the three of us rode in silence for several minutes . i 'd smelled that before , so long ago i 'd forgotten it , but now i knew at once who it belonged to . you do n't expect us to believe in them do you ? '' it was obvious that he knew it too . the couple jumped in surprise and quickly took position on opposite sides of the table . so he had encouraged the road trip . i had set up an appointment to go down to the college and talk about my options . 