Sandra had taken her time to reply. “Suddenly Marcie was seen as a liar and all her popularity and support just vanished into mist. Even the girls w...o hung out with her suddenly didn’t want to know her.“She changed schools that Christmas, but her parents moved home a little while later, so I think she’d have changed schools anyway.”“Oh dear. So how did that affect your reputation?”“Tee managed to persuade people that Marcie had said it in revenge because I had turned her down, but even so there. "Shh." She raised her index finger. "Can you hear it?" What?" The water." It's just water, it's not a living creature."She looked at me as if she'd just been told the sun will never shineagain. "How can you say that? Water grants life, Cres. If it weren'tfor water, none of us would be here." Yeah, I get that, but my point is that the only sound it makes is thatof ocean hitting the - " Why it hadn't hit me sooner, I didn't know. "Inever told you my name." Huh?" You just called me Cres, but I. I will admitI wasn't comfortable with the idea at first, but she explained the wholesituation and I decided there'd be no harm in letting you go ahead withit. I never doubted you could do it, but I did expect you'd tell me whenyou got home. Why didn't you?" Oh, Mom, I couldn't tell you. I didn't know what you'd think. I'msupposed to be your son, and sons don't dress up like girls."Mom laughed a little. "Some do, for Halloween and things like that. But Iused to dress you up as a girl when you. "Jack!" She came over and kissed me softly on the lips. "You are the sweetest and kindest man I know, and I do love you, but I will not marry for love but only for wealth and position, and that, my love, you do not possess!"I was crestfallen—-if she had kicked me in my nugs I could not have been more surprised or injured."But you love me—-?"She stopped me with a hand on my mouth."My mother married for love; her family were well to do but she fell in love with a traveling actor. She married him.