"Brookes almost leapt from his chair but then settled back down and picked up the iron poker standing at the side of the fireplace. He weighed it in h...s hands for a moment and then swung it quickly at his prisoner's left shin, hitting him just above his ankle.Beall yelped and winced with pain, almost tipped his chair over trying to pull away. "What was that for, James? What is this, a game you're playing? Your father said you were headed for the Ohio Country. I suggest you get going before that. I succeeded in turning my head so everything got to Linda's side of our new very expensive bed. After resting a few minutes, calming down and thinking about how to act I shouted, "Linda," and she came into the room.During my army service, I had gotten some training in how to act in hostage situations and knew that the main rule is to calm down and try to get a dialogue going. Therefore I began with asking her, "I have a terrible headache. Could you please give me water and an aspirin?"She got a. I suppose I can safely tell you. I’m here in Japan because my partner is a Japanese guy I met here on a business trip ten years ago.”“My best friend from High School is gay. He and his partner visit us occasionally. And another close friend of mine lives with her wife in Vermont and runs a bed-and-breakfast I helped start by providing seed money.”“I REALLY shouldn’t have worried. Sorry about my bad reaction, but heterosexuals with lots of kids annoy gay men quite a bit.”“Oh, I know. Drew,. She kind of took me by surprise. How old did you say she is?" She turned twenty-one just before Memorial Day. I threw a big party for her. I brought her mom out to San Diego from Kansas and worked with a T.A. to get most of her classmates to the party. It was huge. That was also when we finally got it through our thick heads that we were in love with each other. It took her mother pointing it out for us to see it." So her parents are cool with you two as a couple?" It didn't start that way. As.