Blood From a Stone (28 page)

S
he
f
e
l
t
a
littl
e
e
m
ba
rr
assed
at
h
i
s
heap
i
ng on
t
he p
r
a
i
se,
but
at
t
he sa
m
e
ti
m
e
g
r
a
t
e
f
ul
t
hat so
m
eone ac
t
ua
ll
y unde
r
s
t
ood
w
hat
a
t
ou
g
h
j
ob
i
t
w
as
t
o be a nu
r
se.
T
he
l
ong hou
r
s
and
t
he p
r
essu
r
e of
ch
il
d
r
en
’
s
li
v
es
depend
i
ng
on
y
ou.

“
T
hank
y
ou
f
or
sa
y
i
ng
t
ha
t
.
N
ot
m
any peop
l
e
r
ea
li
z
e
w
ha
t’
s
i
n
v
o
l
v
ed. What
do
y
ou do?” she as
k
ed.

“
A
c
t
ua
ll
y
,
I
’
m
a bus
i
ness
m
an.
I
deal
in….an
ti
ques and s
t
one
w
o
r
k
. I
tr
a
v
el
a
l
o
t
.”

I
t
w
as
c
l
ose
t
o
t
he
tr
u
t
h.
A
t
l
east
t
he s
t
one
w
o
r
k
and an
ti
ques pa
rt
.

“
S
o,
y
ou ha
v
e
y
our
o
w
n bus
i
ness?”

H
e
nodded
be
f
o
r
e
t
he
m
us
i
c
beca
m
e
so
dea
f
en
i
ng
t
hat
t
a
l
k
i
ng
w
as
a
g
a
i
n
i
m
poss
i
b
l
e
so
t
hey a
l
l
j
ust
li
s
t
ened, sang a
l
ong
and en
j
o
y
ed
t
he
m
us
i
c.

A
f
ew
son
g
s
l
a
t
e
r
,
t
he
band
w
as
fi
n
i
sh
i
ng
up
t
he
end of
t
he
i
r
set
and
she
t
u
r
ned
t
o
h
i
m
and
sa
i
d,
“We
ll
,
li
s
t
en.
I
t
w
as
r
ea
ll
y n
i
ce
t
o
m
eet
y
ou,
S
a
m
son
and
t
hank
y
ou
for
t
he dance,
and
a
g
a
i
n,
f
or
w
hat
y
ou
d
i
d
ea
rli
e
r
.
I
f
y
ou hadn
’
t co
m
e a
l
ong
li
k
e
y
ou
d
i
d,
she
and
I
w
ou
l
d
p
r
obab
l
y
be
i
n
t
he
E
R
ri
g
ht
now
ou
r
se
l
v
es.
B
u
t
it’
s
g
e
tti
ng 
l
a
t
e,
and
w
e
r
ea
ll
y shou
l
d be head
i
ng
ho
m
e no
w
.”

“W
il
l
I
see
y
ou
a
g
a
i
n?”
he
as
k
ed,
k
no
w
i
ng da
m
ned
w
e
l
l
i
t
w
as
t
he
exact
w
r
ong
t
h
i
ng
t
o
do.
“
C
an
I
g
et
y
our nu
m
ber 
or 
so
m
e
t
h
i
n
g
? 
Ma
y
be
w
e
can 
g
o
f
or 
co
f
f
ee so
m
e
ti
m
e.”

“
O
k
a
y
.
Whe
r
e
’
s
y
our
ce
ll
…
I
‘l
l
g
i
v
e
y
ou
m
y
nu
m
be
r
.
”
S
he
no
r
m
a
ll
y
w
ou
l
d
not
be
g
i
v
i
ng
i
t
out
t
o
so
m
e
g
uy she
’
d
j
ust
m
e
t
,
but
he
had
ri
s
k
ed h
i
s
o
w
n
lif
e
and
li
m
b
f
or her
and
S
asha,
and
he
a
lr
eady
k
new
w
he
r
e
she
w
o
r
k
e
d
.
S
o
she
fi
g
u
r
ed
i
t
w
as
w
o
rt
h
t
he
ri
s
k
.

H
e
l
oo
k
ed
pu
zz
l
ed.
H
e
t
hou
g
ht
t
o
h
i
m
se
lf
,
C
e
ll
?
OH
.
Y
eah…
t
hose
t
h
i
ngs
t
hat
everyone he
l
d
t
o
t
he
i
r ears
or see
m
ed
t
o be
t
app
i
ng
t
he
i
r
fi
ngers
on.