Marlene and Berri, Part 3

MARLENE AND BERRI
PART III

It was the following Saturday, just ten minutes after 11:00 a.m. Dill,
wearing his dark brown polyester shirt and tan slacks, peered through his
window and saw a familiar powder blue Toyota pickup pull up on his front
sidewalk. He picked up a plastic bag and stepped outside to greet his
friends.

Marlene opened the door on the passenger's side.  She had on a red checkered
blouse and a blue denim skirt. With her usual cheerful smile, she motioned
toward the inside of the cab. Dill got in and moved right beside Berri, who
sat at the wheel. This was the first time he'd seen Berri with her hair
dangling down to her shoulders. She wore a white cardigan over a floral print
dress with brown leather boots. "Happy Birthday, Dill," she said as she gave
him a peck on the cheek. Marlene got into the truck, sat down on Dill's right
and closed the door. She then gave him a kiss on his other cheek and wished
him a Happy Birthday.

Berri was about to start up the truck again, but Dill patted her hand and
said to wait a second. He pulled a carton of Pall Mall 100s out of the
plastic bag and handed it to her. Then he took out a carton of Salem 100's
and gave it to Marlene. The girls were surprised.

"Dill, it's your birthday," Marlene said. "We're supposed to give you the
presents!"

"Well, you know about the 'unbirthday' in Alice In Wonderland. I was kinda
thinking of that. And I'm reading that book Lord Of The Rings. The Hobbits
give out gifts on their birthdays instead of getting them."

"Well, that's fine," Marlene said, unwrapping a pack from the carton and
removing a Salem, "but you're still going to get treated on your birthday."

As she raised the cigarette to her lips, Berri did the same with one of her
Pall Malls. Dill looked back and forth and didn't know what to do. The gals
both giggled. They loved to torture him like this. Finally he flicked his
lighter and Berri tilted her head to the flame and lit hers, then Marlene did
likewise.

Berri started up the truck while the lit cigarette was still in her mouth,
then removed it after a slow drag and exhaled as she accelerated. Dill kept
his gaze on her. Marlene lowered the window on her side and bended her elbow
with her cigarette pointing upright.

They headed out onto the road. Leftoverture by the band Kansas was playing in
Berri's tape deck. They enjoyed the music and the countryside. And most of
all they enjoyed each others company. The drive out to the shopping mall took
about 20 minutes, meaning the girls had time for a couple of cigarettes
apiece.

Dill couldn't have been happier on his birthday, with two people he liked a
lot. Women were still something of a mystery to him. He had had a couple of
girlfriends back home in Arkansas, but both were very short term. Plus he'd
been raised with brothers. He had been raised to believe that women were "the
fair sex" and thought of them as dainty and delicate. Here, outnumbered and
flanked by Berri and Marlene, he felt that he was in their power, and this
turned him on. After all, they were sitting by either door, and he could only
get out if they did.

Mostly his attentions were fixed on Berri. This was the first time he'd seen
her out of uniform and her hair loose. She looked more beautiful than ever in
the dress, and of course when she smoked it got him hot.

Marlene and Berri were enjoying themselves also.  For their part they liked
the fact that Dill was somewhat in their control.  Both girls had been
brought up by dominating fathers and Marlene's ex Fred was like that, too.
She was glad to be free of him. She was starting to feel she was missing out
on something, though. She hadn't dated seriously since the divorce some three
years back and hadn't really desired to.  But she was beginning to miss being
with a man. She could sense the chemistry between Dill and Berri and while
puffing away at her Salem, thought how nice it would be to get interested in
a man again.

Berri was definitely feeling something for Dill as well. He seemed not to
take anybody, or anything, for granted. Her fiancee Stan seemed to want her
only when he wanted her, and she was beginning to experience reservations as
to whether it would work or not. For now she was living in the moment and
would give Dill a sweet smile when he looked in her direction, and exhale
elegantly as she flicked ashes from her Pall Mall outside the window onto the
pavement.

They arrived at the mall and parked. Marlene stepped out the passenger's
side, followed by Dill. She straightened her skirt and coiled her wrist
around Dill's left elbow. Berri meanwhile locked the truck, then took hold of
Dill's other elbow. She took out another cigarette out of her bag, knowing
there would be time to smoke while walking to the mall. Marlene did also, and
of course they held the unlit cigarettes to their lips while Dill took his
lighter out and had to make up his mind whose to light first. Dill felt about
three times his height with the girls flanking him and clasping his elbows.
He got excited smelling the fresh smoke from their cigarettes.  There ought
to be a perfume that smells like that, he thought to himself.

END OF PART III (more on the way)

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