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A Cooperative Venture A note at the beginning: I was challenged to write a piece in which the protagonists were happily married. The bet was for wine. JT you owe me a bottle. Chapter 1: Marsha Starts Anew I stood in the middle of the kitchen looking at the mess I had made. Glancing at the clock I thought that I might have ten or so minutes before Marsha came in. I started washing the pot I had boiled the potatoes in and when that was finished, moved a few dishes into the dishwasher. I was just glancing up again when I saw the lights from Marsha's car as she pulled into the driveway. I looked around quickly. It wasn't a great job, but I had done my best. Marsha and I had met about five years ago at a charity fair. She was searching for Christmas gifts and I had donated a few small pieces of stained glass. She bought two of them and we started to talk. I realized later that she was flirting a bit but being generally slow on the uptake in any social situation I missed the clues. Anyway Marsha wasn't what I dreamed of when I thought about women. My dream girl was petite and wicked looking. Marsha could have posed on the front of a magazine call American Farm Girl. She was about five foot seven and while not fat in the least, she was large with that corn fed healthy look that seems to go better on a tractor than a dance floor. With her heels she was as tall as me but I seemed smaller because I have always been painfully thin. But it was fun talking with her and we learned a bit about each other. I was 22; she was a three months older at 23. I worked at Gibson's Glass doing new stained glass projects and restorations. She worked in the parts department of an electronics repair shop and wholesaler. I liked my job. Marsha hated hers. I learned that Marsha had gone to college for one semester and done poorly. Not having money of her own, but with parents just well enough off not to be eligible for a scholarship she dropped out and had been working at the wholesaler for three years. We talked, laughed a bit and somehow I agreed to meet her and some of her work mates for a drink. It was two more dates and three weeks before she took me to her apartment and we went to bed. Now I was not a virgin having had two very brief flings and Marsha seemed very happy to be in bed with me. After we both calmed down and were lying side by side on the bed we talked of more intimate things than jobs and hobbies. "You're a great lover Sid," sighed Martha. "Wow." I didn't know what to say so I just snuggled closed and stroked a finger at the base of her breasts. "Ummm," Marsha sighed. "So how many lovers have you had?" I was stunned. It never occurred to me that people would talk freely about sex or past lovers, but I was to learn that Marsha had no time for euphemisms, beating around the bush or whatever. By the time we were showered and having a drink she knew about Ann and June and I knew about Peter, David, and Sam and also about Mary and Carla. I was even more stunned. "Mary and Carla." But while my head was whirling Marsha gave me a kiss. She leaned against me and taking a sip of her beer said, "You're great. Let's stay together for a while." We did. From occasional dinners and weekend outings, and going to bed from time to time we became more and more of a couple. Finally when I realized that we were best friends as well as lovers, I proposed marriage and in a small ceremony followed by a modest reception we became Sidney and Marsha Ward. Before we were married though, we moved in together. I had inherited part ownership of a small house, more a winterized cottage than anything else, and was purchasing my cousin's share bit by bit. Marsha and I decided that we would start life there and when we needed more room we would either build onto the cottage or sell and move up. Before Marsha moved in I cleaned house. Part of the house cleaning was giving away or junking some of the furniture. Her dining table was nicer than mine. Another part was getting rid of some secrets. Marsha and I told each other everything and discussed the most personal things freely; almost. A few days before Marsha moved in I pulled a suitcase from the back of a closet and laid the contents on the bed. It wasn't a lot. There were four or five panties, a couple of pairs of pantyhose. There was a skirt and a nice light weight summer dress. A couple of brassieres and a pair of shoes made up the rest. This was my collection, my fetish if you will, my comfort. Now I prepared to throw it away. I decided that if I was going to marry Marsha I would turn my back on cross dressing. I would pretend it had never occurred. Now however, on this last night by myself, I was planning a ceremony. It may sound silly but I felt I owed my fantasies something for the pleasure I had received. Marsha was off with friends, the curtains were drawn and the shopping was done. I slipped some leftovers into the oven and made sure that I had a bottle of wine in the fridge and then went into the bathroom to shower and shave. As the water poured over me I looked down and wished again that I could shave my legs and arm pits. I didn't have a lot of hair, but I had enough to show through thin pantyhose. I dried off, put on a robe and went into the kitchen. The left over pasta and sausage was heating up and a sweet aroma filled the room. I filled two plastic bags with a pint of warm water each and carefully sealed them with twist ties, doubling over the twisted portion of the bags and twisting the ties over the fold to get a double seal. I trimmed off the excess plastic and carried the bags into the bedroom. Sitting on the bed I pulled on a pair of panties and tucked myself in and then rolling up the hose slipped them over my legs feeling the soft and slippery nylon caress my skin. For a bit I just sat there with my eyes closed and let my hands rest on my thighs. I felt the comforting hug of the nylon and the different way the breeze felt when the fan swung in my direction. After a while I stood up and slipped on a light blue bra with B cups and put in the bags positioning the tied up ends at the front so they gave the impression of nipples. I pulled the summer dress over my head and then, avoiding looking at myself in the mirror, went back into the bedroom. I carried a bag of cosmetics I had accumulated and put on some blusher, some eye shadow and pink lipstick. Then I added the simple gold chain and clip-on earrings I had and went back into the bedroom. A moment later wearing sandals with two inch heels I stood in front of the mirror and looked at the image. I wasn't that persuasive but I also wasn't grotesque. The person looking back at me was androgynous rather than male or female. Stick thin and awkward looking but still acceptable. Dinner that night was bitter sweet. I toasted the friend I was saying goodbye to and drank too much wine. I thought of the dreams I never fulfilled like going out in public or telling somebody, anybody, about my cross dressing. When dinner was done I put away the dishes and sat with my wine and listened to the radio for a bit, then I loaded all my clothes and things into a plastic bag, walked around the cottage a few times opening drawers searching for incriminating evidence and finally put the plastic bag by the front door to go to the trash and feeling lonely and sad went to bed. After four years Marsha and I remained a happily married young couple. We thought about having children and decided to put it off for a while. We traveled as much as we could on a limited budget. We worked on the house. We worked at our jobs. The problem was that Marsha hated her job and hated the alternatives available for a person with no degree. Finally I suggested she go back to school. We looked at our finances and decided if she continued to work part-time and we kept our expenses in reason she could start taking courses at the local