”He nodded. “Keep doing that then,” he said and clapped me on my good shoulder. “I sometimes had difficulty keeping up with making Janice feel... special.” It was the first time he’d brought her up to me.“She knew,” I said confidently. “You were there with her through her sickness. Nothing can show a person how much they mean to you like that. Take it from someone who spends too much time in the hospital. When I took that artwork to be framed, the woman at the art supply store refused to charge me. Carl pulled over a foot stool and sat facing her. ‘Now give me your foot.’ ‘Carl, I don’t have time for a message.’ ‘You don’t have time to run about helter skelter. It’ll go quicker, not to mention smoother, if you slow down and relax. Now foot.’ ‘My socks are dirty.’ ‘Foot.’ He dragged out the vowels. ‘Okay, but not too long.’ She kicked up a foot. She squirmed and bit back a kick as his fingers first pushed into her flesh. Then he pushed both thumbs into the apex of her arch and a jolt shot. Helen noticed that another button of her robe was undone; just at that moment Jane said, “Are you too warm, love? It’s awfully hot in here.” Helen didn’t think it was warm at all, and she was surprised at the question. “Turn over now, sweetie,” Jane ordered, and Helen dutifully rolled over onto her back. Jane started on her face, rubbing the area between her nose and ears, then she glided her hands over Helen’s breasts, in that detached way most masseurs have. Soon she went to the foot of. ‘Never happen with the way you’ve ridden my ass for what seems like more of my life than is fair.’ ‘Only the ones with at least a glimmer of gift for this life, sir.’ ‘Only a glimmer?’ ‘Yes, sir,’ she deadpanned. The two held their mounts side by side as they waited for the rain. *** Shortly after noon it came. First in a light drizzle where each drop seemed to have more weight than a drop of water should, smacking everything it touched with a popping sound and it felt to Neral like it did as a.