Reaching over I gently caressed her face causing her face to suddenly snap up. Again I saw a strange look in her eyes as she sighed. Reaching out I fe...t all that she had done. My eyes went wide as I nodded; she had placed ALL the strongest alarms that I usually did."You did far better than I thought you had." I told her as her face showed shock. "In fact you only missed one a very good job I have to say. You are a far better student and listener than any that I have seen in a good. " Your humor leaves a lot to be desired," she said dryly. "A lot. Verywell, then. I suppose you have a worthwhile explanation?"No, actually, I didn't. Because I didn't have the slightest damn cluewhat I did, or didn't do, that required me to explain anything tosomeone like this Rachel. There had been cliques at my high school, butnone of the so-called Queen Bees ever gave off this much attitude."Explanation for what?" I asked."Your absence from last night's soiree, of course. I thought I'd. I?ll be on some of those trips. National headquarters, regionalheadquarters, site visits, trips like that. We always stay in the bestplaces, travel first class, eat and enjoy ourselves while we?retravelling. This means that we?ll get to spend time together in hotelsuites. We are going to get to have the best times, on the road!? It was slowly dawning on me that he was right. I wouldn?tbe on every single trip that he was on, I was sure. He?s a far biggermucky-muck than I am. . Her fingers flew over the buttons. Her heavily accented American English was being overtaken by her Gaelic as she frantically sobbed to her own mother over the thousands of miles. Thank God, Mary and all the Blessed Saints that Maggie hadn’t gone all the way with Tony—I think they truly would have packed her off to some rustic Irish convent and never let her see the light of day again. As it was, she was subjected to a constant stream of rage and sobbing from Mother, an endless run of her.