Aisha opened a door and through her tears said, "Manu is down there."Lila kissed Aisha, "Thank you for everything."Lila descended the stairs; she expe...cted the basement to be stuffy, hot with the flames of braziers, to hear the wailing of the condemned, the screams of the tortured. Instead she entered a plain, air-conditioned room, with an unlit fireplace, a leather armchair and, on the wall, instead of shackles, she saw long bookcases. A figure, a tall, dark man, sat on the armchair, a book in. ” I don’t even give him chance to answer, just take his hand and drag him out of the kitchen, through the sweaty heaving mob in the front room and into the hall. There’s already a couple snogging on the staircase, but I push past them with a brusque “excuse me”. I’ve already worked out where I’m going, having got lost earlier while looking for the loo. There’s a locked room, then a cupboard, but past that is the bedroom that’s been designated as the “cloakroom”. I just hope nobody’s beaten me. * * * * * I met her about 1986, down on the Sunset Strip. At the time I was in my thirdyear of business school and we were out for Spring break. I was taking fulladvantage of my time off and spending my time out and about until the wee hoursof the morning. I was dressed in my usual get up, black jeans, black boots, black glovesand a long black riding coat. It wasn't just an affectation, as it is for most,and I wasn't some "hesher" or "goth" type. I was a biker. I was sitting in a small cafe. I hinted that maybe I could do something about that after I got home and got a firm 'I hope so!' in reply. She told me everyone around her was getting laid except for her, and she started to mutter about some 'nude quality time on the beach herself chasing down some young hot things, ' or borrowing a few of her 'daughters boyfriends once Ashley and Olivia were done with them'.We laughed and said goodbye, and I'm almost certain I heard an "I love you" before she hung up the phone.There wasn't.