But she had promised to send me (talk about the hand of fate!). She had also told Kusumtai to cook something light & simple, since I was still recuper...ting from my illness. *** Kirti, Swati’s younger sister was in her last year of high school. She was an even better student than Swati. She was very diligent and hard working, attending coaching classes after school so that she could score well enough in the school leaving examination to gain admission to the best college in town. Kirit, the. I’d been doing several styles of martial arts since I moved to Port Douglas. One of the retired cops my dad knew, ran a Dojo. I got extra lessons since I was so keen, and I was one of his star pupils. Dad said that I’d inherited his lightning reflexes.I was signed up for the Pistol Club, the only legal way you can shoot a handgun in Australia if you’re not in the Armed or Police Forces. Dad also knew the Force would look at my progress. Dad and his mates taught me survival skills, and we loved. Either way I could end up losing my job on the very first day, something I wanted to avoid. I could announce myself again, or step outside and ring the doorbell, even though she explicitly told me not to. As I stood there thinking of possible actions I was aware of a stirring in my pants. I had fantasized about Mrs. Shannon for years, so to see her topless like this was having a profound impact on me. I found myself running through another series of thoughts, ones involving me and Mrs. Shannon.. As I carried the sacks of mulch from the car, my eyes teared. Barbara would have been appalled by those tears. She was probably sitting on the white cloud hovering over me, watching as I leaned on the handle of my spade in disconsolation. I could see her head gently shaking back and forth in a silent 'tsk tsk'."Jack," she would say, a hand lifting my chin to make me look at her. "Life goes on. You need to live each day to the fullest, to relish its beauty and uniqueness. No pity parties. No.