"Felt like I lost you there for a second." Sorry! I was thinking about something else," I reply as I step out of the car and reach for my purse.We wal... in and head straight for the bathrooms. A few minutes later, we meet at the counter. I order a large soda, he orders a salad and a water. He pays for all of it and we find a table."You sure you don't want food? We still have a couple of hours before we make it back." I'm fine," I smile and thank him for paying. He eats his salad while I stare. ” “Look at me.” Your eyes finally meet mine. And a faint smile grows. “Do you like your gift?” What can I say in answer? It is more than a gift. It is a statement of the courage that you have found in yourself. It is an awareness of your own body and the effect that you have on me. It is an acknowledgement of your womanhood. It is much more than a gift. “Shi de.” A simple answer in your own language. But not enough. “God, yes.” “I bought it for you.” “Thank you. Xie xie ni.” And you laugh. “You. Even though the frame was bent and the glass cover cracked and broken, the pictures inside were all right. He picked it up, careful not to cut his fingers, and sat on the couch again drifting into his thoughts as he stared at the pictures through the cracked and broken frame. The picture in the upper left corner was of his mom and dad, shortly after they had gotten married. They were standing outside in front of this house when they first bought it. There was a ‘for sale’ sign in the yard, and. " Sure you don't want to spend the night?" the tall, dark-haired thirtysomething woman asked."It'd be tempting, but it's a long drive, and we want to get some miles on today," Josh replied, starting the engine."If you want to do it again next year, feel free to give me a call," Shelly told him. "It's been a real adventure for me. And, thanks for coming to visit the kids." Hey, we enjoyed it too," Josh smiled. He waved his hand to the cluster of elementary school kids clustered around the truck,.