Disclaimer/Admonition: This story has explicit descriptions 
of people engaging in careless and unprotected sexual 
activity in it, and shouldn't be accessed by minors.  

Kids?  Try this stuff and you'll probably end up either in 
an AIDS ward waiting to die or in the maternity ward 
looking at your child before you graduate.  Don't rush into 
'It' - it's not THAT much fun, and certainly not worth the 
risks around nowadays - I'm glad I'm married! :) 

In any case, should this find its way into minors' hands, I 
cannot be held responsible - I DID warn them.

Author's Note: Okay, this isn't *strictly* speaking a 
"Mikel & Nadine" episode - the events herein did not happen 
to Dancer and/or myself.  The story was *inspired* by 
someone from my alma mater calling me up while Dancer and I 
were visiting my folks.  

My 10-Year High School Reunion was scheduled for sometime 
in January - after Dancer was to go back to Nebraska.  As a 
result, I never went - firstly the love of my life wasn't 
by my side, and secondly I was on the down slope of a blue 
funk that would bottom out around St. Valentine's Day, so 
why spoil everyone's punch?

But what if...


Disinformation or
Let's Fuck With Their Tiny Little Minds!
- Part one

By Empath
Copyright, 2001
=============


They made their entrance.  A few smokers outside 
Diefenbaker High's front entrance paused to look at them, 
but were given some smug disinterest.

Nadine was in an attractive dark blue dress that 
accentuated her voluptuous form, but at the moment it was 
hidden by a sable coat of his mother's.

Mikel was in a light brown suit, covered with a black 
topcoat.  She insisted he looked good in it, though he 
always thought his legs make him look short and stocky in 
any suit.

More than their clothes, they wore an aura of *confidence* 
- they knew were the most successful, most influential, 
most *interesting* people at this place.  Or at least the 
ones who would have the most fun...

Inside, they were confronted by a young man who took their 
coats.  As he was peeling off his gloves, they heard a 
woman's voice: "Mikel!  Mikel Torsson!  You're one of the 
early birds!"

Turning, he saw a brunette standing behind a table covered 
with nametags.  The face was familiar to Mikel, as was 
every face he'd seen from birth, but if he hadn't spoken 
with the voice recently he would have never remembered her 
name.

"Angela - Angela Wilkins!  Leading this walk down memory 
lane?"

"It's Soper, now."

"Paul Soper?  Well, never would've expected that."

"Neither would I - we met in a business meeting only six 
months ago, and well..."

"C'est la vie!"

Angela nodded, and looked past him.  "And this is?"

Mikel looked to his wife.  He could see her shyness was 
taking hold already; she hung back and was casting around, 
trying to avoid eye contact.  As he took her elbow to 
comfort her, an evil idea entered his head.

Quickly sticking his left hand in a pocket he addressed the 
Reunion organizer.  "My...companion.  Um, Mrs. Sanders?  
I'm having trouble with your first name again."

She looked at him with a little confusion, then felt a 
squeeze on her elbow the same time his expression changed.  
He was looking at her with heavily lidded eyes, and a 
smugly aloof smile.  If she didn't know his face as well as 
she did, she could have mistaken the wink as just a twitch 
of an eyelid.  She nodded imperceptibly, dropped her eyes, 
and whispered meekly "Nadine.  It's Nadine Sanders, sir."

"Louder.  I couldn't hear that, so I'm quite sure Mrs. 
Soper didn't."

Nadine repeated herself with more volume as Angela 
distractedly filled out a blank nametag.  Mikel was pleased 
to see she was rather nonplussed by this.  She tried to 
cover her discomfort by asking "So, what are you doing 
now?"

He raked his eyes over the woman before he replied to her 
question.  "I'm a loan officer with Wells-Fargo.  Mr. 
Sanders came to me in some financial difficulty - his 
business was failing and he needed help to make his 
mortgage.  After some brainstorming, we were able to come 
to...an arrangement."  At this, Nadine tried to look even 
more downcast.  "I do so like my profession; it's so 
rewarding to help people in need."

Angela was again struck dumb by something, and with a slack 
jaw, she held out the two nametags.  Nadine took hers, but 
stopped at Mikel clearing his throat.  In response to an 
arch frown from him, she looked downcast again, put her tag 
down, took his and pinned it to his lapel, and finally 
administered to herself.

Mikel gave the hostess a sly smile.  "Good help is SO hard 
to find, isn't it?  Take care of your finances."  He was 
rewarded with a half-hearted nod from the thoroughly 
shocked woman.

