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quiet conversation. As I approached, my mind raced:
which one was Anne? The woman facing me, in a flowing, V-necked
floral-patterned dress, hair cut short in tight curls, with two
posts in each earlobe; or the other, with shoulder-length brown
hair, an open-back black dress? Taking a cue from the way the
first nodded to the second after catching my eye, and the way the
second did not turn, I bowed slightly to each, and presented my
corsage to the second. "Anne, I presume?" I said in my smoothest
tones, hoping my pounding heart would not reveal itself in a
shaking hand or quivering voice. With the slightest smile, and
the merest nod, Misao Aikawa accepted my offering and confirmed my guess.
I sat down between them and drew a deep breath. The game was on.
"Jacques, allow me to introduce you to one of my dearest friends,
Mary. She'll be joining us for dinner, but then I'm afraid she
has other, um, obligations."
"The pleasure is mine, I assure you." That's it, I thought, keep
it formal, get the lay of the land. What was going to happen?
What had I gotten myself into?
"Jacques, Ellen has told me all about you, and intimated that you
would be a most promising, er, student.
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