He looked tired. And wet.


But here he was, staring at the river, educating me on the chemistry of ecology, filling my head with scientific fact, and letting those facts communicate for him, just as he always does.


    It felt as if it hadn't been so long since we'd met for lunch, after all. But it had been a long time. And many things had happened to both of us.


"You know, Peter." I said without looking at him. "When you get down to it, the laundry soap, the heat pollution ... they're all just stories."