Disclaimer: 15th Verse, same as the first. Just having some fun.

A/N: It is short, but the scaring is minimal

The Ultimate Debate 15
by Alfonsina

When Brett and I got back from our little trip, I was exhausted emotionally and physically. I had intended to be out of town for five days, see a couple of friends, and go back to my life. My life was boring but it was mine. It was ordered, quiet and uninvolved for the most part.

I came home after being gone ten days a married man. It wouldn't have been so bad if I'd married a woman and done it voluntarily, but I'd married Brett because he wanted to make someone else happy. The worst of it was, being married really made Brett feel special. He equates marriage to love, which is good. Since he's spent his whole life looking for love, being married, even though it was only to me, validated him somehow.

I tried several times to broach the idea of a divorce, but he would stick his fingers in his ears and say "la la la la la la …" until I was quiet. After the tenth time, I gave up.

Provincetown was actually quite nice, very beachy and scenic. I've always liked the beach. It was troubling when Brett kept insisting on putting lotion on me; the back I could understand, maybe. The front of me? I can lotion that by myself, thank you very much. He also tried to pick a fight with a guy on the beach who looked at me for more than one and a half seconds; I'm not into guys, but just how jealous is Brett anyway?

It also disturbed me that every time I looked at him, he was admiring his wedding ring. Yes, it was handsome. Yes, it was macho. Yes, he'd picked it out all by himself. Are women this bad when they get married? If they are, I may have to rethink the idea of getting married to a woman in the first place. I looked at my ring and couldn't wait to will it off of my finger.

When we reached the Trenton city limits, he got sulky. Of course he did. He was acting like I was going to abandon him, just because that was what I wanted to do meant nothing. But by the way he was acting you'd think I was leaving him pregnant with several small children and a large mortgage.

"Will things be weird now?" he asked.

L M N O P Q R S

"Things are already weird, Brett."

Was he doing his Alicia Silverstone impression from the movie Clueless or what?

"No, I mean are you going to treat me differently?"

"I'm not sleeping with you anymore if that's what you mean."

Everywhere we went for the last ten days, Brett told everyone we'd just gotten married. We had all kinds of things comped and upgraded that might not have been otherwise. My big mistake was when I tried to get a couple of hotel rooms one night. Brett pouted.

"There's only one bed in the rooms here," I said.

"But we've been sharing a lot lately."

"Brett, it's just a double bed. I don't fit on a double by myself let alone with anyone else."

"Fine. I won't sleep in the bed with you. Why don't I take the air mattress and I can sleep next to you?"

What do you say to that? It was like I was going to kick a puppy if I didn't give in.

"Okay, but if you get cold, you're on your own."

We pulled into the parking garage on Haywood and I felt a huge weight off my chest. We rode the elevator in silence; I was pleased and Brett wasn't. We each went to our own doors, unlocked them and entered our own apartments. Okay, that's what was supposed to happen. I unlocked my door and entered at the same time Brett did and that's when I realized that the wall that had existed between our apartments was no longer there.

He smiled and waved at me. "Is this cool or what?"

"Did you do this?" I asked. I wasn't seething, I was too tired to seeth.

"No, of course not. I would have if I thought they might do it. Who do you think had the construction ordered?"

"I don't even want to guess."

I walked around and saw that I still had my own kitchen and my own bathroom. My bedroom had changed, I no longer had the standard queen sized bed, now it was a king.

"Hey Brett?"

"Yeah?"

"Is your place the same except for the wall thing?"

"Let me check."

I don't know if he thought he was looking for the fountain of youth, but he didn't answer me for a long time. I decided to look for him.

Where Brett used to have a bedroom was now a media room. It looked like one of those rooms they redo on those home improvement shows. Everything conceivable was there and probably some things that weren't.

"Cool, huh?"

"Do you still have a bed?" I didn't want to hear the answer.

"I don't think so."

"Great. Looks like we're sharing again."

"Yay!"

I shook my head. I went to the bathroom and tried to soap off the ring, it wouldn't come loose. I've been trying since I got married to take the thing off and it doesn't budge.

Now I know why some women fatten up their husbands. Get him big enough and the ring doesn't come off; harder to pick up women if you look married.

Sadly I looked very married and unless I went somewhere to have it cut off, I was stuck wearing the ring until my fingers quit swelling.

A/N: Brett is in love with being in love; I think Hal realizes he could have just bought him a puppy and gotten the same result.

ONE CHAPTER TO GO!!!

Thanks as always for reading and reviewing! Alf.