" Jerry, you are new here. Relax, because you are in for a pleasant surprise." With the bank's newest loan officer seated comfortably, his supervisor ...egan the story of Miss Mary August.One hot August night, more than fifty years ago, a young girl, in a family way, as the expression was used in those days, found herself deep in labor pains. Having nowhere else to go, she went to a nearby house, where a small group of older women lived. There were probably four or perhaps five of them, living. “You served your country ... that makes you one of us. We believe in stickin’ together.”“I’m just cleaning up,” said Bobby. “I don’t even have the new house ordered yet. I have lots of trips to the dump to make first.”“I own a Bobcat,” said one of the men. “And Charley’s got him an old grain truck that will haul a hell of a lot more trash than that pickup will.”Another man stepped forward. “Name’s Sam Clinton. Master Sergeant, U.S. Army retired. Most of us just sit around all day tellin’ lies.. ‘Well, James,’ she said when I had finished (and I noted that she was calling me uninvited by my first name and in a distinctly patronising manner), ‘I certainly must congratulate you. That’s one of the best elaborated delusions I’ve heard for a long time.’ ‘So that’s all it is, is it?’ ‘Please,’ she said, ‘I’ve written papers on this sort of thing.’ ‘Then how do you account for Wendy, and Fran and the others?’ ‘Well,’ she said, ‘I agree it’s a little surprising you’ve got these women to go. ‘This set is yours to keep with no catches, but I am going to ask a big favor. I would love you to please consider posing for me in what I just gave you, just thinking that some other man might see you dressed in what’s in the bag would honestly break my heart.’ Then as I tore away the last piece of tape and my eyes fell from his onto the beauty that feel from that bag and filled my hands. As I gawked at its obvious expensiveness it was its exquisite beauty that captured e and as I stared he.