As the couple walked from the greeting table Mikel spoke, 
making sure his voice would carry just enough.  "And now, 
m'dear, I think we will have to discuss this impudent 
behavior of yours."  He roughly cupped a buttock in his 
hand as he steered them to the boys' bathroom.

Once inside, they both broke up in laughter.  "What the 
fuck was that?" Nadine asked as they leaned against the 
wall.

"It occurred to me that I'll probably never see these 
people again," Mikel replied, his shoulders shaking.

"And you decided to have some fun at their expense?"

He placed his hands on the wall on either side of her head 
and leaned against her, kissing briefly.  "Turnabout's fair 
play, darling."

She kissed him back.

"So, I didn't hurt your feelings?"  She gave him a 
disappointed look, took his hand, and stuck it under the 
hem of her dress.  "Does that answer your question?"  His 
fingers teased her damp slit for a little before she shook 
his shoulders.  "Mik?  There's a security camera."

"Damn, it's gotten worse in here - I remember them 
installing smoke detectors and there was a big uproar about 
that."  The couple made their way into a toilet stall.

"They don't have metal detectors."  She pushed him onto the 
toilet.

"Only because Canadians don't have guns to be detected."  
He undid his slacks and unbuttoned his boxers, freeing his 
erect cock.

The conversation ended as Nadine turned her back to him, 
lifting her dress to her waist.  Her lush bottom was creamy 
white, except for the pink fingermarks where he had grabbed 
her.  Mikel watched as his wife sank onto his manhood, 
sheathing him in her moist, wet pussy.

Their lovemaking was cut short by the sound of someone 
entering the restroom.  Nadine hopped up and put her eye to 
the crack in the door.  "Who's this tall, cool drink?" she 
whispered.

Mikel joined her.  "Er, Bob Stamp.  Bit of a jock.  
Basketball and hockey."

"He bully you?"

Mikel shrugged.  "Not really.  Lanky, isn't he?"  He knew 
Nadine had a slight preference for tall men.

"Quick - gimme the name of a friend of his - someone who'd 
hold parties," she hissed.  Mikel wracked his brain, 
managing to come up with "Uhhh, er, Jack - Jack Webb."

Nadine gave her husband a doubtful look.  "Really."

"No shit - his folks liked 'Dragnet', the poor fella.  But 
he was a real ringleader - the life of the party.  Good 
friends with Bob, here."

"Perfect." Nadine gave husband an impish grin, handed her 
nametag to him and opened the stall door as her target 
started zipping up.

"Bob Stamp!  I'd never forget a butt like that!"  She 
rushed up, goosed him on both cheeks and wrapped her arms 
around his waist, pressing her face into his back.

"Uh.  Yes?"

She turned him around, giving him a disapproving smile.  
"How soon we forget!  Jack Webb's Halloween party - '89?  I 
was dressed like a cat and I let you play with my 'pussy'?"

Bob recovered only partially from the surprise.  "Uh.  
Yeah?"

"You swore I had the tightest twat you'd ever fucked.  I 
think you proposed to me when I blew you afterwards."

Poor Bob was stuttering.  "W-w-well, you c-can't hold me 
to-"

Nadine rolled her eyes, and took hold of his still-exposed 
penis.  "Offer was made under emotional duress; relax, 
boy!"  She looked down at the hardening prick in her hands.  
"Hmmm, maybe he remembers me better?"  She knelt and sucked 
the head between her lips.

Her prey sagged against the urinals.  Mikel watched with an 
even mix of awe and amusement as the man's fingers laced 
themselves in Nadine's chestnut tresses.  Her head bobbed 
for only a few seconds before she pulled her head away.  
"There, now he looks like he did back then."  She lay on 
the floor, raising the skirt of her dress and spreading her 
legs.

Bob didn't hesitate; he pulled his pants clear and lay on 
top of her, his cock brushing against her belly as he 
shifted.  Mikel was disappointed to see his wife's current 
paramour was no better endowed than he was.  Nadine didn't 
seem to mind, especially when that dick eased into her hot 
gash.

Nadine held Bob's hips and splayed her legs wide to allow 
him to fuck her as deep as possible.  She was thrilling 
from the sensations of a strange cock in her pussy, and 
from the knowledge that her husband was watching.  A 
temptation to call him out to get his cock sucked was 
quickly quashed - her new lover would probably freak.

Her legs came up behind his back, and her hands started to 
massage her breasts, teasing her passions closer and closer 
to glorious release.  She sighed at the feel of Bob's rigid 
shaft filling her again and again.

