?I’d like to thank you, Angel. If you hadn’t come over and talked with Darlene and I this afternoon on the beach, we never would have come up with...the idea to have a party like this.? Betty took another puff of her cigarette, and turned to me. ?Your girlfriend is an interesting woman, slave. This afternoon, she came over to where we were sitting on the beach. She asked us if we would walk over to where you were sitting, and walk back and forth in front of you. It was a strange request, and we. " What else?" I strove to keep the eagerness and desperation from my voice. Maybe Jaden was right. Maybe she just needed time to heal, to learn about who she was now.Arden folded her arms across her chest, and studied the floor with unnecessary concentration. She opened her mouth, and took a breath, then closed it. She turned as if to go, glanced at me, and then left the room without a word.I stared at the empty gap in the doorway she had filled, until the sun went down.***I did as Arden. How could he not forget that he was going to be 15 next week.“We have booked us on a holiday to Spain to celebrate. I know it’s lovely and hot over here but you love Spain so we thought we’d treat you”.“WOW thanks so much for this, I love you all, but why is there 4 tickets when there is only 3 of us?”“Well” his dad said excitedly, “the travel agent said there was a deal on our particular holiday which meant we could book a fourth person on this trip for free, so we thought you might like to. Very, very nice. Not every beat up vet gets to lay around in the park on a sunny day and play with the boobs of a pretty student nurse. And very nice boobs they are, I might add." I'm just doing my patriotic bit," she laughed, feeling flushed and pleased. "But thanks for the compliment anyway. However, I'll have to trust your expertise on boobs." Well, I'm still surprised you're here with me on the day your engagement is being announced. But believe me, patriotism or whatever, I'm glad as hell.