JC: Harry and Amy
Chapter 5
By
Lazlo Zalezac
Copyright (C) Lazlo Zalezac, 2005

Bill parked his car at the curb while Amy drove her car into the 
garage. Getting out, he walked to the garage and watched her 
struggle to exit her car. It was a complex process of swinging her 
legs out the door, getting the knees straight, locking the braces, and 
then sliding out of her seat while positioning the crutches so that 
she wouldn't fall over. He'd watched his father perform the same 
actions thousands of times.

It was hard not to notice him watching her. Stepping away from 
the car, Amy smiled over at him and said, "You should see me do 
that when I'm wearing a short skirt."

Bill laughed considering the magnificent view it would give him. 
He said, "I'm looking forward to seeing that some day."

"Pervert," she teased. The idea that he would be interested in 
looking beyond the metal of her braces secretly thrilled her. She 
closed the door of the car with a dull thump that echoed in the 
small garage.

His eyes traveled across her body. Her heavy shoes, the dusty blue 
jeans, the dull shine of the metal braces, and her wrinkled 
sweatshirt presented a figure that few would consider sexy. He 
didn't care what others might think, he thought she was the sexiest 
woman he'd seen in a long time. Pretending to be insulted, he 
protested, "It's not perversion to want to look upon loveliness."

"Black George is right. Your tongue is made of sugar," replied 
Amy with a laugh. She made her way to his side and stopped when 
he didn't move out of her way.

The two of them looked at each other, each feeling awkward. Bill, 
thinking it was time to make a move towards a good night kiss, 
broke the silence. "I've got to get a hotel room and should probably 
go."

Licking her lips, Amy debated the wisdom of inviting him into her 
house. She felt dirty and didn't want to ruin things, but she didn't 
want the evening to end. Hoping that she wouldn't regret it, she 
asked, "Would you like to come in for a cup of coffee?"

Bill noticed her slight hesitancy in asking him to stay for coffee. It 
made him wonder if she was being honest about wanting him to 
stay. Smiling, he answered, "I'd love to, but I'm not sure it would 
be a good idea."

Hurt by his hesitation, she asked, "Why?"

"Because I might not want to leave."

"Oh," she replied. She hadn't considered that possibility. The idea 
that he might want to spend the night thrilled her, but she wasn't 
ready for the relationship to develop to that point. 'Still,' she 
thought, 'a little while wouldn't hurt.' Softly, she said, "Please, 
come in."

"With pleasure."

Bill followed her into her house and then on to the kitchen. Once 
there, he looked over at her. She was trying to fix her hair and get a 
glimpse of herself in the toaster by using it as a mirror. 
Recognizing that she felt dirty and uncomfortable, he said, "Why 
don't you let me make some coffee for you while you freshen up?"

"Thanks, I think I'll take you up on that offer," she answered even 
as she turned. She fled from the room as fast as her crutches 
allowed. 

He watched as she disappeared around the corner with a smile on 
his face despite the fact that it wasn't a graceful exit. She wasn't 
graceful. Her leg braces and the crutches assured that she wouldn't 
ever be able to walk away in a sultry manner that would grab the 
attention of most men. Despite that, he found her beautiful. She 
had no idea how amazing she had appeared to him while sitting 
around the fire pit. It was all he could do to keep from following 
her.

It was with little effort that he found everything necessary to brew 
a pot of coffee. As he searched for the coffee filters, he noticed that 
only the lower parts of her shelves were filled with items. It made 
sense since she couldn't reach the top shelf despite the fact that she 
was a tall woman. Climbing on a stool wasn't an option. It wasn't 
long before he had a pot of hot coffee. He decided they would 
probably drink the coffee in the living room. Filling two cups, he 
carried them out to the living room and set them on the coffee table 
next to the couch on which he had spent the night. 

He settled on the couch hoping she would choose to share the 
couch with him rather than to sit in the other chair. Nervous, he 
took a sip of his coffee and nearly burned his mouth on it. He set it 
back down on the coffee table. Unable to relax, he stood and 
walked around the room checking out the paintings, the books in 
the bookshelf, and the knick-knacks scattered around the room. 

A noise behind him caused him to turn around. Amy entered the 
room dressed in her fluffy pink robe. She had taken a bath and then 
put on her robe. She was about to sit in her comfort chair when she 
noticed where he had placed her coffee. Nervous as a schoolgirl, 
she changed her mind and went over to the couch. She sat down 
taking care to hold her robe closed. Looking up at Bill, she said, "I 
hope you don't mind that I'm wearing my robe. I didn't want to 
keep you waiting while I dressed."

