Political Power in France 1780-1815 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Political Power in France 1780-1815 - Essay Example The period 1780-1815 was marked by various happenings in France. In the years before the French Revolution, France was experiencing difficult times. The cost of necessities had gone up tremendously. Bread, which was the staple food of the French, had its cost sky rocketing. The reason behind the price of bread going up was that a severe drought and extreme winter hit France. These conditions affected wheat yield which consequently affected bread production. Due to the law supply of bread and the high demand for the same from people, the prices went high. The poor Frenchmen could not afford bread. During the same period, King Louis XVI was in reign. He was weak and could not make decisions in time. He married Marie Antoinette with whom they lived lavishly at the expense of their countrymen. France was in huge debts following the policies of rulers before Louis XVI. Louis XIV and XV had used foreign policies that led France to costly wars. France was driven into deeper debts with the r oyal family and the nobility living lavishly. A taxation system that exempted the Nobility and Clergy was put in place. This was unfair since these were the well off people in society yet they were not to pay these taxes. All these and more factors that will be discussed in the paper will explain the unfolding that took place in France during the period 1780 to 1815. As mentioned earlier, the wars that were initiated by Louis XVI had put France in serious debts. Food scarcity was also becoming a very big problem. Economic problems were on the rise during this period. Suggestions by some ministers to tax the nobility were met with contempt. The problem of the serious debts was not going to be sorted if the nobility and the clergy continued to be exempted. By 1788, the attempts to salvage France from these debts were registered a failure. A meeting of the Estates-General was called by the King. The First Estate was made up of church members or the clergy. The second Estate constituted of the nobility, then the third Estate constituted of the remaining Frenchmen. The issue of classism was not uncommon during meetings. The third Estate, which constituted mostly of the Bourgeoisies, had the majority of members. The last meeting of the Estates-General had been held in 1614. Being the majority, the third Estate demanded greater representation in the house. Their demands were not met which led to their breaking away and forming the National Assembly. This group was the voice of the whole nation thereby challenging the King and the two orders. Liberalism that was fueled by the spirit of Enlightenment led to liberal-minded members of the clergy and nobility joining the National Assembly. The members of the National Assembly accentuated the need for the parliament in France being similar to that in Britain. These people swore to see to it that a constitution was written and sanctioned. The Tennis Court Oath as it came to be known was the movement by the National Assembly in their bid to get a new constitution for France. King Louis XVI, rallied up his troops against the supporters of the National Assembly, as well as, on the National Assembly members. Paris and Versailles were besieged by the King’s defense force. However, the king vacillated bringing the first act of the movement come to a stand. For the first time in the history of the French monarchy, Louis capitulated some of the power that was held absolute. This power had been considered absolute for over two centuries and many say that Louis XVI surrender jeopardized his authority over France. When France’s finance minister, Jacques Necker was dismissed, many were displeased. During the severe climatic conditions, food

Organizational and management styles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

Organizational and management styles - Essay Example It would be important to consider the various factors that determine the levels of efficiency in the management of educational institutions with particular reference to the mentioned universities. The theoretical framework of this study will anchor on various theories of organizational management. The theories shall be considered in terms of how they affect matters of policy and practice of management in the identified institutions. Case reviews on matters of educational management have revealed changing trends in leadership and management across the globe (Bush, 2010, p. 45). There is evidence of a determined shift from the traditional systems of leadership and management, which were more rigid to the current ones that seem to be more flexible. The traditional systems mainly involved a vertical structure where the leadership was at the top and made important policy and administrative decisions that affected the operations at all levels of the universities administration (Bush, 2010) . Educational institutions that adopted exclusivist policies of leadership favored this system. The current systems have evolved to embrace horizontal structures of leadership, in which policy matters and decision-making are handled at multiple points of the organization’s structure (McCaffery, 2010). Such developed kinds of leadership and management entail some aspect of devolution in which power is distributed evenly across various academic institutions. Both systems have important strengths and weaknesses. The increasing clamor for liberties and the advocacy for rights of the minorities have had significant impact on the levels and