Unstoppable Erica

Love Walks In.

And then you sense a change, nothing feels the same.
All your dreams are strange, Love Comes Walking In.
Van Halen.

"Ziggy, are you ok?"

That girl creeps me out sometimes...

She only had a light brown sweater, for the unexpectedly chilly drive back home from the carnival in my open Thunderbird. As she curled into a ball on the far end of the front bench seat, I received a stoic nod from her, even while her teeth chattered.

Erica clung to me in bliss, and I stroked the back of her long neck as we accelerated onto the freeway. My leather jacket and blanket that she wore performed their intended purpose of keeping her warm. I had offered them to Ziggy, but she had shook her head vigorously. Nonetheless, Erica had been ecstatic. "I love that you brought these for me. You're so considerate!"

The sweet and spicy combination of her teal sundress and the chrome buttoned black leather jacket looked perfect on her. I didn't tell Erica that I always kept it, and the blanket, in the trunk. Four other women besides her had worn them, and had similar praise for my forethought.

Her silky blonde hair danced in the wind, and lightly tickled my face as she snuggled against me while kissing my neck. As expected, men on the road slowed down or sped up to get a good look at Erica, and a few honked or gave thumbs up. Before I crashed it, the car itself would get plenty of attention, but her platinum-haired beauty reduced the normally eye-catching custom hotrod to mere background status.

At a red light, the heater caught up a bit, and I made out with Erica, completely forgetting her friend sitting next to us.

Ziggy blends into everything, like an invisible woman...

I wondered if Ziggy had a good time at the carnival. She had not wanted to go on any of the rides or play any booth games, and only ate the bag of popcorn I bought because I had told her to. The one thing that she seemed interested in was the stuffed dragon Erica had won, then given to her. Ziggy kept it hugged to herself the rest of the day, and it rested on her lap in the car.

Still, I hated when people asked me "Are you having fun," so I didn't bother Ziggy with inane questions, and she quietly endured the short drive. Occasionally, she tapped Erica, then pointed wordlessly at something. Erica frequently ignored her, but a few times whispered something into Ziggy's ear. Erica had not told me ahead of time she was bringing her friend, so my irritation tank was close to overflowing, but for the sake of Erica, I contained it.

What is with that girl? She's like a fucking ghost or something...

Upon parking in the backyard, Ziggy stiffly exited the car with our bag of Popeyes fried chicken meals. The cute high-yellow girl working the drive-through window had cast a stink-eye towards Erica, right after giving me one of the flirtiest looks I had ever seen, but she didn't seem to notice Ziggy.

As the sun dipped below my tiny garage, I made out with Erica in the car for a minute, then told her, "Let me see you behind the wheel."

I stood beside Ziggy, and pointed, "Doesn't Erica look great in the car, with the leather jacket? She's like a punk rock princess."

Ziggy's face flushed with embarrassment, but she looked up at me and wiggled in pleasure. "She is so beautiful, kind, and cool. I should be jealous, but I love just being around her. Erica's the best person I've ever met."