Reading Room # 10
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The Girl in the Black Bikini
The Girl in the Black Bikini Soft curtains billowing lazily in the balmy tropical breeze, groped at the slight figure of a young woman lying on the bed just beyond their reach. Wearing only a sheer pink camisole and matching bikini panties, Laura squirmed and sighed sensuously in light, fitful sleep. She softly embraced a jumbo body pillow, raising one leg and caressing the pillow suggestively with her velvety inner thigh. This was Laura’s first day in her new home and she had planned to continue unpacking her personal belongings into the night. However, the rigors of the flight from Los Angeles to Bogota had proved too exhausting. In mid afternoon Laura had given up and just fell across the bed. Suddenly, Laura was awakened by a familiar voice. "Senora Thorpe, I’m sorry to awaken you, but you must prepare yourself to come to dinner. It will be served within the hour." Laura squirmed and moaned drowsily, wiping the sleep from her eyes. The voice that had awakened her was Maria’s. Maria was the nanny to Laura’s two young children, Gunther and Melissa. Laura’s husband, Morris, had hired her when their first child was born. Maria was middle-aged, a good sixty pounds overweight, good-natured, and had proven to be very dependable. "Oh, thank you, Maria. I didn’t mean to be sleeping the day away anyway. But I wish you wouldn’t call me ‘Senora Thorpe.’ It makes me feel old. Why not just ‘Ms. Laura’ like back in Los Angles?" "No, Senora Thorpe," said Maria, stepping close and lowering her voice to a whisper, "you are not old. You are but twenty five, but the staff must always hear me address you with respect. Perhaps it is because you are so young that it is even more important. The staff must accept you as mistress of the house. We are not in Los Angeles anymore, Senora." "I suppose you’re right, Maria. This is your country, your culture, and I will trust your judgement. "How are Gunther and Melissa?" "Sleeping very soundly," Maria said, smiling. "It has been a long trip for them also." Rummaging through a limited selection of clothes that had been unpacked, Laura proceeded to get dressed. Yes, tomorrow would be a day for unpacking, or perhaps even shopping. Laura was a little apprehensive about shopping in Bogota. There had been a lot of kidnappings of wealthy people in the last few years, and Americans were especially at risk. She had talked about this with her husband earlier, and Morris had promised to have two plain-clothed bodyguards accompany her, in addition to her interpreter. Morris had purchased the mansion, remodeled it, and hired staff months before bringing Laura down from Los Angeles. He had wanted it all ready for her to move into before she made the trip. Morris had been doing business in Columbia for years and had many friends and business contacts here. Laura was completely out of her element and knew practically nothing of the country or the language. Laura gazed out her second-floor window down onto the courtyard. Their hacienda actually looked more like a small resort hotel. The building enclosed a large courtyard on four sides. The security guards and staff had their own quarters in the back section of the hacienda, the wing opposite her housed offices and guest suites, and the rest of the mansion was their home. Laura had not even begun to explore it all yet. Still taking in the view of her new home, Laura suddenly became aware of a figure swimming in the pool. It was an attractive girl wearing a black bikini. She was swimming laps of the pool, obviously there for exercise rather than just lounging. After a few minutes of swimming she swam over to a ladder and climbed out of the pool, her back to Laura. Laura could see the girl’s straight black hair falling almost to her waist. However, the girl was tall for a Colombian, perhaps taller than Laura. Grabbing a towel that had been draped over a pool-side chair, the girl proceeded to dry herself. She had a soft velvety tan that Laura envied and a well-toned, slender midriff, long shapely legs, and firm round buttocks that bulged out of her black bikini. Through drying, the girl nonchalantly threw the towel over her shoulder, donned a pair of sunglasses, and walked with a seductive wiggle as she disappeared into the hacienda’s opposite wing. Laura’s pulse quickened, and she felt a slight tingle between her legs, as she watched the girl in the black bikini strut off the patio. With a gasp, Laura caught herself in mid-thought and felt embarrassed. Laura had never had any serious lesbian inclinations before in her life. But there was something about watching the cheeks of this girl’s ass, wriggling haughtily, only half covered by that skimpy little black bikini that excited her. Quickly Laura rationalized that the feeling must have stemmed from a flash of envy or jealousy. For a fleeting moment she must have wondered if that girl in the pool might have been having an affair with her husband. The girl was stacked, trim, and athletic. Any man would be attracted to her, and Laura knew that would include Morris. Of course the explanation for the girl’s being there was obvious. Morris had told Laura he would be entertaining business clients for dinner