nature of leadership in American universities (Bush & Coleman, 2000). Gender and ethnicity are some of the factors that have been brought within the umbrella of the management and leadership structures of American universities (McCaffery, 2010). Such leadership styles have impacted positively on the nature of leadership by embracing certain qual ities that are essentially aimed towards responding to the call for harmony in the processes of leadership. Proper management techniques require constant attention to the interests of stakeholders in ways that multiply the importance of normal discourse (McCaffery, 2010). One of the advantages of the top-down leadership structures and management style includes quick decision-making processes (Morrison, Briggs & Coleman, 2012). The leaders make decisions without much consultation, which saves time and affects positively on the speed and efficiency of processes. In some cases, such styles of management feature less bureaucratic challenges since fewer people and fewer processes are involved in the decision-making processes. On the other hand, the same systems are notable for lack of motivation in the lower cadres of management because other people in the organization are not involved in making important decisions within the organization (Walker & Dimmock, 2005). According to theorists of educational leadership and ma

Compare and Contrast Cardiac and Skeletal Muscle

Compare and Contrast Cardiac and Skeletal Muscle Something that differentiates animals from other organisms is their ability to voluntarily carry out actions using their muscles. They do this by muscle cells changing length, which is known as contracting. There are three types of muscle, which are distinguished by their structures and functions. These are cardiac, skeletal and smooth muscle. Here I shall be comparing the structures of cardiac and skeletal muscle and looking at how their histological, structural and functional differences allow them to carry out their specific roles more effectively. Cardiac muscle is found only in the heart and causes contractions, in the heart called systole, which pump the blood out of the heart and around the body supplying the oxygen and other vital substances to cells. Skeletal muscle is attached to tendons, which in turn attach to bones. The contractions of skeletal muscles cause the tendons to pull on the bones, which results in movement of, for example, an arm. There is only one similarity between the structures of cardiac and skeletal muscles. Both their structures are striated (striped), formed by actin and myosin myofilaments. They are tightly organised into repeating patterns so that actin can slide over the myosin during contraction. Figure 1 shows one of those repeating units in cardiac and skeletal muscle, called a sarcomere. For contraction to occur in cardiac and skeletal muscle, the actin filaments slide over the myosin filaments in a process known as the sliding-filament theory. So in figure 1 the thin pink filaments would slide over the dark blue filaments (not true colours). Myosin heads are attached to the actin. Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) induces the dissociation of the myosin head, the myosin head then attaches again to the actin and eventually inorganic phosphate (Pi ) is released changing the angle of the myosin head, causing the actin filaments to slide over the myosin filament.  [1]  This causes a decrease in length of the I band but the A band always stays the same length. One of the main differences between the two types of muscle is in the way that their contractions are brought about. If one wanted to raise their arm, their brain would produce an action potential via the somatic nervous system (SNS). The action potential will lead to a muscle action potential and the T-tubules will depolarize and open calcium ion (Ca2+) channels, leading to cross-bridge cycling, where the actin and myosin slide past each other and cause the skeletal muscle to contract, lifting the bone with it. So the muscle will not contract without the input of the nervous system. Cardiac muscle is also connected to the nervous system. But as contractions are involuntary, cardiac muscle is connected to the autonomic nervous system (ANS). However, unlike in skeletal muscle, the actual action potentials that stimulate muscle contraction are created by myogenic cells in the heart. Myogenic means that it is the cells themselves that create the electrical action potentials, without the need for any external input. The cells are located in the Sino Atrial Node (SAN), which itself is located by the right atrium; the cells in the SAN are known as the pacemaker. They produce a pacemaker potential which sets the frequency of action potentials and thus the intrinsic rhythm of the normal heart.  [2]  The ANS, connected to the SAN, only modulates the heart rate, with the sympathetic nervous system speeding up the heart rate ready for the fight or flight reaction and the parasympathetic nervous system slowing the heart rate down. It is important that the heart is controlled automatically so that we are not conscious of the heart beating, because it would be almost impossible and probably exhausting for us to have to consciously think about making every single heart beat, especially when we are asleep. Moreover, because the heart is myogenic, there are benefits for transplants because the heart muscle can continue beating while the heart is being taken to the new body. Skeletal muscle must be under voluntary control so that every action can be carried out consciously, such as picking up a cup. If it were automatic there would be no conscious control of when the muscles should contract and our limbs would not be under our control. Nevertheless in reflex reactions, the skeletal muscle does come under the control of the ANS. For example, if ones hand was to touch a hot object, the ANS would react following a reflex arc of stimulus, receptor, sensory neuron, relay neuron, motor neuron, effector, response; the arm would automatically move away from the heat source. Generally, compared to the beating of the heart, there is no such pattern in our voluntary skeletal muscle contractions thus an automatic myogenic rhythm of action potentials are not required in skeletal muscles. Looking at a fasciculus from both a cardiac and skeletal muscle shows that they are structured slightly differently. Figure 2.1 and Figure 2.2 (see below) show simplified versions of the structure of both muscles. Figure 2.1 shows an example of skeletal muscle. It is made of long thin cylindrical fibres, each being innervated by a single somatic alpha motoneuron. The axon enters the muscle and branches, connecting to single muscle fibres. In cardiac muscle the fibres are linked together by a type of intercalated disc called a gap junction. Also the fibres are held together by adherens junctions. These strengthen the overall structure of the cardiac muscle so the forceful contractions in the heart dont tear the fibres. The gap junctions are vital for the functioning of the heart. They allow the electrical signals produced from the SAN to pass between muscle cells so they all contract in a synchronised way and the atria followed by the ventricles undergo systole.  [3]  The heart has Purkinje fibres that conduct the action potential so that they go from the SAN in the right atrium all the way to the left ventricle. Damage to cardiac muscle fibres may cause unsynchronised contractions. This irregular and fast contraction of the heart is called fibrillation. If this occurs in somebody, without treatment they are likely to die. It can be treated by a large electric shock delivered across the chest by the use of a defibr illator. This aims to stop and then restart the APs from the SAN and thus for the heart to beat regularly again. Cardiac and skeletal muscle will both react to a single action potential by producing a single twitch response. When the frequency of signals increase, skeletal muscles show summation, where two APs, which occur very close together, will result in one stronger response rather than two normal responses. Eventually a tetanus can occur and instead of simply undergoing a series of single twitches for each action potential, the muscle remains in a contracted state for brief periods, which is far more efficient. This tetanus occurs because the refractory period is a lot shorter than the time it takes for a single cycle of contraction and relaxation. In cardiac muscle cells however, the duration of the action potential is a lot longer, due to slowly activating calcium channels and the T-tubules being relatively longer. Because another action potential cannot occur until the response of the previous action potential has been completed, cardiac muscle cannot undergo a tetanus. This is extremely important for cardiac muscle because time is needed for the heart to sufficiently fill up with blood before the next action potential arrives. A tetanus would prevent this happening and the heart would undergo systole and relaxation (diastole) at times when there is very little or no blood in the heart. Again, fibrillation is likely to occur. Due to the fact that cardiac muscle relaxes fully between contractions, it doesnt tire like skeletal muscle does. This is a benefit for cardiac muscle because if ones heart started to tire one would get angina and some areas of cardiac muscle may start to die. Due to the heart being constantly active, a lot more ATP is needed in cardiac muscle cells than in skeletal muscle cells, which only contract when required to. Therefore cardiac muscle has a larger number of mitochondria than skeletal muscle. Cardiac muscle undergoes constant oxidative phosphorylation to provide the ATP required for the actin to slide over myosin and thus for the muscle to contract. This means the cardiac muscle also requires its own supply of oxygen and respiratory substrates to respire aerobically. These are supplied via coronary arteries, which branch off from the ascending aorta. Having this supply and consequently producing a lot more ATP, is very effective for contractions. Skeletal muscle though, does not have as many mitochondria because it contracts relatively less frequently and does not need the constant supply of ATP. Relatively there is a huge difference in the length of a cardiac muscle fibre and a skeletal muscle fibre. Each cardiac fibre is up to 100 µm whereas each skeletal fibre is between a few mm to a 10cm  [4]. A muscle fibre is also known as a muscle cell. Most cells, including cardiac muscle fibres (cells), have one nucleus. Skeletal muscle fibres have many nuclei along the fibre (figure 2.1). This can be explained by looking again at the lengths of each type of fibre. Each skeletal muscle fibre is at least ten times the length of a cardiac muscle fibre. It would not be very effective for skeletal muscle to have just one nucleus to supply the whole length of the cell. The rough endoplasmic reticulum, which is positioned in the cell near the nucleus, has ribosomes on its surface where polypeptides are compiled. Therefore even if the nucleus was positioned in the middle of the cell, any polypeptides or proteins will be