She finally gave up. It was strange, but therewasn't anyone else around our favorite spot. We got ourstuff set up, Jamie said that she would work on h...er tanwhile I took my walk. I headed down the beach, if I walkedall the way around the lake it would take about an hour.My mind was just swimming with thoughts. Live as a womanfull time. Have my voice changed. Jamie likes Briana. Ilike Briana. What would my mother and sister say? How wouldmy life change? Could I handle the change? Would. "Well, in that case," said the guy with a grin, "how can I refuse? I'll have to call my wife first, and get her OK, but let's go."HUH!?!? Call his WIFE? And go WHERE?I was so confused, that is was with some relief, that I saw he was leading me to the pizza-station on the corner. "Oh... Coffee," I thought.For a moment, I had almost expected him to take me to a hotel or something. Or maybe home to his dyke of a wife. Gawd! What had I gotten myself into?Standing in line to buy a paper-cup filled. ‘Please, please don’t throw me in the pool. Please, it’s too cold,’ I pleaded as I playfully pounded on his back. ‘No it’s not, it’s heated,’ he replied. Marcus didn’t throw me in, he jumped in while still holding me. We sank straight to the bottom and he let go of me. I kicked off the bottom, shot up and broke the surface. I pushed my wet hair out of my face and looked around. Marcus suddenly broke the surface right in front of me. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close. He leaned. No more television. Only books and more books. And Arabic lessons. Yes, you must learn your prayers. Are you listening?”Mustafa nodded.“Good.”They walked to their apartment in the thriving sunshine, and above them the pigeons crouched upon the edge of rooftops and darted from ledge to ledge.Mustafa and his mother walked hand-in-hand for some time, and Maryam ruminated on how she would discipline the boy. The teacher debunked all she had known in the six years of living with him. She could see.