The massive, white bear and his mate returned Murdock and Mei Lee to the cabin after Rose’s funeral. Murdock tried to express his appreciation, but the bear wouldn’t hear of it. Murdock equated the bear’s response to a human’s saying, “A real pleasure; don’t give it another thought.”
For the next few months, Murdock was inconsolable. Though he performed necessary tasks, the rest of his time was spent mourning, as did Mei Lee. Rose had helped her to get over the loss of Collier and all the pain that entailed. This new loss reopened an old wound that had never quite healed. They were like two robots doing what they had to do and avoiding anything that might cause pain to either of them.
“Mei, why did she have to die?” Murdock asked one evening in early spring. “I’ve never loved anyone unti
