"Why is he doing this to me?" Arianne cried out, hugging Ana at her waist. Ana brushed her hair with her fingers, aching inside to tell her the truth and curb her sadness. "Darling," her voice failed to sound consolatory enough, "don't cry. Please. Please, Arin. Is there anything that would fix by crying?"
Arianne watched Arira for a while, licking peacefully at her bowl of milk. She wondered if she'd have hated her Daddy too if she knew what he was doing to her Mamma. "Arin," Ana called again, "babe, we won't go if you don't want. Just tell me once. Just once and we'll cancel all arrangements."
She thought for a while. "No," she said finally, rubbing off her tears, looking away from Anastasia, "I'll take as much pain he has to give to me. I'll take it. All the hurt, all the hatred. And, then I'd ask him why he did that? He wants to marry in Miami, right? Let him. He wants to marry at the same church where he once kissed me. Let him. I'll witness it all. All of it."
The Greys had asked Kate and Kendrick to stay over at their bungalow for the rest of their stay in Seattle. Soon after they lodged in, Ira, and Savannah, along with his parents appeared at the bungalow. All dressed up to the nines, like they were out for a social event.
"Arin darling," Jess had said in a very quizzical tone, "you're the only one who knows about Ira and Savannah's decision of getting married, right?" She nodded, keeping all her rage and sadness inside her. She couldn't even look at Ira. She didn't want to look at him. And, all he did was to stare at her, wondering if there was a way to absorb someone's misery by sight alone.
"Well," Jess continued, "these two have decided to get married in Miami. How nice is that!"
Arianne looked up immediately, her gaze shifting once from Jess to Ira and then, back to her. Miami? Why Miami?
"You've just gotta help us a bit," Savannah said, smiling in the same quizzical way as Jess. "What?" she asked, lacing her fingers and breaking her knuckles only to distract herself from crying. "It would be really nice if you could convince your Father Lewis for the wedding procedure," Jess said again, "Ira wanted to marry in that church. Even Adam and I think it's a great idea."
In that church? In the same church where he had kissed her, in front of Jesus?
"Okay," she said, not looking at anyone at all.
Ira felt terribly broken. The woman he loved was in utter pain, was shattered. He could see. Yet he had a to be blind to it. Just a few more days, he thought, just a few more and, then, I'll give you all the happiness of the world. I'll pay for all my sins. I promise, my love.
"Yeah, I know," David said when she broke into tears in his arms at the Madison Park, during the lunch hour at the SIP, "Ira dropped at the hotel and invited us too. For the wedding." "He did?" she asked, "can you tell me why's he doing this to me? What have I done? Why does he need to hurt me so much? Intentionally!" "There must be a brighter side," David caressed her hair as she threw her arms around his neck and cried, "there must be a silver lining. You used to tell me, right? Now you can't break down. You've gotta concentrate on yourself henceforth. If he can forget you, so can you. Stop crying already."
Holding her there, he recalled the day when Ira had driven to Vancouver to meet him.
"What are you here for?" he had asked Ira as he met him, "isn't hurting my best friend enough for you?"
"David, please, just listen to me." He had looked like he was going through a hard time. Like he had been crying hard all night, even before he had come to see him.
"What is it?"
"Can I marry your best friend?"
"Excuse me!"
"David, I love Arianne. Very much. And...and, you know she loves me too. Doesn't she? I...I just don't wanna lose her. I've done a lot of mistakes in my life. Too much. So much I can't...just can't..."
"What's wrong? Is something wrong with her?"
"She...she doesn't stay with me anymore."
"What the fuck, Ira! Seriously? Where the heavens is she?"
"Wait, listen David, listen to me. I can..."
"Explain? What would you?"
"What I'd tell you would be sounding very stupid. But, if you look at it from my point of view..."
"Do you even have a point of view? Are you even worth waiting for an explanation? You're a fucking asshole, Ira. You might be older than me. But, I'm absolutely not apologetic."
"David, please, listen to me. Savannah, I think you know who she is, is long gone. Anne and I were together through the new year and even after that. A week we were totally inseparable."
"Listen, man, I'm only interested in knowing where Arianne is right now. If you don't know, I don't care to listen to the rest of your story."