And suddenly, it stopped.  His rhythm became irregular and 
rough - and though she liked the hard thrusts against her, 
even that stopped.  She felt him pulse in her, his hot cum 
splashing against her insides and heard him groan.  She 
looked at him expectantly, even as he pulled his pants up 
and thanked her for the quickie.  

After she heard the door shut, she hollered out "Jocks!"  
She opened her eyes to see her husband crouched next to 
her.  "Karma?" she asked him.

"I wouldn't blame Bob - you can't expect a total stranger 
to know your needs well enough.  Not like I do, at least."  
A hand stroked her cheek while its mate slipped between her 
legs and invaded her sodden pussy with several fingers.  
She sighed into his hand and looked at him hungrily.  

"Care for a push over the top, miss?"  He shifted as she 
nodded and kissed her as his wet fingers traced her lips up 
to her clit.  Her moans were muffled as he coaxed her 
banked fires back to a roaring blaze.  When her legs 
clamped together and he felt her scream into his mouth, his 
busy lips curled into a smile.

Once she had calmed down, Mikel handed her some damp paper 
towels to clean up.  Giving her a hand up, he quickly 
brushed down her back, ridding the dress of both dust and 
wrinkles.  They hugged as he exclaimed what a surprising 
woman his wife was.  

As they began to make for the door, Mikel had an idea.  
"You've got a hanky in that purse of yours, don't you?"  
She opened the tiny handbag and produced a square of blue 
silk that matched the dress.  "It'd be better if it had 
lace, but it'll do.  Here's the plan..."

           *           *           *           *

"Right, but remember - we wait until we're talking with a 
couple."

"Why not double-team a lone person?"

"Maybe later - right now I wanna blow two minds for the 
price of one."  Mikel's grin had Nadine imagining a pair of 
horns subtly poking from his temples.

"You are totally evil and completely crazy, you know."

He laughed, deep and booming, not caring fir the looks he 
provoked.  "Aren't I, though?  I have to admit that it is 
SO much more fun then 'decent' behavior.  And remember - 
these diabolical aspects to my psyche were only awakened by 
the interaction with your own sexy, devilish mind, m'dear!"  
He lightly tapped her nose for emphasis, making her wriggle 
it and frown at him.  "And admit it, hon - you LIKE me this 
way."  And, trapping his wife against the brick wall with 
his outstretched arms, he sung softly to her:

     Think of all the years you tried to
     Find someone to satisfy you
     I might be as crazy as you say

He quickly licked her ear between stanzas,

     If I'm crazy then it's true
     That it's all because of you
     And you wouldn't want me any other way

As Mikel reached the chorus, he kissed his wife and then 
sung out loud:

     You may be right, I may be crazy
     But it just may be a lunatic you're looking for
     Turn out the light; oh, don't try to save me
     You may be wrong - for all I know
     But you may be right!

Nadine smiled at his mediocre singing, tapped his shoulder 
and silently pointed behind him.  He spun to regard a few 
couples and single people watching them.  He grinned hugely 
and bowed with aplomb.  They laughed and some applauded. 

As Mikel and Nadine resumed their walk to the gymnasium and 
the Reunion's dance, one of the couples moved close to 
them.  "Is that you, Mikel?" the woman asked.

She was grossly pregnant, her small frame exaggerating the 
size of her swollen abdomen even more - there was no way 
this woman could be confused for fat.  She was holding the 
arm of a tall, blonde man who looked on everyone with the 
bemused expression of a stranger.

On casting his gaze upon this young woman, Mikel exploded 
in a falsetto squeal, flourishing the blue handkerchief.  
"LISA!!!  Lisa Yates; ohmyGOD, how ARE you, my girl?!?"  He 
carefully but enthusiastically hugged her, 'air-kissing' 
each cheek.  "Oh, *listen* to me; you'd think I failed Miss 
Thompson's health class!"  He tittered, and asked "How far 
along are you, DARLING?"

Lisa was only slightly put off by Mikel's behavior.  "Uh, 
eight months.  This is our fourth."

"FOUR?!? OhmyGAWD, that's FAB-ulous, just mag-NIF-icent!"  
He clapped his hands campily, then leaned close, murmured 
"I'm glad SOME-one's working on keeping the population up, 
eh dear?" and tittered again.

Lisa was rather overwhelmed by Mikel's performance, but 
even so she was aware of his companion's attentions.  The 
woman was running her eyes slowly up and down Lisa's body, 
with a vaguely appraising look.