tonight. The girl was obviously a wife or possibly even a mistress of one of Morris’s clients. Laura always felt a bit guilty every time she entertained thoughts about her husband’s possible infidelity. Morris was a billionaire, traveled all over the world, and had plenty of opportunity to mess around. Laura just assumed he did it, although she had never caught him at it. Actually, it had been Laura herself who had been caught in a compromising position. Laura remembered that incident all too well. She had been engaged to Morris Thorpe, who was twenty-five years her senior, since her sophomore year in college. They had agreed to postpone the wedding until after her graduation. At the time of the incident Laura was employed in one Morris’s businesses as a graphics arts designer. She considered it a real dream job and she and Morris planned to be married within a few weeks. However, she was romantically involved with a young mailroom clerk named Randy. She and Randy had actually met in college and began dating secretly. It was only ironic circumstance that placed them both in the employ of Morris Thorpe Enterprises. The year was 1992 and the economy was tight. Young Randy, a journalism graduate, wanted to be an investigative reporter, but as close as he ever came to landing a newspaper gig was writing captions for a grocery store ad circular. When the job at Thorpe Enterprises came available, Randy grabbed it. Laura and Randy became too careless at work, and on that fateful day, another employee burst into the mail room and caught them having sex right on top of the bags of mail. The employee called security and they contacted Morris. Morris was furious at first, he just told Laura to get out and go home. She didn’t hear from him again for three days. Laura assumed she and Randy would be fired and that Morris would break off their engagement. Those three days of waiting and not knowing were unbearable. Laura called Randy’s apartment and his roommate said Randy had moved out - no forwarding address. Laura had felt terribly guilty, admitting to herself that she had just become engaged to Morris for his money. When she and Morris first met, Laura was just a nineteen-year-old sophomore working her way through college as a cocktail waitress. Laura’s father had been killed in an industrial accident when Laura was only twelve. Her mother was now terminally ill. Laura needed an older man in her life and she needed financial security. Morris put Laura up in a nice apartment, bought her a new car, and proposed marriage to her. No, it wasn’t as though she was being kept as a mistress. Morris Thorpe was a forty-five-year-old bachelor. He was not just well-to-do, not just a millionaire, but a billionaire who owned controlling interest in several international corporations. Morris had done nothing wrong. He was simply asking Laura to become his wife and share his fortune. Three days after the incident in the mail room, Morris called Laura. He wanted to meet her for dinner and talk the whole thing over. She agreed. When Morris talked about the mailroom incident Laura was surprised. He sounded almost apologetic. "Yes, Laura dear, what you did hurt me deeply. To put it bluntly, I was very angry, but perhaps I overreacted by not even contacting you for three days. I was afraid that in my pain and my anger, I might say something foolish, something I would regret later. I felt it was best to let this thing settle a bit before I talked to you. I want you to know that the thing I fear most, Laura, is losing you." "Oh, Morris," she said, "it was so stupid of me. I just don’t know what to say." Morris’s conciliatory tone had taken Laura aback. She had assumed Morris would be furious and want to lecture her over her infidelity. Laura planned to use the fight as an excuse to go ahead an finalize the breakup. She had rehearsed the scene in her head, over and over. After the breakup, she had planned to find Randy, where ever he had gotten off to, and they would be married. It was Randy she loved, not Morris. Somehow, some way, she and Randy would make it. Times might be hard, but there were other jobs out there. Morris stared at his drink, smiled, and began to chuckle. "A mailroom tryst," he mused, half talking to himself, half addressing Laura. "Laura," he said, looking at her seriously now, "I had to remind myself that, I too, was your age once. And I certainly know what a sudden rush of young hormones can do to a person’s judgment. No Laura, I can’t let a case of afternoon hot-pants destroy what we’ve built together." Laura squirmed uneasily in her chair. This conversation was not going as planned and she felt her resolve breaking down. She wasn’t going to be able to break it off with Morris - not now. But where was Randy - damn-it! Why hadn’t he called? Laura needed him. Together they could have stood firm, but she was alone now. "I’m so sorry, Morris. It was just like you said, a foolish thing that just happened in a moment of weakness. It came over me like some silly mood." Laura suddenly felt as though someone else had taken possession of her body, using it to say the words that Morris wanted to hear. Deep in the pit of her stomach she felt a surge of panic. She felt trapped and helpless. Morris looked Laura in the eye, forcing