Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

I’m Pink Lady Apple Yeggs and my friend, and brother-in-law, Deviled Yeggs suggested that I record each project that I set up in the hopes of reforming the people who continue to work for Lily the Pink Enterprises.  If for no other reason, it would show how God is at work.

When my son graduated from high school and college, I was a prisoner in my own home.  I was not going to pass up on this graduation.  The entire Tracy operation shut down, other than tending the cider cooking, fermenting, etc.  One person had to miss the graduation, and the best one to stay behind was Grannie Fannie.  If there was an upset, she would know what to do, and she had the skills to do it.  She had hugged and kissed the graduates before they left to go to the ceremony.

But let’s back up a few very short months.  I thought I had gone insane when I accepted a challenge from Polly Pulice.  There were two students, Kevin Johnson and Joseline Cash.  They were set for top honors at graduation, but they had discovered each other in a carnal fashion.  In other words, they were having sex like rabbits just before graduation.  One parent, Kevin’s mother, felt this would harm his chances to beat Joseline to the honor of Valedictorian.  She tried every kind of legal maneuver to split this young couple apart.  But she accepted an offer for them to come to Lily the Pink for those months.  Our rule was no romance, especially no nudity or sexual activity unless married and then in your own apartment.

We thought the children to be a flight risk, and Kevin even asked Joseline to escape, and they could get married.  I gave this mission of keeping the lovebirds separated no hope of making it through successfully.

But in a very short time, first Joseline and then Kevin were touched by the Vespers services.  They both accepted Jesus.  They both agreed to not get “romantic” until they were married, but we rushed everything to have a “small” wedding three days after graduation.  I put quotes around small.  All employees wanted to be present.  The crazy short schedule meant that the dress makers were going to be in a hurry.  Since Joseline, once we had all the measurements, was a quarter inch over six feet tall, and a big woman, not necessarily fat, but her arms and legs were very muscular…  Okay, finding a dress on the shelf would not be a “wedding” dress, but no dress on earth on the shelf would fit her.

Enter Gwen Quinn.  She made a few phone calls, and a top designer flew into Tracy, making the dress on the spot.  Joseline was told that when the wedding happened, she might not want to sneeze, but it was lovely.  The wedding party was small.  Greta Grunge was the matron of honor.  Jim Kaiser was the best man.  Those were the two that they worked with the most.  Menzie MacDougall, Margie Justice, Jemima Yeggs, and Sophie Yeggs were bridesmaids.  And their boyfriends (husband for Jemima) were the groomsmen.

But again, that gets ahead of the story.  It’s just that those details were decided before graduation and Gwen and I did most of the legwork while they prepared for final exams.

And just like the Math Challenge at the state capitol, where Kevin and Joseline discovered one another, even though they had been rivals since kindergarten, they tied again.  There were few courses in four years that they both did not take.  They made straight perfect scores for four years.  Most of the teachers refused them extra credit problems, but when allowed, they both got a perfect score on that.  Even their penmanship was impeccable.  Why not have two valedictorians and no salutatorian?

The commencement exercise was at the football stadium.  The field was covered from end zone to end zone with graduates.  There were hundreds. The diploma reception was going to take hours, we thought.  Since the Lily the Pink employees were not family, we sat in the stadium seats near the end zone.  Every one of my employees, even the office staff, wore pink coveralls.  Everyone in our section wore pink, except for some of my extended family members and mission families who had gotten to know the two graduates.  It wasn’t that we were showing off, we wanted our two graduates, who we had only known a few months, to know we were there for them.

Knowing that this was going to take a long time, the principal and the president of the school board made very moving speeches, but very short.  Make one good point and sit down.  Then the math challenge trophies were handed out to Kevin and Joseline, and while they were there, they were announced as the joint Valedictorians.  And the principal announced that they were tied going into the year and both students took the same classes their senior year, making perfect grades in every class.  The race was really about whether one would stumble.

Joseline spoke first.  “I had a nasty speech prepared.  I have not been treated with respect here, but I have not shown much either.  Instead, I have accepted Jesus as my Savior.  I beg forgiveness for any bad attitude I might have shown others, and I forgive all who teased and bullied me.  Education is more than getting good grades or even preparing yourself for the next career.  Education is also learning how to make friends.  And I see a huge pink section down in the corner.  I want each of you to know that I love you all.”