"I know where she is. Listen. She wasn't studying at all. Always with me and there was no way I could make her sit to study. I had to do this. I had to tell her I'm gonna marry Savannah. It hurt her but, at least, she's studying now. Concentrating on her goals. I just wanted that."
"Ira, it's useless. Couldn't you inspire her to study by keeping her with you? You had to hurt her for that? You think she can study now, with so much sadness?"
Ira sat thinking. Could David be right? Did his plan go straight into failure? "Pray for the positive," he whispered meekly and they sat for a while before David asked about Arianne's whereabouts.
"Can I marry Arianne, David?" Ira asked again, before he had to leave.
"I'm not going to say anything about this," David replied, "it depends on what she wants."
"Just one more thing. Don't let her know."
"We're flying for Miami tomorrow," Arianne told him as they were to part, "Christian would take everyone in his private jet." "We're also off tomorrow," David said, "the early morning flight."
Miami was no more exciting to Arianne. She no more looked out of the car as Taylor drove along the beach. Arira's basket rested on Ana's lap as she tried to talk her into going for book-shopping later in the day. Her parents noticed the eloquent changes in her behavior and, knew that somehow, even they were responsible for those.
"Wow," Ana stood in front of one of the paintings Ira had gifted Arianne, "they are so accurate, so precise." She looked up and smiled at the muse as she showed Christian the room they were to occupy.
"Let's go shopping," Ana tried convincing Arin again as they sat for lunch. "No," she refused again, even after her Mamma and Dad tried, "I've to go meet Father Lewis. To talk about the wedding. I've to do it today."
"Ira has decided to marry, Father," she said with a fake smile as she, along with Theodore and Phoebe sat beside Father Lewis at the church, "to Savannah. And, she has consented. Their families are so happy. You should have seen their faces when they came to talk to us. Ira was so happy, holding her hand. I've never..."
Father caressed her hair as she lost control on her tears and had to clutch on to her skirt to keep herself from screaming. As he listened to her, his memory uncoiled from the day when Ira had suddenly turned up at the church. He didn't even know that he was in station. His sudden arrival had shocked him. But, what shocked him more was what he had to say, what he had come down for.
"Father," Ira had peeped into his office at a very odd time of the day.
"Ira?" Father had stood up from his chair in surprise, "I didn't know you were in town."
"Surprised, aren't you?"
"Arin's finals are up in a few days. What are you doing here now?"
"I came down here to apologize."
Father had offered him a seat and as he sat, he asked, "for what, Ira?" He could sense, almost see or smell, both good news and bad.
"For hurting your daughter so much. For giving her the amount of pain that I know I can never handle."
Father Lewis kept silence. He could understand Ira had come to confess his wrongdoing, his guilt. But, there was surely more to it.
Like the dawn after the darkest hour.
"What have I not done that's not worth punishment? But, all she gave me was a beautiful life. She kept loving me while I kept hurting her. Doesn't she deserve someone better? Tell me, Father. I should just let her go for all, shouldn't I?"
"Ira, what do you think? If she could keep loving you even after facing no such feelings from you, would she ever be able to live someone else as much as she loves you?"
"If she stays away from me?"
"Never. Clear your throat, Ira. What have you done now? And, what do you want to do next?"
Ira looked down at the table and drawing imaginary circles with his finger, said, "I want to marry Anne."
He had not seen Father's smile then. If he had, his mood would have surely been better right then.
"So, where's the trouble? Has she not consented?"
"She doesn't live with me anymore. I lied to her that I've decided to marry Savannah."
Father frowned. "Why? Why did you?"
"Because, I saw her. She was on cloud nine when I told her she was the most important person in my life and that I had driven Savannah away. She was trying to make up for the lost time between us. She kept clinging to me, forgetting all other necessities of her present life. And...and, I couldn't stop her because I was making up too. For the lost time. For my fault.
"But, I couldn't let that happen. I couldn't let myself be the cause of the ruination of her dream career. I just let her go. I had to. I'm in equal pain as her. And, I've to keep that up until I know she topped the scoreboard."
"What now? What after that?"
Ira zipped his lips up again for a while, making the inquisitive and observant old man observe him more closely. Soon, the youth put his both hands on the table. In between them, was a bright red, velvet box.
