Truly, their cheers affirmed, they had never seen a prettier shade of pink.After turning her this way and that to the crowd's complete delight, he fin...lly unhitched Gilli's skirts and let them fall to cover her shame. In a haze of stinging and mortification, Gilli hardly noticed when he bent down and lifted her feet one after the other. She just stood there wondering what might happen next. The big man simply pointed to the platform steps, and made a shoo-ing motion with his hand as if to say. ’ She fell silent for a few moments while we danced. ‘Are you through?’ I asked. She nodded. ‘Well, I don’t know what to say,’ I said, ‘Except that I need a stiff drink and so do you. We’re not leaving until I hear you sing.’ We reclaimed our seats at the bar and ordered another round. When the microphone worked it’s way back around to her, Allie took it and looked at me, then up and away as if thinking about something. Then she turned toward the piano player and said something I couldn’t make. Holding her head up, she dazes at him and waits. He knows too well what she’s waiting for. Sighing silently, he kneels down on the floor with one knee, and puts his hand on her back to support her from falling. Without a word he just kisses her on her lips, for the first time tonight. At first it is an emotional kiss, then more passionate. Their lips meet, their tongues tango, their saliva exchanges, with a flavor of bitterness and sweetness left by the mix of her juice and cognac, tasting. What a stupid move to make in apolitical climate that had so enthusiastically embraced ?get tough on crime? and ?zerotolerance? that it had turned hundreds of offenses, even many misdemeanors,into capital crimes with a mandatory death sentence! Then, when that cloggedup the prisons and courts, replaced the ponderous system of trial by jury withthe new sleeker, fast-paced trial by tribunal. Three judges who startedevery trial on the twentieth day after the arrest, gave the prosecution anddefense.