Sipping her drink and casually watching the screen, she barely noticed when a man tapped her on the arm and asked her if anyone was using the empty se...at next to her. Shaking her head no, she said, “Go ahead and sit down, no one’s using it.” Looking back at the game, she didn’t pay much attention when the man sat down and ordered his drink. It was only when he asked her, “Who’s winning,” that she paid him any notice. “Uh, UofL I think,” she answered, turning her head to look at him, “I’m really. He spent a happy twenty minutes enthusing about the different Mustangs. He pulled a couple of well-thumbed car magazines from behind the bar to show me his dream model. I admit it’s not a car I knew much about.He finished by asking me about the car of my dreams. It was just too good an opportunity. I fished in my pocket and tossed him my keys.He turned them over in his hands, “Holy fuck, you’ve got an Aston, which one?”“A Vanquish Volante, the V12, it’s parked outside.”He was halfway across the. Right?He ignored his lack of taste, and dulled sense of smell. It was from the chemical war, of course. He’d heard all about the awful long-term affects the gases had on survivors.The deadened colors weren’t so easily explained, but he’d suffered a trauma, not just death but years of war. Surely things were bound to happen and change. After all, he was lucky compared to not only the men around him, but the ones who would never make it back.He was grateful. He said it over and over again, trying. Jake seemed so pleased. "Thank you, dear. I swear I'll be the perfectwife." I know you will, darling. See you in a little bit." Then Angelika left."What was that all about?" I said to Lissa. "That was weird." It's a tradition," she said. "Those of us who take service must shaveoff the remnants of our manhood. They're put in a special keepsakecontainer so we can always remember that special moment. It's a sign ofdevotion."While we were talking, Denise helped Jake put on a garter. That at.