Her best present was you letting me spend the night last Saturday.”“You didn’t seem worn out on Sunday morning!” Jessica laughed. “What happ...ened?”“We made love once. What she really wanted was to sleep in my arms.”“Told ya!” Kara laughed. “Snuggle Bear strikes again!”November 14, 1987, Chicago, Illinois“I have my car out front, Penny. Shall we move our computers?”“Yes! I can’t believe anyone is letting those apes from the moving company touch their computer!”I chuckled, “It does help to be. Pulling open my purse I dig out a cigarette and lighter, scolding myself silently as I know it’s unhealthy. Taking a slow drag I can feel the cold as it slides down my spine. The weather was chilly, roughly 5C, and having grown up in Syria I was not accustomed to it. Finishing up my cigarette, I hailed a cab. “The Shelbourne Hotel please,” I say to the driver and the cab speeds off. Arriving at the Hotel, I quickly check into my room. Taking the elevator up to the fifth floor I barely notice. She looks away. The wall clock ticks loudly in the silence. With a calm, quiet business voice, she asks, "How did it go with the lawyers?"My mind is turning inside out. Is she a multiple personality? Is she nuts? Am I nuts? "The lawyers ... uh ... fine. We'll be done by two." I walk around the side of the desk and stand in her line of sight. "But ... last night ... I mean ... uh..." Don't worry." The quiet, cold voice is back. "I remember everything, and I remember my promise. Anything." She. ‘He takes two every three years or so. He does his research and he drives a long way to get them. With you two there’s twelve of us.’ ‘Twelve?’ My mind spun, two every three years, twelve! I quickly counted, four by the third year, six by the sixth, eight, ten– fifteen years! She just nodded. ‘I’d just finished training to be a nurse when he took me. I think that’s why he chose me, he knew he’d need someone to fix us up after he uses us.’ I shivered, my back burned and I focused on staying.