"Hello again," said a familiar bubbly voice, interrupting my self-pitying reflections.
I turned.
"Oh, hello."
"What are you doing?"
"Nothing much, just thinking."
"About what?"
"Do you always ask this many questions?"
"Definitely!" she smiled. "So?"
"So what?"
"What are you thinking about?"
I smiled despite my gloom.
"Well, Amy, I was thinking about how sad it is that I am so close to my loved ones, yet so far."
She looked at me with gentle compassion in her sparkling eyes.
"You miss them?"
I nodded.
"Tell me about them."
So I did, amidst anguished tears and laughter.
And like a good friend, she listened to all of it.
