Culture Shock Part 17

"Me? Insulting? Who called who a pig?"

"Keep your voice down." She glanced over her shoulder "You started it," Alex muttered.

"Just let it go!"

He started to walk away and she grabbed his arm. "I've been thinking that we should tell Kevin about this whole thing. I want to come clean with him."

Alex's mouth gaped. "You've got be kidding. What good would come of it?"

"Maybe he could help. Evidently we need some."

"Sure, and if he can't, maybe he could call in Superman or the Green Hornet," Alex hushed his biting tone.

"You're such an a.s.s." The man really knew how to get to her. She wanted to lash out, to stomp her feet and cry, but how ridiculous would that look? A macho man throwing a "pity-party". She choked back the lump in her throat. "He's my brother and I want to tell him."

"Tell your brother what?" Kevin asked from the bedroom doorway.

His appearance startled both of them. Cynthia glanced at Alex then back to her brother. "We ... we were just discussing telling him...I mean you, something important."

"Yeah, like what? I'm confused. What does Alex's brother have to do with me?"

She knew what she wanted to say but Alex's opposition kept her from admitting the truth. Lacking an explanation, she flipped her palm in his direction. "You tell him, Cynthia."

Alex gulped, anger thinning his lips. "Kevin...uh...well, I might as well spit it out. Alex has asked me to marry him."

Cynthia sensed the color draining from her face. What was he thinking?

Kevin turned, grabbed Cynthia's hand and gave it a hearty shake. "I knew it! I knew you two were more than friends. Congratulations, Alex."

"Thanks, Kevin." She glared over her brother's shoulder at Alex. "It was quite a surprise to me, too."

Alex wanted to swallow his tongue. Cynthia hadn't left him any choice and it was the only thing he could conjure up in a split second. He cleared the nerves from his throat. "How about we all get out of here and do some sight-seeing."

"Great idea." Kevin was the first to agree. "I'll treat us all to lunch to celebrate your engagement."

Cynthia strolled across the room and placed an arm around Alex's shoulders. "How grand. A celebration. Isn't that wonderful, sweetheart?"

He'd never get used to looking up at himself. He wanted to be Cynthia's sweetheart, but not like this.

"Sure is." He sidled out of Cynthia's embrace and stepped toward the door. "Shall we go?"

The sudden movement reminded him of his earlier toe-against-cedar chest encounter and he tried to keep from limping as he walked into the hallway. Why were things just getting even more complicated? He'd always heard lies came back to bite you, and he prepared himself for the big chunk of his a.s.s that would soon be missing.

Crammed in the back of a taxi between Cynthia and Kevin, Alex felt claustrophobic. But the situation was his fault. After a cable car ride, a tour of Pier 39 and lunch on the wharf, he begged off any more sightseeing because of his sore toe.

All he could think of was getting home and kicking off Cynthia's shoes. He was sick of this charade. The day started off poorly and had only gotten worse.

He'd had to defend himself to Kevin, suffer a stubbed toe, be dragged on a tour of a city he knew all too well, and pretend to be a lady, when all he wanted to do was lean back, let his knees fall apart and take a long cool swig of beer. To top it off, now he was engaged...well, sort of.

When the taxi stopped in front of the building, Kevin paid the fare while Cynthia and Alex got out of the vehicle. Cynthia must have sensed his foul mood; she nudged him. "What's wrong with you?"

"I'm you, that's what," he whispered.

"That's nothing new. Don't tell me it's just now getting to you."

"What's getting to me is having to wear your clothes and stupid shoes."

"What's wrong with my shoes?"

"You've gotta be kidding." Alex tossed his head back and raised his arms to the sky. "I hate your friggin' shoes. They're feet killers. How in the h.e.l.l did you stand them?"

Alex, realizing Cynthia's clenched teeth were not a result of his tirade but an indication that her brother stood next to them, turned and smiled.

Kevin stared at them with a furrowed brow and eyes clouded with confusion. "Wait a minute. I must have missed something."

