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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."

I'll be damned. She IS human...

Giving in to impulse, I asked, "Ziggy, do you think I'm good enough for Erica?"

I anticipated and received her usual shocked reaction to anyone socializing with her. Her mouth opened to speak, but instead she nodded vigorously.

Not knowing why I cared, "Thank you, Ziggy."

Erica dramatically got out of the car, making sure her dress hiked up sufficiently to expose her high cut panties.

I love her...

***************

After eating, Erica and I resumed our kissing on the sofa, while Ziggy perused the Hot Rod magazine I had left on the rocking chair for her. The air quickly became pungent with our desire, and when she unzipped my pants, I rose to lead her into the bedroom. Erica pulled me back onto her. "No, let's do it right here."

Oh. She wants Ziggy to see us...

My first girlfriend Rachel had enjoyed being watched, but never with someone four feet away in the same room. Erica saw my hesitation, and whispered, "Ziggy will never have a man like you, but she should see how good it can be. Pretend she's not even here. Trust me."

***************

An hour later, our perspiration dampening the sheet on the couch, had cooled enough to make the afterglow cuddling uncomfortable. I led Erica into the bathroom, where we lovingly cleaned each other in the shower, silently completing another sacred ritual. Looking like Adam and Eve, we walked naked with clasped hands into the living room to dress, and I suddenly remembered Ziggy. She remained on the chair, but two empty beer cans perched beside her on the coffee table.

How did I not notice her going to the refrigerator twice? Oh, my God, Ziggy saw everything we did...

Erica had been correct. Ziggy had ceased to exist for me while Erica had taken me to paradise. I winced a bit, as I recalled Erica kneeling in front of me, making a detailed inspection with her eyes, hands, lips and tongue. After boldly proclaiming, "This is mine now," she had sensually anointed it with her supple breasts. Erica had laughed when I continued the ritual by blessing her with a gleaming pearl necklace. The following cornucopia of positions, tempos, and words both romantic and vulgar, had made up the remainder of our lengthy erotic performance. Then we had laid intertwined, our bodies slippery with sweat, cementing our connection by tenderly stroking and caressing each other. I had tearfully assured her, "Erica, all of me, belongs to you."

Completely overlooking our nudity, Ziggy looked up from her reading. "I put the leftovers in the refrigerator."

People fucked in the same cave as the rest of their clan, for thousands of years. This isn't so strange, right?

"Oh. Thank you, Ziggy. I really love Popeyes."

She sort of smiled, exposing her gapped and twisted teeth. "Are we leaving now?"

Shoving her bra and panties into her purse, Erica handed me the sundress to lift over her waiting arms. "Ray, you don't have to get dressed to walk us out. I want my last image of the day to be you, just like this."

She spent a minute kissing my body all over, then the girls left. I watched them pause before getting in the car, and could see Ziggy giggling and skipping around under the yellow glow of the streetlight. She even mimicked Erica's lovely passion face, which I had seen many times that evening.

*************

I thought about what Erica had done for Ziggy. My gut told me it had been a self-serving move, like I was her trophy to put on display. It also seemed cruel from my viewpoint. I would have felt uncomfortable at best, and humiliated at worst, if my high school friend Larry had fucked his gorgeous girlfriend Kim in front of me.

However, I had long ago learned that judging people's actions from my instinct and perspective often turned out horribly wrong. To make matters worse, Erica's world held an impenetrable opacity to me. Thus, I tried to consider only what I had heard and seen. Ziggy had not seemed the least bit uncomfortable, and when she and Erica were alone afterwards, Ziggy had expressed surprising happiness and love with her friend. She trusted Erica, just like I should.

Perhaps Erica is the only person in Ziggy's life who knows what makes her tick. My new friend Peter seems to have a similar grasp on my personality. I should introduce him to Erica...

******************

Our rotary dial telephone rattled under the muting pillow an hour later. Nick had been recording a song earlier in the day, and didn't want any incoming calls ruining a perfect take. "Hello, Erica."

She giggled, but didn't ask how I knew it was her. "Hi, Ray. You made me sooo happy today. My God, I'm still floating from all the coming."

I chuckled, "I can believe that."

She softened her voice. "Um, Ziggy didn't want me to say anything, but she thinks you're amazing. I do too, but like, way more than that. I... want, no... I need to tell you... something."

Silence.

She's gathering up her nerve. Here it comes...

Like the freeze frame at the end of television shows like CHiPS, The Love Boat, and Charlie's Angels, time stood still. Here was my chance to make up for all the cowardice with my other girlfriends.

"Wait, Erica. Let me go first."

Ignoring the roller coaster in my stomach, I took a deep breath.

"Erica... I love you."

A wide variety of squealing, clapping, and dancing noises came through the handset while I patiently waited for her to come down to earth. Barely able to coherently speak, she bubbled, "I love you, I love you, I love you. Oh my God, I love you..."

She dropped the phone, to resume her giddy routine, occasionally crying, "I love you" towards her translucent pink telephone. Finally, she came back and quietly spoke. "I love you too. Goodnight."

Erica. My first love...

A/N. Ziggy accompanied us on a few more dates, but we never had sex in front of her again.

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