The 22nd Secret (54 page)

Read The 22nd Secret Online

Authors: Randal Lanser

BOOK: The 22nd Secret
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You

ve
p
rob
a
b
l
y
f
i
g
u
re
d out w
h
y
she
d
o
e
sn’t
g
e
t h
i
t on
m
o
r
e
oft
e
n.
I
f m
o
re
men h
a
d
g
uns pointed
a
t
t
h
e
ir
b
a
l
l
s she

d be
the most popular
g
irl on
ca
mpus
.

H
e
n
r
y
a
p
p
r
e
c
i
a
ted
B
e
n
’s
ca
ndo
r
.


M
y
b
i
gg
e
st f
e
a
r is
that she

s not
fee
l
i
n
g
the
s
a
me
tow
a
rd m
e
.
I
m
e
a
n, w
e

r
e
d
a
t
i
n
g
,
I know
I
’ve
g
ot
t
e
n that
f
a
r.
And
we
’ll prob
a
b
l
y
h
a
ve
s
e
x
.
S
he
se
e
ms wil
l
ing
to be
w
i
t
h m
e
.
S
h
e
’s
e
v
e
n
a
f
fe
c
t
i
on
a
te tow
a
rd
m
e
, but
m
a
r
r
i
a
g
e
, l
if
elong
d
e
vot
i
on,
e
no
u
g
h to
g
i
ve
up
c
ount
r
y
a
nd f
a
m
i
l
y
a
nd
e
v
e
r
y
th
i
n
g
.
T
h
a
t’s a
pr
e
t
t
y
tall or
d
e
r.
I
know
m
y
l
i
fe
is at s
t
a
k
e
h
e
r
e
, but be
s
e
nsib
l
e
.
I
ca
n

t
g
u
a
r
a
nt
e
e
that wou
l
d h
a
pp
e
n
e
v
e
n if she
s
a
y
s
she

ll
ma
r
r
y
me
.


Th
a
t’s not ne
c
e
ssa
r
y
.
I
to
l
d
y
ou
I
h
a
ve
a
plan.
I
t
hink
i
t wi
l
l wo
r
k but
i
t
i
s
e
nt
i
r
e
l
y d
e
p
e
nd
e
nt on
P
a
t
t
y
fa
l
l
i
n
g
in
l
ove
with
y
ou to
t
he
e
x
tent sh
e
’d be
wil
l
ing
to
ma
r
r
y
y
ou. You th
i
nk
y
ou
ca
n
g
e
t
t
h
a
t f
ar
?


I
a
t
l
ea
st
g
ot a
c
h
a
n
c
e
.”


Good, that’s
a
ll
we
ca
n
e
x
p
ec
t. You

ve
g
ot un
t
il
Nov
e
mber
5th. Th
a
t’s
a
c
ouple of mon
t
hs.
W
e
’ll m
ee
t a
g
a
i
n
a
t
t
h
a
t
t
i
m
e
.
I
f sh
e
’s in
love
w
i
t
h
y
ou
a
nd
y
o
u

r
e
in
l
ove
with
h
er
,
I
’ll take
it
f
rom the
re
.
I
’ll
g
e
t
h
e
r to
g
o
with
y
ou to
C
h
ina.”


I
t
’s not
g
oing
to be
h
a
rd
f
or
m
e
.
I
c
a
n

t belie
v
e
I

ve
g
ot
t
e
n th
i
s
f
a
r.
I
ho
p
e
she
fee
ls
t
he s
a
me w
a
y
to
w
a
rd m
e
. H
o
w
a
re
y
ou
g
oi
n
g
to
g
e
t h
e
r to
g
o to
C
hina
?


L
e
t
m
e
wo
r
r
y
a
bout
t
h
a
t
.
I
’ll e
x
plain it
to
y
ou lat
e
r.
F
or
now
c
on
c
e
ntr
a
te
o
n d
e
v
e
lop
i
ng a r
e
a
l
r
e
lationship wi
t
h
P
a
t
t
y
. None
o
f this fu
c
k
-
m
a
nd le
a
ve
-
m bul
l
shi
t
.
I
f it isn’t
rea
l
,
m
y
plan won

t wo
r
k.”

