Kathy says you remember what I said the other night. Cyn? I said now look at us: two single girls and no dates; no one asks us out anymore.
I say but two good-looking single girls.
Cynthia says modify; I get asked out, but by creeps. Jerks. Older men, too. I should say old men. I bet my boss would like to do me; he hinted at it on occasion. It’s sexual harassment but who cares? If I slept with my boss – if I had - would things be different now?
Kathy says no one really asks me out; maybe I scare men.
I say you do – you scare the shit out of me.
You better be joking.
I’m mortally terrified of you!
Hey!
Cynthia says the world is running out of men, that’s all; suitable men, i.e.: desirable men, i.e.; there will always be creeps amp;jerks amp;dirty old coots. I got fired from my job, that’s why I’m home early.
Kathy says what?
Cynthia says they said you’re fired and I said well I quit. But I guess maybe it would’ve been better that I was fired, so I could collect unemployment.
Kathy says why, I thought -
Cynthia says crap biz; I just couldn’t take it any longer. I said screw you all and they said you’re fired, bitch.
Kathy says so you have no job?
Cynthia nods saying another thing to make me less desirable. But I do have some money in the bank, and I’ll get a severance check tomorrow. I have to go out and look for another job; that’s the part I hate. But where am I going to find a job? Maybe I should go back to school and get a degree finally.
Kathy says you should; you could get financial aid like I do.
Cynthia says I was never any good in school. Not in high school, not in my two years of college. I was born to work; I’ll work until I die.
Cynthia stands, stretches, takes her glasses off; she says I think I’m going to take a bath; a nice, long, hot bath; that’s what I’m going to do.
Cynthia goes to the bathroom, closes the door. We hear the water running.
Pause.
Pause.
Pause.
Kathy says I feel – I feel bad for her.
I say yes so do I.
She says I know what you are thinking.
What?
You – you want to go in there.
In?
There.
The bathroom?
Yes.
I say do you want me to?
She says I think I do. I want you to go in there. Will you please go in there? Make her feel better the way you have made me feel better.
I get up. I go into the bathroom.
I return to the living room an hour later. Kathy is asleep on the couch. I lift up her legs, sit, place her legs on my lap.
She wakes, sits up, yawns.
She says I fell asleep.
I say I see that.
She asks how long was I asleep?
Not long.
I was having this dream.
Umm.
I was – I dunno if I can say. I felt like a spy in this dream; felt like I was witnessing top secret images; felt like I should’ve been enjoined or disbarred from seeing what I was seeing.
I say enjoined? disbarred? where do you get these words?
I go to college.
Oh.
She says in this dream I was in Heaven; I was in the halls and chambers of Elysium. You knew – you could feel – that at one time there was peace, eternal accord, but it was not so everlasting anymore. No more. Peace was gone, it took a hike. The angels were fighting among themselves – they were… I’m, I’m not sure if I should reveal all this to you.
Why not?
I was… entrusted. If I told you… well, I don’t even remember what happened in the dream, so I guess it doesn’t matter… Tell me… tell me…
What?
What happened.
I say it was your dream; I wasn’t there.
She says in the bathroom, I mean.
I say Cynthia is in bed; she’s sleeping.
Kathy says I wanted to go in there; I wanted to go in there and be with you two. Instead… I fell asleep and went to Heaven.
I say she took a bath.
Kathy says I want all the details.
There are none.
There are always details.
I say I went in there, I went into the bathroom, and I said to her I’ve come to help you. She said you did: well thanks. And she said that she wanted to take a bath that was very warm and with plenty of tiny little bubbles. I thought that was a very good idea. Clean the skin, clean the body, clean one’s hair. She said she didn’t want the water to be too hot; just wanted it relaxing hot; very very warm.
Kathy says I know what she means.
I asked if she wanted my help; if she wanted me to assist her in bathing.
She said?
She said help should never be refused.
Yes, that sounds like something she would say; so she took a bath?
I say she ran the water; we both watched the tub fill; she put in bubbles and the bubbles formed quickly, like a protective layer, like some kind of nest, or armor to hide in.
Kathy murmurs thousands of tiny little bubbles…
I say I recall, as a child, I would take bubble baths with my toys.
Kathy says I’ve only taken showers all my life; I don’t take bubble baths; I never have; maybe I’m deprived; maybe someday I will take one.
I say she said my name; Cynthia said Mike and I asked her if she wanted me to leave and she replied that she thought I was going to help her; so I offered to undress her.
Did you?
No. She turned away from me, as if shy; she, yes – demure. She took off her top first; that blouse. I only saw her naked from back, her back, a naked back. Saw her tan line. Noticed a small mole on her back – small amp;dark. She then removed her skirt, as well as her nylons. I could see her breasts now.
Kathy says they are bigger than mine.
I say a little bigger but not that much.
What color underwear did she have on?
Pink.
She likes pink, always has. How girlish of her, hm? Me, I dig green. Army green.
I say she looked at me for a moment; there was no expression on her face; then she took the underwear off.
Kathy says she saw you naked a while ago, so now you have seen her.
I say she doesn’t have any pubic hair; she shaved it all off.
I know.
You know?
She told me.
She told you?
Kathy says she said I hate having a hairy bush.
Oh.
I guess the hairs bug her.
Yes; that’s what she told me too.
Kathy says actually I have seen her naked too.
You have?
Yes; we’re roommates; we’re both girls; at least I think we’re girls; we’re close friends, after all.
I say yes, yes you are; you are friends.
Goon.
I say naked, she stood before me naked; the bath amp;bubbles were ready. She put a foot in to test the temperature, just the sort of image you’d expect. She said it was just right and I knew she’d say that, like a perfect little postcard with dialogue balloon or something; then she got in.
Kathy says all those bubbles…
I say she rested into the bath; this is when I approached her.
She says so you went to her.
I knelt by the tub; asked how she felt; she said she felt much better.
I guess a bubble bath can do that for you.
I said to her I want to help.
Kathy says that’s what you wanted; you went in there for that; I wanted you to go in there and do that; make the connection.