Chapter 13

Boston, 2007...

Daria Morgendorffer, then a grad student at Boston State, was coming home from a day of studying and classes toward her PhD. She entered the apartment that she shared with her best friend, Jane. Once inside Daria locked the door behind her and proceeded to put her books down. It was at this point that she noticed the door to Jane's room was closed and locked. This was followed by a chorus of "oooh" and "ahhh" and "yeah, baby" coming from inside Jane's room. Since Daria knew no one else was in the apartment, she correctly guessed that Jane was having a self-love session in there.

Just my luck Daria thought, I come home just in time to listen to my best friend have a self love session. I wish she'd keep it down when she does that. The doors are so thin I can hear everything.

As if Daria needed to be further reminded of the thin doors, she was suddenly treated to the sound of Jane's voice saying "Ooohhhhh...yesssss...soooo...there..." in an erotic tone.

Great Daria thought with an eye roll, more audio porn.

Nothing could've prepared Daria for what she heard next.

"OH, QUINN...YES...QUINN...OHQUINNYESSSSSS..."

Daria's eyes nearly shot out of their sockets.

New York City, 11 years later...

Daria had just endured a lousy morning. She'd come into work only to learn that her boss, late night host Frankie LePope, had spent the previous night in the drunk tank and now needed her to come pick him up at One Police Plaza. Daria came down and escorted a VERY hung over Frankie to his penthouse condo on the Upper West Side. Her boss was so hung over, in fact, that he passed out twice during the cab ride. Once she'd gotten him home Frankie thanked her by giving her the rest of the day, and all of the next, off with pay. She'd like to think her boss was grateful for the assistance, but she knew his generosity was primarily motivated by the fact that he was in such bad shape that it'd be at least two days before he was fully functional again. Not helping matters was the fact that when the cops booked Frankie for drunk and disorderly conduct they administered a drug test that, in addition to revealing an astonishingly high blood alcohol level, also came back positive for cocaine and methamphetamine.

Well, at least they didn't find the drugs on his person this time.

Now, with unexpected free time and nothing else to do, Daria was on her way to pay Jane a surprise visit. As she approached the corner of Spring Street and Mercer, where Jane lived in a loft with her husband, Alan, she spotted a car parked on the curb. The car was a Suburu SUV that she'd recognized as Nicole's. Daria thought nothing of this as she knew that Nicole and Jane were business partners.

When she reached the entrance to Jane and Alan's loft she rang the door buzzer. It took a long time for anyone to answer, but Daria just assumed that they were in the middle of something. Finally, the door opened.

"Hey, Daria" said Nicole.

Daria at first said nothing due to the shock. Nicole was standing there completely naked.

"Nicole," said Daria after a few seconds, "Why aren't you wearing any clothes?"

"Modeling" Nicole answered.

Daria said "You didn't think to put on a robe before answering!?"

Nicole explained "I would've, but once I saw that it was you I decided it wasn't necessary."

Daria raised an eyebrow.

"Come on," said Nicole, "I like being naked. I guess Quinn never told you how back in college I used to walk around first the dorm room and later the Theta house in just my birthday suit. It's no secret that I'm comfortable with being nude."

As Daria entered and Nicole closed the door behind them, she said "I just never expected you'd still be like that as a 35 year old wife and mother."

Nicole said "Daria, the female body's nothing to be ashamed of. Besides, I was just hanging around here. It's not like I'm walking out in the street like this."

At this point, Daria heard Jane's voice.

"Yeah, Daria. Being this comfortable in your own skin is almost a job requirement in the art world."

Daria was shocked to see Jane standing in the entrance to her bedroom, also completely naked. "Since when does doing an artistic nude require the painter to be naked as well?" Daria dryly asked.

With a sly grin, Jane said "Is that what Nicole told you we were doing?"

Daria's jaw fell open.

"Jane, are you saying what I think you're saying?"

Walking up to Daria and speaking in a very flirty tone, Nicole said "Come on, Daria. Haven't you ever wanted to...experiment?"