"I don't mind at all," Bill replied returning to the couch. As he sat 
down, he smiled and added, "It reminds me of when we first met."

Amy giggled as she recalled that morning of almost four months 
earlier. As she replayed her memory of that morning, she found 
she was blushing when she came to the part where his erection 
slipped out from his boxers. To hide her embarrassment, she 
grabbed her coffee and took a sip. It was warm, having cooled 
while she had bathed. Getting herself under control, she said, "Oh 
yes. I remember that morning very well."

They talked through the night unaware of the time passing. The 
conversation was lively and without the kind of hesitation that 
often marred a first date. Each took turns learning about the history 
of the other. They occasionally teased each other, laughed at bad 
jokes, and discussed serious subjects. 

Bill described how it was to grow up the child of a polio victim. 
He mentioned the ignorance of people and how their fears had 
affected his life. He talked about how people treated his father as if 
his crippled condition was contagious. Amy scooted down the 
couch to sit closer to Bill. She understood his story, having 
experienced similar treatment after her knees blew out on her. 

Amy talked about the day when her life changed. One day she had 
been a young pretty woman with her choice of boyfriends and the 
next day she was damaged goods. Men stopped seeing an active 
young woman and saw a cripple. She had thrown herself into her 
education and, upon graduation, her career. As she talked, Bill 
moved closer to her and put an arm around her shoulder.

It wasn't until Bill noticed that it was light outside that they 
realized that it was almost eight in the morning. By then, Amy was 
curled up beside Bill with her head resting against his chest and his 
arm holding her close. Surprised to see that the sun had risen, he 
said, "Wow, I didn't realize it was morning already."

Looking at the daylight outside, Amy yawned realizing she was 
very tired. She considered the time and realized it was too late for 
him to check into a hotel. He'd have to wait until two in the 
afternoon before he'd be able to get a room. She stared down at the 
couch and considered her options. She could invite him to stay on 
the couch or invite him to share her bed. She knew which choice 
she preferred. 

"I don't think I'll be able to get a room at this time of day. Would 
you mind if I stayed on the couch?" Bill asked after trying to 
suppress a yawn. The lack of sleep came crashing down on him. 
He was afraid that he'd fall asleep trying to drive to a hotel.

"No problem." Amy stood and started to head towards the closet to 
get some sheets and blanket for him, but paused at the door. She 
was so tired that the effort required seemed like it was just too 
much work for no real reason. She turned and looked at Bill for a 
second wondering if she could trust him. Happy Harry wouldn't 
have brought him to her if he represented any kind of danger. The 
months of telephone conversations and e-mail exchanges had 
brought about a level of trust that made her consider the 
impossible. Timidly, she said, "You could share my bed if you 
promise to be good."

He hadn't even kissed her yet, but she was inviting him to her bed. 
Heart beating in his chest, he said, "I promise."

Bill followed Amy to her bedroom. Once there, the pair stood 
nervously and, for the first time that night, neither one of them 
knew what to say. Finally, Bill broke the silence. "Maybe it would 
be better if I slept on the couch."

Rather than answer, Amy made her way to the bed and sat down. 
As she removed the braces, she answered, "Don't be silly. We're 
both adults and can control ourselves."

She was not as confident as she sounded. Her stomach fluttered as 
the first brace hit the floor. Once the braces had been removed, she 
turned off the light and removed her bathrobe while slipping under 
the covers of her bed. She hoped that he wouldn't see anything 
while their eyes tried to adjust to the sudden lack of light, but the 
room wasn't that dark. Bill blinked believing he had caught a flash 
of her naked body before the sheet covered it.

Bill stood in the room, dressed and wondering what he should do 
next. His cock had hardened while his imagination filled in details 
to what he had glimpsed. He didn't want to expose his erection, but 
he was tired and needed sleep. Nervous, and with fingers that 
didn't want to respond to his mental commands, he undressed. He 
dropped his shirt beside the bed not seeing a place to set it. He 
undid his belt and started to drop his pants before realizing at the 
last moment that he had failed to remove his shoes. 

It was too late to prevent his pants from dropping down to his 
knees. He penguin walked to the edge of the bed while an amused 
Amy watched. It was hard to ignore the bulge in his boxers. Sitting 
down, he pulled off his shoes and socks while shaking his head at 
his stupidity. 

