"Do you want to talk about what's bothering you?" No, no I just couldn't trouble you," answered Carmen with her voicecracking under the strain. "It i... too personal." Carmen lifted her headoff of Terry's shoulder and began to wipe her tear-streaked face in aneffort to calm herself down."Carmen, I know we've only known each other for few days, but I feel asthough we've known each other for much longer than that," Terry began in areassuring tone. "I would like to be your friend and I hope you. Her eyes softened and she told me that of course she'd bethere. Darla and I hugged goodbye. I told her I'd call her tomorrow night so wecould discuss plans for the upcoming insanity. I was far too young to bethis cynical. I went inside and wonder of wonders no one was cooking inthe kitchen. I'd done my share of cooking for the day, so if no one elsewanted to, I'd simply grab a bite later on the boardwalk. I wasn't home fifteen minutes when Sam called. We were finally going tospend a Saturday. Gina and the Asian sisters weren't excluded, but the nine newcomers obviously didn't know them yet.One of the young ladies who had just arrived was showing off a ring exclaiming about the soon to be wedding. This was Thursday and the wedding was scheduled for Saturday. There was to be some kind of party tomorrow night for the bride and groom to make their deals with the parents. I didn't understand the ritual, but it did sound like a good time.The ladies decided that they would come back later. She stood frozen between the door and the lockers on the far side of the changing room like a rabbit caught in the headlights, unsure whether to stay or go.I guess I should have been surprised by her presence, but I wasn’t; confused maybe but not shaken at all. I had had enough propositions from girls over the last few months to recognise the signs and had a pretty good idea why she was here, and what she wanted, but I wasn’t going to make it easy for her. If she wanted what I guessed she.