Gwen, light skinned for an African-American, was tall and lithe, only an inch or so shorter than Dewayne. Tony slapped hands with Dewayne and pulled G...wen into a brief hug and kissed her cheek."Hey you two, come have a seat." Dewayne set down a shopping bag he had been carrying and sat down at the table with Gwen."So, Tony, what brings you to the mall today?" asked Gwen.Tony looked to Dewayne and asked "Dewayne, what always brings young guys like us to shopping malls?" Women," he answered. Her torso and legs swung wildly forward and became entangled with the loose chains of her manacles as her head was jerked back by the rope around her neck.She struggled against her bonds furiously for a few more seconds, gurgling madly, then slumped, completely unconscious.She lay on a large rubber raft. The sun warmed her bare flesh and played counterpoint with the brisk breeze caressing her body. Her face half buried in the soft, wet pillow, Béla waved her hand over the side of the raft,. "To the north there is a large mountain range that is the home of thedwarves and beyond it no human goes. To the west are barbarian lands,once part of the Empire, but probably run by brigands by now. And to thesouth is the home of the Empire." So what now?" Lady, I want you to lay aside your anxiety and look in your heart.Which direction would you go?"I tried to do as he said. I closed my eyes and took several cleansingbreaths. With my eyes still closed, I said, "Home." Home?" he asked."It just. Still, as potentially dangerous as it was, I needed to explain myself to Jenny.After finishing the delicious meal, we released Susan into Junior’s custody. There was a whole world of activities to do on the ship. Jenny trusted Junior to watch Susan, and I had no reason to question her judgement. She knew the kids better than me.We went back to our room and sat out on the balcony. We stared off into the sea for a while. It was a clear, clear night. Tomorrow we would get to spend a day on Half.