‘Barbara couldn’t make it,’ he said. There was no further explanation. ‘The others came.’ ‘Same here, three of them came but Steven said t...e trip was not possible. He’s in Sweden. Did you know? I think he’s found a girl there.’ ‘Sweden? I knew he was across the pond but didn’t know where. He’s the diplomat?’ She nodded. ‘Do you remember the night you two got drunk together?’ Her mood changed to near hysteria. She tried to continue but it was no use. Her hand banged down on the table and her. "THE RETREATJeff sat in his basement office, his chair pushed back from his desk, Susan snuggled in his lap and Little One on his right shoulder as she nestled against his neck. He could feel the two females' love for him, and he hoped they could also detect his feelings for them."You didn't nurse all my milk last night, Husband. If you don't want it, I'm going to have to express it this morning."Jeff kissed his wife/Queen and grinned."What's that smirk on your face?" Susan queried."Oh,. “Look,” she said, “I’m real sorry about tricking you this way, but I didn’t want you to get in trouble. Seemi (my other neighbour) passed your name on to me and thought I might enjoy your …services.” “Wait,” I said. “You mean Mrs. Azmat told you to call me?” A nod from the woman. “So there never was any computer for me to work on?” This time the woman shook her head. “Then what….?” I stopped in mid-sentence as I finally caught on to what was happening. A knowing smile crossed my face. “And you. While combing through the coins, my fingers brushed against what felt like a seal ring. You know, one of those rings people used when sealing a letter with a wax plug. As I pulled it out into the open, the symbol engraved on the ring caught my eye. The curves and lines teased my mind for several seconds until, to borrow a cliché, the memories came rushing back... I was--or am, rather--Jevon Caughrym, though I've gone to a few extremes to make sure that none among the living are still.