Title: No Illusions

Author: manette

Rating: PG-13

Originally for Pixie’s September challenge. I had this half started way back in September, so I decided to finish it on my way out of town in October. But I didn’t get it finished before I left town and so then I got back in town and tried to finish it before I left again in November. Now it is December….And in the mean time new challenges are whizzing past me, and I haven’t had a chance to read anything. Help!!!

No Illusions

The Paradise Lounge was a tired place, worn out and mostly empty. Cracked red booths lined the space along the outside of the room. Tiny, wobbly tables and rickety chairs filled up the middle of the floor and faced a stage that was dressed in a faded red velvet curtain. Onstage a magician, who couldn’t have been a day under eighty five was performing. He tapped his magic wand twice, and it was transformed into a colorful bouquet of red and yellow fake flowers. With a dramatic flourish he presented them to his seventy something year old assistant. She curtsied, and the eleven people in the audience applauded.

Harm and Mac were two of those people. They sat in one of the booths. His arm was around her shoulder. Her hand rested possessively on his thigh. Mac watched the magician completely wide-eyed with wonder. And Harm watched her. It was a side of her he’d never seen before. Gone was the no nonsense Marine, the worldly wise lawyer. She seemed fascinated by the simplest tricks even when they didn’t go too smoothly.

A scarf was tossed into the air, and she gasped when it turned into a dove that circled over the audience. Everyone laughed when the bird decided to make a stop on a woman’s head at a ring side table before continuing its flight back to perch on The Magnificent Morey’s boney finger.

Mac’s hands flew to her cheeks when the magician poured an entire pitcher of water into his top hat and then reached in and pulled out a slightly damp bunny rabbit.

She grabbed Harm’s hand and squeezed it in a death grip when Morey sawed the lovely seventy something Monique in two, and she didn’t loosen her grip until he’d put her back together again. “How does he do that?” she whispered, turning to Harm, but when he opened his mouth to speak, she said quickly, “No, don’t tell me. I don’t want to know.”

When Morey promised to make Monique float in mid air for his grand finale, Harm wasn’t sure if Mac could take the excitement. He hoped the trick would go off without a hitch for everyone’s sake. Morey really wasn’t a very good magician. His movements were awkward. His illusions were second rate and his assistant was way too old and fragile to withstand crashing down onto the middle of the stage without breaking a hip at the very least.

Mostly, he didn’t want Mac to be disappointed.

This clumsy excuse for a honeymoon hadn’t been what he’d wanted for her. By some miracle and a lot of string pulling by General Cresswell, they’d been allowed an extra week before he had to be in London, but that was the only thing that had gone their way. He’d dreamed of taking her sailing or spiriting her away for a week alone in some Italian villa. Instead bad weather, cancelled flights, and the looming requirement to report shortly for his new job conspired to wreck any grander plans he’d tried to put together.

Mac had remained unfazed through it all. When all the other plans fell through she’d randomly picked out a small inn in Maryland from the phone book and said, “This place looks perfect.”

“Perfect?” he asked. He looked at the small picture in the ad, unconvinced.

She kissed him, and said, “You, me, a bed, and room service. What else could we need?”

“A ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign,” he added before losing himself in the kiss.

His apprehension hadn’t lessened when they’d pulled up to the Enchanted Forest Lodge. It had nothing to recommend it that he could see. Faded flaking paint was partially hidden behind ivy covered walls, and the imitation Old English décor didn’t quite reach the level of quaint or cozy. The bed, in what passed for the bridal suite, was a big four poster, but the mattress turned out to be lumpy, the bed springs squeaked every time they moved, and room service consisted of Nick, the bell captain, running across the street to Mabel’s 24 Hour Diner and making deliveries straight to their room.

But Mac insisted that it was charming, and once they were alone and he was wrapped in her arms, nothing else seemed important.

He was still trying to get his mind wrapped around the fact that she was really his wife. Some part of him was amazed that she’d even considered his blurted out suggestion that they get married. But not only had she agreed to it without hesitation, she’d gone along with the idea of the coin toss, and when it had landed on heads, he hadn’t known whether to laugh or cry. He’d been half afraid that actually expecting her to give up her new command would be asking too much.

But she never batted an eye. “We’re going to London,” she’d declared for one and all to hear. And she’d hugged him and said, “So, now you better get busy and marry me, Captain.”