university and when February came around Marsha enrolled in English 101 and Algebra. Today was her first day of classes. She left work at 2:00 and was to be home at 6:30. I was not going to disappoint her. Marsha came in dropped her bag on a kitchen chair and looked around. "Wow, you've been busy." "Yes, I thought you deserved dinner for taking this step." Marsha came up and wrapping her arms around me giving me a kiss. We remained like that for a while, kissing and hugging. We rocked slowly back and forth. I could feel her full breasts pushed against me and also felt my erection growing. Finally I pushed her away. "Hey I slaved over this meal, let's not ruin it." Dinner wasn't really that good. I wasn't a good cook, but Marsha appreciated the effort I made and we were both in a good mood. OK the mashed potatoes needed more milk and butter and the lamb chops were a bit over done but who cared. Over desert I pulled out my "back to school" present for her and Marsha almost cried as she looked at the beautiful maple lap desk I found on the web. Later that night as we lay in bed Marsha made a purring sound and said, "I am really lucky." "Huh?" "No, I am Sid. You're wonderful. A lot of men would have wanted dinner made for them, or at the most ordered in Chinese or pizza. You made a real effort." She stroked my chest a bit and let her hand drift down finding that I had become erect again. "Ummm, ready for another round I see," she said as she rolled on top of me and we made love one last time before drifting to sleep. Chapter 2: Floors and Cupboards After a bit of fumbling we established a pattern. On Tuesdays and Thursdays I cooked dinner unless there was something I wanted to be out doing on my own. On Mondays Marsha shopped on the way home for the week's groceries and Thursdays I did a second shopping trip for anything else we needed. I worked with Marsha on some recipes so that dinners were better and Marsha, with the bit between her teeth, studied hard in the evenings while I worked on some private stained glass projects in the basement. By mid-April we were set in our ways and Marsha was happier than I seen her in a while. One evening as we were getting ready for bed she opened up a dresser drawer and shook her head. "Damn, I am almost out of clothes. Honey, could you do a laundry for me when you get home tonight? Just lights and not drip dry. Or throw them in before you leave for work and toss them in the dryer when you get back and I'll fold them after class." I nodded agreement and the next morning as Marsha dived out the door to drive to work I tossed our underwear into the basket and put it in the washing machine. I put away the breakfast dishes, sipped some more coffee and drove the five minutes to Gibson's Glass. As always when I entered the shop I felt a moment of pride. I was working at one of the premier stained glass studios in North America. We did everything from lamps to restorations of giant cathedral windows. Our work was featured in both crafts magazines and serious art journals. Having worked there for almost six years I now was in charge of some projects and my salary reflected it, though I wasn't wealthy at all. I walked over to my work table and pulling the dust sheet off the work in progress looked over the piece. I was creating a stained glass insert for an office door. Almost eighty pieces of glass would fit together with a rectangle of clear glass in the middle on which the customer's name would be etched. I looked for a while at a bunch of grapes I was fitting together and then putting on my safety glasses and skin tight thin leather gloves settled down for a day's work. When I got home that evening I glanced over the mail, checked the answering machine and was about to settle down with a magazine when I remembered that laundry. I moved it to the drier and went back upstairs to relax. Marsha would be home by six and we had leftovers from the ham she had made the prior evening. After a while I heard the drier buzz and I went downstairs to get the laundry and brought it up and sat on the bed while I separated Marsha's clothes from mine. My briefs went in one pile, her panties in another. I had the t-shirts. She had the bras. As I put one of her C-cup bras onto the pile I thought about the time when I lived alone. I picked up the brassiere and felt the satin material and a flood of nostalgia washed over me. I remembered evenings in panties, a bra, tight jeans and a turtle neck sweater reading as the rain pecked at the window. I remembered hot afternoons after I came back from playing pick-up soccer with some buddies and showering, then sitting around in panties bra and a cotton bathrobe. I was still sitting there feeling melancholy when I heard the front door open. I shook myself into the present and dropped the bra onto the pile and continued to separate and fold as Marsha walked in. "Oh love, great, thank you." Marsha bent over and kissed the top of my head. "Work shat as usual. Did you get dinner started." I said no and Marsha went to get the ham out of the fridge and I heard her bang around in the kitchen a bit before coming back to help. "You didn't have to do the folding. I said I'd do it when I got back." I decided to have some fun. "True, but you know how much I like your panties. I like them on you, off you, and taking them off you." That was it then, and dinner was delayed as Marsha pushed me over and we wrestled, tickled and finally made love. When we were done we picked up the laundry which had been pushed onto the floor and had a late dinner while Marsha told me about the latest idiot who came to the parts window and I told her of the progress on the door panel. The next Thursday, because it was warm enough to open windows and believe in spring time, I decided to just do a chef's salad for dinner. That left me a lot of time and while waiting for Martha to come home I decided to work on the cupboards. I spent almost three quarters of an hour sorting, taking stuff out to be tossed, labeling and was deep into it when she got back from class. That weekend because the April rain ruined our plans for a bike ride I decided to mop the kitchen floor normally a job Marsha did and told her to study for her exams while I cleaned. I washed down the counters and putting away pot had a thought. I reached over to the door where Marsha hung her apron and slipped it on. In my mind I was a woman cleaning her kitchen and time passed quickly while I got the work done. Later as we had lunch Marsha looked around the kitchen and complimented me on the work I done. "You're getting to be a real hand around the house you know." I smiled and nodded but felt sadness. I liked the fantasy in the kitchen. I liked wearing her apron. I felt, not a need, but rather a desire to be the woman around the house. Marsha leaned back in her chair. "Well the rain's not going to let up. How about we call Fred and Sarah and see if they want to join us at the afternoon concert at the university?" I agreed and the rest of the weekend included the concert, Sunday papers, a bike ride when the rain stopped and then Monday was back to work and school and life. Marsha was always more observant than me though and one evening as we sat down Marsha to study, me to watch baseball, she reached over and took the remote away from me, shut off the TV and turned to me. "What's wrong Sid?" I just looked at her puzzled. "Sid, I've lived with you for almost four and a half years. You're not happy about something. You've changed. Oh you still love me I'm not worried about that but you look so sad. You're doing everything you can to make my going to school easier. You cook more, you clean and shop and do the laundry but something's wrong." I denied it saying that everything was fine. I protested that I was happy she was in class, that work was great, sex was better and I was fine. "You're lying to me Sid. There are some evenings when I