*Sterling*
When I wake up the following morning, I'm alone. I know it's pointless to go searching for her. She's not in the residence, and neither is Peta. I feel their absence as soul-rending emptiness. I roar, my anguish reverberating throughout the room, bringing me no comfort.
*Frannie*
With a weary sigh, I close the ledger. A month has passed since he left for the country. There is at least half an hour every day when I don’t think about him. Tomorrow I’ll add another minute to the tally until eventually I won’t think of him at all.
Peta has adjusted well to life in the orphanage. He brings me such joy. I’m not at all certain how I could have managed without him to provide me with love.
I become aware of someone standing in my doorway, not at all surprised when I look up to see t