Less than a five seconds after having removed his shoes, Bill was 
left wearing his boxers and ready to get into the bed. At the last 
second, he recalled the practice of bundling and chose not to slide 
between the sheets. Lifting the bed cover, he slid into the bed atop 
the covering sheet. This put a sheet between their bodies making if 
far more difficult for him to give into the temptations that flitted 
through his mind. 

Unaware of his choice, Amy reached over under the sheet and was 
surprised to find it blocking her hand. Disappointment at having a 
barrier between them and approval at his obvious concern for her 
modesty fought for supremacy within her mind. Approval finally 
won out. Rather than comment on his chivalry, she said, "Good 
night."

"Good night," he replied while staring up at the ceiling wondering 
if he should kiss her goodnight. By the time he made up his mind, 
she was fast asleep.

It was late in the afternoon when Amy woke in the center of her 
bed spooned against Bill. The sheet was pulled down to her waist 
although the bed cover was up around her neck. Her nipples were 
hard little rocks. His hand rested on her waist. His erection was 
pressed between the cheeks of her ass, contact prevented by a thin 
sheet. She nestled harder against him and sighed. It was such a 
delightful feeling to wake pressed against a male body. 

She wrapped her hand over his and placed his hand on her bare 
breast. She held it there as if she was afraid to let it go. She pressed 
it against her breast; the pressure against her hard nipples sending 
chills through her body. Her lower region became damp from 
anticipation of the consequences of her actions.

Bill woke, becoming aware of his surroundings in little stages. 
Realizing where his hand was resting, he tried to pull his hand 
away from her breast hoping not to wake her. She pulled his hand 
back to where it had been. As his awareness moved down his body, 
he realized where his cock was nestled. Afraid that he had moved 
across the bed in an act of unconscious aggression, he backed away 
and found himself falling off the bed. Startled, he yelped.

Unable to deny that Bill was now awake, Amy turned to look over 
the edge of her bed. Bill was sprawled out on the floor looking 
shocked. His boxers were tented with a morning erection. She 
giggled and said, "Get back in bed."

He picked himself off the floor and stood up. His erection was 
quite obvious to both of them. Flustered at the awkward situation, 
in which he had awakened, he said, "I'm sorry. I was asleep and 
didn't know what I was doing."

She giggled at his evident discomfort knowing that she was the one 
who had taken his hand and placed it against her breast. The tent in 
his boxers further demonstrated his discomfort. She lifted the sheet 
for him to slide into the bed. It wasn't until he had gotten into the 
bed when he realized a sheet was no longer separating them. 

Suddenly, the humor of the situation made itself obvious to him. 
He started chuckling and said, "I've spent the night here twice and 
we've never even kissed. We haven't even had a date."

Although she recognized his comment was humorous, she also 
knew that it was true. She didn't want it to be true one minute 
longer. Amazed at the feelings raging within her, Amy said, "Shut 
up and kiss me."

The kiss started tentatively, but it heated up very quickly. Their 
emotions, fueled by the intimate conversation of the previous 
evening, shredded all restraint. Lips parted so that tongues battled, 
shaking hands explored bodies, and moans of desire filled the air. 
With his boxers pushed down to his knees, Bill found that he was 
atop her with her legs parted in obvious invitation. As his cock 
sought entry, the smallest sliver of restraint raised its ugly head. 
"Are you protected?"

"No," she answered feeling the head of his hard cock pressed 
against her entrance. Her stomach twisted at the thought of the 
consequences of her actions. She wanted to deny him entry, but 
she wanted him even more. More than a decade without the touch 
of a man made her defenseless to his caresses. Desire 
overwhelmed common sense. "Don't let that stop you."

In the most difficult act of his life, Bill, rather than pressing 
forward, eased down her body planting kisses as he went. When he 
reached the holy land, he took a moment to appreciate the view 
and to enjoy the scent of her excitement. With a smile, he extended 
his tongue and licked her swollen pussy. The taste was exquisite 
and he threw himself into the act with total abandon. 

Finding herself in the totally unexpected position of having a man's 
head nestled between her legs and worshipping her pussy, Amy 
relaxed. She had never experienced any man who would control 
his passion to protect her when she had been weak. Trusting him, 
she gave herself over to the sensations created by his tongue. 

When his tongue touched her clit, she experienced the best orgasm 
of her life. Unable to restrain her reaction, she gave voice to her 
pleasure. As her cries echoed through the room, her hands grabbed 
the sheet. In her passion, she nearly ripped the sheet from the bed. 
She collapsed onto the bed.

