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Her name is Bethany and she is the niece of a friend. I first met the young woman when she was about 8 years old – a loud, angular, elbowy girl. She was below average in looks, not superior in intellect, and seemed to have trouble relating to adults. She and I were not significant members of each other’s world, and I had little reason and even less opportunity to pay attention to the child, so I didn’t – but I do recall thinking that she took up too much room for a child her age and size. I would see her every year or so, out there on the periphery of my universe, and as I watched her get older, I watched her get larger and heard her get louder. In retrospect, I see it as a cry for love and attention. At the time, however, she was just annoying.
