That night, Laura sat alone in her apartment, making out a list. Her hair was rolled in curlers and she was wearing one of the three nighties she'd bought that afternoon in the shopping spree with Helen. The nightie and matching panties were dark blue, trimmed with black. The neckline was very low and the hemline was at her hips, hut it was so sheer that its revealing cut was largely redundant. Frivolous and impractical as it had first appeared to be. Helen had assured her that the expensive little outfit was a wise investment, as were the other clothes she'd bought that day. Helen had insisted on paying for everything they'd selected for Laura s new wardrobe and had assured the girl there was no need to pay her back. Still, Laura intended to either repay her or reciprocate in some other manner once she'd made up her mind about her future.
She wrote slowly. pensively, and stopped frequently to take a sip of the liquor they'd bought. She didn't much like the stuff, but like her new clothes and her new sex life, it would be something she'd acquire a taste for, so Helen had told her. Helen had certainly been right about her acquiring a taste for sex, and already the skimpy little nightie was feeling nice and comfortable on her, but she rather doubted she'd ever learn to enjoy the bite of straight liquor.
The shopping trip had been fun, and what had preceded it had been fun, too, but now it was good to be alone. Bobby had lasted until about one o'clock that afternoon, at which time they'd left him sleeping on the floor and had driven to Laura's apartment to get something for her to wear while shopping. Since the clothes she'd been wearing on her arrival at Perry's place had all been destroyed, they'd had to come up with a make-shift outfit for the drive across town, and it had been very titillating to drive through the familiar old streets and walk up her apartment stairs with a brightly colored table cloth artfully draped over her and nothing else. Helen had laughed at her frumpy wardrobe and had insisted on shortening the hem of her skirt and depriving her of her brassiere before they went to the stores. Like schoolgirls playing hooky, they'd had to be on the alert for Consolidated employees who might spot them, and that had added to the fun of the afternoon. It had made their friendship a little more binding, as had the talks they'd enjoyed.
Laura still hadn't made up her mind about her future, but she tended to go along with Helen's advice. The older, wiser woman's counseling seemed sound, but it was hard to get used to the idea of being a prostitute, even though all women were prostitutes, in one way or another. It would be something she'd have to sleep on, for she was very tired and a little sick from all the drinking she'd done over the past few days. She finished the little list and read it over before she got up from the desk.