She didn’t wake up well, and he insisted on it, but it rubbed against her training.“Can you imagine people actually living like that, though? “�...�Maybe not quite as liberal as that, but you might be surprised to know that people actually do live like that. In this town. Probably on this block. It has probably happened in this house, even, and might well happen again”She searched his face for clues to what if anything he might be getting at. He teased a lot, and her inexperience made her an easy. She had applied to a couple of schools in Northern California, because Rick was at Stanford. Tammy, who was a junior, said she wanted to go to a small school out in the countryside. It was not big talk, that stuff; it was just talk among friends, and, in a way all three of us needed that more than we knew. It was the basis of a friendship that saw us all through times good and bad, even though we had no idea what the future held.As football season was now over, I was free after school, but. .. ? It is better to have loved and lost than never to..." That was not the situation at all, M'sieu'," Madeleine interrupted quickly. "I assure you, it was not..."Rafael Girarde shrugged his broad shoulders. "So... what difference," he said, his warm smile always prevalent. He leaned back in his chair, joining his hands at fingertips. "How can I help you, ma chere?"Madeleine bit nervously at her lower lip, the ridiculousness of her proposed request suddenly dawning on her. To entertain even. My favorite place, such as it is, is the swampy area behind our house. I take my fishing pole (I forget where I liberated that from) and head out to where the prize catfish can be found. Often, I can catch three or four, and Mom fries them up for supper. My mom can really cook catfish, so this is something purely worth the effort.I don't know why, but on this particular day, I tried a different route to the fishing hole. There's a trail I never took before, and I always meant to try it out, but.