He had the good grace to shake his head at his actions as he walked by the locked-up department. He knew he was heading for a raft of heartache, feeli...g as he did about this girl, but he simply couldn’t help himself. He felt he needed Abi to put him straight, even if it broke his heart. If she didn’t, he knew he was obliged to stay close to her and cultivate a deep but platonic friendship and forever keep his true feelings for her buried out of her sight. That way he could enjoy being near her. This time he pulled out a little brown bottle. I had no idea what it was. He came around and kneeled in front of me and he uncapped the bottle and sniffed it twice deeply. Whatever it was, it seemed to please him. He offered it to me and I rejected it because of being unsure of the contents. He explained that it was poppers and it would help me loosen up. I was skeptical so I took a small sniff of it as he held it under my nose. It smelled very chemically and powerful. He again corrected me and. “How did you feel about that? I mean, after it happened, how did you feel about what happened?”Helen thought for a moment, where was this going? Is she feeling bad about what she did? Just be honest, it has been what Stella has appreciated. “I … I’m not sure how … okay, honestly, at first I was nervous. Then I relaxed and let it happen. You looked so gentle and at peace while you were washing me, like it brought back a pleasant memory or feeling … or something. Afterward? I don’t know … I. He was only twenty-eight. Four years plus after the end of the war the civilian job market was booming. He’d had to meet with some three star to tell him why he was leaving. He told him the truth to include the sorry state of the current, ‘All Volunteer’ Army. The Lieutenant General hadn’t tried to argue with him, he’d actually apologized on behalf of the Army and thanked him for his service. That had been pretty surreal. He’d gone to a couple of job fairs and come away with half a dozen good.