“I know,” Deitrich murmured.
She looked down again and with a little embarrassed giggle, disengaged her hand. Trying to regain her composure she said stiffly, “It’s been so… so long, you know.”
“I know,” said Deitrich quietly. “But I was beginning to think there weren’t any of us left any more.”
“Uh huh.”
“How long have you been here?”
“Not too long,” she replied. “But it’s been a long time for me. It was… let’s see… almost four years now.”
“Oh.” Deitrich was surprised. But of course it could not have been very long. “Where did you spend the rest of the time since you left Terra?”
“Here and there. I went all around the Home.” Her cheeks dimpled again. “Sort of a sightseeing tour. But I spent all my money, and finally had to quit and get a job. That’s why I moved on out here. It was my last run.”
Deitrich watched her with gentle amusement. Four years was a long time in one place after all the time-jumping she mentioned. A passing sadness clouded his eyes momentarily. Then he smiled again. “You like it here?”
“About as well as any place I can go. And a good bit better than some places I’ve been.”