Except for the two of us the office is completely empty. I am about ready to resume my work when you ask if I am any good at giving a massage. Your ne...k is sore from working all day in front of a computer. I acknowledge that I could probably make your neck feel better. I move behind you and begin to work my fingers across the top of your shoulders. No wonder your neck and shoulder muscles hurt. They are so tight and you definitely need a massage to help you relax. You move your hair out of the. “Yes?” I groaned, trying to be civil. Actually growling at my parents rarely turned out well.“Hank?” A soft voice called.That sounded like Carrie! I hadn’t seen her for more than a minute or two, or a glimpse in the hallways at school, since the swimming hole.“It’s open.” I called.Carrie came in and I saw Maggie peering around the doorframe behind her.“Maggie says you have been a real grump lately, but I was wondering if you wouldn’t like to go swimming with us. She told me I had to be the one. At her stop she got a stern talking to about what she had done. Littering, what if it had landed on someone's car and caused an accident, completely unacceptable, blah blah blah. It's not as though she had started it. Diana took a handful of cheese flavored crackers from a box in her closet. While popping them one at a time into her mouth she pulled a textbook from her backpack. Today's assignment was only some extra credit work. Even if it was only worth ten points it would still inch her. Okay. Uh-huh. Yup. We will. Okay. I will. Bye. I love you too. Bye.” I hung up the phone. “Well, she’s excited.” Jo said from across the room. “Yeah. She can’t wait to meet you. Says she’s making ‘sgetti and meatballs for dinner. My mouth is watering already.” I took from my small closet the best clothes I had, and although they weren’t much, I wanted to be as conservative as possible. Over the last few months my conservative clothes that I had brought to Baltimore with me were worn less and.