“Please don’t mind the mess,” he said, noticing her surprise. “The rooms are all being painted, and this is the result. We had to move all the...furniture from the other rooms.”As they entered the bathroom, he turned around to face her. In the bright light, he clearly saw the state of her clothes. Her drenched sari and blouse were clinging to her skin. His eyes developed a mind of their own, lingering a little too long over her wet blouse. She lowered her face and blushed deeply as she felt his. This was normally off limits, way off limits, but she had heard that some did this, and that some even enjoyed it, too. “Are you my girl, Bai Jie?”“Yes, Sir” she said quickly. Well, she was, but she did not know if she was ready for THAT, at least not right now!She did not know what to do and what to do with her hands. Would it be considered too forward, if she put them around him?There was still many things she did not know about the habits of these Europeans.“Lean over the table,. . instead she said, “You’ve all done very well. After I finish some more coffee ... and toast, I think, we’ll get cleaned up, dressed, go to the hospital.“Afterward ... well, dress fancy, we’re going out to eat.”As Bedisa brushed her hair out after her shower, Tattie looked at her hands. The scars and calluses spoke of her life’s work ... and Yuri’s hands, soft and unmarred for the most part, hung in her mind. She wished more than anything Yuri had lived a happy and useful life, his hands. As her horse moved a little under her, she replied, “Yes, it is.”Having forgotten for a moment that he wasn’t alone, Ed turned to look at Nora. She was settled comfortably on her horse, adapting to the slight movements of the horse with natural adjustments that were unconscious. He asked, “Getting tired of riding?”Shaking her head, she replied, “Not really. I can go another hour.”“There’s a seep about a half an hour from here. We’ll camp there.”She relaxed on the horse, relieved that they would.