“I’ve recounted to you some of the stories people tell about them.”Mistress Heathcoate sighed. “Ah, to be young.” Sandrine and Amélie excha...ged another look. “Tell me what the two of you found, first. Did Master Gérard accompany you?”Amélie nodded but did not say anything.The two young women squirmed and shifted in their seats. The casual observer would have been excused if he or she concluded they were afflicted with an itch, perhaps not entirely a physical one.“The first thing I felt,” began. The tender concern he'd showed earlier seemed to be gone."The police you mean, right?" Just relax, everything will be alright. Put the TV on, it'll give you something to do while we wait," he said as he walked over to the curtains and looked out."You didn't call the police, did you?" Now don't get yourself all worried and stuff, everything is going to be alright. You'll see."Olivia sat down on the bed and wondered how monumental of a screw-up she'd just committed. Chalk it up to being young and. It caught us flat footed.’ ‘And we’re sure that’s what it is?’ Jerry did not believe it. ‘We’re sure.’ And there it was. Just like that. His life was over. Thirty-six in November. Shit. No more vacations. No more playing with his kids on the beaches of Kiawah. No more midnight strolls in the warm surf. No more kids. Kids. Jerry and Pamela had trouble making babies. Anthony had been a long time coming. They were well into their third year of trying before he was conceived and Elaine another. Idon't think they were too happy about being called into the kitchenbefore dinner. She made them prepare the meal. We three sat at the tablein the kitchen. Mother directed the boys on how to prepare everything. Wejust sat and chatted away like a trio of chickadees. Mother had us bothfashion our dresses with the boys looking over their shoulders runningaround the kitchen trying to figure out why Mother was making them do allthe work. It's winter, people. Farm boys don't do a whole lot of.