swear you are about to burst into tears. What's gone wrong?" I didn't know what to say. If I denied everything Marsha would know I was lying. If I tried to make something up she'd figure that out and if I told her the truth, well I just couldn't face the thought of what would happen then. We sat quietly for a few minutes. "It's just some memories haunting me. It's nothing Marsha. It will pass." Marsha leaned against me and put her arm over my shoulder. "I can't let it pass. When I see you like this it hurts me." I started to cry. I was frightened of losing Marsha; I was lonely inside even though I was with my best friend and lover. I was confused and unsure of what to say. Finally after my sobbing calmed down I got up washed my face and sat down across from the couch and look at Marsha. I took a deep breath, made a few false starts and told her of my cross dressing. I told her of hiding it in high school and at the art conservatory where I studied glass work. I told her of the evenings alone before we were married and I told her of throwing away the clothes and never once cross dressing since then. I had never seen Marsha really mad before. I cowered in my chair at the fury in front of me. Her face was bright red, she threw a class book across the room. It was not for a minute or so that I even understood what she was angry about. "We are lover's Sid, husband and wife. We tell each other things. How could you not trust me? What do you think I am? Do you think I?d kick you out, fall out of love with you. Sid you bastard I love you, you can't hide things." This went on for a while and finally Marsha stormed out of the room to sit in the kitchen. I waited a while and then went in. I tried to hug her but she turned away. I sat down across from her at the table. "I was scared Marsha. I thought you'd think it perverted. I thought you might laugh at me. I love you; I was scared I'd lose you." We just sat for a while. Finally Marsha got up and opened the fridge. "Sid, do you want a beer?" I nodded and she pulled out two. We sat and sipped quietly both of us sniffing and occasionally drying our eyes. "Sid, I love you. You know that?" "Yes." "You can be a slob and cook me hotdogs. You can stay out late as long as you're not cheating on me. Hell you can get drunk and watch porno. But Sid, Sid, you cannot hide things from me. You have to trust me." I just looked at her and felt tears start to stream again. I couldn't speak so I just nodded. "Sid; the cleaning and the cooking, is that part of your, your well, dream?" "Yes, I like pretending I'm the woman of the house." "You've never worn my clothes?" "Only your apron when I am cleaning in the kitchen. Anyway I don't think your stuff would fit me." Marsha laughed. "Oh Sid I love you. I am angry now. Very angry and hurt, but I do love you. Let's go to bed." Chapter 3: A Leg of Lamb That Friday was a chilly day both in an out of the house. Marsha and I started and then failed at conversations throughout the evening. About 10:00 Marsha took a deep breath. "What was your name when you dressed up?" "What?" "You know. When you used to dress up, what did you call yourself?" I thought for a moment. Not that I didn't know the answer but what did it matter? "Kelly." Marsha smiled; the first real smile I had seen that evening. "I want to meet Kelly." "No Marsha, please. I've left that behind. That was something from years ago. I decided that when we were married it was just going to be a regular marriage. Anyway I threw out all of my stuff. I told you. Besides, you'd laugh." "Sid. I promise I will not laugh. I promise that if amused I will do my best not to show it. I mean when I came home with a bikini last summer you didn't laugh did you?" Then for the first time since the previous night I laughed. "No, but it was hard." "I want to meet Kelly. What do you need?" I looked at Marsha and thought a bit about her. Unlike me when it came to sex and relationships she was an experimenter and a risk taker. She had had male and female lovers. She told me of purchasing sex toys and sharing them with a female lover and she still had a waterproof vibrator that we played with in the shower. "Well I'll need some panties that are pretty tight and firm. I'll need a brassiere. I wore a 38 B. I'll need some panty hose, though I think I could borrow a pair of yours." "Oh no you don't; I don't mind you dressing up but you can't be the husband who wears his wife's dresses." "OK then some panty hose and they can't be nude because the hair on my legs will show, and I need a dress or something." Marsha looked me over. "OK I'll do some shopping tomorrow. You said you wanted to bike to Sorenson Pond and I don't like the hills. Be back by say 4:00. I'll also pick up dinner. Now stand up and let me take a measurement or two. Or, do you know our dress size?" "I was a ten, but remember I'm about five foot nine." "No problem I know a good and not expensive store at the mall." "Marsha, I'll look stupid. I mean look at me I'm a bean pole." Marsha came up to me and kissed me long and hard. "I like my bean pole and I have an idea of what will look good on you. Now let's take your pole to bed and get some fun in before we get some sleep." The next morning I was up early and dressed for cycling. Sorenson Pond was 28 hilly miles away and it would take me about five hours, with a nice stop at the pond, to make the round trip. I kissed Marsha goodbye and she reminded to be ride carefully. The day was perfect for cycling and when I got back at about 2:30 I was sweaty, a bit tired, and a lot more a peace with myself. I resolved that if I started to look ridiculous I would just explain to Marsha the truth and stop. Not being ridiculed was more important to me that just about anything else. Marsha was in the kitchen when I got back and she was working on a leg of lamb. "Ho, what's the celebration?" I asked. "We're having a guest to dinner." "What, what do you mean?" "Kelly is coming to dinner so I thought I'd make a special dish." I stood and thought for a moment. "Marsha you are making too big a deal of this." She turned and looked at me. "No Sid I am not. You've been moping around for a month now. You've told me about what it used to mean to you. I am OK with your cross dressing up to a point and I don't know what that point is. I am making a nice dinner because I want this to be a nice evening." Marsha stopped for a second and scattered some pepper over the lamb. Then she turned to me. "You're all sweaty. Go and get showered. Shave your legs and I've left you some clothes on the bed. Then come out and give me a kiss when I can take a breath next to you without gagging." I went into the bedroom and noticed a bag on the bed. I took off my cycling clothes and tossed them to the bottom of the basement stairs. Then I went into the bathroom and looked at myself in the mirror. My hair as usual needed a cut, my beard was sparse but I still needed a shave. My face was still red from the wind, sun and exertion. I washed and lathered my face and very carefully shaved. Then stepping into the shower I shampooed washed and reaching out for my razor and shaving cream sat on the stool in the stall and shaved my legs, nicking them only once. "Oh well," I said to myself "I can always say it's because I'm cycling so much." When I was done I toweled myself off and went into the bedroom. The white plastic bag on the bed had a logo and the name "Grennata" was printed in blue on it. I opened the bag and removed two panties, a brassiere and a pair of pantyhose. "Just put on the panties and bra and your robe and join me," shouted Marsha. One of the panties was pastel yellow, the other pastel blue. Both were control type and lightly trimmed with lace on the front. I decided to use the blue and pulled them on. It was as if a wave of cold water had poured down my back. It wasn't just a shiver, I was actually shaking. I stood there in just panties and hugged