People were everywhere in the store, some were just standing and talking to others, some were handling harnesses or looking at plow handles, or carryi...g shovels to the main counter. Tom stood to the side and watched as these people walked right by each other and never even spoke a word.People would walk right by him, bump his arm and growl, “get out outta the way injun, what the hell you doin’ here anyway?” He backed up as far as he could, to stay out of the way, he’d never seen anyone as busy. " What if he doesn't choose any of them?" I asked.George grinned. "There's a spot for that, too. It's fourth in the running."By the end of the week, everyone in town, and in the community, had placed a wager. There hadn't been this much excitement since two years ago when Faye-Ann Holmes and her twin sister Raye-Ann butted heads over their family tree. According to Faye-Ann's research they were descendents of Robert E. Lee. According to Raye-Ann they were kin to Stonewall Jackson. Everyone had. "Ta maman t'aime," I said. "Ton papa t'aime, ... et ta maman aime ton papa..." When The Kitten paused, I spoke; when I spoke, Bob paused. He was licking and kissing my nipple very gently, not having yet drawn milk. I extended the love pairs to " ... et ton grand-pere t'aime, ... et ton grand-pere aime ton papa." Bob made no sign of disagreement. My seat was pressed against Bob's thigh. Every movement of the rocker brushed my outer lips very gently against that warm support. Meanwhile, Bob's. “It may seem nice, letting the weak get more rather than less, but I think it will make it harder for us in the end.”“With less mouths to feed, more food for the rest, for those who can sustain you.”“Yes. It is practical and not cruel. Perhaps you have helped make things more plentiful. But what happens when you leave?”“But I’m not leaving. At least not during these lean times.”“But you will leave eventually.”“But only when the weather eases and more food can be captured or harvested.”“But the.