Josh’s thousand word essay only kept me entertained for ten minutes of the almost three hours I sat alone in the classroom. Sadly he used up most of...his insight in his selection of the subject. There wasn’t really much meat in the essay; he wasted too many words on a misguided attempt to explain Fermat’s Little Theorem and not enough on the commercial and social ramifications of secure, public cryptography. It didn’t make me any less proud of him though; even if he can’t write, at least he can. “But Jill, however hard it is for me, I love you and respect your wishes. And having lost Kate, I’d not want to be the guy who breaks Dave’s heart by taking you away from him. I don’t want to be that guy, however much I hate when we’re apart.”After a final short pause, he finished. “And so, because for now, that’s how you and I both feel at the moment, I’ll have to make do with the time I can get with you. Enjoying every moment we’re together as much as I can, and finding ways to distract. The cane swishes through the air again. Your body arches as a very high-pitched scream escapes from your mouth and sweat starts dripping down your spine. Already you are crying uncontrollably, your body shaking, your head swinging from left to right."Please," you murmur, "Please." All the pride and bravery are gone. Then another strike comes. Your sole is now fiercely read and the distinctive double cane markings are starting to come up in deep blue. It stops after five. You are hanging from. Yet."That sounds like a great idea," I said. The details about us leaving the bar together are immaterial, I suppose. About 30 minutes later Jason and Abbie had checked in to a room at a hotel just on the fringe of town near the interstate, and Jason came to a side door to let me in and up to the room.When I got upstairs, Abbie was in a white babydoll gown, crouched on her knees on one of two queen-sized beds. "Damien, I'm glad Jason got you to come with us. You want to come over here and get.