Today: Alice's friends cajole.

"So, I thought of you today as I was getting waxed," my friend Jen says.

I'm in Chicago this week, visiting my college roommate, Jess. Jess, Jen, and I have been drinking steadily for three days and discussing the issues I have with being single.

"Since we were talking about your grooming questions yesterday, I asked if this place is open tomorrow. It is. I can call and make you an appointment if you want."

"I thought we had already discussed this," I say.

"You need to try it. You just feel better — cleaner. All the time," Jen says.

"Oh, yes," Jess chimes in from the kitchen, where she's mixing drinks. "You feel great."

"You're single now. You look great, you're leaving this divorce behind — do something for yourself."

"I don't know," I say. "I've always said I would never do this."

"You have to trust me," Jen says. "The most important thing is, it feels great. You'll wonder how you did without it. Second most important: the sex is amazing."

"Oh, yes," Jess agrees, bringing in the drinks. "Sex is way better. Best sex ever."

"It's just," I say, "I really like not being that high maintenance about things. I'd feel like I was capitulating."

"At the end of the day," Jen says, "some of those things we give up because we don't want to be high maintenance are actually quite worth having."

A couple of cocktails later, I let her make an appointment.

Next post: Alice allows a complete stranger, despite there being no likelihood of orgasm, free reign over her private bits.