Daria became very uncomfortable, especially as both women began to crowd her.

"Um...Are your husband's okay with this?"

Jane said "Mine is."

Nicole said "What Jamie doesn't know won't hurt him."

Daria said "Let me get this straight, Nicole. You're cheating on Jamie by having a lesbian affair with Jane?"

As Nicole nodded Jane placed a hand on Daria's shoulder.

"Don't you want to feel what it's like?" Jane asked in an erotic tone.

Freaked out, Daria pulled away from Jane and lost her footing. This caused Daria to fall onto the couch. She was about to get back up when Nicole suddenly blocked her path and stared lustfully.

Pinning Daria in place, Nicole said "Come on, Daria. Let me kiss you...everywhere."

"She's good with her tongue" Jane added with a smirk.

Daria tried to struggle, but Nicole climbed onto her lap and pinned her to the sofa.

"Come on," said Nicole in an erotic tone, "You know you want it."

Nicole was about to kiss Daria. Suddenly, she let go of Daria and got off of her.

"Daria, you just got punked!" Nicole excitedly said before breaking down in a fit of laughter.

After a snicker, Jane said "Had you going there for a second, didn't she?"

Recovering from her laughing fit, Nicole said "Relax, Daria! We were just messing with you!"

Trying to recover from the shock, Daria said "So, it was just a prank? You two aren't having a lesbian affair?"

"No," said Jane, "We're both faithful to our husbands, Nicole's entirely straight and I'm mostly straight."

"I'm not so sure about that last one," said Daria, "After all, Jane, I know that you've hooked up with a girl on two seperate occassions."

"And was very drunk both times, so it proves nothing" Jane said with a chuckle.

Turning to Nicole, Daria added "Also, there's that video you made with Sandi."

Nicole said "Daria, I did that as a sexy gift for Jamie. All it proves is that I'm comfortable enough with my sexuality to dance outside the lines for someone I care about."

"I've actually seen that video," said Jane, "Nicole, I have to admit that you do seem really into it."

Nicole said "Which only proves I'm a good actress."

"True" Daria conceded. "After all, I have the best bullshit detector out of all of us and I really did think you were about to molest me."

Putting a robe on, Jane explained "The reason Nicole and I are both naked is that we were taking turns painting artistic nudes of each other. When you rang it was during her turn to model and my turn to paint. When I saw you through the peephole we decided to prank you, so while Nicole answered the door au naturale I ditched my robe and ducked into the bedroom."

"Your twisted sense of humor knows no bounds" Daria remarked.

"Look," said Nicole, "You have to admit it was pretty funny."

With a sigh, Daria said "And I probably will once I've spent a decade in therapy." She decided to change the subject. "Nicole, where's Rachel, or are you so comfortable with nudity that you have no problem being naked in front of your four year old daughter?"

Unfazed (and still undressed), Nicole said "To answer the first question, Rachel's with her father. The high school's having a Bring Your Kid To Work Day. In answer to the second question, yes. I want Rachel to grow up not feeling ashamed of her body and feel the best way is to teach by example."

Deadpan, Daria added "Translation: you don't want her to bug you incessantly for breast implants when she's a teenager, like you did with your parents."

"True," Nicole admitted, "Though if she does I refuse to cave like my parents did. Also, an underage girl getting a boob job doesn't fly in New York like it does in California."

Daria suddenly remembered something, an incident from a decade earlier. She decided to use this to get back at Jane for the prank just now.

"Nicole, did I ever tell you about the time I came home and heard Jane masturbating in her room?"

Knowing what Daria was trying to do, Jane said "Your attempt to embarass me won't work, Morgendorffer. I am completely without shame."

Daria knew Jane would change her tune once she remembered what particular incident was being mentioned.

"It was eleven years ago," said Daria, "When both Jane and I were still sharing an apartment in Boston. I'd come home and found the door to Jane's room closed with a sock on the knob. I knew she was alone because by then she was with Alan and he would be by later. Even Jane's not crazy enough to cheat when the odds of getting busted are that high. As such, I knew she was in there getting herself off."