He unclasped the two sides and in it was the most beautiful ring Father Lewis had ever seen. A silver floor with four to five diamonds studded on it, it amazed him. "I want to marry Anne, Father," he said, placing the ring box on the table as a sign of proof for what he was saying, "my love for her is too great to be ignored or let gone. I need to marry her, keep her near me, safe with me. I promise,  Father, to protect her, give her all the happiness I can buy, love her with my every breath."
"Ira," Father Lewis stopped him, "what are you doing? Saying all this to me? Go and tell this to her. Give her the ring and she'll be out of the world. Don't you want that kind of happiness for her?"
"Yes, I do," he said, his lips twitching up in a sudden sly smile, "and, I wanna surprise her. Even after the graduation, she'd know that it's Savannah I'm gonna marry. And, that I'm gonna marry here, in Miami, at the church. I know it would hurt her initially but, when she gets to know the truth...I wanna see that face, that smile. That would be worth it, wouldn't it?"
Father smiled, "so, you don't want me to tell her at all?"
"Of course not."
"Do Katelyn and Kendrick know?"
"Yes, I basically came down here to meet them and you. I told them what I had to. Kate got a bit too emotional about it. She was definitely not expecting that."
"Trust me, she was."
"They wanna marry here," Arianne stopped crying and carried on, "at this church. They wanted me to talk to you and convince you into being the priest for their wedding."
"Do you want me to?"
"I don't even want the wedding. But, if that makes him happy, then yeah, I want you to do the priesthood."
"I love Miami," Phoebe jumped all around, her usual happy, nonchalant self. Within a night, she and her brother Ted had developed a bonding with Arianne's Granny. Half of the night, the kids, along with Ana and Arin sat around her in the front porch and listened to childishly cute fairytales. Each tale had a common ending. The succumbing of evil and bad, and the Prince winning the heart and the hand of the Princess.
Then, why not in reality?
"Daddy," the kid ran to her father, "I wanna...stay...in Miami." "Daddy'll look into it," Christian Grey picked her up and snuggled her neck, making her laugh out. The whole house was beaming with joy. Everything, all the happenings lightened up Arin's mood to an extent. What pleased her the most was the sight of her parents preparing breakfast together. Last day, at the airport, she had seen, for the first time in the last 13 years, her father putting his arm around his ex-wife. And, the lady, unlike her daughter had expected, didn't shudder at the touch or pull back, but put hers around him too. She wondered what led to that.
Her mood was soon devastated. The doorbell rang soon after breakfast. "I'll go check," Arianne rose from the piano seat where Christian was to join her. In front of the door, Arira jumped and chased her tail, as if in glee. "Look at you," her Mamma picked her up, "you seem so happy. Who's it? Is it someone you know?"
Saying this, she opened the door and out there stood Savannah, Ira and Jess. Ira's eyes moved from Arin's to the bright green cat eyes. The kitty was already pushing on Arianne's hand, tying to jump from her to him. "Hey sweetheart," Ira looked at the pet and produced his hands to take her.
Arianne handed Arira to him immediately, without a word to him, and asked the women to get in. "Please, this way," she led Savannah who was new to the house. Jess followed while Ira petted Arira. "How have you been without Daddy?" he talked to her, "too bad, haven't you? Tell me, Arira, does Mamma cry a lot? Do you take care of her when she's sad? Daddy's sorry, you know right?" The cat meowed, as if replying to his questions. He scratched her head and carried her inside.
"I was wondering," Savannah shrugged at Arianne as she handed her a glass of water, "if you could cone shopping with me. You know, for the wedding gown and the bridesmaid dresses. Jess says you've good choice."
"Okay," it was an easy yes coming from her, "I'll go. Today? Can you wait till I get a shower?" "No problem," Savannah shrugged again.
As they waited, Savannah, in her thoughts, went back to the day when Ira had called for an emergency lunch.
"What is it?" she had said as soon as she reached the table Ira had occupied at the decided restaurant, "I thought we had enough. Why did you call me again?"
"I need your help. I can't tell you much. I'll tell you just the plan and you tell me whether you're on it with me. Just a little help."
Her anger subsided a bit. "What help?"
Ira told her what he had planned. First about why he had to make such amends, second about how he was to implement it. "You were an eye-opener, Savannah," he had said in a thanking tone, "thank you for making me realize how much I love Anne. Thank you. Just this help is all I need. Savannah, please."
