Her voice full of shame, she said, "I - I can't believe he said those horrible things. I'm really, really sorry." Tears started to well up in her eyes... She peered intently into his broad flat face, trying to think of some way to ease his pain."He a fucking asshole," the man repeated."Y- yes," she admitted. "But he didn't mean, that is... those things he said..."The fatter garbage man, also burning with rage, turned to Lisa to tell her that she was full of shit, but when he noticed her skimpy. " I'm in second year Arts," she said, still with that smile and unwavering eye contact.They talked for some time before realizing it was late and time to move on. Brent awkwardly asked for her phone number and was given the number of her dorm payphone with the assurance that someone would let her know he had called. He gave her his apartment phone number, telling her that he shared it with two other students, so just leave a number or a message. Somehow, he'd get it.Brent phoned her the next. Erica flew in on the first plane at 1st of July. Pete had explained the owner that Erin´s friend would arrive earlier than Erin. He picked up Erica from her flight. Oh boy, she´s gorgeous indeed. He had serious difficulties to keep his eyes on the road. He knew Erica is shy, so he did most of the talking ...Babbling away his arousal, Pete showed Erica in and she helped him stuff some tasties, salmon and bottles with bubbles he´d brought along in the fridge. Next, Pete took care to park his. No more camouflage. No more acting under false pretenses. She had hidden behind the veil of her own obscurity far too long. To hell with the expectations of reality and now to think of it, to hell with his skepticism. No longer would she remain the secret of his fanciful hallucination. She was a contender. An opinion? She thought not. For Vera herself was acutely aware of the differences between being optimistic and merely having a misty optic. Her long gone husband had at least wakened her to.