Before what? Before he had been retrogressed. He had been brought here from elsewhere, the same as Luise.
He visited the spaceport. Again the evidence was negative; there was not a ship the sight of which tripped his memory. It had been too much to hope for; if he had been brought in by spaceship, it wouldn't still be around for him to recognize.
Late in the afternoon, he headed toward the center of town. He was riding the belt when he saw Luise coming out of a tall office building.
e hopped off and let her pass, boarding it again and following her at a distance. As soon as they were out of the business district, he began to edge closer.
A few blocks from the Shelter she got off the belt and waited, turning around and smiling directly at him. In the interim her attitude toward him had changed, evidently—for the better, as far as he was concerned. He couldn't ignore her and didn't want to. He stepped off the belt.
"Hello," she said. "I think you were following me."
"I was. Do you mind?"