Upon recovering from her orgasm, years of denial of her sexuality 
crashed down upon her like a sledgehammer. It was as though she 
was drowning in a tidal wave of desire created by a decade of 
suppressed hopes and dreams. It was too much for her. She burst 
out in tears and curled into a fetal position.

Bill found himself hugging a sobbing woman. Confused, he held 
her tight to his chest and rocked her gently. Her total vulnerability 
tore at his heartstrings. Years of dating women who were more 
interested in his wallet than the man who carried it had made him 
cynical. Having watched her deal with the homeless men, he knew 
she didn't care about the wealth of others. The previous evening 
had breached his wall of cynicism and the bastion that was his 
heart had fallen under the assault.

When Amy finally stopped crying, she said, "I'm so sorry." 

"Hush," replied Bill as he hugged her. He didn't understand what 
had caused her tears, but he wasn't going to let them take away the 
best thing he had ever found in his life. 

For a long ten minutes, they lay in bed with him hugging her. He 
enjoyed holding her and she needed his embrace. Amy looked over 
at him and said, "You didn't come."

"That's okay." His erection had disappeared as his concern for her 
grew. From their discussion he understood that she had been lonely 
for a long time. It had to be tough to live for so many years without 
hope for a meaningful relationship. He guessed that her tears were 
a result of that rather than anything he had done.

"No, it's not okay," she replied while her hand headed towards his 
lap.

"Relax, we have all the time in the world," Bill countered while 
wiping a tear from her cheek. He felt close to this woman and 
didn't want to ruin the moment. It wasn't to be. His stomach chose 
that moment to growl. It wasn't a polite little noise, but a very 
demanding roar that was impossible to ignore. Any chance of 
romance was killed. 

Giggling, Amy said, "I'd say we better feed that monster in your 
belly before it chooses to eat me in a more literal sense."

Unable to argue, Bill admitted to his hunger. Embarrassed by their 
nudity, the pair made their way out of bed. Amy threw on her 
bathrobe before putting on her braces. Bill pulled up his boxers 
before searching for his discarded clothes. Neither felt it was right 
to look, but they couldn't resist taking long peeks at each other. 

They were quiet as they ate a hastily constructed late breakfast of 
bacon, eggs, and toast. Settling back in his chair once he had 
finished eating, Bill watched Amy take dainty bites from her last 
piece of toast. She noticed him watching her. The skewed grin on 
his face made her curious what he was thinking. Putting down her 
toast, she asked, "What?"

"I'm just enjoying watching you," he replied. 

A smile grew on her face as she looked down at the toast. Picking 
it up, she turned it to and fro studying it. She looked up and said, 
"I'm wondering if I should eat this or save room for desert."

"Desert? What's for desert?"

"You," she answered and then licked her lips.

"Me?"

"Yes, you. Or more precisely, your come," she answered. She 
looked down at the toast and then stuffed it in her mouth.

Bill crossed his hands over his heart and groaned. In mock 
anguish, he complained, "She chose the toast over my love 
offering."

"Oh, God. Love offering? That was bad," said Amy. She laughed 
aloud at the suggestion of his come being his love offering. Using 
her crutches, she stood and locked the braces into place. She went 
around the table and looked down at Bill. As plans flitted through 
her mind, she couldn't find one that fit her purpose. Her eyes 
started to tear up again.

Looking up at Amy, Bill noticed the teasing mood transition to 
sadness. "What's the matter?"

Lower lip trembling, she answered, "I wanted to get on my knees 
and give you a blowjob, but it's going to take me forever to get into 
a kneeling position."

"Sit down." Bill stood and held out his chair for her. She sat down 
looking up at him still on the verge of tears. He straddled her legs 
such that his belt was at her eye level. "No need to get on your 
knees."

A smile of relief came over her face. She quickly undid his belt 
and pulled his pants, with boxers, to his knees. His cock started to 
get erect and he leaned against the table to provide him with 
additional support. Amy reached out to fondle his cock. Her touch 
was tentative as though she was afraid of it. It wasn't that she was 
afraid of his cock, but she was afraid that she had forgotten how to 
give a blowjob.

His partially erect cock grew in her hand. He let out a moan when 
her finger brushed the sensitive area just under the head of his 
cock. Seeing that she had remembered enough, she leaned forward 
and slipped his cock into her mouth. Upon hearing an encouraging 
groan of pleasure from Bill, she abandoned all propriety and threw 
herself into giving him the best blowjob of his life. 