And he had—in a quickly arranged ceremony attended by all their closest friends and, of course, Mattie. She’d taken everything in stride much the same way Mac had. The marriage, the move to London—it all seemed to meet with her approval much to his relief. She was working hard at her physical therapy, and the doctors saw no reason that she wouldn’t make a full recovery in time. Plans were being made for her to join them as soon as the doctor released her for travel.

In the meantime all he had to do was figure out a way to transform a week at a very forgettable two star hotel into a honeymoon Mac wouldn’t forget.

If only she would cooperate.

They’d barely arrived at the Lodge when they had their first disagreement—first disagreement as a married couple, that is. Arguing with Mac was a way of life, after all, and it was a part of their relationship that he usually found stimulating. In some ways it had served as a form of foreplay for the last nine years.

And maybe he’d overreacted just a little.

They’d both packed lightly for the honeymoon, each just bringing one bag, and as soon as he opened the trunk, Mac grabbed her own suitcase out of the back.

He reached for it and said, “Let me get that, Mac.”

She smiled when he tried to take it and said, “Thanks, but you don’t need to carry both of them.”

“It’s no problem.” He said a little more insistently, and then with a smile he added, “You should relax. You’re on your honeymoon, remember?”

“So are you, Harm. I can carry my own bag—I’m a Marine, remember?”

He gave up with a huff. “Fine, Mac. Be my guest.”

It hadn’t seemed like a good time to remind her that she wouldn’t be a Marine for much longer, so he closed the trunk and tried not to sulk on the way into the lobby. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t carried her own bag when they’d traveled as partners, so it shouldn’t have bothered him now. But she was his wife and he thought that should’ve changed something. He should at least get to spoil her a little now that she was his new bride. If he couldn’t whisk her off to some exotic location, the least she could do was let him carry her luggage. By the time they reached the front desk, he’d worked himself into quite a state.

No one was behind the counter so he rang the bell and they waited silently, side by side, each stubbornly gripping their own bag.

Mac glanced over at Harm and nudged him with her shoulder. “Hey, Harm.”

He glanced back and asked reluctantly, “What?”

“You can carry my bag if you really want to.” Her smile was private and intimate—a smile he was quickly learning he had no defense against, and it promised things he knew she was quite capable of delivering. She dropped her bag and put her arms around his waist.

His irritation melted away at her touch. He sighed, sat his bag on the ground and pulled her to him. With a teasing smile he said, “That’s okay, Mac. In fact, just to prove how much I love you, I’ve decided you can carry mine, too.”

She laughed and put her head on his shoulder. “You’re too good to me.”

“Oh, I’m just getting started,” he said before he tilted her chin up and kissed her. The kiss ended when the discreetly cleared throat of the desk clerk reminded them that they were still in public.

“Welcome to the Enchanted Forest Lodge. My name is Johnson. How may I help you?” A dapper gentleman with gray hair and a mustache greeted them from behind the front desk.

“You should have a reservation for Mr. and Mrs. Harmon Rabb, Jr.” Harm smiled at Mac as he spoke, and they got a little lost staring into each other’s eyes, taking a moment to savor the out and out wonder of how good that sounded.

Johnson broke into their reverie by stating, “You’re newlyweds.”

Mac grabbed Harm’s arm and looked at him adoringly before turning back to the desk clerk and asking, “Is it that obvious?”

He smiled indulgently and held out a key. “Your reservation is for the bridal suite. It’s our finest room, and I hope you have a lovely stay. Please let us know if there’s anything you need.”

Harm took the key and said, “We will. Thank you.”

“Nick?” Johnson waved to the bell captain now seated at his station and gestured toward their bags.

As Nick approached Harm stopped him, and handed him a five dollar tip. “That won’t be necessary, Nick. The little woman’s got ‘em. Don’t you, sweet thing?”

“No problem, sugar buns.”

Johnson looked appalled, and Nick raised his eyebrows and smirked before pocketing the five dollars and hopping back onto his stool. Mac winked at the men and made a great show of hoisting up both bags before following Harm down the hall to their room. He unlocked the door and opened it, and then turned and lounged against the door jamb watching her approach. He moved in front and blocked her way when she tried to enter.

“Not so fast.” He looked meaningfully at the threshold and back at her. “Aren’t you forgetting something?”

