’ It was a long wait. I guessed Kat was having difficulty getting hold of Marissa. The brief time I had her on Facebook it was hours between message... sometimes. Of course Kaysan had been about 8 months old then. I supposed a three year old was just as hectic to deal with. Still, the wait certainly didn’t exactly assure me everything was fine. At about 11am my phone finally rang. ‘Johnny?’ Marissa asked. ‘Yes. It is good to hear your voice again,’ I replied. It was true. I had not heard the. "It's a little painful but knowing that Ed is gone makes me feel a little better." She started to tear up but stopped when Kelsey went to comfort her. "Get in here, brother." Kelsey motioned me to join the hug. I complied and we had a group hug. The Three Musketeers, I thought. Who would have thought that five days from being in the warmth of our home, or eating junk food at the local plaza that we'd be in a forest with no signs of civilization, broken, beaten, hurt, but also together, united. “So they won't be going to asleep soon and i'm ordering a taxi home Chris”“Don't be silly kip here then leave in the morning ok” "That's a better idea but if Ann finds me here she'll go off it again" I said back. "No" she said "you're only banished to the spare room so kip there and leave in the morning so just do that... night" With that Chris headed back upstairs to get into bed next to Ann.I staggered upstairs and laid down knackered on the bed and dozed off.I was awakened by a whisper in my. Shave (potentially). Bra and panties(simple white cotton again today). Hair, which was a chore given itslength and style ' I worked it for close to ten minutes with a brush andblow dryer until I was satisfied with it. Make up again, which tookanother 10 minutes to perfect. Finally, a smart grey skirt suit, whiteblouse, and nylons. The grip of the nylons and the swishing sound ofthe skirt made me feel decidedly feminine in a way I couldn't put intowords. Finally, I slid on a pair of black,.