"I'm an old friend of your family. All of them had a little fetish for black magic and pacts, including your mother." He answered. As I simply stared ...t him in shock he continued. "Your mother knew she couldn't made it when she got pregnant with you. It was really a shame. She had the same charm that you have. Being tiny and not calling any attention instantly, but once you noticed her... It was almost impossible not to fall for her. That's why I made a deal with her. I would help with bringing. She simply said as she wasclosing my door, "This too shall pass, I promise."I got up early the next morning so I could go on my normal Saturdaymorning run before the "event" Jen and our moms had planned for the day.I spent at least twenty minutes just staring into the mirror comparing myreflection to a picture of me from a year ago. I was trying to see whathad changed, other than my eyebrows. I was having a hard time seeing theboy I thought I had been, even in the older picture. Finally, I. Then they stopped.I left a voice mail for her on Tuesday night just telling her hi and to call me when she got the time. I heard nothing from her on Wednesday so I tried again on Thursday with the same result. There was no word from her Friday, either. No voice messages, no e-mail, no carrier pigeon.Despite my friends' earlier warning, I took it hard. I had slept alone almost every night for the five years prior to Julie's reappearance. Hell, I had slept alone more often than not for the four. “I can’t replace you. I can only find somebody else and hope they’ll do as good a job as you did. Who in your staff can move up to your slot, and who do we get to replace them? I’d prefer to move somebody up rather than bring in somebody new.” The three of us made some plans, and after a bit, I shooed them out. “Make sure we have a nice going away party and have a cake I can get a piece of.” I told them.Sherry was the first senior staffer I had lost. I had replaced a couple of very junior.