H
e
n
r
y
turn
e
d to Tino, w
h
o h
a
d b
ee
n
quiet the
wh
o
le m
ee
t
i
n
g
.


Tino,
a
sk
y
our Chinese
p
e
ople how
th
e
y
w
a
nt us to deliver
h
e
r. W
e
’ll n
ee
d to know th
i
s
b
y
the ti
m
e
w
e
me
e
t
i
n
N
ov
e
mbe
r
. T
e
ll
them
I
th
i
nk we
ca
n
h
a
ve
h
e
r th
e
r
e
b
e
fo
r
e Th
a
nks
g
iv
i
n
g
.”

H
e
n
r
y
f
i
l
led Pat
t
y
in
b
y
p
hone
on the
f
l
i
g
ht
b
ac
k
t
o N
e
w M
e
x
ico. She
a
sk
e
d him
if he kn
e
w
w
h
y
B
e
n s
e
e
med
t
o
g
r
o
w
p
re
o
cc
upied
w
i
t
h
his
t
e
st
i
c
l
e
s wh
e
n th
e
y
t
a
lked s
e
rious
l
y
a
bout their
r
e
lationship.
H
e
n
r
y
to
l
d h
e
r
a
bout
t
he
g
un incid
e
nt
during
t
h
e
ir
f
irst
me
e
t
i
ng
a
nd th
e
y lau
g
h
e
d.

P
a
m would
e
v
e
ntual
l
y
do
som
e
th
i
ng
with
B
e
n she
h
a
d n
e
v
e
r do
n
e
with ano
t
h
e
r m
a
n
.
S
he would make
B
e
n f
a
ll
d
ee
p
l
y
in
l
ove
with he
r
. T
h
e
y
spent a
lot
of time
t
o
g
e
t
h
e
r ov
e
r t
h
e
n
e
x
t f
e
w w
ee
ks.
C
lass, lunch, din
n
e
rs
a
nd mov
i
e
s, da
n
c
in
g
,
jog
g
i
n
g
a
nd d
r
ives in the
Me
rce
d
e
s
. Th
e
y
e
nj
o
y
e
d
e
a
c
h othe
r
’s
c
o
mpa
n
y
.
B
e
n
found
he
w
a
s not on
l
y
fa
l
l
i
n
g
in
l
ove
with
P
a
t
t
y
, but she
w
a
s b
ec
om
i
ng
his b
e
st
f
ri
e
nd.
H
e
r l
a
y
e
rs of
r
e
t
i
ce
n
c
e
s
low
l
y
disapp
e
a
r
e
d,
a
nd
s
he
f
re
e
l
y
a
dm
i
t
t
e
d to n
e
v
e
r b
e
i
n
g
a
s close
to
a
nother
ma
n
, or
e
v
e
n h
a
v
i
ng
a
m
a
n
a
s a
f
r
iend.
I
t
w
a
s a p
e
r
f
e
c
t
l
y rom
a
nt
i
c
re
lationship
in ev
e
r
y
w
a
y
. Ben
e
v
e
n fo
u
nd hi
m
s
e
lf
re
spe
c
t
i
n
g
P
a
tt
y
. He
h
a
d seen h
e
r in a
bik
i
ni and other
se
x
y
c
l
oth
i
n
g
. He
k
n
e
w it would be
fa
bulous to have
s
e
x
with he
r
. He
w
a
nted h
e
r d
e
sp
e
r
a
te
l
y
but he
a
lso w
a
nted h
e
r to
b
e
r
e
a
d
y
.
He
c
a
r
e
d f
o
r h
e
r too
d
e
e
p
l
y
to
j
ust
tr
y
a
nd take
h
e
r.
T
h
e
y
kis
s
e
d
a
t
t
he
e
nd of
their
d
a
tes
a
nd
these
kis
s
e
s
slow
l
y
g
r
e
w
p
a
ss
i
on
a
te. B
e
n w
a
s p
a
t
i
e
n
t
. He
kn
e
w t
h
e
w
a
i
t would be
w
o
r
th
i
t. Th
e
se
w
e
r
e
n
e
w
e
x
p
e
ri
e
n
ce
s
f
or
B
e
n
.
He
h
a
d
n
e
v
e
r loved a
wom
a
n l
i
ke
he
l
o
v
e
d
P
a
t
t
y
.

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