" Are we going to be... at sea?" I asked him."I suppose it depends," Ingmar said. There's no particular reason to go out, if we've no place to go, exc...ept perhaps occasionally for a little cruise to blow the carbon out of the engines. On the other hand, perhaps your radio broadcasts will produce some results?" What about the ship's power?" I asked. "Is it efficient, to run the engines, in port, just to power the utilities?" Well, lad, it's reasonably efficient. These big passenger yachts have. ’ Carlos went on and updated me on what all our old friends were doing, which sounded like just more of the same old same old. We ended the conversation with Carlos telling me not to go ‘a whole fuckin’ year’ without calling him and I laughed and agreed. When I hung up I saw a text from Alicia. It had a selfie with an accounting book covering the lower half of her face and it said, ‘Stop distracting me!’ I laughed and wrote back, ‘Whoever this is, knock it off. I have a girlfriend now.’ She. Suzie pulled the amulet outfrom under her blouse. “Maybe this?”“Makes as much sense as anything.”Suzie grasped the amulet tightly, closed her eyes, andsaid, “I wish… I wish that Jamie,” then almostreluctantly she said, “was back to normal.” She slowlyopened her eyes, but nothing more had changed. “Didn’twork.”“That means either it isn’t the source or it only grantsone wish.” Suzie shrugged. After a few. Martin? It's just you and Catherine for dinner tonight, I'm afraid. I have a vernissage. Marlene Dumas, the one who does the South African themes. She's very expressionistic and conceptual. Very erotic, too."I suppose the explanation was for my benefit. I like a dirty picture as much as the next girl, but God save me from an evening with stick-thin women getting sloshed on Riesling and caviar crackers."Tell her I said hi," answered Martin, bringing in my bag and kissing his wife, who turned her.