"You shouldn't gulp. I've told you about that," she admonished, her fingers absently brushing over the countertop in search of dust. Noting none, she rewarded her daughter with an approving nod. "You see how clean your sister keeps her home? I don't understand why you can't keep your room looking as respectable."

"I have too much stuff for my room," he explained.

"Your father would never have stood for such a mess," his mother continued. "He believed in packing light and keeping only what was important. We never knew when he would be shipped off to another base and we would have to move quickly."

"Mom, we haven't moved since I was three," Bobby said. "You still have cowboy wallpaper in my closet."

"That's not the point, Bobby. There's just no reason to allow clutter to build up."

Laura decided it was time to change the subject. "Mom, have you seen Mrs. Reynolds lately?"

"I saw her just last week at the Commissary. Her son was arrested last year for burglary, you know." Laura opened her mouth to speak but her mother wouldn't stop long enough for her to interrupt. "I tried to get away without her seeing me but she has eyes like and eagle, you know. She was all smiles telling me about her daughter, Marcia. She married a stock broker and has two girls now."

"Good for her."

"Janice Crenshaw's daughter had a little boy just last week."

"I didn't know Susan got married," Laura said.

"She didn't. She was going with Captain Henry's son but once he found out that she was pregnant, he shipped the boy off on a six month training session in Saudi Arabia."

"Why did he do that? I always thought Susan was a nice girl."

"If she was a nice girl, she wouldn't be pregnant," Mrs. Taylor pointed out.

"And of course it's not the boy's fault at all, right?" Jenny asked in a biting tone. Laura flashed her a warning look but it was too late. Mrs. Taylor seized the opportunity to step up on her proverbial soap box and give her sermon.

"There was a time when a young woman prided herself on being able to keep her virginity until marriage."

"Mom" Laura tried but her mother refused to be silenced.

"No Laura. It's time someone stood up for decency." She said. "These young girls now days think nothing of hopping from bed to bed and if they get pregnant, so what? You and your feminist friends have put abortion clinics on every corner."

"Would those be the same feminist friends who made it possible for women to own property and vote?" Jenny ignored the warning look she was getting from Laura and continued. "To hold office?"

Laura hooked her arm around Bobby's and gave it a tug. "Come on, bro. Let's go see how generous I was with the dead presidents in your graduation card."

"Ah, money. The gift that always fits," he said with a smile.

"Now wait a minute," his mother said. "You have to open my present up first or your sister's gifts won't make any sense." Mrs. Taylor ignored Jenny's comment in favor of watching her son open his gifts. "And Laura I hope you didn't spoil him by giving him too much money."

The laughter and voices carried upstairs, much to Crystal's annoyance. She had given up on the television and the radio stations were also a disappointment to her. The pot had made her tired but she didn't want to waste the whole day sleeping. No, it's better to sit here locking in my room getting stoned, she thought as she reached for her pipe and lighter. The sound of someone coming up the stairs made her change her mind and put her paraphernalia away. The door to Laura's room opened and closed, followed a few seconds later by the sound of the sliding door opening. A brown haired woman stepped onto the balcony and leaned her arms against the rail. A bright, beautiful day, Crystal had left her vertical blinds pulled back, allowing her a clear view of the outside. Of course it also meant that anyone on the balcony could look in and see her. Damn, why didn't I think of that, the stripper mentally cursed. It was too late to do anything about it and much to her dismay the woman turned and spotted her. "Hello there."

"Hi," Crystal replied.

"I'm Jenny, one of Laura's friends."

"Crystal. I'm her roommate."

"Yes, she mentioned you." The therapists face was warm and friendly and the stripper found herself leaving the sluggish comfort of her bed and stepping out onto the balcony.

"Sounds like everyone is having a good time," Crystal said as she leaned her hip against the rail.

"I needed a break from her mother," Jenny said. "So Laura said you were a dancer, was it?"

"Um yeah." She reached in her shirt pocket and pulled out her cigarettes and lighter. "Are you a writer like she is?"

Jenny chuckled. "I'm afraid that kind of creativity is beyond me. Laura's the one with the vivid imagination. I'm a therapist." "A shrink?"

"Well, not quite." She thought about what Laura had told her about Crystal's nightmare. "I work with survivors of rape and sexual abuse."

Crystal turned away, looking out at the ridge of trees separating the complex from the lake. "You mean you make them talk about what happened to them?"

"I don't make them do anything. I let them talk about what they need to talk about." With Crystal's head tilted, the blonde hair kept Jenny from seeing her face. "Sometimes people just need a place where they can go and know that's it's safe to tell the truth about what happened to them." "Yeah? And what good does that do for them? It doesn't take away what happened."

"No, it doesn't take away what happened," Jenny said evenly. "But in many cases talking about what happened and learning to deal with the emotions surrounding it makes the difference between living and just existing."

Crystal threw her cigarette over the rail and reached for her door handle. "Sometimes it's better just to exist, Doc," she said before crossing the threshold into her room. She went to shut the door but found it stopped halfway by Jenny's hand.

"Existing is the easy way out," the therapist said. "It takes courage to move past what happened and regain control."

"Not everyone needs therapy to get over it," Crystal growled.

"Maybe not, but it helps." Jenny released her grip on the door and took a step back. "You know you're welcome to come downstairs and join us."