"I've yet to be embarrassed" Jane interrupted.

Unfazed, Daria continued "The doors in that place were so thin that I could hear what she was saying to herself. I quickly figured out who Jane was fantasizing about."

Jane was not the least bit fazed, while Nicole listened with great interest.

"Who was she fantasizing about?" Nicole asked.

Daria smirked as she delivered the knockout punch.

"Quinn."

Nicole gasped in shock while Jane gasped in horror.

Meanwhile, in Lawndale...

Quinn was in the home office paying some bills. Jim, her husband of eight years, was out running errands with their three sons Tommy, Timmy and Teddy, who were now four years old. Quinn wrote and signed the last check, put it in the envelope and added said envelope to the stack.

There, all done.

She got up from her desk and went to get the leash as she planned to kill some time by taking Storm for a walk. For those who don't know, Storm was a German Sheppard who'd been a part of the family since before Quinn and Jim were married. Reaching for the leash Quinn thought of how she and Jim had gotten this dog. They were attending a costume party for Halloween with their friends. There was a raging Storm outside. Sounds of howling and sights of a dogs face in the window during lightning strikes, along with Kevin and Brittany's stupidity, led to a rumor that there was a warewolf outside. Quinn knew better, and decided to prove it when a power outage coincided with the sound of scratching at the door. She opened the door and the so-called warewolf charged right in. Quinn and Jim followed it into the dinning room to discover the 'warewolf' was actually a scared puppy. Quinn instantly fell in love with this dog so she and Jim decided to keep it. The circumstances under which they'd found the dog led her to name him Storm. A few days later, the vet confirmed at the initial check up that Storm was only five months old and most likely abandoned. To Quinn it was that rather than the wedding or the birth of the boys that marked the moment she and Jim went from being a couple to being a family. Everything since was a welcome addition that served to reinforce the fact.

Now, however, things were different with Storm. He was now tweleve years old, the canine equivalent of being 80. He'd grown noticeably weaker and more sickly over the past year. Indeed, Jim and the boys seemed to know that Storm was rapidly approaching the end of the line. Not only was he easily exhausted, but he rarely ate anymore and was showing signs of dementia. Indeed, Quinn seemed to be the only family member her still recognized. She wasn't willing to euthanize Storm, despite both Jim and the vet saying it was the best thing they could do for him as his health was so rapidly deteriorating that he was in almost constant pain and would only get worse. The reason Quinn didn't want to put Storm down was that she was so attached to him that she couldn't bring herself to accept that he was dying and it would be an act of mercy at this point.

"STORM, HERE BOY!"

No response, which was increasingly common. Quinn began to look for him.

"Storm!"

She walked to a spot in the living room by the sofa. Sure enough, he was sleeping by the couch.

"Storm, wanna go for a walk?"

There was no response. Storm continued to sleep as Quinn began to worry.

"Storm?"

She knelt next to the sleeping dog. She placed a hand on his head and gently stroked, which he loved. That's when she noticed something.

He feels cooler than normal!

Quinn looked at his torso and noticed it wasn't rising and compressing. Now seriously worried she held her hand in front of his nose and was horrified by confirmation that Storm wasn't breathing.

"No," Quinn gasped, "NOOOOOOOOO!"

In panic, she gently turned him over. He was totally unresponsive. Quinn pressed an ear to the dog's chest, but there was no heartbeat. Realizing that Storm was dead, Quinn started to cry.

Evening...

The next few hours had been chaotic. When Jim returned with the boys and the tools (they'd been to the hardware store) Quinn was able to pull it together long enough to convince the boys that Storm was just taking another nap. After that, she pulled Jim aside and told him what was really going on. With no time to come up with a better option they sent their sons next door to spend the night with the Thompsons. After this, Quinn and Jim took Storm's body to a veterinary clinic for an autopsy and burial as they wanted to know what exactly caused Storm to finally check out on this life.

Now, in a waiting room, Quinn cried while Jim tried his beast to comfort her.

