‘I’m sorry!’ She whispered, burying her face in my neck. ‘I’m so sorry!’ ‘Shh,’ I soothed as she clung to me. ‘You’re back, and th...at’s all that matters.’ ‘Do you still love me?’ ‘Of course I do!’ She grabbed fistfuls of my shirt and crushed herself against me. ‘I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I’ve felt dead every day for the last week. I’ve felt nothing.’ She began to sob into my chest. What does that mean ‘I’ve felt nothing?’ Had she been just as much of a shell as she appeared to be? ‘But. ” He kissed me, he wished me a wonderful life, and he ran from the house. I have not seen, or heard from him, since. Jessica grabbed Payne, around her shoulders, as she started to cry. She said to her, ‘Could Dycke use that technical stuff, in his basement, to communicate, with your mother, every day, like he did, when he showed Gail and I, some of our escapades, in Bermuda?’ Payne said, ‘I do not know? He did not say anything about it. He just ran away, crying.’ Jessica said, ‘Do you think, he. Mag ratri 9.30 chya sumaras jevna vaigare aatpalyavar mhatari aaivar najar theun hoti. sardar hatat ghaslet cha kandil gheun shatakade gela hota. aai pan muddam tithe geli. te parat sakalchya jagi aale. sardajine kandil eka bajula thevla aani tyachi jyot kami keli. tithe aajubajula mitta kalokh hota. mhatari pan tithe pochli. mag tya doghani sakalsarkhi survaat keli. sardarine pratham aaichya pathivar tond firavla, muke ghetle. sardarji eka zadala tekun basla hota, aai tyachya pudhe basli hoti.. I idolized my mom from that point on. I began treating her with more respect, and got more respect back. I even improved my schoolwork, hoping to make her even more proud of me. I didn’t really understand why I did all this, especially considering that I would probably never see her naked again. And that first view would be ingrained in my head, never to be forgotten, for the rest of my life. I still went out with guys on occasion, but nothing serious. I wanted them to think I was still.