"Hi Emmett."He looked up from under the hood and smiled back at her," hi Connie, sorry about chewing your ear off the other night." No problem", she a...sured him. "Can I ask a favor of you?" Sure, what's up?" I need a case of beer for tomorrow morning."He looked at her a little shocked, "Aren't you a little young to be drinking beer?" It's not for me."He thought for a moment, "do you have the money to buy a case?" Not really." So let me get this straight, you want me to buy you a case of beer. ” She said extending a gloved hand. He hesitated for a moment then took the proffered hand: “Please to meet you I am Cecil.”“Well Cecil we are in for a long trip are you going all the way to Buffalo?”“Yes, I’m going to visit my grandmother.” Replied Cecil as he examined the woman next to him; she was taller than he by a good margin, strawberry blond hair and a light coat of make up.“Well you certainly are a big boy traveling all that way by yourself, how old are you 12 13?”“No I’m 19.” . ‘I shall see you at 10AM tomorrow, if that’s not too soon?’ ‘No, sir, not at all.’ I shook his hand as I got up. ‘I’ll see you then.’ I showed myself out of his office, and nearly plowed down a short scrawny girl walking into the room. ‘Oh!’ she said, hitting the ground. ‘Ah, damn, I’m so sorry.’ I reached down, and picked her up with one arm, and her purse and coat with the other. I kept my arm around her back as I pulled her up. ‘Hey, you’re the new guy huh?’ She made like she was. Well, now her husband was dead and she was broke. Ada bounced him out of the house on his tail, but he didn’t leave before telling her she no longer had a job because the town no longer had a need for a clerk of records—but that he might be able to find a paying job of some sort for her if and when she reconsidered his offer of help. Ada was like a zombie for a week, staying alive herself only to nurse her baby past the crisis. By the end of that week, however, her Aunt Martha had arrived from.