myself waiting for the spasm to pass. "Hey what's taking you so long?" I shouted back that I would be out in a minute. The brassiere was off white and 38 B. It wasn't low cut which I was happy about. I put it on and made the shoulder straps as long a possible. Then I put on my robe, brushed my hair and walked into the kitchen. Marsha was sitting at the table looking at the mail. The lamb was wrapped in foil on the counter. I sat down and looked at her without saying anything. It was nothing to sit across from her in my bathrobe but knowing I was wearing panties and a bra made me feel all squirrelly and scared. "Marsha why are we doing this?" "Because, Sid, because I need to know all the parts of the person I love. What did you do for breasts by the way?" "Oh I'll show you," I said and I ran the water until it was slightly warm and Marsha watched as I made plastic food storage bags into breast forms. "Wow, nipples," is all she said. Then I closed the robe and looked at her. "Kelly, you and me are going into the bedroom and get you dressed." Marsha took my hand and led me into the bedroom. She opened the door and pulled a multi-layered white dress with a pale green and blue floral print from the closet. "You won't look ridiculous because I know the look for you," she said. "Think of that tall, slightly gawky British woman we see on all the mystery programs. You know the one that always has a tennis racquet or a hockey stick. Kelly's a great name for her and she probably is a games coach at the local girl's school." Marsha took my robe and then helped me into the dress. It buttoned up the back and the sleeves came halfway down my arms. The neck wasn't cut very low and the hem came about two inches above me knee. "I'm making an exception," said Marsha "Try on these open toed sandals of mine." I put them on but they were too tight so I slipped into a clean pair of sneakers I had recently purchased. Martha sat me in from of the mirror, rebrushed my hair and used mousse in it. Then she handed me a lipstick tube saying that she had to guess my color, and used some of her make up to finish the job. When we were done we stood side by side in front of the bedroom mirror. "Well we need to alter the dress a bit and your hair is all wrong for you, but Kelly you aren't ridiculous at all. You know there is something I never told Sid, but Mary and Carla were both tall and very thin." We just stood there for a bit then Martha put her arm around me with her hand resting on my hip. She leaned over and gave me a peck on the cheek. "Come into the living room, let's have a drink and get to know each other. You know that style does well for you. Very country ladylike." We sat in the living room and talked. After a while our conversation became our standard talk of friends, work, school and the only difference was that Marsha called me Kelly and not Sid. She went into the kitchen occasionally to get the lamb in the oven or do something with the potatoes and about 6:00 she asked me to help set the table. I had a flashback. Just as I had said goodbye to Kelly with a little ceremony, it was as if Marsha was welcoming her back into the family with a ceremony. We put a tablecloth on the table and used the good wine glasses. Marsha lit a candle and dimmed the lights. That night as we ate I tried to think of something to say. Finally I realized that the simplest was the best. "Thank you." Marsha just smiled and shrugged. "No I mean it. I don't where you're taking this, but thank you." We put away most of the dishes but didn't really clean up. Then Marsha pulled me over and kissed me. "Let's freshen up a bit." I wasn't sure what she meant but followed her and we brushed our teeth and fixed our makeup. Then we sat on the couch for a bit. Marsha pulled me to her and kissed me. This time she put her tongue in my mouth and we clasped face to face. She pushed me back and lay on top of me. "RRRRR," she growled. "I think I'm going to eat some country lamb tonight." Chapter 4: Rules and Boundaries Sunday was a day of newspapers, housecleaning and if the weather was good a walk or a bike ride. On occasion we went to church though we were pretty lax about that. Marsha and I slept in and when the sun though the window became too insistent we finally rolled out of bed. The night had included a wild lovemaking session with Marsha calling me Kelly at the beginning but shouting "Sid, oh Sid" when she climaxed. Now sitting at the breakfast table neither of us talked about my dressing up the night before. After breakfast as Marsha put away some dishes I went into the bedroom and put the panties, bra and other clothing in a drawer in my dresser. Then I washed up and dressed for the morning. It wasn't until late afternoon that Marsha mentioned my cross dressing. She was studying at the kitchen table and then sat up straight and looked at me. After four plus years of living with her I knew the look she had when she was about to make some statement about life and my stomach tensed up. "I've been thinking Sid. I can live with you dressing up and being Kelly from time to time. In fact it's sort of exciting in a weird way. But I've got to have some limits. Please don't borrow my clothes and don't surprise me. If you're going to dress up, let me know ahead of time. Other than that I'm fine with things. Or at least I think I am and we can go from there." I just looked at her trying to think what to say. "Thank you" sounded wrong, so I just nodded and said, "I understand." That evening we joined from friends at a barbeque joint and when one of them asked us if there was anything new in our life I said "no everything is pretty standard." Then I looked over at Marsha and realized that she had a funny strangled look that was quickly hidden by her glass of beer. That night as we lay in bed she started to giggle and then laugh. It took a while before I could get her to tell me what was going on and she wouldn't until I promised with great and dramatic oaths never to let on she had "blabbed". "OK, now remember you promised right. OK, (some more laughing) now Sarah was telling me a bit about they're sex life and we were comparing what we do in bed." "Wait a minute" I interrupted. "You mean you tell Sarah what we do, I mean.. I.." "Yes silly; woman discuss this, though I won't tell her about Kelly of course. Anyway she was commenting how Fred only recently felt comfortable nude in front of her even though they've been married almost as long as us. In fact he still can't make love with the lights on. Also she told me he had a lot of trouble giving up the strict missionary position. He blushes when she mentions sex, and well I was just thinking about how when he asked if there was anything new what would have happened if instead of saying "nothing" you said some thing like, "well Fred I dress up as an Englishwoman named Kelly and Marsha jumps on my bones." I just sat there for a moment and then Marsha and I joined together in laughter. After that we turned the lights off, rolled on our sides and with our backs pressed against each other drifted off to sleep. Off and on through out Monday at work I thought back to the weekend. I realized that what really bothered Marsha was not my cross dressing, but that I had hidden something from her. I tried to think of anything else I hadn't told her but could come up with nothing major. I hadn't told her about a couple of binge drunks I had gone on, or the fact that I was scared of heights, but the topic had never come up. Generally we had a very open relationship and trusted each other thoroughly. By the time work was over and I was driving home I had decided that I had no further secrets to tell Marsha. I stopped at a florist on the way and bought flowers for the house and arrived at about the same time as Marsha. We got out of our cars and she looked at the flowers and her face clouded. When we got in doors she turned to me. "You don't