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"Verra nice," he said, trying not to laugh "Keep it up Prractice uitar, at least?" She stood on tiptoes, trying to look behind hiroovy dru away her keys as she ca to the airport fro around and have a hootenanny afterward, to celebrate Do you know ‘This Land Is Your Land,’ Roger? Or are you uess you wouldn’t be, since you’re English--oops, Ito protest about, do you?"

Brianna gave her friend a look ofrooer while you find hi her eyelashes

"We got half the doggone MIT College of Engineering here, and nobody who can fix a doggone television?" Dr Joseph Abernathy glared accusingly at the clusters of young people scattered around his living roo, Pop," his son told hiineers Ask aan Ob-Gyn to look at the sore on your di--ow!"

"Oh, sorry," said his father, peering blandly over gold-rilasses "That your foot, Lenny?"

Lenny hopped storklike around the rooe sneaker-clad foot in exaggerated agony

"Bree, honey!" The doctor spotted her and abandoned the television, bea the fact that she topped hier, his features rearranged in a look of wary cordiality

"This the boyfriend?"

"This is Roger Wakefield," Brianna said, narrowing her eyes slightly at the doctor "Roger, Joe Abernathy"

"Dr Abernathy"

"Call me Joe"

They shook hands in mutual assessment The doctor looked him over with quick brown eyes, no less shrewd for their waro lay hands on that piece of junk, see can you bring it back to life?" He jerked a thu in ht, then today…pffft!"

Brianna looked dubiously at the big color TV, and groped in the pocket of her jeans, co out with a Swiss Aruess" She flicked out the screwdriver blade "How much time do we have?"

"Half hour, maybe," called a crew-cut student frolanced at the crowd clustered around the small black-and-white set on the table "We’re still with Mission Control in Houston--ETA thirty-four minutes" The h the ood," said Dr Abernathy He laid a hand on Roger’s shoulder "Plenty of time for a drink, then You a Scotch enerous ine you take water, do you, Roger?"

"No" It was Lagavulin; astonishing to find it in Boston He sipped appreciatively, and the doctor save it to me--Bree’s mama Now, there was a woically, and raised his glass in tribute

"Slàinte," Roger said quietly, and tipped his own glass before drinking

Abernathy closed his eyes in silent appreciation--whether of the whisky or the woer couldn’t tell

"Water of life, huh? I do believe that particular stuff could raise the dead" He set the bottle back in the liquor cabinet with reverent hands

How er supposed The doctor picked up his tu look of assesset to do the honors Reckon we got tiree before they land, or shall we keep it short?"

Roger raised one eyebrow

"Your intentions," the doctor elaborated

"Oh Strictly honorable"

"Yeah? I called Bree last night, to see if she was coone to a Celtic festival, up in the ht No answer" The doctor’s eyes were still shrewd, but a good deal less warlass doith a small click

"Bree’s alone," he said "And she’s lonely And she’s lovely I wouldn’t like to see anybody take advantage of that, Mr Wakefield"

"Neither would I--Dr Abernathy" Roger drained his glass and set it down hard Waravulin "If you think that I--"