“Harm, you already carried me across the threshold after we got married yesterday. I don’t think you have to do it again today.” She tried to move past him.

He stopped her and took both bags and sat them inside the room. He crossed his arms across his chest and said with a wink, “I was thinking you could carry me across this time.”

“Very funny, sailor.” She started toying with the top button on his shirt. “I could do it, you know. But I’d probably have to get rid of some of these clothes first to lighten the load.” Her hands went to his belt buckle. “The pants would definitely have to go.”

He laughed and grabbed her wrists. “You’re so competitive. Always looking for a way to even the playing field, aren’t you, Mac?”

“I don’t like to lose,” she said as she pressed herself against him. “I’ll admit it.”

“Okay, how ‘bout instead we have a race to see who can make it over to that big bed first. I’ll even give you a head start.”

“That’s very generous of you.” She’d gone back to work on the buttons of his shirt and they’d managed to stumble backwards into the room when she pulled back and grinned at him. “Maybe you better carry me, after all.”

He swept her up into his arms, kicked the door shut, and was across the room in three big strides. He fell onto the bed still holding her and declared, “I win.”

She laughed, and then whispered as he rolled on top of her, “Just wait ‘til next time.”

The days melted into one another. Some days they hardly got out of bed. On others they would wake up early and go running in the nearby park, trying to burn off some of the endless energy that just being close seemed to generate. They would go over to Mabel’s diner and just sit in a booth across from each other, order coffee and pie, and read the newspaper to see what was happening in the outside world. Hardly talking except for an occasional comment on something they read, they barely seemed aware of each other. And then her foot would find its way up his calf, or his hand would brush hers while reaching for a section of the paper and without a single word they would tumble out of the booth and race back to the privacy of their room.

And sometimes even when they were all alone in their room they would go hours without touching. She would read, and he would work on the jigsaw puzzle they’d bought in the gift shop. The rhythm they’d developed from working together for all those years seeped into their daily routine even on their honeymoon. It occurred to him that if he had been dressed in more than boxer shorts and if she’d been wearing more than a blanket it would have been just like any number of times they’d worked side by side on some investigation. She would sprawl out on the bed to study some report and he would work at the table going over witness interviews. He found comfort in the familiarity of it all. He found contentment in the ease with which they shared the space. He was completely satisfied just to have her close.

He threw a puzzle piece at her, and it bounced off her blanket. She was so involved in her book that she didn’t notice, so he threw another one aiming directly for her book this time. It hit the cover, and she waved her hand as if to ward off a pesky insect but then just kept reading. Next he picked up three pieces and lobbed them at her one at a time. When she finally looked up from her book he pretended to be totally engrossed in the puzzle.

“Did you want something, Harm?” she asked.

“No, I think I’ve almost gotten all the covered wooden bridge put together. They tried to fool me by making the tree trunks the same color.”

“Glad to know you’re too smart to fall for that old trick.” She smiled, turned on her side facing him, and went back to her book.

He waited for her to get settled and then picked up two big handfuls of the puzzle. Then he rose up from his chair, let out a war cry and pelted her without mercy as he dove behind the lounge chair in the corner.

Startled, she threw her book down and sat up, assessed the situation quickly, wrapped the blanket securely around her body, and rolled off so she could take cover on the opposite side of the bed.

“You’re in big trouble now, Rabb,” she warned. She gathered the pieces he’d thrown at her and when he made a mad dash to the table to get more ammo she launched a counter attack.

Undeterred, he advanced on her until he was crouched down on one side of the bed while she remained trapped on the other. They exchanged fire, laughing and ducking and trying to gain an advantage. It looked like a stand off until Mac decided to go for broke. She stood up and let loose with a mighty barrage while the blanket she’d been wearing fell around her feet. Harm just stood there gawking with a goofy grin on his face while puzzle pieces bounced off his chest.

“So, are you ready to give up?” he asked when Mac ducked back down behind the bed.

She peeked over the edge. “Never.”

“What if I give up first?” He offered as a puzzle piece whizzed by his ear.

It was quiet for a moment and then she said, “I’d need to see an offer of good faith. Throw your boxer shorts into the middle of the bed and come out with your hands up. Then we’ll talk.”