a smile, but Laura could see the restrained bitterness in his eyes. "I do trust, my dear, that you will be able to restrain yourself from such behavior in the future." "Oh Morris, I promise, I’ll never do a thing like that again." She reached across the table and clasped Morris’s hand. Morris reciprocated and his smile seemed more relaxed. Poor Morris, Laura thought, feeling guilty once more. He had only discovered the tip of the iceberg. Had he only known about the long, two-year love affair she had with Randy. Morris was frequently out of town (and out of the country for that matter) on business. At such times Randy would come over to her apartment and they would sometimes make love for days. There were also the wonderful weekends on the beach or backpacking in the Sierras. Randy was so witty and funny. Laura remembered looking into Randy’s dreamy blue eyes and watching his curly, sandy blonde hair bounce around his shoulders - during his college days, before his employment with Thorpe, he allowed his hair to grow long. Yes Randy was so much fun and he could always make Laura laugh. He was a much better companion for a twenty-one-year-old college senior than a graying businessman who was pushing fifty. Randy had seemed more like a product of the sixties than of the eighties. His head was filled with egalitarian ideals and dreams. He wanted to become an investigative reporter, expose injustice and unfairness, and right the wrongs of the world. Often Randy would talk about such things to Laura as they lay in the afterglow of sex, sharing a joint. Finally they would just get high and silly. Randy was a wonderful lover. He would often spend as much as two hours pleasuring Laura with his hands, tongue, and her own collection of sex toys before seeking his own gratification. On the other hand he could be spontaneous and innovative. He was quite capable of an impromptu quickie like that disastrous tryst in the mailroom. Laura was not that experienced sexually. At the time she had only had five partners in her life, including Morris and Randy. She knew that wasn’t enough to make a good comparison, but she did mentally rate her lovers. Morris was really not bad. He was considerate and enjoyed pleasuring her as well as himself. Sex with Randy, on the other hand, could often be otherworldly! Whenever Morris climaxed, Laura could feel the impulse of triumphant fulfillment surge through his body. She empathized with him and always tried to make his moment of release the most exquisite and satisfying experience possible. But she could tell that Morris felt it to be a moment of his own success, a supreme accomplishment. It was not unlike a golfer making a hole-in-one, or a basketball player lobbing in a three-pointer from mid court. With Randy, on the other hand, it was a moment of surrender and supreme giving, especially during one their hours-long lovemaking sessions. As the moment of truth would approach, Laura could feel Randy losing his grip on the tangible world, falling irreversibly into her blissful dominion. As he slipped helplessly past the point of no return, she would lock him between her soft thighs, and with loving arms, pull him to her for all she was worth. At that magical moment they occupied a place out of time and out of reality. Randy would squirt hot, thick ropes of his precious essence in spastic jerks as Laura engulfed his body, his soul, and everything he ever was or wanted to be. Two young hearts, two young bodies, two young minds, two young souls oblivious to the world, seeking only each other; melded into a single pulsing, quivering, bucking entity. In the soft afterglow, Laura would massage Randy’s testicles, then take them into her mouth, one at a time, and nibble and chomp playfully. Randy always loved for her to do that. He said it required a lot of trust and Randy trusted Laura completely. Morris, however, never allowed Laura to even touch his testicles. He enjoyed receiving fellatio, but his testicles were strictly off limits. Laura thought it made him feel too vulnerable or out of control. She thought it a real shame that Morris’s own insecurity would deprive him of so much pleasure. "As for your job, young lady," Morris said, interrupting Laura’s thoughts, "it is unfortunate that the other employees must be allowed to think you have been fired. Otherwise it would become impossible to maintain discipline within the company. However, I have an associate up in Frisco who has an opening for a similar position - if you would care to take it." "Oh Morris, of course I would. You are too kind and… and I’m so ashamed. I was an idiot, Morris, and I’m sorry." "Well, I thought you might accept," he said, smiling warmly. "In fact, I took the liberty of renting you a nice apartment overlooking the bay. I think you will like it. I also think a change of scenery will do you good. It will help us get this thing behind us." Laura just looked back at him, her eyes blurred with tears. She felt genuinely sorry for the hurt she had caused Morris, and was moved by his efforts to restore their relationship. However, Morris had no way of knowing the extent of the real pain that filled Laura’s heart. She was in the process of losing the one true love of her life, and Randy, damn him, could have at least