She sucked, licked, and swallowed his cock. Bill was defenseless 
under her assault and found he was soon on the verge of coming. 
With what little control remained, he grunted, "I'm going to come."

She redoubled her efforts on his cock, taking it deep into her 
throat. The last of his control was lost and he shot into her throat. 
When he had finished, he looked down to see her looking up at 
him while still holding his cock in her mouth. He knew that the 
sight would be forever etched in his mind. 

"That was amazing," Bill said with a post-orgasmic shudder. 

She backed away from his cock and licked her lips. A small smile 
of satisfaction came to her face and she said, "That was just a taste 
of things to come."

"I thought that thing was just a taste of come," Bill joked.

The play on words caused Amy to break out in laughter. Holding 
up her hands with a fake expression of horror on her face, she said, 
"Oh my God. I've fallen in love with a punster."

Bill had always believed that making love should begin with 
intimacy and desire and end with laughter (preferably without 
pointing at a certain body part). He was laughing until he heard her 
say that she had fallen in love. Suddenly serious, he reached out 
and brushed a hand against her cheek. The words came unbidden 
to his lips. "I love you, Amy."

Shocked by his sudden declaration of love, Amy looked into his 
eyes. For a moment, the world existed of nothing except his eyes. 
They were eyes that looked at her with love. Her heart filled with 
feelings she had denied possible for her. He leaned forward and 
kissed her.

Late Sunday evening, Bill packed his car while Amy watched. It 
was time for him to return to his home and it was a good thing that 
he had to return home. If he hadn't had a very important meeting 
the next day, they would both have skipped work for a week to 
spend it in bed. While Amy was surprised that they had managed 
to go through a box of rubbers in one weekend, Bill was stunned. 
A week at that rate would have left him a wreck of a man.

Closing the trunk of his car, he turned to look at Amy. She stood 
by the car, held up by her braces and crutches. He didn't see the 
metal supports, only the woman encased within them. She was a 
beautiful woman and he felt sorry for any man who couldn't see 
that. He knew he was lucky to find such a classy, intelligent, witty, 
giving, and loving woman. Stepping over to her, he said, "I'll be 
back in two weeks."

"I'll be here," she replied.

Bill thought about sending a message to the homeless men, but 
refrained. Smiling, he took her in his arms and then said, "Take 
good care of your boys."

She laughed before she replied, "They are a handful at times. 
Sometimes I'd swear they were all eight years old."

Although most men would be worried that the homeless men 
would hurt her, he knew from their protective words of that first 
night in town that they would watch over her. With dozens of eyes 
looking out for her, she was protected by them far better than he 
could. They not only cared for her physically, but put her 
happiness foremost. Grinning, he said, "Don't look through any 
midget doors."

Giggling, she playfully slapped his arm. "You're terrible."

It wasn't possible to delay his departure any more. He bent down 
and kissed her. The kiss rapidly increased in passion. Forgetting 
for the moment where they were, hands roamed over parts of the 
body in a manner that wasn't appropriate in public. They didn't 
care.

Saddened at the parting, Bill climbed into his car and drove away. 
As he navigated the unfamiliar roads, his mind was furiously 
trying to think of some way of moving closer. For the entire three-
hour drive, he worked over the problem without coming up with a 
solution.

Amy had watched him drive away unable to believe the events of 
the weekend. When his car disappeared around the corner, she 
turned and made her way to the house. She considered her situation 
and the changes that she would make in her life. The first thing she 
added to her to-do list was to make an appointment with her 
OB/GYN to get a prescription for birth control pills. As much as 
she enjoyed the sex over the weekend, she couldn't wait to 
experience it without the rubber. 

The second thing she added to her to-do list was to recover from 
the wild weekend. Her vagina had received a real workout over the 
past two days and she was sore. Grinning, she knew which to-do 
item she would do first. Entering the house, she admitted aloud, 
"God, I am sore down there. Too bad we didn't have enough time 
or rubbers to get me even more sore."

On Monday morning, Amy pulled into the parking garage while 
listening to the news on the radio. She was confused when it was 
reported that although the Chicago Stock Exchange had been open 
for five minutes, not one share had been traded. Curious, she 
parked her car and made her way to the building. As she made her 
way to the door, she was struck by the lack of noise around her. 
She pressed the button with the signature wheelchair symbol that 
opened the door and stepped into the atrium of the exchange 
building. 