"I'm not into family things. Nice meeting you." Crystal shut the door and reached for the cord that controlled the blinds. Seconds later she heard Jenny pass through Laura's room and go down the stairs. What fucking good is therapy? It's not gonna change what happened. She flopped down on her bed and opened the nightstand drawer. She remembered Laura's request for her not to smoke pot while people were there. Sighing, she shut the drawer and punched her pillow. What a waste of a good Saturday afternoon. Locked in my own fucking room. Memories of childhood Saturdays spent that same way replayed themselves in her mind. Closing her eyes, Crystal thought back to a time when she and Patty would spend hours together, playing games or just chatting about nothing like sisters do. Inevitably, however, the happy scenes would always be shattered by their father's drunken rampages.

"Two hundred dollars, I own all four railroads," Patty said, holding out her hand.

"Can I pay you when I pass Go? Otherwise I have to mortgage Atlantic."

"I'll tell you what. I'll let you wait until you pass Go to pay me but if I hit Boardwalk, I get to wait until I pass Go too."

"Deal," Crystal happily agreed. "Maybe we can play something else afterwards?"

"I don't think there'll be time. He'll be home soon."

"Can we go for a bike ride?" the younger sister asked hopefully. Her body still bore bruises from her father's last rampage. Too late, they both realized when they heard the sputtering sound of his car pulling into the driveway.

"So much for our game," Patty said as she pulled the box onto the bed and started tossing in games pieces and cards. Games weren't just won and lost in their house. There was also a 'him' rule. When a game was interrupted due to 'him', it was declared a tie, no matter who the apparent winner was.

"When was the last time one of us won a game?" Crystal asked.

"I'm not sure but I know I'm the one who won," Patty grinned as she left Crystal's room and darted into her own. Seconds later their father entered the house, his loud voice easily carrying up to them.

"I've had it with you two!" he roared. Crystal jumped at the sound of a kitchen chair being thrown. "How many times do I have to tell you two to keep your fucking bikes out of the driveway?" Curling up into a ball, Crystal cowered in terror as she heard him coming up the stairs, his heavy footsteps coming closer and closer

Crystal sat up with a start, frantically looking around for the violent man she was certain was coming to beat her. Damn daydreams. She lit a cigarette and leaned back against the headboard. Can you make the nightmares go away, Doc?

Laura stood in the doorway until she saw the lights of her brother's car come on and the vehicle back out of its parking spot. "That went well," she said as she closed the door.

"Now I remember why I was studying all those nights you wanted to go visit your mother," Jenny said as she picked up an empty cup and headed for the kitchen. "There is a definite advantage to having her live two towns away."

"If only I was still going to school then," Laura joked back. "If I hear one more time how Captain So-and-so is having an affair with a twenty year old or how Mrs. Goldstein likes her tea with a shot of blackberry brandy, I'm going to seriously consider matricide."

Jenny laughed and opened the dishwasher. "Well, let's see if we can come up with a more suitable outlet for your aggravation than a capital crime. Hand me the plates, please."

"Sure. Oh, here's a cup and spoon." Laura handed over the dishes, then leaned against the counter.

"So how's the book coming along?" Jenny set the timer on the dishwasher and followed her ex-lover into the living room.

"I think I've written about four sentences since the last time you asked me," Laura sighed as she sat on the couch. "I don't know what's wrong. I've never had writer's block this bad."

Jenny put her hand on Laura's thigh. "Maybe you're trying too hard. Take a break, give it a few days, then go back and look at it." "I tried that, Jen. It didn't work." She ran her fingers through her dark hair. "Sometimes I think I don't have an ounce of creative energy left in me." "Do you want me to take a look at it?"

"No," Laura said. "Thanks though. I'll figure something out." She heard a sound and turned to see Crystal coming down the stairs. "Hello." A subtle nudge caused Jenny to pull her hand back.

"Hi." The blonde woman looked from Laura to Jenny and back again. "I thought everyone left. I didn't realize you still had company." She turned back toward the stairs.

"General Patton and Bobby left a few minutes ago," Jenny said, standing up and crossing over to where Crystal was standing. "We're just chatting. Why don't you join us?"

"Well, I

"

Laura gestured at the empty chair. "Have a seat. You have to be tired of being cooped up in that room all day."

Crystal hesitated, then nodded and moved over to the indicated seat. How bad could it be? I can be sociable for a few minutes. "So did your brother enjoy his party?"

"Yes, very much so."

"Do you have any brothers or sisters, Crystal?" Jenny asked after settling back down on the couch.

"I have an older sister."

"I'm an only child," the brown haired woman replied. "I always thought it would be great to have a sister."

"Me too," Laura agreed. "I love Bobby dearly but when I was sixteen, dragging my six year old brother with me to the mall was a real drag." "Are you two close in age?"

"Three and a half years."

"Oh, that's nice," Jenny said. "So you two grew up together."

"Yeah," Crystal said quietly, her thoughts going to her beloved sister.

"So are you the big sister or is she?"

"Patty is older."

Jenny noticed the solemn expression on the blonde woman's face. "Does she live near here?"

Crystal shook her head. "No. She moved away a long time ago. We lost touch." She reached into her shirt pocket for her cigarettes, then remembered Laura's rule and settled for grabbing a carrot stick from the veggie platter within reach.

"I can't imagine losing touch with Bobby," Laura said. "Did you two have a fight or something?"

"She ran away when I was fourteen. I haven't seen or heard from her since." The emotions were building and Crystal felt the tightening in her throat. "Which way did you say the liquor store was?" she asked Laura.