The next time she had some work ready for Mark, she made an effort tospeak in a positive tone and to smile brightly. Mark looked up at herfrom his de...k and responded with a weak upturn of one side of his mouthand a muttered "thank you". Cherry was beginning to grow quite concernednow, and this was only heightened when, on one of her journeys to makecoffee for Mark, she heard Richard warmly praising both Lucy and Amber ontheir work and attitude.On the way out for lunch she saw Alan and Lucy. A degree in English isn’t just the fun stuff -- Postmodernism in Liberation Fiction being totally awesome -- but there are also the classes you’ll never use, like a 101-102 science sequence. I shouldn’t have put it off. It would be Chemistry, as 101 covered stuff I’d supposedly studied back in high school. Who cares a wit about valances?The first lecture, however, made me realize I should have knocked off the requirement while the subject was still fresh in mind. I’d totally forgotten about. . see... Jim... SergeantHammond, that is, well, he came back here a couple of hours ago andhe... well... we sat and looked at the tree for a while and... we had alittle wine and..."Alex's eyes opened wide. "Oh, my God, Mom! You didn't...?"Lucy looked shocked at the accusation. "Oh, good heavens, Alex! Who doyou think you're talking to? You've known me your whole life. Do youseriously think that I'd just jump into bed with someone I just met!?" Then..." Alex's look of shock changed to a smile.. So, you like it interracial, huh? He turned towards the laptop again. -I like this one, he said, and pointed at a picture of a cute redhead sucking on the dick of a black man with braids. Have you ever tried that? Cora rushed up and folded the laptop’s screen down. -I was doing research, she said through her teeth. -Sure you were, said Hermes. -If you’re done, you can leave now, said Cora. -You know, if you’re doing research on black men’s bodies, I could help you, said Hermes. -Out! said.