She can't remember feeling such longing. Maybe in her youth, but that was so long ago. As her responsibilities fall off her like water drying off her skin in the sun, she feels almost free. She wishes away the task at hand, the loose ends of her old life. She hasn't wanted in so long. She had been defined by her role, held bidden to those she'd sworn to protect. Now, in this sailor, she sees a future she wants; a destiny she wants to fulfill. She can't wait. She feels sixteen again. She feels on the cusp of living. Living as she imagines others do; as they wish. Dare she eschew her remaining responsibilities? Can she choose a future for herself with so many lives hanging in the balance? She sees so clearly the porch, working side by side with a man. A man! She'd been partners with her sisters so long. Can she really leave them? What will become of them?
