He could not make it any earlier as he was playing rugby for the battalion.He picked her up sporting a black eye having been kicked in the face during...the game. That elicited plenty of sympathy, which he enjoyed immensely and milked to the full.They had a pleasant if unexciting evening. She was dressed in a simple blouse and a flaring skirt to mid-calf. They had delicious German pork that never seems to require apple sauce because the pigs are reared in orchards. They finished with Black Forest. We send our 18 year old children into the belly of the beast, to other cultures, other heathen nations to stop the spread of this, to unhinge an unrighteous ruler there, to give democracy a chance over in that place. Only to have our children return to us with a thousand yard stare, remembering things that no man should have to remember, no longer teenagers, but worn out veterans.Suffering is everywhere, and it must have always been. There were the lame, the mute, the leprous, the demon. The pile of mail that Tuesday morning was huge; there was a lot to sort through. Kirsten found a stack three times it's normal height, the collection of Saturday, Monday and Tuesday's mail. Only about one in three of the letters involved advertising, and all had to be gone through carefully.She came across an envelope that contained a check and classified ad copy. The ad read, "Piano for sale, like new, console piano. Excellent condition, nothing down with good credit." There was a 1-800 phone. "Those little guys inside my head got it long before I did. Or maybe I got it but I just didn't want to believe it."Do you mean that you and all your sisters... ?" Yes."Somehow she managed to put so much love into that one single word that I didn't scream or drive off the road. Maybe those things didn't happen since the little guys inside my head just fainted.Back at the mansion things got a bit emotional, since I just had to hug and kiss all the sisters and they wanted the same with me. Once.