My name was Valerie -- Valerie Gurzakin. I was from the Czech Republic, I told him, but my parents were both Slovaks. Being a foreigner explains a lot... of things, I've found, from accent to unfamiliarity with common references. No, I wasn't from Prague (the only Czech city most Americans know of, if any) but a small village in the north called Zentac, which I pronounced as if it ended in 'sh.' I had come to America as a student and now worked as a translator for a company doing business in. "We spent the rest of the time eating and congratulating ourselves on making it to Friday but careful not to put a hex on us for the remaining several periods. After all, we still had three more periods to go plus assembly. Then the thirty minutes were up and Andrew looked around. There weren't many people who seemed to be headed our way but a few were.He joked, "Hey guys, Request time! Anyone up for a repeat of yesterday's after-lunch fuck-fest? That was a really hot scene!"Both Barbara and. He was concern about the long-term effect ofmy low self-esteem, so he introduced me to the world of racquetball.When my Uncle was younger he played on his college team, and had wonseveral tournaments. Today his bookshelves are lined with trophies hasproof of his accomplishments. But it wasn't his trophies that made himspecial to me, it was his ears. When I was just a little girl, I learned that hecould wiggle his ears, and ever since then he has been my favorite Uncle,and I was honored that. There she was, dressed in a tank top, gym shorts and running shoes. She looked great; there didn't seem to be an ounce of fat on her.As I walked in, she must have seen my reflection in the TV monitor, because without turning or breaking stride she said,"Hi John, I'm glad you decided to join me. I set up the other machine at a medium walk to start; just press the green button and start walking."I did what she said and soon I was walking at a comfortable pace. Every once in a while I would sneak.