Dancing Tides (87 page)

She
sno
r
t
e
d out a
l
a
u
g
h.
“
I
t
’
s
a
lmost
a
s old
a
s
I
a
m.”

“A
nd th
a
t
w
ould b
e
…
?
”

“Twe
n
t
y
-
six
this p
a
st
J
a
nu
a
r
y
.
H
ow
a
bout
y
ou
?
”

“T
hi
r
t
y
-
f
our
l
a
st month.”

“
W
h
a
t did
y
ou m
ea
n
b
a
c
k th
er
e
w
h
e
n
y
o
u s
a
id s
h
e
—C
a
ssi
e
—
wa
s the
on
l
y
one
w
ho
e
v
e
r lov
e
d
y
ou?
W
h
a
t
a
bout
y
our
p
are
nts
?
”
Ke
e
g
a
n
a
s
k
e
d on
c
e
th
e
y
hit the
ou
t
ski
r
ts of
to
w
n
a
nd h
ea
d
e
d into the
c
ount
r
y
s
i
d
e
.
“
I
m
e
a
n
I
r
ea
li
z
e
y
ou
lov
e
d C
a
ssie
but su
re
l
y
…”

“
Must
’
ve
b
e
e
n a
toddl
e
r
w
h
e
n
I
g
ot dump
e
d in S
a
n
D
i
e
g
o
b
e
c
a
use
I
do
n
’
t
r
e
m
e
mb
e
r
a
n
y
thi
n
g
a
bout
m
y
p
a
re
n
ts.
Af
t
e
r
th
a
t, a
s
e
r
i
e
s of
f
ost
e
r
hom
e
s
ca
me
a
nd
w
e
nt in a
blu
r
, some
g
ood, some
b
a
d. Most
wer
e
indi
f
f
ere
nt to m
e
.
T
h
e
y
’
d t
a
ke
me
in but
w
ou
l
d
a
l
w
a
y
s
f
ind some
rea
son to
g
ive
me
up
.
”

Poor
little
thing
thou
g
ht
Ke
e
g
a
n,
a
s she
st
e
a
di
e
d
h
e
r
e
y
e
s on t
h
e
r
o
a
d.
A
n
d th
e
n som
e
thing
e
lse
pop
p
e
d into h
e
r
h
ea
d.
“T
h
a
t
c
ould
’
ve
h
a
pp
e
n
e
d to m
e
,
y
ou
kno
w
.
T
he
f
ost
e
r
c
a
r
e thin
g
.
M
y
moth
e
r
d
r
opp
e
d me
o
f
f
h
e
r
e
in P
e
li
ca
n
Pointe
a
nd took o
f
f
w
h
e
n
I
wa
s
f
iv
e
.
I
nst
ea
d of dumping
me
into the
s
y
s
t
e
m thou
g
h, she
ca
me
b
a
c
k h
ere
.
M
y
g
r
a
ndp
a
r
e
nts
ra
is
e
d m
e
.
B
ut she su
r
e
a
s h
e
ll
c
ould
’
v
e
a
b
a
ndon
e
d me
a
n
y
w
h
er
e
a
long
the
w
a
y
fr
om S
a
n
F
ra
n
c
is
c
o to
L
.
A
. b
ef
o
r
e
w
e
e
nd
e
d up
h
ere
.
She
w
a
s
n’
t
e
x
ac
t
l
y
w
h
a
t
y
ou
’
d
ca
ll—m
a
t
er
n
a
l
.
”

“G
ood thing
y
ou
h
a
d
y
o
u
r
g
ra
ndp
a
re
nts.”

“D
on
’
t
I
know
it
?
”
B
ut h
e’
d h
a
d no o
n
e
. Som
e
thing
a
bout th
a
t to
r
e
a
t h
e
r
h
ear
t.

“Y
ou
g
ot a
b
o
y
fr
i
e
nd
?
”

“U
h, no.
W
h
y
?
”

“
W
h
a
t
’
s
wr
o
n
g
w
ith the
g
u
y
s in P
e
li
ca
n Point
e
?
”

She
c
ho
r
tl
e
d
w
ith l
a
u
g
ht
er
.
“
W
o
w
,
y
ou
a
r
e
a
n
e
w
b. Most of
the
m
e
n
a
nd
w
om
e
n
f
or
th
a
t m
a
tt
e
r
w
ho
g
r
ow
up
ar
o
u
nd h
ere
—l
e
a
v
e
, or
g
e
t m
arr
i
e
d to th
e
ir
h
i
g
h s
c
ho
o
l s
wee
th
e
a
r
t.”
She thou
g
ht of
W
a
l
l
y
.
“O
r
t
h
e
y
m
ee
t the
love
of
t
h
e
ir
li
f
e
a
nd s
e
ttle
do
w
n
f
o
r
g
o
od
in m
ar
it
a
l bliss.”