Why would a truck make me uncomfortable? I’m afraid to ask. ‘No, a truck will be fine if you’re fine,’ I tell him coming out of the kitchen. I...pick up a light wrap from the table in my foyer, put it around my shoulders and he smiles at me again. ‘Shall we?’ he asks. His voice is deep and the light glimmers off his silver-haired temples. I feel small next to him and he smiles again and blinks his eyes. They blink in slow motion. I like it all and I smile a big, silly, goofy smile in answer. The. .." Candi says giggling, pulling a face at me. "Like one,two three... err... four, five, two, threes...."I swallow and my eyes go wide, partly because the fate of my ass is inher giggling hands, but mostly because the number cane strikes have goneup.The supervisor looks at me and smiles, "A nice round ten is alright withyou isn't it Angel?" She ruffles Candi's hair, "I think you're lookingforward to this almost as much as me..."I freeze, wanting to shake my head, but deciding against it. Very. ..as I lay on this couch. Itended to clasp one of the throw pillows in my arms as I do now. Glazingat the flames of the fireplace through the wine glass, and its paleyellow contents, always tended to make me sleepy; not to mention the wineitself. I have to smile...life is sooo good...even in my isolation.What is that sound? Is somebody knocking at my front door? In this Godforsaken weather??? My mind must be playing tricks on me. It must bethe wine. No? There it is again! Somebody is. In fact, is Maria cooking tonight?”“Of course, she is.”“Well, there you go. I’m coming for dinner. I’ve got the night off, anyway.”“Okay, George, but that is one of the reasons I’m calling. Why not make it an early dinner? It is very important I talk to you.”“Okay, I’ll be there around four-thirty, and I’ll bring over a sixer of beer.”“I’ll see you then, my friend. I’ll see you then.”George sat in his chair and stared at the TV he had muted when the Caller ID showed who was calling – another.