Kevin continued.  “Joseline, who I plan to marry in a few days at the Crystal Mountain – by invitation only – left me with the thank yous.  We each would like to thank our parents.  I would like to thank the school board, the principal, and the entire administrative staff, and all the teachers.  Being a teacher these days is very hard, and if a student here says that they cannot learn from a particular teacher, it is upon us, the students, to affect that learning.  The teachers have the knowledge.  We must have the desire and the drive to learn.  And for those who think they have finished their schooling once they get their diploma, life requires learning.  When we quit learning, we quit living.  We may still breathe, but to advance in life, we must continue to put one step in front of the other and learn a little more each day.  But I echo what Joseline said about friendship.  This speech would be hollow and without meaning, if I had no friends with which to share it.  Thank you everyone in the pink section, from Pink Lady to the Evidents and the MacDougalls, to those Joseline and I have worked with down to the custodians and our neighbor families from the mission downtown.  We have learned from each of you.  We love you all.”

The diploma thing went smoothly.  The announcer rattled off several names at a time.  Each section of the field, holding about one hundred graduates, would hand out a diploma, with a photo being taken, and then, the next person would step forward.  Still, the equivalent of one hundred diplomas being handed out took time but not hours.

Then, one of the photographers went to the stage to say a few words.  To our surprise, it was Jemima Yeggs.

The principal introduced her as a recent graduate of the high school and within a few short years had become a television celebrity, known to many as “Stinker.”

Jemima stepped up to the microphone.  “When I was in the crowd out where you are sitting, I knew that I wanted to marry Easter Yeggs.  I knew I wanted a college degree.  But I had no idea what I wanted to do in life.  I married Easter Yeggs in a double wedding alongside the mayor and his bride.  Now, I have a photography business that is growing.  I have such a love for storm chasing, that I do not see myself stopping any time soon.  And I learned just a couple of weeks ago that Easter and I are expecting our first child.  As for the charge to the class, I must mirror what Kevin said.  Keep learning.  Keep growing.  You can succeed in big ways or small, but you never will succeed if this diploma is the end.  It is the beginning of the rest of your life.  You may not become ‘Stinker’ on a reality television show about a storm chasing team, but you may amount to much more than that.  To each graduate, I say to reach for your goal and never give up.  And also know that developing good character and showing love for your neighbor is the most important success story you can ever have.”

With that, the graduates proceeded from the stadium.  When we got back to the Crystal Mountain, we already had refreshments lined up.  And we even invited the parents of Kevin and Joseline.  Kevin’s mother was a bit cool and standoffish, but she was polite.  The other three were in a great celebratory mood.  It was good that the parents could be cordial.  They would see each other a lot over the next few days.  We had a rehearsal dinner along with the rehearsal itself.  But before that, we had an impromptu wedding shower.  They would be needing everything.  At least, Kevin was reunited with the rest of his clothing.  His parents never made an effort to bring him his clothing.  I had to buy him a few things just to make it to graduation.

But as Joseline was overwhelmed with Gwen and Zuzka planning a large wedding, Kevin slipped away to come to my office.

No one was there except for my father and Grannie Fannie playing with Kanok and Joon.  Joon had this wonderful belly laugh and my father, PawPaw, could get him rolling on the floor laughing.  I was trying to focus on some work details, but I was laughing myself.

Then my laughter came to an end when Kevin Johnson asked to come into the office.  He was obviously agitated.

He whispered, “Mommie Pinkie, Joseline wants to have a honeymoon right here so that we can save our money for college.  We had scholarships to Ivy League schools, but they did not pay everything.  T.R.U.S.T. was the best offer financially, but until we became Christians, we were not that interested.  Now, due to their conservative viewpoint and carefully presenting opposing views, we have moved it to the top of our list.  Of course, keeping our jobs here is a benefit.  But I think we should at least have a two- or three-day honeymoon somewhere.  I feel that I have let her down if I don’t.  Please, I need some advice.”

I suggested, “A delay of about a month or so would be wonderful.  I have a contingent of people going to Washington state.  You could represent maintenance and Joseline could represent health and safety, but I agree.  You need to get away right after the wedding.  Let me call in a little Stinker and see what she thinks.”

Jemima was in the Crystal Mountain relaxing, watching everyone else decorating for the wedding, so she was in my office in less than a minute.

