It was also an opportunity to meetthe charterers face to face. The one-month dry-docking was a heavy butnecessary expense and it gave everybody a good...opportunity to check outour ship. After some essential repairs and maintenance she passed hersurveys and we set about inaugurating the trade. We were confidentbecause the previous ship had proven too small as the trade expandedand she had proven too costly to lengthen. The availability of our shiphad proved a perfect match. Needless to say,. After six days.”“Maybe. Harold still the man around here?”“Prick. Yes.”I hit five more shelters, most of them small and sad. I’d do the pimp in the morning, Harold hated being awakened early. Like before 4 in the afternoon.I drove west, back through the downtown Power & Light District, jogged north over those fucking freeways to the stockyards and my office. Office, sweet office. I worked the phones until around 9 and called Walker, “Order in. Anything.”“Roger that.”I could smell the Wrigley. To be fair though Danielle's cleaner is bloody good.During the party, Danielle was next door, as was Bryan and the kids. Those excuses looking pretty rude right now. She was definitely watching the party. Good. That's what fun looks like. People laughing, making a mess, noise, riffing off each other in unstructured ways. What you do isn't normal! Music, alcohol, some drugs, people of all ages. I caught her watching from her bedroom window that can see over the hedge. Made me smile that, poor. She drops the envelop in the mail box with all the others. Bob drives into town in his Restored 66 Mustang convertible. Top down, smiling as he pulls into the filling station. Old Joe is still working there, He must be ancient, he was old when Bob was in school, and had had that station as long as anybody could remember. “Fill ‘er up Joe”, he yells. Joe squints and smiles in recognition “Bob, you back for the Reunion? Nice car.” Joe fills the tank, as he and Bob talk about the time he saved.