When the military recruiters came to his high school on career day it seemed the perfect way out for him. Martin enlisted in the National Guard during...his senior year of high school thinking it would get him out of Podunk no-where-ville. The recruiters promised that he’d get money for college and have a job in demand when he got out, all while taking care of folks in the US. He planned to leave the week after graduation and the family threw him a going away party. His family was not happy that. On finding him he gave her hand a slight squeeze and let her go. Then he flicked a switch to his side and the light in the room grew, slowly, almost imperceptibly at first, but then in the soft crimson light, Nadia could see the circular shape of the room, outlines of shapes within, furniture perhaps, items hanging from the walls, and the light continued to infuse the room with an eroticism Nadia could almost taste. She looked at Alex, who was smiling, arms outstretched, surveying all before. ” I added. “That’s ridiculous, Kate is your age and she’s very pretty. Anyway, it’s all arranged and Beryl seemed quite happy to have you back.” I wasn’t surprised she was happy, she was probably planning to humiliate me again but I couldn’t tell my Dad that, so I shouted and argued and eventually got the cane for my troubles. And after all that I still had to go! He drove me to Auntie Beryl’s in silence. I was not being cooperative but I couldn’t think of any way out of this. When we. There had been three empty stools when I walked in and I took the center one. I have no idea why I do that, but I always have, it's like I want to keep everything in balance. He ordered a drink and soon struck up a conversation asking me, "are you from Dallas."I chuckled, "Well yes I am. I'm a long way from Dallas when I'm home."He laughed and said, he liked that then bought us each another drink. He went on to tell me he and his wife lived there in Dallas and in fact he was waiting for her to.