Blood From a Stone (73 page)

S
he
nodded.
“
A
r
e
y
our
pa
r
en
t
s
s
til
l
al
i
v
e?
D
o
y
ou ha
v
e
any
f
a
m
il
y
y
ou
v
i
s
i
t
or
w
ho
can
g
o on
t
he
r
oad
w
it
h
y
ou so
m
e
ti
m
es?

H
e
shook  h
i
s
head,
“
N
o.
My  pa
r
en
t
s
bo
t
h  passed a
w
a
y
.
A
nd I
don
‘
t
ha
v
e any
b
r
o
t
he
r
s
or
s
i
s
t
e
r
s.”

“
O
h,”
she
sa
i
d.
“
I
’
m so
rr
y
.
T
hat
m
ust
r
ea
ll
y
be
p
r
e
t
t
y
l
one
l
y ha
v
i
ng no
one
e
l
se.
U
n
l
ess
y
ou
ha
v
e
aun
t
s
and u
n
c
l
es…cous
i
ns?”

“I ne
v
er
see
t
he
m
,
A
nd
as
f
or
be
i
ng
alone…
w
e
ll
,
I
’
m used
t
o
it
,”
he
sa
i
d.
“
I
’
v
e
ne
v
er
k
no
w
n
w
hat
i
t
w
as
li
k
e
t
o ha
v
e
any
f
a
m
il
y
,
so
I can
’
t
say
I
m
i
ss
it
.”
B
ut
i
n
tr
u
t
h,
he
r
e
m
e
m
be
r
ed
a
l
l
t
oo
w
e
l
l
t
he
b
r
o
t
he
r
,
s
i
s
t
er
and
pa
r
en
t
s
he
’
d
l
e
f
t
beh
i
nd
fi
v
e
cen
t
u
ri
es
a
g
o,
A
nd
e
v
en
no
w
,
how he
m
i
ssed
t
he
m
.

“
Y
eah,
y
ou
’
v
e
g
ot
a
po
i
nt
t
he
r
e,
I su
p
pose,”
she nodded.
“What
i
s
E
u
r
ope
li
k
e?
I
s
t
he
cu
lt
u
r
e
r
ea
ll
y a
l
ot d
i
f
f
e
r
ent
t
han
ou
r
s?
I
k
now
i
t’s
beau
tif
ul
w
it
h a
l
l
t
he h
i
s
t
o
ri
cal s
it
es
and cas
tl
es.
B
ut
w
hat
i
s
e
v
e
r
yday
lif
e
li
k
e?”

“We
ll
,
it‘
s
de
fi
n
it
e
l
y d
iff
e
r
ent
t
han
he
r
e.
A
s
f
ar
as cus
t
o
m
s,
i
t
depends
w
he
r
e
y
ou
g
o.”

T
he
w
a
itr
ess
w
h
i
s
k
ed
by
t
he
i
r
t
ab
l
e
a
n
d
he
fl
a
gg
ed her
do
w
n
qu
i
c
k
l
y
.
T
h
i
s
w
as a
g
ood
ti
m
e
t
o
g
et
t
he
s
ub
j
ect
o
f
f h
i
m
and
h
i
s
non
-
ex
i
s
t
ent
w
o
r
k
and
lif
e
and
o
n
t
o
so
m
e
t
h
i
ng e
l
se
m
o
r
e ben
i
g
n
t
hat
f
ocused on he
r
.

“
S
o,
t
hen.
I
t
a
k
e
i
t
y
ou
don
’
t
li
k
e
t
h
e
do
g
?”
he
sa
i
d casua
ll
y
chan
g
i
ng
t
he
sub
j
ec
t
,  be
f
o
r
e
o
r
de
ri
ng
a
c
i
nn
a
m
on dan
i
sh
t
o
g
o
w
it
h h
i
s
co
ff
ee.

“
Y
ou
w
ant
an
y
t
h
i
ng
e
l
se?” he
t
u
r
ned
t
o
W
ill
o
w
.
             
“
Y
eah.
I
g
uess
I
’l
l
ha
v
e
one
t
oo,”
she  sa
i
d 
t
o 
t
he
w
a
itr
ess.
“May as
w
e
l
l
g
et
a
g
ood
su
g
ar
and
ca
ff
e
in
e
bu
z
z
g
o
i
n
g
.”
S
he
l
e
v
e
l
ed
her
g
a
z
e
at
S
a
m
son,
“Who
sa
y
s
I
don
’
t
li
k
e
t
he do
g
?”