Love Can Be Murder

breath, the session went well, meaning neither of them drowned. But because of her generous curves, Angora bobbed like a cork; when she finally mastered the dead man's float, Roxann declared her graduated.
    In truth, she was driving off the beaten path in the unlikely event that Frank Cape or Detective Capistrano had picked up her trail. From Jackson, Mississippi, she'd veered left, stopping every forty miles so Angora could pee and buy another Coke and candy bar. The scenery was stunning, though. The farther north they drove, the more dramatic the flaming fall foliage, stirring memories of cozy autumns in Indiana. Maintaining a leisurely pace, they would be in Springfield, Missouri, by nightfall, Bloomington, Illinois, by Tuesday night, and South Bend, Indiana, by Wednesday afternoon.
    At the moment, however, they were both weary of sitting, and she was light-headed from mimicking the tape. Ticking off some of the items on her life list gave her a tiny sense of accomplishment, but mostly was a diversion from the rearview mirror. Tucked inside a box on the backseat was a leather-bound copy of three Shakespearean plays—a splurge on her budget, but Angora's shopping spree had been contagious, as well as her frivolity, because the one purchase Roxann was most excited about was a long lime-green silk scarf that had spoken to her. Of course now she was feeling guilty—DNA that Angora seemed to have missed out on.
    She had to admit her cousin knew how to live large. That kind of spending used to revolt her, but for a few hours yesterday she conceded that while money didn't necessarily guarantee happiness, it certainly afforded a person more coping tools. She still didn't condone spending for the sake of spending, but she was beginning to realize that people who had money weren't necessarily evil.
    Dee notwithstanding.
    "Roxann, have you ever used a vibrator?"
    She blinked.
    Angora folded down a page of the naughty book and closed the cover. "You're the only person I can ask these things. Have you?"
    "Um, sure."
    "So if I were to use one, would that mean I wouldn't be a virgin anymore?"
    "I...perhaps medically, but...there's more to losing your virginity than...penetration." This conversation was not happening.
    Angora laid her head back on the seat. "My first orgasm was in the laundry room of our dorm."
    "I don't think I want to hear this."
    "It was a Friday night, and I didn't have a date, so I thought I'd wash a few towels while the laundry room was empty."
    Roxann steeled herself for graphic details.
    "I climbed up on the washer to sit and read, and suddenly, I started feeling really weird and warm. Then in the middle of the spin cycle, whammo!"
    A few seconds passed before her words fully sank in. "You mean..."
    Angora nodded. "I still do laundry every Saturday night. The smell of a dryer vent turns me on."
    "Um...wow."
    "You think I'm nuts."
    "No, I think you're...resourceful."
    "You and I are in our sexual peak right now, you know."
    "Whatever that means."
    "If you don't have a boyfriend, what do you do for sex?"
    Roxann squirmed. "Let's just say I do my laundry about once a month."
    "So is everyone in the world doing laundry?"
    "Less risky, I suppose. Physically and emotionally."
    "But why are relationships with men so hard?"
    "Relationships in general are hard, but throw sex into the pot, and it's a recipe for disaster."
    "But women want sex, and men want sex."
    "But not at the same time, or for the same reasons."
    "So it's all a game."
    Roxann shrugged. "Life is a game."
    "Don't you believe there's a perfect man out there for you?"
    "I'd settle for an imperfect man with a small measure of nobility."
    "And will you know him when you find him?"
    "I'd like to think so, although I haven't been actively looking."
    "But what if he's not looking, either?"
    "Huh?"
    "If he's not looking, and you're not looking, then how will you find each other?"
    "Angora, I'm not losing sleep over a manhunt." There were too many other things to lose sleep over. "When it comes right down to it, you have to be happy with yourself before you can be happy with someone else."
    "The reason we're alone is that we're not happy with ourselves?"
    Roxann squinted. Did she say that?
    Angora reached behind the seat and dug an item out of the box of junk on the floorboard. "Let's consult the Magic 8 Ball." She held the toy reverently and closed her eyes tight. "Will Roxann and I find the person who fulfills us?" She turned over the toy and squealed.