I asked, “Stinker, what is the status of the Turtle?”

Jemima groaned, “With two team members getting married soon, we are not taking a big expedition until after the weddings.  B.B. thinks we will have reality television material galore from the showers, weddings, and receptions.  But I am bummed because they want to leave on a really short trip the day after the Kev and Jos wedding, and I have some can’t miss doctor appointments.  Can’t miss in that if I do miss, then I will miss the major expedition in July.  So, what’s up?”

I asked, “So, the Turtle can still only handle five passengers, right?”  Jemima nodded.  “And the Turtle team is down to three people, Home Wrecker, B.B., and Easy, right?”  Jemima nodded.  “What would your reality television folks think of a double kidnapping?”

Jemima and Kevin said, “What?!”

I shrugged, “If we can get the legalities arranged in a day, some rough characters in racing helmets and masks barge into the newlywed’s apartment.  They kidnap them.  They are ‘forced’ to be the worker bees in the Turtle, and then you could get a lot of laughs out of that situation.  Where is the team going?”

Jemima said, “There is a potential tropical storm coming ashore near New Orleans.  When they get there, they will be eating beignets at Café du Monde one day and then measuring windspeeds and rainfall the next.  Depending on where it lands and what track it takes, they might chase potential spinoffs, but that is risky, not from a safety standpoint, but they are too difficult to predict exactly where.  Safety wise, you may be in the wrong place, but I trust Easy.  But then in the wrong place, you just get a lot of rain and nothing to chase.  Then ten miles away, you find something, but by the time you get there, it has finished.  Then you are just assessing storm damage in the rain.  Not very nice prospects.  So, for the three meteorologists, it would be a lot of science experiments and the two additional people would have to stay in their room and dream up something to do.  The poor dears.”

I slapped my hand on the desk, “Then, done, Kevin, do what you must do your wedding night, but go pack two small duffle bags.  I think Jemima has extras.  They are the perfect size for the storage compartments on the Turtle.  I will leave it up to you as to whether this is a surprise to Joseline or not.  I think you need to at least tell her that you will have some early-morning visitors.  And in her duffle bag, pack some of the Gwen Quinn special nighties, but make sure you have plenty of other clothing in case you go out on the town.  Even in storm conditions, New Orleans is a party town, until the power goes out.  And if the paperwork goes through, you might get an hour of meteorology college credit.”

Jemima laughed, “If they get enough face time for our TV channel, they can count on it.  But do not suggest codenames.  Dr. Quinn does that all on her own and the codenames are designed to be embarrassing.  It has to come from her.”

Kevin asked, “I am not allowed in Joseline’s room until after we are married.  Could someone help me out?”

Jemima said, “Since I am the team member that Joseline will replace and you are the plus one that we reserve for meteorology undergrads that are not on storm chasing status, I can help her pack a bag.  That way, I can be cagey and suggest that she will need a bag packed to go between her bedroom now and the new apartment.  You can keep the secret or not.  I will do my best to not blow it, but then, I’m the Stinker.”

At that moment, Joon burst out with the loudest belly laugh yet.

I shrugged, “If Joon likes the plan, I am not going to argue.”

Then I told PawPaw, “I cannot focus on work right now, I’m going to take the scooter and see how the setup is coming for the wedding.  I might even taste some wedding cake at the bakery.  They always slice off parts of the cake to ensure the cake is level and the sides are absolutely straight.”

My Daddy said, “Don’t eat too much of that sweet stuff.”

Kanok yelled, “I ride!  I ride!”  I motioned her to come on.

Grannie Fannie said, “Good!  With Kanok occupied, we might feed Joon and put him down for his nap.”

I said, “I’ll be quiet when I come back, but you can never count on Kanok being quiet.”

Fannie said, “Is there any way you can drop her off at the nursery?”

I chuckled, “If we eat enough cake trimmings, meaning Kanok, and I drive around a lot, she might actually take one of her rare naps.  If not, it’s to the nursery.  They at least have a door on the nap rooms.  Zuzka has been lax with the door thing in here.”

And we were off to check on decorations for the wedding.  The best route to go to the bakery was down the hallway past Aunt Tensie’s lab.  As I drove past, I saw Aunt Hortense, Blaise, and Kevin talking.  Aunt Hortense had a scooter of her own and she waved me in.