He was quiet for a moment and then he said, “You drive a hard bargain, MacKenzie. I’ll agree, but you have to throw your blanket onto the bed, too, and then we can meet in the middle and hammer out a truce that will satisfy both of us.”

“Sure, Rabb. That sounds fair. On the count of three—one, two, three.”

He threw his boxers onto the bed and Mac’s blanket soon followed. Then they both stood up in all their glory and pummeled each other with all the puzzle pieces they’d been hoarding. Mac squealed when Harm dove across the bed and neatly captured her. Or maybe she captured him. He never could get her to agree with him on that part when they talked about it later.

Midway through the week something woke him up in the middle of the night—a noise, the edge of a dream, the feel of the woman lying beside him—he wasn’t sure. He rolled onto his side and studied her familiar face. It wasn’t the first time he’d watched her while she slept. Over the years he’d watched her sleep on airplanes, doze in cars, and nap on beds in various hotel rooms. But this felt different. He could look all he wanted, and if she woke up and caught him, he wouldn’t have to feel the least bit guilty. If he wanted to reach out and trace the line of her back he could. If he wanted to kiss her shoulder and breathe in the smell of her lingering perfume he could do that, too. But for the moment he was happy just to watch her—the rise and fall of her breasts, the sweep of her dark hair against her cheek, the curve of her hip falling away toward her long legs.

God, he loved her, and he’d only been hours away from missing all this. If they’d gone their separate ways this time he was quite certain he would have spent the rest of his life regretting the loss of Mac.

Instead it seemed he was getting everything he wanted—a new command, guardianship of Mattie, and most of all, Sarah MacKenzie Rabb by his side, for better or for worse. He was ridiculously happy. On the other hand, Mac’s career was gone, she was going to share in the responsibility for a teenage girl she hardly knew, and his new position was going to demand a lot of his time and attention in the beginning. Not the best formula for starting their life together. He was afraid that in truth he’d ended up with the ‘better’ while Mac had ended up with all the ‘worse’. Maybe that was why he’d wanted to dazzle her with an unforgettable honeymoon—smoke and mirrors so she wouldn’t wake up too soon and begin to regret the bargain she’d made.

He kept thinking they should talk about it. They’d spent hours talking about everything else. London—his new job and where they wanted to live. Mattie—and how her recovery was going to fit into this new life. They’d even gotten into the baby issue and agreed that they both wanted to look at their options. So yes, they’d talked about everything except what she’d given up to be with him, and that worry hovered on the edge of his happiness, just waiting to intrude.

She made a little sleepy sound, mumbled his name, and then reached for him. Her arms went around his waist and her face burrowed against his chest as she settled peacefully in his arms as if she belonged there. “I love you, Harm.”

It certainly wasn’t the first time she’d said it since showing up at his apartment and broaching the issue of them. But hearing her say it while she was all sleepy and unaware made him believe it was true even in her dreams. The soft declaration pierced some armor he hadn’t realized he still carried. “I love you, too, Mac.” He stroked her hair and held on tight while he let her words chase away every worry for one more night.

The week was nearly over when Mac suddenly sat up in bed and declared that they had to get dressed and go out so they would have a story they could actually share with other people when they were asked about their honeymoon.

“No one asks anyone what they did on their honeymoon, Mac. Everyone knows what they’re doing on their honeymoon. So they don’t ask.” He pulled her back down beside him and bounced up and down and waggled his eyebrows in time with the squeaking bed springs.

“Harriet will ask, and she’ll want details,” Mac insisted primly. He didn’t know how she could pull off ‘prim’ while she was completely and gloriously naked, but she did.

He nuzzled her throat and was working his way down to her collarbone while he murmured, “Harriet’s a big girl. I think she can handle the truth.”

Mac turned to face him. “Okay. That’s fine with me if you’re sure.”

He paused in mid-nuzzle and asked, “So, what exactly are you going to tell her?”

She grinned and said, “You know—details.” Her hands started roaming over some of his more sensitive details.

He looked alarmed, and it was his turn to sit up in bed. “You wouldn’t dare. I have to be able to face her at future social gatherings.” Now he was the one being prim.

Mac laughed and sat up beside him. “So, let’s go out. We can drive into Baltimore—have dinner—maybe go to a club afterwards and do some slow dancing. It’ll be fun, and I’ll have a nice romantic story to tell Harriet.”

He pulled her in for a hug. “So, I have to be romantic?”

