She knew it but she still trembled as if her father was sitting in the dark living room waiting for her to come home. There was no one in the house no.... It had been empty for nearly ten years. She stepped into the foyer and took a deep swallow, opting to leave the door open and welcomed the support of the bright spring sunshine outside. Silence pervaded the house, blanketing the kitchen and utility rooms and making her heart sound like a bass drum. Come on, Cassidy. It’s just a house. She. He said, "I don't know how you personally feel about the soldier that killed your wife but I know all too well about the hole in your heart, in your soul from her loss. My first wife Charlene was an Army Aviator. She was commanding an Aviation Company in Afghanistan when she was shot down supporting an operation against the Taliban. She is buried in the family plot at the cemetery in Steelville. I spent many an evening trying to forget her and looking for my happiness at the bottom of a bottle. I whipped my head around to see who I was going to backhand, and there she was, Roxanne, just sitting their gleaming. “Gotcha didn’t I?” she said with such an infectious that I had to chuckle too. “What are you doing here” I asked, “This isn’t your homeroom.” “Well, I decided to hang out in here with you today, I’m sure Mr. Ekersely won’t miss me.” I really didn’t care why she was here, I was just glad she was. As I looked at her I was reminded of when I first meet her. Beautiful, outgoing,. Once more her face flushed and she imagined that these men were lookingat her in a hungry way. She shook her head and turned to the waiter. "Please, let's just talk tothe manager. I'll call my credit company and get this straightened out." The waiter smiled softly and nodded. "This way please." Melanie followedthe man across the kitchen past a huge wooden butcher block table. A collectionof garden vegetables lay washed and peeled, ready to be cooked or used rawin some upcoming dish. Once more.