Tensie said, “I have added one more person who knows my secret and he’s speechless.”

Kevin kept alternating from folded arms to outstretched hands, “I cannot believe all this.  The one and only Design by Tensie just hired me.  Mommie Pinkie, I still work for Jim Kaiser, but I will be called in to work in a think tank arrangement.  Aunt Tensie, Blaise, Sophie, and me.  Then, as I have time and I have more schooling under my belt, they’ll increase my hours.  I may have to get used to working for someone six years younger, but as it stands, I will be the first ever employee.  Until Blaise and Sophie took over, it was Aunt Tensie using a lawyer as her mouthpiece.  My dream has come true, and I have not even taken an engineering class yet.”

I smiled, “Kevin, I think you will work out fine here.  Just keep it a secret.  Jim Kaiser is the only other professional engineer other than Tensie who knows that she has done it all up to now.  But then again, the last two or three patents were really Blaise and Sophie’s work.  Before long, your name will be on a few.  I have a fidgety kid on my lap, and she wants the trimmings from the wedding cake.  So, I have to go!”

Kanok was asleep by the time I returned to my office.

The wedding went very well.  We got a tuxedo for Michael Rowe, Dr. Quinn’s adopted boy from the flood … once the paperwork goes through.  He acted as the usher and did a great job.  Mrs. Johnson was even civil with the Cash family.  All was well since her son was Valedictorian, sharing the honor with Joseline did not change that.

The reception was wonderful.  The usual dances were rather stiff in that none of the Cash or Johnson families knew much about dancing.  The bridal party did a great choreographed dance, but then the bride and groom had their dance.  Emmett and the band played “I Won’t Dance” composed by Jerome Kern.  Menzie sang the lyrics written by Oscar Hammerstein II and Otto Harbach and then modified a year later by Dorothy Fields and Jimmy McHugh.  And Kevin got down on one knee to beg her to dance, but she shook her hands “No.”  But as the song went on, with a couple of instrumental interludes, she finally got in the position to start dancing, but she immediately stepped on Kevin’s foot.  Since everyone had gotten the impression that they could not dance, rather than they would not dance, they thought she had really hurt him.  He hobbled for a while.  Then they tried again, one or two steps, and he decided he would dip her.  But since she is so large, and he is so skinny, he dropped her.  The drummer even accentuated the fall.  By then, some of the crowd was starting to get the idea that they set this entire thing up.  They danced a little bit, but one or the other would trip and stumble halfway across the dance floor.  But when the song finally concludes, it is Kevin that trips and falls.  As the band finished the song, Joseline is seen dragging Kevin off the dance floor.

It was hilarious, but no one thought either of them had any comedic timing.  And it would have been a lot easier learning how to really dance.  But as for memorable wedding dances, this one took the cake.  In fact, one of their tripping routines that had Joseline nearly fall was when she was headed straight for the cake and half the crowd yelled, “No!”  She stopped just short of it.

Jemima’s idea about the honeymoon was accepted by Dr. Kildare after a lot of pleading.  The result was that the reality show episode that would involve the abduction would have a statement that this was a one-time thing.  The students that were “abducted” would be taking meteorology classes as electives, and they promised to be active members of the team rather than just observers on their honeymoon.

As it turned out, they were more actively involved than what anyone suspected.  The abduction went like clockwork, with Joseline looking like she was scared.  I think Kevin suggested there would be something surprising in the middle of the night, but he did not clue her into everything.  Jemima got it all on film and at least the newly married couple was dressed.  But then, Jemima stayed behind.  The Turtle team was comprised of Easy (driver and storm chasing planner), B.B. (photographer), Home Wrecker (professorial oversight and radar communications for the driver), and the newlyweds.  Easy and B.B. shared the driving to their hotel just off Jackson Square in New Orleans, Louisiana.  They could see Café du Monde from their hotel rooms.  They chose a hotel with accessible balconies to set up instrumentation.  The hotel also gave them roof access, which is not usually allowed to guests.  They also set up instrumentation in the parking garage.

The tropical storm hit the next day with vengeance.  The newlyweds only came up for air when the howling and banging against the windows made it too hard to think.  Then again, they were not thinking of much until there was a knock at the door.  Easy yelled, “Get dressed and be at the Turtle in thirty minutes!”  Home Wrecker (Dr. Quinn) detected the clear sign that tornadoes might form, and they wanted to get close.  With a little bit of God’s blessing, they might see them, but in a tropical storm or hurricane, you had to be in the right place at the right time.

