"How are your counseling sessions going?" he asked."The counselor said that I was doing alright—that I didn't have to come back. She said that I cou...d call her if I needed her, but I haven't." Any bad dreams—any flashbacks?" Paul asked.Audrey shook her head."I was actually out cold when he did it," she reminded him. "Maybe I was lucky that way. I remember fighting him. I thought that I could fight him off up until everything went black. I'll always know that I never gave in. That helps a. He had since become a companion, eagerly helping Pete as much as he could, and learning all that he was shown. He had also exceeded any expectations held for him on the equipment. Carl had described it as being "like a duck taking to water." Floyd had said he was a "natural born dirt pusher."They separated into groups, the men on the front porch, drinking cold drinks, and the women in the kitchen swapping gossip and cooking. Julia had seen the reason Sharon had told her about them and their. His name was Derrick and we learned that he was 59 years old and was divorced at age 25 and had never remarried. A factory brought him to the local area to serve as their senior accountant. We met on his moving in day. Tom and I immediately took a liking to him. We found him to be one of those "Jack Of All Trades" kind of guys and totally independent. He came over a lot and showed Tom how to prune our shrubs and trees and he even helped Tom put in our new hot water tank. In return I often took. ”Mark grabbed some menus and led us to a secluded corner, with a private table.We sat down, and Marie said, “Wow, this place is amazing, and they seem to know you quite well.”“Oh, they know me alright. I’ve been coming here since I was a student. That’s a long time,” I said, suddenly aware of the fifteen or so years that surely separated us.Marie laughed and put her hand on mine briefly, sending a little jolt through me as her fingers touched the backs of mine, “It can’t be that long ago,.