They all seemed so wonderfullyhappy and together. I longed for their normalcy knowing that for me itwas a chimera. I started to cry quietly for my l...st life. I sat withmy face in my hands when I heard a voice speak to me:"Miss, are you alright?" I looked up and saw an adolescent girlstanding before me with braces, red hair and freckles. She lookedconcerned."No, no thank you I'm fine." The look on her face was odd after Ispoke."Are you a man or a woman?" she asked curiously."Can't you see. Fortunately, our parents’ bedroom was on the other side of the house. Finally, just before dark on a Friday night, three weeks after we had last laid hands on each other, I was sitting with my parents in the family room, watching TV, and Louise walked into the room. She was wearing a short black skirt, a cream coloured sleeveless top that showed some cleavage, and a pair of sandals. She bent down and put her hand on my face, and said, “What’s that on your face, Wayne?” as she brushed away an. ” He looked to the woman in Gray. “Standing beside me is Katie Wyoming Knott. She is the chief Civil Service officer for the colony and aboard the colony’s transport for the duration of the trip out.”“The officer you see beside me is Jonathan Percival Hoag, of the Naval Auxiliary and Captain of our colony transport, The Good Ship Lollipop. You may wonder at that name.” Michael smiled, “ The ship’s AI, T’Kuudshpp of the Tuull Clan T’lilpp,” here the speaker played two Tuull sounds, “felt there. The plan had been to spend four years in the Marines, and join the Baltimore police after his discharge. Allen needed to be twenty-one for Baltimore's finest to hire him. He had graduated from high-school when he was seventeen. It didn't make sense to get a job with the clear intention to quit after four years. Continuing his education would be ideal, but he didn't want to pay for college when there were ways to get someone else to pay. In four years, Allen's military service time would give.