Three months after Jim moved in he lost his job; he had been an alcoholic and had fallen off the wagon. He didn't look very hard for a new job and the small savings they had built up started to disappear. His drinking got worse; he abused her when drunk and their sex life became more like multiple rapes.

Jim came to her office drunk a week ago and demanded money in front of her coworkers and boss. They made him leave, but he yelled he would come back and kill everybody. He had so frightened her company that they told her she was fired. She received a week's severance. When she got home that afternoon she found the apartment had been torn apart in one of Jim's rages. The furniture was destroyed, all her clothes had been ripped apart, and there was an eviction notice on the door. Jim had taken the checks for rent, but never mailed them in for the last two months.

I said, "Holly, you have a big short term problem, but that's all it is. Here's what we're going to do.

"For the first week you have to get back on your feet, and in the second week we start working on finding you a job. Let's go back to the apartment and I want you to write a list of the clothes you need to buy along with other stuff that will get you through one week.

"Do you cook?"

She nodded yes.

"Fair cook or pretty good?"

"I'm pretty good," she admitted

"That makes it easy," I said. You'll stay with me for the first week. You're the official apartment cleaner and cook, except that Wednesday and Saturday we go out to eat. I'll loan you the money for what you need to buy, and you can pay me back once you start making some money."

"Why are you being so nice to me?" she asked.

"You're my lucky charm so far on my selling, and I think behind those tears I see a good person who got unlucky," I answered.

We walked back to the apartment and she started writing her list of clothes and things. When she was done I checked the list.

"What do you like to eat?" she asked.

"Everything."

Thirty minutes later we were ready to go shopping. We drove to the plaza and walked into the first clothing store. At first Holly was embarrassed as she bought panties, bras and other clothes, but then she wanted me to tell her what dress she should buy and what was my favorite color on her. It was kind of fun to watch Holly forget her problems for a while and enjoy herself. From the clothes she picked out I could see she had good taste.

When it came time to buy her swimming suit she timidly asked me what kind she should buy.

I said, "Holly, you have a nice body; don't hide it."

She beamed at the compliment. A not-too-conservative black bikini went into the shopping bag.

Four hours later we were done. She asked me how much she had spent. I ignored the question and lied, "I'm keeping track of every penny, so don't worry about it now."

The dinner was fun. I asked her about her old job. It set her off talking and it was obvious to me that she had loved her job. The business emphasis she had taken in junior college along with three year's work experience convinced me we would have no trouble finding her a job.

For the first time she ate a normal size meal. "I'm not always a pig," she explained.

We returned home; it was obvious the day had caught up to her. She yawned as I gave her a glass of white wine.

I said, "One glass and you're history. You need sleep."

She sipped her wine. It was comfortably silent, but then I noticed she was starting to become nervous. I guessed what was coming.

She finished her drink and stared at the floor for a moment and then stood up and said, "Phil, you have been wonderful to me. I owe you so much."