I wasn't sure I was ready to be a father, but Eva's eyes were filled with the weight of expectation bearing down upon her, and were laced with fear. I... had no right to be scared, she was the one who was set to become a teenage mother."I'm staying on a friend's sofa but I have to leave soon. Her parents don't like it." She passed me an ultrasound picture and I looked at it without saying a word. "I've gone past twelve weeks." She looked across the table, willing me to say something. "I so hoped. I’m headed to Detroit!” “OMG. U better not be teasing” “Still getting the details from my boss, Skype u l8r”I didn’t really need the details, we’d done a million of these gigs over the years, and while I hadn’t been the person on-site the last three, I worked closely enough with the field to know what had changed and what hadn’t. And if there’s one thing I know how to do its keep the customer satisfied. I made all my arrangements on the corporate travel portal and forwarded the itinerary to. Vandereeken could easily see the Juneau Bureau address was the same as my personal address data and I gave her the idea that I might have something to say about the approval of the application. Really just a little nudge. That was all. Nothing more, with God and Vicky as my witnesses.Ms. Vandereeken reacted like she was tickled pink and said in one breath,“But in your case, it is perfectly alright if you qualify for the program at the end of July sir. I can arrange for a special committee to. You couldn’t ignore the possibility when it presented itself. But not for her: she knew her days were numbered and hope was not a luxury she allowed herself anymore. When dusk fell, she went to the back room where she and the man had made love. Or, to be totally honest, fucked. She could smell the scent of their mingled sex and see stains on the magazines. A tear escaped her eye but she shook off the feelings of emptiness welling up inside. Time to get home and sleep. Home? What a funny concept.