Disclaimer: No sex between consenting adults is shown; however, the authors have no control over their readers' imaginations. If you are too young to have this kind of imagination or if it is illegal where you live, please read another story.

This is the fourth story in what, much to the chagrin of one of the authors, has turned into a series. The earlier stories are Incident at the Antiq**s and Eats Truck Stop, Life is a Two-Lane Highway and Destiny Rides Again. It may be helpful to read those stories first; don't worry, they're short.

Comments, feedback, constructive criticism may be sent to smithm5@qn.net

Saturday afternoon --

Dear Diary,

Bri paused. She thought to herself, 'Why did I write that? I'm not writing to it. It's not even a diary, just a notebook I bought to put down my thoughts and feelings about Zee. Especially after last night.' She scratched out the two words and chewed on her pen for a minute. Then she bent to write again.

Let me tell you about last night. I've been staying with Zeena for a month now. And that thick-skulled, clueless, dumb, insensitive - I'm a little upset with her now as you may have guessed. Anyway, things seemed to be going along just fine. She let me stay with her when I quit my job, and she's never said anything about how long I spend in the bathroom - it's a good thing there's a half-bath too - or all my stuff taking over her closet. Of course I only quit because she walked into my life, so I guess that means everything is really her fault.

So I got another job at the SuperColossalMart - thirty hours a week and benefits. This way I can save some money and take some business courses at the community college. Zee's always going on and on about having a garage of her own and being her own boss and not having to take orders from anybody - that'll go over real big with the customers but I don't tell her that. But if she's ever going to have her own garage, one of us has to think about the future and it sure as hell won't be live-for-the-moment Zeena!

And our lives were cruising along more or less smoothly with both of us working and me getting home in time to fix dinner. How Zee has lived so long and looks so really great (!!) on fast food and beer, I can't guess - no, forget I wrote that; I'm mad at her. Then last night happened. Let me tell you about last night.

It was the end of my first week at SuperColossalMart and Zeena wanted to celebrate. She must have been trying to be thoughtful or something. I wanted to go out to dinner at a real restaurant, not the usual fast food place, so we had a "romantic" dinner at Irma's Kozy Korner. After dinner we decided since it was too early to go home we'd go to Zee's favorite bar. I hadn't been there before and was looking forward to it. A big mistake!

It looked to be your usual small-town bar with booths and tables and a jukebox in the corner and a couple of pool tables in the back. There were several guys playing pool, and they looked up when we walked in. One of them called out to Zeena and she brightened when she saw them. By the way, she had been quiet and kinda nervous all through dinner. So Zee takes a couple of steps toward the pool tables before she remembers me and stops and looks at me.

"Bri, this is your night; you pick where we sit," she says, exercising her one social skill.

I go to a booth as far from the pool tables as I can get. She slowly follows. We had just barely got settled when this waitress I guess she calls herself sleazed her way over. I admit my life has maybe been a little sheltered until I met that disgustingly beautiful ... (a short interlude of intense pen-chewing) ... well, she is. Anyway this so-called waitress - there are other things I could call her but I wasn't raised that way - slithered over and leered at Zeena. "Hi, Zeena, long time no see," she says sexily, although it sounded more like a dog I had as a kid when it would choke on meat.

And what does Zeena do? She smiles back and starts joking with her. I couldn't believe it! I just sat there feeling invisible. Finally the waitress gets around to asking what she can get - or did she say do? - for Zeena and leaves to get our drinks. Zeena has this goofy grin on her face as she turns to look at me. I smile at her sweetly and ask in a polite tone, "Who was that, Zee? One of your old girlfriends?"

Zeena looks surprised, maybe she thought I wouldn't notice how the waitress was draping herself over our table. "Nah, we're just friends. I never dated her ; but she keeps trying." The goofy grin is back.

So I take a couple of deep breaths to calm myself. "The way you acted, it looked like you didn't mind the way she came on to you." I took a couple more deep breaths.

Zee had a blank look on her face; that always means she's thinking. "Bri, don't get mad; I was only joking with her. You're the only one I want to be with, now or ever." She reached over and took my hand, something she'd never done before. I smiled back at her.

We stayed like this for several minutes. As far as I was concerned, we could have stayed like that forever. But wouldn't you know it, that ..... "waitress" came back, with a mug of beer in each hand. When she stopped at the table, I had to blink. I couldn't believe my eyes. She had another bottle of beer in her I guess the polite word is cleavage! She set the beer down in front of us, leaning over. Then she slowly took the bottle out of its resting place and set it down next to Zeena's mug and said throatily, "I brought you a refill, Zeena; I know one is never enough for you."

