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Show ZPi- But she d i d n ' t smile. "I know, "she murmured. "I can't explain -- i t seems so urgent." "Young love is always urgent," I nodded. "That's why it doesn't l a s t forever." Then I bit my tongue. "I want you to know t h a t Melissa doesn't like babies," I told her husband, grinning, to make c e r t a i n they would understand the preposterous tone of anything I said. Since she was old enough to walk, Melissa -- like most of my sisters - had doted on babies and became an ideal babysitter. I, too, hated to lose her. Brian came up behind me, holding Janelle like a ventriloquist puppet. He teased Melissa, kissed Aunt tfelga and v e r b a l l y jousted with the groom, as though testing his mettle. Brian belongs in t h i s fammily, I thought. More than I ever r e a l i z e d . Then my father was reaching for me. He held me i n a deep, long embrace and for a moment I was b r e a t h l e s s , f e l t catapaulted beyond space and time into a b r i g h t n e s s beyond enduring. "I love you, Daddy." I heard my voice, joyous and mournful. I was frightened and stepped back to look in his eyes. "I love you, my dear daughter. I love you very much. You must never forget t h a t . " He was smiling tremulously. "What i s i t . . . " I began, but his eyes g l i t t e r ed strangely in a way t h a t begged me not to ask. J a n e l l e reached for him, f a l l i n g from Brian's arms to grab her g r a n d f a t h e r ' s neck. It amazed me that as l i t t le as she had seen him, she loved him so much and was so u t t e r l y unafraid of him. |