..'"Also, if you would like a binky or a night-night bottle that's fine, butthose have to stay in your bed." A binky? Seriously?" a blonde haired girl...asked. "We're not reallybabies you know..." Oh Alyssa, you and I are going to have a lot of fun! It's not mandatoryat all, but I know some littles are very comforted by them. I just liketo make sure everyone knows I don't have a problem if you need one. I canlend you a binky for the night to see if you would like one?" She smiledand I swore there. Classes started, and I enjoyed teaching in the morning and having my afternoons to do errands and to practice my Italian. Despite Skype, though, it was lonely, especially in the evenings and on weekends. One Saturday night, after coming out of the cinema (it was a Scola retrospective), I felt the need to be around people—not to meet anyone, you understand, but simply to have people nearby. So I went into a bar in the center of town. There was a lively crowd of people, most of them much younger. He crowded her door frame, and she estimated his height to be around 6” 2′. He was wearing a dark blue t-shirt that clung slightly to his chest, and jeans. His eyes, much darker then she remembered them were glowing and sparkling in the sunlight, and he has a playful look in his eyes. He smiled a slightly crooked grin at her and she felt her heart skip a beat. She realised she was staring at him with her mouth slightly open, so she looked down, unsure how to greet him. He gave a short laugh. "She laughed out loud at me as she went out of the room. I had to smile at myself for flirting with her while lying flat on my back in bed. She was cute though and I would guess her to be about thirty or so. She had a mature way about her that said she wasn't a new hand at this. I thought it was becoming to her. Then it hit me what I was thinking and I was surprised at myself. This was the first time since I had been in the states that I had thought about a woman being attractive or anything.