but instead , it was a woman gnat had never seen before , or at least -- perhaps she had seen the woman once or twice in the last few days , but always from afar , and never knowing her name . little by little the sun had crept over the earth , bringing more and more of the yard into view . okay , thinking about beth again , dude . `` i feel safer with you than sitting in the car by myself . '' `` he said that you treated him as though he did n't exist . '' 