"He took off again last night, Rachel. I told him I wanted to spend a Friday night at home, not out drinking for once. Just like I told him last week. And just like last week, he went out alone, and he didn't come back."

"Well, is he over at Bob's again?"

"Yes."

"Oh, so he called?"

"No" my sister replied, a sheepish look crossing her face. "I drove past this morning, early, just to make sure. His truck's parked at Bob's house. At least he's not with a woman!"

0000000

EXACTLY ONE WEEK EARLIER, I had arrived at my sister's home, expecting to gather her up and hit the malls and outlet stores. As usual, I was dressed up for the outing, in mini-skirt, tight top, and light make-up. I always figure: if you want to be treated as high class, you've got to look high class.

However, my sister was anything but ready to go. I found her in her housecoat, crying her eyes out.

"Sandy, what's the matter?"

"It's Danny."

"What, did that bastard hit you or something?"

"No, nothing like that. He just took off last night, went drinking with his friend Bob. He was mad at me. I knew I should have gone with him. I just *had* to have it my way!"

"What happened? Has something happened to Danny?"

"What? Oh...no, he just never came home last night. He probably hooked up with some slut and stayed at her place!"

I wouldn't put it past him, that's for sure. Although Sandy, at twenty-five, was my older sister, I usually felt that I was the more mature one. Sandy never went to college, but instead ended up marrying a macho asshole who worked off-and-on at the local tire plant.

Naturally, I was destined for better things. Perhaps it was my college sophistication, but, at twenty-two, I already knew that losers weren't for me. I had just graduated, and as soon as my boyfriend, Stewart, finished graduate school, we were going to marry. Stewart would never pull anything like this. He was kind, sweet, and willing to let me make most of the decisions. In fact, he was working towards a PhD in “Gender and Minority Studies.” I just couldn't understand women who, like Sandy, settled for less.

"Well, have you called this Bob guy? Maybe he stayed over at his buddy’s house."

"Oh, that's a good idea. I think I have the number around here somewhere..."

Sandy called the number, and I saw her face light up after she asked if Danny was there - apparently he was. It darkened quickly, though, once the jerk got on the line. Within a minute, he had hung up on her, and she was crying once more.

"He says if I'm gonna nag him and check up on him, he'll stay out the whole weekend. He even...he even threatened to 'go get some strange pussy’!"

Well, that did it. It was time I gave the son of a bitch a piece of my mind. "Sandy, give me the address of this Bob guy. And hand me the phone. Since you're in no shape to go shopping with me, I guess Stewart will have to.

She scribbled out directions to the house as I dialed Stewart at the University.

'Stewart dear...I need you to be ready to go shopping with me this afternoon.... Well, my plans have changed...I don't care about your deadline; you love me, don't you? ...Okay, see you then...bye-bye."

I turned with a smirk to my sister. "See that? Now give me those directions. I know how to handle men!" ......(cont)