"I think that answers a question I had as to why you seemed so tentative in bed, and also why you clung on so hard," I said.

"Del, I haven't had sex for nine years, and before that, I hadn't had willing sex for another three or four. I held onto you—and will continue to hold onto you, if you still want me—because you are the first person in my life I feel totally safe with. I've never known that feeling. I'm so sorry I didn't tell you."

I reached over and pulled her to me. "Sabrina, I understand. I wouldn't have told anyone either. Of course I still want you—but only if you take a shower. Your hair smells like puke."

She laughed, but her laugh quickly turned into tears. They were different this time, though. They were happy tears. They were tears of sheer relief.

"But I go back to my original question," I said after she had come out of the shower, now with the strawberry scent that I liked so much. "You spent six years in prison, and yet, one would never know. How can that be?"

"Believe it or not, I owe a tremendous amount to my fellow inmates. Yes, most of them terrorized me in the beginning, but I came to realize that that was their own form of self-preservation. Deep down they were still people with the same hopes and fears as anyone else. It was just that their hopes had to be customized to their life behind bars. Once we established my worth to the group, they became fiercely loyal to me—as I was to them. My fifth year there, a new guard tried to rape me. Because of the skills these girls taught me, I almost killed him. I thought my hope of a parole was dead, but my friends—and even the other guards—came to my defense. The guard was charged with attempted rape and is now in prison himself. By the time I walked out those gates I was nothing like the person who had gone in. Other than the fact that I didn't trust anyone on the outside, I was confident, I was attractive, and I could take care of myself. It wouldn't have happened without them. I still write to them all the time, and send them copies of my books."

"So they know who you are now. Are you surprised no one has leaked your story to the media?"

"Not at all. As I said, they are fiercely loyal. It will eventually come out somewhere, and until now I wasn't sure I was ready for it. But these last couple of hours have cleansed me. If my story comes out, it comes out, and for the first time, I'm totally prepared."

*****

We took the rest of the day off and explored the town of Fairfield. There were actually some pretty spots. We drove a ways out of town and stopped next to a field full of cows. As we approached the fence, some of them came over to check us out. We spent well over an hour talking to them and petting them. It was just what we both needed, but especially, it was what Sabrina needed.