Cuidadora, thank you for your kind words. I like to toss in appropriate cultural references occasionally to link my intended emotional impact to a commonly known event, whether factual or fictional. And thank you for the release to use Lois' hair description. My three muses slapped each other and demanded to know why the others didn't think it first. It was not unlike an episode of The Three Stooges.
Cliffhangers - I like to call them "reader incentives" - don't have to involve mortal danger. This time it's just emotional danger.
Blueowl, I thought the park would be an appropriate venue for a try at reconciliation. And yes, I fully and deliberately intended to create emotional torture, both for my characters and for my readers.
Bwa-ha-ha.
Chapter 23 will be up in moments!
