Between her textbooks and laptop, Elijah quite rightfully considered the latter to be the most fragile and costly.  It therefore ruled supreme at the top of the pile in his arms.  While he waited for Gwen to either open her door or tell him to bugger off, he reflected on his brief exchange with Martin while they were in the cafeteria.  The pair had been left high and dry by Ms. Whitmore, so it was up to them to entertain themselves, something that Elijah was loath to do.  Based on appearance and how he carried himself in Gwen’s presence, Martin was instantly pegged as a sleaze bucket of the highest order.  What he had to say in her absence only confirmed this pre-judgmental designation.<br/><br/>Seems he was well aware of Toby, though he never referred to the energetic boy by name.  A few of his words reverberated in Elijah’s memory, a memory which was in dire need of erasure.  While Martin held no desire to be “daddy-oh,” his somewhat limited interest in Gwen was for “a taste” and “to score.”  Talk about a Neanderthal, he thought.  It was guys like him who gave men a bad name and rep.<br/><br/>As if on cue, Gwen finally swung the door open, wielding a hammer.  She greeted him, clearly recognizing the bundle he held.  Eyeing the hammer, he then looked down at the laptop, visually linking the two for her.  “Uh, I dunno about you, Gwen, but when my laptop acts up, I usually just reboot it.”  A playful smile invaded his face.<br/><br/>Continuing to stand there, she fussed over him, and although there were no visible signs of tears, he could tell she’d been crying not too long ago.  Elijah felt guilty and bad about catching her in such a vulnerable state, which is why he remained frozen in her doorway.  Eventually, he snapped out of it when she implored, “Come through, please?”<br/><br/>Once inside and after she closed the door behind them, he placed her belongings on a nearby table.  Elijah then graciously declined any and all of her offers of hospitality.  “No, thank you, Gwen,” he began.  “I’m good.  Have some leftovers waiting for me at home.  Besides, I wouldn’t wanna put you out, and I, uh, apologize for dropping in on you unannounced.  But I thought you could use these in case you’re not at your classes tomorrow.”<br/><br/>He casually, but not nosily so, scanned his surroundings, and took an instant liking to what he saw.  Gwen’s apartment looked lived in, and a warmth radiated around him, probably due to the fact that she was a doting mother.  He was curious to look closer at all the photographs which seemed to be everywhere, but not curious enough to actually do it.  That, he believed, would be nosey.  Elijah smiled warmly at the sight of toys strewn about, but especially at Toby’s name painted brightly on his bedroom door.  He liked that personal touch, courtesy of the lad’s talented mother.<br/><br/>Should he tell her about Martin?  Though perhaps not go into<i>too </i>much detail.  Deciding that he would like to know had the tables been turned, Elijah kept it brief.  He didn’t wish to unnecessarily take any more of her time, knowing that she’d been distraught about something.  Feelings of interrupting her kept nagging at him.<br/><br/>“After you left, Martin, uh, asked about you,” he said.  Mental inventory was swiftly taken, and “daddy-oh,” “taste,” and “score” would<i>all </i>be conveniently left out of the conversation.  “Apparently, he’s aware of Toby.”  Elijah was suddenly at a loss for words, not sure what else there was to add.  He was confident, after all, that Gwen was more than aware of the man’s sleaze factor.  That unsavory trait was very difficult to miss.