synthesised near there and would require ATP to transport it to where it is needed along the length of the cell. As a result, it is far more effective to have many nuclei scattered along the muscle fibre. Cardiac myocytes (muscle cells) are relatively a lot shorter, thus one nucleus is enough to provide for the whole fibre (see figure 2.2). Aerobic respiration is vital in cardiac muscle. It is the main source of ATP in cardiac muscle and is as a result of oxidative phosphorylation. The main respiratory substrates in cardiac muscle are fatty acids  [5]  , and also carbohydrates. Approximately 1 2% of the ATP in the heart originates from anaerobic respiration in basal metabolic conditions. This can go up to around 9% in hypoxic conditions, but in any more extreme hypoxic circumstances not enough oxidative phosphorylation occurs so theres not enough ATP produced for cardiac contractions, and the cardiac muscle will begin to die. Skeletal muscles have three sources of phosphate to make ATP as and when it is required: creatine phosphate, glycogen and cellular respiration. The creatine phosphate gives its phosphate to an ADP to leave ATP and creatine. There is about 10 times the amount of creatine phosphate than there is of ATP, so this is provides a good source of ATP. Skeletal muscle only contains about 1% glycogen. It can though undergo glycogenolysis to convert glycogen to glucose-1-phosphate. This goes on to yield just two molecules of ATP, so evidently this is a limited source. Cellular respiration is the main source of ATP during lengthy exercise and when converting lactic acid to glycogen.  [6]   There are many differences between cardiac and skeletal muscle. Both have striations but beyond that, they have special unique features that make their functions more effective. The heart is myogenic making it self-sufficient whereas skeletal muscle is controlled by the nervous system. It is also vital that the hearts cardiac muscle works without any problems, as even the slightest of problems in the heart can lead to death. Both types of muscle are important to not only humans but all animals. Cardiac muscle, as previously mentioned, is vital to our existence; without it we could not survive as it is needed to circulate oxygen and nutrients around the body. Skeletal muscle allows us to interact with our environment with ease and for humans this is most important as it lets us drive a car, use a computer or walk to university for example. For other animals it allows them to chase prey or run from a predator. And if the muscles werent as effective, there may be less ease when carrying out such activities. Literature cited Gillian Pocock, Christopher D. Richards (2006). Human Physiology The Basis of Medicine. Oxford Core texts. Pages 84 85, Page 87 figure 7.6 http://www.ucl.ac.uk/~sjjgsca/MuscleCardiac.html Josà © Marà ­n-Garcà ­a Michael J Goldenthal (2002) The Mitochondrial Organelle and the Heart, Rev Esp Cardiol, Volume 55, Issue 12, pp. 1293 1310, ISSN: 1579-2242 http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultranet/BiologyPages/M/Muscles.html

Carrie and Columbine: American Gothic :: essays research papers fc

Carrie, by Stephen King, and the Columbine High School Incident; looked at separately, they are to things that have nothing to do with each other. Carrie was Stephen King’s first major novel and a New York Times bestseller. Columbine was and incident in Colorado that happened in 1999, where two high school seniors orchestrated a bloody massacre at their high school. The two events occurred over twenty-five years apart, but when juxtaposed we can see many similarities between the book ant the incident, the fact that they are gothic in nature in particular. Gothic Literature is a literary style made popular during the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th . This style usually portrayed fantastic tales dealing with horror, despair, the grotesque and other "dark" subjects. Gothic literature was named for the apparent influence of the dark gothic architecture of the period on the genre. Also, many of these Gothic tales took places in such "gothic" surroundings, sometimes a dark and stormy castle as shown in Mary Shelly's Frankenstein, or Bram Stoker's infamous Dracula. These stories were romances, due to their love of the imaginary over the logical. Gothic literature gave birth to many other forms, such as suspense, ghost stories, horror, mystery, and also detective stories. Gothic literature wasn't so different from other genres in form as it was in content and its focus on the "weird" aspects of life. This movement began to slowly open may people's eyes to the possible uses of the supern atural in literature. This brings us to the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Here we see the emergence of writers such as Edgar Allen Poe and Nathaniel Hawthorne. These writers used the gothic format in their writing but tweaked the traditional form to start a new style with an American twist, hence, â€Å"American Gothic†. These stories of darkness occur in a more everyday setting, such as the quaint house where the man goes mad from the "beating" of his guilt in Edgar Allan Poe's â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart† and the quaint little village in Shirley Jackson‘s â€Å"The Lottery†. The stories often involved farms and farmers and besides having a surprise twist at the end, usually some form of mass murder or death, they also used dark humor had and underlying theme, such as religion and social order. As we move even further down the timeline, we come across â€Å"new-age† gothic writers.

