9 Bullet came over and put his arms around her,
but she pulled away. "Don't!" she snapped , "Don't! Not here."
10 Bullet put his hand on her husband's marker. "Do you think he
questioned?" he asked. "Do you think he cursed The Lords because They
kept you safe? Or did he rejoice because your Hour had not come and you
lived on to carry on the battle?
11 As long as we remember them, they live in our hearts, but if those
memories become our prison, we do them only shame. There comes a time
when we must let them go and know that when our Hour comes, They will
be waiting. But until then, we must live our lives as They would want
us to live them, free and joyfully.
12 From what I've heard of this man, he would want you to live your
life fully and completely. You have no children. You have the right to
claim his birth certificate, and, your sister's, if SHE had no child.
Through you they can still live."
13 "I can't betray him," she wept. "I can't love anyone else. I can't!"
14 "You do not have to love anyone else," argued Bullet, "but you can
be close to someone. Someone can share your dreams, know your sorrows, hold you when you need to cry."
15 "Damn it!'' she snapped, "He told you to say these things, didn't
he? It's just like what HE said, almost like a recording."
16 "No," argued Bullet, "he didn't tell me to say anything. I just say
what I feel. I understand what he told me, you can't live until you let
them go, until you realize their life is done, but yours still exists,
and you must begin to live it.
17 Is that why you wanted me to stay, because I'm a Hood and you
couldn't love a Hood? You couldn't love The Young Speaker because he's
barely a boy. You only choose companions you KNOW you won't get
attached to."