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"Oh, Bill," asked Charlie, "could you put the sandwich in the refrigerator-- this place does have a kitchen, doesn't it?"

"With what I'm paying, it should," said Adam, eating hungrily.

"The sandwich is for you-know-who, for when he gets hungry, later," explained Charlie. "And put the popcorn in the oven to keep it warm."

Happily, Bill did as he was told.

Even though Adam was rapidly winning, the chess match was drawn out for each was too busy eating, to pay much attention to the game.

"That was good spaghetti," said Adam, finishing his meal.

In the haze of sleep starvation, someone who knew him very well, was calmly and surely, leading him back to the land of the sane. Adam put an elbow on the table and watched Charlie finish her dinner. A look of admiration crossed his face.

"How do you do it?" he asked.

"Do what?" asked Charlie, wiping her mouth with a napkin.

"How do you manage to turn hell into heaven?" he wondered out loud.

Charlie gazed into his eyes and then answered with a mysterious smile,

"If I told you that, you wouldn't need me anymore."

Adam didn't look so sure. Then, as if suddenly becoming self conscious of everyone in the room who had been following their conversation, he resumed the chess game. Now that both had finished dinner, the game rapidly concluded with Adam as the victor.

"Yes, I know," replied Charlie, answering his playful smile, "you told me so!"

"Any day of the week!" he repeated, triumphantly.

Charlie got up and moved her grandmother to a comfortable armchair next to the couch where the guys were sitting, making the second couch in the main room, vacant.

"Now, what are you doing?" asked Adam.

"Help me move the TV in your room into this room, will you?" she asked, sweetly.

"Oh, all right," sighed Adam, not even putting up a fight.

"Can you see it from over there, guys?" asked Charlie, aiming the set so everyone could see.

The "guys" said nothing. They only nodded and smiled as ones who had had a great burden lifted from their shoulders.

"Saturday," Bill whispered triumphantly to Melvin, "he's going to give the performance of his life-- wait and see if he doesn't!"

Charlie turned on the TV and loaded a VCR tape into the player.

"I'll get the popcorn," volunteered Adam, knowing what came next.

He soon returned with the popcorn, and sat down on the second couch next to Charlie, just like they did back in Twin Yucca, when he had insomnia. The others didn't mind when the popcorn wasn't passed to the other side of the room. There was too much silent rejoicing going on.

Halfway through the movie, Adam's head bobbed forward, as if fighting sleep.

"Everyone, keep quiet," urged Bill, in a barely audible whisper.

When Adam's head bobbed once more, Charlie sat down on the floor in front of the couch. Adam yawned. Seeing that she had moved out of the way for him, he stretched out on the couch.

"Hey," said Charlie, "don't hog the popcorn."

He passed the nearly empty bucket down to her and closed his eyes. By the time the second movie had ended, Charlie looked up to find that Adam had finally drifted off to sleep.

Seeing her chance to slip away, Charlie stood up and tiptoed to the door. Vera gathered her knitting and followed her granddaughter outside. Bill, Melvin, and Gary also left, leaving Adam to get as much sleep as possible.

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