"I don't know. I just got a very sharp pain in my right side. It's fading now, but something hurt me."Marilyn leaned over toward me onto the side of t...e conference table saying, "You're face is a little pale. Something's happened to you." I'm a ghost," I thought. "Aren't I supposed to be pale?"Well, that brought the proverbial house down. All of my friends broke out laughing. Through their mirth I muttered, "You'd think I'd be getting used to you all being able to read my mind or at least find. ” She blinked at me as my jaw clenched. “Not like that! We pleased each other. He was wonderful.”I relaxed slightly and nodded. “Arathea ... have you given any thought to what would happen if you decided you didn’t want to be with him anymore? Or if he didn’t want to be with you?”She looked at me anxiously. “Do you think he wouldn’t want me anymore?” She glanced down at herself, wearing threadbare, stained clothes, and I saw tears pool in her eyes. “I know I don’t deserve—”“No, no. Nothing like. Suddenly to her horror she saw Mark striding out of the exit. She couldn’t believe it, what was he doing here? Oh my God, she thought, he’s wearing his black bomber jacket! This couldn’t be happening! Had she actually been chatting on-line to Mark? She sunk further down in her seat behind the newspaper feeling her face burning up with embarrassment. She watched as he made his way across to the gift shop. The plan had been for them to meet each other in the bar, so what was he doing? She moved. She had books and papers scattered all over the kitchen table which had to be cleared before meals. That was not a good situation for either of them. One of the members of the civic club Jim belonged to was a carpenter. So, while Alex spent her days at the university, Jim had one of his spare rooms remodeled into an office for Alex. His grateful bride repaid Jim in her usual manner when he surprised her with her own office. This time however, she didn't give Jim any options. She fell to her.