She went from exotic and unique, to mundane and common. She settled, now, and no longer reached out. What had drawn Jake to her in the first place was... Béla's ability to create her own life. But now, she had been bested by something, and it broke her.That was it, Jake realized, as he thought through the morass of significance regarding Béla. She was broken. She was no longer creating her own life. She had lost interest in the Great Adventure. She was actually hiding from it.And, he had no idea. These people had been doing this many times a year for their entire lives. Soon all the animals were loaded up, and everyone had their boots on, ad they set off for the gathering grounds. It was the rainy season, so there was plenty of forage for the animals, a crucial ingredient when planning a gathering. After walking for over a week, John spotted dust in the air in two different places."Yes" said the Headman, "We are getting close, and it looks like we are early enough to get a prime camp.". " I said. From Jeannie's sparkly eyed grin, I knew we'd done okay."Well, we'll just have to practice some," she giggled. "Won't we."I called Jeannie's number, but no one picked up. I felt disappointed, I was so eager to hear her voice again, after twenty years. Why did we not keep in touch, I asked myself, shaking my head.I searched Amazon books for her maiden name, Jeannie Sanford, and got a career management title that looked like a possibility. "Upwardly Mobile. Tactics and Strategies for. The water quick gets up to temperature and I step back into its warm embrace. Leaning my head back to wet my hair first. Closing my eyes and running my fingers through. I stand there enjoying the warmth of the water as it runs over me. I quickly shampoo my hair and massage in the conditioner. I've taken my time, not in any particular hurry this morning. The lady from a few spots down isn't in any hurry either it would seem. A few more women have trickled into the showers. I pull my loofah out.