‘But congratulations on the engagement.’ They looked at each other, then back at me. ‘Oh, c’mon.’ I said. ‘Sandra walks in here with her h...nds behind her back, then tries to hide her left hand with her right hand out of sight of my vision under the edge of the desk. And of course I see the light in her eyes that a newly engaged woman just cannot hide.’ ‘Why do we even try, Martin?’ Sandra asked with a ‘knowing’ smile on her face. She held up her left hand, exhibiting the ring. I made another. I want to be your lover for as long as you want me. You know my destiny for some years is the University Of California at Berkeley but I’ll never forget you and if you’re willing to share some time with me whatsoever we can continue what we start today. Think about the long summer break next year.’ ‘Really, you mean that, Todd? You really mean that?’ ‘I sure do. I am not going to tell you I love you but I am pretty sure I did fancy you for a long time as well. I can’t imagine of going home. The three women were sobbing silently and trying to be strong as they watched Paul struggle to breathe.The death rattles were clearly present. The old man whispered, “Rose.” Then he expired. It was a somber event. The staff gave them a moment to gather themselves before getting to work disassembling the machines. Pat led a prayer. Pam suggested they grab a bite to eat. Angie drove.At the diner, Angie asked, “Who is Rose?”“What,” sniffled Pam.“Granddaddy said ‘Rose’ right before he passed away.. We discovered that we shared a number of Arabic words and managed to make ourselves understood to each other in a broken version of that tongue. I learned that Arabic traders often stopped here. They had thought the boat was another of those itinerants and were surprised to discover a woman, especially one alone. As we conversed, the party apparently already planned had got underway. Food and drink were served all around. The home brewed wine was quite good, and quite powerful. I made the.