“Not really,” she replied softly. Alison opened up about her love life: a string of guys, all of them from private schools, most of them from weal...hy families and nearly all of them believing they were better people than they actually were. “If you reckon boys don’t play with dolls, you should see how some of them treated me. Toted around, pampered, used for comfort, used for pleasure and, when next year’s model arrived, left out in the rain.” Mr Lippy from the pub had been doing her head in. I've learned ... That everyone you meet deserves to be greeted with a smile...I've learned ... That no one is perfect until you fall in love with them.I've learned ... That life is tough, but I'm tougher.I've learned ... That opportunities are never lost; someone will take the ones you miss.I've learned ... That when you harbor bitterness, happiness will dock elsewhere.I've learned ... That I wish I could have told my Mom that I love her one more time before she passed away.I've learned .... He looked over. Yes, he felt her hand on his thigh. She saw his eyes look down. He looked back up into her eyes. He smiled at her and she saw his smile too. She finally smiled back at him as she kept her hand on his thigh. She nodded her head in a subdued manner. Nobody saw it happen. Nobody but Geoffrey saw it happen and he smiled and winked at her. And then he nodded his head back at her. She smiled back at him too. Samantha was full of herself and she was smiling all over the place too. The. “Let’s do it. Whose deal is it?” Ron and I both beamed with smiles that must have looked like painted on clowns. Shit was going to get real. “Okay. How about this. Whoever wins the hand gets to remove the article of clothing from the loser,” Amber said. We all agreed and the cards were dealt. Ron lost his shirt to Kami and I lost my shorts to Ron the next hand. He wasn’t too keen on being the one to remove them, but as the ladies pointed out, rules were rules. In the end, I dutifully stood and.