Just the muted thunder of eternal surf remained.Through time Atol had become an almost forgotten dream to her. Now it returned, changing from bittersw...eet memory into paradise regained.Things had stopped mattering to the girl who wasn't Alicia anymore. Her identity was just one more of the many items that had ended being of importance to her — like the names and the faces of people she might have known; friends she'd had, houses she'd lived in, work she'd done. She didn't miss them; there was no. “Hi Paul, come on back.” We shook hands and I followed him through familiar territory. The glass was being replaced on Peter’s office, but the office was empty. I was prepared to jump on him if need be.“Let’s sit down in my office, Paul. Mr. Bowen will be joining us in a few minutes. How are you doing?” Bobby looked at me showing the first signs of sympathy I had seen during this whole fiasco.“As good as can be expected. Lots of things have distracted me.”“I hear you’ve got Larissa and the kids. Anarkali told me, while we were fucking on aparticularly valuable antique carpet, that she hadturned Neddie into somewhat of a sex slave. She hadcaught him sucking another Indian boy two years before,and having that to hold over his head, she had insistedthat he kiss her peach and fuck her several times sincethen.It allowed her to explore a comically dominantpersonality that she thought suited her more than anyattempt at a genuinely stern dom facade. “Bullshit!” Icried, but she said. We all went to bed with our own personal misgivings. I was anxious about going back. Sue was anxious about flying her new plane back to Florida and Mercy was anxious about leaving home for the first time.We three lay in bed, not sleeping for a good while. I got up to make myself a scotch up in the salon, wearing only a pair of shorts. A few minutes later Mercy showed up, wearing a loose satin robe and wanted something that would knock her out. Then Sue came up, wearing one of her invisible.