So... the easy way.

"So... I was going to apologize and explain, but... you're in a good mood, I'm high, and Carla's here..." Kaila began as the the chorus of male voices emanated from the speakers. She glared at me in the mirror for a moment, before I happily turned it down.

"What? I love that song... And I want it NOW." I took the moment to catch the last line of the chorus. "I can sing to it. Doesn't have too many high notes and Freddy didn't sound like somebody was stepping on his nuts."

"Ok, Uhm... Hey Brent, I don't care if you hit on my sister..." Kaila poked Carla in the shoulder, situated as she was in the middle of the seat.

"Hey... that's it? not going to cover any of the rest of it?" Carla groaned.

"Well, Ah thank that's tha defahnishun of puttin a layer of frostin' on a cow pie." Charlotte snickered.

"I've never heard of that before," I objected.

"I thank it's my own first bit of homespuhn southan wisdom," Charlotte leaned her arm around Carla and pulled her in tightly for a hug.

"So, short version and lose the mysterioso crap?" I tossed out. I rolled the Bus up to the top of a small incline and waited as the light eventually turned green. At Helen's direction I turned the van right and began to drive down a small gully that led to a small shopping center.

"Go through this light and it's a few more miles." The fog seemed to have lightened a bit now, which was a welcome change indeed.

I was rather bemused to notice that the entire shopping center seemed to be closed. and as we drove past I saw nothing but nearly identical small black font on white papers placed in the windows. The only exception was the grocery store, and the sight of shoppers silently filling their cars with bags brought a momentary pause to my reverie.

"Is something going..." I began, before Kaila interupted me with a quick and blunt statement.

"Brent, I've... been switching out with Carla for more than just the occasional joke. For a while now. In fact, it's been pretty bad recently. I even did it here."

"THERE. See, I told you, Easy... " Charlotte sighed. "But tell him the rest now."

"I slept with you a few times, Brent. " Carla blurted. "There, BLUNT. Ok? Shit, sis, please don't do the long drawn out build up and reveal. It's SO aggravating and doesn't help the situation any. All it does is drag things out and when things are important, you can't do that shit."

"You people have no sense of presentation," Kaila grumbled. "Yeah, I... I shouldn't have been giving you crap about wanting to be with everybody, Brent. Charlie gave me an earful about it, and... " She reached across Carla to playfully slap at Charlotte's shoulder, "Said that If I ever wanted to get laid again I had to fix the problem."

The moment hung in the air, with Freddy Mercury singing something about wanting to live forever.