Imagery in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Essay

What Mark Twain is trying to portray in this part of, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, is that Boggs is plainly looking for trouble, and Colonel Sherburn is as well. In this part of the book, Boggs comes galloping along on his horse, to town where he wants to kill Sherburn. His motto, â€Å"meat first, and spoon vittles to top off on† (107) is referring to him killing Colonel Sherburn and then eat him up in a sense of having pride that Boggs defeated someone. When I was reading this part of the novel, I pictured Boggs as a mid-aged, really large man. Also, the book said he had a really red face so it made me picture him getting out of breath easy. Losing his breath foreshadowed a bit to me that he was the one that was going to be defeated, being â€Å"weak†. As Boggs was trying to act strong and brave, it turned out that Sherburn was the brave one, I pictured. Sherburn seemed like he just walked out of the store in Arkansas in a brave matter, with no care in the world after he gave that speech. Colonel Sherburn seemed sick of Boggs running his mouth, and so he shot Boggs multiple times. The word â€Å"bang!† kept appearing in this chapter, and it showed me how Sherburn wanted to do what he thought was necessary, though he was frustrated a bit. What really caught my eye was when they were trying to keep Boggs alive, and they put a Bible over his chest and under his head. This made sense that they thought, through their religion, that that could help Boggs out and that the Holy Spirit would bring him back to life, but unfortunately they did not. When first reading this, chills were brought to me with the smell of really fresh air and the sound of huffing and puffing as Boggs kept gasping for that sweet air.

Succubus on Top CHAPTER 10

Jerome didn't seem very happy to hear from me the next morning. â€Å"Do you have any idea what time it is, Georgie?† he growled into the phone. â€Å"Why are you whining? You don't even need to sleep.† â€Å"Make this fast.† I told him about my experience at the concert and my inability to ID the mystery immortal. â€Å"He wasn't one of us. Er, I mean, you know†¦not part of our†¦pantheon,† I finished lamely. â€Å"‘Pantheon?' I've never heard it put quite like that – outside of an introductory mythology class, of course.† â€Å"So?† â€Å"So what?† â€Å"So isn't that weird? I've met hundreds of different immortals and never felt one like this. He didn't feel†¦normal. I mean, he did feel like an immortal, but it was just weird.† â€Å"Well, hard as it is to believe, there are still a lot of things out there you haven't experienced – despite your vast age. â€Å" â€Å"Yeah, yeah, I know I'm an infant, all right? But doesn't this worry you at all?† He yawned. â€Å"Not in the least. Something angelic ordemonic would, but some random demigod or satyr? Hardly. They're not part of the game. Well, they're all part of the Game. What I mean is, they're not part of our game. They don't have to get permission to be here. As long as they don't interfere with our business, I don't really care. They do their own thing. We'll just catalog them and move on.† â€Å"Catalog? You've got a record then?† â€Å"Well, I don't, of course. That's one of Grace and Mei's things.† No surprise there. Jerome wasn't really big on†¦well, work. Grace and Mei were subordinate demonesses who did a lot of the dirty jobs he didn't want to. I hardly ever saw them. â€Å"I'll have to page them,† I murmured, mind spinning. â€Å"You know, I suppose it goes without saying that there are a hundred other more useful projects you could be channeling your energy into. Like, say, helping your incubus friend. From what I hear, he's stuck high and dry out in the suburbs. Emphasis on the high.† â€Å"Hey,† I said, defensive of Bastien's honor, â€Å"he's just taking his time. You can't rush quality work. Besides, he learned everything he knows from me. â€Å" â€Å"Somehow that doesn't reassure me.