“Hello Megan,” greeted Mrs. Dzabra.
“Nice to see you again,” said Mr. Dzabra.
Megan smiled good-naturedly and chatted for a minute before making her way to the basement. Ron was sitting on the couch with a video game controller in his hand. He was so into what he was doing that he didn’t even notice when Meg sat down next to him.
“Can I play too?” she asked.
He paused the game and slowly turned towards her. Megan blushed slightly when she realized he was checking her out. She could tell he liked what he saw.
“Sure,” he said. “I didn’t think you’d come.”
“You thought wrong,” she told him.
He cleared his throat. “Ted and Anna are up in his room…. you know. So I’m just killing time.”
“Oh. Cool.”
“You can play too, but I don’t think you know which buttons to push.”
“Believe me,” she said. “I know all about pushing buttons.”
“Yeah.”
He seemed as if he might reach for her but at the last second withdrew. “Ted told you, huh?” he asked solemnly.
Megan nodded.
“And you still came?”
She nodded again.
“So are we just friends now or what?”
She took a deep breath. “Look, Ron, I understand you’re signals are all messed up, so I am going to make this really easy for you. I like you and I’d like to be more than just friends. But I also don’t want to have to keep thinking that I’m being used. I want to know that if something, you know, happens with us, that you just aren’t going to ignore me afterwards. I’m not asking for a relationship, just an understanding.”
He leaned in and kissed her deeply. Megan was not expecting it but welcomed it instantly.
“I guess that’s my way of saying ‘I understand’,” he informed her.
“Oh yeah?” she asked, returning the kiss with one of her own. “You’ll call me?”
He nodded and scooped her up onto his lap.
“And visit me.”
“Sure,” he answered, reaching under her top to fondle her. “And you’ll tell all your friends how great I am.”
Megan giggled and wrapped her legs around him. She began to feel that familiar itch once more.
They were still making out when they heard footsteps fast approaching. Megan quickly removed herself from Ron’s lap and tugged her skirt down.
“You still haven’t told him about that?” Ron asked.
She shook her head. “He doesn’t need to know.”
Amazingly, Ted carried Anna all the way down the stairs. The passage of time had not dimmed or dulled whatever they felt for each other. Megan was finally in a position where she could feel happy for them instead of semi-jealous. Deeply in love or not, Ted nearly did a double take when he saw what she was wearing.
“You look great,” he said in a way that sounded more congenial than it did lecherous.
“Thanks,” she answered. After weeks of celibacy, uncertainty and fear of rejection, now was no time to be modest.
They sat, talked, laughed and took turns besting each other in video games to their hearts’ content.
“Anyone up for bowling?” Ted proposed after giving Ron a sound beating in FIFA 2003.
“Good,” Ron replied. “Now its my turn to kick your ass.”
“I’ll go change,” Meg announced.
She snuck off to the bathroom, checked her diaper (dry so far) and changed into a pair of sweats and a t-shirt. She contemplated taking her bra off just so Ron wouldn’t have to fiddle with the clasps later on. I’m such a naughty girl, she thought. She gave herself a gentle smack on the behind to illustrate the point and declared herself ready to go.

“I’m on fire tonight,” Ted gloated as he downed another pin.
“Then how come I have the higher score?” Ron sneered.
“Well…. I’m still not you.”
“Now boys…” Anna gently chastised.
It was Megan’s turn. She grabbed her ball and stepped up to the line. With the pins in sight, she brought her wrist back and….
“Hey Meg,” Ron interrupted. She half expected him to make a comment about her diaper showing, in which case she’d hurl the ball straight at her head.
“What?” she replied, somewhat annoyed. She didn’t tease him when it was his turn…. although she easily could have.
“You still work at Bledsoe’s, right?”
“Yes…”
“I think you’d better take a look at this.”
Megan set her ball down and found a group of people gathered loosely around a TV. A stern, dapper newscaster informed the masses that there had been an armed robbery at Bledsoe’s Pharmacy. No one was harmed, but the suspect was believed to be armed and dangerous…. and still in the area.
“Oh my God,” Anna exclaimed.
Megan could not even hear her. She was lost in her own place, a world of ‘what iffs’. What if she had taken the shift? The suspect had been armed. What if something had gone wrong? Poor Natalie. She must be scared to death. What if….
“Meg,” Ron said, gently shaking her.
“Guys, I have to go,” she declared, rushing towards the exit. Lust, which had so nearly consumed her only a short while before, now seemed trite and irrelevant.

The parking lot of Bledsoe’s was a mess when she arrived. The local media had descended on the scene and a small crowd gathered. Megan watched as a uniformed police officer issued a statement. She spotted Vern and Raul and most of her coworkers standing outside the store and looking appropriately somber. Megan struggled through the crowd and made her way over to them.
“Megan,” Vern greeted. He seemed humbled by the experience of having his store robbed. “I’m glad that you’re here.”
“What happened?” she asked.
“I went out for a smoke,” said Dario, one of the regular night employees. “The guy…. he had a mask on…he ran right past me. Like he didn’t even see me coming.”
“What about Natalie? Is she OK?”
“A bit frazzled,” Vern commented.
“Frazzled?” said Raul. “She looked like the girl from The Exorcist, man!”
“The police took a statement and I told her to go home and take off as much time as she needs,” Vern continued. “This settles it. I’m getting a security guard around here. And if Corporate won’t fund me on it, I’ll pay out of my own pocket.”
“I think that’s a really good idea,” Megan added.
“It’ll be a couple of days before that happens. And we can’t afford to close at sundown every night until then. I don’t suppose I have any volunteers to work nights?”
“I’ll do it,” Raul said. “If you let me bring a bat.”
“No bats,” Vern answered. “Jesus, Raul, if a robber walks in here the last thing you want to do is provoke them!”
Browbeaten, he did not volunteer a second time.
“Well?” Vern asked.
Megan looked around and saw that not a single hand was raised. She couldn’t blame anyone for not stepping forward. Most of her coworkers were slightly built females and an attack of this magnitude left them feeling scared and vulnerable. The guys were hesitant to step forward as well, knowing that if a gun was pointed at them they’d be every bit as helpless as their female counterparts.
“I guess I’ll have to call Josh and tell him to cut short his vacation,” Vern grumbled.
“No, wait!” Meg protested. She knew Josh well enough to know that he’d blame himself for this. It was preposterous, but because a robbery happened in his absence, he’d somehow assume it was his fault. It would destroy him.
“You have a better idea?” Vern asked her.
A.)“I’ll work a few nights,” Megan volunteered. She wasn’t thrilled about it, but she figured she’d used up all her bad luck for the summer. Besides, no one would try to rob the same store two nights in a row…. would they?
B.)“No,” she replied, wishing that she had the brains or courage to think of another solution. Sometimes, things are what they are and there is no way around them.