I try to look down, modestly, to still my beating heart, to stop the flushed blood rising in my cheeks. I cannot bear it! I get thrown into such a hys...eria. I had the misfortune to be born on St. Valentine’s Day — 1844. A well reared and educated girl, I of course do not look for any foolish lace and paper cards decorated with cupids and the like on The Day. I content myself with a small family party to which Mama may invite one or two of my friends from school. I just know she will invite. I set the canteen down on the hood next to me."What were you doing driving my wife's car Harve?" I asked, my voice flat and lifeless.He scrambled to his feet and started running. Foolish, foolish man.I let him run thru the desert. Let him work up a sweat and think he might actually get away. Give him just a teeny-tiny taste of hope.I linked, lifted the rifle sighted and shot him in the thigh. Harve fell down and slid thru a small ground hugging patch of cholla cactus.Getting down off the hood,. The men had been made to watch as the womenfolk were raped before all were impaled on sharpened stakes for the amusement of the raiders. We had saved Theodora from a nasty (if not pointless) death. Judging by the fuss she made when Charity first used a strap-on to sodomize her, Ms Throsbie would have been a very noisy martyr.Charity had once been in the same predicament as her catamite. She too had been chained naked to my bed waiting for me to decide how long and with what instrument she was. . ***** The next day was Friday and it was uneventful. Melanie seemed a little preoccupied. We went to the grocery store that night and she lightened up a little. The next morning I got up and needed to do yard work. We were leaving in a week and I needed to do something around the yard so the neighbors wouldn't complain to the home owners association. About 11am Melanie came outside. She was wearing a black sports bra and tight black elastic shorts. "You look hot this morning!" I said drenched.