† Jerome disconnected. I hunted down Grace and Mei's number. I waited for the tone, punched in my call-back number, and hung up. A minute later, a Fourth of July worthy shower of sparks appeared in my living room and the two demonesses stood before me. For having chosen two very different bodies, the pair looked remarkably alike. Grace was slim in an all-business, non-nubile sort of way, enhanced by the designer black skirt and jacket she wore. She had pale blond hair cut bluntly at chin length, brown-black eyes, and skin that never saw the sun. The only true color on her was the fire engine red lipstick she wore. Mei dressed exactly the same, down to the red lipstick. Her hair, also chin-length, was a deep blue-black. Despite the softer lines, higher cheekbones, and delicate almond shape of her dark eyes, she radiated no more warmth or friendliness than her counterpart. The two always stuck together, and I assumed they must be friends. Sort of. I had no doubt they'd claw each other's eyes out – or Jerome's, for that matter – if an opportunity for power or promotion was on the line. â€Å"Georgina,† said Mei. â€Å"Long time no see,† said Grace. Both watched me expectantly. Aubrey watched them from the back of my couch, her hair on end and tail poofed out. â€Å"Hey guys,† I replied uneasily. â€Å"Thanks for coming over so fast. Slow day?† They both stared at me. â€Å"Um, so, okay. Jerome said you keep records of immortals who pass in and out of the city. Immortals who are outside of our†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Game?† suggested Grace. â€Å"Pantheon?† suggested Mei. â€Å"Yeah. Sure. So†¦do you?† â€Å"Who are you looking for?† asked Mei. â€Å"What kind of immortal?† asked Grace. â€Å"That's the problem.† I told them everything I knew about him, which mostly included appearance and other encounters when I'd felt that weird sensation. Describing his signature was harder. I couldn't exactly say he felt like an incubus or an angel or a nymph or an oni. I hadn't run across his type before. The demonesses processed this information, glanced at each other, and then shook their heads. â€Å"He doesn't sound familiar,† said Grace. â€Å"But we can double-check the records,† said Mei. â€Å"Thanks,† I told them. â€Å"I'd really appreciate it.† They nodded curtly and turned as if to leave. Mei suddenly glanced back at me. â€Å"You should hang out with us sometime,† she said unexpectedly. â€Å"Cleo's in Capitol Hill has great specials on Ladies Night.† â€Å"There are so few of us girls around here,† added Grace. â€Å"We need to stick together.† They smiled and disappeared. I shivered. Going to a bar with those two sounded only marginally more appealing than stamping with Dana's CPFV friends. Speaking of which, I decided to visit Bastien later that afternoon. I hadn't heard from him in a few days. â€Å"Do you have any idea how much I don't care about your mortal friends?† he snapped when I told him about the whole bizarre situation surrounding Doug, Alec, and the mystery man. â€Å"I have real problems here. I'm dying. I'm getting nowhere with Dana. I keep seeing her, she's nice, and that's it! It's like she only wants – â€Å" â€Å"To be friends?† He stopped pacing around his kitchen and cut me an arch look. â€Å"Women are never just friends with me.† He leaned against the counter and closed his eyes. â€Å"I just can't think what else to do. If I don't act fast, one of our superiors is going to find out how bad things are.† I decided not to mention Jerome's â€Å"high and dry† comment just then. â€Å"Well, jeez, take a break and do something fun. Peter's having another poker game. Come over and play with us. I'm going to bring Seth.† â€Å"I thought you said this was going to be fun.† â€Å"Hey! Who was that a dig at? Peter or Seth?† â€Å"Pick one, Fleur .Although, admittedly, Peter does make a pretty decentsouffle. What can the author do?† â€Å"I wish you'd stop picking on Seth. You don't even know him.† Bastien shrugged. â€Å"Sorry. You just make it so easy.† â€Å"You're jealous.† â€Å"Hardly,† he snorted. â€Å"I've had my share of mortal infatuations, thank you. So have you, if memory serves. And you've also had a number of immortal boyfriends you seemed to have liked reasonably well. None of them ever gave you as much grief as this guy.† â€Å"Seth's different. I can't explain it. Being with him just feels so†¦right. I feel like I've known him forever. â€Å" † Fleur , I've known you forever. You've only known this guy for a couple months.