She hiccupped. “Sex.” A blush flooded her cheeks.
“You didn’t have sex with Gary?” I asked, the pitch of my voice rising with each word.
“I have three kids with him.” She laughed before her face turned serious again. “We did, but not very often, and, well, my friends tell me I’ve been missing out on… things.”
I twisted to look at her. “Things.”
She shook her head. “What am I doing? I can’t have this conversation with you. Not unless I’m drunk.”
“You’re not drunk?” I snickered.
“Not drunk enough.”
“You have something we can put in shot glasses?”
She pointed to the kitchen. “There’s vodka in the freezer.”
I came back minutes later with the bottle and two tumblers, pouring a generous shot into each one. She took a sip.
“Down it.”
She leaned back against the sofa, resting the glass on her knee.
“Down it. I want you drunk enough that you can have this conversation.”
Helen licked her lips and downed the vodka. I poured her another before downing my own.
“So, whatthingshave you been missing out on?” I asked as the vodka burned a path through my body.
Helen downed her drink again and this time I took the glass from her because I didn’t want her passing out on me.
“I got married at eighteen.”
“Right.”
“I got married because I got pregnant. It wasn’t planned.”
“Okay.”
She hiccupped again, letting out a soft laugh. “What else do you want to know?”
“The question you’re avoiding. What are you missing out on?”
“Orgasms.” She almost yelled it.
“You’veneverhad one?” I was shocked by her admission.
“No, I mean, I’ve had them. Not very often and not for a few years.”
“Right.” I poured us both one more drink before I put the bottle out of reach.
“You won’t get it. I’m sure you’ve slept with lots of women… I mean, maybe men.” She looked up at me through her long, dark lashes. “Sorry, I shouldn’t be so presumptuous.”
“I like women, Helen.”
She took a sip of her shot before pulling a funny face and putting her glass on the coffee table. “God, I’m so drunk. Oh, bugger it.” Helen pushed up from the sofa, wobbling slightly before walking to the other side of the room and picking up a cardboard box, handing it to me as she passed.
I looked at her, but she avoided my gaze so I flipped open the top, looking inside, before letting out a gasp. “Helen!”