called! Tears started running down Laura’s cheek and Morris handed her a handkerchief. "Here, here, my sweet," he said, in a consoling tone, "it’s not that bad. This will all be behind us soon enough." Morris was smiling now, appearing almost amused. "And as far as that little twerp of a mailroom clerk is concerned, I didn’t treat him so badly either. I know the economy has fallen on difficult times and I am a compassionate man. I offered the boy a job in one of my divisions on the Atlantic seaboard - on the condition that he never see you again. He accepted. "I know his type, though. They always attract chicks like a magnet, and they’re obsessed with sex. I just have a hunch that little twerp will be getting into lots of girls’ panties in the future." Laura was crushed. That explained everything. All of Randy’s lofty principles and convictions about human dignity and freedom had gone out the window when he had found himself faced with a little economic adversity. Worst of all, though, he had sold Laura out. Without consulting with her or even calling her, he had given up everything that existed between them for some piss-assed job on the East Coast! Laura began to sob audibly. She was trying hard not to make a scene in the restaurant, and trying even harder not to let Morris know the real reason she was so upset. Morris called for the check and escorted her from the restaurant. All the while she was thanking him for his generosity and compassion, trying to hide the fact that she was dying inside. "Senora Thorpe; dinner is served." Maria’s voice jarred Laura back to the present. "Thank you, Maria. Tell Morris I will be down shortly." On her way downstairs Laura stopped by the nursery to check on Gunther and Melissa. They were beginning to wake up and Maria assured Laura that she would see that they were properly fed. Laura momentarily reflected on her good fortune. She was married to a kind and generous billionaire, lived in a mansion with a full staff, and her children, Gunther and Melissa, would grow up attending the finest private schools in the world. She only wished her parents were alive to see it. Morris’s dinner guests consisted of two Colombian couples, a German couple, and an American man who was unaccompanied. Their conversation was mostly about the textile industry, garment manufacturing, and American and European import regulations. It was all quite boring to Laura. It wasn’t until the after-dinner wine was being served that Laura remembered the mysterious girl in the black bikini. Laura had expected to see her at the table, but she wasn’t there. Curious now, Laura intended to ask Morris about her after the guests had left. However, as the wine flowed, the conversation became decidedly more flu1d and entertaining. The guests were apparently through discussing serious business. Laura imbibed heavily as she was entertained with naughty, funny tales of European brothels and intriguing stories about "friends of friends" who devised clever ways of getting contraband past U. S. customs agents. The conversation, and the wine, flowed well into the small hours of morning. The last thing Laura remembered was Morris helping her up the stairs and into bed. She didn’t even remember Morris crawling into bed and falling asleep beside her. Laura was awakened by the morning sun coming through the window on her bed. Morris was almost finished dressing when he noticed her beginning to stir. "Well, my dear," he said, chuckling, "it appears we both inadvertently decided a good Cabernet Sauvignon was preferable to a night of lovemaking. But don’t distress, I assure you we will have ample opportunity to make up for what we missed last night." Morris seemed to be in a very cheerful mood, almost jovial. Rubbing sleep from her eyes, Laura giggled, then smiled sheepishly. "Breakfast will be served," Morris said, "as soon as you finish with your bath. The coffee here is the best in the world, you know." "Oh yes," he said, almost as an afterthought as he was leaving the room, "I have a little surprise for you after breakfast. I think you’ll love it." For the second time in as many days, Laura got Maria to help her with the electric shower head. That on-demand hot water contraption was something she was beginning to hate, although she had to admit it worked quite well when adjusted properly. After her bath, Laura slipped into a pair of panties and a short nylon housecoat and went downstairs. Maria brought the children down to join Laura and her husband in a light breakfast that consisted primarily of fruit and delicate pastries. "Laura, my dear," Morris said, after they had finished eating, I think it’s time I showed you that little surprise I told you about." Laura smiled excitedly with anticipation as she accompanied her husband back up the stairs. They entered the small drawing room that connected the master suite with the nursery. Morris took a ring of keys from his pocket and started for a large set of double doors that were opposite the master suite. "I suppose you’ve been wondering what’s behind these doors," Morris said, "so I’m going to show you." "Well no, not really," Laura replied. "I haven’t had time to look around much yet, or even become curious about such things." "It’s all right, dear," Morris chuckled, as