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Prelude ? This is a story about secret lives, sacrifices, denial and the emotional destruction that can result when all come into play. How often do we pretend to be something or someone that we're not, only to realize way too late that our true selves ? although thought to be long dead and buried ? will always find a way to resurface, and usually at the most inopportune time?

The main characters ? Robert and Andrea (aka *quot;Easy Andi*quot;) are both guilty of hiding their true nature in an effort to please the other. Each has expertly assumed their individual facades for far too long. The question is, when will they admit it ? not only to each other but also to themselves ? and if they do, will it be too late?

You may ask yourself as you read through this short story, what façade are you hiding behind? I hope you enjoy *quot;Open House.*quot;

CHAPTER ONE - Robert adjusts to his new *quot;single life*quot;

And to think he used to enjoy doing this ? getting brief glimpses into peoples' lives by parading from open house to open house in a futile search for the perfect home. It was kind of fun in the beginning, seeing ranges of taste in decorating ? good or bad, and getting different perspectives on colors, layouts and styles ranging from traditional and Victorian to contemporary or country.

He was often surprised at the things they would leave out in the open for the influx of strangers, and sometimes he wondered if it was intentional. The teenagers' rooms were usually interesting to say the least, and in an effort not to be swayed one way or the other, he tended to avoid them, especially after one of his early home searches uncovered a goth-style teenager's room with a collection of skulls on a home-made bookcase. Some were obviously human, hopefully plastic replicas and several were clearly animals, but they were collectively creepy.

He imagined the proud father in his workshop, instruction manual in hand, clumsily crafting a bookshelf for his newborn son, filling the completed project with classics like Goodnight Moon and The Cat in the Hat. Later on, replacing them with short novels, mysteries and Harry Potter books, only to eventually see the bookcase littered with remnants of animals. THAT certainly wasn't going to help to sell the home, that is of course unless another couple with an equally disturbed teenager was looking to buy.

Having endured somewhere in the neighborhood of 30 or 40 open houses in the past few months, there was ? of course ? the other side of it. The master bedrooms were generally immaculate and often appeared to be professionally staged; however, at times ? likely in those homes where the sale was prompted by impending divorce ? things were sometimes carelessly left out in the open, ranging from porn dvds on end tables to condoms in trash containers. Some people just didn't care, or maybe they were making a statement. And he thought HE was screwed up, he laughed to himself.

The realtors were also an interesting lot. For as long as he could remember, he had a weakness ? or some may consider it a fetish - for a sexy full ass, calves and thighs in a skirt or form-fitting dress. Other than in church or the airport, what better place to enjoy that kind of view than at an open house? During last week's round of visits, he actually spent more time observing the realtors than he did exploring the homes. In fact, there was one agent in particular, Kate, who ? he convinced himself - was actually almost flirting with him during his tour of the second home on his list, most likely to interest him in the home, but he didn't care. He wasn't above that type of treatment. Clearly out of practice, he sheepishly tried to reciprocate the banter. Snapping back to reality, he completed the tour, noting to himself that the home was nothing special, but she made the trip well worth his while despite his awkwardness. He wondered where her next open house would be, but conceded that it would probably border on stalkerish behavior if he actually showed up there.

The following week, he found himself looking at the classifieds once again to see if Kate was on the docket, but unfortunately she wasn't on the list. After grabbing a large coffee with cream and a breakfast sandwich from the local convenience store, he mapped out the weekend's open houses. He became a logistical master at navigating the county and stuffing as many visits as possible into a 2-3 hour window. Although he would have preferred the view of the rolling hills of Chancellor from the deck of a 3,000 square foot colonial, his budget was more in line with a trailer park in Parkerville, or - worse yet - a modest duplex *quot;fixer upper*quot; in an inner-city neighborhood. Still, that didn't stop him from putting on the act, dressing like someone who cared about his appearance ? typically in stylish jeans and a sport coat over an oxford shirt -