The Day I Kissed An Older Man

"Thanks to you and your friends... If it weren't for you all, I wouldn't know where I'd be right now..." He rubbed his hands together, feeling somewhat embarrassed. Perhaps he would have left behind his wandering life long ago if someone had been willing to lend him a hand from the start.

Rita smiled and said, "Where else could you go? You'd still be stuck at that piece of land of course."

Virgil scratched the back of his head and chuckled. "Heh, you're right. But I still have to thank you all."

Rita nodded. "I also have to thank you for trusting me. Alright, I just came to see you. Since you're settling in so quickly, I'll head back now. There's still a lot of work to be done."

Virgil walked a few steps with her, hesitated, and finally said, "I know figuring things out can be tough, but since I've settled down now...you don't have to rush the matter. You can just take things at your own pace."

Rita understood his meaning; achieving this task alone would indeed be very difficult for her. Virgil was also afraid she forced herself into a dead-end.

"Don't worry. I've never been alone on this path, and I won't foolishly attempt the impossible," Rita assured him.

want you to

merely smiled. As she drove away, she could still see his diminishing figure in the rearview mirror, standing

doing this for Virgil; there could not possibly be only

by a desire to reduce the number of victims and

say it, but when she saw Virgil interacting with those kids, she felt a pang in her heart at the warmth in his eyes. She could

this supposed to be

pressed down on the accelerator, her destination set

Rita to complete. Even though she had been

it was not

her head she caught him avoiding her gaze Rita chuckled inwardly; it seemed her suspicions were not far off the