† We had gotten involved pretty quickly, and it did bug me sometimes, but I truly believed in the strength and depth of my feelings for Seth. They were neither superficial nor transient – I hoped. He had once told me there was no one else in the world for him but me. When I'd pointed out that was a bold statement in light of how long we'd known each other, he'd simply said, â€Å"Sometimes you just know.† It was remarkably similar to what my husband, Kyriakos, had told me when we'd first met, back in my long-ago, dust-covered days as a mortal. I'd been fifteen at the time, and my father had sent me down to the docks of our town with a message for Kyriakos, father. Sending me alone was a bit unorthodox, but my father hadn't thought much about it since he was only a short distance away at the market. Nonetheless, I found it a frightening walk. Sweaty, dirty men worked ceaselessly, unloading and loading in the hot sun while the turquoise Mediterranean shimmered beyond them. I got directions from a short, bald man who leered up at me when he finished. â€Å"You're a tall girl,† he observed. â€Å"Bet that might bother some men, but not me. You're just the right height as far as I'm concerned.† He laughed, and some of his companions laughed too. The man's face came up right to the height of my chest. I hurried past them with lowered eyes, honing in on the indicated ship. Relief flooded me when I found Kyriakos checking lines and talking to some of the workers. I'd never spoken to him, but I knew who his father was and knew he was trustworthy. He looked up at my approach and smiled. â€Å"You're Marthanes, daughter, right? Letha?† I nodded. â€Å"I'm supposed to tell your father that the shipment can be ready this evening if he wants it early.† â€Å"I'll let him know. He's not here.† â€Å"All right.† We stood there awkwardly for a moment. I could sense him studying me out of the corner of his eye while pretending to study the workers. He looked like he wanted to say something, but when nothing came, I made motions to go. â€Å"Well, thanks. I should get back.† â€Å"Wait, Letha.† He reached out a hand to stop me from turning, then shyly pulled back before actually touching me. â€Å"You†¦didn't walk here by yourself, did you?† â€Å"My father said it wasn't that far. And that I wasn't in much danger of attracting interest. â€Å" Kyriakos made a harsh sound in his throat. â€Å"Your father's a fool. Let me walk you back.† He hesitated. â€Å"But don't tell your father I called him a fool.† He exchanged a few curt words with one of his men and then set out back to town with me. He was older than me, his face tanned from sun and sea. His hair was black and messy, about chin-length, and he stood almost – but not quite – as tall as I did. â€Å"I saw you at that wedding a few days ago,† he said after a long stretch of silence. â€Å"You were dancing with some other girls. You know†¦you're really good.† The compliment surprised me. â€Å"I think the wine helped.† â€Å"No. The wine helped the other girls – or hindered, maybe. I'm not sure.† He glanced over at me, and I nearly stumbled at the intensity in his dark eyes. â€Å"But you†¦dancing lives inside of you. The music spoke to you, and you understood it.† â€Å"You were playing a flute,† I recalled, trying not to blush at the regard in his voice. â€Å"Yes.† He sounded happy that I remembered. Silence fell again. We were almost to the market; the sounds of people and commerce drifted down to us. Kyriakos clearly wanted us to keep talking. â€Å"So†¦I heard your sister got married last spring.† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"What about you?† I eyed him. â€Å"I didn't get married last spring.† A smile turned up the edges of his lips. â€Å"What about next spring?† â€Å"Are you offering?† â€Å"Just checking. I heard my father say†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I stopped walking near the edge of the market, so I could look him in the eye again. People and animals moved around us, and across a walkway I could see my father talking to a fruit vendor. â€Å"Look,† I said brusquely, â€Å"I heard my father say it too – how they're thinking about making a marriage between our families. It'd create good trade deals. But if you're trolling for that, you should talk to your father about one of my sisters, not me.† â€Å"What? Don't you want to get married?† His smile faltered. â€Å"Or is someone else lined up for you?