‘I promise to do all I can to help you Mariah Hallowell,’ he vowed. ‘I shall help you find hope again.’ ***** A long time ago, Mariah Hallowel... used to love Christmas. It was without a doubt her most favorite holiday. There was a certain magic to it that the other holidays lacked. The world just seemed better, brighter somehow. It really did feel like a time when miracles happened. Then her mother died last Christmas and then the holiday didn’t seem as magical anymore. After that, the rest of. All these instructions were heard with quiet respect. It was when I started to talk about their future relationships, with other men and with me, and more generally about the ordering of their lives, that I became aware of a certain undercurrent that I found hard to define. It was certainly not a refusal, or even a reluctance, to obey my orders, they were far too firmly under control for that. But I got a sense that my audience was no longer wholly receptive and passive as I told them that they. He sat down."Who the fuck do you think you are?" he hissed at me. "You are ruining my marriage." Kyle, I am not ruining your marriage, you are. I am the last chance your marriage has. If your wife had chosen anyone else, your marriage would be over by now."He stammered and started to say something and I stared straight into his eyes and said “Shut the fuck up, right now.”He glared at me but his was quiet.“Let’s see, Kyle, if this sounds familiar. You barely touch your wife. You jerk off to all. "Ahhhhhhh, Ron... me and Tom are sure glad you and Sherrie are doing so well, sugar." I frowned into empty space as I listened. "We weren't sure after the Vegas trip that you guys would be able to get things together... you know?" she said in a more serious voice than I'd ever heard from her."Vegas?" I said, a little mystified.I thought at first she was aware of Sherrie's straying, although I didn't have an inkling how she would have known. The trip she was referring to was one I hadn't gone on.