Arora

Adjusting your tie in a broken mirror is difficult, but doable, and although a crack split the reflection of Jack Brown's face, Laura still saw his beauty. He kissed her, and then they left for the party.

"Let me tell ya how Jack and Laura started going out. I love telling this story, it's like a movie or somethin'. Jack here had a crush on her since he was... how old were you when we met Jack?"

Jack's arm was tight around his wife Laura, and was smiling at Tyler Clark's drunken reverence for them. "I don't know, maybe 12. Maybe 13."

"Anyways he was still a tyke." said Tyler. "It was a long time. But he was too much of a pussy to say anything see." Everyone laughed. "So years passed, and one day we ended up going to this college party together. He followed her around all night, but Jack kept chickenin' out. When the party was over, Jack hadn't said a thing.

"Jack'd given up. It was really depressing; it had started to rain and everything. I remember Jack made sure he and Laura didn't leave at the same time, because he felt like she thought he was a creep or something, I dunno why.

"So Laura ended up leaving first. After about ten minutes, Jack left the party. But Laura had been waiting for the rain to stop. Ya see, she had forgotten her umbrella, but Jack hadn't. She must've asked him to walk her to her car, cause when I walked outside I saw them kissing in the rain."

Jack smiled at Laura. He kissed her.

"We've been married for 10 years. And she'll be with me for the rest of my life," said Jack "Tyler makes it seem like a fairy tale. But relationships are hard work. We've hit a few snags, but we always work through it in the end. So if you want your relationship to work with Arora, you gotta hurt for it my friend." Jack put his hand on Santiago's shoulder.

"What a beautiful story," said Santiago. "You're right," he said "I'm going to try harder this time. I will make things work with Arora," he said. Tyler Clark had walked off after he told the story, and now just Santiago, Laura, and Jack were talking.

"I'm going to go get more wine," said Jack. "Don't you two go running off together." he said. Santiago laughed.

On Jack's way to the wine, Arora grabbed Jack's arm, and pulled him off to the side. "Hey," she said, "Can I ask you something?"

"Anytime," he said.

"Do you think me and Santiago have a chance?" she asked.

"I was just telling Santiago how great you two are together. He really likes you." said Jack.

"Well I don't think it will work at all." she said, "Do you want to know why?" She lightened her touch on his arm. Jack didn't reply. "I'll tell you why," her fingers began to run down his arm. Jack was thinking about how unfair it was that the most attractive men like Santiago always end up with the most attractive women. "The problem," she pressed her breasts against his chest, and ran her fingers down his leg. She brushed against his penis and up to his belt, which she tugged on. Her blood red lips moved close to his right ear. "Is that he doesn't fuck me hard enough."

"You're drunk. I think you've confused me with someone else," Jack pushed her away, afraid they'd be seen. She looked at him, with eyes like swords piercing his soul.

"I'm not confused," she said "I know exactly who you are." She then sauntered off like a sober woman, her hips swinging like a chain watch.

When Jack got home from work a few days later, his wife had finally replaced the broken mirror like he told her too. He had opted not tell anyone about what happened at the party so Santiago's feelings wouldn't get hurt. He and Laura had gone through something similar, so he was sure Santiago would be able to get through this too.

That night, Jack thought about all the women he had cheated on his wife with. It hurt him that he hadn't told his wife, but you had to hurt to make relationships work. He thought about how much better they were at giving head, and he thought about how much better Arora probably was too. He wished Laura was better at sex than she was.

He walked into their bathroom, in the dark, and began to wash his face with water. He looked into the mirror.

It had a golden frame, embroidered beautifully with baby angels smiling and laughing together.

It looked even older than he'd originally thought.

He looked closer - it was very dark - and on the left side of the frame, the words "Multo desiderio tibi monstravero" was inscribed, and on the right side, the words "I will show you your greatest desire."

He noticed something in the mirror.

There was a figure standing in the corner of the other room, in the darkness of the night.

He looked behind him, slowly, slowly.

He was in a happy happy daze.

No one.

He turned toward the mirror, slowly, slowly.

From the shadows, Arora's sultry body emerged like a ghost, wearing only a silk robe, untied, and floating, floating.

Inside the mirror, they kissed.

Jack woke up the next morning from the best dream he'd had in a while."Where did you get that mirror?" asked Jack.

"Arora sent it over," replied Arual, "She said she didn't need it anymore."

That night, he felt something was backwards, something was wrong. He again looked closely at the words inscribed on the mirror. On the right side, "romit ibit madnetsO" on the left, "raef tsetaerg ruoy uoy wohs lliw I".

Laura never found out where Jack went, but at least no one was bashing her head against mirrors anymore.