he unlocked and opened the doors. The doors opened into a large, finely-appointed bedroom, almost as elaborate as Laura’s own. It had a private bath at one end, and like her own bedroom, it had windows that opened over the courtyard. "I don’t understand," Laura said, looking confused. "I thought our other bedroom was more than adequate." "Of course it is dear, but this room is for your private chamber servant. She will be your personal attendant, at your beck and call to assist you with your bath, your wardrobe - anything you desire." Laura looked at Morris with a blushing smile. "This is all very kind of you, darling, but I’m not sure I will be comfortable with a strange girl around me all the time. I’m really quite used to doing for myself when it comes to intimate things. And Maria’s always here to give assistance when I need it." "Very well, dear, you may have it your way, of course. I can send the girl away if you’re not satisfied with the arrangement, but I think you will feel differently after you’ve met her. I know you have to have your own space at times, and that’s why I gave Rhonda her own bedroom." "Rhonda? That’s an unusual name for a Colombian girl." "Oh, Rhonda’s American, my dear, and she was greatly looking forward to her assignment. It would hurt her feelings if you didn’t at least give her a try. You know, the girl is also an excellent masseuse, I’m sure you will like that." Laura was more confused than ever now, and her curiosity was piqued to the breaking point. "Okay, I’ll meet this, Rhonda," Laura giggled. Morris spoke to a young Colombian house boy who had been waiting quietly and inconspicuously outside the drawing room door - Morris spoke fluent Spanish. The boy quickly disappeared down the hallway to fetch Rhonda. Soon Laura heard the click of heels on the polished hardwood floor. The girl, wearing a practiced showgirl smile, appeared like an apparition out of the soft shadows of the hallway. She was wearing a short white sleeveless dress, high heels, fishnet stockings, and a red barrette in her long black hair. The neckline of her dress plunged just far enough to reveal cleavage between two breasts that weren’t overly large, but were pleasingly sensual. On her long shapely legs, she walked with all the trained precision of a model walking down a runway at a fashion show. Only her walk was sexier, Laura thought. Suddenly Laura realized this was the same girl she had seen in the pool the day before - the girl in the black bikini. Still in her nylon housecoat and panties, Laura felt rather intimidated. Although Laura was quite attractive and sexy, this bombshell had her bested a couple of notches and Laura knew it. This Rhonda was some kind of professional. She might as well have been wearing a streamer across her chest that read MISS SEXY! The girls stood there a little more than arm’s length apart looking at each other. Rhonda was wearing a pair of mirror-lens wraparound sunglasses that Laura thought were a bit gaudy. They detracted from her otherwise impeccable appearance. Rhonda was the taller of the two by a good two inches, even after taking the heels into account. Unexplainably, Laura felt the same tingle of sexual excitement she had experienced when watching the girl through her window, only now it was much more intense. She felt so vulnerable standing there barefooted, wearing nothing but her panties and a flimsy nylon housecoat. Laura wished Morris had allowed her to dress for this occasion. "Laura, meet Rhonda; Rhonda meet Laura," said Morris, chuckling jovially. "Hi Rhonda," said Laura, weakly, with a sheepish grin on her face. Laura was feeling bewildered and intimidated. Was this just Morris’s way of introducing his new mistress? "Hola, Laura," Rhonda giggled. "We have met before, but you don’t remember me." Rhonda spoke in a high, but raspy voice that Laura thought was sexy. It did sound vaguely familiar, but Laura couldn’t place it. "Yes," said Laura, "I saw you in the pool last afternoon. You are quite an impressive swimmer too." "No, Laura, before that; much longer ago. Don’t you remember?" "Perhaps, Rhonda dear," said Morris, "if you would remove your sunglasses it might jog Laura’s memory. As Laura watched Rhonda remove her sunglasses she was greeted by a pair of blue eyes that sparkled with sensual enthusiasm. She watched those eyes scrutinizing her body then she saw a subtle change in Rhonda’s expression. In that gaze Laura could sense desire, a longing that bordered on sadness now. Rhonda gingerly extended a hand toward Laura’s shoulder. "My goodness, Laura. You are so beautiful; even more so than I remembered." Laura flinched and stepped back. What the hell was going on? Did Morris bring in this drop-dead beautiful lesbian just to see how she would react to her advances? Well this wasn’t very damned funny! If this was Morris’s idea of a joke… Wait… No… Maybe the hair had been colored and straightened and if so… No, that could not be possible! Laura started to tremble. "Oh, I… I’m sorry, Rhonda," Laura stammered. "I’m not feeling well. I’m afraid I may be hallucinating a bit. For a moment I thought you were… you reminded me of… no, that’s silly." Laura looked around in a daze, only to see Morris smiling broadly with devilish satisfaction. "Laura, dear," he