And none of them have done anything disrespectful at church, nor would they ever.”“It’s just that you know the attitudes.”“I do, but my mom ...ever had those attitudes, which is why I never did. My grandfather wasn’t like that either. Neither was Mr. Sokolov, by the way. Mr. Orlov fired me from the hardware store back home because of Clarissa, Robby, and Lee.”“Wow; I didn’t know that!”“Most people don’t. It’s complicated, but the end result was that Mr. Orlov complained about my friendship with. " She complied. He examined it and handed it back to her.I was next. He stood in front of me, six feet away. "And you're?" Alan Dean Addison. Forty-one. From..." I named my home town."You heard what Miss Tina said?" Yessir," I said. Damned straight I called him 'sir', despite him being at least a decade my junior. The guy was small town law enforcement and I was, in my own mind, 100% legal in my actions, but also 100% at his mercy as far as resolving the situation with the least pain to me."Is. "Are you ready for my interview?" I asked her. "Maybe I should ask you if you are ready. I have quite a story to tell you. Where do you want me to start?" "Please start wherever you want, preferably before you entered college." *** Ann's Story "I was raised by strict but very fair parents. Dad was the Chief Operating Officer for a medium sized advertising agency. Mom was a stay at home mother and also home schooled me. I had no siblings but many friends my own age. Most of us were home schooled. , she stammered, just wanted to be sure. Okay, this was like dragging a turtle out of its shell. She wasnt volunteering anything but some thing had definitely bothered her. You know you can ask or tell me anything. You should never be scared of me, I said. Anita, you know I love you? Si Popi was her only reply. I mean that, you are my very special girl. Si Popi. And then she took deep breath before saying, Am I your only girl? AHA! She was worried or jealous of someone coming into my life. I.