"Speaking woman to woman," Natalie said with a candid look, "as long as Kevin has been lost looking for the olives, there are ways of satisfying yourself without hurting yourself or your husband, you know."

"I-I don't know what you mean," Liz blurted out, feeling herself blush openly once again. "Tom is a very attentive husband, not unlike Kevin," she heard herself explaining. What an incredible thing to say, she realized after it was out. No wonder the younger girl's jaw dropped.

"Like Kevin?" the blond asked. There seemed to be a hint of amusement in her eyes. She was probably wondering how Kevin's mother would know about her son's sexual life.

"Of course, I really don't know how attentive Kevin is," the flustered mother then said, making matters worse, she could see.

"I am very attentive," Kevin said, reentering the dining room from the kitchen. "It's just that I couldn't find the damn things. Ma, your olives were in the meat drawer. How did that happen?"

How did that happen, she repeated to herself. She probably put them there the last time she had too many martinis waiting for a husband who never did come home that night! But she only smiled at Kevin.

But Liz's mind returned immediately to the intimate conversation that she and Natalie had started on. It had made her feel uncomfortable, but she must remember that the young people today were raised and educated in the school system to talk about things that their parents would not have dreamed of even thinking about! She took a large gulp from the martini in her hand and discovered to her surprise that she had finished all of it.