Knowing he'd blown everything, Alex took a deep breath. "You didn't miss anything, Kevin. I just lost my cool for a minute."

"But why do you hate Alex's shoes...and how do they kill your feet? Did he step on your toe or something?"

Alex blew out a breath. "It's a long story. Can we just forget it?"

"No!" Kevin crossed his arms over his chest and c.o.c.ked his head. "There's something strange going on and you aren't being truthful." He pierced them with a stare. "What is it? I want to know. Things have been more than a little crazy ever since I arrived."

"Okay," Cynthia spoke up. "We'll explain the whole thing to you. Let's go upstairs and get comfortable. Like Alex said, it's a long story."

"Alex didn't say that, you did." Kevin shook his head.

"I know...I know. Let's go up, and we'll explain. But please be open-minded."

Cynthia's mind raced overtime while they climbed the stairs to her apartment. How in the world could she explain being locked inside this big, burly body? No doubt, her brother would think her crazier than a loon. Maybe she'd start with something like, 'I'm not who you think I am.'

She unlocked the door and stepped inside. The sun, hovering below the building across the street, provided very little light so she turned on the lamp.

With confusion written all over his face, Kevin followed his sister inside.

She bolstered up all six-foot-two of Alex's frame and faced Kevin. "Sit down, big brother, I believe you'll need to be seated to hear what I have to tell you."

Chapter Nineteen.

Cynthia patted her brother's hand. She'd watched his disbelieving, shocked stare throughout the explanation. "So, there it is in a nutsh.e.l.l. What do you think?"

"What do I think?" Kevin rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I think you're making this whole thing up. Or, at least, I hope you are."

"Believe me, neither Alex nor I consider this to be a joking matter. We're locked in each other's bodies with no idea how to get back to our own. We're open to any suggestions you might have."

Kevin flashed a blank stare. "Why not ask for the moon? You're pretty much expecting me to believe the impossible, and as convincing as you make it seem, I still want proof."

Cynthia looked at him and raised her brow. "What kind of proof?"

"An answer...a simple answer that only my sister would know."

"Fair enough," Alex agreed.

Kevin tapped his forehead, appearing to summon a thought. "Okay, Cyn, remember back when we were just kids and went to Granny and Pop's house for holidays? What happened that one Thanksgiving when she got mad at him?" Kevin faced Alex and waited for an answer.

The event appeared in Cynthia's mind as though it'd happened yesterday and she giggled. "Granny got angry because Pop drank too much wine and instead of emptying the dishpan, she threw soapy water on him. Now, do you believe us?"

Kevin's mouth dropped open. He walked to Cynthia's body, bent and stared into her eyes. He c.o.c.ked his head and surveyed the face from every angle, then turned and gazed back at the man claiming to be his sister. "So, you're telling me that the person inside this body isn't you, it's Alex?"

"That's right, I'm over here in his body, and believe me it's been no picnic."

"Hey, wait a minute." Alex stiffened. "It's not so hot being you either."

Cynthia stood and crossed over to him. "Oh, really?" She stared at her own face.

"If you're going to whine about my shoes again, then I don't want to hear it. I'm sick of your complaints."

"Shoes. Ha! That's just the beginning." He jumped to his feet and waved his finger in front of her masculine nose. "Cramps, makeup, unmanageable hair, having to shave your legs...the list goes on."

Flames beneath her skin crept up her neck and into her face. "Oh," she huffed, "and shaving this mug twice a day and dealing with your erections every morning is pleasant?"

Kevin stepped between them. "Stop it, you two! This isn't solving anything. I think there's much more to your problem than morning wood and wayward hair. Let's work on this together."

Alex plopped back in his seat. Cynthia's full tresses spilled forward as he hung her head. "I'm sorry, Cynthia. I guess I'm more rattled than I let on."

She perched on the chair's arm and patted his shoulder. "I know. I'm sorry, too. We've both been under stress no one else could understand." She looked to her brother. "Any ideas, Kevin?"

