I got a lotof strange glances from passersby and from salesladies. I didn't knowwhat was wrong, but I felt very uncomfortable. After quite a long stay...n a shoe store, Aunt Sophie wanted to go to a lingerie store."'I can't go in there,' I told her."Once again she surprisingly relented. 'Good, then we'll meet you inhalf an hour at the car.'"I think she knew exactly what would happen. Without the company of AuntSophie in her unusual outfit, I was even more conspicuous. It took justa few minutes. ‘Brad, I have to tell you something,’ she said, waiting for Brad to put his arm around her, claiming her, like he always did. It was funny that this time he didn’t. She thought that it was because he was aggravated that she had called him away from his friends, but she had too much on her mind to worry about it at that moment. ‘I have something to talk to you about, too, Becky,’ Brad said as he got close to her. Becky started to speak but Brad interrupted her before she could utter a word.. “You know it is,” I replied much too quickly.After dinner I left her a nice tip, then rode the bike home. I was back in the house well before nine. I immediately went to the shower. It took only a few minutes to wash the sweat off. I was back in the office part of the living area when I heard her car in the drive.“Hello,” I said as I met her at the door wearing cutoff jeans and a faded black tee shirt.Instead of answering me she kissed me. “I needed that,” she said after she broke the. Tom had made a point of never looking directly at thespectators, but something at the far end of the first row of the right sidecaught his eye as he perused his notes. It was the unmistakable glint of ametal shield: the shield of none other than Officer Velasquez.He was chatting with the Bailiff and a plain clothes officer who would looklike a cop no matter what he was wearing. All three were amazing, each inhis own way, but it was Velasquez that held Tom's attention. While hetalked, his eyes.