Freddie was overjoyed as he inhaled the county air...and his cigarette. The nine of us sat on the back patio while embers sizzled and cracked under the grill. We were having tea and waiting on the grill to get good and hot.  I was half asleep on Roger as we laid there on the lounger. Mary was shucking corn and silks were floating on the breeze, landing on Freddie. John was sitting at the rod-iron table with the newspaper and the teapot as was Veronica. Chrissie was sitting on Brian and they were intently working the crossword puzzle from the newspaper in the lounger beside us. Vivienne was sitting as close to Roger and me as she could get without being in our lap. One thing was for sure, she really loved shirt-less Roger. Greg and Norma were gone for the day and they wouldn't be in until much later. I could feel Roger dozing off on me, his head would fall limply over on me and then he would wake up and reach for his tea. It was such a nice afternoon. The birds chirped and chased one another in the distance. All the horses were in the fields aside from the one pregnant mare. Freddie stretched his arms over his head dramatically as he yawned in his lounger.

 "Oooooh isn't it just wonderful?" He said rather dreamily. No one answered right away.

 "What's just wonderful?" John asked.

 Freddie looked at him through his dark sunglasses. "This!” He threw his hands in the air. “The things that have happened to us this week!" Freddie sighed again, brushing corn silks off of him. "Brian and this one finally said I love you.” Freddie pointed to Chrissie and Brian. “Mary agreed to move in with me...which you're all helping with by the way! You and Veronica got engaged for god's sake! And Roger fucked Lydia on the hood of a Ferrari! God! It's all so very magical!" Freddie grinned and dramatically flipped his hands again as he rolled over in the chair. At that moment, Vivienne spat her tea all over Roger and me...mostly me. It caught us both off guard.

 "Vivienne!" Freddie scolded her and shook his head. "Lydia usually has more warning than that."

 "You...you...you WHAT!?" Vivienne quickly reached for a towel that she had had by the pool much earlier. She started to wipe me down now that I had Earl Grey all over me. “Roger! Is that true?” she asked of him. Roger looked at her through his sunglasses.

 “It sure is.” Roger told her. I could feel him pat my shoulder.

 “Oh…oh my…um…Lydia…sorry about the tea. You…you seriously…on the hood of Roger’s car!?” Vivienne asked again softly…just to make sure no one was lying the first time. She couldn’t help it. She was a very innocent girl who had yet to break free from her own chains.

 “Yes…yes Vivienne. I fucked Roger on the hood of his car. It was…unbelievable. We have had about three hours of sleep because we laid on the hood talkin’ until it was very late. Now, kindly take your towel and go sit down. Can’t you see we are both quite tired?” I asked of her as I squirmed around, putting both arms around Roger. He kissed the top of my head and readjusted me so that I was lying mostly on top of him.

 “Yes! Yes, of course. Oooh…I bet it was so unbelievable.” Vivienne hastily returned to her lounger as she let her imagination run wild.

 “I guess we’re still not tellin’ her it’s Lydia’s car.” Brian mumbled to Chrissie.

 “Oh god, Lydia would never take that away from Roger, are you kidding me? She will play that up the whole time we’re here since Vivienne hasn’t figured it out by now. Oh! I know five down!” Chrissie told him.

 “Roger, do you…want me to put some of this sunscreen on your arm.” Vivienne asked as she tried her best to stay out of the way.

 “I have sunscreen. Can’t ya’ see ‘er?” Roger said, referring to me.  He and I got very quiet in our lounger. We would drift off in no time because we genuinely were tired from the night before. And it was true…we had talked for at least two hours on the hood of that car. Vivienne shook her head and laid back in her lounger.

 Mary had stopped cleaning the corn. She didn’t say anything…she just watched. There was silence as the coals on the grill became hotter and popped louder. Mary watched intently. Chrissie and Brian continued to work on their crossword puzzle and John read away. Freddie laid there on the lounger, facing Mary. And Roger had dozed off again; his head leaned back on the lounger and his arms slung over my shoulders. His skin was warm from the sun and I could feel it. It was so peaceful on the patio in the solitude of early evening.

 “I see exactly what you were talkin’ about the other day. It’s a very powerful subtly.” Mary finally said softly, leaning over toward Veronica. She shook her head.

 “I know. See? I told you.” Veronica reminded Mary. She smiled before returning to her corn shucking. There was silence again as Mary continued to work on the corn. She had shucked the next two ears, having four more to go. She picked up the next ear and started in on it, pausing after removing part of the green husk.

 "Why doesn't she say anything?" Her voice was quiet as she moved closer to Veronica.

 "About what?" Veronica asked her.

 "Vivienne. Why doesn't it bother her the way she just throws herself on Roger." Mary wondered.

 "Roger doesn't say anything either. They don't have to. It's just...it's how very okay with each other they are. It’s the mirror." Veronica said. Mary smiled.

 “Huh...it’s quite a force.” She said and started working on the corn again.

 “Yes, it is. Do you think the grill is hot enough? Should I go get the chicken?” Veronica asked of Mary.

 “I would say so yes.” Mary answered her. Veronica started to get up.

 “No, sit down. I’ll get it. It’s in the fridge, right? That big plastic bag?” John pressed on Veronica’s shoulders to sit her back down.

