"There you go," I said and started to leave. "Stay Baby," Mother said. "Talk to Momma." "Okay," I hopped on the counter. "What do you want to talk abo...t?" "How about that boudoir picture of me in your bedroom?" she glared at me. Surprised I stammered, "Dad gave me that photo last week. He..." "Your father gave you that photo....why?" now it was her turn to be surprised. "Don't you think it's a tad improper for a son to have such a risqué photo of his mother?" "Mom you were a lingerie model. I heard moans next door and hoped the ladies enjoyed each other in my absence.Monday morning early I drove Sophie to the airport. She held me like she couldn't let go. She cried. I cried too. I guess I had room in my heart for one more. "You'll be late for work," she said still clinging. We chuckled tearfully. "This is why I avoided you." She pulled away, came back for one last intense kiss, mouthed, "I love you," and ran off.Later that morning Amy called me at work sounding frantic. "Bess. Vanessa, in fear of losing not only her heart but her very life if she married either, ended up wedding a young man from the Trippian household to the east. The rift between the brothers caused them to split into two branches, the “black Douglases,” and the “red Douglases.” The current clan leader within the Tantallon castle was Sir Bruce Douglas, the junior of the two dissenting brothers. Elysia had shown up on the Douglas’s doorsteps, years before, around eight years of age, most surmised.. I went back to the video game and began playing when she walked in, got a coke and came back to where I was.We began talking, continuing our conversation from a few nights before. She was married, not very happily she said, and when she couldn't sleep she'd come up to the store to get a coke and play arcade games to relax. Our conversation really got personal, like we were old friends and we felt very comfortable with each other. I had been in the store for a few minutes when I received another.