Wayne Bailey watched from afar as Anna Jadwin knelt on the grass, resting her head on Master Bailey's lap. Raphael Bailey squatted beside them; the grandson, granddaughter-in-law, and grandfather wept in each other's arms.
He wished more than anyone for everything to go back to the way it was before.
As long as Anna Jadwin loved him.
Why didn't she love him!?
He would give his life for her, let alone the Blue Tourmaline! The reason he had hesitated to give it to her was that he feared once he lost his usefulness, she'd leave. But how long could they go on like this?
He could bear the loss of his hands and feet, but not a day of impotence. Not even a man, what could he offer her in his next life? A lifelong widowhood!?
...
Weeping, Grandpa fell asleep like a child.
Old Master Bailey, with his advanced age, often fell into drowsy sleep...
