Lilliana sat down across from Cirie at the picnic table in the bar’s spacious outside yard. She was carrying a big fancy cocktail-one with a big pineapple wedge on the side and 2 little umbrellas.

Two umbrellas, Cirie thought. She must have had a bad day. She sipped on own her beer thoughtfully.

“You won’t believe what happened at work,” started Lilliana. She launched into a story about the project she was working on and  the conflict she was having with a coworker who she felt was sabotaging her. Liliana was a good friend and good partner, thought Cirie, but she had become obsessed with work lately. It was all she talked about.  

“And NEXT month,” Lilliana continued. “Next month’s going to be even worse…”

Cirie remembered something from a previous play session. She raised her thumb and forefinger in front of Lilliana’s face. The she moved them together and back like she was plucking something from right in front of Lilliana’s forehead. “Ploop!” she said.

“And so she….” Lilliana stopped. She stared for a moment in surprise at the space between Cirie’s fingers. Cirie looked like she was holding a small, invisible ball. Liliana tried to recall her train of thought (something about work?) but found herself strangely blank.

She looked at Cirie in astonishment. 

“You took it!” she accused.

Cirie smirked a bit. “Yup!” she said. “Did you need it?”

Lilliana quirked her lips. “OK, I guess it IS Friday.” She took her first sip of her drink. “Ma’am”, she continued sarcastically. She gave Cirie a flirty, daring look from over the straw.

Oh, thought Cirie. Well then. She returned Lilliana’s look. “Lilliana,” she asked, overly sweetly. “What was your name again?”

“Oh no you don’t, it’s….”Lilliana stopped short again as Cirie mimed another plucking motion in front of her head. She tried again. “It’s….”

Cirie’s smile widened. “Uh-huh?” she prompted. She held her fingers in front of Lilliana’s face, miming like she was holding something. As Lilliana struggled to remember her own name, Cirie passed the imaginary object from one hand to another like she was playing with a tiny ball. 

Then she got fancier. She passed it behind her head.  She mimed throwing in the air and catching it. She mimed a magic trick- making it disappear from one hand and acting surprised when it reappeared magically in the other.

Lilliana looked like she was trying her best to give an exasperated look. It wasn’t working. She seemed utterly charmed by Cirie’s goofiness.

“Give it back,” she tried to say seriously.

“No,” grinned Cirie.

Lilliana tried again, more firmly. “Give it back!” On back, she quickly leaned forward into the table, trying to grab it.

Cirie was too quick for her, though, rapidly pulling her hand backwards.

Lilliana stood up and tried to lunge for it. Giggling, Cirie anticipated her move and stood up from the table. 

It was a standoff.  Lilliana feinted right then left. Cirie matched- then managed to run by her to a nearby table. “Chris!” she called, almost out of breath from laughing.

Cirie’s metamour turned around from the nearby table where he was sitting. “Chris!” cried Cirie, laughing. Lilliana was right on her tail, also laughing. “Here take this!” she said, handing the invisible object to him. “Oh hey, Mark!” she said to Chris’s boyfriend who was sitting across from him. Mark looked on, amused. 

Gamely, Chris mimed taking the imaginary object from Cirie. Picking up on things quickly, he smiled at his girlfriend Lilliana as he asked Cirie, “What is this?” He moved it  away casually as Lilliana tried to grab for it again.

“It’s her name” said Cirie, watching the interaction and feeling self-satisfied.

“Oh no, poor thing” said Chris to Lilliana, sounding not at all sorry. “You want this?” He held his fingers up in front of Lilliana.

But as she grabbed for it, he firmly commanded “Freeze.” Lilliana instantly froze in place, mid-grab. Her eyes glared at him.

Cirie laughed gleefully from across the table. “I love you Chris,” she said, amused.

“I love you too Cirie,” said Chris back. “Go long!”

Cirie ran a few yards away across from him. Chris yelled “Unfreeze!” as he threw the imaginary object at Cirie. Lilliana jumped up to catch it but Cirie was too quick, miming catching the name first.

Lilianna ran over to where Cirie was and tried to grab her name from Cirie’s hand. Fortunately, she was much shorter and Cirie was able to hold the name over her head, even as Lilliana jumped for it.

“Give it back!” she said.

“No!” teased Cirie. Then she demanded “Tell me what you’re doing later tonight.”

“What?” asked Lilliana. She jumped again, fruitlessly. “Uh..I don’t know. Laundry. And I should do some work.”

“You don’t need to do that,” said Cirie. “Not on the weekend.” She mimed popping the name inside her mouth, moving it to her cheek with her tongue.

“Wha…What are you doing?” asked Lilliana, flummoxed.

“Tell you what,” said Cirie. “I’ll trade you your name back  for the memory of what you were going to do tonight. Deal?” She mimed passing the name back and forth between her cheeks.

“What will I be doing instead?” asked Lilliana wryly.

“Mmm, you’ll be spending it with me,” teased Cirie. 

Lilliana smiled, seeing where this was going. “Deal.” She held her hand out.

“Great,” said Cirie. “Let’s trade”. She leaned over and kissed Lilliana right on the mouth. Lilliana responded easily, melting into the kiss.

“Mmm…did I get it all?” asked Cirie after a moment.

“I think I still remember a bit,” murmured Lilliana. She leaned back over and kissed Cirie again, more deeply this time.

It was going to be a good night.