There didn’t seem to be a particular pattern to it, just however the whim took them. And then there was the last time. Her father had banged up his...leg and was effectively sidelined and her brother was away on active duty. But the bonfire was all ready. It had to happen — their family bonfire was a tradition in the whole district. The Halloween bonfire. So she lit it. It was almost comical how seriously she took the task. Like it was some ancient ritual and had to be performed just right.. ‘Thank you, kind sir,’ I replied, bobbing in a small curtsy. Laughing, he tucked my hand into the crook of his arm as we walked back to our table. I couldn’t feel the floor under my feet as I glided next to him. — A few months later Gwen and I were settling into our apartment in the West Village. We knew how lucky we were – her parents had bought it just after they finished college and kept it once they’d moved to New Jersey. Gwen’s older sister had been living in it for the past five years but. They did ask to speak with you, but the photograph they showed us first was of some other woman, a little plain but not unattractive, whom we did not recognize. Subsequently, they asked us to look at a second picture, of you standing with some man and holding what looked like a charm. You were dressed quite casually."Linnea didn't look as surprised as I might have expected. "A thin Asian woman, and a big Hispanic guy, right?"Cammy and I nodded in unison."Damnit." Her anger didn't seem to be. The movie ends as we boo and throw popcorn at the screen. The movie starts again and the lights rise slightly, as people leave and enter the main house downstairs. We remain seated as we watch a newsreel and a cartoon from the sixties.Our popcorn is all gone, so you put the empty bucket on the floor, along with our empty soda cup. I gasp as an arm that was protective before goes up the back of my shirt to unhook my bra. “Trevor! We are going to get caught!” I whisper urgently, even as I help.