A moment later, the mist in front of me parted and a womanly figure walked straight towards me.As she got closer, I could see parts of her body; her f...ce, breasts and waist hidden by the swirling mist."Mother?" I enquired, confused.There were subtle differences between the last time she appeared and this one that was walking towards me. For one thing, Mother used to glide serenely in the mist, refusing exaggerated feminine swings, but definitely still female. This one walks with a purpose and. ..”What WAS that about?Could it be that the spies I’d dispatched and the changes my behavior had begun were enough to satisfy the universe that what I was here to correct, was complete? The universe had never bothered to consult me about the tasks it sent me to complete. Why would it choose now to change the terms of our partnership?It wouldn’t... There was no reason for the universe to warn me about a change in the mission, so whatever – whoever – spoke was not the one that sent me from here. Now all six floors will be tentatively sold. Do it and please get me those nice elevations ASAP so I can show these buyers. There’s almost nowhere that has 4-bedroom units in the whole area. Those buyers will be very excited.”Stan looked at me, “I have a special request. I just purchased 20 acres of heavily wooded land up in North Barrington. I want you to design my ‘Dream House’ for me! Charlie, you’re the only one I trust to do this.”I told him that I was flattered, but I had to talk to Sam. Two days passed before I saw her again, this time in the neutral territory that was the library. She fumbled through an apology, and I again reassured her that there was nothing wrong. Our working relationship continued, but she was much more guarded about what she said and how she acted around me. I missed the openness, but I respected her enough as both a person and even a friend by that point to not push things. Some of my friends among the other students joked about how the Ice Queen was.