“Just this once,” she teased as she swung her legs off the bed and headed to the bathroom.

He got off the bed and trailed after her. “Well, I guess since it’s for Harriet.”

They ate at the Owl Bar in the Belvedore Hotel and afterwards they wandered aimlessly down the street looking for a place with live music. Mac spotted the sign for the magic act and told him she’d never seen a magician perform in person before. She practically bounced up and down when she asked if they could go.

He’d laughed at her enthusiasm, but he wasn’t sure this was the best choice for a romantic evening. “Magic acts are so corny, Mac. I mean who wants to have a quarter pulled out of their ear?”

“I do. Please, Harm? It’ll be fun.”

“I thought you wanted to go dancing.” He pulled her close, and they swayed to some imaginary tune that only the two of them could hear.

She sighed and relaxed against him letting him remind her body that she’d been out of his arms for too long already. Then she suddenly straightened and with a smile pointed to the sign. “Look, ‘Dance to the mellow sounds of the Duff Brown Quartet following The Magnificent Morey’!”

He looked at the shabby place and asked again. “Are you sure about this?”

“It’ll be perfect,” she’d answered before pulling him inside.

So they sat side by side in their ratty booth and watched as the grand finale went off without a hitch. Monique floated like a cloud while Morey passed large gold hoops over and around her body to prove that no wires were involved. Then he returned her safely to the stage and twirled her around in circles while the small audience applauded enthusiastically. They both bowed and waved to the crowd and disappeared from the stage in a giant puff of smoke. And Mac had been thrilled with the whole thing.

She was grinning from ear to ear when she said, “Thank you, Harm. That was so much fun!”

He laughed and said, “But it wasn’t exactly romantic.” He waved his hand around to clear some of the smoke that still lingered long after Morey and Monique had disappeared. The band was setting up and so he nudged her shoulder with his and indicated the space that was being cleared for a dance floor. “So, do you wanna dance?”

“Okay, unless you’d rather just take me back to the lodge and have your way with me.” She put her hand on his leg and kissed him lightly on the corner of his mouth.

He chased her mouth with his and caught it for a proper kiss then asked, “What about Harriet?”

“She’s not invited,” Mac informed him as she started scooting out of the booth. She reached back and caught his hand and started pulling him out, too. “Come on. You can dip me on the way out the door. She’ll never know the difference.”

The band started playing some old standard just as he stood up, so he wrapped her in his arms and danced her toward the front door of the place. Then just for the hell of it he bent her back over his arm and dipped her. She let out a tiny surprised yelp, and when he sat her back on her feet, she laughed and hugged his neck before pulling him outside into the night air.

Much later, while they were wrapped around each other in bed, just as he was drifting off to sleep she whispered, “You’re wrong, you know.”

He had no clue what she was talking about, but he opened one eye and said, “I’m not always right, but I’m never wrong.”

She ignored him and continued softly, “Tonight was very romantic, and the memory of this whole week is something I’ll treasure when I’m old and gray.”

He opened his other eye and rolled over toward her. “Me, too. It’s just that—” He trailed off and shut his eyes again, but now he was wide awake.

“It’s just what, Harm?”

“As soon as we leave here the real world is going to hit us with both barrels. Moving to London, making arrangements for Mattie, the new command, and I’m afraid we—us—this—might get lost in the shuffle sometimes. I just wanted to make this week special so you’d know how much I love you. So you’d know that regardless of how crazy things get the next few weeks or months that marrying you wasn’t just one more thing on my list of things to do. You deserve more than a second rate magic act and Mabel’s eat-all-you-want buffet on your honeymoon.” He trailed off again and rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling.

She laid her head on his chest—just in that place that already fit her perfectly. His arm went around her automatically, and her hand traced a pattern on his ribcage. “It’s funny you should say that, because in the past I was always willing to settle for less than I deserved. When Mic gave up his career and his country it came with a price. When Webb put his job first and just tried to fit me in when it was convenient that came with a price, too, and even though I complained, I always secretly thought it was all I deserved.”

“And now by marrying me you’ve had to pay with your career.”

“No, Harm. That’s not the way I see it at all.”

“I’m listening.”

“I have loved you in some form or fashion for nine years, and I know you’ve had feelings for me during that time, too, but we always made other choices for all sorts of reasons. When we got our new assignments I thought fate had spoken, and you were destined to remain the great love of my life—the one that got away.”

