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Dutifully Cindy tried to say a few consoling

words to Melodie outside of her locked door before she came prancing back to join Chris and I. "I'm not going to let Melodic spoil my fun. I think*she's acting like a damned selfish fool. As for me, I intend to have the time of my life tonight," said Cindy in parting. "I don't give a damn about Bart and his party except

what pleasure it gives me."

"I'm concerned about Cindy," said Chris when

we were lying on our wide bed, trying to catch a short

nap. "I have the feeling Cindy is not stingy with her

favors."

"Chris, don't you dare say that! Just because we

caught her with that boy Lance doesn't mean she is

loose. She's looking, looking all the time at each

young man she meets, hoping he's the one. If one says

he loves her, she believes because she needs to

believe. Don't you realize Bart has stolen her

confidence? She's afraid she is exactly what Bart

thinks she is. She's torn between being as wicked as

he thinks and being as nice as we want her to be.

Cindy's a beautiful young woman . . . and Bart treats

her like filth."

It had been a long day for Chris. He closed his

eyes and turned on his side to embrace me.

"Eventually Bart will straighten out," he murmured.

"For the first time I'm seeing in his eyes the need to find a compromise. He has the desperate desire to find someone or something to believe in. Someday he will find what he needs, and when he does, he'll be set free

to be the fine man he is under that hateful exterior." Sleep and dream of impossible things, like

harmony in the family, like brothers and a sister who

found love for each other. Dream on, dreamer .. . I heard the grandfather clock down the hall

chiming the hour of seven when we were supposed to

rise from our naps to bathe and dress. I shook Chris

awake and told him to hurry and dress. He stretched,

yawned, lazily got up to shower while I took a quick

tub bath; then he was shaving before donning his