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Show 148 "Don't you beleive that a lot of people love you?" "Like this?"' "However they can get you. However they can have you. That's true." She paused. "... I know. I know they do." "Good." "What?" "Good. I'm glad. Then that's settled." She ran the tips of her fingers back and forth over a spot on one of her arms. Her skin was so dry and loose. It ruptured easily. And i t seemed to Hunt that all the vulnerability that his mother had had, the open vulnerability about herself, was there, now, v i s i b l y , on every plane and inch of her surface. "Don't rub that too hard," he cautioned. "You were here . . . Were you here earlier?" She changed her words to a question. "Right," Hunt said. "About an hour ago." Didn't . . .? "That's right. With Pop." "Yes of course. --Of course," she repeated. "I asked whether he was feeding you enough, didn't I." "I . . . Yes,.you did." "is he?" "Well . . . " How could she know? How could she possibly know he'd only arrived? Her memory was a d r i f t i ng ship in the damaged bottle of her lungs. "We're fine," Hunt said. "We're well fed. Marianna's cooking something for us tonight. A roast." "She's grown quite lovely -hasn't she," Hunt's mother said. |