FOR US THE LIVING BY ROBERT A. HEINLEIN

Then nothing need be changed. He could just ignore the whole thing. A great weight was lifted from his mind. He laughed aloud, then unlocked the controls, and pulled back on the stick.

Twenty minutes later he opened the door of his little cottage at Tahoe. He strode in, whistling merrily, unstrapped his belt and chucked it in a corner. Olga was lying on the couch, reading. She looked up, laid her book aside and spoke.

“Hello, bright eyes. What are you so happy about? Come here. I want to count your arms and legs. Hmm—Seems to be all in place. Perhaps your head is gone, but you wouldn’t miss it. Have you had your fill of playing tag with clouds in that outlandish contraption? I’ve a good mind to recommend you for a restrained ward.”

He picked her up, held her in the air, and planted a smacking kiss on her mouth. Then he sat down, swinging her about so that she landed on his lap.

“There now, wench! You and I can talk. Do you miss me?”

She twisted and squirmed. “Perry! Put me down. Is this any way to treat your attending physician?”

He held her tightly. “No side issues, please. I want to talk about you and me. Tell me, strumpet, do you feel hot and bothered when I’m around. Like this for example.” He rubbed his cheek against her arm.

“Hot and bothered! What an expression! Perry, what in the world do you mean by this? You’re supposed to be in love with Diana.”

He grinned at her. “Yes, and suffering from pathological jealousy. Yeah, I know all about that—but you see I’ve just discovered that I’m cured.”

She twisted in his lap and looked at him squarely. “Do you mean that you find you aren’t in love with Diana anymore?”

“On the contrary, I love her devotedly, but I just discovered that I no longer suffer from possessive jealousy. That’s why I was whistling when I came in. Then I caught sight of you and recalled that I had been wanting to do something for a long time, so I did it. But you haven’t answered my question. Fair maid, do I arouse your primitive passions?”

“I’m not a maid and that’s a hell of a way to make love.”

“You get the idea. How about it? Speak up.”

“Well, now that you mention it, it always seems a little warm in your neighborhood.”

He kissed her again before replying, “Then come on. What are we waiting for?”

“Perry, you devil, must you be so brash about it?”

“I thought you modern psychiatrists didn’t believe in fancy words for simple ideas?”

“Words aren’t important, but no woman ever objects to a little tenderness.”

“Okay.” He proceeded to demonstrate tenderness in caressing. “Is that better?”

“Much better.”

He swung her around onto the couch and stretched out beside her. She gave a little gasp. “No, Perry. Be good. It’s too soon after breakfast.”

“Then hold your breath while I count ten thousand by twos.”

“You’re incorrigible.” She sighed, and her eyes closed.

The next morning Perry awoke feeling crowded and cramped. He discovered that he was hemmed in on a fairly narrow couch by two large objects. When his eyes focused he found that Olga’s head rested on his right shoulder and that Diana’s head lay on his left. Gently he attempted to disentangle himself. Diana opened her eyes and smiled sleepily, then spoke, “Hello, darling.”

“Hello. If I were back in 1939, I’d light a Murad.”

“What does that mean?”

“Never mind. When did you get in?”

It was Olga who answered. “Late last night. I was awake but you were snoring so beautifully that we decided not to disturb you. So we whispered very discreetly across your manly chest.”

Perry decided not to push the matter further. Apparently the girls had settled things in some feminine fashion beyond his comprehension. He decided to let well enough alone.

Diana stretched and yawned. “I’m starved. Anybody want breakfast? I’ll order it.”

After breakfast Perry announced that he was going to try to locate Master Hedrick. He had told the women about his intention of entering at Goddard Field, and wished to push ahead with his plans.