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"Other than that, how are you?" she asked

"Down there," I gestured toward the storm drain

"Let’s take a look"

The seorker took a long, yellow, rubber-coated flashlight from the cab of the truck and moved to the drain She squatted next to it and shone the powerful light through the grate The beaood fifteen feet away, and neither I nor the seorker could testify that the reflection was my keys

The seorker flicked off the flash and stood up "I don’t suppose you could call your wife to bring you a spare key," she said There was Hispanic blood so of America’s northern states

"I’m not married," I told her

"Girlfriend?"

"Not at the present time"

"Really?"

The seorker sain; her face lit up like a hundred-watt bulb, and I said, "Hey"

She was in her late twenties, a little more than five foot six, about 120 pounds Her hair was the same color as her eyes; a bandanna kept it off her neck and shoulders

"What’s your name?" she asked

"Why do you need to know my name?"

"It’s only fair since I’ me on, yet she spoke in such an earnest manner that for a moment I couldn’t be sure

"What do you ave her head a small, sad shake and moved toward her truck

"Wait a minute" I followed her "What do you mean, risk your life?"

The seorker opened the back of the truck and retrieved a pair of coveralls that she quickly slipped into The nah rubber boots and heavy gloves She said, "If anything happens, my name is Benita Benita Rosas Tell them" She bowed his head as if the words were si about?"

Benita gently placed her hand on my shoulder "This is his sewer," she said

"His sewer?"

"I don’t mind the raccoons," Benita said "The bats, the cockroaches, the spiders--I can live with them, as well And the rats"

"Rats? There are rats down there?"

"Of course there are rats down there," she replied somberly "It’s okay The rats are our friends Where there are rats, there’s air It’s just him we need to worry about"