"I...sniff...I c...can't be...sob...believe he's g...choke...gone...sniff..."

"I know, Quinn," said a saddened Jim, "I'm sorry."

"I..." Quinn said through the sobs, "...I loved that d...dog so much...sob..."

"Me too, Quinn. Me too."

Jim wanted to cry as well, but the machismo beaten into him by his father simply wouldn't allow it.

At this point, a young man in his early thirties entered the room. He was the veterinary coroner.

"Mr. and Mrs. Carbone, I've finished the autopsy. It appears that your dog suffered a massive nocturnal cardiac arrest."

"M...Meaning?" asked Quinn.

The vet explained "Basically, while he slept Storm's heart stopped beating, which set off a chain reaction that shut down his vital organs one by one. To put it in layman's terms, your dog died of old age in his sleep."

Quinn had one more question, but couldn't bring herself to ask it.

Knowing what his wife wanted to ask, Jim said "Was there any pain?"

Shaking his head, the vet said "No. He just went to sleep and never stopped sleeping. He probably didn't feel a thing when it happened."

Both Quinn and Jim allowed themselves to take comfort in the knowledge that Storm's departure from this world was painless.

Meanwhile, in New York...

Jane was sitting alone in her SoHo loft drinking a glass of red wine while deep in thought. Her and Nicole's prank on Daria had some unforseen consequences. The first consequence was Daria evening the score by telling Nicole that Jane once had a sexual fantasy about Quinn. Jane honestly couldn't recall that incident but, since Daria was not in the habit of keeping a lie up any longer than necessary to achieve the desired result, she had no choice but to believe it was true and that she'd merely completely forgotten about it.

You think I'd remember something that heavy Jane thought as she took a sip of her wine.

The second consequence of the prank was Jane questioning her own sexuality. It wasn't the first time. She remembered her encounter with Alison at the art colony that one summer. Alison had insisted that Jane gave off gay vibes and was in denial about it. After a night of self-doubt, though, Alison came clean and admitted that she may have just hoped too hard and saw something that wasn't there. Since Jane hadn't felt even the slightest desire to hook up with Alison she felt the matter was settled. Now, she was revisiting the incident.

"Alison, I like GUYS."

"And hanging out with bisexuals after they buy you dinner."

"HEY, I didn't know you were bi, and the dinner thing was settling a bet."

Remembering those words gave Jane the following thought.

What if it wasn't just to settle a bet? What if I really did want her and just couldn't admit it, even to myself?

This caused Jane to recall another moment in her conversation with Alison that night almost two decades earlier.

"Look, Alison, I appreciate everything you've done for me, but I'm really not interested."

"You mean you aren't ready to admit it."

Jane recalled how rattled she was after that. Even though she soon concluded that she was in fact straight and Alison was just trying to get in her pants, that last comment stayed in her mind. It lay dormant for a while. Then came a self love session where Jane decided to switch things up. Rather than fantasize about a guy, Jane got herself off imagining what would have happened had she given in to Alison's advances.

Then came college, where that curiosity finally got the better of me.

Jane recalled how while at BFAC she decided to try kissing a girl, just to see what would happen. To that end, she wound up sleeping with one of her openly lesbian classmates and liking it.

Although Jane thought, she was one of those butch types. I reasoned that her mannish looks and the alcohol turned me on. In fact, as much as I found it pleasurable it didn't lead to an interest in women in general. I even stopped having girl on girl fantasies because the reality did not live up to the expectation.

Jane then remembered how the curiosity started to come back.

The time Daria claims I got myself off thinking about Quinn was only a few months after I did that nude painting of her. Even though I don't remember fantasizing about Quinn, I do recall occassionally fantasizing about girls again after that but thought nothing of it. In fact, every nude I ever painted was of either a woman or a woman and man together. How come I never painted a lone man in the buff?

Jane quickly reminded herself exactly why.

Because male models are much harder to come by than female.

At least that's what Jane always told herself. Now, she wasn't sure.

