"Are you O.K.?" she asked."I'm fine."Lisa smiled. "This is your big chance to be a real bridesmaid at a realwedding!"I smiled nervously, glancing acr...ss the table at Carrie and Rick. "I'venever been a bridesmaid," I said, stating what I thought was the obviousas womanly as possible."You haven't?" Rick remarked. "I thought it was something that everygirl has done three or four times."Was he being charitable, or did he honestly not know? "You'll be fine,"Carrie told me, touching my hand. Fred was a very unattractive man who was probably in his 40s with balding, greasy hair that he tried to hide with one of those hideous comb-overs. He was short, heavy, wore a thick mustache and had bad teeth. What he lacked in physical appearance, he gained in kindness and I would later learn his role at the adult bookstore was the guy who kept inventory of all the items and partly the security guard for the "back room" traffic of people.At that moment, I had no idea what that entailed but I. "She's really a nice girl," she said, for once not being bubbly, "and I really appreciate what you're doing for her!" It's the least we can do, Felicia." Patricia said, "I think she'll be all right, but she needs a support system that she can't get at home right now, and our house is at least somewhat familiar surroundings. How about you? Didn't you have a date with that engineering student you've been all googly-eyed about?" I called him and apologized." she said, "He took it well. Anyway, I'm. The door creaked open, and she sat beside me."I'm sorry," I said without looking up."Hey," she said tenderly, lifting my head by my chin, "you didn't do anything wrong. Don't be sorry." Not only was she not angry, for which I was relieved, but she was sitting next to me wearing her short robe. (I know. I couldn't help it, OK?) My eyes touched on hers, then looked down again, conveniently affording me a look at her long, bare legs, which led into the darkness only inches away beneath the.