She remembered staring at him in awe. What  he was saying was totally alien to her? Love? Did that exist? In such a blasting form? In such a way that could make him do anything for Arianne? Sacrifice his own peace of mind?
"I'm sorry but what do I have to do?" her voice said her heart had melted.
"You just have to pretend that it's you whom I'm gonna marry," Ira had replied, "just that on the day of the wedding, the bride would be her instead of you. Could you do that? Please?"
"How do you know she's gonna say yes?"
"I don't. I'm just hoping that our love can win against odds."
"She loves you too?"
"Yes."
She thought about it for a while as they ate. Never since her mother died in her childhood had she seen love in its purest form like she was seeing then. Her father didn't love her stepmother and that lady loved only his money.
And, that's what she had thought till then love was. Money. And, sex. But, love? Feelings? Emotions?
If they did exist, why did she never feel it for Ira? Or for anyone at all? Or why none for her? "Of course, I'll help you," she had said, almost involuntarily.
Arianne's hands ran through some dresses right at the entrance of one of the most expensive wedding gowns store in Miami. There were simple and there were designer dresses, all costing almost the same and very high.
"You liked any of those?" Savannah picked immediately.
"Those?" Arianne stopped suddenly, making Ira bump into her. She moved away immediately, giving him space and looking at the dresses again, said, "you can look if you want. I think those are way too fancy."
"Any help, Ma'am?" a short-haired uniformed girl appeared out of the blue. "No thanks," Savannah tried driving her away, "we'll see ourselves. Will call you if we need."
They looked around the store, first the  ground floor and then the first. Savannah kept looking for hints of clothes Arianne would like but she gave nothing away.
"How about this one?" she finally picked up a very simple sleeveless wedding gown on the second floor. "Really?" Savannah looked at it pitifully. It was definitely not her choice. But, it wasn't her wedding either. "Actually, it's nice," Arin replied, "simple and elegant. It's your wedding. You choose." "We'll take this one," she took it from her, "it's actually good."
Even at the accessories store, Savannah picked up what Arianne chose. Why, she wondered, why all the ones I want on my wedding? Even the groom?
"Thank you so much," Savannah thanked Arianne at the end of the day, "for being with me on such an important day. Thank you." "You don't need to," Arin replied before stepping on to the front porch, "I'll be there on the most important day as well." "Of course," Savannah smiled and waved back as she bid her for the night, without giving Ira even a glance.
"I can't do it anymore," Katelyn complained to Kendrick as they watched their daughter sit on the front porch and cry, "our daughter's in so much pain. Can't you see? I need to tell her the truth. How long is she going to stay in the darkness?"
Having the door as a soundproof barrier between them and Arianne, Ken put his arm around Kate, "just a few more days. Barely a week and a half. Tell me, honestly. Don't you want to see that face? That surprised...that happy...that elated face?"
"But, she's so sad now?"
"But, she'll be happy for the rest of her life. C'mon Kate! I'm convinced about it. I am. Who needs a good reason to get convinced every time! Just wonder. Ira must be good enough for having me convinced about him and his words."
"He is good enough. I know that."
"Then, why? Why are you...?"
"Okay! Okay! Let's not fight. I've had enough of it with you. It's our daughter's wedding next weekend."
Kendrick gave out a huge sigh. "Scary, isn't it?" he said, kissing her forehead. "Very scary," Kate's voice seemed like she was going to cry right then.
"You're not gonna cry," he scolded her, "let's get you tucked under bed sheets," and smiled down at her. How both of them had craved for such a day for 13 long years!
Later in the night, Arianne still sat on the front porch, holding a handkerchief to her heart. When she sat in her room crying earlier, Phoebe had arrived toddling. Seeing her cry beside the window, she had run back downstairs. Within a second, just as Arin was coming out of her room to search the child out, she came back with something in her hand. "Where did you go?" the 23-year old dropped down on her knees in front of the 4-year old. The little hands went up to her cheeks and, with a soft cloth, rubbed off the remnants of her sadness.
"What is this?" she took the cloth from her and looked at it for a while. A plain white handkerchief with 'I' written in red at the corner. "Where'd you get it? Its Uncle Ira's."
"I...figured. It was on the sofa...right...where he sat."
The little girl, somehow, knew what was making Arianne sad. Luckily, and awkwardly, she knew the solution to that too. Ira's handkerchief. But, what could actually rub off Arin's tears for good was not his hanky, but his own fingers.
