“What did the messenger say?” asks Tomac in a voice rich with curiosity. And with barely a breath in between he adds, “Hey? Can I have a fig?” “Me too, please,” says Vee. Jalan holds out his plate and Tomac takes two figs and a cheese wedge. Vee takes the last pieces of dried apple. “Thanks,” says Tomac as he pops a dried fig in his mouth. Vee just smiles and eats a piece of apple. Jalan decides to finish what is left while he still has something to call his own. In short order the plate is empty. He and Tomac have finished their share. Vee is just eating her last apple piece. With the food gone, Jalan walks toward the back of the house to return the empty plate to the kitchen. “Well?” says Vee as she steps up to walk beside Jalan. Her eyes shine with interest. “The messenger wanted to tell me who my parents are,” says Jalan without slowing. “What do you mean?” says Tomac from behind. Vee rolls her eyes and says, “He means his birth parents.” “His what?”
