Jen, We Did It. Everyone's

A Thousand Times Today I've Started To Open My Mouth, Started To Squeak Out, "can You Tell Me...? But Then I'd Look Into The Front Seat, At My Mother's Silent Shaking, My Father's Grim Profile, The Mournful Bags Under His Eyes, And All The Questions I Might Ask Seemed Abusive. Assault And Battery, A Question Mark Used Like A Club. My Parents Are Old And Fragile. I'd Have To Heartless To Want To Hurt Them.

And Yet, I Felt A Surge Of Exhilaration Just Thinking About That Night. Not Just Because I'd Met The Prince And Fallen In Love And Started On My Course Toward Happiness Ever After, But Because I'd Made Something Happen. I'd Done Something Everybody Had Told Me I Couldn't. I'd Changed My Life All By Myself. Having A Fairy Godmother Would Have Ruined Everything.

Oh, Myr," He Chokes Out. "i Hate Having To Ask This Of You..." He Glances Towards The Car Again, And I Crouch Down In The Shadows, Hoping It's Too Dark For Him To See Whether The Window Is Open Or Closed. The Woman Pats His Arm, Cradling Her Hand Against His Elbow. "you Know I'd Do Anything For You And Hil," She Says. I Like Her Voice. It's Throaty And Rich. "you'd Do Anything?" My Father Repeats Numbly. "even Now? After -?" "even Now," The Woman Says Firmly.

He Looked At The Piles Of Food Again, And It Was Like He Was Seeing It With New Eyes. This Is Wrong, He Thought. Letting Food Rot While People Die Of Hunger. It's Evil.

Governments Will Rise, And Governments Will Fall, And Man Will Do Evil To Man, And All We Can Do Is Turn Our Hearts To Good.