"Hey," Kendrick's voice startled her as she rested her head against the refrigerator door, trying hard to not mix the bottle of water with her teardrops. "Sweetheart," he came to her and caressed her hair, "what's wrong?"
Arin looked up in surprise as he came out of Kate's room and not of the extra room that was anointed for him. "Nothing," she tried to look normal even though a lot of things were blurring her thoughts.
"C'mon," he fetched her to the sofa, "don't lie to your father. I'm an old man. I deserve to know what's making my little princess sad. Is it the prince?"
"What prince?" She smirked.
"Ira, I mean. He's the one behind all your sadness, isn't he?"
"Dad, it's his wedding a few days later."
"I know, Anne." He sighed.
Arianne put her head on her father's arm. "He's the only one, after you, who calls me Anne. At least, used to. Only one I allowed."
"Why did you?"
"He...used to take care of me the way you do. He reminded me of you every way. And, it's not that he saw you calling me Anne and then started. Or that I told him to. He just did one day. Suddenly."
"You wanted to marry him, didn't you?"
"You wanted to get me married to him, didn't you?"
He sighed again. "Would you marry him now? I mean, if he comes back and asks for your hand? Saying, you're the one he loves and wants to spend his life with?"
"Would that make me look like an open second option for him? Like a choice?" Arin picked her head up and sat straight.
"It's not that," Kendrick sat up and faced her in the low power tubelight's incandescence, "if you love him, if he loves you, he'll make you feel like he deserves you. Not like you're an option for him. He'll make you believe in yourself. Like you're his greatest victory, he'll show you off, he'll call you baby in front of everyone. He'll hold you like you're his only hope, the optimism of his life. Like you're the only star in his sky. Like..."
"Dad! Dad! Dad! You're talking like you're in love. Like...you're gonna do these things yourself."
"Well," he sighed again and looked back at the door to Katelyn's room, "maybe, I am...in love."
Arianne followed his gaze. "Daddy, what's going on?"
"I'll get you and myself each a glass of wine."
"Dad, no," she watched him as he rose and left with a sly smile on his lips, "wait, tell me."
"Let me give you an insight into our story," Ira had started as Kate put a mug of coffee on the table and sat across him. Arianne's Daddy sat patiently beside his ex-wife, looking at the young man he had grown admiration for right since he had met him the first time. "We're patiently waiting," watching him raise the mug and put it back down on the table.
"Yes," he had said, looking very tensed, "so, you know we met at Theresa's party and we planned on meeting further. And, we did. We shared with each other most of our times, making them as precious as they could be for each other. I can never deny that, with her, I've had the best time of my life. She was, is and always will be the best part of my life." "Ira," Kate seemed bemused, "we know all this."
"No," he stopped her, "maybe, you know this. But, there are parts that you don't know. Parts that she never told anyone. When she covered for me without my knowledge."
"When?" Ken asked. He started again, "after she left for Miami at the beginning of summer, I met a girl. Savannah Helmsman! She...well, I shouldn't blame her. I got swayed off the track of my relationship with Anne and thought of starting afresh with Savannah. But, for some reason, I couldn't build up my guts to tell Anne."
"You cheated on my daughter?" Ken's voice rose a few decibels. "Kendrick," Kate stopped him, "let him finish."
"Well, back then, we weren't in a relationship. So, I don't know if it can be termed cheating. But, yes, I had hurt her a lot. When I finally told her about Savannah, just a day before we were leaving...you remember, Kate, that day? I do! And, I swore to God that day that I wouldn't bring one more day like that in our lives. When you asked her about why she was sad, she told you..."
"Yes, that she was unhappy because you left too soon."
"Right! She covered for me. She didn't tell you or anyone about me and Savannah. Especially those people who had a good impression about me. She took the blame on herself. I don't know about Father Lewis.  But, not even her best friends knew about this. Not even my own parents.
"I had to compensate. I had to gain her trust back. Which is why, I bought The Seacomber for her. And when we went alone, she asked me about Savannah. Acting like a friend. Hiding her own feelings from me. Eluding my eyes, my heart. And, I was a fool. I got deceived. And, I got deceived all this time when she stayed with me. She kept loving me, hurting herself for me, bearing with my impromptu behavioral changes. And, I kept thinking I was in love with someone else.
