. hi."My god he was pretty. His lips were full but taut, and sort of stuck out in a perennial pout. His chest was soft looking and smooth, and it glis...ened with the sweat that he had worked up outside under that sun. But he didn't smell of sweat, he smelled, well, rather sweet, like the sweetgrass in the fields outside of the town. Maybe he hung out there, I certainly didn't know. He bit his lower lip slightly, as if mustering up some courage."Uh... I'm just trying to find somthing new, ya. " Mom, don't worry about me, I can take care of myself; besides, you should see what he looks like," she said with a smile on her face. "I'll bet he comes to school on Monday with a black eye." Oh dear, please try to behave yourself; we can't afford to have you get in any trouble." Don't worry Mom; I only finish the fights, I never start them."As the years passed, Katie was able to channel her competitiveness into sports; baseball, her first love, then volleyball and basketball. She was a. It wasn't until I met Malcolm and Mia that everything changed.It was late spring, and the past winter's chill was a distant memory. It was Malcolm I met first. That day, gorgeous and puffy white clouds were the only things marring the otherwise pure blue of the sky. I had a rare weekend off, and was enjoying the afternoon in a Café close enough to the sea that I could hear the waves crashing on the beach.I was sitting at my table and nibbling on my bagel when I heard the sound of scuffling. That I'm just starting tofigure it out and mom tries to drag me back to the way she wants me to beevery time I say or do something not according to the master plan." She means well," Marcia felt compelled to say in Claire's defense.Because it was true, Claire did mean well. "She just...well, sometimesshe takes it for granted that there is only the one best way to live andthe one best world to live in and it's the one she believes in. She hastrouble understanding that it just isn't for.