Divine Intervention

Beauty was not hard to find in Iacubescu Bay. It could be found on
leaf, every rainbow after a rain. It could be found in every child,
swinging to and fro on a swing set. As a photographer, Philipa Nichols
took pleasure in knowing that there was beauty all around he She had
to in order to keep he job or to get her work published.

Philipa Nichols started her day off in the same manner she always
did; Arguing with her neighbor, \"You are so inconsiderate!\" she
yelled at him angrily, \"Can\'t you keep the noise down at nights?
Other people are trying to sleep!\" Jim Folte only stood there and
smiled at her. Philipa hissed at him and walked away.

The man was annoying. He pd hid his music up until all hours of the
night. His friends stayed over forever. She got absolutely no sleep
the previous night because she was awaken by moans and screams.
Laughter of passion and music of love. She had covered her head with
all six pillows that were on her bed hoping beyond hope that she
would get some sleep. After about two hours of agony, Philipa got up
and tried to get some work done. The sounds above her was driving
her demented.

Jim Folte was a bodyguard. This year made two years since he retired,
from what he considered to be a corrupt police force. In his seven
years as a cop he saw important evidence disappear, other cops
solicit and pick up prostitute; He just could not take it any more.
Last year alone, cops broke more laws than any crimminal he had had
the pleasure to put in the big house. His partner Ikaika Gonzales
was sorry to see him go, but Ikaika understood Jim\'s reason for
wanting out. Jim walked into the Salton bar and crept up behind his
blonde friend. Ikaika jumped and swung around. He breathe a sigh of
relieve to see that it was only Jim.

\"Jesus! Jim!\" he exclaimed, \"What\'re you trying to do? Get yourself
shot?\" Ikaika hugged Jim and they sat down, \"don\'t sneak up on a man
with a gun like that.\"

Jim ordered a drink lazily and ran his hand through his chestnut
hair. Before he said anything to Ikaika about his nervousness, Jim
promised himself that whatever it was, he would not get involved.

\"Why\'re you so jumpy?\" Jim asked Ikaika.
\"It\'s nothing. Since you left all the guys jum jumpy, and the Lopez
case is not helping any.\"
\"It\'s that bad?\"
\"Don\'t look so full of yourself!\"

They both burst out laughing as Jim took a sip of his beer. As the
beer made its wa his his liver, Jim wondered how can something so
cool and dangerous can make you feel so warm and safe.

Philipa sat in her meeting staring out the window. As usual, her
boss, Frank Vexno was dragging a meeting that could have been twenty
minutes into two hours. She desperately tried to find something to
keep her mind off her quest to stay awake. Jim Folte. What a jerk!
But a handsome jerk! His chestnut hair, green eyes, hard muscles and
huge hands flashed in her mind. She wondered if he was really the
cause of the moans of ecstasy that she heard coming from upstairs at
nights. In a way she longed to be the one that he was touching, the
one making the sweet sounds of magical torture. \"Philipa?\" came a
voice crashing through her thoughts. She shook her head and after a
while answered, \"Yeah Frankie, I\'m still here.\"

Jim finished his assignment early and headed home. He prayed
consistently on his drive home not to meet Philipa in the halls or,
heaven forbid, in the elevator. That would give the term \"helli-
vator\' a new meaning. She would probably scratch his eyes out or
something. Hesitantly he shut the engine of his two thousand two
ford matrix off, grabbed a bag with surveillance equipment and a bag
of KFC for dinner and headed up the stairs from the garage. He
stepped out of the elevator and headed for his door. As he reached
for his keys he heard voices behind him and turned to see Philipa
talking to the landlord. He could not resist the urge.

\"You always sneak around like that?\" Jim asked her after the landlord
had left.

Instead of answering she headed for the elevator. Jim stuck his
tongue out at her as the door was closing for her descent.