"Ken, Kate, trust me, I'm a foolish man. I've done mistakes, things to her that she doesn't deserve. This new year, when I finally had the guts to admit to myself that I love her, she did too. She confessed to me about her love. And, I...I asked her to wait till I get everything in place and order.
"Two days...three days...five days...a week was gone after that day and she didn't touch a single page of her books. She spent the whole of those days with me, away from her books when it was just a few days for her finals. Some conscience told me it was because of me, my presence and because the time we spent together was worth in gold. I couldn't bear with it. I mean, a brilliant student like her, not studying for her grad finals is a shame. I told her to sit to study but she kept shifting it to the next day. This made me make a quick decision. When she was back from her last day of internship, I told her something that broke my heart more than it broke hers."
"What did you say?" Kate looked at him. Her eyes had watered as she listened to him. It was her daughter's love story after all.
"I told her I had decided to marry Savannah," he said after a couple of seconds of silence, "I didn't want to, you see. I kinda had to. I had to break her heart. I decided to tell her the truth after her exams. But, right that night, she decided she wouldn't stay with me anymore. I'd hurt her too much. And, I know that I deserve a harder punishment than just an empty apartment.
"However, I discovered she was with Anastasia and Christian Grey. I told them just like I told you and they said they'd help me keep my promise of making everything alright. Kendrick, Katelyn, will you too?"
"Of course we will," Kate said without a moment's thinking. But, Ken's face told them he was in a dilemma. He knew Ira was a good being. Probably just the right man for his daughter. But, what about all the hurting? He shouldn't have done that. But, he was also regretting. From his face, it could be said he was in pain himself. And, he said he wanted to get everything right. Maybe, he should be given a chance.
"What do we have to do?" he asked, looking up and worried. Ira didn't say anything. Just got up from his chair and walked to the other side. He sat down on his knees as they turned to him and he said, "I'm an idiot. But, even with my idiocy, I've understood the importance of a woman like Anne. I'm crazily in love with her and I want to protect her for my entire life. With all I have, I want to cherish her and I want to cherish us. Have kids with her and look after them, watch them grow up like her. I know she wants a future like that too. She loves me, just as much as I love her or, maybe even more. I just want to value her love. Just let me please."
"What do we have to do, son?" Ken asked again, looking finally convinced about him and his words. Ira looked away and put his hand inside his pocket. When he took it out, he had a small red box in his clasp. "Oh my gosh," Kate whispered as Ira opened the box and held in front of them a ring, the silver and diamonds shining in full glory.
"Please Ken, Kate, can I marry your daughter?" he finally proposed.
Ken and Kate seemed frozen for a while. As Ira watched them, he noticed sudden and quick changes in their behavior. They were no more ex-spouses to each other. They were just happy parents of an innocent girl for whose hand a worthy man was sitting down on his knees in front of them.
Kate placed her forehead on the arm of her daughter's father. "Of course you can," Ken whispered as his tears rolled out too, "of course you can."
"Thank you," Ira's tear streams knew no boundary, "thank you so much."
Later that night, when Ira had gone back to Seattle after having told them all his plans about the wedding, the two of Arin's parents sat in the backyard of the house.
"You know what the best thing would be?" Kate started the conversation,  "if Arin could cry in front of him. You know she hides her sadness from everyone. If she can open up that much to him, if she can cry with her head on his chest, tell him all her reasons to cry, complain to him like a child...that's when I'd know he's perfect for her."
"Do you think Anne would agree to marry him? I mean after all this?" Ken asked.
"I'm sure a man's love can win over his woman's heart, even over heated arguments. His will. I've seen the pain he's going through. With the separation, the distance...I could see him almost dying."
"Haven't you seen me?"
Kate looked back at him. "What do you mean?" she asked nervously.
"Haven't you seen my sadness over the last 12 years? What I've gone through without you? You don't, do you?"
It was just a flash of all happenings. It happened all too quickly for Kate. First what he said, and in a moment, he was too close and what had been in the past, in the time 20 years back was present again. She only realized it was not all in her head when she felt his lips touching hers.
What made that happen? None of them would ever know.
"You know the one thing that hasn't changed between when we were young and now?" Kate asked, resting herself against him.
"What?"
"My mother's still standing behind the door and trying to gauge what's happening. Don't look back!"