need to apologize Sid and if those are...." "I'm not apologizing. I bought flowers for the house. I spent a lot of time at work today thinking. I was wrong not to tell you about Kelly but I hope you can understand the fear I had, and still have. I have hidden nothing else from you except for some high school drinking and a fear of heights. The flowers are because I have decided that some parts of me that are Kelly are good, such as liking to take care of the house, and liking to have flowers around. That's all." The next two weeks continued as they had before Kelly reemerged. The only difference was that occasionally Marsha would ask me a question such as "did you ever go out as Kelly?" I always told her the truth (I had never gone out of the house as Kelly. I didn't want to have sex with a man, and so forth). One Sunday evening Marsha was done with her studies and I was reading a magazine when she sat down next to me with a newspaper section in her hand and showed me an advertisement from a local department store. "That would look good on Kelly." I just sat there. After a few seconds Marsha spoke again. "Hey Sid, I'm just pointing out an outfit. That skirt and jacket with a t-shirt would look good on Kelly." I just nodded not sure what to make of this. This was something I hadn't expected and I wasn't sure whether Marsha was just making conversation, trying to tell me that she was OK with my cross dressing or if she was trying to encourage me to show up as Kelly again. A moment later Marsha made it clear. "You know, if you want to dress up it's OK with me honey. Why doesn't Kelly make dinner on Wednesday and I'll see her after class? Just remember none of my clothes, if you need me to do some shopping let me know." I gulped a bit than stammered I could handle it and what did she want for dinner. "Oh you can surprise me with the food Sid. I just don't want to walk in on another woman in our house without expecting it. That would be too unnerving." I just sat for a while and stared at the magazine. It was Sunday, Marsha wanted Kelly to make dinner on Wednesday and I had nothing to wear. Chapter 5: Dinner and Dancing One Monday morning I talked with the Bill, owner of the glassworks, and got Tuesday morning and Wednesday afternoon off. I spent the rest of the day in a nervous state and had to redo a few of the solder joints on the window; a type of mistake I never make. None-the-less by the end of the day I was content with my progress and Bill and I agreed that the door and some other pieces I was working on were all a few days ahead of schedule. Neither Marsha nor I talked about Wednesday except that I mentioned I was taking a little time off from work to prepare for Wednesday and we left it at that. Tuesday morning came around and Marsha, grumbling about her job, drove off. I had checked a few things on the internet and made a call the day before so I had a plan for the day. I hopped in my car and drove to a thrift shop on the outskirts of Maplewood where I used to do some of special shopping. When I walked through the door I felt the combination of fear, excitement and eroticism that I used to feel five years earlier. I had called the day before and Ann was still working there so I arranged for her to open up a little early. While I never came out and said that I was buying clothes for myself there was no way she did not know. "Hi Anne, how are you?" "Hi Sid, long time no see." I had forgotten that Ann spoke in a stream of clich?s and trite phrases. "Hi Ann I came to look around a bit." "Well I thought you had fallen of the face of the earth. But, hey, you can't complain about the weather can you? I mean you picked a great day to do some shopping." I had deliberately arrived just before the store opened and as I expected there were no other customers. I walked around the racks occasionally pulling off a dress or a skirt and holding it up. Finally I walked to the dressing room with a dress and my back pack. When I was in the dressing room I quickly dropped my pants and took off my shirt. I pulled a brassiere out of my pack along with some rags from the cleaning rag bag (yes they were clean) and put on the bra and stuffed it. Then I pulled the dress over my head. It was a calf length knit in medium red with black flecks over it and had thin, but not spaghetti thin, straps. There were side slits then went up to just above the knee. Over that was a short buttonless jacket. I turned around and looked at myself. To really look good in the outfit I needed more hips and backside. I had to get some shoes as well and the white bra straps were screamingly wrong. These were things I could either deal with or would ignore. I took off the outfit and put it back on the hanger and put the bra and rags back in my pack. After I dressed again I went to the front counter and handed the dress and jacket to Ann. Then I went back to shopping. The thrift shop didn't accept used underwear but it did sell some inexpensive new items and I found a black bra in 38 B. Then I sat down and started looking for shoes. I wear a men's size nine medium so I can wear a women's eleven with only a little bit of pinching. I looked through the racks and while I did not find exactly what I wanted I found a pair of black sandals (easier to fit into than regular shoes) with about a one and a half inch heel. Ann did not say a word until I paid and all the clothes were in a bag. "A hot night on the town? Going to cut the rug?" I just laughed and tried to find the right clich? to make her happy. "Oh yes, we are going to get down and boogie." Then I left and was back at Gibsons before noon with the bag buried under some stuff in the back of the car. I also left my backpack there, not that anyone in the shop would open it, but better safe than sorry. Unlike the day before, I felt calm and centered now that the shopping had been done. I worked quickly and without mistakes and by the time we were ready to shut down had made a lot of progress. Bill, I and a few of the other workers stood around in front of the glassworks and admired the early evening sky. It was a cool evening for early May and I shivered a bit. Finally Bill said that he had to get home and I commented that I had to get the dinner going for Marsha. The others made the appropriate end of the day comments and we went our separate ways. When I got home the first thing I did was to put the bra in my drawer where I kept the pieces Marsha had bought me. I hung up the dress and jacket in the back of the closet and then got the mail, checked the answering machine and turned on the oven. It was a large roast chicken tonight which was easy and gave us leftovers for the next day or two. I read the mail, tidied up a bit and then sat down with our cook books and tried to decide what to cook for Thursday. Marsha had made a nice dinner to welcome Kelly so I wanted to make something nice as well. I did know my cooking limitations and settled on baked haddock, boiled new potatoes, a salad and a pie from the local bakery. When Marsha arrived at about 7:15 dinner was almost ready and we had a normal evening. For some reason I felt a bit shy in bed but Marsha was in the mood for love so I let her take the lead and she went on top and rode us to completion and contentment. As we lay beside each other stoking and fondling in the afterglow she said, "So any special plans for Thursday?" I told her that I was working on something. She kissed me, told me she was looking forward to a good dinner and rolled over and shortly after was quietly snoring. I lay there and stared at the ceiling. Marsha seemed to be looking forward to Thursday night as much or more than me. She wasn't saying a lot about it but there were hints. I thought back about the things she had told me about her past. She certainly had tried a lot of different stuff. I decided that this was just another aspect of her loving sex in all its forms and fashions and