As we approached lights automatically turned on and With Marcus in frontpulling my lead I was led down the metal staircase with a clear clunkevery tim... my heels hit a new step. I had never thought (I mean why wouldI ) of the difficulties women have in wearing heels, but the heels andthat hobble chain made following Marcus around a difficult andhumiliating task. I could only shuffle my feet along trying to keep upwith his powerful strides, thankfully he removed the hobble chain toallow me to. The walk was a routine for me, and enjoying my new found sense of ‘spontaneity’ I decided to extend my usual route further up the towpath. The canal was fringed with a beautiful wooded area which thickened into a densely lush forest about a mile further along.The evening air was nicely warm and bracing; carrying the pungent smell of fresh timber and water, and for once I decided to leave the jacket at home. Ordinarily I would be carrying it in case the night air developed a chill, or more. We even started a routine of doing the cryptic crossword together with me trying to simplify the clues so she could get the answers. We would sit on the sofa with her head on my shoulder and her arms holding my free arm. This one Friday evening my mother and aunt were heading out to meet some friends but Sandra didn't fancy an evening spent in a pub so my aunt asked if she could stay home with me. I said it was fine as I was intending a quiet night in with a few cans but would love the company.. ’ I didn’t disagree. Once the house was stripped clean, she put her bags into the trunk of my car and we drove over to her landlords to give notice that she’d moved out and to turn in her keys. She was a little concerned that due to the extreme short notice that she’d lose her security deposit, but I assured her that losing the three hundred dollars was not going to be any sort of problem for me. Unspoken, the issue of money was starting to churn in the back of her head, conflicting with her.