"I hope that she hasn't mistaken my Cricket Box for something it isn't?"Luckily we were interrupted at this point, when Paul and Della - the couple wh...'d met me outside the hotel - came over to join us."The boy's taken your bag up to the suite Mike; now are you two ready for the big show?" Paul asked."As I'll ever be; how about you Holly?" I asked, throwing the ball into her court."Yeah, I think I'm ready." She replied. Looking somewhat reticent I thought, considering that we were going through. Bernard took a few personal items with him in a small bag, not sure if he would need them, but he didn’t take any change of clothes. He was in too much of a rush and he didn’t want to make any assumptions, anyway. He wasn’t the most religious guy ever, hadn’t been to temple in ages, other than Passover and other high holy days of the Jewish calendar, but still ... he uttered a brief prayer for his Monica while in the Uber. The driver, a Pakistani fellow, seemed to understand well enough, even. I called out for Mum again. Then thegirl's voice laughed and reminded me that Mum will see nothing wrong. Sheis part of the magic. That means her mind is slurred between what ispretty on a boy and how a boy really should be dressed. The girl was right. Mum came and helped me pick with what she called apretty nightdress; she also advised that I put some lovely white tightson, as it would get cold that night. I looked at Mum in despair. How couldshe tell me to put on a "pretty" nightdress on? I. I grabbed a wooden spoon and banged it loudly on the side of a metal mixing bowl.“Enough with contemplating the end of the world,” I said. “You’re going to talk yourselves into a miserable frenzy.”“You have an alternative?” Grace asked.“Cake.”“It won’t be ready for, what, an hour?” asked Melissa.“About that. I still need to put it in the oven and then it’ll have to cool for the frosting.” I got out two springform circular pans.I heard the television over the sink turn on and then suddenly Zahra.