Mikel finally noticed he was carrying the conversation on 
his own, took in the other people, and wailed "Oh, WHERE 
are my MANners?  My GAWD, my mother'd just SHOOT me, 
wouldn't she?!?"

He took Nadine's hand and presented her to the couple.  
"This is my darling friend Dini - Nadine Sanders.  She's 
SUCH a dear."

"Um, I noticed you and she are wearing..." Lisa pointed to 
Mikel's left hand.  

He noticed, and rolled his eyes. "Oh, THAT.  Well," the man 
leaned in confidentially, "you'll be heartbroken to hear 
that Dini's family, though fabulously wealthy, are 
pitifully old-fashioned - absolute dinosaurs, eh?"  Another 
titter.  "And they in-SIS-ted that she had to *marry* 
before she could inherit; atrocious, isn't it?  Like it's 
even a guarantee for *civility*, let alone affection, eh?"  

Mikel scrunched his face up before continuing.  "Well, my 
dear, dear biker Jacob left me in the lurch after Sturgis, 
and I kicked around the Midwest until I met Dini in a bar 
in Omaha.  She told me her TRA-gic tale of woe, and I knew 
a...friend who liked to dress up as a priest - such a kinky 
one, him - and we faked a ceremony for her folks."  

He giggled before leaning in to the couple to share another 
secret, "We all know the rich tend to inbreeding, so let's 
just say that her side of the church was...well, not the 
drawer for SHARP knives, eh?"  A flourish of his 'queen 
hanky' let him step back.  "Dini?  This is Lisa Yates-"

"Campbell." Lisa interjected.

"-Who was a positively *vivacious* member of the 
cheerleading squad."

Mikel paused as he took in Lisa's companion, as if for the 
first time.  He panted slightly and his jaw loosened as he 
scrutinized the suddenly uncomfortable man. "This... 
gentleMAN I'm not familiar with; and I never forget a face 
- among other things - so I am EAGERLY awaiting for Lisa to 
introduce us to him!"  Mikel even licked his lips.

"Mikel, Dini?  This is my *husband* Richard Campbell.  
Dick, Mikel - a fellow 'Diefenbunker', and 
his...friend...Dini."

Nadine seemed indifferent of the man, though Mikel locked 
his eyes on him.  "Dick, eh?  The pleasure is ALL mine."

Lisa was blushing out of sympathy for her husband, and 
loudly announced "Well, we were going to the gym for the 
dance."

Nadine grunted slightly, and as Mikel leaned over for her 
to whisper in his ear, the Campbells took the opportunity 
to make their getaway.  They were given a parting shot: 
"Save me a dance, Lise DARLING; we've got a whole DEC-ade 
to catch up on!"

The Torssons quickly turned around and made their way to 
the girls' bathroom, failing to hold in their laughter.  
When they entered the washroom, Mikel was given some 
astonished stares and a shriek or two.  He countered "Oh, 
reLAX, ladies - like I don't see worse things going to bed 
with this one every night!" as he guided his gasping wife 
into a stall.  

"Christ - *I've* got bigger ones than that - don't worry 
'bout it!" he called to one woman hurriedly trying to pull 
her dress back up. "Hi, Trish," he added without malice.

Mikel felt a tap on his shoulder.  He ignored it as he 
checked on Nadine.  "Sorry, hon - forgot about your tiny 
bladder.  If it's any consolation, you played a straight 
man that Graham Chapman'd be proud of!"

"Excuse me, SIR; but this is the *Ladies'* Room-"

He whirled on the speaker.  "No.  Technically it's the 
'Girls' Bathroom', and I'm quite sure the majority of 
occupants here would sue me for addressing them as 'girls' 
if they thought they could get away with it, so maybe we 
should ALL depart from this room?"

The woman was nonplussed, so he seized the initiative and 
explained himself.  "I helped my wife in here because she 
suddenly took ill and I'll be damned if some bullshit 
unwritten rule of *decency* is going to leave me stewing 
where I can neither help her nor check on her.  If you're 
offended by my presence, write a letter to someone who 
gives a flying fuck, dear."  He blew the woman a kiss 
before checking on Nadine again.

When they left the stall, the woman was still there, 
leaning against the counter with her face stuck in a look 
of amazement.  She leaned to look at his nametag.  "Mikel - 
thought I recognized the face, but I *knew* I didn't 
recognize the attitude.  What happened to you Mikel - you 
used to be such a 'wallflower.'"