Everyone was in their crash helmets and full gear.  Joseline’s clothes were a little oversized and built for a large man, but everyone was ready.  They followed the radar signature that Home Wrecker had discovered, and they were in the right place.  It was dark about the time they reached where the tornado should be if there was one.

Then, it was on them.  Their wind speeds went over one hundred miles per hour.  Home Wrecker yelled, “Easy, B.B. Turtle Mode!”  They were on a paved country road near the Louisiana, Mississippi state line.  Easy pulled to the shoulder and shouted to B.B. “Now!”  B.B. deployed the shields (turtle shells as most people called them) and the anchors (large screws that would drill into the semi-soft shoulder to hold the vehicle on the ground).  The idea was to ensure that wind did not get underneath the Turtle.  This would keep them from flying away themselves, but the secondary benefit was shielding against flying debris.

Easy called into the Emergency Management Switchboard which was patched into the 911 dispatch to report the tornado, its location, and its general direction.  In his report, he would stop when something large hit the Turtle shell.  They were safe in all aspects except their hearing.  He also said, “Observed debris.  Mostly tree limbs, but some wood from a structure.  Wind speeds observed over one hundred miles per hour.  This is stronger than expected when associated with a tropical storm.  The wind is starting to die down.  We will retract our shell and use our searchlights to try to find the source of the structural material.  We will call back when we find something.”

They doubled back and saw a gravel road in the direction of where the storm had come.  The gravel road was a driveway to an old farmhouse that was now a pile of debris.  It would take the National Weather Service to determine the tornado strength, but demolishing a house was usually EF3, extremely rare to be associated with a tropical storm, but if the house was not up to code, it might be EF2, still rare.

As they all left the Turtle, Kevin, Joseline and Easy started tearing through the pile of debris on top of the foundations of the home.  The house was built with brick foundations, above ground.  It looked like a shotgun house of the late 1800s.  Kitchen and dining on one side of the entrance hall, bedrooms and bathrooms on the other side.  “Shotgun” in that someone entering through the front door could fire a shotgun and the blast simply goes out the backdoor.  A hallway straight through from front to back doors.

As B.B. filmed and photographed everything, and Home Wrecker and Easy had their bodycams on, Home Wrecker found a woman.  She checked the woman’s vital signs and then yelled, “Amazon!!  I need you and bring the first aid kit!”

Joseline ran to the Turtle and then followed Home Wrecker’s voice into the darkness. A woman in her 30s or early 40s lay on the ground with cuts everywhere and maybe a few broken bones.

Home Wrecker said, “Now, Amazon, it’s your chance to save a life.  Pressure!  As soon as I lift off my hand, be ready with a sterile bandage to apply pressure. A nail from a part of the house cut a little deep and in the wrong place.  You apply pressure.  Use the flashlight to identify your position.  Do not let go of this woman’s leg.”

They made the switch, but even in that brief time, Joseline saw the arterial spray.

Just before Home Wrecker left to have Easy talk to 911, the victim muttered, “Mama.  Root Cellar.”

Home Wrecker was screaming as she ran back to where Easy and Kevin (now known as Skinny).  “Easy!  Skinny!  You have someone in a root cellar.  Find it.  B.B. stow the camera.  Help the guys!  Call out!  She might say something.”

There was no voice or knocking.  They had no idea in all the rubble where the entrance to the root cellar could be.  It was amazing that they even had one.  Twenty miles south, and you would find water too quickly to have any root cellar at all.

Soon a helicopter flew overhead.  The spotlight focused on the victim and Joseline, who was waving her flashlight to get their attention.  They lowered a basket and the loadmaster said for the victim to get on.  Joseline said she could not let go of the woman’s leg.  The loadmaster seemed to understand.  He said for both to climb in, Joseline lying on top of the woman.  They’d lift them slowly.

Suddenly, Joseline looked at the crew working on the debris that used to be a house.  She yelled, “But my husband!”

The loadmaster said, “Not enough room.  It’s now or never!”