I lost it. I admit it. I picked up my beer mug and tossed the beer in her face. Then I stood up and walked out. The last thing I heard was the waitress screeching and Zeena laughing like a hyena. I got in Zeena's desert gold Mustang and waited for her to come out. She had the keys and it was too far to walk home; just because I was mad didn't mean I couldn't be practical. And I waited. It must have been at least five minutes before I saw a tall, dark-haired figure slink out the door. She walked up to the driver's side and jumped in, as usual ignoring the door. She reached out her hand, and for a minute I thought she was going to touch me, but then she put the key in the ignition.

"Bri, I'm sorry she acted that way and upset you and all."

I can tell she really doesn't get it. "Let's just go home, okay?"

Zeena slouched on the sofa and stared at the tv. She was glad that NASCAR had finally come on; the roar of the cars was soothing her confused mind.

When they got back from the bar, Bri had gone straight to the only bedroom and locked the door. That left Zee to sleep on the sofa , something she never liked doing since it was several inches too short for her tall body. She hadn't slept that well, even after getting a beer around 2 in the morning to help her relax. She was glad when she heard Bri using the bathroom, because that meant it was safe to turn on the television. The bad side was that the bathroom was off the bedroom so she didn't get a chance to find out what was bothering her roommate - and to see how pretty she looked when she was upset!

Zeena sighed and thought about last night. She couldn't figure out why Bri was mad - and at her. All she did was take her out to dinner to a real restaurant just like Bri asked her to. Zee always felt a little uncomfortable at that sort of place, like the waitresses were all looking down at her and why wasn't she in the kitchen washing dishes where she belonged. Then when she suggested they go to her favorite bar to continue their celebration, Bri seemed happy to go along.

She guessed she should have remembered that Jolene would be on duty. But she always liked joking with the extremely well-endowed waitress. It never went beyond joking as far as she was concerned. And Jolene's talent in carrying a beer bottle in her endowments was just about the town's only tourist attraction. But she sure did look funny standing there with the beer dripping off her.

The dark-haired mechanic shifted on her spine. 'Bri sure acted jealous,' she thought. She raised one eyebrow. 'Bri's jealous of me? The first time that's ever happened. Maybe she does still like me. I wish she'd come out of the bedroom so I can tell her again she's the only one I want. Why can't she see that? Damn! She can't be that clueless.'

She reached one long arm out for her beer can, but it was empty. She sighed again and hauled herself up and headed down the hall to the kitchen. She stopped by the bedroom door and listened for a minute. She had knocked once that morning and asked her blonde roommate if she was okay; all she got as an answer was a muffled "I'm just fine." Since she really wanted everything to work out with Bri - the first time she had ever felt that way about anybody - she figured it would be best to just leave her alone until she got over whatever was bothering her.

When she didn't hear any crying, or even sniffling, she went on to the kitchen where more beer was waiting for her. She thought as she popped a can, 'Bri's been in there an awful long time. I hope she had some food stashed somewhere or I'm liable to find her passed out from hunger soon.' She took a sip. 'I'm kinda hungry myself. I don't suppose Bri'd come out just to fix me something to eat, even if I asked nice.' She took another sip; her face lit up with a smile. She had an idea.

I heard Zee stop outside my door again. She must have done that a dozen or more times since she got up this morning. She's not usually that restless, especially when NASCAR is on. I guess it finally got through that thick skull of hers that I was really mad. She did knock once, but I didn't want to talk to her then; I was still trying to sort out my feelings. I couldn't be jealous; it's just I want her all for myself.

Oops, more footsteps in the hall, stopping. My God, she knocked.

"Bri, are you okay? You must be hungry. I'll fix us some dinner, honey."

When I don't answer, she stands there for a few seconds; then I hear her walking away. Fix dinner, right, I think to myself. That'll be the day. Anything more involved than opening a can of beer is too much for that cooking-challenged sometime monster truck driver.

A little later I heard the doorbell ring. Then the smell of pizza hits me and I realize how hungry I am. I never could understand those idiots who go on hunger strikes. Anyway, I was thinking about coming out when I heard Zee's voice through the door.

"Bri, honey, dinner's here. I got us a large pizza with everything ... except anchovies because I don't know what in hell anchovies are and they probably aren't real food anyway. Are you hungry?"

I couldn't help laughing at this. She can be real funny, especially when she isn't trying. Then my stomach rumbled and reminded me that it was like totally empty. So I decided to make it up with Zee and get some pizza.

Tuesday -

We made up.

FADE OUT