I couldn’t leave this animal here to suffer. I had to put it out of its misery. I folded out the knife and put the tip to the back of the coyote’s... spine. I hesitated, spending another minute looking into its eyes and feeling its body tremble. I had never killed an animal before, not counting the one or two mice I had run over when I was learning to drive, but this thing was much bigger than they were.“You and I are exactly the same. The only differences are that you probably want to keep. "Good morning, sweetheart!" she smiled at me as I sat there in my depression.In acknowledgement, I answered" Hey mom".In a cheery voice, she asked, "What would you say if I told you that you and I were going to the mountains this weekend?"It took a few seconds for what she said to sink in and then I exclaimed, "Are you serious?" I was suddenly so ******d that I about pissed myself."Yes, I'm serious. I know your dad won't be able to come, because he's working six days a week, but I figure you. I was floored. How very perceptive fora sixteen-year-old!Now I know what you're wondering - do they know about their new Mom? Ofcourse they do, silly. Mark and I decided to tell them when they were agefive, before anyone else 'in the know' managed to spill the beans. Aboutthe same age you should tell a child they're adopted, supposedly, whenthey're old enough to understand what 'choice' means but too young tohave developed any biases. We explained that their new Mom grew up as aboy, and how in. ‘I imagine I’m far away, lying in a peaceful glade with my lover.’ ‘Your lover?’ Vera’s interest was suddenly piqued. ‘What lover?’ ‘The one in my head, silly. One day I’ll have a real one, one day….’ ‘Shh…’ Jai-Li urged. ‘That sort of talk gets you into trouble.’ She turned back to Vera. ‘Now come along, it’s time we got you all oiled up. Xiao-Pin and I have to get ready as well, you know.’ The three girls trooped along to the latrine area where it was already getting busy. Jai-Li and Xiao-Pin.