I watched as he grabbed a towel from a chair, buried his face in it and began to rub his hair vigorously. His torso was taut and flexed as he rubbed, ...ut that was not what caught my attention with its movement. *I stood transfixed in the dark shade of the bushes, watching Zach dry himself. His towel moved down from his shoulders and belly and then his two strong arms used the towel to give himself a good buffing down there. He stopped, dropped the towel away, and admired himself. Plenty to. Can I?” D asked, with a renewed level of enthusiasm. “I’m getting to the point I can’t stand myself.”“Well, the nurse said it would be okay...as long as it’s quick and you don’t scrub the stitched areas.”“Great...I can do that.”“You’re not feeling too wobbly? I’d hate to see you fall and split your stitches.”“No...I think I’m good. I’m still sore but it’s much better than yesterday...I think. Was that the last time we talked?”Ella laughed and patted Devon on the shoulder. “Close, but not. Smith.”“I read Emmeline decades ago. I began Old Manor House but admit to abandoning it.”She sat down. “Are you a literature professor?”“Far from it. When I was a student I dated a woman who was doing women’s studies and literature. Emmeline was a favourite as a Cinderella-story in which the heroine stands outside the traditional economic structures of English society and ends up wealthy and happy. And it criticizes traditional marriage. Do I pass the exam?”“Full marks.”“And what do you. The exercise was intricate, demonstrating my flexibility, agility and quickness. I performed no aerobatics. I saved those moves for the sparring match.When I finished, I turned to Sifu and bowed."I will spar with you," he said in Mandarin. "One of my students will help you with padding." Will you be wearing padding, Sifu?" I asked in the same language."No." Then I will spar without padding, as well."He smiled, which surprised me. "Are you certain? Accidents happen." I trust in your ability,.