Cindy took his hand in hers when they walked from the car to the restaurant. Her hand felt soft and warm. Valenti felt the desire stir within him. He didn't know much about her yet, but he knew he wanted this woman.

Dinner was fun. She laughed at his jokes and told amusing stories about some of the goofy customers she had waited on. This was her first trip west of St. Louis. Valenti had gone to the University of Missouri at Columbia. That was as close as he had gotten to the city. By the time they were having dessert, she seemed like an old friend.

When he took her back to her motel she paused at the door, turned to face him, and waited expectantly. Valenti took her into his arms and for the first time in his life he kissed a black woman. It was just like kissing a white woman. It was a little taste of heaven.

"Come inside with me," she said.

As soon as he closed the door behind himself she was in his arms again. She covered his mouth with passionate tongue kisses. There was no need for seduction. Cindy was completely willing. She unbuttoned his shirt then stripped off her jacket, blouse, and bra. He fondled her soft, warm breasts. The nipples were firm with desire. Her skin was so dark there was no difference in color between her areolas and the remainder of her breasts. She was one solid, rich color from the base of her breasts to the tips of her nipples.

Finally, she took him by the hand and gently let him to the bed. That night Sheriff James Valenti committed his first act of interracial love.

There were only a few customers in the Crashdown Caf e the next afternoon when the black woman came in and sat down at the counter.

"May I help you?" said Liz.

"I heard you're looking for help. I'm an experienced waitress," the woman said.

"Wait here. I'll get an application," said Liz.

She went to the back room where Maria was taking a break and rummaged in the desk for a blank application.

"Maria, would you watch the front? I have a job applicant."

"Be nice to her. I'm tired of working double shifts," said Maria.

The unemployment rate was low and everyone in town was short of help.

Liz gave the application and a ball point pen to the woman and polished the shake machine while she worked on it. After a few minutes the applicant put the pen down on the counter indicating she was finished. Liz sat down on the stool next to her and looked over the application.

Her name was Cindy Talmadge and she had been born and grown up in St. Louis. She had finished high school and the application listed several jobs in restaurants in the St. Louis area. She was thirty years old.

Liz looked up. Cindy was very attractive. Her nose was just broad enough and her lips just full enough to suggest her racial identity without exaggeration. Her hair was in a neatly trimmed, medium length Afro that was tied back with a blue ribbon. She was wearing a soft white skirted suit that looked great on her. She was the darkest person Liz had ever seen.

"Cindy, I'm Liz Parker."

"Pleased to meet you."

"Are you available for full-time employment?"

"Yes."

"We're not busy right now, but it can get hectic during the holidays and when we have UFO conventions in town."

"The aliens seem to have made quite an impression on Roswell."

"A lot of the businesses here have alien themes like the Crashdown. I hope you don't mind wearing a silly costume."

"I think it's fun," said Cindy. "On my last job I was a serving winch in a theme restaurant. We wore eighteenth century dresses and coif caps."

Liz glanced at the application.

"That would be the King George III?" she said.

"The owner was from England. He thought it was time we colonials started giving the old boy his due respect."

Liz looked at the next entry on the application.

"What kind of place is The Aviator's Club?"

"It's a cocktail longue at the St. Louis airport."

"Did you dress as pilots?" asked Liz.

"No, the costumes were hard as they say in the casino trade."

"Hard?"

"Revealing. I liked it. The tips were great.

"Why did you leave?"

"I couldn't afford to go on working there. Some of the waitresses and female customers complained about the skimpy costumes so the management went to a more covered up look. The men stopped tipping. The bags of silicone in our bras, the micro skirts. . .that was half our money. Bummer."

"I notice you're staying at the Tumbleweed Motel," said Liz.

"I'm going to move into an apartment if things work out."

"Things?"

"I have a new boyfriend in Roswell. Sheriff James Valenti."

Maria looked up from where she was wiping down the counter.

"Sheriff Valenti? That's great. Go for it, girl. You're just right for him."

Valenti was no longer the ogre he had been but Maria still didn't want him as a stepfather. His relationship with her mother had cooled in recent weeks. An affair with another woman would be just the thing to extinguish any remaining sparks.

Liz finished up the interview and told Cindy she would let her know soon. That afternoon she made some calls to St. Louis and confirmed Cindy's employment history. That was about as much as she could do. She called Cindy at her motel and they agreed Cindy would start working the next day.