“So what did you expect when you showed up at my door?”

“Everything, nothing—I don’t know. I think I thought at the very least I’d seduce you so I’d have a memory to keep me warm on lonely nights in San Diego.”

“Really? And I had to go and open my big mouth and offer to marry you.” He turned so that they were facing each other—nose to nose, but even while he teased her, his eyes remained locked with hers.

“It was more than the marriage proposal, Harm. You said that fate could keep us together forever, and that was the real gift regardless of how the coin landed. You were choosing us first—over everything else, and where we ended up didn’t matter at all as long as we could spend the rest of our lives together. I don’t need some fancy honeymoon to prove that you love me after that.”

“I didn’t want to lose you, Mac.”

“I didn’t want to lose you either, Harm. And when I agreed to the coin toss—that was as sacred as any vow we took in our wedding ceremony. I chose us, too, and I don’t regret that for a minute.

“You’d have knocked their socks off in San Diego.”

She smiled. “Thank you,” she said sincerely. “It means a lot that you think so, but I’m excited about the idea of finding new challenges. I’ll be fine, Harm. Even if I have resigned my commission, I’m a Marine, remember?”

“My own tattooed jarhead.” He kissed her on the nose. “Care to arm wrestle?”

“I have a rule about arm wrestling naked sailors.”

“I have a rule for you, too—they better all be named Harmon Rabb Jr.,” he growled.

“That’s the rule!” she declared as she threw herself on top of him. “How’d you know?”

They rolled around and he tickled her and she shrieked and tried to tickle him back, but soon they settled back down into each other’s arms. He was spooned up against her from behind with one long leg thrown across her.

“Thanks for giving me the chance to grow old with you, Harm.” She half turned so she could see his face.

He didn’t say anything, but just studied her intently.

She squirmed under his scrutiny and asked, “What are you doing?”

“I’m trying to picture you old and gray.”

She was amused. “Really? Turns you on, huh?”

“Absolutely. You’ll still be beautiful and stubborn and graceful and mule-headed and—”

“Okay, you should have just stopped with beautiful.” She tried to look indignant but ruined it when a giant yawn split her face open.

He laughed and pulled her close. “You’re right. Get some sleep, beautiful.”

“Okay. G’night, Harm. I love you.”

She was asleep almost as soon as she said the words.

“I love you, too, Mac.” The bedsprings squeaked as he snuggled down beside her and for the first time all week the sound made him smile.

They checked out the next morning vowing to return to the Enchanted Forest Lodge at least once a year. Harm complained because they never did find all of the puzzle pieces and when all was said and done four pieces were missing from the completed picture. Mac got all sentimental and said the puzzle was just like them—unfinished but waiting to be filled with the mystery of the unknown. He told her it was time they got back to the real world if she was waxing poetic about a jigsaw puzzle.

He didn’t say a word when she grabbed her own bag and carried it out to the front desk. The lobby was empty so they sat the bags down and he rang the bell. Nick came in from outside and waved to them as he took his place at the bell captain’s stand. Johnson appeared from the back office and smiled when he saw them. “Mr. and Mrs. Rabb! You’re checking out?”

Harm put the keys on the desk and said, “I’m afraid so, Johnson, but we’ll be back.”

“Excellent! I’m glad you enjoyed your stay.” He handed Harm a copy of the bill, and then waved to the bell captain and gestured toward their bags. “Nick?”

As Nick approached Mac stopped him, and handed him a twenty dollar tip. “That won’t be necessary, Nick. My big, strong husband will get them. Won’t you, honey?”

“You bet, sweet thing.”

Nick raised his eyebrow and smirked before pocketing the twenty dollar bill and hopping back onto his stool. Johnson looked alarmed. “Are you sure, Mr. Rabb? The weather outside is frightful.”

“I’m sure,” Harm said as he made a big show of hoisting up both bags. Then he winked at both men as he followed Mac out the door.

It was raining and they both got wet, but they didn’t care. They sat in the car and took one last look at the place that had given them their start as a married couple.

As they drove away Mac asked, “So what did you think, Mr. Rabb?”

He smiled that smile that he was quickly learning she had no defense against and said, “It was perfect, Mrs. Rabb.”

The End