† I stared incredulously. â€Å"No, of course not. You just don't want to marry me, that's all.† â€Å"I don't?† â€Å"No. You want one of my sisters.† â€Å"I do?† â€Å"Yes. They're shorter, prettier, nicer – and softer spoken.† â€Å"Can they dance?† I considered. â€Å"No. They're terrible.† His shy smile returned. â€Å"Then I want you.† â€Å"You're crazy. You don't know what you're talking about. You don't know anything about me. † Of course, in those days, most people knew little about their betrothed. What I found remarkable was his conviction that we were compatible. â€Å"It doesn't matter. I can just tell that you're the one. Can't you feel it?† I met his eyes and felt a shiver go through me, like I'd stumbled into something bigger and more powerful than both of us. For just a moment, I allowed myself to consider that this man from a highly respected family might legitimately be interested in me. It was a heady feeling, and not just from the honor involved. It was from the way he looked at me and spoke to me, like I was both worthy and an equal. Something built between us, drawing me to him, and it confused me. â€Å"You don't know anything about me,† I repeated quietly, my mouth feeling dry. His tentative smile grew bolder. â€Å"I know plenty. I know that you dance and that you're smart – too smart, according to my father. And I know that your family is banned from Lais, bakery because you called her daughter a – â€Å" â€Å"That wasn't my fault,† I interjected quickly. Across the way, my father caught sight of us. I held up a hand of greeting, and he impatiently gestured me over. â€Å"My father wants me.† Kyriakos cast an uncertain look over there and hastily turned back. If I was known for a sharp tongue, my father was reputed to be worse, and however love struck and brazen, Kyriakos apparently wasn't quite up to facing him yet. â€Å"I'll have my father talk to yours.† The earlier joking was gone; Kyriakos was all seriousness now. But there was more than just that. His eyes were looking at me in a way I'd never been looked at before. I felt hot, then cold, and then hot again. A tingle played along my flesh. I couldn't take my eyes away from his. â€Å"This isn't about trade deals,† I whispered. â€Å"No. This is about you and me. You're the one.† I stared, uncharacteristically short on words. My shock now came more from that crazy feeling swirling inside of me, not from the preposterous nature of his proposal – one he shouldn't have even brought up without the involvement of our families. Later I'd learn what a leap this whole conversation had been for him. He was not given to long speeches or bold behavior. He said little, as a general rule, more content to express himself through his eyes and his music, and later†¦after we were married, his lovemaking. â€Å"Look,† he said, suddenly growing nervous as he misinterpreted my silence and expression, â€Å"I've saved. We can get a nice house. You won't have to live with so many people anymore. I'll be gone a lot, but you can probably run things and make deals better than me anyway. Not being able to buy bread will be problematic, but we might be able to afford a servant, or you can learn to – â€Å" â€Å"Shut up,† I said. He stared. â€Å"What?† â€Å"Just shut up. You're wasting time. Go tell your father to talk to mine. And,† I added wryly, â€Å"I know how to make bread.† He caught his breath. â€Å"You're sure?† â€Å"About the bread? Yes, I'm sure.† A slow smile bloomed across his face, spreading up into his eyes, making them smolder. I felt my pulse quicken and smiled back. Nothing else needed to be said. My father yelled again, and I ran off to join him. Pondering this memory and what was now happening with Seth, I stared dazedly out the front window and caught sight of Jody checking the mail. â€Å"Hey,† I told Bastien. â€Å"I want to go say hi to her.† I ran outside and waved, making her break out into one of her big, beautiful smiles. To my surprise, she even hugged me. â€Å"Ooh! I'm so glad to see you. How have you been?† We exchanged a few pleasantries, and then she grabbed my arm excitedly. â€Å"Are you busy today? You want to go to the mall?† To my surprise, that actually sounded like fun. More fun than listening to Bastien bitch and moan. â€Å"Sure.† â€Å"Great. I'll go tell Dana.†