I was familiar with the area where my friend lived, having spent a few years there myself, so I knew which streets had large overhanging trees that of...ered sporadic shelter. A short distance before turning into one such street, I rose off the saddle and stood high on the pedals without pedaling, letting the bike’s unaided propulsion take me slowly round the bend. I guess I was still a little boyish at eighteen. For some unknown reason as I turned into the street I looked sideways at a little. "We're not all gun-toting crazy whahoos," she'd said. "And where's your top hat and tails--left them back in London did you."Touché.Sullivan might have sounded like she was more at home baking apple pies, but she was a fastidious and highly efficient researcher, if a little unimaginative. That was both the positive and negative of her military background. John suspected that was why he'd been brought in. It was easy to joke about that classic oxymoron, American Intelligence, but they knew. The bathroom counter top seemed so far away.Maybe it was the high heels. Everything seemed far away, now that he wasfour inches taller."Coming, Andrea!" Brad replied, as he started walking out into thehallway."Ohhh, not YET, I think!" said Andrea.Brad suddenly felt hot. Flushed. Embarassed. He was a little afraid towalk into the kitchen. But the smell of Andrea's Italian cooking was sodelicious! The clicking sound of his heels on the tiled floor surprisedhim."Awwwww, don't you look. She didn’t answer, so I left a message pleading with her to call me. I didn’t know what to do with myself, if I should go home or wait there or what, so I just started pacing around checking my phone every thirty seconds. I finally made up my mind to walk toward my apartment and that’s when my phone rang. It was her mom’s number but Alicia’s voice asking, ‘Ray? Did you get the note?’ She sounded panicky. ‘Yes of course. Tell me, are you okay?’ ‘Well, yes, sort of. I’m sorry, Ray, I… well,.