that's all i ask for

[Ryan de le Poer]

[html]
SOMEWHERE THERE'S A CRACK IN THE SIDEWALK
BIGGER THAN THE SHADOW OF DEATH IN THIS TOWN

Her mother’s death had been rather horrible. Of course Ryan missed her completely, but she was slightly relieved when her mother didn’t wake the next morning those few months ago. The leptospirosis had completely savaged her body and Ryan was glad that she no longer had to suffer. "I’m sorry," she offered Savina, because she knew just how hard death was to deal with when it happened to someone close to you. Though it had struck her terribly hard when her mother finally died, she had been expecting it ever since her mother had gotten sick. Because of that, she supposed she had been slightly prepared.



When Savina asked about Anselm, Ryan shrugged her shoulders. She couldn’t say for sure. "I don’t know. It must have been. His gaze" – there was something about it – "it was like I’ve seen it before." And she had. Whenever she saw her own reflection, that same gaze was peering back at her.



The story about Savina’s own father was tragic. She couldn’t imagine living along side someone who wouldn’t even acknowledge your presence. "That must have been terrible," she commented, feeling a bit sorry for Savina and her family. It made her wonder though. If Anselm discovered the truth, would he shun her just the same? After all, he hadn’t been around for Ryan and her mother, had he?

[/html]