” I had an ‘out of the box’ thought then. There was always my ‘new’ model 55. I was sure it would qualify on power output, was low and light...enough she’d be able to manage it. But could I trust her with it? Should I? I took a deep breath. “There’s always my model 55.”“You’d let me ride that?” Her eyes were wide. “But ... Rob, it’s ... I mean ... it must be worth a small fortune.”“Probably about ten grand to the right person, if I was going to sell it right now. It’s to concours standard at the. It was no pretend thing the blackened leather was stiff except for the leather loop at the end of the braided handle. “Stand up.” He ordered. She stood, trembling slightly, but whether that was anticipation or nerves, he wasn’t sure. “Now lean over the arm of the chair.” She complied wordlessly, offering her milky white buttocks to him as she bent at the waist and rested on the chair arm with her feet on the floor. Robert stood and surveyed her flawless, alabaster coloured skin, before. No sound. No life. I paused for a moment, contemplating the unfortunate vision before me. But my sense of duty urged me to hurry to the bus stop to go to work, and as I turned my back on the young fowl, I hoped that the building manager would come across the young sparrow during the day and take it away. ***** I returned from the office in a fairly good mood, sorting through the mail I had received as I walked toward my apartment until, to my dismay, I saw it. The lifeless sparrow was still. I say that as if July brought about a change from 'excruciatingly boring.' It did, but only by adding further frustration. Independence Day, July 4th, fell on a Wednesday. The rest of the gang was either out of town, or had family plans for the holiday. I was stuck at home, alone. Even my weekly trip to the library was curtailed because it was closed for the holiday. Mom offered to take me to the municipal park for the fireworks show, but I declined. Even after a month on the crutches, I still.