Well, that takes the cake for the weirdest ice breaker ever, I chided myself.“This will be my second,” she responded, not seeming to mind. I was r...lieved I hadn’t derailed the conversation before it even started. “But it’ll be my fourth pregnancy.” She flashed me a sardonic smile, “I’m getting pretty good at it.”I chuckled. “I bet.” I found it hard to believe her tight body had already undergone three pregnancies.Just then the rays of the sinking sun broke through the trees and landed directly. The sensation was so close to a tickle or an itch I could not help but moan in self-pity and beg for some kind of release. I broke off my plea in mid-cry when the Red Devil appeared before me. He made a motion with his hand and I saw the cabin boy was being dragged forward. In horror I watched as the boy was stripped naked and bound face down across the width of a barrel. A rod was produced and passed to the Captain who began to cane the boy brutally. CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! Again and again the. "She crawled into the back and I lowered the radio volume so she could sleep. She shifted about a bit as she settled in and must have been laying with her head right behind my seat as I heard her say "Hello, Ted. I'm Michelle. Can I rest my head on your tummy for a while?"'Lucky Bear, ' I thought and smiled as I drove on into the darkening night.Chapter 3The old van was trying to run apeshit on the downslope and I found myself lightly riding the brake as we drove down the mountains on I-80. I don’t know when, for in my mind, time had been put on hold. Clearing the snow would have to wait till morning.Sometime in the night, I awoke and needed to get some fresh air. I gently propped Angie’s head on a pillow and grabbed my coat. The brisk fresh air felt welcoming on my face. I needed to make sure that the good fortune in my life was really happening and not just a dream. I wanted my senses to be keenly alert. I didn’t need to pinch myself; the cold air did that for me.The sky was the.