Over tea Pam noticed subtle changes in her niece, who was more interested in everything Jay had to say, hanging on his every word. Amongst other thin...s Jay mentioned that he had a sick ram that needed drenching, and he was going to wander over after the meal and do the necessary, and it would give the dog some exercise, he not having worked sheep much lately, Lisa saying she had always wanted to work a sheepdog, and being invited to join him. Pam saw the twinkle in her eye and Believing it was. "I want to hear how I brought this on myself." Well, didn't you?" came Laura's reply.Caroline went scarlet. "MOTHER! That's the most hateful thing..."Ann raised her good hand to calm her sister. Quietly, she began with aquestion, "Mother, when Sioban, your brother's daughter, was date rapedin college, did you blame her? Did you blame HER for what she waswearing? Did you blame her for going to a fraternity party...For gettingdrunk? Did she deserve it? No, you didn't." Laura opened her. "No. Arlie's a big part of the support system, all right, but he's not my new squeeze. That's one of his pitchers, Dan Preston." Whoa!" Riordan said with unexpected emphasis. "Dan Preston!"Susan was a little taken aback. "You know Dan?" Not personally, no," Riordan said, "but that s.o.b. messed up the Mets' pennant drive a few years back, practically single-handed! He was for Atlanta in a late-season game we really, really needed. The Mets, I mean. The Mets had come down hard on Atlanta's. " whispered Joanne.The hostess gave us room to get around the table infront of her, as we stepped between her and the table, with Joanne stopping close to the chair I would be sitting in so that I could get around her, to the chair she would be sitting in so that I could pull it out for her and then back in under her, as she sat down at the table.As I pushed the chair in under Joanne, the hostess sat a menu on the table in front of Joanne then as I pulled the chair out to sit down myself, the.