Except for that, the backpack was ready to go. I went over and brushed off the flannel side of the sleeping bag, turned it over on the table and did t...e same to the outside. I turned it again, making another check to make sure nothing had been picked up from the table's surface. Zipped, folded and rolled up like I knew what I was doing, the bag fit snugly alongside the tent in the backpack.That left only the wet clothes I'd been wearing when I came awake as Cooper James for the first time, and. "She's here? The girl from Earta Prime?" asked Cleo."Yes Missy is here, do you know her?" I asked.They looked at each other first before Petra answered. "She and herMother saved us from, from a horrible death." We owe them a life bond," added Cleo.The pair had been bound and left in the desert to die in the sun whenMissy and Doty had come along and freed them. In return they had giventhem safe passage to the next jump point on the freeway. They never didelaborate on how they'd gotten captured. Jerry finally fell into an over-stuffed chair and slumped into a quiet stupor. Esther went to the kitchen to pour herself another drink. As she entered the kitchen, she heard, “Can I get you a drink?” She turned and looked into the eyes of the black man. His eyes were calm and seemed to bore into her soul, she felt a warm feeling overcome her. “I’m Ralph,” he said, “I noticed you and your husband seem to be at odds.” Esther then said, “Yes, my name is Esther and Jerry, my boorish husband. I clung on even more tightly and closed my eyes. The tying up stuff must have brought back some horrible memories. My body shook with a sudden surge of anger.That man should be grateful there’s a whole ocean between him and me. If he were any closer I’d ... I’d... I don’t know what I would do.But it wouldn’t be nice.Something tightly wound up in my very center uncurled in response to my anger. B was still in there, waiting for a chance to take over. She had some very strong ideas about what.