Finally meine chupi thodi or ritu se pucha.Me “ritu kya hua hai tum aise kyu behave kar rahi ho”Annu “haan yaar ritu jab se ayi ho humse baat bh... nahi ki hai”Ritu “aisa kuch bhi nahi hai bas mein thoda thak gyi hun”Me “ritu mein tumko acche se janta hun tum jhut bol rahi ho please batao kya hua”Ritu “kya hua yeah mujhse puch rahe ho, tum dono ka dimag kharab ho gya hai”Annu “yeah tum kya khe rahi ho ritu please saf saf kaho”Ritu “tum dono bhai bhen ho aisa karte hue sharam nahi ayi tum dono jo. So I stretched out my hand and brushed the tears away and said, "Help me sit up Beth, I'm not going anywhere at the moment." Beth leaned her cheek into my hand and placed hers on top of mine.She had never shown this depth of feeling for my touch in all the time I had known her and I wasn't sure what was going on. She had closed her eyes so I could not see what they held in them."Beth? Beth, look at me Sweets," I said.Sweets had been my nickname for her ever since we first met my freshman year. There were several drink breaks. They had plenty of water and beer and were glad to share.The sun was going down when we said farewell to our new friends. We took hot showers and then chose a restaurant from a list that was on the table. Uncle John had them rated with a little note by each: expensive, very good, try the steak, great wine selection, need reservations, things like that.We picked a steak and seafood place on the main road by the fire house. The food was great, the people were. Because Johanna,s Father was British she did not have the fuller features facially of a black woman and her skin was much lighter than her attractive mother I met when she came to collect her once to go to a west end musical show. I found it much easier to talk to Jo than our other colleague Tom, a quiet man that kept to himself and wouldn,t say much though I eventually found out he was a Falklands War Veteran who had performed well under fire and won a medal for bravery as a squaddie though he.