Our old beagle arrived in a dignified walk compatible with his seniority and positioned his head for a welcome scratch behind his ears. After I attend...d to it he made a turn and offered the base of his proud tail for a scratch in a particular place along his tailbone. After the daily ritual was completed he navigated to the kitchen to help us eating whatever was on the table. He wasn't choosy.Suddenly I perceived what was amiss. Where were the children? "Honey," I tried to be heard above the. I let go with a guilty look around and glad to see that I had no witnesses to my silly reaction.My visit to the VA medical center had triggered some buried issues that I had successfully compartmentalized and bricked up in a generally unused area of my brain storage reserved for secrets and memories best left forgotten as long as possible. I had discovered long ago that was the best way to deal with PTSD and it never failed me no matter how many times a situation came up that came close to. ”“For the Commitment Ceremony, do I have to do this publicly, Prudence? I don’t want to stick my neck out, and be rejected, in the eyes of everyone outside.”“I would never expect you to do anything publicly until you are at the point of no return, Fiona. I cannot promise you anything beyond telling the others and letting them have their say. I will need to get back to you after that, to say whether you can put your foot on the first rung.”“That’s fair, Prudence. All I want is to know I have. This is a complex issue. I will need to ensure that your goodness is in tact when you go out with men. Men can be treacherous creatures and you need to be on guard.’ ‘Yes father’ said Jennifer with a smile. ‘My child, there is only one way to ensure that the evil of a man is not in you. After you attend your dates, I want you to come to me and together we will examine if he has placed his evil into you.’ Jennifer had never in her life heard of such a thing, but she had no reason to doubt the.