 “Yes. And Brian’s stuff is in the covered bowl beside it.” Veronica told him. “The potato salad is on the top shelf and the Sangria is in the pitcher in the door.” She instructed John. He disappeared from the patio and through the sliding door to the house.

 “Look at that…they’re sound asleep.” Mary said to Veronica. She had finished up the corn, all clean and void of their silks. They were ready to slather down in the butter mixture in the fridge and go onto the grill. Veronica smiled and looked over at Mary.

 “And they are going to fall out of that lounger. If Roger slides any further; they’re goin’ down. Just wait…it’ll happen.” Veronica assured Mary. John returned with his hands absolutely full. He walked over to the rod-ion table and emptied his hands.

 “Will you make another trip? We need the butter for this corn and the wine glasses for the sangria.” Veronica said.

 “Of course. Freddie said he would go with me and help.” John said to Freddie.

 “Oooh you know how to rope me into things! There’s sangria involved so I’m okay with it.” Freddie said as he drug himself out of the lounger. He followed John into the house and Veronica began to sort out the things on the table. She gave the plastic bag full of chicken a good shake, marinade slopping all over the interior.

 “Um, why haven’t you two said anything for at least seven minutes?” Veronica asked of Brian and Chrissie.

 “Because, we’re workin’ on number eleven across.” Brian said.

 “We’re so close to figurin’ it out!” Chrissie chimed in. Veronica rolled her eyes and looked over at Mary who shrugged her shoulders.  And then, as predicted…a fall out of the lounger.

 “OH! Oh my…Jesus!” I paused, my hand touching the brick of the patio. “Oooh god…did I fall asleep?” I looked around noticing that Roger was in as bad of shape as I.

 “Oh, Roger! Are you okay?” Vivienne wasted no time in throwing her arms around him.

 “So…so what just happened?” I asked pulling myself back onto the lounger, sitting on the edge and reaching over for the pack of cigarettes on the table. Roger pulled himself back up and came to his senses as I had.

 “Lyd…I’m pretty sure we fell asleep just now.” Roger breathed heavily and rubbed the back of his head. “God…I was sound asleep, I think.” He laid back down on the lounger.

 “You want one?” I heard two answers of yes behind me. Apparently, Vivienne was going to try her hand at this again.

 “Watch.” Veronica said softly to Mary. “She will turn around and light his cigarette after lighting hers. Mary watched. Veronica had been exactly right. Mary shook her head and looked at Veronica.

 “Thank you, babe. ‘Ey, how long were we asleep?” Roger asked as he leaned over and lit Vivienne’s cigarette.

 “Not long…like maybe twenty minutes?” Brian said as John and Freddie returned with wine glasses. Freddie immediately went over to the table and filled a glass of sangria for Mary, handing it over and kissing the top of her head.

 “You know John and I were talking and I’m trying to think of some way to sum up this week. It’s been so very exciting in so many ways I just can’t seem to do it!” Freddie said as he handed a glass over to Veronica. We were going from tea to sangria with no stops in between

 I had settled in on the lounger once again as Roger and I relaxed into our cigarettes. I could hear Vivienne coughing like crazy on her first puff.  “I can sum up this week in about three words.” I told Freddie as Roger reached an arm over my shoulder again. I had my head on his chest, lying between his legs.

 Freddie handed a glass of sangria over to Chrissie and then to Brian. “Oh? And what words are those, love?” I had inhaled deeply and slowly let smoke escape my mouth.

 “OOOH GOD BRIAN!” I said as emphatically as I possibly could. Immediately Roger laughed at me, practically choking on his cigarette smoke. Chrissie and Brian were both completely mortified. So much for that crossword puzzle.

 “LYDIA!” Chrissie screeched at me. Brian nearly choked on his sangria.

 “Oh there are variations…there’s OOOOH OOOH YES. And there’s the classic, GOD BRIAN DON’T STOP! And that, is exactly how one sums up this week.” I pointed at Freddie. John and Freddie were laughing wildly and Veronica and Mary let out a terrific cheer.

 “No, no, no…don’t you two look at me like that. Brian, don’t think I don’t see you fightin’ that smile ‘cause you know I’m right! Thank you.” I looked up to Freddie and took the two glasses of sangria from him. “Here, sweetheart.” I handed over a glass to Roger.

 “I really wish I had some kind of rebuttal for this.” Brian sighed and took a sip of sangria as Freddie took a glass to Vivienne.

 “Yeah…I’m not gonna’ fight this one.” Chrissie admitted. Brian kissed her.

 “Oh my god! Ooooh that is so very good! See? This week just got even better! Mary! Come, sweets! I’m putting you and I in charge of this grill!” Freddie waved his fingers in front of Mary to pull her up out of her chair. Freddie would last about eleven seconds at the grill. I knew Veronica and I would be intervening soon. “Okay, everyone…on the count of three we drink to Brian. We all know what to say! One…two…OOOOH GOD BRIAN!” Freddie had toasted him the loudest but all of us aggressively toasting him made both he and Chrissie just shake their heads at us. Roger and I couldn’t stop laughing at Brian and Chrissie’s reaction. I almost spilled sangria on Roger and the lounger.

 “Ah…what the hell, I’ll drink to me!” Brian said raising his glass to Freddie.

 “You already know I will.” Chrissie said downing at least half of her sangria. It was an evening like this we would be talking about over and over once we were finally forced to return to the city. The time here was slippin' away and Freddie had been right. So many wonderful things had already happened.