There was a granite-topped island in the middle, and nearby a large wooden kitchen table. They were both covered with every kind of holiday feast food...imaginable.Suddenly that scene from "A Christmas Carol" flashed through my mind.Ebenezer meets the Ghost of Christmas Present, who is surrounded by the bounty of Christmas — some would say the excess. His was a cautionary tale though - I had already looked under his expansive robe and met the children of Christmas Present, Ignorance and Want, in. She stood up, towering over his kneeling form then slowly walked aroundhim, appraising him."What if I want to have you tattooed again? Maybe have you pierced?"she asked while continuing to walk around him. "You ready for that?"Eric winced, wondering what dark, twisted path he was on, fearing itbut excited by it too. "I would beg you not to... but..." He stoppedmid-sentence, unable to finish, then nodded hesitantly, agreeing to it.Julia stood behind him, biting her lip in anticipation, wondering. "Wow... you did too, cousin!"And certainly she had. The long-legged, dark complexioned teen in my memory had grown into a stunningly beautiful woman. Her conservatively cut dark hair now framed her face and amplified the brightness of her familiar broad smile. I would have recognized that smile anywhere, but I'm not sure that I would have quickly recognized the rest of her. She looked so much more sophisticated and worldly now.Pamela moved gracefully around my office peering at pictures and. I said that would be wonderful. She had her car parked close by, and said that she would drive me back. Well, it was only four blocks, but getting into some air conditioning sounded good. We had to sit there for a while because of the traffic, so we talked and got to know each other better. I must admit that I had a hard time looking at her face. She was turned towards me, her tee shirt was plastered to her body, and her nipples were sticking out because of the air conditioning blowing against.