A deep exhalation pa.s.sed through his lips. "Whew, I don't have a clue. It's not like this is a problem I'm called upon to solve every day." He eyed them with a raised brow. "Are you sure you aren't pulling a fast one on me?"

Alex glanced up from his dejected position. "Why in the world would we concoct such a ridiculous situation? If you think you're confused, imagine how we've been feeling. Something like this is only supposed to happen in the movies."

Kevin rubbed his palms together. His calloused hands caused a bristling noise with each back and forth movement. "I have a week to devote to helping. Let's put our heads together and either find a way to resolve your problem, or locate someone who can."

Cynthia nodded. "Sounds like a good idea to me, but the bad news is, we have to work tomorrow. Besides, dealing with our own personal problems, I'm acting Alex's part in trying to solve the kidnap/murder case we discussed earlier, while he's bored to tears pretending he doesn't suck at accounting."

"Hey!" Alex interjected.

"Sorry, but you, yourself, told me that math wasn't your strong suit."

"True, I did say that, but you don't have to be insulting." His familiar sparkle danced in her eyes when he smiled.

Cynthia sighed and ran a hand through Alex's hair. "The bottom line is we've both got a lot on our plates and we need your help, Kev."

"I'll do all I can, Cyn." His eyebrows arched. "Boy, this is too weird. Looking at you in a man's body and calling you by name."

Alex's booming laugh filled the room and lessened the stress for a moment.

"I got it," Kevin said. "Tomorrow, while you two are at work, I'll go to the library and do some research on body transference. Maybe this has happened before and we just don't know about it."

Alex wagged an eyebrow. "I think you'll be wasting your time. I've already surfed the net under every possible topic and found zero, zip, nada! If this had happened before, everyone would know about it. The media would have had a field day, that's for sure."

Kevin shrugged. "Maybe you're right, but at least it's worth a try."

"I agree," Cynthia piped up. "We've got nothing to lose. In the meantime, it's late and we best get to bed."

"Hey, Sis, do you mind if I sleep over at your place...Alex's place?"

"Not at all." She looked around her own apartment. "I'm sure you'll find it much neater than here. Trust me, this apartment didn't always look like this."

Alex rose and began picking up shoes, papers, and other debris. "Okay, so I'm not a Martha Stewart protegee. There are other things I do better. If you don't like the ambiance, then leave."

Cynthia fought laughter at the sight of Alex with his arms full of clutter. Although she wouldn't wish her circ.u.mstance on anyone, she enjoyed getting a unique glimpse of herself. She opened the door, and motioned to her brother. "C'mon, Kev, let's go get some sleep. Good night, Alex."

Kevin's laughter from the doorway drew Cynthia's attention as she walked across the bedroom. She'd just taken a shower and was wrapped in a towel. She peeked around the corner. "What's so funny?"

"Oh my gosh, Cyn! You should see yourself. You look like a goof."

Confused, she glanced down. "Why?"

"You're a guy for Christ's sake, but you're wearing the towel like a girl."

"Oh. Is that all? I guess old habits die hard. I've been wrapping a towel like this all my life." She thought about it for a minute and then laughed herself. "I wonder if Alex has the same problem."

"Couldn't tell ya. He kept the bedroom door closed while I was there."

She glimpsed the clock. "Oh, shoot. I've gotta get moving if I'm going to get to work early. Are you still going to the library this morning?"

"It can't hurt. Maybe, just maybe, I can find something that will help. Isn't there a university close by? Maybe you two should seek out a research scientist."

Cynthia rolled her eyes. "Yeah, like I want to be the newest freak in the tabloids. I don't think so, Kevin."

As much as she hated the idea of going public, doing so might be the best way to find a solution. There had to be someone in the world with knowledge to help her and Alex. Still, she shuddered at the idea of everyone knowing their secret. They'd gotten themselves into this jam, they'd find a way out...at least she hoped. She fixed her brother with a piercing glare.

"Don't even think about telling anyone else about this. I mean it."

"Hey, don't bite my head off. I just thought I'd toss it out as a suggestion."