As the meal ended, I made a short speech and toast to my parents, and then a short list of family and friends gave accolades and anecdotes about the i...fluence that they had had upon their lives. Susan was the last to speak, and simply said that my mother had been both big sister and surrogate mother, and whilst she felt that she hadn’t always been the person my mother would have liked her to be, she had gained many of her life values from her, and that she wouldn’t be the person she was today. Rodrigo said he would have my check for the first delivery and this one when we came for lunch.At Wal-Mart, the women took a cart toward household goods and I took a cart toward electronics. I selected two cordless phone sets that had an answering machine and two extra handsets. For the office I bought a regular type phone with an answering machine and a cordless handset. For the pole barn, I thought a standard wall phone would be best.The PC was easy to decide on, as they had a package that. . She asked me how many girlfriends I have.I told - I have just returned home from abroad after three years, no girlfriends.So Khala asked- How many girlfriends were there abroad?I said - a lot.So Khala said with a smile - then you must have had a lot of fun?Before I would answer, Khala's phone rang and Khala got up.After that Khala met my mother and could not be seen again. When I enquired about her I came to know that for some emergency reason Khala had to go back to her home in Kashmir,. ”“After you give me what I want. If you cooperate, Dr. Jackman, not a hair on her pretty head will be damaged.”Cold shot through me. It rippled out from my belly, flowing through my veins to my extremities. It struck my heart, the beat quickening. Waves of dark dizziness washed across my vision. “Hurt her? What is going on?”She made dismissive, tutting sound. “Really, Dr. Jackman, I thought you were intelligent. I have your wife, and if you want her back, you have to pay my ransom.”“How much?”.