No, it was silly of her. She would -- could never do anything like that. Brad might be inattentive and preoccupied, but he was her husband. She just c...uldn't..."It was a fitful sleep into which she had finally fallen.And now this morning, Brad had apologetically informed her that he would have to miss Ginger's play because he would be out of town on business. She had asked if he couldn't possibly rearrange his schedule but he had insisted that there was no way to reschedule. An icy aura had. Rachel's eyes rose to meet Lisa's and then shyly dropped.Lisa raised her hand to Rachel's neck and slid a well-manicured finger under the black satin ribbon circling the young girl's neck. Lisa moved a fingertip under the ribbon to the delicate gold lock-clasp, which joined the ribbon's ends. She fingered the lock."John you have not changed a bit." She murmured.Without taking her eyes from Rachel she remarked coyly, "I am surprised you don't have a leash on her."Rachel's eyes came up at this. In aminute, Becky emerged, wiping her mouth and quicklywent back upstairs. I got up and went to the doorwayand just boldly walked in.Uncle John was sitting in an old chair smoking aacigarette. If I hadn’t seen what happened just a fewminutes before, I’d never have known “Debbie!” UncleJohn said, surprised to see me, obviously. “Well, youcaught me. Just don’t tell Mamma I slip down here tosmoke. She’d kill me for sure”“Is that all you come. She laughed and said she would be glad to type them for him if he was around. Jake told her she would earn his eternal gratitude if she did. He would do anything to repay her. She laughed again.“Don’t make promises you can’t keep, Cutie,” she said.They strolled back to Marisa’s room laughing and joking about Jake’s misfortune with anything that required typing. Melissa and Randal were sitting in the little waiting room by the nurses’ station talking about business. Randal stood up as Jake and.