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"Where are you learning this fancy talk Brody Randolph?"

"My heart," he said "It coht palm over his heart

"Okay," I said "You knohere everything is you ht"

I started out of the living room

"There's ht out," he called

I sht He was a charmer

I didn't risk a reply I mounted the stairs and went up to as now own and prepared for bed I heard music downstairs He made it louder and louder and then he lowered it: eventually, he turned it off I lay in the darkness listening My heart began to pound when I heard his footsteps on the stairway

"Sleep tight" he cried passing uest roo about, the water running, and then the house grew as silent as it ever did

He'll sleep it off I thought After breakfast, he'll go home and finally, finally my mother will reveal our deepest secret

I thought about that scene for a while and it made me feel sad far him It wasn't just the

disappointic to learn such scandalous things about your ownRoy had held Mama Arnold For a son, no woman could be as perfect as hisbeen told all these years, especially this last year

Alison would be ht at me: I was confident of that Now that I considered all the turmoil and tension that was about to explode in that otherwise perfect ho to keep it a secret as long as possible Wouldn't it really be so much easier for them all if I just disappeared?

I returned to that arguht, I decided In the days to coland easier for myself and for everyone else

All this worry and thought had exhausted o to sleep, I did I was in such a deep sleep, too, so deep that I didn't realize Brody was in my room and beside my bed for quite a while He must have kissed me once on the cheek before my eyes opened with the next kiss At first I was confused I had forgotten for the moment that he was even in the house

I felt his breath close toa screah the , his body glea there completely naked