RANSVESTIA

Mallett had hoped when her mother had finally put her foot down and insisted that she bring the lovely Peggy home for a weekend. "It's about time," Mrs. Mallett had scolded. "You spend every weekend, and almost every night, living and eating over there in that girl's apartment. It's about time you repaid her hospitality."

The crunch of a car wheel on the gravel driveway made Erica jump like a scalded cat. She hurried off to the door. I'll just wait a moment, thought Mrs. Mallett, and let Erica make a proper introduc- tion. She heard the door open, and the clump of a case on the stone floor of the hallways. Then there was a silence. Well, time for her to show herself, she thought.

Erica was clinging to a young man, her arms about him, in the still-open doorway, kissing him in a most impassioned manner, a manner which the young man was equally intent on returning.

"Erica!" said Mrs. Mallett, her voice shocked. The pair broke away immediately. Erica quickly pushed the door shut and took hold of the young man's hand. She was quaking and obviously nervous.

"Mother," she said, a tremble in her voice. "This is Dave Roth, my boy friend. We wanted to talk to you this weekend about our getting married."

"B-but..." Mrs. Mallett was astounded. "You have another friend coming." She hardly realized what she was hearing. Erica, the girl who had avoided boys since she was five. The girl whom she had worried about and lain awake at nights over, crying about her un- happiness. This girl, her daughter, was now bringing hom a young man, handsome, too, who actually wanted to marry her. She beamed at them both. "Well, what a beautiful surprise!" she cried. "Come on in, er, Dave, is it?" the man nodded. "We were expecting another friend of Erica's," she said, leading them into the drawing room. "Peggy Walker, she's quite a famous model, you know..."

Erica cut her short by saying, "Mother. Peggy is already here."

Mrs. Mallett looked about in confusion. "Where?" she said. "Oh Erica, don't tell me your friend arrived and you slipped her in while I was out in the back. Whatever will she think of me?"

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