My head was buzzing like a beehive. The apartment was filled with the ringing deafness that comes after a noisy party, when the guests have left and you're left alone with mountains of dirty dishes. Ira, my wife, her best friend Lena, and I were sitting on the couch, completely stunned. We'd had a fair amount to drink. Lena is a perpetual motion machine, loud, with a hoarse laugh and a look that always seems to be looking for adventure. She and Ira have been friends for a long time, and I've gotten used to her: loud, bright, sometimes a little brazen. Ira was already nodding off, leaning her elbows on the pillow. "That's it, guys, I can't make it," Lena said, sprawled on the couch, her feet propped up on the coffee table. She was wearing a short black dress that had long since slipped up, revealing her thighs. "I'll sleep it off at your place, okay?" Ira, without opening her eyes, muttered blearily, "Sure, sleep here. Just move your feet,... continue reading