Nadine took over from her husband.  "Just the usual shit - 
buried a girlfriend, had a breakdown, flunked out of 
college, healed himself and met someone else.  
You...Becky?"

'Becky' covered her mouth in realization.  "Oh my god - 
Angie!  Mikel, I'm sorry - I forgot.  How are you?"

"Why would you CARE?  Obviously he's gotten over it, if 
he's with me-"  

Mikel put a hand on his protective wife's shoulder.  "Dini, 
darling?  Heel.  I don't even remember...Becky Hall, so I 
don't think she was cause for any noticeable torment in my 
school days."

Further comment was prevented by another man entering the 
washroom.  "Right where's this perv scaring-" The tall, 
lean man was silenced by catching sight of the 'culprit.'

Nadine lit up, yelled "Aaron!" and dashed to hug the 
newcomer.  As he laughed, hoisted her into the air and spun 
the two of them, Becky was just overloaded with surprise.  
"Figures.  The only guy from school who *wouldn't* have 
beat the crap out of you is the guy sent in to flush you 
out of the ladies' room."

"Ugh - punny, very punny!"

"What?  Oh!  Sorry."

"S'okay.  The accidental ones are the worst."

"So what's this about you being an 'S&M banker' in Omaha?  
Shouldn't they mean 'S&L'?"

Mikel clapped his hand to his forehead.  "The rumors are 
spreading faster than I thought - Hey lovebirds; let's take 
this one to the cafeteria and catch up?"

           *           *           *           *

The four of them were sitting around a table, sipping 
punch.  There were a couple of groups in the cafeteria, but 
most people were in the gym dancing and taking part in the 
*official* festivities.

"And that's how Angie died - lying on my lap, thankfully 
unconscious, her abdomen turning a livid purple from 
internal bleeding.  Her pulse stopped seventeen minutes and 
twenty-two seconds before the paramedics got there.  Took 
three of them to get me to let her go."  Mikel was the most 
collected of the people; he was just ambivalent.  Aaron and 
Dini - she sitting on his lap - were somber.  

But Becky was wiping a tear from her cheek.  "God, I was 
right - you'd have made a great Hamlet."  

Mikel frowned, and she looked at him with a smile.  "You 
still don't remember me, do you?"  He just shook his head.  
"Becky?  Rebecca Hall?  Oh, of course - I forgot you 
haven't been around for a few years; I switched to my 
middle name when I started writing for the Trib!  Try 
'Joanne Hall'?"

Mikel frowned for a second.  "She was in drama club, but 
she...had...longer hair.  Ah, I'm sorry Joanne/Becky!"

Nadine just shrugged.  "He's a guy - we can't expect too 
much from him."  Aaron agreed, and they all laughed.

Mikel looked at his empty punch glass.  "So.  Anyone want 
any more punch while I'm up?"  He was handed three quickly 
emptied glasses.  Sighing, "Right.  Fine.  Fine.  Good.  
Dunno how I'll *carry* four filled punch glasses-"

Becky tried to be helpful.  "Oh, that's easy Mik - get one 
of those trays over there."

"Shhhh!"

"If you're bringing back a tray, could you get us some 
hors-d'oeuvres too?"

"Thanks, Becky.  Thanks a lot."

She shrugged apologetically as Mikel left the group.  Dini 
and Aaron just laughed a little.  Holding his arms around 
her, Nadine asked, "So how long was the crush, dear?"

"What?" Becky asked, rather surprised.

Nadine smiled deprecatingly at her.  "Come.  He's my 
husband - and if you touch his arm much more, there'll be a 
worn patch on the sleeve!"

The woman blushed.  "It was only a couple of months - way 
back in sophomore year."

Aaron started.  "Oh yeah, he told me about this girl that 
wanted him to be in the school play."

"Hamlet?"

"Yes, Nadine.  I was in a bit of a 'gothic romance' period 
at the time; you know - Wuthering Heights and all that.  We 
were having trouble with the lead, and I noticed Mikel 
slouching around the halls.  I thought he'd make a perfect 
'Melancholy Dane'."

"Jeez - if I'd known, I would've warned you off.  Mikel was 
in his 'Lone Gunman' phase, the boy was totally paranoid at 
the time!"

The ladies were surprised.  "Really?"

"Oh, yeah.  He was drawing up 'worst-case' plans for just 
about everything: if the Soviets bombed North America, if 
they started a land invasion, if some terrorists took over 
the school, if a plane crashed in his neighborhood - he 
probably had plans for what to do if aliens landed!"