Quinn's bachelorette party Jane remembered. That was the second time I had sex with a woman. We were playing sexy truth or dare in the hot tub. Sandi, who's openly bi, made out with Quinn. It got to second base before our running commentary snapped them both to reality. Quinn's straight, I have no doubt about that. Her reciprocation of Sandi's kissing and groping owed more to Quinn's blood alcohol level at the time than her libido. Seeing it, though, actually turned me on. It turned me own so much that after the others turned in for the night I satyed in the hot tub because Sandi had stayed as well. We started talking about our childhood friendship, which led to us speculating how it would've gone if the Barbie crowd hadn't gotten their talons into her and turned her into one of them. One thing led to another and soon it was Sandi and I sucking tongue and feeling each other up. From there we went into a guest room and spent the rest of that evening exploring each others naked bodies. We kept giving each other orgasm after orgasm before finally falling asleep in each others arms totally spent.

Jane suddenly felt something.

And remembering it now is starting to get me revved up.

Jane took another sip of wine.

What if I am bi? What if Alison really did see something in me that I didn't see in myself that night? What if I've just been kidding myself all these years?

She took another sip of wine.

If I'm so heterosexual then why have I had fantasies about women? Why did I experiment with a girl at BFAC? Why do I like painting female nudes? Why did I hook up with Sandi Griffin, of all people?

Jane was about to take another sip of wine when she noticed that the glass was now empty. She took the bottle off the end table, poured herself another glass, then proceeded to try and figure things out as she drank.

To be honest, I do think Quinn's sexy. That's a reason I did that nude and why I had a few sex dreams about her after that. Although, the fact that I have no memory of getting myself off thinking about Quinn should be an indication of how trivial that is. I got it on with Sandi and enjoyed every second of it. Not only that, but it didn't make things awkward between us. Then again, as much as I loved getting busy with a childhood friend who was a stripper with the body of a supermodel I didn't enjoy it so much that I wanted to make a habit of it. Nicole's hot. She's got the sexy asian thing going for her and has a rack like Brittany. Still, as much as her body entices me I really don't think I should hook up with her. Besides, making a girly porno for her husband notwhitstanding she's straight. I have to admit feeling a little turned on by the idea of getting it on with Daria. Thing is I'd never do that. She's straight, and even if she wasn't I just don't see her that way. Even if I did hooking up with Daria would make things so weird between us that it'd basically be the Tom situation all over again.

Jane took another sip of her wine.

So, Jane, are you straight, or are you a bisexual in denial?

She was disappointed to not get an answer.

Lawndale, the next evening...

Teddy Carbone was laying awake in his bed. At age four he was so perceptive that it was almost as if he were a grown man in the body of a small child. He thought of how the night had gone before. Unlike his brothers, he immediately knew something was up when his parents hurriedly shipped them off to the idiots next door without explanation. He spent that whole night bemused by the stupidity of the whole Thompson family. Indeed, Daryl showed up to give Brittany a workout in the master bedroom that lasted until well past midnight. It didn't take Teddy long to figure out what Mr. Johnson and Mrs. Thompson were really doing. It was also plain to see that Mr. Thompson and the kids had no idea what was going on despite all the noise coming from the bedroom. Mr. Thompson slept on the couch and clearly did not even suspect that his wife was cheating on him in their own bed. Not to mention the fact that both Mr. Johnson and Kevin Jr. are black, making it glaringly obvious who Kevin Jr.'s real father is. Despite visual evidence to the contrary, Mr. Thompson really did believe that Kevin Jr. was biologically his. Teddy made no effort to correct this assumption because the fact that he's four years old meant that no one would take anything he said seriously. Besides, Kevin's astonishing stupidity was somewhat amusing to the boy.

