"My married life is quite all right, thank-you," Marne said. "How, by the way, is yours?"

It was obvious Marne had struck a tender nerve. John gave her a frown and turned loose of his cock. He walked to a nearby rock and sat down on it, looking up at his sister.

"My married life is shitty, thank-you," John said. "But then, we both knew that already, didn't we? Why else am I here, playing with myself, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera?"

Marne found a rock close to the one John was seated on. She sat down, facing her brother. She used her right hand to brush a few strands of her fiery hair out of her eyes.

"Do you know, John, just how much you've changed since your return from Nam?"

"You think I've changed, do you?"

"The old John would have grabbed his clothes the minute he saw me, and he would have been blushing and flustered as all hell by now."

"Yea, maybe I have changed," John admitted.

"Actually, it's quite an improvement," Marne said. "Take the word of someone who has known you all of your life."

"Or, maybe I should take the word of my wife, huh?" John asked. "I'd venture a guess that she would beg to differ with you on whether my change has been for the better."

"Which brings me to one of the reasons I've trekked all of this distance for this little family chat."

"How's that?"

"Melissa told Creagon this morning that she's going to ask you for a divorce," Marne said.

"Damn it to hell!" John said loudly. He got to his feet and turned his back to Marne.

"Does that idea upset you?" Marne asked. "I somehow thought-what with the way things were going-that a divorce might have fit the bill all the way around."

"I would have never married her if I hadn't loved her," John said, turning back to his sister, apparently having gotten his emotions under control. "Just because I might have changed in some ways in Nam, that doesn't mean that I still don't love her."