Chapter 14

Alex was exhausted. Her feet ached. She just wanted to scream and kick off the shoes. She blamed the four-inch high heels or stilettos or whatever they were called for this because she was unaccustomed to them. Sneakers and slippers were her best friends. When she had no one to talk to during their long dinner party, she dreamt of her thick, fluffy Sylvester the Cat slippers. She dreamt of how warm and cozy and soft they’d be on her feet.

Her eyes were also irritated because of the dry weather. It was worse when she wore her contacts. She wanted to take them out and put in some eye drops to relieve the irritation.

At least for the past two hours she found the conversation with Tom McCartney immensely stimulating. They talked about politics, which she knew nothing about. She, however, managed to tell him a little bit about John Key, the prime minister of New Zealand. She also felt quite good when she happened to mention Obama and how smart he was.

Tom had a pleasant personality, like