The next day Teddy's parents told him and his brothers what really happened. Storm, the family dog, had died of old age. Timmy cried while Tommy eagerly anticipated getting a new dog. Teddy did not react to the news at all, which freaked everyone else out. Teddy was just as sad as Timmy had been, he just didn't like to make a big production of it. Teddy also knew Tommy was just as sad about Storm's passing. Anticipating good things to come was just how Tommy dealt with setbacks. Indeed, Teddy had overheard comments on more than one occassion that Tommy was like their mother while he was more like Aunt Daria. Teddy didn't believe his parents story that they'd see Storm again in the afterlife, because he did not believe that there was an afterlife. If there were life after death then where was the evidence? Then again, both Tommy and Timmy believed it was Santa Clause giving them toys on Christmas while Teddy had figured out it was all a ruse by their parents, so it came as no surprise that they believed the story of Storm now happily playing with other dogs in Heaven.

Teddy's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the door to his room opening.

"Teddy" said Quinn as she came in.

"Yeah, Mom" said Teddy.

Sitting on the bed, Quinn asked "How do you feel? About Storm being dead?"

"I'm sad, Mom," said Teddy, "Storm was a great dog."

Quinn knew her son was sad and just didn't like to show it. "Teddy," she said in a reassuring tone, "Storm's in a better place now, and he's very happy."

Teddy said "You're talking like he still exists."

"Because he does" said Quinn, knowing that it was best to approach Teddy as if he were much older than his three years.

"Mom," said Teddy, "A person, or dog, continuing to exist after they die makes absolutely no sense."

Quinn knew that as smart as Teddy was he wasn't all knowing. She tailored her explanation accordingly.

"Teddy, you're still young. Yes, you're smart, but there are things you can't possibly know simply because you haven't had a chance to learn them yet. There are also things that none of us can ever know. The existence of a soul and an afterlife are two of those things."

Teddy asked "Then why not just assume they don't exist until there's proof that they do?"

Quinn said "Why assume they don't? Just because you can't prove something doesn't mean it isn't real."

Teddy knew this was true. "Now that you mention it, we didn't know that bacteria existed until the microscope was invented."

Quinn said "And maybe someday they'll invent something that can show us that there's life after death."

"Or something that proves there isn't" Teddy replied in a tone errily reminiscent of Daria.

Quinn was amazed. If not for having grown up with a sister who was advanced beyond her years as well Quinn would have a hard time accepting that Teddy's basically a four year old genius.

"Teddy," Quinn said, "Until I see proof otherwise I choose to believe there is something beyond this life. You should believe what feels right for you, even if it's not what your father and I believe. Besides, there's no proof of an afterlife but there's no proof that there isn't one either. Since we can't know we have to choose what to believe until we can know."

Teddy commented "In other words, absence of evidence isn't evidence of absence."

Amazed that Teddy was already familiar with the saying, Quinn smiled as she said "Exactly!"

Teddy said "You know, Mom, that actually does make me feel better. Thanks!"

Quinn's heart melted at the sight of a Daria-esque half smile on Teddy's face. Her son smiled just as rarely as her sister did and she could now understand why her father always seemed to melt the few times that Daria did smile.

Upper East Side, New York, the next day...

Sandi and Tom's home was a top floor penthouse condo with a commanding view of the East River. It had been a year since they left Lawndale and in that time they quickly established themselves as part of New York high society. Jane and Sandi were in one of the many sitting rooms having a conversation, this one with a view so good one could see well out to Long Island. The subject, to Sandi's surprise and partial chagrin, was the incident at Quinn's bachelorette party.

"Jane," said Sandi, "That was eight years ago."

"I know," said Jane, "But I'm starting to doubt my sexuality and that's one of the reasons."

Sandi said "Jane, we're both happily married. I'm not going to cheat on my husband just so you can resolve a sudden identity crisis."

"That's not why I'm here," said Jane, "I'm here because I want to know how exactly you discovered and accepted that you're into both men and women."

Sandi proceeded to explain. "Discovery was the easy part, but acceptance was a long process. I started being turned on by girls at around the same time I discovered guys. I didn't want to be bi, so I ignored my feelings for girls and focused exclusively on my desire for guys. Whenever I was aroused by a member of my own gender I'd just tell myself over and over again that it was curiosity and I'm not that way. I actually thought that if I kept telling myself that it would eventually be true."

"I see" said an anxious Jane.