Becky giggled.  "He might've had a good screenplay or two 
in all that; why'd he stop?"

"Angie - why else?"

"Aaron, dear?  You're wrong - he didn't stop; I still hear 
more conspiracy theories during one breakfast than Chris 
Carter hears in a month!"

"Hey - they're not conspiracies spawned by a paranoid mind; 
they're the cynical rantings of a not-yet-old curmudgeon - 
learn to distinguish.  Here's your drinks."

"Sorry, hon; I'm not that discriminating before my morning 
coffee."

"Bah - you're not that discriminating *ever*."

"Guess not - I married you."

"Whose lap are you sitting on?"

"My lovers'."

"The defense smugly rests," and Mikel kissed his wife 
before taking his seat next to Becky.  She looked back and 
forth between the two, trying to decide whether to laugh at 
the act, or suggest a good marriage counselor.

Mikel noted her expression and explained.  "Sorry, it's 
Aaron there - he's a disruptive influence.  Normally she's 
the mild, meek obedient wife that she's supposed to be."  A 
wink set that statement's veracity.

"Oh!  That reminds me - I was going to get to the truth of 
you being a sadomasochist banker?"

"What?"

Mik and Dini started laughing.  "Sorry, you two - it's my 
fault.  You met Angie Wilk- er Soper, who's managed to keep 
her cheerful, ebullient personality despite life's shit 
diet?"  Everyone nodded.  "Well, her 'school spirit' always 
made my knuckles itch, so I decided to mess with her head a 
little, and Dini here was more than willing to be my 
accomplice.  I weaved a quick story with the 'S&M debt-
bondage' angle, and leered menacingly at her.  She wilted 
faster than a snowflake on a space heater!"

"Oh, but *I'm* a bad influence on your wife."

"Exactly - you distract her attentions from the ultimate 
goal of mind-fucking every person in this building."

Becky piped up, "But why?"

"Why not?  When exactly am I ever going to meet any of 
these people again?  I live in Nebraska now.  And whom does 
it hurt?  Angela will enjoy - and probably already is 
enjoying - retelling the 'brush with danger' she's had.  
She'll be telling that story for the rest of her life; I've 
made her more interesting AND gotten a shot at immortality 
to boot.  Not bad, I think."

"Ah, but what about Lisa & Dick?" Nadine interjected.

"Same thing - Lise gets the pride and cachet of having 
defended her husband from the unwanted attentions of a 
'flaming fairy'."

"What's this?"

Mikel - with corrections from his wife - retold the 
encounter between them and the Campbells.

"Okay - that's bullshit, Mik."  Aaron pointed an accusing 
finger at his friend.  "You'd never have the guts for 
that."

Mikel pulled the blue handkerchief from his cuff, posed 
'camp' for a second, and then kissed the offending finger.  
When he began sucking on the finger, the girls squealed and 
Aaron yanked his hand back as if burned.

Between gasps of laughter, Mikel said, "Never...ever...dare 
me...sonny.  I've...I've figured out that nine-tenths of 
'polite behavior' serves no purpose other than to make us 
feel miserable.  I've felt miserable enough in my life, and 
I'll be dammed if Emily Post and Miss Manners are going to 
tell me how to act!"

"Oh - and while we're at it; where does this 'lady' get off 
handing out marriage advice?"

"Who, Nadine?"

"*MISS* Manners - she's a spinster, by her own definition!"

After the laughter died down, Mikel raised his glass in a 
toast.  "To absent friends who can't be here for all the 
fun!"

His companions shared a look and toasted rather somberly.
"Why the long faces?  Aw, shit - guys?  I *meant* Liam, the 
grandmaster of pranks!"

Nadine looked puzzled.  "Why isn't he here?"

Aaron fielded this question.  "He was a year behind us.  He 
couldn't be here even if he wanted to be."

The woman persisted. "But you keep saying he's *older* than 
either of you two."

"He is, love - he got held back in 9th grade for one of his 
pranks; hijacked the P.A. system."

"Shame," Aaron mused.  "It wasn't even one of his best."

"Yeah - I think the goat in the girls change room should've 
done it."

"Never - remember what he did to Mr. Ryerson?"

Mikel leaned forward, interested.  "I never got the details 
- I only know that he actually laughed at Liam's work."

"Oh.  You know how short-tempered he was?  Well, Liam got 
the idea to sneak into Ryerson's room before he got there 
in the morning.  He took out all the screws in Ryerson's 
desk."