said, "you’re not hallucinating. I think you know where you met Rhonda, but you’re trying to recall a person who doesn’t exist anymore." "That’s right," said Rhonda. "You knew me as Randy, but he disappeared about four years ago. There is only Rhonda now." Rhonda reached out and grabbed Laura, who had never before fainted in her life. As she started to fall Rhonda helped her onto a sofa. This should be a day of rejoicing for you, my sweet," Morris said, grinning so broadly it looked painful. "I have reunited you with the love of your life. The hard part is over - the grieving for Randy, who is gone forever. Accepting the fact that Randy was never coming back was hard on both of my girls, at first anyway. Was that not so, Rhonda?" "Yes, Morris," Rhonda replied, "I remember, but that was so long ago. It seems like another life." Morris seated himself in a chair across from the sofa where Rhonda held Laura in her arms. Laura, still in a daze, was half sitting and half lying. Morris, leaned back and clasped his hands behind his head while his eyes danced with sadistic glee. "Oh, that was another life, dear. Be sure of that. And Laura dear, don’t you just love the sexy sound of Rhonda’s voice? When I had her ugly Adam’s apple removed, my surgeons completely reconstructed her larynx. They did and superb job of giving her a sexy voice, don’t you think?" Laura could only stare blankly in disbelief. "You know," Morris continued, "that little twerp, Randy, did such a stupid thing. He started driving a company car, one of my cars, to your apartment, Laura. Even then, I had my whole fleet equipped with GPS transponders. I could find out where any vehicle was at any time, and the complete history was tracked with a computer. "When the reports showed company cars going to your apartment regularly, I was naturally curious as to the identity of the driver. After discovering who it was I had tracking devices installed on your car and Randy’s private car. I also took the liberty of having your apartment bugged with audio and video. Prototypes produced by my electronics division were years ahead of anything the police had available at the time. You wouldn’t believe the intimate secrets I was discovering about my fiancé and her boyfriend. "I watched what was going on for well over a year. I could have busted you any time, but the little incident in the mailroom just proved to be convenient timing." Laura still lay stunned as she leaned against Rhonda, who held her in her exquisitely feminine arms. Only four years earlier those same arms were sinuous masculine arms, and Laura remembered them holding her as she and Randy watched the sun set on the Pacific from a deserted beach, or watched it set over a valley from a high Sierra trail. They would lay there snuggled together, sharing that special bond that can only exist between lovers. There they would plan their futures and dream their special dreams. They dreamed of children they would have and the feats they would accomplish. So much had changed in so little time, yet it seemed so long ago. "I will never forget," Morris said, chuckling fiendishly, "how Randy protested and resisted his fate. However, I find that understanding the true irrevocability and finality of a thing is the first major step in acceptance. In Rhonda’s case I called it mirror shock. Looking in the mirror every day and being reminded that Randy was gone - never coming back. That took some months. Once we were through grieving over Randy, we could begin working on Rhonda. "I had the work performed by the best gender reassignment surgeons in the world. But turning an arrogant, idealistic, sneaky, little twerp of a boy into hot sexually desirable vixen requires much more than surgery; much more than hormone therapy. "We were through with the physical aspects of Rhonda’s transition in little more than a year, but her femininity training was just beginning. In my broad circle of acquaintances I know people who operate special schools, or you might say ‘reeducation centers’, for just such purposes. I sent Rhonda to the best ones. For three years Rhonda unlearned all the bad habits and disrespectful behavior that Randy had taught her. "I think the result is a masterpiece. Do you not agree, Laura dear?" Laura looked up at Rhonda. It seemed to her that the dreamy rebelliousness was gone from the eyes of this person she used to know as Randy. Rhonda was smiling as she eyed Laura with tender admiration. "Yes, Morris," Laura said, in a weak voice, still stunned. "I think Rhonda is quite beautiful." "I’m so glad you think so," said Morris, rising from his chair. "I think the best thing for me to do now is leave my two dears alone and allow them to become reacquainted. Should you need anything, the staff is at your disposal." With that, Morris turned and left the room. Laura turned and looked into Rhonda’s smiling face. She still couldn’t believe this was real. "Laura, why don’t you let me help you get dressed?" Rhonda asked. "I think the best way for a couple of girlfriends to get to know each other would be for us to go shopping together. Why don’t we go this afternoon?" Laura smiled an affirmative smile and squeezed Rhonda’s hand affectionately as tears rolled down her cheeks. THE END Farrell Squire October 2000