Sandi continued "Obviously, it didn't work. I believed the lie that I kept telling myself, despite feeling just as turned on by attractive girls as I was by attractive guys. Looking back, I think that's one reason I was such a bitch back in high school. I bullied Stacy, in part, to cope with my desire to hook up with her. While my animosity toward Quinn was due to her greater popularity, in retrospect wanting her and knowing I'd never have her was a factor as well."

"When did you finally stop lying to yourself?" Jane asked.

"College," said Sandi, "I met a girl who also went both ways and we hit it off. When I first saw her I wanted to rip her clothes off and have her right there. I got similar vibes from her. At a party things came to a head. We were dancing suggestively and got so into it that we started making out. Then, I realized that I was making out with a girl and enjoyed it just as much as I would've if I'd been doing that with a guy. I was so freaked that I actually ran away."

"I see" said Jane.

Sandi contiued. "She caught up with me and we decided to try kissing since there was no one else around at that point. No distractions, no fear of judgement. We kissed, I liked it, so we went to an upstairs bedroom and had sex. We were a couple after that, but it was still a while before I came out of the closet. You know the story from there."

"So," said Jane, "What do you think I should do? Cheat on Alan with a woman?"

Sandi shook her head. "That's a bad idea. Granted, hooking up with a woman would be the easiest way to determine your sexuality once and for all, but I'd only recommend that if your husband's cool with it."

"I might ask him when he gets back from Peru," said Jane, "In the meantime, are there ways to confirm my sexuality that don't involve sleeping with a woman?"

"None that are one-hundred percent conclusive," Sandi admitted, "But there are ways to get a better sense of what your true orientation is. For example, I know that your attraction to men has been consistent throughout your life. How does your interest in women compare?"

"Very on and off," said Jane, "You know about the Ashfield incident, right?"

Sandi nodded. "Yes. I don't remember when I found out or how it came up, but it is something both you and Daria have told me about."

Jane said "Prior to that I never once felt attracted to or turned on by a girl, and Alison trying to put the moves on me didn't change that, at least initially. Much later, when I was bored, I had a self-love session where I imagined how it would've gone if I had given into Alison's advances and managed to get myself off."

"I see."

Continuing, Jane said "I decided to add those fantasies to my self-love toolbox and believed that'd be the extent of it. Then, at BFAC I had a lesbian experience that seemed to confirm that I'm straight after all. Some years later, I did that nude portrait of Quinn. I was having sex fantasies about her for months after that, but thought so little of it that it took Daria recently reminding me to even remember."

"Have you ever wanted to hook up with Daria?" asked Sandi.

"No," said Jane, "I've never had any sexual interest in her. Even if I did I would never hook up with Daria because that'd make things weird between us."

Sandi said "I can see that."

Jane admitted "After we hooked up I decided to blame it on the alcohol though, in truth, I still get turned on by you on occassion."

Sandi was flattered as it served to prove that she still had it at thirty-six.

"For the most part" said Jane, "I haven't been into girls since then, but that changed after I did a nude of Nicole."

Sandi said "Jane, Nicole's a total hottie but she's straight. Yes, we made a lesbian porno together but I don't think she was as into it as she acted. She was doing that solely as a special gift for her husband. Although..."

As Sandi's mind seemed to wander, Jane asked "What?"

"I did give her orgasms" admitted a blushing Sandi.

"Yet, she's straight" said Jane.

Sandi said "Jane, orgasms are triggered by both physical and psychological stimuli. The orgasms I gave Nicole and you could easily have just been a purely automatic response to constant physical stimulation."

Jane knew this was true. She also knew that an orgasm, of lack thereof, was not the most accurate guage of sexual enjoyment.

After thinking for a minute, Jane let out a frustrated sigh.

"Sandi, I'm no closer to figuring my sexuality out now than I was before we had this conversation."

Sandi said "I could tell you what I think."

"I'm probably going to regret this," said Jane, "but please give me your honest opinion."

Sandi asked "Are you familiar with the Kinsey Scale?"

