She sat next to me on the threadbare sofa as we sipped our beers and listened to the radio. For once since this whole thing started, I was nervous abo...t where to start. I reached behind her and wrapped my arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to me. She took a big gulp of her beer and set her can down on the end table before turning to me with half closed eyes. Her lips tasted of strawberries and Busch Light. As we kissed, I gently rubbed her bare thigh with my free hand. I don’t know. She looked up and nodded. “A lot of people,” she admitted, but didn’t elaborate.“Was he upset that you were coming home after work?” I asked. I wasn’t angry or upset. I asked in the same tone I would have used to ask if she’d gotten her hair done today.She looked at me worriedly and saw that there was no challenge in my face. I’d merely asked how it had gone for her. “He, uh, wasn’t happy with it,” she said carefully.I shrugged. “I’m guessing he had some fighting words to say for the way you. They said their captors had spoken of a place called Cel they desperately wanted to get to. They were happy to see it existed. They called themselves the Gaans and spoke in the manner the Akkad spoke, high pitched sounds emanating from flaps of skin on their skulls. The Akkad and Gaans assumed they had a common ancestor. They were smaller than the Akkad and their eyes were slanted more. Their skin had a greenish hue. As opposed to the Akkad the Gaans had a definite nose although small. The. I’m really, really sorry. Please forgive me.’ ‘Kelly, in the first place, that is my bed. In the second place, if you ever attack me again I will break your arm into little pieces, understood?’ ‘Yes, Jeff, I understand. I’m sorry, I promise never to do that again.’ ‘Kelly, you should know one thing about me. I don’t threaten to do that which I won’t or can’t do. In other words, when I threaten to break your arm into small pieces, I am capable of doing that and I will do that if you attack me.