with that in mind fell asleep. I had the whole of Wednesday afternoon and evening mapped out in my mind. Marsha commented she might be a little late coming home and to build in another 40 or so minutes. I worked the morning at Gibson's and then with a shopping list in hand hit the supermarket. Fortunately we live near one of those megamarts which have everything under the sun. I picked up a nice piece of fish, a bag of new potatoes, some salad fixings and bread. I also picked up some of the odds and ends on the shopping list. Then, drawing in my breath, I walked over to the aisle where they had the hosiery and pretending to look at my list stared at the racks until I found a pair of black pantyhose in my size. I also purchased some additional make up. Finally I grabbed a bunch of flowers and went to the check out. As happened before when at the counter I felt as if the world was staring at me but no one said a thing and I left the store and headed to the bakery where I picked up a fruit tart. From there it was straight home where I arrived just as the mail carrier dropped off our few letters. I had laid out a timetable in my mind and got down to work. Even though there a lot of work to do and it was already 1:15 I decided I was going to enjoy myself. First I put the perishables in the fridge, and then I closed the curtains and laid the mail on the table. Then I went into the bedroom and stripped naked. I took the yellow panties and the white bra from the drawer and slipped them on and pulled my light cotton robe on as well. I put my outdoor sneakers on with white socks and went back to the kitchen where I grabbed some plastic bags and made up the breast substitutes. Finally I made a cup of tea, grabbed some chicken and leftover salad from the fridge and sat down to read the mail and eat some lunch. After lunch I went to work on the kitchen cleaning the counters and putting away the dishes. Then I vacuumed the living room, tidied up the usual mess of magazines and papers and put the flowers in a vase. From time to time I caught a glimpse of myself reflected in a mirror or the glass on one of our pictures. Briefly seen it was a young woman casually dressed while cleaning house and I liked the image. As long as I did not stare too closely the illusion worked. At 4:00 I made up a mixture of oil and herbs and putting the fish in an oven proof dish ladled the liquid over it and covered it so it would marinate for a few hours. I also made the salad and shoved it back in the fridge. I set the table putting our candle sticks in the middle and then slowly walked around the house neatening a bit here and there as I went. As I walked or bent over, the weight of the breasts could be felt and the robe swishing about my bare legs sent cool wafts of air up and tickled me through the thin cotton of the panties. After a while I went back to the kitchen and sat down to drink some water and read a magazine. I was very happy. About 5:30 I looked at the clock. It was earlier than necessary but I just felt as though I couldn't sit around anymore. I did one more glance around the house and went into the bedroom. After a few minutes of tidying up in there I got undressed. Unlike the last time when I hand washed my undies when Marsha wasn't around, this time I threw the bra and panties into the hamper. I carefully shaved my face and then showered but this time as well as shaving my legs I also shaved under my arms. I figured if anyone else saw them and commented I could come up with some kind of story such as "hairy armpits gross out my wife". I shampooed my hair and stood there for a while just feeling the warm water flowing over me. Then I got out of the shower and toweled off. Among the things I picked up at the store was a lightly scented powder and I dusted myself with this. Then I pulled on the blue panties and laid out the black brassiere, the new pantyhose and the dress. I put on the bra, adjusting the straps, slipped in the water bags and shifted the back band a bit until I felt comfortable. I looked at myself in the mirror. Unlike the plain off-white bra Marsha had bought me, this bra was black, a bit shiny with touches of lace on the top edges and between the cups. I put my robe back on and went into the kitchen. If Marsha was home about 7:30 and we sat down to eat at 8:00 I would have to put the fish in about 7:20 and the potatoes shortly after that. It just before 6:00 now and too early to really do anything but I got the oven pre-heating and tried to waste time by looking at some designs I had sketched out earlier for a lamp we would be making at the shop. Finally 7:00 rolled around and I busied myself a little in the kitchen and slid the haddock into the oven. I washed the potatoes and dumped them in some water on the stove and went back to the bedroom. A little mousse in my hair and some brushing and I felt it was as good as it would look. Then I applied a red lipstick I had picked up and some blusher and went to put on the dress. Of course once the dress was on I had to redo my hair and I was just slipping on the black sandals and giving myself a once over in the mirror when I heard Marsha at the front door. Show Time! I went out into the living room and I remember how scared I was feeling. The sight that met me chased all of that from my mind. Marsha was standing in the middle of the room striking a pose. One leg was extended, her hand was on her hip and she was smiling to beat the band. She had on a fancy dark blue party dress, shimmery hose and very high heels. Her hair was up and she had obviously gone to the hairdresser that day. I responded by also striking a pose and smiling and the two of us stood there about ten feet apart looking at each other. Finally I just said "Wow!" "Do you like it Si.. I mean do you like it Kelly." "Wow! I thought I'd be the glamour queen tonight but you've outdone me. I love it. You look great." We stepped towards each and locked in an embrace. With my heels I was a little taller than Marsha even with her heels but Marsha was the larger person. We hugged and tongue wrestled for a bit. When we parted all I could think was that my lipstick was probably a mess. Then Marsha pulled me in for another kiss. After I had neatened my makeup Marsha and I pulled dinner together, dimmed the lights and lit the candles. We sat side by side and our free hands wandered under the table. Part way through I slipped my hand under her dress and moving it up the hose found bare flesh. "Stockings?" "Uh huh. I thought they'd be fun for later on." "You made such a deal out this. Thanks." "No problem Kelly, I think I'm going to like spending time with you." Some how the fruit tart and coffee never made it to the table. After we put some dishes away Marsha turned on the stereo and slipped a cool jazz CD in and we danced together. I wasn't much of a dancer and I don't think Marsha ever had danced at all so we mostly rocked in time to the music with our arms wrapped around each other. Marsha leaned her head against mine and whispered, "Oh Kelly I'm going learn a lot about you tonight." I was startled and almost pulled away but Marsha held me close and then gave me a deep kiss with her tongue pushing into my mouth. "You know Kelly, Mary and Carla were great between my legs. I used to grip them tight and they'd stay for a long time." Her hands moved down and began to fondle my backside while her breasts rubbed back and forth. I could feel the water bags being pushed around. "We don't even need to go into the bedroom," Marsha said. She kicked off her shoes and then with one arm wrapped around me reached under her dress with the other and worked her panties down until they fell to the floor. "Come with me girl and show me what you've got." Now I have never been big on oral sex. I knew Marsha liked it and occasionally went down on her but she never pressed the issue. Tonight was different. She led me to the couch and then