"So, Elena tells me you're getting married?" I asked."Yes, to Olmer, he's lovely," she beamed. "Our parents are currently negotiating the wedding term...." It's an arranged marriage?" I asked to her blank look and then had to explain how certain of our Earth cultures did things."Oh no," she finally said. "Olmer asked me to wed him, the negotiations are over costs and our long term prospects, though neither of our parents are exactly poor." Suppose they can't agree, will the wedding be called. I figured he could decide I was a member of the "faggot" society that had pitched him out of his job as easy as not. He was well beyond noticing that I'd gotten fired as well or listening to me tell him that tidbit.Paul was already sitting at the bar nursing a mixed drink as I pulled up a stool and ordered a beer. I asked him how he was doing and learned the extent of his efforts. Almost a carbon copy of mine. The gal at the job placement place had even offered him the same three hour commute. As she was coming to her teary, nonsensicalconclusion, I had just finished preparing my rebuttal.Lillianna turned her face and the tape recorder to me. "Your turn."I replied in an even tone, "Much of what Denise has said I can'tdispute. For the last two odd months we have had sex once a week, withthe understanding that she would receive a good grade in exchange forthe sex. But what I must emphasize is that this was an agreement madebetween two consenting adults. It simply isn't fair to. ..what's that?"-----------------------------Some say, "It was a warning!"Some say, "It was a sign!"I was standing right there. When it came down from the sky.The way it spoke to us. You felt it from inside. It said "It was upto us...up to us to decide. You've become violent, this keeper of thishost. We been watching you with all of our eyes, and what you seem tovalue most."It was some sort of flash of light, or was it just a flash ofunderstanding. I didn't know what it meant. Something.