Admittedly, there was an air of tension surrounding the game that she had never imagined being associated with a board game before, but much of it was lost on Madison. She saw tiles being placed, but they were just small blocks of wood to her. Her echolocation could not make out colors of paint or ink, only more physical changes. It was frustrating. Heda loved to read and write and play this silly game, and Madison was unable to share it.

Heda wound up winning the game by five points with a last second placing of the word "plodder" to finish off her tiles. A sense of pressure seemed to be released from the room as the "noble warriors" smiled at one another, clapping each other on the backs or shaking hands. It was like someone had just won the Superbowl.

“Hey babe!" Heda said, grinning proudly as she stood up from the field of battle.

"Didn't see you come in."

“Obviously,” Madison said dryly, though also a Little softly. Heda moved over and embraced her and give her a light kiss, usually reserved for when the parents were in the room.

"You okay?"

“There are no good ways for me to answer that question," she replied, feeling a little better. Getting kissed by a beautiful woman could do that.

“Then try honest ones," Heda replied.

"I'm freaked. I just realized that we've spent basically our whole relationship worrying about me and my problems, and I see you playing a game I never could. I've never read any of your writing, and --"

She paused when she was kissed again, but only temporarily, "-- I've been a horrible girlfriend --" (kiss) "--and an emotional trainwreck--" (kiss) "--and . . . and . . . What the hell was I saying?"

"Nothing you need to be worrying about."

“Listen, we've taken up enough of your time —-" Mr. Adler started to say, but Madison waved him off.

"No, you all are only in town for a little while. And thanks to my drama, you didn't even get to do the parent day stuff."

Jessica raised both eyebrows.

“Missy, I've had two children come through this institution already." She glared at her oldest son.

“It could have been three already, but someone had to go and ‘find himself! or some such --"

“Dear, remember what we said when you started turning into an academic snob?" her husband said soothingly.

"I've got your ——"

"Jessica," her husband said, his voice a little sterner this time.

Jessica Adler closed her eyes, then opened them again and proceeded.

“Anyway, my husband and I have seen this campus from one side to the other, we donate heavily, and I'm reasonably certain that the speeches haven't changed since Rob and Richard went through. I just came to see my daughter and try to figure out what she's gotten herself mixed up in."

"Hom!"

"Not that it's a bad thing, but you do tend to wind up in situations like this."

“Like this? Mother, what possibly compares to having a girlfriend who might be the long lost daughter of one of the richest men in the country and maybe the world, as well as having a serial kidnapper and/or killer running around is even remotely comparable to anything I've ever done?"