Jane nodded. She knew how the Kinsey Scale essentially measured one's orientation on a scale of 0 to 6, with 0 being entirely straight and six being entirely gay or lesbian.

Sandi said "I think you're most likely either a one or two on that scale, based on what you've told me. A one is a straight person with an ocassional, passing interest in the same sex. A two is a bisexual who's preferences lean more toward the opposite sex than the same sex."

"So," said Jane, "You think I'm either a straight woman with an occasional dalience into lesbianism or a bisexual who'd go with guys if forced to choose one or the other."

Nodding, Sandi said "Pretty much."

Jane sighed.

"Well, that helps a little, but not much."

"Sorry," said Sandi, "but short of sleeping with you again, which I won't do, it's the best I can do."

Jane said "I've lebeled myself as heterosexual my whole life. Should I stop doing that?"

Sandi said "That's entirely up to you. Maybe you're straight and just like to get crazy with your choice of sex partner on occasion. Maybe you're a bisexual who's more often interested in men than in women. What you choose to label yourself is your decision alone."

"That doesn't help," said Jane, "It feels like either way I'd be lying."

"It's just a label," said Sandi, "Label yourself whatever you feel comfortable with being. If you feel most comfortable calling yourself straight, go with that. If you feel it's more accurate to call yourself bi, then only do that if you feel comfortable doing that. There's no requirement that you be out and proud, or that you pick a side. Go with what works for you. Jane, you could be straight or bi, but what you openly identify as is up to you and you alone. If someone has a problem, then they don't deserve your time. Go with what works for you." After a regretful sigh, she went on to admit "I wish I'd understood that a lot sooner in life."

Reassuring, Jane said "Sandi, we all learned lessions the hard way. Look, I think for now I'll just go on calling myself straight, but it's comforting to know that I can change my mind if I want to."

Sandi said "Sexual orientation isn't a choice, but the label you attach to yours is and that choice is never final. Remember that."

Visibly relieved, Jane said "Thanks, Sandi."

Lawndale, that evening...

Jim was taking out the trash. As he put the bag in a can he felt a small paw tap his leg. Looking he saw a small dog wag it's tail excitedly at him. This dog had beige fur with black stripes and looked like a toy version of a greyhound.

"Hey, little buddy" Jim said as he immediately succumbed to the puppys cuteness. The puppy responded by actually jumping on him, which he didn't mind as the dog was so friendly and adorable.

Seeing the underside of the small dog, Jim said "My mistake, you're a girl."

He proceeded to pet the puppy, which made her even more excited. Next, Jim picked the puppy up and realized that she was all skin and bones.

"You must be starving. Good thing we still have Storm's old dog food."

The garage, a short time later...

As the dog was happily gobbling up some dog food Jim and Quinn were laying out Storm's old dog basket so she'd have a place to sleep. As all three finished the dog ran up to Jim and tried to jump on him. He responded by picking her up. She responded to being picked up by playfully licking his face.

"You're an affectionate little thing, aren't you?"

Jim placed the dog in the basket.

"Tomorrow, we'll try to find your family. Since you can't tell me your name, for now I'll call you..." He looked at the pattern on the dog's coat. "...Stripe."

Stripe cuddled up to Jim in response. She was equally affectionate toward Quinn.

"Ooooh, aren't you just the most adorable thing" Quinn said in response.

Over the next few days Jim and Stripe became totally inseperable. The triplets all wanted to keep her, but Jim insisted they make sure she isn't someone else's dog first even though Quinn could tell he wanted to keep her even more badly than the kids did. Jim showed Stripe around the neighborhood, but no one recognized her. He took her to the animal shelter, but only to confirm that there were no reports of a missing dog matching Stripe's description. Once confirmed that Stripe had no home the matter was settled, Stripe was now the Carbone's family dog. At the vets she was found to be in good health aside from being malnourished, which would cease to be an issue since Jim had been feeding her since he found her. The vet also confirmed that she was a four month old greyhound puppy. Form that point on, Stripe was one of the family.

To be continued...