10:30 rolled around and the cops had visited twice and they were forced to shut the music down. The under aged drinking was over looked. (Probably the...cops felt they students earned it?) So there they sat in the basement, about 12 left. Just passed 11 and the few who were sober talked about catching a late night movie. More necking occurred and everybody appeared so mellow. Rubin did what he could to put the spark back into the party. Lights were shut off and candles were lit. ‘Man, this. All at once the door of the living room opened, and the light clicked on. In the sudden glare, I was aware of a figure taking a couple of steps into the room, then stopping abruptly, and saying, "Oh shit! Sorry. Hope I didn't wake you up. That silly tart said this was the toilet." Just the voice gave me goosebumps - husky and low, with a sexy bad lad accent - but then, when my eyes got used to the light, and I saw him properly … Oh fuck! He was standing there in just a pair of bright red. There's money to be made!"Deanna waited for the other students to leave again on Tuesday. Kelsey stood just inside the door pretending not to watch."Mr. Martin?" Deanna said.He looked up from his desk.She put his hand on his cheek. "I just want to thank you for all the hard work you do teaching us."Kelsey peripherally observed. Deanna did as she told her to do."Uh ... sure, Deanna. You're welcome."Deanna ignored him staring at her boobs. She held her hand on his cheek for a few seconds before. After all, one of the projects I was working on was a retreat for peace officers suffering from the inevitable consequences of meeting social pathology head-on, day in and day out. But he wasn't there to talk about that.Instead he told me how Belinda had fallen asleep at the wheel, how her minivan had crossed the centerline, how the oncoming semi had obliterated my family.I'd read widely enough to know what the word "automaton" meant. I became one. I managed to dress in my navy-blue suit for.