’ ‘Huh. Well, nobody could blame her for that.’ Standing there watching her as she took a big gulp of wine, I tried to figure out what I could...do. Her eyes searched my face as if some tiny chance of a miracle might be hidden there, but she obviously didn’t find it. ‘Look,’ I said at last. ‘Why don’t we go see her?’ Talking to Gloria can make anything better. Kaylee, though, stopped her miracle-search and squeezed her red-rimmed eyes tight. Then she made a fist of her free hand, pressed it. ”“It was a good deal, Julian. Reg has rounded out a lot since then. I am quite proud of his achievements.”“So congratulations. You have a boyfriend, Freda. How long do you think it will last?”“I don’t know, but I want it to last a long time. He is so sweet.”“Good grief: you sound lovestruck! Look, Freda: don’t build up your hopes too high. First loves tend not to last. Just enjoy it while you can.”“I intend to hold on to him, Julian. I think he will be worth it.”“Good luck, then; seriously.. But, they wouldn't be a problem. She added that I need to come in tomorrow for work and straighten my desk out too. Some of the girls got me some birthday presents. I also swapped some texts with a couple of the girls I know better and worked with. One in particular you might find funny. A very attractive, younger blonde Jennifer. We both liked football and would talk about that at work. She was younger and out of my league. So, we never had that sexual tension some co-workers do. Here's her. . so to speak," Jackreassured."What's next?" she asked."I have no idea."Sometimes people keep doing what they normally do, even in a crisis,because they don't know what else to do. That's exactly what Jack andStacy did. As you might expect, carrying on as if everything werenormal was a bigger problem for Jack, especially when his changescontinued. At work he stopped using the stairs when he felt parts ofhis body bouncing. He stopped tucking in his shirt when his pantsbecame an awkward fit at.