If A Man Has To

With Respect," Said Red, And His Voice Had Gone So Quiet People Hushed Each Other To Hear Him, "my Tale Is Yet Unfinished; You Should Hear Me Out. And It Is Her Answer I Have Come To Hear, Not Yours.

You Are... You're Like A Beating Heart. A Glowing Lamp. I've Never Met Anyone Like You Before.

My World Was Changing, And I Was Not Ready For It.

I Have Listened To Many Tales In My Life, And Told A Few Of My Own. If This Has Taught Me Anything, It Is That There Are Some Occurrences That Change The Course Of Things, That Make An Alteration Far Beyond Their Own Apparent Magnitude. It Is Like The Throwing Of A Tiny Pebble Into A Pool, How It Makes An Ever-expanding Circle Of Ripples, Spreading Right Across The Water's Surface.

I Had Grown Up. I Had Learned That Being A Woman Was Knowing When To Stand Firm And When To Compromise. I Had Learned To Laugh And Weep; I Had Learned That I Was Weak As Well As Strong. I Had Learned To Love. I Was No Longer A Rigid, Upright Tree That Would Not Flex And Bow, Even Though The Gale Threatened To Snap It In Two; I Was The Willow That Bends And Shivers And Sways, And Yet Remains Strong.