WHEREVER | APPEARED. NEW GUESTS WOULD ASK OLD GUESTS, "HO IS THAT GIRL IN THE WHEELCHAIR? I'VE SEEN HER PICTURE SOMEWHERE; I JUST KNOW I HAVE."

YES, THEY HAD SEEN ME MY DEBUT AT A BALL, MY NUMEROUS TENNIS MATCHES, MY SKIING, SWIMMING, MOUNTAIN-CLIMEING PROWESS. MY PICTURE WAS ALWAYS IN SOMEONE'S PAPER, WELL, LET THEM FEAST ON THE MEMORIES. THEY'D SEE NONE OF THEM MADE REAL AGAIN. AND THEY'D DO WELL TO LET ME ALONE. I COULD DRAW BLOOD WHEN I WAS ANNOYED, AND I USUALLY WAS IN THOSE DAYS.

BUT HOWEVER REALISTICALLY I SNARLED, THERE WERE STILL SOME WHO DID NOT LEAVE ME ALONE. I DON'T KNOW WHAT DREW THEM THEY CERTAINLY HAD NO PLEASURE FROM ME. THERE WAS A TALL OLD MAN WHO WOULD SIT AND TALK AND LET ME THROW MY BITTER THOUGHTS AT HIM. NOTHING I SAID OFFENDED HIM IN THE LEAST. HE WOULD LISTEN A WHILE AND WHEN HE FELT LIKE IT, HE WOULD LEAVE. I WAS ALWAYS THE BETTER FOR HAVING SEEN HIM, THOUGH I WOULD NEVER HAVE ADMITTED IT.

THERE WAS SOMEONE ELSE, TOO, WHO BEDEVILLED THE LIFE OUT OF ME, I THINK I DISLIKED HER ALMOST MORE THAN ALL THE WELL-MEANING OTHERS WITH THEIR GENTLE PRYING AND CLUCKING. SHE WASN'T GENTLE. SHE TEASED ME WHEN I WANTED TO LUXURIATE IN MY SORROW SHE WAS VERY SERIOUS WHEN I WAS BEING BRILLIANTLY CUTTING. SHE WAS ABSOLUTELY AS EXASPERATING AS SHE COULD BE. I'D GLADLY HAVE THROTTLED HER IF I COULD HAVE CAUGHT HER. BUT SHE WAS CRUEL. SHE DANCED OUT OF REACH WHENEVER MY ANGER ROSE. SHE SENT THE BLOOD TO MY HEAD IN A RUSH OF FRUSTRATION. SHE FOUND ME WHEN I WANTED TO BE LEFT ALONE. AND WHEN SHE LEFT ME, MY HEART WAS POUNDING WITH UNACCUSTOMED FURY AND RESENTMENT. HOW DARED SHE TREAT ME SO?

THE TROUBLE WAS THAT SHE WAS SO SNEAKY. WHEN SHE ARRIVED AND SAT DOWN NEXT TO MY CHAIR SHE'D BE SO PLEASANT I WAS ALWAYS TAKEN IN. "HI, LEE," SHE'D SAY. "HOW'S TRICKS?" THEN SHE'D CHATTER ON

ABOUT THIS AND THAT. BUT JUST LET ME START PARADING MY TALENT FOR SARCASM AND HER MOOD WOULD CHANGE ABRUPTLY. WHATEVER I SAID, SHE'D TAKE THE OPPOSITE TACK AND I WAS SOON AS RILED AS SHE COULD WISH. 1 COULD SEE THAT SHE ENJOYED BAITING ME.

ONE DAY, ANOTHER RAINY ONE WHEN I SAT ON THE HOTEL PORCH AND THOUGHT BLACK THOUGHTS, SHE CAME PUSSY-FOOTING UP TO ME AGAIN. "HI, Lee,"

SHE BEGAN

BUT I'D HAD ENOUGH.