AndMarcia had been determined to keep it that way even if it meantsacrificing intimacy. Intimacy wasn't in the cards for Marcia. She knewthat from the... start. In Walt, she sensed a fellow warrior. There was aquiet reserve to his character that had communicated itself to Marciabeneath his easy-going jocular exterior. He was a person who hadstruggled at the bottom of the pit between the urge to existence and thetemptation of non-existence. Those who'd known that struggle themselvesrecognized the. . This a bad time?" No- um... No I was just..." I was terrible under pressure, and I didn't have much experience with lying."Just what?" Nothing... So... What did you need, Malcolm?" I asked almost impatiently. Ironically, I was desperate to get rid of him just so that I could keep pretending to be intimate with him.As he started to drone on about some fabricated story about why I would need to do his homework for him that night, I just couldn't help it. I reached my free hand back down inside. I felt one of the old telltale tears slide down my cheek, and he more or less ordered me to tell him what the matter was."Brenda told me I'd never have to think about the money again," I said quietly. "But I should have known that was impossible..."And before I could finish logging into the accounts, he took me gently by the arm and hoisted me out of the chair. I looked up at him questioningly."Would you like to be hypnotized now?" he asked calmly."Yes!" I answered too loudly, too quickly, too. While they worked they nattered inconsequentially and grumbled about litter louts and people lacking in responsibility."Now," he said. "Are we going to take the dogs for a walk before I take this lot to the tip? We need to keep an eye on the time so that you can collect your daughter from school." I'm excused the school run today. My daughter's got a sleep-over with a friend. So, yes, let's walk the dogs and then I'll come and give you a hand at the tip. I'd like to see where it is actually.