After Dad and Bethany had their lesson, Mom and I would go out and play tennis just for the exercise.Dad would work Bethany until she cried and then M...m and I would play for fun. Most of the time we didn’t even keep score. Sometimes we stayed on the same side of the net and hit the tennis balls against the wall. Eventually we painted circles on the wall and started trying to hit them with the balls. We got pretty good at hitting what we were aiming at.One day I asked Mom why she didn’t wear. Her best friend, the prom queen, had the most desired boy in school. This became a challenge to see if he would pay attention to her, as she felt little in comparison to others. So her game began, first the flirting, then the meeting behind the bleachers. Before you knew it... oops I am pregnant, and a marriage out of "let's do the right thing." Her life became a routine... being a mom and a small town home maker. Years went by, she let herself go, and the blossoming flower was no more. “I. My legs hit the ground. The bog was not as deep as I thought it was and with all my strength I tried to stand up against whatever was pulling me down and I did manage to get my head out of the water. More tentacles coiled around me and I soon would be totally helpless and be dragged under for good.My blaster was pinned to my hip by one of the tentacles and as unreachable as any of the three knifes I was carrying, but my right arm was still free, so I pulled the .45, thumbed the safety and. There was no doubt in my mind that if we’d attempted what she was suggesting, it would end in tears somewhere down the road. We hugged for several minutes before she slipped from my arms and we sat back down to finish our breakfast.“I keep thinking maybe I could.”“Maybe?”“I know.”“You’ve said ‘I know’ several times, but you aren’t acting like you know.”“I know,” Clarissa replied with a wry smile. “I’m sorry.”“Don’t ever apologize for who you are, Lissa!”“But I’m making things difficult for.