Mikel began to laugh though the ladies were left a little 
behind.  "So?" Becky asked.

"Well, you know what Ryerson was like?"

"No, I never heard of the guy."

"You went to Bedford JHS?"

Becky shook her head.  "Lower Sackville."

Aaron accepted this.  "Oh.  Well, Mr. Ryerson taught 
English Grammar and French.  One of the annoying things 
he'd do is have a short vocabulary test at the beginning of 
every class."

"*Every* class?"

Mik & Aaron nodded.  "Every last fucking one.  That 
wouldn't be so bad, except for the fact that he singled out 
the lowest-scoring kid and chewed him out a little.  Liam 
always managed to be that kid."

Nadine looked at her new friend with exasperation.  "I 
should know better - they're just men."  She grabbed 
Aaron's arms and pulled him forward until his face was 
beside hers.  "I'm going to ask you quite specifically: WHY 
WAS TAKING THE SCREWS OUT OF MR. RYERSON'S DESK FUNNY?"

"Oh.  Sorry.  You see, when he gave the worst scoring 
student a dressing down he would pound his hand on his 
desk.  So then-"

"Okay.  Thank you, we understand now.  I suppose it was 
quite funny, and I might have laughed if you had told the 
story without leaving out that critical item."

"Like you said, we're men - we apologize for our 
shortcomings," Mikel volunteered.

"Yeah, just bear with us - it's hard for us to change."

Mikel began to think about something, letting the 
conversation leave him behind.  The others chatted amiably 
as he stared at and through the surface of the cafeteria 
table.  At length, he made a decision.  He watched his 
companions and waited for an opportunity to jump in.

"Guys?  I have something to ask you.  I'll understand if 
anyone has misgivings; don't be afraid to say no.

"When Angie died, I was far too broken up to celebrate her 
life in the way she deserved - she never had a wake.  I 
think it would be a good thing - dispel some ghosts, and 
the like."

His companions look at each other, getting somber again.  
"Now I'm not proposing we go dig her up just so we can put 
a bottle of whiskey between her feet and have a party in 
her presence!  I'm thinking about more of a memorial; 
something that would honor that lovely lass and the fun she 
had in her short life."

He looked from face to face, getting neutral to slightly 
approving looks.  "To be specific, I'd like to honor her 
with a series of pranks."

"That sounds nice, Mik, but why?"

"Because of her love of practical jokes."  Now Mikel was 
confronted with three blank stares.  "Come on, guys.  
Becky, I can understand you not knowing, but I told you 
what she was like, Nadine, and you were one of her closest 
friends, Aaron.  What about the time you three left me 
strapped to a spinal board, floating in the pool?"

Aaron chuckled.  "A good one, yes, but that was Liam's 
idea, as usual.  He was the instigator, the Midge and I 
were just his willing accomplices."

"Oh.  Then I guess she saved her best prank to use on me."

"For God's sake, tell them, Mik.  I know you're dying to," 
Nadine said encouragingly.

"Right - this was in October of 1990 - we were in our first 
semester of college.  One night I drove her back from our 
evening lecture, and we went over our notes for the class."  
Mikel looked a little bashful.  "And, well...I stayed the 
night.

"So I awake the next morning fairly late, since I have no 
morning classes.  When I'm properly conscious and aware of 
why I'm in my girlfriend's bed, I notice that she's not 
around - okay since she DOES have morning lectures to go 
to.

"But I also discover that my clothes are gone, too.  My 
wallet, car keys and watch are sitting on the nightstand, 
my sneakers are sitting under the bed, and my books are on 
the desk.  But no shirt, jeans, socks or underwear.  She's 
left me in her bedroom with nothing to wear!"

Aaron snorted, Becky covered her mouth, and Nadine merely 
smiled - she'd heard the story before.

"To make matters worse, Angie's father is retired; he'll be 
sitting in the kitchen reading the paper sipping a cup of 
coffee - I'd stopped by to pick Midge up one day, and he 
and I chatted while she got ready."

Becky frowned.  "What - Angie was still living with her 
folks?"

"Oh yeah - their house is only three blocks from the 
campus."

"Oh WOW - stuck in your girlfriend's bedroom, NAKED, with 
her father around!"

"Exactly.  I couldn't very well poke my head out and say 
'Excuse me Mr. Mann.  I just shagged the ass of your 
daughter last night, and she took my clothes on me while I 
slept in the bed your baby girl's grown up in - could you 
loan me a pair of pants?'"

