." Gladys eyed me. "How long has it been since Carmen slept here?" I'm, uh, not sure. Luz slept here for the last couple of days, I think, but she sai... something about it being lonesome..." Uh huh..."We moved on. "This is, uh, the master suite..." I muttered."Two beds pushed together? What are those, queens? You STUD, you!" Gladys simpered."I usually get the crack..." I bet you get more than one crack..."I hunched my shoulders and let it pass. As we headed back down to the living room, Gladys. He worked a swing shift and was gone each evening between 6 P.M. and 6 A. M. He always waited at the bus stop with his brown bag lunch and read the sports section of the daily paper. He always threw the unread sections of the paper into the trash as he boarded the bus to his place of employment eight miles away.Each morning he arrived on the bus and stopped at the twenty-four hour liquor store half a block from his home where he bought a pint of cheap vodka. He always sat on the steps in front. Hope you enjoy. And vote…vote…vote! Chapter 9 Ste-Mere-Eglise, France, June 6, 1944 The twenty-seven year-old Lt. Col. Benjamin Vandervoort stood in the doorway of the cottage’s bedroom, his weight resting on a make-shift cane. The American officer stared in fascination at the slightly younger soldier before him. Both of their legs were shattered, the Lt. Colonel eyed with envy the expert bandaging job the farm woman, Madame Renault, had done on Daniel’s leg. With any luck, the soldier. It happened to me.I snapped out of my stupor and responded to her question."Yes, I think I'll be just fine."I saw a slight smile, a shy smile, and then she said, "I just check."Then she turned, and she was gone. I stood there like a big baboon. I was stunned. I should have gone after her, but I didn't. I can't explain what came over me. It just did.Her hair was vibrant, with a reddish shimmer. It came down to her shoulders. Her face was lovely and full of life. Her eyes were a brilliant shade.