The Shape of Things to Come (Hypernaturals 15)

Lost Thread

Mike leaned back in his chair, patted his flat stomach as if it were bulging. "Do you all strap on the feed bag like this every night?" He asked.

Lori thought that was funny. "Oh, Mikey: You have no idea. You should be here when Adrian does Tamales. I mean. It used to be I thought he made them when he felt guilty. Now I think he makes them when he wants to take me to bed."

I considered who else at the table could get away with calling Mike 'Mikey'. Decided it was at least half of the women, upon reflection. Definitely Vera. Probably Helen and Jessica too. Seemed unlikely for Rachel or Angel.

"And you go very willingly to bed when he does." Helen poked.

"I can't help it. I'm defenseless. Tamale sexual stupor. You know the animals that make nests to attract females, and the one with the best nest gets the girl? It's like that but with food." Lori said.

"And you are married to Danny..." Janie said

"Yep. He knows." Lori said.

"My grilling doesn't have the same effect as Adrian's Tamales. Just a fact of life." Danny said.

"As if you ever have to worry about sleeping alone." Helen pointed out.

"Not sleeping when I'm there." Jessica said. "Not at first, anyway."

"We all like to borrow a cup of Danny from time to time." Helen piled on to the Danny fan club.

"And.. no jealousy. No conflict?" Janie asked Lori, amazed. "Just right there in the open: Hi, I'd like to have sex with your husband."

"No. They give him back. Eventually. A little worse for wear." Lori said.

"Wow. Just... wow." Janie was bowled over by the openness.

"Unlike all the Het Chicks here who had to learn the glory of girls, I'm Bi, like Helen. I go not only for a, as you said, a cup of Adrian. I like a bowl of Helen too."

"Two scoops, with sprinkles." I said.

"Three, please! With those rainbow sprinkles the kids love." Lori laughed.

"We all love each other, Janie. No one is taking advantage of anyone. It is not like it was for me when I was the common thread between various men, but the men were in no real way connected. I mean: You all socially knew Wendall and Ken and others, but other than myself there was no commonality." Morgan said.

"Honey: If I knew you were like this, I would have asked to borrow a cup of Wendall." Janie teased her.

"I was not that enlightened back then." Morgan admitted. "It took me years to figure out how to be here and part of this."

"I can only imagine. I still would have liked some Wendall, though. It was never a mystery to me why you went for him. He was a sweet man." Janie said.

"It requires a lot of mutual respect and trust. It would be as if Mike's lovers were also yours because you also loved them, and your lovers were also theirs. A situation I do not see happening for either of you."

"No. I have a type, and it's YOU, not them. I have never even met them. Don't want to." Janie said firmly.

"That is ... hard to imagine." Mike agreed.

"You two have a non-traditional relationship. Just think of it as somehow becoming a few steps more untraditional. You are not a monogamous couple huddled down at your house with nine to five jobs. You are an exotic dancer, a bouncer/bartender at the same club, co-owners of said club, not married, but with a kid. You are already outside the norm." I pointed out.