she lay down with one leg on the ground and one on couch. She put her hands behind my head and guided me in. Then she kept me there. I slid my hands up beneath her dress and grabbed her hips feeling the garter belt under my finger. As Marsha grew more and more excited her legs closed around my ears and I started to panic, feeling trapped in the darkness, moisture and odor. I had no choice though for whenever I started to slacken or back off Marsha would grab my hair or my ears and shove me back towards her mound shouting at me to not stop. After what seemed forever Marsha finally loosened her grip and slipping my head out from under her dress she pulled me on top of her. Her mouth greedily sought mine and bit by bit she rolled me underneath her and kissed and fondled me. I almost believed she was dozing off she had gone so quiet when she pulled back her head, kissed me on the nose and rolled off me. "Mmmmm. You're learning Kelly. You're much better down there than Sid is." She pulled me off the couch and led me into the bedroom. There we undressed each other until I was just wearing panties and she was just wearing her stockings and garter belt. We hugged and swayed together as my erection kept pushing against her belly and she threw me on the bed pulled off my panties, climbed on top of me and rode me to an orgasm. "I like the taste of me on your tongue," said Marsha. "I like playing with a girl again. I'm going to show you something else I used to do with Mary. But first I have a couple of presents for you." Marsha got out of bed and I watched as she walked across the room her hips swaying back and forth. She opened the closet and pulled out two boxes. She put one by the side of the bed and then opened the other. I could see a mass of black and pink cloth in it and she pulled the material out and placed on the bed two short night gowns. They were the same except that one was in black lace and the other in pink. Then Marsha put the black nightgown on. It barely reached her hips and was fastened by one ribbon in the middle that she did not tie. It was transparent enough for me to see her nipples and outrageously sexy. "You can guess which one is yours Kelly." I smiled and put on the pink gown and knee to knee we hugged for a bit. I bent down and nuzzled her breasts for a while and then Marsha pushed me over and turned off the light. A little bit of a glow came in from the hall and we lay facing each other playing some more. Marsha slid down and took my now flaccid penis in her mouth. Then I almost screamed in shock when she slipped her fingers between my cheeks and began to fondle my rectum. For one thing she had never done that before and for another somehow she had managed to cover her fingers with something cold and slippery. "Hush Kelly," she whispered and then took my penis in her mouth again. I felt myself grow harder as she played and bit by bit she inserted first one and then a second finger into my bottom. "Marsha what are you doing?" "Hush Kelly. Just relaxed and we'll have some more fun." Marsha pushed on my bottom and played with her mouth until I came again. The she slid up to me and kiss me full on the lips again. This time though the taste of my cum was what I got and a tried to pull back but her hand was behind my head and she held me in and bit by bit I relaxed and kissed her back. "When Mary and I made love there wasn't any man in bed. There really isn't one now is there Kelly? So I'll show you what we did." Marsha got out of bed and seemed to be putting something on. Part way through she gave a gasp and a sigh. The she sat by the side of the bed and ran her hand up and down my chest. "Kelly, you are going to have to trust me now. OK." I said nothing. "I said you are going to have to trust me. OK?" "OK." Marsha turned a bit more and taking my hand guided it toward her crotch. I shuddered as I felt a plastic rod sticking out and then following it down realized what she had put on. "Move it back and forth Kelly." Marsha cuddled my head against her breasts and rubbed my back. I slid my hand up and down the dildo in fascination. There was one end sticking out that seemed enormous while another end of unknown quantity slid back into her vagina. "I made sure it was a small one to start off with because I figure you're a virgin. Now I'm going to put some lubricant on it while you get on your knees with your head in the pillow." There was something so assured in her voice that I just rolled over and put my head in the pillow. After a few moments Marsha grabbed my hips and pulled me back until my knees were on the bed but my feet were hanging in mid air. She spread my legs and pushed in between them. I could feel the dildo moving back and forth against my balls and started to whimper but she made soothing sounds and rubbed my back. Then she reached back with one hand and telling me to relax started to push the head of the dildo against my anal ring. Every time I jumped she eased off until finally it seemed as though she had inserted a large log into my backside. Then slow she began to rock side to side and back and forth. As she moved the end inside her must have moved because she started breathing heavily and gasping and her rhythm picked up and the thrusts deepened. Finally she was shouting and banging into me while I chewed on the pillow and clenched my fists. Oddly while it hurt a bit, it was exciting. I found that I was also panting and not just from discomfort or fear. I could feel something inside of me, other than the dildo, welling up and creating odd emotions. None-the-less when Marsha collapsed on top of me and we shuffled back onto the bed I was relieved. She moved her hips a bit and slipped the dildo out and we lay face to face. The dildo lay between my legs and she was planting little kisses all over my face. I lay there confused. My backside hurt in fact it was throbbing. I realized Marsh was crying and I kissed her. "I'm sorry Sid. I got carried away. Please forgive me." I kissed her again. "Hey Marsha, don't apologize. Please don't. You've learned some of my dreams and I'm learning some of yours. I love you and that's enough." We cuddled for a while and then Marsha got up and went to the bathroom. When she came back she was wearing panties instead of the stocking and belt. I got up to go to the bathroom as well and she told me she left a pair of new panties for me on the counter. They were pink and obviously part of the nightgown set. I slipped them on and crawled back in bed with her. "Marsha?" "Yes Sid." "No Marsha, this is Kelly remember?" "Yes Kelly." "You can dance with me anytime." Chapter 6: Relearning The next morning I was sore and Marsha seemed almost embarrassed. I tried to lighten the atmosphere by saying how much I enjoyed the evening and I didn't know that she could dance, but she remained subdued when she went to work. She called me at work and suggested we go out for dinner, something we did rarely because we were always watching our budget. That evening we sat on the terrace at the River Run Bar and Grill. No one was near us and we talked softly. "I feel terrible about last night." "No Marsha, why?" "I feel as though I raped you." Again I tried to lighten things up, "Well rape was never one of my fantasies but if..." "Oh Sid, please be serious. You were all dressed up so nice and you made a classy dinner, and I got all dressed up and then I fell on you like some kind of predatory animal. You don't mean you liked it." "Parts of it yes. Parts of it I didn't like. I like it when you take control, but when we were on the couch and I, well I mean I was, I was under your dress you were a bit rough. Also I think if you had told me ahead of time what you wanted to do I would have taken it better in the bedroom. I like being surprised but it was overload all put together." I sipped my beer and looked around trying to find something to focus on. When ever I looked up Marsha was