So, off Joseline went.  As they were flying toward the hospital, Joseline explained that she was on her honeymoon, and she had never been separated from her husband since they were married.  When they arrived at the hospital, Joseline’s hand was not able to move.  They pulled her hand from the wound and dealt with the artery, but they took Joseline to an adjoining room to massage her hand.  Putting that much pressure for that long does something to the hand.  Joseline was learning about patient care the hard way.

Soon after the helicopter left, the quieter conditions allowed Kevin to hear something.  It sounded like a dog.  As they dug in that direction, they heard a woman moaning and a dog whimpering.  The victim’s mother and her dog were okay, just stunned.  The root cellar was small.  Enough room for two people and a dog.  Once the woman was able to speak, she said that her daughter lived in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, and she came to help.  She was calling her husband to let him know the storm was on top of them and she would be in the root cellar if anything happened.  But she did not have time to get there.

Then, Kevin asked, “Where is Jos?”

Easy called 911, and the dispatcher said that the helicopter could have gone to Bogalusa, Covington, or New Orleans, all in Louisiana.  When Home Wrecker spoke of an arterial bleed, the dispatcher suggested a hospital in New Orleans.  A few phone calls later and they confirmed that they could pick up “Amazon” on their way back to the hotel.  Since “Mama” had no place to live, they brought her with them in the Turtle to reunite her with her daughter.  Easy informed the local sheriff’s office where they would drop the lady off.  The sheriff’s office would set up a shelter for the woman.  That one house was the only major damage from the spin up tornado.

Joseline saved a life.  Kevin heard noises that led the team to the mother.  They had both earned their keep on the team.  The news media hovered over the honeymooners in the ER.  They talked about their “separation” to save a life.

Easy mumbled, “I’m separated from my wife, and she’s pregnant.  I don’t get any love at all.”  Home Wrecker and B.B. got on either side of him and started hugging and kissing him and their hands started to roam.  “Will you two stop that?!  If you have your bodycams on, Stinker might take this the wrong way!”  The two Turtle teammates purred, “Oh, our bodycams are turned on and that’s not the only thing that’s turned on.”  When Easy finally pulled free, he said, “I’ll wait for you in the Turtle where it’s safe!”  His teammates, both soon-to-be brides, one a virgin and one far from it, laughed.

Home Wrecker then turned to B.B. and said, “And now, you know why he is called ‘Easy.’ “

B.B. asked, “Easily embarrassed?”

Home Wrecker laughed, “No, Mary, I knew Jemima and Easter before I met Jesus.  I wanted Easter in the worst kind of way.  He was a virgin, and I wanted him.  He was in love with Jemima, and he loved Jesus.  So, I had no chance.  I wanted to call him the ‘hardest’ conquest I never made.  But I used sarcasm instead.  And Stinker thinks Easy is just short for Easter.”

B.B. said, “She’ll know once she reviews the bodycams.”

They were still laughing when Jos and Kev walked up.  Kev asked, “Where’s Easy?”

Home Wrecker said, “He’s in the Turtle.  Something came up.”

B.B. doubled over laughing, “And now we know why you are the Home Wrecker!”

Joseline and Kevin just looked confused.

Credits

The Hammerstein and Harbach version of I Won’t Dance was in a musical in London and it flopped, but when the song was suggested in a Kern-Harbach musical a year later, Roberta, they asked Dorothy Fields to work on the lyrics.  That might have done the trick, but having Fred Astaire sing the song in the film version cemented I Won’t Dance as a jazz standard and included in any version of Roberta ever since.  Of course, Astaire mostly danced.

The EF2 or EF3 is from the Enhanced Fujita scale to determine a tornado strength from the damage after the tornado.  With the house construction, the National Weather Service would probably downgrade the rating since the house was not up to the present code.  Any talk of a tornado being one strength or another is pure speculation until the damage assessment team has done their work.  Usually tornadoes that spin off from a tropical storm are weak tornadoes, EF0 or EF1.

And Joseline being unable to move her hand is a real problem.  When my wife had an arterial bleed, she held the bandage on the wound until her hand hurt.  I then took over, but when the bleeding would not stop, I had to call 911.  When her hand felt a little better, she took over, but she was already starting to cramp.  When the EMTs arrived, my wife’s hand, holding the pressure, would not move.  They had to pry her hand from the bleeding arm.  With some gentle massage, the hand slowly began to move again.