bright red finish of her nails. In a moment Viv was sitting on the bed near her, her legs tucked under her hips and her hands clenched in her lap.

"What seems to be so important, Viv?" Michele inquired, “I have never seen you so perturbed. Come on out with it!"

"Michele, you know you are my very best girl friend and I have never liked another person as much as I do you, but I just can't understand you at all. Al Haller liked you a lot and you seemed to enjoy his company too, yet you would not let him get even close to first base. What gives? You don't seem to really want to go out with men and yet I know you are not interested in women so you can't be a Lesbian. If you were, I would have known it by now after living with you."

She continued: "When we moved in together, you asked for privacy and I have respected this wish. I have never seen you even partially nude, nor have you seen me that way. Yet when two girls are living together, it is so much more comfortable to be free to move around no matter how one is attired than it is to go out of our ways to avoid the other."

"You tell me you are taking hormones for your complexion but I have never seen a girl with a better one than you have." Then she continued with even more concern. “You have never missed a day from work as I do on a rare occasion during certain times of the month, and you have never purchased certain items that all women do-unless they are preg- nant. Something is not right.”

Michele was shocked by these comments and had the feeling that this part of her life was over and done with. She was mentally preparing to move out and be on her own again. However, she did feel that some explanation was due to her good friend, who seemed so distraught and embarrassed by the remarks she had just made.

No longer having anything to hide, Michele discussed herself honestly for the first time with another person since she left the service.

As she unfolded her story she could see Vivian's expression change from shock to anger than finally to compassion. When she had finished talking she noticed that Vivian had become silent and now was resting her head on Michele's shoulder, their bodies touching lightly.

"If you will excuse me now," Michele said, "I will pack and find a hotel room for the evening and will look for an apartment in the morn- ing.

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