Elsewhere(43)

Jen's opinion notwithstanding, Owen is not a bad cook. (Who ever said a dog knew much about cooking anyway?) And Liz is very appreciative of his efforts. It is the first time anyone other than someone in her family has cooked for her.

After dinner, Liz offers to do the dishes. "I'll wash this time," she says, "but you don't have to dry.

Or whistle."

Dishes washed, Liz, Owen, Sadie, and Jen go to the park near Owen's house.

"How are you getting along with Jen?" Liz asks.

"She's great." Owen smiles. "I can't believe I never had a dog before."

"You didn't have one on Earth?"

"We couldn't," he says. "Emily was allergic. Still is, I assume."

Liz nods. "The way you say her name ..." she says. "I can't imagine anyone ever saying my name that way."

"Oh, I doubt that," says Owen.

"It's true."

"You died too young," Owen reflects. "The boys were probably just intimidated by you. Maybe next time around?"

"Maybe," Liz says doubtfully. "I've got a lot of plans for that next time."

"If I had known you, I might have said your name that way," Owen says.

"Ah," Liz says, "but a person is only allowed to say one other person's name that way, and you're already taken. It's a rule, you know."

Owen nods but doesn't speak.

His silence stirs a strange but not entirely unpleasant feeling in Liz. His silence makes her bold, and she decides to ask Owen for a favor.

"You can say no, if you want," Liz begins.

"That sounds scary," Owen says.

Liz laughs. "Don't worry. It isn't scary, at least I don't think it's scary."

"And of course, I already know I can say no."

"So, the thing is, I'm sort of tired of Betty driving me around everywhere, but I need to learn threepoint turns and parallel parking before I get my driver's license. I died before "

"Sure," Owen says before Liz is even finished. "No problem."

"I could ask Betty, but we sort of have a bad history in the car "

Owen interrupts Liz. "I said, no problem. It's my pleasure."

"Oh," Liz says, "thank you."

"I wouldn't mind hearing about that bad history, however," Owen says. "In fact, maybe I should hear about it beforewe start."

Why do two people ever fall in love? It's a mystery.

Liz and Owen meet every day after work for the next week. She masters threepoint turns with relative ease but finds parallel parking more challenging.

"You just have to visualize yourself in the space," Owen says patiently.

"But it seems impossible," says Liz. "How can something whose wheels move forward and backward, suddenly move side to side?"

"It's the angles," says Owen. "You need to turn your steering wheel as extremely as possible, and then slowly back in."

Another week passes and Liz is still no closer to mastering the elusive parallel parking. She has almost given up hope that she ever will and is beginning to feel like a dunce.

"Look, Liz," says Owen, "I'm starting to think it's psychological. There's no reason you shouldn't be able to do this. There's something that's stopping you from wanting to parallel park. Maybe we should call it a night?"

That night, Liz contemplates the reason for her ineptitude and decides to call Thandi.

"Well, speak of the dead," Thandi says.

"I've been working a lot," Liz replies, "and Owen Welles has been teaching me how to drive."

"I bet he has."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Liz asks.

"When we were at the dog run, Sadie told Paco that you've been seeing a lot of Mr. Welles."

Liz looks at Sadie, who is lying on her back so that Liz can rub her belly. "Traitor," she whispers.

"He's in love with someone else," Liz answers Thandi, "and besides, we're just friends."

"Uh-huh," Thandi says.

Liz tells Thandi about her problem with parallel parking, and asks her, an experienced driver of almost eleven months, if she has any suggestions.

"I think you don't want to learn to parallel park, Liz."

"Of course I want to learn!" she insists. "It's just hard! It's not like the rest of driving! It's not logical!

It involves visualization and leaps of faith and sleight of hand! You've got to be a freaking magician!"

Thandi laughs. "Maybe you don't want your lessons with Owen to end, if you catch my drift? I mean, if you had only wanted to learn parking and turning, you could have asked me."

"You? You haven't even been driving a year!"

"Or Betty?" Thandi suggests.

"Come on! You know our history!"

"I think you're falling in love with him," Thandi teases. "I think maybe you're already in lo-ove!"

She laughs.

And then Liz hangs up. Thandi could be such an incredible know-it-all. Sometimes Liz cannot even believe that Thandi is her best friend.

The next evening, Liz accomplishes parallel parking three times in a row without error.