This Must Be the Place

"I don't want to go," Miranda said to her oldest sister, Danielle. She covered her lips with her "Cold as Ice" lipstick. After so many years, she could practically apply it without looking. She rubbed her lips together and admired her work.

"Look, you may not want to go, but I guarantee you that you'll have an okay time at least," Danielle told her.

The middle of Miranda's forehead dipped into a "V". "'Okay' doesn't sound good enough."

"I said 'at least'," Dani repeated with an evil smile.

"Valerie's picking us up soon and it'll be a good old-fashioned Bailey night out!" The oldest Bailey threw her hands in the air.

Miranda sighed at her sister's unfounded enthusiasm. She stared at the History professor, two years older and basically her twin, with a longer torso and longer black hair that fell down her back and a tongue ring similar to the one that she had been seconds from convincing Miranda to get as well. "Not too late though, okay?"

"I know. I know."

"I have—"

"Surgery," they said together. Miranda held in a smile.

"You see that look on your face?" Dani asked.

Turning, Miranda saw herself in the mirror. "What about it?"

"You need to find someone who puts a smile on your face the way surgery does." Danielle eyed her in through the glass.

"You mean a man?"

"Or woman, you know I don't judge."

Loud honking had them walking to the front door. Valerie burst in when Danielle opened it. "Outta my way. Gotta pee!" Miranda's younger sister said pushing past the other two. The web game developer was three years younger than Miranda and a few inches taller with a slim frame and locs that cascaded down her back. Five minutes later, Miranda was locking the apartment. In the car, she asked where they were going. Valerie laughed, "Dani, you didn't tell her?"

Danielle shook her head. "Just drive, Val," she said under her breath.

Miranda started to put up a fight, but she was outnumbered. That was the best and worst thing about being one of three. From the backseat, she smiled at her sisters. They all had the same wide, warm brown eyes and beautiful white smiles. "We're here," Val squealed.

The skeptical Miranda looked out of the window. "Where is 'here'?" She asked suspiciously. Her sisters looked at one another. Val made a face Miranda knew well. "Spill, Valerie Monique."

Val turned up her nose. "Fine, Miranda Denise. We're going… drum roll please!" Dani tapped the dashboard. "Speed dating!"

"Uhhh… no thanks, but no thanks," Miranda said quickly. It was one thing to be out and about when she'd rather be at home, but she did not want to be forced to talk to people pretending to make connections. "I shan't be going. Driver, take me home."

"I told you she would freak out," Val told Dani.

"Well, she has a few minutes to do so before we go inside." Miranda sneered at her older sister. "Look," Dani said turning in her seat, "we're all in a rut. And a little mingling while we're singling won't hurt."

Miranda inhaled deeply. "I just got divorced."

"A year ago," Val countered. The middle sister's face flushed, it didn't matter far away her relationship with her ex-husband, Tucker got, it always felt too soon.

"And it's time to get back out there," Dani added. Outnumbered again! One day she was going to rise up against those two, but tonight, she took her few minutes to sulk.

The sisters went into the lounge and glanced around. It was noisy and crowded and Miranda wanted to be anywhere but there. They strolled to the bar and Dani was immediately approached by a guy and she made him buy the three of them drinks. The bell rang and they were gathered and given the rules. Miranda sat in her plush, comfortable chair watching the men rotate. One sat in front of her texting the entire time and she had half a mind to snatch it again and push it into her Lemon Drop. Her eyes zipped around the room and landed on a guy whose date was taking selfies. They both shrugged sympathetically. "Ding!"

By the time the event ended, Miranda hadn't made any meaningful contacts. If any of the men liked her, that was too damn bad because she wasn't interested—at all. The Bailey women walked to the car. "I had fun!" Val said as they buckled in. The woman could have fun going to the morgue.

"Well, you're alone because my dates sucked; and by the look on Mandy's face, she had a terrible time as well."

Miranda scoffed. "Not terrible, but I don't want to do that anymore." She leaned across the front seats. "I'll meet a man my own way on my own terms. Plus, I don't need a man. I have myself and my sisters, my career and my friends and, frankly, I'm good with that for now." They were quiet for a second.

"Nice speech," Val said turning around. "But we're doing this again next weekend."

Miranda sighed. "You can, but I'm not."

"Oh, but you will," Dani threatened, "or I'm telling mama that you're still interested in Dave Johnston."

"If you tell her that, she will only have but two daughters left," Miranda countered. Dave wasn't a bad guy or even bad looking, he just wasn't for her. She knew that because she'd tried going out with him once and he'd just about bored her to death. "But if you two promise to do the dishes for the next week, I'll go."

"Well, I'm out," Val said pulling out of their park.

"Fine," Dani conceded. "I'll do them, but that means no complaining about the next event. At all."

She smiled and leaned back in the seat. "But I like complaining."

"Then like washing your own dirty ass dishes," one of her sisters said. She didn't know which one because she was too deep in her own thoughts. "Mandy?"

"Yeah?"

"So?" Val asked.

"I'll go to one more thing," Miranda murmured. "But that's it, seriously."

Val drove to the house that the three of them shared. 90% of the time it was so much fun to come home to her sisters. The other times, she wished she lived alone where it was quiet and no one would burst into her room and her business unannounced and unwanted. At home, they all put on pajamas and sat in their living room talking and waiting for their burgers. "I'm just looking for someone to take a roll in the hay with. Nothing serious," Dani said laying her head in Miranda's lap. "Just a… a nice, wet pussy or a big, thick dick with long, long nights." Miranda blushed at her sister's raunchy comment. The most sexually active of the three, neither men nor women could control themselves around her. And she exuded a confidence that Miranda wished she had.

Val clapped. "Well, I'm determined to find a man the second time around!" She sang making them laugh. Val had never been married, though she'd been close once. She was the youngest, but Miranda knew her sister wish that she'd gotten married first. Miranda wished that, too. "What about you, Mandy? What are you looking for?"

They looked at her just as the doorbell rang. "I'll get it," she answered popping up. Thankfully, she was able to dodge the question because she had no idea. On one hand, she wasn't a romantic or sure that she even wanted to love again. Meeting Tucker had been by chance and then they were married for convenience with sprinkles of good times between long bouts of frustration. But on the other hand, she had dreams of being swept off her feet and meeting a man who was actually in love with her and only had eyes for her. Perhaps that was too much to ask for.

In her room, after she'd retired for the evening, Miranda thought about the night. None of the men she'd talked to had made her ears perk up or put butterflies in her stomach. She fell asleep wondering if any of that could happen in four minutes.