The quartet laughed at this, and Mikel resumed his 
anecdote.  "So, I did the only thing I could - I grabbed 
the biggest dress of Angie's I could find, put it on - 
without zipping up the back - and grabbed my things."

"What, you put on HER clothes?"

"What else could I wear?  I wasn't about to drive home 
naked; knowing my luck a cop would stop me.  And I thought 
about wearing the bed sheets, but Angie's mom would 
probably be angrier if I did that.  I also noted that all 
of Midge's long skirts and dresses were conspicuously 
absent.  That dang thing barely covered...you know!"

"Hang on, you mean?"  Becky looked at Mikel questioningly.

"You might not remember - Angie Mann was about four-foot-
eleven - it's why we called her 'the Midge,' for midget; 
I'm not very tall, but most of my height is in the torso."

Nadine took over as Mikel blushed from the memory.  "So 
imagine this; this hairy bugger comes through the kitchen 
at around ten a.m., giving Mr. and Mrs. Mann a quick 'good 
morning' in one of their daughter's tiny dresses."

Aaron clapped as he laughed.  "Oh, I take it back - the 
Midge was good; pity no one told me about this!"

"No, wait the best part is yet to come; tell them, Mik!"

"Heh, well I got my revenge on her.  I drove straight to 
Dal, went right up the lecture hall her current class was 
in, breezed right in, walked over to Angie, bent over and 
gave her a BIG kiss, walked out - giving the prof a 
friendly wave, and waited for her outside the door."

Everyone laughed at the image of Mikel in an undersized 
dress, mooning the lecturer.  "So now do you understand my 
reason for the 'memorial pranks?'"

"I like it - crazy stuff that'll make us remember her 
forever."

"Hell, crazy stuff that'll make people remember US 
forever!"

Mikel looked at Becky.  "I know you never really knew Angie 
- hell, we only really met tonight - but would be 
interested in helping us?"

"Of course - sounds like lots of fun, it's for an admirable 
cause, and I might even get an idea for a story."

"What?"

"Oh, didn't I say?  I'm the arts columnist for the 
*Tribune* - they might print a 'human-interest' story if I 
pitched it to them."

"Weeeeell, I don't know about that.  But you're accepted 
into the pact, right kids?"

Aaron and Nadine concurred, and she spoke up.  "Right then, 
do we do all this tonight at the reunion?  Seems like a big 
task."

"No, this'll take time," Aaron agreed. "How long are you 
two here for?  I forgot."

"Another week, eight days.  How about this: each of us 
comes up with a single prank - something wild and 
entertaining, and the four of us work together to pull each 
off?  And we take the week to do so?"

The four agreed, and held their hands together, and both 
Becky and Aaron said "For Angie" at the same time.  As they 
started, Mikel added "and the little devil on everyone's 
left shoulder!"

As they shared a smile, Nadine stretched.  "Uhhhhh, I guess 
we'd better get brainstorming - someplace quieter; you two 
care to join us at our hotel?"

"For a *discussion*, Dini?" Aaron asked pointedly.

"'Course."

"Okay; Becky?"

"Yep."

Mikel stood, and seemed inspired.  "Oh, here's a head start 
- we've all got to get our coats from 'Ms. Chipper' - wanna 
push that 'S&M' act a little more?  Becky - you stick with 
me and act *very* meek and deferential.  Aaron, you're in 
charge of 'Mrs. Sanders' there."

The two couples formed and chuckled a little as they left 
the cafeteria.

Fin
=============

Author's postscript:  There ya go - looks like Thalia 
finally decided to put in an appearance in my 'inspiration
queue' (I was worried that Melpomene was getting ready to 
'bend my ear again:P ).  Hope you enjoyed the fun!

I must give my apologies, but I don't know when I'll get 
the other half finished - I've got too many 'irons in the
fire' right now to list.  Besides, I'm up in the air as to
how far this 'discussion session' should go...  

Bah, I'll fob off the responsiblity to the public - what 
do YOU think should happen in that hotel room with Mik, 
Dini, Becky & Aaron?  Will it stay platonic due to the 
newcomer (Becky)?  Will Mik&Dini wait for the others to 
leave and fantasize about their friends? (close to 
reality:)  Will Dini & Aaron link up again, and what'll 
the other two do, watch with varied levels of discomfort?
Maybe Aaron & Becky hit it off? (Everyone says married 
couples always want to pair off their single friends:)

If you've got any suggestions, drop me a line!
<empath69@my-deja.com>