looking at me. "Marsha?" "Did I hurt you?" "A little. I was sore this morning and I found a little blood on my panties, I put them in cold water." "You should have worn a pad." We stopped and looked at each other and the unintentional humor of the last comment made it through and we both smiled a bit. The waiter came with our food and asked if we wanted more beers. When he was gone I looked at Marsha. "Can I ask you a very nasty question?" "Nasty? Oh I guess I have to say yes." "With Mary and with, who was it?" "Carla." "Right Carla. Also with the guys, your relationship; was it some kind of dominant and subservient thing?" "You mean whips and chains and leather masks? No." Marsha looked uncomfortable. I just stared at her. "We tell each other everything." "OK Sid. Yes and no. No it was not some kind of bondage and discipline type of thing. Mary and Carla and also Sam were pretty submissive, especially Mary who liked to be ordered around. You're not like that. You know what you want and do it. I am a dominant person and that's part of the problem at my job. It's all about being nice to the customer, who's usually a dunce." "I like being in control. I like being on top you could say and Kelly was just so tempting." "Stop right there Martha." Martha looked at me with fear in her eyes so I had to talk quickly. "Martha we all have our fantasies. You and I are lucky. We each live with a person who is willing to play along with the other. You're very lucky because Sid is an in charge person. I stand up to designers and tell Bill what I think of certain projects." "How does that make me lucky?" "You're lucky because Kelly likes to be the housewife. She likes to be cared for and made love to by a dominant spouse. I wish you had gone a little slower, I know my butt does, but you and Kelly make a perfect pair. Just don't try too much of that on with me though. OK?" The ride home was much more relaxed. We had learned a little bit more about each other. Just before we turned into the drive I turned to Marsha. "Do you thing in another 30 years we will still be discovering things about each other and how we fit together?" "Probably, but you know we make a pretty good team." I agreed and after we locked the car we embraced in the driveway kissing. Our neighbor from across the street saw us as he pulled out his garbage cans and whistled. We laughed and waved and went inside. Inside the door we kissed again and I pressed Marsha against the door and slid my hands under her blouse. She shook for minute then pulled me closer and little else was talked about that night. Kelly was not mentioned except in passing for the next few days. My soreness was gone by Saturday afternoon and I sat on the bike seat with no problem. Marsha and I were riding around the neighborhood when she asked "Why did you never go out as Kelly?" I explained it was a mixture of fear of exposure and the fact that I knew I would never be a persuasive woman. That and the fact the Kelly existed in the home. "Oh you could pass as a woman with a little practice," said Marsha I didn't reply trying to figure out why this was leading where I though it was. "I'd like to go out with Kelly. We wouldn't go someplace with a lot of crowds or where people would get a good look at you. But I'd like to go on a picnic with Kelly or dinner in a dark restaurant or go to a movie. I miss having a girlfriend. There's Sarah of course but she's so busy that it's mostly on phone and anyway she's got Fred who's a fulltime project. I'd like to go out with someone nice." I told Marsha I did not think I could do it but we talked back and forth and left it an open matter. A few miles later Marsha leaned over and asked another question. "When is Kelly's birthday?" My bike actually swerved I thought the question so odd. "Birthday?" "Yes, I mean she has to have a story and the story has to have a birthday. I tell you what, it's almost June; we'll say that her birthday is the 6th. We'll have a party; I'll cook something nice and get Kelly a present. Anyway your birthday isn't until December and mine's not until September so this will give us a reason to have a private celebration each spring." That seemed to settle it and we finished the bike ride with me still trying to think of something to say. I guess talking about Kelly made me think about her as well because on Sunday we decided we needed to do some housecleaning and I told Marsha I'd like to do it as Kelly. She had no problem with that so I pulled on the yellow panties and the white brassiere. Then I put on a light blue t-shirt and a pair of running pants and tying a kerchief over my hair I joined Marsha as we pulled all the furniture away from the wall and proceeded to vacuum and mop every square inch of floor in the house as well as cleaning the front of the kitchen cabinets. We took a break for lunch and finished by vacuuming the drapes as well. At 2:30 we collapsed on the couch together and leaned against each other. We were dusty and sweaty but I didn't care. I was Kelly and this was Marsha and I wanted her to know that I was not upset by what had happened earlier. I let my hand slide down into her lap and ran my fingers up and down between her legs. Marsha shuddered and leaned against me. "Oh Sid." "Who?" Marsha froze for a second. "Mmmmm Oh Kelly." After a bit Marsha stood up and tried to lift me up and carry me to the bedroom. Now Marsha is strong and I am light, but she's not that strong and I am not that light and we ended up in giggles back on the couch and the kissing and fondling started again. By the time we walked to the bedroom I was down to just my bra (though the water bags were left by the couch) and Marsha was wearing her unbuttoned blouse and unsnapped bra but her pants and panties were on the floor. We tumbled onto the bed and I pushed my head down between her legs. In the back of my mind I knew that she had been sweating and this might not be pleasant but it was important that I show her that neither Sid not Kelly was upset by what happened on Thursday. Marsha responded by arching her back and gasping and I began to move my tongue up and down and occasionally nip the flesh of her thighs. Just when I thought Marsha was going to explode she twisted and grabbed my waist. She pulled me around and we formed the 69 position and with our faces buried in each others nether parts exploded in orgasm. After that we just lay there stroking and kissing. I felt guilty because I was glad it had ended quickly and she had not pulled out a dildo. I also felt exalted by the sexual explosion we had both gone through. "Hey Kelly, let's get cleaned up." "MM?" "We need a shower." And Marsha and I shrugged off the rest of our clothing and spent a long time pressed together in the shower, washing and playing and making slow sweet love with no penetration. From there the days passed smoothly. Marsha's classes ended and she got a B+ in Algebra and an A- in English. She enrolled for a summer in course in Business but had a few weeks off and started putting in extra hours at work even though I told her we were OK if not rolling in money. The stained glass door was delivered and I was put in charge of a three person team building six, not quite identical Tiffany style lamps. Kelly did not reappear. Occasionally I wondered if Marsha was deliberately not speaking about Kelly or if she was just accepting of the situation and did not think it required comment. We enjoyed the extra free evenings and bicycled around the neighborhood and ate late pick up suppers or went to a local bar with Sarah and Fred. Without my thinking about it June rolled around and Marsha reminded me that it would soon be Kelly's birthday. "On the sixth, why don't you disappear for a few hours in the morning and we'll have a late birthday lunch?" said Marsha. "I've got some work to do. Also I'll lay out some clothes for Kelly, so don't worry about what she's going to wear." I ag