Bob's shower was big enough for four or five people and there were places you could sit down and still be in the stream of water if you wanted to."But... honey," he said. "I'll get all wet." Of course you will," she said, as if explaining things to a three year old."I mean my clothes will get all wet," he said back."No, because you won't be wearing any," she said, again with exaggerated niceness in her voice."Sweetie, honey, you know we can't do that," he said, pleading."Yes we can," she said. He could swear she stood there extra long before she dove in with hardly a splash. Paul watched her sleek tanned body glide full length under water and surface just to the left of where he was laying.As she shook the water from her hair he remembered that she was home visiting from college this weekend. He thought about how much he wished she would visit more often. Then Amanda hoisted herself out of the pool by pressing down on her arms and raising her body straight out of the water. As she. .. she will be here in ... fifteen minutes. I could cut that by a minute or two by sending a car?”“No, thanks. There’s no great rush. Is there anything else just now?”“Commander Banks with the Sigma transport made transit into F-space about an hour ago. That was routine, so I didn’t make a point of reporting it.”“Fine. But please make sure Commander Whitfield doesn’t leave this morning. He was due out today, wasn’t he?”“Yes. But later.”Gladys Everest reported to the office almost twenty minutes. But I've seen that. I've seen it."She looked out at the park across the street. The third floor of her building was almost at treetop level. I could hear the breeze sift through the leaves.She said quietly, "That's why, Steven, you mustn't entertain so many fantasies about me. I'm not a princess. I'll be a social worker with a degree from UCLA. A mother in San Diego I never see, and the godchild of Mexican government servants. And I'm leaving Tuesday. We'll never see each other again."I looked.