She got up carefully, smoothing her skirt and putting the ashtray up on the kitchen table.

"What – what is it, Marge?" she asked, unlocking the door.

"Don't you remember, dear?" Marge asked hurriedly, opening the door. Rex scooted in quickly through the open door, the handsome German shepherd's longish tongue lolling out all wet and pinkish looking. He moved quickly around Jan's pretty long, tanned legs, the soft fur of his coat brushing evanescently against her sleek hairless young flesh.

"Remember? Why…?"

"You said you'd look after Rex while we were on vacation," said Marge almost tearfully, and suddenly, abruptly, she flung her arms about Jan and hugged her tight. "Oh, dear – you will be good to him, won't you? Feed him regular and take him for walks? Please, Jan! Say you'll be good to him!"

Jan pushed her away and looked into the teary face of the older woman. Why, Marge was actually crying over leaving Rex behind! "But – Marge, if you feel like this why don't you take him on your vacation with you?"

"Ben says no," she sniffled into her hanky. Jan took her tearful face into her shoulder and ran her fingers into Marge's long black hair. The two women's breasts met beneath their shifts. "Two whole weeks without him!" Marge bawled.

"There, there, Marge, don't cry. It's not so long," Jan said gently as she knew how, patting Marge's back like a handler gentling an upset horse. The whole thing was strangely peculiar. It was not normal for a woman to get so upset over leaving a dog behind for two weeks. Jan looked down at where Rex had slid down onto the kitchen floor, his handsome big head resting on his forepaws. The dog's eyes seemed to be studying her very intently – but why on ever for?

Or was she merely imagining it? She was so upset herself of late that her mind might conceive anything.

Marge did dry her tears. "Yes, it is long," she said, glancing at Rex, then at Jan and back again. "Longer than you think I wouldn't be able to bear it, Jan, if I didn't know that someone as nice as you – and as innocent and trustable – was looking after my little darling."