I was surprised that she hadn't remarried and that no one had adopted Ruben. She was a gorgeous woman, one most men noticed, and could have any man sh... wanted. Maybe she was just living with one now. I took a bite of the meatloaf, telling myself that I didn't really care, and continued.Ms Montoya and son live together in a small bungalow in a subdivision of Groveport. There are no others living in the home and Ms Montoya works at a veterinary clinic in Groveport proper. Ruben goes to school in. It was basically a hunk of rock orbiting 2nd out from the system's sun. The silicon-based life form that lived on it, was peaceful in the extreme. They had no weapons of any kind. In fact other than the fact that they lived on it; they had no other use for the planet other than for food. The Salinans consumed rocks, any rocks. Their digestive system was such that it converted the rock to a high-density waste product called trillium141. To the Salinans, their waste was just that. Excrement. They. The water was surprisingly warm, and I attributed it to the building owner living there and wanting the hot water for his own family rather than the convenience of the visiting guests.I sat Alice down on a stool and cut her blonde curls down to a short boyish style. Then I had the owner’s wife dye it dark brown with the bottle she used for her own hair to cover up her graying tresses. Finally, I gave her some money for her son’s clothing and dressed up little Alice to look just like a regular. They learned quickly and performed their tasks better than she had anticipated.As a bonus, she got to look at them. At first she felt embarrassed looking at two college kids half her age, but that feeling wore off as the day went on. Maybe it was the fact that she was in charge of them or the feeling of emptiness she felt that morning, but she got over the embarrasment and started enjoying the sight of the two athletic boys in her charge. Her heart even skipped a beat when they took their water.