***
Dec. 12.

The azure ski over Flagstaff is cold, and I cradle Amy in my arms.

Her thin leg drapes my thigh, against my body she feels as comfortable as a favorite shirt. I'm not too old, she's not too young, and the warmth she radiates is precious. The air is clean and I love her.

"Are you awake?" I ask with a peck on her sugary lips.

She opens her gray eyes. They widen as my cock stirs against her.

"No," she plays with me.

"You're very attractive when you're asleep." I roll over on her, going in, laughing, my lungs husky with too many cigarettes. "Downright gorgeous." She never stops looking at me. I lock eyes with her when she comes. Again. Again when it's my turn.

Just last night I met this angel, at the Flagstaff Pigs and Pancake. The pancakes were made with buttermilk. A short stack came with everything. You had your choice of pigs in a blanket, links or patties. I was smoking my friend's Marlboros when we walked in.

***

It's dry in Flagstaff and often cold. Snow dusts the streets and mountains. You do best with a 4 Wheel Drive. My friend Arc drives a Suzuki Samurai. He putters around town at nights working security and janitorial, but three days a week in early mornings he does computer backup work at the Observatory.

My job is to fix the computers, write programs, and keep the telescope's motor running. Sometimes Archangel stops by on his days off. He has trouble sleeping. Reads Dostoevsky and every Nihilist he can think of. But because of me he's also read Balzac (23 novels so far) and Zola.

That morning I got off work at 5:00 AM. Arc's eyes were dry and clear for a change. He grows marijuana and after himself, I'm his best customer.

"I saw Venus last night," he said.

"So did I." In fact, Venus was blazing that morning, low on the horizon.

"No, I mean a girl," Archangel grinned at me. "At the Pigs and Pancake."

"She's beautiful, Jack," he said almost whispering. I could tell he was smitten.

I smiled, taking out my pack of cigarettes. One left. "I need smokes."

"Let's stop by and see if she's still there. Probably got picked up by now, though." Arc downshifted for a short hill then cut across a parking lot. We went into the restaurant and Amy was alone at a table in the left corner off the main entry. I normally stand for the sign that says "Please Wait to be Seated" even at 5 AM and there are only maybe five people in the place all spread out. But today we just walked through and went to her table. She looked up with tired eyes, eyes that spoke of desperation and hope. She was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen.

After introductions we sat, I maneuvered quickly to be next to her. Arc sat across and almost drooled at her. I told him "Arc, do you need a napkin?" and he chuckled......(cont)