. a standing ovation that sent tingles running up and down Jessie’s spine. Even the members of her own choir were clapping and cheering and whistlin... at the extraordinary performance they had just witnessed. Gerald Claxton’s face was just bursting with pride and beaming out an irrepressible smile that threatened to cleave his head in two around his mouth. As the choirmaster clapped and smiled he was telling himself that they must certainly have that trophy in their grasp now ... surely! ... but. “And you can call me Dad,” my father stated dryly, eliciting a polite laugh from most of the table.“Diallo is my surname, son,” the large black man said, “but it is both my preferred form of address and far easier for you to pronounce.”“Carter,” I said, following suit and pushing three chips forwards to get my cards, the new big blind since there had been a bust, and glanced under the table to see that the rail thin redhead was now sucking me. She glanced up at me with blue eyes, but I turned. From his back came four bone structures similar to the ones sprouting from his head. The two larger ones jutted from his shoulders, while the other two from the middle of his back. They sent out at a vertical angle then turned sharply down at a ninety degree angle. From his forearms jutted several spikes running straight back. From the underside of his arms two tentacles whipped around rhythmically as he held the helm. His skin had a gray tone with tiger like stripping of a dark color. His. Sakshi – Welcome to my home, what would you like to have?Me – Skip the formalities. Just bring me some water.Sakshi – Okay.We continued to talk. I got to know her family was visiting their relatives for a wedding and had left her back to prepare for the upcoming exams. We were so involved in chit-chatting that we never bothered about the time. It was almost 8 pm.Me – I think I should go now, it’s been 3 hours.Sakshi – Okay. But please come again I get bored in the house.Me – Yeah, I understand..