Why hadn't I noticed? Was it self delusion, or nothing more than an extended case of intractable ignorance?"Those two very nearly killed my babies Eva...." I said, wiping a tear from my cheek. I turned away from the sight of those four fragile little bodies and fixed my gaze on my old friend. "Still, to be fair, there's no way they could have known that's what they were doing."The man stared at me uncomprehendingly. "What? Are you saying they don't have pneumonia?"I shook my head. "No, they're. Bobby hugged me gently and slowly all the nasty stuff was pushed from my mind by the warmth and promise of his body next to me in this bed. My conclusion regarding my parents was absolutely right...I had the settling feeling that comes with a final revelation. To my parents I was nothing but a trophy, but to man beside me I was important in my own right. His concern was all about me. His interest was helping me do those things that were best for me. I hugged Bobby tightly and moved upward to. Sitting in their car alongside the highway, Ellen tried again to cheer upher hubby, "Darling manifesting yourself as a woman won't make you asecond-class citizen. In spite of what you always thought as a man, womenhold a great deal of power. Appearing as one you will experience thatinfluence. Maybe it will be a few more years before a woman becomesPresident, but on a more personal level, you can use your perceived sex toget what you want." You want me to become a whore?" There was a tone of. It was easy to see he had suffered as much as the others had. His muscles were wasted and he looked at least ten years older than the thirty-years-of age that he was.“Anyway, I was just noticing what you have done here. I’m grateful for the food and all but what do you plan on doing with this place and us?” he asked. He was apprehensive of these people even though they wore UNSEC MP Uniforms, but something drew him to this lady. He had always trusted his instincts and he was sure she wasn’t.