I nodded. He smiled warmly and took my hand. Very well. Come it is time for dinner. He stood me up and led me back down to the dining hall. Walking do...n the hall I felt compelled to make conversation. So uh, did you sleep well? Yes, quite well actually. Usually Im restless and I simply toss and turn but something about you finally being near me, I felt finally able to sleep. I started to blush. And then I asked him a question that had been racking around in my brain all day. So…when you make me. That evening, I went down stairs and rearranged the weights on my bar. I added another ten pounds in total. I did two full sets and ten reps on my third when I felt I had reached my limit. Yes, it was a Merry Christmas indeed for me.School resumed and the days seemed to go on forever. Schoolwork and homework were just chores that I had to do. I was friends with quite a few of my classmates, but none were as close to me as Joann had been. We had started to drift apart; our interests seemed to be. I just stood and waitedwhile mom held several dresses up to my sisters to see howthey would look in them.I could not take it anymore and said, "Just buy the damnthing already." I should have kept my big mouth shut.Mom started telling me, "You think it's so easy for girlsto pick out clothes, do you?" I just bowed my head then shesaid, "There's a lot of things girls have think of whenbuying a dress. Do think you could just pick out a dressand be done with it?"I said nothing."Maybe I should put. She told him how Annette had come to her and told her what her father had done to her, of the divorce, of her protecting Annette, of Richard persuading her to give Annette more freedom and how she had blossomed.Paul interrupted her. "Do the police know about this?" he asked."My ex is now in prison." Ah! Carry on."Deborah told him of the Ronny incident, which did not excite him. "Rite of passage, I'm afraid. She seems to have dealt with it pretty well and one can understand her wanting to come.