Jam spoke aloud as he prayed over the list that we hadn’t read yet. We spent that time close together. At a pause, I opened the paper and began to r...ad the names. Someone had typed the list and even listed their positions in English. Tears came to my eyes. Jam moved one hand to pull me close while continuing to hold my hands in his hand and let us go over the list. We spent most of an hour praying for all those people as a whole and individually.People who haven’t done it wonder how you can. ”“Em? Is that you? What’s up?” Francine asked.Sighing, Em fumbled for the lamp and switched it on. “It’s an emergency. A live explosive. I need to be there when they defuse it.”“A bomb?” Francine asked, covering her mouth with her hands.“Neat!” Becky exclaimed, clapping her hands. “Can I tag along?”“Absolutely not!” her mother insisted. As the two argued about how appropriate it was for young girls to monitor explosives at crime scenes, Em slipped out, running down the six flights of stairs.Em. I'll guarantee you'll get so wet you'll need them."She was right. I did need them.STEVEN(Friday 12/9)She was so full of life! She shone like the noonday sun in the desert, but the light was hidden by deep dark clouds threatening to keep it hidden forever. My job, my duty was to help her move the clouds away.Last night, I'd kept our conversation away from her sensitive areas. We would talk about them some time, but for now she needed someone just to care for her, to help her feel worthy of care,. “He doesn’t have the balls. His wife has got her little finger wrapped around his pisellino like a ring. He wouldn’t dare.”“What if it ends in a tie?” Pietro asked, ignoring me and acting as if he was going to go through with it. I hated him right now as much as it was possible to hate someone.“Then all bets are off,” Giovanni said. “No one pays, no one forfeits anything. It’s like the bet never happened.”It would have happened as far as I was concerned. He was going to regret it if he wagered.