She was even different in bed that night. A calm had pervaded her whole being. There was none of the desperation I felt before. I woke up before her the next morning, and I could have sworn she actually had a smile on her face while she slept.

Chapter 16

We were in the car on the way to Wahoo, Nebraska, each of us deep in our own thoughts. Somewhat appropriately, John Cale was on the radio singing Hallelujah.

The song ended. Finally, I spoke. "I'm going to ask you a weird question."

"Oh?"

"Not so much weird, as embarrassing—embarrassing for me, not for you." She looked at me expectantly. "It kind of takes a whack at my manhood. Hell, you're supposed to be coming to me with this question." I hesitated. This really was embarrassing.

She gave me a smile to let me know it was alright, then said, "So out with it."

"I'll start with a preamble. My life for the last ten years has been my job. It gave me little time for anything else. Before that, I took care of my mother while she was sick. There are a lot of things I've thought about doing, or wished I had done, and one of them was self-defense classes. A couple of years ago I asked Mo, my martial artist neighbor, to teach me some moves, but they all seemed so complicated—grab here, push there, turn this—and there was no way I would remember it all. You took care of those two guys in the alley like you were taking a stroll in the park. How did you make it look so easy?"

"Because it was. I think what you are trying to ask me, but it's doing quite a number on your male ego—which I think is cute, by the way—is, will I teach you some of those moves?"

"Yeah, that's what's trying to come out, but it's fighting me all the way. I feel like such a wimp. I assume it's all stuff you learned in pr … your former life."

"Del, it's okay to say prison. It's where I was. In my mind, I didn't deserve to be there, but when all is said and done, it was an experience that has made me who I am now, so I have no regrets. Yes, I learned it there. I can definitely show you moves, and that's valuable. But the most important part of it is something I can try to teach you while we drive. It will cost you, though."

I looked at her, thinking she was joking. I could tell by her face that she wasn't.

"I'll teach you how to fight, but only if you teach me how to trust."

"Trust?"

"When we were on the plane and that autograph seeker approached me, I was fine with that. I could tell she was sincere. But I didn't trust any of the others and I was very uncomfortable. The flight attendant saw that, which is why she put a stop to it. When I do book signings, I'm always on edge—on guard. I'm always wondering what the person's motive is. What's their hidden agenda?"