I wasn't trying to impress her. I'd decided, long ago, not to try to impress Alice, but to just try to be myself, whoever that was.I was kind of hopin... that might impress her.I drove far into the Northern suburbs after dinner, arousing Alice's curiosity but saying nothing about our destination. When we finally pulled up in front of a drive-in hamburger joint, she just gave me a look that said, "OK, now what?"The waitresses were on roller skates at this place -- old-fashioned clamp-on skates --. "Just had a dream."I turned on the lamp on his dresser. He had his sheet and blanket pulled up to his neck. All I could see was his sweaty face."Would you like me to get you a wet cloth and something to drink?"Nodding, he said, "Thanks."Going into the bathroom, I got a washcloth out from under the sink, ran cold water over it, and went back to him. He was sitting up, leaned back against the headboard of the oak bed that had belonged to one of our Great-greats. No one in the family could quite. The funniest thing about our relationship was that even after the divorce, we would still have sex on and off. Not because we thought about getting back together, though. She knew what I wanted and I always had something she wanted or needed, so it become a bartering relationship. It seemed that every time Tori and the boyfriend-of-the-month would get into a fight, she would always call me or come by my place. I assumed that she saw me as a safety net or comforting person. Who knows really. I. ’ ‘How much?’ he asked. His eyes locked on her face. ‘Five thousand dollars.’ Parker let out a low whistle. Her eyes widened. She looked close to tears again. ‘I knew I shouldn’t have asked,’ she half sobbed. ‘You can’t help me.’ She was halfway out of his seat when his words stopped her. ‘Oh, I can help you, Julie. In fact, that’s around the amount I had in mind when we spoke the other day,’ Her green eyes widened even further. As she sat down again with a slight bump, her breasts bounced.