‘Kevin?’ she said tentatively. ‘Kevin Westcott?’ Unconsciously, my face broke into a wide smile. ‘Melanie Nakamura!’ I said warmly. ‘Oh... my god!’ she reached out and gave me a tentative—but friendly—hug. ‘What are the odds?’ ************** I’ve always considered myself a child of the 80s, even though we graduated in ’91. It’s funny how we think of our formative years, isn’t it? When I look back now, I wonder how on earth I ever could have thought my hair and clothes were cool. It was the time. “What happened?” he croaked, feeling as if he hadn’t spoken in years.His eyes still closed, Ben felt someone whack him in the arm again.“You tell me, dipshit!” his sisters voice shrieked from the direction of the whack.Ben’s eyes burst open, “Ahh! Em, what the fuck?!”“What were you doing? Just taking a nap in the woods or something?” she accused loudly. “Mom thought you were dead in a ditch somewhere!”“Huh? What ... I ... was ... uh, just heading home” Ben mumbled as he looked around and. ’ Jamie said, poking her head through the back door. Melissa cast one last longing glance into the sky, and then followed the urgent waitress into the diner. The rest of the day passed in a blur for Melissa. All that she could think of was the warm breath on her neck, and the feel of the dragon’s paw as it was placed upon her shoulder. She signed out and gathered her stuff in a daze, absently waving good-bye to Melissa and the new shift waitress. She got into her car, and drove home on. I wrote back and told her that I'd be thrilled to see her again if shedidn't mind seeing me as the woman I now was. To my delight Carol wroteand said that she'd done some serious thinking and was willing to acceptme as Christy! We made arrangements to celebrate our reunion at the swankyrestaurant where as Tim I had asked her to marry me. I explained that Iwasn't interested in her sexually anymore, I was a woman now also butvalued her deeply as a friend.I took the day off to prepare for Carol's.