The water was calm and the temperature was comfortable. She really wanted to go fishing with Mike and her father.“Are you going with us?” Mike ask...ed as he climbed out of the boat.Now that he was out of the boat, Karen hugged him. In a ritual that had begun when she had started walking, he picked her up and they rubbed noses. Soon he wouldn’t have to pick her up to rub noses with her. With obvious disappointment in her voice, she said, “No. I have a paper due at school on the current elections. I don't need the money until 21st or 22nd November." Ah, so now it's a birthday cum engagement rather than a Christmas cum engagement present."Mark smiled shamefacedly. "I couldn't wait till Christmas," he said.Anthony laughed. "I can understand," he said. "How are you going to give him to her?" I'm not sure. I'd like to discuss it with you and Mummy at some stage." I'll warn her off. Heaven knows when we'll get a chance. You keep Little Miss on such a short lead."Mark laughed. "It might have. I went ballistic! We no longer were friends after that.”“I guess you had no gay friends.”“These weren’t, Jeff, but actually I had a lot of gay friends.”“I stayed away from the rough and tough, which brought me in touch with gays. But I wasn’t the best friend to them.”“Why not?”“We were great friends as long as they stayed in the closet.”“What! You caged them like animals!?”Laughing hysterically, “Yup!”“OK, give it to me straight, Sean.”Still laughing, “I can’t. They weren’t straight. “Stepping. The main building was certainly lockedup for the night. He walked across the yard, checked the gym building tofind that it was also locked. It was looking good but was the girlschanging room open?He racked his brain to try and remember if any functions or activitiestook place in the school on a Thursday night. A light could have flickedon inside his head as he whipped out his phone and went onto the schoolwebsite. He clicked into the school weekly calendar and browsed. Almostevery night there.