I then did the thing that I had most needed to do. I called a friend on his cell phone, using my cell phone. After several rings a voice came on the ...ine. ‘Hello, this is pastor Jennings.’ ‘Hi Paul, this is John, I need to talk to you very badly and with complete confidentiality. Can we arrange that?’ ‘Hi John, I missed you last night. You were going to tell me what the Elders had to say about the candidates for membership in the Church. Where were you? Is everything o.k.’ ‘I can explain that. And it questions. Has someone returned. Shall I tender hope and renewal to one who needs. Must I accept her as she is, or change her, this one who calls herself Renata. Perhaps restore her. So many decisions.The mulberry wonders and envelopes this new one in its appendages. Twigs, rootlets, vines, tentacles, and flowing filaments all conspire and move to touch and, perhaps, transform this new one who bears an intense pain that needs soothing more, much more than the ache of a twisted ankle. Her. She turned to face Sandy. "You were with Ed all night! Did he take any pictures?"Sandy tried to remember every detail of last evening. The only time she and Ed had not been together had been when he had slipped out of the room while she was watching the film. He had been gone a long time!"I wasn't with him all the time," Sandy announced sheepishly. Lucy and Jimmy immediately started throwing questions at her, and she was so confused that she could not understand any of them. "Just after you two. I just got fired." You hated that job anyway! Come on, at least we can get some cute guys to buy us drinks!"I reluctantly agree, a little fun could be good for me. "Okay Lisa, meet me at my place at 9." As I hang up, the traffic starts moving and the warm breeze flutters through my hair. Maybe things are looking up.I find a parking spot a couple blocks from my apartment. Its an old 3 story brownstone with walls as thick as paper. My apartment is a small one bedroom, one bath on the second.