”...Putting the ‘phone down the guard said, “He’s coming through. You can wait over there.”Not long after that the inner door opened and Dav...d came through. “You wanted to see me?” he asked.“Yes, sir,” Chris said nervously, “I wanted to thank you personally for your prompt help last Friday. The medics said you may well have saved my life.”“Nonsense,” came the reply, “I just put you in the recovery position.”“A little more than that, they told me. They said you stopped me swallowing my own. " You have a polite way to say yes. Funny, that," she said, hiding her head on my neck. It took her a long while to ask her next question. "Are you married, Marquis?" No, I'm not." I ... wouldn't mind if you were. Who am I to say anything?" I'm really not." I hesitated, but something made me say the whole truth. Athena made me feel comfortable, at home. "I was." You were?" Yes." What ... happened?" We were young and stupid." I only realized what I had said after I said it; but Athena didn't. .. ", Debbie thought to herself puttingout of her mind the really distasteful part that would come later. At thispoint she could only think of the money and her current fiscal crisis. Rentfor another month, money for food and maybe even a little to splurge on clothes.No thoughts of the tuition bill at this point. That was still a good two monthsaway yet. She glanced at her watch, the clock in the car had gone on the blinklong ago. "Shit! 6:25 must get moving.. be home in 5.. 5 minute cab rideto. When the girls returned everyone exchanged greetings. I handed Patrick, wide awake, to Weena. Mr. Jackson said that unfortunately he couldn't stay for lunch as he had a baptism at one."Are we all here?" We all nodded. "Good. Jacky, you stand here. Gordy, to his left. Alice, beside Jacky. And Martha, to her right." Mum and Meena stood behind me, dad and the chief behind Alice."Who gives..." and we were on our way. Jackson said the same words about matrimony that we had listened to in Riverton..