The Big Enchilada

resemblance to her daughter was striking, except the mother had a few extra pounds. They had accumulated mostly around the breasts and hips, and did her no harm. She worked hard to create the illusion that they were sisters. It even looked like she wore her daughter’s clothes. She had on a long T-shirt, and from the way it clung to her, there was nothing under it.
    The front of the shirt said, “If love is the answer, what’s the question?” I could think of several.
    “Well?” I said. I was really sharp this morning.
    “I guess you’re wondering why I’m here.”
    “Not really.” I had a good idea. Two, in fact.
    “I gather you’ve been screwing my daughter.” Right on one count. It figured the girl would brag, being locked in competition with her mother.
    “Guilty,” I said. “But could you accept that she seduced me?”
    She laughed. “I could... that bitch. But you’re not going to tell me you were an unwilling participant.”
    “Well, my heart wasn’t in it—”
    “Something else was though,” she cut in with a harsh laugh.
    “—and it was unpremeditated.”
    “Hey, Sam, I’m not complaining. If she’s going to fuck around, she’s going to fuck around, and she might as well learn from the best, which is what you are, baby.” Another entry for my book of testimonials. “All I want is my fair share of the goodies. I haven’t seen you for a while.” I was right on both counts.
    She grabbed the bottom of her shirt and pulled it over her head. She was naked, and she stood there with her legs apart and her hands on her hips, looking like she meant business. She was fleshy but still firm. Her breasts were slightly cone-shaped, capped by hard, pointed nipples, and they swelled slightly with each breath she took.
    “I’m not so bad, am I?” she said hoarsely.
    She wasn’t. I said so, though the movement of the towel I had on made my answer unnecessary. She hungrily eyed the mounting bulge.
    “And I still know a few tricks that the girl hasn’t had time to learn yet,” she said as she crossed over to me. She pulled away the towel. “Oh, Sam!” She fell on me like she was dying of hunger and I was the Christmas turkey.
    What the hell. I had a couple of hours before my appointment.
    She wasn’t as good as she thought she was. They never are.
    Somewhere in the middle of the performance I decided I’d have to find a new apartment. The mother-daughter routine was getting to be a drag. The goddamn bitches.
    Not without a struggle, I managed to get the woman off me in time to shower, dress, and leave for my meeting.
    It was hard to believe, but it seemed hotter than the previous days. Life in the city had been reduced to a crawl. The freeways were littered with cars that had overheated. The emergency wards of hospitals were filled with people who had collapsed from the heat. The water shortage was severe and growing worse. The massive use of air conditioners had created power shortages and there were blackouts in parts of the city. The sun was an ochre smudge behind the veil of smog and dust. The forecast said no letup in sight. For once, the weathermen were probably right.
    It wasn’t even any cooler at the beach which usually provided some relief from the heat, but that didn’t seem to make any difference, and the place was packed. Every foot of sand that wasn’t covered with the results of the latest oil spill was occupied by some overweight bozo eating chopped egg sandwiches and turning bright red.
    The beach smelled like a garbage dump from the corpses of thousands of oil-clogged fish and sea birds that had washed ashore and were cooking in the sun. Welcome to L.A., the playground of the stars.
    I got to the place I was supposed to be and waited. Nothing happened. I stayed around for about half an hour and still no one showed. I started to get an uneasy feeling in my gut. I was cursing myself as I went to a phone booth. I dialed my office, and there was no answer. There should have been. It might be nothing, but the feeling in my gut was getting stronger.
    I got the car going and headed into town. For a change I was able to make pretty good time. Most of the traffic was heading west, toward the beach, and I didn’t run into much congestion until I got close to my office.
    I found a place to park, ran to the building and up the stairs. The door was unlocked and I went into the outer office. No one there. I crossed to my office. I found Maria.
    I’d had this feeling, so it