The two women had been talking for nearly two hours and Shelly had bought three rounds of drinks for them both.The hotel bar was filled mostly with wo...en in town for a teacher's convention. Lisa, the pretty brunette was an elementary school teacher from a small town in Iowa but Shelly was a local. She had worked as a cop for the last fifteen years and was at the bar with a few friends celebrating her promotion to Detective III. She spotted the pretty young teacher sitting alone at the bar. "He asked me to marry him. The first time was three months ago," Caroline said in a matter-of-fact manner, rather enjoying herself."Three months ago. I can't believe it. And you didn't tell me."Caroline nodded in the dusk as Michael pretended not to be listening. Johnny and his sister nodded on the seat behind the adults, both deeply asleep, pudgy arms flopped beside them, palms turned up, heads bobbling loosely. "And he has asked me every month since then, on the first of every single month in. I thought that this would be a good time to go out to the pool naked and get some sun. I ate some breakfast, in the nude, and then went out to the pool. I dove in for a quick swim and then got out, turned on some music, and laid in the sun for some tanning.Probably after about 20 minutes I kind of dozed off but was brought back to reality when I heard talking coming from the house. My sister was saying that it looked like no one was home so they could spend time at the pool tanning topless. "Well, physicallyyou seem like you are recovering. Now for the memory. What do youremember?"I think for a minute. Can I tell him I was a man an hour ago? No. I say,"I was... Hurt?" I shake my head. "I am sorry, I just don't remember." Okay," he says. "Don't let it worry you right now, focus on trying toget better. I will have them do a scan of your brain, just in case, but Isuspect it's a psychological response to trauma, not a physical one." That lady..." I start. "She says she's my mom?".