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flight of stairs. She
opened the door at the top, and the three of us entered James's
bedroom. We started walking in different directions looking at his
stuff. Catherine rifled through one of his dresser drawers and
grabbed a pair of underpants. Clenching her fist, she shoved it
inside and jammed it against the crotch.

    "The host with the most," she
giggled, stretching the shorts like they had a massive erection and
mimicking a ring master at the circus. "Yes, folks, our James is
all man."

    "Uninhibited little gal, aren't
you?" I said, while I watched Strong pawing through James's closet,
pulling out a pair of trousers.

    "Must be his cheap scotch," she
mumbled, tossing the shorts on his king-sized bed while rooting
through more stuff in the dresser. "Now he can tell all his friends
I've been in his drawers."

    I spied a large Bible on an antique
lectern he had placed at the foot of his bed. In the living room it
would have been an intriguing conversation piece. Up here, however,
it seemed out of place. I imagined him reading the scriptures
before hopping into the sack with some prostitute. I turned the
pages and found the section where God turns Lott's wife into a
block of salt. When I started to read out loud, Catherine and
Strong hopped on his bed and lay next to each other listening
pensively. Then I could hear her mumbling only half to
herself.

    "What's the matter with me?" she
was asking. "I don't know what I am doing. Where is the payoff on
this? These guys have nothing."

    I stopped reading and asked, "You
were saying?"

    Before she could answer, a small, secret side
door burst open and James stormed into the room.

    "What the fuck is going on in
here?" he yelled, as Strong and Catherine just continued to lay on
the bed. Catherine started laughing and slowly stood up.

    "Ah, James, what's the problem? I'm
just doing my job. I thought you wanted all your friends to see
your fine new place."

    I watched his mutilated shorts
slide off the bed and onto the floor as she stood up to look at
him. Strong just laid there laughing. James looked at me and I
said, "Nice Bible, James. Family heirloom or did you buy this
specially for your new townhome?"

    James just scowled, looked us over,
and then stomped out through the main door to the bedroom. I looked
at Catherine and said, "What's the big deal?"

    Catherine picked up his underwear and tossed
it in a wicker basket by the dresser. Still laughing, she made her
way to the door while Strong got to his feet. In the doorway she
turned and started to laugh.

    "He's just pissed, I guess, because
I'm supposed to be his date for this thing. I'd better go back
downstairs and pretend to be the hostess. He's also very
sentimental about the bed. It's a five-hundred-year-old
antique."

    I looked at Strong and said, "A
five-hundred-year-old bed? Think of the stories that piece of
furniture could tell. We probably should leave, huh? Seen enough of
his place? Let's find a bar."

    Strong nodded and made for the
door. Catherine said, "Good idea, I'll show you guys
out."

    Downstairs Catherine asked for my phone
number. I asked for two of her cards. I used one to jot down my
office extension and handed it back. The other I dropped in my
pocket.

    "I'll call you some time," I said,
walking across the porch.

    Just then we heard a tremendous
crash to the side of the building as James slammed a bag of empty
liquor bottles into the trash can, breaking all the glass and
mumbling something that sounded like, "Motherfuckers."

    "Again I ask, What's the big deal?"
I said to Catherine. She looked to the side of the building,
started laughing, and said, "This is going to be a long weekend.
Call me some time."

    Then she turned to the trash cans
and yelled, "Hey James, quit making so Goddamn much noise over
there. We were just having some fun."

    I heard her cackling as she walked toward the
trash cans all set to make up with James. Then I drove away
wondering what the future might hold.

    Part Two:
    I