" She sat up, leaned against the headboard, wrapped her arms around her knees, and gave me a rather sheepish look."This duplex is one of the rental pr...perties Nguyen Vo maintained. He and I were living in a house not far from here, and after he died, I didn't want to live in that house any longer. The next time this front unit was vacated, I moved in here and put the house up for rent. The tenant in the rear unit," she said, winking at me, "felt uncomfortable having his landlady living right. So I have been brought to a place where I consider heroism to involve very little in the way of proactive behavior. Someone called me heroic the other day – it happens quite often anymore – and I gave him my standard answer to this remark. ‘As far as I’m concerned,’ I said, ‘anyone who makes it through the day on planet earth is a hero.’ And I do feel that way. In my opinion, it seems that we are all heroes, striving to maintain some sense of self worth in a universe that leaves the ultimate. I let out a small sigh of relief. My timing couldn’t have been more perfect.Monica and I ordered talked while we waited, and when the food arrived, we set to it.“This is amazing!” she gushed, and the maitre d’ beamed.When we finished, our table was cleared, and I got up. I looked at my watch one more time.“Nearly there,” I thought. I offered Monica my hand and pulled her to her feet.“Night’s not over yet,” I said.We strolled over to the amphitheater where there were several blankets laid out on. I don’t care what she wears. I don’t care who she fucks. I simply don’t care.’ Rafe playfully pinched my bottom as I followed the others into the car. ‘Do I get a preview?’ he whispered. Mistress leaned across me to pull the door shut. ‘Certainly not Rafe. Don’t be cheeky. Now let’s get going.’ The ride into the village didn’t take long. I had only been there during the evenings or on a weekend day, and was surprised to see how different it was during the week. Matrons and young mothers were.