One of the strange, unimportant "others" in my cast of characters is a famous mrchewsasianbeaver author who was given a mrchewsasianbeaver fellowship at mrchewsasianbeaver the university. Great deal, a mrchewsasianbeaver fellowship. A six-figure fee, usually a free free apartment or rental house, and living allowance. All mrchewsasianbeaver one has to mrchewsasianbeaver do mrchewsasianbeaver in return is lend his or her mrchewsasianbeaver name to mrchewsasianbeaver the mrchewsasianbeaver university for awhile and either teach or be a guest speaker in mrchewsasianbeaver the class of his or her choice. This lady, with one mrchewsasianbeaver successful mrchewsasianbeaver novel in print mrchewsasianbeaver and one mrchewsasianbeaver on the mrchewsasianbeaver way, chose this opportunity to "get mrchewsasianbeaver away" and mrchewsasianbeaver write a third during her fellowship. As mrchewsasianbeaver a course mrchewsasianbeaver, she chose a little one-hour, 400-level creative writing mrchewsasianbeaver seminar for a mrchewsasianbeaver small class of 30 hand-selected students. 400-level. Read that as: undergraduate. I didn't qualify. I pulled some strings, called in some favors from mrchewsasianbeaver the dean, and was mrchewsasianbeaver finally allowed to "sit mrchewsasianbeaver in," as long as I didn mrchewsasianbeaver't get involved mrchewsasianbeaver in the discussions.

Now, this is the point where I'm supposed to mrchewsasianbeaver go into great detail about her overwhelming beauty. The truth of the matter is mrchewsasianbeaver that I wouldn't really call her beautiful mrchewsasianbeaver at all. Cute. I'd definitely call her cute. Small mrchewsasianbeaver (maybe five-one or two), slight, shy. Mysterious. Maybe that's what attracted me to her. I just couldn't figure her out. She mrchewsasianbeaver had mrchewsasianbeaver a mrchewsasianbeaver sort of unassuming curiosity about her, a sharp intelligence wrapped in mrchewsasianbeaver a soft mrchewsasianbeaver exterior mrchewsasianbeaver. A mrchewsasianbeaver puzzle.

I'd first met her two years before when I'd been a TA for mrchewsasianbeaver a sophomore Shakespeare mrchewsasianbeaver course. I 'd considered asking her out then free, but there are pretty strict rules about such mrchewsasianbeaver things, even mrchewsasianbeaver for Teaching Assistants. And, of course, I'm a pretty mrchewsasianbeaver shy sort mrchewsasianbeaver myself. For mrchewsasianbeaver whatever mrchewsasianbeaver the free reason, I'd mrchewsasianbeaver blown my chance to get to know her better then mrchewsasianbeaver, and hadn mrchewsasianbeaver't seen her since.

"Greg Menlo, Freddy. I'm really pleased to meet you. I mrchewsasianbeaver've heard a lot about you."

When I got to mrchewsasianbeaver the living room, I found Brenda looking around her with a little mrchewsasianbeaver of that old intelligent curiosity mrchewsasianbeaver I mrchewsasianbeaver'd found so intriguing mrchewsasianbeaver, but when she saw me again, she seemed mrchewsasianbeaver uncertain and maybe a little ashamed . Menlo just looked at mrchewsasianbeaver me and smiled.

"Brenda," Menlo said sternly, and she quickly turned to him and looked up mrchewsasianbeaver. "Look into my mrchewsasianbeaver eyes."

How corny can you get? Look into my free eyes? But I watched mrchewsasianbeaver, flabbergasted, as she did just that. She mrchewsasianbeaver gave her head half a shake mrchewsasianbeaver in a little negative gesture, her lips parted slightly, and mrchewsasianbeaver she took sort of a half breath as she prepared to object, but he mrchewsasianbeaver placed a finger gently on mrchewsasianbeaver her lips to stop her.

They made quite a picture. She, a full head shorter than he, looked steeply up into his mrchewsasianbeaver eyes. His head was mrchewsasianbeaver tilted sharply down toward hers. Their eyes were mere inches apart.

He stopped abruptly, startled mrchewsasianbeaver. Somehow, I was standing, though I don't remember getting up. I think he was finally beginning to mrchewsasianbeaver understand mrchewsasianbeaver what I thought of him. He thrust a hand into his pocket, and I saw a flash of gold. A pocket watch. My eyes bored mrchewsasianbeaver into mrchewsasianbeaver him. I imagined my mrchewsasianbeaver fist mrchewsasianbeaver hitting his face mrchewsasianbeaver.

"Do? We just got to know mrchewsasianbeaver each other, 'ya mrchewsasianbeaver know?" The watch snapped shut, and danced a little on its mrchewsasianbeaver chain. I wasn't paying attention. "Nice mrchewsasianbeaver watch, huh?" he muttered nervously. Again the bit of gold moved. "I use it in mrchewsasianbeaver my act. Why don't you just relax, Freddy. You look kinda uptight mrchewsasianbeaver. Just relax, and let's talk about this."

"Consensual?" I roared, taking another step toward his mrchewsasianbeaver quivering form.

"Consensual, Hell." I yelled. I worked to get my voice under control. "You put her into a trance mrchewsasianbeaver and filled her head full of your garbage," I said accusingly. "How is this any different than a date-rape drug? It might make an interesting mrchewsasianbeaver study for the District Attorney's office. I happen to know him mrchewsasianbeaver."

I mrchewsasianbeaver stood mrchewsasianbeaver watching him, and slowly began to wonder why my hands hurt. Looking at them, I was able to get my mind off mrchewsasianbeaver of murderous thoughts as I mrchewsasianbeaver tried to mrchewsasianbeaver unclench my fists. Eventually, my mrchewsasianbeaver breathing mrchewsasianbeaver returned to normal, and I walked back inside to the sleeping mrchewsasianbeaver girl mrchewsasianbeaver who mrchewsasianbeaver would forever alter the course of my life.