by Kathryn LaVon Davis

Created on: November 23, 2008   Last Updated: November 26, 2008

"That will be $80.47 Mrs. Levine."

"Mrs. Levine?"

Carina looked up to see the clerk. She'd been lost in imagination. She'd come into the department store to buy a perfume that her husband loved thirty years ago. "Oh, I'm sorry, I drifted off in thought in the middle of my purchase." she said.

"Senator" the young man said. They shook hands and hugged. "Andrew, you are a strapping young man now. How is Cambridge?" Coming down the stairs, Carina walked by the two men, observing her nephew who had grown several inches taller since she'd last seen him. She hugged him as she walked, placed a kiss on his cheek, and continued to walk through. As she walked past Ted, her husband, his eyes followed her. She gave him a smile and a wink. He'd noticed her smell and his eyes sparkled. For a moment, he lost his conversation with Andrew and the look on his face, was just momentary, but it was there, the look that made her love him. The look that he gave no other person, had never, until he met her.

She passed through her kitchen to the media room where she found her mother and father, her niece Rachel, and Ted's mother Emma. Bryan and Jessine were playing video games.

She walked to her mother first and gave her a big hug, then looked into her eyes with a smile and said "Hi Momma, how was your trip?" "Better right now, Cari dear. You light up my heart." She leaned down and kissed her on the forehead. "Well, you'll be here for weeks." She turned and said "Rachel, thank you for getting them here. It's great to see you sweetie." and gave her a hug. Her father had already been standing and she leaned into him and placed her head on his shoulder "Hi Pop."

She walked over to Emma and said "Emma, how do you feel today?" "Ted, where's my Teddy?" Emma replied. Before Carina could reply, she felt Ted's arms around her, and he pulled her close for a moment, took in her scent and walked to his mother. "Mother, I'm here." He leaned down and said to her, "Let's take a walk in the garden." and helped her to her feet.

"Frances Frances? Who is that woman? Who is that woman, Frances? Where's my little Teddy?" just as Joseph, her oldest nephew, came into the room. "Aunt Carina, Uncle Ted, everyone, I've brought a friend, two friends, two very special friends." She was a young beautiful black woman and Carina assessed her face, looked at the two of them together and liked the young woman instantly. She looked down to the little boy hiding behind his mother's leg. She smiled. "This is Amelia. Amelia Hunter,"

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