went up. She opened the door. “Hi,” she said. “Come in.”

I stepped into her apartment. She stepped back. She was so beautiful. She looked sad. I stepped toward her and she took another step back. She was wearing a floor length dress of transparency that demanded nothing be worn beneath.

“Do you like the dress?” she asked.

I nodded.

“It’s one of the ones I picked out.”

“Very nice,” I said, barely able to get the words out. “What’s going on?”

Instead of answering, Lana lifted the dress over her head in one long liquid motion. She was completely naked except for an ankle bracelet.

“Why don’t you sit down?” she said, and gracefully she lowered herself to the floor. I remained standing. Her fingers went to the blue pearl attached to the bracelet.