I was hoping that I was wrong in a catastrophic fashion. I stood at the grill and cooked the hamburgers and hot dogs melting in the late afternoon sun... It might have been 6:30, but it felt like noon with the thermometer still showing 96 degrees. I looked to the house to see about getting another drink. Kayko was still in the kitchen, but her gaze never left the living room for more than just a second or two. When she did glance my way I held up my empty beer bottle and shook it. I saw her nod. The friends he had brought along were 1 part bodyguards, 1 part underling associates and 2 parts blonde bimbo. So obviously Clara was also at the center of everyone's attention in one way or the other. A few times, in the beginning, Clara had had to walk over surreptitiously and whisper some word of encouragement into her father's ear as he gave little signs of his mind getting the better of him. But this quickly become unnecessary as he launched full-fledged into his much-practised self. This. " His father said good morning without looking over the paper. His mother turned around and looked at him. There was a look of concern on her face. Chris stared at her blankly. He wasn't sure how she felt about last night... he wasn't entirely sure how he felt. In spite of being uncomfortable, he found himself thinking about his mother's kiss and how soft her lips felt. A slight smile crossed his lips. Then he saw his mother smile. They both looked at his father, but he wasn't paying attention.. I didn't mean to do bad." She laughed and hugged me close. I still remember the smell of her hair. "No, no little Amos. You have done no bad. It is not a bad thing to learn from your elders. Come, see what else I can do and see if you can do the same."We walked to a cliff-side where she pushed her hands into the rock and peeled it away until the surface was smooth as a still pond. I approached it as she stepped back, watching. I ran my hand over the smooth surface, feeling how it 'measured'.