”She impatiently, looking around at the empty street, making sure none of the neighbors were out looking. Then, she heard footsteps and the door ope...ed.Mike was standing there, looking the part of the young college guy, wearing an athletic shirt and athletic shorts. He smiled at her. “It’s good to see you again Jenny. Come in.”She stepped inside and froze. Another of his roommates, a large guy with the build of a football player, sat at the kitchen table eating a bowl of cereal. He gave her a. ” I managed to stay cool, I think.“But, may I ask you for some honey?” She had a paper cocktail napkin in her hand and placed the hand carrying it – her left hand, the one with the big ring on it – on the table beside me. “Our table does not have any.”“Oh, sure, no problem,” I grabbed at the mini jars in front of me, but the honey was on Cheryl's side. As she reached for it, the woman dropped the napkin, evidently aiming for my lap, but it glanced off my leg and ended up on the floor.“Here you. Oh, that’s right! ‘Um, thank you. You know. For the help.’ He grunted, barely looking over his shoulder at her. Another two minutes passed. ‘I’m Hannah, by the way.’ He looked away into the trees, turning his head as far away as possible from her. ‘Bill.’ She decided not to try and start another conversation for the rest of the walk. * * * ‘The Land’ was nearly a day’s walk away. Or at least in daylight terms, during the winter the days were short and fleeting, the sun would rise at nine and. I’d like to take a break for awhile.” Devin smiled and pulled Lenna close. “And you need the time off, too.”“We’ve got the party to attend first. Once we’ve done our jobs here, then we will go. I’ll slip out later and set it up.”“Don’t worry about it,” Devin squeezed her gently. “We have a trip out at ten hundred local time tomorrow for Colony Three, or whatever they’re going to rename it tonight.”Lenna stopped and hugged him. “Thank you, that’s a nice surprise.”Devin hugged her, then stepped.