I had been using the same train that left the station at eight in the morning and arrived promptly at nine, which gave me half an hour to walk to wher...e I worked. Mr. Sprig, I had learned, was an accountant one year shy of retirement. We would make small talk but he was more interested in his paper so it only lasted a few minutes. When the doors to the train shut, the seat in front of me was still empty and it felt a bit strange not having the old man in front of me. Like most things in life,. ”The first few weeks of the semester, while hectic, passed without problems, and the mid-semester break coincided with the Easter weekend. On Thursday, I battled the crowds at the Fish Markets and got several kilos of fresh tiger prawns for our Good Friday (meatless) meal. When I got home, Fiona was looking very upset, Lisa was hugging her, and I asked her what was wrong.“It’s my father,” she said, between sobs. “Mum called a bit earlier, and he’s been diagnosed ... diagnosed with stage four. ”I shot her a look, but she wasn’t grinning at me like she’d just teased me. Instead, she seemed to be absorbed in choosing which pieces of charcoal she was going to use. I stripped down and wrapped the sheet around me, covering my boner. There wasn’t anything else I could do, so I moved from behind the cardboard. She was waiting for me.Heather appraised me with a critical eye. Evidently satisfied that I still had model potential, she pointed to the chaise and arranged me there the way she. "Okay, okay, yourfriend is gorgeous in that dress. Is that better?" A little," Grinning back in mischief, Ilene added in a whispered aside."But not, from all I hear, as stunning as a certain person who was inthe back room of Katrina's shop the other day." Don't say things like that," Derek hissed, "Not even in a whisper.Please, Ilene? It was bad enough when it was happening. Do you have toremind me about it every chance you get?" Oh, I didn't realize it bothered you so much," grinning even.