(This fictional story is based on the '77 to '84 TV sitcom, Three's Company)
As the airport shuttle van pulls up in front of a Santa Monica apartment complex, Gary Sutton climbs out and grabs his luggage. He walks into the building courtyard and heads toward his ground floor apartment.
"Good to have you back, buddy. How was the vacation?" Gary turns to look and sees Jack Tripper, Chrissy Snow and Janet Wood sunning themselves by the pool. The trio shares an upstairs apartment.
Jack Tripper is a happy-go-lucky kind of guy. He is an aspiring chef who has a platonic living arrangement with his two good looking female roommates.
Chrissy Snow is a ditzy blonde with a knockout body. She's the daughter of a preacher and she works part time as a secretary.
Janet Wood is a feisty brunette pixie who works at a flower shop. She is a smart girl with a nice body but her personality is a little over-bearing.
How Jack manages to live with these two fine young ladies without 'tasting the goods" is beyond everyone's imagination.
Gary puts down his luggage, outside his door, and walks over to the pool. "I had a great time Jack, but it's good to finally be home," says Gary.
"Oh, hi Gary," says Chrissy. She has been lying face down on the pool deck and props herself up on her elbows, giving Gary a great shot of cleavage from the buxom blonde.
"Where did you go on vacation?" asks Janet, reclining in a lounger. "I went to Columbia, South America," answers Gary. "Why would you want to go there?" she asks.
Gary tells her, "Well, my old college roommate is from there and he has been trying to get me to visit; so I finally took him up on the invitation. I've been down there for the last ten days."
"He lives in Bogotá and I really found it to be a beautiful city to visit. It sits high in the mountains and is actually quite a large city. I went to several historical museums and saw the busy city life there. Then we took a jeep for a few days, and drove around to many small villages in the mountains."
"I took a ton of pictures while I was there."
"I would love to see the pictures sometime," says Chrissy.
"I'll tell you what," says Gary, "I'm taking the film in to be developed today. "I'll get them back this evening. If the three of you aren't busy; I can come by about 7:30 or 8:00 and we can look at them. I'll pick up a bottle of wine for you girls and a six pack of beer for me and Jack. We can make a night of it."
"That sounds great," says Jack, "but I have to work this evening at the Bistro. I'm closing the restaurant tonight and won't be back until after midnight. If the girls want to have you over then I'll just have to see the pictures later."
Janet and Chrissy both express their desire to see the photos tonight. "Great then, it's a date," says Gary. "I'll come by about 8:00. I'll be sure and save you a couple of the beers, Jack." Gary heads back to his apartment to unpack.
Later that day, Gary takes the film to the camera shop and then picks up the pictures early that evening.
He rings the doorbell of Apartment 201 about 8pm and Janet answers the door. "Come on in, Gary," she says. "Let me help you with those," as Janet takes the bottle of wine from Gary.
"You can put the beer in the refrigerator and I'll get some glasses for the wine. Chrissy, Gary's here, come on out."
Chrissy exits the bedroom and greets Gary. "I hope you brought the pictures. I just love to see vacation photos," says Chrissy. She is hopping up and down, like a child waiting for a present.
Chrissy is wearing shorts and a tight t-shirt. Her breasts are jiggling up and down. Janet is also wearing shorts but a looser pull-over top.
"Let's sit on the couch," says Janet. The three move to the living room, Gary with a beer and Janet with two wine glasses and the bottle of wine.
"You girls sit on the couch," says Gary, "and I'll sit on the ottoman across the coffee table. That way I can explain the pictures to you. I had double copies made so you can both look at them at the same time."
Janet smiles and says, "That will be perfect." Everyone settles down and Gary opens the wine and pours a glass for each the girls.
"Before we look at the pictures," says Gary, "I wanted to tell you two about the gifts that I bought both of you."
Chrissy beams, "You bought us gifts, how sweet of you." Janet teases, "Gary, you didn't have to buy us anything. What did you get us?" Janet is rubbing her hands together in anticipation.
"I bought you each some cologne," explains Gary "but it won't be shipped to me for about a week." Both girls are ecstatic. "We just love cologne," they both say.
"I found this great boutique," Gary says. "The woman, who runs it, makes perfume especially for the particular woman. She says that each scent is different on each woman. She says that your skin moisture and perspiration is what activates the scent."
"She asked me to describe each of you to her. She wanted to know what you looked like and what your personalities were like. I don't know how she does it but the perfumes that I smelled were quite exotic. I hope that both of you will like them."
"I can't wait to try it," says Chrissy. "I don't know if I can wait a whole week."
"You don't have to wait a week," Gary tells her, "the lady gave me two cotton swatches that you can try. What she said that you do is to put them in your mouth and get them moist. This evidentially activates the compound, in the swatch. She said that you should then rub the swatch on your wrists and you will be able to smell the scent. Each scent should be different, on the two of you."
"That sounds very interesting," says Janet. "Did you bring them with you?"
Gary reaches into his pocket and produces two plastic baggies, each with a cotton swatch.
"Now remember," says Gary, "keep them in your mouth long enough to get them good and wet."
Both girls open their zip lock baggies and remove the swatches. They put them in their mouths and move them around for about a minute. When they are nice and wet, they take them and rub the swatches on their wrists and forearms.
Both of them wait in anticipation to see how they smell.
"I don't smell anything," says Janet. "I can't smell anything either," says Chrissy.
Gary looks disappointed. "I'm sorry girls. There must have been something wrong with the swatches. Maybe I had them in my pocket for too many days. I'm sorry for this but I guarantee you that you will really love the real cologne, when they get here."
Janet sweetly says, "That's OK, Gary. You had the best intentions. Anyway, why don't we start looking at the pictures?"
Gary hands each of them a separate packet of the photos and the girls start to view them.
While Gary was in Columbia, he made a very interesting discovery.
The borrachero tree grows there quite commonly. The flowers of this tree are locally called 'Devil's Breath'. The people down there say that the flower will 'steal your soul'.
This same flower is where they extract the main ingredient to make scopolamine, which is truth serum.
Locally, the extract is used to make a zombie drug. People who ingest the powder extract become susceptible to any suggestion made upon them.
People, under its influence, have been known to completely drain their bank accounts and gladly give the money to whoever asked them to do so.
People have also been known to help others to load up trucks with all their belongings and happily wave goodbye to them, as the robbers drive away.
This drug does not put the person into any kind of stupor or drunken state. They act perfectly normal, except for their vulnerability to suggestion.
The drugged person wakes the next day with absolutely no recollection of having taken the drug, or of any actions they performed while under its influence. Their memories of the incidents are completely erased.
"These pictures of the ancient gold artifacts, in the museum, are breathtaking," says Janet.
"I can't believe how beautiful and lush green the mountains are," says Chrissy.
The girls are quite pleased looking at the photos. They marvel at all the beauty and express their desire to travel there someday.
