Song birds flew out of the trees, chirping in excitement as Annie let out of a soft squeal that caught in her throat."You're going to learn your lesso..., and take your punishment well... You're going to thank me for it... You have my word..."Lyle spoke as he smacked her bum again... And again... And again... And againWith every slap, every hard smack, Annie felt more and more absolved of her sins. Tears trailed out of her big watery eyes and down over her blushing cheeks, but these were not. I was looking forward to using it to help with my retirement someday. That my "someday" was more than thirty years off would work for me, he'd said. "Hey, Charlie, I see you've come to join us snobs and hypocrites," he said in a voice that only the three of us could hear. "Wouldn't have missed it," I said. "Let me introduce you to my date. Herb, This lovely lady is Marylou Keynes. She's a refugee from the 20th," I said. The look on Herb's faced was one of surprise—or something else. He. " What makes it different?" With Kate, it's just the two of us playing. With you, it isn't playing. It's hard to explain, but it means something different to me when it's with you. That time we almost did it? All you would have had to do was tell me that you loved me first. When you told me that later in the hospital, I wished we were in your bedroom instead. I would have done anything you wanted me to if we were." You should have told me, I'd have said it. You would have been my first." Would. You didn't take on those peoples' illnesses or infirmities. You simply spent resources of your own in saving them." If I'd known it was going to kill my ass, I might have spaced out my cures a little bit better," Ray said."How could you know?" What I want to know, Doc, is how come I was able to do this for a year and a half without feeling a damned thing? How come suddenly my body starts to go, and goes downhill like this so fast?" With all the questions we've asked and failed to answer since.