*** ‘Patchwork Knight’ *** Does everyone remember their first crush with such clarity? Forgetting his is impossible, and if he were honest with hi...self, he would acknowledge that she is the standard by which every other woman that he has admired or dated is judged, and has found them lacking. He knew that he was not the only one who fell in love with her in those glory days of high school. The ultimate girl next door, she was the soul of delight and laughter, pent up pleasure in a tightly. It was three months before Rob’s and my 25th wedding anniversary. I was sitting in a booth at the corner diner where Sally and I met every weekday for lunch. Sally was running late, as usual. The waitress had already delivered our drinks when Sally hurried in.“OMG, girlfriend!” gasped Sally as she collapsed onto the bench. “I am so wasted!”“Wasted?” I asked in astonishment. “You’ve been drinking? At this time of the day?”Sally’s laughter pealed out and everyone in the diner turned to. She was a fair few year older than me and my wife, maybe 10 years, but looked much younger than my wife and was so much more glamourous and bustier. My wife didn’t like the way she had pet names for me and how she dressed. She often would say how she dressed like a teenager, had too much make-up on and was old enough to be retiring. She was jealous of Julia and her body. She didn’t turn me on like Julia did. I would come home from work, thinking of Julia and feel bad that she was trying to get. She remembered Bowtie and the old broad and she reasoned that she was a captive, somewhere, somehow. Perhaps she could discover something of her surroundings if her captors thought her still asleep. She remained still and controlled her breathing, attempting to remain motionless. Sure, it was cliché, but clichés had to come from somewhere, right?"When you are ready to open your eyes, dearie, we can talk. Not that I dislike the quiet, mind you, I get little enough time to just sit and relax.