Tell each one the other's woes, but to "keep quiet."

"Sure, I wouldn't mind if Eric was dating my sister," Gary said quietly to his girlfriend Bernie in her mom's kitchen.

"All right, but Eric is really shy," Bernie said. "He might be afraid to ask Lil out."

"So let's make it a double date, but tell 'em we're all just going out for fun," Gary said. "Just tell each one that the other had a bad breakup and don't ask about it but be really nice and interested."

Bernie smiled. "Tricky," she said. "I like it. We got to send you to matchmaker school."

"No, all the old aunties there would want to practice on me," he said. "I'd have to bring you in for show-and-tell to make 'em quit. I'd tell 'em, 'See, good melons, look!'" He lifted his girlfriend's blouse and squeezed her tits through her bra.

She giggled. "You're incorrigible," she said. "You're lucky my mom likes you." She tilted her chin up and kissed Gary.

Eric poked his head through the kitchen door. "Um, Lil was asking..." he started. Then he saw Gary and Bernie. "Geeze you two," he said, "Get a room."

Gary looked up at the ceiling and left and right at the walls. "What, is this a tent?" he said. He let go of Bernie's breasts and smoothed down her blouse. "Hey Eric, Bernie and I and Lil were gonna go out and have some fun this afternoon. You want to come?"

Eric sighed. "Fun. I used to have fun," he said. "Where you going?"

"I think we've got it settled where, but I got to double check something with Lil," Gary said. "Wait here a sec."

Gary pushed through the swinging serving door of the kitchen, leaving Eric and Bernie alone.

Eric shrugged his shoulders. "Should I really come?" he asked Bernie.

"Of course," Bernie said. "But you'll have to be extra nice to Lil. She just broke up with her boyfriend. Don't ask her about it, she doesn't want to think about him. But it would really help her out to have someone to pay attention to her. You know, just listen to what she's talking about and stuff."

Eric's face brightened. He liked helping people. He'd hooked up with his last girlfriend after helping her with her courses. Sometimes he came over to help Bernie's mom Joyce with her garden.

"Okay," Eric said. "I'd be happy to help out."

Bernie smiled. "Plus you get to ride in Stuart's Super Surf Van."

Eric laughed. "What a piece of... um, art," he said, as Gary and Lil stepped into the kitchen. "So where are we going?" he asked.