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Show 38 "Yes," he said, "I felt in particular need of guidance today." He reached for his cigarettes. His well-defined features-the delicate nose, the finely-shaped, pointed chin, his normally sensitive mouth- were sharp this morning, in concentration. But he did not want to start talking about her move yet; from his deliberate searching for his lighter, finally finding it, carefully lighting the cigarette, she knew that. "How's work?" she said, searching for neutral ground. "It's still picking up," he said. "The more I get into it, the more I find out all that I don't know." "Well, you weren't exactly trained for it, remember." "That's the truth," he said, relaxing slightly, "Bridges and freeways. Remember? The drawings I used to make? Dams, and that sort of thing? That's what I thought I'd end up building when I started college. Who was thinking in terms of rockets then." "So you still like it." "I sure do. It's exciting. More exciting every day. I feel like I'm really part of something. Something important." He propped his elbows on the table, ran his free hand through his hair as he talked; yes, this relaxed him, talking about his job. He was an engineer at Sun Technology Laboratories, on the space program. He was obviously doing well, she was glad. He deserved it, he'd had a rough time. Working part time and attending school while his home life had fallen apart around him. His determination, his sense of purpose, had always amazed her. At the end of his freshman year in college, he had moved out of home, joining a fraternity and living there. Severing himself from the family in order to survive in his own life. It had to be done, |