The next day the mirror had been successfully relocated into a spare room in the temple of Osiris. Anck-su-namun had got up long before dawn and snuck off to the temple. There she had met Imhotep and they had gone through the mirror together. They were standing in Jennifer's bedroom.
"Is that a bed?" Imhotep pointed to the square-shaped piece of furniture with it's plated quilt and fluffy pillows.
"Yeah. Try sitting on it."
Imhotep sat down on the bed. The waterbed. He automatically jumped up.
"What was that?!"
"A waterbed. Sit on it again. Just don't get up."
Imhotep played with the waterbed while Anck-su-namun took a shower and dressed in a red mock turtleneck, and black pants. When she walked back into Jennifer's room Imhotep did a double-take.
"What are you wearing?"
"Clothes."
"I know that but--"
"This is what people wear now."
"Will I have to wear that?"
"No. I'll find something else for you."
"Phew. Are all beds like this now?"
"No. Most of them have mattresses."
"Uh...?"
"Come here, I'll show you."
Anck-su-namun grabbed Imhotep's hand and attempted to pull him across to the other room. He automatically withdrew his hand and looked around frantically, thinking something was going to swoop down from the heavens to kill him.
"Anck-su-namun, I know we are alone, but still I don't think you should--"
"Imhotep, this is America. No pharaoh. No MedJai. No laws saying you can't touch me."
He looked up at her.
"Sorry. I forgot. It just it seems so wrong..."
"Imhotep. It's not scary. I promise." She smiled and held her hand out. He slowly stretched his hand out and placed his palm up against hers.
"See? That didn't hurt – did it? And nothing came to kill you."
"I guess..."
"You'll get used to it. Now, let's see if we can get you something to wear."
Anck-su-namun silently crept down to the kitchen. It was five in the morning, and she didn't want to wake her roommates. The first thing she wanted to do was see what the date was. She looked at the calendar.
"January 24th? That's the weekend of the boating trip we planned! That means... they're gone! We have the whole house to ourselves! Yes!"
Anck-su-namun punched the air as Imhotep walked down the stairs.
"What are you so happy about?"
"My roommates are gone! We don't have to sneak around and stay out of sight!"
"Um, okay."
"Yes. We need clothes for you. Maybe Steve left something here..."
"Who's Steve?" Imhotep said offensively.
"Marla's boyfriend. He drops by a lot and leaves us his laundry."
"Oh. Laundry?"
"Dirty clothes."
"I have to wear someone's dirty clothes?"
"No. They're clean. Just came out of the washing machine."
"Washing machine?"
"A big white metal box that makes dirty clothes clean."
"Whoa!"
"It's not that amazing. Will you hit the light switch?"
"What?"
"That thing poking out of the wall on your left. Just flick it up."
Imhotep did as he was told, and, of course, the lights turned on. Imhotep screamed with surprise.
"What in the Underworld was that?!?!?"
"It's a light switch. It turns on the uhh... fireless torches."
"Fireless torches? How does that work?"
"I don't really know. Something about a guy named Benjamin Franklin."
"Oh. And what's this stuff I'm walking on?"
"Carpet."
"Uhh, right."
"I see that I'm going to be answering questions all day."
"Sorry."
"It's okay. There are times when I can hardly restrain myself from asking everyone around about what it's like to live in Egypt your whole life."
Anck-su-namun went to the clean laundry pile and picked up a pair of jeans and a T-shirt.
"Okay, go somewhere else and put these on."
"How?"
"Oh God..."
With a little embarrassment Anck-su-namun showed Imhotep how to put on jeans and a T-shirt. The final product looked a little strange, but that was because Anck-su-namun had never seen Imhotep in anything other than black robes.