Two green robed Druids, two red robed Druids, one black robed 
Druid, and two students wearing the blue robes of the Druid 
College were talking together in the center of the atrium. Brokers 
skirted around them assuming the worst. More than one person 
entered the building, saw the Druids, and then left. Looking over at 
Druids, Amy understood why no one had executed a trade since 
the opening of the exchange. Everyone was waiting for the Druids 
to do something.

"You're late."

Amy recognized the voice and shook her head. Louder than 
necessary in the uncharacteristic silence, Amy called back, "What 
are you doing here Harry?"

The group of Druids headed towards Amy. Suddenly, the noise 
level on the floor shot up to its normal levels when people realized 
who was the subject of interest. The black robed Druid said, "First 
make-over in history to cause the market to drop fifty points."

Her comment was greeted with laughter within the group, but Amy 
stood in place looking puzzled. To no one in particular, she 
echoed, "Make-over?"

The red-robed male looked over her and said, "All of that metal 
has to go."

"Definitely we'll be able to get rid of those crutches," commented 
the red-robed woman. 

Amy listened to the Druids discuss her as if she wasn't present. 
One of the blue-robed students asked, "She'll be my mentor?"

"Yes," answered Harry.

"Mentor?" asked Amy. The gathering of Druids ignored her 
question.

The woman wearing a green robe knelt down beside Amy. Before 
Amy had a chance to react, she had lifted Amy's skirt to mid-thigh. 
Prodding the calf, she said, "Good muscle tone. I was worried 
about that."

"We'll augment it," said the red-robed woman.

"I'll have to do a galvanometric study. We'll know more once I've 
done that."

"You're right."

People were staring at the Druids gathered around Amy and it 
made her nervous. She slapped the hand that was holding up her 
skirt and asked, "What are you doing?"

"Checking out the goods," answered the woman.

The woman wearing a black robe said, "You're right. She's a good 
woman through and through. I'll be more than happy to take care 
of her charges while she's gone."

"Gone?" asked Amy getting worried. She wondered what they had 
planned for her.

"We don't have much time. Can you get it done in ten days?" asked 
Harry.

The two red robes and the green robe answered together. "Yes."

Finally tired of the attention, Amy shouted, "Hold on a minute! 
Who are you? What do you want with me?"

Surprised, Harry looked at Amy for a moment and then answered, 
"I'm Harry. This is Catherine and Peter. They are both makers. 
They'll be working with Laura to develop a new brace for you. The 
young woman in the black robe is Kristie Prevatt. She's my 
replacement."

"Don't call me that. You're irreplaceable and you know it," said 
Kristie with a smile. She turned to Amy and said, "He's been 
calling me his replacement ever since he helped me develop my 
abilities."

"A new brace?" asked Amy. Her mind was still on what Harry had 
said.

Ignoring the question, Harry turned to the two blue robes. 
Gesturing to them, he said, "This is Carlie and Sydney. They are 
sixth year students at the Druid College studying economics and 
business respectively. Carlie is your intern and will do your job 
while you're gone."

"Intern? Gone?" Amy wondered if she had entered the twilight 
zone somehow. 

"Let's get to it everyone!" Harry's call to action resulted in the 
others turning and leaving without a farewell. She was alone with 
Harry and Carlie.

"Where's everyone going?"

"The ones working on your brace have gone to set up a workshop. 
It will be ready for you tomorrow. Kristie is going to the Homeless 
Hotel," answered Harry. He started to turn and then added, "Take 
your intern upstairs and show her your job. I'll pick you up in the 
morning."

"You'll pick me up in the morning?"

"Sure."

"Don't I have a choice?" asked Amy.

"Nope. It's too important. You have to do it."

"I don't understand," complained Amy. She was reminded of a 
time when she was a little girl of about six and her mother had told 
to sit with her legs together while wearing a dress. She had not 
understood why it was necessary until much later.

"They've been working on exoskeletons for the military and 
realized that they could use the same concept to replace leg-braces 
like yours. In a discussion of who would make a good candidate 
for experimentation, your name came up."

"Exoskeleton? My name?" She wondered if she had lost the ability 
to understand English. She wondered why Druids were talking 
about her. It troubled her that she couldn't identify what she had 
done to attract such attention.

"See you in the morning!"

Still confused, Amy watched Harry leave the building. For almost 
a full minute, she stood in place wondering what she was supposed 
to be doing. A tug on the sleeve of her blouse captured her 
attention. She turned to look at Carlie. 

Carlie said, "Isn't it amazing? The whole market is down by sixty-
eight points because we were waiting for you to get here."

Sighing, Amy said, "I guess we ought to go up to my office and get 
you settled."
