ANY MORE OF YOUR LIP.

"NOW LOOK, JEN," I SAID, "I'M TIRED; LEAVE ME ALONE, I DON'T WANT JUST GO AWAY, WILL YOU?" I TRIED TO IGNORE HER, BUT FIVE-FOOT-TWO SEEMED TO GROW BIGGER AND BIGGER AS SHE STOOD IN FRONT OF ME.

"YOU'RE TIRED?" SHE SAID INCREDULOUSLY.

"TIRED? "TIRED? DOING NOTHING ALL

DAY BUT RIDING AROUND LIKE A QUEEN, POINTEDLY IGNORING EVERYBODY IN FAVOR OF HUGGING CLOSER YOUR NICE WARM, SCGGY SELF-PITY? NUTS!" SHE TURNED AND STALKED OFF AND I WAS GLAD TO SEE HER GO.

SHE DIDN'T COME BACK, EITHER. I BEGAN TO WONDER IF SHE'D DROWNED, GOOD RIDDANCE, I THOUGHT, DETERMINED TO ENJOY ONCE AGAIN MY HARDWON SOLITUDE. BUT SOLITUDE CAN GET ON YOUR NERVES. I FOUND THAT IT WASN'T AS ENJOYABLE AS IT ONCE HAD BEEN. MY OLD FRIEND CAME TO SEE ME AS ALWAYS, BUT WHEN HE WAS GONE THE THINGS THAT ONCE HAD FILLED MY DAYS WERE THE THINGS THAT NOW MADE THEM MORE EMPTY. REGRET, REMORSE, OLD LOVE, NO MATTER HOW BEAUTIFUL, BECOME BITTERER THE MORE THEY'RE CHEWED OVER. I HAD GOTTEN ALL THE GOOD OUT OF THEM THAT THEY HAD TO OFFER. HERE DID I GO FROM THERE?

I BEGAN WISHING AUGUST WERE NEARER. THE WEATHER HAD TURNED AND I WAS SICK OF CONSTANT SUN AND OF SITTING ON THE BEACH WATCHING THE WAVES THAT I COULDN'T SWIM IN; OF SEEING COUPLES WALKING FOR MILES UP THE WARM SAND UNTIL THEY WERE LOST TO MY VIEW; OF WATCHING PEOPLE, PEOPLE ALL AROUND ME, MOVING FREELY, QUICKLY, UNCONSCIOUS OF THE PRECIOUS GIFT OF MOTION THEY POSSESSED.

AND THEN ONE DAY, JEN CAME BACK. SHE WALKED TOWARD ME ACROSS THE SAND. I WAS DOUBTFUL AS TO WHETHER | WANTED TO SEE HER AGAIN. "WELL," I SAID, "SO YOU'RE BACK."

"HI, LEE," SHE SAID. SHE LOOKED VERY MUCH SUBDUED. ODD, I THOUGHT. WHAT WAS THE MATTER WITH HER?

"HELLO, FEST," I SAID, NOT TOO CORDIALLY. SHE SEEMED TO WINCE A LITTLE. I WAS ENJOYING THIS, "ARE YOU STILL SUCH A DAMNED GADFLY?" I ASKED, WAITING TO SEE WHAT WOULD HAPPEN NEXT. "WHY DID YOU BOTHER ME LIKE THAT?"

"BECAUSE I LOVE YOU, YOU IDIOT!" SHE BURST OUT WITH THAT ASTOUNDING STATEMENT, THEN TURNED AND RAN AWAY OVER THE SCORCHING SAND.

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